Why Don't I Have Showtime? or HBO?

Top 5 Reasons I Wish I Had Showtime (and HBO):

1. Dexter (Showtime)

2. Weeds (Showtime)

3. The Real L Word (Showtime)

4. True Blood (HBO)

5. Big Love (HBO)

read my blog. click on the ads. maybe I'll be able to afford a sweet cable package. or, you know, just send me a check!

lisa edelstein quits house, takes job on good wife

Lisa Edelstein Leaves 'House' for 'The Good Wife'

Lisa Edelstein will appear on 'The Good Wife' during this upcoming season for an episode arc.

If I were David Shore I'd be even more annoyed than I was previously.

While I still love 'House' I do understand her reluctance to stay on a show that will (probably) have to come to an end sometime soon. Still, couldn't she have given the fans a little thought and at least committed to a few guest appearances? That also would have made David Shore and co's lives a lot easier.

Also, really...'The Good Wife'? I think it's a fine show, but nowhere near as good as 'House'.

I guess Lisa Edelstein and Juliana Margulies both decided to leave their hospitals for the greener side of the fence...and I suppose for both of them that ended up being 'The Good Wife'.

What I Want to Happen on...'Bones'

What Will Happen During the Seventh Season of 'Bones'?

From time to time I like to post what I want to happen on some of my favorite series during their upcoming seasons. As the season starts and ends, I follow up on my predictions and see if any of them came true. Many of them don't. Mainly because I'm not guessing the most probable situations, but rather because I am coming up with what I really truly want to happen. Leave a comment below and I'll add your predictions to my list. I'll re-post come October after the Season 7 premiere date and we'll see if any of our predictions came true!

1. There have been rumors on the blogosphere that Booth is not the father of Brennan's baby. I refuse to accept this. Booth is the father of Brennan's baby.

2. Brennan will tentatively agree that Booth should live with her to look after the baby. She'll insist on separate bedrooms at first.

3. Or Season 7 will start and Brennan and Booth will be a romantic couple. Everyone knows (which is kind of boring) or no one knows except for Angela, and no one knows who the father of her baby is (I vote for this! Way for fun!).

3. This time around, Brennan will be the one attempting to persuade Booth that they need to give their relationship a try. He'll be a little hesitant because he was hurt by her (and Hannah) before, but he'll agree to give it a go because they have a child together.

4. Hannah will reappear for one episode to try and get Booth back. It will be awkward.

5. Booth will want to christen the baby, Brennan will be hesitant. It will be awkward...but in a much more entertaining way than the whole Hannah thing.

6. Sweets and Daisy will get married.

7. Angela and Hodgins will randomly bring their baby to work. But only once or twice, because children and sets don't mix well.

8. Cam will continue to be relegated to the background. Which is kind of okay with me. I like her, but I don't care about her character developing further.

9. Maybe Michelle will make an appearance. Remember her?

10. Sweets will have hilarious things to say about Booth and Brennan and their baby. Or maybe he'll be the one person they're hesitant to tell about Booth being the father, and he'll get confused as to how their relationship dynamic is changing.

What do you think?

Want to know when 'Bones' Season 7 is premiering? Click HERE.

It's Summer...What Are You Going to Watch?

What You Should Be Watching This Summer:

Now that summer's fully upon us (official June 21st!) what are you planning on watching while your favorite shows are on hiatus? Find some of my recommendations for live TV viewing and Netflix browsing below:



Mondays

1) Rizzoli & Isles. Premieres July 11th. Mondays 10/9 c on TNT.

Harmon (from 'Desperate Housewives') as a homicide detective. Alexander (from 'Dawson's Creek' and 'NCIS') as a medical examiner. They solve cases. They're best friends. There's homoerotic tension if you want to look for it.

2) Weeds. Premieres June 27th. Mondays 10/9 c on Showtime.
Marie-Louise Parker. Marijuana dealer. Mother to three. If you're going to watch this you have to play catch up first.

