The Fray's new song's been found (along with a Lost teaser)!!

Finally! I had been anticipating this moment for more than a year: The Fray's first single from their second studio album made its debut last week! And what a debut it was!

The band's first song off their new record is called, as it was highly expected, "You Found Me" (formerly known as "Amistad") and it premiered last Thursday during a commercial break of Grey's Anatomy (Coincidence? I think not!) in a one-minute promo for the new highly anticipated season of another of my favorite shows, Lost! It was then streamed on The Fray's website and available on iTunes, which gave us the opportunity to take a look at the other tracks of the album that appears nothing but promising (can't wait to hear the official version of "Happiness", the song I had a crush on when the band previewed it during their Paris gig last year!). The album won't come out until February 3, 2009.

In the meantime, let's focus on "You Found Me". This song's amazing! I've been listening to it over and over again since I got it two days ago! It really reminds me of "How to Save a Life" for it has the same vibe, but yet sounds even more mature and achieved. Awe-some!

And since the song debuted during a promo for Lost, can I just say how amazing this teaser was!? Apart from the fact that the song is more than fitting for the show (Lost / Found, get it? Duh!), the first glimpse we caught of Season 5 made me want to be in January already!! I can't wait for the show to come back because it just seems that they are going to knock that new narrative dynamic out of the park!!

And when one of my all-time favorite bands comes back with a stunning new song to create a breath-taking promo for one of my all-time favorite shows, I can't do anything but applaud. And wait patiently until January (for Lost's new season) and February (for The Fray's new album).

Click here to listen to "You Found Me" and see it used in ABC's promo for Lost, Season 5 below:



Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why’d you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, you found me
- The Fray, "You Found Me" (2008)

Snow Patrol, A Hundred Million Suns

One of my favorite bands, Snow Patrol, finally came up with a brand new album that's called A Hundred Million Suns.

The sound of this new record is typical of Snow Patrol and you definitely recognize their touch...

Best tracks of the album: Take Back the City, Crack the Shutters, Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands.

Take back the city for yourself tonight
I'll take back the city for me
Take back the city for yourself tonight
Whoa

It's a mess, it's a start
It's a flawed work of art
Your city, your call
Every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight
Get your epitaph right
You can sing, 'til you drop
'Cause the fun just never stops
- Snow Patrol, "Take Back The City" (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDGzB82bIZc

Grey's De-Gayed: Brooke Smith Axed!

What a disappointment! I was loving Grey's Anatomy so much this season but my enthusiasm was cut short when it was made public earlier this week that Brooke Smith (Dr. Erica Hahn) was being let go of the show! And that she had only one episode left (the one that aired last Thursday). Just like that!

Of course, this raised questions of whether it's her on screen lesbian romance with another character on the show - Callie Torres - that got her fired. Rumor has it that the network got cold feet over the "Callica" gay storyline and decided to put an end to it. On the record though, Shonda Rhimes (creator of Grey's) insists that Smith was axed purely for "creative reasons" and that it had nothing to do with the fact that she was playing a real lesbian (as opposed to Callie who seems to be more bisexual as recent storylines proved it). But Erica had the whole "I can see leaves" monologue in the last episode (I thought it was an amazing scene BTW; see video at the end of the post!) where she came to the realization that she was definitely gay.

But if she was not fired for playing a lesbian (the real first openly gay character on Grey's), then why didn't they end her relationship with Callie if the didn't like where this was going but kept the wonderful Dr. Han on the show??!

So I was disappointed with her departure especially because she wasn't written out proprely, it wasn't even made clear she was leaving - for good!

This doesn't mean I didn't like the last episode, I liked it a lot and I'm still really digging Season 5 but I'm just stunned they fired Smith. And I'm disappointed that her departure was so abrupt and was handled so poorly. She's a great actress and had been a wonderful addition to the cast and a great replacement for Burke (Isaiah Washington who was him fired for good reasons!)

But let's not assume that it is a trend and that gays are banned from Grey's: a new bisexual intern (and one of Mere's old BFFs) is set to start her surgical rotation at Seattle Grace as soon as next week! Let see how that goes... and Callie is still on the show! :)

Here are two videos: one is the aforementioned scene from last week's episode where Hahn realizes that she's gay (really great scene, well written and well acted!) and the other (also well-written but sad) is Hahn's last appearance on the show as it aired on ABC this week.

"You are glasses!" - Grey's Anatomy - 5.06 "Life During Wartime"

Erica Hahn's last-ever scene on the show - Grey's Anatomy - 5.07 "Rise Up"

Yes, We Can (And We Did!): Obama's Elected President!!

