CreeTV

See Ya!

2011-03-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! Thanks for checking in on the site. I guess this is as good a time as any to let you know that as of right now my plan is to take down the site sometime in mid-April. I just don't have the time or energy to put into it any more. I have had so much fun blogging about television over the last couple of years, but the time is right for me to focus my energy on other things.

I have come up with a few projects that I need to give my full attention to and this site is one of the sacrifices that I am having to make. I'm going to leave the page up for the next few weeks just in case I change my mind...it's always possible. As of right now though I won't be renewing the domain name and I'll let it lapse into oblivion.

I can't tell you how awesome it's been writing for you guys and getting your feed back on all of the great television out there. You guys helped me make sense of LOST. You helped me to join the ranks of American Idol viewers and find a constructive way to watch that show. And you all got me through the summers and the writer's strike with Big Brother conversation.

Let me make clear that my love of television isn't gone. I'm still a junkie and I'm still going to be watching a ton of shows. I just won't be jotting down my thoughts on them any more. But if you ever wanna talk TV, all you gotta do is gimme a call.

I'll still be keeping up with my personal blog and you're welcome to come over and read that. I'll probably even talk a little more TV over there now. If you don't have the web address for that blog, but would like to read it just email me and I'll give you the link.

Thanks again!

-CREE

American Idol Results

2011-03-11T13:53:00.000-06:00

There wasn't a whole lot on television last night. I watched the new Big Bang Theory, which I thought was hilarious and the we watched American Idol. I didn't have a chance to post my top three and bottom three performances from Wednesday...but if I had, this is what it would have looked like:

Bottom 3:
Stefano
Karen
Ashton

Top 3:
James
Pia
Casey

Ashton went home...deservedly. I would have sent Stefano home myself, based strictly on those performances and not anything else. The judges seemed to like his butchering of the Stevie Wonder song though.

I'm a fan of all of the producers working with the artists. It's a fun perspective and I know that they're glad they stole that idea from The X Factor before that show hits the airwaves in the fall.

-CREE

Glee - Holly's Pickle

2011-03-09T10:37:00.000-06:00

I've accepted that Glee is what it is. It's never going to be a show that slows down and really invests in plot. The only thing plot does is get in the way of getting to the next song. But, the return of Gwyneth Paltrow is a good reason to post about the show.

Paltrow's Holly, like previous guest star Kristen Chenoweth's April, brings an energy to the show that it sometimes lacks. This is especially true in Will's scenes. Matthew Morrison is a fine actor and he sings well. Unfortunately many times he comes across as awkward and creepy since he's singing and dancing with kids all the time. These guest turns allow him to be more adult and therefore more organically involved in the show.

I really enjoyed Paltrow's first visit and now they've set up a situation for her to stick around a little longer by getting involved with Will. The timing of course is perfect for the soap opera...I mean prime time show...because of course Emma just broke up with her husband over her love for Will. If this was a show I was supposed to take seriously, I'd bail right here and never look back. But this isn't a show meant to be savored for it's great writing. It's meant to be funny and sweet and silly and full of song.

And for what it is...it's enjoyable. And I won't judge it for what it's not.

-CREE

Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter

2011-03-09T10:28:00.001-06:00

I listen to a ton of music and sometimes albums slip past me and I don't get back around to them for a long time. The debut album from American Idol alum Crystal Bowersox is one of those albums. Released in December, just before Christmas, the album dropped with little fan fare. In fact the Idol runner up only moved 58,000 copies in her first week.

I was a big fan of hers during the show and I always felt like if she found just the right niche she would be a runaway star. Unfortunately, Farmer's Daughter is just a mediocre offering of country and americana styled tunes that don't do anything to highlight the crooner's raspy, powerful voice.

Really, if Melissa Etheridge went country, this is the album you'd expect to hear. It's not that it's bad...it's just extremely underwhelming. Her voice is so commanding and he never pushes it enough to grab your attention. If Farmer's Daughter was playing over the speaker in a store you'd never stop and ask "who is this?"

After poor sales I wonder if Jive will drop her from the label. It might be in her best interest, because this is not the artist that Simon and others knew she could become.

-CREE

American Idol - Power Rankings

2011-03-08T14:53:00.000-06:00

Here's the first look at my 2011 American Idol Power Rankings. I've got my favorite to win it all listed at number one and then we're counting down from there. The rankings will change weekly and I assure you they'll probably look a lot different at the end than they do now. Although, I did pretty much nail the Davids as the final two a couple of years ago and Adam and Kris the year after that.

13. Naima Adedapo
12. Haley Reinhart
11. Stefano Langone
10. Ashton Jones
9. Jacob Lusk
8. James Durbin
7. Karen Rodriguez
6.Thia Megia
5. Lauren Alaina
4. Scotty McCreary
3. Pia Toscana
2. Paul McDonald
1. Casey Abrams

-CREE

House - The Relapse

2011-03-08T09:29:00.001-06:00

House is one of those shows that I watch for the main character and not really for any other reason. I like Taub and I root for him, but after they back-burnered Cameron, Chase, and to some extent Foreman for the better part of two years I've found it hard to invest any one other than House himself.

I went into last night's episode expecting great things. After all the commercials did give us a hint of Hugh Laurie singing. And that's always a bonus in my book. And after complaining the last few weeks that nothing significant was really happening this season, the show dropped a bombshell on us...and I hated it.

I was one of the vocal viewers who always complained that House wasn't growing as a character. And after several years I was ready to write off him and the show. Then last season started off with the amazing Andre Braugher episodes and I was hooked. House was becoming a better man. He was growing. He was learning. And he had kicked the Vicodin habit. Hooray for House.

And the end of last season gave the fans of Huddy what they've begged for...but none of us expected what came next. A happy House ultimately means a boring House. But, being that I didn't want to be a hypocrite I kept my mouth shut and just tried to enjoy the show for what it had become; an average procedural.

After last night I feel even more cheated than ever. Not only was last year's tiring effort to see Cuddy and her fiance break up all for naught, but I feel like the writers never gave House and Cuddy's relationship a chance to succeed. Every week something popped up that made the viewer wonder if this was the week that House was going to ruin the relationship. And while House was a different - and happier - person, there was never a doubt that this train was going to derail before long.

Now House is back on the pain killers. The love of his life left him...even though she knew that he'd fallen off the wagon and leaving him now is only going to fuel his addiction. And we're back to square one. With House on drugs, about to be a cranky ass again. And that's good for people who like mindless drama and a few funny lines each week. But for those of us who care about character growth and change, especially after investing six years in a show, we've all just been shat upon.

-CREE

Checking Back In On Lights Out

2011-03-08T08:49:00.000-06:00

I touted "Lights Out" as a smart gritty boxing drama with a crime angle thrown in for good measure. I said that you should check it out and enjoy the great performances, especially the one by leading man Holt McCallany.

So after half the season has passed and Lights Leary has made his triumphant return to the ring I wanted to check back in on the show and tell you my thoughts about it now.

Truth is, I'm struggling to watch it every week. The show had several major things working against it early on. First, it's a show about boxing. There's hardly a sport in faster decline the the pugilistic art of boxing. And the low viewer turn-out proves that to be the case. Secondly, every cliched story you could imagine doing around boxing has been done to death. Hell, there were 6 Rocky films alone. They pretty much chewed up all of the possible stories by the third one.

But, I dove in based on the strong reviews and the solid first episode. However I quickly realized several things. Mixed Martial Arts and boxing have something that shows about those sports don't...legitimate action. No matter how many slow-motion, shaky camera shots you throw in there, you can't make a fake fight look real. And it detracts from every thing else.

Secondly, this show never fully embraced it's criminal side. If you want to make a show about the shady underbelly of the sport, great...but go for it fully. Instead we get a few showy and a few shadowy figures lurking about, but no one really doing anything too crazy to make me fear for the lead's life.

And lastly, Patrick 'Lights' Leary has a really tough family to love. From his nagging wife to his concerned, yet nagging daughter I can't stand to hear any of them talk. Then there's his screw up brother who should never be allowed near Patrick again, yet one fight into the comeback and Johnny's got all of his power back.

Aside from a great performance by Reg. E. Cathey as boxing promoter Barry Word and a menacing stare down by McCallany, Lights Out is a show that would probably have worked a lot better with a different focus. And with these dismal ratings and the show losing its luster quickly I have a feeling it's going to be knocked out before long.

-CREE

Thanks Beale Street Music Festival

2011-03-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to a post I wrote back in 2009 about the Beale Street Music Festival I had more hits on my page yesterday than I ever have before. Over 500 people must have googled the festival and found my site. Crazy.

I'm sure they were disappointed to find the 2009 line-up and not the 2011 one, but hey, if even two or three people stuck around to read a different article then I'm happy.

Speaking of Music Fest, I'm pretty pleased with the line-up this year. I'd love to see The Avett Brothers, Mumford & Sons, Flaming Lips, Lucinda Williams, and Stone Temple Pilots. I think there's a great mix of genres coming together and I have no doubt that it will be one of the most successful years in the festival's history.

I still don't think that's enough to make me go. I hate crowds of that size. Not only are they a pain to maneuver through, but they generally ruin performances for me. It's just not my scene. I'd rather travel a couple of hours and see these bands at a club with other fans of those specific bands.

-CREE

American Idol - Final 13

2011-03-04T10:53:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest. When I saw that we were going to be getting 2 hours of results I puckered up like I'd drop the soap in a prison shower. But believe it or not, it was pretty damn painless. I won't go as far as calling it enjoyable, but the final hour was pretty intense.

I'm going to post my first power rankings of the season sometime later today. I will put my favorite to win it all at the very top. And I'll count down from there. I agreed with Ashton and Stefano both getting the wild cards after their performances. I'd probably have chosen Robbie over Naima for the final spot.

But I can't really argue with America's decision. It's a very strong top 10.

As much as I disliked Clint Gamboa I really think he got the short end of the stick in this whole thing. The editors made him look like a total tool and he had no shot of getting the votes he needed to stay in. Seeing him go doesn't bother me...Jordan either. They just painted him into a corner and then didn't even give him a chance to sing for his life.

-CREE

Jimmy Fallon as Charlie Sheen

2011-03-03T14:56:00.002-06:00

My Favorites: Best Actors on TV

2011-03-03T14:29:00.000-06:00

No need to waste any time. Here are the best current actors on TV.

10. Ty Burrell (as Phil)on Modern Family
9. John Corbett ( as Max) on United States of Tara
8. Alec Baldwin (as Jack) on 30 Rock
7. Michael K. Williams (as Chalky White) on Boardwalk Empire
6. Hugh Laurie (as House) on House
5. Steve Buscemi (as Nucky) on Boardwalk Empire
4. Steve Carell (as Michael Scott) on The Office
3. Bryan Cranston (as Walter White) on Breaking Bad
2. Timothy Olyphant (as Raylan Givens) on Justified
1. Aaron Paul (as Jesse Pinkman) on Breaking Bad

I went with Aaron Paul at number one. It's an interesting choice, but if you've seen the most recent season of Breaking Bad then you won't question it at all. The only reason I chose Olyphant over Cranston on the second place was probably because Justified is currently on the air and not on hiatus. But let's not split hairs. I could watch any of my top three any time, day or night.
Michael K. Williams was a bit under used on Boardwalk Empire this season, but his one spotlight episode was unbelievable and I know what the man's capable of. His character Omar on The Wire is one of the greatest characters of all time!
Some funny guys don't get as much respect in the acting because they make it look so easy, but Carell, Baldwin, and Burrell all deserve the attention they get. Each are hilarious in everything thing they do on screen. They're modern day giants.

-CREE

American Idol - Top 12 Girls

2011-03-03T09:26:00.000-06:00

Some thoughts on Ladies Night at the American Idol rodeo:

American Idol turned its attention to the ladies last night. I'm the first to admit that I prefer male singers over female. Most of the chick singers that I like are either country or alt-country/folk. And that's probably why I like Lauren Alaina so much. She killed that Reba song and she's easily the most radio ready of the contestants. The other Lauren did a great job with "Seven Day Fool." Most of the show was pretty lackluster though, until we got to the final three. The aforementioned Lauren Alaina and then Thia with her quiet, yet powerful ballad followed by the best performance of the night by Pia.

Predictions:
Top Six: Lauren Alaina, Lauren Turner, Thia Magia, Pia Toscana, Ashton Jones, Karen Rodriguez
Close: Tatynisa Wilson, Naima Adedapo, Julie Zorrilla, and Kendra Chantelle.
No Chance: Rachel Zevita, Haley Reinhart

-CREE

For Anyone Who Ever...

2011-03-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

Watched Memphis Wrasslin'

Anyone want to go see this with me at the Paradiso?

American Idol - Top 12 Guys

2011-03-02T14:18:00.000-06:00

I've said before that I think this season features the strongest group of singers since I started watching the show at the start of season 7. I think the guys proved that last night.

There were some rough spots for sure. Jovanny's Edwin McCain cover was very bad and I'm glad that Randy called him out on it. It's weird seeing The Dawg be the one to take the singers to the woodshed, but he needs to do it until the newbies feel comfortable taking on that role. I also thought Tim Halperin left a little to be desired with his version of "Come on Over."

For the most part though I thought the guys hit it out of the park. Scott McCreery could leave the show today and be one of the biggest stars in country music by the end of this year. Clint Jun Gamboa and Brett Loewenstern both have more personality that most of the contestants last season combines. And while I thought Brett's "Light My Fire" started off a little rocky he soon engaged the crowd and he brought it home at the end.

James Durbin breaking out the Judas Priest is worth a vote no matter what he sounded like. But honestly, he sounded awesome. His high notes are so controlled and his stage presence is already top notch. The question is going to be whether the Idol demo is going to be able to connect to the rocker. I sure hope so, because the guy has some pipes.

Robbie Rosen didn't get unanimous love for his "Angel" cover and Randy was right that it was a bit pitchy. But the guy can obviously sing and he's got a great personality. I don't know if he'll make the cut, but if he does I'll have no issues rooting for him.

Here's my pick for the top six. And it does include Jacob Lusk, although he's my least favorite of the top 12. The guy can sing, but I can't stand watching him sing...and he doesn't sing the style of music I like. I'll never be able to root for him.

Top 6: Clint Jun Gamboa, Scotty McCreery, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, and Paul McDonald.
Close Calls: Brett Loewenstern, Robbie Rosen, James Durbin
No Chance: Jordan Dorsey, Tim Halperin

This should be interesting. I'm looking forward to hearing the ladies tonight.

-CREE

Death Cab, REM, and The Good Wife

2011-03-02T14:07:00.000-06:00

One of the luxuries of changing things from a TV-central site to a more casual pop-culture site is indeed the flexibility to write about several different topics in one short post.

I heard two new songs from the forthcoming Death Cab for Cutie album today. Both songs are Death Cab to a fault and fans of their material will indeed be glad to hear these new tunes. They're both slow, melodic offerings that feature rich lyrics and that slow burn of emotion we've come to expect from the group. Unfortunately the album won't hit the shelves until May 31.

I listened to the entire new R.E.M. album on NPR this morning and it's on fire. Easily their best stuff in a decade. It's a shame that they won't be touring to back up these tunes because they're all perfectly suited for a live show. The collection is called "Collapse Into Now" and it's appropriately titled. It's a disc that has the potential to re-introduce the band to a modern set of fans and make them relevant again. Each song is aggressive and powerful, even the slower tracks. It's a no holds barred collection and I can't wait to read some of the reviews and reactions to this one.

