Wednesday, 26 January 2011

The PPP on DVD

So since I finished watching 3 seasons of Brothers & Sisters, I gave in on and moved onto PPP which I was going to hold off and wait till I had the 3rd season, but since its never cheap on amazon and I was DYING to watch season 2, I couldn't wait any longer.

Because I could, I started all the way back in the beginning, with the Grey's double. It was SO weird to watch after all this time...Amy, Paul and Chris were all babies! It was so weird to have Merrin Dungey from Alias as Naomi...she just wasn't Audra...I love Audra now!

It was weird to see Stephanie Niznik of Everwood in those eps now...her hair was the wrong color...and she wasn't Nina. Gotta love Nina.

That was Sunday, by sunday evening I had watched 7 eps of the first season. -I couldn't go to bed before watching the ep where Charlotte goes down the rabbit hole. It's THAT good.
Monday I watched the rest of season 1, and started into season 2. Finished off day 2 of PPP-Palooza, having watched the first 4 eps of season 2.
Day 3 saw me watching all the way through to ep 11...and dying to watch ep 12.
22 eps in 3 days...crazy.

One thing that made me laugh about the Grey's set up eps, was the mention of a non-consorting rule in the practice....that didn't last long at all!


Okay so here's the thing, season 1 I watched just after we got back from the US in October. I knew those eps almost inside out, having watched them at least twice before season 2 started...maybe more... But going into season 2 I have found I remember nothing. I mean I knew I didn't remember much, but boy was I right. I remember the ep with Charlotte's dad dying, and the whole Violet/Pete/Sheldon thing, and the finale with Katie, and Charlotte opening the practice downstairs, Joel Grey, and Dell and his kid. But other than that...nothing.
I guess I WAS distracted by a lot of things back when season 2 was starting...Pushing Daisies, Wicked, Kristin, Idina, The West Wing....all of that definately would have taken up a lot of memory space in my head.

I'd forgotten about pregancy scare with Charlotte and Cooper. -See I knew the kid thing had come up with them before, I just couldn't remember how. -But Marjorie and Walter?! -They should not be allowed to NAME children! hah. I'm sure they'll do better when the time comes.
Charlotte in season 2 is like a totally different person to the Charlotte of season 4....okay not really, but the hair, and the outfits (or lack there of...) seem like so long ago, she's grown up in many ways. Charlotte and Cooper as a couple are finally a little more stable in the current season.
Also, I don't remember PPP having such an 80's/90's soundtrack! In the earlier eps I have found so many old songs, almost none of which have any soundtrack potential. -But I have found plenty of other good songs for the soundtrack I'm gonna make when I'm done with the dvds.

Anyways...more comments to come I'm sure. Hopefully I'll find a chance to watch more eps soon. I'm sure I'll be done by the end of the week at this rate!
Yay new eps next week! Not that long now.

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Carlie

Tuesday, 25 January 2011

When Did Saturday Become TV day?!

Why are there SO many shows on on a Thursday night in the US? Between me and Ness we are overloaded come Friday evenings.

The last 2 weeks Ness and I have been watching a few shows together on our catch up days/nights. We started watching Off The Map together, and then watched the 2nd ep together on Saturday. We also watched Modern Family (which was left over from the weeks tv), Community, Parks and Recreation, we also watched the premire of Harry's Law - the new Kathy Bates, Brittany Snow, Nate Cordry (of Studio 60) show by David E Kelly, it was actually likable...which means we have 1 more show to watch.

Next week Grey's and Private Practice come back too, so that will be a crazy weekend.

Not sure how much I like Off The Map still....I'm enjoying it, but I definately don't LOVE it. But who knows how I'll feel after a couple more eps.  The Aussie/New Zealand guy is getting less annoying, so that is a good thing.

It was weird watching Parks and Recreation, having finished off season 3 of Everwood the night before. Chris Pratt was not little or blonde, which took a little adjusting to.
Still now sure about Rob Lowe on that show yet. I'm glad to have the show back though, I hope it stays good this season.

Finished with the Everwood dvds (till season 4 comes out), we've started watching Sports Night from the start. I've seen 11 eps of the first season, but nothing more. So its nice to finally be getting to the rest. It will complete my Aaron Sorkin tv show viewing.

