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September 21, 2011September 20, 2011

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Reagan Family Ties

The new television season has arrived! Many of our favorite programs are returning, so Amber West and I decided to share a few more Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday reviews to check out two of CBS’s hit series – The Mentalist and Blue Bloods.

First up – Blue Bloods

The Reagan family loves each other and New York City. Each member of the Reagan family serves, or has served, their city in one way or another.

Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck, also known as the man with the best looking mustache in the industry, Magnum, and Jesse Stone), is the current NYC Police Commissioner. Frank is the patriarch of the Reagan family, even though his father Henry lives with him under the same roof.

Frank served in the marines and is a Vietnam veteran. He is widowed and also suffered the untimely loss of his son, Joseph Reagan, who died while on the job, also serving New York City (later revealed to be at the hands of The Blue Templar, a group of rogue cops).

The job of Police Commissioner in New York City is grueling enough, but throw in the added pressure of a mayor seeking re-election (played by Bruce Altman) who is constantly riding the commissioner’s case, and one can see why Frank needs a drink at the end of every day.

Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) is one of the top detectives on the NYPD squad. Danny gets the job done, even if he doesn’t follow the letter of the law to a “T”. Like his father, he is a former marine and Iraq war veteran. While Tom Selleck receives top billing, and rightfully so, Donnie Wahlberg is the star of the series.

When one initially hears the name Donnie Wahlberg, they recall his role in the ‘90s boy band, New Kids on the Block. However, Donnie has had many fantastic performances in both television and motion pictures proving himself as an actor, including HBO’s Band of Brothers, NBC’s Boomtown, and Hollywood blockbusters such as Ransom, The Sixth Sense, and the Saw franchise (movies 2, 3, and 4).

Jamie Reagan (Will Estes, American Dreams) is the newest of the Reagan family to join the force, currently working the streets as a rookie cop. Jamie attended Harvard Law planning to follow in his big sister’s footsteps, however he changed his mind after graduation to join the NYPD like his brothers, father, and grandfather before him.

Because he was new to the force, the FBI approached Jamie to provide information as it pertained to The Blue Templar. Through his investigations, Jamie learned that his brother Joe was helping the FBI uncover information about these dirty cops as well, and that these rogue officers were responsible for his brother’s death.

Erin Reagan-Broyle (Bridget Moynahan from Sex and the City and Coyote Ugly), the only daughter of Frank and his late wife, is an up-and-coming Assistant District Attorney. Divorced and raising a teenage daughter (Sami Gayle), Erin tends to be the voice of reason that helps hold her family together, besides her father that is.

Erin tries to keep Danny in line so that her convictions of his arrests will stick; but, despite his love for his sister, no one can make Danny follow the book. In addition to balancing her family and her career, Erin must also decide if it’s appropriate to date her boss, a man gunning for the mayoral race and who will undoubtedly remove her father as Police Commissioner.

Henry Reagan (Tony Award winning actor, Len Cariou), or Grandpa, is the retired NYC Police Commissioner. Henry lives with his son Frank, or Francis as he calls him, and provides support to his son and the entire family.

Blue Bloods also has a stellar supporting cast: Jennifer Esposito (Samantha Who?, Spin City) plays Jackie Curatola, Danny’s partner; Amy Carlson (Another World, Third Watch) plays Linda Reagan, Danny’s wife and mother to their two sons; Nicholas Turturro (NYPD Blue, Third Watch) plays Sgt. Anthony Renzulli, Jamie’s partner; and Emmy Award winning and Tony Award nominated actor, Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace, Third Watch) plays Erin’s boss and District Attorney, Charles Rossellini.

Okay, so there is a ton of programming on television today, so what’s special about Blue Bloods? Every episode features at least one family gathering around the dinner table at Frank’s house, an aspect of television today that is often times overlooked.

The Reagan family represents America’s finest fighting crime every Friday night in New York City, but the relationship shared among the characters is the real hero. Because of this, I award Blue Bloods the GTV rating – this gourmet television program has everything we want, and more. Fitting, considering Frank meets someone for lowball whiskey cocktails and fine steak dinners in restaurants with linen table clothes in most of the episodes.

