A place where I review the shows I watch, the movies I see, and the things I find interesting.
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Steve’s continues to try to impress Emmy at the same time trying to find ways to get Andy out of the picture. One way is to convince Andy to go to Alaska to “uncover” a conspiracy about big oil and the Wilde Oil company. To impress Emmy, Steve promises to quit his job at Wilde Oil to earn her praise, but finds that being at the office is fun. Emmy gets back to her cause a little bit here, as she uses Steve and the company to get information to bring down said company.
It seems that people are still unsure about this show, but as far as new comedies of this season I am entertained. Some things still bother me about it, I do not like the butler, he is too cartoony for my liking, and I’m not totally sold on Keri Russell. I am starting to come around on Steve’s man servant and the chemistry between Steve and Puddle on screen is great. Steve’s friend/nemesis Fa’ad has also become a great character. The things that I do enjoy is Will Arnett being Will Arnett, so far the act that he has been doing works fine a the leading character.
I also didn’t mind the KFC commercial in the show, immediately followed by one to start the break. I understand and am perfectly fine with it.
With so many shows debuting this fall it is hard to know which ones will make it for a full season. So far only two shows have been cancelled after only a few airings. One on Fox, Lone Star, after great critical hype and a good deal of promotion, the show was quickly pulled after two, but really decided after the first weeks disappointment. The second was ABC's My Generation, that was up against some good competition on Thrusday's at 8pm, got the ax after two weeks as well.
The news last night comes down that FOX's Raising Hope is the first to get its back 9 episodes picked up, giving it a full season at 22. “With 'Raising Hope,' Greg Garcia captures a smart take on the working-class family with a great mix of wild comedy and a big dose of heart,” FOX president Kevin Reilly said in a statement. “The show is running like a Swiss clock, and we’re very happy with how well audiences have responded so far – so we’re confident it will build an even bigger audience throughout the season.”
It's a fun show, glad to see it is getting the full season treatment.
Jimmy accidentally teaches Hope how to crawl, then realizes how unsafe the house is and is reminded how dangerous it was for him growing up. While trying to but some things in the shed, out of reach of the baby, Jimmy also needs to convince his mom that she is a hoarder and needs to get rid of things. While making a trip to the grocery store to pick up baby proofing items, and to attempt to get closer to Sabrina, Hope uses her new skill to get her self lost. Virginia’s hoarding issue becomes a problem as Hope’s new favorite place to crawl is in the shed.
The show is beginning to hit its stride as it now has a real sense of direction. The characters are becoming more likeable. The heart felt moments still fall a little short, but the misuse of commonly known phrases has its charm. I do enjoy the nice wrap up of things and the lessons learned to finish the show. Each week it is nice to see the progression of the characters and the growth of them as individuals.
Image via WikipediaThe first week in October is typically a big one for DVDs, and is when Disney temporarily opens the vault for one of their classics. Here are the major releases for today and some that are interesting:
Beauty and The Karate Kid A Nightmare on Elm St.
The Beast
The Secret The Human Splice
of Kells Centipede
Here are some of the TV Series coming to DVD this week:
Bones Season 5 Caprica Season 1 SGU: Stargate Universe Season 1
Steve Wilde continues to struggle with that the fact that Emmy has little no regard for the lifestyle that he lives, while Emmy struggles with that fact she has too missed the conveniences of modern civilization. By living in the tree house with her daughter Puddle, Emmy it trying to keep her distance while still making a point, but is slowly falling back ways and feelings she had for Steve when they were children.
Jealous that his neighbor and rival Fa’ad is going on vacation with his family, Steve, probably unknowingly, tricks Emmy into taking Puddle and going with him. Excited to go, and to be going with Steve, Emmy’s boyfriend Andy (David Cross) shows up at the tree house unannounced. With this unwanted guest, the trips gets cancelled.
Andy has a plan to hold Steve for ransom without him knowing, and Steve has a plan to pretend to be nice to Andy to get closer to Emmy. This brings them to plan a trip to Steve’s cabin together, where they quickly get tired of pretending to be friends. Walking through the woods, they realize that they were following each other to the cabin that neither knew how to get to. Emmy tracks down Andy that has become sick, while Steve is still looking to help. Emmy confuses that she likes Steve, and that they are friends.
Chemistry between the characters, said to be one of the problems with the pilot, is starting to heat up. Growing on me quickly, the flaws in the first show are being smoothed out, as the show finds its way. The writing in this episode shows great improvement over the redone pilot. I am enjoying the back and forth between Emmy and Steve, and the confusion and twisting of words that continues to happen. I really enjoyed this episode, and I hope that it can keep it up.
