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TV Week in Review: "Toy Story that Time Forgot", "Peter Pan Live!", and More

TV Week in Review Let's take a look at this past week in television. MONDAY: "State of Affairs" (NBC) - Despite being billed as combination action/political thriller, this new drama couldn't be more of a bore. The poorly-written show revolves around a CIA analyst who briefs the President on pressing issues. Even solid performances from Katharine Heigl and Alfre Woodard could not get me to care about these one-dimensional characters. The question on most viewer's minds by the end of Monday's episode: When does "The Blacklist" return?" TUESDAY: "Toy Story that Time Forgot" (ABC) - This new special comes after the success of "Toy Story of Terror", a genius Halloween special that aired last year. Woody, Buzz, and the gang are back in this new half hour, which revolves around a mysterious group of new toys. The half hour is packed with the mix of humor and heart that we all have come to expect from the Pixar...

"Gone Girl" Film Review

"Gone Girl" (2014) The highly-anticipated film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's best -selling 2012 thriller, 'Gone Girl' is finally here. And it did not disappoint. Directed by David Fincher ('The Social Network, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'), "Gone Girl" is, in a word,  phenomenal. Fans of the book will certainly not be disappointed. While the film deviates from the novel in certain places, everything you loved is still there in Flynn's screenplay. The direction is razor-sharp, and the acting is great, as well. Ben Affleck has never been better as Nick Dunne, a man accused of killing his wife, and Rosamund Pike is electrifyingly brilliant as the wife, Amy Elliot Dunne. The supporting players are also quite effective, including Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Dickens, and standout Carrie Coon. Even at two and a half hours, the film does not drag on at all. The twists and turns play out shockingly on the big screen. Without ...

"Dallas" Fans Campaign to see the Beloved Show Return

#SaveDallas On Friday, TNT made the decision to cancel "Dallas" after three seasons. Now, obviously, the fans are not going to give up on the Ewings this easily. Already the huge fan base of the soapy reboot have mobilized, collected thousands of signatures, trended #SaveDallas, gotten encouragement from the cast, all in efforts to get another network or platform to pick up "Dallas" for a fourth season. There are no really obvious choices for a cable channel to pick up the show, returning to CBS after twenty years seems even less likely, so the best option is the Internet. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Yahoo! Screen are all amping up on their original programming, shows like "Arrested Development" and "Community" have been successfully revived online, so there's always hope "Dallas" will be next. Things we all can do in the meantime: Sign the Petition to TNT Channel · HELP SAVE DALLAS TNT · C...

Reaction to the 2014 Primetime Emmys

 My Reaction to the 2014 Primetime Emmys The Emmys aired last night on NBC, hosted by Seth Meyers. Meyers did good job hosting the ceremony, no big stunts this year. His opening monologue did not contain too many insults directed at the attendees, but rather smartly written jokes about the current state of TV. Billy Eichner and Sofia Vergara also had hilarious bits during the broadcast. Among the winners, they weren't as many surprises as last year. Ty Burrell won over last year's Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Tony Hale, which was his second prize. Alison Janney was this year's Supporting Actress in a Comedy, as was widely predicted. Her sixth win (and second this year) was for her portrayal of a recovering addict on CBS' "Mom". Lead Actor and Actress were Jim Parsons and Julia Louis Defryus, surprising no one. Best Comedy went to "Modern Family", which has now tied with "Frasier" for most consecutive wins, beating the heavily ...

TV Review: "Jennifer Falls"

TV Review: "Jennifer Falls TV Land's "Jennifer Falls"concluded its ten episode first season on Wednesday, August 13. The series revolves around Jennifer Doyle, a single mother forced to move back home after being fired from her high paying job. When the show premiered back in June, there were some major problems, mainly unnecessary scenes with characters talking directly to the camera, and extra characters without any real purpose. But as the season progressed, those problems became less evident as the ensemble became more clearly defined.

Emmy Nominations: Snubs and Surprises

Emmy Nominations: Snubs and Surprises  The Primetime Emmy Nominations were announced today, but not without some controversy. As with every year, fans took to Twitter and the Internet to express their 'outrage' that their show didn't get enough love. An unavoidable part of any award season, but let's examine some of the omissions and surprises to come from today's announcement. Snub: Broadcast television With cable and Netflix, the broadcast networks are virtually shut out yet again. That means deserving shows like "The Good Wife" and "The Blacklist" were omitted from Best Drama Series and "Parks and Recreation" and "Trophy Wife" were left out of Best Comedy Series. Predictable, but unforgivable nonetheless. Surprise: Lizzy Caplan  A welcome surprise, Lizzy Caplan broke into the highly competitive Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. Even though the writing for Showtime's "Masters of Sex"...

The 2014 Timmy Television Awards

The 4th Annual Timmy Television Awards The Timmy Awards annually honor excellence in television from the previous season. This year we look at the great work from the 2013-14 season. Winners are in bold. Outstanding Comedy Series Parks and Recreation - NBC Veep - HBO Trophy Wife - ABC The Big Bang Theory - CBS Episodes - Showtime Outstanding Drama Series Hannibal - NBC Elementary - CBS True Blood - HBO The Good Wife - CBS Parenthood - NBC Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Veep Lisa Kudrow - Web Therapy Emmy Rossum - Shameless Mindy Kailing - The Mindy Project Taylor Schilling - Orange is the New Black Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Adam Scott - Parks and Recreation Louis C.K. - Louie Chris Messina - The Mindy Project Robin Williams - The Crazy Ones Matt LeBlanc - Episodes Michael J Fox - The Michael J Fox Show Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...

Movie Review: "Jersey Boys" (2014)

Movie Review: "Jersey Boys" (2014) Clint Eastwood's latest film, "Jersey Boys" opened in theaters on June 14. The film is an adaptation of the Tony-winning m usical from 2006, and tells the story of the Four Seasons. John Lloy d Young reprises his Tony-winning role as Frankie Valli, and much of the cast has also appeared in the Broadway production. Despite some major problems, "Jersey Boys" is a completely enjoyable film, especially at a time where the only alternatives at the movie theaters are sappy teen love stories and the twenty-eighth sequel to some superhero movie. Rather than being a full-out theatrical musical, "Jersey Boys" is very much a dramatic film, that features musical performances only when they make sense with the plot, but not necessarily to further it. Those are the two different ways musicals are usually adapted into films. The first way has worked many times in recent memory ("Hairspray", "Mamma...

Theater Review: "Violet"

Theater Review: "Violet" "Violet" opened on Broadway at the American Airlines Theater earlier this year. It is a revival of the Jeanine Tesori- Brian Crawley musical, which premiered off-Broadway in 1997, and is based off a one night only Encores! concert version done last summer. The plot revolves around a young woman, Violet, who has a scar across her face as the result of a horrific accident when she was young. She travels from North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma to seek the healing powers of a  televangelist. Two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster portrays the title role. A complete departure for the star, known for her energetic tap- dancing  performances in musicals like "Throughly Modern Millie," and "Anything Goes". In "Violet" however,  Foster does not dance, does not have a single costume change, and wears no makeup. Any concerns that leaving her comfort zone would hinder Foster's preformance are put to rest the moment ...

Movie Review: "Blended"

Movie Review: "Blended" The Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore film, "Blended", opened in theaters Friday. May 23. The comedy re-teams the pairing of Sandler and Barrymore, who had previously starred together in 1998's "The Wedding Singer", and 2004's "50 First Dates". Directed by Frank Coraci ("The Wedding Singer"), the stars play two single parents who after a horrible blind date, are forced to share an African vacation with each other's families. Like "The Wedding Singer " and "50 First Dates", "Blended" is a romantic comedy. They do not even pretend that Sandler's Jim and Barrymore's Lauren aren't going to end up together in the end. While it's not the smartest or maybe even the funniest movie they've ever done, it's  a sweet enough premise. Most romantic comedies these days fail because of a lack of chemistry between the leads. Luckily, this is not a problem...

12 Reasons ABC Should Renew "Trophy Wife"

12 Reasons ABC Should Renew "Trophy Wife" It's no secret that "Trophy Wife" is one of the best new shows to come of this season. It's also no secret that the ratings are unforgivably low. But here are some reasons ABC needs to overlook the numbers and give the show another chance. 1. Critics love it.  "Trophy Wife" has the best reviews of any ABC comedy series that isn't named "Modern Family". Critics everywhere have been hailing the series as among the best of the new shows to debut this year, and that shouldn't be ignored. 2. The low numbers are not the series' fault. The reason "TW" hasn't been preforming as well as ABC would have liked, is because of a lack of promotion, terrible and unproven timeslot, and a bad title, not because audiences don't like the show. The week-to-week drops are so minimal that it's proof audiences have not given up on it. 3.  The cast is impressive. M...

Disney Review: "Pinocchio" (1940)

"Pinocchio" (1940) Based on the children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio", "Pinocchio" was supposed to be Disney's big follow-up to their big hit "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves". Released in February 1940, and despite positive reviews from critics, the film was a major disappointment at the box office. Maybe this was because the film couldn't open in certain markets because of World War II, or maybe the box office returns just seemed disappointing because the unprecedented success of "Snow White..". Either way, most people wouldn't expect a film that's so well remembered today to have bombed during its initial release. But, thankfully, how "Pinocchio" preformed in 1940 has nothing to do with the quality of the film. The film was everything people expected, and more.

Disney Review:"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" (1937)

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" (1937) Not only was this Walt Disney's first feature length production, but this was the first feature length animated film ever made. A huge risk at the time, people begged Disney not to make it.  But the risk payed off, and the result is one of the most loved animated classics of all time.

Review: "Veep" Some New Beginnings

Review: "Veep" Some New Beginnings "Veep" just keeps getting better. The third season, which premiered April 6 on HBO, features Vice President Selina Meyer running a campaign for President. The campaign plot provides many opportunities for more hilarity."Some New Beginnings" is the perfect example of how good "Veep" can be when its firing on all cylinders.

5 Ways to Improve "The Crazy Ones"

5 Ways to Improve "The Crazy Ones" First of all, I love "The Crazy Ones". When the CBS sitcom premiered in September 2013, I fell in love with it. Robin Williams is a legend, Sarah Michelle Gellar is delightful, and David E. Kelley is an expert. The perfect combination of people to make a great show. Although I have to say more recent episodes haven't been the best. I think the show should makes some changes, and then it'd be fantastic.

The 51 Greatest Moments in "General Hospital" History

The 51 Greatest Moments in "General Hospital" History In honor of "General Hospital's" 51st anniversary today, I've decided to celebrate by making a list of the 51 greatest moment from the shows first 51 years of being on the air. These moments are some of the most talked about, well remembered, romantic, hilarious, or flat-out bizarre things that the series has ever done. 51. Luke and Laura's Dance At Wyndham's (1980) There is no good reason that this iconic 1980 moment is so low on this list. I just wanted a great moment to be the first one mentioned, but it could easily break the Top Ten. Luke and Laura are on the run and spend the night at Wyndham's Department store. They put on formal wear and dance to the song "Fascination", it's very romantic and one of the best remembered scenes in the show's impressive history. 50. The Death of Baby Ariel (2013) This humorous moment from July 2013, only comes before ...