Big Brother- Do I Hear -50?

Spoiler Alert...Below are the results, some extra spoilers, and my thoughts after the premiere of Big Brother 13. Also, Mags, Jaydon, Larry and I just finished conducting the second ever Big Brother Fantasy Draft. So before reading any further, watch the ep, come between Rachel and her banana, then read what I have to say.

Has a whole year gone by already. In the most recent power rankings, I dropped Big Brother down a bunch of notches for no good reason. After one episode of season 13, I'm already prepared to move it back into the Top 10. It doesn't matter what losers or idiots they bring into this house, it's pure entertainment summer after summer.

Each season there is a different twist on the game, and in Big Brother 13 it was dynamic duos. Thank God, because the joke of a new cast they brought in didn't have me too excited. Cue Jeff and Jordan, Brendon and Rachel, and Evil Dick and Daniele. Although I came in one season after Dick and Daniele, I heard great things about both of them. While I hated Rachel and Brendon during most of last season, both began to grow on me late, especially Brendon as he failed miserably in his attempt to befriend the Brigade. Jeff and Jordan! America's reality sweethearts. Jeff is just such a great guy, and Jordan so cute at being dumb, that I am extremely glad to see them back.

So the premiere was like it always is. They show everyone getting pumped that they made it in. Then they go in. Then Julie drops the bomb on them. The whole dynamic duos things is just a ploy to get these three groups of two back into the house, because within three weeks or so, it will be back to an individual game. Everyone spent some time getting to know each other, and then the first HoH went down. What is this? Rachel wins again! She's back to her old ways.

The twist with the duos is that now Rachel AND Brendon are safe this week. At least until there are 10 people left, the HoH will nominate one duo for eviction, and the houseguests will vote one of them out. The other one gets a free pass to the Top 10. Sounds interesting enough. I'm in.

BIG SPOILER HERE...

The biggest of news though, came following the season premiere, when it was noticed on the live streams that Evil Dick had left the house. They are saying it is for personal reasons, but the season 8 champion is gone. It's a real shame because I had heard he was hilariously inappropriate in the house last time. Way to give Daniele, who apparently won almost every challenge last time, an easy trip to the Top 10.

With Dick gone, that gave us 13 contestants for our second ever Big Brother Fantasy League. You will recognize these guys from many of our Quiet Pool Fantasy Leagues of the past...Jaydon, Lar, and Mags got to drafting these jokesters today. Instead of a regular snake draft, which is kind of ridiculous with only three rounds, I decided to make it into an auction (how trendy).

The was this works is that you nominate a person and declare how many negative points you are willing to take if you get that person on your team. Your total number of negative points wagered on players you have won, will be what you start the season with. In its first year, the numbers may be a little funky, but I definitely think this is the way to do this from now on.

Here's how the auction went down...

1. Jeff - to Jaydon at -25
2. Daniele - to Mags at -40
3. Brendon - to Me at -25
4. Cassie - to Mags at -50
5. Rachel - to Jaydon at -50
6. Jordan - to Lar at -55
7. Shelly - to Lar at -40
8. Dominic - to Lar at -90
9. Lawon - to me at -15
10. Kalia - to Jaydon at -10
11. Porsche - to Mags at -40
12. Adam - to Me at -1

Keith will be put on Waivers and can be picked up by the first player with an eliminated houseguest, unless the first person eliminated is Keith. Evil Dick was not drafted because we knew he had left the house.

Notes from the auction...

- We never should have let Jeff go at -25, but it was the first person on the board and no one really knew what we were doing yet.

- How Dominic, an unknown in this game, went at -90 is ridiculous. Mags and Lar were just playing with each other at that point.

- Mags's team is filled with all smokeshows. Daniele, Cassie, and Porsche? Cassie, by the way, is representing the great city of Nashville.

- Looking back, I would have gone as high as 60 for Jeff or Daniele. Instead I'm stuck with a team full of dudes I really dislike. Brendon, Lawon, and Adam? I just threw up a bit in my mouth.

