Happy Halloween from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

A special Happy Halloween greeting from GMMR and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

Drunk & Moonlighting Ewoks on “The Today Show”

THE TODAY SHOW loves Halloween. Meredith, Matt, Al, Ann and the rest always do up the holiday right. This year they masqueraded as the cast of STAR WARS. But no one expected the Ewoks to get into so much mischief…on live TV.

This video of two Ewoks drinking, fighting and then dancing is hilarious. Watch it all the way through to the end. This was live TV. I don’t think they’ll be invited back next Halloween, although Al Roker might invite them over for a nightcap.

PROJECT RUNWAY: Taking Your Best to the Next Level

Hey GMMRers! With no BONES for a second week in a row, I’m enjoying my second favorite thing to do, which is to lie on my couch and judge people who are way more talented than me. Seriously, I think I can maybe sew a button onto a shirt, but that hasn’t been proven since 8th grade Home Ec, 1994. First of all, what the heck was Heidi wearing during the runway part? That jacket was ill fitting, with the ruffled shirt, and were those silver lame (pronounced laMay) shorts?

But anyways…remember last week when we talked about how there weren’t really any villains on the show? Well, crank up the yankers, because the editors took THEIR best to the next level, filling this episode with moaning and backbiting from the contestants.

It always kills me when these contestants say this stuff to the cameras in their side interviews. Haven’t they ever seen a season of PR? Don’t they know there is almost always a time where that footage is revealed to everyone?

This week Heidi greeted the designers by presenting them with their best looks ever. Each one was a winning design, except Logan, who has not won. The challenge was to take their previous winning look and use it as inspiration to create a companion piece.

Anyways…let’s discuss the looks our designers had one day and one hundred dollars to complete.

(Click to Enlarge)

Carol Hannah:

Not bad. Kind of like last week, I thought Carol Hannah’s dress was nice, but not anything I’ve never seen. Tim G encouraged her to work in her comfort zone, interestingly enough, which is why she chose another dress.

Althea:

The cattiest of the bunch this week, she was more annoyed with Logan’s zipper neckline than the competition, maybe. I liked the design of her top. All in all, her finished look was nice enough to get her through another challenge with high scores.

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Robert Pattinson is “Bothered” by Halloween – Jimmy Fallon

You know I’m a sucker for Jimmy Fallon’s R-Patz “bothered” skit. We’re getting that much closer to the release of “New Moon” (finally!!) so here’s to hoping that The Pattinson will be making a real guest appearance in the tree soon. Hope he’s not too bothered to stop by.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Haunted

I know it was only one week without The Vampire Diaries, but it was starting to feel like forever and I resorted to forcing my friend against her will to watch Lost Girls online with me, so needless to say, I was definitely ready for this episode. Plus, I love Halloween episodes of TV shows.

I’ve heard people describing this one as “the best one yet” and I liked it, but I’m not so sure I’d go that far. I think I got more sheer enjoyment and shock out of Lost Girls (even if it was disappointingly light on the Caroline, as was this one), but I had some issues with Haunted. For me, the best part of the show didn’t come until right at the end (that’s what she said), but we’ll get to that.

First of all, it cannot be said enough that Katerina Graham (Bonnie) seems like a lovely girl—she’s beautiful, and she is INCREDIBLE at interacting with fans on a level that is at minimum on par with how much The Office actors embraced fans in the early years. On a personal level, I think she’s bomb. However. Her storyline is boring the CRAP out of me. I’m going to need less talking, and more action. And hanging out with your grandma isn’t exactly what I’m picturing here, and similarly, lighting candles at a party with your mind does not constitute “action”. Lighting the mean girl’s car on fire? THAT is action—more of that, please. And there was that one good scene with Damon, although any scene with Damon is pretty okay by me. But I did love the shocked looks they gave each other, and I’m excited to see where that goes. I just hope the payoff is worth this very slow build with her.

