57 Channels and Only This Is On - 1/27/12

Once Upon a Time: I do not understand why Belle does not remember who Mr. Gold is, I thought if they cross the city line they only forget the fairytale land but still remember Storybrooke. I guess I should not assume that the writers of Lost would remember their own rules. Also, no one cares about Dr. Frankenstein.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Shameless: It looks like we are going to get a power struggle within the Gallagher family as Fiona tries to do things the right way while Lip continues to do it the way the family always has, stealing and scamming. Being that this is Shameless, I have a feeling Lip’s way will win out because I really doubt that Fiona will continue at a loss just to try to dig her way out of her situation. When Frank came back from Mexico I wondered where he landed because he already got kicked out of Sheila’s, his family would not take him back, and the last person he cohabitated with died. Apparently it is back to Shelia’s house, but I still do not see that lasting long.

How I Met Your Mother: Wait, Barney’s half sister is Hanna from Pretty Little Liars? Was this common knowledge? I vaguely remember Barney learning his dad was John Lithgow but I do not remember ever meeting his sister. And how did Lithgow possibly produce someone who looks like Hanna? But I have to admit, I kind of would like Hanna to be the mother.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

Bunheads: I do not really care about what happened this week because all I can remember is the promo for next week featuring roller derby. Awesome.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Bunheads on iTunes.

Castle: Hasn’t the show already done a Girls Gone Wild episode? Or is it just every other crime show has done one and it just seems like everyone has done one at this point?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Allison was extremely busy on her last day (assuming that Aria was hallucinating and really is dead). She had a sleepover with the Liars, met with that dude who is now dead, had a run in with Jenna and Garrett, blackmailed Mr. Montgomery, and now Melissa is the last person to see her alive. At least until Melissa saw Allison with someone else. I am sure at some point we will learn she had a run-in with Ezra who was not even living there at the time before meeting her demise.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

The Lying Game: I feel a little cheated we did not get a full tennis match between Emma and Sutton, that could have been the whole episode and I would have been fine with it. On the bright side, no more Thayer, he overstayed his welcome a long time ago.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Justified: So it turns out Robert Quarrels’ Detroit boss has been taking some trips down to Dixie because his name interestingly came up during the interrogation scene this week. One thing that is not interesting is the whole snake preacher storyline. I am ready for the to end anytime now.
You can download Justified on iTunes.

Parenthood: Those Braverman’s are really a fertile bunch (except for Julia of course). That makes nine grandkids for Zeke (not even including Drew’s mistake). That makes three pregnancies and an adoption in four seasons. I would project Sarah gets knocked up next season, except she picked the dude who went to Minnesota (seriously, who goes from California to Minnesota, the Lakers made the right transition). Maybe Amber is up next.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Nashville: I really liked seeing Rayna and Juliette going at each other on tour these last couple episode, but it is only get better throwing Deacon in the mix… in Juliette’s band. The only way it could get better if they hired both Avery and whatever they are calling Scarlett’s new band as opening acts.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

Last Resort: I guess you really cannot say the ending was rushed because it obviously was as they had to cram an entire series into the last couple episodes. But I am still a bit disappointed we never learned of the conspiracy as to why the president did what he did. Was he just an evil Neo-Con? But it is clear that the that the show would have benefitted had it just been a six episode or so miniseries because it started out strong and came on at the end when they realized it would be canceled, but really dragged in-between.
You can stream recent episodes on Last Resort on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 1/20/13

Once Upon a Time: Just how long was Prince Phillip hanging out with Mulan because I wonder if Sleeping Beauty has something to worry about. Seems like that relationship has being going on for much longer than they let on.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: How did I not see Rebecca Logan being evil ahead of time? Dilly me, let my guard down on that one. Poor Nolan, no matter which team he bats for, he gets beamed with the baseball. But it was pretty obvious that Emily and Aiden set up that kidnapping to get in the Initiative’s good graces.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

