The TV Chick

I am a huge supporter of all things USA Network. Their newest spy drama, Covert Affairs, fits perfectly with White Collar, and I am really enjoying it so far. It’s got a kick ass leading lady, a TV veteran and some great drama. What more do you need? So obviously, I am thrilled to offer this amazing giveaway!

USA Network has your Tuesdays covered with the best looking night on television with the new hit series Covert Affairs at 10pm. COVERT AFFAIRS stars Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Peter Gallagher, Kari Matchett, Anne Dudek and Sendhil Ramamurthy. Visit the official Covert Affairs website for games, photos and weekly prizes. Visit USA Network’s Character Arcade to play games, challenge friends and for more chances to win prizes!

ENTER TO WIN a COVERT AFFAIRS Gift Bag!

Covert Affairs Gift Bag includes:
-Tumi maps set
-Hard cover Spy book
-Covert Affairs Hat
-Covert Affairs T-Shirt

*Open to residents of the U.S. & Canada. Prizes courtesy of USA Network. Covert Affairs prize pack value: $150*

To enter to win, leave a comment saying why you think you’d make a great spy! If you really have no desire to be a spy (seriously?!) just leave a nice comment!

As readers probably know by now, I was at Comic Con last week and couldn’t write my review of Make It Or Break It. But not to worry, I am back! And ready to talk about my favorite Rock gymnasts. To recap, last week was The Rock awards banquet where Summer gets drunk, Becca Keeler is going to train to be an elite while Payson struggles with becoming an artistic gymnast, Lauren is a total biotch to Emily yet manages to win The Rocky (congeniality award) because her dad clearly faked the results, and Kaylie wants to lose weight to be able to do harder moves like the Chinese gymnast. I have a very strong opinion on this storyline but I’ll talk more about that later. And there is some Summer/Sasha making out! Yay! 

Last night’s episode “I Won’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me” centers around the elite gymnasts (including Payson) getting new floor routines. Of course, there is drama when Lauren and Emily vie for the same choreographer and she chooses Emily. There is even more drama when Lauren steals Emily’s moves at the big presentation to prove she is better than her. Sasha takes Payson out to the ballet (despite Summer’s big hints she’d like to go) to change her perceptions about what body type fits the ballerina mold. In the ballet, the swan must be reborn to become a woman. It symbolizes becoming what you are meant to be. She is so inspired, and realizes that she is perfectly capable of being an artistic gymnast and changing her ways. Way to go Payson!

Kaylie asks her parents to be her co-managers, which really just ends up backfiring in her face because they fight all the time. The end result is Kaylie’s ridiculous mix of classical and techno floor music and her crazy awful moves at the presentation. But it’s not Kaylie’s falling apart family that is plaguing her. She is running 10 miles a day, and eating barely anything and no one seems to notice. This was happening a bit the last episode, because Kaylie wants to lose weight to complete the harder moves. The show is treading a fine line with this storyline. I love Kaylie, and she has seemed like the healthiest gymnast on the show. Healthy, not as in fat, but as in a healthy attitude and lifestyle. I realize that eating disorders happen in elite gymnastics, and athletes are definitely at risk. I don’t have any problem with them going down this route for Kaylie (although I am a bit sad), I just really hope they avoid cliches. However, I can understand what lead her to this, so it doesn’t come out of left field. Her life is falling apart a bit and she has a lot of pressure to maintain her national championship title. If she does get a more serious eating/over-exercising disorder, I hope to see her get counseling, or some sort of help. On TV shows (My favorite childhood sitcom Full House and also Saved By The Bell comes to mind), these stories get glossed over, wrapped in a bow and sent on their way. I think Make It Or Break It has tackled some tough, dramatic storylines with a lot of grace and I really hope this one is not an exception. That said, Josie Loren is doing a fantastic job playing Kaylie and dealing with the challenges life is throwing at her.

In Emily’s world, she is struggling to let go and nail her dance moves. After a late night practice, she grabs a slice of pizza with Austin Tucker. It’s not a date as they both so firmly declare. Austin tells Emily to take risks, and feel comfortable spending money on herself. Of course, Lauren catches her and blabs to the other girls. After Lauren steals her dance moves, Emily comes out and performs the same ones, with a great deal of fortitude and grace. She shows Lauren! Go Emily! I am so Team Kmetko! I feel like I should make a shirt…Anyway, Carter tells Lauren what she did to Emily was really terrible, and her bad side is really scary. He can’t tell her he loves her because she does things like what she did to Emily. Wow, harsh words, Carter. But I agree with you. Lauren needs to do some self evaulation if she wants to be a good friend again and find love.

