Friday, June 29, 2007

Oh No!

According to Ausiello, Merrin Dungey is going to be replaced on Private Practice (yep, that show name still makes me cringe). This is very upsetting to me. She's being replaced by a Broadway actress who is apparently pretty awesome, but I still think that there is no replacing Merrin. She's fantastic. And Private Practice's lack luster debut can hardly be blamed on her. Stiff acting plagued the entire cast--Taye, Tim and Amy included. Oh and the talking elevator wasn't helping anything either.

And does this mean that now I'm never ever going to see a Francie/Piz hook up? That's depressing.

Silver lining: maybe Merrin can find a better role on a better show. For example, she'd be fun on Heroes. Or Lost. Merrin could be a really scary Lost villian. She could also out-desperate all the desperate housewives. She'd be good on Judy Greer's new show too--they'd get along great. See? It's so easy to find roles for her.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Exposing the man-"chut"

Kyle XY:
Hmm, well, that was one dramatic scene in the caf during lunch time. Poor Amanda. Too bad she didn't have the presence of mind try to move Charlie's humiliation of her into the hallway where there were fewer people watching. And poor Kyle. She was just as hard on him as she was on Cheater Charlie. No matter what she may say though, I really think that Amanda would not have taken it well if Kyle had told her about Charlie. She probably wouldn't have even believed him. But major props to Lori's friend for telling Amanda the truth about her affair with Charlie. That showed maturity and guts. And I loved that Charlie was voted Biggest Slut--it's good that although Amanda was in the dark, everyone else caught on to his man-whore tendencies.

And the other big revelation is that Kyle has now accepted his destiny to save the world (how Clark Kent/Peter Petrelli of him). I felt a little bad for him when Foss turned all Marta Karolyi on his butt with the constant demands to hone his abilities through bizarre exercises. But, come on, Kyle, if Pam Beasley can walk on hot coals, surely you can too.

Monday's Blatant Sour Patch Kids Product Placement was especially silly. Nicole just wanders around the party handing out Sour Patch Kids? No wonder Kyle likes living with her--she follows him around handing out candy!

And the scene with Kyle and Lori in her bedroom seemed a little hotter than it should have been. I'm still holding out hope for a Loryle hook-up, but now that he's officially part of the Trager family, I guess it would seem a little too incestuous.

BTW, I love Lori's IKEA quilt cover. Her bedding is almost as nice as that of Johnny on Hidden Palms (who is a fabulous interior decorator apparently).

This show is filmed in Canada, right? The boys' bathroom was labeled "boys washroom," which seems like a bit of a lingo slip up.

Funny highlights:

Lori: She was voted Biggest Sl... four-letter world that rhymes with "chut."

Charlie: Don't pull this innocent star-gazer crap with me!

John Krasinski rocks my world

John Krasinski's appearance on Conan last week was quite possibley the funniest talk show interview I've ever seen. Thank goodness some kind person posted this on YouTube, because I missed it "live" due to being drained from my early trip to NYC. Seriously, though, my life is better for having seen this clip. Tears were streaming down my face. John is hilarious--he tells not one, not two, but three hysterical stories. Fair warning: the story about the girl in the bar just might be the funniest thing ever.

Incidentally, John telling stories about himself is about 1000 times funnier than any of the clips I've seen from License to Wed.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Random TV Celeb Sighting

This story is a bit off topic, but it is TV-related. Yesterday I was in NYC with Jenna because she had a job interview there. We had to kill some time before her interview and it was wicked hot outside, so we went to a little cafe in the Soho area that was called Cafe Columbia, I think. There I got a small smoothie for $6.75. While we were sitting there, I noticed that one of the guys at the table next to us looked familiar. I couldn't figure out why at first, but I assumed that he must look like someone from TV because I basically only deal with TV people right now.

Finally I realized that he looks like Jimmy, the middle kid from Grounded For Life. His hair was a little lighter than I remembered, but other than that he looked exactly the same. Occasionally, I could hear his voice a bit and he sounded like Jimmy. I became 95% certain that the guy really was Griffin Frazen (I IMBDed him to find out his real name when I got home). Word on the internet is that Griffin goes to NYU, so now I'm pretty nearly positive it was him.

He got some kind of iced coffee beverage to drink that looked really good and was eating a tasty looking salad.

So, that encounter was really random. And pretty exciting even though I was never a big Grounded for Life fan.

Hidden Palms

Wow. The last couple of minutes of Wednesday's two-hour chunk of Hidden Palms supplied the first non-predictable moment of the entire series so far. Cliff's having an affair with Eddie's mom! Yikes. They still kind of borrowed that plot line from The O.C., but I didn't see it coming. In retrospect, it doesn't seem particularly off-base for Cliff to be involved with a middle-aged woman, because I spent much of the first hour wondering if he was not just a little too interested in his own mother. Thank goodness it's just his dead best friend's mom that he wants.

