Pi Day This n That

It’s 3-14, and you know what that means. Yep, it’s Pi Day! Pi, as in 3.14159. It’s strange, the things I remember from tv shows that I could never remember in science class back in the day. I remember Pi because it was used as a riddle in an episode of Stargate SG-1. There are many other scientific stuff that I’ve learned from Stargate, CSI, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles, and more. Oh, the power of television. 

Apparently, it's also National Potato Chip Day today as well. So that means a celebration with both pie and potato chips - and for me, that's the sour cream & onion variety.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

So, we’ve already had the time jump to Daylight Saving time, and we’re in the middle of March Madness, so the only thing I’m waiting for right now is…spring. Has anyone seen it? It sure hasn’t come to the Upper Midwest yet. Mother Nature really needs a new battery in her weather calendar.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about This n That on television, so let’s play catch-up.

* March Madness (aka the NCAA basketball tournaments) are here. All I will say on that is…Go Lady Vols!! Other than that, I really don’t pay much attention to it. The only thing it really does is screw up the tv viewing schedule for my regular shows – many of which are coming down to their season finales shortly.

My main shows at the moment include:

- NCIS … in which we’ll get to finally meet McGee’s father (an Admiral, no less). We’ve gotten a bit of closure on the death of Jackie Vance with Leon coming back to work, but have they already forgotten that Ziva lost her father as well? (or did she?) I’d like to see some continuation on that subject. Will she really go back to business-as-usual with no change in demeanor after something of that magnitude?

- Chicago Fire … are they really going to continue with this Shay/baby thing? Really? Please end that soon. Ugh! Such a cliched story line. I kind of like the Milson hookup (Peter/Gabriela), but please let them stay professional at work. The kiss in the middle of the hallway was SO not who those two are. I’m not really crazy about the whole mess that was brought up at the end of the last episode, with the whole Chief Boden/Mills Family saga, and now having Gabriela seemingly in the middle of it. The biggest question I have is – are we ever going to get story lines for Capp & Hadley? We see them on the fire runs & rescues, but they rarely get speaking parts, let alone actual story lines. I’ll admit that having Pouch the pooch is a nice addition. I just hope they don’t do what Rizzoli & Isles did with Bass & Jo Friday, where the pets become AWOL for a long time. (more on R&I in a little bit)

- SVU … a couple weeks ago, I watched what I consider to be one of the greatest episodes of the show. It centered on Amanda and her conniving sister, Kim, who set her up to be arrested for a murder. It was a great episode for Kelli Giddish, as well as the woman who played her sister. My only complaint of that episode is why it had to be Amaro who is the one to eventually ‘save the day.’ Seriously. Why not Liv? Why not Finn? Why is it always my least-favorite character on a show that always ends up being the hero? (think: CSI/Langston or Nick) It’s annoying.

- speaking of CSI … I need to give big kudos to Jorja Fox for bringing us a great episode a few weeks ago. It was an episode where Sara was framed for murder by Ronald Basderic (a suspect in a previous episode earlier this season). Sara gets to show her BAMF side (in confronting him & proving her innocence); her vulnerable side (celebrating her birthday alone at a restaurant & talking about her personal life with her co-workers); and her loving daughter side (as we finally get to meet her mother). Oh, and did I mention the revelation that Grissom/Sara (GSR) are separated? Hallelujah! (I know it’s too good to be true in the long run, but I’ll celebrate for the moment anyway) However, the episode made me miss the presence of Catherine, considering the subject of failed relationships and being a target.

* Since I mentioned Catherine, let’s talk about new opportunities for a couple of CSI alumni. Details continue to be released (almost daily, it seems) for upcoming pilots (new shows) to be shot.

- Marg has been cast in the CBS drama, Intelligence, which also features Josh Holloway. The logline states that the show “Centers of US Cyber Command, a unit that has been created around one agent with a very special gift: a microchip that has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.” While I was trying to make sense of what that actually means, it made me wonder if that’s like the character, Gary, on the Syfy show, Being Human, where he could visualize audio & visual signals.  I can only hope that Marg isn’t relegated to “second fiddle” status like she was on the later seasons of CSI.

- Marg’s former CSI co-star, Louise Lombard, has also been tabbed for a new show. It’s a drama for CW titled, The Selection. The logline states: “Set 300 years in the future, the drama is an epic romance centering on a working-class young woman chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women for the Royal Prince’s hand to become the nations’ next queen. Balancing her loyalty to family, true love and the kingdom, she must attempt to remain true to herself as she navigates the cutthroat competition and palace intrigue, all while a budding rebellion threatens to topple the crown.” I saw that Louise garnered the role of the current queen.

