Television Culture

What Does Your TV Collection Look Like?

2015-03-25T18:15:00.001-04:00

Being a TV buff, one of my favorite past-times is amassing a pretty nice collection of my favorite TV shows on DVD and blu-ray. With some of my favorite shows coming to an end, a complete series box set comes with that. My collection is nowhere near perfect but I'm working towards getting all of my favorite shows on blu-ray (or DVD if blu-ray is unavailable). While streaming is great and all, there is nothing I love more than unboxing a new tv season set!

Take a look at my collection below:

Arrow – Season 1, 2
American Horror Story – Season 1
Bates Motel – Season 1
Being Human – Season 1, 2
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Season 1
Community – Season 1, 2
Chuck – Seasons 1, 2, 3
Elementary – Season 1, 2
Dexter – Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Dead Like Me – Complete Collection Box Set (2 seasons + Movie)
Friends – Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (complete series)
Fringe – Complete Series Box Set (5 seasons)
Happy Endings – Season 1, 2
Heroes – Seasons 1, 2
The King of Queens – Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (complete series)
The Office – Complete Series Box Set (9 seasons)
Orange Is the New Black – Season 1
Orphan Black – Season 1, 2
Parks and Recreation – Season 2, 3, 4, 6
Shameless – Season 1
Smallville Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
South Park – Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Supernatural – Season 1, 2, 3
Weeds – Complete Series Box Set (8 seasons)

Not the biggest but I'm working my way there. Here's what my wishlist looks like.

American Horror Story - Season 2 (Asylum) and 3 (Coven)
Dexter - Complete Series Box Set on blu-ray. I currently own the first six seasons on DVD only.
Friends - Complete Series Box Set. While I own all 10 seasons on DVD, some are in pretty rough shape. Friends was the first show I ever bought on DVD and some of the discs and cases are over a decade old.
The King of Queens - Complete Series Box Set. Similar to Friends, a lot of my older DVDs are in poor quality and this box set is pretty cheap on Amazon.
Chuck - Complete Series Box Set on blu-ray. I only own the first 3 seasons on DVD.
Don't Trust the B In Apartment 23 - Complete Series
Happy Endings - Season 3. While never officially released onto DVD, Amazon offers a DVD-R copy of the final season.
Being Human - Complete Series Box Set. IF IT EVER GETS RELEASED! I've been tweeting the official Syfy account for months asking about it. The show ended over a year ago, it's time for a box set!
That 70s' Show - Complete Series. It's less than $30 on Amazon, which is a great deal.
Parks & Recreation - Complete Series Box Set. It's going to be released this June.
Shameless - Season 2, 3, 4 on blu-ray.

As you can see, I'm trying to transition my collection from DVD to blu-ray. I'm going to work on getting these over the next year or so.

So what does your TV-on-DVD collection look like?

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(Photo Credit: Craig Allen)

Survivor: Worlds Apart Recap

2015-03-23T11:11:00.002-04:00

So after falling a bit behind, I finally caught up on the current season of Survivor. It's the 30th season entitled "Worlds Apart," which pits three tribes against each other. One tribe is comprised of people with white collar jobs, another with blue collar jobs, and the final tribe is the "no-collar" tribe. I thought it was an interesting premise. The fact that Survivor can keep creating original twists to the game after thirty seasons is impressive in itself. However it is being dragged down a bit with the lack of root-able castaways. Let's take a look at the specific tribes, shall we?

The No-Collar Tribe

(Image: CBS)

The No-Collar tribe is easily my least favorite tribe so far. Really, not a single likable person in the bunch. Nina, the oldest in the tribe, was deaf. You would think that the no-collar tribe would have just a little bit of compassion for someone with a disability like that? Eh, not so much. She was outcasted from the get-go. Also, this tribe doesn't have the greatest gameplayers either. Take for example, Jenn. "I don't know why everyone takes this game so seriously?" she wonders in episode two. Hmm, I don't know Jenn, it's not like you're playing for a million dollars or anything? Right? It's scary to think that she found one of the first idols of the season.

But she's not even the worst to come from this tribe. Nope, that would be YouTube "sensation" Will. He's terrible in challenges and has a poor social game - but comes across as if he's superior to the others, There's just something about him I can't pinpoint, but there's a smugness there I just can't deal with.

The Blue-Collar Tribe

(Image: CBS)

As expected, the blue collar tribe slayed the physical competitions at the start of the game. However, that didn't stop cracks from forming within the tribe. Before being voted off, Lindsey went toe-to-toe with two of her tribemates, Mike and Rodney. I'll give her credit, her argument with Rodney was justified because his misogynistic should not go unnoticed. I'm hoping at some point somebody puts Dan through the ringer as well - because his obnoxious behavior is grating my nerves.

Despite some annoyances, two of my favorites this season are from this tribe: Mike and Sierra. Mike is hard-working and has his head in the game. Even when Lindsey was screaming at him, he kept his cool and composure and didn't fight back. However, I am a little disappointed he went with the split vote at the first blue-collar tribal council, blindsiding Sierra (who received two votes but was not voted out). I feel for Sierra. They come back from tribal and Dan and Rodney tag team her with criticism. Right there is when Sierra became one of my favorites because I always root for the underdog on these shows. I'm hoping she can cause some chaos now that the tribes are swapping.

The White-Collar tribe

(Image: CBS)

And lastly we have the white-collar tribe. Filled with business executives and wall-street sharks, what could possibly go wrong with this tribe? Unsurprisingly, they lost the very first challenge and supplied us with the first blindside of the season. Carolyn, the oldest on the tribe found the hidden immunity idol, and began running things very quickly. So much so, even when the tribes swapped - she held onto that power - taking out her fellow white-collar, Max.

But this tribe is important because it has Shirin, my ironic fave for the season. She's absolutely insane and I love it. I doubt she is going to last much longer, but I hope others decide to drag her to the end because they think they can beat her - only to have her come out on top. I love it when that happens.

Despite a so-so cast, we've gotten some good fights so far, some cray-crays, and a few blindsides - and we're only in the beginning weeks of the game. I have a very good feeling we're going to see a lot more drama this season and I can't wait to see what's to come!

Survivor airs Wednesday nights at 8pm on CBS.

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(Main Photo Credit: CBS)

Big Brother Canada cast revealed!

2015-03-20T13:48:00.001-04:00

It's my favorite time of year! I'm talking of course, about Big Brother season! Normally, I would have to wait until June to get my BB-fix, but for the past few years, fans have gotten a bonus Canadian season to obsess over. And let me tell you, the past two seasons of Big Brother Canada have been far better than Big Brother US. Hell, last season's BBCAN was one of the greatest seasons of Big Brother I have ever watched. It easily ranks into my top 5 favorite seasons of BB. So this season has a lot to live up to. Over the past few days, the cast has been released in groups. Here's all 16 houseguests!

Bruno Ielo, 31

Brittnee Blair, 25

Bobby Hlad, 27

Sarah Hanlon, 27

Zach Oleynik, 22

Willow Macdonald, 26

Sindy Nguyen, 25

Pilar Nemer, 22

Johnny Colatruglio, 26

Kevin Martin, 22

Naeha Sareen, 29

Graig Merritt, 36

Ashleigh Wood, 21

Godfrey Mangwiza, 22

Jordan Parhar, 21

Patricia Denner, 41

So every season I say I'm not going to pick pre-season favorites because every time I do, I end up hating that person when the show premieres. Yet every year, I declare a pre-season favorite. Well, not this year. Nope. I'm not falling in that trap again. I'll reserve my opinions on all of them for the first week. Check out more information at the official website!

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(Image credits)

Natalia 'Kills' Her Career on The X Factor

2015-03-20T11:58:00.001-04:00

Never in a million years did I think that The X-Factor: New Zealand would provide one of 2015’s greatest viral moments. If you haven’t already seen what all the fuss is about, take a look at this clip of husband and wife pop duo and (now ex-)X-Factor judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon “critiquing” one of the contestants.

Brutal, huh? The guy had it coming though. With the hair AND the suit? He was just asking for it, wasn’t he? I mean, I get it. Don’t we all wish we could be more like international icon, Willy Moon? Eh, not so much. This ridiculous over-the-top rant has been making its way around the twitter-sphere over the last week. Multiple Facebook pages were created as a petition to get the duo kicked off the show and garnered more than 20,000 likes combined. To put that in perspective, these pages have more likes than the amount of albums both Natalia Kills and Willy Moon have sold, combined.

I feel like people are over-looking Willy's comments though, which are just as bad - if not worse. Comparing him to Norman Bates because he's wearing a suit just like him and every other male on earth? Although Isn't imitation supposed to be the biggest form of flattery? Lighten up, Willy! But what makes this rant even more stupid is that shows like The X Factor and The Voice have stylists that dress the contestants for the live shows. I doubt this poor guy even had a say in what he was going to wear.

Also let's be real, Natalia Kills is the last person to be speaking about creativity integrity, considering her entire persona is a D-list version of Lady Gaga circa The Fame Monster.

Once this clip started circulating, it didn't take long for I, as an artist who respects creativity integrity and intellectual property to become a internet meme. Take a look at some of the best ones below:

http://periodicfable.tumblr.com/post/113824178413

http://damianmcgintleman.tumblr.com/post/113701677026/natalia-kills-goes-to-a-funeral-natalia-kills

http://dickinuranus.tumblr.com/post/113718803651

Well, The X-Factor took no time, firing the Bonnie and Clyde of music. Per a statement released by the show's broadcaster: "Contestants put their all into this competition and they should expect to receive feedback and criticism that is professional and constructive. We no longer have confidence that Kills and Moon are the right people to perform the role of X Factor judges and they will leave the show, effective immediately.” They were exiled from the show before the first contestant was voted off. Ouch.

But the absolute greatest thing about this story? Willy Moon is still the most irrelevant person ever.

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Deadly Women: Oh The Dramatics!

2015-03-04T22:23:00.001-05:00

So I recently got hooked on some of those Investigative Discovery series. You’ve probably seen them. They’re those shows that reenact crime scenes and show interviews from those involved. Some of them are tastefully done in the sense of the reenactment. But others are completely over-the-top and overly dramatic. Needless to say, I love them! One has caught my attention over the others, due to pure ridiculousness – and that is Deadly Women. Each episode summarizes three murder cases in which the culprit is a woman. Pretty standard. But let’s delve a little deeper.

The Narration is one of the most unnecessarily dramatic interpretations that I have ever heard on TV. I can’t even imagine this woman going into a recording studio and reading the dialogue in the tone she uses on the show. How do you not feel like a ridiculous human being? Again, it’s amazing. The interviews are just as outlandish as the narration. Most of the time, they add little information to the story at hand. Many of them speak in little cliches. "The only thing Jessica was hungry for... WAS MURDER!" ... Oh gee, really? The story is going to end in murder? I would have never guessed.

But the best thing about this show? Easily the acting, or over-acting I should say. I get it. It's a show on ID Discovery, so I'm not expecting Academy Award-winning acting but this is just too much. The fake stabbing motions, the intense glares these actresses give into the cameras (all dubbed with a dramatic narration), it's all great. Many of the episodes are on YouTube and the many episodes air sporadically on Investigative Discovery.

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(Photo Credit: TV.com)

Scandal: TV's Most Exciting Series

2015-03-01T19:38:00.001-05:00

Last year I binge-watched three seasons of Scandal in the matter of two weeks. In that time frame, it rose to my personal top 10 TV series on the air. However, this season it has eclipsed the coveted number-one slot. Season 4 of Scandal has featured action-packed story-lines that have kept me on the edge of my seat for months.

Entering my final semester of my college career, I began to fall behind on many of my shows, however Scandal was the only one that I kept up with every single week. That is mostly due to the abduction storyline with Olivia. The mid-season premiere had me absolutely fixated while watching. I wasn't live-tweeting, I wasn't texting, I wasn't browsing Facebook - I was completely drawn to my television. It has been a long time since a television show had that kind of effect on me. The twist at the end of the episode, revealing that Ian (her fellow captive in the episode) was actually the mastermind behind her abduction, took me by surprise. It still was almost euphoric to see Olivia shoot down one of her captors. We all knew she was a HBIC, but damn. That just PROVED it.

Each episode since then has been better than the last. Scandal has always been good, but it has never been this good. The auction for Olivia Pope has been one of the most thrilling plot-lines in recent television history. AND THE SURPRISE TWIST AT THE END! I totally called this on twitter the week before! When Quinn had mentioned Stephen in the previous episode, I knew he would be the one to show up and save Olivia. Most people speculated that it would be Papa Pope but I felt that would have been far too predictable - and Scandal has been anything but this season.

View image | gettyimages.com

Now I have never really been a big fan of Fitz's character. I have always found him overly whiny, especially for someone who is supposed to be the President of the United States. However, I think Olivia went in a little too hard on him in the last episode. I mean, yes - he literally went to war to save her (which ended up not saving her at all) but I think some slack needs to be cut. Everyone did everything within their power to get Olivia back safely (all of them failing to do so except for Abby, surprisingly), including Fitz. His may have led to the most catastrophic results of the bunch but it was a highly emotional time for all the characters.

I am glad that the Olivia abduction storyline was not stretched out until the end of the season. It was wonderfully compacted within those very intense four episodes. I'm excited to see where they are going to go from here. From the preview, it looks as if Olivia is going to start suffering from post-traumatic stress due to her abduction. Kerry Washington is a brilliant actress and I know whatever the writers have in store for Olivia, she's going to nail it.

Take a look at the preview for next week's episode!

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(Main Photo Credit: TVLine)

A Farewell to Parks and Recreation

2015-02-13T15:30:00.001-05:00

Parks and Recreation is geared up to air it's final episode in less than two weeks. Lets travel back to 2009 when this little gem of television perfection graced our screens for the very first time. While it's first 6-episode season received lukewarm reviews from critics, us fans saw the potential Parks and Recreation had. From the moment Leslie fell into the pit, I knew we had television gold on our hands.

It was also the season that introduced us to some of our favorite characters, how could we not love it? Leslie, Ann, Tom, Ron, April, Andy, and of course, Pawnee Zoning Board Member, Janine Restrepo. Times were simpler back then; Ann and Andy were a couple, Leslie was trying to fill in the pit, and we hadn't discovered the brilliance of calzones yet.

Season two premiered later that year and we finally got to experience a full 22-episode season of TV's smartest comedy. Leslie became queen of the gays, a love began to blossom between Andy and April, and we were introduced to the greatest enemy Leslie Knope would ever have to go up against, Greg Pikitis.

However, Pikitis was not the only adversary Leslie had to face in season two. When Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt traveled to Pawnee to slash the Parks & Rec budget, she of course did not take it sitting down. In fact, Leslie spoke to everyone in the bar, and nobody wanted Ben there. Tough break but don't worry - it doesn't last for long. Things start to look up for him in season three, kinda.

Season three brought on the Harvest Festival, Andy and April's marriage, the creation of Entertainment 7/20 and a budding romance between Leslie and Ben. But more importantly, we get our first real look at the awfulness that is Eagleton (shudders). Leslie begins to run for public office in season four and is forced to end her romance with Ben. The two have a bit of trouble staying just friends and it gets complicated. In doing so, it gave us one of the greatest line deliveries in the history of comedy television.

After saying screw it and continuing their relationship, Ben eventually becomes Leslie's campaign manager helping her nab that city council seat in season five, where she tries her hardest not to get Jamm-ed by fellow councilman, Jeremy Jamm.

His dirty tactics work and Leslie is eventually recalled out of office at the start of season six, begging the question- Does Pawnee actually deserve Leslie Knope? On top of that, her best friend and beautiful tropical fish, Ann Perkins decides to leave Pawnee. But fret not, it's not all bad for Leslie this season. She and Ben discover they are pregnant with triplets and a new job at the National Parks & Recreation office is in Leslie's sights.

It was announced last year that season seven would be Parks and Recreation's last, a devastating blow to fans everywhere. I believe my reaction went something like this:

But all great things must come to an end. I'd rather it go out in a blaze of glory than it being dragged on far past it's prime (glares at The Office). Season seven sees a flash-forward to three years in the future; Leslie is working at the National Parks Department, Andy is a local TV star, April is searching for a new career, Tom is finally a successful entrepreneur, Ron is no longer a government employee, and Ben is running for congress. All seems to be on track for a happy ending for our favorite characters. In two weeks time, I'll be perched in front of the television in my Lil Sebastian hoodie with my calzone and waffle combo, watching it all go down.

Parks & Recreation's final episodes air on February 17 and February 24 on NBC.

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(Images: NBC/Universal Television)

Is Happy Endings getting revived? or are we just getting trolled?

