Gossip Girl: The Wild Bunch

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 9PM ON THE CW

Even though this episode was better than the series premiere I'm sticking to my guns and going with the label "Guilty Pleasure." In the last review I said that "Gossip Girl" was at best a guilty pleasure and nothing more. While this episode definitely stepped it up from last week I still think this holds true.

The episode starts almost where it left off last week with Dan and Serena's date. Apparently, Dan waved goodbye to her at the end of the night rather than walking her to the door and giving her a kiss. It was even worse seeing him wave after the awkward start-and-stop of the cab. I get that the guy is challenged in the suave department but he needs to kick it up a notch. Forget getting Serena, he won't get too many girls if he keeps waving at the end of dates. I do have to give Dan props for going back to the Palace to apologize and ask her out on a second date. This took guts. Too bad it all worked out so horribly when they ended up having to go to the brunch hosted by Chuck's father. The biggest problem for them right now is that Serena can't be honest. If she could tell him the truth, or at least part of it, about why she left then they could be together. Instead by hiding the truth she remains wrapped up in the drama surrounding it and I understand why he just can't be a part of that right now. Despite this though, I think Dan should have turned around at the end of the episode when Serena was opening herself up to him a bit. She deserved at least that much. He really can't hold her past against her; it had absolutely nothing to do with him. If Dan is in love with her as much as her seems he has got to give her the chance to show she changed.

Speaking of guys, Nate needs to chill. The guy already has Blair, one of the hottest girls ever and still can't stop going back to Serena. The problem is that he does it without breaking up with Blair. Pick one or the other. My biggest problem with Nate (Chace Crawford) is the acting. Chace so far is one of the most stoic actors ever and in a show centered around outrageousness he needs to speak up a bit. He's barely made an impression on me except for the fact that I remember he stands around a lot. When he does speak it seems like there's no emotion behind the words.

As for Blair, I can't decide if she is a good or a bad person. She clearly plays the bad person very well and knows how to control people. But at the same time it seems that she is very sensitive and when no one is looking it shows. The only person who can get to her is Serena but after learning about the affair not even Serena can reach her. Leighton Meester (Blair) has done a great job so far and hopefully can keep it up. Without her the only good acting in the show has come from Dan and Serena.

So Rufus and Lily dated? This I'm pretty sure everyone knew but they admitted it this week. My problem with this storyline is that it's been done before (Kirsten-Jimmy, The O.C., for example). To this point its a basic plot line with nothing very exciting about it. Even if they got together I don't think it would be all that great. The writer's also messed up big time with Lily's involvement with Chuck's dad. When Dan walked in on the two of them talking about their relationship Lily made it into a big secret. Except after watching the first two episodes the reason why its such a big deal is a mystery to anyone watching when it shouldn't be. The writer's should have given us some inside info on why the two of them getting together would be a bad idea while keeping their relationship a secret to everyone else.

I'm a bit concerned about Taylor's obsession with being in the "In-Crowd." It's kind of creepy how much she wants to be a part of their lives. It was terrible the way she sold out her brother with the cabbage patch info. She's way to trusting and is going to get stabbed in the back at some point. We'll just have to see how far it goes as the season moves on.

Keep watching and let me know what you think!

Updated Jericho News

Unfortunately there still is no new information in a Season 2 Premiere date and likely there won't be until around November or December.

However, the Jericho Cast recently made an appearance at Comic Con and some information about season 2 was given out to the fans. Esai Morales is joining the cast for the shortened second season as Colonel Hoffman. The new character will play a big role in bringing the government into the forefront as a main storyline. The producers also told fans that with the season being shortened to 7 episodes there will be A LOT of action.

Also, don't forget that the First Season DVD of Jericho will be released this coming Tuesday, October 2nd.

I'll let you know as soon as possible when an air date is released for season 2.

The Real World Sydney: Boys vs. Girls

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Finally the roommates get a job. I was actually wondering if they were going to work at all. It seems like these guys went a lot longer than past seasons before having to begin working. Their work is alright, nothing special. I think having them start a band or something would have been more interesting since they have a studio in the house. I'm sure that they're going to fight and totally screw up the tours so I won't mind seeing that.

Dunbar needs to chill out when dealing with Parisa. He looks for any excuse to attack her even though I agree that it sucks when people wake you up early. Like that morning in the car, the other guys have no problem with her cooking but Dunbar is annoyed that she does it and more than that refuses to eat her food even though its good simply because she was the one who made it. It really is terrible how he treats her but what's perplexing is that somehow the two of them always end up in the front seat of the car together or talking alone somewhere. You would think that if he hates her this much he would be as far away from her as possible.

