57 Channels and Only This Is On - 10/28/12

Once Upon a Time: I am beginning to think that the question of why some characters were sent to Storybrooke while others stayed in the Enchanted Forrest is akin to the question on Lost why some people on the airplane were sent back to the seventies and others were not. Of which the answer turned out to be, there is none other than the writers wanted to split them up to amp the tension. Darn you writers of Lost.

With the curse broken, it is weird that some of the Storybrooke inhabitants have gone back to their fairytale names while others have kept their new monikers. Again I have a feeling that it is at the whim of the writers. But the most surprising change with the curse broken is that Little Red Riding Hood is dressing less slutty, and like most females who do so looks much more attractive.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: This show really likes its “Oh Snap!” moments and a very pregnant Amanda falling over the balcony was certainly one of them. Unfortunately they lessened the impact of it by telling us someone at the very least would lose a lot of blood (or just dropped a punch bowl) making Amanda an obvious suspect. Although I was waiting for mommy to smother her in the hospital after it was revealed she tried to kill a young Amanda. Maybe that is next episode. But what I really want to know is what is going on with Nolan. It was clear last episode that Rebecca Logan was flirting with him, and the last time we saw him getting intimate with any one was when he was making a sex tape with the rent boy, yet here he is initiating a make out session with Rebecca. Was he just emotionally drained from his father’s death that he needed some human intimacy? Is he really into women? Is this part of some nefarious plot we are unaware of yet?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: An interesting conundrum, what do you do if you find prisoners inside a prison in a zombie apocalypse. Do you kill them because they are in there for a reason or do you give them a clean slate because you need every human that you need? Granted if I am Bernier Madolff type prisoner I would off the bat start screaming I am a white collar criminal. But then again if I am a Jerry Sandusky type I would be saying the same thing. Of course Rick gives you once chance and if you even look like you are crossing him, then it is a machete to the head. Sometimes I wonder if Rick trusts the zombies more than the humans.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Voice: And mercifully the Battle Rounds are over. The Steal started out being a good idea and Amanda Brown and Caitlin Michele both got a reprieve, but I had to scratch my head about every other Steal. And it did not help that there was a Steal at the end of every episode ruining any suspense. The next round would have been much better had Lelia Broussard, Brandon Mahone, Nelly's Echo, Benji, Alexis Marceaux, and Emily Earle would have gotten the Steal over the other people who did. I began to wonder if the coaches liked their teams so much; they did not want to Steal anyone who would take a spot on the Live Shows from an original member of their Team (that seems to be the case as Cee-Lo has his stolen Terisa Griffin going up against frontrunner Trevin Hunte in the Knockout Round). I would be surprised is more than one stolen singer makes the Live Shows.

The biggest surprise of the Battle Rounds is that every girl on Cee-Lo’s team lost their battle. The first two seasons, Cee-Lo’s finalist was a strong rocker chick and was so loyal to the fairer sex that he stupidly picked Erin Martin to go to the Live Shows. Worse of all two of his girls, Alexis and Emily deserved to win their battles. Of course both of Cee-Lo’s steals ended up being female (five of the six steals overall were female). Granted, as stated above, Terisa will not be on the team for very long, unless of course that turns out that it is one of the favorites that are not safe that Carson teased.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.

Pretty Little Liars: So Mona was faux Caleb (which I guess Grantland would call Faux Faux Riggins) so who was in the clown costume? Was that Toby or another member of The A Team? If it was Toby that would ruin anyone’s theory that Toby infiltrated The A Team to protect Spencer because why would he kill Aria in the process? At any rate, Hanna’s mom and the ghost storyline was pretty worthless.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: When Gemma was talking about loving Jax too much to make up for losing her other son, I thought, oh goodness, they are not actually going to kill off one of Jax’s kids are they (as the last shot of the season finale suggests, Jax is becoming his father and Tara is becoming Gemma)? And it certainly does not look good for Able after the accident. Rally you know bad things are going to happen when the final segment is nothing but a montage. Although I had to laugh when they guys with uzzies could not even wing anyone while Jax was able to hit the guy square with two shots from his handgun.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: A note to the Survivor: either stop casting beauty queens or figure out a way to make sure they last to the merge because they rarely onto the jury. And how exactly have a mud wrestling type challenge that ends before any of the hot participate? That is an epic fail on Jeff Probst. You know TJ Lavin would not have let two whole teams quit like that.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

Subugatory: As much as I enjoyed Tessa’s Daphne costume, I am severely disappointed that we did not get to see Kimantha’s slutty skunk costume in action.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Suburgatory on iTunes.

Nashville: What made the first couple episode good is they played to Hayden Painteierre’s strengths: a bratty no talent who sleeps her way to the top. Having her try to emote this week was a bad decision.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: Much like TJ Lavin, trivia week is my favorite episode of the show, but I really hope the Insane Games becomes a Challenge staple from here on out. It was if they ran out of idea for challenges so TJ and the producers decided to drop acid and just pick the five most insane ideas, and decided to call it the Insane Games. Brilliant. I really hope fish slapping becomes a thing.
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

Mockingbird Lane: It is weird watching a show you know will probably not air anymore episodes. Even though it was Bryan Fuller’s fourth best Pilot, it still managed to be the second best of this season (after Last Resort). It was a lot darker than I expected, I was surprised it started with a “baby bear” destroying an entire Boy Scout troop (okay, as it turned out, no one ended up being hurt). But I did like Grandpa starting up a blood army, and also really enjoyed the Marilyn character. If NBC bothered to put some promotion into it, a Mockingbird Land / Grimm pairing could do really well on a Friday night, but it does not sound like they care. Oh well.
You can stream the episode on Hulu.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 10/21/12

Once Upon a Time: I am still wondering just where did Regina’s mother go when she got pushed through the mirror. Are we going to get some sort of flashback? I guess I probably should stop caring because I doubt it really matters, there are the “writers from Lost”.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: I really cannot say I care for the new player all that much. I kind of wish he had just been crushed by the trash compactor. But I do wonder where they are going with Rebecca Logan because she clearly has a crush on the gay Nolan. Maybe he has a fluid sexuality or more likely she is going to go Fatal Attraction on him because Nolan does have a penchant for being tied up.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: Welcome back The Walking Dead and goodbye Hershel’s leg. Such a graphic ending I will forgive that apparently the group has be wondering in circles the last couple months even though the prison was less than a mile away from them in last season’s finale or that they did not just kill all the zombies via chain link fence instead of wasting their low stock of bullets.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Voice: Just last week I commented how surprisingly the coaches picked the right singer almost every battle. Well that only lasted a week because I disagreed with half of their decisions this week. Personally I would have gone with Terisa Griffin, Paulina, Benji, Lelia Broussard, Joselyn Rivera, Alessandra Guercio, and Emily Earle over who ended up losing to. Granted thanks to the save, three of them are sticking around. Except the save went to the wrong three people. It is befuddling to me that Joselyn, Terisa, and Alessandra are sticking around but Lelia, Benji, and Emily are all going home. I was a big proponent of the steal but four of the six steals have so far left me scratching my head (Collin McLoughlin being the other).

Aside from the newly instituted steal, really the only reason to watch the Battle Rounds is for the truly bizarre pairings. Last week it was Domo vs. Cody Belew and this week it was Julio Cesar Castillo vs. Terisa. (I am severely disappointed that we did not get to see the Beat Frequency battle because that had the highest trainwreck potential) And it certainly did not disappoint from the awesomely bad stand point. Just when you think it the pairing could not get weirder, Blake goes ahead and has them sing the rapid fire song Congo by Gloria Estefan, which, as Michael Buble correctly points out, is a song that no one knows the words to thirty years later. It was only made better by Blake picking the wrong person.

Speaking of poor choices, Cee-Lo picking MacKenzie Bourg over Emily was the worst decision since he picked Erin Martin over Shields Brothers. He was painfully bad. Everything Adam and Blake said were right (and the only positive things Christina bothered to say were visually not vocally which probably meant she did not like what she heard either) and Emily should have won easily. Though Emily does deserve a slither of blame. The best part of the song is when Carly Rae Jepsen goes "Whoo!" and Emily did not do the "Whooo!" Not singing “Whoooo” in Good Time is like not having the crunching guitar during Creep.

I really hope MacKenzie gets eliminated before the live shows or he could be this year's Pip, which would make Dez Duron this year's James Massone, two cute boys who were so bad, the producers had to create some lame rule last season to get rid of them so teen girls could not turn The Voice into the joke that American Idol is.

