Category Archives: TV

Run-On Sentence Review: Daredevil

Posted in Run-On Sentence Reviews, Sweet Streams, TV by

marvel-netflix-daredevil-trailer-860x442I spent my weekend watching all Netflix’s first collaboration with Marvel and maybe you did, too or maybe you have more of a life than I do and spent your weekend being social and getting outside, but I digress, as I usually do with these things, but if you haven’t checked out this new series I definitely think you should give this a watch because it completely redeems the character from his previous, lesser, portrayals and this is quite a departure for Marvel because it is grisly, dark, and layered, without ever having the DC and that is something I can get behind because if you like superheroes and/or Breaking Bad this just might be the show for you because it puts a troubled hero with some super powers (keen senses due to radiation, which is pretty par for the course in comic books, apparently) into the seedy underbelly of the crime world and it is fantastic with really great performances all around but especially by Charlie Cox as the titular masked vigilante and some of the most kick A fight sequences that I have seen and certainly that I have seen on TV (well, Netflix).

Verdict:  Only you can know if this could be up your alley, but if it even sort of sounds like it might, you need to check it out.

Sweet Streams: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Posted in Get with the Program, Sweet Streams, TV by

unbreakable_kimmy_schmidt_a_lNetflix released the first season of their new show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt today, so of course, I have already watched the whole thing.  And I loved it.  That is going to be pretty much a guarantee if you attach Tina Fey to a new project.  Tina and fellow 30 Rock executive producer Robert Carlock bring us this new show about an unbreakable girl named Kimmy Schmidt (get it?) who moves to New York for a fresh start after being released from an underground bunker where she has been living for 15 years with her apocalypse cult sisters.  Did you follow that?

Admittedly, I wasn’t immediately sold on this show after the first episode, but much like 30 Rock and every other comedy, it really finds its groove as it moves along.  Ellie Kemper is utterly charming as the titular Kimmy, who is just rife with sunny optimism, 90’s pop culture knowledge, and a middle school naivete (she was kidnapped 15 years ago, remember?).  The rest of the cast gets plenty time to shine with Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon, Kimmy’s new roommate, Carol Kane as Lillian, their eccentric landlord, and Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, I mean, Jacqueline Voorhees, Kimmy’s rich boss who hires her as a nanny.

The best praise I can give this show, though, is that it is very similar to 30 Rock in it’s pacing and humor with the sunny optimism of Parks and Recreation.  If you know me at all, you know that is high praise indeed.  The jokes are rapid fire, making rewatchability high, the guest stars are high caliber (I wouldn’t dare spoil some of them for you), the pop culture references are a plenty (the Olsen twins are actually the Olsen octuplets), and there are  moments so bizarre that they rival “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” (VH3’s Joe Invisible Millionaire, anyone?).  Kimmy, who responds to someone calling her a bitch with “A female dog? The thing that makes puppies?”, has the same can-do spirit as Leslie Knope.  Also, at first glance she may be misjudged as weak given the whole cult thing, but really she is a strong, independent woman who doesn’t get taken down easily.  Also, if you like snappy theme songs that are based on fake viral videos, then this is the show for you.

To sum it all up, I’m already eager for season 2 (the only issue I have with the Netflix model of entire seasons at once) and I recommend that you join me in the wait.

–Ellen

Sweet Streams: Friends

Posted in Sweet Streams, TV by

friends-milkshakes-netflixHave you heard of this quaint little show?  It’s kind of under the radar, but I really think you should give it a shot.

Friends is the first show I remember actively watching. I’d tune in every week or, if that wasn’t possible, get my neighbor to record that week’s episode on an old VHS tape.  If you have ever read this blog or know me at all, then you know that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between TV and myself.  And as they say, you always remember your first.

Like I’m sure a lot of you, I have been taking advantage of Netflix’s recent addition of the show’s 10 seasons to binge my old fav and it really is like hanging out with an old friend. But only if that friend ended up being a lot more dirty than you remember them being, to the point of calling your mom and asking why she let you hang out with said friend, to which your mother may respond that you didn’t understand any of their dirty jokes anyway. However, I’m fairly certain it is this humor (that went over 8-year old Ellen’s head) that is causing me to enjoy it more this time around because I get the jokes!  And these friends are some dirty birdies!  Am I the only person who didn’t realize how much this show was about sex?  Why did I love it so much if I didn’t understand what was going on?  How I’d love to remember what I thought they were talking about when discussing things like erogenous zones.

