TRUE BLOOD: Nothing But the Blood

This past Saturday night I finished watching Season 1 of TRUE BLOOD. Upon commencement I sent out a Twitter update that said “Finally finished S1 of TRUE BLOOD. I’ll be watching S2 although I’m not hooked like others are.”  And that’s true. TRUE BLOOD has a very passionate fanbase, and I’m not yet the die hard that many are, but was I lying to myself?  If I’m not “hooked”, then why was I excited all day yesterday in anticipation of last night’s premiere?  Why was I scouring the web reading back stories, behind the scenes info and basically anything I could get my hands on about the series?  Perhaps I’m a little more “hooked” than I cared to admit.

Oh, and the second half of the aforementioned Twitter update, it said: “I just find Sookie so very irritating.” – that part I’m still holding on to.  But more on that in a bit.

As does every new episode of TRUE BLOOD, last night’s episode picked up at the moment the previous episode ended.  Sookie and Tara were still screaming bloody murder – literally.  They saw the black leg with the pretty polished toes hanging out of Andy’s car, and they knew what they were going to find inside wasn’t going to be good.  Cue to me sitting at home on my couch rocking back and forth saying over and over again, “Don’t be Lafayette. Don’t be Lafayette.” (Good thing I’m not hooked on this show) To the delight of many, the dearly departed inside the car wasn’t Lafayette but rather Miss Jeanette, Bon Temps own Voodoo mistress pharmacy clerk. Whew!

Whomever or whatever killed Miss Jeanette really wanted to see this woman suffer.  Her heart had been cut right out of her chest.

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Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Monday, June 15, 2009

Is someone having the case of the Mondays? Ok, I’ll admit it. I am.  I’m a little distracted this morning. But hopefully by the time TV starts tonight all will be well with the world and I can sit back and relax and watch a few of the shows listed here.

Greek | 8pm on ABC Family | Season Finale
“At World’s End”
Casey questions her relationships with Max and Cappie; Frannie lodges a complaint against Ashleigh; Dale and Calvin each make a “purity pledge” to fight off sexual temptations. [GMMR: Tonight’s season finale is a doozy. You DO NOT want to miss out. It’s so good. GREEK will be going on a mini-hiatus. The new season starts on August 31st….whew. I can’t be without Cappie for that long.]

The Closer | 9pm on TNT
“Blood Money”
The squad investigates the kidnapping of a rich financier who is under investigation for ripping off investors.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 | 9pm on TLC
“Bikes & Trikes”
The guys from Orange County Chopper come to the family’s house to hang out and plan the design for Jon’s custom chopper.

Raising the Bar | 10pm on TNT
“Rules of Engagement”
Jerry and Michelle go before a new judge; Michelle becomes smitten with a cop who may be perjuring himself.

My Life on the D List | 10pm on Bravo
“I Heart Lily Tomlin”
After Kathy’s comedy album earns a Grammy nomination, Team Griffin works the phones to drum up support among the voting membership; Kathy travels to Canada to meet comic Lily Tomlin.

Weeds | 10pm on Showtime
“Machetes up Top”
Nancy gets an ominous message from Guillermo; Celia finds she has value; Andy takes Shane to live with Nancy’s sister; Silas and Doug discover how difficult their task will be.

Nurse Jackie | 10:30pm on Showtime
“Sweet ‘n All”
Jackie and her husband are concerned about their daughter; the hospital administrator drinks Jackie’s spiked coffee.

Also playing…

• The Bachelorette | 8pm on ABC: The remaining 10 bachelors arrive in Whistler, British Columbia, for fun in the snow; Jillian is determined to find out whether some of the men have girlfriends; two men are eliminated.

• Here Come the Newlyweds | 10pm on ABC: Each couple must create a carnival game for the neighborhood kids to play.

On the late night couch…

• The Late Show with David Letterman: Jack Black, M.A. Sanjayan
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien: Joe Torre, Spinal Tap
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Holly Hunter, Camera Obscura
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Matthew Broderick, Sean Avery, Jason Aldean
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Ed Helms
• The Colbert Report: Austan Goolsbee
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: David Spade, Zoe Saldana, Black Eyed Peas (R 5/6/09)
• Chelsea Lately: Betty White, Josh Wolf, George Wallace, Jen Kirkman
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Common, Doves (R 5/26/09)

Talk to me people…what will YOU be watching tonight?