Even with a whole day and a night to watch stuff, there is still plenty left so we'll be busy on our weekly catch ups I imagine. -We also watched that tv movie Temple Grandin with Claire Danes. She definately deserved the awards for that, it was really good and she was great in it!

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Carlie

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Golden Globes 2011 -Awards Recap

I still can't believe they asked Ricky Gervais back again this year. He was just as naughty, and just as entertaining as last year.

Social Network and Glee hogged most of the awards. Yay for Aaron Sorkin, Jane Lynch, and Chris Colfer.
While I was happy that Glee won, I thought that some of the other shows deserved it more. -I thought it was Modern Family's turn or that it would go to The Big C.
-I was so glad to see Chris Colfer win he did a great job this season. Plus he definitely won best acceptance speech. -Too adorable.
-Glee had 2 tables, so they had the biggest cheer squad of any group...or at least the biggest that got to actually cheer!

I was glad Laura Linney won for The Big C, but it sucked that she wasn't there (I'm guessing she was in NY with her play). She always gives good speeches.
-I was just super glad Piper Perabo didn't win for Covert Affairs....I like the show and all, but the others were much more deserving.

While I am not a fan of The Big Bang Theory, I can appreciate it. While I didn't care if it won or not, I find it really really interesting that the show has started being nominated 3 seasons in. I have found that usually shows get nominated in their first and second seasons, and then the nominations start to die off. But for a show to start getting recognition so late in the series run, it gives me hope for some of my other shows that have never gotten the recognition they deserve.

-Kaley Cuoco presenting the award to Jim Parsons was adorable by the way. Its nice to see actors so happy for their co-stars.


In terms of movie awards. I actually hadn't seen many of them this year. In terms of big awards, I'd only seen The Social Network, and The King's Speech.
-I was glad that Colin Firth won for TKS. He was really good in it.
-I thought Love and Other Drugs was good, but not really that great, so I wasn't fussed about that not taking any awards.
-Yay for Toy Story 3. I've loved those toys for years and that 3rd movie was heartbreakingly awesome.


Overall not the most exciting awards. I think I'm just really nostalgic for the good old days when Sex and The City and all those others used to get nominated, and ruled the awards. They seem to be all over the place now, and kinda boring. There were not even that many presenters of quality this year...especially not THAT many from NBC!

Bring on the SAGs.

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Carlie

Golden Globes 2011 -Red Carpet Recap

So....Its that time of year again. Yesterday were the Golden Globes and I had a lot of fun watching them LIVE on Fox8 with my sis.

Red Carpet started on E! at 10am. But this year I was out-globed by my mum and sis who were up watching the pre-red carpet stuff before I was even out of bed.
-But I stopped caring about that a long time ago....nothing good happens till people start showing up for the actual red carpet anyways.

I had more time to sleep, eat breaky, and prepare my dvd to record this years festivities.

As usual I watched the E coverage, Ryan and Guiliana do the best interviews...and they never sound stupid (Guiliana gets a little star-crazy sometimes, but that's just entertaining). This year they interviewed quite a few good people. -Although they skipped a few I would have liked to see.

In terms of the fashions...I wasn't THAT fussed about that many of the dresses. But there were some people I thought looked really great.


Olivia Wilde from House. -I don't even like House or care about her, but I really liked her dress. I didn't like her gold shoes though, the colors didn't go together.

Dianna Agron might have to win an award for always looking lovely on the red carpet, I have yet to see her in something I didn't like. I also liked Jenna Ushkowitz's dress. The blue was very pretty.

Carrie Underwood - Nice, classic, and glitzy. Love it.

 Jane Lynch looked lovely in sparkly black.






My least faves went to:

Anne Hathaway - I just didn't like the dress. It was weird, not a great color and I'm not a fan of really high neckline.

Juliana Marguliese - Didn't love the black/baby pink combo on her.

Lea Michele - The dress itself was nice, but I think the color wasn't great, too pale.

Amber Riley's dress was terrible...the tin foil look only works with houses or hats...