Lastly, there are two television shows that I want to mention today. The first is Mad Love. I've blogged a few lines about it since it debuted a couple of weeks ago, but it deserves one more call to action. The show features Jason Biggs and Sarah Chalke as a couple of young lovers in a brand new relationship. They're cute and fun to watch, but the show is really about their friends. Tyler Labine and Judy Greer carry the heavy comedic lifting as the new couples respective best friends. And they hate each other...in that "they're totally gonna sleep together" way. The show follows How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights on CBS and it very much worth your time.

And The Good Wife is the other show that I want to mention. I am fairly new to the show, but I've now seen every episode. It's legal procedural in the loosest sense of the term. There is an open and closed case each week, but the show is much more complex and complete than that. In fact the show spends time with numerous characters each week, delving into their personal lives. The good thing is, as a procedural, you could jump right in this week and enjoy it. Fans of Judging Amy, The Practice, and even Boston Legal would probably enjoy it. The characters are rich and deep and they show doesn't sugar coat what it's like to work in a cut throat environment. So check it out if you get the chance.

-CREE

My Favorites: TV Characters

2011-03-02T12:09:00.002-06:00

It makes me sad to think about how names like Vic Mackey (The Shield) and Ben Linus (LOST) used to litter this list...and now they don't. But the rule is to keep it current, so here are my ten favorite characters on current television shows today!

10. Hank Moody (Californication)
9. James Darmody (Boardwalk Empire)
8. Dexter Morgan (Dexter)
7. Lafayette Reynolds (True Blood)
6. Gregory House (House)
5. Jax Teller (Sons of Anarchy)
4. Abed and Troy (Community)
3. Raylan Givens (Justified)
2. Ron Swanson (Parks and Recreation)
1. Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Honorable Mentions: Boyd Crowder (Justified), Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother), Alderman Gibbons (The Chicago Code), Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife), Andy Bernard (The Office).

Hank Moody was close to the top of this list last year, but he's done so many deplorable things that I've dropped him to number 10. He's still a great character to watch, but a much harder character to root for. Meanwhile, the number one guy, Walter White, is brilliant. He's the villain of his story and he doesn't even know it. As he marches towards being a drug kingpin he also marches to a tragic end and his passion is only matched by his obliviousness to it all.

-CREE

Ed Burns To HBO

2011-03-01T16:43:00.000-06:00

Entourage will be wrapping up its 8th and final season later this year, but executive producer Doug Ellin isn't done with the premium cable channel just yet. He's got a new show lined up and Ed Burns has signed on to star.

The show has a familiar ring to it. It's called '40' and is about a group of 40 year old male friends who are navigating their way through that period in their lives.

I'll check it out. I was a big Entourage fan when the show first hit the air, but an inconsistent schedule and short seasons made me bail about half way through the series. Now that it's wrapping up I plan on checking it out and seeing where things end up for the guys.

-CREE

Superman Rumors

2011-03-01T10:36:00.000-06:00

I've been hearing some pretty incredible rumors about the upcoming Superman reboot. One of them is that Daniel Day Lewis is being pursued to play the movie's villain, General Zod. And if this happens to be the case it could be one of the biggest casting coups in a long long time.

Now, the key word here is rumor. Nothing is set in stone. In fact, I was reading as recently as last week that Zod may be played by Viggo Mortensen. And while that would be a great get for the movie as well, Daniel Day Lewis is the creme del a creme. The guy doesn't do movies that aren't knock outs. See his resume. It's incredible.

-CREE

Country Staind

2011-02-28T13:22:00.000-06:00

Here's something you might not know. Aaron Lewis of Staind is putting out his first ever solo album. And it's country. Yep. In early 2010 Lewis went to Nashville and recorded a few country tunes and he'll be releasing them to the world tomorrow.

I think he's got one of the best voices in the business and I'd be interested in hearing some of these songs. If country is not your thang, then I'll post a review for you in a few days so that you won't have to listen for yourself.

I had the pleasure of seeing Staind in concert in 2000 and they were excellent. Linkin Park and Stone Temple Pilots were also on the bill. Ahhh, the good ol' days.

-CREE

MY FAVORITES - TV Shows

2011-02-28T11:47:00.000-06:00

Every year or so I like to do a series of lists featuring my favorite things in a wide range of topics. This week I'll be posting a few of those lists. I'm starting today with my list of the best CURRENT television shows. Here's a rundown of the rest of the week.

Tuesday: Favorite CURRENT television characters
Wednesday: Best Actors on TV
Thursday: Best Actresses on TV
Friday: Favorite shows of all time

Best TV Shows (Must currently be on or in hiatus)

10. Shameless
9. Community
8. Boardwalk Empire
7. The Office
6. True Blood
5. Cougar Town
4. Parks and Recreation
3. Justified
2. Sons of Anarchy
1. Breaking Bad

Honorable Mentions: Californication, The Good Wife, Modern Family, & The Chicago Code.

-CREE

The Academy Awards

2011-02-28T11:35:00.000-06:00

How can these people make such amazing movies that are filled with life, love, and laughter and then not be able to keep me awake for a three hour award show? Seriously, as much as I love movies...that's how much I hate this awards show.

I didn't watch the Grammy's for years because I'm so out of touch with the music that's represented there, but I'm majorly in touch with the movies that were up for awards last night. In fact I had seen every single best picture nominee except for The King's Speech.

Maybe not seeing The King's Speech and knowing on the front end that it was going to win everything made it harder to watch. I hate period pieces. I'm not a huge fan of biopics. And I am the farthest thing from an Anglophile. I didn't watch the award show the year Shakespeare in Love won everything either. No offense to the Brits, but I don't find you that interesting.

So certainly that played a part in it. But honestly, no one who presents or wins seems to have any personality. Maybe that's why they are actors...they can pretend to be real people. Either way, I was completely disappointed in the outcome last night as well as in the show itself.

If I were handing out awards I would have awarded Jesse Eisenberg the best actor award, Christopher Nolan the best director (he wasn't even nominated), Natalie Portman best actress (she actually won), Christian Bale best supporting actor (he won too), Hailie Steinfeld best supporting actress (have you seen in her in True Grit) and Black Swan.

Hopefully next year there will be a bigger surprise element to it all. We'll see.

-CREE

Joe Schmo

2011-02-25T21:54:00.000-06:00

Apparently making a really shitty movie like Justin Bieber's Never Say Never earns you the right to direct another really shitty movie. Deadline.com is reporting that Jon Chu is going to direct G.I. Joe 2.

To be fair I didn't see Never Say Never, but I'm guessing that I can safely assume that the movie is a giant pile of poop. I did see the first G.I. Joe and I know for a fact that it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Channing Tatum should have stuck to porn, because he was closer to winning an Oscar in that genre than from starring in this crap.

-CREE

Exit Here...

2011-02-25T21:28:00.000-06:00

I caught a cool documentary on Netflix (view instantly) tonight. It's called Exit Through The Gift Shop and it's an amazingly personal and up-close look at some of the most gifted street artists in the world. The film focuses on Thierry Guetta, a French man who carries his video camera everywhere. Through a few twists of fate Guetta ends up with unprecedented access to these artists at work. He captures thousands of hours of footage.

One of the most elusive artists is known as Banksy and Guetta sets his sights on him. But in a way that only art can, things take a strange spin. Banksy ends up turning the camera on Guetta. We get to see what drives the film maker, why he can't put his camera down, and how he became obsessed with capturing this art form on film.

If you have any appreciation for art and the underground street art movement then you'll love this movie. It was a Sundance entrant and has won numerous festival awards. And like I said, for you Netflix subscribers...it's available to view instantly, right now.

-CREE

Change Is A'Comin

2011-02-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

I've teased recently that I want the site to be a little different than it has been. There are a lot of great television critics out there who are both professional and a hell of a lot better at doing this kind of thing than I am. I love TV and sometimes watching with a critical eye can actually take away from the enjoyment of television.

So, as promised I've finally decided on a slightly new angle. I'm creating my very on web-station, called CreeTV. This will allow me to do several things; since this is my own "station" I can now program it with anything I want. Meaning I can go back to talking about not only television, but anything news worthy in any format.

I'm not plugged in or connected to the show biz world at all. I have no insight, no sources, and nothing breaking to offer that's newsworthy. So why try to pretend to have those things?

What I do have is an opinion. And I'm happy to share each and every opinion that I have with you. This will not only allow a wider range of topics to be discussed, but it will hopefully provide those few people who check in on the site to find more posts that they're interested in.

I'll still post thoughts on my favorite television shows, but they'll be fewer an farther between. Instead I'll spend more time posting about other things like movie reviews, casting news, pilot pick-ups, and music.

The idea of my own "station" is a new concept and one that I think will provide me with more joy in writing every day. Honestly, writing a brief review of several shows each day is tedious. But I have this demon in me that curses me with the desire to write daily and I need this outlet. But I'm not going to limit it to just writing. I'll post podcasts, videos, and even some personal pictures. After all, this is CreeTV and I'm Cree, right?

So, I hope you'll take this ride with me and we'll see where it goes. For now the domain will stay the same, www.confessionsofatvjunkie.com but the Twitter name has changed. I'm also keeping the basic layout of the site the same for now. However, I expect both of those to change at some point in the future.

It's a new day and a new journey. Thanks for tuning in.

-CREE

The Friday Junk Pile

2011-02-25T08:07:00.000-06:00

A huge line of thunderstorms swept through last night, perfectly timed to knock out my DirecTV as Community and Big Bang Theory were taking to the air. By the time the weather people were off my screen I had given up on seeing any new shows on the DVR last night.

I did manage to catch The Office, which was sweet and funny. It was by no means a memorable episode and long after Michael Scott is gone no one will be able to recall this half hour. But that's okay to me. I don't mind a forgettable episode once in a while. I just don't want bad episodes followed by terrible episodes, which pretty much describes last season. I'd give this season a solid B so far. And let me say this...when Michael leaves the show I really hope that Todd Packer goes with him and doesn't come back.

Big Bang Theory last night was quite funny. I laughed hard several times, most notably at Sheldon after he had re-united with his gang. It was fun to see some of the memorable guest stars back last night as well. I always enjoy Stuart the comic book shop owner and Zach, Penny's ex. I can live without the guy with the lisp, but even he didn't bother me last night. As the Big Bang Theory universe continues to open up this show is finding new ways to be funny...which I always said was the key to this show being able to sustain itself.

Since I don't have any other shows to talk about today I want to take a second to discuss the latest in the Charlie Sheen drama. If you haven't heard his rant on a radio show yesterday morning then it's definitely worth a listen. You can hear the whole thing here: http://ow.ly/42Vzy

If you don't have time to listen to the 18 minute meltdown I'll quickly recap. The guy basically mocked CBS and Warner Brothers who produce the show. He called everyone that he works for clowns and turds and dared them to take him off the show. He saved the harshest words for the show's creator Chuck Lorre. He called him a Jewish slur and said that he violently hated him.

CBS responded quickly with a brief statement that said: “Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Brothers Television have decided to discontinue production of ‘Two and a Half Men’ for the remainder of the season.”

Does that mean the show is done for good? That's the million dollar question at this point. If I had to bet on it I'd say yes. However, I still feel like the producers should give it a try with out Charlie. Replace him with a distant relative or something. But there are enough characters to build the show around that things could work out. The ratings will never be the same, but there would be a lot of jobs saved.

The final point though is this...Charlie Sheen is a sick man. He needs help. And no matter whether he believes his "cure myself with my mind" bullshit or not he needs help. And shutting down this show and ending their relationship with him is the right way to go. For so long they have enabled his drug use and abusive nature and it's the right decision.

-CREE

The Thursday Junk Pile

2011-02-24T10:17:00.000-06:00

Anyone else see Mrs. Jennifer Lopez last night on Idol. I loved the raw emotion. I don't for one second think that she was faking her misery in having to send sentimental favorite Chris Medina home. What a tough, tough thing to do. But honestly, just based on his very last performance alone, I think it was the right thing to do.

Tonight promises to be another two hour snot fest as many other favorites are going to be sent packing. And then...the whole thing gets turned over to America...where anything can and will happen. The main thing I hate about the first few weeks of American Idol is how there are so many contestants that we don't get to know before they're thrust into the spotlight. So while the pool might not be tainted, it's definitely skewed.

Of the first five finalists I really like Clint Jun Gamboa, no matter what he did to baby faced Jacee and I like the soft-voiced guy we just met last night, Paul McDonald. I'm not a huge fan of Naima, but I like her considerably better than raspy-voiced belter Haley Reinhart.

Enough about American Idol. Let me take a second to say that I really enjoyed Modern Family last night. The horrible singing by Gloria made for a great running gag, while Mitchell and Cam stressed, for different reasons, over Cam's party. But the real show-stopped was Clarie and Phil's fight and the way that was told through flashbacks. I liked them breaking the couple up, Phil with Gloria for an outstanding haircut and Claire with her dad for a very vocal trip to the mall.

Lastly today I want to mention Justified. I mentioned last week that I'm working on an updated list of favorite television shows and favorite characters. I'm going to try to get that posted today or tomorrow. Last night's Justified helped make a couple of those decisions a lot easier as this show has climbed the ladder to the near top of my list. Raylan Givens is a character that men want to be, women want to be with, and bad guys tremble in fear at the sight of. And his main adversary, Boyd Crowder, may be the best villain on television since Benjamin Linus. You just never know what side he's going to end up being on.

-CREE

The Wednesday Junk Pile

2011-02-23T15:40:00.000-06:00

Last night was an okay night of television. Raising Hope gets funnier each and every week. Now that the characters and their world are established the writers are able to veer off course once in a while. This time that course takes them to a guest appearance by the always funny Amy Sedaris. Here she played Virginia's cousin/rival.

Glee on the other hand has become so hit or miss for me. The Super Bowl episode was atrocious, but the following night Ryan Murphy and gang offered up the best episode of the season. Since thing things have been very hot or very cold, usually quite a bit of both in every hour. The problem really lies in the fact that way too much plot is chewed up in a week's time. I mean, Rachel went from having never lived to becoming a party girl, to fag hag in about 15 minutes time. And when things are glossed over like that it doesn't hold any weight.

The other issue the show is having right now is the Sue problem. I've talked about it numerous times, but the character is being over-used and has pushed the lines so far that I don't think there's any coming back. While Sue was a great bad guy at one point, it's time for the show to introduce a new antagonist and move on from Sue. An occasional rant or wild stunt is still okay, because it's Jane Lynch at her best. Anything more than that and the show loses credibility.

The stuff that worked well last night though worked really well. I loved Will and Beast going to the cowboy bar. I loved Will being embarrassed over the intercom at the end of the hour. I thought the stuff with Kurt and Blaine was really great, although it could have been stretched over half a year and not half an hour.

-CREE

Another Creepy Movie Trailer

2011-02-22T17:58:00.002-06:00

American Idol

2011-02-22T16:17:00.000-06:00

Things are heating up over at American Idol. Since we're now getting very close to our finalists I thought I'd say a few words about the season thus far, the changes to the show, and an interesting announcement made today by the show's executive producer.

I hated the idea of Jennifer Lopez being named as one of the replacement judges. I've never had a serious dislike of Ms. Lo or anything, but she's never done anything for me either. I'm not a fan of music, she's had a couple of okay movies, and I couldn't tell you anything about her husband except that he looked really stoned at the Grammys. Oh yeah, she also nearly ruined Ben Affleck's career by over-exposing him in the tabloids.

But, I have to say that Jenny has a new block and it's the American Idol desk. She's right at home. A natural. And she's left me pretty impressed. She's funny, sweet, and about to rattle off a sentence without awkward silence or bad jokes. Now, she hasn't had to offer up a harsh critique or bash a live performance yet, so there's still some discoveries left to be made about her skills. But so far she gets a B.

Steven Tyler on the other hand gets an A. The dude is hilarious. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. When he loves something it shows. When he hates something, he says it. He's not mean like Simon, but the smartest thing the producers of Idol ever did was not doing something. They didn't try to replace Simon with a Simon clone. And it's paid off. Every time Tyler skipety-doo-wahs into a high note I smile with true joy.

The other thing helping American Idol this year is the talent pool. This is my fourth full Idol rodeo. And this is easily the most talented and deepest pool of contestants they've had in that time. During the initial auditions I was skeptical. I've been fooled before. The true test is Hollywood Week and I have to say that many, many contestants have indeed passed with flying colors. I have several early favorites and I can't wait to see them on the big stage singing their hearts out.

And that brings us to the announcement from this morning. Wednesday night's 2 hour episode was supposed to feature the contestants doing Beatles songs. Thursday night's two hour episode was supposed to feature The Green Mile, the ride up the elevator to the fate of each contestant. However, due to the high drama and the very tough choices that the judges had to make this year...the singing has been cut to one hour and then we'll jump right into the drama. So 1/2 the show Wednesday is singing. The other half is decision time. All of Thursday's show will be the cutting from 60 singers down to 20....BUT WAIT.

The choice was so hard that I'm now hearing that it will actually be 24 singers. And I'm hearing that Jennifer Lopez had numerous break downs over the tough choices. I can't wait to see how it all plays out. The numbers may be down just a bit, but Idol, in my opinion, is stronger now than it was two years ago.

-CREE

The Tuesday Junk Pile

2011-02-22T11:30:00.000-06:00

I missed you guys. Hope everyone had a fantastic President's Day, even if you weren't able to be off work for it. Last night proved to be an interesting night of television. I'll give you a sentence or two about How I Met Your Mother, The Chicago Code, House, and Chuck coming up right about...now.

How I Met Your Mother fell out of the blog rotation about a year ago. The show had become stale and the characters weren't growing or changing. One big issue I had was with Barney's sudden relationship with Robin and then sudden break-up with her. It felt forced and lazy; something that I wasn't used to seeing by the usually unique writers of this show. I actually quit watching it all together. But then I read an interview that swore this season was going to be better and decided to catch up with what I had missed. The end of last season crept to the finish line, going out with a whimper. And this season began in a similar fashion. And I was about to bail again...

But then two things happened. First, Zoey and Ted's relationship took an interesting turn at Thanksgiving and then Marshall's dad died shortly after. And those two things have sparked this show and returned it to some of its past glory. There's still some fundamental problems...like the fact that last night we got another clue about Ted meeting the mother of his children and me STILL not caring. And the fact that Barney is still a deplorable character, except when he's not. But at least the show has its mojo back and while Zoey isn't the mother, for now she's a perfect fit.

The Chicago Code turned it up another notch last night, finally giving us a glimpse of just how bad a man Alderman Gibbons really is. Between the Irish mafia, corrupt politicians, and an angry rank and file under her, Superintendent Colvin has her hands full. What I love though is that she's a smart, smart woman. I love that she doesn't get tricked by her newest Chief of Staff. She immediately knows that he's a Gibbons plant. What's also interesting is that the mayor is the one to make the appointment, meaning he may just be as dirty as Gibbons in the long run. Shawn Ryan got the casting just right on this one too. Jason Clarke is great as Wysocki and Delroy Lindo is a brilliant choice as the alderman. It was a great showcase for both of them last night.

House took a page out of the How I Met Your Mother playbook last night and turned time on it's head. The story was told on several layers between the school, the hospital, and Cuddy's home. It was a neat attempt and I appreciate the effort. By the end however I was tired of trying to follow it and was ready for it to be over. The stylish attempt would have had more of an impact had the case or House and Cuddy's fight been more meaningful. But neither were memorable or lasting and therefore the whole thing was kind of meaningless.

Chuck has been one of my favorite shows since it hit the airwaves. It's the little show that could. I love the characters, its charm, and it's playful attitude towards the spy world. But sometimes a show runs its course and needs to be put to rest. Smallville hit that place about five years ago. Desperate Housewives hit that wall two season ago. And I think Chuck has finally reached that place for me this year. The plots are no longer new or fresh. The bad guys seem to come out of nowhere. As soon as one is dead another is sprouting up with some evil plan. And with Chuck as Sarah together I want things to end happily for them before the writers need a contrivance to break them up. I love this show and it kills me to say this...but I hope this is the last season for it.

-CREE

Radiohead Release Video

2011-02-18T10:57:00.000-06:00

Here's the video for the new song Lotus Flower off the new album, "King of Limbs."

The Friday Junk Pile

2011-02-18T09:47:00.000-06:00

Very quick thoughts on Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Parks & Recreation, and Community.

Grey's Anatomy took a page out of the '24' handbook and did an hour in real time last night. The entire focus of the hour was Meredith and while she's not always the most interesting character it was nice to see the titular character get some much-needed screen time. The built-in pressure that a real-time episode creates allowed the cases to seem much more interesting than they have in recent weeks. Let's face it, I've long stopped watching for the cases and only care about the characters and their personal lives. But this allowed us to be more engaged with those in-and-out characters.

The highlight of the night for me was seeing Karev sign his charts, flirt with the new peds doc, and then give up his ticket to help a boy with hurt legs. That's the Alex that I like. He's much more interesting this way than as the brooding annoyance they write him as so often. I also enjoyed see the Chief's wife again, although it looks like we're getting yet another alzheimer's story. We'll see how this plays out.

The Office went way off the grid last night. In an episode that I thought was original, fun, and highly entertaining, we finally saw the Michael Scarn movie that Michael Scott has been working on for so long. I thought the entire half hour was inspired brilliance and the show really is on fire of late.

Community was much better this week, although Pierce is still on his way to becoming the least likable character on television. I thought I was the only one to feel this way, until I saw Alan Sepinwall's write up of the show last night. I normally don't read "professional" reviews before I write my own, but I had to see if anyone else was on the same page as me. And sure enough, the whole review was about that. LeVar Burton and Troy made the episode a classic! I love Reading Rainbow!

Lastly, Parks and Recreation was a little hit-or-miss for me last night. I still haven't fallen in love with Ben the way the writers want me to. I love Adam Scott and I think he is eventually going to find his groove-thang before it's over with. But a lot of time was spent last night on his young turn as small town mayor and I don't think the jokes were ready to be told yet. However, the April and Andy stories carried the night and I loved, loved, loved the end.

I'm off on Monday for President's Day. I'll see you guys Tuesday with another Junk Pile.

-CREE

Creepy Trailer

2011-02-17T09:06:00.000-06:00

Here's a trailer for a movie that I was skeptical about seeing until I read some good early reviews of. It's by the producers of Paranormal Activity and directed by James Wan who helmed the first SAW movie.

The Thursday Junk Pile

2011-02-17T08:58:00.000-06:00

I'm going to touch on the sounds of American Idol, the humor in Modern Family, the second episode of Mr. Sunshine, and the second episode of Justified. Plus some interesting TV news!

American Idol is finally on to Hollywood week and the torturous audition phase is finally in the books. Last night was group round and it's always one of the most interesting episodes of the season. This is the round where the pre-performance filler is way more interesting than the performances. See, I'm not a fan of forcing the solo artists to sing in groups. I'm sure there's a strategy behind it. Maybe the judges just need to hear the harmony skills of the contestants. But most of the time my early favorites bomb this round and get sent home. Right now I think my two favorites are Clint (the dude with the big white glasses) and Scotty (especially after he felt back for what they did to JC). But the group is still 100 large and it's too early to put my finger on an official early front runner. You'd have to put Chris Medina up there along with Julie Zorillo (sp) though, right?

Modern Family followed up a very funny Valentine's Day episode with another solid outing. This time the big laughs came from Jay, Gloria, and Manny as they recorded the book reading for Lily. I also got a big kick out of the answering machine bit. The Phil and Claire story with Matt Dillon and Shelly Long was a little over the top, as most guest appearances are on this show. But it still had its moments, like Phil hugging it out with him after dinner. Cam and Mitchell were both in their element this week, planning a princess party and any return of Fizbo the Clown is always welcomed by me.

Mr. Sunshine definitely grew on me from week one to week two. It still has a long ways to go to make a permanent call on it either way. But there were a few bits this week that made me say, "if they'd just focus on that type of joke I'd really like this show." So I'll keep at it for a few more weeks and see how the writers work the kinks out.

Justified was wonderful again this week, even though they have brought back the stand-alone story. The difference this time versus the same time last season is that there was also plenty of time spent on the big bads for this season. We got a chunk of time at the beginning with Mags and her boys and then we spent some time with Boyd before getting to Raylan's new assignment. The pregnant escaped convict was indeed a fun plot and now that we know Raylan so well I can live with a few of these stand-alones before we get to the meat of the season. I'd still prefer a fully serialized show, but that's not what Graham Yost wants this to be. At least we got a few minutes of Arlo this week, the scenes with him and his son are always classics.

You might have heard. David E. Kelly is re-making the television show Wonder Woman. It's the weirdest choice for a show runner that I've seen in a long time. Kelly, best know for his work on Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal, and Harry's Law (you get the lawyer theme yet?) is not the person you'd expect attached to a super hero show. Alan Sepinwall even wrote about how often Kelly portrays women in a way that sets back the feminist movement by a few decades and this is the strongest woman in the comic book world. But, like Sepinwall, I fully agree that the casting of Adrianne Palicki is inspired brilliance and deserves to be taken note of. With her in the lead, if this thing goes to series, I'll have no choice but to tune in.

-CREE

The Wednesday Junk Pile

2011-02-16T11:40:00.000-06:00

The Good Wife went sexy, Lights Out went blurry, and Raising Hope went grody last night and I'm going to talk about those things right now!

The Good Wife isn't part of my normal rotation of shows. Mostly that's because I just recently stormed through the first season and a half and last night was the first time I watched an episode on the night it aired since the pilot. I thought that the Social Network style case was kind of boring, but I loved seeing Will and Diane working together to bring down the Aaron Sorkin-like character. What we really want to talk about this morning is the steamy scene between Kalinda and Blake. Not only was it very intense, but we got a big reveal out of it. The woman we know as Kalinda is married to a man who knows her by a different name. Good stuff.

Lights Out continues to chug along, bringing us closer and closer to Patrick getting back in the ring for a fight. I like the stuff with the brother and I'm digging any scenes with boxing promoter Barry Word, but I find most of the family scenes pretty boring. The show is really hitting the surface of the boxing world and not doing a good job of really digging in to any new ground. I'm with it through the first season, but if a doubtful second season does get pushed through I don't know if I'll be on board.

Raising Hope took it to a whole new level last night. All of the scenes involving the video camera were great. And I loved the bits with the germs under black light. But what sold the show entirely was the sweet ending and Maw Maw's running at the ice cream truck. This cast has really gelled and it's one of my favorites these days.

-CREE

The Tuesday Junk Pile

2011-02-15T09:45:00.000-06:00

Wasn't last night a great night for television? How I Met Your Mother was wonderful, with Marshall reverting back to his teenage self and Ted finally getting closer to Zoey. Plus Barney's Desperation Day antics were quite funny.

And then there was The Chicago Code, which has now set the tone for what the series is going to be. While it will never be The Shield sometimes I find myself thrown off when the camera is not shaking during a chase scene. The characters are rich and I hope they find the time for us to get to know what makes each one of the main players tick.

House was a 50-50 episode for me last night. I loved the stuff with Taub and Foreman, but I couldn't get into the case at all. And we finally got some more Wilson action. The stuff with House and Sarah the cat was hilarious and disturbing in a way that only the good doctor can be. I'm also glad that they addressed House's guilt over him being happy and Wilson not being so. It was a nice human touch on the episode. I can't wait to see Foreman and Taub living together. Should be fun!

Do you have DirecTV? What about HD on DirecTV? If so, check out HDNet channel 306. There's a show called Drinking Made Easy and it's awesome. These three guys travel the country hitting up local bars to find out how to make their signature drinks. It's a riot and anyone who likes a tasty spirit once in a while would get a kick out of it.

Fans of Fringe...this block is for you. The show has moved to Fridays and the ratings have dipped below the safe-for-renewal line. I'd step up your viewing right now. WB is in talks with Fox about lowering the licensing fees to keep it on the air for one more season. Allowing it to wrap up all of it's lose threads. I have fallen behind on the show, but if it gets to wrap things up completely then I'll go back and watch the entire series over the summer.

Happy Tuesday everyone. New Justified tonight!

-CREE

The Amazing Spider-Man

2011-02-14T14:15:00.001-06:00

Here's a first look at Andrew Garfield in the Spider-Man suit. The movie has officially been named The Amazing Spider-Man and will be released in July of 2010. It's being shot entirely in 3-D.

The Monday Junk Pile

2011-02-14T13:54:00.000-06:00

It's Monday and that could only mean one thing; more Charlie Sheen news. Apparently Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has decided to cut the episode order by four, leaving just four more shows to be produced this season. This will allow Sheen more time to recover from his recent benders and to continue to work the program he's in. Good for them.

However, this isn't a happy ending for all involved. For one, the crew of the show is reportedly upset that they're going to have four paychecks less than what they anticipated. Secondly, the center ring of this circus told Dan Patrick this morning that he's ready to go back to work and is pissed that they're cutting back on the number of episodes.

Look, for Charlie's sake I think he needs as much time off as possible to get clean and get healthy. However, it's really not cool that this dude's jacked-up lifestyle has caused other people to be put out of work. CBS has a huge mess on their hands and there's really nothing they can do to get around it. The thing is, if the show was suffering because of Sheen's antics then they could just cancel the thing. But, the show's ratings go up every time Sheen's in the news and therefore there's no way they can cancel.

At this point the best case scenario might be for Charlie to get fed up with CBS trying to babysit him and not renegotiate a contract for next season. Then the show could be canned and everyone could go about their merry way.

In other news, I watched the Grammy Awards last night. First time in a decade that I've watched the whole thing. I have to say, I came away impressed by Muse, The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, and even B.O.B. and Bruno Mars. It was a pretty good show but I wouldn't expect to be tuning in on a regular basis. It still hurts my ears to hear too much GaGa or Katy Perry.

-CREE

Radiohead Make Music

2011-02-14T10:40:00.000-06:00

Not surprisingly Radiohead have announced a brand new album...which will be out this Saturday. The new collection is called "The King of Limbs" and will be available at a fixed price for download. Most of you don't care, but the music snobs who read this blog certainly do and I'm one of them. So, I'll let ya know how it is.

-CREE

The Thursday Junk Pile

2011-02-10T12:15:00.000-06:00

Just a few very brief lines about Modern Family, Mr. Sunshine, and Justified.

Modern Family revisited the Valentine's Day plot from last season when Claire and Phil decided to pretend to be other people for a sexual adventure. It was funny last year and it was funny again here. I liked Mitchell and Cam's spat over who was being crushed over by the assistant and then the delivery guy. And I really enjoyed Gloria "winning" Valentine's Day. An enjoyable episode indeed.

Mr. Sunshine got off to a solid start. The numbers were pretty good, about 10 million people tuned in. I got a few good chuckles out of the half hour and I'll definitely be tuning in to see how these story lines shape up. I've seen the obvious comparisons to the other "Friends" alum's show Cougar Town and that certainly deserved. Sunshine is taking the same spot that Cougar Town has held for a year and a half. Both shows are ensemble comedies, but neither of them knew that in their pilot episodes. Mr. Sunshine has some very broad characters and the success of this show depends on how the writers reel those folks in and make them original, likable, and believable. It's off to a promising start though.

Justified returned and Raylan Givens just might be one of my favorite characters on TV these days. I've been working on a list of my current favorite characters and he's definitely on the list. What's more, he has some great bad guys to face off with this year. Not only is Boyd back...and there's no telling what he's up to...but there's now the Bennet's lead by Mama Mags. And how good of an idea is it to have this sweet, innocent seeming woman play Raylan's new adversary? It's down right brilliant. This is going to be a fun, fun season.

-CREE

Quick News

2011-02-09T12:55:00.001-06:00

What's the world coming to when a fine couple like Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz can't stay together? Well okay, so that's not really shocking news is it? Let me tell you what is shocking; Norm Macdonald landed two... TWO, yes two new jobs yesterday. This is the same Norm that pretty much hasn't done anything in years. And yet he landed two gigs yesterday.

First up the furry headed guy is going to become the new host of "High stakes Poker." And then he's landed his own Daily Show style sports show on Comedy Central. The sports show will be a weekly program and run for eight weeks. Depending on the success of that show we'll see where it goes from there. This show has been floating around as an idea since Macdonald hosted the ESPY Awards in 1998. Yeah, they've moved quickly on this one.

In other news, this time of the exciting variety Zooey Deschanel is going to headline her first ever television show...assuming the pilot gets picked up to series. The Fox show will focus on the sexual politics between men and women.

Richard Alpert, known better to his friends as Nestor Carbonell, is joining Sarah Michelle Gellar in the pilot of the CBS show The Ringer. I'm always thrilled when any LOST alum gets a new gig. If this one gets picked up to series I'll definitely check it out to see what kind off goodness a Buffy/Richard pairing can bring us.

One of my favorite TV actresses is returning to the small screen. And with a familiar name to boot. Rachel Bilson won over hearts on The O.C. and now she's been picked to headline Josh Schwartz's new The CW show. 'Hart of Dixie' is about a small town doctor who treats some very 'eclectic and eccentric' patients. I haven't watched a CW show in a long time...but this one I may tune in for.

And lastly Audra McDonald is going to be leaving Private Practice at the end of this season. I don't know that this is really that big of a deal. Naomi has been a marginalized character for a while now and I don't feel like she's been utilized to the best of her abilities of late. Rumors are that she'll return to guest star on a regular basis.

-CREE

The Wednesday Junk Pile

2011-02-09T01:25:00.001-06:00

Hey Hey! A much better offering from Glee last night. Plus the return of Raising Hope and new comedy Traffic Light.

Glee is at its best when the story is about the kids. Sue's Super Bowl episode was really annoying and while I love the character it's getting harder and harder to buy a teacher that would so blatantly be out to harm the well being of her students. So last night's Valentine episode was a nice departure from Will-centric, Sue-centric, and Emma -centric fare. The hour was a temperature check on all of the relationships currently taking place. The highlight was Artie's Michael cover with the fancy dance moves taking place around his wheelchair. Lea Michelle's Fireworks was also great. I'm glad the show redeemed itself tonight. Plus let's give props to the writers for finally finding a way to get Kurt and the Worblers more involved with the gang.

Raising Hope was hitting on all cylinders last night. Anytime we get a heavy dose of MawMaw it's a good thing. The maids making fun of Jimmy's Spanish was also a nice touch. And even though the "man-friend" plot was a little too I Love You, Man it had some great moments, like the telephone message scene. Great stuff.

Fox also debuted Traffic Light last night. It's a comedy about three male friends all at different stages in their love lives. There's a married guy who also has a child. There's the guy that has a girlfriend who has just moved in with him. And there's the friend that is the perpetual bachelor. It's a similar premise to Better With You and Perfect Couples. Of the three this is definitely my favorite. The guys are all likable and you can see why they'd all be friends. But at the same time the plot comes off as somewhat contrived and it makes it hard to buy-in. Every couple in the world is different. They each have their own rhythms and cadences. It's going to be an uphill battle to make these relationships feel natural and not like they're being forced into situations to fit a format each week. I'm in for now, because the show was funny. But my finger is on the trigger and I'm bailing at the first sign of a hiccup.

Wednesday night is a big night. New episodes of Modern Family plus American Idol goes to Hollywood. ABC is also debuting Matthew Perry's new show Mr. Sunshine and Justified is back for it's second season on FX. Looking forward to a great night of television.

-CREE

The Tuesday Junk Pile

2011-02-08T15:46:00.001-06:00

Chicago Code and House on the Junk Pile today!

Chicago Code debuted to modest numbers, about 9.4 million viewers. Which is a good number and should keep it on the air. However, the hope was that the numbers would be higher considering all of the Super Bowl ads on Sunday night. House saw a good bump in it's stats thanks to the Super Bowl, but it didn't carry over to the new cop drama, which only held 76% of it's lead-in.

But how was the show? It was excellent. Rich, well-drawn characters, a fast Shawn Ryan-style pace and a great corruption arc are indeed a recipe for success. Cop dramas have been done and then done again, so it's nice to see a fresh take on the genre. Now, it's not entirely original, but it's definitely fresh and refreshing. Hopefully viewers stick around for a few more weeks and allows the show to find it's footing. It has some major potential to be great.

House was back with a Huddy heavy episode featuring Candice Bergen as Mama Cuddy. Now, I didn't really like the "switch this med with this one" plot contrivances, but those aside the rest of the hour was great. I loved Taub's side plot. I also enjoyed the guy's reluctance to go along with House's antics. And Amber Tamblyn continues to shine in a role that I'm going to be really sad to see her leave. The scene in Cuddy's office and then her mom's room were two of the most intense moments of the season. Nicely done.

-CREE

The Monday Junk Pile

2011-02-07T13:30:00.001-06:00

I have some quick thoughts on the Super Bowl and the post game Glee episode. And I want to remind everyone that Shawn Ryan's new show The Chicago Code is debuting tonight on Fox. The reviews are in and they show is getting passing grades.

The Super Bowl was great last night. We had a flubbed national anthem, the worst half time show in the history of music, and a game that was interesting and entertaining throughout. So really there was a little bit for everyone. And the commercials were better last night than they have been the last three or four years. So I say the night was a success.

Glee was less entertaining. The sports portions of the show were so bad that I cringed several times. I know it's not a sports show and I know it's not supposed to be realistic, but come on. You have to give me something. I love Coach Beast, but even she kept saying "we're playing for championship" and not "we're playing for THE championship." It's a rookie mistake. No sports fan leaves out the THE there. The musical performances were just okay and the Thriller mash-up was built up to be way better than it actually was. This one just didn't do it for me.

Hope you guys had a great Super Bowl night. See ya tomorrow.

-CREE

The Friday Junk Pile

2011-02-04T15:25:00.000-06:00

Finally a full night of TV! The Office, Community, Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, and Grey's Anatomy. I didn't get to see Private Practice so I'll skip that one today.

Community was certainly funny, but I'd read so many advanced reviews claiming it to be in the upper echelon of the show's history...and it didn't reach those heights for me. My biggest issue was that the episode was so talk-heavy and didn't really spend any time on anything visually stimulating, (Troy's smile aside). My other bg issue is that Pierce is becoming meaner and meaner and he's almost become intolerable. Maybe being a big dude makes me extra sensitive to the "Fat Neil" jokes, but I almost couldn't take it. However, it did have it's moments, especially Chang's dark-faced elf and Annie's very descriptive seduction of another player. Oh yeah...and that Hector the Well Endowed was meant for Troy.

The Office was excellent this week and I'm so glad that the show is striving to send Steve Carell out on top. I love him and Holly together and that episode was just a beautiful set-up to bring those two back together. Meanwhile the Gabe bashing was epic. Just a great episode all the way around.

Parks and Recreation started off just a little slow for me. I hate Twilight and the first half was very reliant on being on the inside of that craze...but once Will Forte was unlocked and we got the town hall meeting things really kicked into high gear. I really love seeing Andy and Chris together. Pretty much Andy and anyone, because last week he was with Ron and it was brilliant as well. And how funny was that final dig on Jerry. Now folks 50 years from now will know just what a sad-sack his co-workers thought he was. Poor guy.

Big Bang Theory was the weakest of the new shows last night, but it was still pretty good. It really was a great night of television. I loved all of the bits with Raj and his sex dreams about Bernadette. Their Bollywood musical number at the end was a classic right up there with the Kitty song. Penny and Sheldon are always good for a laugh and it finally came when he broke down and they had to call his mom in the acting session. Great work by Jim Parsons.

Lastly was Grey's Anatomy, which is finally diving into the clinical trial. And Meredith is going to be involved with that. The baby stuff with Callie, Mark, and Arizona is all a little soapy for me, but I like them all so much that I'm willing to go with it for a little while. Cristina's deception of Avery was nice touch and it's so good to see her back to being herself again! Bailey's scene with Webber was another great moment for Chandra Wilson. And Shonda Rhymes did a great job showing just how great technology can be sometimes.

-CREE

The Thursday Junk Pile

2011-02-03T11:10:00.000-06:00

The only two options to discuss today are Cougar Town and American Idol. So I'll get right into those in this very brief Junk Pile.

American Idol is finally winding down the auditions, which to millions is the best part of the show. For me it's tedious and it's starting to wear thin. They don't even show half of the people that get golden tickets, instead they waste over half the time showing people getting rejected and crying...and crying...and crying. It's super annoying. And so this will be the last thing I have to say about Idol until they get to Hollywood Which by my calculations should be next week maybe?

Cougar Town has been down the last two weeks so it was nice to have an episode as strong as this one carry us into the hiatus. The show is taking a break in order for another 'Friends' alum, Matthew Perry, to get his show a little airtime. From the previews Mr. Sunshine doesn't look that funny, but I'll give it a shot. As far as Cougar Town last night, how many great lines were there? Tons. How about the Andy and Bobby stare down (you guys finally kissed, and only one of you liked it). Or Bobby and Laurie's awesomely named "bitch and ditch." The show was rock solid all the way through. Loved Travis taking the sexy pictures, although I knew that was going to backfire in the long run. I had a blast watching it all of the way down to the last line..."Order me the ribs...bitch"

-CREE

The Wednesday Junk Pile

2011-02-02T13:24:00.001-06:00

What's up guys. Tuesday Night TV was once again pretty slow minus a new episode of Light's Out, which I've yet to see. But I will talk a minute about that show as well as The Cape, Criminal Minds, and American Idol.

Light's Out has been a great addition to the FX family. It fits right in with their style of show. and that's why it's so disappointing that once again a show that enjoy is so ratings challenged. Terriers was one of the best shows on television this fall, but no one noticed. It premiered with sub-par numbers (around 1.5 million) and then quickly faded to where it was only pulling in around half a million a week. Light's Out premiered with similar numbers and while the show hasn't dipped to the lows of Terriers, they are sub 1 million and that's not good for the longevity of the show. I expect this to be a one and done.

So does that mean I'm giving up on Light's Out? Not at all. There's no way. I thought Terriers was a wonderful drama and I feel like I would have really missed out on something special if I hadn't stuck with it. I feel the same way about the slow build of Light's Out. I know the show is going to end in a dramatic and engaging way and there's no way I wouldn't check out this entire season just because we might not get a sequel next year.

Hey, fans of The Cape, you better start preparing yourself. NBC just took the ratings-challenged show down from 13 episodes to 10. That means it's likely on death-watch. The difference between an FX show like Light's Out and an NBC show like The Cape is that Light's Out is pretty much in the can by the time it starts airing. The network doesn't have several shows to throw in its place if it's suffering in the ratings. NBC's The Cape however is still writing and shooting even as it airs right now. And they can take a 13 episode season and shorten it, basically ruining whatever long term arc was planned. Yep, that's why The Cape is officially off my DVR as of this morning. When you jack with the writing and the planned story you lose me.

American Idol is issuing an apology to their fans. But we don't know what for. All we got was an ominous message from Ryan Seacrest telling us to check out the "top of the show." I'll be tuning in to see what all of the fuss is about, but unless it's an apology for Simon leaving the show, I'm not that interested.

And lastly, as you know I'm not a huge fan of procedurals, but a few have grown on me. One of them is Criminal Minds. I was turned on to it by a friend who found the creepy bad guy of the week to be a writing inspiration and I have to agree with her whole-heartedly. I still don't watch this one weekly, but if nothing else is on I will catch it here and there. BUT, there's a spin-ff coming soon and I think I'm going to give it a try. Why? Well, it stars Forrest Whitaker for starters. Plus several other high profile folks. Here's a sneak peek.

-CREE

The Monday Junk Pile

2011-01-31T21:40:00.000-06:00

Shameless and Californication were the only two new shows this week. I could see Californication being a very divisive episode. It was one of the sillier and out-there episodes in a show full of them. I got a few chuckles out of Fisher Stevens as the billionaire and out of the reaction of each character upon finding him behind the door. I also enjoyed Marcy and Karen's trip to the store and subsequent pregnancy test. And I'm thrilled by the arrival of Michael Ealy as a potential new love interest for Karen. So ultimately I give this one a thumbs up, but I might have enjoyed it better if I were baked with Hank and Stu.

Shameless continues to be one of my favorite new shows and it's chaotic nature is like a drug. I keep hoping for more and more long after it's over. I can't even put my finger on anything else that makes me love it. Honestly, it's ludicrous with some of the hijinks, like Aunt Ginger last week and the kidnapping this week. But I just love spending time for this family. I just hope they take the dangers of what they are involved with seriously. There have to be consequences to some of these actions at some point.

-CREE

The Friday Junkie

2011-01-27T21:54:00.000-06:00

Without a new Grey's or Private Practice and with Big Bang Theory being on a break the NBC comedies got all of the spotlight this Thursday night. And what a great slate of episodes to have on the air with-out the heavy competition on against them.

Community provided both a sweet and sassy story with Annie getting the highlights this week. In her moment of weakness she let Pierce give her money and he in turn took that as buying his way into being in charge of the anti-drug play. Meanwhile Shirley tried to ignore the fact that Chang might be a baby-daddy while Jeff played loose ad fast with Britta's underage cousin. All of the plots worked very well together and the silly play ended up being hilarious with Chang saving the day and earning a little face time with Shirley for him. 8=>

The Office opened with a classic scene featuring the one and only Michael Scott finally meeting the one and only David Brent. It was a glorious moment and just another reminder that they finally had the heads of both The Office series meet because Steve Carell is heading off the show soon. This week's episode had a lot of good moments. I especially loved both Kevin and Creed's presentations. I loved Oscar getting competitive and possessive of the Scrabble game. And I loved Michael helping out Andy with some good advice before going one step too far with his Greek character with Holly. The only bit that didn't really work for me was Jim's bit with the old classmate. It was random and didn't feel natural. Unless they revisit this later then it was a throw away plot of Jim, who wasn't even on the show after the opening last week.

Let's take a moment to talk about the big announcement on Wednesday that Will Ferrell has signed on for a four episode arc to end this season. One can only guess that he'll be used as a fill-in boss for Michael as he rides off into the sunset. I'm not a Will Ferrell fan, but there are two things I like about this decision. The first is that this gives us a great Anchor Man reunion which is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The second is that this will certainly bring in some major viewer numbers for a show that's going to need some momentum going into next season without it's biggest star. So we'll see if this works out or not. For now I'm hopeful and remaining positive.

