THE AMAZING RACE Season Premiere

Can you imagine how devastating it must be to be completely amped for a race around the world only to be Philiminated before your first destination? Such was the heartbreak for Eric and Lisa, yoga instructors from California, who were sent home after not being able to complete the first task of this, the 15th season of THE AMAZING RACE.

One of the most important factors in running a good race is paying attention to detail. The first task of the new season was to search a wall full of license plates and find one of the eleven plates from Tokyo.  Producers counted on the adrenaline of the racers to overpower their common sense.  A visual clue indicating the correct license plate was actually printed on their clue card. Those who paid attention to the entire clue and noticed the mark were quick to get their plates and head off to LAX for their flight to Tokyo.  But in the end it came down to Lisa & Eric and Lance & Keri with the latter pair finding the plate to secure the last plane tickets.

With the first task out of the way, the 11 teams left took off for the adventure of their life.  They will criss-cross the globe on a race to win $1M dollars. Be the first to the pit stop and you move on to the next destination. Arrive last and face being eliminated by the race by host Phil Keoghan.

Professional poker players, Maria & Tiffany, got their game on early. Not wanting to people to discount them because of their wealth, the two created a backstory in which they worked at a homeless shelter.  Uh oh, is THE AMAZING RACE turning into BIG BROTHER?

Upon arriving in Tokyo the teams were ushered right into an infamous Japanese game show.  Things got off to a hot start when one of the teammates was forced to eat a Wasabi bomb under two minutes in order to receive their next clue. It might sound easy, but clearly you’ve never ingested a large quantity of wasbi in one sitting.

Once the eating challenge was complete, the teams then had to usher members of the studio audience through the bustling streets of Tokyo in order to find a specific shrine.

Meghan and Cheyne, the all American boyfriend and girlfriend from San Diego, were the first to arrive to the mat and the winners of the first leg of THE AMAZING RACE. This twosome have been friends since elementary school and marriage is in their sights. Let’s just hope their relationship lasts the Race.

Zev and Justin, long time friends from Sherman Oaks, CA came in second.  Zev suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. People with this syndrome often show significant difficulties in social interaction which often manifests itself in not being able to hold back from saying whatever is on their mind at any given time. Some, like Zev, also have a difficult time with breaking from routines and patterns. Time will tell if the frantic pace of TAR will be more difficult for Zev than others.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Sunday, September 27, 2009

It’s a rainy, cold day here in Boston, but I’m not complaining.  Sometimes those are the best kinds of Sundays. Today is all about being lazy and watching some TV.  Tonight’s TV lineup is anything but lazy. It’s starting to feel like every night require multiple DVRs. So much to choose from.

It’s a BIG premiere tonight with DEXTER, CALIFORNICATION, THE AMAZING RACE, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, BROTHERS & SISTERS, COLD CAST and others kicking of their new seasons. And if animated comedies are your thing then definitely check out Fox for the season premieres of THE SIMPSONS, the series premiere of THE CLEVELAND SHOW, THE FAMILY GUY, and AMERICAN DAD.

What will YOUR Sunday night TV lineup look like? Definitely leave a note in the comments so I know which Sunday night shows you are most interested in.

The Amazing Race 15 | 8pm on CBS | Season Premiere
“They Thought Godzilla was Walking Down the Street”
Twelve teams begin their race around the world; only 11 teams make the journey to Tokyo after the contestants face a heart-breaking surprise elimination.

The Simpsons | 8pm on Fox | Season Premiere
“Homer the Whopper”
Season 21 opener: Homer gets the lead in a movie about a superhero who can take on the powers of every superhero in any comic book he touches. To whip Homer into superhero shape, the studio hires a celebrity fitness trainer (voice of Seth Rogen). It won’t be an easy job.

The Cleveland Show | 8:30pm on Fox | Series Premiere
“Pilot”
Cleveland decides it’s time for him and Cleveland Jr. to leave Quahog; Cleveland reunites with an old high school crush, Donna Tubbs.

Family Guy | 9pm on Fox | Season Premiere
“Road to the Multiverse”
Brian and Stewie travel through alternate universes, including a world run by dogs where humans are pets, and a post-apocalyptic world.

Desperate Housewives | 9pm on ABC | Season Premiere
“Nice is Different than Good”
Mike Delfino’s bride is revealed; Lynette faces another pregnancy; Bree tries to break free from her inhibitions; Carlos’ niece puts Gaby to the test; a new family moves to Wisteria Lane.

More of tonight’s lineup after the break…

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F-Bomb on SNL…Oops

It seems someone forgot to tell SNL newbie Jenny Slat that the “L” in SNL stands for live. Live as in it’s not ok to be dropping the F-bomb on NBC. Tsk. Tsk. Well at least people are talking about her today. Unfortunately it’s not for her stand out talent.

SNL won’t face any FCC fines as the curse was aired during a period of time where such language is allowed without fault.

You’ve heard people swear a million times over, but here’s the video all the same.

PROJECT SUPERNATURAL: Done and Done

Bring on the apocalypse. Project Supernatural is done and done. What a journey.

I need to watch the three episodes already aired of Season 5 to be all caught up.

Go me!

SMALLVILLE: Savior

Hey GMMR SMALLVILLE fans! It feels good to be back. I loved summer but Fall TV is my favorite! Smallville has returned for what will be its last season and on a new night. Hopefully you loyal fans tuned in to last night’s premiere and what remains of the Super boy tales.

Overall I thought it was great start to a new season. There a few new faces added into the mix, the writers even gave Tess a new sidekick super villain played by Callum Blue. The actor will be playing General Zod this season. Brian Austin Green also made an appearance and is said to be returning for one more episode. The former 90210 star is portraying John Corbin, a Daily Planet reporter and closet cyborg out to kill Clark. I did like Lois and John together. There’s a bit of a spark there between the two. It was sad to see him sit in Clark’s chair at the planet though! I haven’t read anything about what the plans are for season 9. I don’t even know if Clark will be returning to the Daily Planet as a reporter or if he has officially checked out from all humanity. I’m going with the latter. But who really knows after last night’s episode. His lack of self control with Lois was evident and sweet. Not so much to Chloe’s liking though!

We also found out bit by bit where the rest of the Smallville resident’s have been since last season’s end. Lois has been missing for three weeks and didn’t even realize it until John Corbin told her. She had traveled to the future and didn’t return alone. The fight seen on the mono rail was pretty cool. While Oliver had his own as well in an underground fight club. He is still in despair over the events that happened weeks ago. Lois with her rough edges pretty much put him in check. Tess is still in the same place but with a slew of new visitors! Badly beat up, she’s already back to manipulating the soldiers with General Zod.

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THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Friday Night Bites

You know, I’m kind of loving this show. I feel a little bad about it because I’m definitely not a teenager anymore, but then I also have no shame so I don’t feel THAT bad. I’ve been excited for it to come back on all week—it’s basically the fall equivalent of summer beach reading, and who doesn’t love that?

I continue to love Stefan, but once again, Damon (and more to the point, Ian Somerhalder) stole the show. And while I thank the editors for the shirtless Damon sleeping shot, it was more the subtleties of the character that drew me in this week. There has been some discussion over the past few weeks about the dialogue being uneven and sometimes a little cheesy.  There are many who find  it all a bit on the hammy side, which I can see, but I feel like this week eased those concerns for me, at least when it comes to Damon.

I had been hearing a bit about how the Stefan, Elena, Damon connection was going to form into a love triangle of sorts, but I wasn’t seeing how it was going to come together.  I just wasn’t feeling it between Elena and Damon in either direction.  I thought maybe we’d see Damon tricking Elena into a false romance for his own evil entertainment, but then again I really didn’t the show was going to go there.  But with no real connection between Elena and Damon, what was going to be the catalyst to draw these two together.

But then this week happened.  The turning point came when Elena shared her condolences for Damon with regards to the loss of Katherine.  Not one to usually receive human sympathy, Damon looked genuinely shocked. And it was SUCH a great moment of acting—I REALLY bought it. That look, coupled with Stefan’s accusation that Damon was torturing Stefan because big brother too loved Katherine really gave us some important insight into Damon. But none more so than the sweet (or was it evil) way Damon stroked a sleeping Elena’s cheek. But if Damon’s really feeling for something for Elena, it’s not going to be easy to win her over.  Although, that slap in the parking lot was pretty major – the thin line between love and hate?

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BONES: Bond in the Boot

“Brain and Heart, Bones…brain and heart”. That is what this episode was about. I know that I tend to be optimistic about BONES episodes, but I think this one came just about as close to perfect as any episode I can think of. The case was whip smart and scientific. Booth was FBI-special and kicked butt. Brennan was brilliant and confident. But that’s not all…

All in all, I loved every moment. I’ll even excuse what has to be the MOST DISGUSTING BODIES EVER! I mean…seriously. Welcome back to gross, and ‘welcome back’ to the dinner I ate before watching this ep. Getting your hand cut off with your own knife sucks. Getting run over by James Bond’s car…not cool. But THEN you are eaten by cats? Sick, sick, sick.

The case:

The show really made an effort to showcase the case, and so I’ll make an effort to actually discuss it, haha. A Russian gems dealer arrives in the US with a briefcase only to be killed (see above) by a James Bond imposter. But then old J. Bond ends up being the ‘Bond in the Boot’ of his own car. AND he’s a CIA analyst. But still…where’s the briefcase? And what’s in it? What COULD be more valuable than diamonds? Come to find out the CIA analyst was rolling on his own, trying to solve his own lead. He sends the secretary a secret message, only the squint squad can decipher.

Intrigue, skeletons, accents, posturing heads of departments, and plumbing. Who could ask for more?

The Squints:

I’m going to lump them all together this time, since I discussed more of the case and want to cover all of B&B. I liked the teamwork about getting Wendell his scholarship back. I LOVED the part where Wendell comes up to the platform, and they all greet him cheerily. Brennan’s frozen face at that moment was so funny and so perfect for her. Like “Everyone is pretending to be happy, but it’s a lie, but I don’t want to give it away, but…it’s a LIE, but…” and probably a million more thoughts. Awesome. AWESOME!

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PSYCH Opening Credit Theme Song by Boyz II Men

I know it’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday, but it’s not so hard to enjoy this Boyz II Men cover of the PSYCH theme song.

Psych Opening Credits – Boyz II Men!Tonight on PYSCH Gus must re-team with his estranged college singing buddies when a member of the old quartet is murdered. Kenan Thompson and Jaleel White guest-star in “High Top Fade Out”, premiering tonight at 10/9C!

SUPERNATURAL: Free to Be You and Me

I’m right in the thick of a pretty nasty flu and my head feels like it’s full of cotton, so please forgive me if I ramble or stop making sense at any point. Last night we saw the first episode post-breakup (not a Wincest reference, chillax), and it was a doozy. There was a lot of set up for the future, but it was more than simply an exposition (i.e. boring and heavy on the info) ep; there was a lot of excitement, darkness, humour and a moment that may or may not have caused me to pump my fist in the air out of pride (I will deny the fist pumping if I’m ever questioned about it, lol).

As we know from last week’s episode, Sam and Dean have decided to part ways, since Sam isn’t able to trust himself and Dean concurs. In the opening of FtbYaM (even the acronym is unwieldy), we saw intercut scenes showing us what each of the boys is now up to, and it was done so well! Sam working at a pub, Dean working a case, Sam cleaning the bar, Dean washing the Impala, Sam chopping lemons, Dean chopping vampires (“Eat it, Twilight”). From there, the story was pretty much split between the brothers and there was zero interaction between the two, although we did get new dream team with Dean and Cas who are as good a substitute as one could hope for until S & D are reunited.

The two were searching for the archangel Raphael who was the one responsible for killing Cas. Cas claims that Raphael may have information about God, but I’m not sure that revenge wasn’t just as important to him. When they see that the vessel is now empty and essentially catatonic, Dean asks if that’ll be his fate if Michael ever gets inside him (I just realized that this is going to be one long season of trying to avoid innuendo in terms of the vessel storyline, isn’t it?). Cas reassures him that Dean won’t face the same repercussions – it’ll be much worse. Well, that’s a relief.

Cas is pretty sure he’s going to be toast once they summon Raphael back to his vessel, and he plans to spend the night sitting in quiet contemplation. Well, obviously the Dean we know and love is not having that, especially once he finds out that Cas has never made sexy times with a lady friend. They (Dean) find a whorehouse and Dean provides money and instructions for Cas before sending him on his way with Chastity (haha). Not two minutes later, Chastity is screaming and running away from Cas, who apparently decided that this would be an opportune moment to discuss her father abandoning her as a child. Smooth move Cas – hard to imagine why you’re the 4,000-year-old virgin. It was sad to see Dean’s realization that he and Sam hadn’t been having fun like that in years, and it’s true. There have been lighthearted moments, but for the past couple of seasons things have been so heavy that they haven’t really been able to just have fun together.

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BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN – The Making of Featurette

In this special behind-the-scene featurette, Hulu takes us back stage with some not so hideous men as they talk about the making of of John Krasinski’s BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN.  The film, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, is based on the David Foster Wallace book of the same name and was written and directed by Krasinski, who also stars in the film.

We’ve been following the development of this film from its early days and we are excited about finally being able to see it…soon.  BRIEF INTERVIEWS is having its NYC premiere this weekend at the IFC Center.  If you’re one of the luck ones to attend, you might be able to meet Mr. Krasinski himself as he’ll be attending a few of the screenings. (For more information on the NYC screenings click here.) Hopefully information about other screenings will be coming soon. After its theatrical release, the movie will be available for viewing on Hulu.

UPDATE: Thanks to GMMR reader Austin for letting us know that it’s also available right now via cable @ IFC On Demand. Hopefully I’ll be able to check it out tonight then. Win! Thanks, Austin.

Brothers | 8pm on Fox

Series Premiere: Retired NFL player Mike Trainor leaves the high life behind when he is called home to help deal with family issues, only to find the change of venue has become a necessity when his financial picture suddenly changes. [First Lookat BROTHERS on Fox]

THE OFFICE: The Meeting

“I tried to keep Michael in the dark. I should have know that he can do just as much damage in the dark.”

Had last night’s episode of THE OFFICE stopped after the cold open I still would have loved it.  But it continued on for another 21 minutes and the absurdity and laughs kept on coming.  Toby and Dwight teamed up.  Jim took a big step in his career (maybe). Darryl committed corporate fraud. And Michael got stuffed in a cheese cart.  Just another typical day at THE OFFICE.

But we must start with the brilliant cold open.  I don’t know about you, but when I saw Oscar enter Michael’s office I instantly started to cringe.  There was just no way this was going to end well (and yes I know there is a colonoscopy joke in these somewhere). But the innocence and sincerity in which Michael asked about what to expect from his procedure had me in tears.

“In your experience, what should I be expecting, in terms of sensation. Or emotions. Is there anything I can do to make it more pleasurable for me? Or for Dr. Chaundry? My main concern is, should I have a safe word?

Cold Open

But Michael’s colonoscopy was the least of his worries, not with Jim and David Wallace having secret meetings.  Convinced the two were planning a coup, Michael did everything in his power to gain access to the meeting. I’m talking everything, including hiding in a cheese cart.  Kudos to the writers for including a little exposition about Scranton taking on the clients of the Buffalo branch.  It was just the little nod we needed to remind us why David Wallace puts up with the antics of Michael.

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FRINGE: Night of Desirable Objects

So did anyone still manage to catch Fringe even now that the Fall TV season is in full swing and it is up against The Office/Community, Grey’s, CSI, and Supernatural?! Thursday nights alone are making the HD TiVo that I purchased last year seem like a VERY wise investment indeed! Speaking of my beloved TiVo, I am in the unfortunate position of being temporarily without it since I’m tucked away in a hotel room in DC for the next few days. Trying to make sense of an episode of Fringe without the benefit of a rewind or two is a bit of a challenge, but I’ll do my best.

Fringe Science – The Cliff Notes Version

The team investigates a string of mysterious disappearances in the small town of Lansdale, PA. As the team combs the case files, a former doctor, Hughes, comes under suspicion. Olivia and Peter search Hughes’ house and come across a mysterious lab, complete with a big old periodic table of elements hanging from the wall. Later, Agent Jessup, uncovers evidence which suggests that Hughes may have killed his wife and son (he claims that his wife died in childbirth and that his son died just a few minutes later). Olivia brings Hughes in for questioning and asks for a sample of his DNA; they want to match it with some blueish material that was found at the crime scene (which Walter had already analyzed and found to be at least partially made up of human male DNA). Hughes denies DNA testing and Olivia puts him under a 24 hour hold while they obtain a warrant. The warrant becomes unnecessary because Hughes hangs himself from the light fixture while he waits.

Meanwhile, the exhumation of the bodies reveals two things (1) Hughes‘ wife had been suffering from an advanced case of Lupus and would have been medically unable to give birth and (2) the coffin of Hughes’ son was empty and had a hole in the bottom of it, indicating that something had burrowed its way out of it. Walter reveals that his analysis of the after birth taken from Hughes’ wife’s body suggest that Hughes had genetically engineered his son to survive even the most inhospitable of conditions by combining animal DNA (most likely that of a scorpion and a mole rat) with the human DNA. Oliva and Peter head back out to the farm where they confront the mutant boy underground and then proceed to take care of him before he can take care of them.

I’ll Take Mine With an Extra Side of Creepy, Please

What is it about corn fields that is so creepy? Thank you very much “Children of the Corn”, “Signs”, the pilot episode of “Smallville”, and now, tonight’s episode of “Fringe”, for making rows and rows of a harmless vegetables seem nothing short of terrifying.

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TOP CHEF: Deconstructing the Dish

Okay, so I know that I carried on about how much Top Chef Masters* (minus Hubert) sucked more than anyone, and it kind of did, but their magic challenge was probably one of the greatest Top Chef challenges they’ve ever done, at least for me, and I had really high hopes for this Penn and Teller episode.  And I’ve gotta say, in spite of its strong start with Penn and Teller actually deconstructing their magic trick, it was sort of a let down.

The thing is, Penn and Teller are awesome.  I’ve been reading articles about Teller participating in actual psychological research about how your brain runs really efficiently, basically by creating shortcuts for you, and so even as your told what’s happening (i.e., in their tricks), your brain is still showing you something else because it’s what it expects.  And I think Penn is a riot—did anyone NOT laugh at the bull testicles discussion?  I want to hop on a plane and go to Vegas and see their show RIGHT NOW.  And I do get how they deconstruct their magic tricks and I do think that’s the right terminology for it, but I’m not entirely convinced that it was as related to deconstructing food as the producers might have liked.  For me, the Masters challenge of taking the steps of a magic trick and making the chefs apply that to the dishes was a more successful correlated challenge.

That said, it’s not that this was a BAD challenge, it’s more that I was a weird combination of bored and stressed out.  Mostly stressed out, actually, which we’ll get to—but bored because there are certain clichés on Top Chef that I’m just kind of over, and “deconstructed” is one of them.  I think it’s interesting when it’s done well (which it usually isn’t) and lame when it’s a situation of someone trying to throw out a word to cover their own ass (which it usually is).  It’s just like … I’m also bored with scallops, ceviche (thank you, Season Six, for adding that one to my list), braised short ribs, purees, foams, and duos/trios, which we also got stuck with during the Quickfire, to name a few.
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GLEE: Preggers

All the single ladies (all the single ladies), now put your hands up! Yes, please put that hand up, high in the air if you loved last night’s episode of GLEE as much as I did. Despite the overplay of Beyonce’s hit summer song, it took on new life when performed by Kurt Hummel and the McKinley High School football team.

I’m starting to think everything takes on a new life when performed by the fantastic Chris Colfer. Having only a relatively minor role in the first two episodes of the series, Colfer has stood out among a cast made up of those who stand out. His pitch perfect portrayal of the oh so chic, Kurt, had us laughing, but it’s the raw vulnerability he has displayed both in “Acafellas” and especially in last night’s “Preggers” that has made stand up and take notice of him…for more than his fierce fashion choices. Despite his struggles to declare his sexuality to the world, Kurt Hummel knows who he is. I’m glad that the writers didn’t spend too much time using Kurt’s sexual identity as a punchline. We’ve often seen teen sexuality play out in prime time television like an after school special. The writers of GLEE, along with Colfer, handled the story beautifully and with dignity. While I imagine that coming out to your family and friends is a struggle for most gay and lesbian teens (and adults), it’s been my experience that one’s sexuality does not define them. For Kurt being gay is just part of what he is, it’s not who he is.

That being said, if a boy is going to come out of that closet, at least he did it in style!

Kudos to Mike O’Malley who guested as Kurt’s alpha male father. Mike is well known for playing blue collar, rough around the edges type of characters, so his declaration that he knew his son was gay since the age of three was surprisingly sweet and touching. Rumor has it that Mike will be back later this season so here’s to hoping that’s true.

There were a lot of overlapping storylines in this episode. Sue’s new segment on the news. Her new alliance with Sandy to take down the Glee Club. The big reveal of Quinn’s pregnancy and the fact that the baby is actually Puck’s. The set-up of Teri’s creep obsession with Quinn’s uterus. And of course Rachel’s struggle to see that spotlight pointed at anyone else but her. But unlike the past two episodes, the creative team seems to have found the balance in the storytelling. There were nice levels that really let each story breathe a bit.

And that’s what I loved about this episode. The writers really seem to have found the much tone of the show. The humor was broad (the dancing football team), smart (Sue’s Corner), dark (Terri…oh Terri) and the drama was very much grounded. The scene where Finn breaks down on Will’s shoulder was really beautiful. It seemed like everything really clicked with this episode and I hope that the writers used it as a blueprint for the rest of the season.

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