Wow, just wow, that's all I have to say!

I won't write tons and tons because so much has already been said about it (I mean, it's been on every single newspaper and all over TV and radio for the past two days...) but I just wanted to write a quick post about the election of the 44th President of the United States of America who was elected this past Tuesday: Barack Hussein Obama.

It's pretty difficult trying to explain how I feel since I don't quite understand it myself, but I've been overwhelmed with joy and hope. The funny thing is that I usually don't care that much about politics but this time it was different. This time, it felt like something different and good would eventually come out of it and that it was worth my attention. Because, no matter who of Obama or McCain won, it already meant something that was going to change no matter what: the end of the Bush era. And boy, isn't it something worth celebrating?!

Obama's victory sent a strong message of democracy to the entire world. It means so much on a political and historical point of view. Political because, obviously, things are going to change and for the better! Obama's ideas (with which I agree) are definitely going to be a complete 180 and a total departure from Bush's politics. So that's the first good thing. But Obama's victory is so much that just about politics. It's about reminding us that the American Dream still is alive and well; it's about hope and faith; it's a demonstration that all of our wildest dreams can come true. Yes, we can. It's America babe, everything's possible!

I mean, if someone would have told me a year ago that America would elect as a President an African-American whose second given name was "Hussein", I would not have believed it, not in a million years, and quite frankly, who would have? Who could have? This has never been seen before, History is being made right before our eyes.

From now on, to everyone who will criticize America to me for its political choices and for some of its values, I will play the Obama card, how unprecedented this is, and how we (as in France) are not even there yet! But you know what the good part is? I don't think I will even have to say that and "defend" America anymore. I feel like from the outside looking in, America will never be looked at and considered the same way ever gain. I mean, how could you not root for a people who had enough faith and trust in a guy like Obama to "dare" vote for him?!

I was reading an article of The New York Times today, written by economist and columnist Thomas Friedman, about Obama's victory and he said that this marked the official end of the Civil War. And that we can finally start to move on.

Now of course, a lot rests on Obama's shoulders, given the current state of the US and the world at large and expectations are immensely high, but maybe he can turn the situation into an advantage: the great challenges he will have to face may give him the opportunity to truly show his skills and what he is capable of. And who knows, maybe even make him one of the greatest Presidents. Only time will tell...

But for now, it's just about celebrating change and an historical landmark, that will, with no doubt, be written in history books as long as history books exist.

I'm back in the game!

Okay okay, I'm sorry for letting you poor readers down this past month as I've not been updating the blog! It's just that I've been (kinda) busy with school starting and everything, but you're right: it's no excuse!

So, from now on, I'll try to post more often even though I don't think I will be able to post as often as I originally wanted to, especially when it comes to all the television talk / reviews I meant to blog about but that's no biggie lol ;-) I'll stick with the most important and basic (short) stuff and save the more elaborate things when I got more time!

I just wanted to say, as a "welcome back to my blog" line that my school year kicked off to a great start, I like what I'm doing and I'm happy I've made the choice to go in that direction, it comforts me in my decision!

Other quick updates to follow up with previous posts:

- There have been TONS of new Tina Fey/Sarah Palin impressions on Saturday Night Live over the past weeks (the last one was this past weekend with the elections coming this Tuesday) and they are all just incredibly funny!! The real Sarah Palin, who seems to have a sense of humor, even showed up for a quick cameo one week (John McCain himself followed appearing in yesterday's show). Check those out at NBC.com you won't be disappointed!

- The Fray's second studio album finally has a street date: it will hit the stores on Feb 3, 2009! Can-not wait!

- I've been LOOOOVING the fall TV season so far!! Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Dexter and others are just pure delight and better than ever! Special dedication to Desperate Housewives for its wonderful creative resurgence with the 5-year-jump that could easily have backfired but it turned out to be the best year of the show since its first season! Only disappointment: Heroes, which seems to be making everything up as it goes, with no general plan and no back meaning whatsoever, using cheap gimmicks and ridiculous plot twists too often. And it's becoming wayy too confusing! Only silver lining of the show right now: Kristen Bell!! :D Pleeeaaaase bring the old Heroes back before it's too late!

I'll try to post some pics later on but in the meantime, here's a fun one of me taken just two days ago at the Halloween Party hosted by McTalky !! :D :P

(Just so you know, If you can't tell, I went as Christmas-Mickey Mouse LOL :D :P Why the Christmas Mickey? Well, just because I didn't have the simple mouse hat with just the ears, I just had the Xmas one! :D)

See you guys in a few, have a great week!