Castle: Of course the rapper brought his lighting guy to the precinct.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Deception: Are we really to believe a ruthless businessman who would go to great lengths to keep his secret, even have a gardener beat up a relative to keep her quiet, would have such an easy to guess password. And this happens all the time on these types of shows. At least have some computer nerd give them some cracking program. I would even find it even more believable if they kept their password taped to the bottom of their stapler.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Deception on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: I was a bit weary with the newly semi-rehabilitated (but probably not) Mona last week, but I am fully on board and now Mona is my second favorite character after Hanna. Mona is just playing these girls like a fiddle and I love every minute of it because she is plying chess while the Liars are playing checkers. But I am not liking Byron’s evil heel turn. The only way it could get cheesier and more cliché is if Byron hits Aria over the head with a steel chair and then rips off his shirt to reveal a “The A-Team” t-shirt underneath.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Justified: When the matriarch of the Truth clan stepped out of her house I thought, oh no they are going to recreate the Bennett clan. The actress was even played by someone everyone would recognize but has no clue what her name is. By the time the Marshal’s left, I was kind of sad that it may be the only time we will see the molestation fearing Truth family again. Although I am sure they will find a way to reincorporate them until Raylan has to put one of them down. Even Winn managed to find his way back to Harlen, unfortunately not with the armless Robert Quarrels (who I am officially presuming as dead now but I will hold on to a sliver of hope that he shows up in my proposed Harlen County Prison spin-off) in tow because Winn’s reactions to his craziness was always a highlight of last season.
You can download Justified on iTunes.

Parenthood: So if they put in a “healthy” vending machine, where did the students get all those Skittles to shower Max with? I guess the convenient stores are still getting a big share of the allowance money.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Modern Family: Note to the promo monkeys, do not say the show will end with a surprise you will not see coming followed by a baby crying considering Gloria has looked like she was ten months pregnant all season. It would had only been a surprise if Haley was one of those idiots from I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant and gave birth instead and it turned out Gloria was just bloated. Either that or Al Bundy had yet another season that was just a dream wher he thought his wife was pregnant.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.

Subugatory: They really need to get Tessa hopped up on drugs more often. As Claire Danes showed us (notice the great Homeland reference?), crazy is extreme entertaining.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Suburgatory on iTunes.

Nashville: I feel cheated that they did not force the tour with Rayna and Juilette earlier because the show is much more entertaining when they go toe to toe in a game of one-upmanship. Although I am not sure the tour will last long because I have a feeling Vegas would have the number of shows at 5. It will probably be as productive as the famous Metallica / Guns n Roses joint tour back in the early ninties.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

Last Resort: Holy frack! Winston Zedmore shot himself on live television. Or as close to live television as C-Span gets. But that is one way to drive up the ratings.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Last Resort on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 11/18/12

Once Upon a Time: Is this the first time seeing the King in Storybrooke? I remember not seeing and thinking he must had died in the fairytale world.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: So this was Emily’s grand plan for Mason Treadwell: set him up to make it look like he set up Conrad Grayson so he would be convicted for a crime he did not commit (much like her father) and he will admit to it if she promised to come clean after her master plan has been executed where she will then admit to the killing of the white haired man and give him the exclusive story. What? Unless she plans for Mason to also die in prison much like her father. But would it not have been much easier, even if it were less poetic) to just let Amanda bash his skull in?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: With the new season, they have really up its, Did That Really Just Happened moments be it impromptu leg amputations with an ax, or c-section deliveries with no medication. But they may have out done themselves this episode with the Governor brushing his zombiefied daughter’s hair, the zombie Thunderdome, and the zombie who apparently ate Lori whole. It will take a while for me to decide which scene grossed me out the most.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Homeland: Oh snap! The warden totally called out Saul for his beard! But I was extremely disappointed that Saul (and the guards) let Eileen alone. As soon as Saul left the room, I screamed at the screen, “Do not leave her alone with the wine bottle!” Sure I was wrong with the suicide method as it looked like she somehow killed herself with Saul’s glasses (because who does not walk around with an extra pair of reading glasses that make anyone see well?), but the sediment remained. And that was not the only false ending for the episode, just when you think Dana and Brody were going to report the hit and run, Carrie stops them at the last minute. Ugg. I do have a feeling Dana will be calling a press conference sometime in the next episode just to screw everything up. One last thing, Estes is the worst baby sitter ever. He lets Brody talk along in the sables with the party host and then sneak off to meet Carrie.

The Voice: I have joked a couple times this season that the producers read my post 10 ways to Fix The Voice, but after this week I am now convinced that they did. Previously they have implemented my suggestions to breeze through some Battle Round performances by montage, expand the Live Rounds (there will be eight performance episodes up from six last season and four the inaugural season), more Blind Auditions, they initiated The Steal, banned Adele (only one song this season, now they need to ban Katy Perry for next season), and got rid of the Product Placement I Refuse to Acknowledge (unless they pay me) Lounge (granted it got replaced by the Product Placement I Refuse to Acknowledge Skybox). They have even cut down on the annoying crowd screaming a little bit (though not completely). That is seven, and this week they added an eighth suggestion I made.

Cason Daly announced yet another new rule, that any artist who reaches the top 10 on the iTunes charts will have those votes multiplied by ten. Of course anyone who reaches the top 10 (which no one has done this season) probably is not in trouble of being voted out anyway, but I like the new wrinkle. iTunes success is a better indicator of future success but it accounts for the least amount of votes because people may make ten phone calls and vote ten times over the internet (or more with phony e-mail accounts) But no one, expect maybe family members, are buying ten sons on iTunes. The Top 10 may have been to altruistic and may should had gone with Top 25 instead. Apparently they quickly realize that the new rule did not do much (only two songs cracked the top 50 and not even close to the top 10) because the very next day they announced all music bought on iTunes this year will count for the finalist. Here is the Power Rankings for the top 10 and some thoughts on their performances:

The Voice Top 10 Power Rankings

1. Cassadee Pope – Cassadee has been number two a couple times on my Power Rankings and finally found herself this week with her best performance since her Blind Audition. Though after five straight pop-rock songs I would like to see her get out of her comfort zone next week even if it is taking a song from another genre and making it pop-rock.

2. Nicholas David – It is about time someone on one of these karaoke shows gave Huey Lewis & The News his proper due. I really liked when Nicholas went back into his Barry White voice halfway through the performance.

3. Trevin Hunte – Someone pointed out to me that this was the second week doing a Michael Bolton song (sure When a Man Loves a Woman is really a Percy Sledge that Bolton covered) and he loses some points for that. Plus this make have been his weakest performance. Much like Cassadee, Trevin needs to branch out and soon.

4. Amanda Brown – Amanda went bold last week and knocked it out of the park, she went big again this week, but did not quite reach the same heights.

5. Terry McDermott – I could not help but think back to Amanda last week who also closed the show with a seventies stadium anthem, but where Amanda nailed the notes at the end, Terry noticeably could not hit the signature high notes in More than a Feeling where Brad Delp original seemed to go higher and higher.

6. Cody Belew – Last week I thought he did a very Elvis Presley performance of One More Try and did a very Elvis performance of The Best this week. Maybe he should just do an Elvis song next week.

7. Sylvia Yacoub – Every time Sylvia showed up during the earlier rounds I thought, she is still on the show? Then she gave the most surprising performance last week, sitting down at the piano. She was back to she is still on the show status after a wobblely performance. Maybe she should had stayed behind the piano instead of having a creepy dude in a white suit on a creepy white piano instead.

8. Bryan Keith – He took a great song full of pathos and self loathing and turned it into a lounge act. Color me unimpressed.

9. Dez Duron – Again, Dez has impeccable taste in music, but his voice is just so boring and bland. He may have made the finals with the old rules, but I am not sure he even makes the top eight under the new system. He definitely should not.

10. Melanie Martinez – Oh Melanie, cool song choice, but I think this will be your last week on the show unless Christina’s final two contestants are eliminated in on swell swoop.

The results show was fairly uninteresting (Cee-Lo’s disco party notwithstanding). Adriana Louise (I wonder if she gets to come back for a Team Christina performance or if she is out of luck because they did not perform this week) and Michaela Paige were clearly on the bottom of the pile. Next week will be about as suspenseful as two by two every twenty minutes someone is saved before Cody and Sylvia get the ax. Maybe they should go back to having the teams battling themselves to be a finalist; those eliminations were much more suspenseful.


You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice by clicking on the artist’s name.

How I Met Your Mother: Did we really spend a whole month having all the main characters break up with their significant others? Yeah, the show has officially run out of ideas.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

Castle: As everyone is moving onto the new found footage craze, the show went back to the ol’ early ’00 documentary footage route. And it was probably for the best.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Go On: Can they please add the hot station mascot to the cast please? Maybe her dad can die and join the support group for more airtime.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Go On on iTunes.

Parenthood: Why is grief the biggest aphrodisiac in Hollywood? It seems like whenever a guy on television show or movie has a lost in his life, the closest female to him is willing to have sex with him the cheer the dude up. Seriously, Drew is talking about his aunt that has cancer which makes his ex-girlfriend, with a college boyfriend, rip off all his clothes. Does this actually happen in real life because I have had a lot of loss and hardship in my life and not once has any chick had sex with me to console me.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: There are so many moving pieces on the chess board this season I have no clue where this season is going. Actually I am not entirely sure if I understand what is actually going on right now. So many deals on the table, double and triple crosses it is hard to keep track.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: When the votes were revealed to be tied 4-4 I knew that Penner would be going home because I figured that Skupin and Blair would vote together. So I was shocked to see Artis go home and even more shocked that it was Skupin that flipped his vote. I thought if only one flipped it would be Blair after being berated by Abi at Tribal. I was also surprised that Malcolm did not play his Idol. You can only bluff once and why hang onto it when everyone know you have it, an you alliance needs the numbers. Either play it for yourself so you do not get blindsided or give it to Penner just in case Skupin did not flip. At any rate, I cannot wait to see Hurricane Abi next week. Between her and Camilla from The Challenge, it is clear these reality shows need to recruit more Brazilian woman to these competition shows.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: Watching Hunger Games I have to wonder why Survivor ever stopped their gross food challenges. Quality entertainment. But you have to feel bad for CJ, dude somehow managed to beat the behemoth Zach at the physical challenge three out of five times but still went home. And fewer things are more entertaining than a crazy person acting all crazy while shouting, “I not going to make to look like a (expletive deleted) crazy person.”
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