Man though, Trisha is a horrible person. She keeps fighting with people and now she's stepped it up to flat out lying and deceit. She was full on attacking Parisa behind her back WITH Dunbar making fun of her singing but then tells Parisa everything Dunbar said and completely didn't mention anything she had said. What's even more insane is that the conversation with Parisa was about how the guys all start drama! She's far worse than the guys when she does stuff like this. It isn't the guys or the girls alone that start more drama, they all equally cause unnecessary fights in the house.

At least Dunbar told Parisa the truth about Trisha; unfortunately he still couldn't help lying at the same time. Even when he's being honest he lies. He told Parisa he didn't say anything bad about her cooking when he clearly was trashing it in the van earlier in the episode. Someone just needs to step up and admit it when they're acting shady and just accept the fact that they were caught. And Trisha lives in this alternate reality apparently where she says things but somehow they don't come from her. I think there are more than a few politicians who wish they could pull that off.

I do have one beef I need to talk about. Now I mentioned it last week but now I'm REALLY pissed!! Kelly Anne and Cohutta hooked up and after two episodes we got nothin!! Not even a mention about it, nothin! This is ridiculous. For two or three episodes we heard Kelly Anne talk about her crush and when they finally do hook up they gives us nothing more. The producer's need to get their act together and gives us a little something even if its a confessional clip of one them saying nothing more will happen. That way we'll at least know what's going on.

See you all next week and hopefully we'll get some more Kelly Anne-Cohutta info

Back To You: Fish Story

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON FOX

I really wish this show took place in Chuck and Kelly's office (or anywhere else for that matter so long as its not in the newsroom). It's almost like watching two totally different shows - when they're out in the newsroom I'm bored and I haven't laughed once in two episodes; when they're in Chuck and Kelly's office I can't stop laughing. This probably speaks more to the fact that Kelsey and Patricia are the only two funny people on the show rather than which set they happen to be shooting on. I shoot mention however that Fred Willard is also damn hilarious and the only supporting cast member pulling his weight. Either the other cast members need to work harder or the writers need to re-evaluate how they're writing this show because it's just not working so far.

Overall though the second episode was leaps and bounds better than the series premiere. The jokes were better, they weren't as forced, and we had more of Chuck and Kelly than anyone else. This is what they need to do every episode and they might just have a hit on their hands. I'm sure this was unintentional but the writers finally figured out the best use for Josh Gad's character Ryan; they need to tone down his outrageousness and use him as a play off the jokes coming from Kelsey, Fred, or Patricia. He works much better that way and comedically he's significantly more effective.

Did the newsroom meeting outside Chuck and Kelly's office remind anyone of "News Radio?" I seriously felt like I was able to watch a reunion from that show.

A few jokes I thought were great this episode: The light falling into the goldfish bowl after they finally got a live fish was hilarious. I figured it would die somehow but I was shocked when that happened; very funny. Also, the tazer report by Ty was hilarious! I honestly didn't think I would laugh as hard as I did but once he fell over and then his uncontrollable shaking while trying to continue the report was just too much. Lastly, Marsh's comment about making Ty's "girl scream" into a ringtone was great. There are so many things I wish I could make into ringtones so this one really hit home.

Keep up the good work over there but hopefully the writers can work out the kinks with the supporting cast. My recommendation is to keep watching; I definitely will be.

Damages: Do You Regret What We Did?

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Now we're talkin! Tonight's episode was great!! This is what we need more of; back-stabbing, secrecy, mystery...this is what makes this show the biggest hit of the new year so far. By the way, I realized tonight where I recognize the front of Patty Hewe's building from. I actually lived around the corner from it in New York City for a year. At first I wasn't sure but they showed it enough tonight that I'm positive now. It's kind of awesome noticing something like that. Makes it more real almost.

Tonight revealed a lot but actually left me with more questions than answers. The big thing for me was that we got to see Patty crying in her backyard at the beach house. I thought maybe this showed she didn't set up Ellen and try to have her killed. But then why did we see her driving out of New York at the end of the episode? More than this, Ellen and Patty were referring to something they had done and wondered if they went too far. Patty looked very distraught when Ellen asked her this and I wonder what exactly they did. Also, if Patty did set up Ellen then why did she tell her the truth about where she was going? Patty told her she went to the beach house and she actually did, so it makes me think that maybe Patty didn't do it. It could be Moore who tried to kill Ellen just like he disregarded everyone else and tried to take out Gregory Malina.

I was actually very surprised that Ray gave up Gregory considering how much he cared for him. Then again the idea of jail or worse is enough to make most people do just about anything. I wonder how long it will be until Katie realizes what's on the tape he put in her purse. That could be the nail in the coffin for Frobisher if she can get it to Patty (and keep a copy for herself, remember you can't trust anyone).

