Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Wednesday – today you’re waking up with the realization that the weekend is in your reach…or that it’s just too far away. Either way, I suggest you pass the time by get lost in some really great TV tonight. ABC is bringing the funny. CBS has the suspense. The pretty people are hanging on The CW. Cops and spies are keeping things in check over on NBC. Fox and Bravo are cooking up something delicious.

Here are a few highlights from this evening’s TV lineup…

The Middle | 8pm on ABC
“The Diaper Incident”
Frankie is humiliated when she goes shopping for baby diapers for Sue, who has run out of them while babysitting, and the clerk thinks she’s looking for adult diapers. Elsewhere, Frankie makes Mike take a physical, thinking he’s starting to break down, but it’s her back that goes out and she tries to hide it from Mike.

Survivor: Nicaragua | 8pm on CBS
“Pulling the Trigger”
NaOnka and Kelly B. exchange a war of words over the hunt for the hidden immunity idol, and a secret is revealed that solidifies a powerful alliance. At tribal council, another castaway is voted out of the game.

Undercovers | 8pm on NBC
“Devices”
An informant claims to have information about a device that would compromise the identities of all CIA agents; Steven and Samantha struggle to find the balance between being partners and a married couple while in the field. Read more

GLEE: ‘Grilled Cheesus’

From the very first scene to the last, this week’s GLEE stayed focused on the storyline and incorporated music that complimented not only the theme but the various character motivations. How very odd.

Whether you loved last week’s Britney Spears-inspired ep, as I did, or you loathed every minute of it, I think we can all agree that the episode lacked in proper story execution. As enjoyable as I found it, I’m the first to admit that the episode was hobbled together with forced songs and plot contrivances.

The post-episode comments here on GMMR led to an interesting discussion among GLEE viewers, some of whom are willing to overlook its flaws and enjoy its best parts even when the whole falls short. Others have lost patience with the free passes the show sometimes gets, despite its obvious missteps. Regardless of which side of the McKinley High stadium you’re sitting on, I think we can all agree that “Grilled Cheesus” was one of those rare GLEE episodes which seemed to work on all angles. The music was fantastic, the comedy was sharp, and despite being a tad overdramatic at times, I think it resonated emotionally with the vast majority of the audience. I’m not saying this was a perfect episode, but it might have pulled a few people, who were teetering on the edge after last week, back into the show.

Now, let’s discuss what went down…

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LIFE UNEXPECTED: Lux Has a Mom Whose Name Isn’t Cate Cassidy?!

So, the fact that Ryan wants babies, and Cate doesn’t, isn’t a huge surprise.

Didn’t really need the 27-point questionnaire from Born-Again-Virgin-Kelly to figure that out.

But, apparently, Cate and Ryan did!!

I’m sorry, how do you marry someone you’ve known for years without realizing one of you wants to be a parent six times over while the other wants to have her tubes tied?

Oh well, no matter, the problem is solved, because Cate just went ahead and pacified Ryan by telling him she’ll try to get pregnant, but then just kept taking her birth control pills, so we’ve got a win-win for her!

Smart woman!

And she also managed to make a friend out of her former enemy, the fake virgin, so again, good for Cate!

Meanwhile, the brain trust that is Baze decided to tell his poor friend, Math, to go after Ryan’s smoking hot sister, who is also their roommate! Really smart idea. We didn’t see Math getting his heart broken from a mile away at all!

But even more interesting than any of this nonsense was the return of Lux’s best gal pal, Tasha. Not only had Tasha been placed in a foster home in town, but her new mommy managed to get her into Lux’s private school. Sweet deal… we thought… until Lux rolled by T’s new digs and discovered that she knows her foster parent.

Lux bolted, leaving us to believe that Tasha’s foster mom is some sort of abusive pedophile weirdo — or maybe she’s got a live-in boyfriend who is — but at the end of the ep, we find out that the woman actually loved Lux and had wanted very badly to adopt her.

WTF?!

This all makes little sense, especially given the fact that Lux spent much of the episode plotting to get Tasha kicked out of the woman’s home — for Tasha’s own good, she claimed.

Well, mission accomplished. Tasha will be living as an emancipated teen in her own little apartment in town, which Cate and Ryan are going to co-sign for.

