• How to save Star Trek: Make it the True Detective of science fiction
• Watch Before Judging: ABC Family’s ‘The Fosters’ Creators Defend 13-Year-Old Gay Male Kiss
• Cannot Wait: Tina Fey’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Is a Worthy Heir to 30 Rock• Must Read TV: Fifteen and Loving It
• Postmortem: Suits Boss on That Big Breakup and What’s Next
• American Crime Review: A Series With Something to Say
• Game Changer: HBO’s standalone service has a name and possible launch date
• ‘Supergirl’ Begins Filming – What to Expect: Premiere, Crossovers & More
• Pass the Kleenex: Read a Beautiful Eulogy for Harris Wittels by His Sister Stephanie
• Pilot Watch: ‘Homeland’s Raza Jaffrey To Co-Star In CBS Pilot ‘Code Black’
• The Big Tease: ‘Outlander’ Teases End of #Droughtlander With Homage to Series’ Original Poster
• Casting Roundup: Carl Lumbly Joins CBS Drama Series ‘Zoo’; Arielle Goldman In Cinemax’s ‘The Knick’
• Time Suck: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Actors Before They Became Really, Really Famous
• Pilot Watch: Anika Noni Rose to star in CBS’ For Justice pilot
• L.A. Mayor Cuts Production Red Tape, Appoints New Chief Film Liaison For City
• Cool Beans: Giovanni Ribisi To Play The Lead In Bryan Cranston-David Shore Pilot ‘Sneaky Pete’
• Late Night Wars: James Corden Says His ‘Late Late Show’ Will Be More Norton Than Letterman
• Casting Coup: ‘Hannibal’ Cast Adds Zachary Quinto for Season 3
• Pilot Watch: Jon Dore Cast As Lead In ‘The Half Of It’ CBS Comedy Pilot
• RIP Kruger: Seinfeld Actor Daniel von Bargen Has Died
• Newsworthy: Maddow Uses O’Reilly to Demonstrate Everything That’s Wrong with Cable News
• Controversy: Fresh Off the Boat Star Says the Lack of Asians on TV Is “Racism”
• Fun with Numbers: How Long Can A Spinoff Like ‘Better Call Saul’ Last?
Archives for March 2015
AMERICAN IDOL Recap: Boys Rock Motown Night
It was Motown Night for the boys on last night’s ‘Idol’ and also the first night of the cruel new elimination system that saw four guys prepare tunes only to never be heard.
Yes, this year the results and performance shows will be mercifully combined, adding even more tension to the performances and doing away with that unnecessary hour where nothing much happened. The way they’re doing it is tortuous as the guys sat in the dugout last night waiting for their turn at bat only to have four never get called up.
It’s devious fun, but it will be interesting to see how it affects performances going forward as a few showed the nerves of the moment when they took the stage.
So who made it and how did they do last night? Read on to find out.
Daniel Seavey Sang “(How Sweet It Is) To Be Loved By You” by Marvin Gaye
Keith Said: Don’t be too stuck in the melody.
J-Lo Said: It seems like you’re having fun, but I think the song was a little bit low for you.
Harry Said: I felt like you weren’t swinging hard enough with this group.
The Verdict:
Daniel ditched the guitar tonight and let his be his only weapon to make tween girls swoon.
I’m not sure how he did in the swooning department, but in the vocal department it was a mixed back. He flashes a lot of talent – hitting some cool runs and a tone that just shouldn’t be coming out of his body – but has trouble staying consistently in the pocket. He allows his vocals to get lazy and disconnects from the rhythm way too often.
The kid’s got talent but he lacks experience in a real way.
Grade: D+
Mark Andrew Sang “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations
Keith Said: I’m just glad you’re here, man.
J-Lo Said: I’m not sure that song in that way was moving me.
Harry Said: I thought you had a good time and you sang it well.
The Verdict:
On Motown night, Mark goes all disco with a weird upbeat take on this classic.
