Calista Flockhart-related stories
Posted Oct 25th 2009 3:03PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark
It's always interesting when you've been hearing about a series for years and then finally sit down to watch it. All the little pieces and pop references of
Ally McBeal are starting to come together, like Fishisms, The Biscuit, dancing babies and Vonda Shepard. I have seen the light. Well, at least season one of the light.
I mentioned in
my preview last week that
Ally McBeal seems like a mix of
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and
My World and Welcome To It. Having reached the end of season one, I still feel that way, with maybe a little
Buffy the Vampire Slayer thrown in (hey, don't throw things at me, Ally looks like Buffy).
Molly Dodd because Ally is funny, desperate, strong and cute.
My World because of all her fantasies, though not always in cartoon form as was the case with John Monroe / James Thurber.
Continue reading Jane After Dark: Ally McBeal, season one
Posted Oct 21st 2009 2:03PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, TV on DVD, OpEd, Video, Music and Variety, Reality-Free, Jane After Dark
I'm watching season one of
Ally McBeal for
Jane After Dark this week, and will give a full review this weekend. But I have to say, I'm just a few episodes in, and I'm already hooked. It's a weird blend of
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and
My World and Welcome To It.
And it's very weird seeing Calista Flockhart, whom I mainly know from
Brothers & Sisters, and all of her co-stars, whom I know from other current shows, on
Ally McBeal. What's even more amazing is all of the musicians featured on this show: Elton John, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Al Green, and many more.
Continue reading Jane After Dark preview: Hooked on Ally McBeal
Posted Sep 28th 2009 12:18AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E01) "William was a cheater. He had this bottle-blond tramp across town..." - Nora's mother to Holly
The dysfunctional Walker clan is back, and it didn't take long for the squabbling and worrying and break-ups and tragedies to surface. Things open right away with Nora's feeling of foreboding, and with this family, it's usually warranted. There's generally a nice mix of comedy and drama in
Brothers & Sisters, and this episode followed suit.
Continue reading Brothers & Sisters: The Road Ahead (season premiere)
Posted Jul 15th 2009 3:26PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, 24, House, Lost, Awards, Emmys, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men
Talk about a wealth of choices! When it comes to the Primetime Emmys in the supporting actor and actress categories for drama, there are a plethora of worthy candidates. Some shows, like
Mad Men or
Lost, for instance, have multiple choices in the supporting ranks, especially since these ensembles seem to have a hard time determining who's really the lead.
Earlier, I shared
my wish list for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama nominations, and I mentioned that Chloe Sevigny from
Big Love would be a deserving selection. A TV Squad reader let me know that Chloe has actually been submitted in the supporting category. Good to know, and with that in mind, I'll start my wish list by talking about that category. (Remember, there are six nominees per category.)
Continue reading Emmy Wish List: Supporting Categories - Drama
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 7:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Celebrities, Reality-Free
Note to Rob Lowe: Stop looking so damn healthy. Signed: The powers that be at ABC.
Seriously,
Brothers & Sisters' star
Rob Lowe has been ordered to stop tanning. Apparently, the actor just looks too good -- bronze and healthy and full of that Kennedy-style of vigor for the role he's playing. ABC brass, the president of the network no less, has told him to stay out of the sun. According to Lowe, he was warned that he is getting too dark and has to mend his ways now.
Continue reading No more tan for you! Hear that, Rob Lowe?
Posted Dec 1st 2008 9:00AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free
Do you have those things on your favorite shows that just make you smile when they happen? It's not like it's the highlight of the show or anything; maybe it's just giving you those warm fuzzies inside. Maybe it's when Earl crosses something off his list on
My Name is Earl. Or maybe it's as simple as when Penny sits in Sheldon's spot on
The Big Bang Theory. Those familiar moments somehow make us feel like we're with old friends.
I get those. Most recently, I've been getting them when the Walkers of ABC's
Brothers & Sisters are all on the phone together in some kind of mass speaker phone teleconferencing chain from hell. I'd say I don't normally watch these family soaps, but I've always liked Sally Field, and when she was recast as the matriarch of the Walkers, I found myself tuning in. This despite the fact that Ally McBeal's lips looked even puffier and she's still way too skinny. But then she married Rob Lowe and I've always liked him, too.
Continue reading Hi I'm Jason, and Brothers & Sisters gives me the warm fuzzies
Posted May 12th 2008 8:41AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E16) Rebecca: "I don't know what to do next."
Justin: "Me neither."
I cried twice during this episode. Maybe more. I cried when Nora told Kevin he deserved to have a beautiful wedding just as much as anybody else. And I also cried at two more points, but I'll talk about them below the jump. This was a beautiful episode of television. Even though I don't know that I have written about the music used in episodes, I thought the use of "Can't Find My Way Home" for the last two scenes was profoundly moving. Last year, I thought the season finale was a disaster because it ended with grand hijinks and everybody jumping into a pool. This year's season ended quietly on a beautiful sunny hillside, and it just about broke my heart. I am going to go out on a limb here and hope that this show wins an Emmy, because when they do it well, they really nail it.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Prior Commitments (season finale)
Posted Apr 28th 2008 8:21AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
[S02E136 "That was weird, wasn't it?" Justin Walker
I am starting to feel like Siskel and Ebert every week. Oh, that was a great episode! Oh, that episode sucked! It doesn't seem like there is any in between with me. Does that mean I'm too picky?
You know, it's funny because sometimes I don't even know how I feel about an episode, really, until I start writing about it, so my actual experience with watching it isn't necessarily negative, even if I write up a critical review. But tonight, I am pretty sure I know how I feel about it: That was a great episode.
Lots of things going on this week: Things are definitely heating up and charging down the runway toward May Sweeps and the end of the season, but they are things that have been set up for so long and so well that their very inevitability feels natural, unhurried, unforced, like a cart careening down a hill, picking up momentum, and heading into rush-hour traffic. And I'm not going to talk about it before the jump, so let's get going, shall we?
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Double Negative
Posted Apr 21st 2008 9:20AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(
S02E15)
"I'm leaving to get away from all of you!" - Nora Walker to her darling children, about moving to Washington D.C. with Isaac.
Sometimes what I actually want to review is the scenes for next week
's show, because it seems more interesting than the one I just watched. However, I know that many of you deliberately do not watch those clips, so we shall say no more on the subject. I am glad the Walkers are back, and I like how they have handled the time off due to the strike: they simply said, "Three months later," and picked up with events then.
Before that jump, though, we learned some important things: That Graham and Sarah are still dating, that Tommy and Julia are still happily together, and that Senator Robert McCallister loses the Republican Party's nomination for the Presidency, so Robert returns to the Senate.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Separation Anxiety
Posted Feb 18th 2008 2:02PM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(S02E14) "Do you think I'm uptight?" Kevin Walker to Sarah Walker.
"Yes." Sarah Walker to Kevin Walker
This was an immensely likable episode. If you have read my reviews from Season One in particular, you know that I tend to distinguish the episodes I like from the episodes I *really* like based on who wrote them. This episode was co-written by Cliff Olin, son of Patricia Wettig (Holly) and Ken Olin (David Caplan). Cliff has been writing for the show since its inception, and he is a young writer, barely in his mid-twenties. I have noticed an unevenness in his writings in past episodes, but I think he is finally starting to hit his stride.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Compromises
Posted Feb 11th 2008 1:00AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(
S02E11) "
You're the translator?" Sarah Walker to Graham Finch
This episode was, at its heart, about trust: How do you figure out whether or not you can trust people? And once you have broken someone's trust, how do you (and should you) get it back? Lena has been at the heart of broken trust issues for awhile now, and she has sort of become the symbol of betrayal on the show. But Rebecca, Justin, and Sarah have all had their issues with trust as well--and everyone (except Sarah, really) has certainly been guilty of giving (betrayal) just as good as they get.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: The Missionary Imposition
Posted Jan 14th 2008 1:05AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(
S02E10) "You slept with someone else too?" Nora Walker to Julia Walker
Oh,
Brothers and Sisters, how I've missed your hijinx! I was under the impression from some of the news I'd read about the WGA strike that filming had ceased on the show, so I was very happy to have a new episode (albeit, feeling a little guilty, because I support the writers...). Mostly, I was happy to see everyone again.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: The Feast of Epiphany
Posted Dec 3rd 2007 9:02AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(
S02E09)
"We could wake up tomorrow, and it could all go to hell."-- Robert McAllister I have to admit: I would have owed Tommy $100. But not for the same reasons as Kevin and Justin. I will get to that in a bit though. Was it just me, or did this episode have some editing glitches? One minute Kitty is telling Robert that it's bad luck to sleep with the groom on the night before the wedding and Justin and Lena seem to be talking about the wedding being that day, and then Kitty is in the Walker kitchen working on her vows and the wedding is still a day away. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal-- it just seemed a little incongruous for a bit.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Holy Matrimony!
Posted Nov 26th 2007 9:19AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(
S02E08)
"Well, I'm a democrat, and I lost my virginity to "She's Got Legs."-- Sarah WalkerDid everybody lose their virginity to a song? I don't remember whether I did or not, but if you want to share yours, feel free. I loved it when Robert walked in and Nora asked him what song was playing when he lost his. And then when she revealed that her first time wasn't with their father. And that is all very well and good, but I personally have never found Chevy Chase (Stan Harris) to be particularly attractive. However, I am willing to put that aside and say that I thought he did a wonderfully understated turn as
Kitty's Nora's (
thanks, Jamie) first love, Stan Harris.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Something New
Posted Nov 12th 2007 1:30AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: OpEd, Brothers and Sisters, Episode Reviews
(
S02E07)
"Well, who'd chain you the radiator and poke you with a stick?" Sarah, knitting. Meh. This episode was fine. It wasn't special. It was just kind of... filler. And I don't mean to cast aspersions on the show at all: That is what shows do leading up to November sweeps. They can't have anything really important happen right now. I hesitate to say anything negative about the writing these days because I fully support
the WGA strike. But this episode felt forced. They totally set it up a few weeks ago when Justin started taking pain killers again, and they gave themselves a convenient family "crisis" to deal with now.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: 36 Hours
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