I am SO glad we have finally reached the return of fall tv. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed a number of summer shows this year, including Huge, Pretty Little Liars, and Drop Dead Diva, among others. But, the return of fall tv brings some of my favorite shows back to my living room and oh, how I have missed them. I was eagerly awaiting the return of CW’s The Vampire Diaries after last season’s hell-a cliff-hanger and last Thurs. I was not disappointed. I can’t wait to see the season premieres of some of my other returning faves including Parenthood, Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds, and most of all Glee. The fall tv line-up is also bringing a number of new shoes to my screen including the very promising No Ordinary Family on ABC and Lone Star on FOX, both of which I have already been able to preview. So for the next few months, if you’re looking for me, you’ll find me in front of the TV 🙂
TV on DVD can be maddening!!! 08/23/2010
I got some great news today on the TV on DVD front…the first three seasons of Boy Meets World are being re-released next month. I am pretty stoked about this because I missed out on the DVDs the first time around. But the news got me thinking about one of my biggest pet peeves…when studios release one or even a few seasons of a show on DVD and then never release the rest!!! I know they do this because it costs a lot of money to get the DVDs ready and available and when sales are low they don’t even make what they spent, but it’s so infuriating to the fans! Sometimes I don’t even want to buy shows when they come out on DVD because I am afraid that this will happen and I prefer to have a full set. There are a number of shows I would love to own in which this has happened (ex. Boy Meets World, Blossom, Clarissa Explains It All, What A Girl Wants, etc.). I am beginning to be able to reason with myself that having one season of Clarissa Explains it All on DVD is better than having none, but it’s not easy for me. While I’m on my soap box, I am also infuriated with Nickelodeon Studios in particular on this front. Almost everyone I know that is around my age wants at least one Nickelodeon show from back in the day to be available on DVD (most would like to have them all), but Nickelodeon has completely shown no interest or plans to give us that. They released the first season of several shows a few years ago and sales weren’t great, so that was that. Personally, I think they were mostly to blame. Their timing was horrible. At the time those shows were released most of us who grew up watching them were still in college and if they were anything like me, were way too broke to afford TV on DVD. So I missed out on their original release. Now that I am older and have a job with a good income and steady paycheck I would definitely buy those DVDs, and I think a lot of others out there would as well. Ok enough complaning for the night, I’m crossing my fingers that one day it will happen. Everyone go buy Boy Meets World seasons 1-3 when they are released and maybe the studio who now holds the production rights will be convinced they should release seasons 4-7! Oh and one last thing…I must give a shout-out to Shout! Factory because they have brought many of our beloved shows to DVD and work tirelessly to continue that trend. Thanks for My So-Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, Blossom Seasons 1-2 (currently working on 3 but being held up by music rights), and California Dreams 1-3 (so far)!
No Ordinary Pilot
Well thanks to the good people over at ABC I was able to preview the pilot of No Ordinary Family this weekend. This is a show that I have been anticipating since news of the new fall line-up started to come out. The premise reminds me a lot of The Incredibles (one of Pixar’s best if you have yet to see it). A family goes on a vacation, gets in a freaky accident, and comes back very different than before, each with different super-human abilities. I don’t want to leak any spoilers for those who have yet to see it, but I like how their abilities seem to tie into what they were lacking as individuals before the accident. It appears that the ultimate outcome will be the family fighting together against evil. At least that is the direction the father is headed in the pilot. I enjoyed the pilot, the cast works well together and the storyline is intriguing. I am looking forward to seeing more from this show soon.
Paul Rudd: Making Everything Better Since 1995 08/17/2010
Ahhh the 90s. I love them. No one movie quite sums it up for me better than Clueless. It’s the quintessential viewing to satiate your 90s movie nostalgia. Remember when we all wore knee socks and mary-janes? Those were the days. But you know what the best thing about that movie is? Paul Rudd. He’s pretty much the best thing about every movie he gets involved with. He has universal charm and appeal that I truly can’t compare to any other actor of this generation. Look at Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a hilarious movie with an excellent comedic cast including Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, and Jonah Hill, but still Rudd shines. “Oh the weather outside is…weather” remains one of my favorite movie lines. I could not stop laughing. Other examples include The Object of My Affection with Jennifer Aniston and I Could Never Be Your Woman with Michele Pfieffer, both fairly formulaic romantic comedies that should probably be nowhere near as enjoyable to me as they are, but that’s Paul Rudd for you. I even managed to make it through Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers much more easily than I should have because he has the starring role. The scene in Knocked Up where he has set up all the different chairs from the hotel room and suddenly says, “I gotta get in this other chair man” is one the most hilarious scenes in that movie, and that’s a pretty hilarious movie. I won’t even get into the greatness that is Anchorman. Oh and who can forget his guest starring roles as Mike (Phoebe’s eventual husband)on Friends and as the washed up lead singer of the band My Pretty Pony on Veronica Mars. Paul Rudd is comedic gold. Today I played EW’s Fall 2010 Move Madness Game and it was no surprise what came out on top…(besides Harry Potter) the movie I am most looking forward to is How Do You Know starring Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon (another of my favorites). So if you are feeling nostalgic for the 90s pop in Clueless and enjoy the beginning of my and possibly your love affair with Paul Rudd or catch one of the many great performances he has provided since then. You won’t be disappointed.