Human Target is a FOX drama based on the comic book of the same name in which a security expert goes undercover impersonating his clients in order to eliminate the threats against them.
Origially supposed to return for its second season in October has been moved back and will now premiere Wednesday November 17th at 8/7c. The move is partially prompted by the cancellation of Lone Star, which in its first two weeks had very disappointed numbers. The move also leaves FOX with a void in its Fridays "Action" line up.
Needing to go back to work, Jimmy has to find some kind of daycare for his child. While still afraid to ask out Sabrina from the grocery store, his mom interrupts to ask if she baby sits, politely declining, she offers up her cousin that runs a daycare. Her cousin Shelly, play by Kate Micucci (UCB, Garfunkel and Oates), is a girl that Jimmy promised to call back after a night of making out, but couldn’t bring himself to it, due to her dead tooth.
Disappointed to find that Sabrina has a boyfriend, Jimmy also tells Shelly that he isn’t interested in her, because he likes her cousin. Because Shelly is the only person that his daughter seems to like, she agrees to continue watching her, but now he’ll have to pay $60 a week.
The one thing that I do admire about Jimmy that he is attempting to take reasonability. No longer is he running around with his dumb friends doing dumber things. His efforts in trying to raise his child are
unwitting at best, but his willingness to try is admirable.
I always enjoy when Kate Micucci pops up in shows. More familiar with her from the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates than her acting so far, but her star is still raising as I see her in more and more things. The songs that her and Riki Lindhome play are very funny and entertaining, I suggest checking them out here.
The minor miracle that was needed to save the critically acclaimed Lone Star fell short. On Tuesday FOX decided to pull the plug on what was my favorite of the new shows this fall after only two episodes.
For it’s premiere on September 20th Lone Star lost more than half of its lead in audience from House and settled for 4.1 million viewers, a huge disappointment for this highly anticipated program. The hopes that after the hype of NBC’s The Event and the return of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars subsided, Lone Star would see a bump in ratings. A very small improvement was not nearly enough as Dancing with the Stars continued to dominate Monday nights.
I was very disappointed to hear that this show preformed so poorly in it’s debut, and that it would more than likely not make it past its second episode. It was a very interesting show with a good premise. I was looking forward to seeing how things were going to develop. With most new show I find myself not caring about the characters and not connecting with their story, but Lone Star I was immediately taken in. It is sad to see original ideas turned aside so quickly.
Lie to Me starring Tim Roth in its third season will debut this coming up Monday in the 9pm slot. Lie to Me is about a body language experts that assist law enforcement in their investigations.
From the creators of fan favorite Arrested Development brings us Running Wilde. A romantic comedy about the son of an oil tycoon Steve Wilde, played by Will Arnett (Arrested Development), and environmentalist Emmy Kadubic, played by Keri Russell (Felicity) and her daughter Puddle, played by Stefania Owen (Lovely Bones).
Once the daughter of the family housekeeper, the paths of Steve and Emmy cross again when the company his father owns wants to drill for oil in an area of the rain forest where the indigenous tribe that Emmy has been trying to save, live.
By throwing himself a party where he receives the Humanitarian of the Year Award, Steve hopes get back his childhood sweetheart Emmy. The story is told through the perspective of Emmy’s 12 year old daughter Puddle, who hasn’t spoke in 6 months and hates being in the rain forest, sees this invitation as a way out. Emmy sees this invitation as way to get the Wilde Oil Company not to drill where this indigenous tribe lives, but Steve is unwilling to stand up to his father, and risk losing his trust fund.
When Emmy threatens to go back to the Jungle, Puddle finally speaks up, but only to Steve, asking for his help so she doesn’t have to go back to the rain forest and leave civilization. Agreeing to help, Steve follows the plain to get a fake doctor to say that Puddle cannot leave and needs to go to school in town. Steve works in that they must be a resident and offers a place on his estate for Emmy and Puddle to live in. The lie is quickly over as Steve has a slip of the tongue. Emmy starts to storm out complaining about Steve when Puddle speaks to defend him. When Steve actually does good for nothing, Emmy decides maybe they’ll stay after all, and takes on the challenge of making him a better man.
This is the shows second attempt after the first shot at the pilot needed a little fine tuning. Originally David Cross was going to be on the first pilot, but due to a scheduling conflict was unable to work it out. After some rewrites and rescheduling, David Cross was added to the cast. Having not seen the original pilot myself I can’t speak much of it, but what I have heard the show was a little bumpy and was lacking chemistry. Much of the time projects that needs an overhaul do not have much success and as they continue to try and find there way, viewers find other things to watch.