- I saw the new trailer for the upcoming show, Hannibal, which stars another former CSI alum, Laurence Fishburne. I’d love to watch a series that features Hannibal Lecter, however, in watching the trailer, I came to the conclusion that there will be way too much of Laurence in this show for my tastes. It brought back memories of what I call the “bad years” of CSI – the ones that featured Ray Langston (aka Fishburne). So, I guess I won’t be glued to my seat for this new series.

- another movie-to-tv series (beginning shortly) is Bates Motel on A&E (based loosely on the movie, Psycho). I’ve seen some of the previews, and I guess it looked a bit boring, but we’ll see.

- NBC is trying its luck at resurrecting an old classic (which means it’s sure to be a flop), with a remake of Ironside – the crime/drama that featured Raymond Burr as a detective in a wheelchair. The updated version features Blair Underwood in that role. Why do they do this to the old classics? WHY? Ugh!

- NBC is also bringing to life a present-day version of Hatfields & McCoys. I guess that means another Dallas-esque show about backstabbing, jealousy, and greed.

- CBS is doing its usual “since-it-ain’t-broke, add-another-spinoff” theory to the NCIS franchise. Yes, a third series, NCIS: Red, will be coming your way, with a ‘back-door pilot’ to air as an episode of NCIS:LA this spring. Thankfully, this one is a bit different as it follows a mobile team of agents as they solve crimes all across the country, thus they’re not stuck in a particular town/setting, which I think is the only way a third series could survive – by being more original. (remember what having a third CSI show with the same concept did to the franchise? Adios, Miami!)

- in looking at some of the names attached to a few other pilots, I’m intrigued by a small handful of them, including:

Killer women (Tricia Helfer), Murder in Manhattan (Annie Potts), Anatomy of Violence (Skeet Ulrich), The Crazy Ones (Robin Williams),Westside (Jennifer Beals, Dean Winters), Boomerang (Felicity Huffman, Anthony LaPaglia), as well as looking at the loglines for The Wild Blue (a mix of ER, The West Wing & Top Gun – about those working on a US Aircraft Carrier), and Sleepy Hollow (yes, as in “the legend of…”), as well as The Sixth Gun (a supernatural Western).

* moving on to my current favorite show, Rizzoli & Isles, which is currently filming season 4, I’m excited to see that they’ve got both Paddy Doyle and Hope Martin (Maura’s bio dad & mom) as the trial against Paddy gets underway, and even the return of Bass & Jo Friday (I call them, “the kids”). 

* news from another of my favorite shows – Downton Abbey – is not as pleasant, however, as I heard that Siobhan Finneran (Ms. O’Brien) did not renew her contract for season 4. So, along with the losses of Sybil and Matthew, we’re also going to lose O’Brien. Oy.

* speaking of departures – this one is of the very sad variety. Earlier this week, I watched the episode of Dallas, which featured J.R.’s funeral (precipitated by the death of Larry Hagman). While it was great to see some of the Knots Landing characters back to pay their respects, the most heartwarming (or maybe I should say heartbreaking) part of the episode was Sue Ellen’s speech – first saying that J.R. was the reason she drank, then admitting she was still a bit drunk as she was talking, reading J.R.’s letter to her about wanting to make amends and get together for dinner, and finally sobbing her reply, “YES.” I had to chuckle, though, at how they’re continuing the saga of “who shot J.R.?”  If they had to re-use a story line from the original, at least they went with that instead of Bobby-in-the-shower/it’s-all-a-dream.  LOL

* Earlier this week, I got the new issue of TV Guide, which included a list of the 60 Sexiest Couples Of All Time.

1.        Doug & Carol (ER) – I watched that one a little bit, I guess.

2.        Rob & Laura (The Dick Van Dyke Show) – my mom watched that one.

3.        Angel & Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) – didn’t watch it.

4.        Eric & Tami (Friday Night Lights) – didn’t watch it.

5.        Ross & Rachel (Friends) – that show was ANNOYING!

6.        Mulder & Scully (The X Files) – now there we go! Awesome couple.

7.        Sam & Diane (Cheers) – they were okay, but would get annoying.

8.        Mr Big & Carrie (Sex & the City) – didn’t watch it.

9.        David & Maggie (Moonlighting) – funny, hilarious, and almost slapstick-like.

10.     J.R. & Sue Ellen (Dallas) – backstabbing & manipulation … from both sides. What could be better?

The other 50 were listed by show & not numbered. Here are a few of my favorites:

-          Gomez & Morticia (The Addams Family) – so sweet.