Last Resort: I do not understand, if someone stole Marcus’s key, why even dock the submarine. Search everyone before coming up for air. And just how many crew members have to be captured before they realize they should travel the island in pairs, or even groups?
You can stream recent episodes on Last Resort on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: I was expecting that the number 43 to not live up to expectation that I was kind of hoping they would leave it unexplained. Yet they managed to come up with two extremely funny ideas, the fake Sheldon looking for life in other dimentions, and the real Sheldon trying to break his own hackeysack record.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Grimm: Even though I hate when episodes, especially episodes before a long break, end with “…To Be Continued” but I did have to laugh the show had a sense of humor enough to add “Sorry” to it.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Grimm on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 11/11/12

Once Upon a Time: So the due from the start of the season turned out to be Henry’s dad. I figured it was either that or he was going to turn out to be Mr. Gold’s son. But did they really have to wait until the sixth episode to show the guy again? I completely forgot he existed until he popped up on the “previously on” segment. And why exactly are Henry and Sleeping Beauty having shared dreams. I guess we will have to wait until episode twelve (at the earliest) for that answer.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: So just what is The Initiative up to now? Although I would rather know at this point why exactly they downed that aircraft first. And what exactly is Emily’s end game for Mason Treadwell because he basically has already figured out who she is. Is she going to use him as a pawn or is he going to end up with the White Haired Man?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: Just when you thought the election would cause the most joy this week (at least for the socialists), the show had to go and kill off Lori. And they had to do it very graphically as her baby was cut right out of her as she was left to bleed to death until her son ended her suffering. Ouch. It was about as close as a zombie baby eat its way out as all the fanboys wanted as you could get. I love how the show this season has said, forget plot, forget character growth, let’s just gross everyone out. Oh yeah, T-Dawg died too.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Homeland: I finally caught up on this season and at the end of last season I thought the show would have been better if Brody either blew himself up or got caught and now that Brody is now a triple agent I am beginning to think I was right. And even though the genesis was a great, Oh Crap moment, I do not really care about the whole privileged boy kills a nobody with Dana being caught in a moral dilemma storyline. But the show continues to keep you on your toes like when the Arab Swat Team (including the nameless dude working with Roya) came in and killed everyone. And that was a big box,

The Voice: Oh America, how could you have gotten things so wrong, but oh so right. Let’s start from least to most surprising (which not so surprisingly is how they were revealed this week). It was pretty obvious that the three that would move on from Team Adam would be Amanda (who gave not only the best performance of the week, but of the whole season), Bryan, and Melanie; even though I thought Melanie would get the America’s vote with Adam saving Bryan. It is nice to see America was not fooled by Melane’s façade and she may not be around much longer (though I bet all of Christina’s team will be gone first).

The America’s Vote for Blake’s Team was obvious wit Cassadee and Terry breezing through. It was mildly surprisingly that Blake went with Michaela over the country girl Liz Davis and the Lou Diamond Philips endorsed Julio Cesar Castillo even though Michaela did have the slightly better performance of the three this week. Which begs the question, what happened to the Last Chance performances? I quite enjoyed those.

Now on to the more shocking results. It was not all that surprising that Sylvia got through by America because she had the standout performance with her piano enhanced version of a Katy Perry song (though I wonder just how much she was playing because I could still her the piano being played when she lifted her hand off the instrument, and could she have picked a song that was not already preformed this season; actually everyone just needs to stop singing Katy Perry on the show period). But I was severely disappointed that America also chose Dez over the much more entertaining De'Borah or one of the hot chicks. Seriously, why is it that the horrible cute boys always get through but never the mediocre hot chicks? And just when you think Christina was going to correct America’s wrong by sending De’Borah through, she picks one of the hot chicks. She did not even pick the better hot chick either. Carson crowed that everyone contestant this week charted on iTunes, but Adriana barely cracked the top 200 on the Pop charts while Devyn was in the top 100. (Laughable, as all twenty of The Voice contestants charted on iTunes, only one from The X-Factor charted on the Top 200.)

Now for the most shocking result of the week, I figured Dez being picked by America was a harbinger that the even less talented but cuter MacKenzie Bourg would also be pushed through by the annoying teen girl faction. Adam even laughably called MacKenzie an “American Idol” after his performance, a not so suitably dig the other show’s penchant for crowning mediocre cute boys who play guitar. Thankfully America ended up picking the best two singers in Trevin and the great but awesomely strange looking Nickolas while Cee-Lo made a rare good decision (granted his Live Show decisions do tend to be much better than his Battle Round decisions in saving Cody. De’Borah may have gone home too soon, but at least we will still have at least one more week of little Bam Bam.

Next week is when the real playoffs begin because for the first time anyone from any team can go home, not just one or two from each team. Ever since the announcement I assumed Team Christina would be the first three out (which makes me wonder if Christina is just a horrible judge of talent or if she sabotaged her team so they would be the first out so she could focus on promoting her new album out this week). Adriana is most; likely first out the door followed by either Dez, unless the teen girls rise up after the loss of MacKenzie, or Sylvia, unless she can pull another performance out like this week. But I have a feeling Christina’s three, along with Michaela, will be the first four out. At any rate, here is my personal Power Rankings of the Top 12:

Top 12 Power Rankings

1. Amanda Brown
2. Nicholas David
3. Trevin Hunte
4. Cassadee Pope
5. Cody Belew
6. Terry McDermott
7. Sylvia Yacoub
8. Michaela Paige
9. Brian Keith
10. Adriana Louise
11. Melanie Martinez
12. Dez Duron

One last thing: did they really air a Tweet from disgraced Senator David Vitter? You know, the family values candidate who got caught paying for prostitutes; and still managed to get reelected after the scandal. And people wonder why everyone hates Congress so much; stupid people in stupid states keep on reelecting stupid people like Vitter. When will people learn we need to vote out all the bums, even if they have your favorite letter next to their name.


You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.

Castle: I was a bit disappointed that during a heavy sci-fi episode they did not bring in more stunt casting other than Principal Snyder. But it was still pretty funny and entertaining at any rate.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: Probst loves talking in hyperbole, but I have to agree that this was one of the biggest mess of a tribal council ever. Occasionally you may have one person lay all the cards on the table as a last gasp, or out of spite at Tribal Council, but this is the first time when almost everyone laid out all their cards. Of course Malcolm pretty much had to confess to having the Idol and he was using it (which he wisely did not), but I was flabbergasted when Probst sarcastically asked if anyone wanted to show theirs only for Abi to comply. Then you had you had two people openly lobbing for voted laying out their plans. And of course Tribal was capped off by a bizarre vote because for some reason Penner voted for Abi instead of Pete like the rest of his alliance. I do not know if he thought the other alliance was voting for Malcolm and Abi would give Pete her Idol and his brilliant vote would end up being the only one that counted or he did it out of spite for his alliance turning on him last week. At any rate, a great episode. I have said it before and I will say it again, Survivor needs to cast many more morons. But the biggest loser of all was Jeff Kent who wanted so bad to make sure he made it further than Penner he made a horrible decision last week and still ended up leaving before Penner. This is why he went on Survivor after baseball instead of becoming a manager.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

Modern Family: Did no one else notice the awesomely creepy painting of Hayley and Dylan hanging in her dormroom wall?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.

Subugatory: The show is the funniest on television but the one misstep it takes is the crappy title sequence. Well at least I now that the title is the fault of Tessa’s mother.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Suburgatory on iTunes.

Nashville: Is it wrong that I was really enjoyed when Juliet got slapped?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: As much a I enjoyed watching San Diego imploding, Brooklyn made a serious tactical error by picking the behemoth on the team to go in. Sure you would think he would not do well in a mental challenge, but that challenge is really only a mental challenge for the female and for the guy it is more about strength and endurance, the behemoth’s strong points. If Brooklyn wanted to send someone home from San Diego home, they should have chosen Frank (who was wise not to volunteer) who I do not think could have made it to the bottom of the tank.
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

Last Resort: There are fewer things I have more than dream sequences and hallucinations are just dream sequences when you are awake.
You can stream recent episodes on Last Resort on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 10/7/12