2015-02-07T23:47:00.001-05:00

It's been almost two years and I'm still reeling over the cancellation of ABC's Happy Endings. The show started off with strong ratings but due to ABC's mismanagement of scheduling and advertising, the show lost steam. It was able to keep a loyal following from hardcore fans, but that was not enough to keep the show from getting the axe. Since then, it has been teased that the show might be revived in some form. USA Network toyed with the idea of picking it up but eventually passed. There were rumors of a possible Netflix pick-up, but nothing ever substantialized.

But today the official Happy Endings writer's twitter account tweeted this:

http://t.co/dxmVVW3DYO #ketchup
— Happy Endings (@happywrites) February 8, 2015

Click the link. It's a countdown. The countdown ends on April 1st. Either we're getting some kind of news about a revival or this is the cruelest April Fools joke ever. Click on to see the accounts that the Happy Endings twitter is following and you see this:

... and now they're really starting to test my patience. Of the principal cast, three actors are already signed to new shows: Casey Wilson on Marry Me (which is like a Happy Endings rehash. It's good, but nothing near the original), Elisha Cuthbert on One Big Happy, and Zachary Knighton on Weird Loners. Damon Wayans Jr. and Adam Pally have just announced they will be leaving New Girl and The Mindy Project, respectively and Eliza Coupe's Benched was cancelled after one season.

So take this with a grain of salt. This could mean a possible Happy Endings revival on a streaming media service... or it could just be the writers being dicks.

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(Image Credit: E! Online)

Where American Horror Story Went Wrong

2015-02-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

When details of the fourth season of American Horror Story were being revealed last summer, fans found themselves getting very excited for what’s to come. There were so many different avenues they could have ventured into with the premise of a freak show. With so much material to work with, Freak Show ended up accomplishing absolutely nothing. But why? How did we go from the great storytelling and vivid characters of Asylum to the non-existent plot and one-dimensional characters of Freak Show?

For the past two seasons but more specifically with Freak Show, American Horror Story has been writing plots around keeping certain cast members. With the same principal cast coming back season-after-season playing different characters, it can be quite hard to fit them all within a specific seasonal theme. After an astonishing performance as voodoo queen Marie Laveau in Coven, Angela Bassett took on the role of Desiree Dupree, a three-breasted woman in Freak Show. However, Desiree added very little to the season as a whole, suffered from inconsistent writing of the character and received little screen time. But it’s Angela Bassett and we can’t lose her – so let’s create a character for her.

Now I get it. I really do. You want to keep talented actors on the show. However, writing to keep a specific actor is harshly limiting to the show and keeps the plot from being organic. Another good example is Evan Peter’s character in Coven. Was there really any need for Kyle that season? Evan Peters was filming a movie at the time and was less available for shooting; hence his reduced screen time and… Uh… limited dialogue (if you can even call it that). It probably would have been better had Peters taken the season off instead. It would have allowed the writers to flesh out some of the more interesting plot points of the season. Instead we got stuck with the unnecessary B-plot of the CW-esque love triangle between Zoe, Madison, and Kyle.

Frances Conroy and Finn Wittrock as Gloria and Dandy Mott (Photo credit: Yahoo/FX)

The biggest under-use of a talent however, goes to Frances Conroy. She’s absolutely amazing but is so devalued in American Horror Story. Her Freak Show character was killed off only six episodes into the season, never to be mentioned again. Was that really necessary? After being with the show since it’s debut season – she deserved a lot more material to work with. She, along with Finn Wittrock were easily the highlights of the first half of the season.

Freak Show suffered from having too many characters and not enough time to expand all of their stories. And when they did, it never furthered the plot. Devoting an entire episode to Pepper was foolish. Yes, it was a nice throwback to Asylum and yes, we got to see our girl Lily Rabe again, but it was essentially a throw-away episode. It added nothing to the actual story. With such little plot going on as it is, was it really wise to go even more off-track?

With Jessica Lange leaving the show and Sarah Paulson being signed to American Crime Story, my hopes for season 5 is a complete reboot of the series. Start off with a fresh new batch of cast members. While I'll miss the likes of Lange and Paulson, American Horror Story desperately needs to be revitalized if it is going to continue.

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The 6 best episodes of Catfish: The TV Show

2015-01-29T15:38:00.003-05:00

Winter break is like a blessing for the TV addicted college student. It normally allows me to binge-watch all the shows I missed over the course of the semester. Over this break, I discovered Catfish: The TV Show. I was aware of what it was but had never sat down and watched an episode. I binged all three seasons in a matter of a few days thanks to Amazon Prime Video.

If you’re unfamiliar, the show focuses on these two guys, Nev and Max, who travel around the country helping people meet their online loves. In many cases, these people are not who they say they are on the internet and eventually are forced to come clean on the show. The series was created by one of the hosts, Nev. His own catfish story was documented in the 2010 film, Catfish.

Maybe I’m cynical, but I absolutely love how blind some of these people are. “Oh yeah, we’ve never video chatted or spoke on the phone. Actually, he doesn’t have a phone. But we’re in love!” When confronted that their one true love may not be who they say they are, these people are absolutely shocked to their core. What? Someone lied on the internet? You don’t say?

In their defense, some of these fakers go above and beyond the typical online troll. However in some instances, they do have feelings for the ones they are catfishing and are only doing so because they are ashamed or insecure with themselves in some way. There are a couple episodes where you actually find yourself sympathizing with the catfisher.

My favorite part of the whole show though is how serious Max and Nev get sometimes. You would think with the way they conduct their research that they have some top-secret software to find these catfishes. Nope. They literally just use Google and Facebook. It's the greatest thing ever.

Season 4 of Catfish is premiering next month and I thought it would be fun to countdown their six best episodes.

No. 6 - "Sunny & Jamison"

MTV Shows

Sunny is a great example of one of the "blind" people I mentioned earlier. "RJ" told her that he was a model, TV show assistant for Chelsea Lately, and that he was going to school at night to become an anesthesiologist. At no point did any red flags pop up for Sunny. Not only that, but she and her sister actually FOUGHT over him as you can see in the clip above. Turns out, it was an 18 year old bisexual woman named Chelsea the entire time. This might easily be one of my favorite catfish reveals ever. "We're looking for Jamison" "It's me." Classic. I bet her sister is ecstatic that it was Sunny and not her who showed up at Chelsea's door.

No. 5 - "Cassie & Steve"

MTV Shows

This was an interesting episode because the catfish came from a sincere place but got out of hand quickly. After her father's death, Cassie began following a dark road. In hopes to save her from herself, her best friend Gladys created "Steve." The two began a relationship on Facebook and it soon escalated to phone sex and eventually an engagement. That's right. They hadn't even met yet were already engaged to one another. Now how did they have phone sex without "Steve" exposing his identity as Gladys? Well, Gladys enlisted the help of her cousin to keep the relationship going. While initially Cassie was shocked and hurt over the entire situation, she forgave Gladys and understood why she did what she did, resulting in one of the more heartwarming episodes of the series.

No. 4 - "Jasmine & Mike"

MTV Shows

This is one of the more ridiculous episodes they've ever done. Jasmine and "Mike" talked for two years but had never spoken to one another and had never video-chatted. When they finally met, it was revealed that Mike is actually Mhissy, the new girlfriend of Jasmine's ex-boyfriend, Triggs. This is probably one of the most memorable meet-ups we've seen on the show so far. "She didn't take my flower. That's sad, huh?" Their bad blood continued after the episode ended and they almost got into another altercation at the end-of-season reunion. I personally find myself sympathizing with Jasmine here, as ridiculous as the whole situation was.

No. 3 - "Ashley & Mike"

This was the most infuriating episode to watch and had me actively rooting against the person who was seeking Nev and Max's help. Ashley contacted the duo in hopes of meeting her online beau, Mike. In this case, both Ashley and Mike were catfishing one another. While Mike was sending her fake pictures, Ashley was photoshopping her images to make herself look increasingly smaller than she actually is. While Ashley had said earlier in the episode that looks are not important to her, she changes that tune when she finally meets Mike. After almost a decade of friendship between them, she barley gives him the time of day because of his weight.

Are you kidding me? People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. She even commented that she was upset he did not have a six-pack. The absolute hypocrisy Ashley displayed was unbelievable. If you're not attracted to him then so be it, but at least give him a chance as a person. He deserves it after seven years of friendship. She was cold throughout the entire meeting. Sadly, Mike passed away about a month after the episode aired due to a pulmonary embolism. All clips from the episode have been removed from MTV. RIP Mike Fortunato.

No. 2 - "Artis and Jess"

MTV Shows

This is probably the most entertaining and shocking confrontations ever seen on Catfish. Artis believed he was talking to a woman named "Jess." Both were currently in unhappy relationships and sought a way out with one another Well, it turns out "Jess" is actually a man named Justin who is so hell-bent on exposing cheaters, he went to catfish-lengths to do so. I can't even articulate how insane Justin comes across during the meeting and post-meeting interviews with Nev and Max. My favorite part about it all though is Nev trying to act tough with Justin, "you better back up!" You tell him, Nev!

Funny thing about this episode though, it turns out that Artis and Justin buried the hatchet after the show aired and have since become best friends. They are planning to produce their own show although no plans have gone through as of yet.

No. 1 - "Antwane & Tony"

MTV Shows

Oh man, where do I begin? Antwane met Tony on an adult chat-line and regularly kept in contact with him for three years via phone. They never met face to face nor did they ever video chat. The relationship was based on their voices alone. Antwane's cousin, Carmen contacted Nev and Max to help seek out Tony. After doing some rigorous Google research, Nev and Max came up with a few leads. Unfortunately they all seemed to lead nowhere. That is, until Carmen revealed that SHE is Tony. That's right. Carmen catfished her cousin for three years. The reasoning? Three years ago Antwane called her a "fat ass Kelly Price." So in retaliation, she catfished him for more than a quarter of a decade. Even going as far as disguising her voice to sound like a man. Iconic.

All episodes of Catfish: The TV Show can be found on the MTV website. Season 4 premieres Wednesday, February 25th at 10 PM.

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If the Parents Television Council ruled TV...

2015-01-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

When I get bored I tend to troll the internet for outlandish articles and websites for a good laugh. The other day I Googled “Kirk Cameron fan site” just to see if one actually existed. Well turns out, there is one and it’s the most amazing thing ever. It’s hosted on Angelfire, I felt like I traveled back to 1999. Not only that, but it notes itself as the largest Kirk Cameron fan site on the world wide web. The greatest thing about that statement is that it’s entirely believable. I won't link you to it though because I'm about 80% sure it gave me a virus.

The other night I was once again bored and decided that I would read the Parent’s Television Council website. If you haven’t heard of the PTC, they are a catholic censorship advocacy organization that warns parents about the dangers and indecency found on primetime television. Each week they publish a best-and-worst of the week list for cable and networktelevision. Looking at the list, the only shows they seem to approve of are Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Middle, and Undercover Boss. If they feel a show has gone too far, they will organize letter-writing campaigns to the show’s advertisers and to the FCC. In recent years, they have expanded outside of television and have protested music releases as well (most notably Britney Spears’ “If U Seek Amy” and Rihanna’s “Man Down”).

One of their biggest issues is the bundling of networks by cable and satellite television providers. They want to be able to pick and choose the channels they pay for. I understand that viewpoint to an extent. It does seem like a waste of money to be paying for channels you don’t even watch. However, I disagree with their reasoning. I’m not a parent so maybe I'm seeing it from a different viewpoint, but parents need to stop scapegoating television and the media in general. They should be monitoring what their family is watching and listening to, not the networks. It is not the responsibility of the networks or record labels to cater to a single demographic.

Dog with a Blog - because blogging is so easy a
dog could do it, hmmm?

But fret not, readers! The PTC wants you to know it’s not all bad. Each week they compile another list, their “picks of the week.” And… yikes. Take a look at some of these GEMS.

Full House, 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) Nickelodeon. Danny Tanner raises his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and old friend after his wife dies.
Gilligan’s Island, 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) Me TV. Seven castaways are stranded on a deserted island after a three hour boat tour goes awry. Gilligan and his Skipper try to accommodate the needs of their boat passengers: a professor, a movie star, a millionaire and his wife, and a woman from a farm.
Growing Pains, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) UP. Jason and Maggie encounter a case of sibling rivalry between Carol and Mike, who's upset over his sister's higher scholastic achievements.
Dog with a Blog, 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) Disney Channel. Avery becomes worried when she has a recurring dream that she and Karl are dating. Meanwhile, Chloe considers giving up choir to become a BMX bike rider with Tyler.
The Bob Newhart Show, 10:00 p.m. (Eastern) MeTV. In this classic sitcom, comedian Bob Newhart plays Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist. At work, Bob shares his office with a dentist and their receptionist and at home, he is married to Emily, a school teacher, and they are frequently visited by Howard, their neighbor who is a flight navigator.
Everybody Loves Raymond, 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) TV Land. Ray and Debra Ramone live on Long Island where Ray is a sports writer and Debra is a homemaker and cares for their three children. Their lives are complicated by Ray’s meddlesome parents living just across the street.

Why watch Breaking Bad or Bates Motel when you can watch Dog with a Blog?! If it were up to the Parent’s Television Council, television would mostly consist of re-runs of 70s, 80s, and 90s sitcoms. Let us thank our lucky stars that they have almost no pull in the television industry. My favorite inclusion on that list though? Growing Pains. Of course the PTC would be Kirk Cameron fans.

(Photo credit via Parade and Mouse on the Mind)

New TVC + Social Media Pages

2015-01-28T14:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the new and improved Television Culture! I have added a Facebook page, please check it out and give it a like! I will be adding new social media platforms such as a tumblr and pinterest over the next few weeks, so be on the look out for that. Likewise, I will be regularly updating this blog from here on out with news and reviews. I'm also in the process of tweaking this new layout, making it as sleek and user friendly as possible.

Orange Is the New Black: 'It's F**kin' Funny!'

2014-08-19T14:25:00.000-04:00

My binge-watching game has not been very strong this summer. I had an entire list of shows I wanted to get through and I’ve barely made a dent in it. However, one of the shows I successfully completed was Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. The thing with Netflix series is that they put every episode of the season up at the same time. So people binge the entire season in a matter of a couple days and then have to wait a year for another installment.

Because it’s a Netflix original, I always had an “it will always be there” mentality towards it. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of watching an entire season or two and then going cold turkey for 11 months. But alas, that’s exactly what I did. With the enormous amount of fan chatter and the show's 12 Emmy nominations – I had to check it out.

I knew from the start I would enjoy this as it was created by Jenji Kohan, the creator of Weeds. Side note: If Mary Louise-Parker doesn’t play at least a cameo role as a pot dealing inmate at some point during the course of this show, then what has this all been about?

The entire series is based off the book Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman. While it is based on a true story, a lot of the plot has been heavily fictionalized. For example, in the original story, Piper and Alex were never in the same prison. Obviously the made-for-TV version of events would be highly dramatized.

While Piper is perceived as the main character- she takes somewhat of a backseat in the second season. One of my favorite aspects about this show is that it is truly an ensemble cast. Many characters you expect to be background characters are given an actual back story (through the use of flash back sequences) and relevant plot lines in the prison. It's refreshing to watch.

Given that this is loosely based on a true story, what will happen to the series once Piper's 15 month sentence is over? In an interview prior to the first season, Jenji Kohan said:

"The book was really a launching [pad]. The book was relatively conflict-free. Piper is Piper, and it’s not our Piper. Once we took the initial notion of a white girl in prison, it really became its own animal. The characters became their own characters. And also, for legal reasons, we didn’t use a lot of the stories from the book. You start with what Piper’s story was, and then we completely took off and made it our own thing."

She also went on to say "Yeah. We want to build an ensemble. It’s everyone’s story. Piper’s our way in. I’m not that interested in just telling the white girl’s story, week after week. Part of why I was so intrigued by this book is, here’s my way in."

Kerman was released from federal prison 13 months into a 15-month sentence. With the way Kohan has described the show, I could see her continuing without Piper's character- although that would mean losing Taylor Schilling and I'm not ready for that. Or, they could completely fictionalize an event which adds more time to Piper's prison sentence. This is plausible considering Kohan differentiates between the real Piper and the made-for-TV Piper.

I'm excited to see where they go with the series. But now that I'm finished with both seasons, I have to wait until June 2015 for new episodes. Oh Netflix, you are a cruel mistress.

