Posted by Dustin on 06.30.2010 at 9:12 pm

So I don’t have too much to offer this week with “Pretty Little Liars.” Some show thoughts, then just quick book musings at the end (no spoilers unfortunately, still not there!)

The girls made their bench for Allison in town, and then decided to block all unknown texts to cut off A. Unfortunately it didn’t work. She/he put the photos in Emily’s chem book, dedicated a song to her BFF Hanna on the radio, sent Aria’s mom a letter telling her about her husbands affair (and to ask Aria as she knew about it) and finally broke into Spencer’s house and wrote “It won’t be that easy bitches” on the mirror in Allison’s shade of lipstick.

Other little things happened in the episode. Ezra got a little heated with Aria in class (in the book she uses that other student who likes her to make Ezra jealous). Hannah met her dad for the first time since he walked out on them . . . and he brought his new fiance and step-daughter with him (in the book Hannah meets them when she’s still fat, the father is so cruel with fat jokes she never saw them again and it was what caused her to become bulimic). Emily and Maya continued their flirtations as Emily became more comfortable, and Wren pursued Spencer . . . even breaking into her house.

I feel like this episode was all about the typewriter in Ezra’s place. They made it a point to show it . . . a lot. At the end Aria’s mom got a typed note revealing the dad’s affair . . . hmm? In the book a lot of “A’s” message are notes, not just texts. They get notes, emails, a lot of stuff.

I’m actually half way, or a little over, through the book. They haven’t even found Allison’s body yet either! Most of the book has built each characters back story and then their notes from “A.” I get with the show they had to make it a murder mystery and fast though. They also seem to taking the back stories and making them present. I just wonder how much from book one they can squeeze into this first season? I guess we’ll see.

Posted by Dustin on 06.30.2010 at 11:34 am

CBS’s SUMMER SENSATION “BIG BROTHER” WELCOMES 13 NEW HOUSEGUESTS TO THE HOUSE ON THURSDAY, JULY 8

In a Series First, One Contestant Will Play the Game with One Goal: To Secretly Wreak Havoc on Fellow Houseguests

Click Here Meet The Big Brother 12 Cast!

BIG BROTHER welcomes 13 new Houseguests when CBS’s summer series premieres Thursday, July 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Below are the 13 Houseguests who will compete in the new season of BIG BROTHER:

Lane Elenburg, 24
Decatur, Texas
Oil Rig Salesman

Ragan Fox, 34
Los Angeles, Calif.
College Professor

Andrew Gordon, 39
Miami Beach, Fla.
Podiatrist

Britney Haynes, 22
Huntington, Ark.
Hotel Sales Manager

Kathy Hillis, 40
Texarkana, Ark.
Deputy Sheriff

Matt Hoffman, 32
Elgin, Ill.
Web designer

Hayden Moss, 24
Tempe, Ariz.
College Student

Enzo Palumbo, 32
Bayonne, N.J.
Insurance Adjuster

Monet Stunson, 24
Glen Carbon, Ill.
Model

Rachel Reilly, 26
Las Vegas, Nev.
Chemistry Graduate Student/VIP Cocktail Waitress

Brendon Villegas, 30
Riverside, Calif.
High School Swim Coach

Annie Whittington, 27
Tampa, Fla.
Bartender

Kristen Bitting, 24
Philadelphia, Pa.
Shoe Boutique Manager

For the first time in the history of the series, one contestant will not be playing to win the half million dollar prize. Instead, this Houseguest will play the role of the Big Brother Saboteur, whose sole mission will be to disrupt the lives of their fellow Houseguests.

Upon moving into the house on premiere night, Houseguests will discover that one of them is not really there to win the game, but rather to sabotage their fellow players. While the saboteur’s identity will remain a secret to the Houseguests, America will learn his/her identity on Thursday, July 15, during the first LIVE show. If the Saboteur is able to make it to the halfway point of the game, a financial reward awaits. Fans can tune into the premiere on July 8 or visit http://www.cbs.com/bbtwist to learn more about how they can submit viewer suggestions.

This season, Houseguests will be surrounded by an Art Deco-themed “Playground by the Shore.” The Big Brother house will be accented with palm tree groves and walls of glass, while the exterior of the house is lifted straight from Miami’s Ocean Avenue. The Art Deco theme continues in the living room with ultra-modern furniture, white accents, glass tables and glass along the walls. The Palm Bedroom features crisp white beds and neon green linens and pays homage to vintage Miami. The Sunset Bedroom, located in the rear of the house, is a glow of warm orange and bronze-hued décor where the walls are lined with curved glass blocks that were custom built for the Big Brother house.

Once again this season, Houseguests on the losing side of select competitions will be banished to the “Have Not Room,” where luxury and comfort are non-existent.

Following the premiere on Thursday, July 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), BIG BROTHER will be broadcast three nights weekly, beginning Sunday, July 11 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Wednesday, July 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) and the LIVE eviction show, hosted by Julie Chen, beginning Thursday, July 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT).

BIG BROTHER follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with over 52 cameras and 95 microphones, recording their every move 24 hours a day. Each week, the Houseguests will vote someone out of the house. At the end, the last remaining House Guest will receive the grand prize of $500,000.

BIG BROTHER is executive produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan for Fly on the Wall Entertainment, in association with Endemol U.S.A.

For more information on this season of BIG BROTHER and the 13 new Houseguests, log on to http://www.cbs.com/.

Posted by Dustin on 06.29.2010 at 1:38 pm

So two major developments on the last “Person’s Unknown” last night. We learned that Tori was pimped out by her dad to associates and dignitaries, that’s how he got where he is. Janet was allowed a taxi ride out of captivity and could take one person, she picked Joe. Tori begged their captures and her dad to give her a chance to leave to, she’d be good. A cab came to pick up Tori . . . but it looks like she isn’t going free. From the previews someone new shows up next week in Tori’s dress.

Janet and Joe attempted to escape, but they were left in the middle of nowhere and it was freezing. They found shelter in cabin for a short time, but it became invaded by bees (which Joe claimed he was highly allergic to). They ended up with no choice but to return to town. As the show ended, Joe went to the kitchen to order some okra. Apparently that was a password and he was taken into a back room where he talked with someone. He demanded to know what the plans for Janet were. They wouldn’t tell him, only to “trust in the process.”

I just got this bizarre this was either some kind of tough love, or brainwashing camp. “The process” was the key word. It sounded like they didn’t want anyone to die, but wanted something from them . . . to reform them somehow?

Posted by Dustin on 06.28.2010 at 7:19 pm

So on the latest “Army Wives” we had Denise and Pamela working together to locate a little boy who was in a car accident and his mom passed out behind the wheel. Denise was working as an emergency call taker, and pulled Pamela in when her boss felt the call was just a kid pulling a prank. In the end it wasn’t. They saved the boy and his mom, and Pamela started earning her partner’s respect. I actually really liked this story. I get what they are doing too, trying to get us used to Pamela in such stories for her spin-off. However I liked this because it involved Denise and another army wife, the mother hurt in the crash. I’m still not sold on a separate show.

Trevor took command of Jeremy’s unit and is training them for deployment. Yeah this isn’t gunna be good. I have a feeling we’ll have another life-or-death cliff hangers involving one of these two. Since Jeremy was last season, my bet is on Trevor.

Finally we learned Joan had a TBI, traumatic brain injury. It didn’t manifest until she was back home, out of the field, and trying to do mundane daily tasks. The injury has her benched from active duty until she is 100% better. She felt like she was letting her team down because she wasn’t going back with them.

Posted by Dustin on 06.28.2010 at 7:06 pm

So I am actually really loving “Scoundrels” on ABC. I didn’t think I would, but it’s a good show. I’m still waiting for Logan the prodigal son to show his true West colors. It was brought up in the latest show by the police detective that he can’t believe Logan passed the bar on his first try. Hmmmm. I’m also wondering what the guy really wants from the sister who wants to be a model.

I found the second episode of “The Gates” better than the first. I loved the story with the daughter Andy being a succubus. Never saw that coming! She doesn’t know and the doctor told the father to tell her before she hurt a boy. I think that will happen before he can tell her though.

I am guessing the witch that runs the day spa drugged the ex-cop and somehow got him to kill the old chief of police with a spell? He did have her spa tea in his house.

Finally I am really wondering what is really going on with the girl who likes the kinda dorky young cop. At this point everyone in The Gates seems to be some kind of supernatural. What’s her story?

Posted by Dustin on 06.28.2010 at 3:02 pm

Because next week is the 4th, both shows are reruns of their pilots. New episodes air on July 11th and 18th.

A THREAT FORCES LOGAN WEST TO SHOW HIS TRUE “WEST” FAMILY COLORS, ON ABC’S “SCOUNDRELS”

“Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire” – A threat forces Logan West to show his true “West” family colors and Heather is hired in a local strip club, on “Scoundrels,” SUNDAY, JULY 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Guest Cast: Greg Serano as Cruz, Michael Bowen as Charlie, Jesus Mayorga as Billy, Marya Beauvais as Alexandra “Lexy” Markham, David House as Robby Monroe, Grant Show as Alan Markham, Johnathan McClain as Hugh Barnes, Marshall Teague as John Stierson and Tait Fletcher as inmate.

CHERYL REALIZES HER MARRIAGE IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE, ON ABC’S “SCOUNDRELS”

“Where Have You Been, Charming Billy?” – Logan agrees to represent Wolf in the appeal process, and Cheryl realizes her marriage to Wolf is in serious trouble, on “Scoundrels,” SUNDAY, JULY 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Guest Cast: Greg Serano as Cruz, Scott Ryan as Tad, Rachel Boston as Tanya, Jesus Mayorga as Billy, Marya Beauvais as Alexandra “Lexy” Markham and Chris Browning as Russell Bickley.

FRANK IS EMBROILED IN A NEW INVESTIGATION, AND CLAIRE IS CONFRONTED BY AN OLD FRIEND ABC’S “THE GATES” ON ABC

“Breach” – There’s been a robbery at the McCallisters’, setting off a series of similar mysterious robberies around town. Meanwhile Brett does his best to get his relationship back on track with Andie, though she still finds herself drawn to Charlie; Lukas encourages Brett to join the pack and blow off a little steam; Leigh is not herself when she loses an important package, and possibly her connection with Marcus; and Claire reunites with an old friend who questions her transformation to a humble housewife, on “The Gates,” SUNDAY, JULY 11 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Guest Starring are Victoria Platt as Peg Mueller, James Preston as Lukas Ford, Devyn Tyler as Mia Mueller, Shannon Lucio as Teresa, Linden Ashby as Ben McAllister, Andrea Powell as Karen Crezski, Paul Blackthorne as Christian Harper, Jason Davis as Mr. Abernathy, Rachel DiPillo as Lexie, Kendrick Cross as tech guy, Kym Jackson as gorgeous woman, Chris Jensen as Gerald Crouse and Catherine Dyer as Lauren Crouse.

FRANK FINDS AND UNLIKELY ALLY IN A NEIGHBOR, AND BRETT BEGINS RUNNING WITH A NEW CROWD, ON ABC’S “THE GATES”

“The Monster Within” – A missing hunter casts unwanted attention on Brett and the pack, creating tension with Coach Ross. Meanwhile Nick and Dylan try to put their differences aside during The Gates Father/Daughter Dance, with mixed results; and Andie and Charlie’s relationship looks like it’s headed for smooth sailing, until an unexpected secret turns everything upside down, on “The Gates,” SUNDAY, JULY 18 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Guest Starring are McKaley Miller as Dana Monohan, Georgia Cole as Emily Radcliff, James Preston as Lukas Ford, Roger Cross as Coach Ross, Shannon Lucio as Teresa, Kyle Secor as Thomas Bates, Paul Blackthorne as Christian Harper, Rachel DiPillo as Lexie, Matt Martin as Stan Patterson, Barbara Alyn Woods as Barbara Jansen and Stacey Turner as newscaster.

Posted by Dustin on 06.26.2010 at 1:25 pm

Spoilers for the next two episodes . . . . Note it looks like the time the show is on is changing till 8pm?

6/28 – EXIT ONE
NOT EVERYONE IS WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE — Nerves are rattled when the night manager informs the group that someone will be “checking out.” The tension mounts when a taxi arrives with instructions to take Janet (Daisy Betts) and the guest of her choice. After being left behind, Tori (Kate Lang Johnson) makes a plea to the camera to be set free and a second taxi arrives to take her. Meanwhile, Joe (Jason Wiles) pays a surprising visit to someone in town. Also starring are Alan Ruck, Sean O’Bryan, Moira Doherty, Chadwick Boseman, Lola Glaudini and Gerald Kyd.

7/5 – INCOMING
A MYSTERIOUS NEW VISITOR ARRIVES—After discovering that Tori (Kate Lang Johnson) is missing, the group’s search for her turns up a mysterious newcomer (Kandyse McClure) with the name “Erika” tattooed on her arm. Erika reacts violently to her new surroundings and physically attacks Joe (Jason Wiles), Janet (Daisy Betts), Blackham (Sean O’Bryan) and Moira (Tina Holmes). Meanwhile, a suspicious Renbe (Gerald Kyd) believes he’s found a link between Tori’s fate and Janet’s disappearance. Also starring are Alan Ruck, Chadwick Boseman and Lola Glaudini.

Posted by Dustin on 06.23.2010 at 2:03 pm

So yet another amazing episode of “Pretty Little Liars.” First a mini-cap of some of the highlights, then some thoughts . . . then I’ll give you a few things from the books that haven’t been in the show. Whether they are useful, you can decide (nothing spoilerish or ahead of where we are on TV).

Toby, the “creepy peeping tom kid” returned in this episode. We learned he is Jenna’s step-brother and was sent away for a year for starting the fire that burned the garage and Jenna. What we also learned was that Allison was the only one who claimed to have seen him peeping in their windows, they didn’t have proof other than her, and Allison basically blackmailed him into taking the fall for her. So Allison knew something on him.

Hannah used to be “Hefty Hannah” and was the fat girl of the group that Allison tortured a lot (but it seems she tortured them all on some level). Hannah had always loved her boyfriend Sean, who has taken a virginity pledge and refuses to have sex with Hannah. Could he be gay?

The detective who is now Hannah’s mom’s boy toy questioned Hannah about a lot of what was going on with Allison last summer, who was who. Hannah kept her mouth shut pretty well, and even said she did some digging on him when he went to school here years ago and he was apparently a real party guy. Later when Hannah’s mom found him looking through her purse, she threw him out, but not before he found a bracelet that was a gift from Allison (the bracelet she gave to all the girls with their names on them).

Aria found out the woman her dad was fooling around with, a former student at the college, was now a TA there. She was also making a hard play for her dad again. The mom put on some kind of art show and she showed up! Aria threatened her, but she basically just laughed at her and said she can’t do anything about this. That girl is in trouble!

Ben kept pushing Emily to sleep with him, even attacking her in the women’s locker room. Toby came to her rescue though, and she didn’t know why. However when Jenna learned what he did, she was NOT happy with him. At the end of the show (or in the previews?) Toby told Emily to be careful who she trusted.

Emily and Maya went to a big party together (where everyone was) and made out in a photo booth. Someone with black gloves took their photos though, and by the end of the show had made a million copies and stapled them all over their wall. Bizarro!

