The Office 802 Review- The Hard Dog

Robert- "There's something about an underdog that really inspires the unexceptional."

Robert California's words rang true as "The Incentive" may have proved that in his own backward way, Andy Bernard can get this group of misfits to work hard.

Unfortunately, allowing this Nard Dog to be the lead character of The Office is not off to a strong start. Other than Kevin screaming "Nooooooo!" when Dwight poured a bunch of walnuts into the brownie mix, the episode was hurting for laughs.

Andy works in bits and pieces, and even in that sense his comic stylings have waned over the past few years. To compound the problem, Dwight has seemingly taken more of backseat than normal over the first two episodes of the season.

Everyone loved the Jim/Dwight prank dynamic of the first three years or so. When they brought it back in full force last season, it was a shot in the arm for the series. Why not allow those two to step up into bigger roles? Jim has seemingly remained in a similar standing in terms of camera time, but Dwight had maybe three or four lines of dialogue tonight? That's silly.

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Office, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Office 802 - "The Incentive"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Week 3- Call Me Big Poppa

This week's Survivor was filled with plenty of more cringe-worthy moments regarding Brandon and his struggle with faith and evil. Fortunately for us, Upolu won immunity so we got to spend more time over at Savaii camp, which gave us plenty of Cochran time. Cochran is so enjoyable. I really hope he sticks around. At the end of the night it was the chubby, gay Richard Dreyfuss heading to redemption island to meet up with Christine.

On the fantasy side of things, everything stayed the same in the Champions League, as it look like Jaydon and myself are on our ways to catching Larry and his crew of idiots. Mags falls further and further behind and seems to be out of contention at an extremely early stage of the game.

Down in the developmental league, a lot of things changed hands. Jack and Marsh jumped back up the ladder with their plethora of Upolu members. Meanwhile, Rizzo was hurt badly by Mark's elimination, but there is a long season ahead.

Let's take a look at the scores...

Champions League

Larry

Brandon -24: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -12
Rick -44: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -32
Christine -27: Duel Win (+10)= -17
Dawn -19: W3 (+4)= -15

Last Week -114: Team Total= -76

Jaydon

Ozzy -59: W3 (+4)= -55
Whitney -69: W3 (+4)= -65
Cochran -23: Votes (-4), W3 (+4)= -23
Edna -13: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -1

Started at -164: Team Total= -144

Dan

Albert -59: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -47
Mikayla -19: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -7
Jim -59: Votes (-4), W3 (+4)= -59
Semhar -33: Duel Loss (-10)= -43

Started at -170: Team Total= -157

Mags

Coach -44: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= -32
Elyse -139: W3 (+4)= -135
Keith -139: W3 (+4)= -135
Mark -139: Votes (-24)= -163

Started at -461: Team Total= -465



Free Agents
Sophie +7: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +19
Stacey -1: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +11

Developmental League

Jack

Albert: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Whitney: W3 (+4)= +4
Coach: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Edna: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12

Week 3= +40, Team Total= +80

Tippy

Ozzy: W3 (+4)= +4
Cochran: Votes (-4), W3 (+4)= 0
Elyse: W3 (+4)= +4
Sophie: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12

Week 3= +20, Team Total= +76

Marsh

Mikayla: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Rick: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Dawn: W3 (+4)= +4
Christine: Duel Win (+10)= +10

Week 3= +38, Team Total= +64

Rizzo

Keith: W3 (+4)= +4
Mark: Votes (-24)= -24
Brandon: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Jim: Votes (-4), W3 (+4)= 0

Week 3= -8, Team Total= +36



Free Agents
Stacey: Immunity (+8), W3 (+4)= +12
Semhar: Duel Loss (-10)= -10

Terra Nova 101 Review- A Family Is Five

Taylor- "Together we are at the dawn of a new civilization...no pressure."

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and FOX's Terra Nova. What do they all have in common? Sure, they are all projects that Steven Spielberg is attached to, but more importantly to me, they are all epic in scale and in idea.

When you mentioned Terra Nova to anyone prior to the series premiere, the immediate response was "Oh that Dinosaur show?" Or "Jurassic Park for television?" While Terra Nova is not Jurassic Park, it shares that one shiny detail: dinosaurs.