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SUPERNATURAL: The Curious Case of Dean Winchester

Okay you guys, I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, there were some (okay, two) awesome aspects to this episode, and I will be discussing those in just a sec. On the other hand, I’m going to be Miss Crankypants and just say “meh”. Every season there is at least one episode that I’m not in love with, and it looks like this season that episode is The Curious Case of Dean Winchester (aka Jensen played two roles in the last ep, so we’re giving him the week off). It sort of had that “filler episode” feeling to me, and I wasn’t super invested in the main storyline (Dean gambling away decades of his life and turning into “elderly Dean” for most of the hour). On the other hand, there were two points of greatness, and those points were named Bobby and Patrick. These alone weren’t enough to make me declare the ep a success, but they did save me from hating it outright (did I say I was torn? Guess not). We’ll get to them soon enough, along with my one request of the writers that will make this episode worth it for me.

So there’s a witch in town offering people the opportunity to gamble years of their lives in a game of poker. I might be willing to gamble a year or two for the opportunity to exchange witticisms and life philosophies with Patrick the Man Witch for an hour, but I digress. When Bobby gets wind of it, he jumps on the chance to turn back time to when his legs worked (he actually gambles 25 years – I guess that was the minimum buy-in?). Bobby doesn’t fare so well, so Dean decides that he can do better and promptly loses. He did manage to get Bobby’s 25 years back, but lost a chunk of his own life, turning into Grumpy Old Man Dean. The rest of the episode is spent trying to figure out how to get Dean’s years back and watching his older self enact every old person joke under the sun (shockingly, no Viagara jokes). I thought the old jokes got…well…old, rather quickly, and whiny old Dean got highly annoying. Seriously – when he was digging the grave, I half-wanted Bobby to beat him to death with the shovel just so he’d shut up. To be fair, I will say that actor Chad Everett did a credible job as “older Dean” – it was pretty believably the same character.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Friday, October 30, 2009

Another week of TV over…almost! Since the networks decided to give Friday night’s a chance there’s actually been a reason to stay home and watch the old tube on Friday night. Between SMALLVILLE, DOLLHOUSE, STARGATE UNIVERSE the return of UGLY BETTY, CBS’s lineup and now USA’s WHITE COLLAR – fans can’t complain there’s nothing to watch.

As I mentioned earlier this week in “The Buzz“, you definitely should check out WHITE COLLAR which airs tonight at 10pm on USA. It’s a fantastic new show and I think you’ll really dig it. So if you’re going out, make sure you set those DVRs.

Ugly Betty | 8pm on ABC
“The Weiner, the Bun and the Boob”
Wilhelmina makes Marc be Betty’s temporary assistant; Betty decides to cover the worst jobs in New York; Hilda causes trouble for Archie’s campaign; Daniel hires a beautiful but inept assistant.

Smallville | 8pm on The CW
“Crossfire”
Oliver is double-crossed by Mia (Elise Gatien), aka Speedy, a young girl he tries to get off the streets by offering to train her. Meanwhile, Lois turns to Clark for help pursuing an on-air position, and they end up being offered a job as a team.

Monk | 9pm on USA
“Mr. Monk and the Dog”
Monk hesitantly takes in a dog whose owner has vanished. Mr. Monk sets out to solve the mystery and return the dog.

Stargate Universe | 9pm on SyFy
“Water”
The ship’s water supply dwindles, prompting Col. Young and Lt. Scott to visit a frozen planet in search of drinkable samples. Meanwhile, the crew attempts to snare an intruder.

Medium | 9pm on CBS
“Bite Me”
Vivid nightmares insert Allison into scenes from “Night of the Living Dead,” leaving her with unexplained cuts and bite marks.

White Collar | 10pm on USA
“Threads”
Neal and Peter infiltrate New York’s Fashion Week to stop a criminal from selling security data that is stored on a piece of technology woven into the fabric of a model’s dress.

Sanctuary | 10pm on Syfy
“Hero”
Magnus traps a superhero (Christopher Gauthier) whose lack of finesse affects the team’s work. Elsewhere, the discovery of an eggshell remnant puts Will and Declan (Robert Lawrenson) on the hunt for a creature that’s loose in the city.

Numb3rs | 10pm on CBS
“Dreamland”
The body of a dead woman turns up at a decommissioned air base where spooky things have been happening.

Crash | 10pm on Starz
“No Matter What You Do”
Ben has a reunion with his ex-wife (Peggy Lipton), whom he hasn’t seen in more than 30 years; Seth is visited by his long-estranged son (Zane Holtz); Bo tries to get his coaching job back and his problems increase when the store is broken into.

Also playing…

• Ghost Whisperer | 8pm on CBS:The Headless Horseman, from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” haunts Melinda, and she worries when the book mysteriously shows up at Aiden’s school.

• Law & Order | 8pm on NBC: The revelation of a murder victim’s true identity leads detectives to a suspicious web site with threatening posts.

On the late night couch…

• The Jay Leno Show: John Cusack, Frank Caliendo, Adam Carolla
• The Late Show with David Letterman: Regis Philbin, Brian Regan, Weezer
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien:Susie Essman, world champion pumpkin grower Don Young, professional monster truck driver Dennis Anderson, Alice in Chains
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Lauren Graham, Fruit Bats
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Paris Hilton, Slipknot
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: EWanda Sykes, Josh Charles, the Amazing Kreskin, Andrew Bird
• Chelsea Lately: Mike Epps, Brad Wollack, Natasha Leggero, Ryan Stout (R 10/22/09)
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Masi Oka, the Doves

Which shows will YOU be checking out tonight? Leave a comment here or send me a message via Twitter.

PARKS AND RECREATION: Greg Pikitis

In the midst of a breakthrough second season, I have had very few complaints for the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation.  My biggest wish for P&R’s sophomore year was that the Pit debacle be replaced by a long term storyline that focused on the personal lives of Pawnee’s public servants.  Though stars Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones have onscreen romances to navigate, I have become fascinated by the unrequited love story between a man and his green card wife.

Aziz Ansari has shown considerable acting chops in Season Two.  Armed with a barrage of memorable one-liners and opportunities to show vulnerability, the young comedian adds more dimensions to Tom Haverford each week.  Tonight’s episode was Ansari’s best yet, particularly the revealing look at Tom’s true feelings for Wendy.  Hints of Tom’s affection may have been sprinkled into earlier episodes, but Ansari’s face said more than any indulgent monologue could have.  Tom Haverford is the life of the party, but we now understand who he is truly trying to impress.  Kudos to P&R’s creative guru Michael Schur for writing this scene and to director Dean Holland for letting the lens do the talking.

We may be entering new territory in TV fandom, as I cannot recall rooting for an onscreen husband and wife to consummate their marriage.  I am already looking forward to seeing more Tom/Wendy drama in the weeks ahead.  If they ever got married for the right reasons, imagine the size of the dance floor!

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TOP CHEF: Meat Natalie

Hey everyone!  Did you love Top Chef?  Awww, that’s nice.  Actually, I’m just giving everyone a buffer paragraph here because I am about to start the recap off with spoilers and I want to give everyone a chance to bail.  That’s your warning.  You’ve been warned.  Onward!

Well, everyone will be happy to know that we are finally rid of Mike Isabella and his douchebag comments and attitude, but we are still stuck with Robin and the talking.  Seriously you guys, did you just feel awkward for the waiters when she was talking the entire time she was plating?  Because I totally did.  And then the talking at Judges’ Table—Tom just looked annoyed, which made me laugh.  Part of me wants to know if the judges are just effing with us by keeping Robin, but I really thought Mike deserved to go home.  It was obvious that no one was crazy about it, it wasn’t cooked well, and it didn’t have any protein.  Game over, and I also agreed with Gail that he was being WAY too cocky about it.

Since we’re discussing the bottom, let me just go ahead and rip off the band-aid that is Jennifer right now.  I wasn’t really worried for her, in that I knew her dish wasn’t bad, just unsubstantial.  But I AM worried that her mental game is so off right now that she’s having trouble bouncing back, and trust me—as a Colts fan, I have seen this happen over and over.  Thankfully, also as a Colts fan, I’ve seen a lot of fourth quarter comebacks, so I still have hope.  But she REALLY needs to shake it off.
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THE OFFICE: “Subtle Sexuality” Webisode – NEW!

Hey OFFICE fans, check out the first installment of “Subtle Sexuality”, the new webisodes from THE OFFICE.

Behind-the-Scenes

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Thursday, October 29, 2009

Welcome to Thursday. It’s short and sweet today. I’m heading of early this morning to have the procedure on my back. I’ll take any extra good thoughts you can throw my way today. I’m so ready to be done with all of this. Here’s to hoping it works!

But it’s Thursday and I didn’t want to leave you with nothing, so take a look at just some of the TV on tonight! Much of it is Halloween related so be sure not to get too scared.  I’ve included sneak peeks for tonight’s THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE OFFICE and SUPERNATURAL to get you pumped for tonight.  Enjoy!

Heads up – there’s a new show called THE DRAFT premiering at 10:30pm on FX tonight. I really don’t know anything about it, but you might want to check it out.  FX shows are usually a good bet.

And speaking of sports, I might in the minority of people who care, but Bill Simmons aka “The Sports Guy” is guesting on THE COLBERT REPORT tonight. I’ll definitely be tuning in.

Flash Forward | 8pm on ABC
“Scary Monsters and Super Creeps”
Mark, Demetri and Wedeck try to connect Janis’ attack with a separate attack made on them; Olivia confronts Mark about his experience; Demetri and Gough track down a clue from Mark’s; Dylan goes missing from the hospital.

The Vampire Diaries | 8pm on The CW
“Haunted”
Stefan tries to help Vicki when her behavior becomes increasingly dangerous; Bonnie’s abilities surprise Damon; Matt tries to cheer Vicki up by taking her to the high school’s haunted house. [GMMR: Check out a sneak peek of “Haunted” here.]

Survivor: Samoa | 8pm on CBS
“This is the Man Test”
Galu struggles to choose a new leader after Russell’s medical departure, and Evil Russell from Foa Foa visits Galu and strikes up an alliance with one tribe member.

Community | 8:00pm on NBC
“Introduction to Statistics”
Jeff is forced to make a decision when the date he’s scheduled with a hot statistics professor clashes with Annie’s Day of the Dead party.

(The rest of Thursday night’s lineup is after the jump)

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First Look – Season 8 of “24”

This just in from Jack Bauer…
A new day dawns with a 2-night, 4-hour premiere event. Season 8 of 24 starts Sunday, January 17th on Fox.

TV Buzz: Gervais Hosting; Jackson Returning; Friends & the Creek Reuniting and more…

Hear that? That’s the sound of the random TV news buzzzzzzzing around in my head. No rhyme or reason to the following bits of TV news –  just want to rant, rave and review randomness. Since it’s going to be a few more weeks until I’ll be back to full time blogging, I thought perhaps these TV Buzz posts will keep us talking TV. Let me know what you think?

• Ricky Gervais will be hosting the Golden Globes next year.  Honestly, I’m fine if they just skip giving out the trophies and just let Ricky riff on whatever he wants for three hours. There are fewer people that make me laugh more than that man. Brilliant. Are you excited to see Ricky host?  Who else would you like to see take on hosting duties?

• It’s been confirmed that Lisa Kudrow will reunited with former FRIENDS co-star Courtney Cox on COUGAR TOWN.  Am I the only person who could care less about any kind of FRIENDS reunion? I loved the show, and didn’t miss an episode, but for some reason every time they try to reunite different cast members it just seems pathetic. Move on, people. Why do I feel like I should duck before people start throwing smelly cats at me?
  

• With my back injury I missed out on the chance to tell you how much I loved the premiere of USA’s new show WHITE COLLAR.  It’s slick, suave and funny. Oh and it’s got Bryce Larkin from CHUCK. If the season premiere is any indication as to where this show is going, you do NOT want to miss out on this one. Set the DVR for Friday at 10pm.  The show is that good. And for those who asked, yes, we’ll be covering it here on GMMR. Did anyone see the premiere? Thoughts?

