MAD MEN Parodies Are All the Rage

With its sophisticated style and plush setting, MAD MEN lends itself perfectly to be parodied.

If you haven’t already seen “MA MEN” on FunnyorDie.com, then you should be warned that although I find it hysterical (especially being a Boston gal), it’s NSFW and some could find it offensive.  Of course that’s not going to stop me from posting it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

MA Men from Joey McIntyre

And now something to cleanse your palette.  SESAME STREET also took a little spin on the MAD MEN train.  This too is NSFW and highly offensive – go figure.  I kid. This one is just adorable and I wanted to share.

The Middle | 8:30pm on ABC

Series Premiere: In the premiere of this slapstick sitcom about a working-class family in the U.S. heartland, frazzled mom Frankie (Patricia Heaton) tries to improve her sales—from zero—at the car dealership while making repeated trips to school for her youngest son, Brick, whose unusual behavior makes him an outcast among his peers.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, September 30, 2009

As the song goes, ‘See you, in September’…well at least until tomorrow when it’s officially October. What? How crazy fast did this month fly by? At least we will usher September out the door with a night of great TV.

I’m counting down the minutes until GLEE. Emmy award winner Kristin Chenoweth is the special guest star tonight and I can only imagine the greatness she will bring.  I’m so excited.

I’m also really looking forward to the second episodes of MODERN FAMILY (my other favorite new show of the Fall), COUGAR TOWN and EASTWICK – I’m interested to see how the show holds up post-pilot.

Tonight’s ABC premieres HANK and THE MIDDLE.  I can’t say that I was particularly excited about either of these shows.  THE MIDDLE is the better of the two, but I don’t think that’s saying much.  HANK was one of the worst pilots I’ve seen in a long time. Not even Kelsey Grammar can save this show.

There’s so much TV to choose from. Which shows will YOU be watching?  Which shows do you want to be talking about on GMMR tomorrow?

After all this, the least you could do is tell me what shows YOU will be watching tonight!

Hank | 8pm on ABC | Series Premiere
“Pilot”
Kelsey Grammer plays Hank Pryor, a business giant in the sports-retail arena who gets benched in a force-out, and, in the opener, takes his family back home to Virginia to try to rebuild his career and adjust to simply being a father and husband.

So You Think You Can Dance | 8pm on Fox
“Auditions”
The SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE auditions continue as the team looks for dancers to join the Top 20.

Mercy | 8pm on NBC
“I Believe You Conrad”
Veronica and Mike move back in together but realize the house is as much of a mess as their marriage; Sonia gets a hunky cop to help her find the identity of a patient; Chloe helps a patient everyone else had written off.

The New Adventures of Old Christine | 8pm on CBS
“Burning Love”
Christine and Richard encounter some old college friends and are shocked to see how old they look.

Gary Unmarried | 8:30pm on CBS
“Gary Promises Too Much”
When Allison’s new boyfriend offers to take Louis on a birthday trip to New York, Gary shouts out an unrealistic gift of his own.

(More of tonight’s lineup after the jump)
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SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Live Chat Tonight

We’ll be watching and chatting LIVE as this new crop of dancers try to impress the judges with their moves in the hopes of getting the special ticket to Vegas.  Will we meet any future Top 20 dancers tonight?  Perhaps will get our first glimpse at America’s next favorite dancer.

Join us at 9/8c for a LIVE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE chat! Drop me a line if you think you’ll be able to make it.  Use the reminder function below to receive an email when the chat gets started.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Season Premiere

Hey everyone! Sorry this review is so late; I’ve had a nasty stomach bug for the last few days. No worries though; I feely almost completely better and I’m here to talk about Sunday’s episode of Desperate Housewives. Before I do, though, let me say that I hope you all had a fantastic summer. I know I did. As much as I love TV, it’s nice to take a break sometimes.

After a long summer of waiting, we finally found out who it is that was ‘under the veil’ in last season’s finale of Desperate Housewives: Susan! I personally was glad that it was her. I hate it when writers drag romances like Susan and Mike’s out when you know they’re going to end up together down the road. And since we never really got to see that much of Susan and Mike as a happily married couple I’m looking forward to that.

Once we moved past that big reveal, I thought the premiere just kept getting better and better. It seems like all our housewives have interesting storylines this season: Gabby and her troublesome niece, Lynette pregnant again- with twins!, Katherine as a woman on the verge, and Bre engaging in a very un-Bre like affair.

As for the newest additions to Wisteria Lane, Drea De Matteo and her family, they seem very interesting. I’m curious what those scars were on Angie’s back. My first thought was that it was the boar headed creature from True Blood until I reminded myself that Desperate Housewives and True Blood are not the same show. I’m also curious how Angie’s son already knows Julie well enough to be fighting with her.

Which brings us to the biggest shock of the night; Julie was strangled, almost to death, at the end of the episode setting up this season’s mystery. I’m hoping she doesn’t really die next week; I really like Julie’s character and missed her last season. I can’t wait to see how this season plays out and I’ll see you all back here next week!

Tricia will be reviewing Desperate Housewives for you again this year. She’s a sophomore at a SUNY College located in Western NY and loves everything TV.

HOUSE: Epic Fail

When hard times stare people down, many of us fall into the trap of “If only…” We attach earth shattering significance to our actions, often with the intention of changing the way we are perceived. If only I could lose these extra pounds, take that new job, start over in a new place. We want to escape the ordinary, and assume that change will lead to the extraordinary. More often than not, those bold moves put us right back where we started, facing a grim reminder about the goal we pursued. In the end, Happiness is a state of mind, not a consequence of our decision-making.

This week, the House team took on the concept of unfulfilled expectations in an hour filled with careful introspection, potent laughs in the kitchen, and a few surprises.

Gregory House left Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital with the intention of casting aside his career at Princeton Plainsboro Hospital. In order to salvage his vice for vices, House embraced his inner Julia and tagged along to Wilson’s cooking class. Ensuing episodes will offer myriad chances for us to analyze House & Wilson’s new odd couple routine, so allow me to focus on the kitchen this week, ok? In a lovely parallel to the season opener, Hugh Laurie openly flashed his wide smile as he and Robert Sean Leonard traded barbs about burning Wilson’s balls. Though it was low-rent humor by definition, any chance to see House in a naturally-induced high is worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, the story arc for Season Six will not be House becoming the Next Iron Chef on the Food Network, so his leg had to take a turn for the worse.

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Jon & Kate Plus 8 is No More

Today it was announced that the show known as JON & KATE PLUS 8 will be re-branded KATE PLUS 8 come November.

“Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family,” said Eileen O’Neill, the president and general manager of TLC. “The family has evolved and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate’s journey really resonates with our viewers.”

It seems that Jon will still appear on the show, but in a diminished capacity. The show will focus on Kate and the kids. I’m not sure why TLC would be interested in distancing themselves from such a darling like Jon Gosselin.

Jon – I was so on your team. Why did you have turn about to be such a asshat?

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Double Date

rab some dollar bills and trim that goatee because it’s time for another rousing episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. Last night Ted got a glimpse of his former self, Marshall got a look at a dirty version of his wife, and Robin saw first hand that Barney will be Barney.

Forever on the quest to find the woman of his dreams, it seems that Ted hit a stumbling block. He went on a blind date with a woman that he went on a blind date with seven years ago.

At first Ted thought he was expereincing a bit of déjà vu. Sure Jen looked a little familiar, but it wasn’t until after he made a horribly bad pun that it hit him.  He wasn’t having a “déjà vu” moment, he was reliving their first date – the same restaurant, the same food, the same conversations.  Uh oh. Ted has officially dated all the single ladies in NYC and now he’s starting all over again. This can’t be good.

After the initial shock of the date do-over, Ted and his date Jen (played by Lindsey Sloane) decided to use this mix-up to learn from their dating mistakes. What first date tactics turned them off to each other the first time around?  For Ted it was Jen’s obsession with her cats and her ex-boyfriend.  For Jen, it was Ted’s bad puns and his snobbery. As they relive their first date, they realize that the second date is much better. All seems to be going well but then Ted realizes that he remembers why he didn’t call Jen after their first date.  He doesn’t want to be with someone that just tolerates his idiosyncrasies. He wants someone who like Ted for Ted.

Future Ted tell us that the future mother of his children laughed at his bad pun…at least a little.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, but I kind of love Tuesday nights.  As of now I’m only regularly watching two shows on Tuesdays. It’s rather relaxing. As a TV lover I know I should be saying ‘bring it on’, but with Monday, Wednesday and Thursday so jam packed with good TV, a girl needs a breather every once in a while.  So thank you Tuesday, you rock!

Tonight we see more auditions for SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  If you’re going to be watching SYTYCD tonight, why not join me for a LIVE chat starting at 9/8c. We’ll watch together.  And make sure you’re following me on Twitter so you know when we get started.

