I was not really looking forward to either of these two shows. But I ended up really enjoying both (though one more than the other).
Ben and Kate
Oh my gosh, how dumb did this look based on the description. Terrible, right? Well, it wasn't. In fact, it was by far the best new sitcom of the season and probably the show I have enjoyed the most (though it is a hard call between this and Revolution). Kate is the main character and she is a single mom. And super awkward. And not awkward in a "oh, look how awkward and adorkable Zoey Deschanel is". She is legit awkward. She wears a fanny pack and thinks that is ok. My favorite scene of the entire show was when Kate is on a date and she gets hot and wants to take off her sweat. While doing so, her shirt pulls up, too and then she gets all tangled up. As a fairly awkward and clumsy person, I can totally relate and I laughed so hard. Ben in Kate's brother and he tends to act like a 12 year old, even though he is in his late 20s. He should be unlikable, but he isn't. And that is what really makes the show work. He is a bit of a screw-up, but you can tell that he definitely cares about his friends and family. You can also tell that he doesn't act like that because he is trying to be funny...he just didn't have any guidance growing up and as a result, he never grew up.
Other things that work in Ben and Kate: Kate's daughter is adorable! All the main characters seem to really get along and you believe that they are actually friends. Lucy Punch is hysterical. Some of the lines were really subtle, but sweet. For example Kate is talking to their friend Tommy who has a thing for Kate and Kate tells him "We kissed once and it was during my fat phase" while Tommy says over her "during your hot phase". Subtle, but awesome.
And the second funniest thing of the entire episode (after the sweater thing)...Ben making a U-turn in a station wagon. Oh my goodness. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go watch Ben and Kate. It is far and away the best new comedy this season.
The Mindy Project
The other sitcom that I watched last night was The Mindy Project. I had very few feelings going into it since I have never watched the office and therefore know nothing about Mindy Kaling. After watching The Mindy Project I now know that she is extremely likable and really really funny. I didn't think the pilot was particularly spectacular, but I really enjoyed a lot about it.
First, I like that the character Mindy, while a bit of a mess in her personal life, is really smart and great at her job. She also gets along with her coworkers, both the hot British doctor who really likes her but in a totally casual sex sort of way, and the hot shot almost douche who she verbally spars with. Both guys could be extremely unlikable, but I found myself liking both. And the representation of and man and woman having a fun back and forth argument without any hurt feelings afterwards. You know...like normal life.
Other things I liked about The Mindy Project: Bill Hader and Ed Helms both guested and were fantastic, the jokes while they didn't make me laugh like Ben and Kate did, they still made me giggle and chuckle a few times, and finally the fat feminist in me really likes that there is a show with a normal sized woman as the creator, writer, and star that doesn't focus on her weight, but on real issues like...oh hey, probably shouldn't be sleeping with the hot British doctor.
I can't pin point anything that I disliked about it and I'll definitely watch again (there isn't much good on Tuesday nights), but it just wasn't my favorite.
How many more sitcoms are going to air this season (at least 2 more that I am recording tonight)? Have you watched any/all? What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Pop Tarts Book Club: "Love Only Once" Chapters 6-12
Welcome back to Pop Tarts Book Club! We're reading "Love Only Once" by Johanna Lindsey. Remember, since this is a book club, there will be lots of spoilers. Also, remember that we would love to hear what you want us to read! And don't be afraid to join in the conversation!
Summary of Chapters 6-12: The Drama Starts
So, when we last left Regina Ashton and Nicholas Eden, Nicholas had accidentally kidnapped Reggie instead of kidnapping his (ex)lover, Selena Eddington. After Nicholas realizes his mistake and the pair do a little making out, Chapter 6 opens with Nicholas dropping Reggie off at her uncle Anthony's house ... but not before they flirt and kiss again, of course! Reggie also warns Nicholas, though, that Tony has a dreadful temper and will not like the fact that his niece was kidnapped by a notorious rogue. And, of course, Reggie is correct - when she returns, Tony's worry quickly turns to rage. Reggie talks him down, convincing him that there was no harm done.
Unfortunately for Reggie, though, there WAS harm done - to her reputation. Selena let it slip, and now everyone thinks Reggie is ruined, since she spent time alone with Nicholas. Tony, of course, wants to duel with Nicholas, but Reggie convinces him to try to convince Nicholas to marry her, despite his extreme reluctance to marry. Reggie's uncles, Tony and Edward, and Nicholas' grandmother and aunt try to convince him of that, but Nicholas thinks Reggie deserves better. It's not because of his reputation, though - it's because he is secretly a bastard. The woman who raised him was not really his mother, and he is ashamed. However, Edward convinces him to marry Reggie by holding a piece of land he wants over his head.
We soon find out, though, that Nicholas doesn't really intend to marry Reggie. He is going to try to convince her to break off the engagement ... but not without doing the things that everybody thinks they already did. Nicholas doesn't want Reggie as his wife, but he sure does want her as his lover. However, Reggie says that they're stuck with each other, especially after they spend time together in public as an engaged couple ... though Nicholas doesn't think that's the case.
Jen's Thoughts
Things are getting interesting! Nicholas is a character I really understand. He is ashamed of his parentage, which makes his roguishness and reluctance to marry more understandable. He also thinks Reggie is super hot and wants to have hot, hot sex with her. He definitely seems like your basic horny guy until you find out how ashamed he is of being a bastard. I suspect that Reggie - and most of her family - wouldn't give a crap if he told her right now. Nicholas is still his father's heir, and Reggie's cousin Derek (who is Nicholas' friend) is a bastard and nobody seems to care. However, if he keeps it from them, it's going to cause problems later.
Reggie is slightly more complicated to me. I understand why she wants to marry Nicholas - it clears up a lot of problems. She doesn't have to worry about her reputation anymore and she doesn't have to fight with her uncles over who to marry. It's really quite logical. However, she's also clearly attracted to him. My biggest question is whether she is going to insist that they wait until they're married before they do anything other than make out (which they've already been doing). If she doesn't wait, it's going to be easier for Nicholas to drop her, since he is really wanting to love her and leave her. But I don't know that she'll be able to resist his charms!
I am also wondering what will happen with Selena Eddington. I think she is going to complicate matters for Nicholas and Reggie. She is hurt and angry that Nicholas didn't want her anymore, and she's even more ticked that she pushed Nicholas and Reggie together into marriage. I predict that she is going to be a fly in the ointment of the budding love between Nicholas and Reggie.
Kel's Thoughts
So, I have slightly cheated and now a fairly decent plot point that is coming up because I just read Gentle Rouge, the third book in the series. I also know all the reactions Reggie's family has to Nicholas, even after they have been married (not a spoiler because Romance Novel...duh!). However, I shall try to keep that from clouding how I'm reading this book.
After initially finding Nicholas fairly distasteful, I find that I now rather like him. He may be a rogue and a rake, but he definitely has some legit reason for being so, being a secret bastard. Though I definitely agree with Jen that Reggie's family will definitely not care about that. The Malory's have quite a few bastards in the family and treat them no different. What I can't figure out is why Tony hates Nicholas so much. I mean, obviously he is pissed that he has essentially ruined Reggie, who all the uncles are over protective of. But Tony seems to go above and beyond in his hatred.