Cool deal for T, but I still want to know what’s up with Lux and the mystery foster lady, who referred to herself as “mom” in a letter to L-Money.

Will have to tune in again next week.

Hopefully there will be another girls basketball game.

Or not.

Love you, LUX!

RELATED:
LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Austin Butler: ‘Jones is getting thrown in the middle of it all’

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ONE TREE HILL: We All Fall Down…But Then Totally Get Back Up, Gunshot Wounds or Not

I was deathly ill last Tuesday, it was pretty grim — like a scene straight out of ONE TREE HILL — so I sadly missed last week’s hour of the show.

Imagine my surprise when I tuned in last night only to see that Clay is NOT leaving this world! How he recovered from direct gunshot wounds to the chest after lying in agony with no medical attention, not discovered for more than 12 hours, I don’t know! But he did!

Oh, Mark Schwahn, you foiled us again!

And I’m not going to lie, I like me some Clay, so I’m cool with that.

I’m also cool with the fact that Nathan’s back injury is sidelining him from the NBA. He got one good year in there. He accomplished his dream. Ain’t no shame in hanging up the high tops at this point. We’re proud of you, N. Scott.

And didn’t you think it was sweet how he was sitting at Clay’s bedside, keeping the news from him whilst he recovers? And let’s not even talk about the deep cleaning of Quinn and Clay’s blood-stained bedroom.

It’s okay. Everyone’s alive. There’s a new baby on the way. All will be well.

Even with Victoria, who is conducting Clothes Over Bros business and already has her own bitch in jail!

But will COB recover now that Brooke, racked with guilt over her mother’s transgressions, is giving all their investors a refund?

Hey, if Quinn and Clay can come back from multiple gunshot wounds after bleeding out for a whole day, lying unconscious on a floor, I’m pretty sure Clothes Over Bros can rise from the ashes.

Am I right, people?

RELATED:
ONE TREE HILL: You Bastard, You Killed — !
ONE TREE HILL: We Still Don’t Know If Quinn and Clay Are Going To Be Okay?!
ONE TREE HILL: Creator Mark Schwahn Spills on Haley’s Pregnancy, Brooke’s Wedding and What He’ll Do Differently in Season 8

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PARENTHOOD: Date Night

Adam Braverman and I live very different lives, but I found myself sympathizing with his life this week. Though I am not a husband or father, my journey as a first year teacher has been accompanied by a host of unplanned distractions and commitments. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of grading papers and attending parent/teacher conferences is less time to watch and critique the shows I love most.

Unfortunately, many fans of PARENTHOOD have chosen other avenues on Tuesday nights, as the show’s ratings have suffered in its second season. Casual viewers have been sampling ABC’s new drama DETROIT 187 and jumping on THE GOOD WIFE bandwagon, leaving a void among supporters of Team Braverman.

“Date Night” attracted an audience of 5.162 million viewers, down over 30% from the season premiere. I am not ready to start asking GIVE ME MY REMOTE readers to shoot air rockets at NBC headquarters for a “Save the Show” campaign, but the trends are not good.

Last night’s PARENTHOOD was a return to form, balancing the joy & humor of family life with the rough edges of teenage angst and false expectations. I enjoyed the episode’s direction, though this show could use a moratorium on screaming and incoherent bickering.
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LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Austin Butler: ‘Jones is getting thrown in the middle of it all’

On LIFE UNEXPECTED, Austin Butler’s Jones is a bit of a mystery. Sure, he’s a jock who likes Lux, but what’s really his story?

As it turns out, Butler wants to know that, too. And he’s got his own ideas about what the deal might be.

Give Me My Remote chatted with Butler on the subject. Plus, we got his take on all those love triangles, next week’s LUX-ONE TREE HILL crossover and what else to expect…

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WAREHOUSE 13 Renewed For a Third Season

WAREHOUSE 13 fans, 2011 just got a lot more exciting. After weeks of rumors, Syfy has announced that they will in fact order a 13-episode third season of the series as The Hollywood Reporter first told us.

“Jack Kenny’s superlative leadership and the incredible talent of his cast and crew delivered an outstanding second season of WAREHOUSE 13,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Programming, Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions, in a statement. By bringing Kenny back for the third season, it seems the network is also committed to ensuring that the show we love will at its core remain a fun, scientific, family show with heart and intense action.

According to WH 13 star Eddie McClintock — who jumped on Twitter last night to celebrate the news — filming will probably begin in February.

So fire up your Farnsworths and turn on those Teslas and be sure to comment below about how pleased you are to know that Pete, Myka, Artie, Claudia and a brand new batch of artifacts will be on our TV screens next year!

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The second day of the week brings some quality TV to your screens: GLEE, PARENTHOOD, LIFE UNEXPECTED, SONS OF ANARCHY, THE GOOD WIFE and so much more.

Check out the full menu, so you can decide what you want on your plate…

No Ordinary Family | 8pm on ABC
“No Ordinary Marriage”
Jim attempts to track down some elusive bank robbers, Stephanie looks into discovering the source of the family’s newly acquired powers, and Daphne, trying to find a way keep the voices in her head from drowning out her ability to read minds, discovers that JJ has become a super genius but is hiding it from the family. Meanwhile Jim and Stephanie not only keep their powers a secret from the world but from each other too, as Stephanie discovers Jim has become a crime fighter and Jim finds out that Stephanie has used her new power of speed — after promising not to.
[GMMR: Last week’s series premiere did well. Did you watch? Will you tune in again?]

Glee | 8pm on Fox
“Grilled Cheesus”
Finn has an existential crisis when he believes he sees the face of Jesus in his grilled cheese sandwich. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids rally around Kurt after he has a crisis of his own that leads to a larger discussion among the group about their own theology. [GMMR: Emmy nominees Chris Colfer and Mike O’Malley will do their father-son thing and probably make us cry when the latter has a heart attack in tonight’s ep… we look forward to those tears. However, we’re also hearing that Rachel’s weeping during her solo once again… which we could do without.]

The Biggest Loser | 8pm on NBC
“1003”
One contestant expresses a wish to go home this week, creating drama and tension in the house, while another group of players form a secret alliance. Trainer Bob Harper puts the contestants through a grueling workout, zeroing in on one player he thinks has shown him disrespect, and later, trainer Jillian Michaels tries to bring out the athlete in two contestants she thinks need extra attention. Tennis superstar Anna Kournikova gives all the players tennis lessons for a total body workout before a tennis ball pop challenge. Then the players are surprised by another early weigh-in, and those who fall below the yellow line face a wild elimination challenge involving 175 tons of sand before another contestant is send home.

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CHUCK: CHUCK Versus the Cubic Z

A cubic zirconia is like a Monet – from far away, it’s okay, but up close, it’s a big old mess (thanks, Cher Horowitz). That pretty much sums up my thoughts on last night’s “Chuck Versus the Cubic Z”. From a distance, it had all the makings of a great episode — Steve Austin and Nicole Richie returning as memorable baddies Hugo Panzer and Heather Chandler, the Buy Morons facing a video game crisis, Chuck and Sarah taking another step forward in their relationship — It should have all come together in a stellar hour, but some short cuts were taken in the storytelling and we ended up with an ep that felt like an imitation of the real thing.

Let’s discuss…

By now I think we all expect Sarah and Chuck’s romantic relationship to weave its way into the intersecting storylines. Dangerous missions be damned — if Chuck is feeling insecure about his lady, then you can count on him bringing it up at the most inappropriate times. Lately Sarah has had a hard time separating her spy life from her love life too. And just last week, I was applauding the humor that resulted from Sarah’s emotional reactions while on mission in Milan, so it’s not like I’m totally anti when it comes to the crossover. But sometimes the execution works and other times, like last night, it feels forced and all consuming.

Despite seeing familiar faces from the past and some really great action sequences, I couldn’t quite get past the dominance of Chuck and Sarah’s romantic woes. The writers tried to coerce the viewers into believing that Heather Chandler and Sarah Walker were one in the same when it comes to putting the job before love. Throughout the episode, Heather was used to poke and prod Sarah, pushing her to question whether or not she had really changed all the much. I guess we were supposed to wonder, along with Sarah, if in fact she was she ready for a real relationship with Chuck. But it never quite worked. We’ve already seen Sarah clear too many emotional hurdles in order to commit herself fully to Chuck, so for Heather to show up and rattle Sarah felt contrived and a bit lazy. If the writers insist on having Chuck and Sarah’s relationship at the forefront of the show, then it needs to be treated with a bit more respect. This two steps forward, one step back thing has been done.

