Star on the Rise: Christina Milian

CHRISTINA MILIAN
This girl has real Talent with a capital "T," and she's got serious superstar potential. This beautiful young actress of cuban descent isn't new to the scene. In fact, she's been in it since she was a teenager. She started (as so many young'ns do) on the Disney Channel as one of the "Movie Surfers," but that's probably not what got your attention. You see, not only can Christina act, but she can sing, dance, and even produce. This is perhaps how she's best known, being nominated for a "Best Contemporary R&B Album" Grammy Award in 2005. So you're wondering...If she's really got it, then why isn't she big already? Well, I've got a few theories on that. First, she came onto the scene as a DC kid, a pop princess with the bubblegum rep. After a few years of this, she switched her rep around entirely. She became the R&B sexpot whose albums get sold and whose talents get recognized. She became the singer, the rapper's girlfriend with some urban flavor. This worked for her and really helped to skyrocket her music career. But she's older now, and I think this 25-year-old has finally found her niche. She's cleaned up her look, less sex and more glam (ala Angelina Jolie) and I know its only a matter of time before her true acting talents take center-stage. People just don't know the new and improved Christina Milian just yet (I got my first glimpse in the yet-to-be-picked-up pilot 8 Days a Week). She's a name that's never gone away, but one that will certainly start making it on some shortlists once word gets out. There's something to say about a new sophisticated look and when you've got the talent to back it, the sky is the limit.

LOST and Drowned

**SPOILER WARNING**
So my favey little couple from LOST Charlie (Dominic Monaghan)and Claire (Emilie de Ravin) seems to be splitting up next season on account of my favey character Charlie going and killing himself off in the big season finale. I was a bit disappointed, but I can't say that I didn't at least see it coming. The reformed drug-addict rockstar with a good heart and wit about him gave his life so that his comrades could be rescued--heart-warming tale, indeed. Of course, with LOST, things aren't always what they seem, so who knows what's in store of our survivors before their inevitable rescue and even after. I loved the twist tossed in by creators J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof. I mean, what a creative twist! I definitely didn't see it coming. Even up to the last few moments when Jack (Matthew Fox) is talking to Kate (Evangeline Lilly), I was still very confused...how could they have known each other all this time? Your brain races back to the first season...its implausible, impossible even. Then your brain starts to click...HOLY HELL! These haven't been flashbacks all this time...they've been FLASH FORWARDS. Genius, I say. Props to them for rescuing a dying series and for a fabulous cast that was able to pick up the slack and overcome. I look forward to all that is in store!

PS, Michael Emerson is one creepy mofo. You never know what his character is thinking...now that's some serious acting.

Giving it the 1-2-How-Do-Ya-Do?

Remember when I mentioned Clark and Michael here ? Well, here they are again. Their CBS Innertube Show "Clark and Michael" debuted today. Just as expected, its quite a hoot. I had the pleasure of seeing the original that they shot themselves to pitch the show, which was genius and I'm so glad that CBS saw what great comedians these guys are and gave them their own series. These boys aren't just actors or comedians, they worked their butts off for all aspects of this show and it really looks great. If you're craving a laugh, you won't want to miss this. They bring out the comedy in the little things of life. Check it out at www.clarkandmichael.com

If you like these guys, make sure to check out the new episodes every Wednesday on their website above!

Pilot Review: The Return of Jezebel James

The Return of Jezebel James
FOX PILOT

Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, and Michael Arden

Concept: A 30-something children's book editor decides that she is ready to have a child, but when she finds out she is unable to conceive, she looks to her 20-something estranged slacker sister for help.

Review: Cute. Not great, but it could definitely grow on you like "How I Met Your Mother" started for me. Strange concept, but Parker Posey can make anything funny.

Parker Posey. LOVE LOVE LOVE. She is so funny and interesting in everything that she does, whether it be a bitchy high school senior in "Dazed and Confused" or a neurotic pet owner in "Best in Show," I love it all. She's hysterical and adorable all at the same time, and even though the characters that she creates are only charicatures of real people, she makes it work on a level unmatched by most actors.

Lauren Ambrose. Interesting combo to Posey, I've never really considered Lauren to be all that funny. Still, she's cute and sweet and a good actress, so maybe she can make this work.

