The TV Addict 

Hey all, Amrie here. Do me a favor today in your web travels today, gang. I know we’re all wondering what we can do to show our support for the fabulous writers we all love so much. Please take some time to read through the truly inspiring essays by some of our favorites in the WHY WE WRITE series. Filled with fabulous essays from SCRUBS’ creator Bill Lawrence, 24 genius Howard Gordon, LOSTerminds Damon Lindelof, and a wide variety of other funny, inspiring, passionate people, this will help tide you over until the horrible S-word wraps up.

The idea was put into motion by executive producers of SCI FI’s fabulous series EUREKA, Thania St. John and Charlie Craig. When they finally had some time to sit and ask each other why they write, after all these years in the business, it inspired them to ask others, and thus a great website was created.

The site is whywewriteseries.wordpress.com. I promise you’ll enjoy what you read. And maybe you’ll even be inspired to submit your own essay about why you write, why you watch, or why you were inspired.

Make sure to leave us comments, let us know what you think. And spread the word – pass on the link to friends. Show these writers that we’re still paying attention and our support is not going away.

I watch a lot of TV. Probably, more TV than I should. I watch TV instead of sleeping some times. Why do I tell you what you probably already know? To explain the difficulty that I’m having in narrowing down my (few days late) favorite shows list. It’s pained me to have to leave off old favorites (I’m sorry, Heroes, but you just aren’t cutting it…) and I was so excited to have a fabulously gorgeous new show to add to the list this year (welcome Piemaker and friends). I’m sure I’m leaving your favorites off of my top 11 shows of 2007, but keep reading – there’s a ridiculously long list of honorable mentions at the bottom!

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Say what you will about the Landry/Tyra plot (a plot that I enjoyed), there is no show like this on TV. Family dynamics at their best and sometimes worst, a whole town coming together, pain, angst, hatred, disgust, love, lust, Christianity, depraved hedonism, this show has it all. Amazing. If you don’t believe that you can get caught up and love the show just as much as I do, take my sister as a prime example. Starting the weekend after Christmas, Mary tucked into bed, laid around for hours upon hours, smitten with the show after 2 minutes of the pilot. She’s now all caught up, just like me, and now she’s going through withdrawal as she tries to make the wait until Friday Night go super fast!

PUSHING DAISIES
Never was I so smitten with a first episode, and the characters in the first episode, as I was with this show. I know there are folks out there who think this one is too sugary-sweet, but I love the escape from the real world that this show never fails to give me. The Piemaker and his sweetheart, A Girl named Chuck, make me root for love. Olive Snook is the perfect character for Kristen Chenowith, and we all know how much I love Chi McBride. Oh and can I mention the greatest Aunts (mothers?) ever on screen and the best emoting-dog in the world? The stories are wacky, the colors are gorgeous, and I just can’t wait for the horrid strike to end (I support the writers, I promise) so that I can see new stories unfold!

VERONICA MARS
Until the end of time, this show will rank as one of my all time favorite shows. Is that a big promise to make to a television series? Come on! The lead character had spunk and style, and charm, and class, and sass and she just made it fun to watch! Did I mention my love for Logan Echolls? Sure, he’s a jackass, and yes, he made some pretty frakked up decisions, but he was always my favorite. I love Wallace (though he was painfully underutilized in the final season) and I love Veronica’s solid relationship with Papa Keith. Mac was a great best friend, Parker wasn’t terrible (except for the whole loving Logan thing) and Piz was an adorable new friend (I hated the relationships between Piz and Veronica, but I loved the friendship!). Dick Casablancas always made it hilarious. It was a big shame to see my pal Michael Muhney’s character kick the bucket, but it was done with Veronica Mars flair, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. I only wish that Dawn Ostroff hadn’t over promised and had put us VM fans out of our misery way sooner than she did.

Read the rest of this entry »

And then there were 2! In 2 weeks, it’ll be 2008. I have to say wow again. As promised, I’m back this week with my Favorite Actresses of 2007. Before we jump in and start my list of fabulous ladies, big apologies to Edward James Olmos, Alec Baldwin, and Jon Hamm from Mad Men for not including them on my Actor list!!

Here we have my top “11” favorite actresses from 2007, and some honorable mentions. Believe me, I’m sure there are people missing, and I’m sure I’ll read your comments and know that I was wrong to exclude someone amazing, but here’s where I am right now (I used a lot of leeway on that top “11” list. There are definitely way more than 11 that made it)!

