I suppose at some point in every person's life, there comes a time when they realize that their favorite singer/writer/actor/athlete isn't all that they thought they were. I have always known that Steven Page wasn't the nicest guy in the world and I have always accepted that. His talent always surpassed his personality. His voice and stage presence is what made him my #1 musical crush for so long. The way he could belt out a song and not break a sweat made me melt.
All of that came to an end last night.
**Let me apologize in advance for the long, rambling-ness of this post. I am still upset about it, so I go kind of all over the place when I talk about it, haha**
Steven Page was at the Royal Oak Music Theater last night. When we arrived around 7:40pm (show started at 8), we noticed there wasn't a whole lot of people standing outside. We thought that was a little odd. While we waited in the cold (it was so very cold), we heard one of the workers say that they closed the balcony. Well, that's not a good sign. We were finally let in about 810pm, checked out the merchandise stand (the shirts were really, really ugly), then went inside. There were seats. Lots and lots of seats... at The Royal Oak Music Theater. I was so weirded out by this. There were a total of maybe 50 people there at this point. We found our seats (4th row, center) and waited for the show to start. Naturally, we people watched while we waited and noticed that there were a ton of older people there. It was just a weird atmosphere. I felt like we were waiting for a school play to start or something. Anyway, we waited... and waited... and finally, the opening act came out (by this point the theater had filled up... minus the balcony).
Kate Miller Heidke opened for him and was so fantastic. As a general rule, i'm usually never crazy about the opening act, but believe me when I say this girl is So.Much.Fun. She was great with the crowd and so funny and her voice was kickass. She covered Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" and it was clever and done fantastically well. If you think i'm exaggerating, i'm not. She got a standing ovation at the end of her set and the audience adored her. Carrie even bought her cd after the show. I urge you to google her. Seriously. Fun.
At this point, we were really excited for Steven Page. It's so rare that you enjoy an opening act that much. So, it seemed like a good sign for things to come. As we waited... and waited and waited for Mr. Page to grace us with his presence, we started to realize that things were just not going to go how we thought.
He FINALLY came out at 10:15pm. He was disheveled looking in his brown corduroy suit (which I predicted he would be in earlier in the evening) and looked frazzled. The sound system was a little out of whack and when he started to sing the opening line of the song, everyone jumped because it was so loud. They fixed that and he went on with one of the new songs from his cd (Page One) called, "A New Shore". It's one of my favorites and I was very happy until the song ended and he started singing the weirdest "cover" of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" that we have ever heard. We couldn't understand anything he was saying and it was chaotic and fast and then he lost his voice. LOST HIS VOICE. Steven Page, the one with the amazing operatic voice COULD NOT SING. For whatever reason (i'm sure he was freaking out), he ripped his tie off and wrapped it around his forehead. I dont even know if he finished the song. I was so completely uncomfortable.
He finally calmed down and told everyone to stand (it was too "church-like") and that they were allowed to take pictures (there were signs everywhere saying no cameras were allowed). Well naturally, a bunch of people ran right up to the front of the stage and invaded his personal space (the stage isn't very high there). He told one guy to stop touching him. He was visibly uncomfortable and half the theater was sitting while the other half was standing. Carrie and I stood but didn't go up to the stage. We had 4th row, we could see great and as far as I was concerned, I didn't need a front row seat to the disaster we were already witnessing. He tried to banter (like he used to in BNL) and I just kept thinking "who are you bantering with?? You are a solo artist now!". It was very obvious that he was lacking the companionship he had with Ed. He tried to be funny and it fell flat. He had these old school projectors that he would forget to turn on and when he remembered, he had to use a remote control to get them started. It was just weird and then they tried to do a cover of "P.Y.T" by Michael Jackson and they didn't even know the words. It made no sense! I think he "sang" the first verse and then immediately went into another song. It was just awkward.
He sang some BNL songs. It was weird hearing them though, after hearing BNL do them in concert earlier this summer. Before he sang "Enid", he made a big deal about how the song really resonates with the last 2 years of his life, especially the time where "I got myself kicked out of my own band" and it just seemed in bad taste. He even referenced being in jail at one point. All that he was fine with talking about, but not once did he acknowledge the fact that he wasn't singing well throughout the show. Carrie and I were dumbfounded. This was supposed to be an amazing show. Getting to see my favorite singer live and having wonderful seats and it was so the opposite of amazing. It was a train wreck. He forgot the words to some of the songs, including one of the new ones. It was infuriating! He ended up doing two encores and at one point I thought to mysef "I would be totally okay with leaving right now".
The final song he sang was "Break Your Heart". Most people who know that I love Steven Page, know that this is my all time, most favorite song he sings. Ever. But as the night went on, I kept telling Carrie that there was no way he would be able to sing it. His voice was awful. People kept yelling out requests for it throughout the show, so I think he felt obligated to sing it. It was then that he finally acknowledged the fact that he was "missing a note in his voice" and that he would need help with the song. I'll admit it, I was happy he sang it but it was tainted by my anger. He told everyone to meet him at the merch stand and he would sign stuff. We didn't do that.
I get that singers have bad nights and sometimes their voice is off but it wasn't just his voice. You could visibly see how weird he was being. The whole thing felt as if they threw it together 2 hours before they came out. But then again, I did a search for him on Twitter this morning and the people who were at the same show that we were, were raving about it. Saying he was amazing and it was a fantastic concert. Listen, it wasn't. My hopes were set so high for that show because he has never let me down musically. He may be a hole but he's so talented. Last night he was a hole with no talent and I was so disappointed.
Here are my highlights:
-Hanging out with Carrie
-Hanging out with Carrie
-We had really good seats
-He sang "I Live With It Everyday" from Born On a Pirate Ship and I LOVE THAT SONG.
-"Break Your Heart"
-The ride home with Carrie, where we vented and complained the whole time.
Maybe it was just an off night. Maybe Carrie and I were in some bizarro universe where Steven Page is a bad showman. Who knows? All I know is that he dashed all the adoration I had for him in one single evening and that makes me so sad.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Birthday Wishlist.
30 things I would like for my 30th Birthday...
1.) An Alias recap/reunion special. This would include EVERY member of the cast, including some guest stars (Quentin Tarantino, Gina Torres etc.), J.J. Abrams (of course) and it would be at least 2 hours long.
2.) For Bonnie to bite it on Vampire Diaries. Not "bite it" as in become a vampire, but "bite it" as in "never come back, go away, you're the most annoying character ever, goodbye"
3.) A bigger house (with a really nice bathroom).
4.) Not to break my car anymore.
5.) For Stephenie Meyer to finish and release Midnight Sun.
6.)For Will Smith, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington to stop making movies.
7.) For Shanna Swendson to publish a 5th Enchanted Inc. book.
8.) To finally be caught up on all the Chuck episodes we have sitting in our DVR.
9.) No big snowstorms this winter.
10.) For people to stop saying "Keeping busy?" and "Are we having fun yet?"
11.) For Charley to develop a love for bedtime.
12.) A million dollars.
13.) To finally finish watching Buffy and Angel so I can move on to Firefly.
14.) For Steven Page to not be a hole anymore.
15.) For close-talkers to be outlawed.
16.) To become a Pop Culture blogger for Entertainment Weekly.
17.) For my LYBF to find a job in Michigan after she is all said and done with school.
18.) For Booth to stop dating that Hannah girl on Bones.
19.) For my Mom (or anyone else for that matter ) to not have to worry about Cancer scares ever again.
20.) For Andy and Erin to get back together on The Office (because I love Andy and he deserves to be happy).
21.) For Criminal Minds to stop being shown on 3 different channels at one time at all hours of the day.
22.) For Chris Osgood to get his 400th win and have a long overdue winning season.
23.) For Lexie and Mark to get back together on Grey's Anatomy.
24.) For Ewan McGregor to make a good movie (It's been too long).
25.) To not have to go grocery shopping ever again. Let me clarify: To be able to go online and order them and then have them delivered.
26.) Speaking of delivery, for Dunkin Donuts to deliver.
27.) A library in my house.
28.) For Bristow to calm down a little bit.
29.) Cooking lessons from Bobby Flay (or for him to just come and cook for me. I'm not picky).
30.) For my work to invest in a decent tasting coffee maker that makes iced coffees.
Wishful thinking yes, but that's what Birthdays are for.
1.) An Alias recap/reunion special. This would include EVERY member of the cast, including some guest stars (Quentin Tarantino, Gina Torres etc.), J.J. Abrams (of course) and it would be at least 2 hours long.
2.) For Bonnie to bite it on Vampire Diaries. Not "bite it" as in become a vampire, but "bite it" as in "never come back, go away, you're the most annoying character ever, goodbye"
3.) A bigger house (with a really nice bathroom).
4.) Not to break my car anymore.
5.) For Stephenie Meyer to finish and release Midnight Sun.
6.)For Will Smith, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington to stop making movies.
7.) For Shanna Swendson to publish a 5th Enchanted Inc. book.
8.) To finally be caught up on all the Chuck episodes we have sitting in our DVR.
9.) No big snowstorms this winter.
10.) For people to stop saying "Keeping busy?" and "Are we having fun yet?"
11.) For Charley to develop a love for bedtime.
12.) A million dollars.
13.) To finally finish watching Buffy and Angel so I can move on to Firefly.
14.) For Steven Page to not be a hole anymore.
15.) For close-talkers to be outlawed.
16.) To become a Pop Culture blogger for Entertainment Weekly.
17.) For my LYBF to find a job in Michigan after she is all said and done with school.
18.) For Booth to stop dating that Hannah girl on Bones.
19.) For my Mom (or anyone else for that matter ) to not have to worry about Cancer scares ever again.
20.) For Andy and Erin to get back together on The Office (because I love Andy and he deserves to be happy).
21.) For Criminal Minds to stop being shown on 3 different channels at one time at all hours of the day.
22.) For Chris Osgood to get his 400th win and have a long overdue winning season.
23.) For Lexie and Mark to get back together on Grey's Anatomy.
24.) For Ewan McGregor to make a good movie (It's been too long).
25.) To not have to go grocery shopping ever again. Let me clarify: To be able to go online and order them and then have them delivered.
26.) Speaking of delivery, for Dunkin Donuts to deliver.
27.) A library in my house.
28.) For Bristow to calm down a little bit.
29.) Cooking lessons from Bobby Flay (or for him to just come and cook for me. I'm not picky).
30.) For my work to invest in a decent tasting coffee maker that makes iced coffees.
Wishful thinking yes, but that's what Birthdays are for.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
My Top 4 Most Hated Storylines
I know, I know... It's been a while. I have had "Bloggers-Block", which is much like "Writers Block" but not as important.
This season of Bones has me irked. While I admit that the episode last week was somewhat better than the first 3 weeks, I am still frustrated by it. It has inspired me to create a list of my top 4 most hated storylines.
Just a warning, there may be some spoilers scattered throughout this post for Bones, Alias, Brothers and Sisters, and Grey's Anatomy so if you are not up to date on any of these shows and would like to remain spoiler free, stop reading.
1.) Amnesia - You know the story... there is that one couple you can't wait to get together and just as they are on the verge of professing their undying love for each other (or have finally gotten together), one of them gets hit on the head, or is in a car accident, or goes "missing" for 2 years and low and behold, they can't remember a damn thing anymore. Not only can they not remember who they are/were, but of course they don't remember "being in love". This is weak storytelling and it drives me insane. I know, it doesn't just happen to couples on shows, it happens to single people too. For instance, there is an amnesia storyline happening right now on Brothers and Sisters with Holly. I'm not going to get into the details, mainly because I don't watch the show anymore, but COME ON, you are professional writers. You get paid A LOT of money to be creative and your viewers depend on that, so BE CREATIVE.
2.) The "new" love interest- When two main characters in a show are about to get together and the audience wants them together and then all of a sudden there is a new love interest for one or both of the characters. There is always mention of Moonlighting when it comes to a "will they? or won't they?" storyline. A lot of people say that when David and Maddie finally got together, the show hit a huge ratings decline and went downhill. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but at least they had the gusto to give it a try. On Alias, they brought in Lauren. Viewers HATED Lauren for coming between Sydney and Vaughn after they had gotten together at the end of the second season. What made it worse is that the show jumped ahead 2 years in time, so we didn't get to see the natural progression of things. Which brings me to Bones... Booth and Bones belong together. The producers of the show know it, the viewers know it and all the characters on the show know it. Instead of finding a way of putting them together and making the show work, they had them work on opposite ends of the world for a year. When they met back up months later, Booth was ridiculously in love with this new girl, who we are supposed to accept automatically because they are so "well matched" for each other. No. Three episodes ago, Booth was professing his love to Brennan, so no, I don't buy that you are head over heels in love with this hot blonde girl. Again, get creative. You can't pound it into the viewers heads that these two main character belong together, only to turn around and say "JUST KIDDING!". It does not make for good storytelling. It makes for annoying storytelling.
3.) Poof! You have a brain tumor and/or Cancer- When it comes to Grey's Anatomy, I will be the first to admit that the show has had its ups and downs. I will also be the first to admit that one of my favorite characters is Denny Duquette but when Izzie started seeing Denny again (his character is dead now) in the 5th season, people were annoyed. It had to be a dream of sorts or at the very least, a ghost. No my friends, she had a brain tumor which eventually led to her being diagnosed with Cancer. That "incurable" Cancer was in remission by seasons end. On Brothers and Sisters, Kitty Walker was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma last season. It was insanely depressing (of course), it was also cured within a few episodes. On Bones, Booth was seeing his old friend's "ghost" and Stewie from Family Guy was talking to him. What did that mean? Well it meant that he had a brain tumor, of course! He ended up having it removed through surgery and was fine. I get that these things do happen in real life, but they are also incredibly grueling and not magically fixed in real life. It's insulting to the people who have gone through things like this in their own lives to watch TV and for Hollywood to make it seem like these illnesses are so easily cured.
4.) Oops! We don't have Chemistry!- Remember when Joey started to have feelings for Rachel in season 8 of Friends? I know a lot of people were irritated by that storyline, but I always thought it was interesting. They were thinking out of the box and trying something that no one thought would ever happen. Then what did they do? They had Rachel and Joey (sort of) get together and BOOM, they no longer had chemistry. All feelings gone. On Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes hinted at the idea of putting George and Izzie together. Fans were adamant that this was NOT a good idea but she went ahead with the story anyway. After an entire season of the two of them pining after one another and them finally getting together, BOOM, they no longer have chemistry. It's a cop out as far as I'm concerned. I didn't necessarily WANT these couples to be together but it would have been nice for their story to be handled differently, otherwise it just feels like a waste of time.
As you can see, these storylines have been used quite often. They are overdone and they are annoying (to me, at least). If a storyline isn't working, be creative and fix it.
This season of Bones has me irked. While I admit that the episode last week was somewhat better than the first 3 weeks, I am still frustrated by it. It has inspired me to create a list of my top 4 most hated storylines.
Just a warning, there may be some spoilers scattered throughout this post for Bones, Alias, Brothers and Sisters, and Grey's Anatomy so if you are not up to date on any of these shows and would like to remain spoiler free, stop reading.
