This show divided opinions on Saturday night. Was it a funny parody or an insult to a beloved show?
First of all, let's look at the host. I have no issues with Harry Hill as a comedian or presenter, his brand of surreal, family friendly comedy is what sets him apart and makes him who he is. However, Star in Their Eyes wasn't the best vehicle for him to bring that style to. If we wanted that sort of humour, ITV should've given him his own show to do what he wanted, he didn't need Stars in Their Eyes to do it. One thing that did annoy me though was the contestants were obviously giving him lines so he can do his jokes, a sign of a great presenter/comedian is thinking on the spot, not planning what you (or other people) will say.
Next, the contestants. I don't know whether or not it was Harry Hill's idea to make the contestants look uncomfortable on camera, but it didn't work either way, it looked unprofessional and slightly cheesy. However, when they started to sing as their respective artist, most of them were very good, especially Eminem and Christina Aguilera. Some people may have expected it to be "X-Factor-ified" by offering contracts, album deals and a public vote, but that's not what Stars in Their Eyes is about, it's about being your favourite artist for one night and sharing in their joy. I don't care if any of them do get a record deal out it, I don't even think the contestants themselves care that much, at least Harry Hill got that aspect of the show right.
Bottom line, I didn't like the show. Not because Matthew Kelly didn't host it or that it wasn't completely true to the format. I didn't like it because I expected Harry Hill to be himself, crack a few jokes and have a couple of surreal moments, but realise it's a singing show and have people actually sing a full song, not 2 minutes of singing before 5 minutes of material. Everything that made Stars in Their Eyes great was in there, but it was very brief, I ended up fast-forwarding through Harry's material and going straight to the singing, which was definitely the best part. If they make a second series, which could happen, have contestants sing a full song and have Harry Hill ask normal questions, have some funny moments and not manufacture ways of cramming pointless material into a show that already has a set format. Or better yet, have Harry Hill host Catchphrase and get Stephen Mulhern host Stars in Their Eyes. That's two shows I'd definitely watch!
Monday, 12 January 2015
Sunday, 21 September 2014
WWE: Night of Champions Predictions
Seeing as I did SummerSlam last month and got nearly all of them wrong, I figured to try again with Night of Champions. Although there are a few interesting matches here, it doesn't compare with SummerSlam on the "epic" scale, but let's see what we've got in store.
1. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
This has been a bit of a boring feud lately, simply cos everyone loves Ziggler, everyone hates Miz and that's it. They've added the stunt double thing, basically to show Sandow and R-Truth's careers still have meaning, but nothing too exciting. Hopefully Ziggler wins and he can move on to fighting someone new.
Result - Ziggler wins
2. Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the United States Championship
Again, a bit of a go nowhere feud between these two. Sheamus hasn't had a title match since Payback and hasn't done that much with it between then. It could very well be a repeat of Payback and Sheamus will win.
Result - Sheamus wins
3. Mark Henry vs. Rusev
Big E couldn't do it, despite all our hopes Jack Swagger couldn't do it, so will former Olympian Mark Henry do it? Usually I would say yes and then he loses to Rusev, but the fact that this feud main evented Raw last week means there could be something epic in this. Rusev has not lost a match in his WWE career yet, I would've thought "Real American" Jack Swagger would do it, but "Former Olympian who lost to a Russian" Mark Henry could have this as his redemption. I hope so, as then Mark Henry and Big Show can become the long overdue tag team we've waited for, but what will Rusev and Lana do after defeat?
Result - Mark Henry wins
4. The Usos vs. Goldust & Stardust for the Tag Team Championship
This has been an interesting feud between these two, both of which are brilliant tag teams. I don't mind that Goldust & Stardust are heels now, they're still unique, quirky and at times creepy duo, which makes them stand out and The Usos are just fun and great entertainers. Either team would be worthy winners, but I think it's due for a title change.
Result - Goldust & Stardust wins
5. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
This has come out of nowhere and for no reason than getting these two legends to fight on a PPV. That being said, it should be a great match as both have earnt the name "Legend". Plus I don't have a clear vision on who will win. Randy Orton hasn't had much luck in a while and Chris Jericho has had losses against the Wyatts, so both are due a win. If I had to choose, I'd give the edge to Orton, simply because he needs some Authority points.
Result - Randy Orton wins
6. Paige vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship
As I said on the SummerSlam predictions, I am a big fan of both AJ Lee and Paige, but I am not a fan of the Bellas, either of them. Especially after weeks of terrible promos proving neither of them are good actors and the fact that the Authority has added Nikki Bella into the match for no reason. Hopefully AJ & Paige will salvage the match and Brie will get Nikki out of the picture, but I think Nikki will win and AJ & Paige will join forces to against the Authority.
Result - Nikki Bella wins
7. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
At PPVs it's Brock vs Cena, at Raw, it's Heyman vs Cena. Not complaining about Paul Heyman, he's an excellent promoter and manager (sorry, advocate). But the fact that Brock Lesnar is a part-time wrestler and adds pretty much nothing to Raw, you wait for the PPVs as that's where he shines. However, with Brock being an occassional wrestler, I think this match will be Cena's redemption and put him on-par with Ric Flair's record of 16 times as world champion, then Lesnar will disappear and return when he's needed. So maybe, this will be a fairer, more dramatic fight than just Lesnar dominating like he did in his last 2 matches.
Result - John Cena wins
So here's the lowdown:
US title - Sheamus
Intercontential title - Dolph Ziggler
Tag Team title - Goldust & Stardust
Divas title - Nikki Bella
WWE World Heavyweight title - John Cena
Mark Henry defeats Rusev
Randy Orton defeats Chris Jericho
1. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
This has been a bit of a boring feud lately, simply cos everyone loves Ziggler, everyone hates Miz and that's it. They've added the stunt double thing, basically to show Sandow and R-Truth's careers still have meaning, but nothing too exciting. Hopefully Ziggler wins and he can move on to fighting someone new.
Result - Ziggler wins
2. Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the United States Championship
Again, a bit of a go nowhere feud between these two. Sheamus hasn't had a title match since Payback and hasn't done that much with it between then. It could very well be a repeat of Payback and Sheamus will win.
Result - Sheamus wins
3. Mark Henry vs. Rusev
Big E couldn't do it, despite all our hopes Jack Swagger couldn't do it, so will former Olympian Mark Henry do it? Usually I would say yes and then he loses to Rusev, but the fact that this feud main evented Raw last week means there could be something epic in this. Rusev has not lost a match in his WWE career yet, I would've thought "Real American" Jack Swagger would do it, but "Former Olympian who lost to a Russian" Mark Henry could have this as his redemption. I hope so, as then Mark Henry and Big Show can become the long overdue tag team we've waited for, but what will Rusev and Lana do after defeat?
Result - Mark Henry wins
4. The Usos vs. Goldust & Stardust for the Tag Team Championship
This has been an interesting feud between these two, both of which are brilliant tag teams. I don't mind that Goldust & Stardust are heels now, they're still unique, quirky and at times creepy duo, which makes them stand out and The Usos are just fun and great entertainers. Either team would be worthy winners, but I think it's due for a title change.
Result - Goldust & Stardust wins
5. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
This has come out of nowhere and for no reason than getting these two legends to fight on a PPV. That being said, it should be a great match as both have earnt the name "Legend". Plus I don't have a clear vision on who will win. Randy Orton hasn't had much luck in a while and Chris Jericho has had losses against the Wyatts, so both are due a win. If I had to choose, I'd give the edge to Orton, simply because he needs some Authority points.
Result - Randy Orton wins
6. Paige vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship
As I said on the SummerSlam predictions, I am a big fan of both AJ Lee and Paige, but I am not a fan of the Bellas, either of them. Especially after weeks of terrible promos proving neither of them are good actors and the fact that the Authority has added Nikki Bella into the match for no reason. Hopefully AJ & Paige will salvage the match and Brie will get Nikki out of the picture, but I think Nikki will win and AJ & Paige will join forces to against the Authority.
Result - Nikki Bella wins
7. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
At PPVs it's Brock vs Cena, at Raw, it's Heyman vs Cena. Not complaining about Paul Heyman, he's an excellent promoter and manager (sorry, advocate). But the fact that Brock Lesnar is a part-time wrestler and adds pretty much nothing to Raw, you wait for the PPVs as that's where he shines. However, with Brock being an occassional wrestler, I think this match will be Cena's redemption and put him on-par with Ric Flair's record of 16 times as world champion, then Lesnar will disappear and return when he's needed. So maybe, this will be a fairer, more dramatic fight than just Lesnar dominating like he did in his last 2 matches.
Result - John Cena wins
So here's the lowdown:
US title - Sheamus
Intercontential title - Dolph Ziggler
Tag Team title - Goldust & Stardust
Divas title - Nikki Bella
WWE World Heavyweight title - John Cena
Mark Henry defeats Rusev
Randy Orton defeats Chris Jericho
Monday, 1 September 2014
Film: Top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe Films
With Guardians of the Galaxy now film number 10 in the multi-million dollar franchise, I figure I would rank the 10 films in order of how good they are. Let's do this!
10. The Incredible Hulk
Although it is an enjoyable film, compared to the rest of the movies, it doesn't match the success of the others.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
Again, enjoyable to watch, but it was a little lackluster at times and felt more like an introduction piece for The Avengers rather than a stand-alone film.
8. Iron Man 2
The worse of the trilogy, but I still like this film, despite what the critics say. Tony Stark being Tony Stark, Scarlett Johansson as a kick-ass spy, Mickey Rourke as the baddie, lots of great stuff in this film!
7. Thor: The Dark World
This film suffered from a forgetable villain, very little use of Loki and scientific mumbo-jumbo. However, the main cast were brilliant and hold the film very well, plus it's set in London!
6. Iron Man 3
The de facto sequel to The Avengers definitely had epic qualities, especially in The Mandarin and Killian. However, Tony Stark wasn't the wise-cracking smart-alec we loved, no AC/DC and it didn't need to be Christmas based, but that's just nitpicking. Plus, I liked The Mandarin twist, even if the critics didn't!
5. Thor
I love this film, Chris Hemsworth was funny, Natalie Portman was adorably intelligent and Tom Hiddleston was just plain awesome. The "fish-out-of-water" scenario worked well and the subtle Avengers hints also give some sub-text. Plus, it works as a stand-alone film.