On a side note, did Billy Joe Armstrong seriously quote Spiderman (by way of Voltaire) in a battle between two bland teenage female pop singers? Again, I feel cheated that we did not get to hear any advice Billie exposed on Beat Frequency.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.

Sons of Anarchy: I am not sure if it is poetic or creepy that the creator of the show told one of the actresses on his show to get on her knees. Maybe both. But definitely creepy that he had his wife go down on another dude while that dude’s fake half sister watched.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: I found it weird that they lingered on Probst snuffing Dawson’s torch, which only made weirder when she went and have him a hug and kiss. And how apropos that someone had to be medically evacuated on the season where three previous one returned. I wonder if Dana was faking in hopes of returning the next time they do it.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines 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.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: Not only this week TJ’s favorite, but trivia week is mine too. And it did not disappoint. Just when you think no one would top answering “Europe” for a which country question, some actually answered “23” when asked how many continents the show has been to. Quality entertainment. But I wish there had been less Challenge trivia and more spelling. And you have to start easier than “Narcissistic” (in Chet’s defence, I needed spell check to write the word).
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: The biggest disappointment of the ever expanding cast (Stuart was even promoted to full time this season) is there seems to be less and less Penny and Sheldon moments which is what made the first couple seasons great. It seems the last couple seasons their interactions are secondhand. This week’s episode just showed they need to force these two together more often. Penny pinning, then kissing Sheldon is one of the top five moments of the duo in the series, maybe even third after soft kitty and the time Penny broke her arm.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 10/14/12

Once Upon a Time: I am a bit surprised that Sleeping Beauty does not recognize Snow White. Maybe she does not recognize her without wearing a bad wig. I guess this is a different place than the Enchanted Forrest because Regina’s mom is there (I assume she got sent to the real world). And with Mr. Gold really lose all his previous life memory if he crosses the city limits; he knew who he was even with the curse in tack. But the most surprising was the mass exodus of everyone just because the Evil Queen got her magic back. Is everyone really ready to forget everything just because they are scared of her?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: Holy Rebecca Logan sighting! She should really wear glasses more often. But that Grayson clan is very messed up. I am not sure who is more evil, Victoria for coming up with a plan to frame the White Haired Man by having Conrad beat the crap out of her or Conrad following her orders. But how could Emily trust the White Haired Man, he killed her father, of course he was going to try to tie up any loose ends that could get him exonerated.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

How I Met You Mother: Ted and Robin trying to burn each other on who had the better relationship is one of the dumber bits the show has done. And that is saying something.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Voice: Sure the Battle Round still is a drag, but I really do love the new Steal for a couple reasons. Of course what is great the some good talent that got to advance even though they lost because their coach put them up against a strong opponent or just chose the wrong singer. But my favorite inadvertent part of the steal is that point where Carson says the loser is available for a Steal and the cameras cut to the coaches staring back blindly. It is also funny how Caitlin Michele shunned Blake not once but twice. I wish they would add another steal to the Knockout Round so she could shun him a third time.

I do not know if the Steal is the cause, but it did seem the coach picked the winner more wisely this season. I was really shock that Cee-Lo made the right decision and picked Cody Belew over Domo, I thought he was going to be this season’s Erin Martin. Really the only battle this year I think the coach got wrong is when Adam picked Melanie Martinez over Caitlin, but Caitlin eventually got snatched up by Cee-Lo. And where Caitlin and Amanda Brown go rightfully picked, I had to scratch my head as to why anyone wanted to save Collin McLoughlin (especially when they let Nelly's Echo go by the wayside). Collin is so boring and bland, you could have told me he had one American Idol in the past couple years and I would have believed you.

The Voice also took another one of my suggestions by breezing through the Battle Rounds by resigning some of them to a montage. Although they should have also gone back to the four battles per hour because three per hour just drag on. Does anyone care about rehearsal time. Even though I enjoy the blander battles being resigned to the montage, you have to feel bad for someone like Lisa Scinta who managed to make it to the second round but only got about ten seconds of screen time. Hopefully they just montage the rest of Christina’s team because after the hot chick that did the backwards shimmy in the Blind Auditions, she really does not have anything left. Nathalie Hernandez was her best teen girl and she already went home.

Hopefully Nathalie is a cautionary tale to all the other fifteen year old girls out there. Natalie did have an interesting voice, but she was just way too young and lacked the experience Had she waited until she was twenty, or at the very least old enough to vote, she could have gone much further in the competition, instead she ended up just being lucky that anyone bothered to turn around for. It was also not a very good sign for that her coach’s final thought on her was that she probably should have chosen Blake instead.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.


Castle: I think this is the first time we have seen the new Captain not act like a sourpuss. Of course Castle had to go and break her toy which means she will probably be back to her old self by next episode.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Parenthood: The Braverman’s must not care about the recession because yet another one quit their job. Maybe the whole clan will end up working at the recording studio. Although I would guess that Julie and Joel will end up switching roles with Julia being the homemaker and Joel will go back to work.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: I am not sure I will be able to watch the next season of Justified after seeing Boyd Crowder with humongous breasts riding a dude with a belly that was even better.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: This season got boring quick. Just have the one dude go to one tribe and the chick to the other and let’s just essentially start this season over.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

Modern Family: So is Haley going to be resigned to webchats for the rest of the season? Seriously, why not just spin her off with her and Dylan living together?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.

Best of the Week - 8/13/12

Quote of the Week: You can kiss my decision as it’s walking out the door. (Rayna, Nashville)

Song of the Week: If I Didn't Know Better – Sam Palladio & Clare Bowen (Nashville)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The Vice Presidential Debate: Or so I am told this happened because I fell asleep when both debaters started to sound like the adults in a Peanuts special. It is really silly to have the Vice Presidential candidate to debate anyway. As John McCain famously said, the only job of the Vice President is to check up on the health of the President every day. But I am told that one person used the world murlocky while another lied a bunch. Yep I did not miss much.

Preview Picture of the Week:


Free Download of the Week: Live Sampler (Recorded at the Filmore) – Punch Brothers (Noise Trade)

Deal of the Week: Up to 55% on TV and Movies Blu Rays - The Walking Dead, Halloween, Piranna 3DD, Alien Anthology

New Album Release of the Week: Red - Taylor Swift

New DVD Release of the Week: Mad Men: Season Five

Video of the Week: One debate that I did enjoy this week was the one between Kid Rock and Sean Penn. Seriously, there are very few things more entertaining that hear two white dudes argue over who is less racist.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Suburgatory, Wednesday at 9:30: Easily the biggest surprise of last season was how funny Suburgatory was. It was barely on my radar before the season started and turned out being the best new show on network television last season. It finally returns this week and even gets the cushy post-Modern Family timeslot. I am sure Dalia will still be scarier than anything you will see on the premiere of The Walking Dead later next week.

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.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 9/30/12

How I Met You Mother: When they were scanning up the mother’s body I though there is no way they are actually going to show us are they? But of course they are not and we were blocked by that stupid yellow umbrella. I guess we did learn that Ted’s baby mama has thick legs. And I take it we will not even get to Barney and Robin’s wedding until the end of this season even though they first teased it at the beginning of LAST season. Hurumph.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Voice: I had to scratch my head when they brought back Daniel Rosa of all people (seriously, what the heck happened to Ducky), but it is even more befuddling that they let Dez Duron back again. He was boring last season and managed to be worse this season. I do not understand how anyone could turn around (the only explanation is that it is fixed). Hopefully Dez does not turn into this season’s James Massone whose hair is more memorable than his voice but still manages to inexplicably advance.

Two things happened this week that I am surprised took three weeks to happen. First off someone finally broke my Golden Rule of Karaoke Show: You are not ADELE so do not sing Adele. But Terisa Griffin was so entertaining will give her a pass. This was also the first week I finally recognized. No not the chick who opened for The Cheetah Girls, but Lelia Broussard (who got relegated to the Battle Rounds fodder package) who actually landed in at #94 on my list of The 100 Best Songs of 2011.

Another familiar face, to me at least, was Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday. It is weird that whenever a contestant I like comes up I hope they choose Blake and f I do not I hope they end up with Christina. When everyone was fighting over her I was resigned she would stupidly pick Adam who only cares about one team member each season and that person is an old dude with a failed record deal in his past and all but ignores everyone else (the promo before the commercial break even made it seem it would be a fight between Adam and Christina). Luckily Cassadee choose wisely and went with Blake where she can basically go ahead and pencil herself into the finals. Keep in mind the first two runners up on The Voice, Dia Frampton and Juliet Simms were veterans of the Warped Tour just like Cassadee (maybe The Voice should just hold tryouts at the Warped Tour this summer). And considering this is a very weak season she could very well win it. Although I am sure twelve year old girls will find a way of ruining this season like they ruin everything with internet voting.