Music: The Fray's new album is "coming soon"...

I've been waiting for The Fray's second studio album for a while now ("How to Save a Life" was released 3 years ago), especially since I had the chance to hear a few of their new tracks during their show in Paris last Fall; tracks that just blew me away once again.

Rumors had the new album coming out before the end of this year but some sources are now saying it will only be available at the beginning of 2009... One sure thing: this new record is "coming soon" according to the the band's recently-updated official website...

Only time will tell... In the meantime, Joe & Co have posted vlogs of their new tunes to make the wait a bit easier.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
- The Fray, "How to Save a Life" (2005)

Sarah Palin's (or is it Tina Fey?!) SNL stints

Probably the most talked-about moment in last week's pop cultural events, Tina Fey's portrayal of Gov. of Alaska Sarah Palin in the season opener of Saturday Night Live was just plain HI-LAR-IOUS! Her costar and great comedic talent Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton was also a knock-out but truly, what remains of this sketch is Fey's performance. First, the physical resemblance between the recently Emmy-winning actress and McCain's running mate is astonishing! And Fey's interpretation is so good that you really believe she's the real Palin! Second, because it's SNL, the script and the lines are just as sharp and funny and good as can be! The best line of the piece has to be the sure to become legendary "I can see Russia from my house!"
It is a real laugh-out-loud moment and if you haven't yet seen it, just click on the clip above and knock yourself out!

The second clip is from this week's SNL where Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin by popular demand for another hysterically funny sketch! Amy Poehler is still here as well but this time as a news anchor asking the Republican vice-presidential nominee questions about the campaign, the damaged economy and... you know... other real serious stuff... But Fey's/Palin's answers are truly priceless! So funny and yet so true... This is really good stuff here!

Live from New York, it's Saturday night!!!....

TV Talk: The 60th Emmy Awards

Ah, the Emmys, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

You are probably the most recognized awards show in the television business but at the same time you are also the most controversial and everyone who remotely appreciates good television agrees that your voters barely do what they are paid to do: watch television! It is now common knowledge that the shows and people that are the most rewarding in getting an award for the recognition of their great work are not likely to be at the Emmys but at some other awards shows, say the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Writers Guild Awards or the Television Critics Association Awards, just to name a few. But not the Emmy Awards.

Case in point: the recurring habit of your members/voters to give nominations each year to probably one of most mediocre comedies on the air, Two and a Half Men, and the not-so-good-either drama Boston Legal... How do you call it, if not injustice, when such shows get several major nominations and real outstanding and deserving series, actors and writers (like Friday Night Lights for instance) get no nominations whatsoever? This is the reason why critics and other television fans have accused the Emmy voters of playing it too safe year after year and ignoring the hidden gems in the TV landscape.

But let's acknowledge the fact that in the last few years, there seems to be a change to the right direction, although still a lot of injustice. Let's focus on this year. The nominees were, I concede, pretty solid with the first time in the Emmys' history that basic cable series had more nominations that broadcast network series. Thanks primarily to Mad Men and Damages with more than 20 nominations combined. Dexter was also another strong and deserving contender among the cable series.
Amongst network series, Lost was finally back in the Outstanding Drama race after being an outsider looking in last year, 30 Rock was the most nominated comedy (with an astonishing 17 nods!) while some other series (Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies...) were still present in at least one major category.

So what went down during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards? A mixed bag I would say. Mad Men and 30 Rock left clear winners, taking home the biggest trophies for Best Drama and Best Comedy respectively. Tina Fey (actor and producer on 30 Rock) also got Best Actress in a Comedy and Best Writing (and she delivered amazing acceptance speeches every time!).

Okay, I have the feeling I've been far too neutral in this post so far, so let's get down to what I really thought of this year's winners!

The Bad. Why am I saying that? Simple because I' not a big fan of either Mad Men or 30 Rock (maybe I should...) and even if I applaud the Emmy voters for "thinking outside the box" for a change, I was still disappointed that my favorite contenders didn't win. In the drama category, I would really have loved to see Lost, Dexter or Damages win as I thought they all deserved it. I think Michael C. Hall should definitely have won Best Actor in a Drama for Dexter (Duh!). But my biggest disappointment was probably the complete shut down of Grey's Anatomy, as the long overdue win for Chandra Wilson (Bailey) in the Best Supporting Actress category still didn't happen! I mean, come on, this woman is a terrific actress and she has been doing a amazing work on Grey's, being the heart and soul of the show! And Wilson didn't even lose to Sandra Oh (Cristina), I would have been fine with that! Another letdown: Desperate Housewives was not even up for anything this year when the fourth season proved to be one of the series' strongest!

The Good. Still, there were some winners that I was really happy about, thank God! Among them, I was ecstatic for Glenn Close's win as Best Actress in a Drama for her spooky performance as Patty Hewes on Damages. Kudos to that! On another Damages win, I'm glad Zeljko Ivanek (Ray Fisk) won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. I was also at peace with the win of Jean Smart as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy as Christina Applegate's mom on Samantha Who? Though I would have been okay with the win of fellow contenders Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) and Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) in that category.

The Ugly. Ugly Betty didn't win a single award this year but the Emmys for sure didn't this show to have the word "ugly" attached to the ceremony since the telecast in itself was completely preposterous. It was so bad, really! The five appointed reality TV hosts (yes, you read that right: five hosts!) were as bad as an Emmy host can get and opened the show basically saying for like 12 minutes that they didn't have anything to say but still went on and on about it for a long time! It felt forced and most importantly, it wasn't funny! What pisses me off is that the hosts' interventions lasted forever and when happy winners who actually had something meaningful and interesting to say got on stage to make their acceptance speeches, they were cut in the middle of it or were harshly hassled by the prompter to "wrap it up" because the show could last forever and they needed to be quick! What a shame, really! And because the beginning of the ceremony was dragging on, the presenters and winners that came halfway through had less time to say what they had to say and some presenters even mentioned when they got on stage that their piece had been cut!... I mean really, about halfway through the telecast, they must have gone so out of time that they cut everybody's lines and speeches and even reduced the nominees announcements to a bear minimum. As a result of that, the pacing of the show suffered and it became rushed and choppy.
The only thing good about the telecast in itself: the subtle (or even sometimes not-so-subtle) and often funny political allusions given the fact that 2008 is a US election year. I laughed out loud to the only funny line of one of the hosts during the long opening: "We got nothing; our opening is like Sarah Palin's road to nowhere!" Many other allusions made by various people followed during the show, also urging people to vote, whoever for.

Wrap it up, wrap it up! I think it's time I conclude my (ridiculously long) post on these 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. I was happy for some winners, not so much for others, and the show in itself sucked. Too bad for a ceremony that is supposed to celebrate what's best about television. But I trust that you will surprise us next year dear Emmy voters and organizers. I hope so at least.
In the meantime, I'm happy to let you know that, even though I do not seem to, I respect your choices and tastes. So much so that you made me want to get into Mad Men and 30 Rock!! Darn you! As if I didn't have enough shows on my plate these days! Oh well...

TV Review: Dexter, Season 2

A few days ago I finished watching the second season DVDs of the much-buzzed about Showtime series, Dexter and I just wanted to let everyone know how much I adore this show! :D

My history with this series is actually kinda unusual (although it appears that it is something that I found myself doing more and more this past season, given the TV-deprived months brought about by the writers' strike...): I had screened the pilot when it first came out almost two years ago and I had not like it so I had given up on it right away. The thing is I should have known better: just like we do not judge a book by its cover, it is bad to judge a TV series only based on its first episode and to give up on it right after that if we didn't like the first hour. After all, the best shows out there only started to be could after a few episodes, even after a few seasons for some... And, in a way, I'm thankful to the writers who walked the picket lines for three months last season because the lack of fresh episodes of my favorite shows enabled me to turn to other series that I would not have been watching otherwise. Dexter was one of those lucky shows.

I got caught up on the first season pretty quick and really enjoyed it. I thought it was really catchy, and dark, and edgy. Once you've started, you just cannot stop watching! The character of Dexter Morgan is such an intrguing and complex character with a lot of different facets and even though he is a killer, you cannot stop rooting for him and caring about him. Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under) is a terrific actor and his performance on this show is just phenomenal!

Contrary to what I thought before watching the show, there is so much more to the character than the "Dexter-works-for-the-police-during-the-day-and-is-a-serial-killer-at-night" summary. This is so much more complex and smarter than just that. You've got to watch to show to fully understand the many dimensions, layers and complexity of Dexter's life and personnality. First, he's not killing for fun or because he's deranged but because he has to and needs to. This is part of who he is and cannot fight it. Second, he only kills bad people, criminals and other killers, something that makes him immensely likeable.

The first season arc was focused on finding the Ice Truck Killer, a psychopath and a serial killer that really much intrigues Dexter by its technique (some even happen to be pretty similar to Dexter's own techniques...) The second season is, I think, even better because the killer the Miami Metro Police Department and Dexter (who works for the police as a blood splatter) try to catch is no other than Dexter himself when the dead bodies he's been hiding in the ocean all resurface! Our hero, whose "hobby" is known by no other than himself, must then find a way to get out of this mess and he does everything he can in order not to get caught... this include puting the blame of these killings on someone else... And while he tries to hide his previous kills, he continues to murder other people (who deserve it!), which makes this all thing even more risky! Anyway, I don't want to give too much away if you plan on watching it so I'll just say that it was an awesome season!

I finished watching just in time as Season 3 starts next Sunday on Showtime and I cannot wait to see it! As much as I've tried to fight it given the great number of shows I'm already following, I couldn't help it, I'm definitely hooked by Dexter! A+

Here's one of the Season 3 teasers I particularly enjoyed (contains no spoilers):

Event: I'm signed up (to be a journalist)!!

Yippee!! Since last Tuesday, I can officially say that I'm going to become a journalist!!... Well, at least I can honestly say that I'm on the right track since I'm going to study what is supposed to lead me to it (if I get lucky enough...). I'm now signed up to the "Institut Français de Presse" ("The French Insitute of Press") of the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas! I have the receipt of the 520.67 euros I paid to enroll to prove it, gasp... :S :D What I'm doing exactly is called a University Diploma (Diplôme d'université) which majors in Information, Communication and Media. It is completed in a year, after which time you can apply to a Master's degree in Journalism in the same Insitute (which offers a pretty renowned Master's degree, up there with the country's top journalism schools).

I'm super psyched about that because, even though classes do not start until October 13, I'm now 100% certain of what I'll do this coming year after a summer full of wonder and hesitation. And come to think of it, I believe I've made the right decision to go after what I like and what I want to do even if I may still have 3 years of university studies ahead of me, rather than taking the easy way out with one last year to complete a Master's degree in International Affairs with which I have no idea what I would have done after...

I'm also glad to finally be able to study what I like! It may sound stupid to say that but you wouldn't believe the time and effort you can put in something you're not even that much into! I've been studying things that do not captivate me for awhile and to be able to learn new stuff about something you actually care about, that you enjoy and are invested in is a thrill, and it's exciting! I cannot wait to start! It's like I'm finally going to be eager to go to class every morning!... :D :P I also know that it's leading me somewhere, a place I want to go to , with the hope of maybe someday make a career out of it... That is if I'm lucky (and work hard enough! lol :D) But for now, I'm just happy to be given the opportunity to do what I like and I'm glad to be where I am. I am going to take it one step at a time, I must not get ahead of myself. We will see where this leads but I can't wait to find out!

This change is a big part of something I've been enjoying calling "Clean slate" these past few weeks because I think the phrase pretty much reflects the move well. I hope that term will also apply to a bunch of other personal things... For I like change. Change is good. The only key to change is adaptation and I'm ready (and actually exicted) to adapt!

Of course, change is good but you also want some things to stay the way they are and some people (the ones you care about) to stick around as well ;-) The "clean slate" I want is not completely clean, just clean where I need it to be!

TV Review: Fringe

Ironically, the Fall's two most-talked about and anticipated series are miles away from each other. The first one, that I already talked about here, is the 90210 reboot. The second, is Fringe. What's that one about you ask? It is the new baby of J.J. Abrams, no other than (for those of you unfamiliar with this name) the man responsible for giving to television two of its best and most creative shows in the last decade: Lost and Alias... So you can imagine how much this newborn was much expected... So does it deliver?

Well, based on the 90-minute openning, I would rather think it does! This does not come that much as a surprise though because, as every television buff out there will tell you, J.J. Abrams is well-known for always putting a great deal of refinement in its pilot episodes and make them look like the are self-contained feature films (remember the Lost pilot with the plane crash??!). So visually, the Fringe pilot is as good as it gets and just looks amazing. Storytelling-wise, the premise also appears strong and well-built, though it is (again, some would say) about SciFi so if you're looking for a down-to-earth and believable series with no mystic elements, this is certainly not a show for you...