-          Darrin & Samantha (Bewitched) – I loved the 1^st Darrin better.

-          Matthew & Mary (Downton Abbey) – did they really have to kill him off? Couldn’t they have him away somewhere, doing something? Ugh.

-          Tony & Jeannie (I dream of Jeannie) – loved these two. They were much like Darrin & Samantha from Bewitched.

-          Ricky & Lucy (I Love Lucy) – I think Lucy/Ethel were a better couple than Ricky/Lucy. Lucy/Ethel remind me of Jane/Maura on Rizzoli & Isles. But, I guess the criteria is “sexiest” couple, so…I still don’t see Ricky/Lucy on that list.

-          Greg & Paige (Knots Landing) – really? If you’re going to have a “sexiest” couple from Knots, how does it not include Abby? Seriously.  In comparison, Nicolette Sheridan was a bonfire, but Donna Mills was an inferno.

-          Shane & Carmen (The L Word) – Absolutely. I loved those two.

-          Tony & Ziva (NCIS) – TIVA rules! I love how Ziva can kick Tony’s ass at any given time…and he knows it.

-          Bobby & Diane (NYPD Blue) – loved these two. I also loved how they tried their best to be so professional at work, but still kept it hot & spicy. I’ll also say that Andy/Sylvia were pretty hot as well. The pairing I never did understand was Andy/Connie.

-          Beecher & Keller (Oz) – I’m so glad they included these two. Any couple that includes Chris Meloni is tops in my book. I just wish they would have found a way to include Elliot/Liv from SVU – even though they weren’t ‘technically’ a couple, they were still sexy & hot as partners.

-          Remington & Laura (Remington Steele) – yeah, that was a hot couple from back in the day.

-          Castle & Beckett (Castle) – only watch the show occasionally. They’re okay, I guess.

-          Booth & Bones (Bones) – I’ve only seen a couple shows. Didn’t see enough spark to make them ‘sexy’.

Couples that should have been included:

-          Michael & Nikita (La Femme Nikita) – a deadly (and sexy) combination. Roy Dupuis & Peta Wilson were HOT together!

-          Jonathan & Jennifer Hart (Hart to Hart) sexy, with class

-          K.C. & Boonie (China Beach) – hello! Sparks flying.

-          Bo & Hope (Days of our Lives) – I haven’t watched the show in almost 20 years, but I remember seeing the sparks fly even back then.

-          Sam & Jack (Stargate SG-1) – okay, so they technically weren’t a couple (at least until season 9, and then it was offscreen), but the eye-sex those two had for all of those years could burn holes hotter than a Goa’uld staff weapon.

-          Doug & Karen (ER) – George Clooney + Marg Helgenberger, anyone? That totally blew Doug/Carol out of the water.

-          Helen & John (Sanctuary) – Dr Helen Magnus + Jack-the-ripper. Perfect.

-          Matt & Kitty (Gunsmoke) – don’t tell me they didn’t ever hook up.

-          Olivia & Elliot (SVU) – as I mentioned previously, totally sexy & hot together as partners

-          Jane & Maura (Rizzoli & Isles) – Don’t say it. This is my world here, and these two are totally together. 

This n That

Wow! Where does the time go? Who’s in charge of that stopwatch? We need to hit the ‘pause’ button a little more often. Can you believe that we’ve gone through 1/24th of 2013 already?

Where to begin in the game of ‘tv catch-up’?

I was sad to have The Mob Doctor come to an end, but I was glad that they brought the storylines do a definite conclusion – with Grace’s mom getting killed, having Grace find out that she’s actually Constantine’s daughter, Grace killing Constantine and fleeing to Mexico with Franco. I liked how Dr White basically knew Grace had connections to Constantine and knew what she had been doing for him, but still giving her the leeway to operate as she did. I really liked the show overall, but didn’t think there would be enough in the way of varied storylines to keep it interesting for future seasons. I did love Wendy Makkena as Grace’s mom. Of course, I know her best as shy Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act.” And can’t forget her recurring role on NCIS as Kate’s sister, Dr Rachel Cranston.

