Search Results for: family

Amrie’s Take on TV: New Years Resolutions

January 2, 2007 By theTVaddict 10 Comments

Well, it’s 2007. Seems like just yesterday I was ushering in 2006 and hoping that with the new year would come great things in television. And here I am again, hoping against all hope that this year will be no different. That this spring will bring great TV and that the shows that have pretty much disappointed me so far will redeem themselves and make the first half of the year a good 6 months.

Everyone makes resolutions for the new year. Last year, I resolved to dance everyday for at least 15 minutes. I lasted 12 days before I realized that wasn’t really going to work out, because I got bored about 5 minutes in each time.

That said, I’ve decided to make resolutions for the next 6 months; July 1, I’ll make new resolutions to finish out the year. I am again attempting to dance, for at least 15 minutes, but when I only last 12 days this time, I won’t feel as bad as I did last year, because I’m hoping to make it to June, not December. In my head, it makes me feel better ha! My 6 month resolution idea has me thinking about the TV-related resolutions that I’d like to make for the rest of the 06-07 season.

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New Years Resolutions for our TV Favourites

January 1, 2007 By theTVaddict 8 Comments

tv new years resolutions

Dawn Ostroff (CW head honcho): Will resolve to ensure VERONICA MARS sees a fourth season. If you thought a Ferris Wheel outside your office was an eyesore, imagine an angry mob of Veronica and Logan shippers.

Zach Braff: Will resolve to sign on with SCRUBS for a seventh season. Sure a film career looks exciting now, but two words if we may be so bold — David Schwimmer.

Emmy Voters: Will resolve to actually take the time to watch television. Not watching TV is the only explanation for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA being continuously snubbed come Emmy time.

Betty Suarez: Will resolve to glean a few fashion tips from her co-workers at Mode. The show isn’t called ‘Clueless’ Betty.

The Walker Family (from BROTHERS & SISTERS): Will resolve to get through at least one family dinner without having it end in tears [and a bottle of wine].

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Free Preview of LINCOLN HEIGHTS

December 31, 2006 By theTVaddict 3 Comments

abc family lincoln heights

An early New Years gift courtesy of ABC Family, Click here to download the first episode [for free!] of the new series LINCOLN HEIGHTS from iTunes.

The show’s pilot follows an inner-city police officer who convinces his family to move to the neighborhood where he was raised in hopes of cleaning it up and making a difference. With it’s surprising mix of violence, romance and action, LINCOLN HEIGHTS was a welcome distraction on a cold winters day. And with executive prooducers from both PRISON BREAK and SOUL FOOD, the series definitely lives up to ABC Family’s tagline, ‘a new kind of family.’

Jenny’s This Week on TV

December 31, 2006 By theTVaddict 4 Comments

Hi everyone! Thank goodness the holidays are very nearly over! I had a good holiday season but man, do I miss TV! lol Let’s see what’s new finally this week!

SUNDAY

Sunday is of course New Years Eve, so not much on. Catch the season finale of Sunday Night Football on NBC at 8:30/7:30c.

Then at 10/9c, turn to ABC for Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2007 with hosts Dick Clark & Ryan Seacrest. Scheduled performers include Rihanna, KT Tunstall, Rascal Flatts & the stars of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys. It was sad last year seeing Dick Clark after his stroke. I had my doubts he’d do it this year but… Oh well. lol And man, didn’t there used to be a special on almost every channel on NYE? This year, I only see the one on the schedule. Strange.

Also on tonight:

Keith Barry: Extraordinary *Special*
7th Heaven *Repeat*
American Dad *2 Repeat Episodes*
Cold Case *Repeat*
Desperate Housewives *Repeat*
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition *Repeat*
Family Guy *Repeat*
Reba *Repeat*
Shark *Repeat*
The Simpsons *Repeat*
Without a Trace *Repeat*

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The 2006 TV Year in Review (Daytime Edition)

December 30, 2006 By theTVaddict 2 Comments

Now that we’ve conquered the best and worst in primetime television, it’s time to turn our gaze — weary as it may be from all this TV watching! — toward the daytime dial. Which talk show host sold out? And which soap turned stunt casting into an art form? Read on, fellow addicts!

Best return: Sure, ABC saw the reunion of GENERAL HOSPITAL supercouple Luke and Laura as little more than an opportunity to draw in lapsed viewers, but for anyone who grew up in the shadow of daytime’s legendary lovers, the chance to relive the magic was irresistible. Our fondest wish? That Genie Francis will bring Laura back to Port Charles permanently.