It’s a really strange choice for Mark. This can be a big deep soul number and he has a big deep soul voice. Choosing to play away from his strengths really doesn’t make sense. Yes, it was a little more fun than the original, but it only provided him a nice performance with what could have been a showstopper.
Sometimes arrangement choice is just as important as song choice.
Grade: C+
Rayvon Owens Sang “My Girl” by The Temptations
Keith Said: I’m interested to see what you do next.
J-Lo Said: I thought you did a great job. You made it your own.
Harry Said: Everything was really strong, but I want to see more than just your nice song.
The Verdict:
In Rayvon’s video package he noted he’d spent years gigging as a wedding singer. His history was very apparent here.
The way the song was arranged and the way Rayvon sang it (treacly, soulless, honey-dripping pleasant) almost demanded a daughter be dancing with her on a makeshift dancefloor. It was just so nice. Like it was made to be enjoyed but not steal focus from anything else. This isn’t the performance you want to give when you’re trying to distinguish yourself from seven other guys. It’s the performance you give when you don’t’ want to upstage the Best Man Toast.
Rayvon’s got a solid voice, but he’s got to understand his current audience.
Grade: C
Adam Ezegelian Sang “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5
Keith Said: That was the perfect song for you
J-Lo Said: You really did a good job on that song.
Harry Said: Your voice is dangerous and you nailed every note.
The Verdict:
I don’t know what Adam is exactly. He seems like the show has reached some sort of critical mass after all these years and spit out fat Sideshow Bob to make us all finally shake our heads and accept that America is finally out of undiscovered talent.
But then he starts singing and becomes John Belushi’s impression of Joe Cocker crossed with Rob Halford in the best way possible. Somehow, singing in an ill-fitting tux made it even better.
This kid will always haunt my nightmares, but now it seems like their soundtrack might not be too bad.
Grade: B
Clark Beckham Sang “The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson
Keith Said: You should have played the guitar without the band and you would have broken everybody’s hearts.
J-Lo Said: You have such a great voice, but it’s time to let loose.
Harry Said: It was lacking a beginning, a middle and an end.
The Verdict:
Give this kid the title right now. He just went all easy A.M. radio on a Motown classic and it totally worked. This guy is Seals, Crofts, Hall, Oates, Sanford, Townsend, England Dan and John Ford Coley all rolled into one throwback talent that seems ready to make a bunch of songs that hang on the chart for like a year because they fit so many formats.
Bonus points for the cool sped-up outro that showed a totally different side of best Beckham on the planet.
Grade: A-
Nick Fradiani Sang “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder
Keith Said: You didn’t look comfortable playing the guitar.
J-Lo Said: It was a great song. You did it well.
Harry Said: I thought that was very strong.
The Verdict:
Look. I know there’s people out there who like Jason Mraz. I know he’s sold a lot of records. I know people think his music is not only tolerable but enjoyable. I’m not one of them.
So you can imagine that I don’t really take kindly to somebody turning a Stevie Wonder classic into a poor-man’s Jason Mraz tune. He may have a pleasant voice and know how to stay on pitch and in tune, but that arrangement was just intolerable to me.
Grade: D
Qaasim Middleton Sang “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder
Keith Said: So good, man!
J-Lo Said: You so damn funky, it’s crazy. You own that stage.
Harry Said: I thought it was extremely good. That’s what we’re looking for.
The Verdict:
Qaasim’s an entertainer first and a singer second. That was more clear than ever in this performance.
Be it some funked up dancing, joining hands with the backup singers, or even bits of mime involving his hair, Qaasim was an insane spiral of energy that took over the stage for 90 seconds of old-school fun.
His vocal wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough that it didn’t matter. Qaasim was all about the performance on this number, and he definitely delivered on that aspect.
Grade: B+
Quentin Alexander Sang “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” by Stevie Wonder
Keith Said: You know who you are. That was a Bulls-eye.
J-Lo Said: That was so easy. That was so smooth.
Harry Said: My favorite part was just how you settled into the groove of that.