My problem with this section that we read is Reggie. I don't get her exactly. I understand that she wants to just get married so it is over with and Nicholas has ruined her. But she is really all about this marriage. She seems really young to me...younger than her 19 years. She just seems to have gotten the idea of marriage and run with it instead of analyzing why that might not be the best plan of action. I still like her because she is fine with Nicholas being against their marriage, which is rather unique. But I just don't really understand her motivation for jumping into life with Nicholas.
I definitely agree that Selena will be a problem all the way through. She accidentally has thrown Nicholas and Reggie together and is now going to be a pain about it. I'm guessing that she will use some of the other Malory boys to try to pull the two back apart.
Summary of Chapters 6-12: The Drama Starts
So, when we last left Regina Ashton and Nicholas Eden, Nicholas had accidentally kidnapped Reggie instead of kidnapping his (ex)lover, Selena Eddington. After Nicholas realizes his mistake and the pair do a little making out, Chapter 6 opens with Nicholas dropping Reggie off at her uncle Anthony's house ... but not before they flirt and kiss again, of course! Reggie also warns Nicholas, though, that Tony has a dreadful temper and will not like the fact that his niece was kidnapped by a notorious rogue. And, of course, Reggie is correct - when she returns, Tony's worry quickly turns to rage. Reggie talks him down, convincing him that there was no harm done.
Unfortunately for Reggie, though, there WAS harm done - to her reputation. Selena let it slip, and now everyone thinks Reggie is ruined, since she spent time alone with Nicholas. Tony, of course, wants to duel with Nicholas, but Reggie convinces him to try to convince Nicholas to marry her, despite his extreme reluctance to marry. Reggie's uncles, Tony and Edward, and Nicholas' grandmother and aunt try to convince him of that, but Nicholas thinks Reggie deserves better. It's not because of his reputation, though - it's because he is secretly a bastard. The woman who raised him was not really his mother, and he is ashamed. However, Edward convinces him to marry Reggie by holding a piece of land he wants over his head.
We soon find out, though, that Nicholas doesn't really intend to marry Reggie. He is going to try to convince her to break off the engagement ... but not without doing the things that everybody thinks they already did. Nicholas doesn't want Reggie as his wife, but he sure does want her as his lover. However, Reggie says that they're stuck with each other, especially after they spend time together in public as an engaged couple ... though Nicholas doesn't think that's the case.
Jen's Thoughts
Things are getting interesting! Nicholas is a character I really understand. He is ashamed of his parentage, which makes his roguishness and reluctance to marry more understandable. He also thinks Reggie is super hot and wants to have hot, hot sex with her. He definitely seems like your basic horny guy until you find out how ashamed he is of being a bastard. I suspect that Reggie - and most of her family - wouldn't give a crap if he told her right now. Nicholas is still his father's heir, and Reggie's cousin Derek (who is Nicholas' friend) is a bastard and nobody seems to care. However, if he keeps it from them, it's going to cause problems later.
Reggie is slightly more complicated to me. I understand why she wants to marry Nicholas - it clears up a lot of problems. She doesn't have to worry about her reputation anymore and she doesn't have to fight with her uncles over who to marry. It's really quite logical. However, she's also clearly attracted to him. My biggest question is whether she is going to insist that they wait until they're married before they do anything other than make out (which they've already been doing). If she doesn't wait, it's going to be easier for Nicholas to drop her, since he is really wanting to love her and leave her. But I don't know that she'll be able to resist his charms!
I am also wondering what will happen with Selena Eddington. I think she is going to complicate matters for Nicholas and Reggie. She is hurt and angry that Nicholas didn't want her anymore, and she's even more ticked that she pushed Nicholas and Reggie together into marriage. I predict that she is going to be a fly in the ointment of the budding love between Nicholas and Reggie.
Kel's Thoughts
So, I have slightly cheated and now a fairly decent plot point that is coming up because I just read Gentle Rouge, the third book in the series. I also know all the reactions Reggie's family has to Nicholas, even after they have been married (not a spoiler because Romance Novel...duh!). However, I shall try to keep that from clouding how I'm reading this book.
After initially finding Nicholas fairly distasteful, I find that I now rather like him. He may be a rogue and a rake, but he definitely has some legit reason for being so, being a secret bastard. Though I definitely agree with Jen that Reggie's family will definitely not care about that. The Malory's have quite a few bastards in the family and treat them no different. What I can't figure out is why Tony hates Nicholas so much. I mean, obviously he is pissed that he has essentially ruined Reggie, who all the uncles are over protective of. But Tony seems to go above and beyond in his hatred.
My problem with this section that we read is Reggie. I don't get her exactly. I understand that she wants to just get married so it is over with and Nicholas has ruined her. But she is really all about this marriage. She seems really young to me...younger than her 19 years. She just seems to have gotten the idea of marriage and run with it instead of analyzing why that might not be the best plan of action. I still like her because she is fine with Nicholas being against their marriage, which is rather unique. But I just don't really understand her motivation for jumping into life with Nicholas.
I definitely agree that Selena will be a problem all the way through. She accidentally has thrown Nicholas and Reggie together and is now going to be a pain about it. I'm guessing that she will use some of the other Malory boys to try to pull the two back apart.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
New Series Review: Partners
Going into watching the pilot of Partners, I thought it was going to be crappy, yet was hopeful that it would be good. I should have gone with my instinct.
Which isn't to say that Partners was bad, it was just...not good. It stars Michael Urie and David Krumholtz as life-long best friends, who both have significant others. David Krumholtz is dating/engaged to Sophia Bush and Michael Urie is dating Brandon Routh. I love all four of those actors. So the cast is brilliant. But even with the timeliness of the gays, it feels really 90s. Maybe it is just me, but I think structuring an entire show around "one is gay, one is straight, comedy ensues" is really boring. It is like how TLC had 75,000 shows about Little People a few years back and they were all boring because just being a person is little doesn't make them interesting. Just like, just because a character is gay, doesn't make them funny.
The whole show seemed very forced and like it was a Will and Grace episode from season 2. But not updated at all for modern times. Also, the live audience or laugh track or whatever they had was super distracting. I like my comedies to not try so hard to be funny. You cast really great people who are really funny. Let them be funny.
The one thing that I think saved the show (besides that I will watch anything if it allows me to stare at David Krumholtz) is Brandon Routh. I haven't really seen him in much of anything (Scott Pilgrim is the only thing that comes to mind), but that boy is adorable and funny. He is like an adorable puppy. He has giant innocent eyes and I just want to give him a cookie and stroke his hair. He is amazingly likable in the show.
Did you watch Partners? Did you like it? Did you feel like you had time traveled back to 1997? Are you planning on watching again (I may watch one more episode to see if it settles down at all).
