Thursday, May 24, 2012

One Tree Hill - Season Nine DVD - Review - May 24, 2012

One Tree Hill has come to its dramatic conclusion but fans can continue to get good OTH goodness with the new season nine box set.  I thought I'd give a quick overview and review of the set.  I really enjoyed the set.  For me, the highlights of the set are the "An Evening With One Tree Hill" which was the panel discussion including the cast and crew.  The other was the commentaries especially the commentary on the finale.  Season nine was a wild ride of emotions that saw the characters go through very dark times in their life.  We heard season nine was going to be dark and it was.  A lot happened in this final season but it was a lot of fun and what I've always loved about this show.  The finale might be the most at peace kind of series finale that I've ever seen.  I've watched it several times since it originally aired and I still love it.  It gave great closure and a tribute to the fans for this show we all loved.  On the commentary of the finale, we learned that one scene almost got cut from it due to the time constraints which would have been the "I Don't Wanna Be" segment.  Thankfully, the show was given extra time and it was left in.  Let me tell you.  I watched the repeat of the finale this week on The CW and that scene was removed.  Totally odd feeling with it out of there.  I thought the last ten minutes of the finale was perfect and to not see that scene left in during the repeat stung me a bit.  I'm so thankful that it was left in on its original airing on finale night and also of course on this DVD set. 

Extras included on the set include:
An Evening With One Tree Hill.  If you are a fan of this show, this is worth the purchase of the box set.  This was recorded several months ago with a panel of the cast and crew in front of the fans taking part in a Q&A session and talking about their time on the show.  This runs over an hour in length on its own.  I loved this and would recommend checking it out.  Lots of fun and great to see them all having fun.  It really shows with what we have all known and that it is a very close group.

Music Of One Tree Hill.  This extra obviously focuses on the music of the show and what an important part of the show that it has been.  This show has always had this amazing way of picking the right song for so many key scenes.  So many singers have made appearances on this show over the years.

The Story Of One Tree Hill.  Looking back on the history of the show and the fight to keep it going.  The stories and changes that occurred over the nine seasons.  Fun retrospective. 

The Fans Of One Tree Hill.  When you think One Tree Hill, you have to think the fans.  This has been a huge part of this show being where it is after nine years.  Fun extra looking at the fandom that has been One Tree Hill. 

Crew Cameras with Sophia.  Sophia Bush roaming around and hanging out with the cast and crew.  Fun to see her having fun with the crew.

Audio commentaries.  I have honestly only listened to one of these audio commentaries which is on the finale.  Take the time to listen to it.  Big group taking part in this commentary which give you a look into things that happened in the finale, stories, details of things put into the finale for show history's sake, and much more.  I loved this and it was fun to listen to them all looking back on this and saying goodbye.  Check this out.  Can't recommend that enough. 

Deleted scenes and the always funny blooper reel. 

I highly recommend this set as I've already said.  I really enjoyed it especially after watching it just days after the finale had aired.  Season nine was a great send off and the finale was perfect. 

Looking Back On The End Of Lost - May 24, 2012

Two years have passed since the ending of Lost.  It is hard to believe.  It almost feels like the show has been gone for longer than that.  When I see the lack of interest that I have in a lot of TV shows now, it feels like it has been gone for a long time.  The finale is still highly debated two years later and I still say that I liked it.  Some liked it.  Some didn't.  Just going to happen with any show.  With the two year anniversary of the finale passing, I thought I'd post a couple of pieces that I wrote at the time a couple of years ago.  One looking back on the history of Lost and the other with my thoughts on the finale.

Looking Back At Lost

When I look back at Lost, I have so many great memories of it. Has there ever been a show that messes with your mind so much? Just when you think you have something figured out, you know nothing!! I remember the first time that I thought I had called something right and then it was proven wrong within minutes. LOL. Characters we loved and didn't like. Jack was the hero and leader from the beginning. Kate was the girl next door that you figured out quickly wasn't as innocent as she appeared. Sawyer was a character that I couldn't stand from the beginning and then he grew into my favorite character after a couple of seasons. Hurley was that lovable character that you just have to like. The episode with him winning the lottery and learning his background is still one of my favorites. Ben Linus. What can be said about him? What an incredible character and one of the best written characters that I've ever seen. We've been watching him for so many seasons now and we still can't figure him out. We got TV gold every time that he would appear in a scene with Locke. The way that those two characters played off of each other was great. You just always waited for that dry and smarty comment from Ben and then Locke would throw it right back at him. I've always liked Locke and really want to see a good ending for him. It's a sad ending for him on the island so far where he finally felt like he had a purpose to his life but yet it all ends badly. Now, Jack is in the position of fighting for what Locke believed in all along despite always arguing with him about it I guess I just still hold out hope for a happy ending for Locke, somehow, someway. Desmond is a favorite of mine and I'm still waiting to see what he does to finish up this story. We were introduced to Desmond in the hatch where the story took a really bizarre twist to start season two with the button.

A couple of amazing episodes that jump out at me are these two. I was going to do a list of my favorite episodes but realized it would be hard to do cause there are so many great ones.

Through The Looking Glass: Not Penny's Boat. That is always what I think of with this episode with Charlie's finale. Then, the Oceanic crew appears to be saved but what will that call for help do for them and who is on what side? The most awesome moment of the episode for me was the ending of it. We get the flashback scene with Jack and I'm trying to figure out where this scene places in his timeline. Then, Kate arrives. I'm thinking when did they meet each before the island? One problem. This isn't a flashback scene. It's a flash forward scene with Jack and Kate being off of the island. I will never forget how floored that I was when that was revealed to be a future scene instead of what we were used to with flashbacks.

The Pilot: The show opened up huge with the incredible crash scene that would put a lot of movies to shame with how great that it looked. That would set the scene for the wild ride that we were about to be taken on. This incredible thrill ride of the two hour premiere had us all in awe wondering what that sound was coming from the jungle?, what attacked the pilot?, what was up with that Locke guy?, Kate was the person being escorted???!!!, and the great twist at the end where they found the repeated radio signal.

The producers have always come up with great ways to reveal stories such as us learning that Locke was paralyzed before arriving on the island. We've had incredible moments including Michael, Jin, and Sawyer getting ambushed by the "others" as they went for help with Walt being captured (Wallllllllllllltttttt!!!), the shocker of Michael trying to save Walt and then shooting Ana Lucia and Libby, the drama of the "others" trying to get Claire's baby, the awesome reveal of that Jack was now full negotiator while leaving Ben on the operating table helpless, Ben not saving Alex, the reveal of the "others" on the island, learning just how evil Ben is when its revealed that he took out the Dharma Initiative, the shocker of Sayid shooting a young Ben Linus, and so many, many more. There have been fun moments on the island as well including learning that Sun could speak English, Hurley working on the van, trying to figure out why in the world Richard doesn't age, and more. Having the wrong person moving the island can result in major headaches in the time traveling kind. I LOVED the early episodes of season five as we saw the characters traveling through time. We saw things happen in real time of what we had only heard stories about, saw characters in the younger days, and got to see the history of the island as it happened. How awesome was it when that plane flew over Locke's head and you realized that it was Eko's brother's plane going down? The show did an incredible job of messing with the timeline of the island. Faraday and his gang arrived and the decision was made to try and change things in history. Did it change things or was that how it was supposed to turn out? We had the romance moments with Jack and Kate, Sawyer and Kate, Sawyer and Juliet, Jin and Sun, and the great reunion moment of Desmond and Penny. There are so many other random things too that were fun to follow on the show such as random crash survivors suddenly getting lines which meant one thing...their demise would be happening in a few minutes. LOL. Am I the only one that can get triggered easily into singing "You Are Everybody"? There are so many random moments that I could go over in the history of Lost but it is so incredible to think back on it. This show has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for six seasons. Will we get all of our answers? No, we will not. Hopefully, we get a great wrap up to the story of all of these people and this island. How will the two realities play into one another? So many questions.....so many questions....and only two and a half hours to get them.