Michael Arden. He's a good find. He has great comedic instincts and he's just adorable. He looks like a young slightly more charismatic TR Knight. I'm interested to see where this show takes his career.

Honorable Mentions: Dana Ivey as the sarcastic boss and Savannah Stehlin as the little girl. Both were entertaining.

"HEROES" Finale a big ZERO?

Did any other diehard HEROES fans watch the Season Finale last night to GRAVE DISAPPOINTMENT? I mean, I was so upset by that cheesy predictable ending, I don't even know what to say...

It's all "GREEK" to me!

Woot! There's finally a preview out for this show that I'm so obsessed with. Check it out:

ABC Family "GREEK"

Add to My Profile | More Videos

For more info see previous post:
I'm a Geek for GREEK

Pilot Review: The Bionic Woman

The Bionic Woman
NBC PILOT
Michelle Ryan, Chris Bowers, Katee Sackhoff
Miguel Ferrer, Will Yun Lee, and Mae Whitman

Concept: A re-imagining of the 1970's TV series about a woman implanted with super-human bionic body parts. Here, she is a 22-year-old bartender who is saved from a tragic car crash by her scientist-doctor boyfriend in the hopes that she will serve his secret company's purpose once she is healed.

Review: I really liked it. Overall, it felt very 24 meets Battlestar Galactica. There was a lot of heart to it amongst the action and the characters seemed pretty relatable and interesting. Even though its a remake, I would definitely watch this series.

Michelle Ryan. I wanted to not like her for some reason going in, but I found myself liking her a lot. She plays this strong yet oddly vulnerable woman that works so well for this character. She's very multi-dimensional and I feel like she was a strong choice for this role.

Katee Sackhoff. LOVE my BSG peeps! I was so excited to see her on the screen here; I think she's a phenomenal actress. At first it was very clear to me that she had taken some tips from BSG co-star and real-life best friend Tricia Helfer because I definitely saw a lot of Number 6 in Sackhoff's "Sarah." It worked well for the character, so I don't hold it against her, and towards the end, she definitely infused a lot of her own interpretation into the character of "Sarah" that emerged.

Chris Bowers. Of all the characters, I liked him the least. He's dry and a bit boring at times...its really hard to buy him as the romantic lead. Hopefully he'll be able to pick up the pace a bit once the series gets underway.

Miguel Ferrer. I always like this guy, he's a great actor and while he doesn't especially stand out, he's a great addition to any cast. He's consistant and always manages to develop a very human character that the audience can relate to and be interested in.

Will Yun Lee. Will is another solid actor that always brings something interesting to every cast. He's typically pretty dry, but unlike Bowers it works well for his characters because there's almost an eery quality about him that keeps the audience wondering.

Mae Whitman. Oh, I love her. She's such a fabulous young actress who has been in the business for years in great roles, but who also manages to stay under the radar (my favorite is the dorky yet adorable little girl from Hope Floats). Here she plays The Bionic Woman's rebellious teenage sister who is also deaf. Its a great role for her with a lot of depth and I'm excited to see what more she brings to the character.

Honorable Mention: Molly Price. I thought she was great as the one female scientist, kind but strong.

Pilot Review: Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl
The CW PILOT

Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick
Penn Badgley, Taylor Momsen, Matthew Settle, and Kelly Rutherford

Concept: The private school social scene of a group of New York's most priviledged teenagers, as narrated by the school's own "Gossip Girl" who keeps everyone in school in the know via her gossip blog. The pilot follows the re-entrance of infamous mean girl Serena after a brief hiatus in boarding school (following a hook-up with her bff's bf, of course).

Review: HATRED. Its not that its bad, but there's just something about this pilot that rubs me completely the wrong way. As for it being the most talked about new series...I just don't get it. The characters are simply not likeable and completely unrelateable and some of the main plot points and storylines are stripped straight from The OC. Now, I loved The OC, and I had high hopes for USC Alumni Josh Schwartz, but if this is any indication of what he's got, then throw him back because I don't want it.

Penn Badgley. I'm starting with him because I loved him. He was the only thing I really liked about this series at all. He's a very likeable actor, charming, endearing and personable with a sense of wit. The only thing is...his character kind of sucks. He's just too cute to be believable as a goofy outcast, plus we've seen it all before. Seth Cohen, anyone?

Blake Lively. Eh, okay. The actors weren't really terrible in this series...its the series itself that sucks so much. She's pretty cute, but she's too sweet to be believable as some kind of super-bitch only a few months before the pilot enters into the story.

Leighton Meester. You're supposed to hate her, I think, and I pretty much did. Nothing too spectacular about her that stands out in my mind though.

Chace Crawford. Who? He's supposed to be one of the main characters, but he got lost in the story for me. He's very cute, but I'm gonna need to see more from him if he's going to carry out the series. He might have a real actor in there somewhere.

Ed Westwick. Hatred yet again. His character is oh-so-cliche and one-dimensional, think of a combo of all the bad qualities of characters in Cruel Intentions without any of the likeable ones. Not to mention, I didn't think he was cute...just obnoxious and slimy. Its easy to create a villian, its harder to make person who's bad...and he had no really human qualities it seemed.

Taylor Momsen. She was so adorable, I really liked her a lot and was happy to see her back in entertainment all grown up (she was the adorable little girl in The Grinch). She was perfectly cast in this role (young, innocent, with a touch of spunk) and really held her own for being the youngest cast member.

Other Cast Mentions:
Connor Paolo. Cute, likeable. I wanted to see more of him than most of the other guys, that's for sure.
Matthew Settle. I liked his acting, I just didn't feel he was cast well. I mean, there's hot-dad, then there's too-young-and-hot-to-be-a-dad. It wasn't just that of course, he didn't seem to fit the role overall. Plus, when you combine him with Kelly Rutherford and Florencia Lozano (the other parents), it felt very OC again.

**PS**If you were wondering who the infamous "Gossip Girl" is who narrates the series, I'll tell you. Its none other than the CW's own KRISTEN BELL from Veronica Mars!

Pilot Review: Aliens in America

Aliens in America
The CW PILOT

Dan Byrd, Adhir Kalyan, Amy Pietz, Lindsey Shaw, and Patrick Breen

Concept: A young high school student struggles with fitting in and being "cool" at his school in Wisconsin, when his neurotic mother decides to import him a friend through the school's foreign exchange program, only the student that arrives is a Pakistani muslim, not the English golden boy that they all expected.

Review: Awesome. This was a pleasant surprise. The cast is amazing and fun, all of which are in their first big series role. This show has a lot of heart and even a little spunk and wit thrown in for good measure. A perfect family-oriented series.

Dan Byrd. For being so young, I got a feeling that he had great comedic instincts. He's a versatile actor too (his performance in The Hills Have Eyes was impressive, and that's hard to do in a cheesy horror movie). Plus, he is in a awkward-looking teenager phase which is perfect for this series.

Adhir Kalyan. This newcomer was a gem. Sweet, endearing, and funny. Perfect for this role and really fun to watch.

Amy Pietz. I love her, and she was so good as the neurotic mom who's just looking out for her child, but in all the wrong ways. She first got my attention in a great episode of L&O:SVU, where she plays a lesbian mom accused of sexually abusing her daughter. She's a phenomenal actress and hilarious to boot.

Lindsey Shaw. For being the stereotypical "hot sister," I felt like she really brought something new and interesting to the role. It felt more real than most portrayals of such a character b/c she's not what you expect, but it works for her.

Patrick Breen. Funny guy for a funny role. Its always good to bring in someone with seasoned comedy chops that everyones else can play off of. I liked him as the dad here.

Pilot Review: Back to You

Back to You
FOX PILOT

Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Ty Burrell, Fred Willard, and Ayda Field

Concept: An anchorman gets fired from his fancy LA job and comes back to work at his old station from 10 years ago, where he discovers a one-night-stand with a co-anchor produced a daughter.

Review: It had its moments, but overall it sucked. Too much like a wannabe Anchorman plus 10-20 years, but without Will Ferrell and Steve Carell of course. It just seemed out-dated...my roommate came in and goes "Are you watching "Frasier" or "Everybody loves Raymond," which was funny, but shows that it doesn't have much originality.