1.) Amnesia - You know the story... there is that one couple you can't wait to get together and just as they are on the verge of professing their undying love for each other (or have finally gotten together), one of them gets hit on the head, or is in a car accident, or goes "missing" for 2 years and low and behold, they can't remember a damn thing anymore. Not only can they not remember who they are/were, but of course they don't remember "being in love". This is weak storytelling and it drives me insane. I know, it doesn't just happen to couples on shows, it happens to single people too. For instance, there is an amnesia storyline happening right now on Brothers and Sisters with Holly. I'm not going to get into the details, mainly because I don't watch the show anymore, but COME ON, you are professional writers. You get paid A LOT of money to be creative and your viewers depend on that, so BE CREATIVE.
2.) The "new" love interest- When two main characters in a show are about to get together and the audience wants them together and then all of a sudden there is a new love interest for one or both of the characters. There is always mention of Moonlighting when it comes to a "will they? or won't they?" storyline. A lot of people say that when David and Maddie finally got together, the show hit a huge ratings decline and went downhill. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but at least they had the gusto to give it a try. On Alias, they brought in Lauren. Viewers HATED Lauren for coming between Sydney and Vaughn after they had gotten together at the end of the second season. What made it worse is that the show jumped ahead 2 years in time, so we didn't get to see the natural progression of things. Which brings me to Bones... Booth and Bones belong together. The producers of the show know it, the viewers know it and all the characters on the show know it. Instead of finding a way of putting them together and making the show work, they had them work on opposite ends of the world for a year. When they met back up months later, Booth was ridiculously in love with this new girl, who we are supposed to accept automatically because they are so "well matched" for each other. No. Three episodes ago, Booth was professing his love to Brennan, so no, I don't buy that you are head over heels in love with this hot blonde girl. Again, get creative. You can't pound it into the viewers heads that these two main character belong together, only to turn around and say "JUST KIDDING!". It does not make for good storytelling. It makes for annoying storytelling.
3.) Poof! You have a brain tumor and/or Cancer- When it comes to Grey's Anatomy, I will be the first to admit that the show has had its ups and downs. I will also be the first to admit that one of my favorite characters is Denny Duquette but when Izzie started seeing Denny again (his character is dead now) in the 5th season, people were annoyed. It had to be a dream of sorts or at the very least, a ghost. No my friends, she had a brain tumor which eventually led to her being diagnosed with Cancer. That "incurable" Cancer was in remission by seasons end. On Brothers and Sisters, Kitty Walker was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma last season. It was insanely depressing (of course), it was also cured within a few episodes. On Bones, Booth was seeing his old friend's "ghost" and Stewie from Family Guy was talking to him. What did that mean? Well it meant that he had a brain tumor, of course! He ended up having it removed through surgery and was fine. I get that these things do happen in real life, but they are also incredibly grueling and not magically fixed in real life. It's insulting to the people who have gone through things like this in their own lives to watch TV and for Hollywood to make it seem like these illnesses are so easily cured.
4.) Oops! We don't have Chemistry!- Remember when Joey started to have feelings for Rachel in season 8 of Friends? I know a lot of people were irritated by that storyline, but I always thought it was interesting. They were thinking out of the box and trying something that no one thought would ever happen. Then what did they do? They had Rachel and Joey (sort of) get together and BOOM, they no longer had chemistry. All feelings gone. On Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes hinted at the idea of putting George and Izzie together. Fans were adamant that this was NOT a good idea but she went ahead with the story anyway. After an entire season of the two of them pining after one another and them finally getting together, BOOM, they no longer have chemistry. It's a cop out as far as I'm concerned. I didn't necessarily WANT these couples to be together but it would have been nice for their story to be handled differently, otherwise it just feels like a waste of time.
As you can see, these storylines have been used quite often. They are overdone and they are annoying (to me, at least). If a storyline isn't working, be creative and fix it.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Premiere Week
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?
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?
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!
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