Thoughts On The Finale

Lost has sadly come to an end. I watched the finale at a local theatre which was a lot of fun. Fun get together and it was great to watch with a group. You could literally hear a pin drop during the final scene as we all watched to see how it was playing out. I still need some time to digest everything but I plan on listening to a lot of discussion among fans. It will be interesting to hear theories and all. We got some questions answered but a lot of the finale is going to be left to interpretation. We had the two different universes going on seemingly. On the island, Desmond was used by the man in black to shut off the power source of the island. The island started shaking and all while Desmond seemed to be done. The power source left Jack and the man in black vulnerable. The final battle between them took place with Kate helping to finish off the man in black. Jack recruits Hurley to take care of the island passing off power to him as Jack goes back to restart the island. Jack does so but finds Desmond alive. Desmond is pulled to safety by Hurley and Ben while we see Jack later out in the open much like the man in black was after his experience inside the power source. At this point, I actually suggested that maybe Jack was going to be the new smoke monster but be a good spirit going around the island. However, Jack stumbles and passes away with Vincent by his side. What about the rest of the group? Well, Kate, Sawyer, and Claire got on the plane with Lapidus, Miles, and Richard. We saw them fly over Jack as he laid on the ground. What became of them is not known. In the alternate world, we saw the group all connecting with one another and suddenly seeing flashes of their island experience. The reunion is on from there and it was definitely focusing on the couples most of the time. About time we saw Shannon this season as she was a part of the reunion. Jack did surgery on Locke and he was able to walk again. The ending scene has the group gathered at the church and it appears that they have passed on to Heaven. Well, it was like they were about to go on there. They were all waiting on one another to go as a group is what it seemed especially with the comments of "we've been waiting for you". It was a powerful scene and there is going to be a lot of talk about who was not included in that scene. What happened to Miles, Lapidus, and others? No Michael in it either which was explained by Harold Perrineau on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the finale. He felt that Michael's fate had already been told with him stuck on the island whispering forever. So, the question is when did the group pass away? We know some obviously but what about the rest? What happened with Hurley and Ben? They referred to how great of a team that they were in that last scene. How come Aaron was a baby in that last scene? The show is now over and we're still trying to dissect everything. Interesting finale for sure and I'm looking forward to listening to all of the discussion of what happened. Watching the finale with a group was a LOT of fun. Tomorrow starts the mourning time of not having this show around anymore. Lost has concluded and it gave us a thrill ride of moments over six seasons.

Smash Season One Thoughts & Changes Are Coming - May 24, 2012

I have been behind on my TV so I just finished the first season of Smash last night.  This show has really drawn a back and forth discussion among viewers and critics.  I enjoy the show.  It's not a can't miss show for me obviously but I do enjoy it.  Overall thoughts on the season from me.  Just like everyone else, it has its good and bad.  The finale was interesting to see who would get to play the part of Marilyn with Rebecca out of the picture.  A battle behind the scenes with who wanted who to get the role with Derek pushing for Karen to get it over Ivy.  Karen got it and brought the house down while Ivy was in meltdown mode behind the scenes including her taking out the engagement of Karen and Dev.  The triangle between Frank, Julia, and Michael got to be a bit much at times.  Ellis.  What is the point of Ellis is the question that I had through the whole season?  I kept waiting for some sort of pay off with him thinking there surely has to be one.  I just kept thinking how does this guy get kept around when they get rid of people left and right but somehow keep this guy around who just gets on everybody's nerves.  I liked the addition of the Rebecca character to mix it up around the focus of the show.  Bringing in an actor instead of a singer which competed with what the other two were which were singers.  The last episode though brought it back to what the show had been from the first episode and that was the battle between Karen and Ivy for the role of Marilyn. 

So, season two is upcoming of the show and there are changes being made like crazy.  New people behind the scenes.  Changes in the cast.  One thing that has been discussed about is that the things that have not been loved by fans of the show could not be changed during season one.  They shot it all at once and everything was done by the time they got viewer feedback.  That viewer feedback is going to roll into season two is what it looks like.  Reports this week from E Online, The Hollywood Reporter, and EW.com broke news that four cast members were being removed as series regulars.  That includes the characters of Ellis, Michael, Dev, and Frank.  Interesting four names there.  There is talk that they may appear in some episodes but there are definitely changes coming for this show.  Season two will be interesting to see what they do with the viewer feedback and how they build the show. 

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Looking At The Fall TV News and Schedules - May 17, 2012

The big upfronts week has been this week as the networks have unveiled their schedules for the fall.  It has been to follow on Twitter and see what the early thoughts are from all the critics.  One problem that I am seeing for me personally as a TV viewer is the problem of having favorite show after favorite show of mine end but nothing is coming on to replace them.  Usually I've always had shows that jump in and take that place.  That just hasn't happened lately.  The only new shows that I've gotten interested in with this past TV season is Hart Of Dixie which I enjoy but am admittedly behind on.  I also am watching Smash but am currently getting caught up on it.  It's funny cause when we get to May, I think my natural instinct as a One Tree Hill fan is to get into save the show mode and help fight to save it.  It's so normal for all of us OTH fans so to not see it on any of the shows to save lists is just odd and puts it in perspective that the show is over.  Thank you again to The CW for giving all of us fans a proper sendoff for the show.

So, I'm really wondering what there is new this year and if there is something that will get my attention.  Well, I at least know a couple of shows that will be getting my attention.  One being "Arrow" for obvious reasons being a Smallville fan.  I'll be curious to see what they do with it.  How odd is it for Justin Hartley to be at the CW upfronts for another show besides one involving his Green Arrow character?  That will take some getting used to.  I'm also interested in ABC's new show, Nashville.  So, there are at least two shows getting my attention to get a look.

What is the plans for the networks for this fall?  Well, let's hit some of the happenings.  I'm not going to touch on everything obviously.

Fox:  I think the biggest talk out of the Fox upfronts was from The X Factor.  Britney Spears and Demi Lovato were announced as new mentors on the show.  Lots of hype on that whole thing.  Glee is moving to Thursdays and Fox will build a comedy lineup on Tuesday nights.  Fringe is being brought back for its fifth and final season which is going to be 13 episodes.  Fox canceled Alcatraz which was a major hyped show but didn't make it out of one season.  I didn't check it out cause, well, it's Fox and I've been bitten too many times by getting hooked on new shows only to have them pull the rug out from under me and cancel them.

ABC: Revenge has obviously has been a huge breakout hit for ABC this season.  People are raving about it.  Emily Van Camp has been a breakout star with this show.  The big compliment is that it will be moved into the Sunday night time slot that was occupied by Desperate Housewives.  Dancing With The Stars will be doing an all stars cast which should get some attention.  Although, sometimes all star seasons are hit or miss sometimes with viewership now that I think about it.  I love them but there are some that just don't tune in for them.  Nashville is the ABC draw for me this season as I plan on checking it out.  The show stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.  TGIF seems to be coming back on Friday nights with Tim Allen and Reba McEntire leading the charge.  Last Man Standing and Malibu Country will be paired up.

Here is a look at Nashville:


NBC: I think the biggest stress from NBC viewers surrounded around the fate of Community.  The show will return but the groan was that it was getting moved to Friday nights.  Whitney also got moved to Friday nights with it.  Smash will return in the midseason and will have creative changes.  I enjoy Smash and think that Katharine McPhee is tremendous on this show.  The show definitely has its critics with things that the show has done and not done in its first season.  The Voice will now have two cycles of the show as it will return in the fall.  I like The Voice but don't get to watch it like I want to but I tuned in more than normal this season obviously. NBC sure is being all over the place about the fate of 30 Rock for next season.  I don't even remember what the last comment was on whether it will be its last season or not.