Which isn't to say that Partners was bad, it was just...not good. It stars Michael Urie and David Krumholtz as life-long best friends, who both have significant others. David Krumholtz is dating/engaged to Sophia Bush and Michael Urie is dating Brandon Routh. I love all four of those actors. So the cast is brilliant. But even with the timeliness of the gays, it feels really 90s. Maybe it is just me, but I think structuring an entire show around "one is gay, one is straight, comedy ensues" is really boring. It is like how TLC had 75,000 shows about Little People a few years back and they were all boring because just being a person is little doesn't make them interesting. Just like, just because a character is gay, doesn't make them funny.
The whole show seemed very forced and like it was a Will and Grace episode from season 2. But not updated at all for modern times. Also, the live audience or laugh track or whatever they had was super distracting. I like my comedies to not try so hard to be funny. You cast really great people who are really funny. Let them be funny.
The one thing that I think saved the show (besides that I will watch anything if it allows me to stare at David Krumholtz) is Brandon Routh. I haven't really seen him in much of anything (Scott Pilgrim is the only thing that comes to mind), but that boy is adorable and funny. He is like an adorable puppy. He has giant innocent eyes and I just want to give him a cookie and stroke his hair. He is amazingly likable in the show.
Did you watch Partners? Did you like it? Did you feel like you had time traveled back to 1997? Are you planning on watching again (I may watch one more episode to see if it settles down at all).
Fun Facts: Candy Corn
Though I usually wait until October 1 to start in on the Halloween season, I started in on the Halloween season yesterday by buying decorations and watching a creepy movie. So, I officially declare it the Halloween season and to kick it off...a Fun Facts blog on Candy Corn!
Candy Corn is only found in the United States and Canada and is primarily available in the Fall, though you can get it year round if you are in the right place (I assume some sort of candy store).
Candy Corn was created in the 1880s and was originally made by hand by the Wunderlee Candy Company.
The biggest seller of Candy Corn is Brach's. A serving of Brach's Candy Corn is 19 pieces, with 140 calories and 0 fat.
In 1985, during the U.S. Congressional hearings on extending Daylight Savings Time later in the fall, the candy industry put Candy Pumpkins on the seat of every senator in an attempt to convince them to have Daylight Savings Time extend through Halloween so kids would have the daylight to collect more candy. It was not extended to November until 2005.
Brach's Candy Pumpkins are officially known as Mellowcreme Pumpkins. Mellowcreme is what the ingredients of candy pumpkins are called before they set, named since the finished pumpkins have a mellow, creme texture.
The best trail mix ever is simply candy corn mixed with peanuts (seriously, go try it).
Stay tuned for further Halloween fun facts throughout the Halloween season!
Candy Corn is only found in the United States and Canada and is primarily available in the Fall, though you can get it year round if you are in the right place (I assume some sort of candy store).
Candy Corn was created in the 1880s and was originally made by hand by the Wunderlee Candy Company.
The biggest seller of Candy Corn is Brach's. A serving of Brach's Candy Corn is 19 pieces, with 140 calories and 0 fat.
In 1985, during the U.S. Congressional hearings on extending Daylight Savings Time later in the fall, the candy industry put Candy Pumpkins on the seat of every senator in an attempt to convince them to have Daylight Savings Time extend through Halloween so kids would have the daylight to collect more candy. It was not extended to November until 2005.
Brach's Candy Pumpkins are officially known as Mellowcreme Pumpkins. Mellowcreme is what the ingredients of candy pumpkins are called before they set, named since the finished pumpkins have a mellow, creme texture.
The best trail mix ever is simply candy corn mixed with peanuts (seriously, go try it).
Stay tuned for further Halloween fun facts throughout the Halloween season!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Pop Tarts Book Club: "Love Only Once" Chapters 1-5
Welcome to the first Pop Tarts Book Club. This is an experiement which will hopefully prove successful of Jen and Kel reading the same book at the same time and blogging about it along the way. Much like a book club. We are not sure at all how this will go, but we are confident that it will be entertaining for you, the reader.
Also, feel free to play along at home. You can read along with us and add your thoughts in the comments. Or you can not read along and add your comments anyway based on our comments. Or you can just enjoy reading our comments. Whatever makes you happy. But be warned, as this is a book club and not a book review, we will be spoiling the hell out of everything. Keep that in mind if you plan on reading any of the books that we book club.
We will also be taking suggestions of books to read for Pop Tarts Book Club. We are open to anything so long as it fits our one criteria: all books must be trashy. And by trashy we mainly mean genre fiction. We will not be reading "literature" or "classics" or pretty much anything you were forced to read in high school. The main goal of Book Club is to be entertained. If you have a favorite book that you want us to read and discuss so you can share your opinion also, suggest it! If you have a book that you have been wanting to read but no one else has read it and you want to be able to mock it with other people, suggest it! If you come across a book that looks ridiculous and want someone else to read it so you don't have to, suggest it! Anything is free game and will be taken into consideration. We are only limited by what we can get at the library (which for Kel is pretty much anything because Ohio is awesome).
Our inaugural book is Love Only Once by Johanna Lindsey, the first book in her Malory Series. It was chosen because Kel read the 7th book in the series, really liked it, and discovered that both of us could get the first book at our respective libraries.
Our first Pop Tarts Book Club discussion is about the first five chapters.
Summary of first five chapters - The Characters Meet:
We first meet Nicholas Eden through his current mistress Serena, Lady Eddington, as she worries that Nicholas is growing tired of her and is going to break up with her. Nicholas is actually thinking that because he is bored. Serena beats him to it by breaking off with him and pretending that she has a new escort to the biggest ball of the season. Nicholas knows that she is lying, but Serena goes with it.
Cut to Regina Ashton, niece to Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, preparing for the biggest ball of the season. Reggie is 19 and in her second season. She wants to get married, but her four uncles who have raised her tend to veto every man she picks. She decides to talk to her uncle Anthony to convince him to just have her uncle Jason pick someone for her. To do so, she borrows Serena's carriage, as Serena enlisted Reggie's cousin Marshall as her escort.
Nicholas happens to be in the park near Tony's house and spying Serena's carriage, decides to make her miss the ball by kidnapping her. He successfully does so, not realizing that it is really Reggie he has kidnapped. Reggie, after initially fighting to be free, listens to everything he says to his friend and realizes the mix-up.
After dropping Reggie at his house, Nicholas goes to the ball so that Serena will hear about him dancing the night away. However, he sees Serena and realizes that something has gone terribly wrong with his plan. While he is at the ball, Reggie takes stock of her situation and just hangs around and waits, knowing that Nicholas will figure out what happened and come back to let her go. When Nicholas gets back, he is freaking out, but Reggie just laughs it off. They start flirting and Nicholas ends up kissing Reggie, until she tells him to stop.
Kel's Thoughts
I came into this book "knowing" the Malorys already as I read book 7 of the Malory series. And even then, I was confused by the family description given in the book. It was two solid pages worth of family tree that I had to read twice to figure out who everyone was. But I figure once I get into the book/series it will all become easier.
I was slightly concerned in the first chapter because I really wasn't liking Nicholas. Serena is obviously a few different shades of crazy, but Nicholas is annoyingly bored with his life. He didn't come across very likable. But when the book cut to Reggie, I figured that I would be fine because I love Reggie. She wants to get married, but doesn't really care who to. Her uncles cannot ever agree on any guy who she likes so she has decided to just have them pick. She really takes everything in stride. I really liked when she was kidnapped she just kind of went with it when she realized that she wasn't really the one being kidnapped. She found humor in the whole thing and waited until Nicholas came back. Of course, her being so calm and cool intrigues him like no woman has done for a long time...because he is bored with life.
All this leads to some pretty fun flirting and a super hot kiss that Reggie eventually tells Nicholas to end. What I really liked was that Reggie knew exactly what she was doing the whole time. She could tell that Nicholas found her attractive and did not tell him no when she really wanted him to kiss her. She let him and then told him to stop so that she was not ruined, though she contemplated giving him her virtue, which is rather fantastic. Usually romance women are a bit more "Oh, what is this feeling? I could never act on this. I need to be perfect and pure." Reggie is more "Ah, so this is why my uncles enjoy sleeping with tons of women and why some women like to have affairs." Very refreshing in a romance novel.
I look forward to Reggie really challenging Nicholas. I imagine there will eventually be some ruining of Reggie that is brought on by or encouraged to happen by Reggie. She just seems to be the kind of girl who would be like...eh, whatever, ruined isn't terrible.
Jen's Thoughts
I agree with Kel that Nicholas isn't very likable in the first chapter. In fact, I was kind of thinking about what a major asshole he is. I am all for a naughty rogue, but he was just sort of obnoxious and completely full of himself. He clearly thinks he's doing Selena a favor by sleeping with her.
But, as Kel also said, things pick up when we meet Reggie! I'm not nearly as well-versed in romance novels as Kel, but from what I've read, women like Reggie are rare in those books. She isn't worried about who she marries - like, at all. She just wants to get married. Usually there are some standards, but her only standard is, "Please, for the love of God, let all my uncles agree on him." I suppose some of that is trust that her uncles only want what's best for her, but there's also just an annoyance that she hasn't gotten married yet and she wants to. I'm not generally a huge fan of that, but for Reggie it works (especially since, let's face it, we know she's going to fall in love and realize what she'd be missing out on if she married for convenience!)
The kidnapping, though, is absolutely the best thing about these first five chapters. Reggie is hilarious when she figures out what's going on. She's not worried at all, since she knows she's been kidnapped by a nobleman. Her reaction:
Also, feel free to play along at home. You can read along with us and add your thoughts in the comments. Or you can not read along and add your comments anyway based on our comments. Or you can just enjoy reading our comments. Whatever makes you happy. But be warned, as this is a book club and not a book review, we will be spoiling the hell out of everything. Keep that in mind if you plan on reading any of the books that we book club.
We will also be taking suggestions of books to read for Pop Tarts Book Club. We are open to anything so long as it fits our one criteria: all books must be trashy. And by trashy we mainly mean genre fiction. We will not be reading "literature" or "classics" or pretty much anything you were forced to read in high school. The main goal of Book Club is to be entertained. If you have a favorite book that you want us to read and discuss so you can share your opinion also, suggest it! If you have a book that you have been wanting to read but no one else has read it and you want to be able to mock it with other people, suggest it! If you come across a book that looks ridiculous and want someone else to read it so you don't have to, suggest it! Anything is free game and will be taken into consideration. We are only limited by what we can get at the library (which for Kel is pretty much anything because Ohio is awesome).
Our inaugural book is Love Only Once by Johanna Lindsey, the first book in her Malory Series. It was chosen because Kel read the 7th book in the series, really liked it, and discovered that both of us could get the first book at our respective libraries.
Our first Pop Tarts Book Club discussion is about the first five chapters.
Summary of first five chapters - The Characters Meet:
We first meet Nicholas Eden through his current mistress Serena, Lady Eddington, as she worries that Nicholas is growing tired of her and is going to break up with her. Nicholas is actually thinking that because he is bored. Serena beats him to it by breaking off with him and pretending that she has a new escort to the biggest ball of the season. Nicholas knows that she is lying, but Serena goes with it.
Cut to Regina Ashton, niece to Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, preparing for the biggest ball of the season. Reggie is 19 and in her second season. She wants to get married, but her four uncles who have raised her tend to veto every man she picks. She decides to talk to her uncle Anthony to convince him to just have her uncle Jason pick someone for her. To do so, she borrows Serena's carriage, as Serena enlisted Reggie's cousin Marshall as her escort.
Nicholas happens to be in the park near Tony's house and spying Serena's carriage, decides to make her miss the ball by kidnapping her. He successfully does so, not realizing that it is really Reggie he has kidnapped. Reggie, after initially fighting to be free, listens to everything he says to his friend and realizes the mix-up.
After dropping Reggie at his house, Nicholas goes to the ball so that Serena will hear about him dancing the night away. However, he sees Serena and realizes that something has gone terribly wrong with his plan. While he is at the ball, Reggie takes stock of her situation and just hangs around and waits, knowing that Nicholas will figure out what happened and come back to let her go. When Nicholas gets back, he is freaking out, but Reggie just laughs it off. They start flirting and Nicholas ends up kissing Reggie, until she tells him to stop.
Kel's Thoughts
I came into this book "knowing" the Malorys already as I read book 7 of the Malory series. And even then, I was confused by the family description given in the book. It was two solid pages worth of family tree that I had to read twice to figure out who everyone was. But I figure once I get into the book/series it will all become easier.
I was slightly concerned in the first chapter because I really wasn't liking Nicholas. Serena is obviously a few different shades of crazy, but Nicholas is annoyingly bored with his life. He didn't come across very likable. But when the book cut to Reggie, I figured that I would be fine because I love Reggie. She wants to get married, but doesn't really care who to. Her uncles cannot ever agree on any guy who she likes so she has decided to just have them pick. She really takes everything in stride. I really liked when she was kidnapped she just kind of went with it when she realized that she wasn't really the one being kidnapped. She found humor in the whole thing and waited until Nicholas came back. Of course, her being so calm and cool intrigues him like no woman has done for a long time...because he is bored with life.
All this leads to some pretty fun flirting and a super hot kiss that Reggie eventually tells Nicholas to end. What I really liked was that Reggie knew exactly what she was doing the whole time. She could tell that Nicholas found her attractive and did not tell him no when she really wanted him to kiss her. She let him and then told him to stop so that she was not ruined, though she contemplated giving him her virtue, which is rather fantastic. Usually romance women are a bit more "Oh, what is this feeling? I could never act on this. I need to be perfect and pure." Reggie is more "Ah, so this is why my uncles enjoy sleeping with tons of women and why some women like to have affairs." Very refreshing in a romance novel.
I look forward to Reggie really challenging Nicholas. I imagine there will eventually be some ruining of Reggie that is brought on by or encouraged to happen by Reggie. She just seems to be the kind of girl who would be like...eh, whatever, ruined isn't terrible.