In no way does the inclusion of dinosaurs make a series great - or even watchable for that matter - but it does have a way of getting the audience's attention. It got mine from the jump off, and as "Genesis: Part 1" began, I was only sucked in further and further as the episode went along.

Anything apocalyptic in nature is sure to have me on the edge of my seat. So when the series kicked off, and the world as we knew it was on the verge of destruction, my eyes opened wider. The futuristic elements are great, with all of the technological advances, but add that to the ridiculously historic atmosphere that the show turns to after the first half hour or so, and it is a recipe for success.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Terra Nova series premiere, head over to TV Fanatic.

Terra Nova 101 - "Genesis: Part 1"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Terra Nova 101 - "Genesis: Part 2"
Review
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Weekly Comedy Rankings- Why Is The Rum Ham Gone?

So earlier this week our good friend Jaydon came up with the idea to do weekly comedy rankings on Friday of each week of the upcoming television season. His idea was to do it on Twitter, and yesterday that is what the two of us did. I'd love to get more people involved if we continue doing it, but in the meantime, I'm going to start documenting the results here on the blog.

Unlike my Bi-Monthly Power Rankings, these Weekly Comedy Rankings will only take that week's episode into account. So if Community has an absolute dud of an episode in a given week, I don't keep it near the top of my list simply because it is still my favorite current comedy. In addition to simply rankings the shows, Jaydon also had the idea to give an MVP and funniest moment award, so we'll do that as well.

Feel free to join the fun on a weekly basis on Twitter with the hashtag #WeeklyComedyRankings or #WCR. For now, let's take a look at the debut edition of the rankings from both Jay and myself...

Dan

1. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore"
2. Modern Family - "When Good Kids Go Bad"
3. The Office - "The List"
4. Modern Family - "Dude Ranch"
5. Community - "Biology 101"
6. iCarly - "iCan't Take It"
7. Up All Night - "Cool Neighbors"
8. Parks and Recreation - "I'm Leslie Knope"
9. New Girl - "Pilot"
10. Raising Hope - "Prodigy"
11. The Big Bang Theory - "The Skank Reflex Analysis"
12. The Big Bang Theory - "The Infestation Hypothesis"
13. Two and a Half Men - "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt"
14. Whitney - "Pilot"

MVP of the Week was Phil Dunphy of Modern Family. Funniest moment was a ties between Stanley Hudson's "shove it up your butt" on The Office, and anything new Lilly said on Modern Family.

Jaydon

1. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore"
2. Modern Family - "Dude Ranch"
3. The Office - "The List"
4. Parks and Recreation - "I'm Leslie Knope"
5. Community - "Biology 101"
6. Archer - "Heart of Archness: Part II"
7. Modern Family - "When Good Kids Go Bad"

MVP of the Week was Phil Dunphy of Modern Family. Funniest moment was a tie between anything to do with the Rum Ham on It's Always Sunny, and Perd Hapley's interview on Parks and Rec.

The Office 801 Review- Such A Right-Sider

Stanley- "It might be easier if you take a deep breath, lift from the knees, and shove it up your butt!"

This was the first season premiere of The Office without Michael Scott, and, simply put, that is not a good thing.

"The List" did a lot of things well, but at the end of the day Steve Carell created such an iconic character - with an aura that will be extremely difficult to replace - that there's really no way to compete with what The Office once was.

It's a new era, but it's one that still has promise. Andy Bernard was a great choice as the new regional manager. Let me clarify: Andy was a great choice by the people of The Office because he is similar enough to Michael that the fabric of the series won't have to change all that much, but he's also different enough that it won't be all repeats stories... like it might have been with Deangelo Vickers.

On the other hand, Andy was a terrible choice as regional manager for Robert California. The dude put losing their biggest client as number-three on his to do list!

To read the rest of my review of last night's The Office season premiere, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Office 801 - "The List"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Survivor Week 2- Blonde Dark Horse

In this week of Fantasy Survivor, Jaydon managed to pass me out in the Champions League thanks to Savaii winning immunity and Ozzy finding a hidden idol. Meanwhile, Mags continues to bring up the rear with his massive hole to attempt to climb out of. Larry remains in first, but he and I have already lost one player each. I have faith in my girl Semhar to beat Christine in the first Redemption duel and score my squad some points before she heads off to greener pastures. As always, I really like Jay's team, with the front-running Ozzy and the dark horse Whitney. The fact that the country singing star hasn't had much screen time yet is a good sign that her time to shine will come.

Down in the Developmental League, both Tip and Riz leap-frogged Marsh and Jack with the immunity challenge victory by Savaii. I like Jack to comeback to the top in this league, again holding the key of Whitney, but also having what seems like a very savvy Albert on the squad. He has only spoken up once, but at last night's tribal he seemed very wise. That type of quiet confidence may get him a long way in this game.

Let's take a look at the scores...

Champions League

Larry

Brandon -26: W2 (+2)= -24
Rick -46: W2 (+2)= -44
Christine -11: Votes (-16)= -27
Dawn -29: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -19

Last Week -112: Team Total= -114

Jaydon

Ozzy -79: Found Idol (+10), Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -59
Whitney -79: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -69
Cochran -33: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -23
Edna -11: Votes (-4), W2 (+2)= -13

Started at -202: Team Total= -164

Dan

Albert -61: W2 (+2)= -59
Mikayla -21: W2 (+2)= -19
Jim -69: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -59
Semhar -33: on redemption

Started at -184: Team Total= -170

Mags

Coach -46: W2 (+2)= -44
Elyse -149: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -139
Keith -149: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -139
Mark -149: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= -139

Started at -493: Team Total= -461



Free Agents
Sophie +9: Votes (-4), W2 (+2)= +7
Stacey +9: Votes (-12), W2 (+2)= -1

Developmental League

Tippy

Ozzy: Found Idol (+10), Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +20
Cochran: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Elyse: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Sophie: Votes (-4), W2 (+2)= -2

Week 2= +38, Team Total= +56

Rizzo

Keith: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Mark: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Brandon: W2 (+2)= +2
Jim: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10

Week 2= +32, Team Total= +44

Jack

Albert: W2 (+2)= +2
Whitney: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Coach: W2 (+2)= +2
Edna: Votes (-4), W2 (+2)= -2

Week 2= +12, Team Total= +40

Marsh

Mikayla: W2 (+2)= +2
Rick: W2 (+2)= +2
Dawn: Immunity (+8), W2 (+2)= +10
Christine: Votes (-16)= -16

Week 2= -2, Team Total= +26



Free Agents
Stacey: Votes (-12), W2 (+2)= -10
Semhar: on redemption

Survivor 2302 Review- Faithfully Challenged

Coach- "When it comes to friends, you can never have too many."

Brandon Hantz, the nephew of now famous former Survivor Russell Hantz, has all of his uncle's worst qualities, and none of the good ones.

Russell was conniving in a charming way. He was disruptive in a fun-loving way. And he was just dumb enough to make his evil behavior seem sincere. In "He Has Demons" Brandon proved to be annoyingly conniving, disgustingly disruptive, and so unintelligent and oblivious to his surroundings that at times I thought I was in some sort of dream state.

During the first few days Brandon waxed on and on about how he was never going to let anyone know he was Russell's nephew, but at the start of episode two, he told Coach immediately. He even used God and his faith as his reason for revealing his secret to Coach, but then sneakily made sure that the Dragonslayer kept that nugget of info on the DL. Yeah, God wants you to share your secret with Coach, but nobody else.

It only became worse from there, as his odd and disturbing obsession with Mikayla hit new strides. The dude claims she is using seduction on all the men, but unless the editors are doing an absolute number on us, she seems to be standing around most of the time just like everybody else.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Survivor, head over to TV Fanatic.

Survivor 2302 - "He Has Demons"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Emmys- Live Blogged

Last night I live blogged the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards over at TV Fanatic. It was pretty hectic, and extremely disappointing at times, but it turned out to be a full success. Check some of it out below, and then head over to TV Fanatic for the rest and a full list of winners.

7:57 I have switched over to FOX for a little Red Carpet before the show starts and it is Jane Lynch in a tux. It has begun!

8:01 What I wouldn't do to live in that gigantic tv building!

8:03 Is Jane Lynch making fun of Big Bang Theory for having a laugh track?

8:05 Roger Sterling trying to watch tv through his 1965 phone? Hilarious.

8:09 Jane Lynch attempted to make a joke about Betty White's age, but the audience was too prepared to cheer for her for the joke to land. Oh well.

8:14 After hearing Fallon's pretend speech, I really want Late Night to win even more! What could he do for an encore?

8:16 And the winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy is...Julie Bowen of Modern Family. I didn't see this upset over Jane Lynch and Betty White, but her two submitted episodes were pretty great showcases for her. She should thank Sofia Vergara.

8:19 And the winner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy is...Ty Burrell of Modern Family. The Dunphy family doing well so far tonight! This wasn't a surprise as he had a great season. Hard to imagine Mod Fam not taking home best series after this start huh?

To read the rest of my Emmys Live Blog, and to see a list of all last night's winners, head over to TV Fanatic.

Survivor Week 1- Expansion Pack

John- "Survivor's not meant to be a comedy routine."

I wonder if ESPN or Yahoo would sell me whatever they use to run their fantasy football systems, because this is starting to get more difficult. Yes that's right, we are expanding here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. This year we will have multiple Fantasy Survivor Leagues! This fall the Champions League will feature the household names you know so well; myself, Larry, Mags and Jaydon. The Developmental League will feature Rizzo and Jack, regular Fantasy American Idol contestants, as well as new players Marsh and Tippy.

Each league will pick from the entire Survivor cast, with Champions using an auction format and Developmental a standard snake draft. Each year it seems that those that are in no contention to win, have no reason to care by the end of the season. Not true for the Champions League anymore, as whoever comes in last place will be relegated to the Developmental League the following season. If you win Developmental? You're coming up to the Big Leagues!

After the auction finished just a day before the season premiere last night, it was clear that Mags would be the early favorite to earn relegation next spring. The dude paid 150 points for three separate players, leaving in a 500 point hole to start the season. Of his three overpriced players; a girl, a guy with a pacemaker, and a chubby, gay, old, Richard Dreyfuss look-a-like. I don't like his chances.

I set out wanting to get Albert, Whitney, and Jim. I ended up with Albert, Mikayla and Jim, so I thought I was in good shape. With my final pick of the auction, I selected Semhar, who is already at Redemption Island. She was the worst, so I'm hoping she leaves soon, and I can pick up Sophie, who seems to be in a nice alliance with the core of the Blue Tribe.

Larry spent the least, and with three members of the Blue Tribe, is out to an early lead in the Champions League. 15-time champion Jaydon spent a little bit more for his team, but it could end up paying dividends as Ozzie is already winning challenges.

The first ever Developmental League draft went smoothly with Ozzie unsurprisingly going first overall to Tippy. Now I don't want to seem biased here because he's my bro bro, but how did the rest of you guys let Jack get Coach in the third round? Afraid his former contestant status was gonna get him ousted early? And better yet, Marsh how did you pick a chick second overall? I know they have a history of going far and winning, but I think you dropped you must have dropped your man card somewhere in Vermont. It seems to be working so far though, as Marsh and Jack are out to an early lead with three Blue Tribe members a piece.

Before we get to the scores, here's a look at the rules and regulations in case you were curious...

Points for Advancing each week: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, etc.
Win Reward Challenge: Group: 4, Individual: 10
Win Immunity Challenge: Group 8, Individual: 20
Duel Win: 10
Duel Loss: -10
Make to Merge: 8
Votes against you: -4
If you get chosen to sit out you get none of those challenge points.
Find Hidden Idol: 10
Successfully Use Idol at Council: 20
Unneeded Use of Idol at Council: -10
Cause Jeff to Stop Challenge: -10
Exit the Game Due to Health: -20

...and now the scores.