For the latest TV from GMMR, follow me on Twitter.

Web Soup | 9pm on G4

Host Chris Hardwick looks back at the craziest viral videos and other internet-related wacky news of the week.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Sunday, June 14, 2009

Whoa…there’s certainly not a shortage of TV to watch tonight. New episodes of both reality and scripted television from which to choose.

I think the big news of the day is the return of TRUE BLOOD tonight on HBO.  I actually just finished S1 last night so I’m ready to go. I’m not quite in love with the show like I know others are but I’m coming around.  If you are a fan of TRUE BLOOD then you’ll be happy to know that Philboy of Team GMMR will be covering the show for the site this season.  I hope you’ll join in on the conversation each week with us!

A warning to TRUE BLOOD fans.  The episode description offered by HBO seems to contain a big spoiler about tonight’s episode.  Or at least I think it’s a big spoiler.  Read at your own risk.

Million Dollar Password | 8pm on CBS
Two celebrity-contestant teams compete in a word-association game, with the winning pair given the opportunity to play for a $1 million grand prize. Tonight celebrities: Jeff Garlin & Chelsea Handler [GMMR: Ok Chelsea could be hysterical.  Why do I think she’s just start cursing at the players if they don’t get it right?!]

True Blood | 9pm on HBO
“Nothing But the Blood”
SPOILER ALERT?! In the second-season premiere, the discovery of a body at Merlotte’s has the citizens of Bon Temps worried about another murderer on the loose. Meanwhile, Sookie is irked by the presence of Bill’s teen protégé, Jessica, and his role in a death in the Stackhouse family, and Jason prays for a way to pay for a retreat with an antivampire group. [GMMR: I don’t normally throw a SPOILER warning on these public episode descriptions but I was a little taken back by synopsis so I wanted give fair warning.]

Web Soup | 9pm on G4
Host Chris Hardwick looks back at the craziest viral videos and other internet-related wacky news of the week.  [GMMR: Tonight will be my first episode, but the concept sounds pretty funny.  “The Soup” but with crazy YouTube videos rather than the crazy ladies of “The View”. Done!]

Law & Order: Criminal Intent | 9pm on USA
“The Glory that was…”
Nichols and Wheeler untangle the dark politics involved in the Olympic Site Selection Committee, landing them on the world stage.

Gene Simmons Family Jewels | 9pm on A&E
Nick travels with his dad on a business trip to Memphis, and he also performs at a location where legend has it that bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. [GMMR: I actually find this show kind of amusing.  The kids are actually grounded…and hilarious. But Gene Simmons had some rude things to say about Adam Lambert as of late so don’t expect me to promote this show that often here on GMMR.]

Hammertime | 10pm on A&E
A reality series following the life of Stanley Burrell, best known as Grammy-winning rapper MC Hammer, along with his family. In the opener, he discovers some of his lost memorabilia; goes with his son on take-your-dad-to-school day; and watches his cousin audition to be in his dance crew. [GMMR:I hope this show is legit. 2 legit 2 quit. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)]

In Plain Sight | 10pm on USA
“A Frond in Need”
When a series of murders seem to follow an ex-con witness, Mary and Marshall must figure out if the witness is the killer before another murder occurs.

Army Wives | 10pm on Lifetime
“About Face”
Denise learns that Frank may have been injured in a mission; Claudia Joy attempts to keep her family together; Roland questions his career choices; Pamela helps new Army wives adjust to life on the base.

Told ya there was a lot to choose from.  Help a sista out…let me know what YOU are going to be watching. (I know I ask everyday, but finding out what y’all are watching helps me get a better sense of what we should be covering here on GMMR)

Pushing Daisies | 10pm on ABC

Series Finale: In tonight’s final episode of this brilliant show, a murder at a traveling water circus gives the Darling Mermaid Darlings a chance to come out of retirement.

Craig Ferguson & Staff Take on Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”

I triple dog dare you not to smile at this video. Craig Ferguson and his staff put together a little filler video to keep us smiling in between the ending of THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN and the start of THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON.

Here they are taking on Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”, in a way that I promise has never been done before.

You must watch.