Jen's Thoughts
I agree with Kel that Nicholas isn't very likable in the first chapter. In fact, I was kind of thinking about what a major asshole he is. I am all for a naughty rogue, but he was just sort of obnoxious and completely full of himself. He clearly thinks he's doing Selena a favor by sleeping with her.
But, as Kel also said, things pick up when we meet Reggie! I'm not nearly as well-versed in romance novels as Kel, but from what I've read, women like Reggie are rare in those books. She isn't worried about who she marries - like, at all. She just wants to get married. Usually there are some standards, but her only standard is, "Please, for the love of God, let all my uncles agree on him." I suppose some of that is trust that her uncles only want what's best for her, but there's also just an annoyance that she hasn't gotten married yet and she wants to. I'm not generally a huge fan of that, but for Reggie it works (especially since, let's face it, we know she's going to fall in love and realize what she'd be missing out on if she married for convenience!)
The kidnapping, though, is absolutely the best thing about these first five chapters. Reggie is hilarious when she figures out what's going on. She's not worried at all, since she knows she's been kidnapped by a nobleman. Her reaction:
This was priceless. He would go to the Shepford ball - and voila, there would be Lady Eddington with Reggie's cousins. Oh, how she wished she could see his face. It was just the sort of prank she might have played on someone in her younger years.That really was the point that I really started liking Reggie, and really started getting a good feel for her character. It may be slightly problematic that she wants to marry just to marry, but at least she's a heck of a lot of fun. She sees the whole thing as an adventure!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
New Series Review: Mob Doctor and Revolution
As I mentioned in my Fall TV Preview I had really no expectations going into either The Mob Doctor or Revolution. I thought Revolution looked cool but could not have told you anything about it. Nor could I have told you about The Mob Doctor. With no expectations, I went into both shows fairly blank.
The Mob Doctor
The Mob Doctor is about Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro) a really great surgeon in Chicago who also does patch work for the mob to pay off her brother's debt to the head mob guy (I really paid attention to important things like names!). She also has some sort of relationship with the old head of the mob who knows her family (and maybe killed her dad...which was a good thing). Devlin is also dating another surgeon. And...drama!
I am not a huge fan of high drama. I am not a huge fan of medical shows. I enjoy things about the mob. So...this isn't necessarily the show for me. However, there were quite a few things I liked about it. I think Spiro is extremely likable and very no nonsense. She does what she thinks is right and puts her family above all else. Her boyfriend (played by Zach Gilford) is ridiculously adorable, but seemed to not really be well defined in the pilot. He was super angry at her for her not by-the-book handling of a patient and magically the next scene, he was fine with what she forced him to do. The best thing by far about The Mob Doctor was Zeljko Ivanek. You may not know his name, but you know his face if you have seen Bourne Legacy (the doctor who went crazy and killed the lab full of people), True Blood (the magistrate), 24 (Andre Drazen), Homicide (Ed Danvers), or any other number of things. He was fantastic and I kind of want to keep watching just for him!
I kind of want to watch another episode to try to get a better feel for where the show is going. It is almost a throw back to shows like Homicide and NYPD Blue, but with shades of House. If you are a fan of drama and medical things, you will probably really enjoy it. I'm hoping Fox gives it a chance to get settled in.
Revolution
Quick sum up of Revolution? All the lights go out...electricity, batteries, cars, airplanes, etc. Cut to 15 years later, where people have adapted to living with no power. Militia rule has taken over, with the leader of the Chicago-area republic being Monroe (complete with all his men being branded with his symbol). The main characters are Charlie, her brother Danny (who is taken by the militia after the militia kill their dad), Maggie (who was dating their dad), Aaron (former Google employee), and Uncle Miles, aka who Monroe wants because supposedly Miles may know how to turn the lights back on.
The summary is very confusing so I would recommend just watching the pilot. You won't be sorry. There is a sword fight! What show could possible be bad if it has a sword fight? The feel of the show to me was a bit Firefly mixed with Hunger Games. The scenery is amazing. When Charlie, Maggie, and Aaron go to Chicago to find Miles, they walk right past Chicago icons that are dilapidated and overtaken by plants. But instead of being a post-apocalyptic grimy look, it looks like a celebration of how people have adapted. It is a world I want to live in for a while (though preferably without the militia ruling/killing all over the place).
The entire show was good. It was engaging and I can't wait to find out what is going to happen next. However, the best thing about Revolution is Billy Burke as Miles. He is the perfect hard-edged, crabby, drunk, bad-ass fighter. Who is probably going to have to save the world. Also fun? He has a connection to Monroe. Nothing is hotter than Billy Burke sword fighting.
Did you watch either/both? What did you think? Will the Mob Doctor make it or will Fox cancel it? Is Revolution going to end up being the best new show?
The Mob Doctor
The Mob Doctor is about Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro) a really great surgeon in Chicago who also does patch work for the mob to pay off her brother's debt to the head mob guy (I really paid attention to important things like names!). She also has some sort of relationship with the old head of the mob who knows her family (and maybe killed her dad...which was a good thing). Devlin is also dating another surgeon. And...drama!
I am not a huge fan of high drama. I am not a huge fan of medical shows. I enjoy things about the mob. So...this isn't necessarily the show for me. However, there were quite a few things I liked about it. I think Spiro is extremely likable and very no nonsense. She does what she thinks is right and puts her family above all else. Her boyfriend (played by Zach Gilford) is ridiculously adorable, but seemed to not really be well defined in the pilot. He was super angry at her for her not by-the-book handling of a patient and magically the next scene, he was fine with what she forced him to do. The best thing by far about The Mob Doctor was Zeljko Ivanek. You may not know his name, but you know his face if you have seen Bourne Legacy (the doctor who went crazy and killed the lab full of people), True Blood (the magistrate), 24 (Andre Drazen), Homicide (Ed Danvers), or any other number of things. He was fantastic and I kind of want to keep watching just for him!
I kind of want to watch another episode to try to get a better feel for where the show is going. It is almost a throw back to shows like Homicide and NYPD Blue, but with shades of House. If you are a fan of drama and medical things, you will probably really enjoy it. I'm hoping Fox gives it a chance to get settled in.
Revolution
Quick sum up of Revolution? All the lights go out...electricity, batteries, cars, airplanes, etc. Cut to 15 years later, where people have adapted to living with no power. Militia rule has taken over, with the leader of the Chicago-area republic being Monroe (complete with all his men being branded with his symbol). The main characters are Charlie, her brother Danny (who is taken by the militia after the militia kill their dad), Maggie (who was dating their dad), Aaron (former Google employee), and Uncle Miles, aka who Monroe wants because supposedly Miles may know how to turn the lights back on.
The summary is very confusing so I would recommend just watching the pilot. You won't be sorry. There is a sword fight! What show could possible be bad if it has a sword fight? The feel of the show to me was a bit Firefly mixed with Hunger Games. The scenery is amazing. When Charlie, Maggie, and Aaron go to Chicago to find Miles, they walk right past Chicago icons that are dilapidated and overtaken by plants. But instead of being a post-apocalyptic grimy look, it looks like a celebration of how people have adapted. It is a world I want to live in for a while (though preferably without the militia ruling/killing all over the place).
The entire show was good. It was engaging and I can't wait to find out what is going to happen next. However, the best thing about Revolution is Billy Burke as Miles. He is the perfect hard-edged, crabby, drunk, bad-ass fighter. Who is probably going to have to save the world. Also fun? He has a connection to Monroe. Nothing is hotter than Billy Burke sword fighting.
Did you watch either/both? What did you think? Will the Mob Doctor make it or will Fox cancel it? Is Revolution going to end up being the best new show?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
New Series Review: The New Normal and Go On
The New Normal
If you remember in my Fall TV preview, I was not all that excited about The New Normal. And I have to say, I ended up really enjoying the pilot and the second episode. Not saying that it is a brilliant show, but I found it amusing and am considering watching more of it. Let's get into it, shall we?
As a said before, the cast is brilliant. And really, they are brilliant. Andrew Randall is super adorable as the super gay guy. He runs a wee bit (read: a lot) into stereotype, but also, I know guys who are just as stereotypical as him, so it works for me. Justin Bartha plays the nerdy, "straight" gay really well. Mostly, he plays him just normal. Since the gays are, in fact, normal. Georgia King, who I have seen in exactly one movie and don't remember her at all in it, is really sweet, if slightly an idiot. Bebe Wood plays Georgia King's daughter and is really sort of brilliant. She is weird and quirky, but in a way that I think lots of kids are. Ellen Barkin's character is so unlikable, but Barkin is so likable that the character makes you cringe as you are laughing at the ridiculata that is coming out of her mouth. For my money, the best thing about the show is NeNe Leakes. More of her, please!
Overall, I think the second episode was stronger than the pilot, but both were funny. I found myself laughing often and was engaged the entire time. Andrew Randall could not be more adorable. I want to just put him in my pocket and carry him with me everywhere. And I want to be best friends with Justin Bartha's character. My biggest problem was that it got a bit preachy in parts. Some of the heart-to-heart stuff was pretty forced. But the dialogue was snappy and clever. I think if you like season one Glee, you will like The New Normal (same creator!). If you hate Glee because of the music, you should give The New Normal a try. If you hate Glee for its over-the-topness just in general and your hate has nothing to do with showtunes, you may want to skip The New Normal.
Go On
I went into this show not planning on liking it. I did not like it. Aren't I smart! So, I think Go On is a comedy, but I really couldn't tell that from the pilot. It wasn't funny so much as sad and slightly depressing. Are we supposed to be rooting for Matthew Perry? Because he didn't seem very likable. I mean, I get that his wife left him and he is lonely, but instead of dealing with it, he is just an ass. The only good things seemed to be John Cho was on my tv screen for a few seconds (not being particularly funny, but still hot) and Carrie, played by Allison Miller, being likable (fun fact: when looking up her name right now, I just learned that wasn't the pilot! The pilot aired back in August). I am most definitely not watching another episode of Go On. Mostly because I can't remember a lot about it besides "This is dumb. He is an ass. Why am I watching this?"
Did you watch either/both of these? What did you think? Do you think either show will make it? (I think if The New Normal tones it down by about 23%, they have a solid shot).
If you remember in my Fall TV preview, I was not all that excited about The New Normal. And I have to say, I ended up really enjoying the pilot and the second episode. Not saying that it is a brilliant show, but I found it amusing and am considering watching more of it. Let's get into it, shall we?
As a said before, the cast is brilliant. And really, they are brilliant. Andrew Randall is super adorable as the super gay guy. He runs a wee bit (read: a lot) into stereotype, but also, I know guys who are just as stereotypical as him, so it works for me. Justin Bartha plays the nerdy, "straight" gay really well. Mostly, he plays him just normal. Since the gays are, in fact, normal. Georgia King, who I have seen in exactly one movie and don't remember her at all in it, is really sweet, if slightly an idiot. Bebe Wood plays Georgia King's daughter and is really sort of brilliant. She is weird and quirky, but in a way that I think lots of kids are. Ellen Barkin's character is so unlikable, but Barkin is so likable that the character makes you cringe as you are laughing at the ridiculata that is coming out of her mouth. For my money, the best thing about the show is NeNe Leakes. More of her, please!
Overall, I think the second episode was stronger than the pilot, but both were funny. I found myself laughing often and was engaged the entire time. Andrew Randall could not be more adorable. I want to just put him in my pocket and carry him with me everywhere. And I want to be best friends with Justin Bartha's character. My biggest problem was that it got a bit preachy in parts. Some of the heart-to-heart stuff was pretty forced. But the dialogue was snappy and clever. I think if you like season one Glee, you will like The New Normal (same creator!). If you hate Glee because of the music, you should give The New Normal a try. If you hate Glee for its over-the-topness just in general and your hate has nothing to do with showtunes, you may want to skip The New Normal.
Go On
I went into this show not planning on liking it. I did not like it. Aren't I smart! So, I think Go On is a comedy, but I really couldn't tell that from the pilot. It wasn't funny so much as sad and slightly depressing. Are we supposed to be rooting for Matthew Perry? Because he didn't seem very likable. I mean, I get that his wife left him and he is lonely, but instead of dealing with it, he is just an ass. The only good things seemed to be John Cho was on my tv screen for a few seconds (not being particularly funny, but still hot) and Carrie, played by Allison Miller, being likable (fun fact: when looking up her name right now, I just learned that wasn't the pilot! The pilot aired back in August). I am most definitely not watching another episode of Go On. Mostly because I can't remember a lot about it besides "This is dumb. He is an ass. Why am I watching this?"
Did you watch either/both of these? What did you think? Do you think either show will make it? (I think if The New Normal tones it down by about 23%, they have a solid shot).
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Fun Facts Blog: Star Trek
This past Saturday was the 46th anniversary of the first episode of the original Star Trek series. Here are some Star Trek Fun Facts to help you celebrate!
Everyone knows Captain James T. Kirk as the captain of the USS Enterprise. Real fans know that Captain Christopher Pike was the captain prior to Kirk.
There was another captain who is semi-accepted as the first captin of the Enterprise, Robert April. He appeared only in Star Trek: The Animated Series, which is debatedly not part of the cannon. However, Robert April was also the Captian of the USS Yorktown, the original concept by Gene Rodenberry. April eventually turned into Pike.
Star Trek never did very good in the ratings, earning a spot as the 33rd most viewed show (out of 94) for the second and third week of airing, dropping to 51st for the next couple weeks. Even with the low overall numbers, Star Trek had the correct demographics and ran for 79 episodes.
The character of Spock is the only character from the original pilot to appear in the series.
Alexander Courage wrote the theme to Star Trek. Gene Rodenberry wrote the lyrics, even though he never intended them to be used.
The most widely acclaimed episode of Star Trek, The City on the Edge of Forever, was originally written (and rewritten once) by Harlan Ellison. The script was further rewritten internally, causing Ellison to use the pseudonym Cordwainer Bird due to his dislike of some changes.
Leonard Nimoy came up with the Vulcan salute, basing it on the way he remembered Jewish priests giving blessings when he was a child.
The episode I remember watching the most as a kid, and my favorite episode, is The Trouble with Tribbles.
Everyone knows Captain James T. Kirk as the captain of the USS Enterprise. Real fans know that Captain Christopher Pike was the captain prior to Kirk.
There was another captain who is semi-accepted as the first captin of the Enterprise, Robert April. He appeared only in Star Trek: The Animated Series, which is debatedly not part of the cannon. However, Robert April was also the Captian of the USS Yorktown, the original concept by Gene Rodenberry. April eventually turned into Pike.
Star Trek never did very good in the ratings, earning a spot as the 33rd most viewed show (out of 94) for the second and third week of airing, dropping to 51st for the next couple weeks. Even with the low overall numbers, Star Trek had the correct demographics and ran for 79 episodes.
The character of Spock is the only character from the original pilot to appear in the series.
Alexander Courage wrote the theme to Star Trek. Gene Rodenberry wrote the lyrics, even though he never intended them to be used.
The most widely acclaimed episode of Star Trek, The City on the Edge of Forever, was originally written (and rewritten once) by Harlan Ellison. The script was further rewritten internally, causing Ellison to use the pseudonym Cordwainer Bird due to his dislike of some changes.
Leonard Nimoy came up with the Vulcan salute, basing it on the way he remembered Jewish priests giving blessings when he was a child.
The episode I remember watching the most as a kid, and my favorite episode, is The Trouble with Tribbles.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Fall TV: New Series Preview
Does anyone remember when I tried to watch/review every new show that premiered last fall and it was a giant mess and totally didn't work at all because I just couldn't watch that much tv quick enough and as a result my plan failed? I'm trying it again! I think it will work better this time because the premieres seem to be a bit more spread out. And quite a few are 30 minute shows. I can do 30 minutes! In preparation for discussing all of the new shows, I am looking up and giving snap judgements on all the shows (because I have previously heard of approximately 4 of the 21 new shows).
Partners (premiering Sept 24) -- The good: it is from the creators of Will & Grace which was really entertaining and it stars Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Sophia Busch (One Tree Hill), and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) all of whom I really like; the bad: the description reads like Will & Grace if Grace were a guy so it just seems like it could go a bit 1990s. Situational comedies are not my favorite.
Revolution (premiering Sept 17) -- The good: J.J. Abrams, Jon Favreau, and Billy Burke are attached and it is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi show. The bad: I think people see J.J. Abrams name and sci-fi and immediately want the next Lost so expectations may be off. I saw a ton of previews for this during the Olympics, yet I remember nothing about it except Billy Burke.
The Mob Doctor (premiering Sept 17) -- The good: "The series follows a brilliant Chicago surgeon who must deal with protecting her career and reputation due to a family debt to the mob, even if it puts everyone, including her loved ones and friends, in jeopardy" (Wikipedia description). The bad: It doesn't have any big names attached to it and it is on Fox, which has a tendency to make bad shows and/or make good shows and cancel them way early. It is a hard sell to start watching a new show on Fox. (And for some reason I keep wanting this to be on The CW)
Vegas (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: It is a drama-western starring Michael Chiklis. The bad: There is no bad. It is a western starring Michael Chiklis. What more do you need?
Go On (premiering Sept 11) -- The good: John Cho is in it. I really like him. The bad: I have never seen an episode of Friends and therefore I don't care about anyone from Friends. The previews of this are weird and annoying. I'm pretty sure this is not going to be my show. It is something about a support group? I don't even care.
The New Normal (premiering Sept 11) -- The good: The cast is pretty sweet and the concept is timely. The bad: I'm pretty sure I've seen this show. It is called Modern Family. This is not going to be as good as Modern Family.
Ben and Kate (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: Lucy Punch is in it and it is created by a writer who is friends with Diablo Cody. The bad: Again, situational comedies are not my thing and this is a "siblings who are opposites" and "guy as a nanny" situational comedy.
The Mindy Project (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: Though I have never seen a full episode of the Office (more shocking than the Friends thing, right?), I know that Mindy Kaling is really funny. Also, Ned Ryerson from Groundhogs Day is in it. The bad: Mindy is described as being like Bridget Jones. I like Bridget Jones as a movie, but I'm not sure how it will be in tv form.
Emily Owens, MD (premiering Oct 16) -- The good: The star is Meryl Streep's daughter, so that is awesome. Also, I've been excited about this because Michael Rady, Max from Greek, is in it. Awesome! The bad: It is yet another medical drama on the CW. And it also stars the guy who played Green Arrow on Smallville, who was apparently not good enough to be Green Arrow on Arrow.
Animal Practice (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: Medical dramas are pretty popular and this is a medical drama but with a twist of animals! Also, the cast looks pretty solid. Tyler Labine is in it and I like everything he is in. The bad: Medical dramas are pretty popular. Do we really need another medical drama?
Guys with Kids (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: Jesse Bradford! The bad: Jess Bradford, why? Why are you in this? A show about guys raising kids? What? That never happens in real life. OH the comedy that will ensue! Everyone knows that women are the only ones who can raise kids. Prepare yourself for LOLS!
Chicago Fire (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: Jesse Spencer. And the show is making a donation to the Firefighter's Widows and Orphans fund. The bad: I feel like this could go very police procedure or very medical drama, neither are really something we need more of on tv.
The Neighbors (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: It is created by the writer of Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, and Cars. It is a sci-fi half hour comedy that has aliens who named themselves after sports stars. I mean...awesome. The bad: It has already gotten negative reviews for being too weird and high concept. I really enjoy weird high concept shows, which means that it will probably get canceled early.
Nashville (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: The cast is lead by Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and seems to be banking on the popularity of other music based shows. The bad: it seems to be banking on the popularity of music based shows, but doesn't seem to be a musical of any sort. It could go very melodramatic.
Arrow (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: John Barrowman, John Barrowman, JOHN BARROWMAN. Also, every time I see a picture of Stephen Amell I think "that guy is hot, why is there a picture of him" and then I look it up and remember that he is Green Arrow. The bad: John Barrowman is only recurring.
Elementary (premiering Sept 27) -- The good: Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, Watson is a girl, Sherlock is big right now. The bad: it won't be nearly as good as Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Also, Jonny Lee Miller looks kind of like Moriarty in Sherlock.
Last Resort (premiering Sept 27) -- The good: It has a good cast and a fairly unique plot. The bad: that fairly unique plot was sort of confusing to read, so I'm not sure how it will translate. Also, it reads more like a movie plot so I have no idea how it will sustain as a tv show.
Beauty and the Beast (premiering Oct 11) -- The good: Ummm...I mean, I like the Disney Beauty and the Beast movie, so concept is good? The bad: loosely based on the 1987 show of the same name. And as far as I can tell, the Beast is pretty damn hot. Weird.
Made in Jersey (premiering Sept 28) -- The good: I really like suits, so a law drama actually sounds pretty much right up my alley. The bad: It sounds like it is going to be a show about how Jersey is so trash and New York is so posh. Haven't we done this plot before? Isn't this overplayed yet?