Chicago Fire is a show that has really grown on me. This week, NBC replayed the pilot episode and I was reminded of just how far the show has come since then. However, I don’t like them portraying Dawson as the station slut. Gabriela Dawson is my favorite character. I love her scenes with Shay (that’s the Shawson ‘ship), both while on ambulance calls as well as just watching out for each other off duty. I wasn’t so crazy about Dawson & Casey (Cason), mainly because he was going through the breakup with Haillie, and has all of the other family baggage weighing on him. I do really like Dawson & Mills (Millson), but just wish they had hooked up before she got involved with Casey.  I still find the Shay/Severide relationship to be the strangest, yet most endearing. They’re like sister/brother, but Kelly needs to realize there need to be boundaries set where he doesn’t even think about sleeping with women that she's interested in. Totally not cool, buddy. Another of my favorites is Hermann. The poor guy just can’t catch a break, and now kid #5 is on the way.

And then there’s NCIS. This show has been so steady, and so, so good, but now it’s killing me. I mean, the stupid writers now seem to be killing off all of their great recurring guest stars – which is what made the show so good to begin with. They killed off Jenny Shepherd. Then they kill off Mike Franks. Now they kill off Eli David (Michael Nouri) as well as Jackie Vance (Paula Newsome). This is one time where I wouldn’t mind having them do the “Dallas/Bobby Ewing thing” – you know, “it’s all just a dream”. Or maybe they’ve actually faked Eli’s death so he can live in peace back in Israel. I hate that Jackie’s gone, though. It was great to have Paula on my tv screen occasionally. I miss her & the other girls from Women’s Murder Club. Paula, Laura & Aubrey need to rejoin with Angie on Rizzoli and Isles soon. I just saw a promo pic with Abby as a BINGO caller. It’s about time that we’d finally get to see a few things that Abby does when she’s not at work. Back to the topic of Eli’s death, I was hoping for Ziva to go into kick-ass vengeful mode in the last episode, but we saw nothing but a sorrowful, grieving daughter. I guess they were trying to show us how much she’s grown since her arrival at NCIS. I did love the sweet Tiva moments as well – especially the hug.

Yes, I still haven’t given up totally on CSI, but only occasionally watch. Strangely enough, it’s gotten back to being pretty good again. But of course, the stupid writers have to mess that all up with the icky GSR (Gil/Sara) marriage angst these days now. Gil phones, Sara ignores it. Gil phones, Sara stares at the phone longingly, then ignores it. Gil phones, Sara is encouraged by her co-worker to answer, she ignores it. Gil phones, Sara is encouraged by her co-worker to answer, and she finally does. Really? Did we really need those stupid reminders of all of the years of crappy storylines of Sara and her ‘daddy complex’ fixation on her boss, and then the ‘oh surprise, they’re actually together’/ ‘hideous Hawaiian shirt on the bed’ reveal?  Can we just get to the divorce already? Or, how about a phone call from Catherine to one of the guys? I wouldn’t mind a Catherine mention sometime soon. I believe next week’s episode is the tennis-themed one with Chris Evert. I’m kind of looking forward to that one. And then there’s supposed to be the big Sara’s mother arc. I can only hope that doesn’t turn into a GSR-fest again as well.  Then again, the CSI writers always do the opposite of what I want anyway. Why should it be any different now?

Season 3 of Downton Abbey has started here now in the US. I’ve already had a chance to see the episodes when they aired in the UK. Watching the season from the beginning again has reminded me of how well the season started off – with the addition of Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother, and how everything went downhill from there – especially with killing off some of the favorite characters.  I’m not amused.

I had the chance to watch Chris Vance in his series, Transporter: The Series. Yes, it’s basically the movie in a weekly version. As nice as it is to see Chris getting the recognition and screen time, the series gets kind of boring after a few episodes as it’s basically just a recurring cycle of pick up the package, have a car chase, avoid bad guys, deliver package, and start again. It’s kind of the same problem I had with Mob Doctor, where there’s really not much room to branch out from the ‘same old’ every time.

Bunheads has started back up again on ABC Family. It’s great to have my fill of Michelle & Fanny snarkasm again.

Amanda Tapping is still appearing in episodes of Supernatural. She was in a few scenes of the episode this week. I don’t watch the series. I tried. The first week that Amanda was on the show, I actually watched the full show. Sorry to say, that is the most bored I’ve been with a show in a long time. As you have probably guessed, my tv viewing normally gravitates to shows that have a strong female presence. This show definitely does not. It didn’t help that Amanda’s appearance was in the very last scene of the episode. Since then, I’ve relied on the kindness of those who watch the show and clip off Amanda’s scenes for us to view. Thank you, kind people.

