Kelly | March 8, 2013
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Revenge

revengeI know this show is in it’s second season but I had to write a review on it. I just started watching it a few months ago and I’m hooked. I have to watch at least two episodes in one sitting. I also have my TiVo programed to record season two which is currently airing. Anyway, back to business. The show is about a woman Amanda Clarke who returns to the Hamptons to seek revenge on a number of people for ruining her life as well as her fathers. One couple in particular are Victoria and Conrad Greyson. I am half way through season one and Emily Thorne, the main character has managed to destroy about one person’s life per episode. You would want revenge to if the same had happened to you.

Madeleine Stowe; a main character is a star from the 80′s and 90′s and you should recognize her from The Last of the Mohicans and 12 Monkeys. She portrays Victoria Greyson; a wealthy and influential woman.

Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne and is the real Amanda Clarke. VanCamp is known for Brothers & Sisters and Everwood. I haven’t seen either but have heard of Brothers & Sisters. She plays Emily Thorne in such a cunning and sinister way.

Amanda Clarke was 9 years old when her father was arrested for being a terrorist. He was found guilty and sent to prison. Amanda grew up in a detention center thinking that her father was guilty. After she was released a friend of her fathers gives her a box containing items that proclaim his innocence. Several years later Amanda shows up in the Hamptons as Emily. She looks and acts completely different. In the first half of season one we find out that Emily has set herself up with a background as a wealthy young woman. She has trained in martial arts, made powerful friends and formed her plans. She begins acting out her revenge right away.

This show is worth watching. It is on Sundays at 8pm on ABC.

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Kelly | March 8, 2013
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Golden Boy

golden boyTheo James plays Walter Clark, an ambitious police officer who tells his story of how he rose to become police commissioner in just seven years. The first episode begins with Clark as the police commissioner giving an interview to a reporter on his expedited rise to commissioner. We are then brought back in time in each episode as the story unfolds.

I didn’t recognize James from any other TV shows or movies so I looked him up. The only one that jumped out at me was in Underworld: Awakening. He plays the part of young, arrogant and ambitious well.

Chi McBride plays Don Owen who is Clark’s partner in Homicide. Owen is a veteran detective of 11 years and trying to teach Clark the ropes. I recognized McBride from Gone in 60 Seconds and Boston Public. He has been in many other shows and movies.

I think this show will stick around for a few seasons. It’s set up that Clark is pretty green and needs to learn a lot from Owen. Besides the jump from beat cop to Homicide we aren’t given any other details on how or why Clark moves up the chain so fast. I’m going to stick with this show for a bit and see how long it takes to unfold. I’m not sold that it’s a great show yet or that it’s anything different from the “cop show” we are all used to. I’ll give it the old “wait and see” for a few more episodes.

After just two episodes the show has found a home on Friday nights at 9pm on CBS.

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Kelly | February 23, 2013
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The Following

followingThis exciting new drama on Fox follows Bones on Monday nights. I won’t lie. I was drawn in by Kevin Bacon at first. I can’t remember the last movie or TV show I saw him in but I’ll always try out a new show of his.

This show is enticing and drew me in right away. Kevin Bacon plays Ryan Hardy a washed up FBI agent who was responsible for catching a serial killer Joe Carroll played by James Purefoy. Hardy blames himself for not catching Carroll sooner and preventing several deaths. He was also hurt in the process and now needs a pacemaker.

The show starts off with Hardy being drawn back to the FBI after Carroll escapes from prison. There are several flashbacks in each episode the provide background on how Hardy apprehended Carroll, the relationships that formed and how “the following” began.

Supporting characters include Mike Weston, and FBI agent played by Shawn Ashmore who idolizes Hardy and the serial killer case. Ashmore is well known for his roll in several X-Men movies. Claire Matthews, Carroll’s wife played by Natalie Zea is known for several small roles on TV but I recognized her from Justified on FX. She is my favorite character on this show portraying a strong female role.

As usual, I won’t give away any specifics but this show is unfolding to be great suspenseful drama. It’s interesting to see the next “follower” to be revealed. Don’t even think you have this show pegged and try to guess that Hardy will chase Carroll all over the U.S. I will reveal that Carroll is caught very shortly after his escape. The real show lies in how Carroll’s followers will express themselves and what they will do next to try and make their idol happy.

The show already has fourteen episodes that will air. I’m hoping that there will be more. I predict another season in this shows future.

Monday nights at 9pm on Fox

 

 

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Kelly | July 23, 2012
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Newsroom 2012

I have to preface this entry with telling those of you who don’t know me that I’m not a political person at all. Don’t get me wrong. I vote! I not only vote in every presidential election I also vote for everything that takes place in my town. I believe that every vote counts and you can’t complain about our country or town unless you voted and thereby entered your opinion. With that said, I don’t follow current events, especially politics very well. It’s just not something I have a mind for.

This new show on HBO is well written by Aaron Sorkin about a news anchor Will McAvoy played by Jeff Daniels. Will has become complacent in his job of reporting the news and wants to shake things up after the opening scene in episode one. He is asked “Why America is the greatest country in the world?”. I just saw a link on my Facebook page to “The most honest three and a half minutes of TV”.Even if you don’t plan on watching this show, Google this scene. It’s worth the three and a half minutes.

This show begins based on events in 2010 and moves right along to things that you will recognize. The interesting twist is that Macenzie MacHale played by Emily Mortimer is brought in by Will’s boss played by Sam Waterston. Macenzie “Mac” and Will used to date! Let the drama begin. That is not all of the office drama either. There is a newsroom love triangle between characters Jim, Maggie and Don. I know you will be Team Jim after your first few episodes.

HBO has done it again with another hit. Don’t miss this show which airs on Sundays at 10pm.

 

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Kelly | July 23, 2012
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Friends with Benefits 2011

I am such a sucker for a romantic comedy. Aren’t you?

I know why there were rumors that JT and Mila were dating after I watched this movie. What chemistry! I didn’t expect Justin Timberlake to be a good actor. I’ve seen him on Jimmy Fallon several times as well as listened to his music before and he is a good performer. Who doesn’t love a little Sexy Back?!

Anyway, like I said Justin and Mila have excellent chemistry. Mila is a head hunter and ends up pitching how great NYC is. When (Justin) Dylan moves from California he ends up hanging out with (Mila) Jamie. You can see their chemistry from the start. The storyline comes when neither want to get into a relationship and decide that they are going to sleep together but not date. Hilarity ensues when there is no filter or romance associated such as Dylan likes to wear his stocks when he “gets it on” because his feet get cold. Of course this can’t last. I won’t ruin the best parts but I literally laughed out loud. There are so many things that you think while starting a relationship but would never actually say. They cut through the polite chit chat and get down to business. Literally.

A few other things to note. Woody Harrelson plays Dylan’s gay coworker and was a “character”. Sean White the snowboarder makes an appearance and I’m still not sure how to take it. Also, Jenna Elfman plays Dylan’s sister and not at all quirky which must have been weird for her.

I loved this movie and it has earned a spot in my movie cabinet as part of my permanent collection. If you like a good Rom/Com this is a must see.

 

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Kelly | July 23, 2012
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The Finder 2011

I will start this entry by telling you that this show was cancelled. I can understand why and I will point out what I saw as the pros and cons.

I started watching this show because it was a spin off from Bones. I love Bones! I saw the episode where Walter Sherman played by Geoff Stults helps Brennan and Booth locate a particular item pertinent to their case. The Walter character was odd but he was neat. He was a “finder” of things and people. He chose to find what he was asked but after that he was obsessed with it. One of the most intersting episodes was when a young man asked Walter to find his father who had disappeared two years earlier. He was last seen flying a plane over Florida in a storm.

What I found odd was that in the first several episodes they would show Walter thinking or zoning out and we would see a cartoon like dream land that was very strange.The dynamic of the characters was also strange and mismatched. Walter lived and ran a bar called “The Ends of the Earth” (I think). It seemed to be owned by Leo played by Michael Clarke Duncan. You remember him from The Green Mile. He had a back story of being a high powered attorney who’s family was killed by tainted food. Another strange twist. Leo took responsibility for a youth named Willa played by Maddie Hasson. She was a gypsy who was brought up a criminal and constantly battling with herself over returning to her family or going straight. Her character didn’t seem to fit although she brought the technology piece to the group which didn’t seem to know how to use a computer. Don’t let me forget about Walter’s girlfriend Isabel played by Mercedes Masohn. She was a US Marshal with big dreams of becoming the US Attorney but secretly loved Walter. Another going nowhere character. It was only a matter of time before she as written out.

The reruns are still on. Fox I think. Let me know what you thought of the show.

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Kelly | June 19, 2012
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The Client List 2012

Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as Riley Parks on the Lifetime Network as a woman who was recently left by her husband with two children, no money, no job and a ton of bills. She runs into an old friend Selena played by Alicia Lagano who drives a corvette and makes it seem so easy. Selena refers her to a massage parlor an hour away called “The Rub”. Riley immediately lands the job upon being referred by Selena but soon finds out that this parlor offers “extras”. Oh yes, you read that correctly. There are happy endings involved for whomever is on “The Client List”.

I decided to give this show a try because it looked like it might catch my interest. I have found Hewitt to be ridiculous in the past as “The Horse Whisperer” or whatever the show was called. I couldn’t stand to even watch a complete episode of that show. I have watched the entire first season of this show but still find several things about Hewitt to be quite hilarious. She wears false lashes ALL the time. Her make up is flawless even when she wakes up. But I kept watching because I knew something was up with the brother in law Evan played by Colin Egglesfield. You might recognize him from Rizzoli and Isles. He plays Angie Harmon/Jane Rizzoli’s little jail bird brother.

As soon as Kyle played by Brian Hallisay takes off in the first episode Evan comes to the rescue and has puppy dog eyes for Riley. Then, Riley starts the hooker job and I just couldn’t wait to see which family member would find out about the job first or if she and Evan would kiss. Well, I had to wait until the second to last episode for Riley and Evan to kiss which was about the twelfth episode and an entire year passed in their reality. Weird because I had no other time reference. But the husband Kyle also came back in that very same episode. I won’t ruin the rest but it got good and I will probably check out next season. It looks like it got picked up for another season in 2013.

A few things to mention though. First off that this show takes place in suburban Texas and I think most accents are cute but there were a few people that bothered me to the point that I wanted to hit them. Selena’s accent was unbearable. I hope it isn’t real, that’s how bad it is. Second, Cybil Shepard made a come back! She plays Riley’s Mom or Memaw (I’m not sure I spelled that correctly) which is southern for Grandmother. It reminds me of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. She is hairdresser at a salon in town called “Curl Up and Dry”. Love it!! That one got me every time.

It’s worth checking out to see if it suits you. I’m sure you can catch re-runs on Lifetime this summer.

Category: TV | Tags: , , ,
Kelly | May 13, 2012
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Scandal 2012

When I first saw the preview for this show I had two thoughts; I love fast paced lawyer type shows, I hate political type shows. Of course I gave it a shot. I love it! It may have something to do with the fact that the main character Olivia Pope played by Kerry Washington is a smart, powerful, no nonsense type of woman. It may also have something to do with the fact that most people think there is always a cover up going on especially at the White House. Think scandal and White House in the same sentence and I’m sure Monica and Bill come to mind. This show isn’t all about the White House though.

Olivia has an office, not a law firm. She says they diffuse situations. Her office is full of misfits that she has rescued and now work with her. They are all fast talking, get the job done, anything for Olivia types. The cast isn’t very well known. I recognized Henry Ian Cusik who plays Stephen Finch from Lost. I also knew Tony Goldwyn who plays President Grant. He always plays a bad guy who is such an untrustworthy slimy person. So, he is a good actor.

The show starts out with Olivia and her team handling situations for famous people. For example, a decorated solder was accused of killing his girlfriend. Olivia and her team amazingly find out that he didn’t do it but end up uncovering that the soldier is gay. It is the last thing that he wants to admit. This show constantly puts people between a rock and a hard place.

The show gets interesting when you find out that Olivia used to work for the President. She is the “go to” woman if they need anything. I won’t spoil anything but there are several twists when a scandal arises at the White House. This show is a “must add” to the DVR and another hit for Shonda Rhimes.

Scandal is on Thursdays at 10pm on ABC.

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Kelly | May 13, 2012
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Awake 2012

I love the premise to this show. It is very original. I’ve seen the first few episodes so far and its a heart wrenching story and very interesting. The main character Britton played by Jason Isaacs is a detective and the story line flips back a forth between his two psychologists. The pilot starts out with The Britton family mid car crash rolling down a hill in their vehicle. The reason for the two psychologists is that Britton has two realities, one where his son has died and the other where his wife has died. The amazing part is that he can’t tell which one is real, and neither can we. I’m trying my darnedest too. I consider myself a pretty good detective when watching movies and shows to find the clues and catch the bad guy. The only thing we know is that Britton’s captain had something to do with the crash because he was getting to close to finding something.

It is a very emotional show because the family is dealing with a loss. At the same time Britton goes to work everyday and solves crimes. Those crimes link between his two realities and help him solve the cases. They are slightly different but seem to help him catch the bad guys.

Have you seen the show? Have there been any indications of which reality is the real one and which is the dream? I would think he would be exhausted since he’s supposed to be sleeping at some point and he’s always awake. I’ve had a thought that maybe Britton is actually in a coma and both worlds are dreams. The psychologists crack me up on this point. They both try to prove that they are the reality and the other psychologist is a manifestation of Britton’s psyche.

The show is on Thursdays at 10pm on NBC.

 

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Kelly | April 7, 2012
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Steve Jobs

First off, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book this long in my life. I got out of reading Grapes of Wrath and The Odyssey in high school but I actually chose to read this book. I had heard about Jobs over the years and then most recently when he passed from cancer. I’m a big supporter of the American Cancer Society so between this an his eccentric reputation he got my attention. I also love Apple products, I just wish I could afford more than just an iPod. So I picked up my Kindle and downloaded the sample. Then, I bought it.

The book is by Walter Isaacson. He is a wonderful writer. I enjoyed his perspective and how he came to write this book. He puts it out there pretty early that he wasn’t that interested in writing the book but after Jobs and his wife confirmed the rumors that Steve had cancer and not much longer to live Isaacson agreed. He agreed to write without holding anything back and Job’s wasn’t allowed to read anything before the book was published.

Isaacson establishes right off the bat that Job’s was extremely bright and easily bored. I wasn’t to interested in much of his early life especially because everyone interviewed seemed to have the same opinion that was burned into my skull; Job’s was a hot head and a jerk most of the time. The parts of the book I found most interesting were about Apple, Pixar and the music industry. He didn’t appear to be the most technical person as far as building the products but he could market the hell out of them and get people to do things that most thought would be impossible. He revolutionized the online music business with iTunes.

This book is worth its weight to read especially if you are interested in the products and companies. Pick it or click it, either way it’s a good read.

Buy the book

American Cancer Society

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