Kelsey Grammer. Oh, how I want Kelsey to find something that works again. He really is a phenomenal actor, but maybe he should stay away from TV for awhile. No one can see him as anything but Dr. Frasier Crane.

Patricia Heaton. I never watched "Raymond," so I haven't had much exposure to her as an actress, but I liked her. I thought she had great comedic timing and a likeable demeanor.

Ty Burrell. Same actor as the "man in red" in "Lipshitz," this guy really is funny. He was certainly the one that caught my attention the most in this series.

Fred Willard. A comedy staple, this character actor is always a good addition to any type of comedy whether it be tv or film.

Ayda Field. I remember who she is and what she did, but not much about her acting...which couldn't have been too terrible or I would have remembered, but couldn't have been too good either.

Pilot Review: 8 Days A Week

8 Days A Week
THE CW PILOT

Christina Milian, Anna Chlumsky, Johnny Lewis, and Robert Ri'chard

Concept: 4 Twenty-Something friends struggle to make a career and a life for themselves while working under New York's top executives.

Review: I didn't hate it. I really wanted to like this series b/c I can absolutely relate to the storyline, but it felt a little flat to me. It seemed to be a cross b/w Ugly Better and The Devil Wears Prada, but I don't have much else to say about it because it didn't really strike me one way or the other.

Christina Milian. She was the saving grace of this series. She's so adorable, sweet, and engaging, how has she not broken in big yet? This girl is on the cusp. She has never looked better and her acting skills have been honed.

Anna Chlumsky. This is the former "My Girl" star's first big gig since her return to acting. She maintains that sweet yet tough tomboy thing that worked so well for her as a kid and she brings something a bit different to the screen along with her obvious familiarity. I liked it.

Johnny Lewis. He was cute and sweet. I found his very endearing. Hopefully he can bring a little more of an edge if this show gets picked up to series.

Robert Ri'chard. I had the same reaction to him as I did to Johnny. Cute, Sweet, not a lot of depth, but I think he can bring it.

Honorable Mentions: Derrex Brady as "Wilson" (Milian's ex-boyfriend)and Jerrika Hinto as "Marjorie" (Milian's boss).

NOT Honorable Mentions: Mario Lopez (such a bad actor, please take him off the screen), and Rosa Blasi (who I usually like, but her annoying/stupid character really annoyed me...I didn't find her that funny here at all)

Pilot Review: Reaper

Reaper
CW PILOT
Bret Harrison, Tyler Labine, Nikki Reed, and Rick Gonzalez

Concept: A 21-year-old slacker finds out that his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born, so now he must act as a bounty hunter for the devil to save his mother's life.

Review: It's a CW show. That says it all really. It's pretty good I guess, but the concept just seems so out there to me, I just don't think I can get behind it. Its definitely targeted at a younger audience too.

Bret Harrison. THAT is Bret Harrison? Wow, he looks so different these days...filling out I guess. He's still cute and charming. He's pretty funny too, I liked him a lot.

Tyler Labine. HAHA, this guy is great. He's funny-looking and has great comic timing and delivery. I'm kind pissed I didn't find him sooner...maybe if I had watched "Invasion"...

Nikki Reed. I was so impressed with this actress's real life achievements and the movie "Thirteen," but I have to admit, she's hasn't been my favorite as of late. I just feel like I can see her acting too much...then again, she hasn't really had a chance to prove herself yet.

Rick Gonzales. He didn't have much of a part so its hard to judge, but I liked him. He's definitely entertaining and has a great look.

**UPDATE** I knew Nikki Reed was the weakest link here. She was recently replaced by Missy Peregrym of "Heroes" and "Stick It" fame. While she has never really stuck out for me, I think she has a lot of potential if put in the right role. We'll see how she fairs as Bret's love interest as this series progresses.

Pilot Review: CHUCK

CHUCK
NBC PILOT

Zachary Levi, Sarah Lancaster, Yvonne Strzechowski, and Joshua Gomez

Concept: A goofy 20-something computer nerd is the CIA's most valuable asset when he becomes a walking computer full of government secrets after his college roommate sends him an encripted email.