CBS: I think the goal of CBS is to just keep doing what they are doing.  And why not?  LOL.  I was blown away when I heard that Two and a Half Men was now going to be in its tenth season!!  Has it really been around that long?  I had no idea.  It is moving to Thursdays and will follow The Big Bang Theory.  CSI: Miami was canceled by CBS and that time slot will be filled by the moving Mentalist.  A few new shows from CBS including Partners, Elementary, Vegas, and Made In Jersey as far as what launches in the fall.

The CW:  Not many of their new shows from last year made it to another season.  How many people would have thought that Sarah Michelle Gellar's big return to TV would result in only one season of TV with Ringer?  I never did see the show so I can't comment on it but I was hoping that thing would succeed.  So, we've got several new ones set to launch including Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, The Carrie Diaries, Cult, and Emily Owens, M.D.  The Carrie Diaries is going to have a ton of buzz on it with being the Sex and The City prequel of sorts.  I'll be curious to see how it does with viewership.  Arrow should have a built in audience ready to go just as long as the show delivers quality wise.  There have been a few changes schedule wise such as Supernatural getting moved to Wednesdays paired up with Arrow.  Hart Of Dixie has been moved to Tuesday.  90210 moved to Mondays.  American's Next Top Model and Nikita are paired up on Fridays.  Gossip Girl will run its final season through January and end then.

Here is a look at Arrow:

Carrie Underwood - Blown Away - Album News

Carrie Underwood is a very busy girl over the past week.  Her new album "Blown Away" was released a couple of weeks ago and she is on her media blitz right now promoting it.  The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart selling 267,000 copies according to the numbers that were put out by Nielsen Soundscan.  I also read that this is the best country album seller since Lady Antebellum released their "Own The Night" album this past fall.  "Blown Away" has spent a lot of time in my CD player since its release and I love the album.  The album is such a huge mix of songs and moods included in that.  It really does take you on a journey.  There are a lot of serious songs, fun songs, and others that just make you smile such as "Thank God For Hometowns".  The album starts off with the new hit single of hers "Good Girl".  The song is all about the girl is stuck with a bad man in her life and how she needs to get rid of him.  I think just about everyone is going to be able to relate to that song.  I'm a big fan of "Blown Away" and also "See You Again".  "Two Black Cadillacs" has been a song that has gotten buzz with the story of a man doing wrong and a wife and mistress looking to get even.  "Cupid's Got A Shotgun" is a fun song that has fans enjoying it and having fun with it.  If you haven't picked up the album yet, I highly recommend it.  It is a great album!  It might just be my favorite album of hers yet.  A great collection of various styles of songs.

I tuned in for her IHeartRadio concert recently and it was an amazing show.  I am hoping that they will archive it.  She went all over the board with the songs that she performed with doing some of her older stuff, brand new stuff, and bringing back a cover favorite of hers, "Alone".

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

2012 Superman Celebration Lineup Announced - May 16, 2012

The 2012 Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL has taken shape and it is going to be an exciting one for Smallville fans.  The celebrity lineup has been announced over the last week and there are two big names from Smallville that will be fun for fans.  John Glover (Lionel Luthor) and Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer) will be the Smallville headliners.  Glover was just incredible on Smallville and took all of us fans on a rollercoaster ride with how that character evolved over its time.  Freeman was brought in as Tess and kept things turned up on the Luthor side and appeared on Smallville from 2008 till 2011.  Those aren't the only in attendance though as the other celebrity headliner will be Gerard Christopher.  He was the star of The Adventures of Super Boy and also was a writer and producer on the show.  This is an awesome lineup and I am very excited for it.  Great job to the Superman Celebration crew this year for bringing in yet another great lineup that fans will love!  The 2012 Superman Celebration will be from June 7-10, 2012 in Metropolis, IL.  For more info on the Celebration, check out the Celebration website at this link.

Big Brother Over The Top - Week One Thoughts

I hope many of you have floated over to Big Brother Over The Top like I have.  Tonight, we will be one week into this game and this new plat...