The TV Chick

Burn Notice returns tonight on USA Network, and one major reason to watch is that Sharon Gless is reuniting with Tyne Daly, for a Cagney and Lacey reunion. This show is really fantastic, and I am so excited to watch! I recently had the chance to participate in a Q & A with Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, and they were absolutely terrific. They talked about their friendship, reuniting on Burn Notice,d and what Cagney and Lacey have meant to them. Be sure to tune in tonight, at 10 pm on USA for the season premiere of Burn Notice. And if you love the show, enter my giveaway!

How did you all feel about the prospect of re-teaming?

Sharon Gless: Well I loved. I’ve been trying to talk Tyne into coming and doing our show. Tyne said she’ll do it if she could play a mute. But Matt Nix said I’m not paying Tyne Daly to not hear that voice of hers so.

Had you all tried to work together in the past few years?

Tyne Daly: Go ahead Sharon.

Sharon Gless: Go ahead Tyne. I did Tyne’s show, Judging Amy.

Tyne Daly: So it’s Tyne talking now. And Sharon came when we were in trouble because of - my colleague had died, Richard Crenna, and we didn’t quite - we were thrown into a very unpleasant situation. Sharon came and pinch hit and was lovely on our show. And so I figured to do this Burn Notice, you know, turn about is fair play. And besides that …play with her, we play very easy together, we have a good time.

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For five young and bright new law associates, being accepted into one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious law firms is their first step on the road to success. However, they soon come to realize that the Sterling law firm is a lot more than they bargained for. The law firm is harsh, non-traditional and constantly trying to find a reason to fire them.

The associates are thrown right into cases that challenge their morals and ethics. Dylan (Matt Long, “Jack and Bobby”) is faced with a practically un-winnable custody case, Beth (Leah Pipes) has to choose whether to keep silent when a 90 year old signs an agreement thinking she’s his daughter, Liam (Ben Lawson) has to get a client to sign with the firm under not-so-ethical conditions, Addy (Tina Majorino, “Big Love” and “Veronica Mars” — absolutely adore her) has to stand up to her overbearing bosses, and Malcolm (Mehcad Brooks, “True Blood”) is put in the middle of a battle of the bosses after being hired outside of the traditional process. The associates also have to face fighting partners, other partners who are married to each other, the pressures, the hours, and the competition.

I have to admit, I mainly watched this pilot because I will watch anything that has Veronica Mars cast members in it. Tina Majorino was amazing on that show, and she is great here too. I think the role of Addy is particularly fitting for her. It is a vulnerable character with insecurities, but also someone who is smart, competent and strong. I found myself really enjoying this show. However, I am hoping that the setting of a law firm doesn’t limit the show to plot lines just about cases. I think The Good Wife does a great job with depth of character within the law office setting, so it definitely can be done. The male associates on The Deep End are certainly nice to look at, and the show has its quirky and funny moments in addition to serious ones. I’m curious to see how the partner war plays out and if any relationships develop between the five of them. There were hints in the premiere, but I don’t want to spoil too much.

So if you are looking for a show that is entertaining with some great actors, this show is for you. I really hope it has longevity. From what I’ve seen in general, ABC (minus Eastwick, we shall not discuss that), has been kind to its new shows so I hope this one sticks around. It’s not a typical procedural. It focuses more on the lawyers instead of the law and court cases. I am interested to see more! The show also stars Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaiser, and Nicole Ari Parker as Susan Oppenheim.

The Deep End premieres tomorrow night, January 21st at 8 pm on ABC.

USA Network has some amazing programming, and I’m so excited to bring you another amazing giveaway. Burn Notice returns tomorrow night for its mid-season premiere, and I’m sure it will be fantastic!

Get ready to get BURNED! The #1 show on cable returns with all new episodes. Don’t miss Tyne Daly & Clayne Crawford guest-starring in the Burn Notice winter premiere – “A Dark Road” – airing Thursday, January 21 at 10/9C. Become a Fan on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, and visit the Official Site to play Covert Ops: Vegas Heist (beginning 1/21) for a chance to win an all-new Hyundai Genesis Coupe!

Enter to win a Burn Notice tote filled with:

–        Season 1 & Season 2 DVDs

–        Burn Notice Branded Flashlight

–        Burn Notice Book: The End Game

–        Burn Notice T-Shirt

• Open to U.S. Residents only
• Entrants must be at least 18 yrs of age
• Prize pack valued at $100, courtesy of USA Network

To enter, leave me a comment with your favorite character from Burn Notice. If you don’t watch the show, and just enjoy free stuff, just leave me a comment and you will be entered to win!

I am so excited that White Collar is returning tonight. It has become a fast new favorite of mine. The show centers around FBI Agent Peter Burke who hires former con-man Neal Caffrey to be his new partner. It is a unique show that is shot beautifully around New York City and it is very different from procedural dramas out there. I recently had the chance to participate in a Q&A with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay (Neal and Peter respectively), about what’s coming up this season, their character development and even the fashion of the show. And be sure to tune in tonight at 10 pm on USA Network for the mid-season premiere.

It seems that both Neal and Peter seem to toe the line between right and wrong on the show, especially after seeing the cliffhanger in your fall finale.  My question is what types of real life shenanigans have you gotten yourselves into that you can draw inspiration from?

M. Bomer: Tim, do you want to go?

T. DeKay: I know we only have a little under an hour so I won’t be able to go through all of my real-life shenanigans.  That’s a good question.

M. Bomer: I snuck my brother’s car out of the driveway in the middle of the night and was trying to run over trash cans with it.  I was 16 and I got a flat tire and literally tried to go to the gas station to put air back into it.  It was nothing but shredded rubber and the rim.  I came home and by the time I got home the rubber from the tire was literally slapping on the concrete so loud the entire neighborhood – my dad was waiting for me at the door and my license was revoked for quite some time.  I wouldn’t say that I have the same kind of criminal savvy that Neal does.

T. DeKay: Is that a shenanigan?

M. Bomer: If that’s not a shenanigan I don’t know what is.

T. DeKay: That’s an excellent shenanigan; I can’t top that one.

Tim, the show obviously took a large step, something that you don’t always see in a mid-season finale.  What did you like about that last scene and what can you tell us about the ramifications as we move into the second half of the first season here?

T. DeKay: Jeff Eastin approached me with that last scene a couple weeks before he was going to put it on the script.  I said, “You’re the writer; this sounds exciting, let’s go for it.”  I love the scene and I love the continuation of the scene as well.  I think it’s some great writing and some great storytelling and very exciting and it’s a perfect cliffhanger.  That’s all I’m going to say about it.

That last scene in the aired episode I don’t know if you can tell us this or not.  Was it a coincidence or was it just a red herring or is there a reason, if you can tell us, that the actress that plays Kate looks an awful lot like with Tiffani-Amber Thiessen?

T. DeKay: This is Tim.  I’ve been asked that and I never realized that they look alike.  Now that it was brought to my attention I do see the similarity, two beautiful women.  I think it was, I don’t know, maybe the writers have something up their sleeves that I don’t know.

As far as you know it’s coincidence?

T. DeKay: I believe so, yes.

The season finale had one hell of a twist that I really don’t think many people saw coming, if anyone saw it coming.  How has this suspicion between the two characters changed the series, as it’s been the first half of the season to the last half of the season?

M. Bomer: I think it actually comes to resolution pretty quickly.  It’s not something that is as dire as it might seem; it’s something that resolves itself relatively quickly in the second half of the season.  Ultimately it’s one of those things that ends up, I think, really bringing the two characters closer.

T. DeKay: I couldn’t have said that better myself; I concur.

Over the first half of the season, Neal seems to have been developing a kind of trust in Peter and Peter has become kind of protective of Neal.  With that last twist and having seen the second half premiere, it seems like, as you said, things do resolve.  Could you speak to the development of each character in regards to the growth of trust and that sense of protectiveness?

M. Bomer: In terms of trust I think that Peter is the first person in Neal’s life that he’s really been able to have that with, but I also think it’s an interesting dynamic that’s always kind of liquid between the two of them given their history and given the fact that Neal’s not really ready to jump over to the other side of the moral spectrum immediately.  It’s something that he’s struggling with and it’s kind of his journey on the second half of the first season to figure out if I’m going to buckle down and be with the FBI or am I going to do whatever I have to do, legal or not, to find Kate.  I think the trust thing is sort of everything in the relationship, but as opposed to normal relationships where it can be a little bit more black and white, in this particular relationship, it can be more liquid.  He has more trust for Peter than he’s ever had for anybody else.

T. DeKay: As far as the protection that Peter has for Neal, I like that observation a lot.  At first, Peter’s protection of Neal was a bit self-centered.  He’s protecting himself because he made that decision to take this guy out.  But as time has gone on he’s gotten to know Neal in a different way and is now protecting him because he sees a great potential in this guy.  He’s protecting him on more than just a professional level.

Matt, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far in the world of con men?

M. Bomer: I think the most interesting thing I’ve learned is how much of it is about just like a good actor does his research on a role and does all the homework he needs to do to know a character inside and out, the amount of work that goes into a skilled con artist’s game, the amount of research, the knowledge of the mark and the amount of confidence it takes to pull it off are all really fascinating to me.  The similarities to the craft of acting are actually fascinating as well.

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I am absolutely loving White Collar this season. The show left us on a big cliffhanger at the end of the mid-season finale, and I can’t wait to see what happens. So I am thrilled to offer you this amazing giveaway!

USA Network’s new hit series is back with all new episodes on an all new night. Don’t miss the return on Tuesday, January 19 at 10pm/9c! The season premiere picks up after December’s cliffhanger as Neal must infiltrate a company of corrupt Wall Street brokers to preserve his deal with the FBI. When Peter is forced to go undercover alongside him, a discovery is made that could change their partnership forever. Become a fan on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Visit The Official Website for your chance to WIN a new Taurus (beginning 1/19).

Enter to win a White Collar Gift Bag containing:

–        Cashmere Scarf

–        Links of London Leather Credit Card Case

–        Thomas Pink Custom Collar Stays

–        Stainless Steel Flask

–        White Collar T-Shirt

• Open to U.S. Residents only

• Prizes valued at $250, courtesy of USA Network

• Entrants must be at least 18 yrs of age

To enter to win, leave me a comment and tell me what show you are most looking forward to in 2010 (new show or old favorite!) If you don’t watch a ton of TV (really?), just leave a comment to be entered.

This mid-season of Make It Or Break It has focused a lot on Payson so far, which I love. This episode starts off with Payson back in the gym in the early morning visualizing actually training on the beam. It turns out Sasha had given her a book about athletes beating the odds after getting injured. Sasha explains that this book was meant to help with the recovery but that her doctors’ decisions were final: she won’t be able to do gymnastics again.

Meanwhile, Kaylie and Nikki are on the press circuit, and they do a photo shoot in the gym before practice. MJ (their manager) tells them they are invited to Los Angeles to a pool party with celebrities, and they should walk the red carpet together. Nikki refuses, but Kaylie decides to go and invites Payson and Emily to join her on the private plane. (Remember, there’s still a lot of hurt and drama between Kaylie and Lauren). Lauren (being Lauren) weasels her way into the event by threatening to tell everyone about the cortisone Nikki gave to Payson. (Side note: Nikki, played by Cody Longo, is Cassie Scerbo’s (Lauren) real-life boyfriend).

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Millionaire Matchmaker returns to Bravo tonight for its 3rd season premiere. And this time, Patti Stanger has found her match and is planning a wedding of her own. I have to say, I wasn’t sure if I would like this show. I enjoy Bravo’s programming but the idea of matchmaker’s seemed a little archaic to me. However, it is highly entertaining. Patti is a character and a half and is truly invested in finding the perfect match for her clients. She is even a 3rd generation matchmaker. (I feel like I should break out into song from Fiddler on the Roof). So clearly, there is a need for experts like Patti because people keep coming to her for advice. The Millionaire part of Millionaire Matchmaker is because her clientele are millionaires from all walks of life who want to find their mate. I recently had a chance to chat with Patti about why she thinks there’s a need for matchmakers, what she thinks of online dating services and what’s coming up this season.

When you were growing up, did you always want to be a matchmaker?
No. Definitely one hundred percent no. A lot of works, and a lot of headaches.

What sort of challenges do you face on a daily basis? Just from seeing the premiere, I can tell there are a lot of difficult clients.
Everyone thinks they know everything. Everyone’s a know-it-all. Everyone combats me, they battle me, they don’t let me do my job. That’s probably the worst thing.

Why do you think there is a need, in 2010, for matchmakers?
I think because nobody’s meeting anyone. When you get out of college, you now do not have a peer of people to date, there’s no group left. So you either have to meet them at work, or through friends, or out at a bar or restaurant. Well what if you keep going to the same places, doing the same things, and you run out of options. And the older you get, the pickier you get because the more money you make as a woman, the more time you feel like “I don’t have to settle.” Right? And then you rule by sexual attraction, and there’s nobody you’re sexually attracted to, and the whole ball of wax.

What is your take on online dating services?
I love them. I actually am a co-brander of psxoxo.com, with sparknet–we’re partners. It’s a site that’s ruled by advice. Other sites are great, but they don’t give you advice on how to pick a screen name, how to write a profile, how to know who the right guy is from the bad guy is when you’re picking it. And at psxoxo.com, it’s driven on how to navigate the waters so you don’t waste time, because you could waste a lot of time online.

And do you prefer in-person matchmaking services over online dating services?
No, it’s different. If you’re a fast person, who likes to pick their own people, than online is better for you. But if you’re a person who doesn’t have the time, and is a bad screener, then you need an outside resource, like human resources goes to a head hunter, I’m a love hunter. No difference.

I like that term. And in your opinion, what’s the biggest dating mistake women or men make?
I think the biggest mistake dating that men and women make is too much information to tell on the date. Men love mystery and women love it even more, so I think if we all just sat back and relaxed [it would] reveal itself on its own.

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Will you be watching?