Review: The concept is just outrageous...and there are a lot of flaws in the storyline. Plus it fels like he's trying too hard to be a loser. Still, its got a lot of good points too. It's well-made overall, but I just don't know if it can work.

Zachary Levi. At first I really liked him and found him to be cute, funny, and endearing, but as the story progressed it just felt forced.

Sarah Lancaster. I always see her and think "oh, how cute!" but then I see her acting, and I'm like "oh, how annoying!" She just doesn't come off genuine or real at all to me.

Yvonne Strzechowski. She's a great find. I really liked her performance and she was the one thing kinda pulling this whole thing together I felt like.

Joshua Gomez. The goofy slacker friend, who also happens to work as a member of the "nerd herd." Okay.

Pilot Review: Big Shots

"Big Shots" fka Perfect Gentleman
ABC PILOT

Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, and Josh Molina

Concept: Touted as the male version of "Sex and the City," Big Shots follows the lives of four successful business men and the relationships they share.

Review: Kinda Lame. I mean, who is gonna watch this? Male SATC isn't going to appeal to guys...and as a girl, I wasn't too interested either. I wanted it to be better, and it just kept getting worse.

Michael Vartan. Hot, sexy, sweet. You're supposed to buy him as a golden boy (which is fine) who is head over heals in love with his wife, this not-so-hot chick who cheats on him. Bleh.

Dylan McDermott. His character was kind of cool but far too predictable...well, minus the whole trannie incident. Still, I was less than impressed and I have always like Dylan.

Christopher Titus. Considering I can't remember much about his storyline and I watched it yesterday, that is not a good sign. Still, he's a funny-looking guy so that counts for something.

Josh Molina. What an oddball, but he definitely had the coolest storyline. A neurotic dork who is cheating on his gorgeous wife with some ditzy ho. Interesting. I like how its the sweet funny one that is the cheater, mixes it up a bit.

Pilot Review: Sam I Am

Sam I AM
ABC PILOT
Christina Applegate, Barry Watson, Jennifer Esposito, and Jean Smart

Concept: A successful woman (Applegate) finds herself waking up after being in a coma for 8 days, having no recollection of the life before her. As she discovers who she used to be, she struggles to find herself again and be not who she was, but who she can be.

Review: Most Promising. I was skeptical about the show going in b/c it seemed very "lifetime movie" for my taste, but I have been converted. It's really good. Within the first 30 seconds, you just know that its going to be good. Its hilarious and warm and really a nice multi-faceted comedy, reminiscent of the feel you get from Friends.

Christina Applegate. She's as cute as ever. Her comedic timing has not faltered and she has that slightly-neurotic hot chick thing going for her that works. While it only lasted one season, I remember really enjoying her in "Jesse" all those years ago, so I have full confidence that she can carry a series, and unlike "Jesse," "Sam" has some real depth to it.

Barry Watson. So I'll admit, my first response was "oh no, that guy is in this?" But he won me over. I hated him as poor-little-hot-guy in "What About Brian," but I've got to give him credit here. I found him to be extremely endearing and sweet. You really pull for him in this.

Jennifer Esposito. Again, I don't normally like her, but she works so well in this. I don't think I've ever seen her be so funny and the superficial best friend thing works really well for her here.

Jean Smart. As the "mom," she is an essential element that pulls this whole thing together and no one could have done it better. She was hilarious really, the perfect neurotic mom to the neurotic daughter. I loved her lots.

Honorable mentions go to Melissa McCarthey (Lorelei's best friend on Gilmore Girls), Tim Russ (the doorman here) and Kevin Dunn(the dad). All brought some great and interesting comedy elements to pepper the series.

Pilot Review: Cavemen

Cavemen
ABC PILOT

Bill English, Nick Kroll, and Dash Mihok

Concept: Based on the Geiko Commercials, Neanderthals struggle with the negative stereotypes of their kind in modern society.