Spencer had troubles at home after Melissa caught her and Wren kissing and called off the wedding. Melissa blamed it all on Spencer. Spencer was under pressure to get a paper in, but with all that was going on couldn’t concentrate. She stole an old paper of her sister’s and turned it in as her own.

The girls all decided to pick a tree to decorate as a memorial tree with stuff Allison gave them. They ended up in the woods with their things, but Aria wondered why they were keeping this hidden? She said they should pick a tree in town, or buy a bench or something. They wanted whoever killed Allison to have to see it every day. Suddenly someone was heard in the woods running away. The girls investigated and found Allison’s bracelet . . . the one she supposedly went to her grave with!

Soooooo . . . . the fact that someone (the killer?) has the photos, made copies and so neatly put them up on the wall probably counts out Jenna, unless she really isn’t blind or has someone working for her? Who would be so obsessed with either Emily (Ben?) or Maya (?) to make so many copies of their kissing photo?

It’s a horror movie cliche, but after this episode I got the feeling that the cop/detective might be Allison’s killer. He was far to interested in things about Allison’s past, who she knew and stuff, things he claimed gave him a better perspective on the past . . . yet Hannah had to wonder what any of it had to do with the case? Also he seemed very interested in Hannah’s bracelet, and then of course there was Allison’s dropped one at the end of the show. Hannah also pointed out what a party boy he was back in his day . . . and a week or so ago they made it a point to say Allison was dating an older man, but nobody knew who he was. I just have a feeling he was who Allison was seeing, and he may have been the one to kill her . . . now he’s trying to make sure nobody can connect them (cause clearly Allison had a whole lot of secrets she was keeping from everyone).

Now for some thoughts from the book. First up, I am not even UP to the point in the book where the show is. I’m only about 30% through the book and they haven’t even found Allison’s body yet (but the girls are getting emails and notes from “A,” no texts though). So no real spoilers, just additional thoughts.

In the book they don’t hint around at all that Maya is a lesbian. She comes out and tells Emily as much. She says she’s going to dump her boyfriend who lives back in California because she likes boys, but doesn’t like them like she likes girls. She also makes note that her boyfriend is clingy, having already written her two letters in the span of a week. The sexual tension between the two is also much more . . . . evident in the book. Basically they go places with descriptions and scenes (and the lack of clothing) which they obviously can’t do on television given these are supposed to be teen girls.

In the book they make it a point when Emily and Maya met as Maya’s family was moving in for Emily to note all the junk outside Allison’s house with a sign “Free, please take.” It was things from Allison’s room that the family left behind, even boxes of old school books and the like. I think that was important, because it wasn’t really made clear in the show. Could Maya have found a journal with all the girls secrets? Then again, Maya couldn’t have stolen the photos from the booth in the scene in the show. I don’t know if they’ve changed the killer from the books for the show. Her obsessive boyfriend from the book?

In the books we learn “Hefty Hannah” became bulimic to lose all her weight. Also in the books Hannah out right questions whether Sean could be gay, because of his virginity pledge and the fact that he dresses well and is nice to everyone no matter who they are. She also wonders if perhaps he is “just terrified of vagina.”

In the book we learn that Spencer has always been in her sister’s shadow. No matter how many AP classes she took, her sister took one more. No matter how many clubs she was in, her sister was in more. She could never live up to her perfect sister, who was clearly the favorite. Her sister also had just met Wren like two months prior when they came to town and planned to live together (I don’t think they were planning to marry). Wren also had a lot more sexually tense scenes with Spencer in the book, again stuff that wouldn’t fly on TV.

Finally some things from the book about the cop/detective also clue in he may be the killer. (Note I read this chapter after seeing the show, so I already had my suspicions.) In the book he’s a cop, not a detective. It seems his pretty much a newbie on the force. They made it a point to say he was a senior when they were all in 7th grade, when Allison disappeared (in the book Allison is gone 3 years not 1). He also had a reputation for sleeping with half the girls in the school as well.