The Verdict:
After his excellent performance last week, I was expecting more from Quentin. This performance lacked a certain vitality that he always seemed to have in abundance. Here, there was just a certain verve lacking from what he was doing. It may be because he was the last contestant saved and he was almost singing out of relief or it may just be that the relaxed groove of the arrangement.
I’m not sure exactly what the culprit was, but it stole just a little bit of Quentin’s swagger.
Grade: B-
Predictions:
If you’re keeping score, you’ll know through process of elimination that last night’s unlucky four were Michael, Savion, Riley and Trevor. That leaves me two-for-four. I’m definitely surprised about Trevor whose nerd-with-guitar act seemed poised to carry a ton of votes, but voters seemed to be buying it even less than I was.
This week, I have to deliver some bad prediction news: I think it’s the end of the line for my boy Clark. The judges weren’t too kind on him despite what they seemed to think was a solid performance. Sometimes this panel of judges is actually harder on those who they like more and it ends up undermining them with voters. Their comments for Clark will be enough to seal his fate, I think.
The other predicted cast-off is Mark Andrew. Going second and singing a very forgettable version of that song is a good way to get voted off, and I think that’s exactly what will happen.
Check back tomorrow for a recap of the Top 8 Girls.
On TV Tonight: Thursday March 5, 2015
Morning Static: SHARKNADO, THE ORIGINALS, DOWNTON ABBEY & More!
• Scary News: The Fate Of ‘Sharknado 3? Is In Jeopardy Due To A Production Crew Strike
• Pilot Watch: ‘The Originals’ Newbie to Co-Star in Julie Plec’s CW Pilot
• Shape Up: Jillian Michaels to host Spike TV fitness show
• Pilot Watch: Fred Savage Is Returning To Acting Alongside Rob Lowe In A New Fox Comedy
• Casting Coup: Bill Murray to guest on TBS comedy ‘Angie Tribeca’
• Not So Funny Business: IFC Cancels ‘Garfunkel and Oates’ After One Season
• Must Read TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the Sunny Side of Surviving
• Animation Domination: Star Wars Rebels’ Adds Sarah Michelle Gellar to its Voice Cast for Season 2
• Pilot Watch: Jon Foo To Play Detective Lee In ‘Rush Hour’ CBS Pilot
• This Week in Tech: NBCUniversal Planning Online Comedy Subscription Service
• TV Review: DIG
• Pilot Watch: Mike Epps to Star in ABC’s ‘Uncle Buck’ Pilot
• Mark Your Calendars: Syfy Announces Premiere Dates for Final Season of Lost Girl, Bitten Season 2, and New Drama Olympus
• Cannot Wait: ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 5 Featurette Introduces the Sand Snakes
• Trailer Park: Yahoo’s New Season of Community Spoofs Age of Ultron Trailer A look at the brainy sitcom’s fabled return
• Profile: ‘American Crime,’ John Ridley’s New Series on ABC
• Who Knew? Amazon Prime’s most-streamed shows aren’t what you’d expect
• Funny Business: FXX Renews Jay Baruchel’s Man Seeking Woman for Season 2
• D’oh! Homer Simpson almost discovered the Higgs boson before any scientist
• Cool Beans: This Photographer Uses An iPhone To Insert TV And Film Scenes Into Real-Life Scenarios
• Pilot News: Carrie Preston Starring in NBC’s Empty-Nester Comedy
• Team CoCo: Watch ‘Conan’ cut loose in Cuba
• News You Can’t Use: A “HIMYM” Fan Figured Out What Barney Stinson’s Salary Was And It’s Pretty Crazy
• Watch: Justin Bieber get groped by Jeffrey Ross in Comedy Central Roast promo
• Leonard Nimoy’s Funeral: Read Touching Eulogy for the Beloved Actor
• Sweet: Reports of Maggie Smith’s ‘Downton’ exit may be premature
• Harpo Studios to close in December, official says
On TV Tonight: Wednesday March 4, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | The Middle | The Goldbergs | Modern Family | Blackish | Nashville | |
CBS | Survivor: Worlds Apart | Criminal Minds | CSI: Cyber | |||
CW | Arrow (R) | The 100 | ||||
FOX | American Idol | Empire | The Americans (FX) | |||
NBC | The Voice | Chicago PD | ||||
MISC | Melissa & Joey/Baby Daddy (ABC Family) | Broadchurch (BBC America) The Game (BET) Suits (USA) It’s Always Sunny/Man Seeking Woman (FXX) |
Check out March 13th for full on hanky action
Credit: A National Acrobat?