Review: I mean really, does it matter? Everyone knows this isn't going to be the next "LOST," but its not that terrible. It certainly has its hilarious moments. My favorite is pictured below:

Funnymen Bill English, Nick Kroll, and Dash Mihok are cast as the hilarious trio of cavemen that center the story. Nick Kroll is certainly the breakout star here...practically everything he says is hilarious with excellent comedic timing and great lines like "I'm gonna biscuit it up." Realistically, I don't think this show has too much of a shelf-life, but you never know...it could become an instant cult classic.

Pilot Review: Carpoolers

I'm not even going to justify this ABC show with a whole post. It was terrible. Sure, it had like one or two funny things, but overall, it just didn't make sense and really didn't go anywhere...and quite frankly, the jokes just weren't funny enough to sustain it.

You're so Trendy!

I'm so sorry my blog has been on the "All Pilots All The Time" Channel for the past few days, but its really all I've had time for. Since its so consumed my life, I've started to notice various trends and common threads throughout the pilots that some might find amusing. See below:

PILOT TRENDS

1.) The Year of the VoiceOver (Pilot after pilot start and often continue throughout with the voiceovers--its an epidemic)
2.) Women in Power (Its all about replacing that "Sex and the City" gap with groups of powerful women)
3.) The Supernatural (Whether it be Vampires, Aliens, Zombies, or The Grim Reaper himself, there is certainly an influx of things unexplained.)
4.) Work-Place Laugh-Fest(Jumping on the success of office-related comedies like "The Office" and last year's "30 Rock," the networks have scrambled to develop their own office success story)
5.) Classically Trained Actors (Actors from prestigious Theatre school backgrounds with Tony Awards and Stage Experience--this isn't your usual crop of Texas and midwest Los Angeles transplants who want to be a star)
6.) Foreign Stars (It seems a lot of our talent is being imported this year from England and the like at a much higher percentage than normal. The audience seems to be sick of seeing the same old stars.)
7.) Acupuncture (Not sure why, but there have been numerous references to this in the pilots I've seen)
8.) Transvestites (Transvestites are the new gay I guess...going from never seeing them on TV to seeing 2 decent-sized parts in 2 huge pilots is intriguing)
9.) Making the Old, New (From "Bionic Woman" to "Sarah Connor Chronicles"-Terminator to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and the Grey's Spinoff "Private Practice" its been all about taking something that worked once and making it work again)
10.) Law & Order, Crime and Punishment (Per usual, the networks get that the procedurals work and scramble to discover the next big crime drama)

Pilot Review: Dirty Sexy Money

Dirty Sexy Money
ABC PILOT
Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Samaire Armstrong, Billy Baldwin
Seth Gabel, Glenn Fitzgerald, Natalie Zea, and Victoria Pratt

Premise: In this Dynasty-meets-SixFeetUnder drama, lawyer Nick George (Krause) takes on the financial management of high society's most powerful and recognizeable family after his father's plane crashes to his death.

Review: All right, now we're getting somewhere. This is really good! Dirty Sexy Money is all that its name implies. It's chock full of scandal, secrets, and sex, and it has a phenomenal ensemble cast. Surprisingly, this pilot has a lot of heart and promises to humanize the demons of fame and fortune. I also just love how it ties in aspects (and real life actors) of our own American power-families.

Peter Krause. Man, first leading man that I was really excited for from the start and continued to be excited for throughout the pilot. Not only is he sexy beyond belief, but he just carries with him this relatable human quality that allows him to do some perhaps morally questionable things and yet you still know in your heart that he's a boyscout.

Donald Sutherland. Ooh, what a phenomenal actor, it gives me chills up my spine. His character is just so decisively evil and yet a perfect gentleman all in the same breath. Some things only Mr. Sutherland could pull off and this might be the role he was born to play, the ultimate patriarch.

Samaire Armstrong. While I lit up to see her on the screen again, I have to admit that she fell kinda flat. Yes, her character is slightly vapid and empty (ala Paris Hilton), I still didn't enjoy her performance. Hopefully she can step it up when the show is picked up to series.

Billy Baldwin. Oh, how I love the Baldwins...its uncanny how recognizeable they are. I wasn't really aware of Billy's work up to now, but his performance in this certainly got my attention. It seems that while he is the family gold boy (successful, married with kids), he might be in love with a lovely transvestite (ala Alexis Arquette).