Concretely, the series starts when all the passengers on a plane die mysteriously (Geez, what's up with J.J. and planes, I wonder...) FBI agent Olivia Dunham investigates the events with the help of Peter Bishop and his scientific father that helps put some meaning to it, Dr. Walter Bishop. But they will begin to discover what really happened on Flight 627 and begin to uncover a larger truth... All these mysteries are going to be "explained" (sorry, could not find a better suiting word) by scientific elements of the much-debated fringe science, which, as it is explained in the show's first few minutes and as my BFF Wikipedia nicely puts it: "scientific inquiry departing significantly from mainstream theories". In other words, it's all that SciFi nonsense that real scientists do not recoginze as pure and real science (like vodoo science, reading into people's minds and the like).

The pilot episode really is self-contained and could be a movie as it really has a beginning, a middle and an end, though inevitably asking some burning questions towards the end to lay the foundations for the series at large. But it was an immensely satisfying and rewarding episode. It gives you a sense of not having wasted 90 minutes of your time watching the pilot since it was filled with action, suspense and great twist and turns while still leaving a lot of things in the dark to make you want to tune in next week (and all the weeks after that for that matter...). What I mean is that, contrary to a lot of pilot episodes (I even want to say, the vast majority...), the Fringe openning does not just introduce stories and characters that will become meaningful to you as time and episodes pass, it really starts right on telling you a first epic story from the very beginning that even gets resolved before the end credits roll out. It did to me what not a lot of shows can do only based on the series premieres. Truly, it felt like the first chapter of a movie trilogy or something, it didn't feel like a series pilot, neither visually nor narratively.

Once again, kudos to J.J. Abrams for delivering such an entertaining hour (and a half) of television. And even me of all people who is generally not a big fan of sicence fiction and cops shows, I was really pleased with this pilot. It was intriguing and interresting enough to keep me entertained all the way, and it was not like it's completely preposterous; I mean it's science fiction all right but smart one if you know what I mean! Even if I still bear some kind of reluctance to this genre in general...;-)

Now I just can't wait to see what more traditionnal and shorter episodes are going to look like, to see if they really keep up with the show's ambitious premise. Because let's be honest for one second: the show just cannot be that ride-thrilling experience every single week. So I want to see what the "real" Fringe is going to be. And I guess we'll see that starting next week. But for now, I'm sold. A-

Fringe, New Series: Tuesdays @ 9/8c on Fox.

Fall TV Premieres: Week #2 Roundup

Another week in this busy month of September has gone by. And as far is television is concerned, it meant two new series premieres on my radar: True Blood, the new HBO drama from Six Feet Under and American Beauty mastermind Alan Ball, and J.J Abrams' much-anticipated new series, Fringe. I'll be posting a detailed review of Fringe a little later (the show gets to have a dedicated post because there's so much to say about it!), but first, let me talk a little bit about True Blood and the second installments of last week's premieres: Gossip Girl and 90210.

True Blood: When I first heard about this new drama, I didn't really know what to think of it. People tend to make such a fuss about HBO series and I think they are usually overrated (The Sopranos, anyone??!) that I really didn't know if I should give it a try or not. Timing makes it that there still aren't a lot of fresh blood (nice pun! :D) on the air yet as new series and returning shows don't start until later in the month so I decided to give True Blood a try. The booster being that it was created from the guy that came up with my all-time favorite movie: American Beauty, named Alan Ball. He's also responsible for creating another much-loved HBO series: Six Feet Under; a show that, quite frankly, I always thought was not bad but that I never considered a masterpiece...

Anyway, to come back to the series premiere of True Blood, I have to say it wasn't bad, but it was not mind-blowing either. It's definitely not one of those shows that give you a sense of reward during the pilot episode (like Fringe for example!)... The premise is okay but I guess we'll have to wait and see how the story plays out in the next few weeks before we have the full ability to judge it.

The series follows Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid who has the ability to read into people's minds and who finds comfort in the company of vampires since they have no brainwave activity for her to read. Thanks largely in part to the creation of a synthetic blood called Tru Blood (where the series takes it name) vampires have made their existence known to the world...
The relationship developed between Sookie and Bill (the vampire) seems to be heading to an interesting direction, sexual tension and confusion being the key.
I'll give to show props for being original in its plot and for the subtle parallel between vampire rights in the show's context (what if we lived in a world where vampires didn't have to live in the dark?) and gay rights in our society today. The actors' performances are also top-notch. B-
True Blood, New Series: Sundays @ 9/8c on HBO.

Real quick on the second epis of GG and 90210...