At the end of the episode, Payson practices a new, graceful ballerina routine. Ayla Kell’s ballet dancing training must have come into play here. I am really enjoying this new Payson. I also can’t wait to see some sisterly rivalry in the gym once she is back to her old form. I really enjoy episodes where the girls are in the gym, and the dancing was great. What I liked the most is that you could tell it was really them on the dance moves because they are capable of doing basic dance as opposed to really difficult tumbling. All of the cast did great! I like the way this season is going (as there isn’t many episodes left until the hiatus). They are set up for another big competition (most likely) and they are gearing up for the Olympics, even if they are years away. The Kaylie plot has really been the only storyline out of all of the episodes of this show that I have been wary of. And I was a big fan of the TV movie The Perfect Body (which quite ironically, Chelsea Hobbs was in!) which centers around an eating disorder and gymnastics. I have the utmost faith in the creators and executive producers to resolve this storyline well, I just hope Kaylie is able to face her problems head on and become the champion she deserves to be. I also love the Summer and Sasha romance, and I can’t wait to see their official first date. There is a side of me that wants him to partially corrupt her, and go against her religious beliefs (as Neil Jackson, who plays Sasha on the show so eloquently put it on Twitter: bedroom gymnastics), but this is an ABC Family show after all. I look forward to what lies ahead.

Make It Or Break It airs Tuesday nights at 9 pm on ABC Family.

I was away for Comic Con all last week (many reports and interviews to come!) so I wasn’t able to write my usual Pretty Little Liars review. To recap, last week is when the Little Liars are dealing with the aftermath of homecoming. And the big news is that Emily told Maya she wants to give a relationship a shot. Love it! In this week’s episode, the girls are getting ready for a memorial service for Ali, and Jason DiLaurentis (Ali’s brother) comes into the picture. He shakes things up and basically takes over the planning. He’s not satisfied with the investigation into Ali’s death and wants to pressure Wilden and the gang to get things done.  In my opinion, Jason is pretty creepy and I don’t like his vibe. Judging from the books, we will see a lot more of him, and there is more than meets the eye.

Jenna wants to speak at the memorial service, and the girls are worried she will spill their secrets. Jenna also tells Spencer that “Alison was done with you. She was afraid of you. Is that why one of you did what you did?” So apparently, everyone is a suspect in Ali’s murder! Suspect number one at the moment is Toby, and the police search his locker. Apparently, Toby called Ali the night of her murder, and she took the call. Oh Toby, you are so misunderstood!

The episode also featured a lot of flashbacks with Ali. I love Sasha Pieterse, so it was great to see her again. One particularly creepy flashback was Ali saying it would be great to die young in a mysterious way. We also see her manipulaitve, cruel ways, and the other girls feeling uncomfortable with it. Spencer is the only one who semi-challenges Ali (Jason points this out to her) and Hanna speaks up but then bites her tongue. I loved Ali in the books and I really enjoy her in the show as well. There is much more to her than just her mean and controlling attitude, and I can’t wait to delve more into her private life. Speaking of her private life, Ian Thomas (Melissa’s ex) shows up to Ali’s memorial, leaving the girls to wonder what’s going on. I won’t spoil too much but if the show goes the direction I think it is, Ian plays an important part in the upcoming episodes and knew Ali fairly well.

Hanna, Sean, Noel and Aria go on a double date because Hanna pressured Aria into it so they could go to a concert. Aria’s friends still think she is in love with someone from Iceland and I can’t wait when they figure out it’s actually Mr. Fitz. Speaking of dates, Emily and Maya go out on a real date and they make out in the back of a movie theater. Something tells me A was spying on them. In any case, I didn’t see this coming and I love that Pretty Little Liars isn’t shying away from two girls kissing. Normally, we might see them go in for a kiss and a quick cutaway but this was some hot and heavy action and I think it’s a brave and applaudable move.