What do you think? Have you watched Blue Bloods? Who’s your favorite Reagan? Are you like me and would watch Tom Selleck in just about anything? What do you think of Donnie Wahlberg – he has come a long way from singing and dancing with the New Kids, hasn’t he? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out her review of The Mentalist….is Simon Baker’s character, Patrick Jane, not just the tiniest bit fabulous?

CBS is so hot, that Amber and I can’t quite leave. Come back next week when we continue to review a few more of our favorite programs on the hit channel –The Good Wife and Criminal Minds.

Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future. We’re currently working on our September schedule and would love to chat with you!

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech

September 14, 2011September 13, 2011

Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Clash of the Monday Titans

Our television sets and DVRs are about to kick into overdrive as fall TV arrives in just a few weeks. Many of our favorite programs are returning, so Amber West and I decided to share a few more Why It’s Worth a Watch reviews to check out two of the dueling Monday night titans coming back to us September 19^th – ABC’s Castle and CBS’s Hawaii Five-0.

In 2008, TV viewers learned that CBS planned to remake the popular television series Hawaii Five-O, a hit that remained on the air from 1968-1980 starring Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett and James MacArthur as Danny Williams.

Mixed emotions spread like wildfire – some of the older generations were furious that the networks would once again ruin a classic by attempting a remake, while others jumped in joy at the thought of their favorite television show in the ‘70s returning. Not all that familiar with the original, the younger generations, particularly the women, marked their calendars for the series premiere and the return of some Australian sexiness to the small screen.

Forty-two years to the day from the debut of the original Hawaii Five-O in 1968, the new Hawaii Five-0 aired. Continuing the tribute to the original series, the 2010 opening credits remained exactly the same (except for the actors and a tad bit of our new technology today, of course). The 2010 series also plays the original theme song composed by Morton Stevens during the opening credits.

Don’t believe me? Check these out!

1968

2010

What did you think? Okay, now on to the characters!

Steve McGarrett played by Alex O’Laughlin (Moonlight, The Back-up Plan)

The series opens when McGarrett, a former Navy SEAL, hears his father murdered over the telephone. He returns to Hawaii for the funeral and decides to stay when the governor (Jean Smart from Designing Women) appointments him the lead of the Five-O special task force, a unit with the ability to do whatever they deem necessary to close the case at hand – perfect for McGarrett’s way of acting & thinking.

McGarrett takes down the bad guys for his “day job” while searching for the evidence to bring down Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven), the man he believes is responsible for his mother’s death years ago and for his father’s recent murder.

Viewers get to see a tad bit of McGarrett’s personal life when his sister visits (Mary Ann McGarrett, played by Taryn Manning, 8 Mile) and his recurring love interest’s carrier docks in Hawaii (Lt. Catherine Rollins played by Michelle Borth, The Forgotten).

Danny Williams played by Scott Caan (Varsity Blues, Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen)

McGarrett’s partner, Danny, moved to Hawaii to be closer to his daughter, Grace, and he misses the mainland and Jersey food tremendously.

Remember the popular phrase, Book ‘em Danno? Well, the younger generations, not as familiar with the original series, learned that the term “Danno” is actually a term of endearment that Grace uses instead of “daddy” or “father” for Danny. When McGarrett overhears an adorable exchange between Danny and his daughter, he takes a mental note and busts out with, “Book ‘em Danno” at the scene of their first arrest, much to Danny’s dismay.

Danny operates more like a police officer should (the term “by the book” comes to mind), therefore he disagrees with McGarrett’s way of doing things. The banter between the two partners adds a humorous element to the show, although many original Hawaii Five-O fans believe that the Danny of the ‘70s would never have talked to the McGarrett of the’70s the way our current day Danny does.

The third and fourth members of the team, Chin-Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim from Lost) and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica), are native Hawaiians with a history of their own.

Chin-Ho was excused from the Hawaii Police Department for allegedly stealing money and his cousin Grace is the only family member who hasn’t disowned him over the supposed crime. This matter is cleared up towards the end of season one, but we’re not offering up any SPOILER alerts today.

Grace, a former professional surfer and recent graduate from the Police Academy, anxiously joins the Five-O task force to work with her cousin, even if it means she’ll never get to wear the HPD uniform that she worked so very hard to earn.

Other recurring characters include: Kamekona (Taylor Wiley, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a confidential informant and shaved-ice vendor who sometimes babysits Grace for McGarrett and Danny; Max Bergman (Masi Oka, Heroes), the medical examiner/coroner; Victor Hesse (James Marsters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), murderer and Wo Fat associate; and Jenna Kaye (Larisa Oleynik, The Baby-Sitters Club and 3^rd Rock from the Sun), a former CIA agent and consultant/assistant to the Five-0 team.

The creators and CBS have brought back a classic in style, and they have glorified the beauties of the islands of Hawaii for the rest of the world to see. Regardless of all the nay-sayers out there, I give Hawaii Five-0 a MacTV rating. There aren’t many television programs that both my guy and I like to watch simultaneously, and this happens to be one of them.

I really wanted to give McGarrett and Danno a GTV rating, but I just don’t quite think Beef Wellington and an expensive bottle of Cabernet when I think of Hawaii Five-0; instead, I think meatloaf covered in chili sauce served with shells-n-cheese and an ice-cold beer. Every Monday night we sit curled up with our dinner plates in our laps enthralled in the action and mystery while shoveling the yummy food into our mouths without paying the least bit of attention to the mess we’re making. Guilty pleasure, agree?

What do you think? Do you like the new Hawaii Five-0 or prefer the original? Are you like me and would watch Alex O’Laughlin in anything that guarantees the occasional shirtless scene (Navy SEALS swim a lot!)? What do you think of Scott Caan – does he remind you of his father, James Caan (you knew that, right?)? I’d love to hear from you!

Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out her review of Nathan Fillion….I mean, the crime and mystery drama Castle on CBS! What happens when a mystery writer tags along with a detective? Said writer gathers tons of writing material!

Come back next week when Amber and I continue to review a few more of our favorite programs on CBS returning this fall – the Thursday night hit, The Mentalist, and the Friday night sophomore, Blue Bloods.

A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:

June 17, 2011July 28, 2011

Friday FabOoolousness – New York Times bestselling author, James Rollins

On Saturday, May 7^th, I was sitting around (eh-hem, I mean doing research) watching television, when I decided to give a shout out to a fellow Twitter-mate that Kristen Lamb had recently introduced me to. Imagine my surprise when he responded that he was at the Pirates premiere in California and would tweet more after the movie.

Questions started circling in my head: Pirates premiere? In California? The Pirates of the Caribbean premiere? Pirates, as in Captain Jack Sparrow and Johnny Depp?

The answer to all of those questions was – YES!

Who in the world had Kristen just introduced me too? Don’t get me wrong, I knew the name James Rollins, but was @jamesrollins the James Rollins? The James Rollins New York Times bestselling author??

Did I think that I had been chatting with a NYT bestselling author the past few weeks? No, I didn’t. Had I actually been chatting to a NYT bestselling author on Twitter? Yes, I had!

For those who may not know, James Rollins is indeed a New York Times bestselling author. He’s written over sixteen books as James Rollins, and seven under the pen name James Clemons. His works span several genres including action-adventure, thriller, suspense, mystery, and fantasy. For all you Indiana Jones fans, James wrote the novelization of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008.

We could celebrate James for any of his many accomplishments. For one, he’s a licensed veterinarian. We could also celebrate James for any one of his literary series, like his Jake Ransom series for children and adults; his many individual works such as Subterranean or Ice Hunt; his short stories, including his most recent release: The Skeleton Key; his The Banned and the Banished series; but, today we’re celebrating James for his SIGMA Force series.