Speaking of Cliff, he may be the devil personified, but I love him. Not since Sark have I been this taken with a villain. Michael Cassidy has just run away with this show, which I still find shocking because as The O.C.'s Zach, he was cute, but hardly remarkable. I think a perfect season ender for Hidden Palms (esp. since it really doesn't look like there's going to be a season two) would be Cliff taking Johnny out too and then turning on the charm again when a new kid moves next door. My favorite Cliff moment this week:

Johnny: What did happen to Eddie?
Cliff: Hello?! Where have you been? He offed himself!

OK, there are other people on this show and for once I have something to say about a few of them:

Liza is pathetic. Eddie was her "secret friend." Seriously? How very elementary school of them. I remember when Full House did the episode where Stephanie was the "secret" girlfriend of "Duck Face." They were in like the first grade. Liza is old enough to realize that if someone isn't willing to tell his "cool" friends that he's your friend, then he's really not your friend. Get some self-respect, Liza.

Johnny's inability to golf was especially astounding because I remember him being quite the little golfer a few years ago when Oliver took all The O.C. kids to Palm Springs.

The girl who plays Greta is not an especially great actress. Which is funny because everyone thought Mischa was the acting weak link on The O.C.--it must be the curse of being the love interest girl. Now I'm all for anyone yelling at Jake Kane, but Greta was enunciating her insults to such an extent that it was painful.

And Nikki... doesn't her dad or her boarding school--or the state of California for that matter--mind that she, a 16-year-old girl, is now living on the couch of a random late-middle aged, former alcoholic and drag queen?

Eddie sounds like a pretentious little schmuck, what with his copious blogging and journaling and his snooty condemnation of Tennyson.

So, I wonder if Greta and Cliff really slept together or if that was just the cover story. I realize that now we're operating under the assumption that Eddie was murdered, but I could understand how he might have felt suicidal if he found out that his best friend had slept with both his girlfriend and his mother.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

YEEEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!!

David Anders a.k.a. Julian Sark a.k.a. my heart is coming back to TV (in a show I already watch anyway, which is 'super' helpful).

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

NBC's sci-fi drama "Heroes" is casting a wide net for next season, tapping Barry Shabaka Henley, Holt McCallany, "Alias" alum David Anders, Japanese pop star and actress Eriko Tamura, Lyndsy Fonseca and Dianna Agron for recurring roles.

Anders will play the most intriguing part, that of the ancient samurai warrior Takezo Kensei, Hiro Nakamura's (Masi Oka) childhood hero. While never seen during "Heroes' " first season, Kensei played a key part in the show's plot. Hiro spent most of the season trying to get ahold of Kensei's sword, which he hoped would help him in his quest to save the world.

OK, I will take David Anders any way I can get him (seriously... any way) but, um, he's playing an ancient samurai warrior? I'm at a loss. Would not one expect an ancient samurai warrior to be Japanese? I guess not. I hope this doesn't mean that he'll have to speak Japanese the whole time. I don't want to have to read subtitles when my Juls is on the screen because I'll totally get distracted by his devilish good looks and miss all kinds of pivotal dialogue.

I hope that David's character's being ancient and Japanese and all won't keep him from having some scenes with Greg Grunberg. I want an Alias reunion!

It's all fun and games until Kyle shatters the skylight with his mind...

Short Kyle post this week. Just the highlights:

  • "gunk" = a guy-specific funk
  • "Nothing like a cold slab of porcelain."
  • Using "Ruby" by the Kaiser Chiefs which is one of my favorite songs right now
  • "He could throw me a bone. ......run a two minute mile, predict a tsunami, something!"
  • And, wow, Kyle shatters glass with his mind when people yell at him. That's reminiscent of some of the crappier super powers on Heroes (the ability to melt kitchen appliances, anyone?).

Monday, June 18, 2007

An Unbeatable Combination

He he he. This video makes me giggle. Kyle XY and Marissa Cooper getting it on to a James Blunt song. All silliness aside, Mischa and Matt do make quite an attractive couple. As Seth Cohen might say, they're a pretty unbeatable combination. Personally, I would appreciate it if the video showed more of Matt and less of James Blunt.



I don't want your mail, CW

Ugh. Just when I was officially slipping into denial about the Veronica Mars cancellation, the frakkin' CW sends me TWO letters rubbing it in my face!

Text of the letter:

Dear Viewer:

Thank you for your note regarding Veronica Mars. We appreciate your interest in The CW.

Veronica Mars is a show we all worked hard to support and make a success. We feel it was an extremely high-quality program during its years on both CW and UPN. Regrettably, that run has come to an end.

We hope you will sample some of our new programs this fall--Reaper, Aliens in America, Life is Wild and Gossip Girl.

Thank you again for your interest in The CW.

Sincerely,
Paul McGuire
Executive Vice President
Network Communications

Grrrrrrr. First of all, Paul, this is not a very well written letter. It does an awful job of trying to get The CW off the hook, which I assume is what you were going for. It actually makes The CW sound extra stupid because you just praise the quality of VM and then say it's done. If the show was so great, CW dumbasses, why did you cancel it? The answer is ratings and money, so just have the balls to admit it.

And, please, please do not misconstrue my interest in Veronica Mars for an interest in The CW. I have no interest in The CW in a Veronica and Gilmore-less world.