The 2014 Creative Arts Emmy winners

2014-08-18T15:47:00.004-04:00

(Photo via the official Orange Is the New Black twitter account)

You've probably seen a few tweets this weekend about a couple Emmy categories being awarded- but fret not! You did not miss the Emmys- the Creative Art Emmys are given out in advance to the main show. These include such categories as hairstyling, art direction, costumes, editing, and casting. Not the flashiest awards, but they all play a part in bringing our favorite shows to life. Also given out at this ceremony are the guest actor/actress categories. Take a look at some of the highlights here! (Winners are in bold)

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series

Louie
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
Orange Is The New Black
Veep

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Sherlock: His Last Vow
Treme
True Detective

Outstanding Animated Program

Archer
Bob’s Burgers
Futurama
South Park
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Project

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex
Dylan Baker, The Good Wife
Reg E. Cathey, House Of Cards
Paul Giamatti, Downton Abbey
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Joe Morton, Scandal

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Kate Burton, Scandal
Jane Fonda, The Newsroom
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Margo Martindale, The Americans
Kate Mara, House of Cards
Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Steve Buscemi, Portlandia
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
Gary Cole, Veep
Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live
Nathan Lane, Modern Family
Bob Newhart, the Big Bang Theory

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Natasha Lyonne, Orange Is the New Black
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars
Anthony Bourdain, the Taste
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers

Overall, very pleased with a lot of these winners. I love that Orange Is the New Black won for casting and guest actress. While I would have preferred Natasha Lyonne to take it, I'm happy Uzo Aduba won. This gives me hope they'll continue this streak to the main show and finally oust Modern Family from it's (now undeserved) Outstanding Comedy Series throne. You can see a full list of Creative Arts Emmy winners here.

The main show, hosted by Seth Meyers, will air Monday August 25th on NBC.

Judge Judy discovers "Grindr"

2014-07-01T22:56:00.000-04:00

We've done it. We've come to the greatest clip television has to offer in 2014: Judge Judith Sheindlin discovering the Grindr application in all it's glory. If you're not familiar, Grindr is a "dating" (Using that term loosely here) app for men to seek out other available men within their proximity. Take a look at the clip below:

Oh man, I can't even begin to explain the amount of secondhand embarrassment I get from this case. But my absolute favorite part of this entire clip? The face-palm at 1:05. He gets me.

"If I'm looking just to make friends, I wouldn't go on a website that said, you know, it's just for little old Jewish ladies." Brilliant. Now I don't personally have a Grindr account, but I take it people on there aren't looking for friendship so much ,among other things. But at least the new-age-old question, "Does Judge Judy know what Grindr is?" can finally be answered. I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that she does in-fact know about Grindr's existence.

I binged 40 episodes of Game of Thrones in less than 2 weeks

2014-06-20T19:45:00.003-04:00

For about the last year or so, every time I would try to talk about television with someone, the conversation would always lead to the "do you watch Game of Thrones?" question. I feel like I'm the last person on earth to jump on the GoT train. I think part of me decided to watch just so I would understand all the inside jokes ya'll use all the time. (I love inside jokes, I'd love to be apart of one someday -Michael Scott).

At first I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it. The whole mediaeval fantasy genre has never really been a big interest of mine. However, Game of Thrones has done an amazing job of setting itself apart from the other big names in the genre. I think Ben Wyatt articulates it best as to why GoT is such a big hit with so many people:

"It’s a crossover hit. It’s not just for fantasy enthusiasts. They’re telling human stories in a fantasy world.” (See, I finally get all the GoT jokes on Parks and Recreation!)

Game of Thrones has so many different characters each with their own story line (some of which never interact with one another). With so much going on, the show could have easily became a gigantic mess. But the writers know exactly what they're doing and so far every plot line has been enjoyable to watch (for the most part). I do hope in future seasons we see a bit more interaction between different characters and plots (Like when is Daenerys going to make it to Westeros?!).

With dozens upon dozens of characters and story lines, it makes it hard to write up a concise review because if I mentioned every thing - we'd be here for a very long time. The easiest way is to break it down by the families. Warning: spoilers ahead.

Not going to lie, I think I would actually prefer this opening rather than the, elegant but obnoxiously long one they have now. So we have the Lannisters, the Starks, the Targaryens, the Tyrells, and the Baratheons. Those seem to be the major players thus far.

The Lannisters and the Baratheons

The Baratheons are "technically" the family in charge of Westeros, but not really. The Lannisters married into this family and then start mating within their own bloodline (*side-eyes Jamie and Cersei*). So the current king is Baraethon by name, but 100% Lannister by blood.

They are the richest family in all seven kingdoms and they "always pay their debts." A trait they are annoyingly proud of and mention constantly.

Cersei Lannister is easily the best villain on TV at the moment and Lena Heady plays her incredibly well. I despise her yet love her at the same time. She steals every scene she's in. Would any of you judge me if I said she was my favorite character? There's just something so interesting about her. I know the show is known for killing off a lot of it's main characters, but I would be devastated if they off'd Cersei any time soon. This last season they killed off her sadistic son, Joffery. Oh man, now talk about a villain you absolutely love to hate.

The Baratheon story line is probably the show's only weakness as I just find it and the characters incredibly dull. I just can't muster up any energy to care about Stannis Baratheon or his creepy red-headed witch friend. Although I did love Renly, the sassy gay king of the seven kingdoms.

The Starks

Oh man, did George R. R. Martin do the Stark family wrong. They didn't deserve half of the terrible misfortune he threw their way. I, for one, was absolutely shocked that Ned was killed off in the first season. I'm sure those who read the books knew it was coming, but I'm an ignorant TV watcher (one day I'll probably make my way to the books).

The entire family has been separated since and has yet to reunite. All I want in season 5 is for Sansa and Arya to come back together but I have a feeling it's never going to happen. Both are being pulled in completely different directions (yet they were so close to reuniting just a few episodes ago! Ugh). And while he may not be, I consider Jon Snow a.k.a "Ned Stark's bastard" an official Stark.

The "friendship" turned rivalry between the Starks and the Lannisters is the jumping point of the series (Jamie Lannister literally pushes the youngest Stark out a window in the pilot episode). Given more than half of the Stark family is deceased (including both parents and oldest son aka "king in the north"), I think it's safe to assume the Lannisters won?

The Targaryen(s)

I don't know if you can consider the Targaryen's a "family" considering there is only one living heir left (that we know of at least). The Targaryens are the true royal name of Westeros, making Daenerys Targaryen the one true queen.

Her father was killed by the Lannisters (Hence Jamie's nickname of "kingslayer"), while she and her douchenozzle of a brother were exiled to the other side of the world (these events occurred prior the the start of the series).

Daenery's story is almost completely detached from the Westeros kingdoms drama. Her plot revolves around her journey back to the seven kingdoms to retake the throne in her family's name. In her travels, she has become the Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons. That's right, mother of DRAGONS! What I love about this though is that almost every time she is introduced to others, all of those titles are announced in full.

She has quite a few HBIC moments, including this scene in 3x04 where she frees thousands of slaves and slays the previous master with her dragons. Easily my favorite moment of the series so far. I am anticipating the day she knocks through Westeros like the badass she is. But with the pace she's traveling, it's probably going to be a while.

The Tyrells

They're fairly new but have past connections with the Baratheons. Margaery was Renly's beard, while he was actually romantically pursuing her brother. After his death, the Tyrells come to the Lannister's aid in the war, and Margaery is married into the Lannister family (for a short time, but she's eyeing another wedding). I'm hoping we get to see more of them in season 5, because Grandma Tyrell is fierce.

This doesn't even begin to cover any of the side characters (such as LittleFinger, Shae, Brienne of Tarth, etc) but I think you get the general idea of the show, hopefully. There's also the story line with Jon Snow and the Night's Watch and the terrors beyond the wall.

If you haven't seen this show, I would heavily suggest starting it - it gets very addictive. I binge watched 4 seasons on HBO Go in less than two weeks. I caught up just in time to watch the season four finale live. Back in April, the network renewed the show for seasons five and six. We have much more Game of Thrones to look forward to in the next couple years, and I can't wait.

Allison Janney, Tatiana Maslany, and Orange is the New Black win big at the Critics' Choice Awards

2014-06-19T23:40:00.002-04:00

The Critics' Choice Television awards aired tonight and I have to say, they nailed it for the most part. Breaking Bad won for Best Drama Series in it's final year, while Orange Is the New Black took home Best Comedy Series. Matthew McConaughey won for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for True Detective and gave a really inspiring speech as to what makes TV so great, and why actors have transitioned from film to television.

My girl, Tatiana Maslany won for a second time for her roles on Orphan Black. Just look how adorable her reaction was. Very well deserved and I hope the Emmy voters take note. She is easily one of, if not, the best actress on television at the moment. Do not fight me on this one. My other homegirl, Jessica Lange won for Best Lead Actress in a Miniseries for American Horror Story: Coven but wasn't there to pick up her award. Bummer. But still happy to see her win!

Bellamy Young took home Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Scandal. YES! Are people finally starting to realize the brilliance that is Mellie Grant? Because after Olivia, she is without a doubt my favorite character on that show. Allison Janney also took home not one, but two awards tonight: Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Mom and Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series for Masters of Sex.

Full List of Winners

Best Drama Series: Breaking Bad (AMC)

Best Actor in a Drama Series: Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)

Best Actress in a Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Bellamy Young, Scandal (ABC)

Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (Showtime)

Best Comedy Series: Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Tie between Allison Janney, Mom (CBS) and Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series: Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Best Miniseries: Fargo (FX)

Best Movie: The Normal Heart (HBO)

Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart (HBO)

Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries: Allison Tolman, Fargo (FX)

Best Animated Series: Archer (FX)

Best Reality Series: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX)

Best Reality Series Competition: Shark Tank (ABC)

Best Reality Host: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX)

Best Talk Show: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

I'd say the only ones that I truly disagree with are Jim Parsons for Best Actor in a Comedy (should have gone to Adam Scott for Parks and Recreation) and Best Talk Show (when is Conan going to get some award love?). Overall though, I'm very happy with these choices. I can only hope the Emmys will be this good.

Throwback Thursday: 2003 MTV Video Music Awards [Photocap]

2014-06-19T17:53:00.003-04:00

I think it's time I do a story on the single greatest moment in television history. I'm talking of course about the "Like a Virgin/Hollywood/Work It" performance from the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Remember when the VMAs were actually fun to watch? Sadly the quality of the show has dropped dramatically over the last decade. Because lets be real, without Britney Spears - the VMAs are nothing. She's owns them. Why anyone would want to watch the VMAs without Britney is beyond me.

Remember this performance? Remember the media coverage it received? Oh man. I remember going back to school and it was all anyone was talking about that entire week. To commemorate this iconic moment in television and music history, I've put together a little photocap of this performance.

I was, and still am a huge Britney fan. I remember being so shocked she was performing because it wasn't exactly announced beforehand. So let's go through this performance, shall we? Britney comes out and is fierce as hell, strutting her stuff to "Like a Virgin" in true Madonna circa-1984 attire.

The crowd goes wild with excitement.

Then this other girl comes out and starts singing along to "Like a Virgin" with Britney.

Mary J. Blige does not approve of this unknown singer. Maybe it's because of this.

The music stops and wedding music begins to play. This shocks both Britney and the other girl.

... Madonna then ascends from a wedding cake, and begins to perform her non-charting SMASH HIT, "Hollywood"

Myah approves of this performance.

So Britney, Madonna, and the fan who won the contest to perform with Britney and Madonna make their way down the stage.

Justin Timberlake tries to play it cool in the audience. Oh boy, you don't know what's coming. Mary J. Blige continues to be disgusted.

Britney and Madonna lock eyes, it's about to happen.

I love the three completely different reactions in the image above. Mortification, disgust, and excitement.

Missy Elliot then appears and the song breaks from "Hollywood" into "Work It" ... ya'll remember "Work It"? Let me work it, I put my thing down flip it and reverse it, it's YAHFIPPYFIPPYNAHNAH ... I never understood what that lyric was. So after a quick Google search, I learn it's the former lyric reversed. Wow. The song makes so much more sense now, doesn't it? She literally flipped it and reversed it.

The performance ends. Britney, Madonna, Missy, and the fan do a final bow.

Over a decade later and this is still one of the most talked about performances in history. Other pop girls can try but they will never reach the magnitude of something like this. This just reiterates the point I made to begin with, the MTV Video Music Awards are nothing without Britney Spears.

Big Brother 16 cast is revealed, No returning players (yet)

2014-06-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Julie Chen announced the new Big Brother season twist, and today they have officially announced the cast. 16 new houseguests - no returning players! So I guess the Blood Vs. Water/Fans Vs. Favorites ideas really were just rumors. I personally think Blood vs. Water could have been fun. Maybe next season. Who knows what will happen though, I wouldn't put it past Big Brother to slip a returnee in there somewhere.

Cast interviews can be found here. Warning: they're about 15 minutes long each, so I'm going to be making my way through these throughout the day. I'm not making an pre-season judgments on any of them because in the past I have been so off-base with my pre-season favorites. Last season Gina Marie was one of my favorites based on the interview. *shudders*

Take a look at the season 16 cast now!

Amber Borzotra, 26

Brittany Martinez, 29

Caleb Reynolds, 26

Christine Brecht, 23

Cody Calafiore, 23

Derrick Levasseur, 30

Devin Shepherd, 26

Donny Thompson, 42

Frankie Grande, 31
(So apparently he is Ariana Grande's brother. Not too big
of a fan of this, considering one of the twists centers around
fan votes. He has a clear advantage there).

Hayden Voss, 21

Jocasta Odom, 33

Joey Van Pelt, 27

Nicole Franzel, 21

Paola Shea, 27

Victoria Rafaeli, 22

Zach Rance, 23

(All photos via CBS)

POST EDIT: So I know I said I would not be picking pre-season favorites, but oops. I already did. I'm actually very pleasantly surprised by the cast interviews. I am usually turned off by a lot of the houseguests initially, but this season seems to have some potential. I'm excited to see where it goes. My favorites based on the interviews are: Christine, Jacosta, Cody, Brittney, and ZACH. Oh my gosh, go watch Zach's interview now. It's hilarious. He's bound to give us some good moments in the house.

Julie Chen reveals new Big Brother twist. Spoiler: It's awful

2014-06-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

The new Big Brother twist is terrible. Also, water is wet. Prepare for another mess of a season.

For the past 14 years, Big Brother has been one of my favorite summer past-times. From the episodes to the live feeds, I would consider myself a Big Brother super-fan. That said, I haven't thoroughly enjoyed a season since 2009 (season 11). Why? Two reasons. Terrible casting and the employment of over-the-top ridiculous twists. Remember MVP? or that terrible coaches twist? Last time I checked, Big Brother wasn't The Voice.

The season 16 houseguests have yet to be released, but after last year's cast of actual human garbage - I don't have high hopes of finding a new favorite houseguest. What confuses me however, is that the same casting agents who cast the US version also cast the Canadian version - which was absolutely amazing this winter.

I wonder how the BBUS producers feel about the Canadian version using their format and completely out-doing them at every turn. Because let's be real - season 2 of BB Canada was by far the best season of Big Brother we've had in a long time. The cast was perfect and supplied us with lots of drama - drama that was not focused around racist nature. It was refreshing to watch after the terribleness of BB15.

DOES EVERYBODY WANT GOOD FUCKING TV? IS THAT WHAT THEY WANT?!!?! It's exactly what we wanted, Sabrina. And thank you for giving it to us. Oh man, I just re-watched that season and it was great. I don't know if BBUS will even compare. Probably not considering the twist reveal today.

Julie Chen announced the twist of season 16 on her talk show (ever so cleverly titled "The Talk"). As expected, it's a total mess. Here's a rundown of this years "most twisted season yet"

There will be 2 Head of Households every week
Each will nominate 2 people, 4 houseguests in total will be nominated every week
The Head of Household isn't safe from eviction anymore
There will be a new competition called "Battle of the Block" that threaten's the HOH's safety
The viewing public will have major impact on the game in a new twist called "Team America"

Terrible. Every aspect of this twist is just unappealing. I thought 3 houseguests on the block last year was overkill, but 4? Are you joking? Stop messing with the original format. The format isn't the problem. It's the awful people they cast and cringe-worthy twists like this one.

The BB16 living room. Only 2 eviction chairs, though?
Hmmm. (Photo via CBS)

The Head of Household isn't safe anymore? What's the point of winning it then? You're only going to anger the people you nominate and you could be evicted by the end of the week anyway. There's no longer an incentive to win Head of Household. If anything, this will encourage players to seek more of a floating strategy which really isn't fun to watch. I think floating can be a useful strategy if you employ it with actual strategics. Most floaters usually just fall into it without any real thought.

Haven't we learned that involving the viewers almost always leads to a hot mess? Like the time America pulled a collective Topaz and nominated Elissa, while thinking they were voting for the MVP?

On a brighter note, there is some good news about this season! This will be the first to air in high definition. Let's welcome the Big Brother producers to 2009! It was literally the only show on network television still airing in standard definition. Well not anymore! We get to watch this mess in HD now!

Rumors have been circulating for weeks about past houseguests returning to play the game again. However no mention was made of the cast by Julie Chen. Now that the twist is out, I'm expecting a cast reveal sometime tomorrow. I don't mind past players returning and it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility considering they've brought people back for multiple seasons (Season 7, 11, 13, and 14 all had returnees).

When all is said and done, I'm still going to watch this season religiously like I have in the past. It's the one show I just refuse to give up no matter how bad it gets. I guess that makes me a true super-fan.

Big Brother 16's two night premiere will air on June 25 and June 26th on CBS. Check out the CBS press release here.

2014 Emmy Submissions are in! Will your favorite make the final ballot?

2014-06-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

Reading through the Emmy submission list every June is one of my favorite moments of the year. It’s fun to see which actors have the biggest egos. You know, the ones who will submit themselves for the lead categories when they are so obviously supporting.

At first it's nice to see the different types of roles being put forward, but then you come to the terrible realization that many of them are not likely to receive an actual nomination. In recent Emmy history, it’s almost always the same actors vying for the same awards every year.

If you have an established name, you have a better chance of earning a nomination (or even a win) in a mediocre role than you would if you were an unknown in a fantastic role. Remember that time Melissa McCarthy won for Mike & Molly the same year Bridesmaids was released? Sadly it’s more about who you are than the role at hand.

The 2014 Emmy submissions can be found here. Let me run through some of my favorite parts of these ballots:

If your show is on ABC Family, The CW, or MTV – why are you submitting for the Emmys? Why are you wasting your money on this? (Yeah, The Emmys require a submission fee if you’re not already a member of the academy). I don't mean to come off as a TV snob, but come on now. This is ridiculous. Teen Wolf, you really think you have a shot here?

Rapper Nelly submitted himself for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Real Husbands of Hollywood. I was not even aware this was a thing. But really, is the world ready for EMMY-AWARD WINNER Nelly?

Rob Lowe once again submitted himself for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Chris Traeger on Parks and Recreation. Yeah, this is the same guy who left half-way through the last season yet still thinks of himself as the show’s “lead."

Shameless is submitting themselves into the comedy categories for the first time in 4 seasons. Because season 4 was just a RIOT, yaknow? With Liam almost dying of a cocaine overdose, Fiona going to prison and having a complete meltdown, Ian’s bi-polar disorder, Frank on his deathbed – this season was just a LAUGH-A- PALOOZA. Emmy Rossum gave one of the best dramatic performances this season and I just can’t take her seriously on a Lead Actress in a Comedy ballot. Maybe that’s the joke? How meta.

Amy Schumer submitted herself for Outstanding Supporting Actress for Inside Amy Schumer. Because that makes total sense, right? It seemed silly to me at first, but after a little research I found out there's an actual reason behind it. Apparently, actors in sketch or variety series are forbidden to submit themselves in the lead categories.

Each submission lists the specific role for each actor – scroll down to Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black. As Sarah, Beth, Cosima, Rachel (and more). AND MORE. I have a very good feeling that she is going to pick up a nomination this year as she has received accolades from almost every other award series so far. Her absence in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category last season was regarded as one of the biggest snubs of the year.

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
(HBO's Game of Thrones)
(Photo via Entertainment Weekly)

I hope Lena Headey gets some Emmy-love this year. She has submitted for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, of which she plays brilliantly. I firmly believe she is television's best villain. I want to see Cersei die but then at the same time I just know I would miss her. I enjoy every scene she's in but I still hate her. Does that make sense? A character you love to hate but really just love? I guess that's a prime example of why Lena deserves a nomination.

Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie is comprised of almost the entire American Horror Story: Coven cast. I would bet my life that Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett both receive a nomination as well as Jessica Lane in the Lead Actress category. I would like to see Lily Rabe pick up a nomination too (#JusticeForMistyDay). While I love Sarah Paulson more than anything – she submitted herself for lead, which I think that may have been an overstep.

Official nominations will be announced live from the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatreon July 10^th at 5:30AM.

Michael C. Hall hated the Dexter finale

2014-06-16T22:32:00.002-04:00

Turns out that Michael C. Hall is one of us. He too was not a fan of the Dexter series finale. Since it's original airing in September, the finale has been universally panned by critics, fans, and now the series' lead actor. Hall said of the finale:

"Liked it? I don’t think I even watched it, I thought it was narratively satisfying — but it was not so savoury. I think the show had lost a certain amount of torque. Just inherently because of how long we’d done it, because of the storytelling capital we’d spent, because our writers may have been gassed… Maybe some people wanted a more satisfying-maybe they wanted a happy ending for him, either a happy ending or a more definitive sense of closure."

The original show-runner, Clyde Phillips who left the show after the fourth season, would have had a different approach to series' swan song.

"In the very last scene of the series, Dexter wakes up. And everybody is going to think, 'Oh, it was a dream.' And then the camera pulls back and back and back and then we realize, 'No, it's not a dream.' Dexter's opening his eyes and he's on the execution table at the Florida Penitentiary. They're just starting to administer the drugs and he looks out through the window to the observation gallery, and in the gallery are all the people that Dexter killed...All the big deaths, and also whoever the weekly episodic kills were. They are all there."

I know I most definitely would have preferred this to the detached lumberjack mess we were given in the actual episode. It's been nine months and I still can't shake the awfulness of it all. After years of great television, that was how they wanted to go out? I'm usually unnecessarily critical of series finales, but this was just another whole level of terrible.

But what's done is done, I guess. It doesn't take away from the otherwise great storytelling the show gave us in the seasons prior. And it most definitely won't stop me from buying the complete series box set soon. It comes in a blood-slide box, how cool is that?!

The Critics' Have Spoken! Nominations for the 4th Annual Critics' Choice Television Award are here!

2014-05-29T15:57:00.002-04:00

Tatiana Maslany accepting the Best Actress
in a Drama Series award at last year's ceremony

One of my favorite award shows is the Critic’s Choice Television Awards because unlike the Emmy awards, I almost always agree with a good majority of the nominees. I guess technically with the creation of this blog, I too am a critic – where’s my ballot, critic’s choice?! No but seriously, take a look at this year’s nominees!

BEST COMEDY SERIES

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Broad City (Comedy Central)
Louie (FX)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Veep (HBO)

Can we, as a society, stop giving The Big Bang Theory awards? Enough is enough. How it got nominated over gems like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Parks and Recreation, I’ll never know. Hoping Veep takes this category because who doesn’t love Julia Louis-Dreyfus?

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Louis CK, Louie (FX)
Chris Messina, The Mindy Project (FOX)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Robin Williams, The Crazy Ones (CBS)

Adam Scott should win this, no question – but Jim Parsons will probably take it again, which is disappointing. It is nice to see Chris Messina get a nomination though. The Mindy Project is finally starting to get the attention it deserves.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Ilana Glazer, Broad City (Comedy Central)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Goldbergs (ABC)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Emmy Rossum, Shameless (Showtime)

Ooh, okay. Yeah, no. I’ve said on this blog numerous times how Emmy Rossum deserves accolades for her performance on Shameless. But for some reason– the cast has submitted themselves under the comedy categories rather than drama this year. Previously they’ve submitted themselves into the drama categories but apparently for their most dramatic season yet – they’re going with comedy. I mean just look at these COMEDIC performances!

It just doesn’t make any sense. Emmy Rossum gave one of the best dramatic performances on television this season – and it’s going unnoticed. I doubt she’ll win this. Julia Louis-Dreyfus will probably win but I’m rooting for Amy Poehler.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Keith David, Enlisted (FOX)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Albert Tsai, Trophy Wife (ABC)
Christopher Evan Welch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jeremy Allen White, Shameless (Showtime)

See above (re: Jeremy Allen White). I’d like to see Andre Beaugher take this. It’s refreshing to see a comedy series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine shy away from stereotypes that are so easily used in the world of comedy. They don't have to rely on over-the-top stereotypical racial or gay jokes for humor. It's easily one of the best quality sitcoms on television.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)

I… I don’t even watch any of these shows. That’s probably not a good thing for a television blogger to say. I have been meaning to watch Orange Is the New Black for a while now and will probably binge it when the second season is released to Netflix in a couple weeks.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

The Americans (FX)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
True Detective (HBO)

It’s nice to see Masters of Sex getting a lot of award love but I feel like I never hear anyone talk about it outside of award shows. I binge-watched the first season a couple months ago and liked it a lot. If you’re thinking of giving it a go – let me just give you a forewarning: the show is called Masters of Sex and it’s on Showtime. You should know what you’re getting yourself into right there. There are multiple on-screen depictions of sexual intercourse… but it’s all for ~*science*~ … or whatever, something like that.

I could see Game of Thrones, True Detective or Breaking Bad in its swan song season winning this.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Hugh Dancy, Hannibal (NBC)
Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel (A&E)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex (Showtime)

Even though he won’t win – I like that Freddie Highmore was nominated. I can’t picture anyone else in the role of a young Norman Bates. He’s perfect for it. He completely encapsulates everything Anthony Perkins set forth with his portrayal in the films. But he most certainly will be beat by either Bryan Cranston or Matthew McConaughey in this category.

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel (A&E)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

TATIANA MASLANY! My god, that woman is brilliant. Not many actresses can pull off playing almost a dozen (that figure is not even much of an exaggeration) characters within one series. She won last year and I’m hoping she can pull it off again! Season 2 has been absolutely phenomenal – each episode has been better than the last. You almost forget that it’s one actress playing all these roles, she’s that good.

BEST MINI-SERIES

American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Bonnie & Clyde (A&E/History/Lifetime)
Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Fargo (FX)
The Hollow Crown (PBS)
Luther (BBC America)

While plot-wise, Coven was weaker than it's predecessors – the acting was still top notch. More specifically: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Angela Bassett. They all nailed their roles (Lange and Bates are both nominated in the Lead and Supporting actress, respectively). I'm excited to see what these three will be doing in Freak Show.

Check out the full list of nominees here. The Critic’s Choice Television Awards will air Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 8PM on The CW.

The Best and the Worst: Fall Primetime Preview

2014-05-20T19:50:00.001-04:00

Over the last week primetime television networks have been holding their annual up-fronts, giving us a peak at new series and pilots for the 2014-2015 television season. Usually there are only a few shows in the bunch that catch my attention – but this year close to a dozen shows all look like they are going to deliver. Here is the best and the worst of the new series:

THE BEST:

Constatine (NBC)

What can I say? I’m a sucker for horror based series (especially horror based series derived from a DC comics character). This is set to air Fridays at 10pm. Pairing it with Grimm is a brilliant move by the network because both shows are similar in content. As of lately I’ve been a bit bored with Grimm as I’ve felt that the story has been dragging on – judging by the trailer, that probably won't be a problem with Constatine. It's not about a man trying to hide his secret identity/powers from others – it's already all out in the open!

The Whispers (ABC)

So I ranted about this show back in February and now here's the trailer. It’s a lot different from what it was described as in its initial pilot stages – and I’m thankful for that. It looks interesting and doesn’t seem like a mere V rip-off. Aliens aren't even explicitly mentioned in the clip. The cast features Lily Rabe (American Horror Story), Barry Sloane (Revenge), and Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) – that alone is enough for me to tune in!

Stalker (CBS)

Remember the days when CBS dramas were just for the elderly? Well not anymore. I absolutely love the concept behind this and will definitely be watching in the fall. I like that the focus is solely on stalkers and their victims – it’s a fresh take on the standard police procedural. Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott seem to have good chemistry with one another and both have shown success in being able to carry a leading role.

Galavant (ABC)

♫ I want to shoot him with a crossbow, I want to stab him in the eye ♫ (this melody has been stuck in my head all day). This looks so incredibly campy and ridiculous in all the right ways and I NEED IT. I am already mourning its inevitable cancellation by ABC. But who knows? Maybe the Glee and Once Upon a Time fandoms will latch onto this show and we’ll have an unexpected hit! That’s what I’m hoping, nay, PRAYING for.

The Flash (The CW)

As stated above, I'm a big DC Comics fan. So naturally, I was very excited about The Flash. This is a spin-off from the show Arrow, in which the title character has already made several appearances. So we already know a little bit about this incarnation of Barry Allen. I was hesitant of Grant Gustin as a lead at first, but he's pulling it off magnificently in the clip above. This will probably be a lot lighter than Arrow which tends to be very dark and isolating. This show has more of a Smallville feel to it which I like. It will be interesting to see the cross-over episodes it has with Arrow.

Marry Me (NBC)

I will support the cast of Happy Endings in all their endeavors until the end of time. Seriously though, I still have post-traumatic stress due to it's cancellation. So to see a Happy Endings alum (two really) in a comedy by the creators of Happy Endings makes me... for lack of a better word, happy. This looks hilarious and I can't wait to see Casey Wilson back on my TV again.

Bad Judge (NBC)

So at first I didn't even want to give this trailer a shot. I heard the title and my mind conjured up images of that terrible (now cancelled) CBS sitcom Bad Teacher based off that awful Cameron Diaz movie. However, this actually looks good. NBC usually knows how to do comedy right. It sort of has an early season Community feel to it.

Secrets and Lies (ABC)

This looks really promising and has some great actors in it (Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis). My only concern is how can this story last several seasons (if it gets the chance to)? It feels more like a movie or mini-series. We probably don't have enough content in this clip to truly judge it though. I'm curious to see where they take this.

THE WORST:

Jane the Virgin (The CW)

This is without a doubt the most ridiculous and unbelievable show The CW has ever produced. I know they're not known for their quality, but damn. This is their lowest low. How is this even a show? Maybe the first season will follow the main character spending the money she won from her MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR law suit. That was literally the first thing that came to my mind after watching this.

Selfie (ABC)

...Why? Why would you do this? I love social media, but good god does this look terrible. I feel like the main character (and the show in general) is trying way too hard to channel Mindy Lahiri/The Mindy Project and it's just not working. It comes across as desperate and fake.

Cristela (ABC)

Why can't we leave laugh-track sitcoms in the 90s where they belong? You know, back when they were actually funny. This feels so out of place on ABC, it reminds me of something CBS would produce. I don't see this lasting at all.

Manhattan Love Story (ABC)

So this kind of annoys me for a number of different reasons. I like the idea of using the main character's narrative's as a driving point but the execution seems a bit off, no? It's a good concept but it was not done properly here. Secondly, that's Mike from Shameless! I take it if the actor is joining a new show, then there's no hope for Mike and Fiona? Bummer!

----

There are a few other new series and midseason replacements that have yet to release trailers. But from first glance, it seems like the 2014-2015 television season is going to be one for the records, and I for one am very excited.

Network Television Renewals & Cancellations: Did your favorite show make the cut?

2014-05-09T14:31:00.002-04:00

It’s that time of year again! Renewals and cancellations are being announced by the hour as we all clutch our chests waiting to see if our favorite shows will live to see another season. Unlike previous years, I’m making it out of the 2013-2014 television season almost completely unscathed. With the exception of Being Human and Dexter (both ended on their own without being cancelled), all of my favorite shows have been renewed. This is a first!

Take a look at some of this season’s pick-ups and cancellations on network television.

RENEWALS

ABC renewed Scandal and Revengeeach for a fourth season. This really isn’t a big surprise to anyone considering these are ABC’s top shows after Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family (both of which have been renewed as well).

FOX green-lit a second season of the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow back in October and this week announced an increase episode order for the sophomore season. Let me tell you, if you're not watching this show - you're missing out. A show about the headless horseman has no right being this good, but man is it good!

FOX also renewed a good chuck of their comedy-block. New Girl, The Mindy Project, and the Golden Globe winning Brooklyn Nine-Nine will all return next year. Very happy to see the latter two make it. I was especially surprised Mindy got another season considering it's less-than-stellar ratings, but hey! I'm not complaining.

The CW renewed three series this week (The 100, Hart of Dixie, and Beauty and the Beast) to join the five already-renewed shows on their network.

NBC renewed the fairy tale drama Grimm (a show I really need to catch up on) for a fourth season, Parks and Recreation for a seventh season, and ordered a revival of Heroes all set to air this fall. Cult favorite Hannibal was renewed for a third season while freshman comedy About a Boy received a second.

CBS renewed almost all of their series with the exception of How I Met Your Mother and We Are Men. Of the bunch, I am very happy to see Elementary renewed. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I prefer it to it's BBC counterpart, Sherlock.

CANCELLATIONS

FOX cancelled freshman comedies Surviving Jack, Enlisted, and Dads. This probably wasn't a shock to anyone but it is a good reinforcement to Seth McFarland to stick to cartoon sitcoms and cartoon sitcoms only. The network also took the axe to The X Factor. The show failed to produce a single star, but at least provided us with dozens of Britney Spears reaction gifs.

NBC finally put Community out it's misery. I loved the show in the first two seasons but halfway through season three, the show fell dramatically in quality and never recovered. The rainbow peacock also put an end to Revolution after two seasons.

ABC ended the Once Upon a Time spin-off Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and the comedy series Trophy Wife. The American Broadcasting Company continues to be a bloodbath for comedies that aren't Modern Family axing both Suburgatory and the sci-fi sitcom The Neighbors

The CW cancelled The Carrie Diaries after two seasons, and The Tomorrow People and Star-Crossed after one.

A full list of cancellations and renewals can be found here. Did your favorite show make it?