I Want My Music Television: 3/19/13

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.


Whisper in the Dark – Mumford and Sons


Mumford and Sons shot four videos for their latest single, but why release them separately when you can combine then into one? The lower left is my favorite.


22 - Taylor Swift


Taylor Swift with cat ears is way more attractive than it should be.


Radioactive - Imagine Dragons


I really have not put much thought into Imagine Dragons, they are good at what they do: soundtrack for movie trailers, nothing more and nothing less. And I really did not give much thought to them unless the latest sci-fi trailer is released. But I am a bit disappointed that I am just learning that their music video features a killer Care Bear, Lou Diamond Philips, and Adam Braverman’s hot assistant.


By Crooked Steps - Soundgarden


Who knew Soundgarden had a sense of humor? Though I have a feeling the thirteen year old version of myself would have hated Soundgarden doing basically a Foo Fighters type video (this was directed by Dave Grohl).

Previewing Bates Motel

In a measure of full disclosure, I should mention it has been a very long time since I have watched Psycho. It has been so long that I may have just assumed I saw it but really all I have seen was the famous shower scene which over the year morphed into me thinking I have seen the entire movie. I definitely never watched Psycho II (or Psych III or Psycho IV: The Beginning or the shot for shot Gus Van Sant remake of the original or the recent Hitchcock film starring Anthony Hopkins that focused on the filming of the original). So I really had had no expectations going into Bates Motel, a series focusing on a teenage Norman Bates whose mother just bought a motel.

The show stars Freddie Highmore as the future psycho. I actually thought Highmore was one of the interchange guys who all look the same on Pretty Little Liars, but apparently he was never on the show but was the titular character in the Tim Burton Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reboot which I avoided out of respect for Gene Wilder. The big name in the cast is Vera Farmiga (The Departed) as Norma Bates who is much more interesting in the new series that the creepy boy she raises. The show also boasts a few familiar faces, some that ma stick around while others definitely will not be seen again including Nestor Carbonell (The Tick) and Max Thieriot (House at the End of the Street) play local cops. Keegan Connor Tracy (Once Upon a Time’s blue fairy) is Bates teacher who tries to him more involved at school. W. Earl Brown (Deadwood’s Dan Dority) shows up as the former heir to the Bates Motel. The show also stars a couple of Norman’s classmates in newcomers Nicola Peltz as one of the popular girls and Olivia Cooke (who should be cast as Rachael Leigh Cook’s younger sister in something) as the school’s outsider.

Weirdly, Bates Motel starts out in the fifties, or least it looked very much like the fifties in what the Bates were wearing, watching, and driving, when the twosome move from Arizona to the Bates Motel. Then unexplained, after what I assume will be a commercial break, Norman is listening to Cults on his iPod and inexplicably in modern times. And a warning to horror movies purist, there is a scene in the first episode which depicts the young Norman Bates riding around in a convertible with a couple cheerleader types listening to Taylor Swift. I wish I were joking.

But Bates Motel really does not seem like it is the story of Norman Bates which may be a good thing because the high school stuff is very run of the mill: teenagers sneaking out or pretending to study so they can go drink and drug out at a house party (and I think Rosie Larsen’s douchebag boyfriend plays a douchebag on this show too). If there is a reason to watch Bates Motel it is because of Vera Farmiga portal of Norma. Even though he seems relatively normal now, you can tell even after one episode how Norma will drive Norman to grow up to be a psycho. But Vera is not over the top and the subtlety in her performance is really captivating and may have racked up her some awards if the show was better written and acted around her. But if you are to only watch one famous serial killer prequel over the next, I have a feeling Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal will probably be a better bet (at least in terms of quality, Bates Motel may end up airing more episodes since the young Lecter's series airs in NBC's death slot).

Bates Motel airs Mondays at 10:00 on A&E. You will be able to download Bates Motel on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 3/17/13

Once Upon a Time: It was pretty silly that they tried to make us wonder who in the cast was going to die when it was quite obvious that Cora would be the one that perished. And that was before the flashbacks featured her (anyone who watched Lost knows if someone was going to die, it would be whosever flashbacks were that week).
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: Emily claimed after Amanda’s funeral there would be no more distractions, the promo monkeys even made a marketing campaign around the saying, but it is hard to take the writers at their word when her foster brother shows up to her doppelganger’s funeral which I assume will be a pretty huge distraction next week. He better be gone soon some Emily can actually take down some more people this season. Come to think of it, I think the Grayson’s have taken down more people this season than Emily.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: It is too bad that the summit did not involve Hershel and Milton because their conversation was much more interesting. Adn I like how the two henchmen knew they were going to end up killing each other soon enough.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Vikings: There are plenty of ways to show just how evil a character is, but offering up your wife to someone to see if he is dumb enough to take you up on the offer is a new one. I kind of like it.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Vikings on iTunes

Dallas: I know some grumbled about disrespecting the memory of Larry Hagman by having fights breakout during the J.R. Ewing memorial and going the Who Murderer J.R. plotline, but the guy played J.R. Ewing, it would seems more disrespectful to not send him out with a bang. And I doubt Patrick Duffy and Linda Grey would have been a part of anything that would have disrespected Hagman’s legacy.
You can download Dallas on iTunes.

Deception: The big question going into the finale is that Robert have Julian’s girlfriend killed because he thinks she killed his daughter or did he kill his daughter and she made a good scapegoat who now cannot defend herself in court, essentially closing the case. But Robert never struck me as someone who would kill his own family considering the lengths he went through to keep his son out of jail and to hide her pregnancy. I have pretty much thought from the beginning and still believe his wife was the one who killed Vivian because she threatened to tell Mia who her real mother was. Hopefully we get a definitive answer and not some lame fake out like The Killing because unlike The Killing, there will probably not be a second season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Deception on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Wait, what? Spencer joined the A Team?!? Sure I have a feeling she just joining to be a mole to bring down the A Team from the inside, but still shocking nonetheless. But I still do not believe Toby is dead until I see something more than a fading tattoo. And why is it the only time the Liars are candy stripers is when they sneak into the morgue.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

The Lying Game: I pretty much figured Thayer last week was behind the murders last week when he had to be the guy who burglarized Rebecca’s place, I just have not figured out why. Does the dude just have serious rage issues; killing Derek and then killing Teresa because she somehow found out? Then had the hubris to think he could pin it in Alec (who in turn thought he could pin it on Rebecca who herself thought could pin it on Alex; what a marriage). I also cannot figure out why Rebecca would throw Alex through the skylight. Unless she did not and Alec actually went so far as to throw himself through the skylight to make sure Rebecca gets pinned for all three murders. This is getting confusing.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Justified: A bit of an anti-climatic episode after learning that Sherriff Shelby is Drew Thompson though it was nice to see Limehouse again. But I am intrigued about the next episode with the final line, “We just have to get out of Harlan alive.” Maybe they can sneak out in Wynn Duffy’s Wynnabego.
You can download Justified on iTunes.

Survivor: Caramoan: Note to CBS: Stop it with the Hantz family. This is the second time a tribe threw a challenge just to get rid of a person with the last name. The Favorites did not even go through the motions of throwing; they just showed up to the Immunity Challenge and said just take us to Tribal Council, something that has never happened before. I actually feared for the safety of the tribe, you could have told me Brandon raped Andrea, pushed Philip into the fire, or harmed himself in some way and I would have believed you. Seriousyl CBS, no more Hantz’s
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.

The Neighbors: Usually television shows wait until they run out of ideas to do a musical number so I am a little worried about the quality of the rest of the season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Neighbors on iTunes.

The Americans: The length spies will go through to get their way. You had Philip’s former flame telling him he had a son just to manipulate him, Beeman’s asset sleeping with him, telling him there were no strings when there were strings all over the place. Who would have guessed Elizabeth’s crotch grab would be the tamest way of getting things done this week? And I have a sinking suspicion that, much like on Justified, Mags Bennett will only last one season.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Speaking of running out of ideas, I really hate when comedies try to force heavy subjects into their plots which always seems to happen. Although I would not mind a Very Special Episode like the ones in the eighties. There really are not any Very Special Episodes anymore.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Community: C’mon, if you are going to reference Memento, just go ahead and do a full Memento parody. Hopefully it was a hint of what is to come and Chang Kevin will be covered in tatoos next episode.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 3/16/13

Quote of the Week: First thing we are going to do is acknowledge this guy is awesome. He shoots Theo Tonin, fakes his own death in a spectacular fashion, pushes a guy out of an airplane while he’s flying it, parachutes into Harlem County with enough coke and cash to kick start the economy of a small country, and then he has the balls to get a job in law enforcement, not once, but two times. He’s spends a couple days riding around with you while you’re looking for him, and now he’s run off with a hooker that’s half his age. That’s some bad (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted). (Art Mullen, Justified)

Song of the Week: You Get What You Give – The New Radicals (Community)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: There Is a New Pope: Surprisingly about a month ago the pope stepped down for the first time in a couple centuries and this week the Catholics got a new pope who… eh, who cares, that was not even the biggest news on Wednesday. More on the real biggest news story in the Video of the Week segment.