Besides the flip phones, Rachel haircuts, and clothes that I tried to mimic in middle school, this show totally holds up.  Perhaps I am enjoying it more now because I am the same age as the gang circa season 3.  Give me a moment.  I have to stop and let that sink in, I mean, Ross had already been married.  Just the first marriage, but still.  Or maybe I am just enjoying the nostalgia factor, but either way I’m finding it very enjoyable.

So let Friends be there for you, like it’s been there before.

– Ellen

TV Obituaries: RIP Parks and Recreation

Posted in TV, TV Obituaries by

Parks and Recreation - Season 7Thank you all for being with me during this trying time.  Parks and Recreation left us peacefully two days ago and there is no other show that more deserved to go out on its own terms.  Whitney already gave Parks a moving and appropriate tribute, but this show more than any other deserves an extra.

If I have recommended Parks and Rec to you in the past, you have heard my pitch, but it remains the same.  Parks and Recreation is truly a special show because it is that rare breed of comedy that is all at once optimistic, smart, joyous, and oh, hysterically funny.  This breed is so rare that I’m not even sure there is another.

Comedies are my jam, but what I have always loved about Parks is that I leave every episode feeling uplifted because (Jerry jokes aside) the humor rarely comes from malicious place.  The show is truly special because it is about a group of people who are crazy degrees of different but who still love each other and (to varying degrees) love what they do.  Mainly because they get to do it together.  The show’s series finale was the perfect encapsulation of this, the perfect send-off to our little band of weirdos and I cried more times than I would like to admit because it wasn’t really that sad.  I cried because I am losing my best (TV) friend.

I’m really going to miss Pawnee and all of its eccentricities, because the town is a character in and of itself, but more than anything I am going to miss watching the Parks department and the genuine love that they have for each other.  It truly is the most enjoyable show that you could ever watch and I highly suggest that you get on Netflix if you have never had the extreme pleasure of watching this show.

So bye, bye, Parks and Rec.  I already miss you in the saddest fashion.

– Ellen

Grade A, Choice Picks: Top Dogs in Pop Culture

Posted in Choice Picks, Movies, TV by

The readers of this blog can be split into two camps: those who we know in real life and those who we don’t.  I think we are now to the point where we have more stranger-danger-readers, which is awesome!  If you DO know me in person, this will not be news to you because I have not stopped instagramming pictures, but this past week I got a puppy and named him Steve!

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As you can see, he is pretty much the cutest thing ever.  However, he is also a massive time suck so I have had little time to think of anything but dogs.  That being said, I give you a list of my favorite dogs from pop culture.  I know that some of you are going to give me grief for leaving off some of the more iconic pop pups so I have made sure to include them in the honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions: Pluto, Scooby Doo, Tramp from Lady and the Tramp, Chance and Shadow from Homeward Bound, Hooch from Turner and Hooch, the 101 Dalmatians, Beethoven from Beethoven, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Blue from Blue’s Clues, and Nana from Peter Pan

10. Ren from The Ren & Stimpy Show – Sure, he’s got some anger management issues but I’m pretty sure that I would too if I was always having to put up with Stimpy’s “happy, happy, joy, joy” “eediot” schtick.  I respect occasional control and this is coming from someone who doesn’t usually like chihuahuas.

triumph-insult-comic-dog9. Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog – Right along with Ren, Triumph doesn’t take any crap and, in fact, will insult you right to your face.  Whether he is calling out nerds at the premiere of a Star Wars movie or humping fellow dogs at the Westminster Dog Show, Triumph’s humor is always biting and not in the way that is going to get him sent to the dog pound.

8. Snoopy – As my new little buddy is a beagle, I have a newfound respect for this ace flying pooch.  I suppose I have an affinity for wise-cracking dogs because Snoopy is also not a dog to be pushed around.  He isn’t one to take Lucy’s ribbing lying down and he doesn’t have much respect for his owner, but then who does?

airbudgoldenreceiver_photo_037. Air Bud –  What other dog can play basketball, football, soccer, baseball, and volleyball?  And yes, those are all real movies in which a dog plays all those sports.  That happened. Makes you feel pretty lame about your dog, huh?  Oh, big deal, your dog can play dead?  Air Bud can make the penalty kick that wins the championship game.  Probably.  I don’t know for sure.  I didn’t actually watch any of these movies.

6. Brian from Family Guy – There are few dogs out there with the class and sophistication of Brian.  This dog can croon with the likes of Frank Sinatra Jr., get some serious tail from a myriad of pretty hot chicks, travel through space and time with Stewie, and may someday finish that book he has been working on.

ScreenShot2013-04-03at4_38_48PM_crop_exact5. Hercules from The Sandlot – The dog, the myth, the legend.  This poor guy gets quite the bad reputation for being a man-eating beast from hell who got locked up FOR-EV-ER when in actuality he is just a protective, slobbery softy with an affinity for baseballs signed by the Great Bambi.  “That wimpy deer?”

4. Dug from Up – There is no other dog in pop culture that more perfectly captures the happy-go-lucky loyalty of real life dogs.  He instantly loves people upon meeting them and he is always on the lookout for squirrels, just like pretty much every dog I have ever met.  Dug and his high tech speaking collar perfectly give voice to dogs everywhere.

wishbone as robin hood3. Wishbone – This Jack Russel Terrier has played Tom Sawyer, Romeo, Sherlock Holmes, Rip Van Winkle, Mr. Darcy and Ichabod Crane, to name a few.  I would like to see you get that kind of range from another dog, let alone another human.  He’s basically this generation’s Laurence Olivier.

2. Rowlf from The Muppets – I may be in the minority but Rowlf has always been my favorite Muppet, both as a puppy on Muppet Babies (I watched that show so hard as a kid) and an adult dog.  He is a cool cucumber who always keeps it together despite the madcap shenanigans that the Muppets get into.  As long as he’s got his piano and deadpan sense of humor, it’s all good, baby.

Gromit_thumbs_up1. Gromit from Wallace & Gromit – I considered naming my puppy Gromit, that is how much I love this claymation pooch.  Gromit is far too wise for his dorky owner but that doesn’t stop him from being a loyal pet.  Gromit faithfully protects Wallace from a thieving penguin, a sheep-napping cyber dog, and a were-rabbit and is still able to kick back and share some cheese with his “old chum”.

I know that nobody is going to agree with me on the ranking, but who is your favorite pop pup?  Feel free to leave comments about how cute my puppy is.

– Ellen

Fangirly Crush(es) of the Week: The Property Brothers

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

Property-Brothers-SingleHappy Halloween! To celebrate, you are getting two for the price of one today.  I have been stuck in a Netflix vortex since they recently added bundles of HGTV and Food Network shows.  My favorite?  Of course it’s those snarky twins, The Property Brothers!  A guy who can give me my dream house on a budget all while cracking wise?  What’s not to love?

Do you like Drew’s more upscale, businessman vibe?  Or maybe Jonathan’s more casual, handyman persona is more your style?  Ideally, I like the man can get his hands dirty, but with Drew’s hair.  Can I get that?

Good news is that they made a video to help you decide (if you are a fan of the show at all, you should definitely watch).

– Ellen

Never Judge a Comedy by Its Pilot

Posted in TV by

selfieConfession:  I enjoyed last night’s episode of Selfie.

Last week, Whitney wrote a completely on point review of the pilot and all of her points were valid and true… about the pilot.  Even I killed it in my Marry Boff Kill of Fall TV, but it would seem that the show may improve on closer acquaintance.   In the show’s second episode, John Cho’s Henry showed some manic qualities, which are crucial in a TV comedy, and American Amy Pond… I mean, Karen Gillan’s Eliza was a better blend of self-absorbed and self-conscious.  Henry’s ineptness at Facebook tags had me guffawing, Eliza’s book club persona had me giggling (“Sorry, if I smell like dead people”), and their romantic chemistry is headed in the right direction.  There is nothing that is more likely to sway me than good romantic chemistry.  I am not ready to join the Selfie bandwagon, if such a thing exists, but I am ready to say that I may have judged too soon.

This would not be the first time I have judged a show too quickly, especially when it comes to the comedies.  I gave up on both The Mindy Project and Happy Endings after a few episodes and both have ended up being two of my favorites (though one causes me a lot more guilt than the other).

The fact of the matter is that, more so than dramas, a good comedy is all about chemistry among the cast and that is just going to take some time.  I say the following in generalities, but dramas you can judge by its pilot. Dramas are more about engaging story where the comedies are more about the laughs.  If a drama pilot is not able to establish a plot that at least intrigues with that first episode, chances are that they won’t do much better with their subsequent episodes.

Did anyone else give Selfie a second look?  What comedies did you give up on too early?  Is my theory about dramas completely off base?

– Ellen

About Last Night: Mulaney

Posted in About Last Night, The Reviews are In, TV by

mulaneyThere are events in life that will never live up to our expectations or hopes for them.  The premiere of Mulaney last night was just such an event for me.

I have listened/watched to John Mulaney’s stand-up an alarming number of times, to the point where some of his bits are deeply ingrained into my daily lexicon. (And seriously, if you have not watched his New in Town special on Netflix yet, you need to re-evaluate your life.)  I was trying to remain optimistic about the premiere of his new show, a multi-cam sitcom loosely based on his own life.  Also, it has a (shudder) laugh track.  But I love his stand-up!  I know he’s funny!  I crush on him!  What could go wrong?  As it turns out, a great deal.

mulaney-ep101_pilot-sce_00568_hires1It’s not that the show didn’t deliver some laughs, but all the laughs came from material with which I am very familiar.  It was beyond bizarre to see one of his best bits, a story about going to the doctor for Xanax with unforeseen consequences, being acted out.  The truth of the matter is that Mulaney may not be the best actor, bless him.  He was a bit too stiff and didn’t have that lovable dork swag that he has when he has the microphone stand in front of him.  But then, Jerry Seinfeld was never a great actor either and Mulaney is obviously trying to take a page (if not a whole chapter) from his book, almost to it’s detriment if you ask me.  The comparison may hurt in getting viewers as people will just write it off as a copy but then it may help retain viewers who remember that Seinfeld opened to not so great reviews.

On top of that, no one felt completely comfortable in their roles and the episode was grossly disjointed as they tried to fit include too many character introductions and too many of his popular bits that all had nothing to do with each other.

All that being said, I am a TV comedy pro and I know that every sitcom needs a solid six episodes to really get into it’s groove.  Also, early reports about the upcoming episodes are that the show gets better.  This show was stuck in development limbo for a while and any show is going to suffer from that, so once again, I am going to remain hopefully optimistic and just hope that my heart doesn’t get broken because it did crack a little last night.

(ASIDE: Mulaney fans, was that Ice-T doing the announcing at the beginning of the episode.  Please tell me that was Ice-T.)

-Ellen

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Iain De Caestecker

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

fitzWith the onslaught of Fall TV comes the return of old crushes and introduction of new faves.  The competition this week was pretty stiff, but considering I just binged Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Iain De Caestecker AKA Fitz of the show’s FitzSimmons took the edge.

Even further solidifying his spot in my heart this week (SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW, if you care) is the gut-wrenching, take-my-heart-and-stomp-on-it turn that his character has taken this season.  In last season’s finale, he admitted his true feelings to Simmons and made the grandest of bold gestures and sacrificed his life to give her a chance of saving her own.  We left the season with the status of his health as unknown.  When the show came back this season, Fitz was still there working in the lab with Simmons but it was apparent that he had suffered some serious brain damage as he struggled to find words and to form ideas.  The final blow was when we found out Simmons had left the team months ago and Fitz has only been imagining her as a way to cope.  THE FEELS, right?!

(END OF SPOILERS) On top of all that, Fitz is just an adorable, nerdy, puppy dog of a man in his cardigans and plaid shirts.  What’s not to love? fitz

We have crushed on guys far less deserving.  Some may say that Ward is the more crushable option on the show, but they obviously wouldn’t know me very well.

– Ellen

Get with the Program: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Posted in Get with the Program, TV by

agents-of-shield-season-2Like a lot of you, I was super excited for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D because I felt, much like that SNL skit this weekend, that Marvel could do no wrong.  And then like a lot of you, I watched the the first few episodes of the show and wrote it off.  The adorableness or FitzSimmons aside, it wasn’t doing much to keep me invested, but then like a lot of shows, I heard that it got better about halfway through the first season.  As a TV fan, I should have known that it would have, so I gave it another try.

Now that I have caught up, I am ashamed.  I should have had more faith in both Marvel and the wide, wild, world of Whedon because this shiz went bananas. Like, B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

I really don’t want to spoil too much, as this is a post trying to convince you to start watching the show, but I am going to vaguely lay out reasons you should play catch up with this one.