Premiere day has finally arrived! Life Unexpected premieres tonight, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! The show centers around Lux (Britt Robertson), who wants to emancipate herself from the foster care system when she turns sixteen. The journey brings Lux to her biological parents, Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kris Polaha) and Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby), and they all wind up with the family they never knew they had. This show has a ton of heart, and in speaking with most of the cast members and the creator, it became so evident that this is a passion project that they love, too. It represents what dramas should be, in that they make you laugh and cry and learn all in about an hour. I recently had the chance to speak with Britt Robertson (Lux) about her new leading role, her own family and her favorite moments from filming the show.

Tell us a little bit more about your character, Lux.
The show Life Unexpected centers around 15 year old Lux, and she’s seeking out emancipation from the foster care system and during that process, she ends up meeting her biological parents for the first time since they had given her up, and she’s sort of like this tough, hard-edge, funny, sarcastic character who ends up becoming a little more in touch with her emotions towards her parents throughout the series and she’s this 15 year old girl, but she’s really not 15 at all because she had to grow up so fast, because of being in foster homes and group homes. So she’s definitely got a lot of layers to her.

What originally drew you to the role?
Originally, when I read the script, I loved the story itself and when I spoke with Liz, our creator, and I found out how connected she was with it and how passionate she was about the project, [and] I just fell in love with the idea of the show and secondly, it was so well written. The characters were all so well written, and Lux the character that I’m now playing, but the character that I was auditioning for, she was so different from anything else I had ever done, and that was like really, really interesting and challenging and I was just taken aback by how fun and interesting it could be.

And you just mentioned your creator, Liz, who was adopted. Did you speak to her or anyone else in the foster care system to get a sense of how they grew up?
Yeah, well originally when I was auditioning for the part, I had spoken to her a little bit about the situation and she was telling me — I had no idea that she was adopted at the time, and I had no idea that at the time she was actually seeking out her biological parents as well and it wasn’t because of the show or because it was getting off its feet, it was actually just sort of coincidental that we were shooting the pilot and she had just now gotten in touch with them. And it was interesting, because I was sort of able to understand what it’s like to not know who your parents are and wish for certain people, and not necessarily get the people you were hoping for, or vice versa. So it was really helpful to speak with her, because I’d never really known anyone to be adopted or in the system. And also, I spoke with — there’s a program in Pasadena, California, that I sort of did a lot of research with called the Casey Family Program. It’s sort of directly targets, sixteen to twenty five year olds who have been in foster care or group homes and basically it’s sort of teaching them how to get emancipated and move out on their own and take care of themselves and keep pursuing things even though they don’t have the money or the sources and so that was really helpful because all of the employees there have actually been through it themselves as well.

The show is at its core about family. Lux’s new family, and her old family which we get to see a little bit in the upcoming episode. What is your family like?
It’s interesting because I moved out to LA when I was pretty young, and my family wasn’t able to come with me because I have a lot of younger brothers and sisters and my parents just couldn’t uproot our whole lives, so I ended up moving out when I was a lot younger and I think that actually has helped me a little bit with drawing from my experiences to relate to Lux because moving to LA you don’t have your mom to come home to or people in your life to sort of direct your path, I kind of had to like figure it out for myself a little bit, and I think though I’m super close with my family, I am away from them and I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, so I think that’s definitely helped me relate to Lux a little better.

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The Golden Globes were pretty entertaining tonight. Ricky Gervais did a solid job hosting, and they rushed it along nicely. I can’t say I was blown away like I am at the Oscars, but I digress. There were some unexpected winners, some great surprises (some not so good), so below is a list of the TV nominations (minus mini-series) and my thoughts.

Best Television Series-Drama

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

I thought this was a category with very deserving nominees. Mad Men is a good show, so I’m not surprised. Wow, sorry for the lack of insightful comments about Best Drama.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama

• Glenn Close, “Damages”
• January Jones, “Mad Men”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

I originally thought Anna Paquin or Kyra Sedgwick would take home this award, both of whom I love. However, I was absolutely thrilled to see Julianna Margulies take home her first Golden Globe win. She is phenomenal as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, and I am so glad the show is returning for a second season.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama

• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

I kind of thought Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie would win (as tradition dictates) but Michael C. Hall is certainly great in Dexter.

Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Whew. So you all know my feelings about Glee, right? This moment was probably the best one of the entire awards show for me. The cast was dressed beautifully, Ryan Murphy made a wonderful speech and most importantly, then won! The only thing better would have been if they broke out into song on stage! That said, Modern Family is still amazing in my eyes and well-deserving too but I think it will have its time. This has been Glee’s year, and I think there are many more nominations and wins to come. With the talent pool that they have, who knows what the future holds! It has been a pleasure watching this show from the beginning, and I can’t wait to see more!

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