Parks and Recreation fired off a doozy this week as the flu made its way through Pawnee. How awesome was the interaction between Ben and Leslie this week? It was magical and for the first time I really feel like Adam Scott is now at home on the show. But the real scene stealer this week was Ann who both held her own with the immovable object that is April and then relished the fact that Chris wasn't the perfect microchip that he sometimes seems to be. And props to Rob Lowe who couldn't stop...pooping. What an amazing scene. Another sweet closing between Andy and April this week. And let's not forget just how great Ron and Andy were together this week. Just the sound of a meat tornado made my mouth water. This was great use of the entire cast this week and I loved every minute of it.

I'll be without internet this weekend as I'm getting ATT U-Verse installed. I'll be back on Monday with reviews of the Sunday shows including Shameless which continues to enthrall me.

-CREE

The Thursday Junk Pile

2011-01-27T17:13:00.000-06:00

Not much new on the tube Wednesday night either, but I'll touch on the brand new Cougar Town and American Idol a week into the new set-up.

Is it possible that Cougar Town is being held back by Courtney Cox. As you all know, I've had nothing but great things to say about this show, but as the weeks go by I'm finding it harder and harder to like Jules. It seems to me like maybe the writers understand this as the whole episode this week was about her being an insufferable dictator...except that in the end it wasn't Jules that was changing for her friends it was them who announced that they loved her, flaws and all. Now the episode was pretty funny and I'm not close to bailing on it. I'm just trying to learn how to not clinch every time Cox is on the screen.

I have to admit, I may just be in love with Steven Tyler on American Idol. He's hilarious, he's honest, he infuses the set with a sense of fun that it's lacked for a few seasons and damn if it doesn't seem like he's been doing this for years. And Jennifer Lopez is adding just as much as Paula or Ellen ever did. I think we've got a winning combination. Now we'll know more about them during the Hollywood rounds and we'll find out if they have what it takes to make the tough calls. But for right now, I'm really enjoying it. It helps that the talent last night was up a big notch from where it was last week and that makes things even better.

Tonight on TV we have a brand new Parks and Rec, The Office, and Community. Should be a great night!

-CREE

The Wednesday Junk Pile

2011-01-26T15:09:00.001-06:00

Not much on television last night because it was State of the Union night. So let me catch you up on a couple of things going on in the TV world.

The Talk has been renewed on CBS. I'm a long ways from the target demo, which is mommies, but I've seen a couple of episodes. What? Daytime TV sucks. Anyway, it's a worthy option vs The View and I like most of the cast.

ABC has ordered a pilot for a show about Edgar Allen Poe. Set in the 1840s the drama will follow the world's first detective as he uses unorthodox methods to solve crimes in Boston. Interested?

And I'll leave you with this... Grey's Anatomy is doing a musical episode. And Kate Walsh is returning for the hour. I always complain when a show does a musical episode and then I usually end up really liking it. So I'll check it out and see what kind of stamp Shonda Rhymes puts on the gimmick.

Cougar Town is new tonight. There's more American Idol auditions to look forward to. And this is the last week I'm giving Off the Map to capture me. Right now I feel pretty indifferent towards the show.

-CREE

Movie Review - The Green Hornet

2011-01-24T10:17:00.002-06:00

I'll be honest the only reason I wanted to see this movie was because Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) directed it. He has such an unusual vision and a flare for bringing the unreal to life that I thought the superhero genre might be a nice fit for him. My interest did grow with the later previews, featuring The Green Hornet and Kato in Black Beauty singing along to Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. So, off I went, paying way too much money for a 3-D film.

The movie is listed as an action comedy. And there was plenty of action. It was in those scenes that you could really see Gondry's style come out. And those were the most fun bits in the entire movie. The comedy on the other hand was lacking. Seth Rogen co-penned the script and at times I felt like I was watching a Seth Rogen stand-up and not seeing Britt Reid on screen. And that's where the movie lost me.

Things got worse as the comedy and the action began to overlap. Every shot was messy and cluttered and what had been toeing the line of being too over-the-top finally did a nose dive over the edge.

There were some bright spots, including Jay Chou as a funny and very engaging Kato. He makes the movie worth seeing, even through all of its other faults. With a little more English and a little more American film training he could be the new Jackie Chan. He has that kind of star power quality.

Christoph Waltz played the bad guy and as much as I loved him in Inglorious Basterds that's exactly how much I didn't like him here. I like my bad guys to be masterminds or at least to take their jobs seriously. And that's still possible in a comedy flick. But here he's a limp noodle who's just off his rocker. He doesn't know what he's doing or why he's doing it from one scene to the next.

This is further proof that sometimes fanboys need to step away from a project they love and let someone with fresh eyes take a look. Rogen wanted this to be his masterpiece and instead it was just another showcase of his sometimes-funny/sometimes-not acting ability.

Movie Grade: C+

-CREE

The Monday Junk Pile

2011-01-24T09:57:00.000-06:00

So, last week I started a daily write up called The (Daily) Junkie. And I liked the name of it. I felt like it had some pop and it was very clear that it was a daily round-up of television shows. Except it sounded really familiar to me and I couldn't pinpoint why. UNTIL...I got an email yesterday notifying me of the new Sunday Junkie being posted on my favorite MMA site. Aha. No wonder it sounded so familiar. I've only been reading that thing for a year now.

So long story short, after one short week, the daily write-ups are now going to be called The Junk Pile and The Junkie. Cool? Good. Well let's get to it.

Last night was pretty free of new television since everyone was trying to get out of the way of the NFL championship games. Big Love was new, but I haven't had the chance to watch it yet...because of the aforementioned NFL games. I'll make sure to write it up as soon as I see it - probably tonight.

So, Steelers and Packers huh? Sounds like a potentially good game to me. I just don't like either team enough to want to hear about them all day and all night for the next two weeks. I'll be rooting for the Packers since I can't stand Big Ben. But if I had to make a prediction right now I'm taking the Steelers 31 Packers 24.

Happy Monday

-CREE

The Friday Junkie

2011-01-21T10:39:00.000-06:00

Parks and Recreation was back (finally) and The Office, Community, and Big Bang Theory all offered up laughs on a superb Thursday night of television.

Let's start with Big Bang Theory which took us on a road trip, Sheldon style. I loved the different bed shifts, each one having it's own little inside joke or issue to deal with. Seeing Howard being insecure about a handsome 6'7 guy that "Bernie" once dated was both believable and hilarious, because let's face it, Howie doesn't stand a chance in a competition with a guy like that and he knows it. And that was the catalyst for a very funny episode that got a lot of great mileage out of Penny and finally brought us back to the Penny and Leonard drama. I'm not one of those people that needs a good romantic arc for my comedies, but I've always liked this pairing because I like rooting for the underdog.

The Office was The Office last night. There was plenty of Michael being abrasive and abusive, especially to Kevin. But what made this feel like vintage Office and not modern Office was the fact that it was done in a very funny way. Brian Baumgartner's reaction to being forced to eat the broccoli was wonderful and the fact that he didn't even eat it correctly really sold the joke. But in between all of the madness, Michael and Holly still have a connection and she knows it. Even when making Michael pay for his intrusive and not-so-disguised ploys she still sneaks away to tell AJ that maybe things need to be put on hold. The C-plot this week was a skating trip for Dwight, Andy, and Darryl. It had it's moments, especially Darryl's reaction to the Monday afternoon strip club personnel. Overall I really liked this episode.

Community was a more emotionally heavy show than we're used to seeing. I was also really shocked to see them bring up Chang and Shirley's romance in such a way that actually acknowledges that the zombie episode was real. But there were still laughs, including Malcolm Jamal Warner's nod to his Bill Cosby-type sweater. And I loved Chang's slow clap. Every time he did it I laughed. His Chang-puns wouldn't have been that funny without Jeff recognizing them and admonishing them every time, but the writer's probably knew that and that's why they worked. I'm curious to see where things go with Mark and Annie & Jeff and Annie & Jeff and Mark. And is Shirley really going to have a half-Asian baby?

Parks and Recreation was the highlight of the night. I've missed the Pawnee peeps quite a bit and they didn't disappoint upon their return. And what a grand return it was, with Leslie visiting each of her co-workers and wrangling them back up. Her decision to throw Jerry's art in the lake was both hilarious and horrifying. Poor, poor Jerry. Ron Swanson was a God last night, both with his pyramid of greatness and his Bobby Knight tirade. Oh you beautiful, beautiful man. The newbies also had a lot of good action, especially Rob Lowe. His over-the-top perkiness and cheer are both a nice comedic tick and a perfect plot device to draw someone like Ann into his charm. As for Andy and April, well the two of them have a long ways to go, but I'm pulling for him. April can be a mean, mean chick and that's usually when she's at her funniest.

-CREE

I Have Faith In Nolan...

2011-01-20T17:03:00.000-06:00

I have to say that after it was announced yesterday that Christopher Nolan was bring Catwoman into the fold for his new Batman movie I was pretty disappointed. No offense to Anne Hathaway, who I think is a fine actress, but come on...been there done that. Halle Berry's terrible Catwoman movie made me pretty much hate the character.

But then I took a step back and remembered just who was in charge of this decision. You know many people groaned at the name Heath Ledger when it was announced that he would take on the iconic role of the Joker that Jack Nicholson played so well. But Christopher Nolan was right about that and Ledger will forever be remembered for his award winning portrayal. So I am going to trust him.

I was pleased to hear that Tom Hardy will be playing the other villain, Bane. The strong man character, best known as "the man who broke the bat" is an escaped convict who is made super strong after being pumped full of drugs.

We've still got a ways to go before we see the new movie on the big screen, but does this announcement get you excited about the conclusion of Nolan's trilogy?

-CREE

The King Is Dead

2011-01-20T10:17:00.000-06:00

Wanna hear the album I just reviewed in the previous post? I think you do. Here is a link to a live performance of the full album "The King is Dead" by The Decemberists.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/19/133026865/the-decemberists-the-king-is-dead-live-from-portland

-CREE

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

2011-01-20T09:45:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try to put a little more focus on music up here on the blog this year. TV is still the name of the game, but occasionally it's good to thrown in movies or music to the mix. The first great album of the year has arrived and it comes in the form of The Decemberists and their new album, "The King Is Dead".

Not familiar with the Portland, Oregon based band? Don't worry, they'll be a household name before it's over with. Of their six albums this is easily the most broad offering and is also the most accessible. It's not a complex listen by any stretch, which is odd to say about a band coming off an amazing rock opera. This one is more or less a slice of Americana. There is an obvious flare for Gin Blossoms and not surprisingly an R.E.M. vibe throughout. I say not surprisingly because Peter Buck is featured on several tracks.

The King is Dead is an album that you can listen to when you're in any number of moods. For a rock fix you can listen to the first track "Don't Carry it All" or the best track on the album "Down by the Water." If you're looking for something more mellow, there's plenty to like about the powerful "Rise to Me" or the impressively layered "This is Why We Fight." If you just like music and want a song to enjoy then "Rox in the Box" is at your service.

Coming in at just 10 tracks and around 40 minutes the album flies by. It demands numerous listens as Colin Meloy's voice demands that you sing along with him. What this one lacks in complexity it makes up for in pure joy. This is a must-buy.

Album Grade: A

-CREE

Top Albums of 2010

2011-01-20T09:33:00.000-06:00

Here is my list of Top 10 albums of 2010. As you can see they range from modern rock (Linkin Park) to rap (Eminem) to indie (Sleigh Bells) to country (Jamey Johnson). Each one added something to my life this year. You know how much music drives me and how empty I feel when I can't have a great album accompany my daily deeds. So here are my favorites for last year.

10. The Dead Weather "Sea of Cowards"
9. Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More"
8. Sleigh Bells "Treats"
7. Linkin Park "A Thousand Suns"
6. B.O.B "The Adventures of Bobby Ray"
5. Eminem "Recovery"
4. Jamey Johnson "The Guitar Song"
3. Band of Horses "Infinite Arms"
2. The Black Keys "Brothers"
1. Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"

-CREE

Top 10 Movies of 2010

2011-01-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

I know I already released this list, but I've had the chance to add two Oscar contenders to my "seen" list and wanted to provide you with an updated and FINAL top 10 for the year.

10. Shutter Island
9. Toy Story 3
8. The Town
7. The Fighter
6. The Social Network
5. The Kids are All Right
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
3. True Grit
2. Inception
1. Kick-Ass

Black Swan would have come in around number 11 if this list was expanded. I liked the movie quite a bit and it's grown on me quite a bit just a week after I've seen it. If I were to re-do this list in a year then Black Swan might be in the top 10, with Inception and Social Network taking higher spots. But for now I'm happy with where things are. Kick-Ass was just such an unexpected barrel of fun that I'm happy to give it my top props.

-CREE

The Thursday Junkie

2011-01-20T09:21:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday...Know what that means? Nothing really. Except quick thoughts on Modern Family, Cougar Town, and the revamped American Idol.

Modern Family was hilarious this week. It very much fit into a traditional sitcom format, but that's okay once in a while, especially when it's written as well as this episode was. Often times a plot like someone sending an accidental email and needing to erase it can feel forced and down right lame. Have Gloria in the mix however and BAM, it's a recipe for sweet cupcakes. It was totally believable that she would make a mistake like this, with the whole lost in translation thing going for her.

Throw in a great second plot with the poor kids walking in on their parents doing it and this one was a winner. The weakest of the three plots was the Mitchell and Cam story. They're typically my least favorite part of the show, but they didn't manage to get a few laughs out of me this week. The show wouldn't suffer much if they were featured less though.

Cougar Town followed Modern Family and I'm sad to say that this was my least favorite episode of this show, ever. It revisited a lot of familiar beats and made Jules quite a bitch for the half hour. The rest of the ensemble usually picks up the ball when Courtney Cox drops it like that, but they weren't there for the rescue this week. Laurie was downright annoying, the Travis story lacked any real laughs, and the pretentious wine bar bit was lame. This show doesn't normally bomb, so I'll just think of this as a minor blip on the radar, kind of like the trampoline episode of Community earlier this year.

American Idol was back. What did you guys think? Personally I thought that the judges did an excellent job...well the new ones anyway. Randy, as usual, offered up nothing worth listening to. But Jennifer and Steven were both way more comfortable that Ellen ever was and they were both quite funny. I really thought Steven Tyler filled Paula's role well, they way he sang and drummed along with the contestants. He also filled Simon's usual role of going gaga for the pretty ladies. Jennifer Lopez brings a lot of heart to the show and she had several good critiques. What the show is missing though is going to be hard to replace. There's no mean spirit and that's one thing that set Idol apart. The other thing that's becoming more and more obvious is that the talent pool has severely dried up. There wasn't a single contestant that blew me away or made me take notice. The last couple of years I've nailed Kris Allen and Crystal Bowesox as ringers from their auditions. Last night no one was in their league...and they're a step under the Kelly Clarksons and the Carrie Underwoods of the show. I'll keep watching from now, but if the top 12 doesn't do it for me, I'm out.

-CREE

The Wednesday Junkie

2011-01-19T15:08:00.000-06:00

A few things to talk about today. First up, Lights Out had it's second episode last night and I can see a very familiar FX build about it. The show is gritty, violent, and has a huge underbelly waiting to be discovered. But...the show is going to take it's time getting there.

Sons of Anarchy took a few episodes to find its footing and by the end of the first season I knew it was going to be an awesome show. This feels the same to me, with the main characters finding their voices and the bad guys being slowly brought into the loop. The ratings were sub-par last week, but hopefully word of mouth builds the audience and this isn't one and done like Terriers.