Connie Britton, Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
I sing Connie Britton’s praises just about every 5 seconds of every single day. She is gorgeous, she is fantastic, she makes me believe in her pains and struggles and just everything that Tami is going through. I believe that she loves her husband (Coach Eric Taylor) and that she is trying to do the best she can for her daughters and all the students at Dillon. She could easily be another football coach’s wallflower wife, but the way the character is written, and the way Connie plays it, she jumps off the screen. The fact that she isn’t getting accolades and awards and nominations just blows my mind.

The Women of the 13 colonies, Mary McDonnell (President Roslin), Tricia Helfer (Gina/Six), Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck), Grace Park (Boomer/Sharon), Michele Forbes (Admiral Cain), Battlestar Galactica
I didn’t want to get involved in what I called “another SciFi show that won’t hold my interest.” Then I watched one episode and I was hooked. Season 3 and the mid-way movie Razor just prove that these women deserve shelves upon shelves of awards because of how downright mind-blowing they are. I don’t want Roslin to die from the cancer that’s going to eventually over take her (I mean, she is the dying leader from the prophecy, right?). Like Michael C. Hall’s Dexter (a killer), who I shouldn’t identify with, I completely identify with Helfer’s Six and Gina, Cylons who just want the best for their own race. Grace Park is wonderful, so moving. Michele Forbes exudes awesomeness. And Sackhoff? She is just cool. And angry, and awesome. And big props to her for making a few of the scenes in Bionic Woman remotely watchable.

The Pie Hos, Kristen Chenowith (Olive Snook,) and Anna Friel (Charlotte Chuck Charles), Pushing Daisies
Olive is so in love with Ned. And she’s such a good dog-sitter of Digby. And she’s the perfect foil to Chuck. And she’s a great friend to Lily and Vivian. And I love her interaction with Emerson. She’s charming, and she speaks quickly, and she sings, and she dances. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, and it’s nice to see her getting celebrated for such a perfect role for her! Anna Friel is delicious. She plays her role with such wide eyed abandon. She’s so wounded and damaged, and dying to be loved, and missing the ladies she does love, and I love this role and I’m so happy that it was written and she was cast.

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

A funny thing happened to me over the summer – I fell for a little show called The Game. I have always been a fan of Girlfriends – seriously, I watch it in reruns almost every single day. So I’m not sure why I hadn’t picked up on its spin-off, but once I did, I added it to the ever-growing/constantly changing DVR schedule.

I spent some time on the phone this past Black Friday (after 7 hours of ridiculous shopping) with one of the stars of the show, Hosea Chanchez (who plays mama’s boy / Saber’s quarterback Malik Wright), about his show, his career goals, and why he thinks you should all be watching!

How are things going with the show?
Hosea Chanchez: Well, we’re on strike, haha. But the show is going wonderful. We have been the number one series on the CW, the number one comedy now.

It’s a show where people weren’t sure how it was going to do, because spin-offs don’t always do so well. But it’s so independent of the show it came from (Girlfriends), that it’s really found its own home.
Right, right, exactly.

What about Malik made you want to play this character?
What made me want to play him, first of all, I thought initially he was so much like myself. Not externally, but internally, he was so much like myself. He was a mama’s boy, he was dependent on his mom, who hasn’t quite grown up yet, a big kid, a kid at heart. Just really trying to find where he fits in, in life. Not just in the NFL, and with his mom, but just basically trying to find a way for himself to be his own person, to be who he is as an individual. That was my space and time at that exact time. Plus I thought it would be a lot of fun, just playing someone who is ego driven, can say whatever he wants to say, do whatever he wants to do, because that’s not me; someone who does not think before he speaks.

Sometimes you wish you could do that all the time, don’t you?
Right! Everybody wishes that they could do that.

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Amrie Cunningham

First things first – all TV shows should be shown on a movie theatre screen. I had the opportunity to see Battlestar Galactica: Razor at a theatre near my house, and it blew me away. I have to admit that the storyline itself felt kind of pulled together and I struggled to find myself caring about this tertiary character that had never once been mentioned in the show I’ve dedicated hours upon hours of viewing time to. But seeing the show on the giant movie screen gave me a whole new appreciation for many things.

Edward James Olmos (Bill Adama) says more with a look than any modern actor probably can. The screen lights up every time Mary McDonnell (President Roslin) appears, even if for just one minute. Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) on the big screen is just frakkin hot. Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) is obviously having so much fun playing a complete bad ass. Tricia Helfer (Gina/Six) is beautiful and conveys pain and pride in a combination that would have knocked me over if I had been standing up. And Michele Forbes (Helena Cain) is my hero. How’s that for set up?

Read the rest of this entry »

Amrie with BJ Novak

Hey gang. First things first, I want to apologize for no updates this morning! I was in my hotel room for a total of 5 hours between Saturday morning at 9AM and Sunday morning at 7:30AM. I was out and about in Scranton; various Q&As, walks around town, taking in the local sights, meeting up with cast members and writers, and chatting with fellow bloggers.

Some Friday things to take care of – Craig Robinson is and always will be my favorite. Darryl is awesome. At the end of Casino Night, he was still okay with getting one last picture in. Also – I chatted with Ed Helms for a little while about our interview from over the summer. He is not cousins with Wes Helms. He just didn’t want to correct me back then ha! He was a gem, and I cannot believe I had the luck of not only standing near him, but getting to stand with his arm around me for a darling picture on my phone.

Saturday morning was horrible, weather wise. It was pouring. Pictures in the pouring rain was not an easy task. The Office was playing all over town, so I got the chance to catch up on old episodes. Ended up at the Steamtown Mall for the Uncommon Stakeholder’s Meeting. Craig (Darryl, my absolutely favorite person ever), Oscar, and Andy Buckley (David Wallace, CFO) participated in a mock board meeting. Craig was hilarious, Oscar and Andy were, too. It was packed.

From there, we headed to see Creed play with the Scrantones in the middle of the University campus. You know those stories Creed comes up with on the show? He does it in real life. He let us know that when he was a child, he was orphaned, and then adopted by a Chinese family and long story short, that’s how he lost a toe (I’m pretty sure he made that up…though I did hear him tell that story twice). He may tell crazy stories, but his guitar playing is phenomenal!

Read the rest of this entry »

Who is watching DAMAGES and completely obsessing over everything that they see, like I am? I can’t wait for the next two episodes, to see what everyone thinks, and to get to talk to fellow viewers about how the mystery turned out. I got the chance to be in on a conference call with the charming Tate Donovan, once again, to discuss the final episodes of the year. He covered a lot of the same things we talked about last time, but I got the chance to ask him a few new questions, and wanted to share it will all of you guys!

Amrie: Hi. How are you? Good to talk to you again!

Tate Donovan: Good to talk to you.

First things first, you know, the show is a big mystery; the whole season has been a mystery and everybody is watching it and trying to figure it out. Were you as a cast as on edge and trying to figure it out? Were you as involved in trying to figure out the mystery as we are?

I would say more involved. Yeah. I mean, you know, we’re all like, you know, “Is it me?”, like we all want to know what, you know, we were heavily involved. Absolutely and, you know, it’s always sort of like you want to ask the producers a lot of questions. But you also like don’t want to bother them all the time….So, it’s always like trying to find the right time or like, “What’s going on with this? And why is that happening, you know?” And so, it’s always sort of like because those guys are just – they just work so hard. You know, you don’t want to like annoy them with questions. But trust me, yeah, we were deeply involved of what’s happening.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hello everyone, how has the first two weeks of your TV season been? Series premieres of new shows, season premieres of old shows, and my inability to stay up late enough to watch everything – looks like it’s going to be a good season!

I thought it was a good time to break down the good, the bad, and the incredibly unfortunate of the new season, so far!

The Good
Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies, Pushing Daisies….I’ve seen the Pie-lette 12 times since the first time I watched it, and every single time, I’m completely drawn in, sitting with goofy grin on my face, from start to finish. Ned the Piemaker is freshly appointed to the top spot on my TV boyfriends list (it’s important to note that Lee Pace has been on the list since the days of Wonderfalls, but he skyrocketed to the top the minute I saw this show). He’s adorable, isn’t he? Yes, I know there’s a group of people how there that didn’t “get it” or didn’t see what all of the hubbub was about with this show, but it’s one I plan never to miss, and I just can’t wait to see where the season brings us.

Friday Night Lights is finally back, and it’s actually matching its competition so far in key demos. Looks like all of the fan campaigns have gotten at least a few more people watching. There is no complimentary word too strong to express my love for this cast. Amazing, heartbreaking, lovable, charming, endearing, moving, beautiful, you name it, and it’s on my list. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Wow. I just can’t say much more than wow. They move me to tears with the slightest movement or silent scene. Blow me away. And say what you will about the storyline currently affecting Landry and Tyra – I’m a huge fan of Jesse Plemmons and Adrianne Palicki, and if anyone can handle it, and not oversell what could be a huge gamble, it’s these two. Keep the faith in the writers, gang. I think they’ll make it all okay. Plus? Freaking Aaron from 24 is playing Landry’s father, so AWESOME!

