Emmys 2010- Fallon's Follies

Jimmy Fallon and Company

People can rant and rave about how the Emmys are terrible, but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this year's ceremony. Whether it was because some of my favorites won, because Jimmy Fallon did a very enjoyable job hosting, or even because Sepinwall and Fienberg's predictions were so wrong, it was a great night for television.

Let's start with the non-awards aspects of the show. The opening Glee-spoof was just fantastic. I know Jimmy is used to it because he does a segment like that on his late night show, but that didn't make this rendition any less great. You kidding me? Can you imagine if Jon Hamm, Joel McHale and Jorge Garcia were actually in Glee? Almost watchable right? It would be worth it for Hamm's ridiculous dance moves alone.

A lot of Jimmy's other performances were great. He was in a very musical mood as each introduction came with him singing and strumming on his acoustic guitar. I particularly enjoyed his ode to 24, Lost and Law & Order through an array of spoofs.

So now on to the awards...

The Amazing Race lost the best reality competition award for the first time! Finally somebody else getting some love. I'm glad it was Top Chef, but even more excited about how shocked they were upon hearing the news.

As for the Drama awards:

Supporting Actress: Archie Panjabi- The Good Wife
Wasn't even in the discussion of possible winners. Because Mad Men won Best Drama I feel they should've won one acting award and this was the one to get it in. Both Elizabeth Moss and Christina Hendrix could've taken this.

Supporting Actor: Aaron Paul- Breaking Bad
I love this on two accounts, and am sad on another. First, he's a complete stud and deserves this award for his work every season. Secondly, Sepinwall and Fienberg gave this guy absolutely no shot. Now this wasn't "oh we're not good at predicting so it could be any one of these three." This was "Paul is the least likely person to win and we know it." On the sad side, I wanted O'Quinn or Emerson to win for the final season of Lost.

Lead Actress: Kyra Sedgwick- The Closer
Really? Biggest upset ever? Julianna Margulies was the biggest favorite (other than maybe Jane Lynch) of the entire night. I'm pretty sure Alan Sepinwall already handed her the trophy last week. And Sedgwick for a show that has been on for umpteen years?

Lead Actor: Bryan Cranston- Breaking Bad
Ho hum just his third straight Emmy. He deserves it. It's always so weired seeing him not as Walter White now. He's truly acting fantastically in that role.

Best Drama: Mad Men- AMC
I said it before, I wouldn't have picked it out of this group, but it's definitely worthy.

And then there was the comedy:

Supporting Actress: Jane Lynch- Glee
Obviously. Both expected and correct. She was great on Glee and no one is afraid to admit it. Well except for the fact that you have to admit you watched Glee.

Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family

Supporting Actor: Eric Stonestreet- Modern Family
My favorite win of the night. So pumped that he won. If Cryer or Colfer won I was going to be very upset. I would have been happy with Ty Burrell or Stonestreet, but I'm glad a Mod Fam guy won something.

Lead Actress: Edie Falco- Nurse Jackie
She said in her speech..."I'm not funny." You're right. Neither is your show. You don't deserve the award now give it back. Maybe you should take a lesson from the Poolies and put these silly dramedies in the drama category and make another category for Action! Done and done.

Lead Actor: Jim Parsons- The Big Bang Theory
Sure I would've preferred Larry David, Steve Carell or Alec Baldwin (in that order) but rather Parsons than Tony Shaloub. Something about Monk that just irks me and he's won it before.

Best Comedy: Modern Family- ABC
This is one that came down to this or Glee, according to everyone in the know. If Glee had won for best series it would have been a travesty. It's a pop culture phenomenon but it is no way a good television show.

So there you have it. The 2010 Emmys. Can we all admit now that this is just silly compared to the Poolies? Who really cares which people are best at their job? We all want to vote on which character entertains us the most. That's why for the real television awards, tune in every June/July for the Quiet Pool Television Awards.

Mad Men Review- Win or Lose, We Drink

Roger and Don living the life

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Mad Men, 'Waldorf Stories'. So watch the ep, find the cure for the common breakfast, then read what I had to say.

Roger: That don't seem to give awards for what I do.

Joan: And what is that?

Roger: Find guys like him.

Hopefully I will be writing about last night's Emmys, but I'll take a moment here to congratulate Mad Men on its third straight honor for Best Drama Series. I would've voted it fourth in the category, but it's definitely worth of a win. Three in a row? Absolutely not. But in any given year? Sure.

Last night, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the sixth episode of Mad Men's fourth season, 'Waldorf Stories'. Filled with flashbacks and black outs, it was a great episode. Don won an award for Glo-Coat and decided to drink the entire weekend. Seriously, he was worse than Mags on any given weekend. He literally didn't remember a single thing from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. Pretty impressive stuff.

Roger continues to be the best source of comedy on the show, but I'm worried about him. Pretty soon he's going to be the next Bert Cooper. Time is passing him by and it seems like he will soon be unnecessary at SCDP. He deserves better than that.

If you're interested in hearing more of my thoughts from this episode, head over to TV Fanatic to read my review.

Mad Men 406 - 'Waldorf Stories'
Review
Recap
Quotes

Hung Review- Rash Behavior

Tanya is the absolute worst

Ray- "I thought you were different. I thought you were a good person. And I thought you were pretty f**king cool. And you know what? You turned out to be none of those things."

This morning, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the penultimate episode of Hung's second season 'Fat Off My Love or I'm the Allergen'. I opened with an anecdote that I will retell now. Last night I attended a cookout/get together for my new Master of Sport Administration program at Belmont. The topic of television, and more specifically HBO, came to the forefront. Mike, kind of the ring leader of this group, mentioned how he was really enjoying this season of Entourage but that Hung was completely worthless.

This brings me to my next point. I have yet to hear of anyone who actually enjoys this show. I'm thinking it might be right up CJ's alley am I right? I'm pretty sure he likes everything that is terrible, so that would make sense. But honestly, I wonder what kind of ratings Hung gets, as compared to the other HBO series. Those numbers have got be severely low.

The only thing that makes me happy is that I only have to watch this show for ONE MORE WEEK!! I'm so GOD DANG SICK OF THIS SHOW!!! Not one of these characters gets me excited!!! NOT ONE!!! I just want to throw up when I watch this show every week! This terrible television needs to STOP!!! AND IT NEEDS TO STOP RIGHT NOW!!!!

So if that prompted you to want to read my review head over to TV Fanatic. If not, just wait for my Mad Men review in a little bit.

Hung 209 - 'Fat Off My Love or I'm the Allergen'
Review
Recap
Quotes

Persons Unknown- It's a Vicious Cycle

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's final two episodes of Persons Unknown, 'And Then There Was One' and 'Shadows in the Cave'. So watch the eps, check the bible for your key, then read what I had to say.

Janet- "How does it work then, Liam?"

Liam- "You kill each other."