- Larry starts out the season with -185 points, but I wanted both Jordan and Shelly. I couldn't pull the trigger. I will be mad when I realize in a few weeks that 50 points is very little.

Let's take a look at the squads and what points everyone will be starting at...

Me
Brendon -25
Lawon -15
Adam -1

Starts at -41

Jaydon
Jeff -25
Rachel -50
Kalia -10

Start at -75

Mags
Daniele -40
Cassie -50
Porsche -40

Starts at -130

Lar
Jordan -55
Shelly -40
Dominic -90

Starts at -185





And for those of you new to the Quiet Pool Fantasy Game, here are the rules for Fantasy Big Bro...

Points per week of advancement: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, 22, 29, 37, 46, 56, 67, 79

Power of Veto Win: 15 points
Head of Household Win: 15 points
Other individual challenge win: 10 points
Other team challenge win: 5 points
Nominated for eviction as a team: -5 points each
Nominated for eviction as individual: -10 points
Votes for eviction: -4 points
Booted from the game: -25

Emmy Outlook- Lead in Comedy

Although the Poolies are much more important around here - and should be everywhere - as a television blog, we at the Quiet Pool Perspective have decided to talk a bit about the 2011 Emmys. With nominations set to be announced on July 14th, I will be going through the major categories over the next couple of days to give my ballot and my prediction. My Ballot is what I would have as my six nominees if I were eligible to vote on such things. My prediction is what I expect to be announced come July 14th. As a caveat, I will not be predicting guest actor and actresses, because that would be ridiculously difficult.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Oliver Hudson

My Ballot
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
Oliver Hudson - Rules of Engagement
Zachary Levi - Chuck
Rob Lowe - Parks and Recreation
Joel McHale - Community

Have I not said enough of Steve Carell in his final season of The Office?  Alec Baldwin and Joel McHale are staples of their given shows, but after that it gets tricky.  I absolutely love Rob Lowe on Parks and Rec, but how in the world is he a lead actor?  If you ask me it's just good strategy as this category is much weaker than supporting in comedy.  Even if he's not cracking me up non stop, Zach Levi does a whole lot on Chuck, and on the other side of things, Oliver Hudson makes me lose it multiple times per episode...His laugh per line ratio is off the charts.

Matt LeBlanc

Prediction
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Steve Carell - The Office
Matt LeBlanc - Episodes
Joel McHale - Community
Matthew Morrison - Glee
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Baldwin, Carell, and Parsons are locks to repeat nominations from a year ago.  Morrison, who was in the field last  year, will sadly most likely be back.  That is where things get tricky in this ridiculously shallow field of lead actors.  I'm predicting McHale to barely make it in, and LeBlanc to get in due to previous Emmy love, and the fact that he's on Showtime.  On a side note, I actually enjoyed him on Episodes.

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Jennifer Finnigan (right)

My Ballot
Courtney Cox - Cougar Town
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Jennifer Finnigan - Better With You
Laura Linney - The Big C
Lea Michele - Glee
Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Now we can talk about a weak category!  I have one person on my ballot that I didn't even finish the first season of.  I couldn't make it through the first installment of The Big C, but Laura Linney was decent enough to grab a spot on my ballot.  Lea Michele, on the other hand, was kind of difficult to watch this season on Glee, but there really isn't much choice.  The others I enjoyed, if not all that much.  I think Finnigan actually had my favorite season of these six.  Pathetic, I know.

Patricia Heaton

Prediction
Toni Collette - United States of Tara
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Patricia Heaton - The Middle
Laura Linney - The Big C
Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

This is really a race for one spot.  Falco, Collette and Fey have won the past three years, and are shoe-ins to make it back in the field.  Poehler was here last year, and was nominated for SNL in years past so she's in good standing with the academy.  And then there is Linney, who is most likely going to take the whole thing.  So that leaves one spot, which could go to a variety of actresses, but my money is on Heaton with two Emmys to her name.  The Middle gets good ratings, and I can see it as a old-school sitcommy type that would get Emmy love.

