MODERN FAMILY Recap: ‘The Musical Man’

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I thought this week’s episode of MODERN FAMILY was kind of a letdown. I’ve been looking forward to it for two weeks, especially after the delightful “Boys Night,” but I have to say I didn’t love it. That’s not to say I didn’t chuckle here and there, but let’s break it down and see why it wasn’t my favorite and then you can give me your opinion. Deal?

Cameron takes a job as the interim theater director at Luke and Manny’s school because the regular teacher got sick. In reality, Cam sneezed on him. Of course Cameron then turned into a theater dictator more than a director, completely rewriting the show, berating the children and making them miss things like soccer practice to rehearse. After all, Cameron pointed out, the cast of RENT (one of my favorite Broadway shows!) missed soccer practice and now they have a Tony. I kind of loved that he chose RENT to reference because 1) it’s not on Broadway anymore and 2) even if it was, I think these kids are too young to see it. I would have gone with something like WICKED or THE LION KING.

Read more

Thursday’s SNAP JUDGMENT

Another day, another SNAP JUDGMENT!

What is SNAP JUDGMENT, you ask?

Every day we’ll pick our favorite promotional picture from that night’s new television episodes and we’ll showcase it here. Then you guys can speculate what goes down in the scene/what you’d like to see happen/caption the pic however you want in the comments section.

So which show made our Thursday edition of SNAP JUDGMENT?

Read more

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Thursday, April 14, 2011

My DVR hates Thursday night TV — I swear every time I turn around, there are more and more shows added to the lineup!

Tonight, not only does someone else get kicked off AMERICAN IDOL, but BONES and THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES are both new and NBC’s comedy block is back with Will Ferrell making his much-publicized debut on THE OFFICE.

Read on and let me know if your DVR will be getting a workout like mine tonight!

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“1 of 8 Voted Off”
It’s that time of the week where one finalist will be eliminated from the competition. Tune in to see who faces the chopping block and is sent home after America’s vote is revealed live.

The Vampire Diaries | 8pm on The CW
“The Last Dance”
As the high school prepares to throw a “1960s Decade Dance,” Elena starts receiving disturbing messages from Klaus via an unusual source. Bonnie tries to reassure Jeremy that she is strong enough to help Elena, but a worried Jeremy asks Stefan for advice. Caroline talks Matt into taking her to the dance. Expecting Klaus to show up at the dance, Damon and Alaric attend as chaperones, but Klaus is playing a complicated game that keeps them on edge. Finally, Damon comes up with a new plan of action that shocks and upsets everyone.

Community | 8pm on NBC
“Competitive Wine Tasting”
As everyone settles on their spring semester electives, Troy and Britta explore the fundamentals of acting, while Abed tackles an advanced study of 1980s sitcom “Who’s The Boss?” with a professor who has written a book on the topic (Stephen Tobolowsky “Glee”). Meanwhile, Pierce and Jeff enjoy a wine tasting class, where Pierce meets “Wu Mei” (Michelle Krusiec “Dirty Sexy Money”) a mysterious Chinese woman who sweeps Pierce off his feet. Suspicious, Jeff vows to find out what’d going on with Wu Mei and why she would agree to marry Pierce so quickly.

The Paul Reiser Show | 8:30pm on NBC | Series Premiere
“The Father’s Occupation
Paul (Paul Reiser) stresses about what to put as his occupation on his son’s school form and his inconclusive answer motivates him to audition for producer Mark Burnett’s (guest star Mark Burnett) new game show against Larry David (guest star Larry David). Meanwhile, Jonathan (Ben Shenkman), Fernando (Duane Martin) and Brad (Andrew Daly) get a little too caught up with their kids’ school projects. Omid Djalili and Amy Landecker also star.

SO MUCH MORE. Keep reading…

Read more

BONES: John Francis Daley Teases ‘The Truth in the Myth’

Thursday night’s brand new episode of BONES is a very special episode — series star John Francis Daley (Sweets) cowrote the hour!

Last month, BONES executive producer Stephen Nathan gushed to Give Me My Remote that “The Truth in the Myth” was “terrific” and it “came out really well.” Michaela Conlin (Angela) echoed the compliments, calling the hour “great” and promised it was a lot of fun.

But what about the man behind the episode? What does he have to say about “The Truth in the Myth”?

I caught up with Daley at PaleyFest last month and he teased what fans can expect…

Read more

AMERICAN IDOL Highlights: Stefano Langone Sings ‘End of the Road’ and Lauren Alaina Takes on ‘The Climb’

Hey, hey, AMERICAN IDOL fans! It’s time to once again break down the performances from this week’s episode. After last week’s shocking Pia-limination, all of the contestants were anxious to sing big and sing strong in tonight’s movie theme.

You know, I think a lot of us thought Stefano belonged in the bottom 3 last week, including him. But he brought it with “End of the Road,” earning praise from the judges and the audience. But will he get more votes?

Check this out for the first time or as a refresher and weigh in…

Read more

CHUCK’s Yvonne Strahovski Talks about Her CollegeHumor Pop Star Parody

CHUCK star Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) had her CollegeHumor.com video parodying today’s pop music go viral earlier this week, and when Give Me My Remote caught up with her today on the set of CHUCK’s season finale, she was still clearly tickled about the experience.

“CollegeHumor came to me and said, ‘We want to do something with you’ and I said okay,” Strahovski told a group of reporters. “They suggested a pop song, and I said, ‘Okay, well, why don’t we do [Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha]?’ I really wanted to do those three people. And then they wrote the thing and we went back and forth. I read the song and I realized it would be funny to do the Bieber thing at the end. I said let’s put Bieber in it, and they came up with the ending thing. And then on the day [of the shoot], they had the sets ready and I choreographed it on the spot, pretty much. I had watched the [music] videos a lot, so I knew the moves. I love goofing around.”

Read more

Meet the Characters of HAPPY ENDINGS

This season, nearly every network has debuted a show featuring couples in different stages of their relationship and ABC gets its turn tonight with the series debut of HAPPY ENDINGS.

So what makes this series different? Despite the title, don’t think all these couples are happy together — the pilot begins with Dave (Zachary Knighton) getting left at the altar by his longtime girlfriend, Alex (Elisha Cuthbert). Give Me My Remote hit up the set to chat with series stars Knighton, Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe (Jane), Damon Wayans Jr. (Brad), Adam Pally (Max) and Casey Wilson (Penny) about their characters…

Read more

BREAKING IN: Christian Slater Teases Alyssa Milano’s Guest Spot and Whether Oz is Good or Bad

Did you check out the series premiere of BREAKING IN last week? It was pretty funny, right?

There’s a brand new episode tonight and fans will be introduced to Amy (guest star Alyssa Milano), whom Christian Slater tells me is Oz’s “human blind spot.” Uh oh.

But considering all of Oz’s shady business, is he a good guy or bad guy? When I caught up with Slater on the set of BREAKING IN, he weighed in on that, which of Oz’s toys is his favorite, Oz meeting his match and more…

Read more

TOP CHEF: MASTERS Preview

Since Bravo decided to start a new season of TOP CHEF the week after the last one ended, I’ve run out of cooking puns to use in these preview posts, which is probably a good thing. They are pretty corny, after all.

In tonight’s TOP CHEF: MASTERS Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must use a hand-crank meat grinder to make meatballs, although many seem to have trouble operating it. (Side note — how can you be a MASTER and not know how to use a meat grinder?!) In the elimination challenge, they must make a classic dish from the ’60s modern again, all while cooking in a teeny-tiny kitchen. It’s no surprise, then, that the guest judge is ’60s drama MAD MEN star Christina Hendricks and her husband, BODY OF PROOF star Geoffrey Arend. Love them!

Watch some clips from tonight’s show below!

Read more

Wednesday’s SNAP JUDGMENT

Another day, another SNAP JUDGMENT!

What is SNAP JUDGMENT, you ask?

Every day we’ll pick our favorite promotional picture from that night’s new television episodes and we’ll showcase it here. Then you guys can speculate what goes down in the scene/what you’d like to see happen/caption the pic however you want in the comments section.

So which show made our Wednesday edition of SNAP JUDGMENT?

Read more

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Happy hump day, everybody! There’s a lot on tap tonight including an all-new ABC comedy block, the AMERICAN IDOL performance show and more.

Let’s get to it…

The Middle | 8pm on ABC
“The Legacy”
After receiving multiple warnings about leaving his dirty, smelly socks lying around the house, Mike has finally had enough and punishes Axl by forbidding him to play in the final school basketball game of the season. But everyone assumes that Mike is being petty when they discover that Axl could end up beating his father’s record for most free throws landed in a season if he does play in the game. Meanwhile, Sue is ecstatic — but Frankie and Mike are suspicious — when she wins an MVP trophy for cross-country, and Brick is humiliated when he’s forced to wear hand-me-down clothes from his rebellious cousin.

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“8 Finalists Compete”
The finalists perform live once again, hoping to impress the judges and the nation. After the performances, it is up to America to vote. Tune in to see who, among the 8 remaining contestants, amazes the judges and who falls flat. Will the audience agree with Randy, Jennifer and Steven’s opinions?

Survivor | 8pm on CBS
“The Buddy System”
With a double tribal council sending two more castaways to Redemption Island, paranoia sets in and causes one castaway to dig deep for a chance to prolong their life in the game.

America’s Next Top Model | 8pm on The CW
“Lana Marks”
Tyra educates the models about the importance of a portfolio, which will prove valuable when they learn the challenge is to complete a round of go-see’s in Los Angeles. Later, the girls are dismayed to learn their shoot will take place at a landfill, where they will wear eco-friendly couture creations by designer Michael Cinco and be photographed by judge/photographer Nigel Barker. Handbag and accessories designer Lana Marks joins the judges’ panel to decide which girl will be eliminated.

Better with You | 8:30pm on ABC
“Better Without a Job”
Maddie is ecstatic when she’s told that she has made partner at her law firm. But just as soon as she tells everyone about her promotion, she gets laid off and, to save face, tells everyone she quit because she got a better job. Meanwhile, Vicky gives Mia and Casey a children’s book passed down through the generations. Upon closer scrutiny, they parents-to-be wonder if there’s a hidden, negative message between the lines.

SO MUCH MORE. KEEP READING…

Read more

The TV Talk Podcast: THE GOOD WIFE, SURVIVOR, THE KILLING, THE OFFICE, Darren Criss and More!

A lot can happen in a month, especially on television. Kath and Dan are finally back to discuss what a month can do to a couple of TV podcasters. There’s our typical shit-show approach but in this episode there’s some great conversation about a lot of our favorite shows. We missed you listeners, we hope you missed us as well! Welcome back friends.

Highlights:

• “How cute did his face get when you finally saw his abs?”
• “It had a great run, a great 18 season run even though we’re only on season 2.”
• It’s the end of the series Cappie, what are you gonna do? Greek series finale discussions.
• After the podcast, Ducky realizes that once again he’s completely murdered a beloved TV figure’s name. Can you catch it?
• Either Ducky has tourettes or there’s a technical glitch in the 34 minute range. WTF?!
• NPH once again evades the stalking and not so stealth Kath.
• We wax waaaaay philosophical on The Good Wife. It’s a Eli and Kalinda love fest.
• Glee Paley Panel discussion.
• 1:04:50 – yes, she did…
• Top Chef All-Stars – who did we think would face off against Blais?
• Grey’s Musical – Genius or F#$k Stupid?
• Robin Givens? Not so much…
• Do we or Don’t We talk about TVD and SPN?
• The Killing kills it.
• ABDC has the worst camera work on television.
• Upcoming returning shows
• Our thoughts on The Hunger Games casting!
• A major SYTYCDebacle

Shows we cover in this episode: Friday Night Lights, Pretty Little Liars, Greek, Bethenny Ever After, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, Parenthood, American Idol, Glee, Top Chef All-Stars, Survivor, The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, Parks & Recreation, Community, The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural (or do we?), The Killing, America’s Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance

*Recorded: 4/11/11

To listen to TV Talk Podcast (with Chapter Markers) head on over to our iTunes page and subscribe! It’s the fastest and easiest way to listen to The TV Talk Podcast from week to week.

Listen to The TV Talk Podcast here!

Who Went Home on DANCING WITH THE STARS?

The live show began instantly with a musical performance by David Garret playing “Walk this Way.” The DWTS Troupe provided some dancing, but I wasn’t that impressed for some reason. Am I being too harsh on the troupe? Possibly, but if the producers wanted us to know more about the troupe, I’d think that the camera would have focused on them instead of David Garrett’s violin playing skills. After their initial introduction, we haven’t heard the troupe talk much.

The elimination process began with the top three contestants in terms of points and after the commercial break Ralph & Karina and Hines & Kym were both revealed to be safe but Chelsea & Mark was still in jeopardy. Len commented that Chelsea was an excellent dancer and thought the two could make the final. They then forced the couple to perform after keeping them under the red lights.

Read more

HOUSE Recap: The Dig

Even the most unsatisfying meal can be salvaged with one standout course. A well-seasoned steak or scrumptious dessert is a chef’s secret weapon against the lingering aftertaste of an unsalted soup or the vegetable medley from hell. It would be nice to enjoy every morsel of food that touches our lips, but most of us err on the side of happy taste buds.

This week’s HOUSE, featuring Olivia Wilde’s return as Thirteen, stands out from its overcooked and flavorless companions in Season 7. In an hour filled with genuine mystery, superb writing, and overdue character development, Ms. Wilde reminded me why so many viewers make reservations each Monday night on FOX.

The cold open was more than enough to cleanse the pallet, with House delivering a “Get Out of Jail” martini. Thirteen was hardly shocked to see her welcome wagon. Though the two characters did not exchange words, a closer look revealed the thought bubble that was floating above both their heads…

“What have you been up to?”

House has experienced a number of upside downs in this fictional year, but Thirteen’s journey trumped his relationship dramas and addiction relapse. Answering House’s version of the question posed above, Thirteen’s reply did more than simply silence her loquacious boss. In four words, Remy Hadley also served up the season’s most engaging mystery:

“I killed a man.”
Read more

HOMELAND First Look: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis Return to TV!

Fresh off the news that Showtime has picked up the new original series, HOMELAND, the network has released a clip from the show to get people excited.

What is HOMELAND? According to Showtime’s press release, “HOMELAND is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons, who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Scott Brody (Damian Lewis) a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed deal for nine years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil.  Mandy Patinkin will portray Saul, a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie’s (Danes) boss and mentor.”

Intrigued? Check out a sneak peek of HOMELAND…

Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »