 Faith, Fear and Facisim. According to producers, the new series adaptation of Stephen King’s massive novel Under the Dome will focus on those three aspects as it attempts to bring the story of a town encased in an invisible and impenetrable dome. Written by Brian K. Vaughn (Lost, Y: The Last Man), the freshman season will premiere on CBS with a 13 episode run this summer. Check out the panel highlights after the jump!
Read more on WonderCon: Under the Dome promises claustrophobic thrills and chills…
 A&E may have just inherited the next great show of cable television. “Bates Motel” gives a modern-day twist on the early years of Norman Bates and his mother Norma as they transition into the iconic motel where Norman will have experiences and an odd take honoring thy mother. Creator Anthony Cipriano has a very distinct vision of this retelling of the characters that were featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant film Psycho (1960). Read more on Bates Motel (****)…
 The boys and girls took the stage this week for the first set of LIVE shows. Joseph B. has done a fantastic job doing a recap of the performances and ranking them accordingly. The producers are setting this up for a girl to take the crown this year but they’ve tried these tactics once before the year Crystal Bowersox ended up losing to Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze. Not only did Bowersox, who has head and shoulders above a lot of the competition that year, lose in the finals, but managed to be the last girl standing after the surprising Top 6 elimination of Siobhan Magnus. If the producers keep “letting us know” its a girl’s year, the tween-voters will revolt and go after their hearthrobs that are in the race. Devin Velez and Burnell Taylor could fit that criteria.
There’s also a good chance we are getting a wildcard show tonight since the show is scheduled for 90 minutes which doesn’t take that long unless someone’s (or some people) are singing. I’ll be looking forward to it since those shows are usually quite enjoyable. Think back to Stefano Langone and Clay Aiken episodes for reference.
Let’s take a look at the girls first: Read more on American Idol Top 20 Result Predictions…
 American Idol LIVE shows officially kick off next Tuesday! The Top 20 have been chosen by the judges, with some head-scratching omissions, but does it look like a girl can finally win American Idol since Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks. Staff Writer Joseph Braverman has done an outstanding job thus far recapping each episode and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season.
While I’ll be bringing the Power Rankings of the contestants each week, I’ll also be kicking off our Past Idol series this Sunday with Season 11 Top 24 contestant Hallie Day who will be making a guest spot on The Awards Circuit Power Hour.
Before the first episode aired, the talk circled around judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey and their ongoing feud. While no obvious disagreements have sparked any fights on the panel so far, the LIVE shows could kick things up a notch. Nicki’s critiques have been mostly useful while Mariah seems to be Paula Abdul-ing herself all over the place. A little incoherent at times, their seems to be an obvious click and war between Nicki and Keith Urban and Randy Jackson and Mariah. Grammy-winner Urban has been an absolute delight on the panel this year although a little soft on some contestants, I’m happy with his inclusion thus far. Read more on American Idol Season 12 Power Rankings and Preview…
 A&E is certainly delivering the goods when it comes to promoting their new series Bates Motel and it’s firmly planted on my list of must see shows for the coming year. The cabler has released a new trailer/behind the scenes featurette, catching us up with how the tale is being done for a modern audience, as well as highlighting the great cast. Check it out after the jump!
Read more on Check into ‘Bates Motel’ with new trailer featurette!…
 Hitchcock is having himself quite a renaissance these days with the HBO special The Girl and Hitchcock set to hit theaters real soon. Coming in the spring we’ll be getting another reference to the mystery master with the A&E series Bates Motel. Based on the film Psycho, but not necessarily a direct prequel, the series cast Freddie Highmore as Norman and Vera Farmiga as his mother. Today the first official picture was released along with some spoiler scoop from Shock Till You Drop. Check out the full photo after the jump!
Read more on Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore check into Bates Motel in new photo…
J.J. Abrams is set to receive the 2013 Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America for his work producing and directing in the medium. The man brought us LOST, so you know I’m all for honoring him, but some of his other television accomplishments include Alias, Fringe, and Person of Interest.
Read more on Producers Guild to Honor J.J. Abrams…
Louie CK killed it on the opening monologue on last night’s “Saturday Night LIVE.” One of the funnier sketches (and believe me, there were horrible ones), included a spoof of his own show, “Louie” in conjunction with Abraham Lincoln. Did Steven Spielberg’s film get an endorsement from SNL?
Check it out!
Read more on Lincoln Meets Louie on ‘SNL’…
 On television so many shows cross our path and some are works of art while others don’t even make the cut. Louie C.K. has proven that if you take responsibility for your work and put all your passion and love into it it’ll be a success. Louie C.K. has set the bar for dark comedy with his show Louie. Read more on TV Review – Louie: Season 2 (****)…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: Amy Poehler, Chloe Sevigny, Comedy, Entertainment/Culture, FX, Joan Rivers, Louie, Louis C.K., melissa leo, Mellisa Leo, Parker Posey, Parky Posey, Robin Williams, television, Television in the United States, tv, tv review
 With Seth MacFarlane recently awarded the prestigious gig of hosting the Oscars in February 2013, he becomes one of, if not, the first person to host the Oscars that got his start primarily in voice-over work. MacFarlane voices Brian, Stewie, Quagmire, and Peter Griffin on FOX’s hit-show “Family Guy,” where he’s won an Emmy Award in the show’s near thirteen year run.
The Oscars, unbeknownst to many, have a strict rule about nominating voice-work in films. Today’s question asks which voice-over performance by an actor or actress would you reward with either an Academy Award Nomination or Win?
Read more on Oscar Question of the Day – Can you reward the voice?…
Categories: Question of the Day Tags: Andy Serkis, Brian Griffin, Cinema of the United States, Disney's Aladdin, Ellen DeGeneres, Entertainment, Entertainment/Culture, family guy, Film, Films, Finding Nemo, gene hackman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Glenn Quagmire, Human Interest, Peter Griffin, Robin Williams, Seth MacFarlane, Stewie Griffin, television, The Lord of the Rings, the Oscars, The Two Towers, unforgiven, Voice work
 Oh wow. I think I love this!
Read the Press Release:
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Seth MacFarlane will host the 85th Academy Awards®, telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. This will be MacFarlane’s first appearance on Oscar’s stage. The 85th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, on the ABC Television Network.
Read more on Seth MacFarlane to Host the Oscars!…
Categories: News Tags: Cinema of the United States, Craig Zadan, Entertainment/Culture, family guy, Film, Human Interest, Music Is Better Than Words, Seth MacFarlane, Ted, television, the Oscars
 Despite a mild backlash from a minority of rather high-profile critics, hit period drama Downton Abbey returned to UK television earlier this month for a much anticipated third run. Since its September 2010 debut, the record-breaking show has captivated viewers with its lavish production and soap opera storylines that juxtapose the upstairs-downstairs relationships between a noble family and their myriad servants in early 20th century England.
Oscar-winning writer and series creator Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) has crafted a believable and historically reverent world for a twenty-strong ensemble cast who have faced the likes of the First World War, Spanish influenza, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Dowager Countess’ forked tongue with unrelenting English resistance and a rather twisted magnetism for scandal. It all adds up to a dangerously addictive concoction that has already earned the show 9 Emmys, 2 BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and legions of fans across the globe. After just two episodes, this latest series has already become the most watched television drama in the UK this year.
Read more on TV Review: Downton Abbey (***)…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: British TV, Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville, ITV, Julian Fellowes, Maggie Smith, Masterpiece Theatre, Michelle Dockery, Shirley MacLaine, television, tv review
 The Mindy Project pilot that aired last night at first glance might seem like little more than a likable piece of fluff that should entertain the 15-25 yr old, rom com loving audience. But after watching the pilot again today, I was struck by the deft touch of the writing, the great cast and topical issues, seeds that I believe will help the show become more engaging and funnier. Mindy Kaling’s pilot initially suffers from the nature of today’s comedy pilots in that she’s forced to introduce all the characters, settings, conflicts, and still deliver funny lines and something to keep everyone watching. Kaling stars as a 31-year-old OB/GYN whose life is a mixed bag. She’s good at her job, but bad at real relationships, beautiful, but not traditionally so. Her workplace is full of interesting characters including the sexy Brit she’s sleeping with (Ed Weeks) and the abrasive doctor she will eventually sleep with since this is TV and there’s so much chemistry there (the great Chris Messina). Throughout the pilot we get snippets of Mindy’s professional and personal life, both of which frequently mix to hilarious effect.
Read more on TV Review: The Mindy Project (**½)…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: Anna Camp, bill hader, Chris Messina, Ed Helms, Ed Weeks, Entertainment/Culture, Mindy, mindy kaling, Pilot, pilot review, Stephen Tobolowsky, television, Television Reviews, The Mindy Project, the office
The Emmy Awards are tonight! Many of the staff members will be LIVE blogging here on the site. If you’re watching, come join us for the party. Listed below are my last minute Emmy Predictions:
Read more on Final Editor Emmy Predictions!…
Categories: Editor, TV/Music Tags: Bette White, Christina Hendricks, Claire Danes, Downton Abbey, Emmy, Entertainment/Culture, Film, Human Interest, Jay Roach, Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, Julianna Marguilles, Julianne Moore, Julie Bowen, Kevin Reynolds, Lena Dunham, Louie, Maggie Smith, Masterpiece Theatre, nicole kidman, Ryan Seacrest, Sarah Paulson, sofia vergara, Supporting Actress, television, The Emmy Awards, The Good Wife
 Episode 38:01 (***½)
The 38th season of “Saturday Night LIVE” debuted last Saturday with host Seth MacFarlane, who’s had a great year with his film “Ted” and of course, still holds the success of FOX’s “Family Guy.”
In show structure, this was the first episode since Emmy Award nominee Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, and Abby Elliott were announced to leave the show at the end of last season. Leaving fans of the show skeptical, critics and audiences were unsure if the show would be able to sustain without the multi-layered talents of Wiig and Samberg who have been staples in the show for years. Proud to report, when talent leaves, new talent steps up. Read more on ‘SNL’ Cast and Host Seth MacFarlane Deliver Best Work in Years!…
Categories: Article, Editor, TV/Music Tags: Andy Samberg, bill hader, Bobby Moynihan, Cicely Tyson, Entertainment, Entertainment/Culture, family guy, Frank Ocean, fred armisen, Jay Pharaoh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, kenan thompson, Kristen Wiig, Mumford & Sons, NBC Limited, saturday night live, Saturday Night Live sketches, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Meyers, taran killam, television, the Grammy, Tim Robinson, vanessa bayer, Weekend Update
 Glee‘s fourth season which premiered last Thursday was supposed to signal a tectonic shift in the landscape. Not only was the show moving from a comfortable (and ratings devouring) 8pm time slot on Tuesdays to 9pm on Thursdays, but there would be a show within a show having the underclassmen remain at McKinley while the upper clansmen pursued dreams elsewhere. While there are some new parts and a new location (well hello NYC!), Glee is at its core the same social issue pushing, mashup singing, musical numbers edited so haphazardly it’ll make you have a seizure, incredibly blatant show that you just can’t quit if you tried. The show starts of at the beginning of a new school year. Rachel is at NYADA, struggling to get adjusted to living away from home and her new dance teacher, Kurt is stuck in Ohio like the ghost of McKinley High, and the rest of the underclassmen are adjusting to new-found fame as national champs. The episode was titled “The New Rachel” and that was as much of a reflection on the hilarious battle amongst the New Directions to be the new Rachel (complete with Call Me Maybe cover) as it was Rachel realizing that her dreams of being a Broadway star are going to require some changes.
Read more on Glee (***)…
Categories: Blog, TV/Music Tags: Beca Tobin, Chris Colfer, Dean Geyer, glee, Glee Season 4, Heather Morris, Jacob Artist, jane lynch, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, lady gaga, Lea Michele, Melissa Benoist, television, television review, Television Reviews, Trisha Rae Stahl
 Jonathan Lisecki’s “Gayby” received good reviews out of the Los Angeles Film Festival from critics and our own Joseph Braverman. The film opens in New York on October 12th and in Los Angeles on October 26th. Further expansion will follow. The film stars Jenn Harris and Matthew Wilkas.
The synopsis is as follows:
Jenn (Jenn Harris) and Matt (Matthew Wilkas) are best friends from college who are now in their thirties. Single by choice, Jenn spends her days teaching hot yoga and running errands for her boss. Matt suffers from comic-book writer’s block and can’t get over his ex-boyfriend. They decide to fulfill a youthful promise to have a child together… the old-fashioned way. Can they navigate the serious and unexpected snags they hit as they attempt to get their careers and dating lives back on track in preparation for parenthood?Gayby is an irreverent comedy about friendship, growing older, sex, loneliness, and the family you choose.
Check out the trailer and poster after the jump. Read more on Poster and Trailer for “Gayby”…
 With summer coming to a close, it means the new fall television season is right around the corner. As always there are plenty TV shows airing this year; some new and some returning. To help you keep track of this seasons TV shows, I have compiled a list of shows that will be airing Friday & Saturday nights. New shows will be listed in bold.