Champions League

Larry

Brandon -35: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -26
Rick -55: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -46
Christine -20: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -11
Dawn -30: W1 (+1)= -29

Started at -140: Team Total= -112

Dan

Albert -70: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -61
Mikayla -30: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -21
Jim -70: W1 (+1)= -69
Semhar -1: Votes (-32)= -33

Started at -171: Team Total= -184

Jaydon

Ozzie -90: Reward (+10), W1 (+1)= -79
Whitney -80: W1 (+1)= -79
John -30: Votes (-4), W1 (+1)= -33
Edna -20: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -11

Started at -220: Team Total= -202

Mags

Coach -55: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= -46
Elyse -150: W1 (+1)= -149
Keith -150: W1 (+1)= -149
Mark -150: W1 (+1)= -149

Started at -505: Team Total= -493



Free Agents
Sophie 0: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Stacey 0: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9

Developmental League

Marsh

Mikayla: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Rick: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Dawn: W1 (+1)= +1
Christine: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9

Week 1= +28, Team Total= +28

Jack

Albert: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Whitney: W1 (+1)= +1
Coach: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Edna: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9

Week 1= +28, Team Total= +28

Tippy

Ozzie: Reward (+10), W1 (+1)= +11
John: Votes (-4), W1 (+1)= -3
Elyse: W1 (+1)= +1
Sophie: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9

Week 1= +18, Team Total= +18

Rizzo

Keith: W1 (+1)= +1
Mark: W1 (+1)= +1
Brandon: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Jim: W1 (+1)= +1

Week 1= +12, Team Total= +12



Free Agents
Stacey: Immunity (+8), W1 (+1)= +9
Semhar: Votes (-32)= -32

Big Brother Finale- Rachel Getting Money

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and my thoughts on this week's finale of Big Brother 13. Also, we'll take a look at how Mags', Jaydon's, Larry's and my teams stacked up at the end up another fantasy season. So before reading any further, watch the ep, feel lucky life isn't a personality contest, then read what I have to say.

Well it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that Rachel was going to be winning Big Brother a couple of weeks ago now. Which leaves me with this bold claim...Brendon was the player of the year. It turns out his plan sacrifice himself so that Rachel could stay in the game was the correct move. She may be a complete jerk, and plenty dumb, but she found a way to win among the rest of the losers she was left with.

Rachel found the inner strength to turn her crazy button off just long enough to allow Daniele, Jeff, Shelly and Jordan scrape, claw, and scream at each other until not a single one of them was left in the house. Rachel was then left with Kalia, Porsche and Adam. A bigger group of misfits I have not seen at the end of a reality competition. Rachel was guaranteed to win every endurance challenge, was most likely to win the physical challenges, and for some reason or another, this girl always wins the lucky challenges as well.

I may have detested her for most of the season, but when it came down to the final four or five houseguests, I was honestly fine with her winning this thing. She didn't lie about how difficult this game was for her. Was she creating most of the problems that tortured her throughout the summer? Sure, but that doesn't mean it wasn't still a difficult task at hand. And she overcame, with a surprising amount of class. So congrats.

Other Thoughts From Finale Night

- That jury conversation is always a disaster, because unlike me, nobody can ever see somebody else's side of an argument. In the case of Kalia, she couldn't even listen to another side, let alone attempt to see the reasoning behind it. Honestly, was Brendon the only one that was not ridiculously insufferable during that convo?

- I've had my rants about Adam before, but this time he outdid himself. He claims to be a student of the game, but doesn't even understand what a floater is. The guy finally decides to step up and make a speech, and he uses it to yell at Porsche for being a floater? You are also a floater Adam. A floater is someone who floats along in the game, not doing anything, and hoping to scrape by. It is not someone who floats back and forth between alliances, like you apparently thought it was.

- More on the fake metal head. Why were people cheering for him when he came out of the house? It must have been because he didn't make it to the final right? There's no way a single person enjoyed him this season right? He was absolutely one of my least favorite players of all time, and he had my bias of being on my fantasy team. The fact that he thinks that he had a shot at winning in the final two is hilarious. You were just as weak as Porsche in every facet of the game, and also, nobody liked you. Rachel would have swept you.

- Rachel wins the final vote, 4-3. That goes to show that you never know how the jury is going to vote. Brendon, Jeff, and Jordan were obviously voting for Rachel, while Daniele and Kalia were obviously voting for Porsche. It came down to Adam and Shelly, with the former voting for Porsche for God knows why (reminded him of Donna Martin with the blonde hair?), and the latter voting for Rachel undoubtedly because she played a better game. Shelly ended up having the deciding vote, and although she hated Rachel as much as anyone in the house (well maybe not Daniele), she did the right thing and crowned her the winner.

- Jeff won America's Favorite Houseguest? Get a life America. Yeah, two seasons ago this made sense. He was your All-American guy that played straight up and was pretty fun. This time around he was a hypocritical idiot that did nothing but get in fights with people that were actually making sense when they talked. There is fun and entertaining delusional (see Coach of Survivor) and then there was Jeff this season. Take a hike pal.

Jaydon won the fantasy season in a landslide. Nice work once again my friend, and I'll see you all next summer.

Jaydon

Jeff +51

Rachel +201: Part 1 (+10), Part 3 (+15), W12 (+67), Win (+79)= +372

Kalia +108

Last Week at +360: Team total= +531

Me

Brendon -14

Lawon -35

Adam +247: Votes (-4)= +243

Last Week at +198: Team total= +194

Mags

Daniele +14

Cassie -95

Porsche +186: Part 2 (+10), W12 (+67)= +263

Last Week at +105: Team total= +182

Lar

Jordan +108

Shelly +15

Dominic -110

Last Week at +13: Team total= +13

Survivor 2301 Review- I'm Out Of Milk

Coach- "This is Coach 3.0 and I'm here to win."

Survivor's back. Coach is back. Ozzie's back. 18 survivors. 39 days. Let's go!

I'm glad to be reviewing the season premiere of Survivor: South Pacific while TV Fanatic guru Luke Dwyer is on vacation, no doubt somewhere in the South Pacific. Full of intense challenges, plenty of getting to know you periods, some swimming in the perfect blue ocean, and a fight or two, "I Need Redemption" was a great start to season 23.

When we first met the contestants, they were already into their tribes, only waiting to see what returning Survivors were going to join them. There were whispers of hope that neither was Russell Hantz, which was awkward for Russell's nephew Brandon, who is one of the contestants. Eventually, Ozzie from Cook Island and Fans vs. Favorites, and Coach from Tocantins and Heroes vs. Villains, jumped out of the helicopter to a mostly warm welcome.

While it didn't end up hurting her, because her tribe won immunity, Christine was extremely bold in saying that the returning players were simply temporary. Combine that with her pressing need to immediately search for hidden idols at camp, and I have no doubt she would have been first to leave the blue tribe if Semhar could have made a single basket.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Survivor season premiere, head over to TV Fanatic. And stay tuned for fantasy results from week one of South Pacific.

Survivor 2301 - "I Need Redemption"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Emmy Submission Mission- Lead Actress in Drama

The 2011 Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jane Lynch this Sunday, September 18. In the weeks leading up to the event, TV Fanatic staff writer Dan Forcella will watch every episode submitted by various actors in various categories and present to you his analysis on each contender.

It's the TV Fanatic Emmy Submission Mission, readers, and we only have two categories remaining. Take a look back at the comedy categories: Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress, as well as Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor in a Drama. Next up, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama:

Elisabeth Moss

Kathy Bates is a nine-time Emmy nominee. Mariska Hargitay has earned eight straight Emmy nominations for her role. Juliana Margulies has been nominated a total of eight times, including the past two years for The Good Wife. Elisabeth Moss and Connie Britton have three and two straight nominations for their respective roles. Needless to say, there is a lot of Emmy history amongst the ladies of this category.

While all of the women up for Lead Actress in a Drama, including first time nominee Mireille Enos, have a shot at taking home the trophy, it seems to be coming down to a battle between Margulies and Moss. Each had a great overall season. Each is on a highly regarded series in the running for best drama, and each submitted a fantastic showcase episode.

Moss sent in “The Suitcase,” the episode of Mad Men’s fourth season in which everyone was raving about when it first aired back in the fall, and then most continued to talk about as the year went along. Aside from the very beginning of the episode, Moss gets to spend the entire time in front of the camera alongside fellow Emmy frontrunner Jon Hamm. Her character, Peggy, is forced to stay at work all night to help Hamm’s Don Draper with an ad campaign, forcing her to miss a birthday dinner with her boyfriend. She gets so emotional that she breaks up with her boyfriend over the phone, gets into a screaming match with Don, and then breaks down and cries over the events that occurred. While it’s more of a showcase for Hamm, Moss certainly puts forth quite the performance, and would deserve this award any other year.

Unfortunately, Margulies has just as showy a performance in her submission, “In Sickness.”

To read the rest of my Emmy Submission Mission for Lead Actress in a Drama, head over to TV Fanatic.

Curb Your Enthusiasm 810 Review- Start The Violin Music

Leon- "Michael J. Fox bout to be Michael J. f**ked up in a minute."

This eighth season was billed as Curb Your Enthusiasm coming to New York. The show worked Larry leaving for NYC in so hilariously that I overlooked the fact that it took half the season to get him here. And while I was ready to criticize the season for not having an overarching theme to the 10-episode run, "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox" brought the New York era to an end in such a funny and poetic manner that I'm ready to forgive the uneven season.

Back in "The Vow of Silence," Larry broke down and went to New York because he kept using it as an excuse to get out of a charity event. It was such a fitting ending, therefore, to have to do the same thing in order to get out of a Michael J. Fox's charity event in New York. Only in typical Curb fashion, they threw a perfect curve ball in not sending LD back to L.A., but to Paris, where Leon bought himself a chalupa!

And that was the thing about "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox," not only was it constructed beautifully as an episode and as an ender to the season, but it was ridiculously hilarious along the way. I noted more funny moments, and compiled more quips for our Curb Your Enthusiasm quotes page, than I did for any other episode this season.

The scene in the park would have made the episode a winner all on its own. Between Larry buying Greg a replacement gift even though the flamboyant seven-year old obviously loved his sewing machine, the kid giving Susie a hand-sewn pillow sham with a swastika on it, and Jeff taking a bullet for Susie, the five-minute span made for multiple laugh out loud moments, as well as a number of times to acknowledge the cleverness of it all.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Curb Your Enthusiasm season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Curb Your Enthusiasm 810 - "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox"
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Recap
Quotes

Big Brother Weeks 10 and 11- You Are Deleted

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results and my thoughts on this week's episodes of Big Brother 13. Also, we'll take a look at how Mags', Jaydon's, Larry's and my teams are stacking up on the fantasy side of things. So before reading any further, watch the eps, sell water to a well, then read what I have to say.

Well I just finished writing a long post on this week's Big Brother, but then it all got deleted because Blogger decided not to auto-save my stuff. I am not going to write it all over again, so just look at some fantasy scores and get ready for Wednesday's finale, where I think Rachel will defeat Adam in the final of Big Brother.

And with that, I'll turn you over to the fantasy scoreboard, in which Jaydon continues to dominate...

Jaydon

Jeff +51

Rachel +94: HoH (+15), W10 (+46), Nom (-10), W11 (+56)= +201

Kalia +126: Nom (-10), Votes (-8)= +108

Last Week at +271: Team total= +360

Me

Brendon -14

Lawon -35

Adam +115: Veto (+15), W10 (+46), HoH (+15), W11 (+56)= +247

Last Week at +66: Team total= +198

Mags

Daniele +14

Cassie -95

Porsche +93: Nom (-10), Votes (-4), W10 (+46), Nom (-10), Veto (+15), W11 (+56)= +186

Last Week at +12: Team total= +105

Lar

Jordan +76: W10 (+46), Nom (-10), Votes (-4)= +108

Shelly +15

Dominic -110

Last Week at -19: Team total= +13

Wilfred 113 Review- Will Power

Wilfred- "I don't know what you're up to Ryan, but I've got my nose and ears on you...and my eyes too, I guess, but frankly my vision's pretty sh*tty."

Who are you? What are you? Why are you?

Ryan asked these questions of Wilfred during a fit of hysteria in "Identity," and I for one, cannot wait to find out the answers.

Throughout the season finale, Ryan slipped deeper and deeper down the proverbial slope, to a point where he was back to using dirt to win cases, switching urine to save clients, and basically doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

What did it cost him? Well, he forced his pregnant sister to leave her husband and move to India. He pushed Jenna to marry Drew, because she believes that she has a baby on the way. And he caused his pal Wilfred to jump in front of a moving car, which severely injured him, and might have rid him of his memories.

But after Wilfred's fit of amnesia, be it real or artificial, Ryan remembered that the dog was recently writing a will that could help Ryan know what to do if anything happens to [him].