Speaking of Frobisher, Dansen gave another great performance. I'm more and more impressed every episode he's in as to how great of a job he's really done this year. He adds such a creepiness to the show that makes it very unique and gives it a feel that no other show has, except for maybe Lost.

As for "The Stalker," Lila, I'm really just shocked at how this has come about. This girl came out of nowhere and has really jumped into the lives of Ellen and David. Although after hearing about her background from the check Ellen did it's not all that surprising. This woman has some major issues and it seems she'll be the end of everything David and Ellen know and love in their lives. I still don't get why she made a second set of David's keys and made the chain to look exactly like his. She had his and no one knew so why did she need to make the new ones? Maybe so after she killed David then Ellen couldn't think about someone having the keys since they found his? It was also pretty ballsy of Lila to come to Ellen's office and tell her she was sleeping with David. She had to know that wouldn't work especially with all that stuff in her past.

Moore is even more involved than anyone could have thought but I did point out in last weeks' review that his involvement is the key to everything. If Patty knew the truth about him everything could come crashing down on Frobisher. I have a feeling that in a couple episodes they may just start to learn about Moore, especially if they get Gregory's tape. Frobisher should also be rechecking who his friends are as Moore is doing everything he can to save his own ass now even at the expense of Frobisher. Frobisher needs to take charge of what's going on around him or else he'll find himself in broke or dead.

Excellent episode this week. I can't wait until next Tuesday!

House: Alone

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 9PM ON FOX

What a way to start off a new season! I really didn't see a building collapse in the cards for the start of this season but then again that's part of what makes "House" so great, you really never know what you're going to get. Plus, the show has basically been turned upside down with House's team gone leaving him to play Van Halen on the guitar alone in his office. This will absolutely be a season like no other for House.

It kills me that House can never show his true feelings but always seems to have emotional responses to the events around him; which oddly enough is why I love his character so much. He clearly misses his team despite loving the freedom. He would never admit this to anyone ofcourse but he showed how he really feels when he recruited the janitor to be on his team. This was incredibly funny and House even gave him the name Dr. Buffer. Hilarious!

Even more hilarious than this was the Guitar-knapping perpetrated by Wilson. Absolutely brilliant and it's really nice to see him standing up to House and not taking his shit. I still can't believe how House can get anyone to break the law with him? In this episode alone he got Wilson to commit breaking & entering and the janitor to impersonate a physician. I know he's persuasive but it's absurd to think he's THAT persuasive.

By far my favorite scene was Wilson begging House not to erase his Tivo over the phone. That's a shot below the belt, you never erase someones Tivo!!

As for the patient I was on the edge of my seat the entire episode trying to figure out what could possibly have happened to her and why she would like about this alternative lifestyle of drugs and alcohol that neither her boyfriend or mother knew about. I never even thought that this girl could be someone else entirely. It was a brilliant twist and a great way to kick off the new season. Glad to see the writer's can still keep us guessing and guessing completely wrong.

Hopefully House's hallucinations in seeing his old team in the hospital next week come true and we'll get them back in one way or another. In the meantime, watching House torture his new job applicants should be fun and hilarious...

Heroes: Four Months Later

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 9PM ON NBC

I'm going to use a different format for Heroes in my review because the characters aren't really all that connected, at least not in this second season premiere. So I'll review each character's storyline and you can comment on all the characters or just each one individually.

Dr. Suresh:

Well, well...Suresh has become a bit more open to the world around him and not so naive. I have to tell you that I totally didn't see it coming; I really wouldn't have guessed that he was trying to set up The Company with Noah. It's good to see that the old storylines haven't fully gone away after last season. I am curious though exactly what this virus does to the Heroes and how it started. I guess it's just a genetic virus but it's very interesting that his sister died from the same virus.

Alejandro & Maya:

I have a feeling that these two new characters are going to shack up the show. Alejandro seems harmless enough but Maya must have some major stuff going on to be able to kill all those people. Plus, what was that black stuff coming out of everyone's eyes? It reminds me of the good old days of The X-Files. I think Alejandro is some sort of antidote to Maya's power which is why they need to be near each other all the time. The two characters are interesting but as of right now I'm not too sure how much I enjoyed watching them. This could change when I see how they fit in the overall story.

Claire:

There's just no way that she can stay out of trouble. She's a teenage and indestructible - bad combo for trying to be stealthy. Then again Noah couldn't do it either. Well Claire's at a new school and needs to be silent. She wants to be a cheerleader and misses having friends - so is she a robot or an alien? Her new guy friend seems interesting and apparently can fly too! I didn't think we would see two Heroes with the same power so soon. She was easily the most intriguing storyline for me this episode with Molly and Matt coming in a close second. To me it always seems that Claire is one of the central parts of everything that happens and if you follow her you'll eventually find the trouble. So this begs the question, what will she brings us this year?

Who knew she was so smart? She knew the Charles Darwin answer at the drop of a hat. Can you believe her mother still has that damn dog? And what happened, I thought her mother was working for the Company? I forget but did they all not find out about that yet?

Hiro:

In my opinion the worst and most absurd storyline brings Hiro to feudal Japan where he meets his hero Kensei. The only problem is that Kensei turns out to be a white, english guy (David Anders - "Julian Sark" from Alias). From what I understand he's there to find out about his family history but to me this is just boring. I'm not really finding it all that much fun. Either way, it seems that somehow Hiro changed history when he moved Kensei from the path of the arrows but we still don't know how or in what ways. I figure Hiro will be in Japan for a while longer as we get these answers.

Matt Parkman & Molly:

Glad to see he's getting some of his life back with the job at the NYPD. Very smart using his ability to figure out who the hostage was. Very surprised actually to see him taking care of Molly. Although it works for him to be the father-figure; it comes naturally to his character. We also learned that he's getting divorced which is not at all surprising since she cheated on him. Great idea for hm to work with Suresh to bring down The Company; they'll never be safe unless they're gone.

Molly is a bit scary actually. She like a poltergeist child or something when she yells and goes nuts. But obviously she's still seeing this monster of a man and he's the one sending the pictures with the Kensei symbol on them (her pictures show the same symbol as the one's sent to Hiro's dad and Nathan's mom). Although I'm still not going to write off Molly as innocent and harmless, I think she may affect people in a terrible way later on. Her storyline though is intriguing if nothing else than because of its implications for every other character.

Ando:

Not much to talk about with him except for his connected to Hiro's father. He's working for Hiro's father now except not for long. Whoever the man is that Molly is seeing killed Hiro's father. I think I have an idea though who it is, Peter Petrelli! I think his new powers can allow him to be in two places at once or somehow the explosion split his being in two. But this I'm sure won't be answered for a long time.

Nathan:

Nice to see Nathan again although his life is falling apart. I think he'll pull it all together again though when he sees Peter alive. Not a great part of this episode but as always he should have a big part to play down the road.

Peter:

How in the world does he end up in that large metal crate after exploding in space? That's one of the big questions of this premiere. More than that, how did he end up with more powers and what are they? As I said above, I think he's the one Molly is seeing or at least his alter-ego or something. Next week should bring us more answers about Peter and I can't wait to find them out.

Overall I thought the episode was mediocre and thus disappointing. I expected more from the season premiere. The second half of last season was no where near as good as the first half and I'm still hoping they can pick up the pace. If they don't I think a lot of viewers will be turned off and stop watching.

The Hills: Surprise Engagement

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Definitely not one of the best episodes but a lot happened anyway. The biggest shock of the season (not that we didn't know about it already) came when Jason decided to propose to his girlfriend Katja after only 6 months of dating. The episode didn't really hit on this until the end but will easily be the center of the watercooler convo's tomorrow.

It's really just terrible that Lauren is still put through Jason's crap. Granted she brought it on herself by hanging out with him after all that happened but still it's just wrong. I'll give Jason a little credit though, he does seem to be a bit nicer and sunnier since he's been in jail, rehab, and jail again. Still though, he always finds a way to torture Lauren. First, he hangs out with her on numerous occasions after coming out of rehab and doesn't tell her he has a girlfriend. Instead he decides to spring it on her randomly at lunch. Second, he doesn't need to invite Lauren to his housewarming party; he has a girlfriend and he shouldn't be inviting her (plus Lauren shouldn't have gone anyway). Not only that but he knew he was going to propose that night!!! Obviously he just wanted Lauren there to see how much he could hurt her. She has to stop letting him win; by hanging out with him so much she's letting Jason control her and screw with her mind. I can't believe he had the nerve to even ask her "are you okay?" after he sprung this engagement on her. Ofcourse she's not okay!!! She's a much better person than me because I would have been outta there the second the announcement was made; there would have been a hole shaped me in the front door. Even Katja couldn't believe Lauren was there. I couldn't even keep count of how many ice cold stares she threw Lauren's way. Plus the constant kissing, PDA's, and her finding Jason on the balcony with Lauren all were clear signs that she's jealous of Lauren and wants her out of Jason's life. Not that I blame her but hey, she said yes to the proposal so she asked for all this.

FINALLY Lauren has the right idea about Jason. She told Whitney that although she misses him and loved him that she's so happy it's not her in Katja's shoes. So far Whitney is the only one in that group that seems to have any sensibility when it comes to these guys. She's the only rational female voice and it's good that Lauren has her in her life.

As for Whitney and Teen Vogue, she could use a little of her guy sensibility in the professional department. That was just DUMB to go out with the band the night before. Lisa didn't need to tell her that, she should have realized it on her own. In the end she basically screwed herself because the band was late after drinking all night, she and Lauren were hung over, and the band didn't even respect her so she lost control of the shoot. She could have fixed it if she asserted herself more when the band member wouldn't wear the jeans. If she's going to be the head of the shoot she needs to take control and force the issue.

Back to our favorite reality show couple, Speidi. I loved that Jenn finally asked Heidi if she thinks getting married is the right thing to do and backed it up with the fact that they're still immature. As expected though, Heidi just ignores anyone who wants to take away her special day. To be honest I think she likes the registry, the wedding dress, and all more than Spencer. She just wants to be special and have her wedding day. This whole thing is stupid because Spencer never even intended to follow through with actually getting married. Not only does he clam up anytime the wedding stuff is brought up but he didn't even tell his parents! This is not a guy that wants to be married anytime soon and Heidi needs to move on. Then again they're both insane so maybe they deserve each other.

Next week Brody and Lauren get back together apparently which I really just have no words for. Especially if Heidi was telling the truth and Brody spread the sex tape rumors too then this is just not going to work out well for Lauren. But I guess we'll see what happens next week...

How I Met Your Mother: Wait For It

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 8PM ON CBS

Soooo glad HIMYM is back! I now feel like my life is whole again. Actually not quite, I'm a bit more sane than that but I'm still very happy the show is back for a third season. For those of you who watched the season finale last year, you remember that the show left off with Barney mid-sentence; he was telling Ted that their upcoming adventures out on the town would be "Legen..."

So the third season picked up right where the second season left off, with Barney saying "...dary." Only on this show are the writers that clever to end the season mid-word and start the next season with the end of the word. I don't think I've ever seen something like that before. This speaks volumes about how great this show is and why you should be watching it if you haven't been already.

Basically, this episode dealt with the post-break-up issues between Robin and Ted. It had to happen so why not get it out of the way early on in the season. The break-up beard was so funny and completely something I would do myself. It's great how Ted has so many eccentricities that come out when he's in the most emotional turmoil. Then again I'm always rooting for him to work stuff out so I'm not really sure what that'll get me. The classic Ted-Barney back and forth was also a big part of the episode but not as funny as usual. Hopefully we can chalk that up to the writers needing to finish the Ted-Robin break-up story fast.

As the episode went on we got nothing short of everything we expect from HIMYM. We had laughs (the butterfly tattoo on Ted's lower back; a.k.a. "The Tramp Stamp"), romantic drama (Teds' irrational yelling and Robin's heartfelt confession), and Barney's classic lines ("This is totally going in my blog!"). What's new though were the big name guest stars. Not only does HIMYM not usually have big names stars period, which made this new and interesting, but they had TWO tonight - Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglesias. Both did a decent job, I think Enrique was a bit better than Mandy though. I didn't really see her as the bad-ass girl with tattoos; it really didn't do all that much for me. Enrique, on the other hand, did a pretty good job convincing us of his character and was actually a little funny. Although I could have done without the cheesy serenading moment.

Couple last minute points: 1) I want to know what the other 31 vehicles you could have sex in or on are and 2) Is the tattoo really permanent or was it a Henna? Also, the slap bet countdown link Marshall sent Barney was great!! Classic HIMYM and I can't wait to see how Marshall gets him around November. Oh and by the way, Robin was a genius, guys always feel better if they know they're "bigger."

At the very end of the episode we finally get to see who Ted ends up marrying, even if it was just the top of her yellow umbrella as she walked down the street. But we now know she has a pair of grey pants, a black coat, and what her sneakers look like. I'm hoping we get a little more info on who she is as the season goes on. Please watch this show next week if you're not watching already, I guarantee you'll love it as much as I do. If you have time check out the Have You Met Ted? blog of a friend of mine. It's great and in addition to my reviews here you can get some clips and show info from there.

Gossip Girl: Pilot

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 9PM ON THE CW

From the second The O.C. aired its' first episode Josh Schwartz became one of my favorite creators on television. Now, he's come out with a new show "Gossip Girl" on The CW (as well as "Chuck" on NBC). So no matter what I thought of the promo's I had to check this show out if for nothing more than the simple fact that Josh gave me 4 seasons of fun with that other show (The O.C.).

Basically the show follows the lives of New York City's elite youth and to a small extent a couple of their parents. We see their social lives and soon, their school lives, as they unfold in massive amounts of money driven, popularity driven drama that only the rich could be involved in. It's "Cruel Intentions" five years later plus a couple likable characters. The pilot didn't offer too much in the way of quality writing or quality television even though it was somewhat enjoyable. This is definitely not an Emmy winner (at least not so far) and definitely not what you should be watching if you only want stellar creativity and writing. But as a guilty pleasure it's pretty good.

