Quote of the Week: Truth is, I was an idiot back then. You saw the goatee. (Ted, How I Met Your Mother)
Song of the Week: Centuries – Stars of Track and Field (Greek)
Big News of the Week: The Olympics are Heading to Rio: It is probably a slow news week when the big news is something that won’t happen for another seven years. But the Olympics will be heading to South America for the first time ever beating out Chicago despite the presence of the Big O’s. I never really understood the Chicago nomination because as a resident of the Great Lakes, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to do any open water swimming in Lake Michigan and when I think summer, The Windy City never has ever crossed my mind. Instead the games will be heading to the sandy beaches of Ro de Janeiro which may be the most visually striking games since Barcelona. And as an added bonus, it is only one hour ahead EST so none of the silly tape delays that plague NBC whenever the Games are held in the other hemisphere.
Coalition Links of the Week: Vance ranks the new shows he's checked out from best to worst. Where did you think he put Glee and Modern Family? (Tapeworthy)
In the wake of the much ballyhooed Jenny Slate controversy, Kyle examined indecency, SNL, the FCC and drew one conclusion -- who cares? (TiFaux)
As the third season of Mad Men rolls on, BuzzSugar's got the rundown on what other projects the talented ladies of the show have lined up. (BuzzSugar)
This week, we took a first look at Al Pacino in HBO's new original movie, You Don't Know Jack. (Daemon's TV)
Free Download of the Week: Trauma (iTunes): I was lukewarm on the premiere (see First Impressions: Trauma) and I cannot imagine the explosions and helicopter crashes will look better on an iPod, but for those interested you can download the episode for free.
Deal of the Week: Halloween Sale (Shaun of the Dead, Beetlejuice, Freddy vs. Jason, Ghostbusters)
Video of the Week: As a straight man, I am a huge fan of breasts and feel obligated to promote breast health every once in a while and have even participating in a few Relay for Life walks and the like. Being Breast Cancer Awareness Month here is a public service announcement featuring Minka Kelly, Alyson Hannigan, Emily Deschanel, Jamie King, and Katherine McPhee. The clip may be from Funny or Die, but early detection is no laughing matter.
Next Week Pick of the Week: 30 for 30, Tuesday at 8:00 on ESPN: No one does self congratulatory like ESPN, their 25th anniversary seemed to last five years. For thirty years on basic cable, the network is handing the reigns over to thirty directors to do a documentary on a story of the past three decades including Barry Levinson (Colts leaving Baltimore), Steve Nash (Terry Fox), John Singleton (Marion Jones) and Ice Cube (the Raiders in LA). The celebration kicks off Tuesday with Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg looking into Wayne Gretzky’s trade to Los Angeles.
I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on In Gail We Trust, Mercy, Trauma, Yo Gabba Gabba, The 20 Most Shocking, Poliwood, Episodes, and 15 Duo Who Should Do It.
- Right off of the success of CTRL, NBC’s latest foray into digital programming is In Gail We Trust starring Eliza Donavan. The ten part series is already up to its sixth episode, but for a primer, here is a trailer for the show:
- After this week’s episode, I think we can go ahead and firmly put Mercy in the guilty pleasure category. I think I actually laugh more at Mercy than any of the comedies that aired this week. And that unintentional comedy isn’t exclusive to the television as the character Chloe (You may know her better as Dawn Summers) has started a blog over at nbc.com which is pretty nonsensical. In other NBC blog news, the real Aimee Garcia has one taking you behind the scenes of her show Trauma also on nbc.com.
- Here’s one for those that have kiddies, Yo Gabba Gabba is heading out for its first tour with tickets currently on sale for American Express users (the rest can get theirs October 6). Head over to their website for times, dates and locations.
- On TruTV tomorrow in the premiere of new series The 20 Most Shocking at 8:00. The show will feature some of the most shocking things ever caught on film like practical jokes gone wrong and after-hour misadventures.