The first novel in the SIGMA series, Sandstorm, was released in June, 2004. The SIGMA Force is a fictional division inside the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and consists of highly trained and skilled operatives as well as expert scientists whose primary focus is fighting terrorism and protecting sensitive and confidential information.

The SIGMA series also includes Map of Bones (May, 2005), Black Order (June, 2006), The Judas Strain (July, 2007), The Last Oracle (June, 2008), and The Doomsday Key (June, 2009).

Guess what? It’s June, 2011. Do you know what that means? It’s time for a new SIGMA Force novel!

The Devil Colony, book number seven in the SIGMA series, releases this Tuesday, June 21^st.

Join us, Tuesday, at the world premier launch party of The Devil Colony! Find us gathering for twenty-four hours on Twitter in the hashtag #DevilColony. This gathering may be online, but make no mistake – this will be a HUGE cyber-party.

What’s the party’s theme? You guessed it – Devil!

Dress up for a costume party, or dress up for a fancy New York or Los Angeles book release party. Wear devil costumes, eat deviled eggs or deviled ham, and take pictures! Not in the costume mood? Put on that sexy cocktail dress and high heels or your Mad Men suit, and take pictures! Post all of your pictures on twitter in the #DevilColony hashtag. Why?

James will stop by periodically to say “Hi” to all of his friends, family, and fans. Why else?

James will also select his favorite pictures from our cyber-party and post them on his site’s Wall of Fame. Why else?

The best pictures will win a big mystery prize!

Camera shy? That’s okay! Join us anyway. Tuesday’s #DevilColony hashtag will be the social event of the Twitter-verse. Come, have fun and hang out!

Do all the writers out there need added incentive? This is James Rollins, the NYT bestselling author. What if other agents, editors, and bestselling authors stop by? Do you really want to miss that opportunity?

All success aside, James Rollins is an everyday guy. He’s funny, smart, compassionate (he’s a veterinarian for goodness sake), and most importantly, he’s my friend.

In the meantime, stop by James’ website here and his bookshelf here!

Check out Jenny Hansen’s fun post about James here and read a fun interview with James by Kristen Lamb here!

Have you read any of James’ books? Will you join us Tuesday at our cyber-party? Have you ever pinched yourself when you realized you were talking to one of your favorite authors via social media? Leave a comment and share; I’d love to hear from you!

June 14, 2011July 25, 2012

Tele-Tuesday: “Real” Summer Fun

The networks produce tons of reality television for basic cable over the summer months. Let’s be honest – the networks produce tons of reality television every month for all of the networks – period. One can find reality shows on almost any network at any time, including A&E and The History Channel.

While there is more than enough out there for everyone to choose from, June and July bring back two of our favorite reality shows – Hell’s Kitchen and Big Brother.

First up, Hell’s Kitchen –

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey hosts one of the best cooking shows on television, and definitely the most-fun. Along with his British accent, his multiple Michelin stars (one of the top hotel and restaurant annual guides), his multiple renowned restaurants, and six television programs, Chef Ramsey might just as well be known for his stellar vocabulary. He drops the “F” bomb a lot, and the television sensors bleep him quite a bit. “You, Donkey,” happens to be one of our favorite Ramsay-isms.

Lewd language aside, Chef Ramsey shares his knowledge of cooking and invites twelve chefs (some aspiring chefs, some sous-chefs, and some executive chefs) to compete for an opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to win a high paying position at a top restaurant in popular cities such as Vegas, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, and Whistler, British Columbia.

Each season promises drama as the cast members’ personalities inevitably clash. But most importantly, and ironically, each season the cast members appear to cook the same dishes incorrectly over and over again driving Chef Ramsey absolutely bonkers. Such dishes include scallops, risotto, and beef wellington.

One by one, the competing chefs’ jackets are burned, leaving only two to battle it out for the prize. The final two select previously eliminated teammates to work alongside them in the final competition of the season, and there’s nothing quite like watching the two struggle with this decision, knowing the strengths, weaknesses, and tempers of their cohorts. These two finalists build their own menus and sometimes even design their half of the dining room giving Chef Ramsey a full view of their potential as Executive Chefs.

