24 Debrief: Day 7 | 10:00 pm-11:00 pm

I come back from Portland with a throat infection, an upcoming trip with the Boilermakers to Glendale, Arizona and another good, if not action-packed episode of “24”.

Also, before I get started, I wanted to give kudos to those who left comments last week. Not only was the encouragement of Purdue greatly appreciated, but I read them when I got back and they made me howl. I had forgotten about Jack’s murse (man purse) last season. It was like Captain Kanagroo’s pockets: it was bottomless and he had everything he needed in there.

Debrief

• HEY, the First Gentleman is alive! Also, Ethan feels he must resign in the wake of the appearance of Jack killing Mayer. He will turn in his resignation by the morning (the end of the season).

• Jack and Tony go to the Port of Alexandria to intercept the shipping crate with the bioweapon. There they meet Officer Carl, an expecting father to twins who has taken money from Starkwood to help them get the crate out of the yard. After getting the crate, the Starkwood men are going to kill Carl. Jack kills them first, setting off a giant firefight that ends to Jack hijacking the semi with the bioweapon.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Tuesday, March 24, 2009

UGH! Totally forgot that the President is ruining TV tonight with another press conference. Ok, maybe that’s not totally fair as he’s only bumping the 8pm shows, but still there are consequences (and no that wasn’t a threat in case any Secret Service people are reading this).

Make sure you pay attention to the special air time for some of your favorite shows.

For those of you wondering what’s happening with IDOL this week, the performance show will air tomorrow at 8pm on Fox and the live results show will boot BONES from the 8pm hour on Thursday.

It’s a weak night for TV my friends.

Here’s a little of what I’ll be watching…what about YOU?!

Presidential News Conference | 8pm on most major news networks
President Barack Obama answers questions from the press.

Reaper | 8pm on The CW
“The Favorite”
The Devil orders Sam to teach his spoiled son, Morgan, to have a stronger work ethic so he can take over the family business. Sam reluctantly takes Morgan with him to capture an escaped soul. Meanwhile, Ben believes Nina is turned off by his human form, and Sock uses Ted in a scheme at the Work Bench. [GMMR: Network execs at The CW are crossing their fingers that the disinterested youth skip Obama and watch their show about the guy working for the devil.]

The Biggest Loser | 9pm on NBC
The players pull cars loaded with extra weight assigned to them by their teammates in a challenge featuring NASCAR’s Clint Bowyer. Later, the teams are dissolved, leaving the contestants to compete as singles; a player breaks a record at the weigh-in.

The Mentalist | 9pm on CBS
“Carnelian Inc”
Patrick tackles corporate America when the CBI probes a series of murders at a financial company’s retreat in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Also playing…

• Dancing with the Stars | 9pm on ABC: Daryl Hall and John Oates perform; Adele performs; Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas demonstrate how to perform the Argentine tango and the lindy hop; one celebrity is eliminated from the competition.

• NCIS | 9pm on CBS: A military family comes under suspicion when a boy finds a murder weapon and the team must track ownership of the gun.

• The Real Housewives on New York City | 10pm on CBS: Jill and Bethenny go to lunch at Le Cirque; LuAnn, Kelly, Ramona and the van Kempens attend the Russell Simmons fashion show; Jill has her first charity meeting; Kelly is covering fashion week for her column. [GMMR: I get asked about this show (or at least this franchise) more than any other. I have a feeling that if I covered this on GMMR it might be a fan favorite. But I don’t think I have the time or the intestinal fortitude. Thoughts? Anyone watching? ]

What will YOU be watching tonight?!

The Biggest Loser | 9pm on NBC

The players pull cars loaded with extra weight assigned to them by their teammates in a challenge featuring NASCAR’s Clint Bowyer. Later, the teams are dissolved, leaving the contestants to compete as singles; a player breaks a record at the weigh-in.

Reaper | 8pm on The CW

The Devil orders Sam to teach his spoiled son, Morgan, to have a stronger work ethic so he can take over the family business. Sam reluctantly takes Morgan with him to capture an escaped soul. Meanwhile, Ben believes Nina is turned off by his human form, and Sock uses Ted in a scheme at the Work Bench.

CAPRICA on DVD – First Look

BSG might have just ended but fear not you’ll get your SciFi (or is it SyFy) fix soon with the release of the BSG prequel, CAPRICA. The series will be premiering in 2010, but the feature-length series pilot will be available exclusively on DVD on April 21st.