Preview Picture of the Week:

Bates Motel premiering Monday at 10:00 on A&E

Free Download of the Week: No Sympathy – Eric Clapton (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: Big Blu-Ray Blowout: Three Amigos, Pan's Labyrinth, Purple Rain

New Album Release of the Week: Same Trailer Different Park - Kasey Musgraves

New DVD Release of the Week: Zero Dark Thirty

Video of the Week: Forget you new pope, the biggest announcement this week was the launch of the Veronica Mars movie. The Kickstarter campaign broke records raising a million dollars in about four hours and reached its two million goal in ten and went up to three million in about thirty hours (the previous record raised for a film project total was only $808,000). Even if they did not reach their goal, it was just worth it to watch the hilarious accompanying video featuring Ronnie herself Kristen Bell along with Ryan Hansen (I’m not the one with the When in Rome (expletive deleted) you money), Jason Dorhing, Enrico Colanton, and creator Rob Thomas.


Even though they have already reached their goal, as Dick Casablancas explains, that will be their car chase and nudity fund. Rob Thomas has also thought about adding more big ticket rewards, of which Corbin Bernsen even offered his services for free (which is not complete implausible considering the shows love of eighties stars Harry Hamlin and Steve Guttenberg). So now the question is how much money will they raise; enough for a sequel? Trilogy? Maybe if they get enough extra cash, they could get Jessica Chastain to reprise her role or Amanda Seyfried can play Lily Kane’s long lost evil twin. And the question after that is what prematurely canceled show get a crowd sourcing movie? Shawn Ryan already said he was interested in how the Veronica Mars campaign goes as a possible way to get a Terriers movie (Zach Levi of Chuck and the dude behind Men of a Certain Age have also pondered the possibilities). I am slightly disappointed that the moment after Veronica Mars reached its goal that Jason Katims did not start a Friday Night Lights movie Kickstarter or Brian Fuller with Wonderfalls (or Pushing Daisies). Or Rob Thomas setting up another Kickstarter for a Party Down movie.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Pretty Little Liars, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC Family: The last two season finales of Pretty Little Liars have revealed members of The A-Team with Mona and Toby. They jumped the gun this season as Spencer pulled out a black hoodie from her pillow case which makes me wonder just what is in store for this week’s finally. Will we finally learn who is under the red hood? Cee-Cee? A not so dead Allison? A not so dead Toby in a wig?

Lyrics Quiz: Most Played 90's Songs

I have been listening to my 90’s playlist a lot on my iPod recently so I thought I would sort it by most played and make that this month’s Lyrics Quiz. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section (or e-mail me). If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric and give you credit. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them.

1. Talk about the things you can’t explain: to touch is to heal, to hurt is to steal. If you want to learn how to touch the sky, better learn how to kneel. On your knees boy.
2. Two peas in the same pod, yes we are. Never read too much fiction.
3. We had nothing, I had to do something now I’m knocking on heaven’s door like I’m Bob Dylan.
4. Can you get a set of better clubs with tiny nubs so my irons aren’t always flying off the back swing? (One Week - Stunt - Barenaked Ladies; guessed by Kevin)
5. Sit outside and argue all night long about a God we’ve never seen but never fails to side with me.
6. Get to macking to this (expletive deleted) named Sadie, she used to be the homeboy’s lady.
7. Cards and phone call and pictures of you. Constant reminder of all the thing you get used to.
8. If I could be king, even for a day, I take you as my queen. I’d have it no other way. And our love would rule in this kingdom we have made.
9. And the world’s a stage and the end is near. So push rewind, just in time, thank anybody. It’s just the way that you are. (Then the Morning Comes - Smash Mouth; guessed by Kevin)
10. Just close your eyes and I’ll take you there. This place is warm without a care. We’ll take a swim in the deep blue sea. I go to leave and you reach for me.
11. Pass the road to your house that you never called home. Where they turned off your lights. They say you’ll never know.
12. I don’t care if you really care as long as you don’t go. So I cry, I pray and I beg.
13. Remember you were talking and I watched as sweat ran down your face. Reached out and I caught it at your chin, licked my fingertips.
14. I have been told that salvation let’s their wings unfold. So when I’m lying in my bed, thoughts running through my head, and I feel that love is dead.
15. Follow me into the desert as thirsty as you are. Crack a smile and curl your mouth and drown in alcohol.
16. Who got the only sweetest thing in the world? Who got the love, who got the freshy, freshy?
17. Some useful knowledge can always be found. Don’t burn the library until you’ve read all the books.
18. I know you’re not afraid to go it alone, but this was a marriage of spirit, flesh, and bone.
19. Load up on guns, bring your friend, it’s fun to lose and to pretend. (Smells Like Teen Spirit - Niravana; guessed by Kevin)
20. I don’t know why you’re mean to me when I call on the telephone. And I don’t know what you mean to me, but I want to turn you on, turn you up, figure you out. I want to take you on.
21. He’s got a daughter he calls Easter; she was born on a Tuesday night.
22. Give you everything you need to live inside a twisted cage, speep beside an empty rage. I had a dream I was your hero.
23. Ya know I’d like to keep my cheeks dry today.
24. A pocket is no place for a smile anyway. Someday I will find love again will blow my mind.
25. Visiting is pretty, visiting is good. Seems like all they ever wanted was a brother.