Tuesdays

2) Covert Affairs. Tuesdays 10/9 C on USA.

CIA. Hot female spy. Sexy James Bond lite. Enough said.

Wednesdays

3) Toddlers & Tiaras. Wednesday 10/9 c on TLC.

Ridiculous pageant moms and their children. Watch them 'train'. Watch them 'compete'. Watch the horror of child beauty pageants while sitting on the edge of your seat.

4) Damages. Wednesdays 10/9 c on DIRECTV.
Reality TV not really your thing? Watch Glen Close as a manipulative lawyer, and Rose Byne as her equally devious, slightly more genuine, younger counterpart.

Netflix It Anytime

5) Better Off Ted. Netflix.
If you missed this when it was on the air catch up with it right away. Crazy R&D firm. Portia de Rossi as an insensitive yet hilarious boss. Science nerds, children, and love interests.

6) Arrested Development. Netflix.
I know, I'm really pushing de Rossi's work. But this is pure genius. Watch it at least 3 times to get all the hidden subtext. Zany family, criminal charges, Michael Cera, and the most ridiculous plot you've ever seen. Plus, it has four characters all named some combination of George/Michael. How can you not love it?

7) Wonderfalls. DVD.
Recent Brown graduate works retail. Inanimate animals talk to her. They help her solve people's problems. Add a hot bartender/potential boyfriend and a hilarious closeted lesbian sister and you've got a must-watch.

8) Bones. Netflix.
Rewatch seasons 1-4 (all available on Netflix) and then somehow get your hands on season 5 and 6. Rewatch before November premiere date of season 7. Find the subtext. Reevaluate the writers...maybe they're not all crazy?

9) Law and Order: SVU. Netflix.
Crime, Benson, Stabler. It's all there. With 248 episodes you can really keep summer boredom at bay.

10) Parks and Recreation. Netflix.
Amy Poehler. Ridiculous local government. Rashida Jones. Oh, and did I mention Amy Poehler?

11) 30 Rock. Netflix.
Tina Fey. Alec Baldwin. Behind the scenes of an SNL-like show. Plus Jane Krakowski. Oh, and did I mention Tina Fey?

12) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series). Netflix.
Because it's a cultural milestone. With a spunky ex-cheerleader and her quirky friends. Oh and said ex-cheerleader kills demons. Plus, early (note: hot) David Boreanaz.

Bones Season 7 Premiere Date (Release Date and Episode Title Announced)

Click HERE for an update (2/7/12)

When is "Bones" Back?

Thursday, November 3rd!

The episode will be called: "The Memories in the Shallow Grave"

I admit that I'm probably as frustrated as the rest of you. Normally the new season starts in mid-September, and having to wait an extra month and a half doesn't mesh well with my patience. Still, the only good thing is in all likelihood it means that once the new season premieres we will have new episodes until May. Presumably Emily Deschanel is taking her maternity leave from the show right after her baby is born (this fall) until they show episodes in November. Because of this they may film as many episodes during hiatus (in July) as possible prior to her fall delivery. Which will make an interesting twist...how far along will she be in her pregnancy on the show? This definitely should calm the rumors online that Brennan's pregnancy annoucement is going to prove to be a dream, or that she will miscarry (although a late-term miscarriage is possible, it's a little too 'Secret Life of the American Teenager' to happen). Frankly, if I was the writers I wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to show a frantic soon-to-be dad Booth dealing with a pregnant Brennan. But maybe they're tired of having to deal with pre-baby drama after Angela and Hodgins. Guess we'll just have to wait until November to see. All I can say is that I really hope they show everyone's reactions to Brennan's pregnancy, and their reactions to finding out that Booth is the father...if the writers skip that I'll be as annoyed as I was when they skipped the sex scenes at the end of last season.

edit: 'Bones' executive producer Stephen Nathan says, "The first episode will pick up with Brennan moving into the third trimester of her pregnancy. Brennan is still the same strong character and shows no sign of slowing down. She attacks each case as she always has, although she must now deal with the realities of being pregnant."