Wow! Before I get to the ridiculously good ending to this show, I want to start with both how awesome and actually kind of funny the penultimate episode was. 'And Then There Was One' was definitely my favorite episode of the season. As soon as the body bags show up, and Ulrich explains the program is set for them to kill each other, everyone starts to turn on each other fairly quickly. The rate at which they started to fight, and actually kill each other, was almost caricature-esque. The beauty of it was that they whole thing worked on two levels. At first it was just comical how the whole thing was happening even though it seemed like it never would. Then once we realize (or maybe you're more observant and knew from the beginning) that the whole thing was a hoax, it was nice to see the gang succeed.

But of course they didn't succeed entirely, as the van they escaped in came to a crash and for some reason everyone ended up separated: Janet in the Program-run hospital, McNair being tortured in the "white room," Moira and Erica in Morocco, and Charlie and Blackham on the run in the desert. This last one was the one that made me curious, with the whole Blackham knowing Charlie's wife's name. What was that supposed to mean? Blackham was a part of the Program? I don't get it.

Night Manager- "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to level two."

While not as good as the caper-esque penultimate episode, the finale was great for many other reasons. For one, much like the Lost finale, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how they were going to wrap everything up so quickly. The answer? They really didn't. Let me say this really loud, I absolutely loved this ending!!!

So they all escaped, except for Joe who sacrificed himself for the group, and then they all get captured again by the Program. But since they made it out and Joe made the sacrifice, he has to stay at level one? What is the reasoning? To end the show with Joe right back where he started, was although on a much smaller scale, still very Jack Shephard like. So Joe is back at level one with Mark Cooper and a bunch of strangers and the rest of our crew is on a giant ship in the middle of the ocean for level two!?! Fantastic way to end it. The cycle starts all over, but those we know is moving up in the program.

Obviously there are a bunch of questions, like what is the point of the program? Now that our crew is in level two, are they on board with it? Or will they again try to escape? But leaving everything up in the air like this makes me think much more about what really went on, and I loved it.

The show had its slow spots in the middle but the final three episodes were great and I'm glad I stuck to it. It was definitely worth it in the end. Not award-winning television by any means, but a great summer series that should have gotten more hype than it had.

Cable Fall Lineup Preview

Last but definitely not least.  So with the cable fall lineup I basically just put the shows that I watch or am looking forward to trying.  There is so much cable programming that I couldn't go over all of it, especially when a bunch of it (like so much broadcast programming) is bad.  I really like how the cable networks bring out their shows in waves.  It's a much better format.  Instead waiting for three weeks to see the seventh episode of a season in December or March, you usually get 13 eps in about 14 or 15 weeks.  Then the next set of shows comes in.  With HBO right now we have True Blood, Entourage and Hung.  Next wave is Boardwalk, Eastbound and Bored.  I'm sure after that we'll get more Treme, maybe Curb and Ricky Gervais.  It's a good way to work.

The other network that makes up most of today's list is FX.  They're really coming into their own here.  With one great comedy in It's Always Sunny, and one up-and-comer in The League.  One of my top three shows in Sons of Anarchy, and now adding a hopeful in Terriers.  Justified in the spring.  It doesn't get much better than this for cable.

Sunday
9:00- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
If you aren't excited for this prohibition drama from Sopranos writer Terrence Winter, then you got some issues. Steve Buschemi in the lead, Omar from The Wire, it's gonna be classic.
9:00- Dexter (Showtime)
I'm really glad I got caught up on this. Apparently they're not going to have one 'big bad' this season, which will be a nice change of pace.
10:00- Bored to Death (HBO)
The trailer for season two makes it sound exactly like season one. That's fine by me...I don't need development in my comedies.
10:30- Eastbound & Down (HBO)
Danny McBride is rumored to be in talks for the new head gig at The Office. Does that spell an end to Eastbound? How many seasons could this shtick really work for?

Monday
10:00- Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
Andre Braugher is great and all, but if anyone deserved an Emmy nod from this show's first season it was Ray Romano.

Tuesday
10:00- Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Probably the show I'm most excited for a return. Number three in the current power rankings but I can absolutely see it gaining the new number one spot with a good start to season three.

Wednesday
9:00- Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo)
Doesn't sound all that exciting. I need a full meal to be satisfied. If it's not as good as the original, I might quit.
10:00- Terriers (FX)
I've been hearing good things about this private investigator show. I also am a big Donal Logue fan from his Grounded for Life days, so here's hoping.

Thursday
10:00- It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX)
If you're not watching this, you should be. Always listen to Joe Buddens.
10:30- The League (FX)
Here's a situation where the hate went too far. Sure the first couple of eps were terrible, but it did get much better as the season went on. The hate was multiplied by the fact that there wasn't enough fantasy football. Rumor is that the second season has much more fantasy.

The CW Fall Lineup Preview

The CW, which came to be after the combination of two networks, currently still feels like two networks. There is the Monday through Wednesday schedule and then the Thursday and Friday schedule. Although it's a shame that I have to admit that I watch much more of the girly soaps at the beginning of the week, I don't feel that I'm missing much by not watching the sci-fi end of the week stuff.

Only a couple of new shows hit the schedule again this year, neither of which are going be groundbreaking. They'll have to rely on the old faithfuls to keep them afloat for another season. If The CW did go out of business, I wonder how many of these series would get picked up, and by whom? I'm sure one or two out of 90210/Gossip/Life Unexpected would get signed by ABC Family, while I can see Vampire Diaries going to SyFy.

Once again, blue are what I'll be watching. Yellow is what is new in 2010.

Sunday

Monday
8:00- 90210
Naomi Clark's attitude is mainly the only thing good about this show.
9:00- Gossip Girl
They just keep bringing in the big guns to guest star. Next up is Katie Cassidy. How about you replace one of these (also Hilary Duff and Joanna Garcia) with your terrible leading lady that wants to get killed off.

Tuesday
8:00- One Tree Hill
A show that was hitting it's prime during seasons 3-5, really has fallen a long way as of late.
9:00- Life Unexpected
What to expect...a crossover episode between this and OTH this season.

Wednesday
8:00- America's Next Top Model
9:00- Hellcats

Thursday
8:00- Vampire Diaries
Apparently vampires are really popular right now. On a related note, how is Taylor Lautner liked by anyone? He's not good looking, he can't act, he's not funny, he has no charm. Astonishing.
9:00- Nikita
People are saying Maggie Q is good, but this is really ho hum. I'll give it one ep to win me over.

Friday
8:00- Smallville
9:00- Supernatural
I wouldn't mind watching one or both of these series some summer.

Big Brother- Exterminate the Matt

Matty surprised here for sure

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the seventh week of Big Brother. So watch the eps, have a dream about a shirtless Hayden, then read what I had to say.

Matt- "So The Brigade scrambled. We made a last ditch effort to try and save me and get Ragan on the block. The odds are stacked heavily against me. It's time for an underdog story."

Enzo- "Matt you're about to hand in your Brigade card."

Since Matt was the first of two eliminations on tonight's Big Brother, I don't feel bad making another post almost entirely about his bad game play. He's gone now, and I'll never have to complain about all of the better moves he could have made.

After last week's debacle where he put Kathy up as his replacement, I had hopes that Matt would finally realize he was on the outs with The Brigade and try to make a move against them this week. Well no I don't, because I really disliked him, but I thought a little redemption would be nice.

Matt's inability to go against The Brigade even though he knew they were going to vote him out last week, made him look even dumber this week as Enzo, Lane and Hayden made him their main target. Ahead of Brendon and Ragan, they wanted Matt out of the house.

Once Brendon wins PoV, Britney must put up a replacement. She's deciding between Matt and Hayden. I don't get how this is hard to figure out Matthew. You know there are three guys in this house that are voting you out before any of themselves, yet you take this opportunity to throw the only person who is consistently loyal to you under the bus!?! How does getting Ragan up on the block help your standing within The Brigade?!?

The move was to out The Brigade to Britney, Ragan, and Brendon so that they turn on them. Britney then puts Hayden up on the block against Enzo and one of them goes home. You then work on getting Lane and the other Brigader left out and you are in a final four with Britney, Brendon and Ragan. One of whom loves you like his gay partner, another (Brendon) that has no alliance, and a third that you know hates Brendon. Much easier rout to the final two. But no, I'll stick with this group that I know was going to vote me out last week. Good plan.

To make matters worse, Ragan figures out that the four dudes are in an alliance, and he still does nothing!!! Once Ragan knows, you tell him he's right, but obviously you're on the outs so they need to get rid of Enzo so that they don't glide to the final three. I know Brendon would have been on board. Then you just have to convince Britney. Done and done.

On the flip side, I'm happy that the other three remaining Brigade members made the move on Matty. It had to get done sooner or later.

Other Thoughts

-Britney's fiance is nothing special from what I could see. There's probably a reason he's not being highlighted. She could easily do better than that guy, like me for instance.

-Lane- "When I see these two freak out, I'm thinking there's guns shootin' at us...or there's a dinosaur."--This guy is either a nut, or trying real hard to play to the camera.

-I wish I watched this season of Big Brother with Aaron Spaulding and Kyle Shaw. Every time the Beast gets mentioned, it is a perfect opportunity to say "A big a beaaste" as only those two could.

-Wow! Ragan figured out The Brigade (very sarcastically). It took you people long enough. They only hang out with each other every second and have secret meeting all over the house.

-I'm glad Brendon left during the second eviction for two reasons. 1) I don't like him. 2) He's been on the block so often recently that it wasn't as shocking to see him go. If Lane or Hayden left during that quick evic, it would've been shocking.

-I love how they only showed Ragan studying for the contest, even though many of them probably have been.

CBS Fall Lineup Preview

We're back to look at some more 2010 Fall tv and today it is CBS. You know, sometimes I wish the great reality tv of CBS was on a different network. That way I could hate on CBS more than anything else in the world. But the reality of life is that they do have Big Brother, Survivor and The Amazing Race, so CBS will always have something going for it.

On the other hand, there is the wealth of garbage that they put on the air year after year. Now that garbage does get all of the best ratings, but it is still the worst.  With The Mentalist holding things down from the non-reality aspect, I'm hoping Hawaii Five-0 steps up to the plate in its first season to give me two quality programs on CBS.

As always shows I watch, or will be trying, are in blue.  New series are marked with yellow.

Sunday
8:00- The Amazing Race
Isn't deserving of the Emmy year after year, but it's worth watching if you don't get to travel around the world in real life.
9:00- Undercover Boss
10:00- CSI: Miami

Monday
8:00- How I Met Your Mother
8:30- Rules of Engagement
The only CBS comedy I will watch. Puddy, David Spade and the guy that reminds me of Lansing make a good trio.
9:00- Two and a Half Men
9:30- Mike and Molly
Apparently it's nothing but fat jokes. Sure that could be funny, but not when it's from the people that made Two and a Half Men.
10:00- Hawaii 5-0
I will watch any show that uses Hawaii as its back drop and stars Daniel Dae Kim. Sure Lost and this reboot are the only two that come to mind, but still.

Tuesday
8:00- NCIS
9:00- NCIS: LA
10:00- The Good Wife
That Julianna Margulies has picked up too many awards to count in her first season. Still, this does not look interesting at all.

Wednesday
8:00- Survivor
Read that again! Survivor is now on Wednesdays. Mark your calendars. The contestants have been released and I have yet to look them over, other than to notice that one of them is Jimmy Johnson.
9:00- Criminal Minds
10:00- The Defenders
I had good luck with the last show I watched that took place in Vegas, so why not give it another go? I'll try watching Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell for a few eps.

Thursday
8:00- Big Bang Theory
8:30- Feces My Dad Says (credit: Dan Fienberg)
How is everyone surprised that William Shatner is not funny on this show. I've never seen him be funny in anything.
9:00- CSI
10:00- The Mentalist

Friday
8:00- Medium
9:00- CSI: NY
10:00- Blue Bloods
Is this the one with Johnny Drama (I mean Donnie Wahlberg)? If so, it doesn't look that good.

FOX Fall Lineup Preview

Day Three...FOX's fall lineup for 2010.  Let's all admit this right away.  FOX has a great track record for soapy dramas (See: O.C., The and 90210, Beverly Hills).  That's why I'm pretty excited about Lone Star.  The trailer got me excited, but then to hear that critics like it as well only puts it over the top as a winner in 2010.

A couple other new shows, some old faithfuls in House, Family Guy and Fringe, and that about sums up FOX for 2010-11.  The networks that don't have 10 PM programming, like FOX and The CW, absolutely feel lighter than the other three.  But they don't  have as much fluff so at times it feels like they're bring more bang for their buck.  No foolish Law and Orders of CSIs here.  Just quality programming.  Sure I'm not a fan of some of it, but at least they're not lazy.

As per the usual, shows I'm watching are in blue...new series are in yellow.

Sunday
8:00- The Simpsons
Still? I'm sure it's funny, but I can never get myself to watch an episode anymore.
8:30- The Cleveland Show
I can only take a half hour of Seth McFarlane per week.
9:00- Family Guy
And here it is. The original is still the best.
9:30- American Dad
See: Cleveland Show, The

Monday
8:00- House, MD
I don't ever get excited for House, but I enjoy watching Hugh Laurie do his thing.
9:00- Lone Star
I loved it when I first saw the trailer, and there has been nothing but positive buzz coming from critics in recent weeks. This Texas soap should give me my fix once Friday Night Lights is off the air come 2011.

Tuesday
8:00- Glee
They're getting way too guest-star happy on this show. How bout you just do a good show instead of stunt casting guest appearances?
9:00- Raising Hope
Absolutely not.
9:30- Running Wilde
From the people of Arrested Development, so it has clout, but apparently the pilot wasn't very good. Will Arnett is usually funny though so I'll give it a try.

Wednesday
8:00- Hell's Kitchen
Two hours? Really? Every week?

Thursday
8:00- Bones
Never tried it, and doesn't look appealing.
9:00- Fringe
Wish I could get myself to jump back on the wagon. It might be too late, but it would be a nice sci-fi fix for me.

Friday
8:00- Human Target
Good enough. Depending on how busy I get, this procedural will be one of the first to hit the road.
9:00- The Good Guys
It runs for the entire summer and then is also on the fall lineup...I don't get this. This isn't early Beverly Hills, 90210 where you start in the summer because it takes place in the summer.

NBC Fall Lineup Preview

So we're taking a look at the 2010 fall season, and up next is NBC.  For a network that always comes in last in the ratings, it always seems to have the best group of shows.  With NBC it starts with comedy night done right, and in The Office, 30 Rock, Community and Parks & Recreation, they have four out of the top ten comedies on television.

Add Chuck, Parenthood and the final season of Friday Night Lights to that mix and you have a really solid core.  There are three new shows on the slate that I will be keeping an eye on.  1) Outsourced looks so bad that I'm curious to see how soon it gets the hook.  2) The Event seems pretty intriguing from it's promos and trailers, but according to critics it's not as good as it looks.  I'm curious to see if it can shine in the wake of all the Lost-type failings before it.  3) The Undercovers is a spy show on the same network as Chuck.  Is there enough room for two of these similar shows on a network like NBC?  We shall see.

Two hours of The Biggest Loser, two hours of Law and Orders and Sunday Night Football really take away from the rest of the prime time schedule at the peacock.  Remember blue is a show I'm watching and  yellow means it's new.

Sunday
8:00- Sunday Night Football

Monday
8:00- Chuck
Currently my number one ranked show, Chuck returns from what was a great season in 2009-10.
9:00- The Event
Was getting plenty of hype, but critics are claiming it has a lot of sizzle but no steak. Sounds like Flash Forward (sorry NYC).
10:00- Chase
Apparently the lead chick won people over at press tour, but that's not gonna do it for me.

Tuesday
8:00- The Biggest Loser
10:00- Parenthood
Made great strides over the course of last year. Great characters and some great story telling keep me coming back to this family drama.

Wednesday
8:00- The Undercovers
Not hearing great things, but JJ Abrams and a couple of leads that look interesting will allow me to try it for a couple eps.
9:00- Law & Order: SVU
10:00- Law & Order: Los Angeles

Thursday
8:00- Community
A great first season for the Joel McHale starer. Repeating that success is the tough part.
8:30- 30 Rock
Let's see how things go at this new time slot. An extremely sub-par year in 09-10, or was it just that there was so much more competition?
9:00- The Office
The hunt is on for Michael Scott's replacement. I'd be down with Danny McBride or Rhys Darby, but for now Steve Carell continues to show us what's up.
9:30- Outsourced
Not only do I ask why they would put this on instead of Parks & Rec, but I ask why put this on television at all?
10:00- The Apprentice

Friday
8:00- School Pride
9:00- Dateline
10:00- Outlaw
Only 'cause it's on Fridays, may I remotely think about giving this Jimmy Smits drama a try.

Mad Men Review- Long, Beautiful Hair

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Mad Men, 'The Chrysanthemum and the Sword'. So watch the ep, drop the big one...twice, then read what I had to say.

Betty Draper- "Don't you dare lie to me, I'll cut your fingers off!"

As the great Matthew Berry would say, the hate has definitely gone too far on Betty Draper. Maybe it's just amongst snobby television critics, but the norm is to hate on Betty until the sun comes back up. I've always enjoyed her, but this week we got a much more mean and evil Betty, which was awesome. The fact that the only way she can deal with Sally cutting her hair is to smack her across the face, just makes her that much more enjoyable. Maybe I'm being hypocritical, because I used to hate on Don for being a terrible person to Betty, but when it's Betty being awful I'm all for it. Oh my kid is having issues, just send her to a shrink! There's no reason to sit down and talk to her yourself. Just send her to a professional. Way to go Bets.

My full review of the fifth episode of Mad Men's fourth season is up over at TV Fanatic. It was certainly enjoyable to have Betty and Sally back, especially since they did nothing but cause trouble. Knowing that every critic out there is going to hate on it, makes me enjoy this ep even more.

Mad Men 405- 'The Chrysanthemum and the Sword'
Review
Recap
Quotes

Hung Review- Ooo That Rash

Just a quick post here to document my eighth Hung review. My post is up over at TV Fanatic. The eighth episode of this second season has me just as bored as the first one did. I can't even get mad about how much I dislike this show, because I have since the beginning. If it were progressively getting worse, I'd have more to complain about.

Hung 208- 'Third Base or That Rash'
Review
Recap
Quotes

ABC Fall Lineup Preview

So with the 2010 fall tv season just around the corner, let's take a look at what we have coming our way. Below is ABC's schedule for the fall: Shows in blue mean that I am currently watching them if its a returner and I will be giving it a try if it's new this year.  Time slots in yellow mean that it is a new series.

ABC's biggest problem heading into the new season is not only that they lost Lost, but the two series they brought in last year to take its place, are not on the fall lineup.  Flash Forward was cancelled and V isn't set to return until mid-season.

For a network that, as recently as two years ago had no returning sitcoms, is staying alive because of them.  I really only watch Modern Fam, but Cougar Town and The Middle are also two of ABC's better shows.  Sure Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy still bring in the ratings, but that doesn't mean they're good shows.  Hopefully No Ordinary Family (right) and maybe one other newcomer can help ABC step its game up.

Sunday
8:00- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00- Desperate Housewives
I gave up on DH a couple years back, but Brian Austin Green's arrival on Wysteria Lane this season has me wondering if I made the right choice.
10:00- Brothers and Sisters
I'm now wishing I gave up this ABC Sunday soap instead, as it has become extremely boring. Parenthood is the big family drama you want to be watching.

Monday
8:00- Dancing with the Stars
I watched the first two episodes last season for Ochocinco...I really couldn't get through much more.
10:00- Castle

Tuesday
8:00- No Ordinary Family
The only new fall ABC show that has me somewhat excited. I've heard good things about Chiklis form The Shield. Add an Incredibles-esque super hero feel and I'm on board for at least six eps.
9:00- Dancing with the Stars
10:00- Detroit 1-8-7
Michael Imperioli isn't bringing me in to this procedural cop drama.

Wednesday
8:00- The Middle
I watched an ep or two last season. It's decent but not worth the time.
8:30- Better With You
Like Nick Swisher, I'll follow Joanna Garcia anywhere, so this sitcom will get my attention for the first few eps.
9:00- Modern Family
Finally, something to get excited about at the network. My second favorite comedy of last year, Modern Family is going to have to keep bringing the heat to keep up with its first season.
9:30- Cougar Town
I watched an episode (or two) early on and didn't enjoy this at all. I've heard it got better, but like The Middle, not worth my time.
10:00- The Whole Truth

Thursday
8:00- My Generation
The jury's still out. Nothing too appealing other than that it's new.
9:00- Grey's Anatomy
How am I still watching this garbage? Was this good at one point? I can't remember.
10:00- Private Practice
I'm really glad I dropped this after only one season. Don't know if I could ever take two Shonda Rhimes shows.

Friday
8:00- Secret Millionaire
9:00- Body of Proof
Dana Delany...blah blah blah...boring procedural.
10:00- 20/20

Big Brother- Breaking Up the Brigade

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the sixth week of Big Brother. So watch the eps, promise someone your first born child, then read what I had to say.

Lane- "You just ruined my speech when you did that, man."

Lane complains to Matt about ruining his pre-planned 'on the block' speech in the quote above. Matty did indeed use the Diamond Power of Veto, but was it really the biggest move in Big Brother (or whatever Chen-bot referred to it as)? How is it that much better than last year's 'Coop dee Tot'? Didn't Jeff get to pick two new nominees?!? The most influential move I can remember in the four years or so I've been watching is when the house guests voted to bring Crazy James back into the house immediately after eliminating him. He continued to wreak havoc on the house and made it much further than plenty of the people that elected to bring him back in.

Whatever the case may be, this was a huge moment in this season of Big Brother. The Brigade stayed in tact for yet another week, but more importantly Matty missed out on yet another opportunity to make a serious move in this game. I was all ready to take back the bad things I said earlier in the season about his game play, but then he plays it safe once again and picks Kathy as the replacement.

Enzo- "It might be time for Matty to get whacked here."

Sure Matty didn't hear that quote, but he was absolutely on the right track when he was feeling out his fellow Brigade members, and then realized they were going to vote him out over Lane. This is what I've been talking about for weeks now. At some point these four dudes are going to have to turn on each other, and it should've started now! You put Hayden or Enzo up as your replacement, one of them goes home and you have only two left. You have Ragan on your side and who knows what way Brittany and Kathy will sway. Either way, it's better than being the fourth wheel in the Brigade. Opportunity lost.

The other major event of the week was of course the cage fight to the death between Rachel and Ragan. After Rachel gets back into the house for 24 hours because Brendon opened another Pandora's Box, Ragan was too ready to throw down. I'm all about hating Rachel, but to be fair she did nothing but act super obnoxious when she re-entered the house. When she screams "I'm back b*tches!" she is ridiculous, but she's not being mean. Ragan get off of Nate Ravitz's high horse and realize what is going on around you. You just went nuts because you don't like her. Sure she started saying mean things once the fight started, like "Do you have to be the biggest b*tch because you're gay?", but you are the one that lit the entire altercation. Ragan went from being a run of the mill annoying guy in the house, to one of my least favorites of the season over one conversation.

And the week ended on a positive, as ma girl Brittany wins the HoH competition. I'm excited to see who she puts up for eviction. Brendon has to be a top candidate, while one of the Brigade members could be the pawn. I doubt she puts up Matty or Ragan after the bonding they did this week. I hope this doesn't give her a bigger target as the weeks go forward.

The Big C- C Is For Comedy

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's series premiere of The Big C. So watch the ep, pay me one hundred dollars for every pound I lose, then read what I had to say.

Cathy- "Fat people are jolly for a reason. Fat repels people, but joy attracts them. Now I know everyone's laughing at your cruel jokes, but nobody's inviting you to the prom. So you can either be fat and jolly or a skinny b*tch. It's up to you."

So The Big C, starring Laura Linney, premiered last night on Showtime. It is another in a long run of premium cable half hour comedies that aren't all that funny. Between Weeds, Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara, Entourage and Hung, you can probably get two laughs per week. Having all that in mind, I went into this premier not expecting to like it. In fact I thought about reviewing it before I watched it, because I wanted to write a scathing critique.

Well what do you know, I actually enjoyed it. I have never watched the other three Showtime dramedies, but after one episode I'll tell you that I enjoy this ten times more than Hung, and it's definitely funnier than Entourage (not as enjoyable, but more comedic). Five to 10 minutes in, I was planning on writing about how great an actress Linney was, but that didn't mean she was necessarily entertaining. That changed about a half of the way in. Maybe it was the run of mean comments she made to Gabourey Sidibe's character about being fat, or maybe it's because I kept imagining she was acting in a completely fake world (because I can only picture her in The Truman Show), but I jumped right on board the Laura Linney train.

The rest of the cast is fine so far. Oliver Platt is funny per the usual. Both Sepinwall in his latest podcast, and Linney's character herself refer to Platt's Paul as being an overgrown child. And that works for me. The son seemed just okay and Linney's doctor hasn't done much yet, but I'm seriously considering continuing to watch this for a while.

As opposed to others, who have watched the other Showtime non-comedies, this doesn't seem that repetitive to me. It's definitely not innovative, but it could be a nice change of pace until the fall season kicks into gear.

Mad Men Review- Pegging A Winner

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Mad Men, 'The Rejected'. So watch the ep, get choose to rent rather than own, then read what I had to say.

Cosgrove- "My mother was a nurse at the state hospital in Vermont, and that was the last time I saw so many retarded people in one building."

Last night, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the fourth episode of Mad Men's fourth season, 'The Rejected'. The thing about my reviewing at the website is that I don't feel like I have the space or time to just give my opinions on characters. There's also the fact that I don't feel comfortable just hating on people in such a public forum.

Normally, I would love to hate on Peggy Olsen, but recently she has been turning things around. This week was my favorite Peggy episode of all time. She's slowly becoming someone she never was before. That person is now kind of enjoyable. She smart, smarmy, and like her new friend Joyce, a bit pretentious. The quiet girl of the early seasons was boring. The girl that thought she was more important than she was of last season was annoying. But this Peggy, that is at the top of her game, both at work and socially, has me not wanting to change the channel when she's on screen.

I never thought I'd see the day. So if you want to read a bit more about the things Peggy did this week to give me enjoyment, go to my review at TV Fanatic. If you don't well then just go back to google reader and see what the next article is about.

Mad Men 404- 'The Rejected'
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Hung Review- Keeping Things Trim

This morning, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the seventh episode of Hung's second season, 'The Middle East Is Complicated'. After asking for suggestions on how to improve my reviews over there, the boss man told me to not explain as much of the action of the episode. Well thank you! That is something I do a lot less of over here at Quiet Pool. I thought that explaining a bit of what happened might be something I needed to do more of at place like that.

My blog over here at the the Pool is just my thoughts, so I don't care if my readers know what happened during the episode. I know which of my eight readers watch the show I'm posting about, so I know some of them can jump right in to my post, and some of them can skip right over it. At TV Fanatic I thought I would take a more broad approach by doing a bit more explanation. I guess I was wrong in my assumption, and will try to keep my reviews to mostly opinion from this point forward.

Anyway, another week of Hung came and went. This week's was full of gratuitous nudity and swearing, so if you're into that you should watch the ep. If you're not, you should read my review, or just click on the link so I get more page views.

Hung 207- 'The Middle East Is Complicated'
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Big Brother- My Big Dumb Ex-Fiance

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the fifth week of Big Brother. So watch the eps, pronounce it 'Neandrah-tall, then read what I had to say.

Brendon's Ex-Fiancée's Mom- "When my family and I sit there and watch the show, we are so grateful that she didn't marry him."

It wasn't my plan to write about Brendon and Rachel again this week, but with ammo like this how can I not? They just create too much entertainment with their stupidity. You really can't beat the fact that Brendon had a fiancée that dumped him because he was an "emotional roller coaster." I also loved that she pointed out that he's using all the same lines on Rachel as he did on her. I mean I can't blame him, there are only so many things to say in this world, but he is going feel like a complete idiot when he watches the season back this fall.

Seriously what is wrong with this guy? You come on Big Brother for one of two reasons. To win $500,000 or to get your face out there and look really cool on national television. Brendon, apparently, didn't want to do either of these things. With how lame he has acted he couldn't have wanted to look cool in front of America, and now he sabotages himself to try and let Rachel get further in the game? What? He asked the viewers if we thought he was an idiot for giving up half a million dollars for someone you love. My quick answer is no. I don't have a problem with that. He's an idiot for loving this train wreck of skank in Rachel. She is the absolute worst.

Even more on the gruesome twosome. Brendon really reminds of Big Kat Will Kieffer in his somber moments. As he loafed around after losing the HoH at the beginning of the week, I thought I was watching a depressed Kitty Kat on a Saturday night at VC. After his Big Kate impression he went into LeBrick mode to end the week, as he promised to get revenge on everyone who was mean to Rachel in his farewell message. He was taking notes people.

I had two favorite, and most thought provoking, Rachel comments of the week. The first was when she asked "how did the scrawniest, weaseliest dude in the house win another endurance competition?!?" Well you see Miss Hair Extensions, the little skinny guys always win these challenges...have you not seen the show before? The endurance comps are about strength, they're about staying up the longest, and when you're 250 pounds, that's difficult.

She then complained that Brendon didn't compete for her in the HoH comp. She said that when he needed her to step up, she did...twice. No! You won a couple of guessing games. They weren't endurance comps. They weren't strength comps. They were even intelligence comps. They were hitting a buzzer and guessing in a one out of three fashion. You are just as terrible as he is!

Well on the positive side of things, the Brigade is in really good shape at this point. It's very surprising that they've made it this far without getting outed. They are now four against four in this house, and two out of the other four are to some extent pawns in their game. Matt is in so good with Ragen that Rachel and Brendon thought they were in an alliance. Britney, although is a bit of a wildcard, feels she's really tight with Lane. as long as there are no hiccups, they are on their way to being the final four.

If I'm one of them though, I make a move to get rid of one or two of the others. I'd say Enzo and Lane are probably worse than the other two at comps, so I immediately try to maneuver a way to get one of the other Brigaders out of the house. You can't chance yourself getting to the final four and then just losing out against your teammates. If Matt thinks he's the first of the four to get booted, I'd try to end up with Kathy and Ragen at the end. You gotta think about all of your plays at this point.

We shall see. If I were to predict at this point, I'd say Enzo or Lane win this whole thing. They haven't made as many enemies as Matt or Hayden, so they have a better chance at the final vote. One of them is bound to get there.

Covert Affairs- Stars Align

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Covert Affairs, 'In the Light'. So watch the ep, turn a couple of dogs with treats, then read what I had to say.

Auggie- "If anyone's going to be sucked in by his evil vortex I prefer it be you."

This review of Covert Affairs was mainly due to Alan Sepinwall's twitter actions this week. He mentioned that "Like most USA shows, (it) will rise and fall on its guest stars." While I agree with the sentiment, and believe it is the case with almost all procedurals, I don't believe that should be reason to watch or not watch a show.

One of the main reasons I don't watch any of the Law and Orders, CSIs or many of the other procedurals out there is because the main characters are that appealing. Sure there are plenty of other reasons, but the lack of intriguing leads is the downfall of many of these shows. Without the backing of great serialized story telling, you will rise and fall on your lead stars.

Procedurals like House, The Mentalist and Justified through the first half of its inaugural season mostly rely on the greatness of their respective leading men. That's why I've stuck with Covert Affairs. I hate to say it, because I rarely show love to the females of the television world, but Piper Perabo has me coming back week in and week out on Covert Affairs. She brings a Sarah Walker-esque hotness and butt-kicking combination that should keep most guys' butts in their seats.

Sure she doesn't fight as much as the Chuck star, but her lack of training in this spy world is something sets her apart. Perabo plays Annie, the right out of CIA school operative that is called upon for her language skills.

Now ask me why I currently enjoy The Mentalist more than House. Go ahead. Well...since you asked, it's because the other main characters in House don't do it for me anymore. Sure there's Wilson, but that's it. The Mentalist has Cho, Rigsby and Lisbon that make the hour enjoyable throughout the season. Similarly, Covert Affairs has a couple of ringers, that paired with Perabo, make for an all-star cast.

Christopher Gorham's Auggie Anderson is quickly moving up my list of favorite characters. Now that might come from my previous love of Gorham's work on Harper's Island, but he plays this character as very charming and funny and it works extremely well. The fact that he was injured in the field, causing him to lose his eye sight doesn't hurt his cause either. You know, the sympathetic vote?

Yeah there is Mohinder from Heroes, Wilson's dead girlfriend from House, and that woman that played the reporter in Studio 60 (what you don't remember? come on! great show), and they're all great so far, but the other one keeping me interested is the great Peter Gallagher. After his unappealing stint on Californication, it is great to see the best dad in television history back to his old self. Although he's not as hip and witty as Sandy Cohen, Gallagher as the head of the CIA is a great addition to this cast.

Blah, blah, blah...some no name actor with no exuberance is playing someone on some random procedural...no thanks. Give me stars that I love, and I'll watch every week.

Having said that, there are obviously going to be minor ups and downs on a procedural that uses guest stars in a semi-prominent role every week. Week's like this one it is an up. What do you expect when you have that dude from ER and the terrible President Charles Logan. What's great about Gregory Itzin in this episode is that I couldn't help but think he was completely dirty though the whole thing. That is just what happens when you terrorize the United States as the President.

Just because it's a procedural doesn't mean it can't have bits of serialization thrown in the mix. The long running story line of Annie's ex-boyfriend going rogue behind the scenes should play more of a role as the season goes on, which will be nice.

All in all a good start to a show on a network that I have never given a chance. It's not gonna set the world on fire, but as pure entertainment, it gets the job done.

Mad Men Review- Smiling Dick

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's episode of Mad Men, 'The Good News'. So watch the ep, get yourself a big Texas belt buckle, then read what I had to say.

Lane- "We're not homosexuals, we're divorced!"

Last night, over at TV Fanatic, I reviewed the third episode of Mad Men's fourth season, 'The Good News'. I thought it was a really good episode. Mad Men does this sometimes, so it's hard to say it wasn't very Mad Men-eque, but in a way it was. When I think of the show I currently think of the office, and Don's life in New York. So whenever he makes his trip out to California, things just seem more fun. Don himself always seems more fun in La La Land. So for those reasons it already was ahead of the curve.

Add to that the fantastic dynamic between Don and Lane during the last 15 minutes and you have a straight banger of an ep. These are middle aged guys who are currently down on their luck in relationships (and business) who go out for a night on the town as a couple of bachelors. The movies, a fancy restaurant, a comedy show, and a couple of hookers? What more can you ask for on New Year's? Lane coming out of his proverbial shell was just what the doctor ordered for me.

So head on over to TV Fanatic and read my review, recap and quotes from the ep. Or just say "what's up?" on the comments.

Mad Men 403- 'The Good News'
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Hung Review- Beaver Or...

Lenore- "Did Tanya put anti-Lenore ideas in your head?"

This morning over at TV Fanatic I reviewed the sixth episode of Hung's second season, 'Beaverland'. It is a title that worked so well on every level that they decided to get away from their silly way of giving episodes two titles. Seriously, 'A Man, A Plan or Thank You Jimmy Carter'? 'Sing It Again, Ray or Home Plate'? It worked for Dr. Strangelove, but it really is just messy here. It seems as if they can't decide on the most memorable moment of the ep, and give it two names. I'd almost give it a pass if they did it every single time, but then there are weeks like this one where the title is just 'Beaverland'.

So head on over to TV Fanatic and give my review some love. Because here at the Quiet Pool Perspective, we don't care if you actually read the reviews, as long as you leave a nice comment. Hey even a vote of 1 Star for the episode would be nice.

Hung 206- 'Beaverland'
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The Wire Season One- I Bought It Off Wee-Bey

I will start with a bit of a non-spoilery review of the first season of The Wire, so that if there is anyone out there that is behind me in watching this series, they can be encouraged to get out and do so. I will then go into a more detailed analysis for those who have already seen the show and therefore are better at the tv game than I am.

The first season of The Wire is a very good 13 episodes of television. The story telling of David Simon and his crew is emaculate. The way the entire season plays out from beginning to end is extremely well done and I have very little complaints after finishing the season (well maybe more than I thought when I wrote this paragraph).

Having said that, when comparing it to what I've heard, it's not that great. The Wire is known, by the majority of critics and enthusiastic television fans alike, as the best drama in tv history. The first season didn't prove to be that for me. Like I said, the story telling is great, but it may lack in a couple other areas.

For all of its grit and raw stylings, it doesn't hold a candle to some of my other favorite shows in the ways of pure entertainment. It may be just my personal preference, but I need more excitement. In the way that Lost or Chuck portrays a sequence, I gets me more intrigued. Sure The Wire's atmosphere makes it much more realistic, but real isn't always as entertaining.

Again, don't get me wrong. This was still a fantastic watch. For all of the reviews that I'ver read or heard that say The Wire is the best show of all time, they're all coming after the whole series was over (or right before the final season anyway). Even when Larry and Mags were watching the first couple of seasons in college, they didn't rant and rave about it like they did of Lost or even 24. My feeling is that the series as a whole might be better than each individual season. Also maybe the first season isn't as good as later seasons (heard the third is fantastic).

After only 13 episodes, I'd put it in my top 10 dramas of all time. I would not be surprised if it jumped into my top five or three by the end of my catch up project, but I don't see it beating out Lost as my favorite all time show.

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the first season of The Wire. So watch the 13 episode season, fashion some dollhouse furniture and sell it, then read what I had to say.

D'Angelo Barksdale- "Where the f*ck is Wallace?!?!"

There are some great, layered characters in this first season. Between McNulty, Daniels, D'Angelo, etc. you have so many dudes that go through great character arcs in a quick 13 ep season.

McNulty- The dude is all about taking down these drug lords for months and months. He's risking his career. He's losing his family. Then when he feels he is responsible for getting Greggs shot, he shuts down. He doesn't care about it anymore. It takes Major Rawles getting all up in his grill before he accepts that it wasn't his fault. Even after that he doesn't seem into it anymore. He comes back at the end to tie up the loose ends, but he sure isn't the same man anymore.

Daniels- This was a guy that we first met wanting to go by the book, and bide his time until he made his way up the police ladder. He didn't care about this ridiculous case against Barksdale that he was forced to control. Slowly but surely, he figured out that taking down these dudes was what 'real police' was all about. By the end of this season, he was convincing the others to keep on it, without any pushing from McNulty.

D'Angelo- A kid that "grew up in the game." He kept doing his thing, trying to prove himself to the higher ups in the organization. All the while wavering like he wasn't sure if this was actually what he wanted to be doing. He wanted Wallace to get out, and when he almost took that deal with the cops, he wanted to get out too. By the end of this thing, family was thicker than a good life, and the kid took his 20 year sentence for his family. Just crazy.

Having said all that, as good as these characters are, I wish they were more engaging. There's no one in this cast that is even half as interesting as Walter White or Jesse Pinkman of Breaking Bad. The only one that came close for me was Avon Barksdale, and that may only be because I'm imagining him as Motar from Above the Rim.

As we take a look at the quote I pulled to lead this section...D'Angelo screams "Where the f*ck is Wallace?!?!" while he stares at the great Stringer Bell through the prison glass. I love this for two reasons. One: it was the moment that I thought D'Angelo was really ready to flip, disown his family, and turn in the whole crew. Two: I was almost just as upset about Wallace as D'Angelo was.

Wallace, played by current Friday Night Lights star Michael B. Jordan, might have been my favorite dude on the show. This kid was in the game, but he might have been the best person in the season. I'm including every single cop, attorney, politician and civilian. Wallace was a great kid, stuck in a game he didn't want to be a part of. When he first handed out the juice boxes to those little kids, I ate it up. Of course they had to go and mirk this kid. He was too good to leave around. Just extremely sad.

But as exhilerating and emotional the moments were just before and after Wallace's murder were, you know what could have made them better? How about some score? Yes, yes, I'm sure the purists love the fact that there is absolutely no score on The Wire. All the critics that have been bagging on ABC recently for their new pilot No Ordinary Family having score that, like the rest of their shows, "tells you when to feel this or that" must love The Wire.

Again the non-score, and non-music of The Wire adds to its realism, but maybe could have been enhanced by a good score. If you're gonna sit there and tell me that Michael Giacchino's score on Lost didn't make it that much better, then you're crazy. How about John Williams ability to make a scene excel through music? It's a part of some of the best shows and movies for a reason. Maybe it wouldn't have worked in the case of The Wire, but it's worth thinking about.

What makes this non-score/no music thing even more interesting is that Simon's next project, Treme, is so inherently based on the music of the show. After watching Treme, T-time pointed out that he can't imagine music was that big a part of The Wire and therefore he was impressed by Simon's versatility. After realizing that there is hardly any music in The Wire, I'm sure everyone should be that much more impressed.

There is plenty that I didn't get to, but I hate reading long reviews, so I really don't like to write long ones either. As I finish up here, I'd like to reiterate that I loved this first season of The Wire. It's so much easier to pick out the stuff that you didn't like about a show, than write about the stuff that worked. So there you have it. I'm looking forward to four more seasons. As the fall is just around the corner, I'm not sure when I'll get to them, but believe me I will.

And I'll leave you with the words of Stinger Bell..."Nicely played."

Big Brother- You Are One Pathetic Loser

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on the fourth week of Big Brother 12. So watch the eps, flatter someone by making fun of them, and read what I had to say.

Hayden- "Rachel nominated Kristen and I because she thinks we're coming after her...everybody's coming after you. Nobody likes you, or Brendon. Every time I talk to Rachel, I tend to throw up in the back of my mouth."

Well the story of this fourth week of Big Brother was the outing of Hayden and Kristen's show-mance, and how they dealt with being on the block together. Here at the Pool, we could care less about that, because the two of them actually dealt with their show-mance in a respectable fashion. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I condone any individual getting involved in a faux romantic relationship on a reality show. But if you're gonna do it, they did it (well at least Hayden did it) without making me want to slap them in the face.

Rachel and Brendon, on the other hand, have not been as successful. These have to be two of the most annoying people currently on television, and when you put them together, it's that much worse. Seriously, could Rachel's repetitive squeaky laugh be any more irritating? Highly doubtful rube. Then there is Brendon, who has put himself in the running for the most pathetic man on the planet. Does he know that he's on national television when acts like such a pansy towards Rachel?

"Can I tell you that I love you very much?" What are you doing guy? It's not even acceptable to act that way in real life when you're by yourself with your girlfriend. In front of a television audience of eight million people? Worthy of death. But it gets me all riled up, so the producers and editors have done their job.

Moving on...After the house guests were shown the trailer to The Other Guys before the luxury competition, Jackie Boy tweeted this, "has anyone laughed at a movie trailer more than the members of the big brother house?" Well the answer is yes, EJ Rogers at his second trip to the theaters to see The Hangover. But he's right, the Big Brother contestants come in at a close second. The Big Brother voice has to come over the loud speaker and say that if they don't crack up they will be on slop for the week right? Unbelievable how hard they laugh at this stuff.

And so now we move on to some actual Big Bro game play that occurred this week. Rachel put Kristen and Hayden up on the block because they were outed by Andrew as being a secret show-mance. Well that made her jealous of them because her and Brendon weren't the only couple in the house, so she decided to hate them for it and put them up. The huge cat fight between the two girls gave us this gem from Britney (who continues to light it up this season) "Phuh-nominal...the irony of them being in a boxing ring was not lost on me."

Britney won the PoV competition and started to work some game. She thinks about taking Hayden down if Rachel can be convinced to put Kathy up in his place. This way she'll gain some trust in Hayden and Kristen, and not pee off anyone else because no one has ties to Kathy. In the end it doesn't get done because Rachel mentions that she might use Lane as the replacement. All in all it was a nice attempt at a move by Britney, but in the end she made the right decision to not use it. Don't ruffle any feathers.

Hayden, knowing he has the votes of the Brigade does no campaigning at the end of the week. Kristen does do some major campaigning, and does a good job of it. I was impressed that she took the time to find an angle, finally figured out that there was something going on with Hayden, Enzo and Lane (even if she didn't get all the way there), and went to all the remaining voters with her plea. A nice way to exit the house, as she only ended up getting Kathy's weekly sympathy vote.

The Brigade continues to get stronger as the numbers in the house dwindle. Now with only nine contestants left in the house, their entire alliance is only down 5-4 in votes. It's only a matter of time before they take control of the place. Or is it only a matter of time before they get outed and have to fight for their lives? It should be interesting as I've never seen this big of an alliance seem this tight before.

Mad Men Review- All I Want For Christmas Is Lucky Strike

Pete: Who would wanna miss Christmas in New York?

Trudy: Chestnuts roasting on a greasy man's open street cart, my goodness.

Last night I reviewed the second episode of Mad Men's fourth season over at the TV Fanatic. Upon hearing from the boss man that he was going to give me Mad Men for the rest of the season, I got a bit worried. Am I going to be able to continue writing up opinionated reviews on this series without completely trashing it? At the Quiet Pool Perspective, I trash what I want, when I want. In the world of television criticism, it is blasphemy to criticize the all-powerful Mad Men. The show is slow and tiresome at times and I'm going to have to give in to boredom at some point.

This week's ep was again quite good, if not thoroughly entertaining. We explored different avenues of several characters. On the plus side, little Sally Draper was highlighted. On the creepy side, it was because Glenn was flirting with her. This kid, played by show-runner Matthew Weiner's son Martin, is creepy to the point that I'd think about hooking him up with CJ Alleyne.

Some more good news for me. I'm not sure if it concerns anyone else, but I have also been assigned Sons of Anarchy and One Tree Hill for the fall at TV Fanatic. Because I love the former, and used to love but now hate the latter, I am absolutely looking forward to reviewing both this year. I have so many great things stored up to say about Jax and the Sam Crowe crew. And on the other side of things, I have plenty of hate built up on the Tree Hill crew.

For the time being, head on over and read my review at TV Fantatic. Or once again, just comment on how great the show is. Or on how dull and boring it is. Either way, comments are appreciated.

Mad Men 402- 'Christmas Comes But Once a Year'
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Hung Review- I Put My Weed In There

Patty: This one time I was on a diet pill and I stayed up for 67 hours... I lost three pounds.

Hung has come to a pretty big catch 22 for me. The show really needs to be an hour per episode, because hardly anything ever happens from week to week. Having said that, I am usually disinterested in whatever is going on, so another half hour per week would probably be pretty dreadful.

This morning, over at TV Fanatic, I wrote up a review on the fifth episode of the second season, 'A Man, A Plan.' Again, nothing much of note happened. The show finally has decided to explore its minor characters. Last week it was Ray's son Damon, who got a bunch more screen time this week, and last night it was Ray's assistant coach, Mike Hunt. Yes, you read that name correctly. It's no wonder that a show that is this blatantly obvious in its sexual nature would randomly name one of its characters that.

And now for some good news. There are only five episodes left in the season! This fall I will be reviewing The Office and 30 Rock at TV Fanatic, so there is something else to look forward to. But for now, just head over and read my review and comment on how terrible this show is.

Hung 205- 'A Man, A Plan'
Review
Recap
Quotes