Since we have to assume that The CW is not doing so well financially, what with the finishing behind Telemundo in ratings and all, I have a cost cutting suggestion: how about sending only one insulting letter to each VM fan and buying some less expensive stationary? Is paper that's white on one side and green on the other really necessary? I'm just thinking that you may want to be saving your money for a rainy day, CW. Like when trashy burlesque dancing no longer constitutes entertainment.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Cliff-Dancing

Yeah, I couldn't think of a title so I just took the two highlights of Wednesday night summer television--SYTYCD and Cliff from Hidden Palms--and hyphenated. It's kind of like "cliff-diving," only not. Ok, yes, any title that requires this much explanation is not a good one.

So You Think You Can Dance:
Whoa! These 20 dancers are fantastic! Granted, I watched the episode while simultaneously watching Hidden Palms and, God help me, the first ten minutes of One Tree Hill, and missed a few of the couples, but every pair that I saw was really bringing it. Last year's top twenty definitely had some weak links and it wasn't until we were down to ten or so dancers that the cuts became painful, but this year looks like it's going to be tough the whole way through. I guess my favorites of the night were the two (I don't know names yet) who performed the jive. They were very good. It made the jives on Dancing with the Stars look like, um, the crappy imitation jives that they were?

And I also like how it seems that everyone in this year's top 20 has a connection to last year's top 20: little sisters, an adopted brother, cousins... That's awesome. And seeing Benji and Travis in the audience just made me miss them more. Tonight's display of dance also inspired me to go on YouTube to watch Benji and Heidi do their routine to "Black Mambo." That thing is sick. Like one of the judges said last season, I totally want them to perform that number at my birthday party.

Hidden Palms:
I don't really like this show. I don't care much for Johnny, I can't stand Greta, I have no interest in the lurking "smart" girl whose name I still can't remember, I see nothing very special about Nikki, all parental storylines bore me to tears, and the show has the worst theme song sequence I have ever seen. But that said, I was absolutely engaged in this entire hour of television for one reason: Cliff. Ok, Michael Cassidy was cute on The O.C. as Zach, but he was never this engaging. I guess it's too late to restructure the entire show around Cliff? Because then I think we'd have something.

Highlights--
Johnny: What's your problem?
Cliff: I don't have a problem, but you seem to be strung a little tight.

And Cliff calling his mom's new boyfriend on his lies, then saying, "You should really Google yourself."

It seems like Hidden Palms is doomed anyway since the CW in its infinite wisdom (I now think every decision the CW makes is stupid) has decided to show two episodes every week so they'll all be burned off by July 4. But I sincerely hope that somebody out there with a TV show notices what a catch Michael Cassidy has become, gobbles him up and gives him something juicy to do :-)


Oh, and just a warning that tonight there was a sign that hell may be freezing over: One Tree Hill made me laugh. Out loud. I am so ashamed. Here's what did it:

Minkus: Is this shirt a little blouse-y? ... Do I look like I'm competing in men's figure skating?
Laguna Beach guy: You look like you're winning men's figure skating.

No Rest For The Weary

Wow. Summer TV is out of control. Literally just three days after Peter Petrelli blew sky high, two days after Veronica's fantastic but completely inconclusive finale, and one night after Lost's insane capstone to season three, the networks trotted out their summer programing. I, personally, would have appreciated a quick break before diving into So You Think You Can Dance, Hidden Palms, Kyle XY, etc. But, oh well. It's like having too much candy at once--you just learn to deal with it.

So You Think You Can Dance:
This show sucked me in something awful last summer. (And I still cannot believe that it's been a whole year since my Benji/Travis/Heidi obsession.) So far I've pretty much resisted getting sucked in, but I'm sure that now that they've set the top 20, I'm going to fall head over heels for these darn dancing kids. By the way, I like SYTYCD muuuuch better than Dancing with the Stars because these people are all actually good. Or at least they're supposed to be.

Hidden Palms:
This is not The O.C. I still fail to see why the producers decided make an O.C. look-alike starring the actor who played one of The O.C.'s most despised characters (Oliver) and then name his character after another of The O.C.'s most despised characters (Johnny). It just seems like you're voluntarily associating yourself with bad memories. Oh and saying things like "Nobody likes a stalker" definitely doesn't help us disassociate this poor guy from his past as Oliver.

I don't like the love interest girl or the dopey "smart" girl or Johnny's rehab ex girl. But Cliff a.k.a. The O.C.'s Zach is hilarious! Who knew this guy could blend charm and evil so enticingly? His "I sense some hostility, Johnny. They'll be none of that." was last week's highlight.

Kyle XY:
I love Kyle XY. And not just because it's so easy to have impure thoughts about Kyle. Ok, that might be most of it, actually. The season two opener was good, but it always takes shows a while to wrap up what they've started in the previous season's finale. I'm hoping there will be less seriousness and some more of dopey Kyle coming up. I prefer my Kyle playing in the bathtub, excited by a merry-go-round, and baffled by how to wear his basketball shorts. Oh and it would be nice if they give Lori something else to do besides mope about Declan.