American Idol is back tonight. Will you be watching? If you had asked me last June or July I would have said no way in hell. Last year sucked for the most part and I wasn't interested in the rumors that Jenny on the Block and the old dude from Aerosmith were taking over the roles of great judge Simon Cowell and the okay, but getting better judge Kara. But here we are on premiere night and I have to say, I'm quite looking forward in checking out the changes.

From what I hear Tyler might be the new loopy Paula and J.Lo may just be a great judge before it's over with. So we'll see. The key to the whole "replacing Simon" thing really lies in the talent pool. If the talent is good, the judges won't matter. However, if the talent isn't great I don't think Mrs. Lo or Mr. Tyler are good enough choices to keep people tuning in. It's going to be interesting to see.

-CREE

The Tuesday Junkie

2011-01-18T13:11:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had Monday off and a nice three day weekend. If not, I'm sorry to rub it in your face, but I'm still off work. I took a bonus day today and I go back in tomorrow.

I took the weekend off from blogging, but not from watching television. In fact I watched a LOT of television over the last few days. This post is going to be a little longer than normal because of the holiday, so bare with me.

I started watching The Good Wife and I have to say, it's pretty darn good. Julianna Margulies is wonderful in the role of a scorned politicians wife who goes back into practicing law after a scandal rocks her family. It's the closest thing to a procedural that I'll watch.

It's written in the same way that Judging Amy or Boston Legal were handled. There's a case every week, but you spend plenty of time with the main character and her family. I'm six episodes in and I think I'll stick with it for a while.

Meanwhile, I watched the Sunday shows yesterday and and my thoughts are as such: Californication continues to hit it out of the park for me. Hank's downfall is hard to watch, but you cannot take your eyes off of the spiral because of how well Duchovny plays it. And the supporting cast, especially Charlie, provide enough comic relief that even when an episode as somber as this one is necessary you feel like your comedy fix is met.

Episodes on the other hand only took 2 weeks to work its way out off of my DVR. I just don't find it funny. Part of the problem is how stiff the two main characters are. They're so negative and so pouty that I don't want to spend one more second with them. Matt LeBlanc is easily the best thing about the show, but even he isn't enough to bring me back for a third week.

Shameless lost a little steam from week one to week two, but that was due in large part to the over-saturation of William H. Macy. His character Frank is best served in small doses each week. When he's front and center like this it's too much to handle. Macy of course is a wonderful actor and he nails the role, but I think the producers probably feel pressure to use him too much since he's the biggest name on the show. Hopefully they'll lean more heavily on the kids in the future, because that's where the strength of the show really lies. Lip, Ian, and Fiona are the stars. Even with too much Frank, this was still an entertaining hour of television and I'm looking forward to more adventures from the Gallagher clan.

Monday night it was great to have both Chuck and House back. They both offered up very strong episodes in their own way. Chuck brought lots of funny, but also had plenty of heart as our main character tried to find the courage to finally pop the question to Sarah. As things usually do in Chuck's world, they went terribly wrong. We got some great moments from both Morgan and Casey as well. And there was a Jeffster performance for the ages. It was an instant classic.

House featured Matthew Lillard as the musician/patient this week. It was one of those rare episodes where both the case, the A-plot (Cuddy's Mom) and the B-plot (Taub's Marriage) were all top notch. Unfortunately both the scene where House first meets Cuddy's mom and the scene where he sedates her were ruined by commercials. Fox's football coverage is littered with promos for their shows and it was virtually impossible to avoid. Luckily House drugged Wilson too and that lead to some big laughs.

I also love when Taub gets the spotlight. He's the most interesting character on the show not named House. They've spent a lot of time on his marriage and on him being a cheater. It'll be interesting to see him not be married and not being tempted to cheat. The character development could go in a lot of different directions moving forward.

-CREE

Showtime Says "Play Ball"

2011-01-14T15:29:00.000-06:00

Just a few days after announcing that the cabler was interested in a Hard Knocks type of show featuring the SF Giants, work from deadline.com is that it's been green-lit. There aren't many details at this time, but the show is supposed to broaden the scope a bit and feature the team's quest for defending the title throughout the 2011 season. I'll post more as I hear more.

-CREE

Californication Renewed

2011-01-14T15:28:00.000-06:00

Californication posted it's biggest season premiere numbers ever last week and the David Duchovny-led drama has been picked up for a 5th season. This is great news because the thought of leaving Hank, Becca, Runkle, or Cokey-Smurf behind makes me sad.

-CREE

Let's Talk Movies

2011-01-14T00:03:00.000-06:00

I saw two films from 2010 this week. First up I saw The Other Guys starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. I'm not a big fan of Will Ferrell, but I thought the movie looked kind of funny so I wanted to check it out. Unfortunately it was worse than I expected.

I should have known what I was going to get going in, but the lure of The Rock and Sam Jackson was too strong for me to overcome. For those of you who've seen the movie you'll understand just how disappointed I was by the roles those two actors play. For the rest of you, suffice it to say that you shouldn't see this movie for them. They're two of the most over-the-top, unbelievable buffoons I've ever watched. And yes, I know they were written that way on purpose as a joke...well it wasn't funny.

Ferrell plays the same character he always plays, more than slightly stupid with the inability to shut his mouth at the right time. Sometimes funny things can come out when he keeps going and going and going (see Anchorman) but often times it just falls flat and ends up being annoying (see Step Brothers).

The movie did get better as it went along and Mark Wahlberg did have a couple of good bits. But ultimately neither were enough to pull this movie out of the hole it dug early on.

Movie Grade: D

The movie I saw tonight was Black Swan. After all the hype and all the award talk and all of the press this thing has been getting I guess my expectations were just raised too high. Natalie Portman is wonderful in the role and the way Darren Aronofsky shot the dance scenes was amazing. A combination of intensity and heart, truly two mixed emotions mingling together perfectly.

The best way that I can describe the movie is to say that I felt like I was watching a foreign film, except it was in English. It was the oddest sensation and I couldn't quite snap out of it throughout the movie. I just felt a disconnect the entire time and couldn't even submerse myself completely. And it's a shame because like I said, the performances were great. Mila Kunis stood out especially in her dark and twisted role.

While I think awards for acting and directing are certainly deserved, I'd have a hard time putting this movie in the best of the year category. I found it a bit predictable, slightly conservative when it came for the big finish, and much like Portman's character a bit too rigid with the minor details. It needed to let go just a little bit and become the black swan.

Movie Grade: B-

-CREE

First Look - Spider-Man

2011-01-13T15:14:00.000-06:00

Ain't It Cool News posted the first pic of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man today. Here's a link:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48060

SF Giants May Get Hard Knocks-Style Treatment

2011-01-13T15:11:00.000-06:00

TVLine.com is reporting that Showtime is looking to move forward on a Hard Knocks type reality show featuring World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. No word on exactly when the show would launch, but I'd guess it would probably be airing in conjunction with Spring Training which kicks off in just a few short weeks.

Would you tune in? I sure would. I love Hard Knocks and would love a behind the scenes look at a pro baseball team as they prepare to defend their title.

-CREE

Off The Map = Grey's Lite

2011-01-13T13:52:00.000-06:00

I won't spend but a few seconds giving you my thoughts on Off the Map, ABC's new medical drama that's being produced by Shonda Rhymes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice). While Rhymes didn't create the series, her influence is all over it.

Set in the jungles of South America, but shot on location in Hawaii, the setting is beautiful. And honestly that's almost enough of a reason to tune in once in a while. With heavy snow all over the country it was nice to think about warmer places last night. Besides the setting, the cast is predicatively good looking as well. So they have that going for them.

The cases are going to range from the weird to the amazing as we saw last night in the pilot with a guy getting his arm caught in the roller of a zip line. Cures will come from the jungle, like using coconut milk to replace blood. And drama will come from the main characters. But right now I'm not seeing anything to make me like these doctors or pull for them yet.

I'm willing to give the show a little time to establish itself and break free from the Shonda Rhymes color by numbers format, but ultimately this may be a show better dropped in on once in a while for the scenery.

Episode Grade: B-

-CREE

Light's Out Shows the Sweet Science of TV

2011-01-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

I love it when a plan comes together. See, Light's Out, in it's first months of conception was supposed to be a show about a tough loner still reeling from his days as a fighter. But FX didn't really dig the pilot very much. So they brought in a new producer (Warren Leight) and asked him to re-tool it. Most shows might not have been given that chance, but Light's Out had one major thing going for it; lead actor Holt McCallany was a, pardon the pun, knock out.

So what does the show look like now? It's about a boxer (Patrick 'Lights' Leary), five years after a tough loss, trying to be a good dad and a good husband while keeping his head above water. His last fight, a heavyweight championship match, may or may not have been fixed. It really doesn't matter that this point. What we're concerned with is that his wife Theresa gave him an ultimatum, her or fighting. And he chose her and the kids.

We pick up the story with the champ falling on some hard financial times. His brother is also his manager and they've sunk a lot of money into a real estate venture that is falling apart. His wife is working on getting through med school and she's not providing much financially. The gym that bares his name, where his father is the lead trainer, hasn't had a championship caliber fighter since Lights.

As things begin to close in around Lights a few shady opportunities arise. He's asked to be muscle for a bookie and he reluctantly takes the gig. And that leads to a few scenes of brute violence and it reminds him of just how much he misses hitting people. And that leads to the closing minutes of the pilot when we learn that Light's brother has arranged for a re-match with the man that beat him five years ago with a purse of 10 million dollars. Will Light take the fight? What will Theresa's reaction be?

Really it's a pretty standard set-up for a boxing story. The champ goes down and rather than keep fighting he chooses love. But ultimately the sport is too big of a draw, it's too much for the fighter to resist. And ultimately he has to go back into the ring. Warren Leight has also added an extra layer on the pile, with Light's finding out that he has pugilistic dementia from all of the concussions over his career. It's a secret that he keeps to himself.

There are two things that set this show apart from the rest of the boxing stories out there: 1) it's a a long-form television show and not a 2 hour movie. We're going to get to know the fighter, the family, the promoters, and shady business men and we're going to get to know them well. 2) Holt McCallany give such a strong performance. He commands your attention every time he's on the screen. Whether he's dealing with his youngest daughter's fears of watching his beat up another boxer or he's knocking the socks off a scumbag dentist that owes his boss money his is in control of the screen. To have a lead this strong is a major advantage to a genre show with a story we've seen so many times before.

I'll probably not blog it every week, but I'll certainly be checking back on this one every so often, when it warrants a post. I'm excited about the journey of Patrick Leary and to see what kind of toll his choices are going to take on his family.

Episode Grade: A

-CREE

Raising Hope Renewed

2011-01-11T12:52:00.000-06:00

Fox today announced that freshman comedy Raising Hope will be back for a second season in the Fall. Currently on a short winter hiatus, the first season has been one of the bright spots for Fox and network TV. It was the first show to get a full season order back in September and has been solid if not stellar in the ratings ever since.

If you haven't had the chance to check this one out yet the show returns on February 8th with new episodes and I suggest you tune in!

-CREE

The Cape

2011-01-10T10:25:00.000-06:00

I am going to give you my very brief thoughts on The Cape, NBC's new hero drama that premiered last night. I was careful there to not say superhero drama, because The Cape, like Batman and Daredevil, has no actual super human powers. What he does have is a mysterious cape that allows him to grip things, throw things, and strangle people.

The Cape is a throwback to old school hero stories and original comic capers. It's simple, but proud. It's old school without feeling tired. And those are all great things. I just have a couple of complaints.

The first complaint is the speed at which things are unfolding. I understand that a million origin stories have been told before, but they really glossed over a whole bunch of learning, training, and trying in that first hour. It felt rushed and therefore it came off as cheap. The first hour didn't really engage me at all. They didn't spend any time building up the bad guy or showing his motivations. They didn't give you time to hate Chess or to love The Cape. It was a very flawed decision on the part of the creators.

The second hour, which was titled Tarot, could have been a separate episode and probably was intended to be just that. It was a more solidly constructed hour of television and gave me a little more time to get into the characters. Summer Glau got a bigger role in the second hour as Orwell, the mysterious blogger girl who just might be related to rich and powerful Peter Fleming (Chess).

Speaking of Fleming, he's played by James Frain, who was awesome this summer on True Blood as Tara's captor Franklin Mott. He makes a great bad guy and I hope they slow down a bit and creep him up some. He could be a great mastermind.

Other things I liked included the overall lore. I like the underground circus gang training our hero. I like that Fleming owns Ark, the private police company that is now in charge of protecting Palm City. I like that his wife and especially his kid are kept in the dark. It adds an emotional element.

Now, if the show slows down and lets the story build I think I could really end up liking this show. However, if things stay full steam ahead and there's a new big bad to defeat every week then I'll likely bail in a few weeks. I'm not getting sucked into another Heroes.

Episode Grade: B- (C for the first hour, B+ for the second)

-CREE

Showtime Sunday!!!

2011-01-10T10:09:00.000-06:00

Two new shows debuted last night on Showtime along with the return of Californication. I'll take a quick stab at each of them.

Californication has no middle ground. Either you love the tales of Hank Moody's debauchery or you loathe them. I happen to be on the love side and so I was thrilled to have the show back on my schedule. I actually watched the first three seasons this past summer to catch up based on the recommendation from a friend. I had given the show a chance before, but didn't stick with it past the pilot. I quickly learned that was a mistake.

Season four picks up with Hank jailed for assault and the whole world finding out about his tryst with then 16 year old Mia. And so this season he'll spend his time trying to get Karen to forgive him and to win back the love and unflinching trust of his daughter Becca. Each season focuses on a writing assignment for Hank, with his stolen book, the memoir of the rock star, and the now a screenplay of "Fucking and Punching" taking center stage. Plus this season we've introduced to Hank's lawyer, a fiery woman who I'm sure will be Hank's quest-to-bed du jour.

Episodes was the first of the two new shows to premiere last night. It was easily my least favorite on the slate. It's about a couple of British television writers who come across the pond to Americanize their biggest hit. It isn't really funny and it's lacking the Brit charm that so many shows contain over there. In fact it's mean spirited and pulls no punches in it's attitude toward American stupidity. And that makes me angry. What makes me even more furious is that Episodes was actually created by Americans (David Crane, Friends & Jeffrey Klarik, The Class).

I wanted to like this show. And it wasn't so terrible that I'm not willing to give it a couple of weeks. But it certainly wasn't funny and the mean spirit probably had me attempting NOT to laugh, no matter what. Matt LeBlanc wasn't in very much of the premiere and I'm looking forward to seeing him as the star of the sitcom moving forward. Maybe his role will have me softening on the rest of it.

Shameless meanwhile was the exact opposite. I laughed numerous times and loved the positive vibe, even for a family so down on its luck. The story follows the Gallagher family, led by patriarch Frank (William H. Macy). And when I say led, that's a bit misleading. He may have fathered all of the kids, including young, black Liam, but he certainly isn't parenting any of them. He's a drunk low-life who is drawing disability for no discernible reason, but his kids love him nonetheless.

So the family is really being raised by oldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum). She's helped out by oldest son Lip (Jeremy Allen White) while the rest of the crew; Carl, Debbie, and Ian pitch in what they can. Rossum and White steal every scene that they're in and they ground the show in ways that they shouldn't be able to.

