Fall premiere week has come and gone and while I was disappointed with a few favorites, I was more than happy with Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family and even pleasantly surprised by some new shows.
Here is my take on a few of the season premieres (there may be some mild spoilers scattered throughout):
Castle: A show that started out as Jeff making fun of me for watching (I adore Nathan Fillion), quickly turned into a show that has become his favorite. The comaraderie between the main cast (Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever) is so fun and the storylines are always interesting. I was pretty sleepy while watching this but I managed to pay attention. The episode was funny and sweet and very cleverly done. It didn't really focus on last season's cliffhanger (which was small) but it was still fun.
How I Met Your Mother: It was a decent opener and had both Jeff and I laughing. I have to admit though that I am a little sick of the teases of "almost" meeting the mother. Yes, I know that is the basis of the show but for goodness sakes! The producers are saying that this is going to be their best season ever. I am looking forward to seeing if that's true.
Glee: Oh, my wonderfully fun Glee is back! Hooray! First an observation: Lea Michele and Cory Monteith are tan and way skinny. I liked this episode, but I didn't love it. I honestly thought it was a little depressing and I was expecting more of an upbeat episode. Maybe my expectations were set too high? I loooved Sue and Schue working together to take out the new football coach (Coach Beiste) and while i'm not crazy about the new characters they are introducing, I really loved the boys performance in the choir room. I thought it was fantastic! Next week is the Britney Spears episode. I am very much looking forward to seeing it, but not seeing Britney Spears herself.
Running Wilde: This is one of the new comedies on FOX, starring Keri Russell and Will Arnett. I'll start off by saying I love, love, love Keri Russell, so right off the bat I am telling myself that I will like this show. I thought it was a real good start to a new comedy series, though I really don't know how long they will be able to sustain the storyline of her trying to "fix" Will Arnett's character by making him a better man. The little girl who plays her daughter, Puddle (Stefanie Owen), was brilliantly cast. She looks just like Keri Russell and she's a good little actress! Will Arnett was great and the fella who plays his neghbor, Fa'ad (Peter Serafinowicz), had me cracking up. Also, tiny horses make me laugh real hard. I'll keep watching this show, not only to support my favorite Felicity alum, but because I am curious to see how they can sustain the funny.
Detroit 1-8-7: I decided to watch this because I was curious. Curious to see how they represented the "D" and I wanted to see what kinds of Detroit references they would make. It was better than I expected it to be and it was cool seeing all the Detroit stuff (street signs and things of that nature). I wasn't crazy about Michael Imperiolli playing the typical "grumpy veteran cop, who doesn't like his new over-eagar rookie partner". I guess that's supposed to be one of the interesting aspects of the show? It just seemed kind of cliche to me. It ended very unexpectedly though and I love when a tv show can surprise me like that, so, with that being said, I will be giving it another shot.
Modern Family: Words cannot describe how much I love this show. It's funny. SO, so funny and that is how a comedy is supposed to be. Consistently funny every week and I respect that so much. There isn't much else to say, except, if you aren't watching this show, then you don't enjoy laughing. It's fantastic and I am so happy it's back! Also, "WHAT'S THE PLAN, PHIL??"
Bones: This show has a tendency to really miss the mark when it comes to important episodes. I hated their season finale last Spring, so I went into the premiere with low expectations. While I was happy to see my favorite characters again (Booth, Sweets), I feel disconnected from this show. Something is off and I can't quite place what it is. I'm glad it's back though so it can find its footing again... At least I hope it can.
The Office: Yes, we finally caught up on all those episodes from last season. I ended up really enjoying them and was happy with the premiere, particularly the opening:
I am still worried about the whole Steve Carell thing, but i'm also interested to see what they do with it.
Grey's Anatomy: Last year at this time, Grey's Anatomy and I were fighting. I was furious with what Shonda Rhimes had done to one of my favorite shows and was VERY ready to give up on it, but, I am happy to say that she has redeemed herself (slightly). The season finale from last Spring will probably be ranked in my top 5 most favorite finales ever. It was that good. The premiere this season was a great capper to that finale. I am very happy with the direction the show seems to be taking this season and can't wait to watch more of it. Welcome back, Grey's. Welcome back.
Undercovers: Anyone want to guess if I liked it? Surpise, surprise, I didn't. Whether I am overly critical of all spy shows or not, I found it boring. I didn't care about the mission Steven and Samantha Bloom (Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe) had to go on and I honestly thought they were too gooey-gooey in love. Blech. I may be way too harsh off the bat because this is a J.J. Abrams show and I don't understand why he would need to delve back into the spy genre for a tv series. Maybe i'm a little bitter? Maybe. After watching it though, it just depressed me and made me miss Sydney and Vaughn a whole, whole lot. I may watch it again just to see if I like the next episode more, but I think I am way too critical when it comes to this to be fair.
