BIG BROTHER 8 is Back

TV offers many guilty pleasures, but for me none of them are as fun as BIG BROTHER. The voyeuristic reality show is back at 8/7c on CBS for its 8th season and I couldn’t be more excited.When the 14 houseguests enter the Big Brother house tonight they will be giving up their access to the outside world. No tv, no newspapers, no phone calls, no internet (that reason alone I could never do this show). Their every move will be broadcast live and unedited to those who subscribe to the 24/7 live feed and nightly to subscribers of Showtime who can now watch Big Brother: After Dark every night of the week.

We’ve got a lot of houseguests to meet, and some new changes to talk about so let’s get to it. First up, let’s meet the cast.

More BIG BROTHER 8 goodies after the jump…

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What to Watch…Thursday, July 5, 2007

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. Today is kind of bizarre because it feels like it’s the weekend already, but sadly it’s only Thursday. On the bright side, tonight it the season premiere of BIG BROTHER and that makes me very happy. If you haven’t given the show a chance in the past, join me this summer in watching.

Big Brother 8
A dozen plus two are trapped in the infernal CBS house-of-many-cameras to reenact their junior high school snobberies and traumas. Julie Chen has the sideline interviews. (More on Big Brother in just a bit)

Burn Notice
Michael wants to know who bugged his mom’s house. And it may require more of his dirty deeds, done dirt cheap.

Live From Abbey Road
Ray LaMontagne’s soulful voice is among those that will be heard in the legendary studio on tonight’s installment.

AGE OF LOVE Recap: T&A vs. PTA Group Dates

SB (and Billy) are back with another hilarious recap of AGE OF LOVE. I hope some of you decided to check out the show last night so you can see the genius that I’ve been hinting at since its premiere.  So fantastic!!

Episode: Three
Original Air Date: 7/2/07
Recapper: SB

So I have a confession. I missed the first eight minutes tonight. I went to this little Mexican restaurant with some friends where the waiter would not bring our check and then pick up our check and bring our change unless Billy made googly eyes at him every single time. What can you do? Mexican food is so delicious.

So when I wandered into the train wreck, Amanda and The Crypt Keeper were on some kind of weird date (dates?) with Mark that had a timer running in the corner of the screen and he kept racing back and forth between their tables in a restaurant (not Mexican, though, unfortunately for them) like he was in an episode of Friends or something. I really could not figure out at first if the women knew about each other, but eventually it somehow became apparent that they did. Crypt Keeper was saying something about wanting to have extra dessert with Mark. Extra? Maybe I can get my hands on one of those. No time for fried ice cream tonight. Meanwhile, she was looking VERY Botoxed and stretched tight in all directions and saying how she wanted kids. You remember hearing about Chinese footbinding, right? Where they deformed their feet so they’d be small and eventually kids started being born with small feet? The Crypt Keeper’s kids are going to come out with veneers and eyebrows halfway to their hairline.

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Kylie Minogue Guests on DOCTOR WHO

According to The Hollywood Reporter famed Austrailian pop star and fashionista Kylie Minogue will guest on DOCTOR WHO for a special Christmas episode later this year. The BBC is saying that Minogue would play a “major lead role” in the hour long ep entitled “Voyage of the Damned.”Does anyone watch Doctor Who?  I watched the original version when I was a kid and it gave me nightmares so I didn’t bother giving the remake a shot.  From what I hear it’s quite good.

Nathan Fillion to Join DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES?

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES had a brilliant first season, but for me it was all downhill after that. The comedy was reduced to cheap laughs and the zany plot lines became more and more unbelievable. For me it went from appointment TV to being completely dropped by from DVR. But will it make its way back? Perhaps.

Rumors are circulating that Nathan Fillion (Slither, Waitress) is in talks to join the cast of the show as the husband of Dana Delaney (China Beach) who has supposedly been offered the role of Bree’s sister. Delaney was originally offered the role of Bree Van de Camp but turned it down, and creator Marc Cherry has been trying to get the actress on Wisteria Lane ever since. Also in talks is Lyndsy Fosena who currently plays Ted’s teenage daughter on How I Met Your Mother, and recently signed on as a recurring character on Heroes. Does she need another job? I don’t think so.

But back to Nathan. Mr. Fillion needs a break and this could be a great move for him if it all comes together. His movie star good looks, charm and dry comedic timing could be a perfect fit for Housewives. With Fox’s all to quick cancellation of DRIVE, I’m hoping that Nathan Fillion finds a permanent gig on TV. And if so, Housewives might just find a permanent gig back on my DVR.

What to Watch…Tuesday, July 3, 2007

It’s a pretty lame night for TV. No appointment television tonight, and even the talk shows are all repeats. I think this is the first night in a really long time that my DVR gets a vacation day. I’m such a tyrant.

Shaq’s Big Challenge
The kids aren’t shaping up the way he wants, so it’s time to unleash a personal trainer named Tarik on them.

P.O.V.
“Standing Silent Nation” looks at a Native American family that tries to grow hemp for non-pot products but still runs afoul of the U.S. drug bureaucracy.

On The Lot
One director is eliminated, and the remaining 11 present their horro films for judges Carrie Fisher, Garry Marshall and Eli Roth (“Hostel”).

LICENSE TO WED Premieres Today

Today’s the day. Finally, the premiere of LICENSE TO WED! GiveMeMyRemote.com has been following this movie since it was first announced that OFFICE star John Krasinski signed on as the lead role . We’ve posted production stills, news, trailers and now it’s here. And I’m going to see it today!!

If we’re being honest, the movie is getting killed by critics. But what do critics know, right? I think I’m going to enjoy the popcorn flick. And I’ve been supporting John Krasinski before anyone really knew who he was, so of course I’ll be heading to Chestnut Hill to see it today.

To honor the launch of the film, here’s a short little blooper reel from LICENSE TO WED.

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GMMR’s full coverage of LICENSE TO WED.

Watch or Not: BURN NOTICE

To watch or not to watch, that is the question many have asked me regarding USA’s new spy drama BURN NOTICE. After just watching the 90-minute premiere, I’m going to go with “Watch” for this one…for now.

The premise? Michael Westen, a shifty covert spy, is suddenly informed that his services are no longer needed. No farewell party and two week severance pay for this guy. Nope, Michael Westen’s corporate goodbye includes practically erasing him from existence. No money, no ID, no social security number – what’s an ex-spy to do? And what could he have possibly done to piss off the government to the point that they put a burn notice out on him? That’s just what Michael Westen wants to know.

With a little wit and fighting a la Sydney Bristow, and a few do-it-yourself McGuyver skills, a guy can last pretty long on the mean streets of Miami. And that’s just what Westen has to do until he finds out who is out to destroy him. With Feds tracking his every move he has to figure out how to get his life back all while trying to get by day to day…easier said than done.

With a burn notice handed down, Michael ends up in his hometown of Miami where he is taking on the odd jobs necessary to ascertain the cash he needs to figure out why he is no longer a spy. In the pilot episode, he is hires to help exonerate a Cuban man who has been framed for stealing from his wealthy boss – a job that becomes increasingly more difficult when as you have no resources to speak of. Michael has to rely on an old military intelligence contact, Tom (Bruce Campbell), whose under the thumb of the Feds who are tracking Michael. Lucky him.

As for family, well home isn’t necessarily where the heart is, at least when it comes to Michael’s relationship with his hypochondriac mother, played by the impeccable Sharon Gless, and an ex-love/ex-IRA operative portrayed by the gorgeous and intriguing Gabrielle Anwar.

The pilot episode of BURN NOTICE had its flaws – Michael is a little too cocky for his own good, and the dialogue well witty wasn’t always as smart as it could be, but overall it was worthy of of my time and it has earned a place on my TiVo – albeit a tentative one. I’m going to give this show a few more episodes to see if it can’t get a little tighter in its execution. It’s a summer show so let’s hope the writers realize that this isn’t the time for intricate and convoluted plot lines that have no resolution. If Burn Notice manages to find the right combination of humor and spy drama over the next few eps then it’s going to make its way to my coveted appointment TV list.

Did you watch BURN NOTICE? Let us know what you thought. (Future airings of BURN NOTICE)

Emmy Noms Inside Scoop

Although Emmy nominations won’t be officially announced until July 19th, TheEnvelope.com has a list of shows and some actors that we can expect to be in the running for nominations. This information is coming from actually Emmy judges who were on a panel to help decide the nomination ballots (which means its coming from VERY good sources). For more on how this information came to pass, click here.

Top Ten Finalists for Oustanding Drama Series

Boston Legal (“Angel of Death”)
Dexter (“Born Free”)
Friday Night Lights (Pilot)
Grey’s Anatomy (“From A Whisper to A Scream”)
Heroes (“Genesis”)
House (“Half-wit”)
Lost (“Through the Looking Glass”)
Rome (“De Patre Vostro”)
The Sopranos (“Soprano Home Movies”)
24 (“Day 6: 6 a.m. – 7 a.m.”

Notes: I’m so excited to see that “Friday Night Lights” made the cut, but surprised to see that neither “Brothers & Sisters” or “Rescue Me” were on the list.

Top Ten Finalists for Outstanding Comedy Series

Desperate Housewives (“It Takes Two”)
Entourage (“One Day in the Valley”)
Extras (“Daniel Radcliffe”)
My Name is Earl (“Robbed a Stoner Blind”)
The Office (“The Coup”)
Scrubs (“My Musical”)
Thirty Rock (“Hard Ball”)
Two and a Half Men (“Apologies For the Frivolity”)
Ugly Betty (Pilot)
Weeds (“Cooking with Jesus”)

Notes: More than one judge questioned if “Earl” and “The Office” would even make the cut based on the poorly chosen episodes they submitted. Ugh. Sadly, “How I Met Your Mother” was overlooked again. How can anyone not love Robin Sparkles?

Preliminary finalists for actors after the jump…

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What to Watched…Monday, July 2, 2007

Age of Love
Mark has simultaneous dates with one woman from each group, but he must split his time between their two tables. Later, the women plan a date for their rival group that emphasizes the age difference between them.

Kyle XY
A murder in the forest complicates his already uneasy situation. And Foss puts the pressure on.

The Closer
At a former cop’s funeral, a little pallbearer faux pas leads to a broken casket and the revelation of a second body.

Big Love
Rhonda’s presence causes big problems, not least when Roman sends the police after her. And Ben and Brynn celebrate an anniversary – with help from Margene.

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