That brings me to what’s upcoming.

Amanda’s former Stargate co-star, Ben Browder, will be on next week’s episode of Arrow.

Next week also brings us the return of Necessary Roughness on USA. I’m not a real big fan of the show, but occasionally catch an episode or two – especially if Liz Vassey makes an appearance.

Season 2 of Dallas will begin on Monday, January 28th on TNT. It’ll be quite a different show, especially with the emotions that will be shown as they incorporate Larry Hagman’s death into the storyline and have a funeral for J.R.

I also saw just recently that ABC has pushed the season premiere of Body of Proof back to February 19th instead of February 5th. It’s a good move, because the State of the Union address is on February 12th, which means that BoP would be pre-empted anyway. So it would have had the premiere, gone for a week, then back for episode 2. With the revised schedule, the show can air on consecutive weeks without skipping.

Arctic Air has begun season 2 in Canada. I’ve got the first two episodes, but haven’t had a chance to watch them yet.

I also had a chance to see the preview trailer for the movie, RED2, with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren & Mary Louise Parker. I loved the original movie, and can’t wait to see Helen Mirren play with the big guns again.

There are some new shows that will be starting up in February, but I’ll get to them later.

Wednesday This N That

I’m not sure who has garnered more of my ire lately – Mother Nature or the tv schedulers.

Last week, Mother Nature blessed us with a couple inches of snow. Yes, SNOW – in the first week of October, for goodness sake. Thankfully, it melted in a day, but temps are still a bit cooler than normal around here. I’m not amused.

Another thing that doesn’t amuse me is the current tv schedule. I thought my Tuesday schedule was bad enough with Parenthood and Sons of Anarchy airing at the same time (not to mention TNT airing Rizzoli and Isles reruns at that time as well. UGH). Beginning tonight, the Wednesday tv schedule is unamusingly jam-packed and stuffed-to-the-gills in the 9pm hour here (Central Time).  Yes, that’s the normal time slot for CSI, which isn’t a major concern for me these days because I’ve lost quite a bit of interest in the show and have only become a ‘casual’ watcher lately. The problem comes with the two new shows that premiere tonight in that time slot – Chicago Fire on NBC and Nashville on ABC.

I’ve watched the pilot episode for Chicago Fire and loved it. It reminded me a lot of LA Firefighters, a short-lived show from 1996 with Jerrod Emick, Christine Elise, Alexandra Hedison, and Brian Smiar, and even had a few of the same storylines (colleague’s death, blaming co-workers, taking care of the widow, etc) as well as Emergency (from the 1970s) as it follows both the firefighters and paramedics. The character I was most intrigued with is Monica Raymund as paramedic Gabriela Dawson. She has a great storyline in the pilot episode where it’s her actions vs consequences. And of course, Taylor Kinney (Rizzoli and Isles fans may know him as evil baseball player Jesse Wade) and Jesse Spencer are some nice eye candy. I guess stories/shows about firefighters always intrigue me. Back in the mid-80s, a relative of mine was a volunteer firefighter in a small town, and was killed after falling off a fire truck when responding to a call. How appropriate that Chicago Fire premieres during National Fire Prevention Week.

As for Nashville, I guess I’m not expecting to enjoy the show. All of the promos have made it seem too soapy instead of about the music and the struggle to "become a name." I’m hoping to be proven wrong. I'm hoping that it turns out to be something like the movie, "The Thing Called Love" with River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Sandra Bullock and Dermot Mulroney. But I'm not holding my breath on that. However, the absence of Nashville from my over-cluttered schedule would probably be a relief. That would leave only Chicago Fire and CSI in that time slot.

Speaking of CSI – I had a brilliant thought last night that a perfect role for Marg as a guest star would be on Rizzoli and Isles as one of Korsak’s ex-wives. We’ve already seen one of them (Lolita Davidovich as Melody) and during the upcoming winter episodes of season 3, we get to meet another of his ex’s. That leaves one more available, and it would be great to have Marg & Bruce McGill reunited again.

Lest I forget – ‘Arrow’ also premieres tonight on CW. Thankfully, not in the same timeslot as the others. However, I’m not putting much hope into keeping this on my ‘to watch’ list, but I will at least check it out.

Strangely enough, I’ve still got three shows on my Monday night schedule. Of course, two of them have to overlap as well – 2 Broke Girls & The Mob Doctor. 2BG is basically the only comedy show that I actually still watch. I seem to like Mob Doc more every week. I like how Grace seems to learn how to ‘play the game’ more each week, but that also means she’s getting herself deeper into debt as well. How long will Constantine let her keep playing both sides?