Once Upon a Time: Of course “The writers of Lost” had to start off season two with a non sequitur. But I could have sworn we learned just who Desmond was by the end of the episode. We will have to wait at least a week to figure out just who the dude from Terriers is. I originally thought he was Henry’s father but after the whole sequence I am just assuming he is another Pinocchio type fairy tale character who somehow found his way to the real world. In another Lostian bit of storytelling, even though everyone remembers everyone else, somehow no one knows who Dr. Whale is. I did pick up on the big twist early, as soon as Philip said they had bigger problems than Maleficent, I knew they were still in storybook land. And I am sure I am not the only one who wondered why Sleeping Beauty did not even try kissing Philip in hopes of regaining his soul. Seriously, that is how he just woke you up from a year’s slumber.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: In the least shocking reveal ever, Victoria did not die in the plane crash. What was surprising is that she is working the white haired dude (though I did not really buy her story that the FBI had her hiding away, how did they know to get her off the plane?). I actually assumed that was her plane at the beginning of the episode but with the “three months earlier” I am not sure. Does this mean there will be another plane crash around Labor Day? I am just glad they did not tease someone’s death like they did thing the first season premiere so they will not be tempted again to go, surprise Daniel is not dead after all! again.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

Homeland: Even though it was the best show on television last year, I was a bit wary about it going into the second season. How do you credibly get Carrie back on the show? Where does Brody go after trying, and failing to kill the vice president? After one episode I am still a little wary, but the first episode back was still highly entertaining especially the few glimpses of Crazy Carrie (yeah, just give Claire Danes the 2013 Emmy now; she already has it locked up after an episode) coming out like the smile on her face after kicking that dude in the groin. She seemed to like it a bit too much. But as David Estes stated very clearly, this is not her getting her job back (I do have a feeling by the end of the season Carrie will have a job but Estes will not, which we may have Brody and his safe cracking skills to thank for). I still am not sure where Brody goes from here. Apparently he is straddling the line between American and Nasir’s puppet. But I think what is clear; Dana is poised for a breakout season this year. I have the over / under for when she converts to Islam at four episodes.

The Voice: I found the Tuesday show more interesting because you can go ahead and pencil anyone they showcased into the Live Rounds. It was not surprising that they shows four chair turners like Cassadee Pope, Brian Keith, Adriana Louise, and Trevin Hunte (well he should have turned around all four chairs). There was also Melanie Martinez who probably gave the most interesting but some of the other inclusions were a bit surprising. I figured if they were going to show a token country singer on Team Blake they would have went with Liz Davis over Gracia Harrison. It very surprising they went with the Harry Potter meets Justin Beiber MacKenzie Bourg over Cee-Lo’s lone four chair win Avery Wilson. But the one that made me scratch my head the most was the inclusion season two castoff Dez Duron who prior to the special I doubt would make it out of the Battle Round let alone make it to the Live Shows (although the promo showed that Dez would be battling Montage Contestant Paulina; on the other hand Montage Contestant Ashley De La Rosa beat bland heartthrob Jonathas last season). But I really fear that Dez will be this season James Massone, a mediocre singer who gets by on his hair more than his voice.

As for the real show, there was a bigger onslaught bland teen which chicks. What make things worse is that four of them got on a team but French teacher Kameron Corvet, who gave an interesting performance of Crazy did not. And he was the closest contestant this season that fit into the show’s penchant for letting older dark skin singers win the show (which maybe is why he did not get picked). But on the bright side Rudy Parris did get through even though I think that he may be secretly Horatio Sanz dressed up in his Ozzy Osbourne costume.


You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.

Castle: Holy Jodi Lyn O’Keefe! Where has she been hiding all these years? Actually has she done anything since the seminal secretly hot ugly chick movie She's All That? And no, Lifetime Movies do not count. It is weird that she and Rachel Leigh Cooke popped back up in the same year. Maybe Jodi can get a guest spot on Perception next season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Parenthood: Ugg, I had Becky Spoles in my Which Friday Night Lights Alum Will Show Up on Parenthood Next office pool.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: I never really understood why the Sons got out of the porn business. Sure it may not be as lucrative as gun running but you are less likely to get shot at (or your skull bashed in while in jail), and there should be plenty of money in it. I guess gun running makes for better television especially on basic cable.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: You have to feel bad for Angie Lawson because she was forced to participate in an Immunity Challenge that involved diving down into water while having two sizable floatation devises attached to her body. It was amazing that she actually made it this far. But on the bright side she was able to climb stairs without any problem. Seriously, how did Russell pass a physical if his heart gave out last time he played and still cannot climb a foot out of the ocean? Wow, their tribe really is pretty pathetic. Maybe historically bad.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: Finally Trishelle gets some screen time. It is about time they paid some respect to a Real World legend.
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

