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  CatScott 3:41 am on October 19, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: CW, Vampire Diaries, vampires

  Holy smokin’ sun fried vampire this week’s “Vampire Diaries” was fan-flippin’-tastic! The seemingly never ending supply of teen angst almost had me throwing in the towel the first few weeks but I stuck it out. Now I’m so happy that I did. They really turned up the story.

  Honestly, it was Damon that was somewhat of a saving grace for me. I guess I’m just a girl with a soft spot for the bad boy vampire. It doesn’t hurt that he gets the best dialogue and is the only source of comic relief. Dark comic relief but comic relief all the same.

  Loved that Elena figured out, with some help from an old news reel, that Stefan isn’t what he appears. Finally - it was time to move this story along. From there she connects the dots Damon left behind, mostly in Caroline’s flesh, and realizes what kind of monster Damon is.

  Stefan opens up to Elena about his history. Through flashbacks we see him with Damon as loving brothers, when he first lays eyes on Catherine, the love triangle that develops and that Catherine was not only a vampire but the vampire that changed him. Whoa…I really didn’t see that coming.

  Meanwhile Damon has escaped, recently fed on Vicki and friends and taken sole survivor Vicki home with him for entertainment. Those were some of the best scenes. Loved watching Damon and Vicki dance their hearts out.

  I was dumbstruck when Damon broke Vicki’s neck out of the blue. I really thought Vicki was going to be the show’s perpetual survivor girl. After a few minutes she begins moving again. Then it hits me. He’s turned her vampire! Uh oh. This can’t be good.

  Can’t wait for my next fix.

   

• CatScott 2:39 am on October 15, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: ABC, Jake, The Bachelor

  Somehow “The Bachelorette” sucked me in last season. Don’t ask me how, it just did. I vowed to never darken my boob tube again with such an obvious lack of judgment.

  But alas, it has happened again. I’ve been sucked in to next season’s “Bachelor” thanks to this weeks announcement on “Dancing With the Stars” that last season’s jilted airline pilot/boy scout Jake is the next bachelor.

  I picked Jake out of the crowd during the very first episode of last season’s “Bachelorette”. Who wouldn’t love a guy who was that sincere, honest, and chock full of integrity? How do I know all these things? Geez, can’t you tell by just looking at him??

  He did kinda prove me right when he swooped in to save Jillian from not only Wes but also from herself. Too bad his efforts were met with dippy Jill trying to figure things out for herself. Someday she’s gonna kick herself for letting Jake go.

  My “Bachelor” viewing pals, sister Theresa and pal Penelope, are thrilled to have me aboard for this upcoming season. We shall see how long that lasts! We didn’t see eye to eye last season. I think Jillian made a HUGE mistake picking Ed while my sister thought he was a good choice.

  Maybe what I need to do is put all that unpleasantness behind me and start with a fresh perspective. Old dog, new tricks? Who am I kidding? Bring it on ABC and color me jaded!

   

• CatScott 2:33 am on October 15, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: NBC, Southland, The Jay Leno Show, TNT

  NBC, in all it’s brilliant glory, has decided to cancel “Southland” before it even began this fall. Sometimes I just shake my head, take a deep breath and count to ten. Why do TV executives make things so much more complicated than they have to be?

  “Southland” was one of those shows I was pretty psyched to pick up again this fall. Call me crazy but I enjoy watching well written shows packed with good actors. The nerve of me!

  It doesn’t help that I’ve been wondering for months about Tom Everett Scott’s Det. Russell Clarke lying on his neighbor’s doorstep bleeding out. The poor guy just reconciled with his wife, was trying to do the neighborly thing and got shot for his efforts.

  Funny, that’s how I see my relationship with NBC right now. I’m lying on their doorstep with a gut wound wondering why I even bothered.

  “Southland” producers are not happy with NBC’s decision and are shopping the show around to other networks. Rumor has it that TNT may be interested. It’d be nice if someone was smart enough to recognize this gem and give it a real chance.

  I guess NBC is too worried with their bottom line that they no longer care about putting out quality products. Apparently, it’s cheaper for them to make “The Jay Leno Show” than it is to keep their viewers. I wonder if “Trauma” and “Mercy” wouldn’t do better in a 10 pm slot but why second guess the geniuses hard at work over at The Peacock.