Revolution keeps growing on me as well. I actually didn’t mind that they killed off Maggie this week. I can only hope that would mean more screen time for Nora (I love Daniella Alonso) but I have my doubts. I’m guessing it just means more screen time for Elizabeth Mitchell’s character, with whom I’m not impressed.

And finally, there’s Downton Abbey. God, I love this show. There are so many different subplots, that it’s hard to keep up with everything, but they somehow manage to keep it all so intertwined and flowing smoothly. Bates/Anna is so heartbreaking to watch. Matthew Crawley, you’re really going to open a big can of worms now, aren’t you. Yikes. However, I’m not so keen on having them bring Ethel back into the storyline.

I’ve also realized that NCIS:LA can be a great show if there’s enough Kensi/Deeks banter throughout. Those two have such an old-married couple vibe, with a bit of brother/sister one-upmanship.

There will be no new episode of Elementary this week because of the political debate crap that will pre-empt regular programming. As if politicians weren’t high enough on my ‘avoid at all costs’ list, they have to take away more of my regular shows as well?  Assholes.

Now that we’ve caught up on the current tv stuff, let’s take you back a couple decades to some great movies – starting with one of my favorites – Eric Stoltz & Mary Stuart Masterson as Keith & Watts in Some Kind of Wonderful – such a great love story.

And a little bit of insight to A League of Their Own with Penny & Gena.

This N That

It’s time to dust off my VCRs and get ready for the new fall tv season.

Yes, that’s right. I said VCRs.

There are some things that I just won’t give up, and my reliance on my trusty VCRs is one of them. And since I work during the evenings, multiple VCRs are needed.

Thankfully, I have a chance to wean myself in this fall season slowly, as only two of my shows begin this next week – and unfortunately, both of them are on Tuesday.

Parenthood returns for a fourth season (Four already?! Yikes!) on NBC. I’m guessing I’ll still be a ‘casual’ viewer of this show as I don’t expect them to bring any extra screen time for Bonnie Bedelia than they’ve had before, since the show mainly focuses on the kids. I really would love to see Camille have more interaction with everyone.



It’s already up to season 5 now for Sons of Anarchy, which returns to FX this Tuesday. I think I’m going to enjoy the additions of Jimmy Smits and Harold Perrineau. Just the mention of Perrineau makes me want to get out my Oz dvds for a full series rewatch.



The next week will bring premieres for two new series on Monday (9/17):

- The Mob Doctor premieres on Fox. The title of the show always makes me think of what they actually could have turned Maura into on Rizzoli and Isles if they had made Maura aware of who her bio-pop (Paddy) was to begin the series. I actually wish we’d seen more scenes like the one where Maura had to tend to Paddy’s injuries. I think they caught Paddy way too early in the series. Now I just hope that he somehow escapes custody. Anyway, back to Mob Doc, I’m hoping they bring the same kind of constant moral dilemma on this new show that they gave the Maura/Paddy relationship on R&I.


- Revolution premieres on NBC. I had the chance to watch the pilot for this show earlier this week. I couldn’t help but notice how the show is basically a re-do of Jericho, from a couple years ago – a show that was sadly canceled way too soon. I admit that I enjoyed Billy Burke’s character in this show so much more than his role as FBI agent Gabriel “Dickhead” Dean on Rizzoli and Isles. The rest of the cast was pretty decent as well.



Friday, September 21st, bring the return of Haven to Syfy for another season. I need to get myself caught up on the show again as I think I missed most of last season.

Another show that I had the chance to preview was the pilot episode for Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes series. I quite enjoyed the duo of Jonny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu. The show reminded me of the early days of CSI (before they 'dumbed it down') where the viewer had to look closely at a crime scene in order to observe eventual clues. The show premieres Thursday, September 27th on CBS.



I was disappointed to hear this week that NBC decided to take Saving Hope off their schedule, allowing the final two episodes to be only seen online. That was so disappointing. I was hoping that since Syfy dropped Amanda Tapping and Sanctuary after 4 seasons, we’d at least have another Stargate alum find success as a main character on a weekly series.

Speaking of Stargate – I forgot to mention previously that Tim Guinee (SG-1’s “Tomin”) was in the pilot episode for Revolution. I’m not sure if he’ll be in other episodes. There might be flashbacks for his character.

I’ve seen a couple previews for Season 3 of Downton Abbey. It’s quite aggravating that it’s not back until January. It also sounds like there are a lot of different story threads to keep track of. I admit that I have a newfound respect for Siobhan Finneran (who plays O’Brien) after I saw her comedic side in the Benidorm series. As shady/evil as she is as O’Brien, she’s even more wonderful as Janice.

Finally Friday This N That

Yay, it’s finally Friday.

Let me be more specific. It’s finally THIS Friday.

I really hate those 12-day work weeks. So, THIS Friday actually means two days of “non-work” (I won’t go as far as saying “rest & relaxation) coming up. And considering that Mother Nature’s been very… agreeable this winter & spring (wonders never cease, I know) It seems that I will actually have to get out & mow lawn – even before April gets here. Wow.

On the TV front, the basketball tournaments have killed any flow for regular shows. They’re new one week, repeats the next. It sucks – especially since it’s getting down to season finale time.

Speaking of finales, this week had part 1 of the 2-part ending for season 2 of Body of Proof. It kind of sucked that there was a lot of acting in hazmat suits. The promo for next week’s finale seems pretty good, as we continue the story following Kate’s collapse at the podium. As much as I like Dana Delany, it seems that Jeri Ryan’s Kate has become the star of the show for me. Her character reminds me a lot of Catherine Willows.

Speaking of both Catherine Willows and Dana Delany, I’ve been re-watching China Beach episodes this week. Each time I watch, I seem to adore Marg as K.C. even more (if that’s possible). Now, if only we could get Marg to guest on some current show. I’m really going into Marg withdrawl.

Marg’s former CSI co-star, Liz Vassey, tweeted yesterday that she’ll be back on Necessary Roughness again soon as Gabrielle. I’ve only watched a few episodes of that show, including her two previous appearances. I loved her character.

Another CSI alum, Louise Lombard (Sofia) tweeted that today was her final day filming the FOX pilot titled, Rogue, with Julian McMahon. Hopefully the pilot gets picked up. It'll be great to see her on tv again. I wish she'd have come back on CSI, at least for the season finale since it seems that dipshit McKeen (the guy who killed Warrick) will be back.

Laura Innes returned as Captain Tricia Harper on Awake last night. It seems she had a little bit more screen time last night than in her initial appearance. I hope she comes back soon. I love seeing her as the HBIC. Her character very much reminds me of Bonnie Bedelia’s Captain Kate McCafferty on The Division.

On the subject of guest appearances – Stargate alums Christopher Judge & Jay Acovone were both on last night’s episode of The Mentalist as a chief of security at a casino & casino boss. Hearing Chris’ deep voice on tv again was great, but it was even more pleasing to see him in a nice, crisp suit. Oh, and his shiny head again as well.


Speaking of shiny…
The promo poster for the revamped version of Dallas seems a bit squeaky clean.

Are they really going to get us interested in a revamping of the old show by reminding us of the infamous “it’s all just a dream” fiasco of a storyline from the original? Seriously? At least they put Larry Hagman & Patrick Duffy in the back. And it’s nice to have Larry with his hat on as well. Just one big question – how much photoshopping was actually done for that poster?

I got the new issue of Entertainment Weekly in today’s mailbox, and was pleased to see that much of the cast of Downton Abbey has a number of other projects coming out soon as well.

Mid-Week This n That

The end of February is nearing. Is there any way we can just skip ahead to the end of March now and avoid March Madness? It definitely gets to be ‘madness’ at work for at least the first couple weeks of March. Talk about sports overload.

Last weekend, I finished watching the first two seasons of Downton Abbey. Strangely enough, I spent 9 hours sitting on my bed watching it…with my MOTHER. I swear that had to be the weirdest day of my life. Anyway, by the end of season 2, I think I finally had learned all of the characters’ names. I mean, seriously, that show has so darn many characters – and it keeps going so fast - that it’s hard to remember who’s who. I just want to give Anna a real big hug. I don't know how they're going to get Bates out of his predicament. And I was clapping for Matthew & Mary at the end.

Last night brought another lovely episode of NCIS, and last night’s appearance by Jamie Lee Curtis just strengthened my belief that this show ALWAYS gets the best guest stars. Unlike some shows, that shall remain nameless (CSI), this show has always found a way to use those characters to their fullest, and usually doesn’t waste the performances of great guest actors. It’s good to see that JLC’s character, Dr Ryan, wasn’t the baddie and she will be back later (as confirmed by Pauley P). The only recurring character that semi-annoys me is Kate’s sister, as they had her on again last night.