Around the Tubes: 3/14/13

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 Veep, Beat Making Lab, The 80’s: The Decade that Made Us, Consent, Side Effects, Dom La Nena, Modern Machines, Falling Skies, and Quincy Jones.

- As we inch closer to the April 14 premiere of the second season of Veep, HBO some new Key Art which you can take a look at below:


- PBS Digital Studios, producers of the popular Icons: Remixed, Off Book, and Idea Channel web series has just launched a brand new series called Beat Making Lab. The series follows two music professionals and educators as they travel to international destinations, providing undeserved communities with the training and tools to create their own original hip hop and electronic music. See the premiere video below:


- Coming Sunday April 14, the National Geographic Channel will be airing their own version of I Love the 80’s with the six part The 80’s: The Decade that Made Us narrated by Rob Lowe. The miniseries “isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about the history of our modern world that spawned political, technological, cultural and social revolutions that began in the United States and went on to dominate the world.” No word yet if Michael Ian Black will be involved.

- Starring Troian Bellisario, star of ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars), Consent tells the story of a wealthy Manhattan family’s inability to cope with the suicide of their eldest daughter, resulting in a downward spiral of drugs, alcohol and sexual taboos that threatens to destroy them. The movie will be released on digital platforms Tuesday.

- It was announced yesterday that the provocative thriller, Side Effects will be released on BluRay/DVD combo pack on May 21 and digital download on May 7 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. From Academy Award®-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Contagion) comes this suspenseful tale of intrigue featuring an all-star cast of Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

- Sometime described as Cat Power’s lost sister, Brazilian cellist / vocalist Dom La Nena has just released a new video for Anjo Gabriel, off her debut album Ela, which you can watch below.


- Fans of dance music looking for something new to dance to will want to give a listen to Trouble by Modern Machines. And if you like it, use the download button on the Soundcload widget below to get the song for free.



- TNT’s epic drama Falling Skies, basic cable's #1 summer drama among key adult demos, is bringing the Second Mass resistance back to WonderCon Anaheim with a panel Q&A and exclusive look at what’s ahead in season 3. Series stars Drew Roy (Secretariat), Sarah Carter (Shark) and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) will join executive producer Remi Aubuchon (24, Persons Unknown) for a panel session moderated by Rich Sands, senior editor at TV Guide Magazine, on Saturday, March 30 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The panel session will include several exclusive clips offering a sneak peek at the first episode of Falling Skies season 3, which is set to launch this summer on TNT.

- AXS TV has joined Keep Memory Alive’s Power of Love Gala honoring Quincy Jones and Sir Michael Caine’s 80th birthday as the exclusive broadcast partner. The music network will air the special LIVE from MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 13, 2013.

In Time the Rockies will Crumble, Gibraltar will Tumble, They’re Only Made of Clay

At age sixty-seven, Eric Clapton has recorded twenty-eight studio albums, twenty as a solo artist, so are we really supposed to expect much from the twenty-ninth? For a guy once regarded as “God” sure. Really the most notable aspect of Old Sock (do not ask) is that it is the very first released not on a major label but on his own record label Bushbranch (again, do not ask). Like most of his albums from this millennium, Old Sock relies heavy on covers, there are two covers, and features a bevy of guest stars that you probably will not know are there unless you are reading along with the liner notes.

The album starts up with a reggae version of Further on Down the Road by Taj Mahal (who contributes harmonica and banjo to the album) and also dips back into the island sound on Peter Tosh’s Till Your Well Runs Dry. Clapton’s old buddy, and sometime recording partner, J.J. Cale contributes vocals and guitars to the softly sung Angel. Another Clapton contributor, Steve Winwood from the Blind Faith days, plays the organ on Still Got the Blues. While Chaka Khan sings back up on the rare original track Gotta Get Over which stands as one of the best on the album, a funky song and one of the rare tracks where Clapton lets loose on his guitar.