Gossip Girl: "Never been Marcused", Gossip Girl's second episode of Season 2, was even better (and jucier!) than the premiere! The love rectangle between Nate, cougar Catherine (the Duchess) , Chuck and Blair is just hysterical! Also loved: Nate becoming a man whore to save his family's assets, Serena and Dan's we're-taking-it-slow-NOT entanglement, Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf's ongoing drama when Bass-hole (as Queen B nicely calls him) again tries to make her jealous by tricking her into meeting the Duchess Catherine that also happens to be Marcus (Blair's new Lord of a boyfriend)'s stepmom. It was classic GG!
Favorite quote:
Chuck (to Blair, introducing the Duchess): I'd like to introduce you to my new lady friend.
Blair: Why? So she can warn me about the effects of too much botox?

90210: The show seems to be heading to the right direction with its second ep after last week's overcrowded premiere. I kinda feel like the plots are getting more interesting and also more fun to watch. I liked the storyline involving the Wilsons' family night at bowling getting crushed when the kids invit all their friends over (the comedic side) and Kelly's confrontation with her mom about her drinking when it starts hurting her sister Silver (the dramatic side). This show is getting there I'm sure, let's give it a little more time to get it right... Next week: Brenda's back to direct the school's musical (yay!) and we learn the identity of Kelly's babydaddy (already?? Wow, that was quick!). Any guesses? My money's on Dylan...

TV Review: Gossip Girl, Season 2

OMFG: Gossip Girl is baaaack!! And judging by the season premiere, it looks like Season 2 is going to be even more provocative!

The much-anticipated return of our favorite Manhattan elite begins in the Hamptons where Serena and Nate have been enjoying some cool off time all summer. But not together, Serena being too busy trying to get over her feelings for Dan (they broke up in last season's finale), that is until he also makes it to the Hamptons to try and win S. back... Meanwhile, Nate also has his hands full by having a sizzling and secret affair with an older (married!) woman!... As for Chuck, he desperately tries to get Blair to forgive him after leaving her and letting her go to Paris by herself while he was busy hitting on some other girl back in Manhattan. But the Waldorf heiress is determined to make him pay for what he did and attempts to make him jealous by dating another guy...

As you can see just from these few recap lines, the plot is complicated if you haven't been carefully watching the first season lol ;-) I found the premiere pretty well orchestrated and executed. I was so glad to see those characters again and the sweet sexy voice of the one and only Kristen Bell (Gossip Girl) that I was not a difficult crowd to please I must admit lol ;-) But still, if I had to give a unbiased judgment about this premiere episode, untitled "Summer, Kind of Wonderful", I would still say it was a pretty solid and entertaining episode, refocusing the show on its main interests and characters, after maybe going a little too far off at the very end of last season (the whole Georgina storyline comes to my mind...) It took the characters and stories to exciting new places and I cannot wait to see what the writers have in store for this season! Great way to return! I know I love it! A

Favorite quote:
Blair (to Serena): A hot lifeguard is like kleenex: use once and throw away!

Gossip Girl, Season 2: Mondays @ 8/7c on The CW

TV Review: 90210

Okay, I'm even almost embarrassed to say this but I was beyond ecstatic about this show! I was never really a fan of the original Beverly Hills, 90210 because I never really watched it (too young I guess) but I had seen a couple of episodes here and there over the years and knew the original cast. And when I heard they had planned a remake (or a spinoff as The CW insists it is since it follows characters we knew and others that had been alluded to in the original series), I saw it as a way of taking part in a TV phenomenon that I hadn't had the chance to experience the first time around. And, you gotta admit: the 2008 cast is really glamorous-looking and, as opposed to the original, 90210: The Next Generation is really more oriented on what really comes through teenagers' minds these days, beginning with sex and drugs, topics that the original show barely even mentioned over its 10 year run. Geez, they didn't even pronounce the word "sex" in the 1990s version for crying out loud! So I was really curious to see how the rendition was going to play out. And curious I was even more when I learned that original cast members Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor) and troublemaker Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh) were gonna be reprising their roles in the new show! I think the media hype over this new version really took off when we learned that there were gonna be a Kelly-Brenda reunion on 90210! Who even cares about the new characters??! :D

Okay, to talk about the premiere episode in itself, I thought it was neither bad nor really good. It definitely has potential and sets a pretty solid premise but for now, it just seems like the writers over-cram the show with plots and subplots to see which ones the audience responds to and then go from there. There were waaay too many things going on in the course of the 2-hour premiere. Some decent things true but not all. So I say we just have to keep watching and see what the writers are going to invest more screen time on and really invest in that after a while. I will keep my full judgment of the show until I see more episodes. But the feeling I have for now, as far as storylines go, is that with the combination of these young and beautiful people with lots of issues, baggage and family secrets on the one hand and the provocation brought about by sex and drugs on the other, it just looks like 90210 is a Gossip Girl-wannabee, but doesn't even come close to it quality wise. Let's hope this feeling fades as the show progresses. But there were also some nice moments in the pilot, including the aforementioned Kelly and Brenda scenes! ;-)