- The press release for Poliwood that looks into the convergence of politics and Hollywood actually has a line in it that says, “The film gives the viewer a front-row seat and backroom access to the most significant presidential campaign of the 21st century.” You know, of the two presidential campaigns we have had so far in the 21st century. But anyways. The documentary airs Tuesday November 2nd at 7:30 on Showtime, a week before people forget to go out and vote. In other Showtime news, Matt LeBlanc will star in Episodes about a show within a show set to air sometime in 2010.
In Hollywood’s never-ending quest to avoid coming up with new ideas, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the latest slasher film to get “re-imagined” after Rob Zombie’s Halloween (which is already onto the sequel) and the horrible reboot of Friday the 13th earlier this year. Of course it is almost an insult to Freddy Kruger to call his movie a slasher flick because he was much more cerebral than the slow and stalking killers of his ilk which made him the scariest of the genre. Of course this begs the question how soon until the second scariest, Pinhead gets his own millennium makeover?
Unlike the unwatchable reincarnation of Friday the 13th (except of course for that one “stupendous” scene), the new A Nightmare on Elm Street may live up to its legacy. C’mon, it stars Tami Taylor and Beaver Casablancas. Although I have never heard of the girl who updates the chick from Just the Ten of Us. Where they may lose me is that they did not bring back Robert Englund as Freddy instead opting for Rorschach from Watchmen. Are you telling me even a sixty-plus Englund still couldn’t still pull Freddy? This is almost as egregious as not bring back Mr. T for The A-Team movie. Englund may not have been included in the new movie, but his version of Freddy Kruger is being inducted into the Scooter Hall of Fame. And here’s hoping if the long rumored Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash ever comes to fruition Englund gets the nod.
But what do I know; check out the Englund-less trailer below for yourself:
The real question though with the new Elm Street coming April 30, 2010 is which rapper is going to update DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s A Nightmare On My Street for the film?
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Wow. I had Carrie Underwood at 8 on my Most Anticipated Albums of Fall 2009 list, but after watching this video I may have to bump that up a couple notches. Well maybe not because there won’t be in videos included.
This year’s VMA’s have come and gone and the token buzz band Muse failed to impress. But band continues their penchant for weird videos with this Staypuff Marshmallow inspired by way of a teddy bear theme. Alrighty.
Well the Kanye West exile lasted just about as long as the death of auto-tune. Can’t say I am surprised about either even though I wished both would have lasted a little longer.
How long has it been since we have had a pop star with glasses? I’m thinking mid-nineties. Gary Go wants to buck that trend with his ultra-catchy tunes. And if you like Wonderful, you can download it for free over at Borders.com as I write this.
When the new shows were announced last May, one show stood out from the rest for me: Trauma. This says something as I stay away from medical shows due to my dislike of the sight of blood. But the show came from Peter Berg, the guy who gave us the second greatest television show of the 00’s, Friday Night Lights. Berg even pulled Herc from his wheelchair for the new show as one of the paramedics on the show. A finger-less Buddy Garrity even makes an appearance in the premiere.
Trauma also produced the best promo of the season with its mid-air helicopter collision that was even more jaw-droppingly looking in its entirety. That accident sets up the rest of the show as the plot then goes forward a year and everyone still seems shaken up. Anastasia Griffith (Damages) lost her partner / lover and naturally she is struggling with the fact she was supposed to be on the chopper that crashed. She was kept off from the flight by Cliff Curtis (10,000 B.C.) who may or may not also had a relationship with Griffith and somehow survived the crash when he was thrown from the cockpit onto a rooftop.
After some time in a coma Curtis return to the job just son happens to be the one year anniversary. His first day back is also the first day coincides with the first day on the job Aimee Garcia (George Lopez) who had been flying in Iraq because what show these days wouldn’t be complete without a war veteran in its cast? Filling out the cast are Derek Luke (Notorious) as Herc’s partner who can’t get over that day a year ago and Jamey Sheridan (Chicago Hope) who seems to be in charge of the paramedics. While Griffith’s new partner may or masy not be the long lost Jonas Brother.