Don’t you love a good tear jerker? Sometimes there is nothing quite like having your heart strings well and truly strung out. When I was a kid, Lassie floored me on a weekly basis. I still can’t watch Bambi, and the ending of Lost left me weak kneed and weepy for the better part of a fortnight. Sometimes, it does you good to just give it all up to the drama and let all that emotion pour out. It’s a kind of catharsis, an emotional spring clean.
Have you seen that Dustin Hoffman trailer for the movies where he stands on a rooftop and does that hopelessly sincere, cracked voice thing that he does like no-one else? He says, ‘really, when it comes down to it, the movies are all about feelings.’ To be fair, Dustin Hoffman is one of the all-time great tear-jerkers. Never mind Esiotrot, even Tootise had its moments.
Credit: rhyzy
When a character has worn his or her way into your sympathy, and when the plot twists in just the right way, there are few things as delicious as that dramatic welling up of emotion. And that’s when the eyes start to smart and the chin starts to wobble… Nobody said this was about looking good. A good weepy is about as self-indulgent as it gets.
Now, it’s all well and good when you know what to expect, but there are some times when events catch you by surprise. That can be as part of a play or a film – when Mr Wilson the football floated away from Tam Hanks in Castaway, I was heartbroken – or it can come even more out of the blue than that.
So here’s a hanky alert. This is one for those whose interests extend beyond their fictional fix.
Credit: skippyjon
There is going to be an outpouring of emotion at this year’s Cheltenham Festival of UK horse racing that will take over the news bulletins and dominate the front as well as the back pages of the nation’s newspapers. When the veteran jockey Tony ‘AP’ McCoy rides at the festival, it will be for the very last time. The former BBC Sports Personality of the Year is hanging up his whip and after 20 years spent delighting and amazing racing fans with his courage and his incredible dedication. When he rides down from the finish line for the last time on Friday March 13 there won’t be a dry eye to be seen. All Cheltenham bets, big and small alike, will be well and truly off. McCoy’s parting at the end of one of the most remarkable careers in sport – forged day in, day out in hard graft, self-sacrifice and an incredible toughness – will have the hankies out like you have never seen. Bambi and Tootsie will be nothing by comparison.
It’s hard to find a comparable fictional character because, frankly, what McCoy has done – year in and year out is too unbelievable. And it’s not just what he’s achieved that’s so moving. It’s the way that he’s done it. Amidst the ego-fuelled world of professional sport, McCoy is modesty personified. He is – that rarest of things – both loved and admired across the world in equal measure.
Morning Static: SUPERGIRL, MASTERS OF SEX, COMMUNITY & More!
• Trailer Park: SALEM Season 2
• Let Him Be Your Star: ‘Supergirl’ Casts Jeremy Jordan as ‘Toyman’
• CNN Bound: Jeff Zeleny Leaves ABC News
• NBC News Shakeup: Andrew Lack in Talks to Return in Top Role
• Across the Pond: Could the BBC survive without the licence fee?
• Bell Bites Back: Canadian Network to Fight U.S. Super Bowl Ad Ruling
• Awards Watch: Daytime Emmy Awards returning to television
• Pilot Watch: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Cast In Fox Comedy Pilot ’48 Hours ‘Til Monday’
• Woo-Hoo! Allison Janney Confirms Masters of Sex Season 3 Return
• ‘Orphan Black’ Season 3 Trailer & Synopsis: Secrets are Power
• Pilot Season 2015: The Overachievers
• Pilot Watch: MTV’s ‘Shannara’ Casts ‘Dexter’ Alum James Remar
• Pilot Watch: ‘The Killing’s’ Mireille Enos to Star on ABC’s Shondaland Pilot ‘The Catch’
• Found! LOST’s Terry O’Quinn to star in ABC’s legal drama The Adversaries
• Say it Ain’t So! Is Maggie Smith Leaving Downton Abbey After Next Season?
• Pilot Watch: Wilmer Valderrama signs on to Fox’s Minority Report pilot
• Seconded: ‘Bob’s Burgers’ did a pitch perfect ‘Game of Thrones’ parody
• Pilot Watch: Christine Lahti to Co-Star in ABC’s Family Legal Drama
• Cash Cow: ‘Judge Judy’ Extends Big Bucks Contract With CBS Through 2020
• Pilot News: Private Practice Alum KaDee Strickland to Lead CBS’ Doubt
• Pilot Watch: ‘True Blood’ Alum Set as Frankenstein for Fox
• Scoop: ‘The Following’ EP on Holding Back the “Big Bad” from the Third Season Premiere
• Pilot News: Glee’s Jane Lynch to Star as CBS’ Angel From Hell
• Must Read TV: Patton Oswalt’s Wonderful Twitter Rant About Watching TV Being Better Than Going Outside
• How Each State Is Trying to Win Hollywood’s Business: A Guide to the Latest Production Incentives
• World Domination Watch: Netflix Australia to launch on 24 March with House of Cards
• Pop Pop: ‘Community’ Season 6 Trailer Releases Today
• Buy part of The Walking Dead town – for $680,000
On TV Tonight: Tuesday March 3, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fresh Off the Boat | Repeat After Me | Agents of SHIELD | Forever | ||
CBS | NCIS (R) | NCIS: New Orleans (R) | Person of Interest (R) | |||
CW | The Flash (R) | Supernatural (R) | ||||
FOX | Hell’s Kitchen | New Girl | The Mindy Project | Justified (FX) | ||
NBC | The Voice | Chicago Fire | ||||
MISC | Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) Billy & Billie (DirecTV) | Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) Switched at Birth (ABC Family) | Sirens (USA) Perception (TNT) Being Mary Jane (BET) Cougar Town (TBS) Girlfriends Guide to Divorce (Bravo) Kroll Show (Comedy) |
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Watching Sport on TV gives you a Grandstand View
Thank goodness for television. Without it we simply would not be able to experience all that life has to offer. [Read more…]
Behind the Ink: Ryan “Opie” Hurst on the Origins of His SONS OF ANARCHY Artwork
In celebration of the release of SONS OF ANARCHY Season 7 and the SONS OF ANARCHY Collector’s set, Fox Home Entertainment wanted to share this exclusive interview with Ryan “Opie” Hurst.
“Sons of Anarchy” Season Seven
Complete your collection and relive the heart-pounding adrenaline rush of the final season of Kurt Sutter’s explosive outlaw-biker saga, Sons of Anarchy. Reeling from the death of the woman he loves, Jax Teller steers SAMCRO full-throttle down the hell-bound road to revenge, allowing nothing to stand in his way. The streets of Charming run red with blood as shifting alliances and fatal mistakes lead to chaos, betrayal, and all-out murder. The body count soars, and dark secrets give way to darker truths, until the only question remaining is who will live…and who will die.
“Sons of Anarchy” The Complete Series Set
From creator Kurt Sutter comes Sons of Anarchy, the iconic, adrenaline-charged initiation into the gritty underworld of outlaw motorcycle clubs. Hounded by law enforcement and targeted by ruthless rivals, the Sons of Anarchy face an uncertain and increasingly lawless future. Meanwhile, Jax Teller is torn between loyalty to his brother bikers and the idealistic vision of his father as he faces bloodshed, treachery, and betrayal at every turn. As Jax struggles to protect his family and escape the deadly legacy of the past, alliances are forged, secrets are revealed, and the bonds of brotherhood are put to the ultimate test.