As for that final scene — Chuck vs. the ring vs. Sarah — I actually thought it was well played. Yvonne Strahovski pulled off Sarah’s reaction beautifully. When Sarah saw Chuck, down on his knee, holding up a ring, it seemed as if her entire life flashed before her eyes (I guess now she knows what Chuck goes through all the time) and, although she was probably confused and overwhelmed, it seemed as if Sarah was almost a bit excited too. Am I the only one who saw that? Hello, cliffhanger.

Now, while the main story played itself out in the confines of Castle, the B-story was happening just above in the Buy More. Lester, Jeff, Big Mike and Morgan were all back at their rightful posts and ready to take on an excited mob of anxious gamers. Usually a Buy More-heavy storyline offers the comedic relief for the episode, but I don’t think it delivered tonight. It did however serve its purpose in reintroducing Big Mike back into the Buy More family. And with his tazer, no less. So now Morgan is the manager with his future step-dad, Big Mike, as his number two. It works, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss General Beckman in her grey BM suit.

Once again, Casey played second fiddle to Chuck and Sarah’s adventures. Here’s to hoping that Adam Baldwin has a big Casey-centric episode coming up soon because he deserves more screen time than he’s had these past two episodes.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the overarching quest to find Mama Bartowski moved a tiny bit forward this week. Heather Chandler revealed that Frost kept close to Volkoff. But whether it was by choice or by force has yet to be seen. Dropping these little hints along the way is a clever way to keep this particular storyline going in episodes where it’s not a dominating factor. Well done.

A few more thoughts while I try to get myself out of this CHUCK rut.

• The brief appearance of Stacey Kiebler has confirmed my fears – the role of G.R.E.T.A. is being wasted. I thought it was just an oversight with Olivia Munn. At least Isaiah Mustafa had a little more to do last week. But now it seems like Greta only exists to facilitate random cameos. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.

• Nicole Richie was okay this episode. Not as good as she was during her first guest appearance, but she wasn’t distractingly bad, so I’ll take that as a win.

• My favorite moment of the night? It’s a toss up… It’s either Chuck scaling the walls of the Buy More cage in order to escape Panzar or it’s the way he tossed himself down the ducts in pursuit of the bad guy. Whether he’s being fueled by the Intersect or not, I like confident Chuck.

But, yes, here’s to hoping that you all enjoyed this week’s CHUCK more than I did.  Though it was an off night for me, I’m not worried.  Every show has off episodes. So as long as they are back on track next week, we’re good. Until then, I’d love to hear your thoughts on Monday’s hour…

Follow @GMMRTV and @korbigirl on Twitter, and Facebook too, for all your up-to-the-minute TV news and commentary.

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HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: Unfinished Business

So Robin’s not yet over her ex-boyfriend Don and Ted’s not yet over the dream of being an architect.

This is what we learned from Monday’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.

Well, this and also that Marshall was the frontman for a funk band.

Oh, and that the tactics which Barney has used to successfully bag 236 — yep, 236 — women (ignoring, backhanded complimenting to lower confidence, bragging about the perks of his job, sustaining eye contact and creating intimacy through physical closeness) are also effective when trying to get a ‘yes’ out of Ted.

And get a yes out of Ted — to come back to Goliath National Bank, where Barney and Marshall are employed, and design the company’s new headquarters (and be ‘bro-workers’ once again) — is exactly what the Barnacle did… with Marshall’s help as a less-than-impressive wing man.

Meanwhile, on the woman-front, Robin was busy watching a channel that broadcasts Don’s new gig as a Chicago news anchor. And by “watching,” I mean that she was getting drunk and leaving him voice mails about how she was going to go to The Windy City and kill him — and maybe catch a Bears game too.

Lily wasted no time calling Robin out on her repeated bad behavior, forcing her to delete Don’s phone number from her cell phone contact list — something that we all know is super hard to do.

However, with Lily’s help, the mission was eventually accomplished — just not before Robin made a real fool of herself, courtesy of her long distance carrier. But that’s okay, because that might’ve been exactly what she needed to do to get closure on the relationship, which ended so very suddenly.

So what’s next for Robin? And what will life now be like for Ted as he makes his dream come true?

Well, there may be a few clues here.

How are you enjoying season 6 of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER so far?

Satisfied?

Starving for something that hasn’t been on the table?

Talk to me…

RELATED:
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Welcomes HOUSE star Jennifer Morrison
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Will Go Back To Basics in Season 6 with Rachel Bilson, Robin Sparkles… and a FlashForward?

Follow @GMMRTV and @korbigirl on Twitter, and Facebook too, for all your up-to-the-minute TV news and commentary.

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GOSSIP GIRL: ‘This means war, Blair’

Well, we’re just four episodes into the GOSSIP GIRL season and Chuck’s new lady friend has already left us, thanks to Blair’s successful scheming.

Are y’all happy about this?

Is Blair happy?

Though she managed to drive Eva out of town with her tricks, the end result did not have her falling into Chuck’s arms, but beginning a war with him instead.

What’s maddening about this is that after all her efforts to rid Chuck of his European chick, he gave her the opportunity to admit it was done out of love… but she didn’t.

So the philanthropic, good boy Bass — whom Eva brought out — is now going bye bye in exchange for the bad boy we’ve always known… except now, he’s promised that his anger and rotten behavior will be directed right at Blair.

Any thoughts on this?

Is Chuck and Blair at war better than no Chuck and Blair whatsoever?

Do we maybe even look forward to watching them spar?

And what about the Dan-Serena-Nate love triangle?

Seems that storyline has come to its conclusion with Serena unable to choose between the two and deciding to wait for one dude who brings her what she gets from both Humphrey and Archibald.

Smart? Or did you want to see S settle with either Dan or Nate?

Also, am I the only one who’s way ready to have Katie Cassidy’s character bounce right out of town? I don’t know what she’s up to, but I have to say, I really don’t care… You?

Speak to me in the comments section…

Follow @GMMRTV and @korbigirl on Twitter, and Facebook too, for all your up-to-the-minute TV news and commentary.

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Caprica | 10pm on SyFy

Clarice visits Gemenon to pitch a terrorist attack to the STO leadership, while Daniel has a meeting with the Ha’La’Tha, where he seeks support for creating a virtual afterlife.

HUGE Canceled

ABC Family has canceled HUGE.

Have to say, I’m disappointed.

The series — which followed a group of teenage girls struggling with weight issues at a summer fitness camp — was an hour of television bringing its viewers just a little something different.

I’m sure there are a lot of kids who watched the show and, for the first time, could relate to a character or two on screen. As fun as PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is, programming like HUGE is important too, and I enjoyed both this summer.

Sad to see HUGE go.

Star Nikki Blonsky tweeted the following today:

“2 all my fans who loved @#HUGE I thank u for ur support + 4 watching I love u guys and as much as u all loved Will I loved playing her!”

“To all my fans I promise I will become part of a new project and give u guys a new character to believe in and relate 2 ill never let u down.”

Thoughts?

90210’s Jessica Lowndes Talks Singing, Theft, Adrianna-Navid and Season 3

90210’s Adrianna has gone through a lot in the two-plus seasons we’ve known her: a teen pregnancy, drug addiction, rehab, an engagement, experimentation with her sexuality, a fading acting career, a burgeoning singing career and now she’s a YouTube sensation who stole a song from a dead dude.

So what’s next? Give Me My Remote recently chatted with Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna) to get the scoop on the fallout from stealing Javier’s song and how Ade will be dealing with her relationships with Navid, Teddy and Naomi…

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LIE TO ME’s Brendan Hines and Hayley McFarland on Season 3

The only bright spot in LONE STAR’s sudden cancellation? LIE TO ME is back tonight!

Give Me My Remote chatted with stars Brendan Hines (Loker) and Hayley McFarland (Emily) about the upcoming changes in the series and what fans can expect in season 3.

Check it out…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En9F0CbaRs8[/youtube]

Are you looking forward to tonight’s season premiere?

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