At the memorial service, all the girls speak and it’s very touching. Surprisingly, Jenna’s speech was probably the most moving. She didn’t talk about how she was blinded, she just talked about Ali’s strength. I’m very curious to find out what Jenna knows about Ali that hasn’t been revealed yet. Jason tells Spencer that Ali pinned the Jenna thing on Spencer and tells the girls all about it. Jason also gives the girls Alison’s bracelet–the same one they had found in the woods. Oh A, what are you up to? At the very end, someone (A presumably) smashes a stone in the memorial.

Read more…

Pretty Little Liars, a breakout hit drama from ABC Family, has been embraced by critics and fans alike. It is one of those shows that is popular among a wide variety of demographics and contains everything that makes an original, successful show. I adored the book series it was based on and was even more thrilled when it came to one of my favorite networks. It has exceeded my expectations in so many ways and I can’t wait to see more. This week’s episode, titled “Please, Do Talk About Me When I’m Gone,” is a pivotal one. And as Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields) says we will get to see a lot more layers to Emily that we haven’t seen before. Shay was sold on the series since the title (who wouldn’t be?) and we talked about everything from the Emily and Maya relationship to her similarities with her on screen persona.

What originally drew you to the role? I know you originally tried out for the role of Spencer.
Everything from just hearing the title. I got the call from my manager and she was like I have this pilot called Pretty Little Liars and I was like “Stop. How cool is that title?” She’s like “I know, but let me tell you more about the storyline.” So really, I didn’t know too much about it when I auditioned for it. I had my character’s background, and that’s kind of where I got the whole idea of what it was. After getting further along in the audition process, I did a Google search and a whole bunch came up at me. I got that it was a book series, and had a very big popular fan base. So that’s kind of where I found out about all that. I only really knew about my character, but the title was amazing.

Yeah well, it’s a really good title! And are you anything like Emily at all?
There are some qualities about Emily — especially when she’s with her four friends — sometimes the things she does, I’m like “Oh, I’d be that same way.” I think she has a lot of respectful qualities about her. One: she’s extremely loyal to her friends. She can keep a secret. I’m sure that if you were to tell your secret to someone, you should tell it to Emily. She’s the smoother-over. She wants everything to be good, so she tries to keep the peace in her group of friends. I like that about her, and I try to do the same in my group of friends, so those qualities.

Emily’s obviously going through a phase of her life that I feel like a lot of teenagers go through. It’s a rather groundbreaking subject for a show like Pretty Little Liars. Why do you think it’s important to tackle?
I think the way that they’ve done it with her character is completely different from other shows and other characters. On other shows, they have a lesbian character, or they have a gay character. But with this show, you can’t really label her. And I think there’s so many teens, they watch these shows and they are like “Oh yeah, that girl is a lesbian, or this guy’s gay,” but with Emily, they’re like “I might be able to identify with this character more because she doesn’t know.” And they might not know at that time what they’re going through. So I love the fact that they are not putting her in one category right now, and she’s just figuring it out, going along with it. She’s experimenting and figuring it out. So I think that’s really cool. And it’s different from other shows that I’ve seen in the way that they’re doing it.

Yeah, absolutely. Have you gotten a lot of feedback on the Emily and Maya storyline?
I have. Some of the most amazing comments I’ve been getting was that the show has really helped them out a lot, they’ve been able to find themselves a little bit more. And from the older fan base, they’re messaging me saying they wish the show as on ten years ago when they were in high school, it really would have helped them out to know that someone else is going through the same thing. And I think it’s awesome. The fact that teens are watching this, sometimes with their family, the subject may be a little bit easier to talk about, or start talking about, because it’s right there, and we’re not hiding from it. I think it’s very cool. So yes, I have been getting very good feedback.

That’s very good to hear. Emily’s the peace keeper as you said, but she also has many layers. Is there a lot about her that we don’t know yet?
I think there is. It’s like peeling the onion. And right now, I think we’ve only got through the first few layers. She is different from the other characters, because she’s not putting it all out there. She’s a very mysterious person, there’s a lot of different layers to her. So going along, I guess she is quiet, and she is a peace keeper, but there may be some other stuff about her that will be coming out in the later episodes that people might not have expected that that’s who she was. There’s many different layers to Emily.