Clapton also spends some time dipping into the old standards much like Paul McCartney did on his latest album, and the Beatles shows up on All of Me (most famously done by Billie Holiday) playing the bass and providing backing vocals. He also breaks out the old Leadbelly old timey classic Goodnight Irene and even closes the album with Love Is Here to Stay written by the Gershwin Brothers. Eric Clapton has clearly mellowed as he has gotten older, I just wished he would unleash one more guitar god album before putting on another pair of old socks.

Song to Download – Gotta Get Over

Old Sock gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

The Real Vikings Collection from History

Last week, History launched its first ever scripted series Vikings, but for those that want to learn about the Nordic warriors without the poetic license that comes with a work of fiction, even if based on real events, History has compiled three of its specials on the subjects for The Real Vikings Collection. All three specials were an hour long and fit on a single disk. The first special is Foot Soldiers: The Vikings from 1998 and it hosted by the very nineties Richard Karn of Home Improvement fame. Despite being the oldest (and thus being the only one presented in the old timey 4:3 presentation), it is the most entertaining of the specials where you leaned where the myth of the Viking helmets with horns came from and you even get to see Al on a surfboard. You also learn of the special Viking fighting force, the Berserkers, who would fight on mushrooms. And yes, that is where our term “berserk” came from.

The next special is an episode of Lost Worlds from 2007 which takes CGI models to show us what Vikings societies looked like at the time based on archaeological digs and artifacts from the time (which include a Buddha statue despite the Vikings never ever making it to the Far East). The third special is an episode of Warriors with Terry Schappert (rechristened “Viking Terror” on the DVD) where the former Green Beret looks at the different fighting styles and weapons from the “Hell’s Angels of the Middle Ages”.

Even for those that are watching the scripted Vikings series, it is interesting watching this DVD collection to see what the series got right and what they are taking liberties with. While each special has its own focus on the Viking culture, one event all of them focused on was assault on the English monastery as featured in the second episode which is widely considered the beginning of the Vikings era in Europe. It does look like the set design has gotten the living quarters and the boating design very close to how the Vikings built things in their times. And the special could depict what could be coming up in future episodes or season. I really hope a Vikings battle, as demonstrated by Schappert, gets staged.


Full Disclosure Notice: This DVD was given to me by Lionsgate for review.

I Want My Music Television: 3/11/13

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.


February Seven - The Avett Brothers


Who would of guessed that an intro of The Avett Brothers fighting with each other would be so entertaining. I wonder if there is a tape out there like the one that the Gallagher brothers released at the height of Oasis which somehow managed to crack the singles charts in England.


Something Like Olivia – John Mayer


I do not know why it crossed my mind while watching this video, but I wonder if John Mayer wrote this song about Olivia Munn. I know something like Olivia Munn is what I need to find.


Why Am I the One - Fun.


Who would have guessed a music video about a suitcase would be so depressing? Thanks for not living up to your name Fun..


Downtown - Lady Antebellum


So were Lady Antebellum unable to get Kat Dennings? I cannot imagine they were sitting around wondering if they could get the other chick from 2 Broke Girls to be in their video.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 3/10/13

The Walking Dead: One thing I really hated about Lost is that they would set up something, forget about it, and they finally pay it off long after everyone stopped caring. That was the case this episode when Rick finally ran into the dude who saved him in the series premiere. This meeting should have happened late in the first season or early in the third. But it was still one of the better episodes in the show as Rick finally met someone crazier than he is, but you got to love all the booby traps that crazy dude set up for the walkers and the barely living.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Shameless: I was wondering when Karen would pop up again. I figured after Lip gave her a call it would not be long. Though I cannot image she will stick around that long after learning how much it will take to care for her son and just let the grandparents fight over him.

Vikings: It dawned on me about half way through the episode it may not have been the best idea to do a basic cable version of Game of Thrones set in the real world. But the “This season on” package did leave me intrigued so I probably give the show another episode or two to win me over.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Vikings on iTunes

House of Lies: I never thought anyone could ruin a Kristen Bell Sex Tape, but they somehow managed to do that. Thanks House of Lies.

Switched at Birth: It is brave to try an all ASL episode, but I think it could have been better conceived. I thought maybe they would have a national day of silence in protest of the closing of Carlton. Or maybe follow a day in the life of Daphne or even Emmitt for a day. The way they did it seemed a little to force to avoid any spoken dialogue.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Switched At Birth on iTunes.