I’m also going to be checking out the second episode of THE GOOD WIFE.  I’m trying to find out the interest level for this show on GMMR, so PLEASE drop a note in the comments if THE GOOD WIFE made your TV lineup. I think people may enjoy it, but I’m not sure it’s the type of show that will have an active online audience each week.  Maybe I’m wrong. Let me know.

If you like your TLC reality shows, then don’t miss what’s happening on tonight’s 18 KIDS AND COUNTING.  Read on to find out.

Rounding off the evening will be watching John Krasinski on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Conan O’Brien. John is always so fantastic when he’s sitting out there with his old boss.  I can’t wait! And don’t miss John’s boss, Ricky Gervais on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE.

The Biggest Loser | 8pm on NBC
“Episode 3”
Contestants get an offer that is very hard to refuse; players face their first temptation, which will leave the winner with control over the weigh-in; an incline challenge tests the players’ stamina; one contestant is eliminated.

90210 | 8pm on The CW
“The Porn King”
Sasha and Dixon drive to Napa for the weekend; Annie makes a shocking discovery; Navid and Adrianna spend the night together; Liam finds a way to reveal the truth to Naomi and get revenge on Jen.

NCIS | 8pm on CBS
“Reunion”
The deaths of a marine and his two friends are investigated; and Gibbs gets the final decision regarding Ziva, but is unprepared for how the news affects him.

So You Think You Can Dance | 9pm on Fox
“Auditions”
Dancers from across the country audition in hopes of impressing the judges. [GMMR: Join us tonight at 9/8c for a LIVE chat.  Let’s see which dancers have what it takes to get to Vegas and which ones are complete disasters. Click here to set a reminder for yourself.]

NCIS: Los Angeles | 9pm on CBS
“The One Easy Day”
Sam learns that his former Navy SEAL colleagues are involved in the case of a murdered drug dealer. [GMMR: I’m not one to sit down and watch procedurals, but I’m rather intrigued by NCIS:LA.  And yes, it’s because of Chris O’Donnell, but still.]

(More of tonight’s TV spotlight after the jump)

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CASTLE: The Double Down

The full moon really brings out the crazies.

Beckett and Castle’s case: Girl is killed but whoever murdered her left writing (using horrible grammar) all over her face. Detectives Ryan and Esposito’s case: A garden-variety robbery-homicide case that turns out to be slightly more complicated than they originally thought.

Castle, always the betting man, bets that he and Beckett can solve their case first. But things get a more interesting for both teams, as they race to be the first (as horrible as it sounds) to solve their respective crimes. And to top it all off, Beckett has no idea. A recipe for disaster.

Once Beckett and Castle finish an interrogation with their victim’s friend, Castle sees Ryan and Esposito exiting a room with their victim’s family at the police department. When he tries to pump them for information about the status of their investigation (not because he wants them to find the perpetrator, but to get a read on where they are on their case), Ryan and Esposito confidently roll off some likely suspects (gang members, they presume) who normally hang out at the park their victim was found dead. But, in a fit of desperation and the product of watching way too many detective shows, doles out well-crafted reasons as to why they probably weren’t the guilty ones. Do Ryan and Esposito buy that they’re wrong and Castle is possibly right (and is)? Not for a second, although within seconds of Castle’s not-so-mindless yammering, you can see the wheels begin to turn. And they were thisclose to winning!

Meanwhile, Castle, has 100% confidence that the second person he and Beckett question, a butcher, is indeed the suspect. While Beckett is clueless to Castle’s ulterior motive, he doesn’t hide the fact that he wants to get the answers to the questions that would put this guy in jail for good. Of course, it being only 15 minutes into the episode, Castle’s assumption doesn’t prove so right … and because his ego is on the line, puts all his money on the next guy.

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GOSSIP GIRL: Give Me Something to Gossip About…No Seriously

Welcome back Upper East Siders. It’s been a week since we last checked in the guys and gals we love to gossip about, and we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Did you hear the latest on GOSSIP GIRL? Scandal rocked NYC this week when Blake was spotted kissing Leighton’s long time beau, Sebastian.  Never one to be played, Leighton quickly took to the sheets with Ed, which didn’t please Ed’s lady love, Jessica. And once again poor Penn is in the dark.  He’s dating Blake but will it all fall apart once he’s heard what she’s been up to?

Perhaps not all the drama on GOSSIP GIRL is from the written script.  I kid, of course, but you can’t tell me that the interplay between the actors and their personal lives isn’t a bit ironic given the nature of the show.  In case you have a life and don’t follow Perez Hilton on a daily basis, here’s the break down: In real life, Blake (Serena) is dating Penn (Dan); Leighton (Blair) is dating Sebastian (Carter); and Jessica (Vanessa) is dating Ed (Chuck). As I tweeted earlier, it must make for one interesting table read.

