Secret Girlfriend of the Sneak-Peek

While in Vegas last week, I got to attend a TV screening at MGM Grand - we sat in a computer lab and watched a show, using a little dial to indicate how much we were enjoying it. Sounds a bit weird, I know, but it was hella fun for a television enthusiast/amateur critic such as myself. What made it even more entertaining was the show itself - we got to see the pilot of the upcoming NBC show, 2 Broke Girls, starring the gorgeous and funny Kat Dennings.

Rawr.

You may recognize those luscious lips from such films as Charlie Bartlett, The House Bunny, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and most recently Thor. To each and every role Dennings brings a quick wit, a sharp tongue, and undeniable sex appeal. Also, boobs.

Damn girl, put those things away. There are children present.

In 2 Broke Girls, Dennings stars as Max, a sassy yet lovable waitress working in a shady Brooklyn diner. Her world is turned upside down when Caroline (played by relative newcomer Beth Behrs), the newly destitute daughter of a Bernie-Madoff parody, gets a job at the diner and moves in to Max's apartment. At first, Max is disgusted by Caroline's privileged attitude and inability to pull her own weight - but Caroline eventually shows herself to be a good-hearted (if sheltered) person, with enough ambition to carry them both to fame and fortune. That is, if she can learn a lesson or two from Max about common sense!

Okay, I'm done with cheesy announcer voice.
Don't look at me like that!

IMHO, Dennings has served her time as a "hey, it's that girl!" and is due to step into the spotlight in her own show. Obviously I'd love something more innovative than rehashing the odd-couple trope for the billionth time, but would it play in Peoria? The show is also set to occupy a pretty choice spot: Mondays at 8:30 EST, right after HIMYM. Bottom line, it's a show that seems to have a chance of survival, which could potentially give us hours and hours of Kat Dennings - I'm calling it a win!

A lapsed Gleek attends Glee Live

Hello, friends - your long-lost contributor Monkey Sri here. I have a confession to make - I have not set up the cable or internet in my new apartment. Shocking, I know. I am waaaaaay behind on my TV/Hulu-ing, and subsequently my blogging. And as a result, when Maggie and I attended Glee Live in Vegas last week, I had not seen the latest four episodes.

Cue the gay gasp.

This did not diminish my enjoyment of the live show one iota. The show opened with the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, aka Harry Shum, Jr's (Mike Chang) dance troupe. They do amazing routines that play out like mini-movies - totes worth a click-through.

I won't go through all the songs performed by the Glee kids - here is the complete set-list, with tons of clips. I will just say this - "Kurt" is an will always be my fave, and I need to get Chris Colfer to be my gay best friend. These firm convictions were only strengthened by seeing him and the girls do the "Single Ladies" dance live. BRILLIANT.



Other highlights included Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana) performing "River Deep, Mountain High" - Do I love them? My, oh my! - and Kevin McHale (Artie) getting to get out of his wheelchair for "Safety Dance." In short, all my favorites got their time in the spotlight - though every single cast member brought the noise and the funk, so it was a thrilling show from start to finish. If you have a chance, go see this show! If you don't, you'll just have to content yourself with the awesome TV show, the Glee Project competition on Oxygen, the upcoming Glee 3D movie...

Throwing Chairs

Perhaps I was naive. Perhaps I was just foolish. But I honestly thought that the age of the Jerry Springer-esque daytime television show had passed. I remember when Jerry Springer and those kind of shows were all the rage; they used to show episodes in the college late-night dining area and people would cheer and catcall whenever so and so ghetto trailer park person (sure it's a stereotype but that doesn't mean it's inaccurate) would physically attack the other ghetto trailer park person, screaming and tossing chairs around. Despite being a "reality" program that kind of behavior always felt so unreal to me. Those people were in on the joke, right?

When Jerry Springer and his show bowed quietly out of sight it was like the nation released a collective sigh of relief. "At last," we thought, "we can move on to more mature programming like The Bachelor, Celebrity Apprentice, and Jersey Shore." At least that was what I thought happened. But I guess I was wrong.

Because last week, while working at home and changing out of my gym clothes, I switched on the tv and there it was. Maury Povich doing a "who is the baby daddy?" themed show where people without jobs or anything useful to do except fornicate (badly--or well depending on how you look at it) yelled at one another. Actually, everyone yelled. The guests, the audience, it's just a whole bunch of people screaming profanities at one another.

Needless to say, I was surprised to see this. I thought we had moved on from this kind of thing. Maury just sits there with a little smile on his face and a "don't blame me" expression and that makes ME want to scream and throw chairs around. Because I have to wonder--who are these people? What are their lives like that they think going on this show is a good idea? Can they not afford the at home DNA kit? Do they have so little self-respect and self-worth that they think being on television makes them a good person? And is this really my fault (i.e. America's fault) for making this kind of culture and behavior ok? And how does Maury Povich deal with this kind of thing every single damn day?

I don't have any real answers here, just more questions. And a feeling of sadness that this kind of thing passes for entertainment. Maybe the people who watch these shows just feel better about themselves after seeing how messy the guests' lives are? Maybe being judgmental and smug and acting like the over-educated under-sexed East Coast liberal that I am makes ME feel better about myself? I don't know. But I do one thing--in my family we don't throw chairs. It's just rude.

Same Stuff, Different Day

Doctor Who has returned! For those not in the know, the umpteenth season of Doctor Who began airing on BBC America last Saturday. The good news is the episode was really good. The bad news is I feel like I have seen it before.