I also caught most of last night’s Body of Proof. I had to chuckle at the very cliché “body found in the wall” scenario. That must be a prerequisite for each & every crime show that there has to be a “corpse in the wall” episode. As always, I enjoyed the lovely (but short) Kate/Megan moments. I loved Megan’s reaction when Kate said she was demoted – a “let me go give them a piece of my mind” declaration. I also have to mention the great song they played at the end of the episode – Diane Birch’s “rewind”. One thing this show is really good at is having some great music.

I also watched NCIS:LA last night, as I heard it was going to be centered on Kensi. The only bad part is that she was a suspect and really didn’t get to do much other than look concerned. Hopefully the continuation next week will have her kicking some butt, as long as they don’t have her stuck in a hospital bed now that she took a bullet to end the ep. WHY do they do that to me? UGH.


Looking ahead to the rest of this week:

Jeff Kober is on tonight’s episode of CSI. Too bad they couldn’t get him on before Marg left. They never worked together the first time he was on the show, either. I might just get the urge to go back & rewatch China Beach episodes, and maybe even the not-so-great “Gold Coast”. Oh, that reminds me – I still haven’t watched his appearance in New Girl last week. I caught the promo for tonight’s CSI episode last night. At least Jorja’s in it, so there’ll be at least some reason to watch. I’m still not sure about Elisabeth Shue’s character – especially if they continue with the too-sugary, flirty, annoying, cliché banter with Finn & Dieberkorn. Otherwise, I liked her presence & strength of character. I enjoyed her scenes with Greg.

Speaking of CSI – Louise Lombard will be on tomorrow’s episode of The Mentalist. It’ll be great to see her again. I wonder if she’ll have her regular accent. And a toothpick would be nice too. I can’t remember if she has the dark hair or the blonde hair for this one. The always-evil, but ever-wonderful Malcolm McDowell is in this one as well.

Also tomorrow night on Fox, Peta Wilson will be on The Finder. I’ve never seen the show. I hope she has a decent part. It’ll probably give me the urge to go back & watch all five seasons of La Femme Nikita again. I really miss that Nikita. I’ve pretty much stopped watching the new incarnation of Nikita – even though Melinda Clarke’s Amanda is in charge. The whole show just turned into something totally different than what it started as. Sometimes that can be a good thing (like Sanctuary, for instance), but for this show, it just made me lost interest.


If you’re keeping track of upcoming dvd releases, here are a few:
April 17th: Eight is Enough S1
May 15th: Hell on Wheels S1
May 22nd: Rizzoli & Isles S2

I was looking through TV Guide’s listings of upcoming pilots for the Fall 2012 tv season. I noticed Aubrey Dollar was set to co-star in an untitled Hilary Winston project for NBC. It would be great if she can get on a regular show again. She was great in her recent appearance on Blue Bloods, even though I thought the episode itself was just so-so.

Another familiar name that popped up as I was browsing through the lists was Sanctuary’s Agam Darshi. She’s to be in a pilot (“County”) about an LA hospital.

Speaking of Sanctuary – are they EVER going to let us know about season 5? If it’s a “yes”, I’ll be jumping for joy. If it’s a “no”, then I’ll be sulky & moody, but for goodness sake, just LET US KNOW THE DECISION SOON.

This N That for the New Year

Five days into 2012 and I'm smiling brightly.

It may have something to do with the fact that it's January 5th and it's 47F in Northern Minnesota. That just DOES NOT happen - at least not so far in my lifetime.

So first of all - let's give a big salute to Mother Nature. Bravo. It wasn't too long ago that I was begging for her replacement. But that was last year. This is a whole new year now. Thankfully.

On the tv front, I've had the chance to go back to the beginning of Downton Abbey and watch the first four episodes.


The only complaint I have is that there are so many people to keep track of in this show. After four episodes, I still can't remember all of their names.

2 Broke Girls is still on my "enjoyable entertainment" list.


And yes, I still refer to Garret Morris as 'Sporty James', and probably always will.
And that reminds me, I need to get the rest of the Hunter dvds.

I had to laugh when seeing this preview of Harry's Law in the new issue of TV Guide.


At least the cheesy Wonder Woman suit is getting some use, seeing as the rebooted series never made it to the screens. On the subject of Harry's Law, am I the only one who thinks the show went to hell when they made all the changes to begin season 2?

On a final note for today -
Here's your summary for the next generation of Meryls.