Preview of Next Week’s GLEE with Neil Patrick Harris, Directed by Joss Whedon

I’m the target audience for GLEE. A former high school and college gleeker myself, I have no problems telling you all that after a particularly stressful day you might find me standing (sitting) center stage (in the front seat of my car) belting out show tunes for my adoring audience (commuters traveling on 93 South in Boston). I’m a gleek through and through. So much so that these days my Broadway CDs have been replaced by the three GLEE soundtracks that have already been released during this first season of the show. (My duet with Chris Colfer on ‘Defying Gravity’ is breathtaking and the way I channel my inner Rachel Berry on ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ is something to behold…assuming you have the appropriate noise canceling headphones, of course.)

Bottom line, I love GLEE.

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LOST: Jacob & Man in Black Play Connect 4 Million

A funny little skit for all LOST fans.

Emily Deschanel and Hart Hanson Talk BONES

First of all…spoiler alert. Don’t even read on if you don’t like the sweet smell of spoilers. Or is the spoiled smell of sweetness? Hard to say. But seriously…we’re talking the next two episodes of BONES (“The Boy with the Answer” and “The Beginning in the End”, respectively, airing on FOX May 13th and May 20th).

Quick note, for those reading this but not clicking the link ahead: Hart Hanson and Emily Deschanel are amazing together. It’s clear they are very fond of one another. Not a secret, or a scoop or anything, but still worth mentioning.

I’m pleased that I was able to ask two questions. And here we go…

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24 – Day 8: 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Pulling out all the stops seems to be the theme for these last few episodes, which is fantastic and kind of scary. If you think about it, even though he’s a flawed character and he’s made more than his fair share of questionable decisions in and out of the job, he’s always made those decisions with the noblest of causes in mind. And even though he is constantly espousing on the cover-up and the Russians, if Jack were to be honest with himself, all of this is about Renee’s death. The cover-up and looking for justice are all side benefits to finding who killed Renee and why. That dichotomy makes for some exciting and disturbing moments here at the end of “24”s run.

Debrief

• Cole identifies Dana’s corpse at the warehouse and goes back to CTU. He refuses to tell Pillar anything and is taken to holding.

• Jack watches Dana’s video footage. It is clear proof that the Russian’s were behind Hassan’s assassination. He then sends it to his weapons supplier, Jim Ricker, who identifies the Russian diplomat in the video. They, essentially, have all the proof they need. Jack then calls Meredith Reed, the journalist who was involved with Hassan and was arrested earlier in the day. Jack sets up a meeting to hand over information about Hassan’s assassination.

• CTU intercepts the call from Jack to Meredith. Pillar plans to have the man who killed Renee, Pavel, kill Jack and Meredith at the meeting place. When they meet there, Jack realizes it’s a trap, takes out all of the agents and escapes with Pavel in custody and Ricker and Meredith in tow.

• They go to a warehouse where Jack gives Meredith the video and sends her with Ricker while Jack tortures Pavel to find out who ordered the hit on Renee. After the torture doesn’t work Jack attempts to find Pavel’s SIM card. After figuring out he swallowed it, Jack guts Pavel and calls the last dialed number, which goes to President Logan’s voicemail.

Agent Philboy’s Assessment

Yeah, he gutted him! My dad and I were talking last week that we had really missed cheering for brutal violence, something only “24” seems to bring. We cheered last week when Dana was shot point blank and my girlfriend isn’t ashamed of the fact that she giggled and clapped when that blowtorch came out. But, was gutting Pavel too far?

I understand that due to their only being three episodes left (a thought which is just so sad to me) Jack couldn’t exactly wait for Pavel to…umm…pass the SIM card on to him. But, does it bother anyone else that Jack didn’t even flinch before taking Pavel out? Like I said up top, even though Jack has been unhinged for most of the series, having literally nothing else to lose is a scary proposition. I’ve brought up several times that the movie could carry on even if Jack dies at the end of this season. I think this is looking to be more and more of a reality. Whatever happens in these last three episodes, I don’t see a scenario where everything is tied up in neat little bow and everyone is happy. That would totally miss as far as the tone toward the end of this season.

Weekly Kill Count = 5 Total Kill Count = 48

Lost | 9pm on ABC

Locke’s motives are finally explained.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: East of Dillon

Dillon, Texas is a special place. From a distance, it can be mistaken for a truck stop on the highway to suburbia. When the fanciest restaurant in your town is an Applebee’s, locals have to live with being judged as simple or unsophisticated. The uniqueness of Dillon cannot be measured by economic indicators or census data. In fact, for six days a week, the naysayers could point to this speck on the map and rightfully ask, “What’s all the fuss about?”

All that changes on Friday.

On Friday nights, the religion of high school football holds open mass across the state of Texas. For generations, Dillon has been a unified congregation. Sermons of past gridiron glory have been passed from fathers to sons, with the expectation to carry on the values of faith, family, and the Panthers. The rings commemorating state titles from years ago are as sacred as wedding bands. For the alumni of Dillon High School, nothing comes between their team and decades of future dominance.

Except for redistricting.

Welcome to Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, the best show on television. If you have been here since the beginning, the events of this year will feel like a show reborn. If you have jumped onboard based on sparkling reviews or word of mouth, do not fret. This is a world that you can jump into today, and never regret it.

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PARENTHOOD: Namaste No More

In a culture consumed with immediate gratification, we rarely think about the long-term consequences of our decisions. Whether you feast on the laughter elicited by an off-color joke, the bliss of ignoring financial hardships, or the warm affection of a new love, it is easy to ignore the consequences of building a legacy. Multiply these factors by the number of people in a large family, and there is no wonder we find so many ways to avoid eating dinner together!

In sticking with Parenthood’s mission to explore the family unit on all fronts, this week’s episode raised life altering questions for all three generations. This was tough to watch, but in the best way possible. This was not my favorite episode of the season, but I think it was the most powerful.

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FRINGE: Northwest Passage

At times this season, I have been feeling that maybe FRINGE was becoming a little too formulaic for my liking. Opening scene – something weird happens, ACT 1 Team Fringe arrives, ACT 2 Back to the lab, ACT 3 Dangerous pursuit/mystery solved, Closing scene – character development or shocking piece of info revealed. As much as the formula might work well and be easier for the more casual viewer to follow, it is the episodes that don’t fit the mold that keep me tuning in for more. “Northwest Passage” was a nice mixture of both. It stayed true to the formula, but shook it up a bit by changing the location and players. The case had a tidy solution or a very complicated one, depending upon your perspective. Best of all, in the last few minutes, we were treated to yet another big reveal!

Peter from Boston

Peter has fled cross-country and is on the road to nowhere, in an attempt to get away from Walter and sort through his feelings. He meets an interesting waitress at a diner and they plan to meet at his motel after her shift ends. She never shows up and Peter is set to leave town when he passes the diner and sees that it is now a crime scene. He speaks with the local sheriff, who wants to hold him as a suspect. While giving her his alibi, Peter spots Newton in the crowd and begins to get extremely suspicious when he hears over the police radio that the waitress was found with part of her skull removed. He immediately asks the sheriff to find out if her temporal lobe had been removed. Oddly enough, the sheriff does as he asks and finds that Peter is correct. They go to the police station where she learns that Peter works for the FBI. She assumes that Peter is in town to track the brain-removing killers, but he says that he thinks that the reverse is true.

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SUPERNATURAL: Two Minutes To Midnight

Sorry the SUPERNATURAL recaps have been MIA for the past few weeks, but I’m back to cover what is sure to be the most epic SPN finale yet in these last two episodes of season five. There’s too much to cover to bother going over the past few weeks, so let’s just assume we’re all up to speed on what led up to last night’s events. I have to say that it suddenly hit me that we’re finally going to see the big payoff of what the last two years (and really, the last five) have led us to, and I’m both extremely psyched, and also a little melancholy. I imagine it’s how you LOST fans must be feeling right now, but I’m two seasons behind on that show so I’m not swept up in Lostmania yet. Except I have the comfort of knowing there will be another season of SPN, so at least there’s that to keep me from delving straight into depression. Of course, there’s likely going to be a gigantic cliffhanger to torture us all summer long.

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BONES: The Witch in the Wardrobe

Word up, BONES fans; we have a LOT to talk about! Wicca…and a WEDDING!

Did you like this episode? Personally, I thought it was one of the best ensemble episodes in BONES series history. Cheers to Kathy Reichs for writing an episode that utilized each character with great purpose! Likewise, the episode was case-driven, which always gives a good season one vibe to things. BONES had very good success with that procedural process, mixing in some quirky side characters and a dash of B&B at the end for the first couple of years, and it worked again. If Booth and Brennan’s relationship is what gets us to the table, then the cases are the bread and butter. And I guess that makes the squints a nice side salad with a spritz of vinaigrette. And now I’m hungry, haha. But please, like any of us eat when we watch this show. We know better!

THE CASE:

Although, this body wasn’t too gross, was it? It was mostly fascinating. Booth, Brennan, Angela and Hodgins are called to a crime scene where a woman’s skeleton is found in a wedding dress, in a wardrobe. But when a second and more recently deceased victim, Sherrie Bird, is discovered a few feet away and within a burnt circle, they figure the two bodies are connected in some way. This leads Booth and Brennan into the world of Wicca and witchcraft and it leads Hodgins and Angela to jail. Well, maybe not that exactly, but still…

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HOUSE: The Choice

Even in a tough economy, most of us would not apply for a position as “Third Wheel.” The tricky job of being the odd man out at a dinner party or movie is far more taxing than a depleted bank account. Even experienced “plus ones” struggle to balance their obligations to contribute just enough to the conversation, then to say good night at the proper hour. At the ripe not-quite-old age of 33, I am experiencing this phenomenon in hyper speed. My closest friends are all married or in committed relationships, and I believe that they genuinely want me to find the same satisfaction.

Here’s the dirty secret to being a third wheel, one that Gregory House must accept. There is no conspiracy to leave anyone behind. It is not anyone’s fault. People have to move forward on their own terms. To wish less for your friends is selfish. To want more for yourself is natural. The worst thing we can do is to react to our loved ones’ maturation with resentment or jealousy.

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Zachary Levi & Katherine McPhee Sing “Terrified”

Just when I thought CHUCK star Zachary Levi couldn’t be more fabulous, he goes and does this.  Zac recently joined ex-IDOLer, Katherine McPhee, on a version of her song “Terrified”. (McPhee recorded it, but the song was made famous when IDOL wannabe Didi Benami performed it during this year’s IDOL).

The pair sound fantastic together.  I know what I’ll be listening to over and over and over again today.

Listen to their duet here.

Series Inspiration Kathy Reichs talks BONES

Hey, BONES pals! How are things? If you are like me, you are looking forward to this week’s episode, especially because it was written by Kathy Reichs, who, as you know, created the character of Temperance Brennan.

Are any of you fans of the books? I have to say that after participating in this conference call, I think I might have to check them out.

Kathy Reichs is fascinating; that’s all there is to it. It’s really no wonder that Hart Hanson, Barry Josephson, et al, wanted to tell her stories and her story.

Also, for those of you keeping score at home, this post is spoiler free. Crazy, right? But it’s true…Ms. Reichs didn’t want to spoil anything from the episode she wrote: this week’s “The Witch in the Wardrobe” (airs Thursday, May 6th, 8 PM EST on FOX). No spoilers? I can dig it!

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24 – Day 8: 11:00am – 12:00pm

This season is moving along at a brisk pace, even if its getting tenuous in some places. I would have predicted that President Taylor would have told Logan to take a hike by this point, but the legacy of horrible “24” presidents had to continue, I suppose.

Debrief

• Jack and Cole go in and rescue Dana so she can get them the evidence. After being threatened, she leads them to a bank lock box. Cole waivers on who to trust and what Jack will do with the evidence once he gets it.

• After finding out that Jack escaped Logan, who is essentially controlling the situation at this point, installs his assistant, Piller, into CTU to lead the search for Jack. Piller will then relay all information on Jack’s whereabouts to the Russians, who have agreed to assassinate Jack to keep the evidence a secret. Read more

Justified | 10pm on FX

When an inmate takes hostages, Raylan must defuse the situation before bullets start flying.

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