Verdict: The crashes were visually stunning but one has to wonder how a show could keep that up in this economy. And aside from a few scenes like the Garrity car crash, the show wouldn’t have been that special without those crashes. But then again, if you check out my First Impressions of Friday Night Lights, I was not keen on the first episode and just look how that show turned out. And since they have graduated and Berg is fond of nepotism, I would not mind seeing, Smash Williams, Jason Street, Lyla Garrity and / or Tyra Collette make an appearance on Trauma.
Trauma airs Mondays at 9:00 on NBC. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Trauma on iTunes (as I write this, you can download the Pilot for free).
It seemed like someone made a conscience effort to make Pearl Jam’s last album, the self titled one, a comeback album with a full media blitz behind its release (or as full as the media shy band has had in a while). The band even appeared in their first music video fourteen years. But the album just didn’t stand out from their other four albums since they were last a cultural phenomenon with the release of Vitology. The band’s ninth studio album Backspacer may not be getting the comeback buzz the last one did, but it is actually better and possibly their best this decade.
What may or may not be coincidentally, this is the first time the band worked with producer Brendan O’Brien since 1998’s Yield. And the album is better for it with much of the songs short and to the point with eleven songs crammed into thirty-six minutes. And you can tell that from the beginning with the rapid fire beginning of the first three tracks Gonna See My Friend, Got Some, and The Fixer barreling through in less than nine minutes and you will be surprised it took that long after listening to them in a row. It is like the band reminding everyone they are a rock band first and foremost.
That’s not to say the album slows down with the next track Johnny Guitar slows things down that much sounding like Eddie Vedder singing over lost track from Bruce Springsteen’s seventies catalogue. Things do get slowed for Just Breathe which may be the most melancholy song the band has ever recorded. Backspacer may not get Pearl Jam back to their former glory (granted the record business isn’t creating many cultural phenomenons anymore) but it should get some of the fans that wrote off the band earlier this decade back.
Please note, if you buy Backspacer on CD or through iTunes, you can download two concerts from the band in their entirety from a virtual vault that features eleven concerts spanning from 2005-2008. Also the only big box retailer selling the album is Target (you should also be able to find it at your local record store with a different cover than the one at Target) and the only online store you can find it is iTunes where it is available in its new iTunes LP format (see banner below).
Tool Academy: This episode made it clear that the show should never have a competition between just the guys. C’mon, wouldn’t the farming challenge have been more entertaining if the females were helping out? But therapy more than made up for it. They always make the females on the show seem like angels, but when two were outted as strippers you can see things a little more clear from the tools perspective. And I totally have to back Shannon on her observations of strippers. You can stream recent episodes over at vh1.com. You can also download Tool Academy on iTunes.
Greek: I am never a fan of dope humor and the wingman metaphors just fell flat, but this episode was saved by three things, Laura’s adventures in karaoke, Rebecca’s reaction to finding out her boyfriend was gay and professor Homer Simpson’s curmudgeoness. And with Frannie apparently no longer at Cypress Rhoades, Laura is been slowly becoming my favorite character on the show after landing last week’s quote of the week and this week’s musical interludes. Now if only she starts making geo-political references she will make my favorite character’s list. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.
Castle: You have to admire any woman who carries around a slutty outfit in her purse just in a case where a situation where one is needed. Too bad we didn’t get more with Castle commenting on Beckett’s outfit. And just when you thought the case was a simple someone gets thrown of a building kind, the ambulance gets attacked. Can’t say I saw that coming. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes. Also be sure to check out my chat with Stana Katic.
Sons of Anarchy: I am not sure what I laughed at more, Bobby Elvis singing Jewish tunes or the Mad Men porn. Well, Bobby singing had a much less disturbing ending to it. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.
Gary Unmarried: Interesting that Gary’s dream job is a sports radio host considering he has guest hosted the Jim Rome Show and even participated in a few Smack Off’s. The cast overhaul continues for anyone without the last name Brookes as both love interests are gone as well as Gary’s Hispanic buddy who is traded in for a black one. The class warfare with the station manager, albeit extremely clichéd, should induce some laughs. But Louise still remains the star of the show. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download Gary Unmarried on iTunes.