If you don’t stay up late enough to watch Craig Ferguson’s show, you should DVR it some time. The guys is hilarious.

Big thanks to Reina who share with me the link from http://seriouslyomg.com/

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Podcast – A Special Edition of The TV Talk Podcast

Hey SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (and TV Talk Podcast) fans.  We’ve got a brand new TV Talk Podcast with GMMR & Ducky.  This week we’re talkin’ all about the impressive first week of SYTYCD as well as the sad goodbyes we had to say.

Head over to our new TheTVTalkPodcast.com site to listen in.

You can also find us on iTunes by searching: “TV Talk Podcast”

After you listen, we expect to hear your opinions.  Leave your comments over on the new home of The TV Talk Podcast. Dan and I will read and respond to the comments over on the site.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Friday, June 12, 2009

T.G.I.Freaking F! The weekend is so close I can almost taste it. It’s been a long week for me. Hopefully yours has gone by a bit faster.

Let’s just jump right into some of the show you might see if you’re kicking around the dial tonight. (Although I’d venture to say there’s not much to get super excited about)

Surviving Suburbia | 8pm on ABC
“If the Shoe Fits, Steal It”
Steve falsely accuses a mother at school of stealing Courtney’s shoes; Henry keeps his SAT scores a secret from his mom.

The Goode Family | 8:30pm on ABC
“Helen’s Back”
Helen’s back goes out, jeopardizing the Goodes’ chances of being featured on the organic garden tour. A Latino gardening crew and Helen’s childhood pen pal from Burma come to the rescue. But to the Goodes’ chagrin, they discover they’ve unknowingly exploited the workers.

The Soup | 10pm on E!
“The Week in Review”
A weekly recap of various pop culture and television show moments of the week. The show is hosted by Joel McHale, who provides sarcastic and biting commentary on the various clips.

On the late night couch…

• The Late Show with David Letterman: Sandra Bullock, Pete Correale, P.J. Harvey & John Parish
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien:  Jamie Foxx, Kevin Nealon
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Dane Cook, Peter Travers
• Jimmy Kimmel Live:  Paula Abdul, Ty Murray & Chelsie Hightower, Todd Glass (R 5/12/09)
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Mary J. Blige, Jarod Miller
• Chelsea Lately: Candy Spelling, Jason Kennedy, Sarah Colonna, Josh Wolf (R 6/4/09)
• Last Call with Carson Daly: Ed Helms, Tarah Paige, Foxboro Hot Tubs

Project Supernatural
It’s my goal to be completely caught up with SUPERNATURAL by the time it returns to the air in the Fall.  It’s going to be tough, but I’ll try.  I have no doubt that I will love this show as much as others if I just give it a shot. But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t freak me out a little.  I’m a big baby. I love don’t like scary stuff.

Tonight’s I’ll be taking on two new episodes.

Hook Man | Season 1, Episode 7
Sam and Dean help a girl whose date became a victim of the “Hook Man,” a famous urban legend that turns out to be real, in a small college town somewhere in Iowa. In order to save her and her father, the local minister, the brothers have to find the ghost’s bones so they can destroy them. One tiny problem… they’re in an unmarked grave.

Bugs | Season 1, Episode 8
Dean and Sam arrive in a town checking up a report of a mysterious death, and stop at a realtor’s open house barbecue. Sam meets the realtor’s son Matt, who is fascinated with bugs. Soon the town is invaded by swarms of deadly bugs, and there may be no way out. [GMMR: I’m dreading this episode already. I have a HUGE fear of bugs.  This is going to be a tough one for me to get through. But I’ll do it.]

Jimmy Fallon & Betty White Play Beer Pong

Jimmy Fallon has really been hitting his groove as of late.  But can he really go wrong with the genius Betty White?  The host and the Golden Girler got into a friendly game of Beer Pong during last night’s show. Hilarious!

There’s just no excuse for Jimmy being that bad.  He wouldn’t have lasted a day at my college.

TV Talk Podcast Returns…Sorta…Not Really

TV Talk Podcast with GMMR and Ducky is back… well sorta!

We know we’ve been gone for a couple months and we’re sorry to have abandoned you all so here’s a little something to tide you over until we can do a real podcast in the upcoming weeks.

>> Listen to TV Talk Podcast Pre-Summer Snippet <<

Thank you all for being patient with our ridonkulously busy schedules and for always being such kick ass listeners.

If you are a fan of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, check back to TheTVTalkPodcast.com tomorrow for our first full podcast of Season 5.

Be the first to know when a new TV Talk Podcast launches. Bookmark this site. Follow us on Twitter @tvtalkpodcast. Help us find new listeners – share our podcasts with your Twitter followers.

(FYI – In case you were wondering, Dan and I didn’t record this snipped in a tunnel.  We were sitting in my car. That’s how desperate we were to podcast).

Who Got Voted Off SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

UPDATE: Click here to find out who went home on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (July 8th)

PREVIOUS POST

Normally I do a big live blog for the Thursday night SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE results show.  Sadly it wasn’t in the cards tonight.  But next week…game on.  I hope you’ll all make plans to come join me at 9pm so we can watch the results together.

But if you ended up on this post, you are probably looking to either find out who went home on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE tonight, or discuss the ousting itself.

SYTYCD Podcast…

But before we get to the results, I just wanted to let you all know that the first SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE edition of The TV Talk Podcast with GMMR & Ducky will be published tomorrow.  Dan and I review last night’s performances and share our reaction to tonight’s elimination.  If you’ve never listened to The TV Talk Podcast before, then tune in tomorrow. You can listen to past TV Talk Podcasts as well as old episodes of our special SYTYCD podcasts at http://www.TheTVTalkPodcast.com.

Check back very soon as the podcast is in the process of being posted.

If you are a regular listener then you know it’s been a while.  Our love for SYTYCD brough us back (that and the fact that we actually both find the time to get together).  We’re excited to have new listeners this season!

Save the Dancers.  Save the World.

Tonight’s group routine was choreographed by Shane Sparks. Welcome back Sparksy!!  I’m not exactly sure what the concept was but it seemed like futuristic hip hoppers touched down on Earth to save some homeless people. Ok, that probably was way off, but who cares- it was good. The dance was pretty sassy, but it was almost ruined (once again) by the horrendous camera work. Just awful.

The performance seemed to highlight Philip and Tony – both who were incredible showcasing their unique talent.  And for some reason, it seemed that Caitlyn had a big part to play.  Or perhaps the cameraman just had a swerve on for her.  I really couldn’t tell.  A good way to start off the show.

The Bottom Three…

In small groups the couples took the stage and waited to hear their fate from Cat Deeley. Would they be safe, or would they be one of three groups who would need to dance for their lives in order to stick around another week?

The first couple in the bottom three was Paris & Tony.  Joining them was Auska & Vitolio and Karla & Jonathan.

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TOP CHEF MASTERS Recap: Episode 1

Top Chef! Woo! Seriously, you guys, I don’t know when Bravo’s lineup became straight up television crack, but I am beyond hooked. As we’ve discussed (at the end of last season), I’m not even into food and I cannot get enough of this show. I’ve been lobbying hard, both on GMMR and to anyone who will listen, for a Top Chef All-Stars season. This isn’t it, but it’s pretty close.

As anyone who watched will know, this incarnation is a bit different from the normal seasons, in that they’re going in rounds. Four chefs compete, and the winner goes on to the final round. Billy pointed out that this is probably easier on their schedules, and I’m sure that’s right. Also, no Padma! And no Tom! I wasn’t overly crazy about any of the critics, but I think I’ll warm up to them before long. The host was kind of useless, but … well, that probably sort of comes with the territory. Padma is great eye candy, though, and I love her puke face when she eats something really gross. Hopefully we get to see Kelly’s puke face before all is said and done.

The tone of the Masters version is also just really different from the regular seasons. The chefs are playing for charity, and they’re already established and/or famous, so the stakes are really practically non-existent. I did love the one guy at the end who said that it had been a humbling experience, and every chef needs that sometimes. I don’t remember his name, so if he’s reading this, I’m just happy to serve up his next piece of humble pie! (I kid, I kid.) It was so great to see them laughing and happy and having such a great time, though. The suspense and drama wasn’t really there, but the jovial moods of the chefs was really contagious for me.

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John Krasinski on ‘Jimmy Fallon’

Ask and ye shall receive. By popular demand, here is John Krasinski’s appearance on LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON.  Enjoy!!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 Performances

Tonight couldn’t come quick enough. I’ve been thinking about SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE all day! The top 20 are taking the stage for the first time in competition.  Can you stand it?  This is the first time we’ll be seeing some of the dancers really perform.  Some certainly have had major screen time, but just ask Kris Allen – you don’t need a whole back story and lots of hype upfront to win big.  Better yet, ask Danny Gokey.

I can only hope that my excitement lasts throughout the entire 2-hour episode.  Since it’s 11:30pm on the East Coast and I’m just starting to watch, I’ll do my best to capture my true feelings on each pair as I’m watching.

If you’re new to my SYTYCD recaps, please forgive me if this reads a bit strange.  I tend to blog as I watch, so as not to be influenced by the judges evaluation.

Let’s do this…

TV’s best reality host, Cat Deeley, is looking sassy as usual as she welcomes us to Season 5. One by one the twenty dancers take the stage for their solo intros.  And with the words “these are the girls” and “here are your guys”, I’m already choked up. (It’s worth pointing out that based on the 2-second solos that each of the dancers get, the ladies better be ready to bring their game because this an impressive set of male dancers.)

Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome your…judges (somewhere Ducky is cringing right now).  Tonight’s panel, as always includes Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe, ballroom expert Mary Murphy, and tonight’s special guest is a personal favorite of mine, the multi-talented Adam Shankman.  The Shankman lets us know that he is producing three movies right now, one of which is “Step Up 3D” featuring a number of ex-SYTYCDancers including Twitch, Joshua, Katee and my boy Jailbait Ivan! I’m there.

Before we get to the Top 20, I thought it only fair that I let you know that I’ve got two boys in the running for this year’s SYTYCD boyfriend.  Hopefully these guys will do the work and remain worthy of my special love and affection.  The two guys I have my eye on are Jason Glover and Tony Bellisimo.  Will my fickle heart be swayed by another.  Stay tuned to find out.

Jeanine Mason & Philip Chbeeb | Hip-Hop | by Napoleon & Tabitha

NappyTabs are known for their lyrical Hip Hop and tonight’s story really carried throughout the piece.  I don’t think there is anyone in the competition that can outshine Philip when he’s doing his thing, but I think Jeanine did an amazing job of keeping up with him.  Philip hit the moves a little harder while Jeanine stayed a bit more fluid.  I’m not sure if that was by design or not. Either way it worked. But it was hard to keep my eyes off Philip – the kid is sick.

The Judges: The Shankman summed up all three of the judges take by calling the dance “Unfreakinbelivable”. All three were in awe of Philip, but praised Jeanine for holding her own with such a strong hip hop dancer.

Asuka Kondoh & Vitolio Jeune | Broadway | by Tyce Diorio

Talk about demanding your attention.  Asuka’s smile was damn near contagious! I think given time, these two will develop a strong partnership. I didn’t feel the instant chemistry that I did with the previous couple.  I thought Asuka & Vitolio both danced really well, but they didn’t dance as well as they will together, given time. I thought the choreography lacked a little something tonight.

The Judges: Shankman thought it felt a little more artificial than the previous dance. Mary was left a little disappointed as she thought it was too safe.  Nigel thought the dancing was great but their whole personalities weren’t in it. Yikes.

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Jimmy Fallon, John Krasinski & Stephen Moyer Play Video Games

I don’t know if many of you stayed up late to watch LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON last night, but if you didn’t you missed one hell of a funny show. Seriously, I laughed my ass off from beginning to end. Everything just clicked really well last night.

Jimmy’s two guests last night were John Krasinski of THE OFFICE (ever heard of him? Yeah, me neither) and Stephen Moyer of TRUE BLOOD. Both the interviews were laugh out loud funny, and I would have been happy if all three kept on talking all night. But they didn’t. Boys will be boys and these boys wanted to play some video games.

Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunado gives Jimmy, John and Stephen a demonstration of the new body-controlled video game system, Project Natal. No controllers – you just use your body to control the action of your avatar in the game.

Check out what happens when Jimmy, John and Stephen try it out. Funny stuff. I especially when Jimmy gets all excited and asks if he can borrow it for the night.

I’ll do my best to post the interviews with John and Stephen because I know fans of those shows will want to check it out. Not sure if I can get my hands on them though. We’ll see.

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