Malibu County (premiering Nov 2) -- The good: Reba McEntire, Sara Rue, Jai Rodriguez, Lily Tomlin. The bad: The description sort of reads like The Beverly Hillbillies With Music mixed with Reba, the other show that Reba starred in.
666 Park Avenue (premiering Sept 30) -- The good: The cast is pretty stellar and Eric Palladino is in it and I really love him probably more than is necessary (I may have watched Make It or Break It because he was in it) and it is about an apartment building which is haunted, possibly along with the tenants. The bad: It is on Sundays at 10pm. That isn't exactly a time when I want to sit down and watch a scary tv show. But it is just after Revenge, so who knows.
The shows that I am more excited about: Arrow, Emily Owen, M.D., 666 Park Avenue, and The Neighbors
The shows I am dreading: Beauty and the Beast, Guys with Kids, Go On.
What shows are you excited about? What shows will you avoid?
Partners (premiering Sept 24) -- The good: it is from the creators of Will & Grace which was really entertaining and it stars Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Sophia Busch (One Tree Hill), and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) all of whom I really like; the bad: the description reads like Will & Grace if Grace were a guy so it just seems like it could go a bit 1990s. Situational comedies are not my favorite.
Revolution (premiering Sept 17) -- The good: J.J. Abrams, Jon Favreau, and Billy Burke are attached and it is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi show. The bad: I think people see J.J. Abrams name and sci-fi and immediately want the next Lost so expectations may be off. I saw a ton of previews for this during the Olympics, yet I remember nothing about it except Billy Burke.
The Mob Doctor (premiering Sept 17) -- The good: "The series follows a brilliant Chicago surgeon who must deal with protecting her career and reputation due to a family debt to the mob, even if it puts everyone, including her loved ones and friends, in jeopardy" (Wikipedia description). The bad: It doesn't have any big names attached to it and it is on Fox, which has a tendency to make bad shows and/or make good shows and cancel them way early. It is a hard sell to start watching a new show on Fox. (And for some reason I keep wanting this to be on The CW)
Vegas (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: It is a drama-western starring Michael Chiklis. The bad: There is no bad. It is a western starring Michael Chiklis. What more do you need?
Go On (premiering Sept 11) -- The good: John Cho is in it. I really like him. The bad: I have never seen an episode of Friends and therefore I don't care about anyone from Friends. The previews of this are weird and annoying. I'm pretty sure this is not going to be my show. It is something about a support group? I don't even care.
The New Normal (premiering Sept 11) -- The good: The cast is pretty sweet and the concept is timely. The bad: I'm pretty sure I've seen this show. It is called Modern Family. This is not going to be as good as Modern Family.
Ben and Kate (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: Lucy Punch is in it and it is created by a writer who is friends with Diablo Cody. The bad: Again, situational comedies are not my thing and this is a "siblings who are opposites" and "guy as a nanny" situational comedy.
The Mindy Project (premiering Sept 25) -- The good: Though I have never seen a full episode of the Office (more shocking than the Friends thing, right?), I know that Mindy Kaling is really funny. Also, Ned Ryerson from Groundhogs Day is in it. The bad: Mindy is described as being like Bridget Jones. I like Bridget Jones as a movie, but I'm not sure how it will be in tv form.
Emily Owens, MD (premiering Oct 16) -- The good: The star is Meryl Streep's daughter, so that is awesome. Also, I've been excited about this because Michael Rady, Max from Greek, is in it. Awesome! The bad: It is yet another medical drama on the CW. And it also stars the guy who played Green Arrow on Smallville, who was apparently not good enough to be Green Arrow on Arrow.
Animal Practice (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: Medical dramas are pretty popular and this is a medical drama but with a twist of animals! Also, the cast looks pretty solid. Tyler Labine is in it and I like everything he is in. The bad: Medical dramas are pretty popular. Do we really need another medical drama?
Guys with Kids (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: Jesse Bradford! The bad: Jess Bradford, why? Why are you in this? A show about guys raising kids? What? That never happens in real life. OH the comedy that will ensue! Everyone knows that women are the only ones who can raise kids. Prepare yourself for LOLS!
Chicago Fire (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: Jesse Spencer. And the show is making a donation to the Firefighter's Widows and Orphans fund. The bad: I feel like this could go very police procedure or very medical drama, neither are really something we need more of on tv.
The Neighbors (premiering Sept 26) -- The good: It is created by the writer of Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, and Cars. It is a sci-fi half hour comedy that has aliens who named themselves after sports stars. I mean...awesome. The bad: It has already gotten negative reviews for being too weird and high concept. I really enjoy weird high concept shows, which means that it will probably get canceled early.
Nashville (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: The cast is lead by Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) and seems to be banking on the popularity of other music based shows. The bad: it seems to be banking on the popularity of music based shows, but doesn't seem to be a musical of any sort. It could go very melodramatic.
Arrow (premiering Oct 10) -- The good: John Barrowman, John Barrowman, JOHN BARROWMAN. Also, every time I see a picture of Stephen Amell I think "that guy is hot, why is there a picture of him" and then I look it up and remember that he is Green Arrow. The bad: John Barrowman is only recurring.
Elementary (premiering Sept 27) -- The good: Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, Watson is a girl, Sherlock is big right now. The bad: it won't be nearly as good as Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Also, Jonny Lee Miller looks kind of like Moriarty in Sherlock.
Last Resort (premiering Sept 27) -- The good: It has a good cast and a fairly unique plot. The bad: that fairly unique plot was sort of confusing to read, so I'm not sure how it will translate. Also, it reads more like a movie plot so I have no idea how it will sustain as a tv show.
Beauty and the Beast (premiering Oct 11) -- The good: Ummm...I mean, I like the Disney Beauty and the Beast movie, so concept is good? The bad: loosely based on the 1987 show of the same name. And as far as I can tell, the Beast is pretty damn hot. Weird.
Made in Jersey (premiering Sept 28) -- The good: I really like suits, so a law drama actually sounds pretty much right up my alley. The bad: It sounds like it is going to be a show about how Jersey is so trash and New York is so posh. Haven't we done this plot before? Isn't this overplayed yet?
Malibu County (premiering Nov 2) -- The good: Reba McEntire, Sara Rue, Jai Rodriguez, Lily Tomlin. The bad: The description sort of reads like The Beverly Hillbillies With Music mixed with Reba, the other show that Reba starred in.
666 Park Avenue (premiering Sept 30) -- The good: The cast is pretty stellar and Eric Palladino is in it and I really love him probably more than is necessary (I may have watched Make It or Break It because he was in it) and it is about an apartment building which is haunted, possibly along with the tenants. The bad: It is on Sundays at 10pm. That isn't exactly a time when I want to sit down and watch a scary tv show. But it is just after Revenge, so who knows.
The shows that I am more excited about: Arrow, Emily Owen, M.D., 666 Park Avenue, and The Neighbors
The shows I am dreading: Beauty and the Beast, Guys with Kids, Go On.
What shows are you excited about? What shows will you avoid?
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