I was expecting the will to be a joke by Wilfred, saying something to the effect of I can't believe you thought I lost my memory, but instead, when Ryan got to the door of his beloved basement, he found a closet! The basement that he has been hanging out with Wilfred in for the entire season has been imaginary? Is that what we are being ed to believe?

To read the rest of my review of last night's season finale of Wilfred, head over to TV Fanatic.

Wilfred 113 - "Identity"
Review
Recap
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Emmy Submission Mission- Supporting Actor in Drama

The 2011 Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jane Lynch September 18. In the weeks leading up to the event, TV Fanatic staff writer Dan Forcella will watch every episode submitted by various actors in various categories and present to you his analysis on each contender.

It's the TV Fanatic Emmy Submission Mission, readers, and it has finished with the comedy categories: Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. On Tuesday we talked about Supporting Actress in a Drama, so today we move on to Outstanding Actor in a Drama:

John Slattery of Mad Men

After realizing that four out of last year’s six nominees in this category were not going to be eligible for 2011, it was clear that Supporting Actor in a Drama was going to be wide open. Upon hearing the names of the nominated actors, and now having watched each of their submitted episodes, it has become even more difficult to decipher who is going to take home the trophy.

Three nominees stand out as having very similar performances. John Slattery of Mad Men, Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones, and Walton Goggins of Justified each spend much of their respective episodes in reserved roles only to finish with extremely flashy and emotional scenes that will leave voters with a good taste in their mouths.

In Slattery’s submission, “Hands and Knees,” his Roger Sterling stays calm throughout most of the hour as the character soaks in the fact that his mistress is pregnant and that he’s lost his agency’s biggest client. All of that built up emotion comes to afoot when he blows up in a fit of anger, and even lets out a rare AMC bleeped out f-bomb before bursting out into nervous laughter over everything falling apart.

“Baelor” is almost unanimously renowned as the best episode of Game of Thrones’ first season. Whether or not it was the best choice for Peter Dinklage is up for debate, seeing as though he didn’t make an appearance until the 23rd minute of action. Like Slattery, his Tyrion Lannister didn’t go through much for the first two thirds of the episode, but finished with a bang. He tells an emotional tale about the love of his life, who turned out to be a prostitute hired by his brother and father, and concludes with a heroic speech before his men head out for war.

To read the rest of my Emmy Submission Mission for Supporting Actor in a Drama, head over to TV Fanatic.

Emmy Submission Mission- Supporting Actress in Drama

The 2011 Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jane Lynch September 18. In the weeks leading up to the event, TV Fanatic staff writer Dan Forcella will watch every episode submitted by various actors in various categories and present to you his analysis on each contender.

It's the TV Fanatic Emmy Submission Mission, readers, and it has finished with the comedy categories: Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Next up? Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama, and here is TV Fanatic's breakdown:

Margo Martindale

Three out of the past four years, the Supporting Actress in a Drama Award has gone to a performer that had never before been nominated, let alone won an Emmy. Katherine Heigl for Grey’s Anatomy in 2007, Cherry Jones for 24 in 2009, and Archie Panjabi for The Good Wife last year all came out of nowhere to claim the coveted prize from their peers. If the trend should continue in 2011, we will see either Margo Martindale or Michelle Forbes giving a speech up on stage.

While many thought it a difficulty for Martindale to even receive a nomination, given that Justified wasn’t on the Emmys radar last year, things have changed in 2011. A number of her fellow cast members ended up receiving nominations as well, and there is enough buzz swirling around Justified’s second season (specifically Martindale’s performance), that she definitely has a lot of things on her side.

Not the least of which is how good she was in her submission episode, “Brother’s Keeper.” Almost inarguably the best episode of the series to date, Martindale showcases all of her talents, as her character Mags Bennett goes through many ups and downs over the course of the hour. She is the comforting mother, the angry mother, the stoic negotiator, and the condescending business woman all in one episode. Martindale portrays such joy when Mags thinks her and her family are on top of the world, then comes down in such sadness and disbelief when everything is taken away from her so quickly. With such a great performance, and the buzz to go with it, I definitely see Margo going home a winner.

To read the rest of my Emmy Submission Mission for Supporting Actress in a Drama, head over to TV Fanatic.