I do have to point something out, and feel free to disagree, but Blake Lively (Serena) reminds me of a young Kate Hudson. She has the blond hair and a kind face plus the smile is almost identical. Her acting was also by far the best of the entire cast. She brought some genuine emotion and struggle to her character whereas many of the other actors seemed to be trying entirely too hard and it just didn't work (a.k.a. Chuck [Ed Westwick]).

As for what this show is lacking, the main thing is a purpose. The obvious answer would be that its about the lives of our main characters and how their positions in New York City influence their behavior in addition to the mystery of who Gossip Girl is and how she gets all her information. Unfortunately this isn't enough. This is basically the background but the show needs more. With The O.C., Josh gave us Ryan who gave us the main storyline to begin the show - a gifted boy caught up in the messed up lives of his family comes to live with the warm and giving Cohens in Newport. But Gossip Girl touches upon a storyline we can grab onto with Serena coming home because her little brother tried to commit suicide yet fails to give us any more or follow through on it. Down the road I'm sure it'll be a focus but when you have a pilot you need to establish a purpose from the very beginning; this the showed failed to do. Granted the show is based off a book but Josh failed to translate a purpose to the pilot.

Now if you're a HUGE fan of this show, which many of you are already, you know that many websites already know who plays the voice of Gossip Girl (and I'm assuming will play her on the show as well when she's revealed). I will do my absolute best not to post the actresses name for those of you who want to be surprised but if you'd like to know e-mail me anytime or leave a comment asking me.

The bright spot of the show was the acting of Blake Lively (Serena) and actually Penn Bagley (Dan). Their chemistry was pretty decent and the storyline developing between them looks to be very interesting. I can see Dan being Serena's anchor in the turmoil that is her life; bringing them closer every episode. The best moment's involved the two of them on the screen together. Now Leighton Meester (Blair) was decent but she wasn't really nailing the facial expressions and seemed a bit too mechanical. She definitely has a lot of potential though. The friendship (or lack thereof) between Blair and Serena is interesting to watch. They seem to genuinely care for each other but at the same time Blair can't get over her own ego long enough to be happy for how her friend has changed her life. With the revelation about Serena and Nate I doubt things will change for a long time.

I'm not sure why Dan's Dad and Serena's Mom needed to be connected for this show to work but it was a bit of a shock actually. I really didn't see that one coming but I wonder how that will play out and how it will touch upon all their lives.

So as a guilty pleasure I give this one thumb up for now. I'll have to see how the next few episodes go before I make a final decision on this one. As always, tell me what you think.

The Real World Sydney: Mardi Gras Mayhem

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 10PM ON MTV

Honestly, the Real World producers suck! How can they show us Kelly Anne and Cohutta finally hook up last week and then give us nada this week?! We need something man; I mean give us a little controversy, a discussion, some more footage, something!!! This is a big deal and instead, we get an episode about the Gay Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney and a big, odd, and unnecessary fight about god knows what between Trisha and Cohutta. They better give us a little something next week or I'll be crazy pissed.

Anyway, as I mentioned above, Isaac, Dunbar, Parisa, and Shauvon get all dressed up in extravagant outfits and attend the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras Parade. From what they showed us it appears to be a very large parade with groups of people dressed in extravagant outfits celebrating Mardi Gras and the gay lifestyle. It actually looked like a crazy time and they all seemed to have a lot of fun. Except, Cohutta and Kelly Anne decide not to go because they just weren't into chillin with the huge crowds. Trisha also decided to stay back because (as she said over and over and over again) her Christian beliefs do not allow her to celebrate homosexuals. This is all good and well if that's her belief but she ended up talking about it non-stop for the entire episode and then on top of it started a fight with Cohutta that was completely unnecessary. It's cool that she has such a strong religious base in her life but the girl has to chill out a bit. She just kinda went a little nutty during the episode and even cried the day before when she heard a Church song being played out in the public square that she remembered from her childhood. I think we're seeing a bit of tension between the roommates and Trisha which could lead to some interesting confrontations down the road.

The fight with Cohutta and Trisha seemed to put a damper on this episode. While the Mardi Gras scenes were fun, the fact that we spent 5 minutes watching them fight just kinda ruined this one for me. It might have been a "trip to hell" for Cohutta and Kelly Anne but it was a trip to hell for me too. I understand that Trisha didn't like Cohutta pulling up her skirt as a joke but I really have no idea what she was yelling at him for. She kept rambling on about him not understanding the principal of the thing except Cohutta kept apologizing. And she was telling Cohutta that he doesn't realize when he's in the wrong even though he still kept apologizing! She wasn't making any sense.