Set over 50 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is a world at the peak of its power, grappling with new science and technologies and the issues they create. The series will star Golden Globe nominee Eric Stoltz (Mask, Pulp Fiction), Esai Morales (“Jericho,” “NYPD Blue”), Paula Malcomson (“Deadwood” “ER”) and Golden Globe® nominee Polly Walker (“Cane,” “Rome”) in a story laced with passion, intrigue and family conflict.

“We are thrilled to take the groundbreaking step of offering the world-premiere of the Caprica feature-length extended pilot episode on DVD prior to the new series’ television debut,” said Hilary Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “This innovative distribution model will serve to satisfy ‘Battlestar Galactica’ fans’ appetites for a new content while building excitement for the franchise’s next great adventure.”

If you were excited about the sneak peek of CAPRICA that we saw during the BSG finale, then you’ll love these clips from the upcoming movie.

Am I the only one insanely excited for this show?

ATTENTION! Join CAPRICA Executive Producer Jane Espenson in a LIVE chat at Boston.com tomorrow at 1pm est.

More clips after the jump…
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KINGS: Prosperity

“No CGI pigeons were harmed in the making of this episode”

Before I start in on the review, can I just say how cool it is to have a review up on the internet, with people reading and commenting on it? Thanks everyone! And I apologize for the delay. Stupid work crisis. Next week I’ll do better (assuming KINGS is still on next week).

This week’s episode of KINGS revolved around the signing of the peace treaty with Gath, which David set in motion last week. The palace is preparing to host the visiting dignitaries, and everyone is trying to be on their best behavior. Except of course David who can apparently act with impunity whenever the ‘signs’ dictate it. I was going to leave this rant until later in the review, but his insubordinate behavior takes me out of the story sometimes. Grabbing the premier? Ramming his taxi into the hummer? I don’t care what kind of national hero he is, either of these actions should at least earn him some sort of punishment. He is first and foremost a soldier in the army, and he should be expected to follow orders. I understand that Silas forgives him for certain things because he helps in the long run, but it stretches believability for me.

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DOLLHOUSE…Better Late Than Never!

As I settled in to watch this week’s episode of DOLLHOUSE I was cautiously optimistic. DOLLHOUSE’s illusive “sixth episode” was legendary before it aired. It seemed the fate of the whole series was riding on this “game changing” episode. It was going to be huge. Based on the hype, episode six was to be the single most important hour of my life and by simply watching I was somehow going to be absolved of all the wrong I had done in my life, be given riches beyond imagination and somehow transform myself into either Emily Blunt or some hot gay man that would soon be loved be Neil Patrick Harris. Well I watched and none of that happened. My life sadly was not transformed, but, DOLLHOUSE was. Mission accomplished for Joss and team. It took six episodes to finally get me caring about this show. Well done? I think?

Having missed the press conference call with Joss Whedon last week, I was intrigued to find out just what happened in the writers room to get the show from where it was to this week’s strong and enjoyable episode. So I called up Joss and we had a lengthy discussion in which he broke down for me all the notes and elements that led up to the creation of “Man on the Street”. Ok, perhaps that didn’t happen, but as someone who is equally fascinated by the process as I am the final outcome, I really would have liked the opportunity to pick Joss’s brain a little on this one.

I don’t mean to oversell here. Friday’s episode of DOLLHOUSE wasn’t perfect. But what it did was meet the expectation I had of what the show would be and could be. As I was watching I couldn’t help but feel that this episode would have worked brilliantly as the series premiere. The characters, plots and concept were presented to the audience in a manner that piqued my curiosity unlike the first few episodes that left me scratching my head wondering just how Joss Whedon was involved in this train wreck.

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Meet Your New ROOMMATES on ABC Family Tonight

Just in case you needed another show to tune into on Monday nights, tonight is the series premiere of ROOMMATES at 9pm on ABC Family.

I haven’t seen the show yet but I thought I’d share with you the info I have and a few videos from tonight’s episode and you can decide if it’s something you might want to check out.

Here’s the deal. I’m almost afraid to not watch ROOMMATES.  I missed the boat on ABC Family’s GREEK when it first aired and having caught up on all the episodes earlier this month I love it!  What if I don’t watch Roommates and it turns about to be great?!  Then again, even if I do watch it it’s going to have to be online as my Mondays are jammed packed already.  And with ZBZ’s, Kappa Tau’s, Omegi Chi’s and the rest of GREEK coming back next Monday, I can’t say that I have any time for any newbies. So for me to get on board ROOMMATES is going to have to really grab me in the first episode.