Worst return: DAYS OF OUR LIVES teased fans endlessly with a gloved hand that they were led to believe just might be The Phoenix — aka Stefano DiMera — rising yet again from a premature grave. When finally Marlena faced off with the villain who’d once helped turn her into a literal devil, all viewers saw was Stefano’s hand, thanks to the fact that DAYS couldn’t come to an agreement with his longtime portrayer, Joseph Mascolo.

Couple we never expected to fall for: Every fan of AS THE WORLD TURNS knows that when you say the name Jack, it is immediately followed by the name Carly. But after breaking up the good-guy cop and his semi-reformed bad-girl wife, the show somehow convinced viewers that they wanted to see her in the arms of sexy Simon! With Paul Leyden’s departure imminent, we can only hope that the execs will offer him anything in the WORLD he wants if he’ll stay.

Couple with the biggest “ick” factor: Take one brain-damaged psycho, throw in a sweet autistic girl, and what do you have? ALL MY CHILDREN’s Jonathan and Lily, who proved that just because a good girl is drawn to a bad boy doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t intervene and say, “Snap out of it!”

Most disappointing sell-out: Yeah, we’re talking to you, DR. PHIL. The low points this year included “helping” a woman get over her fear of horror flicks by sending her to see the latest SCARY MOVIE flick… which you happened to appear in; using half an episode to promote the season finale of the despicable BREAKING BONADUCE; using the show to endlessly promote books by your wife and son; and an episode in which you showed the same footage of a mother beating her child over and over and over. Perhaps worst of all: You only warn viewers that what they are about to see might not be appropriate for some AFTER you’ve already shown the controversial material in the pre-show teaser.

Words we’d just as soon never hear again: Residents of ALL MY CHILDREN’s Pine Valley spent way too much time talking about Ryan’s (fill in your favorite euphemism for “sperm” here), while folks over in THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Genoa City are still talking about that damned reliquary. And we’re still not caring about it.

Couple we’ll miss the most: Rumor has it that GUIDING LIGHT’s kissing cousins, Jonathan and Tammy, will be leaving the canvas early in 2007, and we’re already mourning the loss.

Story that shouldn’t have worked… but kinda did: When AS THE WORLD TURNS launched its FRIDAY THE 13th-like plot, we were right there with all the other skeptical eye-rollers. But by the time the knife-wielding killer started chasing Oakdale’s teens through the woods, damned if we weren’t gripped.

Story that should have worked… but definitely didn’t: For months, a mysterious monk manipulated PASSIONS’ Whitney into doing his bidding by playing on her guilt for having slept with half brother Chad. What started out as an interesting homage to The Da Vinci Code devolved into a major mess. By the time Alistair was decloaked, we couldn’t have cared less about him or the chalice he was after.

Gabfest most likely to leave people talking: Love her or hate her (and boy, does Donald Trump hate her!), Rosie O’Donnell has turned THE VIEW into daytime’s version of Must-See TV.

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TV’s Top 10 Shows of 2006

December 29, 2006 By theTVaddict 15 Comments

DEXTER An hour long drama about a serial killer. Does anybody actually want to see that? Luckily for Showtime [and fans of quality TV] a record number of people did — and for good reason. DEXTER featured an Emmy worthy performance by Michael C Hall (Dexter Morgan), compelling stories and most importantly (in the age of serialized ‘when are we going to get a resolution’ dramas) an actual ending. The show was the surprise hit of 2006 — and no, DEXTER isn’t number one on our list because we’re really quite scared of what he’ll do to us if he’s not happy.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Dexter Confesses

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA No show on television dares to challenge its viewers as much as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Whether its showing us a different side of terrorism, or portraying its ‘human heroes’ as people willing to do some seriously awful things (yes, you heard us Starbuck) — the show’s writing team, led by the brilliant Ronald D Moore, never takes the easy way out. Let’s hope our heroes don’t find Earth too quickly, as this TV addict doesn’t wish to see BATTLESTAR end anytime soon.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Second Season Finale