Survivor: Samoa: I literally cringed when Russell found the immunity idol. He isn’t the love to hate kind of person, he is a loathe that I even know who he is kind of person. On the bright spot, he is so conceited he may not see a blindside coming. And this season is dying for a blindside. Maybe I am just spoiled from all the blindsides last season. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.
Community: It is clear that Annie is going to be the reason to watch the show, she stole every scene she was in and actually really the only good scenes beside the montage at the end. Hopefully next semester we can get her a spinoff. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.
Quote of the Week: First of all, it would be really cool to see Hailey that fat. And how awesome it would be to have a fake little brother that is really my nephew? (Alex - Modern Family)
Big News of the Week: The New Season Has Begun: I really hate Neilson Rating because they are archaic (with more and more people streaming and downloading) and shrouded in secrecy (anyone know the margin of error of their data?) but it is hard not pour over their data to draw up some conclusions. Like how for one of the few times in history the most critically acclaimed show of the season, Modern Family was the most watched new show of the fall. Hopefully people still watch when the show has two unwatchable sitcoms as a lead in.
As for the older shows, the big new is, not surprisingly, no one watches Heroes anymore. Also unsurprisingly is the erratic ratings for The Jay Leno Show which seems to fluxgate depending on the guest and competition. And consider some think the show could pull in The CW numbers and still make nine figures from The Jay Leno Hour at 10:00. And what could reaffirm my faith in our country, despite not knowing exactly what the margin of error is, it is probable that the ratings between the shows are so close, it is statistically possible that The Big Bang Theory is now the most watched comedy on television over the unfunny Two and a Half Men.
Coalition Links of the Week: Vance is sidetracking to movies this week because he got to see The Boys are Back and People's Choice winner Precious at TIFF09 (Toronto Film Fest). (Tapeworthy)
This week, the TV Addict talked to Glee star Chris Colfer about Kurt's coming out party. (The TV Addict)
BuzzSugar had some fun matching up which original Melrose Place character inspired which new Melrose Place character. (BuzzSugar)
Free Download of the Week: Flake (Live) – Jack Johnson with Lebo: Note you will have to enter your e-mail to which they will send a link to. Also be sure to check your spam folder because that is where I found my e-mail.
Video of the Week: Here are the first four minutes of Trauma the premieres tomorrow:
Next Week Pick of the Week: Trauma, Monday at 9:00 on NBC: When the new shows were announced last May, the one show that piqued my interested the most was this medical drama from Peter Berg, the guy who gave us Friday Night Lights. The previews make the show look epic which is right up my alley. Unfortunately the show is sandwiched between the two least buzzed shows for the fall, Heroes (which debuted to disastrous numbers last week) and The Jay Leno Show. Hopefully if the show lives up to the hype of the preview it can find an audience on a log jammed night.
Looking at a promo picture for Rescue Ink Unleashed, not knowing any better you may think the show is some sort of reality show version of Sons of Anarchy. But under closer inspection, you will noticed all the inked up, bouncer looking dudes are holding a cute and furry animal (and one amphibian). Hyped as “More than 1,700 pounds of muscle, over 80 tattoos” the eight men of Rescue Ink are not some biker gang menacing people that get in their way but a company that specializes on rescuing helpless, abandoned and abused animals.
These guys take jobs that the animal control need help with or just won’t do. Like going into the same project where a hospitalized client was jumped by a gang to rescue his dogs. And since the pit bulls have not been feed in a few days, what awaits the crew inside the apartment may be just as dangerous as the people in the hallway. But isn’t always life threatening situation as the boys are recruited to capture some chickens that have taken roost in a suburban area.
The show even gives us a little glimpse of the individual members of Rescue Ink during off duty times. With all the ink and muscles, one guy manages to stands out from the crowd who may go down in the pantheon of reality characters. Batso (seen above) is a seventy-five year old biker, covered literally head to toe with tattoos, including a few spider webs (anyone who has seen prison shows knows what that means). After losing two sons to Lou Gehrig’s disease, Batso has devoted his life to animals and is now the spiritual leader of Rescue Ink.