Bones and House on Tuesdays on FOX. I love this pairing. It’s a straight 2 hour block of wit, sarcasm, chemistry, science, and awesomeness! The shows go so perfectly together, and the hours go by so quickly, it’s a wonder FOX didn’t try this before. I find myself actually thanking FOX for something, and that’s a Tuesday night of TV that has me (almost) forgetting the dream pairing of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars from last year. If FOX loved me, they would keep these two shows together and move American Idol. A girl can dream, right?

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

You know me. You know that I’ve been championing the high quality of Side Order of Life since before it started on Lifetime. I feel a connection to the show since I got to talk to the creator Margaret Nagle. She gave me insight into what would happen as the season went on, and it was so exciting to see that played out. I watch the show every week, sometimes twice, with my roommates. I got the privilege of talking to four members of the cast over the past two weeks, and as if I needed another reason to be addicted to this show, they got me wanting me to see the final three episodes more than anything!

When someone asks me why I watch the show, the cast chemistry is almost always my first response. The characters interact as if the actors have known each other for years. Talking to Marisa Coughlan (Jenny), Chris Gartin (Rick), Diana-Maria Riva (Vivy), and Ashley Williams (Becca) has made me want to go work on the show so I can spend time with them! I asked them about the interaction and here is what they had to say:

“I think that like, somehow, we are all so like our characters…we don’t all spend a lot of time in scenes together, but off camera, it is even better, and we can’t wait to get more of that on camera. We all really get along great. A lot of the things the characters are going through on the show…are so similar to our conversations that they are so similar to our dialogue sometimes, we laugh about it!” says Chris. Adds Diana, “You know, no joke, it is ridiculous how well we came together. I mean, we are this tight knit little family that could not have blended better and there is so much trust between us that, we will literally turn to each other and say ‘I’m blocked with this, what do I do, where should I push?’ We will turn to each other for advice on our own work, which really is a sign of a lot of faith and trust in each other and respect for each other. That, to me, is a glorious group to be with.” As if you need more reason to love them, Marisa says, “It’s kind of ridiculous haha, I work the most with Rick (Chris Gartin) and Vivy (Diana). I couldn’t be much more in love with them and Jason, too. I just lately don’t have the pleasure of working with him as much! It’s just one of the things they really did well, and it was just sheer happenstance. It was serendipity I guess, because we really do have an amazing natural affinity for each other. It’s a very fun set to work on, which I can’t say for all sets ha! It’s a fantastic time.” As for Ashley, who came in later than the “core four” as I call them, she has nothing but love. “They have been the most awesome cast to work with and they have all been so friendly from the beginning and they were really close because they had just finished shooting the pilot when I came in. They sort of bonded, and then I was this guest. But they have been so cool to me, it has been really fun!”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

“If hate laughing, you’re not going to like IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA”

What do you get when you combine three crazy self-absorbed bar owners, their insecure but self-absorbed bartender, and a man that they call Frank? You get the funniest thing on TV – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Coming back for its third season on F/X [Thursday September 13 at 10PM], they promise to bring you joy with their complete inability to care for others. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the first batch of episodes this season, and there are just a few things you need to know, which will sound insane out of context, and be even more insane when you watch – shoe polish is better than bronzer for making a baby look Latino, everyone needs a Green Monster suit, Stephen Collins is the man (would I, a devout 7th Heaven shunner ever have said that before this show?), and never trust sweaty friends in a hostage situation.

I had the incredible good fortune of getting to spend some time shooting the breeze with my favorite cast member (though out of the 5 main characters, it’s a hard one to call – I love them all so much), Kaitlin Olson, who plays Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds. She is funny, relatable, and full of knowledge on Juicers, and the pains involved in too much vegetable juice.

Amrie: I was actually just telling someone a few days ago how you’re one of my favorite people on TV, and now I’m getting the opportunity to talk to you so this is thrilling.
Kaitlin: Thank you so much, I appreciate that!

Not a problem! First off, Dee is not the most likeable character in the world, but she’s my favorite character, of all things.
I know what that says about you…

I’m not sure I should know what that says about me…

[Kaitlin laughs]

What about her on paper made you want to be this character?
I really like her insecurity. She definitely is despicable, you can’t really argue with that. I don’t think she’s hate-able because it all stems from her raging insecurity and they’re so mean to her. I think there is just something really funny about that to me.

Read the rest of this entry »