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Three words: Robing Sparkles and Swarley. Oh wait, there’s more…. Grinch, Suit Up, Steak Sauce, pretty much anything that comes out of Barney’s mouth. This year, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER truly came into its own, found its voice, and evolved into the FRIENDS replacement that we’ve so desperately needed. With a charming cast and razor sharp dialogue, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER was officially the funniest, most talked about, three camera comedy on TV.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Robin’s Secret

GREY’S ANATOMY What’s been lost amidst all the behind-the-scenes antics is that 2006 was by far the strongest year to date for the doctors of Seattle Grace. With water-cooler moments ranging from the fantastic Superbowl episode, to Denny’s death and more recently the deterioration of Dr. Burke and Cristina’s relationship, GREY’S ANATOMY is still our go-to drama for emotional high-stakes drama.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Grey’s Anatomy The Fray

SCRUBS SCRUBS is that rare breed of show that simply does everything well. It tugs at the heart-strings as well as any medical drama while at the same time manages to be as funny as any episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. After six years, the show has developed such a rich stock of supporting characters [Ted the lawyer, the Todd, Security guard with a hook etc…) that it has essentially evolved into a live-action equivalent of THE SIMPSONS (but with more heart). If you’re still not on the bandwagon, do yourself a favour and check into Sacred Heart soon. Sadly, if the rumours are true, it may be the last season you’ll be able to.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Dr. Cox Loses It

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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Best Show You’re Not Watching

December 26, 2006 By theTVaddict 15 Comments

friday night lights

This Christmas, with family and friends on vacation, I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. So what did I turn to? Alcohol of course — umm, no. More like my real addiction— Television. Over the weekend I decided to clear out my PVR and watch the entire season of NBC’s freshman drama FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.

While millions of Americans devoured their turkey and stuffing, this TV Addict found himself far more concerned with whether or not the Dillon Panthers would recover from losing their top quarterback Jason Street. Or if, sorry, WHEN, Street would discover what his girlfriend Lyla (what a slut!) and his best friend Riggins (worst best friend ever!) were doing while he was laid up in the hospital. Or whether the new Panther QB Matt Saracen would channel the courage to ask out adorable Julie (who just happens to be Coach Taylors daughter). And how on earth Coach Taylor (Kyle Chander) and his wife (Connie Britton) would keep their marriage together in the midst of all this football madness (Seriously, best TV couple ever!).

Let me say this folks, if you’re not watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, now is the time to jump on the Dillon Panther bandwagon. Still unsure? Think DAWSON’S CREEK but smarter, ONE TREE HILL with responsible, nay, remarkable parents or simply put, one my top 10 television shows of the year (check out theTVaddict.com’s year end review starting tomorrow).

Until January 2nd, you can catch every episode of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS over on NBC.com by clicking here. Canadians even have access to the series, by watching it over at Yahoo TV

theTVaddict.com’s Favourite TV Podcasts

December 22, 2006 By theTVaddict 9 Comments

With the holidays upon us, there’s no doubt going to be a lot of family togetherness. And what comes hand-in-hand with family togetherness? Family aggravation! So if you’re home for the weekend and find that you can’t take another moment of, “Why aren’t you married? Where are my grandkids? Isn’t it time you got a real job? Did you hear what [fill in the name of random high school acquaintance] is doing now? etc..” TheTVaddict has an idea to help you survive the inevitable family overload — TV Podcasts, the perfect ‘time-out!’

If you find yourself about to burst, take a deep breath, refrain from screaming, grab your iPod and head outside for a nice long walk. Yup, you heard me, a walk. But not to worry, you’ll be prepared for your unexpected constitutional because you’ve already taken my advice and downloaded some of theTVaddict.com’s favourite TV related podcasts. (Click on any album to head directly to the iTunes Music Store)

theTVaddict.com Official Podcast
Okay first on the list is a no brainer, theTVaddict.com’s official (and only!) podcast. On it you’ll join myself Daniel (theTVaddict) and my good friend Ariel (or Ari) as we discuss what we watched on TV this week. Of course we’re known for going off track and discussing life as well. It’s a nice 30-40 minutes of random ramblings about television and life in general. A can’t miss!

TV Guide’s Podcast
My podcast aside, the TV Guide Official Podcast is my most anticipated podcast of the week. If only to hear Dan Manu (the moderator) attempt to control a group of funny, sometimes racy and definitely opinionated group of staffers. The panel is rounded out by the adorable Angel Cohn, the opinionated and smart film critic Maitland and of course, the king of all media (in his own mind!) Michael Ausiello.

The Official BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Podcast
Each week Ronald D Moore, creator and executive producer of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA takes time from his busy week to do a commentary on the week’s episode of BSG. Moore offers incredibly honest and insightful commentary on the week’s episode, and is a must listen for fans of the show. Even better than the commentaries are the occasional special podcasts that Moore records. Recently Moore recorded a roundtable discussion with actor’s (including Baltar, Apollo and Helo) from the show. It was refreshing (and surprising) to hear actors talk so honestly about the show and their likes, dislikes and theories. Moore’s BSG podcasts is the perfect example of a showrunner truly going that extra mile for the fans.

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DEXTER Ends with a Bang!

December 19, 2006 By theTVaddict 2 Comments

Fifteen minutes into the phenomenal season premiere of DEXTER, I was hooked. Yet as the season wore on — and my love of the series grew — one thought trickled into my head, “I probably shouldn’t be enjoying a television series about a serial killer so much!” Of course, as last night’s finale proved, there’s a big difference between killers, and revealing that Dexter and Rudy were brothers was the perfect ending to a fantastic first season.

Dexter was essentially a super-hero, albeit one who took justice to the extreme (loved the fantasy sequence where everybody was cheering for him). Rather then let the ‘judicial system’ deal with the bad guy, Dexter played judge, jury and executioner, doling out the ultimate punishment. Thanks to his foster father Harry, Dexter had a ‘code’. He knew he had to act normal, fit in and most of all — only kill those people who really deserved it.

Harry’s code was what made last night’s finale so enthralling. We got to watch as Dexter struggled between saving Deb’s life (his foster sister) and killing his new found biological brother Rudy, the one man who Dexter could actually be himself around. Thankfully Harry’s teachings paid off [yet again] and Dexter made the right choice, saving Deb and killing his brother. It will be interesting to see how this decision effects Dexter next season. Will Dexter feel any resentment towards Deb for forcing him to kill his only remaining family member? Will Harry hiding the fact that Dexter had a brother lesson the strength of his teachings and the code? Will Dexter feel any guilt having had to kill his own brother?

Moving away from last night’s main event, there are a few other plot threads that will no doubt provide for an excellent start to the second season.

Dexter and Doakes: From the start of the season, Sgt. Doakes suspected something wasn’t quite right with Dexter. Ending off last night’s episode, it’s clear that Doakes has his eye on Dexter (literally!). Will Doakes ever find out the truth about Dexter? Will Dexter have to kill Doakes to save himself? Is there any chance Doakes could discover the truth, yet applaud his use of vigilante justice? How cool would it be to see Doakes actually helping Dexter?

Dexter and Rita: Poor Rita, she sure knows how to pick ’em. First an abusive drunken husband, now Dexter. With the discovery of Paul’s shoe, Rita has taken her first step to the discovery of Dexter’s true nature. In season two, how much more will she discover? and more importantly, how much more can this relationship evolve until Dexter has to put an end to it? Realistically, I doubt there are wedding bells in their future.

Laguerta and Esme: I absolutely loved how the new boss wasn’t in fact that stereotypical ball-buster that she initially was painted to be. So nice to see Laguerta actually have an ally in the office rather than another enemy. I can’t wait to see how all this office politics play out in season two.

And finally, the biggest question of all: As we’ve learned from shows like VERONICA MARS, the best mysteries are those where the lead character is in some form or another personally attached to the crime. Unless Dexter has another undiscovered brother with serial killer tendencies, how on earth is the show going to top itself for season two?

That said, this TV Addict can’t wait for the ride to begin. DEXTER is currently slated to return in the Fall of 2007.

Jenny’s This Week on TV

December 17, 2006 By theTVaddict Leave a Comment

SUNDAY

Sunday is all about the 3 hour Survivor on CBS at 8/7c. Jeff has a few more suprises up his sleeves for the remaining players, so if you are a fan of this show, don’t miss it tonight!

Also important tonight is the season finale of 4 shows: Sleeper Cell & Dexter on Showtime and Breaking Bonaduce & Celebrity Paranormal Project on VH1.

On Dexter, Dexter follows clues in his rescue attempt; Rita’s ex tries to convince her that Dexter is too dangerous. I have a friend that’s recorded all the eps so far so I can’t wait to get a DVD to watch when it finishes. I’ve heard this show is great!

Also on tonight: