From LA Examiner: 'Revenge' Post (Not So) Mortem with Josh Bowman + Additional Spoilers; 'Happy Endings' Spoilers + Photos; 'Awake' Advance Review...

"A (thankfully not literal) “Chaos” postmortem with Revenge’s Joshua Bowman"

Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief that Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman) himself was still left breathing at the end of Revenge’s Fire & Ice Ball? It was hard to imagine that the show would want to get rid of a character with whom so many fell in love, but then again, considering the couple at the center of the series was originally Emily (Emily VanCamp) and Jack (Nick Wechsler), we wouldn’t have put it past the show to kill off the competition to get the audience invested in the soulmates once again. Thankfully for Bowman-- and his fans-- though, the show found a way to keep him around and still complicate their relationship just enough that the wedge that is Jack may come between them yet... [MORE]


"Happy Endings scoop: Kickball, cleanses, and another wedding!"

Happy Endings book-ended its first season with a pair of nuptials: the pilot kicked off when Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) left Dave (Zachary Knighton) at the altar, and then the season finale closed out with the group attending the wedding of a dear friend (and with Jane deciding she wanted a do-over wedding with Brad). But earlier today in Los Angeles, LA TV Insider Examiner learned from series star Casey Wilson that season two would also close out with a wedding... [MORE]


"Revenge delivers a new “Scandal” + Gabriel Mann’s fave line…you may never hear"

For the longest time, the question on every Revenge fan’s mind was whether or not it was Daniel Grayson (Josh Bowman) who was the victim of the gunshots heard in the opening of the pilot. But now that “Chaos” delivered that answer, fans will have to prepare for a new “Scandal”-- actually, make that a few! Here are just a few of our favorite juicy moments to come as new episodes of Revenge unfold... [MORE]


"PHOTO PREVIEW: Colin Hanks as Colin Hanks on Happy Endings"

Colin Hanks is about to pull a Neil Patrick Harris in Harold & Kumar. Or to be a little bit more current and "in the family," a James Van Der Beek in Apartment 23. That is to say, Hanks will be taking a turn on Happy Endings playing a version of himself, a big time movie star with an earring and an attitude to match who becomes a fan of Dave (Zachary Knighton)'s foot truck... [MORE]


"Mid-Season Preview: NBC’s Awake"

Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) is a broken man. When we meet him in the pilot of Awake, he has just survived a car crash that has killed his son. He and his wife (the seemingly brittle Laura Allen) mourn for a minute before he dives back into his work as a detective, dealing with a case about murdered cab drivers. He visits a therapist (B.D. Wong) to get over his grief. Only when he wakes up the next morning, his son is the one alive, his wife the one who perished in that car accident. He’s still a detective, but he has a different partner, a different case, and even a different therapist (Cherry Jones). He isn’t merely living a double life here; he is living out both sides of the sliding doors phenomenon. It is as if he is suspended in that car, seconds after the crash, watching two potential lives play out in front of him in order to decide which family member to save. In each world, Michael is only half a men, struck down hard by loss, so the result is heartbreaking... [MORE]

Cutting Room Floor Commentary: Elisha Cuthbert on Her 'Friends' Counterpart...

Just a couple of episodes ago, Happy Endings called out a sitcom that came before it and arguably paved the way for such material to be so widely embraced by its audience. After many critical comparisons, Happy Endings used a doped-up character to point around at the members of his friendship circle and compare them to those characters on Friends-- from type-A Jane (Eliza Coupe) as the "Monica" to Dave (Zachary Knighton) and Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) being the "Ross and Rachel" to Max (Adam Pally) being Fat Joey. But I have to admit: I took slight issue with the assignments-- most notably because I think Alex is the Joey of this group! So when I had a chance to visit the cast on-set this week (full interviews will be available here), I just had to get Cuthbert to weigh in because personally I've been calling Alex the Joey of the group all season, and I refuse to admit I'm the only Friends nerd who analyzes these things so closely!

"Sweep Swap" with We Heart TV's Jenna!...

"Made Possible by Pop Culture" is honored to be taking part in We Heart TV's "Sweep Swap" this year! What exactly does that mean? Well, I wrote a guest post for their website, and their editor-in-chief Jenna wrote a guest post for mine. It's a way to share readers and shine a light on other creative, fun TV blogs out there. Little did I know that while my post for We Heart TV was inspired by my own childhood love of television couples, Jenna's post for me was also inspired by a childhood love of pop culture. She and I have many of the same TV tastes these days, but I think you will see we grew up with quite a few different influences!

Click here to read my "Inspirational Couples of 2012 TV" post over on We Heart TV!

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Jenna's Life, Made Possible by Pop Culture:

Twice now I have read Danielle's pop culture memoir "My Life, Made Possible by Pop Culture." And twice now I could not stop myself from taking my own walk down TV memory lane. Not that there was not enough 'OMG me too' moments as I read Danielle's accounts. We definitely share more than enough TV and pop culture experiences-- and love! It's always fun though to be nostalgic, to think back and ask, what TV shows shaped me into the viewer I am today. When I started thinking, the list kept going and going- eventually it was ginormous and left me asking "my parents let me watch all that TV?" They did! It wasn't easy to narrow the list down and pick a few to spotlight so I did what I did when I was a kid and couldn't make a choice-- I wrote them all down on little pieces of paper and randomly picked four! So, in no particular order, here are four TV series picked at random that shaped my early days as a Pro TV Watcher.

• Punky Brewster: Who did not love and take fashion tips from Punky Brewster?? This show was adorable-- and heartbreaking. As a kid I didn’t 'get' the tragedy here. I just saw Penelope 'Punky' Brewster and Henry Warnimont living as happy as could be. To think back to the actual premise of this show- a little girl and her dog (I loved Brandon!) abandoned by her mom in a supermarket parking lot. Um, super sad! Mostly, I remember the friendships, Punky and Henry, of course, and there was Cherry, Allen and Margaux…and Brandon, the dog. Punky Brewster tackled many of the usual 'kid' issues; gossip, bullying, cheating in school, cliques, drugs and the like, yet the show always managed to tackle them with heart and adorable-ness. The series also managed to address some bigger issues- the 'system,' foster care and homelessness among them. The push and pull of bureacracy was totally lost on me back then, I just knew that Punky and Henry were a perfect fit. And that everyone was going to be Punky for Halloween. My sister and friends and I actually reproduced a Punky ep as our first attempt at TV making. It was brutal. The bloopers and BTS reel were pretty amazing though.

• CHiPs: I was such a flip flopper; Team Ponch, Team Jon, Team Ponch, Team Jon. I think I landed on Team Jon but I do not know why. Frank Poncherello was dreamy! And that hair? I loved this show and I do not know why. Maybe because we could 'play' it. I was always Ponch. My sister was Bonnie, or the bad guy, and my cousin was Jon. Yes, we played CHiPs. We also played Code Red and wrote 'redrum' on the mirror with chapstick. That's a whole different story. CHiPs was such a formulaic cop show- I am not a fan now but something about this show captivated me. I do not know what that could be. Honest. But when thinking back to my early days of TV loving, this show rode the top of the list for some time- again, I do not know why. Maybe it was the theme song? Had to be. Or the amazing weekly 100 car pile ups on the freeway?
• A Year in The Life: Two words; Trey Ames. Yes, even in my very early TV watching days, I tuned in…for cute boys. Some things never change. And considering that A Year in the Life won the Emmy for Outstanding mini series - ordered to series the following season - I guess it's safe to say I have always had good taste in TV. Also starring a young SJP and the adorable Amanda Peterson, (who soon after the series became a big screen fave in Can't Buy Me Love with Patrick Dempsey! LOVED that movie!) A Year in The Life was simply a story about a family coming together again after the loss of their mom. The kids, all adults, and their kids moved back in with their dad; played by Richard Kiley and tried to be a family again. At it's core, the show was about connecting and reconnecting. For me, this was the first character/relationship driven series that hooked me. It was also this series that opened my eyes to the simplicity behind story telling. Well written believable characters + heart tugging emotional conflict = TV gold. Inspired to do more than sit and watch other people's stories, I began creating my own- on notebook paper using a pencil with the little furry thing on top.
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Adam, Brian, Crane, Daniel, Evan, Ford and Guthrie! Oh, and Hannah! Yes, I loved this show. The Mcfaddens were having huge family dinners long before the Bravermans! And Hannah's cooking could surely compete with Camille! I think it only lasted a season or maybe only a half a season but I loved the Mcfadden brothers! Guthrie was my fave! This show was a stepping stone for River Phoenix, Richard Dean Anderson, Peter Horton and Drake Hogestyn. Phoenix won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Drama Series. The others, not so much- I barely remember their names never mind where they went after the short lived series was a TV memory. If I can admit this fact without dating myself- this was the first show I ever set a VCR to record automatically. I was like, um, barely reading chapter books and there I was programming this monster of a machine called a VCR-- with my dad looking over my shoulder spouting such atrocities as "what are you doing?" "How do you know how to do that?" "That is not going to work?" "Don't break it!" "How can it record, we are not going to be home?" Oh dad. If you only knew. Without a thought -or the instruction guide- I had that monster programmed! It was as though I just knew. I was born knowing. And I never missed a moment on Mcfadden Farm. Here's the opener-- I love when River sticks his head out of the barn door!
  

Here are the others that did not make the cut in my random drawing; The Dukes of Hazzard, St. Elsewhere, Trapper John MD, E/R, The Facts of Life, 21 Jump Street, Family Ties, Kids Inc, My Two Dads, Who's the Boss, Silver Spoons, Doogie Howser, Hogan Family, Riptide, Growing Pains, Life Goes on…and so does this list!

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Jenna is the Founder/Editor in Chief for the online TV lovers site We Heart TV. A self proclaimed Professional TV watcher and Professional fan, Jenna cannot remember a time in life when she did not LOVE all things TV. In 2008 she took that love to the Internet and began what was then I Heart TV... almost 4 years and several added contributors later, We Heart TV remains the spot for smart, fun, enthusiastic and passionate TV reviews, reactions and ramblings! Basically, a place to show the love! In 2010 Jenna ( @jennahp ) was named 1 of the Top 25 TV SuperFans to follow on Twitter by TheWrap.com. She also is a contributor the the recently revamped HuffPostTV. During non prime-time TV hours Jenna has a 'desk job' and is working on a TV pilot that is sure to be a instant hit.

Tonight's TV Talk: 'Switched at Birth', 'Cougar Town', 'Ringer', 'Raising Hope', 'Parenthood', and 'Southland'...

TV Talk for Tuesday, February 14th 2012


Switched at Birth (ABC Family, 8pm) - S1, Ep17: "Protect Me From What I Want" - Hey Regina, (Constance Marie), hot artist guy is hot. You should date him. He even appreciates your art! But do it soon. Before Angelo (Gilles Marini) shows up at the worst time once again. He's as good at that as Kathryn (Lea Thompson) is at shooting off about things that upset people without her realizing it. Emmett (Sean Berdy)'s face when she spoke of Bay (Vanessa Marano)'s ex was heartbreaking. Though in some ways I feel it shouldn't have been. Sure, Bay didn't tell him about her ex, but that easily could be because she's over it now so why harp on the past? He concentrated on the wrong things. Ty isn't even around anymore to be an obstacle for Emmett. I think he's just projecting his anger about everything else into this one situation that he can actually control. But I was happy to see them actually talk it out and how he could move past it and still do a wonderful thing for her family. A lot of guys his age would allow something like that to drive a much more permanent wedge between them, and that would have been a shame. Especially because those family portraits were too adorable for words. I may have to print one and put it in a frame in my house. My family never took portraits like that (I'm an only child, so it's not that weird), but even if we did, they wouldn't have been as cute as Emmett's. But poor Bay-- things get rough with her boyfriend; she has no other friends and her sort-of sister is palling around with her frenemy; and her mother inadvertently steals her art gallery gig. All in one episode. Marano was not kidding when she told me Bay is going to lose everything! It's a wonder she isn't suicidal; this is a lot for any teenager to handle, and this is ABC Family, the home of Cyberbully... I wonder about Simone (Maiara Walsh)'s motives. I know she's dating Toby (Lucas Grabeel), but she's so invested in Daphne (Katie Leclerc)-- like past just want to hang with the interesting kid who was famous for five minutes. I feel like she's going to use her as a patsy when she gets caught stealing something. I know we haven't seen her steal anything in a while, but I'm not entirely convinced she paid that famous basketball player she hired anyway. I'm sure she gave the woman Daphne's info for when invoices need sending. Kick her ass, Daphne! Not just on the basketball court. She's a manic Regina George. I'd be okay if she got hit by a bus.

Cougar Town (ABC, 8:30pm) - S3, Ep1: "Ain't Love Strange" - Tonight I couldn't help but be struck with all of the similarities Grayson (Josh Hopkins) held to Chandler on Friends, which was weird because Jules (Courteney Cox) really isn't all that similar to Monica. But sure enough, I found myself ticking them off on a list that certainly made it seem like an intentional drinking game. First it was in the way he responded when Jules asked him if he knew they'd fall in love when they first met. I half expected him to flash back to Fat Jules. Even though I know Jules was never fat. Of course that was just the tip of the iceberg; everything about his proposal-- from his throwing her off with distractions to her own speechlessness-- held shades of her former TV relationship. I even found myself yelling "There's a reason why girls don't do this!" when Jules was trying to find the words to respond. But comparisons aside, it was such a sweet, unique way to pop the question. Normally I never think it's a good idea for such an intimate moment to be done in a group or public setting, even if it's what the girl claims to want, but this one just worked. I know the couple still has a lot to get through in order to make this relationship work long-term-- namely the kids issue since Grayson still wants them, and Jules still doesn't (I doubt she could love another one the way she unhealthily loves Travis), but I am rooting for them full-force. The cul-de-sac crew (and Tom) have to be involved in everything in each other's lives! And that's why I'm intrigued by this green screen scenario in Travis (Dan Byrd)'s new house-- I thought Bobby (Brian Van Holt) and Andy (Ian Gomez) had fun with it "flying through the air", but I can only imagine what Laurie (Busy Philipps) would use it for. Oh, and by the way, I was convinced Laurie was behind the car-sharking, but regardless, I hope toilet-papering stuff becomes the new on-going game for this gang. Penny Can is cool and all, but there's another level when pranking is involved. And if nothing else, maybe they can just wrap little baby Stan up like a mummy in order to keep him still. He's grown up so fast, and Ellie (Christa Miller) was right: he's a devil baby. But that shouldn't really be surprising given her snarky attitude toward everyone and everything. Little kids can't discern sarcasm, but they can sense and pick up and emulate negativity in their own ways. Stan seems like he'll be a point of contention going forward-- especially because the one character who should be able to get through to him is his mother's nemesis, Laurie, because she understands the plight of a troubled child first-hand. Stan is just so cute, though, and I want to see him turn it around so he can be the ring-bearer at the wedding. Without them having to put vino in an on-deck sippy cup to get him to be mellow and well-behaved...

Ringer (The CW, 9pm) - S1, Ep13" "It's Easy To Cry When This Much Cash Is Involved" - Maybe Bridget (Sarah Michelle Gellar) should have asked Sean Patrick Thomas if he dropped her off or picked her up from the marina. Because she is coming so close to the truth that her sister is alive and yet she doesn't seem to know how to ask the important follow-up questions. She'd make the world's worst reporter. Or detective. Plus, the whole "one sister spies on the other" thing is really creepy. It was bad enough when Bridget was in the shower, but now that it's constant, it's very The Roommate. Except the one spying probably should just want her old life back. And by old life, I don't mean with Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) or even Henry (Kristoffer Polaha); I mean with that little boy who Bridget most likely got killed. I still feel bad for Henry, and not just because suddenly he's being blackmailed. He's still being lied to; now he's being dragged into a mess he doesn't have all the facts about; and I'm starting to believe that kid isn't even his. Ugh, just move out to the Hamptons and go into business with the Graysons, Henry! I was eager to see the Juliet (Zooey Deutsch) story play out; that was a story I was legitimately interested in, and once again the show's utter disrespect for its audience lost me. Nothing about the way it played out served the story itself but instead only occurred to trick the audience-- to pull yet another red herring over our eyes. That's just rude, and I'm legitimately offended. Every time they allow us to get invested in someone or some plot point, they reverse it with a "ha ha" that makes me feel stupid for falling for their bullshit tricks. This was especially true tonight by "summing it all up" with a flashback. There was no need to stage a big scene in the bathroom if all they wanted to do was set up a canceled trial. If they were telling the story honestly, organically, there were a million other ways to still have a reveal but without the unnecessary, time-wasting fakeout. Nothing we learned until the last scene with Juliet and Carpenter (Jason Dohring) was real, and therefore the information was negated; it was as bad as if a character had waken up and learned it was all a dream. Between that and the double time watching Bridget (and the audience) work out what it all means that Siobhan was friends with John/Charlie and then once again not asking the right questions when Andrew said she was distant "earlier," man these people are dumb. The problem was, the audience got there before the flashback, and certainly before the phone call to Malcolm of which we never got to see his side. Le sigh, show. You have all these pretty people; use them; you have all of these interesting ideas, flesh them out; you have all of these twisted, complicated characters, allow us into their world, not just let us stand as spectators on the sidelines. By keeping us at such an arm's distance that they literally lie to us as the audience, we can't sympathize; we can't connect; we can't even like these characters. We're not seeing the show through anyone's eyes; each individual scene gives us a spectator point of view and only the spectator POV. It's so frustrating to not be brought into the confidence of the characters. We get a teeny bit of it with Bridget, but she's so inherently in the dark that we're kept there, too. And so help me, if what Siobhan let Andrew listen to was some kind of tapes proving involvement in terrorist attacks, I'm going to scream. And commit an attack of my own. But upside? Serendipity reference! And more seriously, Guy Norman Bee directed this episode, and everything did look very pretty, and the performances were on point. I just want this show to be something it's not and really never pretended it would be.