If you watch tonight check back in with me tomorrow and let me know what you thought.

Here’s what I know…

“Roommates” follows a group of friends in New York City trying to figure out love and life in their post-collegiate years. Loveable but awkward Mark (Francavilla) stumbles upon his dream come true when he runs into his old high-school crush, Katie (Brown), and becomes her new roommate in an attempt to finally win her heart. Unfortunately for Mark, Katie is still in love with her on-again/off-again boyfriend. Further complicating matters, Mark doesn’t hit it off with Katie’s best friend and roommate, Hope (Mowry), a strong willed executive who Mark learns, unbeknownst to her fellow roommates, has lost her job and now secretly works at a coffee shop. The fourth and final apartment mate is James (Dewey), who works in the investment world and takes great pleasure in watching Mark’s feeble attempts to win Katie’s favor. Rounding out the group is Mark’s former roommate and best friend, Thom (Weidoff), a quirky guy who takes an instant liking to Hope.

As they look for love, inside the apartment and out, struggle with their current and future job options, and deal with overbearing parents who can’t seem to let go, the roommates lean on each other to make it through this tough but exciting time of life. Now, if they could just figure out a bathroom schedule that would work for everyone!

More videos after the jump…

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DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: A Spark To Pierce the Dark

Hi guys! It’s Tricia here to recap what appears to be Edie’s swan song on Desperate Housewives. Although, I have to say, that woman has as many lives as a cat. First she escaped being strangled by Dave, only to jump in the car and swerve into a pole. No worries though; she was able to walk out of the car. She seemed to have finally have met her end when she was electrocuted by a live wire, however, at the end of the episode her hand seemed to be moving. Of course, we now have to wait until the next episode to find out if she’s really dead. I personally loved this entire sequence. It was fitting that Edie would get quite the dramatic end. If she’s actually dead that is.

If Edie is dead then Orson is going to have some explaining to do. He was the one who caused Edie to swerve after he ran into the street when he was caught robbing a neighbor’s house. He’s excusing his behavior by saying that Bree isn’t playing enough attention to him. He even wants her to sell her company. He’s being an even bigger baby then Tom. None of the husbands on this show seem to be able to handle having successful wives. Not that Orson is going to have a successful wife if he keeps his behavior up. I’m sure Bree will begin to contemplate divorce after his latest actions.

Carlos and Lynette are being kept later and later at work thanks to Carlos’s ex, Lucy, who he hired last episode. Gabby is at her wit’s end after a two week long “dry spell”. Lynette gets Carlos to see that Lucy is being unreasonable. To be honest, this storyline barely held my attention. The one thing I liked about it was the scene where Gabby tries to make Tom her replacement friend since Bree, Lynette, and Susan have all gone back to work. Seeing Gabby trying to get Tom to dish out the gossip was hilarious.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Monday, March 23, 2009

Welcome TV lovers!  It’s Monday night, that special night of TV where many of our favorite shows go head-to-head in a battle to the death…or ratings. It’s a shame that all these fantastic shows are up against each other.  TV viewers certainly lose out.

I’m excited though, are you?

I wanted to take a quick minute and thank all of you who sent birthday wishes this weekend.  My inbox was feeling the love.  It meant a lot, so thanks!

Now on to the battle of Monday night television!

Chuck | 8pm on NBC
“Chuck Versus the Predator
Chuck finds the creator of the Intersect; a conflict breaks out between the Burbank Buy More and the Beverly Hills branch. [GMMR: Dear NBC, please don’t rerun CHUCK again. I missed it so much last week. Thanks. XOXO – Me.]

How I Met Your Mother | 8pm on CBS | Special Time
Barney and Marshall conspire to keep Ted in the dark when a client cancels plans to build its new headquarters using Ted’s design. [GMMR: Back-to-back episodes of HIMYM tonight but this is the only new one.  Episode at 8:30pm is the legendary “The Bracket”. Appropriate.]

Gossip Girl | 8pm on The CW
“The Grandfather”
Devastated by recent events, Blair explores her dark side; Lily and Rufus decide to be completely honest with each other. [GMMR: This week’s episode, while not up to true GOSSIP GIRL standards, is definitely better than last week’s train wreck. Maybe by next week’s episode the writers will be out of their post-hiatus funk.]

GG writers…THIS is what we like…(check out a great clip from tonight’s episode)

Heroes | 9pm on NBC
“Cold Snap”
H.R.G. convinces Emile Danko to release Tracy, in hopes that she will lead them to “Rebel”; Angela turns to an old friend (Swoosie Kurtz) for help; Ando and Hiro try to protect the newest hero. [GMMR: I guess I’ll watch tonight. I mean, it is Swoosie Kurtz!]

24 | 8pm on Fox
“Day 7: 10:00PM – 11:00PM”
The president’s daughter (Sprague Grayden) becomes increasingly involved in the day’s events; a high-ranking official delivers devastating news to the administration.

One Tree Hill| 9pm on The CW
“Searching for a Former Clarity”
Haley and Peyton help Mia (Kate Voegele) with her single; Brooke intervenes when Sam is arrested; Jamie learns the truth about Dan and Uncle Keith.

Roommates | 9pm on ABC Family | Series Premiere
“The Roommate”
In the series premiere of this comedy, which focuses on friends navigating postcollege life in NYC, Mark runs into his high-school crush, Katie (Dorian Brown), and moves in with her and her roommates, hoping to win her affection. [GMMR: Check back later this morning for more on “Roommates”]

Sophie | 9:30pm on ABC Family | Series Premiere
“The Tornado”
Sophie’s boyfriend sleeps with her best friend and steals her clients for his own competing talent agency hours before Sophie gives birth.

Castle | 10pm on ABC
“Hedge Fund Homeboyz”
Castle and Beckett uncover a story of betrayal and obsession when they investigate the death of a teenage boy. [GMMR: Here’s to hoping episode three builds on the last episode.Maybe this show is just a slow starter. ]

Medium | 10pm on NBC
“A Necessary Evil “
Kurtwood Smith reprises his guest-star role as FBI agent Edward Cooper, who materializes as a ghost to help Allison catch a criminal. However, Allison soon begins to question Cooper’s true motives. Elsewhere, Joe hires a man with a dubious résumé.

Also playing…

• Dancing with the Stars 8pm on ABC | Celebrities compete with their professional dance partners.

• The Secret Life of the American Teenager | 8pm on ABC Family: Friends and family arrive for the birth of Amy’s baby; Amy has a hard time making the transition to motherhood; George and Ashley move out.

• Rules of Engagement | 9:30pm on CBS:Jeff’s chauvinist father (Brian Dennehy), who expects Audrey to wait on him hand and foot, extends his visit after spraining his ankle.

• CSI: Miami | 10pm on CBS: A home invasion turns into something more when the team discovers that the Russian mob is targeting them.

Certainly a lot to choose from. Share YOUR Monday night TV lineup in the comments below.

Who Went Home on THE AMAZING RACE?

Here I was thinking I’d be safe by setting up my DVR to record THE AMAZING RACE an extra half hour each week so I wouldn’t miss the ending, even if the shows preceding it ran long.  But nope, a half hour wasn’t long enough because half way through tonight’s episode the show was cut off.  Thanks again CBS. Honestly you all really know how to treat fans of your shows.

What I don’t understand is why CBS put their top reality show in this time slot. A competition based reality show where the ending is actually a pretty big reason to watch.  Why not put one of their crappy half hour comedies like ‘Worst Week’ on Sunday nights. Who will really care if that show is preempted.

Clearly I’m a little bitter tonight, but I just felt like CBS wasted my time tonight.

So if you happen to know what happened in the second half of THE AMAZING RACE and would like to share your thoughts in the comments I’d greatly appreciate it.  I saw only up until the start of the Detour.

This Week in TV Blog Banter

It’s your weekly round-up of the best in TV blogs. What were bloggers bantering about last week? Check it out for yourselves and weigh in.

• Some of the show descriptions in this quiz are real pilots, some I’ve made up. Take the quiz and see if you can spot the fake pilots! (BuzzSugar)

• GMMR asked if you were a network exec and could program TV for only one hour out of each day, what would the TV schedule look like? (Give Me My Remote)

• You know a show is going to be good when it manages to equally upset the liberal communists (who think the show pushes a Christian agenda) and the religious nutjobs (who think the show pushes a gay agenda). Scooter endorses Kings if only because they cast Mr. Boston in the lead role. (Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green)

• Vance is enjoying the shows no one is watching. Like newbies Kings and Better Off Ted or old faves Ugly Betty and Lost amongst many others. (Tapeworthy)

• This week, Jace talked to Joss Whedon about his “Man on the Street” episode of FOX’s Dollhouse, why Dollhouse seems to lack the funny, and whether he would be leaving television for good. (Televisionary)

• Sara celebrated the fact that Chuck was back to wearing ascots on the latest episode of Gossip Girl. (TiFaux)

• Jennifer contemplated why Ugly Betty Suarez is such a man magnet. (Tube Talk)

• Steve got his hands on a copy of next week’s Gossip Girl and recapped it for your spoilerly pleasure (TVFanatic)

• Ben celebrated the news that BBC3 had bought the UK rights to the new murder mystery Harper’s Island and took a look at it spin-off web series Harper’s Globe. (TV Spy)

KINGS: A Mission to Save the Kingdom

Move over Silas, there’s a new King in town.  Please allow me to officially welcome King Mattie B to Team GMMR.  Mattie B. will be taking over the reigns (get it reign, reigns…no? ok) on providing the weekly review of NBC’s newest drama, KINGS. I had hoped to take on this show myself but with THE AMAZING RACE and BROTHER & SISTERS, my Sunday nights are already pretty busy. I’ll be chiming and contributing to the discussion along with all you in the comments.

KINGS premiered last week to mixed reviews and less than stellar ratings, but having seen the first four episodes I’m encouraging you to stick with it.  It’s far from perfect but it’s risky and different enough that my the end of the fourth episode I found myself completely enthralled by the story.

If you missed last week’s premiere you can watch it below.  When you’re done read Mattie’s take on the first episode.  Be sure to watch a new episode of KINGS at 8pm tonight on NBC and then come back tomorrow to read Mattie’s take and share your opinion on this new show.

Please be sure to kindly welcome Matt to GMMR.

Watch last week’s premiere of KINGS right here on GMMR.

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Last Sunday, for those of you who missed it (which, given the ratings, is the majority), was the premiere of “Kings” on NBC. The story is set in the fictional kingdom of Gilboa, which is ruled by King Silas (played impeccably by Ian McShane of “Deadwood” fame). The recently unified Gilboa is at war with is neighbor, Gath. The war, while a burden on its people is deepy rooted in a powerful political game.  But when a young soldier named David Shepherd crosses into the enemy’s war zone to free fellow soldier’s being held hostage he becomes a national hero.  When it’s revealed that one of the hostages rescued is the son of King Silas, young David Shepherd is thrust into the middle of a different kind of war, one that brings his great gifts at a great price.

The show-runners I think did a very good job of setting up this alternate universe, complete with a military and socialites and a cool looking city. Granted the city is really just NYC with a few extra buildings CGI’d in, and apparently there are just no commoners on the street near the palace, but that is forgivable because you can see they gave serious thought to how this society should function.

KINGS has a multi-layered plots that involve various characters in the most interesting ways. Subplots include an illegitimate heir to the thrown, a crown prince with a secret, and a plot by the King’s brother-in-law to stay in power whatever the cost. As with any good soap opera each plot is interwoven into the main plot, and we can already see these things having ramifications on the main characters.

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SMALLVILLE: Turbulence

Was Smallville just like last week – a little mediocre? It pains me to say this but this ep was lackluster. I’ve been dying to see how Clark experiments with his identity but there seems to be some kind of delay. Instead this past episode was all Tess time with a whole lot of Jimmy and Chloe drama and an absent Lois Lane.

The episode titled Turbulence kicked off with Davis Bloom in confessional. Apparently Doomsday has been limiting his violent and deadly outbursts for those he feels deserves it, the street scum of Metropolis. During his confession he reveals that killing the bad guys is a way for him to feel human.

Meanwhile Clark has been busy showing off his less than human side with a little red-blue blur action around the city. Slowing down for traffic cams and making record saves, Clark has been practicing his lightening speed switch from office attire to his normal wear. Chloe doesn’t think this is a good idea with the chance that Clark could expose his true identity. Clark just wants Chloe to focus on Jimmy. And that she should. Jimmy is getting a little crazy with the morphine since he’s been stuck in a hospital bed. He’s also on edge with the thought that the beast could return. Chloe reassures him that the red eyed killer is most likely long gone.

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Brothers & Sisters | 10pm on ABC

Trying to help before Tommy’s legal troubles get any worse, Nora seeks help from the person Tommy hurt the most; Ryan gets a little too close to Rebecca for Justin’s comfort

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