Moving on to the fictional world of GOSSIP GIRL, there wasn’t much to gossip about this week. For the second episode of the season, I found tonight’s GG to be lacking some much needed pizazz.  Where’s the witty banter and the scandalous romance?  I mean, there wasn’t even a Dorota sighting. (No, a mention of a text message from her isn’t the same.) GOSSIP GIRL is facing some fierce competition on Monday night’s, even loyal fans might find something else to watch unless GG finds a way to pull itself together and get people gossiping again.

The only major event of this episode was a non-event within itself.  In a way too rushed storyline, Scott admitted to Vanessa that he was the son Rufus and Lily gave up for adoption. Instead of being completely freaked out that her new boyfriend not only lied about attending college with her, but also lied about his last name and practically everything else she knew about him, Vanessa thought it best to stick by him as he revealed his true identity to Rufus.  Ok.

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SUPERNATURAL Spoilers – “The End”

I have been a selfish, selfish blogger.  I’ve been holding off on posting SUPERNATURAL spoilers and pics thus far this season because I was afraid I would be majorly spoiled so close to the end of Project Supernatural.  But now that I’m done, and finally caught up will the entire series of SUPERNATURAL, I will gladly pass along spoilers and pics from upcoming episodes. That is if there is interest.

If you like these kinds of teases for the upcoming episodes of SUPERNATURAL please be sure to let me know. As a proud new member of the SUPERNATURAL fandom (yay!) I’m not sure what the appetite is for this info among SUPERNATURAL fans that read GMMR. (I know that I’m kicking myself that I read the episode description)

WARNING! SPOILERS for this Thursday’s episode “The End” (9/8c on The CW) after the break. And seriously, do you really want to be spoiled? Wouldn’t it be more fun just to wait until Thursday?

I will say this.  I was shown a scene from this episode last week and I was blown away. Such good stuff coming up.

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Win HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Season 4 on DVD

The cast, crew and creative team of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER did something right in Season 4.  For the first time ever, the series was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.  They might not have brought home the award, but being recognized as being one of TV’s best had to be thrilling.  Especially when you think back a few seasons when we the fans were biting our nails hoping that the show would be renewed.  HIMYM has grown in audience size over the past two seasons, something that rarely happens these days.  There’s a reason…it’s that good.

Now’s your chance to win the Emmy nominated Season 4 of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER on DVD. I have one copy to give away to a lucky winner. The DVD and Blu-ray set, both available on September 29th, includes all 24 episodes, plus hilarious special features, commentaries and gag reels,

‘Season 4 picks up from Ted’s (Josh Radnor) marriage proposal to Stella (Sarah Chalke) in the third season cliffhanger (we all know where that ended up) and continues following Ted, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and the rest of the gang through their hilarious misadventures. How could we forget Ted losing his job and starting his own company, Barney celebrating his 200th female conquest and Robin (Cobie Smulders) moving to Japan? And then of course there was slow realization that Barney Stinson had (gasp) fallen for his good friend, Robin.

So many fantastic episode to enjoy a second time around, or fort he first time if you are just discovering the series.

How to enter…

One of the best episode of Season 4 was “Intervention”.  We learned that sometimes being a friend means holding an intervention when your friends go down the wrong path. And sometimes even interventions need interventions.

To enter, tell us one intervention you would have to hold for a friend, or better yet an intervention your friends would need to stage for YOU!

Only one entry person, but you can be entered twice if you send out the following Twitter message (exactly as is or else I won’t be able to track it).

“RT this tweet for a chance to win #HIMYM Season 4 on DVD. Enter at GiveMeMyRemote.com http://ow.ly/qIrn”

The contest will end at 11pm EST on Friday, October 2nd.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Monday, September 28, 2009

It’s just another manic Monday.  And if you don’t believe me, check out the TV schedule below.  If you haven’t left for work/school/life yet, be sure to double check that DVR to make sure everything is in fine working order. I heard so many stories last week from GMMR readers who were betrayed by technology and missed out on their favorite shows.  My DVR is set. I’m ready to go. (I think…let me check just one more time).

How I Met Your Mother | 8pm on CBS
“Double Date”
Ted realizes that the girl he goes on a blind date with is actually someone he dated years earlier, and that they still have nothing in common..

House | 8pm on FOX
“Epic Fail”
House has surprising news for Cuddy; an ailing video game creator opts for treatments suggested by people on the Internet rather than listening to the doctors; Foreman tries to get House’s job.

Dancing with the Stars | 8pm on ABC
Celebrities are paired with professionals in a ballroom-dance competition, with one pair typically eliminated each week. This week director Baz Luhrmann serves as a guest judge. Competitors include Donny Osmond, Melissa Joan Hart, Michael Irvin, Chuck Liddell and more.

Heroes | 8pm on NBC
While facing the unexpected consequences of his heroic acts, Peter meets a reluctant new hero (Deanne Bray); Claire tries to adjust to college life and the revelation of her ability; Samuel does everything in his power to recapture memories of Joseph.

(the rest of tonight’s TV spotlight is after the jump)

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DEXTER Season Premiere: Living the Dream

Welcome back to Miami. It’s time once again to drop in and get a glimpse into the life of America’s favorite serial killer, Dexter Morgan. It seems like yesterday that I was writing my first ever post for GMMR about last season’s premiere, so to think it was a year ago is insane. So much has happened since then, so let’s get started.

Dexter and Rita had a bouncing baby boy, Harrison. Cody became infatuated with Marco Polo (and, really, when you think back to your childhood can you blame him?) and Astor is jonesing for an iPod to listen to her emo music on. Angel and LaGuerta are going the workplace affair thing, Deb and Anton are all lovey dovey, and Masuka is still telling crappy jokes.

Oh, and Dexter hasn’t killed anyone in a while. Which, you know, never really ends well.

The ball really got rolling this episode when Dexter botched a testimony for Quinn and let a killer go free. But, as anyone who has ever watched the show before knows, that person will not be free for long.

But, before we can tackle Dexter’s shenanigans, we must introduce ourselves to the baddest bad guy on the block, the Trinity Killer, played by an extremely naked John Lithgow. He kills in very ritualistic groups of three, or so we hear from Fmr. Spec. Agent Frank Lundy, who returns to Miami retired, with a hobby for catching fish and the one serial killer who alluded him in his career. Dexter redeems himself from his early snafu by catching on to the fact that the Trinity Killer has been killing for decades, making him the most successful serial killer who never got caught…YET!

Sorry. It had to be done.

One of the big themes this season is going to be how Dexter is going to balance what used to be a façade and what is truly inside him. He is committed to being a better father than the one he believes Harry was, but he also isn’t easily settled sitting at home and being a family man every night. He has to kill, it’s in his blood (no pun intended) and he must find the time and the means to do it.

I think all of the major characters will be dealing with conflicts of self-identity this season. Is Deb devoted to the freewheeling spirit of Anton or the cop dedication of Lundy? Who is more important in Deb’s mind: the Harry that was or the Harry she thought she knew? Is LaGuerta an administrator or lover? Does Rita really believe in the dream she claims to love? This is where the beauty of “Dexter” comes into fruition: Dexter isn’t the only nut job on the show. He just shows it in the most creative way.

The team behind “Dexter” has always done a wonderful job of mixing in humor to the show. If there weren’t bits of levity here and there, it would become daunting and depressing. Usually, those laughs come from Masuka or Dexter’s inner monologue, but the biggest laughs of the night, for me, came from the redux of the opening theme. To see everything that is done with precision done sloppily was fantastic.

A lot of other ideas were started tonight and they will continue to unravel throughout the course of the season. Some will have to be resolved quicker than others. After Dexter’s car crash at the end of this episode, body parts are somewhere…if only Dexter could remember where. This can’t last for too many episodes, as it will become increasingly unrealistic for evidence to be sitting somewhere with no one stumbling on it. Also, any “Grey’s Anatomy”-esque office relationships need to either stay completely separated from the work, or just disappear altogether.

What we WILL have to look forward to is the hunt for two different killers, or so it looks at this moment. On one hand, we have the Vacation Killer, someone killing tourists. On the other, much less official hand, we have the Trinity Killer, someone who has been doing this for more than thirty years, we can assume.

This hour of television flew by for me, which is a good thing. I’m really looking forward to watching the rest of the season and discussing it with all of you fine readers.

What’s your favorite new storyline of the season? Trinity? Vacation Killer? Dexter the family man?

Philboy is a Midwesterner who spends his days doing PR for a small Catholic university. His can’t miss shows are “24”, “HIMYM” and “Dexter”. His thoughts for the week are, “COLTS WIN!” and “Where could those bags of body parts be?”

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