  I just hope they have a network left when they finally come to their senses.

   
• 

  tmalcolm 1:38 pm on October 12, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

  Funny thing about my favorite show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

  Sometimes the show isn’t that funny. It usually occurs when the gang does something altogether without much of a B story. Such was the case with last week’s “The Gang Goes on a Road Trip.” Insulating the gang in one place without too much interaction with reality hurts. We need regular people to show us just how disturbed our dirty friends really are.

  This week we had “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention,” a return to form and one of the best “Sunny” episodes ever. Not on par with “Sweet Dee’s Dating a Retarded Person” or “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s Ass,” but very close.

  The crux of the episode: Frank (Danny Devito) is drinking more than usual. “Usual” is a lot. But the tipping point comes when Frank takes the Gang to a “party,” which happens to be his brother-in-law’s funeral. Frank only wants to go because he’s looking to score with his sister-in-law; moreover, he decides to roll up and smoke a blunt at the funeral. Yes, he’s off the deep end. That prompts Dee, Dennis and Charlie to schedule an intervention.

  Mac, meanwhile, gets a hold of Frank’s sister-in-law Donna (Nora Dunn), and as he loves older women, he wants to score. He devises a plan to woo her, while distracting Frank with his niece Gail, a disgusting 31-year-old druggie who the Gang calls “Gail the Snail.” The only way to defeat her: Throw salt on her.

  What happens next is classic “Sunny”: The Gang realizes traditional interventions suck, resorting instead to screaming and violence. They also realize boxed wine in a can is a great idea. Mac breaks into Donna’s house to make breakfast, while a hammered Frank “plays around” (for lack of a more G-rated term) with his niece Gail the Snail. Mac doesn’t get what he wants, and they bring Gail back to the bar, where the intervention occurs. Commence canned boxed wine discussion, an appearance by Frank’s gun, odd mentions of Charlie and Frank’s relationship, a scared interventionist (played straight by Suzy Nakamura) and plenty of salt.

  This one really has all the trappings of a classic “Sunny” episode. You have weird family members, drunkenness, drugs, sex, the gun, physical comedy, sympathetic Charlie, an incredible dialogue scene in the interventionist’s office and a nice payoff. After the first couple episodes, which ranged from good to half-baked, we finally have a memorable 22 minutes of comedy this season.

   
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  CatScott 5:47 am on October 8, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: CW, The Vampire Diaries

  Each Thursday night for that last month I’ve been tuning to the CW for each exciting new chapter of “The Vampire Diaries”. I was somewhat suspicious of the similarity to Twilight but then discovered that this show is based on a 1991 book series by author L.J. Smith.

  Elena Gilbert is your average newly orphaned teen heroine to Stefan Salvatore’s immortal boy next door. They meet and are instantly drawn to each other. Then the real problems begin.

  Both have brothers that make each of their lives difficult. Elena’s little brother smokes a lot of pot and skips school. Stefan’s brother Damon sucks blood from local townspeople and is constantly beating up on him. We’ve come a long way since Jan’s troubles with Marcia in the Brady Universe that’s for sure!

  Adding to this cute couple’s troubles is Elena uncanny resemblance to Stefan’s first love Catherine. Seems both Damon and Stefan had it bad for Catherine, who died tragically. Are the Salvatore brothers going to repeat their previous shenanigans with Catherine look-alike Elena?

  Naughty vamp brother Damon is interesting as he bounces between sociopath predator and heartbroken-misunderstood-lonely predator. He’s my favorite so far. He drinks, and sometimes kills, the local folks with real zest. He’s somewhat of a vampire foodie and he’s definitely not happy with brother Stefan’s attempts at an alternative diet.

  Several story lines other than the developing love triangle involved Elena’s friends and family. Elena’s brother Jeremy is love with Vicki who wants Tyler. Vicki’s brother Matt is Elena’s ex-boyfriend and he isn’t close to over her. Elena’s BFF Bonnie finds out that she is comes from a long line of Salem witches and soon discovers a few powers of her own. Frenemy Caroline takes up with bad boy Stefan after “losing” Stefan to Elena. Aunt Jenna, Elena and Jeremy’s guardian, is trying to raise two teens, is working toward her PhD and is avoiding her reporter ex-boyfriend.