Men of a Certain Age 212 Review- When It Rains, It Pours

Joe- "Take it easy. Guys can play in the rain."

Albert- "Not old guys."

The structure of this second season of Men of a Certain Age created some mixed feelings for me, but the finale itself was an entertaining end to the summer session, as "Hold Your Finish" featured suspense, humor and a whole lot of drama, making it clear why Men has been one of the underrated shows on TV.

It's not often that all three of the stories of our main characters work well. Let me rephrase: It's not often that the Terry story works, and therefore, it is impossible for all three to come together.

That changed here, as I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's decision to embark on a new creative outlet in life. I was ready to take the whole thing down a few pegs when it looked like he might decide to go back to selling cars. The realization that he needed to grow up and settle down has been made so many times that doing it one more time would have been irritating.

Thankfully, Terry made the final decision to pursue a career in directing, and asked Erin to give him one year to see if it works. The show didn't go around in a circle for the 18th time with this character, but I completely agreed with Owen on the fact that Terry should try to do it on the side for a while.

To read the rest of my review of the Men of a Certain Age season two finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Men of a Certain Age 212 - "Hold Your Finish"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Emmy Outlook- Supporting in Drama

Although the Poolies are much more important around here - and should be everywhere - as a television blog, we at the Quiet Pool Perspective have decided to talk a bit about the 2011 Emmys. With nominations set to be announced on July 14th, I will be going through the major categories over the next couple of days to give my ballot and my prediction. My Ballot is what I would have as my six nominees if I were eligible to vote on such things. My prediction is what I expect to be announced come July 14th. As a caveat, I will not be predicting guest actor and actresses, because that would be ridiculously difficult.

Supporting Actor in a Drama

Max Burkholder

My Ballot
Max Burkholder - Parenthood
Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones
Walton Goggins - Justified
Michael Pitt - Boardwalk Empire
Michael Raymond-James - Terriers
John Slattery - Mad Men

Goggins is just an absolute stud, whether he's wingin' it or not. Dinklage seemed to have won the heart of everyone watching HBO. Slattery is an institution, and plays his Roger Sterling with the utmost skill. Michael Pitt is a newcomer, but was pretty terrific in the first season of Boardwalk, and Michael Raymond-James was fantastic in the one and only season of Terriers. Max Burkholder is the one to talk about here though. He's so good at playing a kid with Asperger's syndrome that I questioned whether or not they just hired a kid with the disease and just followed him around.

Josh Charles

Prediction
Andre Braugher - Men of a Certain Age
Josh Charles - The Good Wife
Alan Cumming - The Good Wife
Michael Pitt - Boardwalk Empire
Michael Shannon - Boardwalk Empire
John Slattery - Mad Men

I haven't seen a single second of The Good Wife, and those who recommend it haven't peaked my interest in the slightest. Having said that, many say they will be getting two nominations in this stacked category, maybe even three! There is a heck of a lot of turnover in the category, thanks to the absence of Breaking Bad and Lost, which makes Braugher and Slattery the only returnees. I see Pitt and Shannon jumping in with both feet as the academy eats up everything Boardwalk Empire.  It pains me to not have Dinklage on that list, but I am not convinced the academy is going to be as in love with his performance as the rest of us.

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Chyler Leigh

My Ballot
Laura Allen - Terriers
Jennifer Carpenter - Dexter
Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones
Chyler Leigh - Grey's Anatomy
Margo Martindale - Justified
Kiernan Shipka - Mad Men

For how much awards shows love premium cable, I'm surprised Carpenter has never been nominated. I love Debra. We all know at this point how fantastic Martindale was on Justified. "It was already in the glass...not in the jar." Instead of screwing child actors over, they should be given some credit when they are fantastic, in this case Shipka on Mad Men. Clarke and Allen were decent in their respective shows, while Leigh is one of the only redeemable elements left on Grey's.