And let me bring up one more thing. Granted Dunbar wasn't an angel to Parisa in this episode but when did the two of them start getting all buddy-buddy and sharing intimate stuff in private with each other. Just last week he was calling her an "uptight, high class, New York bitch." When did this all change? I feel like between not getting any info on Kelly Anne and Cohutta and now Dunbar acting all close with Parisa that somehow they forgot to air an episode after last week. It's nice to see him not being an ass but it really came out of nowhere. He also spent some time telling Shauvon and the others about his grandfather molesting him and all. It's some pretty messed up stuff and no one should ever have to go through that. He says he's fine and a stronger person for it but I think he still has a lot of anger issues to work through.

So it seems that we're going to get our fill of drama next week when Trisha, Parisa, and Dunbar all clash. Maybe other's do as well but we'll just have to see next Wednesday. Leave some love and let me know what you thought about this episode.

Back To You: Pilot

ORIGINAL EPISODES, WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM ON FOX

In this pilot episode, Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer make their return to television in a comedy about co-news anchors who have a past relationship. The two anchors, Chuck and Kelly, were originally co-anchors in Pittsburgh when Chuck's career took off and he left for greener pastures. Until one day when he freaked out on a co-worker on the air and was fired from his job. And so he ends up back in Pittsburgh working with Kelly again as co-news anchors on his former network news show.

The episode was basically uneven. Throughout the first half, the comedy hit peaks and valley's alternating between smart and funny to dumb and forced. I saw flashes of possibility at times and utter disappointment at others. The problem most comedies face, in my opinion, is that the writers attempt to create a hit from day one. When they do this they end up with jokes that try to force the audience to laugh rather than allowing the audience to fall into the jokes. Unfortunately, this show hit this problem early and often.

Thankfully, the second half of the episode was much better. I think this was because more of the show took place outside the newsroom. This gave Patricia and Kelsey an opportunity to show off their great comedic ability (which we know they both have) and really capture my attention. While in the newsroom I was too distracted by the less than stellar acting of Laura Marano (Gracie), Josh Gad (Ryan), and Ty Burrel (Gary). Their awful acting and significantly less than funny jokes made most of the scenes in the newsroom just terrible. If there's anywhere to improve it's here and the producers should seriously think about making a change before it's too late. The show could definitely hold its own if it was two-thirds Patricia and Kelsey outside the newsroom and one-third newsroom (with different actors and better writing).

On another note, whoever is in charge of the laugh track on this show needs to be fired. A laugh track only works when the viewers don't actually notice it, but rather, laugh along with it. When you're hitting the track so often that I can't hear the actors and I only hear weird laughing, you need to find a different job.

Some good things about the show - Patricia and Kelsey are great actors and easily give the show credibility. They are great at what they do and definitely bring life to almost-dead writing. The one good thing the writers did was to throw in the twist about Kelly's daughter. With Chuck finding out he's the father of an 8-year old (no wait, 10-year old), it added a taste of drama to the show and spiced up the storyline quite a bit. I didn't see it coming actually and that made it an excellent idea.

Overall this show deserves a couple more chances. Any show that pairs Kelsey and Patricia together deserves at least that much. Plus, Fred Willard is also a starring actor (by the way, he also starred in Everybody Loves Raymond with Patricia Heaton as Amy's father) and you have to give any show a shot if he's in it, come on now. If the second half of this show can be built upon then there is some definite potential here. Give it a shot for a couple more weeks and let me know what you think.

Fall 2007 Premiere Questions

With the new season of our favorite shows approaching I know many of you have questions about when the shows are returning. I placed a full premiere schedule in a post last week and most of the information you need should be on there. If you can't find the show you're looking for please feel free to e-mail me at TVGenie@gmail.com. Chances are there are others looking for the same info and I'll gladly post the information for you.

A few of you have been searching for the premiere date for the 9th season of Charmed. Unfortunately, Charmed was cancelled last season and so there won't be a new season.

Enjoy the rest of the blog and I look forward to hearing from you all!

Damages: Blame The Victim

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Fine, I was wrong last week when I said that the police should test the blood on Ellen and they would find out it wasn't David's thus she couldn't be the murderer. But in my defense they didn't show Ellen hugging David until this week, so I had no idea that his blood also got on her. With this admission out of the way (and my girlfriend is probably laughing because I never admit when I'm wrong), let's discuss this week's episode.

This week we learned a lot more than we did in the last episode. There was significant progress in the case and we also got some new storylines thrown in. A quick recap on what we now know: David and Ellen decided the night of his murder to break if off because she couldn't decide between her life and her job and that's when Ellen left her ring at the apartment which the police later found; Ellen chose her job over her life (which I can't believe by the way); and Mr. Moore who works for the SEC is Frobisher's inside man AND his hitman!!.

