I was interested in Cougartown when it first came out because I wondered how many unique situations can you really put a cougar into with respect to the term “Cougar”.. and dating.. but I now see that they make it a “lifestyle” .. which is a single 40 something… and different aspects of that experience.  The first show was clumsy and it just didn’t work.. but now.. the direction has perfected and the cast has settled in and I really enjoy watching it! 

My favorite character is Jules’  teen-aged son! He is hilarious.. his delivery is dry, witty and his facial expressions, priceless.  Second in line is Jules’ ex husband.. who is so imbecilic he is lovable.  By the way, Jules is played by Courtney Cox.  I like her enough, but find the male characters to be funnier.  I do like the younger girl.. blond, who used to be on Freaks and Geeks.. she is cast perfectly and has good comedic timing.  All in all, I really am liking this show… Good Job David Arquette!

Two characters that are irresistably flawed, well written and well directed are:

Hank Moody on Showtime’s Californication:

Hank Moody, The lovable colossal F*&K up!

Don Draper on AMC’s Mad Men:

Don Draper, the smoldering, badboy Advertising Exec

The ever mysterious Don Draper

For those of you who don’t know.. MAD MEN is short for Madison Avenue Men, the old school Advertising Executives that once owned the avenue and ruled the business world in Manhattan.

I have had many  reputable people suggest this show to me, and finally ordered the first season from Netflix and finished it! The direction of this series is unmatched on any show I have seen in a long time.  Don Draper, the main character is portrayed in a film noir, dark manner.  He is secretive, mysterious, dark haired and eyed, smart yet stupid with his personal decisions.  Often times, in life, I have found smart business men to be dumb romantically.  They take chances and bet on a situation beneath them.  However, Don makes interesting mistress choices, they are metaphorical for each part of his personality.  In the first season the series clearly shows Don Draper married to a younger woman, blonde, typical trophy wife.  However, it is clear that she doesn’t challenge him intellectually, and ultimately is bored, but she makes a fine mother of his two young children.  Mistress one, is artsy, and a bit dangerous, has her own ad agency business, is sexy and bohemian.  She appeals to his intellect.  Mistress number two, yet to happen, is a young Jewish woman who has taken over her grandfather’s upscale Manhattan Department Store.  She appeals to his business side and strength of character because she doesn’t give in so easily to his advances.

Very entertaining is the bevy of American circumstances that no longer are acceptable such as: children playing with plastic bags on their heads, only to be scolded for removing the dry cleaned clothing, kids jumping back and forth from front seat to back seat as mother drives the car, no seat belt, no airbags, a child getting smacked by his neighbor as he runs through the house during a party and the father of the son makes the child, after being smacked, apologize to the “smacker”, people smoking cigarettes in the office, the home, while pregnant, drinking at work, even in the morning, and gender specific treatment, men vs women and their place within society expressed through business meetings, secretaries and their superiors (bosses), and the way the men treat the secretaries.

This show is interesting as they don’t give it all away, and there exists many nuances that the viewer will pick up on and make up their own mind about what they are watching as situations unfold.  The direction is genius and the feel of it, 1960s, is very authentic.  It is much more than Mad Men, it shows human thoughts, consciousness, and shows inside the ad business, which is manipulative, frowned upon, and ultimately shapes society.  The shapers are flawed beyond belief.  Think about that for a minute…

I highly recommend this show.

I loved the movie Witches of Eastwick way back when as did most women… especially because Jack was at his most devlish and although aging, still sexy!

The premise behind the new show on television, Wednesday nights, is the same… 3 women in town who come together under the guise of some sexy man, Darryl VanHorn, in this case and they unwittingly discover their “powers.”  I thought they did a great job of casting. 

Roxie, played by Rebecca Romjin, my girl Lindsay Price from Lipstick Jungle as Joanna, and Jamie Ray Newman as Kat, who I haven’t seen before, but is beautiful and well cast.  This is definitely a woman’s show.. as it centers around 3 women who become BFF’s and a super cute man, who they all barely resist.  Also fun is the fact that it addresses the “unknown” and the mystical, which typically is very woman-like.

I recommend it… I dvr it every week and settle in to watch it… it is a super fun treat… check it out on ABC Network..

http://abc.go.com/shows/eastwick

YUP!

I had to shut off my YouTube Video of Bright Eyes, Easy/Lucky/Free to write this because it made me think of the show Bored to Death which I watched on my DVR late last night while struggling to contain my excitement for life! So Ironic.. isn’t it? Anyway, I had to share this show with all of you because I heart Jason like a mother______… really.. did any of you see him as Max Fisher in Rushmore?!! That is one of THE BEST comedic characters EVER!  I think he is Wes Anderson’s muse, which is alright by me, because Wes Anderson pretty much rocks the house as well! Ah, don’t get me started! You will have to go to my film blog www.filmandpotcorn.com because I review Bottle Rocket as well, which I lurve like crazy.. is this post too hip to be true.. It very well may be.. it certainly gives you a glimpse into my movie tastes… ok, back to my sweet Jason and his new gig on HBO… Jason plays writer, Jonathan Ames, who’s girlfriend dumps him because he smokes too much pot and loves white wine and the premise is created.. he is unusually bored and is attempting to pen his next novel but is lack for material! The episode I caught last night has him posting an ad to Craig’s List to position himself as a “private investigator” and he gets a job and the ridiculousness rolls on from there. I LOVE IT.. I like his deadpan delivery, vulnerability and his awesome cuteness AND (I know this is a run-on) his GREAT HAIR! If you heart the JBird as much as I do, do yourself a favor and tune in! I have now set my DVR to record every episode on the channel at every time so that I don’t miss one.  There are going to be cameos by other celebs.  I saw Ted Danson last night, I am unsure if he will be on the show regularly.. perhaps he is because he is Jonathan’s boss! If Ted Danson is good enough for Larry David, he is good enough for me too! Indulge your self in a little Jason and Bright Eyes here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4okYD_USno8&NR=1

As I began my first few episodes on Netflix DVDs, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this show.  I loved the beginning credits, the song, the feel of it.. decidedly indie… but much of the dialogue and delivery bordered on banal and cliched.  The director must have been experimenting with different sorts of deliveries and mood.  It makes sense that as the show progresses, it gets better because the actors settle in, the direction has a clearer picture of what they are looking for, and the audience becomes more attached to the the characters.  Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin, is a likable lead and that is how they are sustaining the show.  Her vampire boyfriend, Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer,  is likable as well and stumbles between his human-ness and his vampire reality.  Alan Ball is behind this show, which means it is destined to be great and has been very well received so far… The show takes place in Louisiana and is based upon the premise that Vampires have now been accepted into every day society.  The struggles for Vampires and humans to co-exist is a common theme.  It is a most clever premise and Alan Ball was behind the film American Beauty and the HBO Series, Six Feet Under.  I like his sensibilities.  He is dark, humorous, and seems to have a real grasp on “edgy.”  His mind is sort of Hitchcockian and modern.  True Blood is a mixture of drama, romance, fantasy and horror!  All the right elements for escape and great entertainment!  Of course, the cast is scantily clad and the dialogue can be silly and sarcastic as well. 

PS Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer are now together in life off the screen as well.. the chemistry between them works… great casting… realistic but attractive… odd and endearing, silly and dramatic… A+

Web Site for the show: http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/season2/

is this statement a double entrende?

Hey there sunshine!

I am a big fan of Friday Night Lights and this watching hobby has inadvertantly introduced me to Taylor Kitsch, as you can see from the pic he is ridiculously handsome!

How could I have not known about him as a woman who digs cute men before this show? Is it because I wasn’t aware that he was an Abercrombie model, or in Snakes (Snacks) on a Plane (I didn’t see it).  After seeing pictures and seeing hin in action as Riggins in Friday Night Lights, the camera loves him much more in motion.  Although, he doesn’t look terrible in pictures!  Ladies, I think he is going to be the next “Matt Dillon” of sorts.  Maybe not as edgy as Matt was, but definitely as cute and appealing!  Keep an eye out for him, he is going places!