Michelle Forbes

Prediction
Christine Baranski - The Good Wife
Michelle Forbes - The Killing
Christina Hendricks - Mad Men
Kelly Macdonald - Boardwalk Empire
Margo Martindale - Justified
Archie Penjabi - The Good Wife

Only three stay the same, as Elizabeth Moss moved herself into lead actress, Damages is gone (Rose Byrne), and I don't have any idea what a Burn Notice is (Sharon Gless). I am hoping for The Killing to get shut out, but I am predicting two nominations, including this one here for the fantastic Forbes. Although I didn't enjoy her here, she was incredible in season two of True Blood. If Martindale isn't nominated it will be a travesty, and Macdonald is riding the gravy train that is Boardwalk Empire.

Covert Affairs 205 Review- Space Jam

Annie- "You were the first friend I ever made at this agency, and no one I have met here has impressed me more since. You're gonna do great at this job."

Unlike last week's action-packed thriller, "Around the Sun" was a bit on the lighter side, but just as entertaining as ever. In case you are like Jai and didn't know this about Annie Walker, she was a space geek!

Annie seems to have a wide variety of hobbies, but her love of space exploration made this week's NASA-based mission that much more interesting for her. What made it more difficult was that she no longer had her right hand, Auggie Anderson.

Yes, that's right, Auggie took the overt job with the OCA. We learned early on that he accepted the position without consulting Annie. The question then becomes: what was that phone call about at the end of last week? Just a misdirect? Or was there something lost between scripts?

We'll get back to Auggie later because we need to talk about what other effects his absences had on Annie. Not only did she not have her best friend helping her out, but his replacement was not the easiest to work with.

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

Covert Affairs 205 - "Around the Sun"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Emmy Outlook- Supporting in Comedy

Although the Poolies are much more important around here - and should be everywhere - as a television blog, we at the Quiet Pool Perspective have decided to talk a bit about the 2011 Emmys. With nominations set to be announced on July 14th, I will be going through the major categories over the next couple of days to give my ballot and my prediction. My Ballot is what I would have as my six nominees if I were eligible to vote on such things. My prediction is what I expect to be announced come July 14th. As a caveat, I will not be predicting guest actor and actresses, because that would be ridiculously difficult.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Paul Scheer

My Ballot
Fred Armisen - Saturday Night Live
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Chevy Chase - Community
Donald Glover - Community
B.J. Novak - The Office
Paul Scheer - The League

Burrell and Glover need no more commentary on how funny they are in their respective shows. Chase made the cut for his performances in the Dungeons and Dragons and Paintball episodes alone..."Tonight, we feast!" While Novak isn't given much to do on The Office, what he did do was fantastic this season. With a fantastic ensemble, Scheer slightly edged out Jon Lajoie for my favorite performance from The League.  Armisen's Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music sketches were my two favorites of the season, and the Wizard of Oz shot into my top SNL skits of all time.  He deserves credit more than anyone on SNL in a long time.

Burrell and O'Neill

Prediction
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Chris Colfer - Glee
Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men
Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother
Ed O’Neill - Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family

I'm not going too far outside the box with this one, as my prediction only differs from last year's nominees by one person. I switched in Ed O'Neill for Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. While I enjoyed Ferguson's Mitchell much more in season two, I know the academy is going to give O'Neill the well deserved nomination he should have gotten last year. I wanted to take Cryer out, but with all that went down with Charlie Sheen, I don't see them piling it on Cryer by pulling the plug on his streak of nominations.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Busy Phillips

My Ballot
Alison Brie - Community
Mary Elizabeth Ellis - Perfect Couples
Ellie Kemper - The Office
Heather Morris - Glee
Busy Phillips - Cougar Town
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family

The ballot I would put out is severely different than what is actually going to happen, and the only actress that matches my prediction, made my list by the skin of her Colombian teeth. Of course Ellie Kemper will never get any love from the Emmys, but her two straight Poolies prove how funny she can be. Brie was solid again this season of Community, while Ellis was the best of the three-headed female monster that was Perfect Couples. Heather Morris and Busy Phillips are both hilarious at playing dumb, but they do it in very different ways.

Betty White

Prediction
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Jane Lynch - Glee
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Betty White - Hot In Cleveland
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live

Here is where things get interesting. Anyone who thinks Betty White's reign of terror is over, think again. She will be nominated for an Emmy for the God awful Hot in Cleveland, I won't be surprised if she wins this thing come September. Again I only made one switch from last year, and that was White for Evelyn Taylor of Two and a Half Men. Although Wiig had a horrible year on SNL, her now movie star status should grant her another year on the ballot.

Teen Wolf 106 Review- Spiraling Out Of Control

Derek- "You want me to teach you, get rid of her."

Watching great action sequences is enjoyable. Observing the plight of a protagonist can be intriguing. Adding in-depth mythology to that fun and interesting world is what can make a series seriously worth watching. On Teen Wolf last night, "Heart Monitor" accomplished all of that and more.

With both the historical background of La Bete Du Gevaudan and the mystery of the spirals on Scott's car window and the dead deer, we learned a lot more about the world in which this show takes place. And that really helps the viewer get more involved.

The La Bete Du Gevaudan is an old French legend of a beast that killed over 100 people. So now we know this has been going on for ages and ages, and that the Argents have been hunting werewolves for a long time. The question then becomes: why have we been dropped in on this world right now?

Is there something special about this point in the history of werewolves? Maybe it's time for them to take out all of the Argent hunters. Or maybe it's time for them to die out as a species. Whatever the case may be, the historical background gives everything more weight. As do the mysterious spirals.

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

Teen Wolf 106 - "Heart Monitor"
Review
Recap
Quotes

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

It is a sad day when the Poolie Awards are all over, but look at the bright side, there are always the Bi-Monthly Power Rankings to look forward to! The July edition is here to tell you what shows currently on the air you should be tuning in to see. Take a look and then turn on your tv.

Place. Show (Last Time) red = moving down, green = moving up

10. The Walking Dead (9) Sundays on AMC
It's only had six episodes to prove itself, but I still can't wait for the zombies to return.

Jax studdin' it up with his sis on Sons

9. Dexter (10) Sundays on Showtime
Everyone I know has either recently caught up or currently catching up on this serial killer drama. It's about time people!

8. Sons of Anarchy (7) Tuesdays on FX
After re-watching bits and pieces of season three, it came together as a whole a lot better than it was episode by episode. It just dragged, and it took too long to get to Ireland. But as an entire story, it worked. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sons jump back up to the top this winter.

7. Community (6) Thursdays on NBC
The paintball episodes ended things with a bang, but it is the numerous amount of hilarious characters that continue to keep this show in the top ten.

6. Mad Men (4) Sundays on AMC
Is the wait making things worse? With the action packed shows that killed this spring, Mad Men is looking more and more boring in hind sight.

5. Game of Thrones (HM) Sundays on HBO

A studlier dwarf there hasn't been

What an entrance! Game of Thrones was awesome in its first season, but I really have some issues with those that have read the books. How can you watch a show with the same interest when you know all of the events that are going to take place? When I knew the ending to Dexter season four, the finale was a nice walk in the park. If I had had no idea, I would have been blown away. Game of Thrones has to be better for those who have not read the books, and hence, is just another reason why reading is dumb.

4. The Office (5) Thursdays on NBC
Just hang on guys...stay up here as long as you can until the lack of Steve Carell starts to catch up with you. Rumors are out there that James Spader is in for next season, but I also heard whispers of James Gandolfini. Really? Tony Soprano as the head of Dunder Mifflin? That could be interesting.

3. Breaking Bad (2) Sundays on AMC
A drop only because Justified was so darn good. Get pumped for season four. I've heard it's going to be great.

2. Justified (3) Wednesdays on FX
This is as high as you can currently get until Curb comes back, and it's not very likely to top the HBO comedy after that, so be proud Justified, be proud.

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm (1) Sundays on HBO
In hindsight, the season seven finale was much funnier than "The Table Read." Oh well on last year's Poolies, but on the bright side, I am now super psyched for the new season to start after watching a few eps on dvd recently. Curb has held the number one spot since November, and unless this season takes a big step backward, I can see it staying on top for a while longer.