Last Resort: Considering the show is based on conspiracies, I have to wonder if Marcus’s son is really dead, and if he is, was it really “friendly” fire that killed him? It is suspicious that he died right before Marcus was supposed to carry out a dubious order.
You can stream recent episodes on Last Resort on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: In the latest installment of I am pretty sure the writers of the show are spying on me, I also believe if a marriage ends in divorce I should receive my wedding gift back and I am certainly not going to buy you another gift if you get remarried.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Best of the Week - 9/29/12

Quote of the Week: Oh dear, I fear our little Dick has exposed himself again. (Larry Bird, The Neighbors)

Song of the Week: La Bamba – Los Lobos (Last Resort)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The Emmy’s Finally Got it Right: Like every year before it I skipped the Emmy’s because they are extremely boring and nothing good wins and rarely is nominated. That changed a bit last year when Kyle Chandler rightfully won Best Actor for his work on Friday Night Lights. More shocking is they actually got Best Drama right this year when they handed it Homeland when everyone thought it would end up going to an overhyped AMC show. Homeland ended up sweeping the show with awards also going to Claire Danes for the greatest character currently on television. Alright Damian Lewis probably did not deserve Best Actor, really if a male in the cast deserved an award it would be Mandy Patinkin.

Preview Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Stronger (Sampler) – Kate Earl (Noise Trade)

New Album Release of the Week: Traveling Alone - Tift Merritt

New DVD Release of the Week: Happy Endings: The Complete Second Season

Video of the Week: The first trailer for Identity Theft is out and...


seriously, I can watch Melissa McCarthy punch Jason Bateman in the neck all day.

Next Week Pick of the Week: Homeland, Sunday at 10:00 on Showtime: In a story a previously broke a couple paragraphs ago, the Emmy’s and I agreed what was the best show on television for the first time ever. We left last season with Crazy Carrie trying to get a little less crazy after getting unceremoniously fired by getting elective shock therapy. Except right before they threw the switched, she remember something that would prove that Brody was a secret terrorist. Brody himself cozyed up with the Vice President who he was tasked to kill but could go through with it after his daughter talked him out of it. The second season premiere picks up a couple months later and we quickly learn how mentally stable Carrie has become and how she is passing time now that she is no longer making paper timelines on her wall for the CIA (who of course comes calling eventually when they need her help). We also learn the outcome of the special election that Brody just threw his hat into during the first season and he is getting even cozier with the Vice President who is now running for the President. But maybe my favorite part of the premiere that I saw was Dana having what turn out to be a Roger Clinton moment. If you missed the first season og Homeland, Showtime is airing a marathon of every first season episode starting at noon today. And if you do not subscribe, you can pick up the first season on Amazon (see below) or download it on iTunes.

Previewing Last Resort

Last year it seemed like every time I wrote about a new show I was always saying, it is a good idea for a movie, but I do not see how it works on the small screen. That trend continued this season which includes Nashville which looks like it is basically just Country Strong but on television (they even managed to find an actress as bad as Leighton Meester to play her role). But of all the shows in recent years where you have to wonder why they did not just make a movie instead, Last Resort is on the top of the list. Yet the first hour of Last Resort is so good, if it were a movie it would be one of the top five best movies I have seen this year.

The show focuses on the crew of a nuclear submarine who refuses to bomb Pakistan when a questionable order comes in through a secondary command instead of the primary issue. The sub is then bombed and the survivors set up camp at a NATO outpost in the middle of the Indian Ocean. To keep any more attacks on them from happening, the captain of the sub declares a two hundred mile safe zone around the island and will use one of the fourteen warheads on ship if anyone breaches the perimeter, including their own country.

Even though it may have been better as a movie, the show does set up plenty of plotlines that’s could last a season. The show starts off with the sub picking up some navy seals who’s latest mission may have tied into the Pakistan attack (okay, that is pretty much a given). The NATO outpost seems to be run by a warlord who does not look like is going to give up his power to a bunch of Americans that easily. Plus there is plenty of political intrigue back stateside with family member dealing with their loved ones going rouge including one of the admirals whose daughter was on the submarine.

There are also a couple names attached that gives me hope that the show will continue to be good after the first episode. First up it was created by Shawn Ryan who created the show who has previously brought us the criminally under-watched Terriers. While the cast is headlined by Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the captain of the sub who gives one epic speech to the world near the end of the episode. Then there is the always reliable Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) who looks like he will be butting heads with Braugher early and often. Sure Autumn Reeser (The Big Bang) as a military tech specialist may be the biggest stretch on screen since Denise Richards played a nuclear physicist, but she delivers some boring but important exposition while undressing which may be one of the smartest written scenes ever.

Last Resort may be one of the few shows that Democrats and Republicans can watch (aside from, surprisingly enough, Modern Family that both presidential candidates and their wives enjoy despite the inclusion of gay homosexuals). The tree hugging hippies will be happy that the ship refuses to bomb a sovereign nation without cause while the neo-cons will find enjoyment that Pakistan gets bombed anyway. And the impeached president is vague either side can live vicariously though television that Barack Obama or George Bush type president is being impeached. Really anyone who has been waiting for the next 24 (but is too cheap to subscribe to Showtime to watch the excellent Homeland) should definitely check out Last Resort.

Last Resort airs Thursdays at 8:00 on ABC. But who cares what I think, you can already watch the first episode on Hulu (even watch it below), download Last Resort on iTunes for free, or stream / download it basically anywhere on the internet that you can think of.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 9/16/12

Quote of the Week: I do not watch dating shows… except Beauty and the Geek. (Parker, Leverage)

Song of the Week: Higher Ground - Franky Perez and the Forest Rangers (Sons of Anarchy)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Arab Spring Take 2: I do not like politicizing death, so I am just going to stay quite like many people should have this week.

Preview Picture of the Week:



The Voice: Who would have guessed that a white kid from Colorado would get chosen by singing a Bob Marley song, but not the chick who was born in Jamaica? But anyway. I was severely disappointed with the first week of The Voice because they have yet to audition anyone that was already on my iPod (unlike seven singers last season). I was not even familiar the boy bander who I am highly suspicious actually sold a million records. The only person I recognized was Daniel Rosa from season two. I am not against bringing back past contestants, but Daniel Rosa (he does gets points for singing Somebody That I Used to Know to a bunch of people who rejected him)? What the heck happened to Ducky (never forget)? Instead of a proper power ranking (I will wait until all the Blind Auditions, but you can get a sneak peak to the right) here is a power ranking of the biggest sob stories which they really ratcheted up for season three. And no, absurdly hot chick who had to be home schooled because she is absurdly hot in a town that cared more about sports did not make the list.

5. Nigerian refugee

4. Dad has a long fight with triple-cancer which he eventfully dies (and does not get any chairs to turn around

3. Broken jaw at the hands of racists

2. Home invasion, kidnapped mom at age 7

1. A lot of sob stories, but hands down, nothing beats having a virus that shuts down your vital organ, put you into cardiac arrest which leads to an induced coma. How lucky though to wake up a day before the Super Bowl (also known as The Voice pre-show)

You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.


Go On: Same as the first episode, I laughed plenty of times (especially when Chandler made his assistant play goalie), but I am not entirely sure why I like the show.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Go On on iTunes.

Parenthood: I take it Bob lost in the primary and that is why Amber is working at the Luncheonette. Which sadly looks like the hot receptionist is no longer around. Le sigh. Another big cliffhanger that apparently got resolved during the hiatus is that Adam found a way to keep The Luncheonette and send Haddie to Cornell. Le sigh again.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: The last two season of the show really dragged on for me, but the show finally kicked back into high gear with the fifth season premiere. Well that is until Michael from Lost flicked his cigar. That was really something I did not need to see. But if I am not mistake, that was the third person that Tig was responsible for killing thanks to a Clay lie: Opie’s old lady, Michael’s daughter, and his daughter. I have a feeling that Tig is not going to let that go unnoticed. I know I said the exact same thing last season, but Clay is going to die this season, the question is by whose hand.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: The Charmer Sampler – Aimee Mann (Noise Trade)

Deal of the Week: $5.00 Bob Dylan Albums: In honor of his latest album being released this week, Amazon has a bunch of Bob Dylan albums for only $5.00 including the new album Tempest. You can also grab some of his songs for only $0.50 during the sale.

New Album Release of the Week: Battle Born - The Killers

New DVD Release of the Week: Get A Life: The Complete Series

Video of the Week: Last Resort was number one on my list of most anticipated new shows of the fall season and it did not disappoint (Autumn Reecer playing a weapons contractor notwithstanding). You can see for yourself below because Yahoo is giving early access to the Pilot. After seeing it I am not sure where they go from there (if I was the shadowy figure behind what happens, I would just send a navy seal team to go in discretely an eliminate everyone), but I have a feeling this may not make it to Thanksgivings. But I will surely enjoy all four episodes that air.

Next Week Pick of the Week: Weeds, Sunday (Tonight) at 10:00 on Showtime: I am woefully behind on this season (I am just to the point where Andy starts teaching Jewish classes) but tonight is the series finale of the show with back to back episodes (or a one hour finale depending how you want to look at). For those that need their Andy fix after the finale, you are in luck because his new show Animal Practice premieres next Wednesday. On Yom Kippur (natch)