January Jones - What is with her red carpet dresses? Last year it was the cone-bra dresss...this years one was just as bad, if not worse.

I thought Emma Stone and Claire Danes both had really boring dresses...and would Emma Stone lose the blonde hair already?! Its freaking me out.

Tilda Swinton -what the heck WAS that?! A weird shirt dress...definitely the worst thing on the carpet.


 -Helena Bonam Carter somehow manages to get away with crazy outfits. I think because she has always dressed like that, that it would be bad if she DIDN'T wear outrageous stuff! She's like a cartoon character. I like it. She is consistently crazy, and therefore is above judgement.


In terms of the guys...they all kinda look the same in their suits, but Chris Colfer did look adorable in his tux.


Well that's my thoughts on the fashion. I'll do an awards recap in the next post.

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Carlie

Sunday, 16 January 2011

Off The Map

Brand new show by Jenna Bans, under the Shonda Rhimes (of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice) family name on ABC.

Definitely was looking forward to this show. Firstly cause Shonda was attached, and secondly cause Caroline Dahavernas from Wonderfalls stars in it.
Last night Ness and I watched the pilot together, it was good, there is potential for it to do well, or fail....which sucks. -I tend to prefer a little less middle ground when it comes to shows. Good or bad.

There's definitely some great stuff going on.
-Coconut transfusions instead of blood. Interesting and cool, but the more weird stuff they do, the stupider it might become.
-The locations are absolutely gorgeous!

-Emergency medicine on a zipline -very cool!
-Sticking young docs out in the jungle - gotta be entertaining for a little while at least! While the jungle setting has never been a fave of mine, it will be fun to watch these people deal with jungle life. However, I imagine with these sorts of people, it could become limiting. But then again LOST managed to do well...but they had sci-fi on their side, they could make up anything!

Wow it seems like I'm really picking on this show a lot...But I genuinely liked it! 

I don't know about the characters yet.
-I like the new recruits. Its going to be fun to see them put through hell, picked on, etc.
-The Aussie/NZ guy (whatever he's supposed to be), is fine - but his accent will bug me...
-The chick running the joint (or whatever she is) seems like she could be annoying.
-I like the translator kid. He could be fun.
-The other doc that runs the place is okay. Jason George's character.
-That other young doc girl, the one that left and came back....she's going to be trouble. -so far she's not at all interesting.

I'm looking forward to the backstories of the characters being explored. My guess is that Lily (Caroline Dahavernas) lost her boyfriend/fiance...

-Not sure about longevity of a jungle series (LOST was different...sorta), the idea would definitely make for a great movie, but we'll see where it goes, there is definite potential.


That's all I've got off the top of my head right now. I might rewatch the pilot again, but either way I'm looking forward to seeing how ep 2 pans out!

-Carlie

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

TV is BACK!!!!!!

So the Christmas/New Years tv break is over and new episodes started back this week for many of my fave shows.

Brothers & Sisters - It was really weird to watch a new ep of season 5, after starting from season 1 since the break in December. Being currently watching season 3, it took me a few minutes to remember what the heck was going on. -Firstly, when did Justin become a paramedic for reals? Did I just block that part of previous eps, or have they again skipped ahead?
This is the only ABC show I watch that has not been renewed for next season yet. I'm not sure if they will, or should get one. I mean it was a great show in the early seasons, but last season made no sense. This season they seem to have gotten back on track, but I don't know if they have enough material for season 6.  I just hope they get a chance to wrap it up, whenever it ends. I really do love the show and the characters, and would hate for it to not get a proper ending...like so many of my others shows have in the past.

Parenthood - I hate that I forget how much I love that show when its not on. I really love it, but its not the kind I obsess over for days...like some others.
I must say though, the scene with Sarah and the kids in the car made me stressed out. I think Lauren Graham needs to work on watching the road in driving scenes...I was worried they'd have an accident!
Sarah and Julia's girls night was hilariously bad....so much potential, nooooo payoff. Hopefully they will get better at it!

Modern Family - Quality as always. Great Luke stuff, which is always gold. The other stories were slightly annoying, James Marsden's character was kinda a pain.