I left Chuck off my little list here because I am still working my way toward last season's finale. I believe we have 3 episodes to go and I am thoroughly enjoying them. I love hearing good things about this show because it's so fun and deserves having good things said about it. I look forward to finally catching up with Chuck Bartowski!
What did everyone else think about all the premiere's? Particularly Undercovers? Am I being too much of a snob?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Killer Goes Solo
When it was announced that Brandon would be putting out a solo record, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Not only is he handsome, but he has the stage presence, energy, talent (he plays the piano/synthesizer as well) and the pipes to pull it off. Let me tell you, he pulled it off. His first solo record, Flamingo was released last Tuesday (September, 14th) and it's awesome.
This is "Crossfire", the first single from the cd. I have posted this on Facebook before, but why not watch it again?? The video features himself and Charlize Theron:
Some of the songs remind me a bit of the tracks from Ben Folds, Songs For Silverman, not lyrically, but musically (if that makes any sense). My favorite song (today) from Flamingo is "Was it something I said?". It's upbeat and fun and tells a story and makes me smile (even though it's about a girl leaving him, haha). The other song I really like is one of the bonus tracks, "The Clock Was Tickin'". It's probably the most "country" you will ever hear him and the song starts off really sweet about a couple meeting and falling in love...you can listen to it to find out how the song ends, but I love it and I believe this is Jeff's favorite from the cd as well.
If you plan on purchasing Flamingo, make sure to get the deluxe edition. It has 4 extra songs on it that he could have very easily incorporated into the regular version. Every song is great. All in all, I would give the cd 5 out of 5, but I am easily swayed by the sound of his voice and his dreamy looks. Go buy it for yourself and let me know what you think!
Also, he is coming in concert to The Royal Oak Music Theater in November. Dawn and I are going. You should all check him out too because hearing his voice live is a pretty amazing experience.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Keep on Rocking in the free world...
When I think of the MTV Video Music Awards, I immediately think of this:
I remember watching this performance (from the 1993 VMA's) over and over again with Dennis and our friends. Now, I am not a big Neil Young fan, but we thought this was amazing. Right before they sang "Keep on Rocking in the Free World", Pearl Jam did "Animal" which was the new single from their 2nd cd,Vs. We were all eagerly anticipating their performance and hearing something new from them so much, that I think the excitement carried on over to the duet with Neil Young. We loved it. That whole performance sums up what our excitement was like for that awards show back then.
Dennis and I always made a big deal about the awards. It was usually the night before we went back to school and some times (after we were sent to bed for the night), we would sneak down stairs to catch a glimpse of what was happening. I remember doing this when Guns N' Roses were performing "Live and Let Die" and being so upset I couldn't sit and watch it. Of course, this was back when MTV still played videos and we could discuss which ones we thought should win and which ones were going to win.
These days, MTV doesn't play videos. At all. So the fact that they still have an award show boggles my mind. I get it, it's a tradition, but really? Who is seeing these videos? Other than Lady Gaga, I didn't think artists even made videos anymore. Do the bands/artists/performers make the video and then it gets sent immediately to the MTV website? I know there are other stations who show videos, but MTV is not one of them. Perhaps it's time to let one of the other legitimate music networks take this award show over?
I'll admit, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the show last night. I fast forwarded through the entire first hour, but what I did see of it, wasn't too exciting. Maybe i'm too old now, maybe i'm not "with it", but the performances didn't do much for me and a good majority of them were lip synced. That's one of the things that I can respect about Lady Gaga. She may be kooky and out there and wear dresses and hats made of meat, but she is talented. Her voice is amazing and as extravagant as her musical performances are, she always sings live (as far as I know anyway). That's awesome.
Watching the VMA's is more of a joke now. Who is going to make a fool of themselves? Who is actually going to sing live? Who is going to interrupt who? At least I will always have those fun memories of staying up late on a school night, with my brother and watching our favorite bands rock out.