'Bones' will be having a delayed release due to E-D's baby, and a short season because of her maternity leave.

Tracy Morgan ("30 Rock") consequences of homophobic rants

But Why Would You Say That?

Washington ("Grey's") & Morgan ("30 Rock")

Do any of you remember Isaiah Washington? I barely do. But just a few years ago he was the hot doctor boyfriend of Cristina (Sandra Oh) on “Grey’s Anatomy”. All of that changed when Washington left the show in 2007. He left amid controversy…controversy which he had caused. After news of homophobic slurs against openly gay co-star TR Knight began to surface ABC had little choice but to refuse to renew his contract at the end of the year. If they had actually fired him he would have left shortly after the incident, in the middle of production. The fact that this did not occur made many think badly of showrunner Shonda Rimes (perhaps somewhat unfairly, since it would have been almost impossible to rewrite storylines to explain Washington suddenly disappearing). Regardless, as the NY Daily News stated in an article that they wrote 3 years after Washington left “Grey’s”: “Homophobic comments make bad career moves”.

Because of this, Tracy Morgan’s homophobic ‘joke’ during a recent stand-up routine (which included graphic descriptions of violent actions again gays, and described how he would harm his son were he to state he was gay) seems not only offensive and politically incorrect, but downright stupid. Have actors not learned anything from Washington?

As news of Morgan’s ‘joke’ has spread many have called for him to be reprimanded by NBC. However, some differences do exist between the circumstances of Washington’s rant and Morgan’s graphic comment. Washington’s insult directly related to a fellow cast member (TR Knight) and consequently not only put him in a bad light, but also cast a shadow over the production of the show. Other people involved in “Grey’s” (most notably Katherine Heigel) began taking open stands, essentially dividing the cast and crew. This meant that Washington’s comment harmed both the public’s image of the show, and the continued successful production of the show.

Could Morgan’s slur do the same thing? Yes and no. He did not attack a member of the cast or crew directly, although I am sure that there are plenty of openly gay people who work at NBC. Many of these people were probably upset by Morgan’s comments, particularly if they work with him daily. Still, there was no direct attack.

Morgan also made the comment during his stand-up act, which was in no way related to “30 Rock”, Washington, in contrast, ranted while on the set of “Grey’s”, and is said to have actually grabbed Patrick Dempsey by the neck.

While Morgan did not act violently, he did seemingly recommend violent actions against gays. In a year that has had a number of high profile gay suicides, this could not come at a worse time (of course, there’s really no better time for it either).

Those involved in the production of “30 Rock” have all made official statements.:

As quoted by the Huffington Post, Greenblatt (NBC Entertainment Chairman) said the following:

“I speak for NBC and myself personally when I say we do not condone hate or violence of any kind and I am pleased to see Tracy Morgan apologizing for recent homophobic remarks in his standup appearance. We will always recognize an artist's freedom to express him or herself, but not when reckless things are said no matter what the context. Unfortunately, Tracy's comments reflect negatively on both 30 Rock and NBC -- two very all-inclusive and diverse organizations -- and we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated”.

Tina Fey, showrunner and star of “30 Rock”, also spoke up (again, this is from The Huffington Post):

“I'm glad to hear that Tracy apologized for his comments. Stand-up comics may have the right to "work out" their material in its ugliest and rawest form in front of an audience, but the violent imagery of Tracy's rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the GLBT Community.

It also doesn't line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-centered to ever hurt another person.

I hope for his sake that Tracy's apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian coworkers at "30 Rock," without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with, or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket.

The other producers and I pride ourselves on 30 Rock being a diverse, safe, and fair workplace.”