Glee Rocks My World (Literally and Figuratively Come to Think of It)! 08/16/2010
So a couple weeks ago, I heard the BEST NEWS EVER! Adam Shankman is set to direct an episode of Glee this season! Adam Shankman is a freaking genius. He is the man who brought me Hairspray the movie musical, which in fact, changed my life and reminded me how much I LOVE musicals and how much they are like therapy for your soul. Glee is making my dreams come true these days. Some of my favorites have already been involved last season (NPH, Joss Whedon, Jonathan Groff) and will hopefully be able to return again. Hopefully Glee will make my life complete soon by bringing on my beloved Zac Efron (I know that’s blasphemy to many of you out there, but I love the guy and you can’t deny he was excellent in the role of Link Larkin. He is at his best when playing on his strengths-his looks). More exciting news is the Britney episode that is in the works. I am not a huge fan of the themed episodes but Britney I can get on board for. Plus that almost guarantees that at least one of my dream Glee songs will be covered since I have a number of Britney songs listed!
Ahh I love Glee! Can’t wait for it’s return. And I’ll tell you the truth, I do wish my life was one big musical directed by Joss Whedon and Adam Shankman starring NPH, Jonathan Groff, and Zac Efron. Cameos by all the Glee cast, Nikki Blonsky, Kristen Bell, Kristen Chenowith, Idina Menzel, John Gallagher Jr., etc please. What a life that would be!! (Please note that I will NOT be singing. No one wants that trust me).
The Fabulous Lauren Graham
Lorelei Gilmore=Best TV Mom EVER
Gilmore Girls is a show that never gets old. You can watch it over and over and still enjoy the witty pop culture references, the snarky dialogue, and the true heart that is the show itself (especially in the relationship between Lorelei and Rory, played impeccably by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel respectively). Gilmore Girls is a show that not only entertains but tugs on your heart-strings and makes you both laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time). For years, we followed the lives (and love-lives) of mother and daughter duo Lorelei and Rory Gilmore. (Rory is short for Lorelei since Lorelei decided on a bit of a whim that men shouldn’t be the only ones naming their children after them). I won’t go into detail about the true love of Rory’s life (Jess) or who Lorelei should have ended up with (Luke), how much I hate Logan, or the ridiculousness that is season 7 (at which point the original creator of the show Amy Sherman-Palladino had left), but I encourage anyone who has not seen the greatness that is Gilmore Girls to remedy that sad fact immediately.
Alas, the end of Gilmore Girls was a sad time. But fortunately, as I am here to tell you now, we have been given a new shot at the fabulosity of Lauren Graham as a TV mom in the show Parenthood. I tuned in to the pilot of the show mostly because of Lauren Graham (and also on the recommendation of EW) and found it enjoyable, but during the busy tv season and with all the time requirements involved in coaching I never made it past the second episode. However, this summer I discovered the first season available for streaming on Hulu and got caught up. The show hooked me and I began to love it even more with every episode. Thanks in large part due to the similarity between Lauren’s character Sarah and the former Lorelei Gilmore. Sure, Sarah is a little more down and out this time around and her daughter is certainly no Rory. And yes, she willingly moved back in with her parents rather than starting running and screaming in the other direction at the thought, but there truly are many parallels. I get the feeling that Lauren’s portrayal of Lorelei is actually very similarly to her real life personality even more that I now see her playing Sarah in much the same vein, but that is not a bad thing in any way. I am certainly looking forward to the return of Parenthood this fall and highly suggest you check it out, especially if you are a fan of the lovely and witty Lorelei Gilmore.
Lone Star on FOX
Thanks to the great people at Entertainment Weekly Front Row, I was recently provided with a huge package of party supplies and my very own copy of the pilot episode of Lone Star, set to premiere on FOX this fall. I was asked in exchange to host a viewing party for several friends. The party was great andgreat fun but today I am focusing on the show. First of all, it boasts the amazing Adrianne Palicki, formerly Tyra of Friday Night Lights fame, you can’t really go wrong with an FNL alum in my opinion. The pilot episode introduces us to the main character, Bob, played by James Wolk. Bob is a con-man, taught the trade by his own father, and a good one at that. He is married with a girlfriend on the side and actually loves both women enough to resist other temptations as well as risk his own cover. By the end of the episode Bob has went from a married man with a girlfriend to a man with two wives. Bob is conflicted about his “career” and appears to feel remorse about swindling others out of their money for a living. By the end of the episode Bob has declared his intent to leave the lifestyle behind him while simultaneously entrenching himself in it even further. The pilot does a good job of setting up several storylines to be fleshed out over the season ahead and I for one am intrigued. The setting is Texas and I find it fitting that a visit to the local high school football field has already occurred. Lone Star has great potential but I suspect that while it could possibly become a critical darling, it will have a harder time catching on with the masses. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.
Things That Are AWESOME 05/30/2010
Entertainment Weekly
I absolutely love this magazine! I always look forward to Saturdays when my new issue will finally arrive. I check the website for new updates obsessively. EW is awesome because unlike most other magazines out there, it never focuses on celebrity gossip or anything of the sort. While they occasionally include commentary on celebrity happenings, it is never speculative. Posted only after official statements have been made and notably the articles are still focused on the movie/tv show/book/etc. itself and how it will be effected by the event(s). The awesomeness continues in that EW covers various entertainment forms and for the most part they have EXCELLENT taste. They give love to almost all of my faves regularly. (One sad and notable exception is Criminal Minds and the amazingly talented Matthew Gray Gubler but rest assured I have already contacted them concerning that oversight). Anyway if you are an entertainment junky like me I suggest you give EW a try. It’s the only magazine I read consistently from cover to cover. It’s AWESOME!
Veronica Mars
Oh how I miss VM. 😦 It is truly one of the best shows ever on television. Unfortunately it didn’t score with the ratings and ended far too soon. True, the first season was better than the second, and the third went significantly downhill with the introduction of “Piz” and the break-up of LoVe, but the show was and is still phenomenal. Kristen Bell is one of my favorite actresses. Hollywood needs to get on their game and get her some starring roles STAT. I am hoping for a guest turn on Glee. She can sing! Plus, Rob Thomas is still interested in V Mars movie one day. I say-make it happen!
Neil Patrick Harris
NPH is another one who is made of pure awesome. He rocks my world. Strange similarities with my other love MGG- note the three name thing and the initials they are commonly referred to by, as well as the fact that they are both magicians, and in fact are both made of awesome! NPH stars in How I Met Your Mother (another of my favorite shows) as the womanizing Barney Stinson. He plays the role impeccably. He delivers some of my favorite one-liners ever. He is without a doubt legen….wait for it….wait for it….wait for it….and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is dary! LEGENDARY! Also, dude can sing! His recent guest starring role on GLEE was absolutely fantabulous. Glee has went a little overboard this season with the cameos, but I say bring Bryan Ryan back as much as you want Ryan Murphy! (And give him more to sing!)
Harry Potter
Harry Potter changed the world. The actual world. The real one. Not the made up world in J.K. Rowling’s book series but the real world. I truly believe they are the greatest books ever written. I don’t care what the scholarly types say about classic literature. The Harry Potter series turned a whole generation back to reading. The series crosses generations. Repeat reading is not only enjoyable but necessary. Rowling created such a fascinating world that every time you re-read one of the novels you find something you didn’t notice the last time. It became a cultural phenomenon. There is now an entire theme park about Harry Potter and his world. Not to mention the movie versions that have resulted in astronomical box office success. (Note-I enjoy the movies but they are not nearly on par with the excellence of the story-telling Rowling does in the novels.) If you haven’t read HP-do it now!
Songs I would LOVE to see on Glee 05/10/2010
I absolutely LOVE Glee! As an avid fan of musicals in general, I knew the show would be right up my alley and thank goodness it did not disappoint. This has been a great first season so far with some excellent music selections. I can’t wait to hear more. I thought I would make a list of songs that I personally would love to hear them cover on Glee. My selections have absolutely nothing to do with the storylines and I put no thought into who would sing them. I picked my songs based purely on the level of enjoyment I would get from hearing them performed on Glee! So here they are in no particular order.