And has playing a character with so many layers been a challenge for you?
No, it’s been very, very exciting. In every episode, I learn a little bit more about Emily. And I learn a little bit more about the way that she would think about things or handle the situation. And I’m very excited to come back and shoot the next twelve, with more knowledge of her. And even on my break, I’m always kind of wondering “Huh, I wonder what she would do.” I put myself in her shoes for a little bit, and it’s very exciting. I think it’s great to play a character with different layers.

You read the books. Did you take any of what you read and bring it into your portrayal of Emily?
Oh totally. I think for an actor to have such an amazing back story, with the books being written about her and any other character, it’s amazing to go in with. That’s who the fans loved when they heard about Pretty Little Liars. They got to love the Emily that was written about, so of course I had to take that on, along with other things to make it a little bit different. Because I am playing it and it’s coming from my imagination on the show. So yes, I did take a huge, huge chunk of what Sara had written about her. And from reading it, I feel like her spirit came into me and that’s what I’ve been playing with. Not all the events are the same that happen in the books, so with that, I have to do my own take on what I feel Emily would do. And that’s kind of been what I’ve been doing.

Right, I know a lot of the Emily and Toby moments weren’t in the book and they’ve been great. So I wanted to know if you have a favorite moment from filming the show?
Favorite moment? I must say, as bad as I felt for Emily, in the homecoming episode, for me, was very exciting. (laughs) Getting to run around in those heels was fun, and I had a blast shooting that episode. I won’t speak for Emily on this, but for me, I really enjoyed shooting the homecoming episode.

Well, it was great to watch. And I know you can’t spoil too much, but can you give us a little teaser of what’s coming up for Emily? I know there is a big episode coming up this week.
Yes, I will say that you will get to know a couple more layers of Emily’s character tomorrow. And (laughs) I wish I was able to say a lot more, but I can’t!

I understand. I’m obviously sold on the show, but if you had to tell viewers why they should tune in, what would you say?
I would say if you like drama, mystery, good relationships, and to be on the edge of your seat for an entire hour, then you should watch Pretty Little Liars because it has all that and more!

Be sure to tune in tonight to ABC Family for an all new episode of Pretty Little Liars!

E here again! Sorry for my disappearance the last couple of weeks. I was on vacation with no access to ABC Family, which is practically a necessity in my life.  In fact, my DVR was not able to handle all of the magic it recorded while I was away and filled itself up between all of the old shows I don’t erase, Boy Meets World, and the magnitude of ABC summer programming.  Guys, Payson (on Make It or Break It) is now going to be an artistic gymnast rather than a power gymnast.  Important Stuff.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, Boy Meets World.  This is the last week of the final season.  Today officially reverted back to the first season.  I feel bummed that I didn’t get to recap the wedding episode or when Cory and Topanga move into that crappy married people housing. But, hey, there’s always next time.

The first episode we’ll talk about is “How Cory and Topanga Got Their Groove Back.”  I love this episode because it highlights Cory’s square-ness.  The story basically is that everyone thinks Cory and Topanga are sort of lame married people, and Topanga wants to break out of this by shaking things up.  Cory tells her that they will throw a party, and it will basically be epic.  He hands out these magnificent flyers, and Shawn gets sort of mean.  And is all like, well, the party of the year is the same night, but I’m sure your party will be over early.  Yeah, it probably will, but you don’t have to be a jerk about it Shawn.  Cory then points out to Shawn on the flyer that the party goes from 8pm until ?.  I love this with all my heart.  Anyway, let’s jump to the party.  Topagna makes quiche; Cory pulls out the game of Clue and is wearing a cardigan.  And nobody comes of course.  Shawn, Angela, and Rachel peek in and see the how pathetic they look, so they go round up some other people to come to the party.  When they get back, Cory and Topanga are on the floor after having some sort of a make-up make-out session after having a food fight/actual fight about who made the party suck more.  For the record, I blame Cory. There is also a really awful side story going on with Jack and Eric, and Eric being able to see the future, lotto tickets, lotto tickets getting destroyed, etc.  I’m not going to dignify it more than that because I hate that type of B-plot.