Two comments: the best part of the show so far is probably the booze-addicted Grandma Tabitha (played by the always wonderful Jessica Walter that I loved on Arrested Development) who gets all the funny lines! I'll keep watching just for her lol :D Second, I think if Aaron Spelling (the creator and producer of the original Beverly Hills, 90210) is watching the show from the Other World, he must be turning in his grave because explicit sexual scenes are pretty much all over the place! I'm not saying it's either good or bad but the scene at the beginning where Ethan (one of the protagonists) is getting a blow job in his car on the high school parking lot was just plain insane! I couldn't believe that it was what I thought it was! On a primetime series airing on The CW that primarily targets teenagers?! Wow, we have indeed come a long way since the 1990s and times really have changed since the original 90210! B-

90210, New Series: Tuesdays @ 8/7c on The CW

Fall TV Premieres: Week #1 Roundup

September's here, September's here! Yay! Wait. You must wonder why I'm so excited about that...

Because for most people, September means getting back to school, seeing the leaves fall one by one, the weather getting crappier by the minute, and gloomy hours ahead with days getting shorter and shorter. This is known as the fall season.

Well see, for me, the Fall Season bears a different meaning... For the TV junkie in me, when I think of September and the Fall, a different thought goes thought my mind: the return of my favorite television shows and the beginning of exciting new series! Yippee! :D

Most show don't premiere until later in the month or in October, but still, there's been two TV highlights this week, as far as I'm concerned: the return of my favorite guilty pleasure and the series premiere of what is also sure to become my second-best guilty pleasure this season... Gossip Girl would be the former and the 2008 rendition of 90210 would be the latter.

Stay tuned for quick recaps and reviews of both shows!...

A Year in Pictures: Best of 2007/2008

So I begin the "personal aspect" of this blog by posting some pictures featuring some highlights of great moments shared with friends during the past year. I didn't really know where to start so I figured I'd post some random pics... These cover time at the university (when we're not working!), time skipping class to go to Starbucks (Yay!:D) and nights outside (because we so need to breathe once in a while!).

There are just 100 photos in this album to cover all 365 days from the 2007/2008 year. Enjoy! ;-)

Did you miss me Blogosphere?!

You know what they say: third time's a charm!

What do you do when the last two tryouts of creating a blog failed? You create a third one of course! So that’s exactly what I’m doing now... For I have a new motto this year: CLEAN SLATE. This doesn’t just apply to this blog but to a bunch of different things that mean a lot to me; and just like all these other things, I’m determined to make it work (the blog that is, although it would be great if all these "other things" I mentionned could go just fine as well...) Making it work, in the case of this blog, means keeping it updated as much as possible, and that is exactly when I intend to do, at least try (harder than the last time!)

So the million dollar question is: what will I be talking about? Well, my friends want me to write a blog about my life and what we do together and post pics! So that's what I'll be doing. But as I'm about to enter into journalism school (to finally study what I'm most interested in for a change in the hopes of maybe becoming a writer someday!!) I also want this blog to be about writing. Because that's what I like to do after all. So amongst personal life details, will be featured here random thoughts about what I do, what I'm going through and, most importantly, my little reviews and takes on pop culture stuff, movies, television series and the like. Y'know, things that people really care about in this 21st Century consumer-society lifestyle...

Because see, in case you do not know this about me already (and it means you don't know me at all then), there are three things I like most in life: Starbucks, Apple products and TV shows (I know I'm superficial, tell me something I don't know... :D :P). While I will also maybe talk about the former two once in a while, I think I will really enjoy posting reviews, comments and thoughts about all the TV I'm watching and there's a lot! I mean, it's not like I have a life or something you know...

Anyhoo, I think that should do it for the introduction. I have to think positive thoughts in order to keep this blog alive. And for now, these thoughts sum up to those two words: CLEAN SLATE.

So: clean slate, clean slate, clean slate, clean slate...Okay, I think I'm good. Oh, that was just me, thinking postivie thoughts! :D

Okay guys, gotta sign off, I'll see you all later!

You know you love me,
XOXO (see: already one TV reference, courtesy of Gossip Girl, I just can't help it!)