The TV Chick

Continuing with my previous post about shows I recommend, and my true love for everything Rob Thomas, here are some of my favorite moments from the first season of Party Down.

Season 1, Episode 2 “California College Conservative Union Caucus”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsPjbZs5IPw&hl=en&fs=1&]

Season 1, Episode 3 “Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkIAB0qpvw8&hl=en&fs=1&]

Season 1, Episode 6, Taylor Stiltskin Sweet 16

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfIwDvigO_o&hl=en&fs=1&]

Season 1, Episode 7 “Brandix Corporate Retreat”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzSCvzVmh40&hl=en&fs=1&]

What are your favorite Party Down moments? I promise a bigger feature soon, because this show really deserves so much praise and success! You can watch it on Netflix instant, and it is also still playing in reruns on Starz. Check it out before it comes back if you haven’t already! I can guarantee it will make you laugh…a lot.

1. Gilmore Girls: I must say, even though the 7th season was sort of a disaster with the absence of the show’s creator Amy Sherman Palladino, I miss the Lorelais. I miss Luke and the diner, Kirk, Miss Patty, Babette, Taylor and all of the Stars Hollow crew. Rory and Lorelai brought a quick wit and humor to television that I believe had never been seen before and their world was one I loved to immerse myself in every Tuesday night.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SFyXg306CY&hl=en&fs=1&]

2. Friends: I think Friends got a bit overshadowed by Seinfeld in its hey-day but I loved it. I could always count on a laugh at Chandler and Joey’s antics, and enjoy quirky Phoebe and even ditzy Rachel. And yes, I did get “The Rachel” haircut. But in all seriousness, this show was incredibly funny and had a lot of heart. I will never get tired of the reruns. I couldn’t pick one video or find a good compilation so here are a few.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q--6wtCPHg8&hl=en&fs=1&]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUORgpbwBjY&hl=en&fs=1&]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ShNgZmLd0&hl=en&fs=1&]

3. Veronica Mars: I must admit, I watched this show on DVD, and not when it was on tv but I don’t think that makes me any less of a fan. Rob Thomas is a genius, and paired with Kristen Bell, and an amazing cast of supporting characters, he can do no wrong. With lines such as “Never undercount the sassy” and “This? Is my over-the-moon face,” I can never get enough of it. Each week was a new mystery, all tied together with an overarching case to solve. The acting was brilliant, the stories were fantastic…even the theme song by The Dandy Warhols was awesome…I really don’t think I could find a flaw in this show if I tried—except for the fact that it only lasted 3 seasons. I fully support a Veronica Mars movie and you should check out @IMKristenBell on twitter for more info on how to make this happen.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCc1Pe87JoY&hl=en&fs=1&]

4. Arrested Development: This show ended way before it’s time. It was filled with crazy characters, ridiculous storylines that were incredibly grounded at the same time, and most of all, it was absolutely hilarious. The show rewarded their loyal viewers with call back jokes and gave it to FOX many times…in very subtle and brilliant ways. With a cast of Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Alia Shawkat, David Cross, Portia De Rossi, and even a guest stint by Liza Minnelli—how can you possibly go wrong?? The video is clips of George Michael and Maeby (my favorite storyline)…although I wish I had found one with more of the cast members. You’ll just have to go watch it on DVD!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDHNnTp4scU&hl=en&fs=1&]

5. The O.C., or as I fondly call it, the Gossip Girl of the 00s, was dramatic, funny, and anchored by a great cast (Peter Gallagher as Sanford Cohen). I was always excited to tune into this show. While it had it’s over-the-top moments, the O.C. was a guilty pleasure that I didn’t feel really guilty about. This video is one of my favorite moments from the show.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu6Vbkfp8ls&hl=en&fs=1&]

What shows do you miss the most and why? Comment and let me know!

So, the concept of Season 11 of Big Brother is back to school (high school that is). I have to say it’s a very creative theme. I don’t know how I feel about “clique” teams but I wonder how that will affect certain alliances — will people merge cliques? Will there be a jock/nerd showmance? What about an offbeat/popular one? Even in the beginning, I can sort of tell who I think is going to drive me nuts–Chima, what is with your crazy face? Laura, please tone down that boob job. And Natalie, seriously you are fooling no one (they clearly don’t let underage girls in the house!) I do really enjoy Kevin (the self proclaimed blasian)…he will be the Howie/Eric of this season because he is pretty hilarious. Here’s a twist of the game…if someone in the clique wins HOH, no one in that clique can be nominated for eviction. And, someone (a former houseguest) is going to be houseguest #13. I would love Kevin to win the whole thing, but usually someone so outspoken does not last til the end. Chima, seriously, stop laughing. I think I like the offbeat team the best, although I do kind of like the other teams as well.