Chef Gordon Ramsey and Rock Harper — Chef Gordon Ramsey and season 3 winner Rock Harper

Former winners of Hell’s Kitchen include: Michael Wray (Season 1), Heather West (Season 2), Rahman “Rock” Harper (Season 3), Christina Machamer (Season 4), Danny Veltri (Season 5), Dave Levey (Season 6), Holli Ugalde (Season 7), and Nona Sivley (Season 8).

If you love food, love to cook, or love to laugh, I highly suggest giving Hell’s Kitchen a try. I have added dining at a Ramsey restaurant to my bucket list. Do you know what I’ll order? Scallops, risotto, and beef wellington!

Hell’s Kitchen premiers Tuesday, July 19^th on FOX.

Next, we have Big Brother –

What do you think of when you hear the term ‘Big Brother’? “Big Brother is watching you,” right? Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell still lives strong today. Only today, many people immediately think of CBS’s hit reality show, Big Brother, not the classic literary work.

Each season, approximately thirteen houseguests arrive for their summer of seclusion cut off from the outside world completely – no television, no telephone, no radios, no newspapers, no computers – no contact. They compete against each other in food and luxury competitions, as well as the ever-powerful Head of Household (H.O.H.) and the Power of Veto competitions in the hopes of winning the $500,000 cash prize.

Alliances inevitably form, and usually only the strongest survive the game. On the other hand, forming and publicly acknowledging an alliance will most often times ensure the members of said alliance have the largest targets on his/her backs. Two of the most successful alliances in the history of Big Brother formed the previous two seasons – Season 11’s Jeff Schroeder and winner Jordan Lloyd, and season 12’s ‘The Brigade’ consisting of winner Hayden Moss, and his three buddies: Enzo Palumbo, Lane Elenburg, and Matt Hoffman.

Video cameras capture the houseguests’ every move. In addition to CBS’s airing three episodes a week, live 24/7 feeds are available online, and Showtime airs Big Brother: After Dark every night from midnight to 3am (EST).

America watches and votes on special circumstances to make the houseguests’ lives even more difficult. For example, the losing members of the food competitions are forced to eat “Big Brother Slop” for seven days. The slop has been compared to oatmeal in texture, but lacks all taste. America votes each week and allows the losing houseguests the opportunity to eat other selected food items such as bok choy and baby food.

America has also voted some of the biggest twists into the game – The Power of Coup D’Etat (season 11 awarded to Jeff Schroeder), re-entry into the house (season 6 awarded to Kaysar Ridha), and the Saboteur (season 12 awarded to Ragan Fox). But don’t worry; Big Brother doesn’t always need America’s help to thrust the houseguests into a deep paranoia. In Season 11, Big Brother introduced Pandora’s Box. Each time the houseguest of choice decides to open the box, the remaining houseguests endure a good consequence and a bad consequence. They never know what might happen until it’s too late and the decision has been made.

CBS's Julie Chen — Big Brother host – Julie Chen

CBS and Julie Chen host some of the most fun summer television programming has to offer. If you love watching men & women battle it out physically, go insane and breakdown, and engage in some of the most strategic game-play on television today, check out Season 13!

Big Brother premiers Thursday, July 7^th on CBS.

Are you a fan of Hell’s Kitchen or Big Brother? Who’s your favorite winner from Hell’s Kitchen? Who’s your favorite houseguest from Big Brother? How about your least favorite and why? Which reality television shows do you enjoy? If given the opportunity, would you audition for reality television? I’d love to hear from you!

Special Announcement – Tomorrow, Amber West and I launch our new blog series, Why it’s Worth a Watch Wednesday. Come back and check out our first editions – Switched at Birth (ABC Family) and Teen Wolf (MTV). Stop by the twitter hashtag (#watchwed) and visit with us about any of today’s television shows that you’d like to see discussed on our series.