I truly adore Tina Fey, but I was a little upset by her statement that Morgan is “much too sleepy and self-centered to ever hurt another person”. That sounds very much like an excuse…as though she is saying that his words don’t matter…and trying to joke away what he said. While I appreciate that Fey made an effort to quickly release a statement, I wish it had not contained that joking line (perhaps she didn’t even mean it that way, but that is how it comes across). It cheapens her to come to his defense. Also, just because she thinks he isn’t ‘active’ enough to commit a crime like the one he suggested, doesn’t mean that somehow who hears him is too inactive.

Regardless, it seems to me unlikely that Morgan will leave the show for good. He is a central character, and would be very hard to replace. His statement was also not made in a setting tied to NBC, and consequently it would be hard for them to directly reprimand him about it anyway.

They are probably incredibly pleased that “30 Rock’ will not be returning again until midseason (due to Fey’s maternity leave). My guess is that everyone at the network is quite happy about her pregnancy right now. Eight months gives the viewers a long time to forget.

*Morgan recently released an apology to the LGBT community: read it here.

"Love Bites": But will this new show bite the dust?

"Love Bites"
get it?

I just watched the series' premiere of "Love Bites" on Hulu. That fact alone is a little concerning. I do watch quite a bit of television live, but I somehow never saw a preview for "Love Bites". Advertising plays a large role (second only to a good time slot) in helping a new show get off the ground. Networks need to realize that "30 Rock" is an exception not a rule ("It's on at 8:30!...9!...or 10!?"). We've seen brilliant shows fail time and time again due to poor time slots and poor advertising ("Arrested Development"? "Better Off Ted"?). Unfortunately, I don't think that "Love Bites" is a brilliant show. It really is going to need quite a lot of help from the network to remain become successful.

"Love Bites" is a show that is broken up (a la Frasier) with titles spliced between different yet interconnected stories. Its title is a joke..."Love Bites" because sometimes it sucks! "Love also Bites" because it's lot of little stories (or bites if you will) about love! Get it? Yeah...but I'm not really sure that's all that clever.

Regardless. The show could prove interesting. The characters that I like the best are the guy who got fired (Dan?) and his fiancee (Colleen?). I'm a tad concerned that I watched a full 45 minutes and don't know what any of the characters are called. This is evidently a major issue with the 'lots of interconnected stories' (aka anthology series) arrangement.

I was most interested in the Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Jennifer Love Hewitt scene, and how Judd (that one is definitely right!) interacted. Unfortunately I think that was just a guest appearance, and I really doubt she's coming back. If she was, I'd be way more likely to watch.

Speaking of watching, I just noticed episode 2 is on Hulu! I'm going to give it a try...maybe this show will prove worth watching after all.

covert affairs: summer television returns (or will they really have affairs? will auggie and annie hook-up?)

I apologize for taking so long to post. Apparently the season of weddings is upon us, and consuming all of my free time. With that said...

Covert Affairs:
Annie, Ben, & Auggie

Finally, summer television is upon us! As much as I miss "Bones" and "Grey's" (note: a lot) I do have a few favorite shows that appear during regular season hiatus. While "Covert Affairs" isn't at the top of that list, I do find it light, fluffy summer fun.

"Covert Affairs" is about the life of Annie Walker, a new CIA agent recruited for her stellar language abilities, and for the fact that her ex-boyfriend (now current) boyfriend, was an ex (now current) CIA operative. Sound confusing? It might be if you haven't watched last season. So, I suggest you do that....now! Why the urgency? Because season 2 of "Covert Affairs" premiered on Tuesday, and you can spend this weekend catching up so that you're only an episode behind. Oh, and this week's episode is online so as soon as you've caught up with last season you can watch that too.

Now, some slight spoilers (only if you haven't watched last season): Annie spent all of season 1 desperately in love with Ben. But, it's clear that she never really knew who he was, and that love may be built on an imagined persona rather than his true one. Now that he's back, but seemingly out of the picture, will she continue to moon over him for the entirety of this season?