Read more on Fall TV Preview: Friday & Saturday Nights…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: America's next top model, Blue Bloods, Community, CSI: NY, Entertainment/Culture, Fringe, Grimm, Last man standing, Made in Jersey, Malibu Country, Nikita, saturday night live, Shark Tank, Teen dramas, television, Touch, tv, tv lineup, Whitney
 This is part 1 of a two-part look at the Drama contenders. Part 2 coming soon…
Terence: Alright everyone we’re back with the last Emmy Chatter in what I’m dubbing it as Drama in two acts as we’re spreading this one out to give you more detail than ever before.
Read more on Emmy Chatter: Drama Series, Pt 1 – Supporting Actor and Actress…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: Anna Gunn, Archie Panjabi, Breaking Bad, Christina Hendricks, Christine Baranski, Colin Hanks, Dan Stevens, Downton Abbey, Drama, Edward James Olmos, emilia clarke, Emmy, Emmy Chatter, Entertainment/Culture, Game of Thrones, Giancarlo Esposito, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jared Harris, Jennifer Carpenter, John Slattery, Lucy Liu, mad men, Maggie Smith, Mandy Patinkin, Margo Martindale, Oscar, OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA, OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA, peter dinklage, Primetime Emmy Awards, Rose Byrne, television, The Good Wife
 With summer coming to a close, it means the new fall television season is right around the corner. As always there are plenty TV shows airing this year; some new and some returning. To help you keep track of this seasons TV shows, I have compiled a list of shows that will be airing Thursday nights. New shows will be listed in bold. Read more on Fall TV Preview: Thursday Night…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: Beauty and the Beast, Entertainment/Culture, glee, Last Resort, Parks and Recreation, television, The Big Bang Theory, the office, the vampire diaries, tv, tv lineup, Two and a Half Men, Up All Night
 Every year there comes a pilot for a show with maybe an average to slightly sub par marketing campaign (ie. when you hear the same lines over and over in every promo), gregarious stars that you like and interesting subject matter that you think deserves a chance. So you fire up your TV (or NBC.com in this case), hoping for the best. However, your hope is quickly turned to ash as the show falls apart spectacularly in front of your very eyes. Go On is that show. Which is a shame because despite having the winning personalities of Matthew Perry and Laura Benanti, NBC’s Go On is little more than a half-assed attempt at comedy that could easily find itself among the first shows on the chopping block. The plot is fairly simple. Perry plays Ryan King, who’s a sports radio personality masking the pain of his wife dying in a car accident. After an admittedly hilarious altercation with Terrell Owens, his boss (John Cho) sends him to therapy. The therapy group is led by Lauren Schneider (the wondrous Laura Benanti) and full of oddballs with varying issues from death of family members to a cat dying. Ryan is both amused and subsequently repulsed by the group, eventually goading Lauren into signing his release form, but not before she dresses him down about his pain. Of course, he realizes the error of his ways and returns to the group.
Read more on TV Pilot Review: Go On (*)…
 With summer coming to a close, it means the new fall television season is right around the corner. As always there are plenty TV shows airing this year; some new and some returning. To help you keep track of this seasons TV shows, I have compiled a list of shows that will be airing Tuesday nights. New shows will be listed in bold. Read more on Fall TV Preview: Tuesday Night…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: Don't Trust the B**** in Apt 23, Go On, Happy Endings, New Girl, Sons of Anarchy, television, Television in the United States, The Mindy Project, The New Normal, tv, tv lineup
 Many things can be said about Ryan Murphy, but the man knows how to create a hit show and deliver a good pilot. He seems to have done both with the brazenly funny and endlessly heartwarming The New Normal, positioning itself at the top of the pilots I’ve seen so far this season. The pilot details the beginnings of a “new normal” family with a gay couple David and Bryan (Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannels) wanting to start a family. After going to an agency and striking out, they meet with Goldie (Georgia King) who has fled to California with her daughter (Bebe Wood) after finding her husband in bed with another woman. SHe agrees to be their surrogate because she wants to provide them with a child and the $35,000 will help her reclaim her dreams of going to law and becoming a lawyer. Her grandmother, ”Nana From Hell” Jane (Ellen Barkin), isn’t too happy with the situation but Goldie goes on with it, setting the stage for many a hilarious situation as she carries their child.
Read more on TV Review: The New Normal (***½)…
 With summer coming to a close, it means the new fall television season is right around the corner. As always there are plenty TV shows airing this year; some new and some returning. To help you keep track of this seasons TV shows, I have compiled a list of shows that will be airing Monday nights. New shows will be listed in bold. Read more on Fall TV Preview: Monday Night…
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