Raising Hope (FOX, 9:30pm) - S2, Ep14: "Jimmy's Fake Girlfriend" - I just found a way that a show can continually psyche me out, and yet I don't find it annoying: when the characters are simply performing improve scenes within the scenes! I would love to take improv with Burt (Garret Dillahunt) and Virginia (Martha Plimpton); I would love to eat Mexican food with Sabrina (Shannon Woodward) in tiny sombreros, and I mostly want to watch stage plays about the Chance family all of the time. I mean, I guess that's effectively what I do when I tune into this show every week, but whatever. The energy's different on stage. And any time an amazingly talented actor plays bad acting gives me the uncontrollable giggles, so kudos to Plimpton tonight. Jimmy (Lucas Neff)'s play was adorable, but I have to admit, about the time they got to the Halloween scene, I started to get cringe-y feelings. It was a little creepy, too. For one thing, that is a REALLY public way to express feelings for someone. For another, it was a really detailed and specific way, and in looking at all of the history before the lie, Sabrina also learned about a lot of Jimmy's actions-- and his family's actions-- that before had happened behind closed doors. It's a lot of information to get so quickly. The threat of losing her as a friend is very real-- because even if she saw how much he cares, and even if she had a thing for Drakaar Noir years earlier, the pressure to live up to his expectations of her is bound to be great. I want those two to be a happy little family with Hope (Baylie and Rylie Cregut), but I don't think it's the right time for that just yet.

Parenthood (NBC, 10pm) - S3, Ep16: "Tough Love" - It's time to play "Stray Thoughts" because this show is so chock full of a lot of little moments that garner strong reactions, that I feel remiss when I don't mention them. Bob Little (Jonathan Tucker) asking Amber (Mae Whitman) to go away on a "work weekend" with him was too soon. The pharmacist really couldn't get on a high horse after handing Crosby (Dax Shepherd) the wrong pills in the first place. Max (Max Burkholder) is quite the opportunistic young man using Asperger's to get out of gym the way girls his age use their first periods to do the same. Drew (Miles Heizer) worried about being replaced by a baby at this stage in life was a little disconcerting; he should be more concerned about not getting his own girlfriend pregnant. Sarah (Lauren Graham) saying the next logical step for people that love each other is to have a baby together spoke volumes about her, and the way her son saw it as a huge deal spoke volumes about him; they're all a little bit more messed up than I may have realized. Julia (Erika Christensen) micro-managing Zoe (Rosa Salazar)'s pregnancy, in addition to her post-baby future, was deserving of an intervention; who knew someone with a kid under ten and a high profile job would have so much free time to devote to insanity? Adam (Peter Krause) and Crosby's weird huddle conversations are so much more playful now that they work together and have a deeper understanding of each other, but the protective vibe over their father was just adorable for other reasons; Crosby is such a dad now, and he's so not the one you'd expect to adopt that mentality! Adam, on the other hand, makes more parenting mistakes every week, and yet I love him more for each one, even though Kristina (Monica Potter) was right and he should have used a different adjective for those kids who called their kid a loser. Max nerd-bonding with that other kid was the best moment I saw on TV tonight. Haddie (Sarah Ramos) going to her mother with concerns about Bob Little was a little bit ridiculous; considering the things she has kept from her parents in the past, you'd think she could be cool about this! Drew and Mark (Jason Ritter) attempting to bond over dinner was the best awkward moment I've seen on TV in a long time. But then a few minutes later, there was Kristina barging in on Bob's hotel room, and that was suddenly the best moment on TV in awhile. She's such a mom-- to everyone. In fact, she should probably parent Sarah a little. Oh, Seth (John Corbett), if you're sober, why does your hair look like that?