4. Iron Man
The film that started it all. The first 30 minutes of the film were brilliant, the rest of the film continues that trend. The chemistry of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow was sublime, Jeff Bridges played a brilliant villain and it had a good dollop of Marvel humour thrown in too.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The way better sequel that made Captain America cool! It had a spy feel to it, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson had surprisingly good chemistry, Anthony Mackie was enjoyable and the Shield/Hydra twist led the story into new grounds before Avengers 2.
2. Guardians of The Galaxy
The ultimate stand-alone movie, so stand-alone, no Avengers appeared at all. From Chris Pratt's comic timing, Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana's general bad-assery, "I am Groot", Dave Bautista's dry and funny delivery and the Awesome Mix Vol. 1, this is not only a brilliant Marvel movie, it's a brilliant film in general, filled with fun moments, dramatic moments and even a tear-jerker or two. The sequel can not come fast enough!
1. The Avengers
No surprises here! A film which brings 6 heroes from 5 movies together, kick as much butt as they can and eat shawarma together afterwards is just plain amazing. The best heroes against the best villain in an epic battle that was more than just visuals (take note Transformers) and brought the biggest laughs of any Marvel film. Bring on Age of Ultron!
10. The Incredible Hulk
Although it is an enjoyable film, compared to the rest of the movies, it doesn't match the success of the others.
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
Again, enjoyable to watch, but it was a little lackluster at times and felt more like an introduction piece for The Avengers rather than a stand-alone film.
8. Iron Man 2
The worse of the trilogy, but I still like this film, despite what the critics say. Tony Stark being Tony Stark, Scarlett Johansson as a kick-ass spy, Mickey Rourke as the baddie, lots of great stuff in this film!
7. Thor: The Dark World
This film suffered from a forgetable villain, very little use of Loki and scientific mumbo-jumbo. However, the main cast were brilliant and hold the film very well, plus it's set in London!
6. Iron Man 3
The de facto sequel to The Avengers definitely had epic qualities, especially in The Mandarin and Killian. However, Tony Stark wasn't the wise-cracking smart-alec we loved, no AC/DC and it didn't need to be Christmas based, but that's just nitpicking. Plus, I liked The Mandarin twist, even if the critics didn't!
5. Thor
I love this film, Chris Hemsworth was funny, Natalie Portman was adorably intelligent and Tom Hiddleston was just plain awesome. The "fish-out-of-water" scenario worked well and the subtle Avengers hints also give some sub-text. Plus, it works as a stand-alone film.
4. Iron Man
The film that started it all. The first 30 minutes of the film were brilliant, the rest of the film continues that trend. The chemistry of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow was sublime, Jeff Bridges played a brilliant villain and it had a good dollop of Marvel humour thrown in too.
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The way better sequel that made Captain America cool! It had a spy feel to it, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson had surprisingly good chemistry, Anthony Mackie was enjoyable and the Shield/Hydra twist led the story into new grounds before Avengers 2.
2. Guardians of The Galaxy
The ultimate stand-alone movie, so stand-alone, no Avengers appeared at all. From Chris Pratt's comic timing, Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana's general bad-assery, "I am Groot", Dave Bautista's dry and funny delivery and the Awesome Mix Vol. 1, this is not only a brilliant Marvel movie, it's a brilliant film in general, filled with fun moments, dramatic moments and even a tear-jerker or two. The sequel can not come fast enough!
1. The Avengers
No surprises here! A film which brings 6 heroes from 5 movies together, kick as much butt as they can and eat shawarma together afterwards is just plain amazing. The best heroes against the best villain in an epic battle that was more than just visuals (take note Transformers) and brought the biggest laughs of any Marvel film. Bring on Age of Ultron!
Sunday, 17 August 2014
WWE: SummerSlam 2014 Predictions
That's right, I'm doing wrestling predictions now! And I'm starting with the biggest event of the summer and possibly one of the biggest this year, SummerSlam! There are some big matches this year and after the amazing Battleground PPV last month, let's hope SummerSlam delivers.
1. Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
This is basically the Cena/Wyatt feud, but with a clear view of who is the good guy and the bad guy. Since Jericho came back after Money In The Bank, it's all been about his feud with the Wyatt Family. Battleground's match could have been match of the night, but it failed to deliver, but with Harper and Rowan banned from ringside, this will be a true test of strength and could bring some drama to proceedings.
Result: Bray Wyatt
2. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
This has been the match we've been waiting for since Payback, this feud has given us some entertaining moments (Ambrose in a gift box, for example) and could be an unforgetable match. The only concern could be the fact it's a Lumberjack match, I understand that it's so no one can escape, but a steel cage would do that just fine, no need to bring more people into this. Lumberjacks aside, it'll be great seeing Ambrose going nuts and beating the hell out of Rollins!
Result: Dean Ambrose
3. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
One of three title matches on the card. The Miz's whole Moneymaker thing is annoying, but I assume that's the point. However, this could be the moment the WWE Universe has waited for and Ziggler will get the push fans have been screaming out for, that being said, it could be a massive "middle-finger" to fans like it was at Battleground. In this match I hope for two things, Ziggler winning and the Moneymaker getting broke!
Result: Dolph Ziggler
4. AJ Lee vs. Paige
The second title match of the evening. I am a fan of both AJ and Paige and the "frenemy" thing is a nice touch, but it's a shame that Paige has now become one of two Divas stereotypes, the crazy girl (the other being the pretty air-head). AJ Lee is Queen Crazy and is good at it, but Paige didn't need to be crazy too. That aside, I just hope both of them actually give us a match and actually try to beat one another, but there's only one way this match will go.
Result: AJ Lee
5. Jack Swagger vs. Rusev
This is my personal favourite feud right now. You've got two non-chatty behemoths being represented by a Yosemite Sam look-a-like and an annoying, albeit attractive woman. After an anticlimatic end to their Battleground match, this time it's a Flag Match, which is basically a way of Swagger winning without having to pin or submit Rusev. And admit it, part of you just wants to see Lana go crazy and scream at Rusev when he loses!
Result: Jack Swagger
6. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
A favourite to be match of the night. Both of these men are arguably the top dogs of WWE right now (sorry Cena & Lesnar!) and despite what you think of Orton, he is a good wrestler, he just needs to drop the "Face of WWE" gimmick. And of course the Shield's Powerhouse has been unstoppable since the Hounds of Justice went their separate ways, weird to think Rollins' choice to break up The Shield worked out better for Reigns than himself! This could be the makings of a traditional and awesome match that could see the winner catapult themself to a title shot.
Result: Roman Reigns
7. Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon
Can't get Daniel Bryan? Get his wife instead! The whole "Brie quitting WWE" thing was shelved for a while, but it came back with a bite after Battleground and Stephanie's arrest. A truly brilliant feud, though it could have been done with less police and legal talk (who knew slapping someone was an arrestable offense?) The only issue is that I don't think this match will even happen. The last two matches Stephanie was meant to have never happened and I don't think this one will either. But if it does, Stephanie will find a way to win and thus continue the reign of the Authority.
Result: No Match
8. John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
The third and biggest title match of them all! Cena has been on a roll since winning at Money In The Bank and Lesnar did the impossible at Wrestlemania. But there are two different outcomes after this match: If Cena wins, Lesnar will disappear and won't come back for a while, if Lesnar wins, he becomes one of the biggest names in WWE history as winning the title will be the icing on the cake after beating the Undertaker and Cena will face him at Night of Champions where he will lose and Cena continues his reign. It's just a question of how big do the WWE want Lesnar to be?
Result: Brock Lesnar
Come back soon as I'll review the whole night and next month's PPV.
1. Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
This is basically the Cena/Wyatt feud, but with a clear view of who is the good guy and the bad guy. Since Jericho came back after Money In The Bank, it's all been about his feud with the Wyatt Family. Battleground's match could have been match of the night, but it failed to deliver, but with Harper and Rowan banned from ringside, this will be a true test of strength and could bring some drama to proceedings.
Result: Bray Wyatt
2. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
This has been the match we've been waiting for since Payback, this feud has given us some entertaining moments (Ambrose in a gift box, for example) and could be an unforgetable match. The only concern could be the fact it's a Lumberjack match, I understand that it's so no one can escape, but a steel cage would do that just fine, no need to bring more people into this. Lumberjacks aside, it'll be great seeing Ambrose going nuts and beating the hell out of Rollins!
Result: Dean Ambrose
3. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
One of three title matches on the card. The Miz's whole Moneymaker thing is annoying, but I assume that's the point. However, this could be the moment the WWE Universe has waited for and Ziggler will get the push fans have been screaming out for, that being said, it could be a massive "middle-finger" to fans like it was at Battleground. In this match I hope for two things, Ziggler winning and the Moneymaker getting broke!
Result: Dolph Ziggler
4. AJ Lee vs. Paige
The second title match of the evening. I am a fan of both AJ and Paige and the "frenemy" thing is a nice touch, but it's a shame that Paige has now become one of two Divas stereotypes, the crazy girl (the other being the pretty air-head). AJ Lee is Queen Crazy and is good at it, but Paige didn't need to be crazy too. That aside, I just hope both of them actually give us a match and actually try to beat one another, but there's only one way this match will go.
Result: AJ Lee
5. Jack Swagger vs. Rusev
This is my personal favourite feud right now. You've got two non-chatty behemoths being represented by a Yosemite Sam look-a-like and an annoying, albeit attractive woman. After an anticlimatic end to their Battleground match, this time it's a Flag Match, which is basically a way of Swagger winning without having to pin or submit Rusev. And admit it, part of you just wants to see Lana go crazy and scream at Rusev when he loses!
Result: Jack Swagger
6. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
A favourite to be match of the night. Both of these men are arguably the top dogs of WWE right now (sorry Cena & Lesnar!) and despite what you think of Orton, he is a good wrestler, he just needs to drop the "Face of WWE" gimmick. And of course the Shield's Powerhouse has been unstoppable since the Hounds of Justice went their separate ways, weird to think Rollins' choice to break up The Shield worked out better for Reigns than himself! This could be the makings of a traditional and awesome match that could see the winner catapult themself to a title shot.
Result: Roman Reigns
7. Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon
Can't get Daniel Bryan? Get his wife instead! The whole "Brie quitting WWE" thing was shelved for a while, but it came back with a bite after Battleground and Stephanie's arrest. A truly brilliant feud, though it could have been done with less police and legal talk (who knew slapping someone was an arrestable offense?) The only issue is that I don't think this match will even happen. The last two matches Stephanie was meant to have never happened and I don't think this one will either. But if it does, Stephanie will find a way to win and thus continue the reign of the Authority.
Result: No Match
8. John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
The third and biggest title match of them all! Cena has been on a roll since winning at Money In The Bank and Lesnar did the impossible at Wrestlemania. But there are two different outcomes after this match: If Cena wins, Lesnar will disappear and won't come back for a while, if Lesnar wins, he becomes one of the biggest names in WWE history as winning the title will be the icing on the cake after beating the Undertaker and Cena will face him at Night of Champions where he will lose and Cena continues his reign. It's just a question of how big do the WWE want Lesnar to be?
Result: Brock Lesnar
Come back soon as I'll review the whole night and next month's PPV.
Sunday, 20 July 2014
TV: Emmy Nominations 2014 (Comedy)
Continuing a nobel tradition for the third year running, it's time to dissect this year's Emmy Comedy nominations. As usual, I'll just focus on the acting awards and the Best Comedy Award.
Best Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Louie
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
Silicon Valley
Veep
Two brand new series are up for the big prize this year, Orange is The New Black is one of my favourite shows at the moment and I would love for it to get some Emmy love, but this is just for the first season, I think it'll get much more love next year. After four straight years of wins, I don't think Modern Family will make it a fifth, although I think it has got a bit better this season than last, it might be time for a new king of comedy. Personally, I'd go with The Big Bang Theory, but that's me. I think it's a tie between the veteran Modern Family and the plucky upstart Orange Is The New Black.
Best Lead Actor
Louis C.K - Louie
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Ricky Gervais - Derek
Matt Le Blanc - Episodes
William H. Macy - Shameless
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
I 'm happy that Ricky Gervais and Matt Le Blanc have nominations in this category... shocked but happy. Gervais expanded his acting range as the loveable Derek and Matt Le Blanc is just awesome as himself in Episodes. My personal opinion would be to just give it to Parsons again, but I think it's a tie between him and Gervais for this award.
Best Lead Actress
Lena Dunham - Girls
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Melissa McCarthy - Mike & Molly
Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation
Taylor Schilling - Orange Is The New Black
Lots of heavy hitters in this category. Very happy that Taylor Schilling has a nomination, but compared to the rest of the list, she is definitely the underdog. Based on past experiences, I'd say Louis-Dreyfus is favourite, but this is definitely the most open field of the awards. Though I want Schilling to win!
Best Supporting Actor
Fred Armisen - Portlandia
Andre Braugher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Adam Driver - Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family
Tony Hale - Veep
Only two of the Modern Family gang are in this category, and the right two in my opinion. Although I would love to see Ferguson win as Burrell won one three years ago, I think neither of the MF gang will win. Although I have never seen either of the shows, I think it's between Hale, Armisen and Braugher.
Best Supporting Actress
Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky - Veep
Allison Janney - Mom
Kate McKinnon - Saturday Night Live
Kate Mulgrew - Orange Is The New Black
Like the Lead Actress category, there are a lot of big names on this list and like her co-star, Kate Mulgrew is the underdog. However, her portrayal of Red in OITNB is brilliant and definitely deserves some recognition as her other co-star Lorraine Toussiant (Vee) is firm favourite to sweep the Emmys in 2015. And of course I want either Bialik or Bowen to win, but I think the smart money should be on Mulgrew to take the prize.
Best Guest Actor
Steve Buscemi - Portlandia
Louis C.K - Saturday Night Live
Gary Cole - Veep
Jimmy Fallon - Saturday Night Live
Nathan Lane - Modern Family
Bob Newhart - The Big Bang Theory
First of all, I am disappointed that James Earl Jones is not on this list. I loved his appearance on the Big Bang Theory and thought it was an Emmy contender, but Bob Newhart is on the list, so I will give them some credit. While I do like Jimmy Fallon, Nathan Lane was great in Modern Family as the crazed wedding planner/Gay BFF Pepper, so I would give it to him, though I think it'll go to Newhart again.
Best Guest Actress
Uzo Aduba - Orange Is The New Black
Laverne Cox - Orange Is The New Black
Joan Cusack - Shameless
Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live
Natasha Lyonne - Orange Is The New Black
Melissa McCarthy - Saturday Night Live
Why are three of the OITNB cast are on this list confuses me as they all appeared in more than one episode? Looking past that, there are some good choices on this list. I do like both Lyonne and Cox, but Aduba should and will win this award. Possible OITNB nominees for next year should be Yael Stone and Samira Wiley as Morello and Poussey respectively as they really shone in season 2.
Who I think SHOULD win:
Best Comedy Series: Orange Is The New Black
Best Lead Actor: Matt Le Blanc
Best Lead Actress: Taylor Schilling
Best Supporting Actor: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Mulgrew
Best Guest Actor: Nathan Lane
Best Guest Acress: Uzo Aduba
Who I think WILL win:
Best Comedy Series: Modern Family
Best Lead Actor: Jim Parsons
Best Lead Actress: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Best Supporting Actor: Tony Hale
Best Supporting Actress: Julie Bowen/Kate Mulgrew
Best Guest Actor: Bob Newhart
Best Supporting Actress: Uzo Aduba
Best Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Louie
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
Silicon Valley
Veep
Two brand new series are up for the big prize this year, Orange is The New Black is one of my favourite shows at the moment and I would love for it to get some Emmy love, but this is just for the first season, I think it'll get much more love next year. After four straight years of wins, I don't think Modern Family will make it a fifth, although I think it has got a bit better this season than last, it might be time for a new king of comedy. Personally, I'd go with The Big Bang Theory, but that's me. I think it's a tie between the veteran Modern Family and the plucky upstart Orange Is The New Black.
Best Lead Actor
Louis C.K - Louie
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Ricky Gervais - Derek
Matt Le Blanc - Episodes
William H. Macy - Shameless
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
I 'm happy that Ricky Gervais and Matt Le Blanc have nominations in this category... shocked but happy. Gervais expanded his acting range as the loveable Derek and Matt Le Blanc is just awesome as himself in Episodes. My personal opinion would be to just give it to Parsons again, but I think it's a tie between him and Gervais for this award.
Best Lead Actress
Lena Dunham - Girls
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Melissa McCarthy - Mike & Molly
Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation
Taylor Schilling - Orange Is The New Black
Lots of heavy hitters in this category. Very happy that Taylor Schilling has a nomination, but compared to the rest of the list, she is definitely the underdog. Based on past experiences, I'd say Louis-Dreyfus is favourite, but this is definitely the most open field of the awards. Though I want Schilling to win!
Best Supporting Actor
Fred Armisen - Portlandia
Andre Braugher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Adam Driver - Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family
Tony Hale - Veep
Only two of the Modern Family gang are in this category, and the right two in my opinion. Although I would love to see Ferguson win as Burrell won one three years ago, I think neither of the MF gang will win. Although I have never seen either of the shows, I think it's between Hale, Armisen and Braugher.
Best Supporting Actress
Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky - Veep
Allison Janney - Mom
Kate McKinnon - Saturday Night Live
Kate Mulgrew - Orange Is The New Black
Like the Lead Actress category, there are a lot of big names on this list and like her co-star, Kate Mulgrew is the underdog. However, her portrayal of Red in OITNB is brilliant and definitely deserves some recognition as her other co-star Lorraine Toussiant (Vee) is firm favourite to sweep the Emmys in 2015. And of course I want either Bialik or Bowen to win, but I think the smart money should be on Mulgrew to take the prize.
Best Guest Actor
Steve Buscemi - Portlandia
Louis C.K - Saturday Night Live
Gary Cole - Veep
Jimmy Fallon - Saturday Night Live
Nathan Lane - Modern Family
Bob Newhart - The Big Bang Theory
First of all, I am disappointed that James Earl Jones is not on this list. I loved his appearance on the Big Bang Theory and thought it was an Emmy contender, but Bob Newhart is on the list, so I will give them some credit. While I do like Jimmy Fallon, Nathan Lane was great in Modern Family as the crazed wedding planner/Gay BFF Pepper, so I would give it to him, though I think it'll go to Newhart again.
Best Guest Actress
Uzo Aduba - Orange Is The New Black
Laverne Cox - Orange Is The New Black
Joan Cusack - Shameless
Tina Fey - Saturday Night Live
Natasha Lyonne - Orange Is The New Black
Melissa McCarthy - Saturday Night Live
Why are three of the OITNB cast are on this list confuses me as they all appeared in more than one episode? Looking past that, there are some good choices on this list. I do like both Lyonne and Cox, but Aduba should and will win this award. Possible OITNB nominees for next year should be Yael Stone and Samira Wiley as Morello and Poussey respectively as they really shone in season 2.
Who I think SHOULD win:
Best Comedy Series: Orange Is The New Black
Best Lead Actor: Matt Le Blanc
Best Lead Actress: Taylor Schilling
Best Supporting Actor: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Mulgrew
Best Guest Actor: Nathan Lane
Best Guest Acress: Uzo Aduba
Who I think WILL win:
Best Comedy Series: Modern Family
Best Lead Actor: Jim Parsons
Best Lead Actress: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Best Supporting Actor: Tony Hale
Best Supporting Actress: Julie Bowen/Kate Mulgrew
Best Guest Actor: Bob Newhart
Best Supporting Actress: Uzo Aduba
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
TV: Under The Dome
This is the biggest drama of the summer in the US and it came to UK shores last night and I decided to watch it.
It's an adaptation of Stephen King's book of the same name, where a small town tries to survive when a mysterious dome falls down on to it sectioning them from the rest of the world.
This show has miles of intrigue and questions, the main one being "who put the dome there and why?" which will keep viewers watching week after week. There are some interesting casting choices too, mainly Jeff Fahey (Lost) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).
Two issues I have with this show, mainly with the format, rather than the story. My first issue is that this would be a lot better as a movie or trilogy as 13 weeks of the same people in the same area will get rather boring, you can't do what Lost did and add new people at random and assume they were there the whole time.
The second issue is the network it's on in America (this doesn't concern UK viewers), in the US, this is being broadcast on CBS, one of the four biggest networks in the country and network TV today can't do drama well, especially with Homeland, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, etc. dominating the cable networks. No network TV drama has been nominated for an Emmy for 2 years now because cable TV dramas break barriers, do more daring things and haven't got as many executives trying to water down any crazy original ideas that writers may have. Under The Dome has potential to shock audiences with twists and turns, but with it being run by a major network and with it being an adaptation, I just hope higher powers won't ruin it and make it predictable.
Bottom line: A great idea, great concept, impressive first episode, keep it going and keep the audience guessing!
It's an adaptation of Stephen King's book of the same name, where a small town tries to survive when a mysterious dome falls down on to it sectioning them from the rest of the world.
This show has miles of intrigue and questions, the main one being "who put the dome there and why?" which will keep viewers watching week after week. There are some interesting casting choices too, mainly Jeff Fahey (Lost) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).
Two issues I have with this show, mainly with the format, rather than the story. My first issue is that this would be a lot better as a movie or trilogy as 13 weeks of the same people in the same area will get rather boring, you can't do what Lost did and add new people at random and assume they were there the whole time.
The second issue is the network it's on in America (this doesn't concern UK viewers), in the US, this is being broadcast on CBS, one of the four biggest networks in the country and network TV today can't do drama well, especially with Homeland, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, etc. dominating the cable networks. No network TV drama has been nominated for an Emmy for 2 years now because cable TV dramas break barriers, do more daring things and haven't got as many executives trying to water down any crazy original ideas that writers may have. Under The Dome has potential to shock audiences with twists and turns, but with it being run by a major network and with it being an adaptation, I just hope higher powers won't ruin it and make it predictable.
Bottom line: A great idea, great concept, impressive first episode, keep it going and keep the audience guessing!
Thursday, 8 August 2013
TV: My Guide To 2013-14 US Comedies
As you may or may not know, my life revolves around US comedies, I know what works and what doesn't, though my opinions and interests sometimes differ from the norm. I've watched a load of promos for the new US comedies on Youtube and I am gonna help you work out which ones to watch, avoid or give a chance.
MUST WATCH:
We Are Men: 4 divorced guys living in a bachelor apartment building trying to get back in the dating world. I was skeptical, but this actually looks entertaining, Tony Shaloub is the star of this show and it does have a certain charm to it as well!
Dads: Two guys trying to cope with their elderly, crazy fathers. Again, this surprised me and I know some people will hate this show, but Seth Green & Giovanni Ribisi are the stars and I do like both of them. There are some decent gags in this show and I will definitely be watching it.
The Crazy Ones: A dad and daughter run an ad agency. First of all, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar are in it, that's already great, but this one has heart as well as laughs. Think a funny version of Mad Men. One to watch especially for the star value.
The Michael J. Fox Show: A news reporter returns to TV after battling Parkinson's Disease, partly based on Fox's own life. Another show to watch for the star value, Back To The Future is one of my favourite films and I am glad Michael J Fox is back on TV. The show is quite heart-warming and entertaining simply because of Fox.
MUST AVOID:
The Millers: This is being billed as CBS's big new comedy, though I think it falls on its face as it's full of cliches and annoying characters. I do like Will Arnett, because of Arrested Development, so it is a shame he's doing this.
Trophy Wife: All Modern Family fans should avoid this show as it's a lame attempt to be like it, even Modern Family today is still better than this.
The Goldbergs: It's basically an excuse to appeal to the 80's kids, it doesn't appeal or impress me that much.
GIVE IT A CHANCE:
Mom: A waitress tries to cope with raising her two kids and her mother. This is definitely a show which is on the fence for me. I do grow tired of the whole "blame the parents" bits on comedies nowadays, but Anna Faris & Allison Janney are good in this, so give it chance.
Surviving Jack: A father tries to help raise his kids. This does have legs, but like with The Goldbergs, this tries to appeal to a certain era, I'd give it a chance as 90's culture is starting to get popular and this had more of a drive to it.
Us & Them: Two people from different walks of life meet and fall in love. I know this is the "Gavin & Stacey" remake, but I think this looks really good and it should at least be given a chance.
I know I haven't gotten to all the new US comedies as there are a lot of them, but these were the ones that stood out for whatever reason. If you live in the USA, hope this helps. Anyway else, if they make it to Comedy Central or E4, you know they are good!
MUST WATCH:
We Are Men: 4 divorced guys living in a bachelor apartment building trying to get back in the dating world. I was skeptical, but this actually looks entertaining, Tony Shaloub is the star of this show and it does have a certain charm to it as well!
Dads: Two guys trying to cope with their elderly, crazy fathers. Again, this surprised me and I know some people will hate this show, but Seth Green & Giovanni Ribisi are the stars and I do like both of them. There are some decent gags in this show and I will definitely be watching it.
The Crazy Ones: A dad and daughter run an ad agency. First of all, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar are in it, that's already great, but this one has heart as well as laughs. Think a funny version of Mad Men. One to watch especially for the star value.
The Michael J. Fox Show: A news reporter returns to TV after battling Parkinson's Disease, partly based on Fox's own life. Another show to watch for the star value, Back To The Future is one of my favourite films and I am glad Michael J Fox is back on TV. The show is quite heart-warming and entertaining simply because of Fox.
MUST AVOID:
The Millers: This is being billed as CBS's big new comedy, though I think it falls on its face as it's full of cliches and annoying characters. I do like Will Arnett, because of Arrested Development, so it is a shame he's doing this.
Trophy Wife: All Modern Family fans should avoid this show as it's a lame attempt to be like it, even Modern Family today is still better than this.
The Goldbergs: It's basically an excuse to appeal to the 80's kids, it doesn't appeal or impress me that much.
GIVE IT A CHANCE:
Mom: A waitress tries to cope with raising her two kids and her mother. This is definitely a show which is on the fence for me. I do grow tired of the whole "blame the parents" bits on comedies nowadays, but Anna Faris & Allison Janney are good in this, so give it chance.
Surviving Jack: A father tries to help raise his kids. This does have legs, but like with The Goldbergs, this tries to appeal to a certain era, I'd give it a chance as 90's culture is starting to get popular and this had more of a drive to it.
Us & Them: Two people from different walks of life meet and fall in love. I know this is the "Gavin & Stacey" remake, but I think this looks really good and it should at least be given a chance.
I know I haven't gotten to all the new US comedies as there are a lot of them, but these were the ones that stood out for whatever reason. If you live in the USA, hope this helps. Anyway else, if they make it to Comedy Central or E4, you know they are good!
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Film: The World's End
Been a while since I did a proper film review, so I thought I's start up with the third film in the Cornetto Trilogy: The World's End.
The film is 5 childhood friends reuniting to attempt their hometown's "golden mile", basically a pub crawl, how very British! However, their town has been taken over by blue blooded robots and while 4 of the friends want to leave the town, one of them (Simon Pegg's character) wants to stay and finish the crawl as they failed the first time.
This film is about as British as it comes, usually that was be an offensive remark in my eyes as Britain doesn't come across well in movies, we're either bad guys in Hollywood or chavs and gangsters in London. This film is about 5 average guys doing something considered a British thing, never heard of pub crawls in the US. The film is also in some way a coming-of-age film, especially for Gary (Pegg) who still acts the same as he did when he was a teenager, though his friends have grown up and had lives and that itself is quite an interesting topic, also the fact that Pegg and Frost's characters hate each other is a nice twist as they are always buddies in the previous films and Paul, the alien comedy.
The film, like the other two, have laughs aplenty, mainly from Pegg, which is a change as Frost had the great lines in Hot Fuzz. Most of the stuff is silly but that's what I love and there are a few clever jokes thrown in for good measure. The story itself is quite good too, the transition from buddy comedy to sci-fi action movie is very quick and the characters are surprisingly very good at hand-to-hand combat, though I don't want to dwell on technical things like that!
SPOILERS BELOW!!
The ending really surprised me, mainly because everything works out in the previous two films and they all live happily ever after, but it's not the case with this film. Two of the five characters die and the world effectively ends sending everyone into the "dark ages". Though the characters have some form of happy ending, it's not the ideal "Hollywood" style ending, but then again, this is a very British film!!
What did you think of "The World's End"?
The film is 5 childhood friends reuniting to attempt their hometown's "golden mile", basically a pub crawl, how very British! However, their town has been taken over by blue blooded robots and while 4 of the friends want to leave the town, one of them (Simon Pegg's character) wants to stay and finish the crawl as they failed the first time.
This film is about as British as it comes, usually that was be an offensive remark in my eyes as Britain doesn't come across well in movies, we're either bad guys in Hollywood or chavs and gangsters in London. This film is about 5 average guys doing something considered a British thing, never heard of pub crawls in the US. The film is also in some way a coming-of-age film, especially for Gary (Pegg) who still acts the same as he did when he was a teenager, though his friends have grown up and had lives and that itself is quite an interesting topic, also the fact that Pegg and Frost's characters hate each other is a nice twist as they are always buddies in the previous films and Paul, the alien comedy.
The film, like the other two, have laughs aplenty, mainly from Pegg, which is a change as Frost had the great lines in Hot Fuzz. Most of the stuff is silly but that's what I love and there are a few clever jokes thrown in for good measure. The story itself is quite good too, the transition from buddy comedy to sci-fi action movie is very quick and the characters are surprisingly very good at hand-to-hand combat, though I don't want to dwell on technical things like that!
SPOILERS BELOW!!
The ending really surprised me, mainly because everything works out in the previous two films and they all live happily ever after, but it's not the case with this film. Two of the five characters die and the world effectively ends sending everyone into the "dark ages". Though the characters have some form of happy ending, it's not the ideal "Hollywood" style ending, but then again, this is a very British film!!
What did you think of "The World's End"?
Friday, 26 July 2013
Film: The Disney/Pixar Films Ranked!
Last week I watched the latest offering from Pixar: Monsters University. Instead of just yammering on about it, I thought I would talk a little about all of them and rank them in order of how good I think they are, seeing as I've grown up with all these movies and I feel some are far better than others.
14. Cars 2
Many people considered this film to be a step back for Pixar and I agree, although you've got Michael Caine in it, it's by far the worse offering Pixar has given us.
13. Brave
After a series of critically acclaimed films, Pixar had a tough job topping that with an original story. The trailers suggested a "Hunger Games" style story with a ginger Scottish girl dominating over the boys, however it wasn't the case. It was a heart-felt story, but nothing we haven't seen before.
12. Cars
Of course this was better than the sequel, but this film didn't feel like there was a story behind it. The talking cars is of course a novelty, but it wares off when you realise it's a coming-of-age story with no real (forgive the pun) drive.
11. Ratatouille
A lot of people really love this film, but I never really got into it. Not as heart-felt as previous films and it didn't have as much backing as other Pixar films may have had.
10. A Bug's Life
A forgotten gem in the Pixar history. While I like this film with it's drama, emotion and laughs, it may have been released before its time. If they released the first 2 Toy Story films back to back and left Bug's Life a few years, it would've been a bigger classic than the film most of us forget.
9. Toy Story 2
A surprisingly low rank for the second in one of the best trilogies of all time, but when you compare with other Pixar offerings, this film doesn't match up. I love all the Toy Story films equally when put together, but this is competing with classics and there are better stories told in the world of Pixar.
8. Monsters Inc.
That's right, I think the sequel was better, only just though. Monsters Inc provides emotion, mainly from the Sulley/Boo relationship and Mike brings the laughs. While emotion was high, laughs weren't as high, which is why the sequel was better.
7. Monsters University
I told you the sequel was only just better. After the first film focused on Sulley and Mike was there as the funny guy, it was nice to flesh out Mike in this film, see his history and realise how much of a jock Sulley was at college. This film provided laughs a plenty and while emotion wasn't as high as Inc, the laughs were high enough to carry this film.
6. The Incredibles
The best of the mediocre Pixar films. It was the first to have main human characters, the drama was through the roof and it felt the most "real" out of all of the Pixar films. Granted the comedy was sparse in this film, but it was saved by Edna "E" Mode.
5. Toy Story
The film that started it all. Not only a technological triumph, but an all-round great family film. Great story, great voice acting and to this day, still watchable for all ages. When I'm older, I will make my kids watch this and they will love it (or I will force them to love it!)
4. Finding Nemo
I defy anyone not to cry or be on the edge of their seat during the opening scene of this film. Again, less on the laughs, more of the the emotion, but you really get a sense that the journey Marlin & Dory take is incredible and as a child, it's the first adventure film you will watch and be impressed with the journey these characters took.
3. Up
A life-long love story told in 10 minutes without a word being said and it will make you cry, the magic of Pixar. This film has everything, you've got the emotion, you have the drama and you have the laughs. You can watch this film again and again and never get tired of seeing this beautiful story.
2. Wall-E
The story of the world's most adorable robot. This film has very few words spoken, especially in the first half, but it doesn't defer from an beautiful story of robot love and an important message about global warming, it keeps everyone happy!
1. Toy Story 3
The timeless classic that proves not all sequels are bad. Regardless of whether you grew up with Woody and the gang or just meeting them for the first time, this film truly has it all, from Buzz's Spanish alter-ego to Andy's heart-wrenching goodbye, I'll admit I was even crying at the end of that, this film is perfect, not only the best Pixar film, but one of the greatest films of all time.
Do you agree with that ranking? Is Toy Story 3 the best Disney/Pixar film of all or is there there one better?
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
News: Emmy Nominations 2013 (Comedy)
My views on last year's Emmys were so popular, I thought why not look at this year's batch.
Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Veep
My views remain the same as last year, not a strong year for Modern Family, Big Bang should win it for once!
Best Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - Arrested Development
Louis C.K. - Louie
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Matt Le Blanc - Episodes
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
While I am a TBBT fan, I'm happy Matt Le Blanc & Jason Bateman have received nominations, either them or Parsons and I'm happy.
Best Comedy Actress
Laura Dern - Enlightened
Lena Dunham - Girls
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation
I am not a avid watcher of any of these shows, though I predict either Lena Dunham or Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning
Best Supporting Actor
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Adam Driver - Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family
Bill Hader - Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale - Veep
Ed O'Neill - Modern Family
It'll be another Modern Family win, I want Ed O'Neill to win this year, though I suspect Ty Burrell will win this year.
Best Supporting Actress
Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky - Veep
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Jane Lynch - Glee
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Merritt Wever - Nurse Jackie
Julie Bowen has won this 2 years in a row, either Sofia Vergara or Mayim Bialik should wi n it this year, though I do like Jane Lynch.
Best Guest Actor
Bobby Cannavale - Nurse Jackie
Louie C.K. - Saturday Night Live
Will Forte - 30 Rock
Nathan Lane - Modern Family
Bob Newhart - The Big Bang Theory
Justin Timberlake - Saturday Night Live
Hard to believe Justin Timberlake & Bob Newhart are in the same category, though I would like either of them to win, more Newhart than Timberlake though!
Best Guest Actress
Dot-Marie Jones - Glee
Mellisa Leo - Louie
Mellisa McCarthy - Saturday Night Live
Molly Shannon - Enlightened
Elaine Stritch - 30 Rock
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live
Mellisa McCarthy wins everything, so it'll be her, simple as that!
Do you agree/disagree with any opinions?
Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Veep
My views remain the same as last year, not a strong year for Modern Family, Big Bang should win it for once!
Best Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - Arrested Development
Louis C.K. - Louie
Don Cheadle - House of Lies
Matt Le Blanc - Episodes
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
While I am a TBBT fan, I'm happy Matt Le Blanc & Jason Bateman have received nominations, either them or Parsons and I'm happy.
Best Comedy Actress
Laura Dern - Enlightened
Lena Dunham - Girls
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation
I am not a avid watcher of any of these shows, though I predict either Lena Dunham or Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning
Best Supporting Actor
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Adam Driver - Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family
Bill Hader - Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale - Veep
Ed O'Neill - Modern Family
It'll be another Modern Family win, I want Ed O'Neill to win this year, though I suspect Ty Burrell will win this year.
Best Supporting Actress
Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen - Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky - Veep
Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Jane Lynch - Glee
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Merritt Wever - Nurse Jackie
Julie Bowen has won this 2 years in a row, either Sofia Vergara or Mayim Bialik should wi n it this year, though I do like Jane Lynch.
Best Guest Actor
Bobby Cannavale - Nurse Jackie
Louie C.K. - Saturday Night Live
Will Forte - 30 Rock
Nathan Lane - Modern Family
Bob Newhart - The Big Bang Theory
Justin Timberlake - Saturday Night Live
Hard to believe Justin Timberlake & Bob Newhart are in the same category, though I would like either of them to win, more Newhart than Timberlake though!
Best Guest Actress
Dot-Marie Jones - Glee
Mellisa Leo - Louie
Mellisa McCarthy - Saturday Night Live
Molly Shannon - Enlightened
Elaine Stritch - 30 Rock
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live
Mellisa McCarthy wins everything, so it'll be her, simple as that!
Do you agree/disagree with any opinions?
Friday, 5 April 2013
TV: Chuck
Continuing on with the theme of US TV drama, now time for something a bit more light-hearted, the recently ended comedy-drama Chuck.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Chuck is a show about a nerdy guy, called Chuck, who is sent an email with government secrets on it which are now inside his brain. A result of this is, he has "flashes" of information about various secrets and bad guys and he is also monitored by Sarah Walker, a CIA agent, and John Casey, a NSA agent, who use him in missions and must keep the secrets in his head secret from everyone, including his family and friends.
This is easily one of my all time favourite shows, simply for its light-heartedness, comedy and storyline. What sets Chuck aside from other shows is that it dabbles in both comedy and drama almost seamlessly; you have Chuck, Sarah and Casey in fast-paced, high tension spy drama, then you have Morgan (Chuck's best friend) and company in the Buy More (where Chuck and Morgan work) getting involved in situations that border on farce, all in one episode and sometimes the two stories collide.
What is brilliant about the show is the love story between Chuck and Sarah, in the early days, you could feel sorry for Chuck as he was fighting a losing battle for Sarah's affections, especially as they had to pretend to be a couple, but you soon see how much she cares for him and the episode where she says "I love you" to Chuck is easily my favourite episode. My favourite character is Morgan, simply because he's a big kid, he can't take responsibility for himself, he's a slacker, but he's the most loyal friend anyone could wish for and he sticks by Chuck no matter what. Then there's Jeffster, the duo you can't not hate, their singing performances in later seasons are just brilliant to watch, even if the characters hate it!
Overall, Chuck is a show which geeks and nerds still love and many shed a tear that it isn't on anymore (including myself), but with rumours of a film in the near future, you can't help but think that the world's favourite nerd herder may just come back to the spy game once more!
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Chuck is a show about a nerdy guy, called Chuck, who is sent an email with government secrets on it which are now inside his brain. A result of this is, he has "flashes" of information about various secrets and bad guys and he is also monitored by Sarah Walker, a CIA agent, and John Casey, a NSA agent, who use him in missions and must keep the secrets in his head secret from everyone, including his family and friends.
This is easily one of my all time favourite shows, simply for its light-heartedness, comedy and storyline. What sets Chuck aside from other shows is that it dabbles in both comedy and drama almost seamlessly; you have Chuck, Sarah and Casey in fast-paced, high tension spy drama, then you have Morgan (Chuck's best friend) and company in the Buy More (where Chuck and Morgan work) getting involved in situations that border on farce, all in one episode and sometimes the two stories collide.
What is brilliant about the show is the love story between Chuck and Sarah, in the early days, you could feel sorry for Chuck as he was fighting a losing battle for Sarah's affections, especially as they had to pretend to be a couple, but you soon see how much she cares for him and the episode where she says "I love you" to Chuck is easily my favourite episode. My favourite character is Morgan, simply because he's a big kid, he can't take responsibility for himself, he's a slacker, but he's the most loyal friend anyone could wish for and he sticks by Chuck no matter what. Then there's Jeffster, the duo you can't not hate, their singing performances in later seasons are just brilliant to watch, even if the characters hate it!
Overall, Chuck is a show which geeks and nerds still love and many shed a tear that it isn't on anymore (including myself), but with rumours of a film in the near future, you can't help but think that the world's favourite nerd herder may just come back to the spy game once more!
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
TV: The Walking Dead
My first post in a while will be about my new favorite drama,, The Walking Dead. To those who don't know what it's about, it's set in a world where a pandemic has turned people into mindless "walkers" and a group of people lead by Georgia sheriff Rick Grimes attempt to survive not only against the walkers, but also anyone who threatens them in this new dog-eat-dog world.
What I love about this show is the premise, it's simple and effective. It doesn't try to be fancy or classy or cool, it is what it is and it is awesome. With a show like this, you expect the same people fighting zombies every week, but it isn't the case, they don't just fight zombies, especially in the recent third season. Every season has a new feel, new setting and new challenges for the group to face and every few episodes, a well-known or beloved character will see a bloody end, the question is always "Who will it be?" This aspect of the show keeps you on your toes as you never know who is next to die, a prime example is Lori, Rick's wife, who died early in the third season, no one saw this coming, it was a huge blow to everyone and really emphasised the point that no one is safe.
The characters are also well thought out, deep, complex individuals, two examples of this are The Governor, played incredibly by David Morrisey, a man who has lost everything due to the pandemic and Rick's group and as a result has become corrupt and evil. Another is the mysterious Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, whose actions speak louder than her words. You had no idea if she was good or bad and that made her interesting to see as her character develops. Another character to watch out for is Carl, Rick's son, as I think he'll play a big part in season 4 due to his desensitized nature.
My one concern about this show is how it ends each season, as it doesn't give you enough to make watch the next one. Seasons 2 and 3 had quite anti-climatic endings, which makes me concerned about how it will the end the whole show, as it may not give the audience what they want or expect. But it is only one fault in an other wise enjoyable show.
Overall, The Walking Dead is an interesting, well-presented piece of drama which shows no sign of slowing down.
What I love about this show is the premise, it's simple and effective. It doesn't try to be fancy or classy or cool, it is what it is and it is awesome. With a show like this, you expect the same people fighting zombies every week, but it isn't the case, they don't just fight zombies, especially in the recent third season. Every season has a new feel, new setting and new challenges for the group to face and every few episodes, a well-known or beloved character will see a bloody end, the question is always "Who will it be?" This aspect of the show keeps you on your toes as you never know who is next to die, a prime example is Lori, Rick's wife, who died early in the third season, no one saw this coming, it was a huge blow to everyone and really emphasised the point that no one is safe.
The characters are also well thought out, deep, complex individuals, two examples of this are The Governor, played incredibly by David Morrisey, a man who has lost everything due to the pandemic and Rick's group and as a result has become corrupt and evil. Another is the mysterious Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, whose actions speak louder than her words. You had no idea if she was good or bad and that made her interesting to see as her character develops. Another character to watch out for is Carl, Rick's son, as I think he'll play a big part in season 4 due to his desensitized nature.
My one concern about this show is how it ends each season, as it doesn't give you enough to make watch the next one. Seasons 2 and 3 had quite anti-climatic endings, which makes me concerned about how it will the end the whole show, as it may not give the audience what they want or expect. But it is only one fault in an other wise enjoyable show.
Overall, The Walking Dead is an interesting, well-presented piece of drama which shows no sign of slowing down.
Monday, 1 April 2013
News: I'm Back, Baby Doll!!
It's official, What In The World is coming back! After 7 months of silence, I am now ready to return to giving you all my take on news, TV, films and celebrities.
First of all, I am sorry I stopped in September, but it was around the time I went back to university and the work pretty much took over my life, so the blogging just stopped. But now all the coursework is done and all that's left is one exam and a work placement in the space of two months.
Secondly, there has been a lot going on and I may talk about that, as well as what happened in between September 2012 and now, so embrace it and enjoy it!
Expect the first post about my new favourite TV drama in the next few days!
First of all, I am sorry I stopped in September, but it was around the time I went back to university and the work pretty much took over my life, so the blogging just stopped. But now all the coursework is done and all that's left is one exam and a work placement in the space of two months.
Secondly, there has been a lot going on and I may talk about that, as well as what happened in between September 2012 and now, so embrace it and enjoy it!
Expect the first post about my new favourite TV drama in the next few days!
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
TV: Emmys 2012 Winners
Now a few weeks ago I posted my predictions for the comedy side of this year's Emmys and it became my most viewed post, so now the winners have been revealed, let's see how it matches up.
Best Comedy Series went to Modern Family, this is a great show and I love watching it, but their last season wasn't their best, I actually found The Big Bang Theory much funnier, but still it's a deserved win.
Best Lead Actor went to Jon Cryer in Two & A Half Men, now I was surprised by this as TAAHM usually gets ignored in the Emmys, despite Cryer being nominated for Supporting Actor year after year, but now he's playing with the big boys, he wins. I'm happy for Cryer, because he really shone in this season despite all the nonsense with Charlie Sheen and working alongside Ashton Kutcher, who I'm still on the fence with despite the one whole season he was in. Personally, I believe Jim Parsons should've won this award once again, but Jon Cryer is a close second.
Best Lead Actress went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep, I can't really comment too much about this as I don't watch the show, but I do have to commend Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) for getting a nomination as her character (Jess Day) is one of my favourite characters at the moment.
Best Supporting Actor went to Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family, seeing as Modern Family dominate this category it's no shock that one of them has won, but I'm surprised Stonestreet was the one winning it. My money was on either Ty Burrell or Ed O'Neill or even Max Greenfield in New Girl. But a win is a win and any Modern Family actor winning an award is good news, but I would love to see either Jesse Tyler Ferguson or Ed O'Neill win one.
Best Supporting Actress went to Julie Bowen in Modern Family, this is the first one I truly agree with as in one of my previous blogs, I reviewed the episode "Go Bullfrogs!" and I said this should the episode than Bowen gets her Emmy nomination with and it did and she won, her performance as the mother gone wild in this episode was brilliant and deserved the support. Next year, I want the kids to get a look in, either Sarah Hyland or Ariel Winter should get a nomination for Supporting Actress and Nolan Gould should definitely get one for Supporting Actor.
Best Guest Actor went to Jimmy Fallon in Saturday Night Live, once again a short comment about it. I only said Greg Kinnear should win because his performance was the only one I saw in the line up, but I imagine Fallon deserved his Emmy.
Finally Best Guest Actress went to Kathy Bates in Two & A Half Men, another definite winner in my book. I watched that performance and thought it couldn't get any more awesome, Kathy Bates as Charlie Harper, but it was a treat for the fans to see both Jon Cryer and Kathy Bates take on the iconic role, personally Cryer should've got the Emmy for his Charlie Harper impersonation, but it's good to know Charlie Sheen's meltdown managed to get TAAHM some Emmy respect.
So a few shock choices, a couple to be expected and rest were the right choices, so what will next year hold? Sit back and find out as the 2012-13 US TV season begins now!
Best Comedy Series went to Modern Family, this is a great show and I love watching it, but their last season wasn't their best, I actually found The Big Bang Theory much funnier, but still it's a deserved win.
Best Lead Actor went to Jon Cryer in Two & A Half Men, now I was surprised by this as TAAHM usually gets ignored in the Emmys, despite Cryer being nominated for Supporting Actor year after year, but now he's playing with the big boys, he wins. I'm happy for Cryer, because he really shone in this season despite all the nonsense with Charlie Sheen and working alongside Ashton Kutcher, who I'm still on the fence with despite the one whole season he was in. Personally, I believe Jim Parsons should've won this award once again, but Jon Cryer is a close second.
Best Lead Actress went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep, I can't really comment too much about this as I don't watch the show, but I do have to commend Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) for getting a nomination as her character (Jess Day) is one of my favourite characters at the moment.
Best Supporting Actor went to Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family, seeing as Modern Family dominate this category it's no shock that one of them has won, but I'm surprised Stonestreet was the one winning it. My money was on either Ty Burrell or Ed O'Neill or even Max Greenfield in New Girl. But a win is a win and any Modern Family actor winning an award is good news, but I would love to see either Jesse Tyler Ferguson or Ed O'Neill win one.
Best Supporting Actress went to Julie Bowen in Modern Family, this is the first one I truly agree with as in one of my previous blogs, I reviewed the episode "Go Bullfrogs!" and I said this should the episode than Bowen gets her Emmy nomination with and it did and she won, her performance as the mother gone wild in this episode was brilliant and deserved the support. Next year, I want the kids to get a look in, either Sarah Hyland or Ariel Winter should get a nomination for Supporting Actress and Nolan Gould should definitely get one for Supporting Actor.
Best Guest Actor went to Jimmy Fallon in Saturday Night Live, once again a short comment about it. I only said Greg Kinnear should win because his performance was the only one I saw in the line up, but I imagine Fallon deserved his Emmy.
Finally Best Guest Actress went to Kathy Bates in Two & A Half Men, another definite winner in my book. I watched that performance and thought it couldn't get any more awesome, Kathy Bates as Charlie Harper, but it was a treat for the fans to see both Jon Cryer and Kathy Bates take on the iconic role, personally Cryer should've got the Emmy for his Charlie Harper impersonation, but it's good to know Charlie Sheen's meltdown managed to get TAAHM some Emmy respect.
So a few shock choices, a couple to be expected and rest were the right choices, so what will next year hold? Sit back and find out as the 2012-13 US TV season begins now!
Monday, 24 September 2012
TV: Community
Time to talk about yet another one of my favourite US sitcoms, this time one of the lesser known ones, it's the Community College set, Community!!
Simply, seven loveable misfits form a study group in a Community College (It's a bit like the Open University) and get into crazy adventures both in and out of College and sometimes reality. What I love about this show is the sheer uniqueness of the format, writing and style of it and of course the cultural references!
The characters are brilliantly created, written and acted, especially Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) who is a Film and TV nerd (like me!), Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) the unofficial leader of the group and Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) the college's former Spanish teacher now student. Abed basically lives his life as a TV show and doesn't understand real life, admit it, you'd want to live in a TV show (The Big Bang Theory would be mine!) Jeff is a character who has grown the most, he started the study group mainly to get with Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) and now after the third season is searching for his long-lost father, emotional stuff. Senor Chang is very weird, but you can't help but love him and hate him in separate measures, it does make me very Chang-ry though! Other characters are Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) a former high school Quarterback, Annie Edison (Alison Brie) the well-organised one, Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown) a religious housewife, Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) a businessman with old-world views and Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) the college's flamboyant Dean.
The show's format is very odd, some episodes are very normal, but at least a third of them are completely different styles, they have had war-style episodes with paintball, an episode entirely in clay-mation, a episode where they play Dungeons & Dragons and a few set as a documentary. Most of these are the best episodes, the paintball episode is one of my favourites. It's a very unusual way of telling stories, but at least they know that, Jeff usually points out the silliness of these stories and that makes them okay.
The first season is on DVD and the second season will be out soon in the UK, anyone reading this is the US will know season 4 is on TV soon, so watch out for this quirky, yet enjoyable show!
Simply, seven loveable misfits form a study group in a Community College (It's a bit like the Open University) and get into crazy adventures both in and out of College and sometimes reality. What I love about this show is the sheer uniqueness of the format, writing and style of it and of course the cultural references!
The characters are brilliantly created, written and acted, especially Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) who is a Film and TV nerd (like me!), Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) the unofficial leader of the group and Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) the college's former Spanish teacher now student. Abed basically lives his life as a TV show and doesn't understand real life, admit it, you'd want to live in a TV show (The Big Bang Theory would be mine!) Jeff is a character who has grown the most, he started the study group mainly to get with Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) and now after the third season is searching for his long-lost father, emotional stuff. Senor Chang is very weird, but you can't help but love him and hate him in separate measures, it does make me very Chang-ry though! Other characters are Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) a former high school Quarterback, Annie Edison (Alison Brie) the well-organised one, Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown) a religious housewife, Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) a businessman with old-world views and Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) the college's flamboyant Dean.
The show's format is very odd, some episodes are very normal, but at least a third of them are completely different styles, they have had war-style episodes with paintball, an episode entirely in clay-mation, a episode where they play Dungeons & Dragons and a few set as a documentary. Most of these are the best episodes, the paintball episode is one of my favourites. It's a very unusual way of telling stories, but at least they know that, Jeff usually points out the silliness of these stories and that makes them okay.
The first season is on DVD and the second season will be out soon in the UK, anyone reading this is the US will know season 4 is on TV soon, so watch out for this quirky, yet enjoyable show!
Saturday, 22 September 2012
TV: Total Wipeout
Now for a spot of game shows, namely Total Wipeout, the show which sees grown men and women act like idiots and fall off stuff.
It's amazing now I can describe an entire show in one sentence and it's simply that and that's why I love this show, actually I love the US version more, but this is still good. It's just simple TV, nothing too complicated, too clever or too serious and sometimes it's what we need, especially on a Saturday night, we want fun and this is good clean fun!
My main concern is the BBC's treatment of this show, stick it on any other channel and get the same ratings as they get on BBC One and they'd move heaven and earth to add more to the budget, but the BBC give it very little budget and advertising and it looks very cheap and tacky, they won't even let be in HD! Plus, I don't think the presenters are right for the show either, Richard Hammond does a good job, but seeing him on Top Gear as well just doesn't match and I just think he does this for the money, though I don't think he gets much! I personally think Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood would be brilliant on the show. I'm a bit on the fence with Amanda Byram, the way she acts silly on the show is a bit cringy, you need someone whose known for being a bit on the crazy side, maybe The One Show's Alex Jones?
But enough tweaking, I love this show and I would love to see the BBC give this show a bit more effort or put it on another channel, maybe Channel 4 or Sky 1.
It's amazing now I can describe an entire show in one sentence and it's simply that and that's why I love this show, actually I love the US version more, but this is still good. It's just simple TV, nothing too complicated, too clever or too serious and sometimes it's what we need, especially on a Saturday night, we want fun and this is good clean fun!
My main concern is the BBC's treatment of this show, stick it on any other channel and get the same ratings as they get on BBC One and they'd move heaven and earth to add more to the budget, but the BBC give it very little budget and advertising and it looks very cheap and tacky, they won't even let be in HD! Plus, I don't think the presenters are right for the show either, Richard Hammond does a good job, but seeing him on Top Gear as well just doesn't match and I just think he does this for the money, though I don't think he gets much! I personally think Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood would be brilliant on the show. I'm a bit on the fence with Amanda Byram, the way she acts silly on the show is a bit cringy, you need someone whose known for being a bit on the crazy side, maybe The One Show's Alex Jones?
But enough tweaking, I love this show and I would love to see the BBC give this show a bit more effort or put it on another channel, maybe Channel 4 or Sky 1.
TV: The X Factor UK
From sitcoms to talent shows in this month of TV. And we start the talent show portion with the king of talent shows, The X Factor!
Now I may be the only straight male watching this for the singing, but I can say I love watching this show every Saturday night for three reasons.
One: The show is entertaining. Now there maybe a few actual talents each year but what a lot of people love to see is the nutters or people who can't sing and they make the auditions much more fun than just seeing people who can actually sing as sometimes that can get boring. Every now and again you'll find someone who'll make you go "wow" and those moments I love and hence why I think this show has it probably once every episode.
Two: The judges. I don't think there's ever been a bad X Factor judge, usually each one gets the hang of it around their second series, but each one has their own style. Whether you love or hate Simon Cowell, he knows what he's talking about and not only does he commend those who can sing, he also looks as their branding, image and potential, because it's all well and good having the chops, but you won't last in the music biz if you don't make music that's good or act too cocky or boring and that's why no one from The Voice has made it big yet, most of them are very good singers, but are quite dull!
Three: The success stories. The first four series of the show had no one who could make it big (apart from Leona Lewis) but once Cheryl Cole was brought in, the show not only changed in style, but it changed in the way they brand and promote the acts, the fifth series has seen Alexandra Burke do well and JLS go on to be the biggest boy band in the country right now, but also Olly Murs, Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, Little Mix and Amelia Lily have been doing well too, expecially Cher Lloyd and One Direction, who are big stuff in America!
So like it or lump it, X Factor has made stars and judging by this year's bunch, a few more have got potential to join the big leagues, so it's four yeses and we'll see you at bootcamp!!
Now I may be the only straight male watching this for the singing, but I can say I love watching this show every Saturday night for three reasons.
One: The show is entertaining. Now there maybe a few actual talents each year but what a lot of people love to see is the nutters or people who can't sing and they make the auditions much more fun than just seeing people who can actually sing as sometimes that can get boring. Every now and again you'll find someone who'll make you go "wow" and those moments I love and hence why I think this show has it probably once every episode.
Two: The judges. I don't think there's ever been a bad X Factor judge, usually each one gets the hang of it around their second series, but each one has their own style. Whether you love or hate Simon Cowell, he knows what he's talking about and not only does he commend those who can sing, he also looks as their branding, image and potential, because it's all well and good having the chops, but you won't last in the music biz if you don't make music that's good or act too cocky or boring and that's why no one from The Voice has made it big yet, most of them are very good singers, but are quite dull!
Three: The success stories. The first four series of the show had no one who could make it big (apart from Leona Lewis) but once Cheryl Cole was brought in, the show not only changed in style, but it changed in the way they brand and promote the acts, the fifth series has seen Alexandra Burke do well and JLS go on to be the biggest boy band in the country right now, but also Olly Murs, Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, Little Mix and Amelia Lily have been doing well too, expecially Cher Lloyd and One Direction, who are big stuff in America!
So like it or lump it, X Factor has made stars and judging by this year's bunch, a few more have got potential to join the big leagues, so it's four yeses and we'll see you at bootcamp!!
Monday, 3 September 2012
TV: The Big Bang Theory
Now I did say September would be the month of television, mainly because a lot of my favourite shows begin around this time and I will begin with my favourite comedy, The Big Bang Theory! For those out of this nerdy loop I will briefly explain.
Basically, the show follows 4 very nerdy guys when 2 of them get a attractive new neighbour called Penny and things go on from there, such as Physics Bowls, Arctic expeditions, Bowling, 21 seconds of Indiana Jones and Fruit Loops. I have loved this show since episode one, why I love it is because I myself am a bit of a geek, even more so after 5 years of this show, and it speaks to me more than other sitcoms, there are many great sitcoms, which I will talk about over this month, but this is my sitcom.
The show has changed a lot since take-out on the couch, there have been new characters, Amy Ferrah Fowler comes to mind as she's probably the new one most people like, she's been nominated for an Emmy and only Jim Parsons gets nominated for Emmys. The Penny-Leonard Relationship has also evolved too, they are now in a Beta-test stage, which I think all relationships should have by the way! When the show started I thought it'd be great if Leonard and Penny got together, but now I'm not sure. Being a sitcom nerd, I know it'll happen, but if it were me, I'd bring another female into the mix and let Leonard really decide between her and Penny and maybe Penny would try harder to be with Leonard, not that I've given it much thought! One character whose changed the most is Howard Wolowitz, the sex-crazed bright shirt wearing Jewish guy who lives with his mother is, at times, my second favourite character. He has now changed into Mr. Committed now he's married to Bernadette, one of my favourite episodes is where she learns about his seedy past and the speech he gives to Penny is one of the sweetest things ever heard on television.
Finally I must dedicate this part of the post to Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. Possibly the best comedy character ever created. What I think people love about him is his uniqueness, there is no one like him on a sitcom today, you have your Charlie Harpers and your Barney Stinsons, but Sheldon is a very rare thing and he intrigues people in a way you want to see how he sees the world. Jim Parsons has played Sheldon for 5 years and has gained a loyal fanbase, critical acclaim and a number of awards and may it forever continue!
Thus begin-eth the month of TV!!
Basically, the show follows 4 very nerdy guys when 2 of them get a attractive new neighbour called Penny and things go on from there, such as Physics Bowls, Arctic expeditions, Bowling, 21 seconds of Indiana Jones and Fruit Loops. I have loved this show since episode one, why I love it is because I myself am a bit of a geek, even more so after 5 years of this show, and it speaks to me more than other sitcoms, there are many great sitcoms, which I will talk about over this month, but this is my sitcom.
The show has changed a lot since take-out on the couch, there have been new characters, Amy Ferrah Fowler comes to mind as she's probably the new one most people like, she's been nominated for an Emmy and only Jim Parsons gets nominated for Emmys. The Penny-Leonard Relationship has also evolved too, they are now in a Beta-test stage, which I think all relationships should have by the way! When the show started I thought it'd be great if Leonard and Penny got together, but now I'm not sure. Being a sitcom nerd, I know it'll happen, but if it were me, I'd bring another female into the mix and let Leonard really decide between her and Penny and maybe Penny would try harder to be with Leonard, not that I've given it much thought! One character whose changed the most is Howard Wolowitz, the sex-crazed bright shirt wearing Jewish guy who lives with his mother is, at times, my second favourite character. He has now changed into Mr. Committed now he's married to Bernadette, one of my favourite episodes is where she learns about his seedy past and the speech he gives to Penny is one of the sweetest things ever heard on television.
Finally I must dedicate this part of the post to Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper. Possibly the best comedy character ever created. What I think people love about him is his uniqueness, there is no one like him on a sitcom today, you have your Charlie Harpers and your Barney Stinsons, but Sheldon is a very rare thing and he intrigues people in a way you want to see how he sees the world. Jim Parsons has played Sheldon for 5 years and has gained a loyal fanbase, critical acclaim and a number of awards and may it forever continue!
Thus begin-eth the month of TV!!
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Opinion: Gangnam Style
I know what you're all thinking, what the hell is "Gangnam Style"? Well folks, I'll tell you. It's a music video for a song by Korean mega star PSY and I'll say to you right now, it's very weird, very random and very funny!
The song itself is about the Gangnam lifestyle which people live in Seoul, South Korea. The majority of the song is in Korean, apart from a few English words thrown in for the hell of it! Looking at the video, you wouldn't think it had anything to do with lifestyle, if so a very unique lifestyle, as it's a very odd video but that's it's appeal, the sheer randomness of it all, the song itself is a catchy tune.
The video has had a massive reaction in Korea and it's starting to make waves is the US, as PSY is currently in the US and the video is #2 in the Youtube 100, so he's becoming a worldwide star. It's yet to have an impact in the UK yet, but as one domino falls, another's bound to follow!
If you want to watch the video, click the link below and see what the world has seen over 40 million times!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
The song itself is about the Gangnam lifestyle which people live in Seoul, South Korea. The majority of the song is in Korean, apart from a few English words thrown in for the hell of it! Looking at the video, you wouldn't think it had anything to do with lifestyle, if so a very unique lifestyle, as it's a very odd video but that's it's appeal, the sheer randomness of it all, the song itself is a catchy tune.
The video has had a massive reaction in Korea and it's starting to make waves is the US, as PSY is currently in the US and the video is #2 in the Youtube 100, so he's becoming a worldwide star. It's yet to have an impact in the UK yet, but as one domino falls, another's bound to follow!
If you want to watch the video, click the link below and see what the world has seen over 40 million times!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Film: Batman Vs. Spiderman
Been holding this one off for a while now, but here it is. The mighty battle between The Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises. We'll start with Spiderman.
Of course this film got a mixed reception since it's announcement, whether it was too early for a reboot or whether Andrew Garfield was the right choice or the replacement of Mary Jane to Gwen Stacy as the main love interest would be given public approval. I can say that all these changes were acceptable after seeing the film. I still think 5 years since the last film to reboot was a shock decision, but if you take the previous films out of the equation, this film was very enjoyable, very clever and well produced. Now the big question that plagued me was the replacement of Tobey Maguire, he was the quintessential Peter Parker/Spiderman, he looked the part, acted the part and you loved him regardless, but would Andrew Garfield do all that and more? He looked less geeky, a bit more "Rock n' Roll" and you wouldn't mess with him even without his Spidey suit. My diagnosis: Maguire's Peter was consistently liked, he did no more, no less, Garfield's Peter either made you loathe him or instantly respect him, so there is an inpass.
Now the film itself. Of course, there were some similar plot points, Peter's spider bite, Uncle Ben's murder and Oscorp playing a big part, however what I really liked, which I didn't expect to like, was Peter and Gwen's relationship, none of the will-they-won't-they crap, they got to the point, they did what old Peter and Mary-Jane did in 3 films all in one film and that begs the question of a sequel, what will happen next for the couple? The baddie in this film, The Lizard, played brilliantly by Rhys Ifans, had a whiff of Doctor Octopus about him. A doctor wanting to improve his physical form, things go wrong and Spidey has to stop him, but while Doc Ock dies in Spiderman 2, The Lizard gets arrested, maybe a return for the one-armed bandit/lizard, but we shall see. There was some heart-tugging moments in this film, Uncle Ben's death is always a tear-jerker, especially as it's Martin Sheen in this case, but I was shocked when Gwen's father died at the hands, or claws, of The Lizard, I wanted him to live to see his daughter, but sadly this wasn't to be and Peter had to break-up with Gwen to stop her suffering the same fate, poetic in a way.
So in conclusion, this film was neither better or worse than it's predecessors, but I bet they'll be a couple more adventures for Spiderman to come and I'm excited. One thing I do miss are 3 words, or two words and a letter, J Jonah Jameson!
Now for The Dark Knight Rises, this wasn't a reboot, this was a sequel and one hell of an epic one at that! New characters, new baddies and Gotham in even more danger than usual, who ya gonna call? Batman!
First of all, everyone crows on about how brilliant The Dark Knight was, Heath Ledger was the best part and everything else was alright, if anything, The Dark Knight wasn't a superhero film, it was a gangster film, The Dark Knight Rises was actually a superhero film! The first thing that I realised about this film had the whole cast from Inception in it, apart from it's star bookings Dicaprio and Page, so myself and my friends said this film was the cast of Inception playing Batman.
When I heard the film's baddie was Bane, I, like many people said "Who? Why not The Riddler or The Penguin or someone we all know?" But seeing this film made me realise how bad-ass Bane really is, while The Joker is the thinking man's baddie, Bane is more the violent type, but there is an air of intelligence about him, though it could've been the British accent! We were also treated to Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, who we all knew was Catwoman, but was never actually said, maybe an attempt to move away from Halle Berry's failed protrayal of her was mentioned in the "How do we get people to watch this film without mentioning Halle Berry as Catwoman" meeting, or it may have been a bit too cheesy in an all-round serious film. However Hathaway did play her very well. Something I did notice was there was very little of Batman in this film, you'd think in a Batman film, you'd get the caped crusader in almost all of the scenes, but this wasn't the case, Bruce Wayne wasn't in it much either, or Alfred, or Gordon or Lucius, pretty much anyone who has starred in both the previous films had very little screen time in the third one. This was a a shame, as Michael Caine was excellent in this film, Alfred became more three-dimensional and Caine really rose to the challenge. Also Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard were brilliant too and Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman goes without saying.
The film's story was a much simpler one, but I felt it was a more effective one, instead of constant twists and turns that The Dark Knight gave us, TDKR focused on the reprecussions of the previous film and used them to fuel this film in a simpler fashion, though I was confused as to how Bane knew so much about Harvey Dent from one written speech by Commissioner Gordon, or why he was actually called Bane in the first place! One twist I liked was Miranda Tate being the child who escaped from the prison pit and Bane was the one who helped her and got his face mangled in the process, yet another character Cotillard has played who turned out to be evil (Inception reference.) This film is pure Christopher Nolan and he has done wonders with the Batman franchise, giving it a new look and format, as well as a couple of cheeky hints of the past (Gordon-Levitt's character is Robin!) It was pure blockbuster fun, with a great cast and smart script.
Now, who wins this battle of superhero movies? While both had their merits, I'd say The Dark Knight Rises just wins, simply for epicness! Do you agree or disagree?
Of course this film got a mixed reception since it's announcement, whether it was too early for a reboot or whether Andrew Garfield was the right choice or the replacement of Mary Jane to Gwen Stacy as the main love interest would be given public approval. I can say that all these changes were acceptable after seeing the film. I still think 5 years since the last film to reboot was a shock decision, but if you take the previous films out of the equation, this film was very enjoyable, very clever and well produced. Now the big question that plagued me was the replacement of Tobey Maguire, he was the quintessential Peter Parker/Spiderman, he looked the part, acted the part and you loved him regardless, but would Andrew Garfield do all that and more? He looked less geeky, a bit more "Rock n' Roll" and you wouldn't mess with him even without his Spidey suit. My diagnosis: Maguire's Peter was consistently liked, he did no more, no less, Garfield's Peter either made you loathe him or instantly respect him, so there is an inpass.
Now the film itself. Of course, there were some similar plot points, Peter's spider bite, Uncle Ben's murder and Oscorp playing a big part, however what I really liked, which I didn't expect to like, was Peter and Gwen's relationship, none of the will-they-won't-they crap, they got to the point, they did what old Peter and Mary-Jane did in 3 films all in one film and that begs the question of a sequel, what will happen next for the couple? The baddie in this film, The Lizard, played brilliantly by Rhys Ifans, had a whiff of Doctor Octopus about him. A doctor wanting to improve his physical form, things go wrong and Spidey has to stop him, but while Doc Ock dies in Spiderman 2, The Lizard gets arrested, maybe a return for the one-armed bandit/lizard, but we shall see. There was some heart-tugging moments in this film, Uncle Ben's death is always a tear-jerker, especially as it's Martin Sheen in this case, but I was shocked when Gwen's father died at the hands, or claws, of The Lizard, I wanted him to live to see his daughter, but sadly this wasn't to be and Peter had to break-up with Gwen to stop her suffering the same fate, poetic in a way.
So in conclusion, this film was neither better or worse than it's predecessors, but I bet they'll be a couple more adventures for Spiderman to come and I'm excited. One thing I do miss are 3 words, or two words and a letter, J Jonah Jameson!
Now for The Dark Knight Rises, this wasn't a reboot, this was a sequel and one hell of an epic one at that! New characters, new baddies and Gotham in even more danger than usual, who ya gonna call? Batman!
First of all, everyone crows on about how brilliant The Dark Knight was, Heath Ledger was the best part and everything else was alright, if anything, The Dark Knight wasn't a superhero film, it was a gangster film, The Dark Knight Rises was actually a superhero film! The first thing that I realised about this film had the whole cast from Inception in it, apart from it's star bookings Dicaprio and Page, so myself and my friends said this film was the cast of Inception playing Batman.
When I heard the film's baddie was Bane, I, like many people said "Who? Why not The Riddler or The Penguin or someone we all know?" But seeing this film made me realise how bad-ass Bane really is, while The Joker is the thinking man's baddie, Bane is more the violent type, but there is an air of intelligence about him, though it could've been the British accent! We were also treated to Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, who we all knew was Catwoman, but was never actually said, maybe an attempt to move away from Halle Berry's failed protrayal of her was mentioned in the "How do we get people to watch this film without mentioning Halle Berry as Catwoman" meeting, or it may have been a bit too cheesy in an all-round serious film. However Hathaway did play her very well. Something I did notice was there was very little of Batman in this film, you'd think in a Batman film, you'd get the caped crusader in almost all of the scenes, but this wasn't the case, Bruce Wayne wasn't in it much either, or Alfred, or Gordon or Lucius, pretty much anyone who has starred in both the previous films had very little screen time in the third one. This was a a shame, as Michael Caine was excellent in this film, Alfred became more three-dimensional and Caine really rose to the challenge. Also Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard were brilliant too and Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman goes without saying.
The film's story was a much simpler one, but I felt it was a more effective one, instead of constant twists and turns that The Dark Knight gave us, TDKR focused on the reprecussions of the previous film and used them to fuel this film in a simpler fashion, though I was confused as to how Bane knew so much about Harvey Dent from one written speech by Commissioner Gordon, or why he was actually called Bane in the first place! One twist I liked was Miranda Tate being the child who escaped from the prison pit and Bane was the one who helped her and got his face mangled in the process, yet another character Cotillard has played who turned out to be evil (Inception reference.) This film is pure Christopher Nolan and he has done wonders with the Batman franchise, giving it a new look and format, as well as a couple of cheeky hints of the past (Gordon-Levitt's character is Robin!) It was pure blockbuster fun, with a great cast and smart script.
Now, who wins this battle of superhero movies? While both had their merits, I'd say The Dark Knight Rises just wins, simply for epicness! Do you agree or disagree?
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