Overall, I do see a little bit of promise for the show. It has its moments of brilliance, but then again some of the types of jokes may start to get old after awhile. I am already a little biased towards the creators and Will Arnett, but besides that, I will give this new show a chance.
With the hopes of using the powerful lead in of Glee, this new FOX half-hour comedy will try to succeed as another live action sitcom on their schedule where others have failed. Raising Hope is the story of a 23 year old guy who still lives at home and enjoys the night life. A one night stand results in a pregnancy with a felon on the run, that later leads to her giving birth in jail. Now he and his reluctant family must overcome their deficiencies in their attempts at Raising Hope.
The show stars Lucas Neff as Jimmy Chance, Cloris Leachman as Maw Maw, Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt and his parents Burt and Virginia, also Bijou Phillips is guest staring as Lucy the mother of Hope.
Jimmy living at home, working as pool boy, is determined that there has to be more to life. His parents are already resigned to the fact that their lives are what they are, and Maw Maw has seemed to already lost her mind. Out to get Maw Maw’s bubble gum ice cream, Jimmy runs into Lucy who jumps in his van as he then speeds off, apparently saving her life. The next morning at the breakfast table, with Lucy using the facilities, the family sees on the news that this “sweet” girl is wanted for murder, and they decided to turn her in. Jumping ahead eight months later he finds out the news of her pregnancy, and the news she has been sentenced to the electric chair.
Surviving in a house with people that have little or no experience with raising an infant properly, Jimmy’s choice to keep the baby has potentially helped him find his purpose in life. While still finding his way with the baby, a few run ins with the grocery store clerk, Sabrina played by Shannon Woodward (The Haunting of Molly Hartley), has introduced a seemingly likable character that has entertaining ways of keeping her self busy as well as sane in her mundane job.
Although the show clearly has many unbelievable situations, I will be interested in seeing how the show progresses. The characters are only somewhat interesting up to this point, and our societal shift towards Idiocracy is very apparent.
Lone Star is one of FOX’s new shows on the fall schedule, and one of the most promising shows of a crowded premiere week that features 20+ new shows on the networks.
The show is about a con man and his father that try to steal money from a woman that he marries and her father that runs an oil business. At the same time he also runs a con in another town where he has a girlfriend. When offered a real job by his father-in-law, he begins to have second thoughts about running the scam, while his father refuses to let it go.
The show stars some little knowns as it rounds out its cast with some supporting stars. Robert/Bob Allen is played by James Wolk (You Again) and John, his father is played by David Keith (Behind Enemy Lines, U-571). Robert’s girlfriend, Lindsay, is played by Eloise Mumford (Mercy, Crash). Bob’s wife, Cat Thatcher, is played by Adrianne Palicki (Legion, Women in Trouble), her father Clint Thatcher is played by Jon Voight (Transformers, Mission Impossible), and her brothers Tram Thatcher played by Mark Deklin (The Wish List), and Drew Thatcher played by Bryce Johnson (Sleeping Dogs Lie, Hit List),round out the cast .
Clint (John Voight) runs an oil rig, and against his sons wishes, offers Bob a job. This job, gets him into the company, his dad is very excited about it, but Bob wants to take the job for real, instead of a con that they have been working on. Upset that Bob may not be focused on the mark, his dad reminds him what they been working towards for a long time. After some reluctance, Bob takes the job.
Although he lies for a living, and has a wife and girlfriend, Robert turns down an offer from a beautiful women to remain faithful to both. Allowing himself to get close to Lindsay, his girlfriend, in town that he has run dry, has let guilt seep into his conscience.
His dad is tipped off by a someone in the commissioners office that a lawyer is investigating some of the deeds for the wells he sold people in Midland, the place where he stays with his girlfriend. Reluctant to leave, his dad comes up with a great line, “this is a house of cards, you don’t get to live in it.” Ultimately he knows his father is right, leaving that night as Lindsey sleeps seemingly satisfied.
Trying to help clean his conscience he once again declines to work an angle on his father-in-law’s company as his dad pushes ideas on how to work it. No longer able to live the straight life after a lifetime as a con man, John refuses to let this opportunity go. Bob insists after faking it for so long, he believes he can do this job and make an honest living. Once realizing his son won’t give up this new found honest living idea, it appears he will begin working the con on his son as well.