He is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.  It shows!  How many actors can back up that face with a body? Not too many…

Birthplace: Kelowna British Columbia

Birthdate: April 8, 1981

How come we don’t see any Friday Night Lights actors out and about destroying their image in Hollywood? They must have great PR agents!  After plenty of research, I can’t find any dirt on Kitsch and who he might be or may have dated.. Feast Your Eyes Ladies…! If you want to see him in action, walking and talking, Friday Night Lights DVDs! The show is amazing! Best bunch of characters out there!  Realistic, morals, values, attractive and great writing!

After viewing only the HBO version of this story, I am not awfully sure why two imbycillic women were so revered.  In my own defense, I read a bit about them AFTER watching and BEFORE writing this, but I have to say, still not “getting it!”  Why two lazy women with use of all their limbs and their minds and the ability to clean up after themselves would let a home crumble around them and not once look for a job to help themselves is not admirable.  Maybe I don’t realize that that was the fascination of this whole story, THEY WOULDN’T help themselves and that therefore is THE STORY?  Perhaps, but I didn’t find it charming, I found it rather pathetic and absurd!  I will more than likely watch the original documentary because I cannot believe that MOST of my friends and I disagree about the “charm” of this story.  I will TRY again, but don’t think I will come around.  I found their singing and dancing annoyingly corny, and their laziness distasteful.  Feel free to comment to try to induce some sympathy or understanding from me or disclose the hidden charm that I cannot seem to find in this story.  One good thing about the HBO special; the acting by Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange was impeccable!

Daisy de la hoya, so UNoriginal, it hurts... btw, Pam Anderson called, she wants her "look" back!

I can’t help but watch this because it is like LIVE CARTOON characters, much like WWE, except I don’t watch WWE.  Daisy de la Hoya was originally vying for Brett Michaels’ love, on Rock of Love, but now has been given her own show due to her own fame, my guess the fame stems from her cartoon like appearance and unusually dumb demeanor.  Dumb seems to sell on VH-1!  If you are dumb, aren’t afraid to show it, audition for a VH-1 reality show!  There is absolutely no pride nor care at the hands of these moronic simpletons that comprise the talent of I Love Money, For the Love of Ray J, Rock of Love, Daisy of Love, Tough Love, and a bevy of other programming designed to numb your mind!  I marvel at the stupidity as if I am watching the monkeys at the Bronx Zoo.. they are cute, act sort of human, but fail miserably in the civilized department!  Is it me, or has Daisy and her “men” not progressed since 7th grade? Amazing…. Seems like self betterment, intelligence and the ability to  reason was never cultivated and thus made them quasi famous! Retarded!  America, although I love the heck out of it, can be so unbelievably disappointing, but that is why I watch and sit riveted just waiting for the next fight, vomit, or disgusting make out session! YAH, bring it on.. oh the irony…

web site for this horrendous car wreck of a show: http://www.vh1.com/shows/daisy_of_love/series.jhtml

The men are just as nuts and dumb as they appear!

Coach Taylor and his wife

Although many of you may not be football fans, don’t let that stop you from partaking of the genius that is Friday Night Lights, the series on NBC to return this fall.  This show has all the great elements, real life stories, attractive, believeable  and likable characters.  Taking place in Texas where highschool football is a religion, we get to see all the ins and the outs of the lives around the sport. Coach Taylor, played by Kyle Chandler is so effective in each and every scene, and not to mention gorgeous.  His character is such a great man, caring, tough, and inspiring all at the same time!  There is a lot to be learned about life by participating in a team sport, and it is illustrated beautifully in the writing and acting.  Taylor Kitsch plays Riggins, the long haired “bad boy” but the irony is, he isn’t really bad at all, even though he drinks beer incessantly, as he lives with his older bro, and is in high school, he comes out as a principaled, and good boy, if that makes sense… The deal is is that all the characters screw up on some level, but they always manage to come out ok, and they are all good people with good hearts.  In Texas, it seems, they grow them straight and be sure to have a kleenex box nearby because you will inevetably cry during every single episode, man or woman, because you learn to care so deeply about these very likable characters!

Click here for more information about the show: http://www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights/

I am currently watching seasons 1, and 2 to get caught up to the current story line, and that works too! Each season is a different football season, and it is soooo good, you don’t care that you have just seen season 3…  Now that is great writing!