The Henriad

It should come to no surprise to my fellow erudite TV Sluts that the folks across the pond are adept at creating one hell of a Shakespeare adaptation.  After all, THEY INVENTED SHAKESPEARE. It should also come as no surprise to any Anglophiles that Ben Whishaw is adorable and an amazingly talented actor. Anyone who has seen him in The Hour or Bright Star knows what a mad gifted artist he is.

Usurping my crown is, like, way not cool, bro.

But did you also know that Tom Hiddleston (aka our favorite comic villain, Loki)  is also hot and is playing Prince Hal in the BBC adaptation of The Henriad, entitled The Hollow Crown, airing in the U.S. on most PBS stations? That is a true fact that I just said. 

Drinking and whoring? Yeah, I can handle that. 

Yes, the Brits have gone and done it again. If you're feeling like you need a brush-up on your Willie Shakes, and you weren't able to make it up to the Stratford Festival in Ontario this year, take heart. The BBC adaptation is, SHOCKINGLY, very good. I have borne witness to so much bad Shakespeare in my life, that it does me little heart good to see it done well. Last night, PBS aired the oft-forgotten Richard II. True, it doesn't have the name-recognition and cache of the more popular and commonly performed plays, but it has a driving plot and some damn good soliloquies. We all know that performing Shakespeare is the litmus test of an English-speaking actor, and I was pleased with the Richard II cast. Shakespeare really is one of those cases where the actors' job basically is to get out of the way of the language. In this production, the cast performs with such honesty and the language percolates off the actors' tongues with crystal clarity, which just makes the whole production that much more compelling. 

The plot of Richard II is thus:  Richard II (Whishaw) was the last Plantagenet king of England. ("What's a Plantagenet," you ask? Go back to school!). He is replaced by the first Lancaster king, Henry Bolingbroke/Henry IV (Rory Kinnear). Richard is a young and ambitious king, but he's very wasteful and he spends too much time on buying useless crap from Italy. He also doesn't choose his counselors very well, which seems to have been a common thread among European royals. Richard starts renting out parcels of land to wealthy noblemen to raise money to fund his wars against Ireland. (That England. Always picking on the Irish.) He also seizes the land of his well-respected uncle, John of Gaunt (FUCKING PATRICK STEWART), after John of Gaunt dies.

But wait! There's more! Richard has a cousin named Henry Bolingbroke, who was John of Gaunt's son, and he is PISSED. Not only did Richard seize his land, but he had also exiled Henry six years earlier. 

You were in Skyfall? No way. Me, too.

Richard leaves England to fight a war in Ireland. (Again. WTF. Stop with the Ireland invading already.) While he's gone, Henry assembles an army and invades England. Richard's allies all desert him in his absence, and he returns to England. Henry takes him prisoner and ensconces him in a castle in Pomfret, where he languishes until a plot against Henry unfolds. An assassin takes it upon himself to murder Richard. Henry now feels like he has blood on his hands and jaunts off to Jerusalem to absolve himself of sin. Because that'll help.

I guess that didn't go well.

The only thing that bugged me about this production was, at the end, Richard's body is dragged into Henry's throne room (which is apparently where he sits all day...yawn). The scene pans up from two men standing over Richard's diapered dead body, to a sculpture of Christ and two disciples that is hanging from the ceiling. I was like, come on. COME ON. Come, on really? It's not that I found that offensive in a religious way (since I'm pretty much a heathen). I simply found it heavy-handed from an artistic standpoint. Richard II was murdered by political enemies, but martyred? Really? CAMMAHHHN.

The next installment of The Hollow Crown is Henry IV Part I, with Jeremy Irons as the much older Henry IV and Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal. Michelle Dockery is apparently taking a break from being all weepy over Matthew to make an appearance as Lady Percy. 

I may be too sexy for this crown.

The Hollow Crown is airing on PBS as part of Great Performances. You can watch it online  or check your local PBS listings for air dates and times. 

Is this why I had a dream that I was Rosalind in As You Like It last night? Imma gonna go with yes 

Secret Girlfriend of the Week: In Soviet Russia....prison food eats you.

Have you been watching Orange is the New Black? It's one of those Netflix original series (like House of Cards and the new Arrested Development season) where all the episodes are available for streaming at the same time. Which means you can binge watch to your heart's desire.

Unfortunately for me, life often gets in the way of my binge tv watching so I've only made it through the first six episodes. But! What I have seen is awesome and if you haven't started watching the show you really need to. Not just because of the interesting concept, the riveting plot, the large and diverse and amazing cast....

...but because of Kate Mulgrew.

Remember Kate Mulgrew? She was the gravely voiced, tough as nails Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. I am sad to say it took me about 4 episodes to recognize her, she looks and acts that different. And it is BLOWING MY MIND. 

In case you aren't familiar with the plot of Orange is the New Black, the show "revolves around Piper Chapman, a woman from Connecticut, living in New York City, who is sent to a women's federal prison for 15 months after being convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money for Alex Vause, an international drug smuggler and Chapman's former lover." Synopsis from wiki, of course.

Basically, the main character is your typical middle class blonde yuppie who finds herself thrown into prison because her former lesbian lover used her as a drug mule. Hijinks ensue. It's from the same creator as Weeds, but unlike that show, the decisions the characters make are usually smart and are not always wrong. Except for the ones that land them in prison.

Getting back to Kate, she plays Galina "Red" Reznikov, a Russian inmate who is the head chef of the prison kitchen and sits pretty much at the top of the prison hierarchy. You don't want to mess with her, as Piper discovers her first day when she insults the quality of the food in front of Red (without knowing Red is in charge of its preparation). Through flashbacks we learn that Red and her husband ran a restaurant and got involved with the Russian mob. Let's just say that their large restaurant-sized freezer was used to put some things on ice you don't normally find in an eatery.

I mentioned earlier that I didn't recognize Kate Mulgrew for several episodes, and it was totally true. It's not just the short red hair and the Russian accent that changed her, but she completely inhabits the role. Of course, the short spiky red hair doesn't hurt. And that shit is for real--no wigs here. Miss Thang walked herself down to the barber and got it cut and dyed. Now THAT's commitment to a role, people.

Not gonna lie--Red is scary as hell.

I found a great interview with Kate Mulgrew about Red here and I recommend you read it. It has only mild plot spoilers so feel free to click. Here are some excerpts that I found particularly interesting:

Question: You famously played Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. What do you think Red and the Star Trek franchise's first female captain to anchor a series have in common?  

KM: A ship is a ship. One is a spaceship and one is a prison. But we're both leaders of a kind, and we're both very tough and very vulnerable. Beyond that, I would draw very few parallels.  

Question: You've been an actress for more than 40 years. How does OITNB fit in the greater scheme of things?  

KM: This is the first time I've ever felt completely liberated as an actor. They only want me to be Red. They don't want me to be beautiful or exemplary. They just want me to be Red. And that's true of every single woman who's been cast. Jenji has exquisite taste. 

The entire first season of Orange is the New Black is available on Netflix streaming. Check it out and feel free to binge. But I wouldn't recommend Red's food--especially the sandwiches. Watch the show and you'll know what I mean. 

Please Stop Saying "Uniball"

So. Have you missed your weekly dose of office intrigue since the sixth season of Mad Men ended? Folks, have I got a remedy for this particular type of summer malaise. It's called Suits and it's on the USA network, and if you haven't seen it, you need to get on board. And don't fall off said metaphorical boat. Like Pete's mom. Haha. Pete's mom. Who fell of an actual boat. Hahaha. Pete.

But I digress. Suits follows the exploits of young Mike Ross, who, while running from police a couple years ago, happened to fall -- or was, rather, pushed -- into the Harvard-grad-only-hiring law firm of Pearson Hardman. Mike, armed only with boyishly rakish good looks, charm and chutzpah, was hired by Harvey Specter, a ballsy, if somewhat dickish, attorney at the firm. 

No law degree? Criminal record? Young man, you've got yourself a job!

Long story short, one of these handsome devils is Don Draper. Not sure which. It changes every episode. 

Bestill my lady heart.

Harvey knows full well that Mike doesn't have a law degree of any kind, let alone one from Harvard, but he hires him anyway and allows Mike to practice law, allowing the firm to win case after case. Harvey lets his boss Jessica in on this fact, and Jessica also does not give a damn. If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get into the show,  and you aren't expecting each and every one of these people to end up in federal prison, it's worth watching. If you can't, then, I mean...Come on...There's eye candy. Because I mean...

What's that you hear? Just me standing out your window and not being creepy in any way.

Oh and also:

He's so pretty, it makes me want to cry.

When we left our friends at Pearson last season, we saw no-nonsense lady attorney Jessica Pearson about to merge with British dandy Darby. There's all sorts of intrigue. At the end of last season, Jessica went behind Harvey's back, and Mike went behind Harvey's back, and Harvey went behind Jessica's back and Mike and Harvey stopped being friends and as this season opens, everyone is just pissed at each other. 

Okay, Zoe's on the show, too.

And yes, Firefly fans. That is Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson. She's traded in her spaceship pilot's license for a power suit and some bitch heels. Seriously, I love her. I love her characterization on this show. While it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Jessica is an unmarried minority female, no one mentions it or makes it into a big issue. Or an issue at all. It's almost as if...as if...as if she's equal to her white male counterparts. Like. OMG. Whouda thunk it? She's got these boys on a leash, and if one of them (*coughcoughHarveycoughcough*) plays her, tries to play or thinks about playing her, she will eventually turn the tables on them and get them right smack in the balls. RAWR. Grrr. And the whole time she stays sexy, but she has no interest in sleeping with ANY of these jerk-offs that she works with. Seriously, I love this bitch.

So, yes. Jessica's awesome.

But back to Mike.

Mike's having some personal issues during the season opener, because his erstwhile girlfriend, adorable paralegal Rachel, is mad at Mike because Mike revealed to Rachel that he's been practicing law without a degree. Then they banged in the file storage room. Up against some legal briefs. Cha-ching. You see, this is problematic for Rachel because Rachel wants desperately to get into Harvard Law, and we saw her be rejected at the end of last season. She tells Mike that if he ever wants to file her motion again, he needs to quit the firm. Mike is all ready to do that when Jessica hands him HIS OWN OFFICE as payment for siding with her against Harvey to push through the merger, and for his help with a lawsuit. Jessica, LIKE A BOSS, tells Mike that he's staying in the firm and he will be using this new office. Or. Else.

Rachel's angry with Mike for a while because he decides to hang onto his job, but then she decides what the hell and sleeps with him again. Can we blame Rachel? No. No we cannot.

We do have to give props to Rachel for feeling a modicum of anger toward Mike being total fraud. I mean, she is, after all, the only regular character on the show who displays anything resembling a realistic reaction to this information. But Mike's still getting tail out of it. So...a net win?

So, the merger with Darby goes through without too many glitches. Harvey starts to work behind Jessica's back because he felt Jessica betrayed him last season on the merger. Harvey's not happy with the merger, and makes an agreement with Darby that if Harvey wins the case that Darby assigned him to (with the help of Harvey's erstwhile lady friend, Scottie), Darby will allow Harvey to break his non-compete and end his contract. Meanwhile, Mike tries to get back into Harvey's good graces by clandestinely helping Harvey with his case. However, what Harvey REALLY wants is to take over Jessica's position as managing partner and oust Jessica in a coup. Oh, the game. She is afoot.

Suits airs at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on USA.

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: Insert obligatory "Winter is Coming" double entendre here

He's young. He's handsome. He's King in the North. He's the one, the only....

ROBB STARK.

(cue the sounds of fangirls everywhere shrieking, or more appropriately, baying like wolves)

Robb has it tough. He was forced to take over as head of House Stark following the shocking death of his father. He then went to war in an attempt to win back his hostage sisters and ended up getting himself declared King. Don't you hate it when that happens? All you want to do is kick some Lannister ass and you end up proving yourself SO AWESOME that all the grizzled old soldiers around you start calling you King. Man, if I had a dollar for everytime...

Wait, where was I? Right, Robb Stark. I mean, just look at those curls. I ask you, what man has hair that perfect? I just want to run my fingers in it. And then yank on it really hard, but that part might be just me.

My point is that Robb Stark is very pretty. Sure, he may not be the brightest bulb, but he's got lots of other great qualities. A very developed sense of duty and honor. A brilliant strategic mind, despite his lack of actual battle experience (though we're working on that). And ok, he really screwed the pooch when he married that dull brown haired girl, but he's a young man with certain...urges.

Actually no, I can't defend that decision.

Because Robb gave his word. If you're a lying Lannister lion that might not mean much, but Robb is a STARK. And he gave. his. word. And then went and married the first pretty young thing that wandered into his path. And now I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen....