1. Without Love/You Can’t Stop the Beat-Hairspray
2. Always Be My Baby-Mariah Carey
3. Tearin’ Up My Heart/Drive Myself Crazy-N’Sync
4. You Oughta Know/Ironic-Alanis Morrisette
5. Oops I Did it Again/Hit Me Baby One More Time (done Season 2 Episode 2 9/28/10)/I’m Not a Girl/Toxic (done Season 2 Episode 2 9/28/10)/Womanizer/3/Circus/Crazy/Sometimes-Britney Spears
6. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You-Michael Bolton
7. On Bended Knee/I’ll Make Love to You/Yesterday/Water Runs Dry-Boyz II Men
8. Magic Man/Crazy on You-Heart
9. I Want it That Way/Quit Playing Games with My Heart-Backstreet Boys
10. Seasons of Love-Rent
11. Dirty Little Secret-All American Rejects
12. Your Body is a Wonderland-John Mayer
13. Cell Block Tango/All That Jazz-Chicago
14. I Would Do Anything for Love (But I won’t do that)-Meatloaf
15. Popular-Nada Surf
16. Hot Mess/Good Girls Gone Bad-Cobra Starship
17. The Boy is Mine-Brandy & Monica DONE!! Season 1 Episode 18 Laryngitis
18. Just a Girl/Don’t Speak-No Doubt
19. Girlfriend/My Happy Ending/Complicated-Avril Lavigne
20. Buddy Holly/Undone(The Sweater Song)-Weezer
21. Only Wanna Be With You-Hootie and the Blowfish
22. Livin’ On a Prayer-Bon Jovi
23. Pour Some Sugar on Me-Def Leppard
24. Love is a Battlefield-Pat Benatar
25. One Headlight/The Difference/6th Avenue Heartache-The Wallflowers
26. Wannabe/Say You’ll Be There-Spice Girls
27. Say My Name/No No No Part II-Destiny’s Child
28. My Immortal/Call Me When You’re Sober/Bring Me To Life-Evanescence
29. Hey Ya/Ms. Jackson/Roses/B.O.B.-Outkast
30. All My Loving/Hold Your Hand-The Beatles
Feel free to leave your own wishlist in the comments! Again-I chose these songs purely based own my own entertainment values not on whether or not they tie in with the shows’ themes/storylines.
Also, I know this list is already super long but I may periodically add updates as I think of them 🙂
My deep undying love for Matthew Gray Gubler 04/24/2010
So there are two questions that I have had on my mind lately….
Question 1-Why/how is it that Matthew Gray Gubler is made of pure awesome?
Question 2-How am I supposed to ever be satisfied with any other man when no one can compare to his level of awesomeness?
Let me explain a little more. First of all, if some of you are reading this and thinking you have never even heard of such a person don’t worry you are not alone. As a matter of fact I only recently had the pleasure of coming across this fine specimen of a man myself. It all started a couple of months ago when I got hit by the dreaded stomach virus. Not a pretty time in my life. But, I will forever be grateful to whichever germ-spreader gave me the sickness because it led me straight to the most fantastical man in the world (and my current obsession) Matthew. Stricken with the horrific stomach bug I headed up to my grandma’s to recuperate. Luckily my Mammaw happens to be a big fan of the show Criminal Minds and I ended up catching a few episodes. It only took me about 5 seconds to discover that I positively loved Dr. Spencer Reid (the character Matthew plays on the show). Following this new discovery I took the time to learn more about Matthew and the more I learned the more I loved. Now I am not going to lie Matthew is incredibly beautiful. He did work as a model for Tommy Hilfiger and the like. And his type of physical beauty is exactly my “type.” But his dreaminess quotient relies on far more than his physical attractiveness. Besides being a good actor he is also a director and a sketch artist. His website www.gublerland.com showcases some of his works, everything on the site is hand drawn and made by him. After watching the “unauthorized documentaries” of his life online there is no doubt that he has an incredible sense of humor. He also treats his “fands” (his word for friends/fans) with great kindness. He truly comes off in every interview or post on his blog as such as genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy. In short, if I tried for days on end I doubt very seriously I could come up with a single negative comment about him. Now I am not delusional enough to think that I “know” him based on interviews and the like but for one man to have so many fabulous qualities and such talent I think I can safely determine that he is, in fact, made of awesome. Which is great…and actually restores my faith in the male species a bit. But it is also very unfortunate. Remember question 2? See I am very rarely attracted to a guy. I can’t really even remember the last guy I met who I was interested in. It’s not that I don’t want a guy or that I need one. But, I would like to find a partner someday to share my life with. And NO ONE can compare. I have high standards. I’m ok with that. But I guess the next part is becoming ok with the fact that if I’m not willing to settle for less then I might be settling for singledom. Is that crazy? I don’t know. Again, not delusional enough to think that a school counselor from a small town in TN will end up with a celeb from LA who receives about 100 marriage proposals per day. Chances are probably somewhere close to 1 in a billion. You know that’s life. I am resigned to the fact that my only relationship with Matthew will be the equivalent of Celebrity-Fangirl. (I do however kinda hate the fact that I’m a fangirl-sheesh. But what are you gonna do right?) So the point is me and Matthew…not gonna happen. But me and someone else? Will it ever? And if so, will they be able to tolerate the fact that I’m quite sure my affection for MGG will live on forever? 🙂
P.S. How ridiculous is it that my first blog ever is a recount of the fabulousness of Matthew Gray Gubler? Yeah I’m a fangirl…at least I can admit it. Besides look him up and you will feel the same way…wait actually don’t! 🙂
P.P.S. I included a picture below. Tell me that face isn’t dreamy….
Single White Female 