1) Watch if you love the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Again, no spoilers, but the show has set itself up as a pretty fascinating companion piece to all of your favorite Marvel films and seeing as how Marvel seems to be the blockbuster juggernaut that cannot be stopped, I don’t see it running out of material anytime soon.

2)  Watch if you love Whedon – Yes, Joss has a minimal executive producer presence, but his longtime collaboraters and family members, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen (they’re married, aww) are the showrunners and all the writers pretty much nail Joss’ tone on the head.  You know the tone I’m talking about?  That mix of cheeky, funny, action-packed, and heartbreaking?  That’s the one.

3) Watch if you love love – Maybe you will like SkyeWard or FitzSimmons or Fitzskye or May and Coulson or MayWard or all of them.  S.H.I.E.L.D has you covered on the sexual tension front and if you like the same couple as me, your heart will be broken when you get to the premiere of season 2.

Are you watching S.H.I.E.L.D.?  Let’s chat because I am deep in it now.

– Ellen

Marry Boff Kill: New Fall 2014 TV Shows

Posted in MBK, TV by

You may not have noticed, but we love TV here at Fangirly.  Like, love love.  So much so that I attachments I form to my shows are lasting and real.  I thought I might try and predict which shows I want to spend my life with/have a one-night stand with/give the axe.

Marry:

gothamGotham – As Whitney so perfectly summed up yesterday, this show has some things working against, but from where I sit, it is one of the most promising of this new crop of shows.  I’m a little hesitant to tie myself to a show that is almost exclusively comprised of villains as that may get trying, but i have faith in the human decency of Baby Commissioner Gordon.

marry meMarry Me – Do you know what else I have faith in?  The creative team behind Happy Endings.  Comedies always take a bit longer to find their groove, so even if I am not sold on this one within the first few episodes, I am going to stick with it.  I initially gave up on Happy Endings after the first couple of episodes.  It makes me weep to think about how I was part of the problem.  I will not do the same thing to this show.  If only for the possibility that someday the whole cast of Happy Endings will guest star as Wilson’s old college friends or something.  Have I mentioned that I love Happy Endings?

the flashThe Flash – Those smarty-pants at DC Comics and The CW know how to guarantee an audience for a new show.  Just air a back door pilot during a show that already has a rabid fan base and then guarantee crossover episodes for years to come so that said fan base has no choice but to also watch the new show.  I also saw this pilot at Comic Con and it promises to be a fun, poppy, comic book romp.

Boff:

janethevirgin_pilot_1_1200_article_story_largeJane the Virigin – I am not just picking this because it is humorous to boff the “virgin show”. Back when the promo for this show came out, it would have gotten a kill, but early buzz is pretty good with great reviews for star Gina Rodriguez and it is not too hard to convince me to watch a sweet CW show.

Mulaney – Please be good, Mulaney, please be good.  There is a lot riding on this one for me.  If it is good, I will get a weekly dose of John Mulaney’s patented blend of dorky, pop culture infused stand up.  If it is bad, I will cry.  The multi-cam format with a laugh track has me worried but I am trying to be optimistic.

gracepointGracepoint – I haven’t yet gotten around to watching the UK source material, Broadchurch, but I feel like that may work in my favor for this US version.  Bonus boffability points for David Tennant with an American accent. I’m weirdly into it.

Kill:

selfieSelfie –  There is so much here that I want to like.  I mean, Karen Gillan in a My Fair Lady retelling?  What’s not to like? I don’t know but this looks kind of stupid.

Scorpion – CBS hammered the final nail in this show’s coffin when it obnoxiously self-promoted on my beloved Big Brother.  Stay out of my trashy television!

Cristela – This show seems to be cashing in on the ethnically-diverse-female-who-pokes-fun-at-her-weight card that Mindy is already working.

 

– Ellen

 

About Last (Saturday) Night: Outlander Gif Reactions

Posted in About Last Night, The Reviews are In, TV by

This was originally posted to my Tumblr, but I spent too long on it not to recycle.  That and it makes me laugh.  (Not all gifs are mine. sorry…)

Frank…

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Jamie just being his adorable self and trying to preserve her honor

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Their getting to know each other was sweet and all, but I was a bit distracted.

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“To bed or to sleep?”

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The undressing

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That first kiss?

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“I was a virgin, not a monk.”

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Jamie’s post-coital glow

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When Jamie and Claire go downstairs to get food

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When Claire kept rejecting Jamie’s adorable advances

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The wedding ceremony

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“I want to look at you”

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Me trying to keep it cool during all the sexy times by hiding behind a pillow…

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…but failing

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“Does it happen every time?”

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“Does that hurt?” (AKA Jamie’s O face)

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Dougal

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Probably Dougal from now on whenever he sees Claire and Jamie

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The scene with the pearls

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By the end of the episode

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When I remember that I am not Claire

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When my roommate walks in on the fourth viewing

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What to Watch and When to Watch It

Posted in TV by

It should be pretty evident that I am a huge TV nerd, so much so that it should not come as a shock that I make an Excel spreadsheet before every Fall TV season.  In case you want to know what I am watching or in case you want to know what you should be watching, I am sharing my nerdy spreadsheet.

A few notes:

– Blue is for shows that have a guaranteed season pass, red is for either new or older shows that I am going to give a shot, purple is shows that I will have to catch up with online, new show in italics.  My DVR only has so much capabilities.

– I saw the pilots for Gotham and The Flash at Comic Con and I liked them enough to know I want more.

– I am currently watching The Blacklist on Netflix and really liking it, so unless something goes terribly wrong in the next 15 episodes, this one will get upgraded to blue.

– Some blues are old favorites on which I am very far behind; The Vampire Diaries, Bones, Nashville, Castle, to name a few.

– No show makes me more nervous than that red little Mulaney at the bottom.  I wanted to give it a blue really bad because I love him so much but the laugh track is making me nervous.

So go ahead, let me have it.  What am I stupid for watching?  What are you getting jazzed to watch?

– Ellen

TV DVR

 

Fan-Rants: Hulu Commercials

Posted in Fan-Rants, Sweet Streams, TV, Web by

hulu-screenshot1As I write this post, I am marathoning The Mindy Project, mainly because I wanted to re-watch Danny and Mindy’s mounting sexual tension, but also in preparation for the new season.  I am using my Hulu Plus account for this marathon and I have a complaint.  Unlike most Hulu users, I have gotten over the fact that I have to watch commercials on a service for which I am paying.  (Okay, actually, confession: I log into my mom’s account for which she pays, but my complaints are still valid).

So, no, I don’t care that I have to watch commercials, I care that I have to watch the same commercials.  Over. And over.  I realize that I am bound to see some repeats when I watch 15 episodes of The Mindy Project in a row, but can’t Hulu spring for more than 4 commercials?  I swear, if I have to watch that Honda Fit commercial with Nick Thune one more time, I am going to toss my work computer out the window, then I’m going to get fired and it is bound to turn into this whole thing and then my unemployment will be on your conscience, Hulu.  Can you deal with that?  I can’t imagine that you don’t have various products (that I will never buy) that don’t want to be on your service, so please, on behalf of all of us who have a TV-watching problem, get some more commercials

– Ellen

Grade A, Choice Picks: MY Top 10 Schoolhouse Rock Songs

Posted in Choice Picks, Music, TV by

shrOn Sunday Night, ABC will be airing a special called “The ABC’s of Schoolhouse Rock” and seeing how my love for Schoolhouse Rock knows no ends, I will, of course, be tuning in.  When I was just a wee little lassie, my mom got us a VHS set of these educational little ditties and I gobbled them up.  At the age of five, I was singing the preamble to the Constitution, my multiplication tables, and conjunctions even if I didn’t really understand what I was singing.

Schoolhouse Rock holds a very special, nostalgic place in my heart, but I still have my favorites.  I should say that my favorites tend to be different than the most popular songs (“Conjunction Junction”, “I’m Just a Bill”) and I am not very familiar with the newer songs.

10. “The Preamble” – When reciting the preamble to the Constituttion, I am incapable of not making certain one syllable words become two syllable words.  It was a little embarassing in 8th grade.  Best line: “..promote the general welfare a-and…fo-or the United States o-of America”

9. “Do the Circulation” – In an era where jogging was the new craze (I believe that’s a soft “j”), Schoolhouse Rock was urging kids to do the circulation by animating adorable fat people working out.  Best line: “There’s a great new craze that’s sweeping the nation. Come on, do the Circulation!”

8. “Sufferin’ ’til Suffrage” –  Sing it, sister!  Between your Disney Princess movies, instill some feminism in your youngsters with this upbeat number about all your favorite suffragettes.  Best line: “Since 1920, Sisters, unite!  Vote on!”