Seth Gabel. He was so my favorite! His character reminded me a bit of a charicature of Pete Doherty (Kate Moss's husband/boyfriend) if Pete was charming and hot and effortless cool. His character is just so fabulous, a rebellious drug addict and spoiled brat who knows his own power and influence. Plus, he's just a trip to watch.

Glenn Fitzgerald. His character is genius, a "man of god" who is certainly the most corrupt out of the whole bunch. Glenn has this cool, no-apologies kind of corruption that is just very intriguing to watch. I was really impressed with him.

Natalie Zea. I liked her. She has this sweet, almost regal, yet slightly trashy thing that is perfect for her character...I don't know how else to describe it.

Victoria Pratt. Eh, she just seemed like a poor man's Kate Winslett to me, and I didn't like it. I felt like she didn't really bring anything new and interesting to the table, plus she kept doing this lip-pursing thing when she talked that made me want to scream.

Other supporting cast members worth mentioning are Jill Clayburgh (the matriarch), Zoe McClellan (the wife), and Candis Cayne (the trannie). All of whom did a great job as well.

**UPDATE** THESE CAST PHOTOS WERE JUST POSTED ONLINE:

PILOT WATCH

So I've been watching pilots far faster than I can post my reviews of them...there's just so many to get through, and I wanted to have an unbiased opinion befored things got picked up. But, alas, I am not quite like the "Bionic Woman" and I don't move at the speed of light, so the pickups have begun and I've only put a small dent in the overall list. To give you an idea of what I've been dealing with here, I've decided to post the pilots for each network in order of their "buzz." I've starred the ones I've watched. As you can see, I've started at the top of the list and tried working my way down. The highlights are for those lucky pilots that have already gotten the greenlight:

ABC
*PRIVATE PRACTICE (Grey’s Spinoff)
*DIRTY SEXY MONEY
*PUSHING DAISIES
BIG SHOTS (aka Perfect Gentleman)
*MARLOWE
FOOTBALL WIVES
CASHMERE MAFIA--Midseason
*ELI STONE--Midseason
SUSPECT
JUDY’S GOT A GUN
WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB
MR. & MRS. SMITH
UNT. RINA MIMOUN aka REINVENTING THE WHEELERS

*CAVEMEN
*SAM I AM
*CARPOOLERS
*MISS GUIDED--Midseason
THE CALL
FAMILY OF THE YEAR
NICE GIRLS DON'T GET THE CORNER OFFICE
THE MIDDLE
THE HILL


CBS
LOS DUQUES
BABYLON FIELDS
THE MAN
SWINGTOWN--midseason
PROTECT & SERVE
CANE
SKIP TRACER
VIVA LAUGHLIN
UNT. BARRY SCHINDEL aka LAW DOGS
DEMONS
MOONLIGHT

THE CAPTAIN
THE BIG BANG THEORY
GIANTS OF RADIO
THE RICH INNER LIFE OF PENELOPE CLOUD
FUGLY


Fox
SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES--midseason
APOSTLES
THEM
NURSES
K-VILLE
THE CURE
CANTERBURY’S LAW--midseason
NEW AMSTERDAM
SUPREME COURTSHIPS
NSA INNOCENT

ACTION NEWS aka BACK TO YOU
SLUTS
THE RULES FOR STARTING OVER--midseason
THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES--midseason
MINISTER OF THE DIVINE
ME AND LEE?
PLAYING CHICKEN


The CW
*GOSSIP GIRL
*REAPER
UNT. SOUTH AFRICA aka WILD AT HEART aka LIFE IS WILD
BARNES aka WORLD ACCORDING TO BARNES
SPELLBOUND
PAIGE ARMSTRONG

*ALIENS IN AMERICA
DASH FOR CASH


NBC
JOURNEYMAN
*CHUCK--under lock and key
BIONIC WOMAN
LIFE

*THE IT CROWD--midseason
LIPSTICK JUNGLE--under lock and key
BUSINESS CLASS
I'M WITH STUPID


MISC: M.O.N.Y (unknown), Insatiable (Showtime), Californication (Showtime)

And those are just the ones that I know about...