Posted by Dustin on 06.22.2010 at 3:40 pm

I need to rewatch the latest “Persons Unknown” as I barely made it through due to an oncoming migraine last night. The episode however seemed to be about exploring some of the other characters we hadn’t really gotten a chance to know. The premise of the episode was gas masks were given to the guests, but not enough for each of them. This brought out the true colors in many.

We learned Cameron (the Ferris Bueller guy) apparently suffocated his bed ridden wife, who was dying or crippled by some horrific disease. Meanwhile the other guy who has been the jerk of the group and claimed was just a car salesman? He’s not, he’s something else.

I also am getting the feeling the hotel night manager is a lot more important, like perhaps he is the mastermind after all?

Meanwhile it looks like Janet’s ex husband, the horrible one? He’s the newspaper reporter in San Fran? That or some guy working for Janet’s mom just set him up with a detective at the station claiming he was her ex husband.

Like I said, I gotta rewatch when it’s online. I think I missed a lot 🙂

Posted by Dustin on 06.22.2010 at 12:20 pm

So Jason is back with his amazing show making lines! Best line of the show? After Sookie told him werewolves were also real he wondered not only inf Bigfoot was real, but Santa too. Second runner up? When Sookie said she had been expecting Bill to walk through the door at any moment saying “Sooooooooooooooookie!”

A good episode, with a lot of new characters introduced. A few mentions of the books are in this post which may be spoilers. I have them to read still, but a friend who has read them tells me stuff that is different in the books 🙂

So the King of Mississippi has a band of werewolves working for him? From what a friend has told me, Lorena is the one who had the King kidnap Bill for her. Also the werewolves aren’t just ordinary wolves, as Eric explained these are a pack of highly organized and funded wolves that go back a long time (Eric dealt with them during World War II). It sounds like the King of Mississippi is behind them? I’m not sure though.

Sam and Lafeyette’s stories are complete departures from the books, from what I can tell and a friend told me. I actually am loving Alfre Woodard as Lafeyette’s crazy mother. Between her and Tara’s mother, that family has some issues! Sam meanwhile met his birth parents and his little brother. We learned Sam’s dad was in jail and the mom was broke, so she gave Sam up thinking the other family would do better, and praying he wouldn’t have the gift. She’s a shifter, the dad isn’t. Sam’s brother Tommy can shift as well. I wasn’t a big fan of this story. Oh and I know Sam’s family is supposed to be poor white trash and all, but have they heard of soap? The dad needs to wash those nasty tighty-whities he had on! That was all I could think about when he was shown. Also put on some clothes!

At some point we saw someone looking at a file on Sookie’s family line. Who was it? (Did I miss the reveal?) I do know again from friends that in the books Bill was in part sent to Bon Temps by the Queen to meet Sookie. They hinted as much in this episode with the King questioning Bill as to why the Queen sent him to Bon Temps in the first place.

Tara met a vampire named Franklin at the bar, who seems to have taken a liking to her and went out of his way to save her from some roughnecks. The previews seem to show them getting pretty hot and heavy. I have to wonder what he wants though? Is he the one with the file on Sookie? Trying to get to Sookie through her friend perhaps?

Jessica spent the episode trying to figure out how to dispose of the rotting corpse in her basement, only to find it gone by the end of the show. My guess is Hoyt has disposed of it.

The Andy and Jason story is getting on my nerves. Andy is being given the hero’s treatment for killing Eggs, who everyone thinks was fully responsible for Maryanne’s doings. Jason’s guilt is still getting to him, but Andy keeps telling him that he’ll go to jail for murder if he confesses. So let me get this right, Jason will go to jail for killing a killer who was about to kill a police officer? Either this story is stupid, or it’s just Jason who is stupid and Andy is doing this to get all the fame and glory.

Make the jump for the spoilers for July! (Note: it looks like there is no new “True Blood” on the July 4th weekend.

Oh before you do that, HBO announced that “True Blood” will get a 4th season next summer. Yeah, I don’t think anyone is surprised about that one 🙂

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