This last piece of information was HUGE!!! Obviously none of the characters have any idea but we know that Mr. Moore had been the man Frobisher has doing all the dirty work. Plus, he showed up at Gregory Malina's place in Florida the night he was with Katie. Then on top of all this we find out that Mr. Moore works for the SEC. This is how Frobisher was able to pull off the fraud; he had a man on the inside. Apparently, the government did not do a great job in its criminal case or else they would have discovered this information in all the interviews they conducted with Mr. Moore in that trial. Exactly how Frobisher and Moore pulled this off is yet to be seen but it will definitely be interesting to watch.

As for a new storyline, Ellen's parents come into the picture in a big way. Although not connected to the Frobisher case (at least so far), Ellen's father ran over a crossing guard with his car and Ellen has to help him navigate through the lawsuit so that he doesn't lose everything. However, Ellen's father is a straight shooter who can't help but own up to his mistakes. Unfortunately, this isn't how the law works and the crossing guard's attorney gets her father to admit he was distracted while driving. As we find out when Ellen is arraigned, her parent's end up settling for a sizable amount of money which prevents them from being able to post bond for her.

Overall, this episode was significantly better than last week. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and fast-paced. AND Frobisher came back, which in my opinion is a good part of what makes this show so good. His character plays an important role and the good/bad dichotomy we see in many of the characters; and when he isn't there it seems like something is missing from the show. Speaking of which, I honestly believe Patty is worse than Frobisher. Granted I wouldn't invite either of them over for the holidays but Frobisher at least hesitates when a suggestion of killing comes up or even when someone might get hurt (like when his bodyguard pushed Larry to the ground). But Patty never flinches, not once; and more than that she has no problem killing dogs, manipulating people, using force, or apparently trying to murder another person (it seems she tried to have Ellen killed). So who really is worse here? To me the answer is easy...Patty. Everything you need to know about Patty is in her response to Ellen's description of her fathers accident and the fact that he wants to tell the truth, "just blame everything on the victim."

The show is really starting to pick up some steam and it should be a great second half. I can't wait to see what's next.

Saving Grace: A Language Of Angels

SEASON 1 FINALE, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH @ 10PM ON TNT

It finally happened; the writer's realized they sucked for most of the season and decided to write a good episode. This is what I was expecting from the show all year but didn't see. It had a solid foundation with a great back story and some suspense added in. Plus we actually got to see small bit of a purpose in the show other than to watch Grace parade around screwing every guy she meets. Although I do believe even this episode needs some work. The fact that Grace was connected to the murderer (she was attacked by him 12 years earlier) was great and surprising but it felt a bit rushed. It would have been better if they had stretched the storyline to more than one episode and possibly more than one murder. That definitely would have made the anticipation and suspense that much greater. Overall though the writers and producers did a much better job with the season finale and last week's episode than they did earlier in the season.

One beef with this episode though is that they showed Holly Hunter's ass entirely too many times. Once, maybe twice, would have been enough to get the point across that she has some serious problems and is spiraling downwards; that her random sex acts with random people just need to stop. Instead, someone at this show thought it was necessary to show her ass no less than 10 times. This really wasn't necessary and demeaned the purpose of the opening scenes. It was funny that her one night stand signed his name on her ass with her lipstick and even funnier when Earl saw it.

Like Earl said, it was interesting to see Grace lecture someone else and being bad. When she lectured her nephew by handcuffing him to the table and interrogating him like a common criminal, I think she realized some things about herself as well. Although Grace never likes to follow through after her self-realizations. I think her nephew needs a mother-figure and at the same time Grace needs to be that mother-figure to keep her grounded. Eventually, this might be part of what saves her.

I was a bit surprised that the season finale didn't go into the triangle between Grace, Ham, and Butch. This is growing into a big story and should have been addressed. To an extent the Grace-Ham relationship got some time when Ham was clearly jealous and hurt that he caught Grace after she had sex with another guy. Grace was right when she called him out though; that Ham only came over for quickie before going to the crime scene and that he is married so she owes him no explanations. Ham so easily forgets that he's married and pretends like he can act as if he has a legitimate relationship with Grace. The guy needs to chill and either leave his wife or stop cheating. And if Grace ever has a chance of being saved she needs to stop having an affair with a married man.

The only cliffhanger for next season (if you can even call it that) is Gretta's discovery that the item's Earl leaves behind may actually be some sort of code or language speaking to Grace and Leon. Whether this is true and what it may say should be a big part of the second season.

Until then, enjoy the prime time shows starting up again next week and I'll post information on season 2 when it comes out.