Dallas: It does not really mattered what happened in the first fifty-nine minutes, something about a silly car race, and the third Ewing brother made his first appearance in Dallas in about three decades, all that matters is the two gunshots that ended the episode. Any other show, it may have been in bad taste to murder off the character of an actor who died in real like, but in the case of Larry Hagman, it seems like a fitting tribute to send off J.R. Ewing with a murder mystery considering Who Shot J.R. was one of the biggest storylines ever in the history of television. I am sure next episode we will get a fitting tribute, but after that we will start for the hunt for J.R.’s killer. Since he was (supposedly) half the world away when he was shot, that rules out everyone in the main cast unless there was a time jump we are unaware of. Your probably have to put Cliff Barnes at the top of the list (but would he be so brazen, as the promo monkeys would have suggest, show up and taunt the death of his rival at his own funeral after killing him). Could Sue Ellen’s sister, who originally shot J.R., come back to finish the job? Um no, it turns out she overdosed and drowned in a pool during the original run. But maybe her son, Christopher finished what his biological mother started. Maybe Gary showing up in Dallas was not a coincidence. Or to tie it back into the modern day version, maybe one of Vincente’s buddies are set to avenge his death.
You can download Dallas on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Well that was a completely random and completely shoehorned in celebrity cameo. At least tease that it would be possible that Missy Franklin could be A, put her in a red coat or something. But even worse, are they actually going to let Ezra teach again… in high school? What, what?!? Apparently even the principal knows something went on, how could he let this happen? Why will Ella work with a dude who sleeping with her high school daughter? These are the worst administrators and parents ever.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

The Lying Game: So the dude in the black hoodie had to be Thayer right? Everything points to either Rebecca or Alec being the one who killed the one dude and kidnapped (and looks also killed) Teresa, but could Thayer be behind it the whole time? But then the question is why.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Justified: Where most law enforcement shows are about who did it, Justified has almost always been a show where we knew who the criminal was early on with the show being much more about the chase. So it is not surprising that the show would unveil its first real long mystery with three episodes to go, maybe it is surprising they did not reveal who Drew Thompson was earlier. Although some could argue that they revealed that Sherriff Shelby was Drew last week when his conversation with Ellen May made it so obvious that I assumed it was going to be a red herring. So now Raylan, and Boyd and Theo Tonin, have three episodes to hunt down Drew. Oh, and Boyd has extra incentive to find him too because it looks like he took Ellen May with him.

It was surprising how funny this episode was considering it came in the wake of Arlo death. The shootout between Constable Bob and the white collar criminals was hilarious, Art’s tirade the kicked off the episode, Raylan still had his trademark wit, and of course all of Wynn Duffy’s reactions were priceless (I bet he did not think a federal agent would be making a house call with a federal prisoner). I was also surprised that the preacher’s sister finally reappeared and it did not involve her teaming up with Ellen May, instead she teamed up with Tim. Is Gutterson finally going to get some love on the show?
You can download Justified on iTunes.

Survivor: Caramoan: What a crime against humanity that the Fans voted out the three hot chicks right in a row. And it was completely short sided to get rid of Laura now, she definitely had the better argument in that you cannot trust Fratboy #1 or Fratboy#2 if they switch things up and keeping them will no way guarantee winning any challenges (and it was hypocritical of the Fratboys for saying they needed to keep a stronger team yet voted for Shamar, probably the strongest person on their team, twice in a row). And more importantly, how do you vote off the three hottest chicks in your tribe in your first three Tribal Councils? I am beginning to worry about the longevity of Andrea now.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Caramoan on iTunes.

The Neighbors: I feel bad for Jackie if the only song she has found on the planet Earth has been Semi-Charmed Life.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Neighbors on iTunes.

The Americans: Holy frack, Felicity just beat the crap out of Mags Bennett!!! Did not see that coming. I did see that they were being interrogated by the KGB, that was pretty obvious, it is way too early to for the United States government to be on to them (I will be surprised if that happens sometimes before the season finale).
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

King of the Nerds: A couple weeks Jeff Probst did a podcast with Chuck Closterman when Chuck asked Probst if Survivor rewarded mediocrity. His reasoning was simple: all the weak players get eliminated first, and then all the strong people get voted off after the merge, leaving the mediocre to win most seasons. I could not help think of that conversation while Celeste got crowned King of the Nerds. Going into the finals I thought Genevieve would sweep the vote, she was her team’s leader and won three Nerd Off’s while Celeste did not have one signature moment on the show, but mediocrity was awarded (two people weirdly mentioned Celeste’s “growth” as the reason for voting for her). Yawn.
You can download King of the Nerds on iTunes.