Here are the teams:

Brains – Chima, Michelle, Ronnie
Athletes – Natalie, Jeff, Russell (and Jessie)
Popular - Jordan, Braden, Laura
Off Beat – Casey, Kevin, Casey

First HOH competition: The Wedgie…you have to hold on to the fake toilet seat above your head while these weird diapers give you a massive wedgie. No one in the yard will be HOH, the newest houseguest will be! So if you win this, you just get some sort of advantage in the competition. One houseguest goes back, but 4 get the chance. Here are my predictions for the 4: Howie, Matt, Jessica, Kaysar. Here are the actual potential new houseguests: Cowboy (I don’t remember how much I liked him, but I think I did), Jessica (got that one, I love Jessica), Brian from BB10 (he wasn’t that entertaining), and Jessie (ehh he was okay. A little annoying). So I guessed 1/4! Go Jessica! If their clique wins, they get to be HOH. Jessica was really the best out of all of them, so go team popular! And side note, Casey really should not be a 5th grade teacher if he can’t determine percentages.

Competition starts: those wedgies look painful! Thanks Russell, for explaining the definition of a wedgie! Oh no, here comes the super wedgie. Julie Chen, you are a journalist. Does it pain you to say “super wedgie?” Just wondering…so the brains are the first clique out…Brian must feel bad being the first “voted off” again. Still rooting for team popular! I bet Jessica and Jordan would be blonde BFFs. Next team to lose–offbeats…so no Cowboy. Popular vs. Athletes (getcha head in the game contestants). Hang in there Laura, use the strength of your Double Ds! Aw man, team popular…I had so much faith in you! At least Jessie will be pretty entertaining. His relationship with Rennie was funny, and maybe he will befriend and/or fight with Casey. If I had to pick a winner right now, I would say Jeff or Jordan.

But anyway, a clique war?! Bring it on! Can’t wait til Sunday! Your thoughts? Chime in! (or Chima in, get it…)

1. “My Dinosaur wanted to Jurassic Park here,” “I really hope you don’t suck,” “Are you talking to me or the Democrats in your head?” and “She’s a teenage Kim Jong Il”…all lines from the new series 10 Things I Hate About You (which premiered last night) which made me laugh. I love Meghan Jette Martin (of Camp Rock fame), and I really, really want this show based-on-a-movie-based-on-a-Shakespeare-play to succeed. It needs to be a a lot more grounded for that to happen. The acting is good but it feels more like a fake high school than a real one, and really, would there ever be a high schooler so passionate about universal healthcare?

2. ABC Family original movies. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life starring Lacey Chabert and Wendie Malick, My Fake Fiance starring Melissa Joan Hart, and the Au Pair movies.

3. Kyle XY…very sad it’s gone.

4. Secret Life Of The American Teenager, and most of their original programming is pretty entertaining.

5. They show reruns of Gilmore Girls, Full House, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch…need I say more?!

6. Very much looking forward to the new series with Alexa Vega “Ruby and The Rockits”

7. Harry Potter marathon before the new Harry Potter movie comes out.

8. Despite the fact that the channel has changed hands (from just plain old Family Channel, to FOX Family and now ABC Family), it is still going strong and really continuing to develop great content.

9. I can forgive them for showing a million episodes of Americas Funniest Videos.

10. They pick some pretty good movies to show…even if they are perhaps geared towards a younger audience.

I do really love this show, but I have to say last night’s episode was not my favorite. Here are my thoughts…

I understand they need conflict between the characters, but why did they break up The Rock just to get it back together again? I do like that Lauren (Cassie Scerbo) is back in the gym, because I have an unexplainable love for the frenemy/villain. And she’s a pretty good actor to boot. I also totally called the return of Sasha Belov…and he is pretty nice to look at, so well done ABC Family! I do enjoy the Bela Karolyi reference, scratch that two Bela references! And a Kerri Strug reference…nice!

I like Kaylie because she’s sort of a bad ass who is always breaking the rules, but I wish her dad would just find out about Carter already so this whole sneaking around storyline would cease to exist. Is that Jason Castro playing the random guy at kegger party? No?! Oh okay. Anyway, I can’t decide whether I want Emily to go out with Kaylie’s brother or Razor. I guess that’s the point of the whole plot line, huh? But do I sense a Lauren pregnancy coming on? She can say she’s cool after Carter basically sexed and ran, but I don’t believe it. I would enjoy if I predicted it, but I really hope I did not…

So while this episode was definitely entertaining, I watch this show for the fact that it centers around gymnastics. And in this episode, the girls are mostly outside of the gym. I suppose it is necessary to pull the characters out of their comfort zone every now and again, I just secretly wished for more flipping and routines. I look forward to next week!

What are your thoughts??

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Entourage is coming back! I am certainly looking forward to seeing Vinnie, E, Turtle and Drama…and even Ari. And Lloyd…who doesn’t love Lloyd? I’m curious to see what this season will bring.

Here is a taste:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU7A42yM8z0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0]

Via Variety:

Jane Lynch won’t be returning to the second season of Starz comedy “Party Down” because of her commitment to Fox fall series “Glee,” the actress told Daily Variety.

Starz had hoped that schedules could be coordinated to accommodate the busy actress, but efforts fell short.

“It looks like I can’t do the second season,” Lynch said. “So I’m not happy about that all … but I’m in ‘Glee,’ so I’m thrilled about that.”

Lynch described “Party Down” as “a blessed event.”

Maybe we can hope for a guest appearance or cross our fingers for season 3. She is great in Glee even though she will be missed! I will be posting some favorite Party Down moments later!

Brian K. Vaughan, who is mostly known for his comic book writing, but has also written for Lost for the last 2.5 seasons, is moving on.

“Unfortunately he has left for greener pastures,” the series’ executive producer Damon Lindelof told fans during a Q&A session at Curzon Cinema.

Best of luck to Mr. Vaughan, but we will miss him on Lost!

Here is one of my favorite moments from this season, in a Brian K. Vaughan written episode called “Namaste”…I believe Hurley sums it all up at the end: “Uhhh, what?!”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI27K8aXkBo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0]

Summer lovin’ happened so faaaast…Ahem…

For my first post, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the shows I am watching (and lovin’) this summer. While I may not have caught up with “Wipeout” or “I Survived A Japanese Gameshow” there are many other shows that have my full attention.

Make It Or Break It: Mondays, 9pm on ABC Family: Full disclosure here, I love gymnastics and would probably love this show even if it was truly terrible. But it’s not! I think it provides an entertaining look at elite gymnastics, with interesting story lines and snappy dialogue. As long as they keep flipping, I’ll keep watching.

Army Wives: Sundays, 10pm on Lifetime: Back for its third triumphant season, Army Wives is better than ever. Even Roland, the army husband, is given his due. I think the premise is incredibly strong, and the actors convey (what I imagine to be) a realistic portrayal of life on the base. And I don’t mind looking at Trevor LeBlanc (Drew Fuller) for an hour each week!

The Closer: Mondays, TNT, 9pm: The Closer is the top-rated (ad supported) cable show on television, and for good reason. Brenda Lee Johnson (played by the charming Kyra Sedgwick) leads a team of hilarious (but great-at-their jobs) detectives, as she closes cases (get it, the title of the show…). My favorite continuing storyline: the obvious sexual tension between Assistant Police Chief Pope (the wonderful JK Simmons) and Deputy Chief Johnson. And of course, who doesn’t love Flynn and Provenza?

Secret Life of The American Teenager: Mondays, ABC Family, 8 pm: What I thought might be an outlandish look at a teen pregnancy, has really proven itself to be just the opposite. It may have some of those moments but in it’s 2nd season, Secret Life (for short) is as good as a lot of teen shows get these days. I may not be in ABC Family’s target demographic, but I do enjoy the drama that centers around a group of friends, and their families.

Top Chef Masters: Wednesdays, Bravo, 10pm: I’m a big fan of the regular Top Chef, but was pretty skeptical about this offshoot. Where’s Padma? Why aren’t there the same contestants week-to-week? Stop confusing me Bravo! But, all that aside, it has exceeded my expectations. The chefs are real masters and it’s fun to drool over their creations. I encourage more shows like this in the future.

“It turned colder that’s where it ends…” or shows I wish hadn’t ended so soon:

Party Down: Starz network: I plan on writing a bigger feature on this show, but Rob Thomas captured my heart again. And he does so in extreme fashion with every episode (or just about) featuring a cameo from Veronica Mars. He had me laughing (and crying from laughter, and awkward moments) at Ken Marino’s antics as the head of Party Down, a Hollywood catering company. Lizzy Caplan, Adam Scott, and Ryan Hansen round out the cast, all playing actors or former actors with their own issues. And Jane Lynch adds hilarity to the party as well. Get it, party?!

In Treatment: HBO: I realize that this show didn’t extend into the summer, but Dr. Paul Weston (played by the sexy blue eyed Gabriel Byrne) was back for a 2nd season with all new patients. This show is one of the most unique on television, in that it makes you feel like you are going through therapy with each patient. If you can handle some self discovery each week, I know you are waiting with baited breath for the 3rd season like I am.

So tell me, what are you watching?? What should I watch? I want to check out Hung, and I definitely plan on catching up with True Blood once I finish the books (which I highly recommend if you are a fan of vampire lovin’). There are also some new ABC Family shows coming our way that I plan to check out as well.

Show me some comment love!