Grey's Anatomy - Last weeks shooting episode was very well done. It was great to see the characters deal with it after their own trauma. As much as I'm not a Christina fan, I was really glad to see her back in the OR. I was also glad to see her and Meredith reunite, I do love their crazy friendship. I think they need to focus on Meredith's story a little more. These days she seems like a background character...
The Arizona and Callie stuff was great. I loved Arizona getting to come back...under Stark. I hope they can sort their crap out, but I'm starting to not care. They have broken up and got back together so many times, I don't even know if its worth it anymore.

Private Practice - Saving the best till last.
Sooooo excited to have the show back, and it didn't disappoint! Its so great to see Charlotte and Cooper dealing with things and moving on with their lives, in a very sweet way. But seriously could they be any cuter?! The whole chicken thing was adorable...the cheers with the chicken!...the choking on the chicken...
But why do Charlotte and Cooper walk into the downstairs offices like ...in Cooper's case, a superhero....they definitely make an entrance. 
Violet was totally adorable with her book, telling Naomi! I loved the hiding outside the office while Naomi and Sheldon were reading, and Cooper wanting to be her Roadie/Nanny, and Sheldon wanting to hear Oprah say his name.
I kinda don't care about Addison and her mother...I did like the scene at the end with the girls talking about their mums though. I'd sorta forgotten that Amelia would know Busy...

Highlights/Points of Interest
-Loved Amelia's quote about herself being "kinda a whore..." You can always count on Amelia to make you laugh.
-2nd fave quote "aww you could kiss me right now couldn't you?" -totally awwww worthy.
-What is with everyone writing books? I'm watching old Brothers & Sisters with Kitty writing the book.
-Violet's jumping up and down and "yay"-ing was adorable!
-Naomi is back and is a lot more fun, and interesting now. Love it!
-I guess its a season of Weddings on the PPP.
-This ep was weird in that I don't think there was a ever a scene with more than 3 of the main characters together.
-Loved Charlotte talking to Naomi and Violet about her issues. I like that she's reaching out, and thanking Violet...good progress.
-Now I know I pick up on set things, and props more than most people....but what happened to Charlotte's engagement ring? She had it in the hospital, and now her finger is naked. I hope its a props/costume error, and I hope they fix it soon! -Its bugging me, and I can't seem to let it go.



Still got 1 ep to catch up on The Good Wife, new eps of that start this week. Other stuff starts up later this month. -Really looking forward to Off The Map, the new Shonda show with Caroline Dahavenas and Mamie Gummer.

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Carlie

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Brothers and Sister Revisited

So I finally bought seasons 2 and 3 of Brothers & Sisters. And since I hadn't rewatched season 1 since I first bought it years ago, I wanted to start from the beginning.
I must say its been a lot of fun to go back and watch it all, knowing where things are at in the current season. I'm also remembering my first opinions and thoughts I had back in the day.
Things like, how I used to think Sarah Jane Morris looked similar to KaDee Strickland of Private Practice...don't think that now, but I can see how I did way back in the day.
-There were also less Wicked references, than I remember there being.  I counted 3 in season 1. Felt like more.
-I am realising that while I miss Tommy being part of the family, I don't miss Tommy himself.
-I don't miss Julia - I remember liking her, but she was never in it anyways. I do miss Robert, but at the same time, I feel the show is doing pretty well this season without him.
-I also miss the simpler days when Rebecca was their sister, before they decided she wasn't, in order to make her and Justin a couple...it just felt really weird and unnatural for a while. -Almost a betrayal by the writers.
-I miss the kids, Paige and Cooper. Sarah always seemed a more rounded out character with the kids in the picture. These days you'd be lucky to see them more than twice a season. They are always conveniently with Joe whenever there is a big family event or holiday. It doesn't seem very realistic...

I'm enjoying watching everything in a row on DVD. I feel that sometimes when watching on a weekly basis I never gave Brothers & Sisters my full attention, which it really deserved! I think last season really made no sense, or had any real direction..so it made it less fun to watch, but this season seems much better put together and I am really enjoying it. Especially that crazy Christmas ep! Looking forward to seeing where they take the 2nd half of season 5.


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Carlie