What I find particularly confusing is the dynamic that Annie and Auggie (ugh, I wish their names weren't so similar) have. Annie (Piper Perabo) relies on Auggie (Christopher Gorham) on a daily basis, and they are clearly close friends. Auggie's blindness doesn't get in the way of their case solving abilities or their friendship, but it seems to serve as a romantic relationship buffer. It is as though his disability stops him from being a true romantic interest on the show. I'm not sure where I get this vibe from (any suggestions?) but somehow the way that the show is currently written/acted keeps me from seeing any semblance of a romantic future for the two of them. This surprises me because on most shows on television the male and female lead characters (and that is really what Annie and Auggie are) have at least the spark of a possible romance. Will the writers try to add this in during season 2? Or is "Covert Affairs" the only show on television where a platonic relationship between the leads is really possible?

What do you think? Will Auggie and Annie hook up?

Also, does anyone else think of Seth's dad on "The OC" every time they see Peter Gallagher? That poor man.

Are They Leaving?

Which actors are choosing to leave their hit television shows?

Cuddy is leaving 'House'! Lisa Edelstein is officially leaving 'House' and will not return for next season. I am actually incredibly annoyed by this, because one of the only reasons I am still watching 'House' is because of the potential for a House/Cuddy relationship renewal (yes, I'm a "Huddy fan"). Olivia Wilde still has time on her contract, and that gives me a reason to keep watching. She and House are the only really interesting main characters, and now that I think about it, if they became involved romantically that would be a really interesting storyline.

Patrick Dempsey said in an interview with Italian Vanity Fair that he would be leaving 'Grey's Anatomy' at the end of next season. But he has recently stated that he was "taken out of context". I'm not sure how that's possible, but I do know that ABC was probably not pleased by his announcement. If people know that Patrick Dempsey is leaving they know that Ellen Pompeo will probably follow suit...and that will give people little motivation to watch next season. I'm wondering if that means that Patrick Dempsey has been ordered by ABC to muddy the waters about his choice to leave.


Read more about Lisa Edelstein's decision to leave 'House' here.

Franklin & Bash: New TNT Lawyer Show

'Franklin & Bash':

The New 'Ally McBeal'?

For men?

With Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar!

Apparently TNT likes the concept of using the last names of main characters in their show titles. 'Rizzoli & Isles', a pretty great solid show that I enjoy watching, premiered on TNT last summer to strong ratings (and don't worry, it's back again soon for a 2nd season). This summer TNT is premiering the similarly named 'Franklin & Bash'. And no, the shows have nothing to do with each other. Although I suppose if TNT really wanted to they could orchestrate a cross-over episode. Now that I think about it, that would be pretty sweet.

But concentrating on the actual purpose of this post...'Franklin & Bash' is premiering tonight at 9 pm on TNT. It's being called "a David E. Kelley legal drama aimed at...men...rather than....women" by the NY Times. Except, you know, for the fact that it's not by David Kelley (aka the man behind 'Ally McBeal' and 'The Practice') nor do I really think that 'Ally McBeal' was for women. 'Ally McBeal' was sexualized (the show, not and Calista Flockhart) in such a way that the show was supposed to appeal to men too. Plus, just because a show has a female main character does not mean it's aimed towards women. I think what they meant to say was that the show's larger demographic was female.

But I'm getting slightly whiny/digressing.

'Franklin & Bash' has nothing to do with 'Ally McBeal' except for the fact that it is set in a law firm. And yes, the two main characters are men. They've recently graduated from law school and apparently have a frat-like quality which makes their introduction into a stuffy firm a bit of an imposition on the other lawyers. I'm assuming they'll also prove to be brilliant, because otherwise this show has nowhere to go. They'd get fired.

Are you planning on watching 'Franklin & Bash' tonight? Do you think (or did you think) it was worth watching? Also, do you think TNT believes in some kind of "main characters' last names in title" magic? seriously, why else would they think it makes sense to have two shows with almost identical looking titles (see below)...