7. “A Noun Is A Person, Place Or Thing” – This was probably my favorite when I was really young, probably because it is one of the easier concepts to grasp.  Although, I had no idea who Chubby Checker was.  Best line: “I heard Chubby Checker, he was doing the twist, and the Beatles and the Monkees.  It goes like this.”

6. “No More Kings” – Have you ever wanted to cram 4 months of 5th grade US History into one song?  Have you ever wanted a song with a villainized caricature of King George III? Well, I know just the song for you.  Best line: “That’s called taxation without representation and it’s not fair.”

5. “Three is a Magic Number” – Imagine, if you will, a little bespectacled Ellen in third grade who is having a heck of a time wrapping her head around her 3 multiplication table.  Schoolhouse Rock stepped in and saved the day, mainly because I watched this song on repeat until I had it down.  Best line: “A man and a woman had a little baby. Yes, they did. They had three in the family. That’s a magic number”

4. “Interplanet Janet” –  I like to think that any comets are just this galaxy girl jet setting from planet to planet. I blame this song for my continuing to draw the sun with sunglasses.  He’s a cool star. (Also, RIP Pluto)  Best line: “It’s a star, it’s a star! So Janet got an autograph!”

3. “Mother Necessity” – Let’s not talk about how it took me a few years before I realized that Mother Necessity was not an actual woman in a rocking chair who played a role in the lives of our most famous inventors.  Best line: “Elias, how?”  (Do you see what they did there?)

2. “The Tale of Mr. Morton” – Listen, if you are not in love with Mr. Morton by the end of this song, you are a callous, heartless person and you should probably re-evaluate your life’s choices. Any song about a grammar-based romance is a win in my book. Best line: “Mister Morton talked to his cat. Mister Morton talked. (Hello, cat, you look good)”

1. “Interjections!” – In my opinion, this is their funniest video, while still remaining informative.  Everybody should say “Wow!” like the woman in this song.  Best line: “Yow! That’s not fair, giving a guy a shot down there!”

Do you have a favorite Schoolhouse Rock?  Were these songs as ingrained in your childhood?

– Ellen

 

 

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Sam Heughan (but really Jamie Fraser)

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

You may see our “Crush of the Week” feature and wonder how there are enough crushes in the world to have a new one every week, but TV is a ever-running fountain of men to crush on.  Recently, this fountain gave me the greatest gift of all, a physical embodiment of Jamie Fraser from the Outlander book series coming in the swoony form of one Sam Heughan.

Despite loving it, I have been hesitant to recommend Outlander because it has sexytimes and having read the book, I know there are more to come.  However, I cannot recommend crushing on Sam Heughan enough. I mean…

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Yes, sir.  You are.

I have yet to see Sam Heughan in anything other than Outlander, so I have to question how much of my crush is dependent on him playing the manly, adorable, gentlemanly Highlander, Jamie Fraser.   He ain’t no slouch as himself either, though.

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Oh, stop it, you.

But you guys, I really cannot stress enough…

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Jamie.

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Effing.

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Fraser.

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Ugh.  Is it Saturday yet?

– Ellen

Fangirly Crush of the Week: Evan Peters

Posted in Crush of the Week, TV by

Seriously, where did this guy come from? Has he always been a thing? Maybe it’s the distinctly Clockwork Orange-y vibe he throws off, or maybe I’m losing my uncanny ability to scope out even the most obscure of Hotties. Either way…

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I never had a mind to crush on Mr. Peters till I got around to watching American Horror Story: Asylum. First, I would like to say, YIKES. AHS is rough stuff, even for a gal with a deep appreciation for even the most depraved examples of the horror genre. Second, I would like to personally apologize to Evan Peters for not getting it before now. You evan-peters-discusses-quciksilver-in-x-men-days-of-future-pastare smoking; You should know that about yourself. Also, your turn as Quicksilver in one of this summers watchable movies, X-Men: Days of Future Past, was bananas. You stone cold scene-stealer, you. 

In summation, if you haven’t yet started crushing on Evan Peters yet, here is the chance to get the jump on all your friends. He is going to be huge, and you don’t want to be the last one to crash the Evan Peters Party. If you’re still not convinced, you can watch him in American Horror Story: Freakshow this fall. I guarantee you will be terrified and twitterpated in equal measure. Try not to think about it too much. 

–Whitney