I wasn't all together pleased with last season (remind yourself of why I was disappointed here). After all the hype and expectation surrounding Steven Moffat's take over of the show, last season left me feeling kind of cold. Sure things got better at the end, and Matt Smith and the last moments of the season finale (where Amy "remembers" the Doctor back to life) were awesome, but overall I felt very ho-hum about the whole thing.

Last Saturday's premiere episode had a lot of things going for it. The entire production moved to America and we got some very cool shots of the Doctor and his companions (including River Song) frolicking in the Southwest, as well as Matt Smith adorably proclaiming that Stetsons are cool. Yes, yes they are. Oh, and remember that part where the DOCTOR GOT SHOT AND DIED. Like, for realsies. First he got shot. Then he started regenerating. Then he got SHOT AGAIN AND DIED. Yikes. I'm not sure how they're going to get themselves out of that one. But at least it was completely surprising and unexpected. Unfortunately, that was kind of the last thing about the episode that was.

Look, there's no doubt that Steven Moffat is a brilliant writer. I think fans of the news series of Doctor Who would almost universally list his episodes as their favorites. The Girl in the Fireplace, the Doctor Dances, Blink...these are genius. But I'm getting the impression he is beginning to run out of tricks and has been dipping into the same well a bit too often. The Impossible Astronaut featured a creepy child's voice (The Empty Child), a silent alien enemy that messes with your mind and sight (Blink), a lumbering astronaut (Silence in the Library), and frankly, a derivative episode title (The Impossible Planet).

Was it entertaining? Hell yes. Did it have me on the edge of my seat? Absolutely. Was it scary? Affirmative. But did it feel fresh? Eh. I'm excited to see part 2 on Saturday night and anything that puts Mark Sheppard on my tv is ok by me, but again, I can't help but feel a teeny bit let down. I'm hoping things will take a more surprising turn with second episode, and maybe Moffat can break away from his standard plot devices soon. And there's always the Neil Gaiman episode to look forward to...

Doctor Who airs on BBC America Saturdays at 9:00pm EST (they are also rerunning The Impossible Astronaut at 8:00 this Saturday in case you missed it).

Chris Colfer Makes the Time 100

Someone recently asked me, all incredulous, why I liked Kurt from Glee so much. This is why.

My So-Called Life Strikes Back

People (meaning bloggers meaning me) like to go on and on about shows they loved but nobody watched. Let me tell you about Firefly, let me tell you about Freaks and Geeks, blah blah blah.

But seriously. Let me tell you about My So-Called Life. Because it changed my life. You know the deal: high schooler Angela Chase goes through an identify crisis, is in love with grungy Jordan Catalano, has a crazy best friend, Rayanne, and just kind of fumbles her way through being a teenager. From the way I thought, to the way I dressed, to the things I wanted, this show changed me. I know that sounds really dumb (hello, it was a television show, perspective please) but when you're an impressionable 14 year old, some things just stick with you. And My So-Called Life will always hold a special place in my heart for a couple reasons:

1) It was the inspiration for my plaid-wearing phase in 8th grade.

2) Angela's stalking/crushing of Jordan Catalano was something I could ABSOLUTELY identify with.

3) It's release on DVD was the reason I signed up for Netflix.

4) Ricky was the first time I remember seeing a gay character television on tv, and as a lifetime hag, I can tell you that was a hugely impressionable for 14 year old Maggie.

So when I read on USA Today's Pop Watch Blog that the Sundance Channel was going to start airing My So-Called Life, I got really happy. Like irrationally happy. I mean, I own the DVDs, I can watch it anytime I want, but the idea that it would be back on tv just made me...joyful. More people can discover the angst of being a teenager in the 90s! More opportunities for discussion of Jordan Catalano vs. Brian Krakow (for the record then it was Jordan, now it is CLEARLY Brian)! More chances to cry over the Christmas episode where Angela learns about homelessness! More of Ricky's eyeliner and Rayanne's being crazy and wonderful and the worst and best friend ever! More quotes from Our Town!

If you have never seen it, watch it. If you saw it and loved it, watch it. It's...life. Well, a so-called one. And is there really any other kind?

I was all ready to write a happy post about the return of Doctor Who this Saturday on BBC America...but then things got sad.

Elizabeth Sladen, who portrayed one of the most loved and best companions of all time, Sarah Jane Smith, died yesterday due to cancer.

I am a relatively new fan to the Who-verse, meaning I started watching with the Ninth Doctor, but Sarah Jane's episode with David Tennant ("School Reunion") and K-9 was one of my favorites. The actress impressed me with her talent, and the character impressed me with her smarts, spunk, and obvious love for the Doctor. I also really enjoyed her spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. And don't forget that Sarah Jane was back for the two-parter "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End" (along with a lot of the newer companions) to help bid David Tennant's time on the show a fond farewell.

The point of all this blabbering is that Sarah Jane was truly a cornerstone of the Doctor Who world, both to fans of the classic series and the newer incarnation alike. All yesterday people involved with the show tweeted and commented about the impact she had on the show, and I know she will be truly missed. Maureen Ryan over at TV Squad has a nice write-up about Elizabeth Sladen, and I recommend you check it out.

As we move forward with the newest season of Doctor Who on Saturday, take a moment to remember all the people who have been involved in this show over the past 50 years. It's more than just a television program--it's truly a part of our cultural history.