Best of the Week - 3/9/13

Quote of the Week: Nothing works under water, it’s a scientific fact. (Hannah Martin, Pretty Little Liars)

Song of the Week: Semi-Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind (as sung by the cast of The Neighbors)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Fun with Fillerbusters: There has been talk of reverting the fillerbuster, which now only takes forty votes to do, back to the old time having to read the phone books to block a law from passing. I doubt it will ever happen because yeah it will force the other side to talk for hours on end to block your bill, but then you would have to do the same for bills you do not like. But it was clear we need to reinstate the talking fillerbuster after Rand Paul talked for about thirteen hours to protest the nomination of John Brennan for the director of the CIA and his use of drones. Sure we are living in some bizarro world where Republicans are protesting the use of drones while democratic still by idly because you know if there were a President Mitt Romney, the Republicans would call the drone strikes patriotic while the Democratic would call Romney a war criminal, but it is always entertaining watching a dude talk for thirteen hours straight. To put that in perspective, Paul could have spent his entire fillerbuster quoting all the dialogue from all six Star Wars movies. fun times.

Preview Picture of the Week:

The Lying Game season Finale "To Lie For" Tuesday at 9:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: Cercas Blancas EP – Needtobreathe (Noise Trade)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: This month’s five dollar deals include albums by Al Green, Jack White, Run-DMC, and Willie Nelson.


New Album Release of the Week: Old Sock - Eric Clapton

New DVD Release of the Week: Sound City

Video of the Week: The Hangover came out and was universally loved. Then The The Hangover Part II came out and was universally hated because it was just the first movie all over again, just set in Thailand. Even though no one wants a third one, I am sure even the people who were vehemently against the second one will still go see the “epic conclusion to the trilogy”. Supposedly there will actually be no blackouts in this movie where the Wolfpack has to piece together last night’s even while trying to hunt down Justin Bartha but there really are not many clues to what is going on in the new trailer. And poor Justin, he is always getting lost and does not even get one shot in the trailer, even his wife is in scene.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Dallas, Monday at 9:00 on TNT: An end of an era comes Monday with the funeral of J.R. Ewing. The episode will bring out some characters not seen since the original run including his half-brother (do not hold your breath that his other sons other than J.R. Jr. bother to show up) and to prove that all his exes still live in Texas, Sue Ellen has a powwow with some of J.R.’s other leading ladies. Even some of Dallas’s real life elite comes to pay tribute to the oilman including a returning Jerry Jones. And as the promo monkeys teased, even Cliff Barnes show up to pay his disrespect. Some will deal with the elder Ewing’s passing with alcohol, some with drugs, others with sex, while some will fight away the pain , while others will do all four. And do not turn off the episode after J.R. is lowered into the ground because one of the great characters in the history of television left his family with a couple of bombshells, the kind you do not put in a public will. All a fitting tribute to one of the greatest characters in the history of television.

Around the Tubes - 3/8/13

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 King's Point, Overbrook Entertainment Writing Contest, The Vatican, Defiant Requim: Voices of Resistance, House of Lies, The Rescues, New DVD Releases, DC Cupcakes, Alabama Shakes, KISS, Granite Flats, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

- This Monday at 9:00, HBO will be airing the Oscar-nominated documentary King’s Point. Director and Producer, Sari Gilman, tells the stories of five seniors living in a typical American retirement resort – men and women who came to Florida decades ago with their spouses by their sides and their health intact, and now find themselves grappling with love, loss, and the universal desire for human connection. Check out the trailer below:


- For anyone who has watched a television show and thought to themselves, I can write something better than this, now you can by entering a contest being held by Overbrook Entertainment (a production company co-founded by Will Smith and James Lassiter) and the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment. Two winners (one 30 minute comedy and one 60 minute drama) will win $5,000, a meeting with Overbrook Entertainment, an opportunity to have their TV script further developed, and an 18-month option agreement on their script. Enter at scriptwritercontest.com by 3/21/13 by 1 p.m. PT.

- I was already excited when Showtime cast Kyle Chandler (aka Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights) for their upcoming show The Vatican and now comes word they also added to the show Anna Friel (aka Chuck from Pushing Daisies) as “Kayla is a sexually active, hard-partying New Yorker” who is also Cardinal Thomas Duffy’s (Chandler) younger sister.

- In the spring of 1944, a handpicked group of Nazi officers was treated to an unusual performance by inmates in a concentration camp. What appeared to be a soaring rendition of a choral masterpiece was intended as a subversive condemnation of the Nazis and a desperate message to the outside world. In the face of horrific living conditions, slave labor and the constant threat of deportation to Auschwitz, the Jewish inmates of Terezin concentration camp — artists, musicians, poets and writers — fought back with art and music. Defiant Requim: Voices of Resistance premieres Sunday April 7 at 10:00 on PBS (check your local listings).

- You can’t lie your way out of this one. The addicting new social game “Pack a Suitcase,” inspired by the hit SHOWTIME comedy series House of Lies, tests the valuable, and often underrated, skill of packing like a pro. Users across platforms can select their favorite character – Doug, Marty, Jeannie or Clyde – in a race to cleverly pack the most items before time runs out. Head over to sho.com to play.

- New music out now: Blah Blah Love and War by The Rescues.

- New movies out next week: Curandero: Dawn Of The Demon, a supernatural thriller with an action twist from Robert Rodriguez, and the Hallmark Channel Original Movie Duke starring Steven Weber.


- Next Tuesday, TLC will be airing a baby special of DC Cupcakes at 10:00.

- Alabama Shakes will bring their red-hot rock and roll music to AXS TV for a live television concert event Saturday, March 9. AXS TV will broadcast LIVE from The Ogden Theater in Denver, where the band will play to a sold out crowd as part of their current headlining tour in support of their GRAMMY nominated debut album Boys & Girls.

- Earlier this week, Rock & Brews announced that KISS rock legend Paul Stanley is joining forces with fellow KISS co-founder Gene Simmons in his Rock & Brews restaurant venture as the company prepares for worldwide expansion. Together, they will co-host the March 22 and 23 opening of Rock & Brews in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, the second location for the emerging brand.

- On April 7, when BYUtv premieres Granite Flats – an eight-episode Cold War suspense drama with a twist of science fiction – the groundbreaking network’s first scripted series will fill the decade long family-friendly primetime television programming void. Granite Flats was produced, written and created by a team of top Hollywood and New York talent who have made some of the television and film industry’s most successful and long-running family-oriented entertainment offerings.

- The CW may soon be an all reboot network as they channel recently announced that this summer they are bringing back Whose Line Is It Anyway?. With Drew Carey busy with The Price Is Right, the new version will be hosted by Aisha Tyler and will also feature the return of Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie, who along with a special guest each episode, must put their comedic skills to the test through a series of spontaneous improv games.

Previewing The Client List 2.x: A Dude's Review of Lifetime vol. II

In a measure of full discourse, I should mention I am a straight man so in my lifetime, I have managed to avoid the Lifetime network. I think it is somewhere in between the local sports network and MSNBC (natch). I am not entirely sure, but I also think the Lifetime Movie Channel (which I think are affiliated with each other) is among that tier of three digit channels I never go into (which begs the question why am I paying so much for cable when I watch less than twenty of the a thousand channels I have, but anyway).

But recently Lifetime was kind enough to give me access to their screeners so I decided to check out all they have to offer (I fear I will be spending the weekend watching all the Lifetime movies they have to offer including Restless Virgins starring Switched at Birth’s Vanessa Marano premiering this Saturday) one of which is the second season premiere of The Client List. Since I did not have time to watch the entire first season, I watched the eight minute recap video embedded below:

So Jennifer Love Hewitt has to turn to prostitution after her husband leaves her for a mountain of debt and has to juggle being a single mom, dating, and breaking the law. And then her husband comes back to make things even more complicated. But forget about Love, who knew that Bridget from R Kelly was on the show!?! Please tell me on the show she is having an affair black midget that cannot control his bladder while married to Chalky White from Boardwalk Empire. I am actually excited to watch now, let move on to season two.

It dawned on me while watching the second season premiere that this may be the first time I have seen anything with Jennifer Love Hewitt in it since Heartbreakers. Actually, has she even been in anything since Heartbreakers besides Ghost Whisperer? It is amazing to think how Love went from the hottest thing on the planet for a year and half to just completely drop off the cultural zeitgeist.

I really cannot talk much about the actual second season premiere because like many advanced viewing, I am forbidden by the network from reporting any big spoilers, and there is a pretty big plot twist at the start of the episode (which opens where the last season ended with a state trooper getting out of his patrol car) and that plot carries through the entire episode. I can tease that someone quits The Rub, another finds love, there is an unintentionally funny training montage set to Kelly Clarkson, and someone actually utters the line, “You’re really going to blow the clients away, pun intended.” I can also sadly report that Bridget does not have any run-ins with any black midgets. Oh well, maybe next episode.

The Client List airs Sundays at 10:00 on Lifetime. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Client List on iTunes.