Southland (TNT, 10pm) - S4, Ep5: "Legacy" - There is something so poignant about these officers' cases offering indirect, "coincidental" commentary on where they are in their personal lives. Yet when it's the third episode in a row to play so heavy-handed with that type of story-telling, I have to raise my eyebrow a little bit and wonder if they're doing it just for those who may not be tuning in every week. Lydia (Regina King) can't keep seeing parenthood at every turn, can she? I know the old saying is that the minute you make a big decision in your life-- to get married, have a baby, etc-- you suddenly find yourself bombarded with all of those similar images coming at you from all over your life. But to go from a woman who would claim to kill for her child to a man who literally killed his own, well, that's just extreme(ly dramatic). I won't lie, a part of me kept saying "it can't be another commentary on how children test a person" and assumed that the father (Joe Regalbuto) was actually lying about what he found in his son's room, using his son to be his own patsy. But that's clearly because I watch too many flashy procedurals on networks that rely on over-the-top twists and gimmicks to keep an audience. Southland is just about the reality of the job, the crimes, the people met along the way. One of the best scenes, perhaps ever, was Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) pulling over that stupid SmartCar (and resisting the urge to make fun of the guy driving it) simply because it's a situation we've all inevitably been in, and yet since we have come to emphasize so much with these officers, we received new respect by seeing it through his eyes. In a way, I even felt new respect for Sammy (Shawn Hatosy) for, though unintentionally, getting a guy on the wrong side of the tracks to finally speak up about the atrocities done in his neighborhood. I know it can't end well for him-- the bullet he took tonight was probably just the warning shot-- but it's nice to see that even as Sammy and Ben (Ben McKenzie) get so comfortable with each other they start their own (prank) war, some real work is still being done. I kind of worry about those two. The more they mess around, the more of a mess I think they'll find themselves in. Crashing into one of those plastic car wash dancer things, again, was just a warning of how serious things can get. All in all, this season has given me so many partnership dynamics I really love and want to see much more of-- for years to come-- that it makes me sad to think about just how real this show plays it. And the reality of officers in big cities like this is that they don't keep their post, let alone their partner, for that long. They move around a lot in their decades-long careers. So a little part of me can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop on all of these guys. I'm the type of viewer that gets ahead of myself, and often the story; I think ten paces or two episodes ahead at times to try to anticipate where it's going so it cushions the emotional blow when it finally gets there. But with Southland, this season, I don't want to think too far ahead because I don't want to imagine it's ever going to be different than it is right now. Additional notes: Murphy Brown lives on! Naked Sammy is always a good time. And honestly? I kind of thought Cooper was going to claim to be lying to the kid on the roof, too, when he said he was gay. It just seemed too opportune, and obviously he would do anything to keep the kid from jumping. But it adds a nice layer to his character and his dynamic with Tang. He has kept secrets on the job before, but this is one that he is actually sharing with his partner now-- intentionally or not, for better and for worse. She has trouble trusting people and letting them in, but hopefully she will be inspired by his own bravery to do the same. Rather than what I fear might happen and she "outs" him, causing all kinds of friction for the duo, and within the squad in general.

From LA Examiner: 'Cougar Town' Preps for a Wedding; Michael Cudlitz Unravels on 'Southland'; Jon Huertas Is Anti-Caskett?; 'Revenge' Preview...

"VIDEO: Courteney Cox & Josh Hopkins preview Cougar Town’s road to the altar"

As Courteney Cox has said, she was on a show once where they did the whole “Will they/Won’t they” thing, and it was great for its time, but she is thrilled that Bill Lawrence is more modern-thinking these days. And when Cougar Town returns to ABC this winter, we will see just how far Grayson and Jules have come with a “fairy-tale like” proposal... [MORE]



"VIDEO: Michael Cudlitz on Cooper’s unraveling on Southland"

Officer John Cooper-- and his portrayer Michael Cudlitz by extension-- is more physically fit than we’ve ever seen him on Southland. In the break between season three and season four of the gritty police drama, Cooper spent time rehabbing-- from a back injury, as well as a pill addiction. Cudlitz has said it before: Cooper’s use of pain killers were always a result of the back injury, so if he rehabbed his back properly, he should be off the pills no problem, right? It certainly seems like Cooper is back on the top of his game from what we’ve seen so far. But as Cudlitz warned LA TV Insider Examiner when we caught up with him on the Los Angeles Police Academy set, appearances may be deceiving... [MORE]


"Castle’s Jon Huertas weighs in on wanting to keep Beckett & Castle apart"

These days ABC’s Castle has two “will they or won’t they” couples. Lanie and Esposito (Tamala Jones and Jon Huertas) may have already gone there by trying their hand at inter-office dating, but Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) are still dancing around each other. And honestly, that’s just how Huertas-- and Esposito-- likes it! ... [MORE]



"Danielle Dishes (with a little help from Gabriel Mann): The “Chaos” of Revenge"

“These first fifteen episodes were really just prologue to the world that is Revenge, which really starts now,” Revenge series star Gabriel Mann hypothesized to LA TV Insider Examiner after a special advance screening of “Chaos” in Los Angeles earlier this week... [MORE]

Tonight's TV Talk: 'Hart of Dixie', 'Castle', and 'Smash'...

TV Talk for Monday, February 13th 2012

Hart of Dixie (The CW, 9pm) - S1, Ep14: "Aliens & Aliases" - I'm sorry, but from the minute Lemon (Jaime King) was told to relax, I knew this was going to be one fun episode. Lemon relaxing? Really? I feel like that woman wears a corset to bed! So I was not at all surprised to watch her take notes while doing yoga, but the fact that Wade (Wilson Bethel) actually got her to loosen up? Priceless. I knew that man was a superhero! He didn't even need alcohol to do it-- well, not at first. She put on those "Roxy" clothes all on her own. And suddenly she was someone new, someone, yes, admittedly a little sluttier, but someone much more interesting to me. The stick was pulled out of her you-know-what, and when George (Scott Porter) walked into the bar and watched her on the dance floor, his face lit up in a way we had yet to see. Suddenly it became perfectly clear why he loved her and why he was marrying her-- he fell in love with that girl, and somewhere along the way, she buttoned up. Now he's just living his life for the few moments she lets her hair-- and her guard-- down and lets that girl out for the night. I never liked Lemon more than when she hangs with George and Wade. I hope Wade is the best man at the wedding! I also hope she finds away to bring that side out of her more otherwise their relationship should be doomed. And if the show tries to convince me otherwise, I will call shenanigans. From the moment I heard "aliens" spoken in the show, though, I felt certain this was going to be a tumor, so when it turned out to be lead poisoning, I was somewhat relieved-- a tumor would have just been heavy for a show this silly, but also, it was the road less traveled in terms of procedural elements. Zoe (Rachel Bilson) kept one man's secret about the source of his lead poisoning from his wife, so what's another little secret between even better friends? I was happy to see Lavon (Cress Williams) confide in her about his relationship with Lemon, but I did feel it put her in a bad position. She's a terrible liar. And the fact that she's not really friendly with Lemon makes her more easily inclined to not-so subconsciously "accidentally" let it slip. I'm personally eagerly awaiting that moment-- to see to whom she lets it slip and so on (I hope it's Wade!)-- but I just hope it doesn't come on the eve of the wedding. That's a bit cliche, and this show is better than that.

Castle (ABC, 10pm) - S4, Ep15: "Pandora" - How much did you love Alexis (Molly Quinn) in the field with Lanie (Tamala Jones)? Was it just me? Because I finally found the show I want to watch week after week: those two sassy ladies solving crimes and taking no shit from the (mostly) idiots with whom they work. Though, I have to say, faking the audience out with the initial kidnapping of Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) and having them turn up in an underground lab ala "Castle" on Chuck was a bit of an unintentional homage that warmed my nerd heart. My favorite episodes of this show tend to be the dramatic long-arcs. I'm not really sure what it is, but I'm inclined to credit the longer, film-style length, with the extra care the writers seem to take with these intricate stories. Everything felt on point tonight-- from the cute character moments of banter between Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Ryan (Seamus Dever) and Castle and Beckett, to the weird little facts we learned about characters, to the twisty path the crime clues led Beckett down and even more complex connections to the CIA and Army and one stone-faced but really quick-handed man (David Chisum). This one being the start of a two-parter that more than fit the bill. Trapping its lead couple together in confined quarters and including a high profile guest star (Jennifer Beals) to come in and shake up the character dynamics were just bonuses. Beals is the new Chief this show should have had, but sadly she's a bit above the NYPD's pay grade and thus can only last for a couple of hours. I say sadly because I also loved the sex eyes that she was making at Castle, complicating the dynamic with Beckett that has been building and receding consistently since day one. If Beckett isn't going to bite the bullet and tell Castle she heard his "I love you"-- or if Castle isn't going to muster the cajones to say it again-- then they need to move on. The dance is getting tiring. So why not have Castle move one with a steamy Beals encounter? That's not professional, and I don't care. She soars in this type of material, and I'd like her to find a home on one of these series that is actually sticking around. Besides, if and when things go south between them, it can act as the final catalyst to have Castle say 'You know what? My relationships fail because I really just want you.' And then he can kiss Beckett for real, and we can all just move on.

Smash (NBC, 10pm) - S1, Ep2: "The Callback" - Once again, my thoughts could not be contained by a mere paragraph. Please click here for my full analysis and review.

'Smash's' "Callback" Celebrates "Crazy Dreams"...

Remember when I lamented how the Alcatraz pilot started off by following Jeffrey Pierce because to start a show, let alone a series, that way indicates it's that person's story, and in the cast of Alcatraz, that was a false declaration? Well, after the first two episodes of Smash have started on Karen (Katharine McPhee), I think it's safe to say this series is really about her journey, even though thus far she has been running right alongside Ivy (Megan Hilty) for the role in the Marilyn musical. And though everyone behind-the-scenes at this musical seems to want Ivy to take home the title, so to speak, they're not simply casting Karen aside. Instead, they are bringing her into the workshop, into the ensemble, and basically giving her a crash course in how to be a Broadway star. It's a confidante environment that only lends itself to my belief that though everyone is treating Ivy like Marilyn is her role to lose, the journey of the first season truly will be about Ivy losing the role...to Karen.

There's a saying in Hollywood that the first episode of a television series after the pilot has to stand up on its own, as if you didn't just see the pilot a week earlier. It has to draw you into the world and make you fall in love with the characters all on its own. For some shows, it's the only true indicator of the tone of the series, as a lot can change from pilot to full-on production. So the gentle nod Smash made to this rule of thumb by reworking their own structure in the Marilyn musical-- to move "Let Me Be Your Star" from act break to show opener, and the show itself by proxy, made me smile at the savviness of the writers and producers. It is such a strong number, you need to hook the audience with it from the beginning, not use it to wake them up if they've checked out for a minute. Though episode two of Smash, "The Callback" didn't open with it, utilizing it again, though staged on a much more grand, stage-indicating scale, was a stroke of genius. For many new fans, it was what hooked them to the show in the first place, after simply hearing the iTunes download long before the pilot ever aired. There are no amateurs at play here.

"The Callback" finally brought Karen and Ivy face-to-face for real. Sure, at the end of the pilot, they stared each other down as walking into the building for their auditions, but that was brief, and also a moment done for dramatic effect in the song. Now that they are going head-to-head for the role, they are literally dancing alongside each other, sizing each other up, and finding their own flaws fixed, as well as their own talents reflected, in each other. Ivy has a deep love of the character she may be asked to play, but I feel that will come back to bite her, as she begins to rationalize and justify behavior that may be explored or exploited in a contradicting way within the musical. Additionally, studying the actual woman can only get you so far because you have to put your own spin on her in order to make her pop in a new way. Knowing that she doesn't actually move both lips when she speaks? That is a detail better suited for a movie about Marilyn (hopefully Michelle Williams took just as copious notes) than a stage play. Her over-analysis is one thing, but in many ways, the way she dissected the use of the word "crazy" most notably, she runs the risk of becoming the tragic figure Marilyn was-- in the most method sense of the word. NBC probably won't go pill-addiction dark, but focusing so much on selling sex is detrimental in its own ways.

What makes Ivy so much more ready right now to be Marilyn is that she is able to throw one hundred percent of her focus and passion into the role. She wants it more than anything, but she doesn't let her desire turn into a crippling, desperate need (yet). She commits one hundred and ten percent to the emotion of every moment she is in rehearsal. This is all Ivy's got. Karen, on the other hand, is distracted and tugged back to reality by the tethers of her boyfriend. I know just last week I said he was too good to be true, and to be honest, usually when you say that, it's because they are. Dev (Raza Jaffrey) doesn't understand the world Karen is immersing herself in, and as she gives more and more of herself, let alone her time, over to it, he's bound to become more and more scared of losing her and therefore more and more controlling and irrationally angry when she doesn't pay him the special attention she pays Marilyn. He wasn't wrong in saying she should have called or texted when she was ultimately going to stand him up, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Entertainment is a cruel mistress; it sucks more and more of a person's energy, time, and passion the longer said person is involved in the industry. Dev may say he wants his pretty girlfriend to be a star, but he doesn't truly understand what that entails. And when he realizes it, I don't doubt he won't like it anymore. If Karen's not careful, by the end of her journey, she may walk away with a Broadway role, but it may be all she's got. And are crazy dreams enough?

Yet, simply and especially because of what's already been pointed out: each of them represents a very special and distinct side to Marilyn. Rather than pit them against each other, it would behoove the producers (of the show within the show) to utilize that as their biggest strength and hire both girls-- but to portray Marilyn at the two parts of her life. Karen is early Marilyn, innocent, sweet, an ingenue, while Ivy is Hollywood Marilyn, selling a much more sensationalized image, perhaps a bit jaded. Both exhibiting the same level of raw talent.

Julia (Debra Messing), too, is being pulled in various directions, but she has been in this business long enough to understand and expect that, and most importantly, thrive on it. An artist's life in between the work is supposed to be filled with complications-- you are supposed to live your life to the fullest-- in order to then use the experiences to make the work even richer when you do return. Julia's complications are just bleeding over into the timeline of her new work because timing is also key, and when the good idea bell rang, she knew she had to seize on it. I sincerely hope-- and I feel like Smash is smart enough to show-- this continuing. I don't want it to be Julia forced to choose professional happiness over personal happiness. I want to see her on both journeys: crafting a new musical while attempting to cultivate a new addition to her family. Maybe I still just desperately need to see someone having it all-- even when it isn't easy-- but I think so do Karen and Ivy. Julia is the top of their chain of command-- she sets the tone-- and their behavior, and belief in success, will trickle down from her.