• Jonathan Jackson, who originally played the role of Lucky Spencer (Luke & Laura’s son) returned to GENERAL HOSPITAL this week.  I’m off the soaps. Have been for some time now.  But Jonathan Jackson was the center of it all for me back in my GH days. Loved him! His return isn’t enough to get me watching the show again, but maybe I’ve been guilty of hitting ye old YouTube for a peek.  Jackson has always been fantastic and I never understood why his career never took off.  His last “big” role was his four episode stint as Kyle Reese on TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

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Why Did Mia Michaels Leave SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

When Mia Michaels announced her resignation from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE via ambiguous postings on Twitter and Facebook, she left many of her long time fans quite confused. Why was she leaving? Was there a fall out of some kind?  Was she ill?  Rumors were rampant. Just why was perhaps the most talented, beloved, feared and respected judges and choreographers leaving the show?

People.com recently caught up with Mia and got her to open up about her decision to leave the US version of the show, and what new exciting adventures she has in store for her…and for us.

Why did you decide to move on from So You Think You Can Dance?
It’s been an amazing five-year journey and I am in a place where I have all these great opportunities that have been presented to me and I am ready to take on all these challenges. So when I was working on the show, I wasn’t able to really focus on anything else. Now I’m really focusing on these other projects that I can’t pass up. I think that’s pretty much the main reason why I left the show.

What went into the decision to make the announcement the way you did? And did anyone, like close pal and fellow SYTYCD choreographer Tyce Diorio, try to talk you out of it?
No, nobody tried to talk me out of it. I’m so about my instincts. Instincts never lead you wrong and they’ve never led me wrong. It was a hard decision, actually, because I love doing the show. I love being an artist that millions of people get to see my work. I knew in that moment and we had not even talked about contracts or anything for the new season yet, so I was just ready to move while I had all this other opportunities in front of me. Before I got into the season with the dancers — you know actually getting into a room and creating on them — I just thought it was best for me to step out before I did that.

What new experiences are you talking about and what are about to start working on?
I am right now in talks of doing my own choreography show. I’m also doing a dance musical that will probably be documented as a doc-reality show. And then I’m working on a clothing line for dancers as well as just everyday lifestyle. And I’m working on a book deal as well.

For the rest of Mia’s interview, click here to continue to read at People.com.

I’m still in denial that she won’t be back.  It seems like she has no ill will for the show so fingers crossed for a surprise appearance sometime this season!

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Happy Hump Day! We’ve got a fabulous night of television ahead of us.  Sadly Fox is airing the World Series and not GLEE, but the GLEEkers will be singing the national anthem before one of the games (perhaps #3) so you can still get your GLEE fix this week. If you are a GLEEker, then maybe you haven’t given MODERN FAMILY a shot on ABC. It’s one of the best new shows and hands down one the best comedies on TV.  Give it a whirl tonight.

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.
DirecTV subscribers really have the best deal tonight because it marks the season premiere of my favorite TV drama – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  If you haven’t yet experienced FNL then please make it a priority to watch it online, buy the DVDs, borrow them from a friend – do what you need to get caught up on this amazing show. There’s nothing else like it on TV today.

Friday Night Lights | 9pm on DirecTV (only)
“East of Dillon”
Principal Tami (Connie Britton) is taking heat for the high school redistricting, her husband is recruiting new team members (including a troubled lad played by Michael B. Jordan), and the mighty Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) struggles with college life.

Given my praise, you may be shocked to know that I have tonight’s FNL season premiere. It’s sitting right next to me and has been for at least two weeks.  But I’ve really wanted to wait until I was pain free enough to truly enjoy it.  Not having a good day today, but I don’t think I can put it off any longer.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown | 8pm on ABC
The classic 1966 holiday special is back. Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear; a bonus cartoon, “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” features Linus in a run for class president. [GMMR: Yes, it’s on again tonight! Don’t ask me?  Does ABC have that little faith in HANK?]

The Middle | 8:30pm on ABC
“The Block Party”
When Brick’s teachers determine that he is socially challenged, Mike involves him in various activities, eventually settling on the block-party lawn-mower contest.

Modern Family | 9pm on ABC
“Run For Your Wife”
Jay and Gloria have a disagreement about Manny’s choice of outfit for his first day back at school; Cameron and Mitchell freak out when Lily gets a bump on the head.

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