Tram, already not happy with the promotion given by his father, starts to dig around as he is very suspicious of his brother-law. Potentially making things worse for himself, Bob gets deeper into his double life as he buys up land in Midland, with money from his father-in-law’s company, and runs to Las Vegas to marry his girlfriend, as he now claims to be in love with both women.
The shows gets right into it, establishes the double life lead by Robert/Bob Allen, and the angle he uses for his cons. It quickly introduces all the main characters and the objective of the father-son team.
The music played without dialog adds a little more depth to the character in some defining moments as you are easily hooked, and immediately care for this person whose actions and deeds will lead many people to lose all their savings. A good man deep down, is drawn into these schemes by his father, a man that deep down is greedy, and only cares about himself. A lonely life a con man must live, a life lived always as someone you are not.
The pilot dealt with a lot of things right away, not having a slow burn as one would have expected. Although I enjoyed it, I’m not sure how long this story can last, and where it will go once things start to get resolved. The characters are pretty good so far, and the actors chosen for each part I believe were well cast. I will be tuning in each week as I am looking forward to see what happens next.
Fall 2010 has a lot of promise, with many fan favorites returning as well as some interesting new shows throughout the dial.One problem that the networks will have is that each night is crowded and many new shows are already on the bubble.Here is what the new primetime schedule is going to look like starting the week of September 20th:
Sunday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Desperate Housewives
Brothers & Sisters
CBS
The Amazing Race
Undercover Boss
CSI: Miami
CW
Local Programming
FOX
The Simpsons
The Cleveland Show
Family Guy
American Dad
Local
NBC
Sunday Night Football
Monday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
Dancing with the Stars
Castle
CBS
How I Met Your Mother
Rules of Engagement
Two and a Half Men
Mike & Molly (New)
Hawaii Five-O (New)
CW
90210
Gossip Girl
Local
FOX
House
Lone Star (New)
Local
NBC
Chuck
The Event (New)
Chase (New)
Tuesday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
No Ordinary Family (New)
Dancing w/ the Stars: Results Show
Detroit 1-8-7 (New)
CBS
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
The Good Wife
CW
One Tree Hill
Life Unexpected
Local
FOX
Glee
Raising Hope (New)
Running Wilde (New)
Local
NBC
Biggest Loser
Parenthood
Wednesday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
The Middle
Better with You (New)
Modern Family
Cougar Town
The Whole Truth (New)
CBS
Survivor
Criminal Minds
The Defenders (New)
CW
America’s Next Top Model
Hellcats (New)
Local
FOX
Lie to Me
Hell’s Kitchen
Local
NBC
Undercovers (New)
Law & Order: SVU
Law & Order: Los Angeles (New)
Thursday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
My Generation (New)
Grey’s Anatomy
Private Practice
CBS
Big Bang Theory
$#*! My Dad Says (New)
CSI
The Mentalist
CW
Vampire Diaries
Nikita (New)
Local
FOX
Bones
Fringe
Local
NBC
Community
30 Rock
The Office
Outsourced (New)
The Apprentice
Friday
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00
ABC
Secret Millionaire (New)
Body of Proof (New)
20/20
CBS
Medium
CSI: NY
Blue Bloods (New)
CW
Smallville
Supernatural
Local
FOX
Human Target
Good Guys
Local
NBC
Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride (New)
Dateline NBC
Outlaw (New)
Notable cable premieres:
FX: Terriers Wednesday September 8th 10:00
Sons of Anarchy Tuesday September 7th 10:00
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Thursday September 16th 10:00
The League Thursday September 16th 10:30
Comedy Central: South Park October 6th 10:00
Ugly Americans October 6th 10:30
AMC:The Walking Dead Sunday October 31st 10:00
HBO:Boardwalk Empire Sunday September 19th 9:00
Bored to Death Sunday September 26th 10:00
Eastbound & Down Sunday September 26th 10:00
Showtime:Dexter Sunday September 26th 9:00
Other notable network shows returning are NBC’s Parks and Recreation is due for a midseason return, and FOX’s Sunday Night lineup returns with The Simpson’s, The Cleveland Show, and Family Guy on September 26th, and American Dad October 3rd.
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It seems that people are still unsure about this show, but as far as new comedies of this season I am entertained. Some things still bother me about it, I do not like the butler, he is too cartoony for my liking, and I’m not totally sold on Keri Russell. I am starting to come around on Steve’s man servant and the chemistry between Steve and Puddle on screen is great. Steve’s friend/nemesis Fa’ad has also become a great character. The things that I do enjoy is Will Arnett being Will Arnett, so far the act that he has been doing works fine a the leading character. 