  A recent development has me quite intrigued. I wonder how Caroline’s badge wearing mom, Tyler’s mayor dad and first lady mom as well as Jenna’s reporter ex-boyfriend seem to know that a recently executed mountain lion was falsely accused of the attacks around town. They also mysteriously refer to Elena’s family watch and act as if it’s a very important item. Hmmm, maybe Stefan and Damon should have changed their names before they return to their hometown.

   

• CatScott 8:57 am on October 5, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: NBC, Trauma

  Decided to spend some time with Hulu this weekend and caught the pilot episode of “Trauma”. There was almost as much to like as there was to dislike. The show is strangely compelling though and I’ll be tuning in again.

  The opening scenario revolves around a horrible tragedy involving half of the main characters. I thought the action was a bit ridiculous but I did find the character development in these few short minutes had me hooked.

  Hot shot flight medic Reuban “Rabbit” Palchuck returns to work a year after surviving a terrible helicopter accident. Rabbit is an intriguing character in the few minutes before the accident. It makes me wonder who he was before and how the accident changed him.

  That’s good writing. If this show could rely more on their talented writers and less on gimmicky action it could be a real winner.

  Some of the stuff I rolled my eyes around about were Nancy the sexpot paramedic with a medical degree, the obvious accidents waiting to happen and some of Rabbit’s over the top behaviors.

  The two big accidents scenes had me laughing. The guy working on a transformer with ear buds was obviously going to be electrocuted. The BMW driver weaving in and out of traffic while texting was just as obviously going to start an accident. I especially loved watching him weave around the oil tanker that actually had “OIL” labeled on the side.

  It kinda reminded me of watching “CHiPs” when I was a kid. You always knew that the kid cutting school was going to get into some kind of trouble. Since both shows are based on Californian emergency services it makes me if someone is trying to tell us something.

  The final scene cemented me tuning in again. Rabbit and Nancy have a very complicated relationship. At the end of the day Rabbit can’t sleep and hears a knock on his door. He finds Nancy, who can’t sleep either, at his door. He lets her in and they lie down together to fall asleep.

  In that moment the actors and writers delivered something very honest and genuine. I’m hoping to find more of those moments and less of the obvious and laughable. I guess we shall see.

   

• CatScott 8:08 am on October 5, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: Bono, Entourage, HBO, LeBron James, Matt Damon

  “Entourage” got quite the star studded send off this season. Ari had some incredible scenes, Lloyd made a stand and Matt Damon may have stole the whole show.

  The writers really gave Jeremy Piven some great stuff and he worked it. Ari’s impassioned speech to his wife during their therapy session was stirring. I love how devoted he is to his wife. Anyone else notice she’s never been given a first name?

  Perhaps one of the best scenes in “Entourage” history was a predatory Ari chasing down agents gunning them down with paint balls. I especially loved him shooting the hell out of the guy who represented “Jon and Kate”. I cheered.

  Lloyd standing up to Ari was incredible. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, Ari making him a full agent was totally unexpected. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes next season. I love that Lloyd!

  Matt Damon’s guest appearance as himself was fantastic! His “character” seemed to be a very intense version of himself. His story centers around raising money to feed impoverished children. He keeps pressuring Vince to get involved and “do the right thing”. Loved when Drama hands the phone to an unwilling Vince by saying “Sorry, he Jason Bourne’d me”.

  Anyone else catch the hilarious scene of Matt Damon after the credits finished rolling? He’s leaving Vince this insane voice mail message for not sending the check he promised yet. When he breaks down crying I almost had an accident. I love seeing celebs who have a great sense of humor about themselves.

  Other great guest appearances were Bono, LeBron James, Jim Edmonds and Kenny Dichter. They’re all helping Matt with his charity work, which I suspect was based on the very real One organization. The satirical preachy-ness was a fun way to fit in a good cause.

  The boys all seem to get what they wanted: Eric got engaged to Sloan, Vince is working and as popular as ever and Drama is possibly getting a series of his own. It seems that everyone got a happy ending except poor Turtle. It makes me wonder where we’ll find the boys next season.

   

• CatScott 5:16 am on October 1, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: Fox, Glee, Jane Lynch, Kristen Chenoweth

  Yet another outstanding episode of “Glee” this week. The great Kristin Chenoweth, fresh from her Emmy win, graced the halls of McKinley High as a show choir ringer. Is it just me or is this show crazy good?

  I’m finding that I’m not the only one infatuated with life in Lima, OH. This show has definitely found an audience. In the last week I’ve seen a favorite author post about “Glee” on her blog, several friends rave about it on Facebook and my own boyfriend become a fan.

  Having lost Rachel to the school musical Will finds a loophole allowing him to bring in a ringer. He tracks down April, a senior when Will was a freshman, who dropped out of McKinley High three credits short of her diploma. April’s your basic scared straight poster child and Kristin Chenoweth is pitch perfect as the alcohol soaked pill popping shoplifter. Emma, who doesn’t like this plan from the start, eventually talks some sense into Will but not until we are graced with several incredible performances!

  Finn, in his desperate search for hope, learns from Emma that he could possibly get a musical scholarship through glee club. To cement his chances he sets out on a treacherous path to bring Rachel back to the glee club. During his scheming, poor Finn doesn’t have the brain power or the underhandedness needed for such deeds, he finds himself with mixed emotions when Rachel discovers his betrayal. Not only is Finn confused about his feelings but he’s further complicated his relationship with Rachel.

  Kristin Chenoweth’s April was a TV gold mine. I’m sure she jumped at the chance to play this role. Almost every line she had was outrageously funny. Loved when she offers Will a glass of wine by saying “I just cracked open a fresh box of wine”. Better yet was when she explained to him “The old noodle just ain’t what she used to be. I huffed a lot of upholstery cleaner in the 90’s.”

  Just when I thought that April had taken Sue’s place this episode we see Jane Lynch come back for one show stealing scene. Rachel tracks Sue down to discuss her return to the musical and finds her ripping down the Glee Club’s invitational flyers. That alone gave cracked me up.

  Rachel requests creative control as a condition of her return. Sue gives it gladly adding “You know, when Sandy wanted to write himself into a scene as Queen Cleopatra, at first I was aroused, then furious.” It’s like getting slapped in the face with funny. My neighbors probably hate me Wednesday nights!

  Jane Lynch should be celebrated as a comic genius with parades thrown in her honor. Coach Sue Sylvester could possibly be my favorite character this fall season!

  Another stand out moment includes a drunken Kurt caught by Emma in the hallway. When she confronts him he turns to her proclaiming “Oh, Bambi. I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy.” and then promptly threw up on her.

  Another favorite moment is when she tracks Will down and describes her trip to the ER to clean up as receiving “the full Silkwood”! I don’t know why OCD jokes are so funny but I do love them.

  And of course let us never forget the music! In one episode the geniuses behind this show were able to work in a rehearsal of “Don’t Stop Believin’”, Cabaret’s “Maybe This Time” sung simultaneously by both April and Rachel, a duet of Heart’s “Alone” sung by April and Will, Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name” and finished with Queen’s “Somebody to Love” both as a glee club performances. Fantastic!

  This show is absolutely incredible. It makes me wanna start my own grown up glee club. Any takers out there?

   

• CatScott 5:07 am on October 1, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: ABC, Baz Luhrman, Dancing With the Stars, DWTS

  Week Two of “Dancing With the Stars” surprised us with a very special guest judge, some remarkable improvements, a few stumbles, frayed nerves and only three and half days to prepare a whole new dance.

  Anyone who’s a fan of Baz Luhrman, as I am, was probably hanging on his every word as he filled Len Goodman’s chair this week. Luhrman is a man who loves the relationship and story the dancers are tell through their dance. His critiques were encouraging and enlightening. He was a fantastic guest judge and I hope to see him fill in again!

  What keeps me coming back each season is the incredible professionals and the story each celebrity contestant brings as they transform into dancers. I especially love watching the tale of an underdog as it unfolds. It’s incredible to watch someone tackle challenge after challenge each week on live television. I can’t imagine the courage that must take.

  Could you imagine challenging yourself like that with a few million people watching you live?? Makes me sweat just thinking about it!

  One of my favorite underdogs this season is Kelly Osbourne. Her tale is one of redemption through dance. Her story is compelling and I’m totally rooting for her. It’s been great watching her put that rebellious energy into transforming herself into a beautiful dancer.

  Unfortunately she psyched herself out this week and made a few mistakes. Don’t worry girl, keep the faith and keep up the hard work!

  Joanna Krupa is doing a great job but for some reason I’ve cast her as a bit of a villain this season. Perhaps it’s because she ran off at the mouth a bit about my beloved Maksim. Apparently Joanna didn’t mind telling the press how happy she was not being paired with her former “Superstars” co-star. I have a feeling Maksim wouldn’t take the tongue lashing Terrel Owens did on “Superstars”. You should be glad he’s not your partner Joanna, I don’t think you could handle him!

  Debi Mazar is the lucky lady paired with Maks this season. OK, so she cried already but he did apologize. Their tango was great, can’t wait to watch her improve with each week. I just love watching that man dance!

  Michael Irvin was the most improved dancer this week. In the short training period of three and a half days he worked from sun up until sun down on his quickstep routine. The quickstep is a difficult dance but he did a great job. His score jumped by seven points in just that short period of time. Irvin gets the comeback kid award. Very impressive!

  Mya and Aaron Carter are looking like the two to beat this season. Both contestants earned 27 points this week. I have to say that I did find Carter’s Muppet themed quickstep odd to watch. I did love seeing Animal and Gonzo though.

  Dancers I’m keeping an eye on are Kelly Osbourne, Debi Mazar, Mark Dacascos, Natalie Coughlin, and Donny Osmond. I’m hoping they each stick around!

  I was sad to see Kathy Ireland go this week. I wasn’t particularly impressed with her dancing abilities but am a big fan of Tony Dovolani. It always pains me to see one of my favorite professionals cut early. Hope to see ya next season Tony.

   

• CatScott 6:25 am on September 28, 2009 | 0 | # |
  Tags: Dexter, Showtime

  America’s favorite serial killer is back for a fourth season with more challenges than ever before. “Dexter” has never had a problem keeping the tension dialed up. The first three seasons kept me on the edge of my couch and this season looks to keep that promise!

  This first episode opens with Dexter out gliding through the night with the ease of a monster. The opening set-up leads us to believe that Dex is hunting a new victim but the kill comes at the hands of another monster…John Lithgow. I’m so excited with the brilliant casting of this guest star!

  The kill scene itself was grotesque and completely insane. I sometimes wonder about writers who come up with scenes like that. Does anyone ever check their basements for decomposing bodies parts? If not then perhaps they should.

  Dexter’s nightly activity is more domestic than murderous. Dexter now has a new wife, house, baby and a terrible case of sleep deprivation thanks to baby Harrison. They recreate the opening sequence but with a dull, exhausted Dexter barely making it through his morning ritual. I thought that was a nice touch.

  Debra on the other hand is in relationship heaven with Anton. She’s found a guy to love, who loves her back, and is balancing a real life with a prospering career. It leads one to wonder; what is going to go wrong for poor Deb this time?

  Dexter makes a huge mistake in court leading to a killer walking free and big time problems with investigating detective Quinn. It also provides Dexter with new prey, that’s if he can keep his eyes open.

  Making a surprising reappearance is Keith Carradine’s Special Agent Lundy. This shakes up both Deb and Dexter, for much different reasons.

  Lundy is on the trail of the “Trinity Killer” who just happens to be John Lithgow. Deb, Quinn, Dexter and Masuka are all investigating the murder we witnessed in the opening scenes. Promises to be quite the interesting case.

  Dexter has to rush his kill when Rita calls him with a baby Harrison mini emergency. On the way home he falls asleep and gets into roll over accident. Was the body still in his van? What’s going to happen when the cops show up? Oh boy, the tension is already mounting.

  This fourth season promises to deliver a lot of nail biting entertainment and I’m ready for it.