You know what they say. Winter is coming. And everyone has to pay the piper. Even Kings.

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: He Sings! He Dances!

With barely no media fanfare whatsoever, Smash returned last week!

Remember, Smash? The show that everyone fawned over when it first aired and then grew to love to hate as the season devolved into kind of a mess? It became the poster child for hate-watching, though I have to admit that I still liked it even when other people had given up. 

As far as I can determine there were four reasons why people hated the show (and they are all valid complaints):

1) Debra Messing's character wore really ugly scarves;

2) Debra Messing's affair was written as creepily as possible (as he undressed her, she was crying. It was gross);

3) the character of Ellis was incredibly annoying;

4) nobody in their RIGHT MIND would EVER think that Katherine McPhee is a better actress, singer, or Marilyn Monroe than Megan Hilty. 

Most of these things appear to have been corrected in season 2, and based on the season premiere last week, we're off to a good start! The scripts were tighter, the world of the show has been opened to incorporate new plots (and possibly new musicals in development) and I like all the new characters. Unfortunately, the ratings kind of sucked which makes me think Smash is not long for this world...but I intend to enjoy the show for as long as it lasts. 

Which brings me to this week's Secret Boyfriend. May I present: Jeremy Jordan. 

Awwwww.

He's adorable. And he sings.....oh, god, can he sing. On the show he plays a singer/songwriter who is working on a musical with his gay best friend (though he's straight and the love interest for Katherine McPhee). Oh, and he's also kind of a dick. But that's because he's damaged and just needs someone to love! Or, because he's a dick.

Point is, he's really good on the show. But to me, he will always be Jack Kelly in Newsies. I was lucky enough to catch it on Broadway last summer and he blew me away.

Look at him with his cute hat and newspaper bag!

Jeremy Jordan hits the Maggie Cats trifecta: cute, sings, dances. And for that, he's the Secret Boyfriend of the Week!

Smash returns Tuesday, February 19 at 10pm on NBC. If you missed the season premiere, it's available on the NBC website.

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: Deputy Marshal

Two words: Timothy. Olyphant.

Justified returned for its fourth season this past Tuesday. Sure, it's got great acting, great writing, interesting mysteries and plot twists...but let's be honest. The big draw is Timothy Olyphant. Or as I like to call him, Timothy "tall, cool drink of water" Olyphant.

Season 4 promotional shot. RAWR.

It may not be considered progressive, it may not be considered politically correct, but give me a man in a hat, boots, and gun and I'll give you a big "hell yes!" It also doesn't hurt that Timothy has a penchant for playing major badasses. You might recognize him as the stalwart lawman on Deadwood or the bad guy in Die Hard 4, but Raylan Givens on Justified is the character that he was born to play.

Relax: he only shoots assholes. Of course that means like half the population of Kentucky better watch their backs. 

There's not really much else to say here. Justified is one of the best dramas out there right now, and Timothy Olyphant has the "strong, silent type" award pretty much sewn up. If you haven't seen Justified yet (and how many times do I need to sing the praises of this show before you watch it??), I suggest starting with the first season. Good news though: it looks like the fourth season is structured so new viewers can jump right in.

Justified airs Tuesdays on FX at 10pm.

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: zombie edition

In the event of zombie apocalypse, you want someone by your side with the following qualifications.

--excellent fighter;

--handy with a crossbow;

--doesn't give away your position by constantly running his mouth;

--a streak of crazy;

--and of course, hotness.

Look no further than The Walking Dead's, Daryl Dixon (played by Normal Reedus). He'll save your life with his crossbow and survival and tracking skills, and then save your heart (and other parts) from loneliness with his manly ways.

Hellooooo, nurse.

Sure, he may not be classically handsome. And when we first met him he was a redneck racist asshole with a dash of sociopathy. But Daryl has undergone the most growth of any other character on The Walking Dead. He's now the most loyal member of Rick's group, constantly going into harm's way to save other characters and he spent almost the entire second season trekking through the woods looking for the long-lost Sophia. He's also shown a remarkable capacity for compassion, and has become besties with Carol, who has also undergone some recent character rehab. 

But whatever. The dude is good looking and is a badass zombie killer with a crossbow. He seems to have gotten over that whole racist thing and he would be my number one draft pick in the fantasy zombie apocalypse survival game. It also doesn't hurt that the Norman Reedus was on my radar long before The Walking Dead from the Boondock Saints movies. If you haven't seen them before, I really recommend checking them out, if nothing else for Norman Reedus' adorable irish accent. 

In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti.

I am loving season 3 of The Walking Dead this year and think it's the best season of the show so far. And my favorite plot point thus far is the future (and clearly eventual) reunion of Daryl with his brother, Merle. Merle is clearly still a grade A douchebag, and I can't wait for him and the new Daryl to butt heads. Hopefully the new Daryl will remember that his loyalties lie with his new family of survivors, rather than his jerk-face brother. 

Secret Girlfirend of the Week: Ellen Greene

There I am, working my way through the latest episode of Bunheads thinking, "well, this has turned out to be more depressing than I bargained for" and all of a sudden there appeared, like a mirage in the middle of the desert, ELLEN GREENE.

You probably know her from Pushing Daisies, or Little Shop of Horrors, or even Heroes where she played Sylar's crazy-ass Mom. But all you need to know is that she is made of awesome. And possibly botox, because DAMN she looks good.

 And she's just so damn whimsical!

I'm not an Ellen Greene expert or anything, but being able to rattle off three big-name film and tv credits makes me think that I know a little something about her schtick. And much like her face, singing voice, and her soul, she is known for being magic. She plays crazy really well, and while she usually sticks with "harmless and sweet" crazy like in Bunheads, sometimes she can veer into "keep her away from sharp implements!" type of crazy like in Heroes.

She's also ridiculously sexy. Anyone who has seen her portrayal of Audrey in Little Shop knows that she can play sex-kitten until the cows come home, but she also always retains a sense of innocence that is unbelievably appealing. Even in Pushing Daisies (more than 20 years after Little Shop), Aunt Vivian was way more attractive than any reclusive shut-in old maid Aunt has a right to be.

 

 Suddenly Seymour...notices that Audrey has boobs.

The appearance of Ellen Greene on Bunheads got me way excited about the show again, especially in light of what I found to be a disappointing (and overly twee) second episode. If Amy Sherman-Palladino has any sense at all, she will make Ms. Greene a regular character stat. And allow her to sing, because according to IMDB, other than her Broadway roles, she got her start in the 1970s as a cabaret singer.

YES PLEASE.

Gross

 Update! Check the bottom of the post for the best 3 minutes in Mad Men history...

Think of this as the opposite of a Secret Boyfriend of the Week post. Think of it as an Obvious Scumbag of the Week. And this week's recipient is the repellent Pete Campbell from Mad Men.

This season, Pete has really been floundering. He has basically worked his entire career to become Don Draper 2.0, but instead of trying to emulate the good parts of his mentor (like say, the awesome Peggy Olson does), Pete has followed the more icky of Don's examples. Sure, he's done things right on paper: marrying a good girl from a good family, having a kid, moving to the suburbs, but now he feels trapped! By his own life! It's so sad!

Except it's not. As Pete gets more and more depressed he gets more and more gross. This season he's slept with prostitutes, and even seduced the desperate housewife of one of his commuter buddies. The fact that the housewife was played by Rory Gilmore (ok, I mean Alexis Bledel from Gilmore Girls) makes it even more icky. She was America's sweetheart for goodness sake! It was like a twisted version of that episode when she dressed up as Patty Duke.

Let us never speak of this again.

And now we come to Pete's latest trek through the filth. If you've seen the latest Mad Men episode, The Other Woman, you know of what I speak. During a business dinner with a man who can score the agency an account with Jaguar, Pete learns that the key to their success lies in whoring out Joan. And by whoring I don't mean, "the symbolic trade of one favor for another," I mean full-on "sleep with this guy for money." So of course, Pete being the winner he is, immediately goes to Joan and lays the proposition before her. In terms of shock value, I would rate this turn of events somewhere around the "client gets his foot cut off by a lawnmower" level.

I'm going to forgo all the discussion that has accompanied (SPOILER) Joan's decision to go through with sleeping with the creepy guy in exchange for a partnership and 5% stake in the agency (END SPOILER).

That has been discussed to death already on the internet, and frankly isn't a conversation I really have a desire to take part in. This post is concerned with just talking about how gross Pete Campbell is. And that's something we can all get behind, right?

Ugh, I can't even look at his smug stupid face.

There's no doubt Pete has done a lot of nasty things even from the beginning of the show, but for some reason him sliding into Joan's office (and practically leaving a trail of slime behind him) was the worst for me. Maybe it's because I love Joan, or maybe it's just because I have ABSOLUTELY NO PATIENCE for any kind of "male-life crisis trapped by own choices" bullshit that seems to be a popular theme on tv these days, but I just...can't handle Pete anymore. All season I have been thinking that someone is going to fall down that empty elevator shaft that Don peered into, or that someone might even kill themselves, and frankly I am now rooting for Pete to get the shaft (literally). Everyone on Mad Men has a bit of the villain in them so I don't think we "need" him for character purposes. And just once, it would be nice for someone to get their just deserts. And yes, falling down a high-rise would be an appropriate punishment here.

So, congrats Pete! You are the first person to be highlighted in an Obvious Scumbag post. I'm not sure if this is going to be a regular thing, but it just felt like the timing was right.

Oh, and I should probably take the opportunity to mention that I think Vincent Kartheiser has really done an amazing job with this character and has shown Pete's descent throughout the series with a level of skill that I never expected. I can separate the art from the artist and I am sure Vincent is a super nice guy. This is definitely one of those "hate the game not the playa" situations.

And I totally forgot to include the best scene ever: Pete Campbell gets taken to the cleaners:

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: Benedict! Cumberbatch!

Well, hello, Sherlock. Nice to have you back.

It's been about a year since we saw you, but my goodness how I missed you. Life just didn't seem right without your tall, gangly frame and pinched face. Or your adorable hobbit sidekick/boyfriend. Not to mention your haughty attitude and ability to make anyone feel bad about themselves.

I guess I am just a sucker for a bad boy.

This past Sunday, PBS finally got around to airing the first episode of the new season of BBC's Sherlock. Sure, some people have already seen the new season through less savory means, but I guess I am just a goody gooody (or have an irrational fear of downloading a computer virus), and I prefer to wait until it legitimately airs. And it was sure worth the wait.

In his latest mystery, "A Scandal in Belgravia," Sherlock tries to "retrieve compromising photos of a minor royal held on the camera phone of Irene Adler, a ruthless and brilliant dominatrix who also trades in classified information extracted from her rich and powerful clients." (from Wiki). Irene is one of the few people who can keep up with Sherlock (though she has some help from a nefarious source), and the two spar both verbally and physically, mostly through dialogue crackling with sexual tension.

That's right. Sherlock Holmes has sexual tension with someone other than Watson. Hoyay fans, hold on to your hats.

There's always hope!

Benedict Cumberbatch is one of those rare people who you see and don't think "hubba hubba," but his charisma (and intelligence) cannot be denied. He just draws you in, and makes you drool. Like Irene Adler says, brainy is sexy.

And the best thing about his portrayal of Sherlock is that we are seeing him emotionally mature. He may still treat the people around him like insects, but when someone hurts Mrs. Hudson (with words or physically) Sherlock extracts swift retribution. And when he hurts the feelings of Molly Hooper, a morgue attendance with a long-standing crush on the sleuth, he actually apologizes.

Let me repeat: Sherlock APOLOGIZED for being an ass to someone. Progress.

Wait. What did he just say?

And then, of course, there are sparks between him and Adler. The latest incarnation of Sherlock has been almost shocking in his lack of sexuality, but like the Doctor (of Doctor Who), it seems a change is in the air and Sherlock may be utilizing not just his mind, but also his heart.

But let's not get too swept away.

In any event, we can't know what the future will hold for our favorite detective, but with a third season renewal over on the BBC, and record ratings for PBS, I think we can rest assured that this week's Secret Boyfriend won't be going away for long once Season 2 plays out. Until then, just enjoy the ride.

Secret Girlfriend of the Sneak-Peek

While in Vegas last week, I got to attend a TV screening at MGM Grand - we sat in a computer lab and watched a show, using a little dial to indicate how much we were enjoying it. Sounds a bit weird, I know, but it was hella fun for a television enthusiast/amateur critic such as myself. What made it even more entertaining was the show itself - we got to see the pilot of the upcoming NBC show, 2 Broke Girls, starring the gorgeous and funny Kat Dennings.

Rawr.

You may recognize those luscious lips from such films as Charlie Bartlett, The House Bunny, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and most recently Thor. To each and every role Dennings brings a quick wit, a sharp tongue, and undeniable sex appeal. Also, boobs.

Damn girl, put those things away. There are children present.

In 2 Broke Girls, Dennings stars as Max, a sassy yet lovable waitress working in a shady Brooklyn diner. Her world is turned upside down when Caroline (played by relative newcomer Beth Behrs), the newly destitute daughter of a Bernie-Madoff parody, gets a job at the diner and moves in to Max's apartment. At first, Max is disgusted by Caroline's privileged attitude and inability to pull her own weight - but Caroline eventually shows herself to be a good-hearted (if sheltered) person, with enough ambition to carry them both to fame and fortune. That is, if she can learn a lesson or two from Max about common sense!

Okay, I'm done with cheesy announcer voice.
Don't look at me like that!

IMHO, Dennings has served her time as a "hey, it's that girl!" and is due to step into the spotlight in her own show. Obviously I'd love something more innovative than rehashing the odd-couple trope for the billionth time, but would it play in Peoria? The show is also set to occupy a pretty choice spot: Mondays at 8:30 EST, right after HIMYM. Bottom line, it's a show that seems to have a chance of survival, which could potentially give us hours and hours of Kat Dennings - I'm calling it a win!

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: so meaty!

Dimples and a spiffy wardrobe? Check.
Acerbic wit and a keen sense of the ridiculous? Check.
No sense of shame to speak of?

Double Check.

What more could a woman (or man) need in a Secret Boyfriend of the Week than The Soup host Joel McHale? Absolutely nothing.

It should come as no surprise that my blogging style is inspired, in part, by The Soup. This show takes everything that is wrong with television today and turns it into 30 minutes of pure comedic gold. For those of you not familiar (what is wrong with you?), The Soup is a clip show on E! that mocks reality TV, talk shows, movies ... basically everything and anything in entertainment worthy of derision. It makes watching all those terrible, terrible shows okay, because you're just doing it as social commentary. McHale makes it all the better with his self-deprecating humor and - dare I say it? - humility.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm doing the Lord's work," said McHale in a recent A.V. Club interview, possibly with a straight face. Amen to that, buddy.


For those looking for your first helping of Soup, or if you just want to get in line for seconds, check out these videos on the E! website. Or, you know, one of the eighteen billion weekly re-runs. Actually, check the E! channel right now - it may well be on as we speak. Er, as I blog. Whatever.

Secret Boyfriend(s) of the Week

Justin Tolchuck and Raja Musharaff, from Aliens in America. And no, it's not weird that I chose two high school characters as our SBs this week - Dan Byrd is 22, and Adhir Kalyan is 23. Besides, when guys are this freakin' adorkable, age ain't nothin' but a number.


Is it just me, or do these two look insanely huggable?

After six seasons of Scrubs, you'd think I'd have had my fill of neurotic narrators who combine entirely egocentric world views with often depressing lacks of self-esteem. Apparently not. And while John Dorian's rambling voiceovers eventually become preachy and overdone, Justin's interjections are both quirky and poignant, without being heavy-handed. Of course the series is still young and, due to it's content and setting (race relations and Smalltown USA, respectively), it runs the risk of descending into after-school special territory.


A Very Special Episode? Oh, dear God, no.

The acting is so good, though. Everyone in this series is a parody (the overbearing mother, the vapid teenage daughter, the well-meaning but ultimately feckless father) and yet each character comes across as authentic, and likeable. That's more than chemistry. That's alchemy. I have a feeling that these boys could taken the most leaden of plots and make it into television gold.

And Raja! Oh, I could write odes about this guy. Sonnets! Epic poems of adulation and joy! *ahem* I'll restrain myself to saying, I dig this kid. Religious people are often depicted at best as kooks and at worst, zealots. But Raja has a quiet dignity that, to me, speaks of the inner peace that true faith brings. And at the same time, he isn't so holier-than-thou that he won't play Dishsoap-dispenser Drums to accompany your Parasol Guitar every once in a while.


Oh, yeah. They're cool.

Finally, I love the relationship between Justin and Raja. They're both outsiders, but it goes beyond that. Raja's steadfastness makes Justin a better person. Justin's flakiness reminds Raja that, hey, they're still just kids. And I'm looking forward to watching them grow up.