The show is fast paced and borders on chaotic, but not so much that you can't keep up. Just at the end of an hour you may feel tired. There's enough there with just the Gallagher's to make two shows, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. There's also the neighbors Veronica and Kev, the girl that Lip tutors and her crazy mom (Joan Cusak), and the married male convenience store owner that Ian is sleeping with thrown into the mix. Not to mention Justin Chatwin who plays Steve, Fiona's new love interest/shady car thief.

There's much to like about this family and they're easy to pull for. If you didn't catch the pilot, check your listings for a re-broadcast and tune in next Sunday for the second episode. You'll catch on quickly.

-CREE

So Wicked

2011-01-09T18:08:00.000-06:00

Salma Hayek is bringing Wicked to ABC. The plan is to produce an 8 hour miniseries that will be based on the Gregory Maguire novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." That means it could end up being quite a bit different than the musical, which is being adapted for film by Universal at the same time.

While Hayek, ABC, and others will be producing, the script is being written by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers). No word on how soon this thing will hit the airwaves, but I suspect it will be pretty huge.

-CREE

Light's Out

2011-01-07T11:46:00.000-06:00

FX is debuting a brand new show this coming Tuesday. It's a boxing-themed drama. And before you let the boxing part scare you off, I'm hearing the show is dynamite.

It stars Holt McCallany as a retired fighter who must re-adjust to life outside of the ring in order to provide for his wife and kid. But of course things aren't quite that simple. There's a major organized crime element as well as family drama from all angles. Plus, in his last fight Patrick 'Lights' Leary was robbed of the Heavyweight Championship and he has never been able to let it go. With the chance at a rematch on the table, what will our antagonist do? That's the thriving question behind the new series which is being described as Cinderella Man meets The Sopranos. Sounds like a knock-out combination to me.

The official website for "Light's Out" can be found here.

The show debuts on 1.11.11 at 9pm CT on FX.

-CREE

The Walking Dead and Grey's

2011-01-07T11:36:00.000-06:00

This is a weird pairing of shows to talk about, but rather than make two very short posts I'll combine them into one medium sized post.

If you didn't get the chance to watch AMC's six-episode first season of The Walking Dead, don't sweat it. The next work is going to be showing the first season over two nights on January 18 and 19. So, tune in and prepare to be blown away. And then you can be as frustrated as everyone else that the new season doesn't start until Halloween 2011.

Grey's Anatomy had a great return last night. It was great to see Cristina back in action and I hope that this was the big push she needed to get back in there. It's not the same with her acting so weird. Although props to the writers for making her struggle realistic and lasting.

Also, great stuff between Callie and Arizona last night. I just hope they don't almost get back together and then have Arizona get pissed and leave again when she discovers Callie slept with Mark again. That's a little too soapy for my taste.

Speaking of Arizona, it should be fun to watch her work under the new Ped's doc. He's a total tool, but something tells me he's going to get the upper hand over Alex and Arizona for a while. Makes for an interesting dynamic.

Glad to have Grey's back on the schedule.

-CREE

Wednesday Comedies Return

2011-01-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

The Middle returned, steady and solid as always. I never have to pause to catch my breath from laughing with this show, but it rarely ever throws up a dud. This week the parents took back the house and the kids were left wondering what happened.

Modern Family returned to the airwaves with a couple of guest stars; James Marsden as the new goofy neighbor in Cam and Mitchell's building and Jamie Gertz as the speed demon in the Dunphy neighborhood. I got a couple of chuckles out of Cam and Mitchell's reaction to Marsden's character, but Gertz's character was pretty one dimensional and could have been played by any actress. I did enjoy all of the stuff with Luke and got a kick out of Manny and especially Gloria learning to ride a bike.

Cougar Town was a barrel of fun this week. I especially loved the bits with Bobby. His quick take on world events before Travis' girlfriend filled his head with doom was quite funny. Jules and her animal killing ways was cute, but not overly hilarious. Meanwhile Ellie and Andy had a great storyline with the name changes and apology notes.

It was nice to have the comedy block back!

-CREE

Live To Dance Is Death

2011-01-05T14:44:00.001-06:00

I love me some Paula Abdul. She was like my first boyhood crush. So I'll check out just about any project she's working on. I still have mad love because she's forever my girl. But Paula was more Cold Hearted Snake than anything with her new generic, bland, and obvious rip-off reality show.

Rather than three X's the show used golden stars. Rather than sending contestants to Vegas or Hollywood they sent them to the short list. And rather than fill the show with heart and genuine people the thing felt faker than a Brett Favre retirement announcement.

If you didn't get to see this one (10 million people did) I'd advise you to stay away. The cheese factor is major and honestly it offers nothing new to the genre. I like watching people dance, but this just didn't cut it for me. No gold stars from me!

-CREE

How I Met Your Mother

2011-01-04T20:22:00.000-06:00

SPOILERS BELOW

Last night's How I Met Your Mother took a different approach to delivering some bad news. Throughout the episode numbers popped up on the screen, starting with 50 and going all the way to 1. They were counting down to one of the most shocking moments in the show's history. The death of Marshall's dad.

While the episode didn't make me bust out laughing at any point, it was neat to try to find the numbers in each scene. I only had to back up twice. I noticed the countdown immediately, but apparently a lot of people missed it altogether. I think if you caught the number 50 on the doctor's desk changing to 49 then you were aware and if you missed that it was harder to catch on to.

Either way, props to Jason Segel for killing that scene where Lily gives him the news. It was a powerful moment by a guy who rarely gets to play anything other than funny or angry.

Here's a link to all of the numbers, in case you missed them.

http://himymcountdown.tumblr.com/page/1

-CREE

Best TV Shows of 2010

2011-01-03T16:13:00.000-06:00

Here is my top 10 list for the best shows on television. Overall it was a great year of TV and I'm looking forward to 2011 just as much!

10. Sons of Anarchy
Sons was uneven and while the best parts of it are better than anything on the tube, there were enough bad parts this year to nearly keep it off my list.
9. The Walking Dead
A strong start, but just enough episodes to whet our appetite. I look forward to exploring this world further.
8. Parks and Recreation
It kills me that we've had to wait so long to see new episodes. If the show had come back in the fall I'm sure it would be higher on the list.
7. True Blood
At the time I didn't love this season as much as the first two...but after taking a step back I see just how great the show was and how many answers we truly got about Sookie.

6. Justified
A slow start almost had be tuning out, but then the heat turned up, the procedural turned off, and the going got great. Best cast on television.

5. Cougar Town
Watch this show and don't laugh. I dare you! It's impossible. And the writing just keeps getting better.

4. Community
The best comedy ensemble on television. Ratings challenged, but never any doubt about it's genius.
3. Boardwalk Empire
In a television world starved for gangster flicks...this filled the void and then some.

2. Terriers
The best show you never watched. It's a sad world when a show this good only lasts one season.

1. Breaking Bad
The best show on television. Period. Cranston and Paul are the best actors working on television today...and they're both on the same show.

Honorable Mentions: House, Lost, Glee, United States of Tara

*House was wonderful in the early part of 2010, but the 2011 season hasn't been quite as solid. Nevertheless, it's a great show and almost made the top 10.

*LOST gets a mention here because the saga wrapped up in a somewhat maddening, somewhat satisfying way. But the journey to get here is what will be remembered. And what a ride it was.

-CREE

The Best Movies of 2010

2011-01-03T12:02:00.000-06:00

10. Dinner for Schmucks

9. Shutter Island

8. Toy Story 3

7. The Town

6. The Social Network

5. The Kids are All Right

4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

3. True Grit

2. Inception

1. Kick-Ass

These are the movies that I felt were the best of 2010. There are a couple that I never made it out to see, like Black Swan and The Fighter. If either of those end up deserving to be on the list once I see them, then I'll post an updated list.

Inception was probably the most well crafted movie I've ever seen. It provided everything that I ask for when I go to the movies. It was a true escape, but not a mind numbing one. It engaged me, made me think, and challenged me to creatively consider every aspect of the movie. But, it had a couple of minor flaws that kept me from naming it the best of the year.

Kick-Ass gets that honor because it combined a new take on superhero lore with some of the funniest bit of cinema of the year. I've seen it four times now and it holds up perfectly.

Scott Pilgrim didn't make a ton of top tens lists this year, but aside from Kick-Ass I can't think of a better time I had at the movies all year long. If you haven't seen it, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

-CREE

Desperate - For A Plot

2011-01-03T11:53:00.001-06:00

I probably won't blog about Desperate Housewives again for a while. The show is as dried up and stale as some of the actresses on it. But I wanted to take a minute to write a quick note on why I am leaving it behind on the blog.

When the show started it was a fresh take on the prime time soap opera. It was the modern day Dallas and Dynasty all rolled into one. It was fun and frightful. It was mean spirited and loving. It was funny and wickedly naughty. But as the years have rolled on it's freshness became stale and it feels more like eating leftovers than eating one of Bree's famous recipes.

This week Susan lost a kidney and will be fighting for her life...which is about like Lynette with cancer a few years ago. Even the big bad guy this year, Paul Young, is a re-heat from the first two seasons. So, I think I'll keep watching through the rest of this season to see if Marc Cherry can turn it around, but I won't be blogging about it any more. I might share some final thoughts on the season, but for now, let's count this one out.

-CREE

New Years Resolutions

2011-01-02T15:44:00.000-06:00

My New Year's resolution for this blog is to be better, more consistent, and to enjoy blogging more. To do those things I need to narrow my scope a little bit.

I'm going to do a whole lot less reviews. Episode by episode recaps are a thing of the past. Now I'll hit up major episodes that need discussing and leave the weekly stuff to the pros.

I'm going to cut several shows from my rotation. This means shows that no longer excite me, like Brothers & Sisters and Parenthood are off the DVR.

I'm still going to try new shows like Lights Out, Episodes, Shameless, Perfect Couples, and The Chicago Code. However, I'm going to have a much tighter leash and a much quicker trigger. If a show doesn't grab me immediately, I'm not wasting my time on it.

The blog will feature shorter, more concise posts with lots of news and opinions. After all, this is my blog. If someone comes here it's to see what I think about what's going on.

I'll start adding back music and movie reviews, although they'll be really brief. While this is a TV blog, it's still MY TV blog and I'll be talking about things that interest me all over the pop culture spectrum.

And lastly, we're going to be sticking with pop culture. I'll stay away from politics and religion. I'll avoid sports except where they apply to the pop culture world.

Hopefully this will make Confessions of a TV Junkie an enjoyable place for you to visit regularly and a fun place for me to go share my thoughts on a regular basis. After all, this is my hobby, not my job. I don't write as well as the pros and I don't get paid to do this all day every day. It was starting to feel like a job. That's why I took the last month off and re-charged.

Now I'm ready to go and I hope you guys are too. Pass the word. TV Junkie Cree is back in business....er...back in fun!

-CREE

Excited About 2011

2011-01-02T15:36:00.000-06:00

2011 is going to be a great year on television. Here are some television shows and TV events that I'm really excited about for 2011.

1. Lights Out - The new boxing drama on FX. It's part Rocky, part The Fighters, and all FX drama.

2. The Chicago Code - The new cop drama from The Shield creator Shawn Ryan. This one kicks off in February.

3. Game of Thrones - This HBO fantasy epic has some awesome source material to draw from.

4. The return of Parks and Recreation - It's been too long since we last saw Ron F'ing Swanson. We get our fix in a couple of weeks.

5. The return of Californication - Last time we saw Hank Moody his world was falling apart after his secret got let out of the bag. More sexcapades are just around the corner.

-CREE

Pee Wee to HBO

2010-12-21T13:25:00.002-06:00

HBO will filming The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway to air on the network sometime in 2011. The show ends its New York run on January 2 and filming will take place immediately after that. I wanted to see the show live, but this is the next best thing!

-CREE

Time is Not Kind...

2010-12-21T12:56:00.001-06:00

Do you know who this is?

Click the link to find out...

I am...

-CREE

TV Confession - Sunday

2010-12-13T14:03:00.001-06:00

Desperate Housewives and Dexter are the only two shows that I watched yesterday, with most of my other Sunday favorites coming to an end last week. I did catch the Shameless premiere and will mention that below!

Desperate Housewives

Neither show was that great although both had their moments. On Desperate Housewives, our last one of 2010, enough was going on that it could have served as a season finale. Keith proposed then moved in with Bree. Susan found out about Tom and then got trampled. Bob and Lee nearly got killed by a riot. Gaby's carelessness led to Jaunita finding out about her not being a biological daughter. And of course, someone shot Paul Young. And while who shot Paul Young isn't as big a mystery as say, who shot J.R., it at least gives me hope that the second half of the season could be redeemed.

My money is on it being Paul's wife or possibly Renee. Because really, will either of them be on the show next season? For me, the first half was clumsy at times and painfully boring at others. Except for Susan's trial as an on-line skank and Paul's new wife, I haven't really like too many of the stories. Everything seems re-heated.

Episode Grade: C+

Dexter

On to Dexter...which had so much potential this season, but ultimately failed due to it's need to stay inside the "safe zone." When it this show going to take a risk. After Rita's death last season I really thought that things were going to be different, but in two easy episodes every threat (Liddy, Quinn, and Jordan) were all swept away. And even Lumen was sent away on a bus just like we suspected she would be. The show refuses to take chances and the stakes are never high enough for me. I may be done with this one for good.

Episode Grade: B-

Shameless

I saw the 20 minute preview of Shameless last night and I can tell that I'm probably going to like it. So far all of the kids are well cast and William H. Macy, even though he wasn't in much of the preview, is always a knock out actor. The show seems to be pretty funny and has a ton of chaos all the time. Plus is was cool to see Steve Howey (Reba) and Justin Chatwin on the show, both of whom I like a lot. This one premieres on January 9th and I'll be checking it out.

-CREE

TV Confession - Thursday Night

2010-12-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

Community: Mixology Certification

The One With Kickpuncher: Detroit

Funny thing happened on the way to class this week...everyone got drunk. Except the birthday boy. He just got a heavy dose of reality. Annie's Texas drawl was pretty good for a few laughs and so was Shirley's attempt to hide the evidence of her past. I also got a kick out of watching Abed laugh at Troy and Jeff's joke from the backseat, not really knowing what it was they were talking about. But overall this was a low key episode with a lot heavier tone than in recent weeks. And where the hell is Chang? Grade: B-

The Office: China

The One With The Half Ply

I really like how Pam handles Dwight. While Jim always stoops to Dwight-levels of immaturity, Pam seems to always find a way to rise above it or passive aggressively go around it. It's usually fun to watch and this episode was no exception. Meanwhile Andy and Darryl had a nice sub-plot about the proper times to text someone. As someone who gets annoyed with small-talk texts, I could feel Darryl's frustration. However, I totally didn't find the pigeon's eating ice cream to be a high-five worthy text. This was an above average episode for The Office if you're looking at the last two years. Grade: B-

Grey's Anatomy: Adrift and at Peace

The One With McNurse

I'm going to jump right to the end of this episode; how obvious was it that Arizona was going to be a Callie's door? I'm not talking about with the knock. I'm talking about at the end of last week with Mark and Callie having sex and the beginning of this week with the two of them in the shower. No way Arizona wasn't coming back, right? I think her return is better news for Alex than for Callie. We'll see. Meanwhile Derek continues on his selfless quest to fix Cristina with a pretty humorous fishing trip. And how about Bailey getting asked out buy the male nurse. I can't wait to see where this one goes. This was a pretty solid episode, but nothing amazing. Grade: B

-CREE

New Ideas

2010-12-01T09:52:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed that my posts have been pretty infrequent lately. I apologize for that. Things have been really busy at work and at home. Most of the time I've been watching shows a day or so late and by the time I watch them I feel like it's too late to write about them.

I've been trying to come up with a way to stay on top of things, because I love talking television. Moving forward you'll see more posts that include my thoughts on two or three shows at a time. In fact I may begin posting just one time a day, with confessions on all the shows from a particular night being given at once.

I'll be experimenting in the coming weeks, so bare with me as I figure this thing out. I'm not sure how things will turn out, but I know they will look at bit different than they do now. I'm not a television critic. I like to watch things with a critical eye, but I don't have the way with words that so many of the great writers out there have. I want to just say my piece about something and keep on moving. And you'll see more of that attitude in future posts.

I know that posts will probably be much shorter and more in blog form going forward. I've read that a good blog uses between 75 and 200 words to tell a story. That's it. Attention spans aren't long enough for rants like this one. So I'll be testing that out. As you see things change, let me know how you like it.

-CREE

TV Confession - Sons of Anarchy

2010-12-01T09:45:00.000-06:00

"NS"

The One Where Stahl Knows How She Felt

I'll be damned if Sons of Anarchy didn't save the best for last. In a season with more ups and downs than the Smokey Mountains, I'd say it ended on the highest peak in the range.

From the quiet moment at the beginning, as we spent time in bed with Tara and Jax, (finally comfortable with one another for the first time in a long), you could feel the fire building. They tied a nice little bow on this season's stories and set us up for the next ride about a year from now. How did it all unfold?

Jax had been running a long con on Stahl the entire time. I'm not sure at what point he let the club in on the entire plot, but my gut tells me that it was from the beginning. But maybe not. Maybe he didn't decide until he knew the truth about his dad in Belfast and knew that he didn't want to be anything like him. Or maybe it was later, when Stahl killed her partner, and he realized that he was dealing with a loose cannon. Either way, he was smart enough to bring the club into the fold and they all played Stahl like a fiddle.

Watching Chibs slice open Jimmy's face like Jimmy once did to him was awesome and it was a payoff long in the making. But the scene that stole the episode was absolutely Opie's in the car with Stahl. He made her fear for her life, and then shot her the way that Donna was killed. It was a priceless moment and so haunting.

It was great to see Uncer come back into the fold. He's a cop and that makes him the worst one of the bunch, but I still love him and I love what he means to the Sons.

So where do we go next year? The Russians are still pissed. The Mayan truce can't last forever. A year in prison is going to change some things for sure. Tara's going to have that baby before Jax is out. And he's going to have a year to become even more hardened. But, what's the fallout going to be when he finds out that Clay and Gemma likely killed his dad? We've suspected that for a long time, but the letter to Mo pretty much hammers it home.

Piney and Opie are going to be running things, with Chibs, for the next year. Do any of them get power hungry with Clay on the shelf? Does Opie finally begin to find a way to hold Clay and Tig accountable for Donna's death or did killing Stahl finally quench that need for revenge?

And what is Charming going to look like? I assume Hale will win the Mayor's race. Will Uncer be out of a job and the Sheriff's be in charge?

It's going to be a long off season, but I love where things left off this season. We're back on the home turf and things just feel right again. I'm pretty sure I'd consider the Ireland portion of the season to be a minor failure, but I haven't lost any faith in the creative team and I know that next season will be great.

Episode Grade: A+

-CREE

TV Confession - Sons of Anarchy

2010-11-24T11:17:00.000-06:00

"June Wedding"

The One With My Dog Missy

Well it sure is good to be back on American soil again, isn't it. Something just felt better about this entire episode to me. Sure, the whole season still has its flaws and I'm going to point those out in a minute. But let me just reiterate how happy I am to be back in Charming and back to official club business.

Now, I still don't understand how Stahl's lie is going to work. Isn't everyone aware that she was the only person in the safe house with Edmund? So how did her lover/partner get brought into the this great big mix-up? I guess this is a plot hole that I'm going to have to live with. Stahl has been one of my favorite characters since she busted on the scene in season 1. But here she finally crossed a line that put her at the top of the death watch list. Killing someone out of cold blood to cover her own ass is believable, because she's proven that "bitches be crazy." But it also makes her less scary in some ways. And it means she's lost control. And it means that I don't think she's long for this world.

There are still a ton of loose ends to be tied up, even with a lot of closure coming this week. The Jimmy O. thing looms large. There's the whole bit with Hale as mayor and the sheriff's department taking over the town. There's the Mayan alliance to worry about. But we got to see the Salazar thing put to bed, Tara is still pregnant, and Opie managed to halfway propose to Lyla.

The big turn here though is Jax. He's a different character now. He's a changed man. He isn't interested in peace. He isn't driven to carry out his father's vision of the club anymore. He is full of blood lust. So here's my prediction. I think now that Jax is in line with Clay's vision of the club and finally understands his role as Prince of Charming he's about to get screwed. Is there any way that Clay and the Sons don't find out about his deal with Stahl? Is there any way that they don't want him dead for it? Maybe this is the turning point in the series. Maybe this is what will drive next season. Then again, maybe not. This show has a way of keeping me guessing.

Looking forward to the finale so that we can put Ireland behind us and see what the next chapter in this story is going to look like.

Episode Grade: A-

-CREE

I Thought This Was Funny

2010-11-22T13:14:00.000-06:00

From Deadspin

-CREE

The Office and Community

2010-11-19T13:35:00.000-06:00

This week's The Office was pretty much horrible again. I liked the work that Zach Woods did as Gabe. Besides Andy, he's been the only consistent character on the show for months. The entire Dwight story was lame and lacked a human element that made me care about it. I'm glad that Angela finally voided the sex contract and that she may be finding love outside of the office. Meanwhile, Jim's role in the episode was just kind of blah. Not bad, but not funny either. And every scene with Ryan last night, except for the pre-credits teaser was annoying. Ryan has taken over Ted Mosbey's role as the biggest douche bag on television.

Community had an obvious drop off in quality this week, but let's not get too carried away. It was still a funny episode, it just couldn't repeat the comedic gold of last week's missing pen saga. Jeff and Annie got most of the screen time, with the dean thrown in for creepy laughs. It was a nice spotlight for the two of them, even if the whole thing got carried away before the end. I found Troy and Abed's blanket fort to be a little uncomfortable at first, but in the end it was a nice b-story without much weight.

-CREE

The Middle, Cougar Town, Parenthood

2010-11-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

Due to a time crunch issue I wanted to cover three shows in one post.

The Middle was excellent again this week and I think that the show has tweaked a few things that have really helped it have a solid, very funny second season. First there is a whole lot less Bob this year. I think Chris Kattan can funny, but as I've said before, he doesn't work on this show at all. Secondly, we're seeing Frankie at work a lot less (hence less Kattan) which was never a funny setting and always took time away from the much funnier family unit.

Cougar Town continues to grow even more and more outrageous and to me that makes it ever more and more brilliant. Jules was quite annoying this week and he love for Travis is certainly bordering on psychopathic, but take her out of the equation and you had a very funny week as the gang invaded Greyson's house. I also got a big kick out of everyone sharing their sex advice and then the men actually coming clean about what their sex lives are really like. I'll miss Big Joe, but I'm sure Big Carl will feel like a regular cast member in no time.

Parenthood was much better this week. I really like focus being shifted back to Zeek and Camille for an episode. Those two were such a big part of the season finale last year and we haven't spent a ton of time on their growth so far. I like where things are going with both Haddie and Amber in their respective lives, but I do wish we got a little more time with Drew. He's like the forgotten cast member. Being the weakest actor in the ensemble probably plays a role in that. It's also no surprise that this was a great episode and it had a lot less Julia in it. She's still the one Braverman child that I just don't enjoy spending that much time with.

-CREE

TV Confession - Modern Family

2010-11-18T13:40:00.000-06:00

"Manny Get Your Gun"

The One With The Flashmob

This was easily the best Modern Family of the season, even beating the Halloween episode. Let's start with Phil who killed every scene that he was in. His white power confusion might have been one of the funniest racial gags I've seen on television in a while. And don't even get me started on the crying fit that he had in the car with his girls. It was a genuine moment of pure comedy.

The Manny, Gloria, & Jay bit was equally as funny with Gloria continuing to grow on the psycho scale, taking things ever farther than she did with the neighbor's dog a few weeks back. This time she was armed with a BB gun and wasn't taking any more crap. I got a kick out of Manny trying the different things to get back his childhood, but failing at both the prank phone call and the twisted soda recipe. Good stuff by the little guy all the way around.

If there was a weak spot this week it was Mitchell and Cam. And 'weak spot' is a bit harsh. I didn't think that Cam intervening with the old couple's issues was very funny, since it was obvious that things weren't going to turn out so well. But the flash mob bit was great. Is it weird that I don't dance but that I would love to take part in a flash mob. They look like so much fun and they're such a great form of artistic expression.

Having everyone meet (in a near accident) at the restaurant was a great closing and Manny's speech tied things together nicely. Great, great show this week.

Episode Grade: A+

-CREE

This Is Gonna Rock!

2010-11-17T12:46:00.000-06:00

Follow this link to see the trailer for next summer's blockbuster movie Cowboys & Aliens. It looks amazing.

Cowboys & Aliens

-CREE

TV Confession - Sons of Anarchy

2010-11-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

"Bainne"

The One With Reconsiderations

There were some really powerful moments in this episode of Sons of Anarchy. There were also a coupe of slap your forehead moments as well. And it's those slap your forehead moments that have made this season the weakest of the three. I'll get to those in a minute. First let's talk about Charlie Hunnam; is this the same actor from the first two seasons? This guy is killing it every time he's on the screen. Jax started off as a kid who wasn't quite sure of his role in the MC. He was driven by both angst and grief. But as Charlie Hunnam has grown as an actor so has Jax grown as a man. You could see the wheels in his brain turn through the entire musical montage as he followed the Petrie family through the shopping mall and around town. Through slight gestures and facial expressions you could see the anguish on his face as he made the impossible choice to leave Abel with a safe, loving family. It was a high point for both the actor and the character, who for once thought with his head and heart.

Of course, in this world, things rarely go as you expect. Jimmy O gets to the family and kills them and Jax feels entirely responsible. And in that moment he knows that no matter what kind of MC his father wanted or what plans JT had for Jax, they are born in and live through a life of blood. Following the ghost of his father has cost him a lot, but now it may just cost him his son.

Now, let's jump back to Charming for a minute where a whole lot is going down. Tara manages to slice open one of her captors and steal her gun. She then has a gun trained on Salazaar and rather then shooting him she hesitates. The guy then turns his back on her and she still doesn't shoot him!!! She instead sticks around to save this chick. I don't get it. These are bad, bad people. And Tara has shown that she's not afraid to take things to extreme measures. Why does she care about saving the girl? Am I supposed to believe that as a doctor she feels that it's her duty? Well I don't believe that for one second. How many times have we seen her break the laws at the hospital for the MC? I'm not buying it. This was just another cheap plot contrivance to drag out the Tara mess until the boys get home.

Now, I'm just guessing here, but I doubt that Tara is dead. She's got way too much unfinished business with Jax. But, now that Gemma has told Jax about the pregnancy, is there anyway that Tara didn't lose the baby at the hands of Salazaar? I doubt it. The whole thing feels cliched and used. And I'm not used to saying that about SoA.

This week we also learn that Lumpy, the boxing gym owner, died. That frees up Jacob Hale to develop that spot in town. And in the meantime, Hale and the counsel have elected to basically disband the local police department and hand everything over to the Sheriff's department. At least I think that's what was happening. Either way, things are getting really bad for Uncer and I'm curious as to where all of this is leading him. Can he re-gain his standing with the MC? Is he going to take this fight with Hale on his own?

There's a lot of loose ends to tie up in the last two weeks. We still have to see if Stahl is going to be able to work her magic. Assuming of course that Jax can bring Jimmy O in alive. And what's the fate of Tara? I can't wait to see how it all plays out and I hope that it's every bit as good as I know this show can be.

Episode Grade: B

-CREE

TV Confession - House

2010-11-17T09:21:00.000-06:00

"A Pox On Our House"

The One With Little Lammi

Okay, look. This was a pretty good episode with a lot of intense moments and plenty of drama to go around. It probably featured the best case of the season...at least the one that I was most interested in. It also featured a good helping of Wilson and Sam, which is always a bonus. But man is it hard to overlook the stupidity of House walking into a quarantined room which may contain small pox. I know, I know, he's House. And he was so sure of himself that he didn't have any hesitation at all.

Most of the time I am willing and able to overlook the parts of Dr. House that I know are so far fetched that most Michael Bay action movies wouldn't go there. But for some reason this one really irked me. Doesn't this guy now have more to think about than just himself? Cuddy's all pissed off about a little white lie when she should be way more concerned that the man that she is in love with was willing to risk his life without any consideration of her.

Enough bitching. I'm really starting to like Amber Tamblyn as Martha Masters. She's a riot and it's going to be a lot of fun watching her lock horns with House in the coming months...if she sticks around. You never know about characters on this show.

Episode Grade: B

-CREE

Californication Season 4 Preview

2010-11-16T15:58:00.002-06:00

The Office and Community

2010-11-13T21:13:00.000-06:00

My camping trip ended early due to rain and so I got back in town a day earlier than expected. This allowed me the chance to see The Office and Community today and I wanted to say a couple of things about each. I ragged on The Office last week pretty hard, giving it an F and almost deciding to give up on the show for good. However, they came back this week and delivered a home run and gave me hope that not all is lost for a second year in a row.

"Viewing Party" gave us several great lines, but the one that took the cake was Kevin's "I wanted to eat pigs in a blanket, in a blanket." But the real reason the show worked was because Michael was allowed to be human and then he was humbled. How good was Steve Carell in those closing moments where he went from acting out to realizing that this situation wasn't all about it. It was about Erin wanting Michael to accept her and her relationship with Gabe because he's filling a father-figure role in her life. So well played by both of them.

Another scene that was classic was Darryl's pep talk to Andy - if I was a girl and I had a choice between a dude that looked like Gabe or a guy that looked like you and liked sweaters, I'd pick you. Is there a more political, hetero way to boost Andy's confidence? I don't think so. I'm really starting to thing that Darryl needs to be the one to fill Michael's shoes when he leaves.

I'd give that one an A. And speaking of giving a show an A, how about Community this week with the bottle episode. I'm not sure if they decided to do the bottle episode just so that Abed could talk about bottle episodes or if they needed to do a bottle episode to save some money for the bigger episodes, like the Halloween apocalypse.

For those of you not familiar with a bottle episode, it's basically an episode of a television show that takes place in one location with one set of characters that's made on the cheap in order to save budget money for another larger episode. Abed states that he hates bottle episodes, but personally I like them quite a bit. Nothing like forcing characters to sit and actually talk to one another, where plot can't get in the way of what needs to be said. Breaking Bad has made two of the best bottle episodes I've ever scene. But this one ranks up there.

Everyone got a chance to play big emotional arcs this week, especially the ladies as they yelled and screamed at one another. First with Britta hearing it from Shirley about her sexual habits and then reversed when we discovered that Shirley has been hooking up with her ex husband....but should we believe that? Didn't Shirley just have sex with Chang in the aforementioned Halloween episode? Hmmmm.

This one was a great one and Modern Family be damned, it's the best ensemble comedy on television. (No offense Parks and Rec, but you aren't allowed on the air right now).

-CREE

Had To Post This!!!

2010-11-10T13:40:00.001-06:00