Monthly Archives: October 2013
‘The Biggest Loser: Second Chances’ Review
The battle of the bulge is finally back; a second chance on life to get it right. The lean, mean, screaming machines (Bob, Jillian, and Dolvett) are back to change the lives of fifteen overweight contestants. Each contestant has a personal story to tell and hopefully it will inspire others to keep moving and become active. Not only were there some smiles, but some had some fear when approaching The Biggest Loser ranch. People are missing their spouses, their children, and they know this is what they have to do, to live a longer, healthier life.
Two of the contestants who have made headlines are season two American Idol winner Reuben Studdard, and Olympic Weightlifter Holley Mangold. These two along with the thirteen others here want to change their life. These trainers want to point out that this is “not a TV show, this is a life or death intervention.” When entering the doors of The Biggest Loser Ranch, contestants notice a bunch of flags showcasing past contestant’s success stories. It just shows that if they can do it, you can do it.
‘Sleepy Hollow’: “John Doe” Recap
It seems like Sleepy Hollow is taking a break from their usual “demon of the week” story lines. They are also taking a three-week break to give way for The World Series. Instead of fighting a demon, they are continuing to keep Horsemen from entering. This week they had to combat something completely new: infectious diseases.
This week’s episode titled “John Doe,” had Ichabod and Abbie fighting one of the other horsemen of the apocalypse: Pestilence. Only for about ten seconds, for the entirety of the episode was dedicated to figuring out the whole disease situation. In the beginning, a boy in Renaissance clothing collapses in the middle of town. He is infected with some type of disease that causes his veins to blacken.
‘Dancing With The Stars’: Dancing Through The Years
Last night on Dancing with the Stars, everyone was on top of their game, which made for a very entertaining show. Not only were the dances beautiful to watch, but they had a great story behind it.
Christina Milian chose 2010 to be her most memorable year because of the the highs and lows that came with it. She gave birth to her daughter and also got a divorce the same time. Her dancing the cha cha was very entertaining to watch because her footwork and technique were on point. Carrie Ann and Bruno gave Christina 9s, but Len gave her the first 10 of the season, which gave her a score of 28 out of 30.
Jack Osbourne’s most memorable year was 2012 because he married his wife, had a daughter, and two weeks later was diagnosed with MS. Dedicating his waltz to his wife and daughter was a truly beautiful moment. The interaction between him and his dance partner, Cheryl, was very moving to see. Carrie Ann said it best “you took my breath away.” The judges gave Jack all 9s across the board, totaling a 27 out of 30.
‘Mom’: “Loathing and Tube Socks” Review
Believe it or not, Mom is the best new sitcom. To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for the show and really thought it would be cancelled at this point. Well, I was wrong. Shows that I had much higher hopes for, such as We Are Men and The Michael J. Fox Show, have either crashed and burned or their cancellation is only a matter of time. Mom has improved. Stepping back from the show and not reviewing it for a week has made me see that.
In “Loathing and Tube Socks,” Christy comes to terms with the fact that she is the problem in her life, which is only slightly the case. Christy’s attitude doesn’t help matters, but how would you feel if your teenage daughter was pregnant and your mother would make you her fall guy? Granted, Bonnie only made her daughter the fall guy in Christy’s dream, which had them smuggling drugs from Mexico. However, it was clearly a little too real for Christy. Christy even called her mother to yell at her. Bonnie didn’t take to well to this, but Bonnie has little more than a superficial love for her daughter and thinks she’s a crazy person.
‘Hello Ladies’: “The Date” Review
Hello Ladies is tiresome. All the characters are pathetic. It’s no longer funny.
Out of all the characters, Stuart Pritchard is the worst. Stuart thinks he’s a player, but he doesn’t even know when a woman is hitting on him. When Jessica does point it out, Stuart awkwardly tries to act cool, which demonstrates exactly how uncool he is, yet sometimes he gets the girl. “The Date” had him ask a girl from his gym’s smoothie bar appear clearly interested in him, but Stuart thinks she’s just making fun of his Britishness because she says things like “top of the morning to you” and “cheerio.” Once Stuart understands the situation, he ends up knocking over all the drinks in the refrigerator. In his head, leaning against the fridge is cool. Everyone else knows attempting to look cool only makes you look clueless.
‘Sean Saves the World’: “Busted” Review
Sean Saves the World’s second episode, “Busted,” is much better than the pilot. The writers still appear to be behind the times because this episode makes a big deal about Sean’s daughter’s first bra. With the exception of Sean being a gay father, the show could have taken place in the 1980s.
The entire episode revolved around Sean’s daughter, Ellie (Samantha Isler), trying to find the perfect first bra. Since her mother isn’t around, Grandma Lorna (Linda Lavin) and older sister figure Liz (Megan Hilty) both want to take Ellie bra shopping. Let the wacky antics begin!
Liz takes Ellie shopping first. Liz doesn’t realize that Ellie is a sensible 14-year-old. All Ellie wants is something to keep her breasts from jiggling. However, Liz has other plans. She even asks Ellie, “Are you sexually active? Do you want to be?” It’s a little disturbing that Liz wants Ellie to sleep around like she did. After browsing the store, Liz buys Ellie a bunch of sexy bras and a piece of lingerie, which Sean doesn’t have a problem with because Ellie makes it clear she is unhappy with Liz’s choices.
It’s Raining Dead! ‘The Walking Dead’ Returns
Spoilers (show, video game, and comics) ahead, you’ve been warned.
The Walking Dead kicked off its fourth season last night. After a sleeper third season finale, fans were hoping for an amazing premiere. The episode “30 Days Without An Accident” shuffled its way along. It spent the whole episode building up the rest of the season. Not that it’s entirely a bad thing, since that’s what premiere episodes are supposed to do.
Most importantly, the group is quickly going to discover a whole new problem. This time, it isn’t a horde of walkers or a gang of crazy survivors. Not yet, at least. It seems that the animals are finally being infected. Whether it’s by the same infection or a whole new strain has yet to be determined. It started with one of the newer group members (aka walker food) thanking Daryl for the deer he hunted earlier. By the end of the episode, he mysteriously turns into a walker. Throughout the episode, Rick noticed that there were some sick animals in and around the prison. Hershel had stated that they have enough food to feed all of the people in the prison. Well, not anymore.
Reality TV Has Always Existed
It seems like everyone wants reality television to run its course and get off their television sets. The truth is that’s never going to happen. Reality TV is here to stay. Since the late 1940s, it’s existed in one form or another and many of the first reality shows were adapted from radio. For example, Candid Camera started as Candid Microphone. While it may seem quaint now, Candid Camera basically had the audience spying on people who were put in uncomfortable situations without being in on the joke.
Even though Candid Camera still seems tame, Queen for a Day, which also started on radio and aired on TV from 1956 to 1964, is shocking by modern standards. The host would force housewives to recount all the misery in their lives, many broke down and cried, so that they could potentially win whatever they needed. Whoever the audience determined had the most tragic story would get help, everyone else was sent home without so much as fare for the bus.
‘Modern Family’ Reflects Modern Values
Year after year, Modern Family continues to bring home the awards. This past year, the show took home an Emmy for outstanding comedy. Since the show is so popular with award show voters and the public, some people may wonder how accurately the show portrays modern suburban life. You might even compare Modern Family to the family oriented Leave It To Beaver. However, we as a society have come a long way from the 1950’s. The suburban lifestyle and TV show’s morals and values have changed over the course of many generations.
Most viewers would have to agree that the writers do a great job with the well written dialogue and an interesting portrayal of the diverse characters. The show brings a new insight to family dynamics. Not only are the characters relatable, but the dysfunction of the Dunphy/Pritchett family makes it feel real. Dysfunction is the new normal. Now we can embrace this show as part of our society because more and more families are becoming blended. Modern Family is a nice change of pace and is very refreshing to watch.
‘Glee’: “The Quarterback”
A box of tissues and a pint of ice-cream were certainly needed for last night’s tribute to Glee’s Finn Hudson. What’s great about the episode is that the creators wanted to celebrate Finn’s life. Finn was a true leader in the glee club and a true quarterback hence the title. Millions of fans have idolized him since day one. No one will ever forget him singing in the shower to “Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore” or performing his first routine to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” Not only was his death so sudden, but Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson had so much potential. Having “Glee” been his big break, all his fans were hoping to see him pursue other adventures. We grew up with the character and felt like he could have easily been a friend to us all. By keeping Cory’s memory alive, all the proceeds of the songs played will go to Cory’s charities of choice.
Within the first five minutes, emotions rose quickly. The New Directions begin singing a beautiful rendition of “Seasons of Love.” What made the episode even more moving was seeing some of the original cast members come back and support their Glee family. Once they look behind the stage, they see a picture of Finn in his quarterback uniform. Soon after, the glee graphic automatically came up on the screen, the creators replaced the letter “L” with a black and white silhouette of Finn from episode one. He was performing “Don’t Stop Believing” in season one. If that didn’t start the waterworks, I don’t know what will.
Wait! What's A Dial? 