Now, the reason I dvr'd the first half of the VMA's is because we were watching the season finale of True Blood. It literally pains me to say how disappointed I am in the finale. It started off fantastic. It is probably the best Sookie episode so far. She was funny and finally, FINALLY stood up for herself and got her snarkiness on. So fun! The Eric parts had me riveted, not only because I love Eric, but because they were the most interesting parts of the episode. Other than that, the whole thing fell flat. The timing seemed off and to be quite honest, I don't think I care about any of the cliffhangers they left off with. A small part of me thinks I am being hugely biased because of the books. For the most part, I try to separate the books and the show. I know each is their own world, but when it veers off so much from the characters and story I love, it irks me... and I am irked. I won't get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anyone but I am a little annoyed. The only thing I wanted them to do with that episode, was set up the following season. As far as i'm concerned, there was no set up. Not if they are following the books anyway. If you know me, or have spoken to me about the Sookie books, you know #4 is my most favorite of all 10. L O V E it. The finale should have ended in a very specific way... I have the final shot they should have used in my mind and when it didn't, it left me disappointed. Maybe I need to not be so critical and just enjoy the ride? Oh well, I'm still looking forward to next season!
I remember watching this performance (from the 1993 VMA's) over and over again with Dennis and our friends. Now, I am not a big Neil Young fan, but we thought this was amazing. Right before they sang "Keep on Rocking in the Free World", Pearl Jam did "Animal" which was the new single from their 2nd cd,Vs. We were all eagerly anticipating their performance and hearing something new from them so much, that I think the excitement carried on over to the duet with Neil Young. We loved it. That whole performance sums up what our excitement was like for that awards show back then.
Dennis and I always made a big deal about the awards. It was usually the night before we went back to school and some times (after we were sent to bed for the night), we would sneak down stairs to catch a glimpse of what was happening. I remember doing this when Guns N' Roses were performing "Live and Let Die" and being so upset I couldn't sit and watch it. Of course, this was back when MTV still played videos and we could discuss which ones we thought should win and which ones were going to win.
These days, MTV doesn't play videos. At all. So the fact that they still have an award show boggles my mind. I get it, it's a tradition, but really? Who is seeing these videos? Other than Lady Gaga, I didn't think artists even made videos anymore. Do the bands/artists/performers make the video and then it gets sent immediately to the MTV website? I know there are other stations who show videos, but MTV is not one of them. Perhaps it's time to let one of the other legitimate music networks take this award show over?
I'll admit, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the show last night. I fast forwarded through the entire first hour, but what I did see of it, wasn't too exciting. Maybe i'm too old now, maybe i'm not "with it", but the performances didn't do much for me and a good majority of them were lip synced. That's one of the things that I can respect about Lady Gaga. She may be kooky and out there and wear dresses and hats made of meat, but she is talented. Her voice is amazing and as extravagant as her musical performances are, she always sings live (as far as I know anyway). That's awesome.
Watching the VMA's is more of a joke now. Who is going to make a fool of themselves? Who is actually going to sing live? Who is going to interrupt who? At least I will always have those fun memories of staying up late on a school night, with my brother and watching our favorite bands rock out.
Now, the reason I dvr'd the first half of the VMA's is because we were watching the season finale of True Blood. It literally pains me to say how disappointed I am in the finale. It started off fantastic. It is probably the best Sookie episode so far. She was funny and finally, FINALLY stood up for herself and got her snarkiness on. So fun! The Eric parts had me riveted, not only because I love Eric, but because they were the most interesting parts of the episode. Other than that, the whole thing fell flat. The timing seemed off and to be quite honest, I don't think I care about any of the cliffhangers they left off with. A small part of me thinks I am being hugely biased because of the books. For the most part, I try to separate the books and the show. I know each is their own world, but when it veers off so much from the characters and story I love, it irks me... and I am irked. I won't get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anyone but I am a little annoyed. The only thing I wanted them to do with that episode, was set up the following season. As far as i'm concerned, there was no set up. Not if they are following the books anyway. If you know me, or have spoken to me about the Sookie books, you know #4 is my most favorite of all 10. L O V E it. The finale should have ended in a very specific way... I have the final shot they should have used in my mind and when it didn't, it left me disappointed. Maybe I need to not be so critical and just enjoy the ride? Oh well, I'm still looking forward to next season!
Monday, September 6, 2010
A mish-mash of TV rants, reviews and thoughts.
It has been a week and to say that I am disappointed with The Emmy's would be an understatement. While I get that Breaking Bad and Mad Men are excellent shows, this was Lost's last hurrah, their last chance to get the recognition they deserve and what did they get? Absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada. They got a funny tribute performed by Jimmy Fallon as Billie Joe from Green Day (which I loved), but that's not the point. Whether you liked this show or not, whether you "got it" or you didn't, you cannot deny that what Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and J.J. Abrams created was unlike anything on television before. THAT alone should be rewarded.