Rescue Ink Unleashed airs Fridays at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel. Here is a preview of the show:
In other National Geographic Channel news, also premiering this weekend is Unlikely Animal Friends Saturday at 8:00 featuring a baby hippo and a giant tortoise, a lioness and a baby oryx, and more. Below is a clip of an orangutan and a hound dog:
It is a good thing that I declared Modern Family (see my preview of the show) the funniest new show of the Fall season before I watched Mercy because I may have had a hard decision of what show truly deserved that title. The difference though is that for Modern Family, being called the funniest is a compliment on account that it is a sitcom, Mercy on the other hands is a drama. Yet with scenes like the lead grabbing a screaming girlfriend of a car accident victim by the nose to get her to shut up and fighting gang members still going at it were side-splittingly funny. And watching Dawn Summers try to emote is always the highest of high comedy.
But Mercy is supposed to be a serious medical drama to be a fill in for ER now that it has left the Peacock after fifteen seasons. Although with some hanky-panky going on inside the hospital, it may sooner conjure up images of an ABC medical show. The show follows Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling in only her second job on her resume) as an Iraq vet now working in a civilian hospital and living with her long line of Irish alcoholic. Bonus points for having a boyfriend / ex-husband / fiancé (actually I am not sure what was going on with that relationship) for calling her Ronnie.
Her best friend on the ward is Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kircher whose resume may be more extensive than Schilling’s but still nothing worth mentioning) who is tired with broke dudes but still goes home with a cop while blowing off a seven figure lawyer. Yep, Mercy is one of those shows that have not met a cliché it doesn’t want to beat into the ground. Speaking of clichés, naturally there is the doe-eyed newbie (Summers) who is just happy to be there in her Hello Kitty scrubs.
But back to the hospital hanky-panky cliché, it just so happens once Ronnie puts back on her engagement ring, she is whisked into a closet by a new doctor who just so happened to be a fling from her time in Iraq. Rounding out the cast is Delroy Lindo (Romeo Must Die) as the boss at the hospital who naturally has already threatened to fire Veronica. Also there is Guillermo Diaz (Weeds) as your token male nurse. Fun times.
Verdict: The pilot was a tale of two shows. The first half was cheesy fun while the second half lost all its charm with the show taking itself too serious side. If the show goes in the route of the first half it may become watchable. On the flipside it may get into the its so bad its good territory.
Mercy airs Wedensdays at 8:00 on NBC. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Mercy on iTunes.
Just looking at the cast alone, Modern Family would be worth watching. At least I am tuning into anything that involves both Al Bundy and Carol Vessey. Throw in Sofia Vergara who was hilarious on the under-appreciated Knights of Prosperity and you have a pretty decent cast. And bonus as the writing is plenty funny with plenty of fall of the couch laughs even though not all the jokes work. Case in point in the promos where Carol’s family tries to find a time as to punish the kid. Luckily that is the least funny part of the pilot (which makes you wonder what ABC’s promo monkeys were thinking).
The show follows three families around documentary style which, yes, is used in The Office, but Modern Family is a different kind of funny as fake camerman are much more competent to the point you sometimes might forget it is supposed to be a reality show if it were not for the interviews. And the “cast” seem much more comfortable with the intrusions with only “friend” that comes over is the only one that even does a double take with the cameras around.
Family number one is headed by Al Bundy, who seems to be going through a mid-life crisis which lands him a wife that speak inaudible English (Vergara) and her son. Family two is headlined by Vessey and Ty Burrell (Black Hawk Down) who are trying to raise three kids who may end up rivaling Louise Brooks as the most entertaining kids on television. Burrell seems to be the weak link on the show as a dad who tries to hard but I may have been as mortified as his kids at his dance sequence during the episode.
The third family is a pair of gay homosexuals that adopt a Vietnamese daughter an bring new meanings to the words creampuffs. Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class) is the straight man of the couple, so to speak. While Eric Stonestreet (CSI) will be battling the kids as to who will be the breakout star of the show and thanks to him I won’t be able to see The Lion King in the same way.
Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9:00 on ABC. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.
Even though I have known for four months, it didn’t hit me that I would have to wait an hour after the end of How I Met Your Mother for the start of The Big Bang Theory. More specifically five seconds and one bad joke into Accidentally on Purpose, which it was all I lasted before turning off the television and stare at the blank screen pondering what to do for the hour before the new episode The Big Bang Theory. Apparently the big wigs at CBS don’t watch Sheldon and his idiosyncrasies otherwise they wouldn’t know what trauma they would cause by changing its timeslot.
But before my obsessive compulsionisms kicked in, we had the fifth season premiere of How I Met Your Mother which is really showing its age. Right off the bat we are reminded of the creepiness of Ted meeting the mother in his classroom to the soundtrack of the clever Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend. Naturally we still don’t get to meet her although it is alluded to that the mother was in the economics class not his architecture class. But even if this is true, still creepy.
The other storyline is a potential jump the shark moment with Barney and Robin becoming an official couple. Barney and his Barneyisms is the heart of the show and if he is too busy tied down to one girl, and one in the group, just screams disaster if he starts becoming more human. The last thing I ever need to see is Barney suiting up to go on a date with a girlfriend.
Here’s hoping that the writers of The Big Bang Theory by its fifth seasons don’t run out of ideas and just puts Sheldon and Penny in a relationship. Although a drunken one night stand would be hilarious. Instead to start the third season we get the re-coupling of Penny and Sheldon so sudden I thought it was a dream sequence. Kaley Cuoco laughing during the kiss didn’t help things much either. Although the epilogue to the episode suggest another one and done episode with some weird post-coitus talk. Granted not as weird as the pre- coitus talk that derailed the act altogether.
But of course Sheldon remained the center point of the episode with another of his classic hissy fits. And this is one of the ones where he had legitimate reasons to throw one when his buddies tampered with his experiments to make their lives at the arctic better with a happier Sheldon. Granted I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get an explanation as to why Sheldon had time to groom down to a goatee. But you could tell the writers had some Sheldomisms lined up from their summer break. It almost made sitting through the last three minutes of Two and a Halg Men worth it. Almost.
The Big Bang Theory airs Mondays at 9:30 on CBS. You can download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes. The Big Bang Theory came in at #14 on The 100 Greatest Television show of the 00’s. Both shows are available on Amazon Video on Demand (see below):
Tonight sees the return of Castle tonight at 10:00 on ABC for it sophomore season. On the surface, the show may look like just another procedural, but the Castle is much lighter, despite some grizzly cases, thanks to some witty back and forth from the leads. I recently chatted with the straight-woman of the duo, Stana Katic who plays Detective Kate Beckett. While reading the interview, keep in mind Stana is actually from Canada so that is why us Americans may find an extra “U” in a few of her words that she wrote and it not bad spelling on her part or bad editing on mine. Cultural differences aside, here is my chat with Stana:
Scooter McGavin: Stana, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and for such an entertaining first season of Castle. Most of that entertainment came from the friction between Kate and Castle; did that rapport with Nathan Fillion come as quickly as it looked on screen?
Stana Katic: Of course. The writing lends itself to a very Hepburn-Tracy type of rapport, so it’s easy to simply say the words and find that wonderful rhythm.
In addition, Nathan has a history with and a wonderful knack for comedy. On my end, I’ve become a big fan of the Hawksian dame-- fast-talking, spirited broads like Rosalind Russell, Kate Hepburn, and Barbara Stanwyck. Using them as an inspirational resource helps in adding to those charming verbal sparring sessions.
Scooter: Kate’s one major rule was that Castle not look into her mother’s death. The first season ended with Castle revealing that he was in fact pursuing the case and had found something. How does Castle’s betrayal affect the second season?
Stana: It’s something the writers don’t shy away from at the start. Kate’s mother’s murder is in “don’t go there” territory, and of course, Castle breaks her trust by researching it. He discovers a shocking inconsistency between the final conclusion that the murder was random and the actual evidence.
The writers reveal a piece of that evidence immediately in episode one, and also deal with rebuilding the Castle-Kate relationship so that the characters can get back to what they're best at: solving crime capers together.
Scooter: The show focuses on a writer who tags along with a detective while preparing for an upcoming book – did life imitate art? Were you able to shadow any real cops? If so, did you accompany any weird cases?
Stana: I did have the opportunity to visit with a very gracious and witty group of detectives in New York City when we were filming the pilot, and then I followed up on that by visiting a detective and an FBI agent here in Southern California.
The most fascinating thing about accompanying real detectives is their gallows humour. I suppose their work gets to be so emotionally grinding at times that a dark sense of humour ends up serving as a survival function.
Scooter: We got a few glimpses into Kate’s personal life in the first season, will the FBI ex-boyfriend show up again and/or a new potential beau be introduced this season?
Stana: As far as i know, there are plans to re-engage in the Kate-Sorensen storyline. I’m not quite sure about the scenario and to what extent. That’s the part that is exciting for me as the actor. Each script is a new discovery and surprise.
Kate and Castle are kind-of like a great wine. We’re going to take our time enjoying all of the flavours and nuances before we finish off the bottle and get down to business. In doing that, I’m sure we'll be exploring the personal lives of both of the characters in more depth before they fully dive into each other; and i wouldn't be shocked to see both of them going out on dates before they make it back to one another again.
Scooter: What is one thing you personally would like to see happen on Castle this season?
Stana: You know, we touched on it somewhat above. I would love to see more of Kate’s personal life. I feel like the writers are doing a great job of unveiling other layers of Beckett this season. Nearly each episode provides a small glimpse into this working girl's life.
In fact, I just found out she is a bit of a comic book junkie (it’s a brief story point in the upcoming episode)! How fantastic is that?!!! i cannot wait to do the character research for the episode.
That being said, I would love to meet her father and see a storyline with them. It would also be great to see her off-duty and out on the town (perhaps on a date). I have a feeling Kate has a bit of wild streak in her that can't necessarily be shown in the precinct and on duty; but once the badge is in the box, I think she can throw down with the best of them.
And finally, I would love to have a few one-on-one scenes with captain Montgomery (played by Reuben Santiago-Hudson). Reuben is our Tony Award winner and our new NAACP lifetime achievement recipient. To be able to have a couple of quality character scenes with him would be an honour.
Scooter: Anything else that you haven’t mentioned in previous questions that the viewers can look forward this season on Castle?
Stana: What I’m really looking forward to this season is watching some of the other characters take center stage, as well. I think audiences can anticipate more of what they enjoyed so much last year, meaning that Castle-Kate witty rapport; but the writers are also building wonderfully fun storylines for the rest of the ensemble. Detectives Esposito (John Huertas) and Ryan (Seamus Dever), for instance, have a beautiful storyline coming up in which they pair up against Kate and Castle in a crime-solving race. Bets are laid, and the two teams are off on a really fun episode to see who wins precinct bragging rights. John and Seamus shine in this episode, so I’m excited to have people see their great work.
Scooter: For anyone that didn’t catch season one of Castle, will they be able to easily start watching season two without getting lost?
Stana: Each episode stands alone. Audiences should have no difficulty slipping into the series for season two.
Scooter: Did you do anything during this past summer? If so can you tell us a little about it?
Stana: I traveled around Europe and French Polenysia. If I’m not working on a film or other project, I try to travel and explore as much as possible. Polenysia was particularly wonderful because i got to visit with an archaeologist who took me on a tour of ancient burial and temple sites. It was astounding to see the remnants and to learn about that beautifully self-sufficient and powerful people because so much of their history was eradicated by invading explorers and missionaries.
I also got to visit with a falconer here in Southern California during the summer molting season. Falcons are beautiful hunters, and of course they sit at the apex of their food chain. So, learning about them was tremendously informative in regards to the state of the environment as a whole.
Anyway, I did things like that this summer. It was fun.
(Shaun of the Dead, Beetlejuice, Freddy vs. Jason, Ghostbusters) 
(which is already onto the sequel) and the horrible reboot of 
earlier this year. Of course it is almost an insult to Freddy Kruger to call his movie a slasher flick because he was much more cerebral than the slow and stalking killers of his ilk which made him the scariest of the genre. Of course this begs the question how soon until the second scariest, 
gets his own millennium makeover?
and 
. Although I have never heard of the girl who updates the chick from Just the Ten of Us. Where they may lose me is that they did not bring back Robert Englund as Freddy instead opting for Rorschach from 
. Are you telling me even a sixty-plus Englund still couldn’t still pull Freddy? This is almost as egregious as not bring back Mr. T for The A-Team movie. Englund may not have been included in the new movie, but his version of Freddy Kruger is being inducted into the 
for the film?
) lost her partner / lover and naturally she is struggling with the fact she was supposed to be on the chopper that crashed. She was kept off from the flight by Cliff Curtis (
) who may or may not also had a relationship with Griffith and somehow survived the crash when he was thrown from the cockpit onto a rooftop.
) who had been flying in Iraq because what show these days wouldn’t be complete without a war veteran in its cast? Filling out the cast are Derek Luke (
) as Herc’s partner who can’t get over that day a year ago and Jamey Sheridan (Chicago Hope) who seems to be in charge of the paramedics. While Griffith’s new partner may or masy not be the long lost Jonas Brother.
![Terror Alert Level: High [ORANGE]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebDZ0qqwOVKMZj7oFSUe8Hm3ax54U9Hp1fThJPgiddTyzcdwx_5SV6E3b7hkKyxbaDiym4COmUXT2YJnsKCUjBHI_a2xZtNoY7qFQRslP5AGO5gLkJwn2ZbO0wIF80ycbKrgPPA/s400/small_high.png)
on my 
try to emote is always the highest of high comedy.
now that it has left the Peacock after fifteen seasons. Although with some hanky-panky going on inside the hospital, it may sooner conjure up images of an ABC medical show. The show follows Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling in only her second job on her resume) as an Iraq vet now working in a civilian hospital and living with her long line of Irish alcoholic. Bonus points for having a boyfriend / ex-husband / fiancé (actually I am not sure what was going on with that relationship) for calling her Ronnie.
) as the boss at the hospital who naturally has already threatened to fire Veronica. Also there is Guillermo Diaz (
) as your token male nurse. Fun times.
But before my obsessive compulsionisms kicked in, we had the fifth season premiere of How I Met Your Mother which is really showing its age. Right off the bat we are reminded of the creepiness of Ted meeting the mother in his classroom to the soundtrack of the clever 
The other storyline is a potential jump the shark moment with Barney and Robin becoming an official couple. Barney and his Barneyisms is the heart of the show and if he is too busy tied down to one girl, and one in the group, just screams disaster if he starts becoming more human. The last thing I ever need to see is Barney suiting up to go on a date with a girlfriend.
How I Met Your Mother airs Mondays at 8:00 on CBS. You can stream recent episodes over at 
Here’s hoping that the writers of The Big Bang Theory by its fifth seasons don’t run out of ideas and just puts Sheldon and Penny in a relationship. Although a drunken one night stand would be hilarious. Instead to start the third season we get the re-coupling of Penny and Sheldon so sudden I thought it was a dream sequence. Kaley Cuoco laughing during the kiss didn’t help things much either. Although the epilogue to the episode suggest another one and done episode with some weird post-coitus talk. Granted not as weird as the pre- coitus talk that derailed the act altogether.
But of course Sheldon remained the center point of the episode with another of his classic hissy fits. And this is one of the ones where he had legitimate reasons to throw one when his buddies tampered with his experiments to make their lives at the arctic better with a happier Sheldon. Granted I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get an explanation as to why Sheldon had time to groom down to a goatee. But you could tell the writers had some Sheldomisms lined up from their summer break. It almost made sitting through the last three minutes of Two and a Halg Men worth it. Almost.