So, yes, we’re going to focus on the series finale, but before I move onto that, let me just say, one of least favorite episodes was also on this week, “As Time Goes By.” This is the episode where Topagna randomly goes back in time to the 1940s where we have ourselves some weird Noir thing going on, and she doesn’t remember anything.  This episode is what I call a “Swim Team” Episode.  I’m going to now explain my lingo, so that you can use it in the future.  This refers back to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode (which is my favorite show of all time and forever will be).  However, there was an episode entitled “Go Fish” towards the end of season 2.  OK, so there is a lot going on in the Buffy-verse at this moment, but we leave all of that behind to concentrate on this lame storyline about the swim team members turning into gill monsters.  It always makes me angry.  So, whenever you see an episode that concentrates on lame stuff that has nothing to do with anything when it instead should be being awesome, it is a “Swim Team” Episode.  Copyright E, 1998.

Anyway, the finale is going to be easy to recap because they do the worst thing a TV show could possibly do, especially for a series finale.  They make a clip show.  It’s called “Brave New World,” but it should really be called “Crap You’ve Already Seen.” Here’s what happens.

• Topanga tells Cory she doesn’t want to go to NY for an internship at a law firm because their lives are in PA. Cory is happy, but knows they should go.
• Cut to clips with Cory and Shawn freaking out.
• Cory goes to Feeny for advice who tells him about his plant that was doing well in the house, but had to be transferred to the outdoor garden to thrive. You see where he is going with this, right?
• Cut to clips with Feeny giving advice.
• Cut to a million more other random clips.
• Amy is mean because she is all sad about Cory leaving, but then is all smiles when she finds out Eric is going as well.
• Shawn and Cory have an emo breakdown about being separated.
• Cut to clips of Cory and Shawn being BFFs.
• Topanga apparently has packed Shawn’s one bag, and says he is coming as well.
• Also, Jack is giving up his money and is going to join the Peace Corps with Rachel. The ghost of Chet appears in this convo and is mad about him giving up his money, but then happy about his sons.  Weird.
• Cut to some Jack and Eric clips, including one from like two episodes before. Lame.
• Cory then is outside with his little brother, who they have aged about 3 years in 15 episodes.  And he tells him stuff about life including how Mr.Feeny will probably teach you every grade your in, heh. The kid is sort of a bad actor, which I realize is mean, because he is really little.  But the Olsen twins at that age would have knocked that scene out of the park.  And I actually mean that sort of seriously.
• Cut to some more clips, blah blah blah.  There’s also a really long Cory and Topanga montage at some point.
• The last scene of the series takes place back in the high school with Cory, Shawn, Topanga, and Eric going and sitting in their old seats with Eric hanging in back.  Feeny is there and gives them some more life advice including “Believe in Yourselves, “Dream,” “Try,” and “Do Good.”
• More clips.
• Everyone tells Feeny that they won’t forget him, which I think is a weird thing to say.  Because why would they forget him? He was a major part of their lives for like the past 10 years or so.  They also want Feeny to tell them that he loves them and that they’re his faves.  He won’t.
• Everyone leaves the room except for Cory and Feeny.  Feeny calls Cory Mr. Matthews, and Cory says that they’ve know each other long enough for him to call him Cory. Mr. Feeny says that they’ve known each other long enough to call Cory Cornelius, heh. Some emotional talk ensues. Cory leaves.
• We end with Mr. Feeny saying, “I love you all, class dismissed.”  I then cried because I have issues.

Overall, lame finale, because clip shows make the Hulk angry.  But it still made me cry my own tears.  Comment back with your favorite series finale!

As you all know, I am in San Diego for Comic Con. Last night was preview night, or as I shall call it: Freebie Night. I got a bunch of awesome bags, some tee shirts, and other fun swag. Comic Con isn’t just about comic books any more, it has become the nation’s premiere arts and entertainment convention. Yesterday marked the beginning of events, and I started my day off with Charlaine Harris. She is the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels which were turned into True Blood. I am a big fan of the books, so I was excited to see her.

Spotlight on Charlaine Harris: The event started with Harris being presented the Ink Blot award for Achievement in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, which is so well deserved. The woman who walked out on stage didn’t seem anything like the sultry heroines she writes about. She is demure, humble, and very sweet. The first words out of her mouth were thanking us for being here, because she knows Angelina Jolie is at the convention as well. She began by talking about how originally a lot of editors didn’t get the mix of blood, sex and tears in the Sookie Stackhouse books as well as the humor mixed in. She reveres Anne Rice, who she said is so original and innovative. Harris eventually signed up for Facebook and got a message from Anne Rice saying she was a big fan of the show. Harris quite fittingly told her she should read the books, and now they message each other from time to time. Vampire writer love! For those wondering, her grandmothers’s best friend’s nickname was Sookie, and she didn’t realize how hard it would be for people with fangs to say. She even has a pair herself! Someone asked her if she was ever going to intergrate anything Alan Ball wrote into her books and she quite appropriately answered no, they are separate entertainment vehicles. She did however concede that she loves the character Jessica and wishes she thought of her first. When asked about Alan Ball, she said she had total control over picking the person she gave her book rights to, and she knows she made the right decision. Her next Sookie book is due out in May and there will be a short story in another book with Sookie, Pam and a stripper pole that is due out in August. (Alan Ball, I’d be totally cool if you wanted to take this idea!) She also has a contract for three more Sookie books. When asked about if there were any characters on True Blood that looked exactly like she pictured, she said that Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam) and Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur) look like she wrote them. She said that she loves Anna Paquin, but Sookie is curvier. She didn’t meet Anna Paquin until after they were done filming the first season. Throughout the whole panel, her genuine, down to earth nature along with her infectious personality truly shined. You could tell she was very touched by all her fans and loved what she did and talking about her writing. She was a pleasure to listen to!

Dexter Panel: The cast and Executive Producers of Dexter were out in full force, and Michael C. Hall looked fantastic. He is clearly as one fan astutely pointed “f”-ing cancer. They screened the new Dexter animated webisode (see below) and showed clips from the upcoming season. The moderator started by asking if Rita’s death frees the show up creatively, which was met with an overwhelming yes. Michael C. Hall talked about Julie Benz and how he loved working with her, and now she is on a new show with Michael C. Hicklis (ha!). She was such a huge part of the team and moved Dexter towards having human emotions. Jennifer Carpenter said that Deb will step up but might not be great at it. She admitted she hasn’t dropped the baby yet…on camera. Hall said it was a testament to the writing staff that Dexter finds new ways to go to uncharted territories. Someone in the crowd asked him if Dexter can be compared to Batman, and he said he was reminded of the scene in Batman Begins when Batman surrenders to all the bats. Dexter and his ways surrender to his darkness which is sort of like Batman in that way. I thought that was a clever and interesting comparison. When asked about their favorite twist, Michael C. Hall said the end of last season. Jennifer Carpenter said the twist hasn’t happened yet: it’s how Deb is going to react to finding out about Dexter. The producers then talked about the guest stars they have lined up for this season: Julia Stiles (who apparently is making her TV debut), Johnny Lee Miller, and Peter Weller. When asked about their favorite guest stars, Michael C Hall said “I’ve enjoyed everyone that I’ve killed.” Jennifer Carpenter said “Keith Carradine.” Another crowd question was about the rationale behind killing of Rita. Sara Colleton (EP) replied that it wasn’t necessarily a rationale but the question if Dexter can have it all. He was playing fast and loose, and the  moment he thinks he has it all is when punishment comes. When asked if Julie Benz would ever come back (in a dream or conscious), the answer was no. I was a little surprised at how short the moderated portion of the panel was compared to the audience questions, but as I was reminded by my traveling companion and partner in crime, it is a fan convention. I thought the cast provided interesting insights into the show and the upcoming season. I am looking forward to a lot more panels in the upcoming days!

I was planning on going to the panel for White Collar but the line was so long that it seemed like an impossibility. I did however chat with the whole cast (Tiffani Thiessen was there and I was so thrilled to meet Kelly Kapowski!) and will be posting the interviews in the upcoming weeks. Tomorrow, I will be at The Walking Dead, The Cape, possibly The Big Bang Theory and True Blood. I am excited, if not a bit tired from the full day. Onward and upward as they say, I’m excited for what’s to come!

In the meantime, check out the clip from Dark Echo, the animated webisode from Dexter:

First of all, I wanted to say, it’s been a little over a year since I started this site and I have met some of the most wonderful people. I am so thankful for all the readers out there who have made it so worthwhile. I have spoken to some amazing people, had some amazing opportunities, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. Tomorrow, I leave for Comic Con in San Diego. Despite it’s monicker, Comic Con is actually a huge arts and entertainment convention. There are many great TV panels (my schedule is packed), so I wanted to give you an idea of what panels and press rooms I will be attending. If you have questions for the cast or producers of these shows, you can leave me a comment, email, or reply on twitter.

* Panels marked with an asterisk are ones where I will also be doing press interviews

• White Collar *
• Dexter *
• True Blood
• Glee *
• V *
• The Cape *
• The Vampire Diaries *
• Chuck *
• The Big Bang Theory
• The Walking Dead

I can’t wait!

I have had some pretty amazing giveaways on the site, but I think this one probably takes the cake. To promote the new Bachelor video game (um ridiculously fun, right?!), I am giving a way this amazing gift basket! Even if you have no affinity towards The Bachelor, you will want this game and this gift basket. Also, I realize it’s called a “Girls Night In” gift basket, but guys, feel free to enter as well! It makes a great gift! I wish I could win it myself!

Here is what the gift basket includes:

• Wii console
• Wii controller
• Moisturizer
• Masque
• Exfoliant
• Manicure set
• Basket
• Scented candle
• Silk rose
• The Bachelor game for Nintendo Wii

Total Value:  $337.20

Here is a picture of the beautiful basket so you can get a visual:

To enter to win, leave me a comment with a favorite moment from The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. If you don’t watch the show (that’s totally fine, too) just leave me a comment. You must be 18 or older to enter.

As you may know, I recently participated in the ABC Family Pretty Little Liars Secret Keepers game. We were given a phone (that came buried in a box of real dirt), a character to play, and a bunch of challenges from A. It was actually really fun, and as a reward for completing the game, we were able to ask a question to the actress who played our assigned character. I played Emily Fields, so I was able to ask Shay Mitchell what it’s like bringing Emily to life. This was before all the latest Emily/Toby drama went down, or you can be assured I would have asked her something about that.

Check out her answer in this great video:

Pretty Little Liars airs on Tuesday nights at 8 pm on ABC Family.

The second season premiere of White Collar ended with a big cliffhanger. Marsha Thomason, who plays Diana, has been upgraded to a series regular and all we know is that she has something to do with the music box. While Neal and Peter might be the main cast, Diana was one of my favorites last season and I’m so glad she is taking on a bigger role. I recently had the chance to visit the set of White Collar, where Marsha Thomason chatted about Diana (is she good or evil?), her own TV addiction (she’s a Gleek!) and the support she’s had from the gay community.

So season two episode one ended on an interesting note, can you give us some spoilers?
I don’t remember what happened at the end [laughs].  We’re shooting episode six now. they all merge into one.

You opened the safe...the Music Box.
Oh, right yeah, oh yeah.  So it’s, is Diana good or bad right?

Yeah.
Well I can’t say.

Well I’m curious to know, you know, you’re signed up for season two with a bigger role. And how has that been, taking on a bigger role from season one to season two?
Oh it’s been great.  I mean everybody’s so lovely here, and it’s such a great part, it’s a wonderful environment.  And, you know, it sounds so cheesy when we say that, because I’ve lied in the past when I’ve said that on shows [laughs].  But actually, in this instance, it’s really true, like everyone is so lovely and it’s such a pleasure to come here.  And it’s just, it’s been really great. I’m loving working in the city, you know, being here.  New York is such a big pie, it’s like a character of its own on the show and its been really great.

So how do you like being in New York compared to being back [home]?
Well, I live in LA, I’ve lived there for almost ten years, so I feel almost like an American now.  I know I don’t sound like one but it’s been great being here, it’s such a great city, it’s so vibrant, I’ve loved it, really loved it.  It’s always been a dream of mine to work in New York.

When you came in on season one did they tell you that it was possibly going to be a season two recurring role?  Or did they tell you we’ll see what happens?
Yeah it was kind up in the air, we didn’t really know what was going to happen with it, which is often the case in this business as you know.  So it’s great to be back for this second season [with the] boys.

And you play a really strong female character who’s gay, and do you think we might see your relationship in the future?
I think you might, yeah.

[laughter] Oh, she knowingly nods.
She knowingly raises a brow [laughs].

Read more…