Through 6 seasons they had their ups and downs. I admit that I was ready to give up very early on in season 3, but they realized what was wrong (unlike so many other shows, coughHEROEScough), owned up to it and fixed it beautifully. The show was creative, clever and had fantastic characters. It NEEDS to be recognized for that. How many buddy cop shows, Law and Order's and CSI's are on your tv right now? A TON. They thought outside the box and challenged viewers without dumbing down their storylines and I loved that. The worst Alias episodes were always when they tried to "catch viewers up" and remind them what was going on. We don't need reminders. If you are truly invested in a show, you get what's going on. Those actors, Matthew Fox, Terry O' Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell (to name a few), should have been rewarded for their efforts. They were fantastic and I guarantee you will not see characters such as their's again... or at least for a very long time.
That concludes my bitter Emmy rant.
What did I love about The Emmy's? This:
Jeff and I still have yet to catch up on The Office. We have 5 episodes remaining. It makes me sad that I don't feel like watching. I'm irritated because most of last season was painful to watch and I think I am a little disheartened by the fact that Steve Carell is leaving and they want to continue without him. Here's some advice for The Office peeps; Don't do that.
True Blood's season finale is next week and I have no clue how they are going to wrap things up. They created loads of new stories, so I am very curious to see what happens. I'm also VERY sad that it's coming to end. I am going to miss my weekly Eric Northman fix.
Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries begins on Thursday (9/9), YAY! Even Jeff is excited for that to come back (though, he probably won't like me telling everyone that). This show is so fantastic at surprising you and they reveal important things every week. It keeps the momentum going and never lets the viewer get bored. Also, Ian Somerhalder is AMAZING in it. AMAZING. I didn't care for him as Boone on Lost, but as Damon on VD? Awesome. Love it.
The season finale of White Collar is tomorrow night and I have yet to hear about a season 3 renewal. Let me tell you, I will not be happy if this show doesn't get picked up for another season. If they gave they go ahead to Covert Affairs (Alias Lite) and not White Collar, I may feel obligated to write a letter to the USA Network. Seriously. My television cannot be without Matt Bomer. Nope. Also, I stopped watching Covert Affairs after the 2nd episode. Not only was it boring, but I really can't get over all the Alias rip-offs. And I can't justify watching a show with Sendhil Ramamurthy. No thank you.
The coming weeks will be bringing back all my favorite shows, yippeeee! I can't wait!
Through 6 seasons they had their ups and downs. I admit that I was ready to give up very early on in season 3, but they realized what was wrong (unlike so many other shows, coughHEROEScough), owned up to it and fixed it beautifully. The show was creative, clever and had fantastic characters. It NEEDS to be recognized for that. How many buddy cop shows, Law and Order's and CSI's are on your tv right now? A TON. They thought outside the box and challenged viewers without dumbing down their storylines and I loved that. The worst Alias episodes were always when they tried to "catch viewers up" and remind them what was going on. We don't need reminders. If you are truly invested in a show, you get what's going on. Those actors, Matthew Fox, Terry O' Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell (to name a few), should have been rewarded for their efforts. They were fantastic and I guarantee you will not see characters such as their's again... or at least for a very long time.
That concludes my bitter Emmy rant.
What did I love about The Emmy's? This:
Jeff and I still have yet to catch up on The Office. We have 5 episodes remaining. It makes me sad that I don't feel like watching. I'm irritated because most of last season was painful to watch and I think I am a little disheartened by the fact that Steve Carell is leaving and they want to continue without him. Here's some advice for The Office peeps; Don't do that.
True Blood's season finale is next week and I have no clue how they are going to wrap things up. They created loads of new stories, so I am very curious to see what happens. I'm also VERY sad that it's coming to end. I am going to miss my weekly Eric Northman fix.
Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries begins on Thursday (9/9), YAY! Even Jeff is excited for that to come back (though, he probably won't like me telling everyone that). This show is so fantastic at surprising you and they reveal important things every week. It keeps the momentum going and never lets the viewer get bored. Also, Ian Somerhalder is AMAZING in it. AMAZING. I didn't care for him as Boone on Lost, but as Damon on VD? Awesome. Love it.
The season finale of White Collar is tomorrow night and I have yet to hear about a season 3 renewal. Let me tell you, I will not be happy if this show doesn't get picked up for another season. If they gave they go ahead to Covert Affairs (Alias Lite) and not White Collar, I may feel obligated to write a letter to the USA Network. Seriously. My television cannot be without Matt Bomer. Nope. Also, I stopped watching Covert Affairs after the 2nd episode. Not only was it boring, but I really can't get over all the Alias rip-offs. And I can't justify watching a show with Sendhil Ramamurthy. No thank you.
The coming weeks will be bringing back all my favorite shows, yippeeee! I can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)