But the highlight of the week was when Alexis Marceaux’s brother(? Boyfriend? Random dude who snuck in from the Napoleon Dynamite convention next door?) kept chanting, “You Want this Adam.” Dude better show up for the Battle Round. In fact can we just have him replace Carson Daly?



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

Castle: It has been so long; I cannot even remember how Beckett’s mom fits into the whole conspiracy theory thing. It really took me out of the episode racking my brain to how she fit into everything. And I am not sure I am ready for a season of Beckett and Castle hooking up, let along sneaking around.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.


Go On: The show has been entertaining enough, but I am not sure if I can continue watching now that every time I look at Matthew Perry all I will see is Rachel Maddow.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Go On on iTunes.

Parenthood: Well at least Kristina’s cancer is fairly small and may not need chemo (or so the doctors would have us believe, but this will probably still be a hard watch most of the season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: So Opie was brutally murdered this week. Alrighty. I had to scratch my head last week when Opie left his kids with his estranged stripper ex-girlfriend so he could hand out with Jax in jail, but to offer himself up to be killed? Just does not make any sense that he would be willing to die for a club that killed his wife and his father. Hopefully he had a very good life insurance plan so his kids will be taken care of.
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Philippines: (In my best Beavis voice): He he he he, she said boobie trap he he he he.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

Modern Family: I really hope Dylan finds a way back into the Dunfey house because I will be severely upset if we missed his whole time there.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: I am surprised that Big Eazy did not then I went in last week card. Seems like an easy way to decide things. And I wonder if The Challenge producers finally ran out of ideas because oil wrestling was a bit simplistic for a challenge on this show.
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons 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.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 9/23/12

Leverage: It was highly entertaining a couple seasons ago when they split the two genders into two separate, but interchanging episodes. I thought that was what we were getting this time around with Hardison, Elliot, and Parker split from Nate, Sophie, and Sterling. Unfortunately the two storylines never crossed with each other aside from a phone call. Even more disappointing was Adam Baldwin who I wanted something more interesting for after the teaser at the beginning of the season.
You can download Leverage on iTunes.

The Voice: I really do not like the overabundance of teenagers this season (at least 15 of the singers that have tried out cannot legally buy beer). What’s worse is that none of them are even that good. I would be surprised if any of them aside from Avery Wilson make it to the live shows. Actually the talent level as a whole is way down this season and you have to wonder if the quick turnaround was a good idea. I am really disappointed in the lack of professional talent this time around, 61 Blind Auditions already and I have not recognized anyone yet. Including Cupid, who was apparently a one hit wonder who did not want to be known as a one hit wonder yet still auditioned with his one “hit.” (Ironically the two most “famous” this season, Cupid and the boy bander who supposable sold a million records, did not get picked.) And really I have not seen anyone worth rooting for this season except De’borah who I fear her chances of longevity on the show. Well she and Devyn DeLoera, but I will be rooting for Devyn for very different reason. On the bright side, they toned down the sob stories. The only one that sticks out of my head this week was the dude who’s parents dies ion quick succession as a child and the chick born prematurely (but was saved by music!).
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.


Parenthood: I really hope Kristina is having false alarm because I am not sure I can sit through an entire season of her going through cancer treatments, just way too heartbreaking. Seriously, that cast such a showdown over the episode I cannot even remember what happened before it.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Wedding: Sons of Anarchy style. Seriously, has there been a wedding on television with less hype and hoopla
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons: Holy Trishelle sighting! I totally was not expecting to see her back on The Challenge this time around. I am disappointed the internets did not give more of a day’s notice that she was going to show up. Unfortunately she was relegated to the background for her triumphant return (her first since 2004) which makes me think her time on the show may not be long. At least she got to witness firsthand one of the greatest moments ever in Challenge history when Big E rang the bell with Wes’s head. Good riddance Wes, please stop coming back on the show, you are the only person that can make Kenny empathetic. But I would put Big ringing the bell with Wes’s head number two after the time CT used Johnny Bananas as a backpack before slamming him into a barrel.
You can download The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons on iTunes.

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)