Pilot Review: Miss/Guided

Miss/Guided
ABC PILOT

Judy Greer, Kristoffer Polaha, Brooke Burns, Jonathan Sadowski

Concept: A quirky high school guidance counselor struggles between who she is now and who she was in high school (a misfit teen) while having a crush on another teacher. To make matters worse, the homecoming queen just joined the faculty.

Review: I liked this one. I heard the buzz wasn't too strong, but I thought it was cute, quirky, and fun. Its a light-hearted comedy with not a lot of substance, but there's a sweetness to it that I found very appealing. It felt a lot like Desperate Housewives if that show was a single camera comedy instead of a multi-camera drama.

Judy Greer. I've always really liked her. She has that quirky-if-not-slightly-neurotic character down and it really works for her. Plus, she really is quite funny.

Kristoffer Polaha. Eh, he's okay. He's pretty to look at I guess, but I didn't really feel there was much substance behind him. Then again, he didn't really get much chance to prove himself in this episode either so we'll see what he can do if the series gets picked up.

Brooke Burns. This is the perfect role for her. Overgrown homecoming queen with an obvious err of superiority. It works really well and I found myself liking hating her at least.

Jonathan Sadowski. I don't really have much to say on him. I liked the line about her thinking he was gay, that was funny.

Pilot Review: Eli Stone

"Eli Stone"
ABC PILOT

Jonny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Victor Garber, and Loretta Divine

Concept: A lawyer working for a top law firm starts having interesting visions/hallucinations. After later discovering that he has a brain annurism, he starts to believe that perhaps he is a modern prophet whose life should now be dedicated to helping people through his work.

Review: Luke warm yet again. This just felt like I've seen it all before. It's very "Ally McBeal" in its quirkiness and lawyer-based plot lines. Plus, didn't Billy have a brain annurism towards the end of the series too? A lot of the dialogue and plot points seem very contrived...for example, he takes the case of the woman who he lost his virginity to and who had a child by him that is now autistic as the result of the corporation's drugs AND his fiancee practically dumps him seconds after he finds out he has a brain annurism. Oh, did I mention Tom Cavanagh does a cameo as his "drunk" father? I mean, come on. Are we supposed to believe that? They didn't even attempt to dirty up his image a little.

Jonny Lee Miller. He's so awkward looking, really. Still, there was a quirky charm about him in this role...very Adam Brody plus 20 years. It seemed kind of endearing, plus his character is dying afterall so you start to feel for the guy.

Natasha Henstridge. Wow, she looks amazing by the way. I really liked her, which I'm not sure what to make of because I think that you're not supposed to like her character. She plays Eli's slightly snobby and hard-hearted fiancee. Still, I kept pulling for her and not the other chick he was supposed to be helping. There's a raw quality about Natasha that just doesn't work as a cold-hearted bitch...its what made Species work b/c even though she was running around killing people, you felt sorry for her. Maybe they have a sweeter side planned in the series that could really make this character work.

Victor Garber. I love Victor. He has that morally-questionable lawyer thing down to a science. Plain and simple, he's a fabulous actor and I like what he could bring to a series like this. Plus, to find out he was also playing Natasha's dad was fab.

Loretta Divine. Usually I LOVE and ADORE Loretta. However, I just didn't like seeing her as a secretary I guess. Her sweet tough-as-nails approach should have worked here, but it didn't really for me. I see her as being in more of a power position than that.

Pilot Review: Pushing Daisies

"Pushing Daisies"
ABC PILOT
Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, and Kristin Chenoweth

Concept: A man discovers he has the power to bring dead people back to life with one touch. However, one consequence of this is that he can never touch them again or they will instantly die. After his childhood sweetheart is murdered, he brings her back to life to try to solve her murder, and while he is overwhelmed with feelings for her yet again, he can never touch her, ever, or she will die.

Review: AMAZING. Best pilot I've seen so far. This quirky story is beautiful and poetic. It is set up much like a fairytale and is filmed in a unique storybook type way. Very reminiscent of Tim Burton's "Big Fish." It's from "Wonderfalls" and "Heroes" writer Bryan Fuller, and is directed by "Lemony Snicket's" EP Barry Sonnenfeld. I was pleasantly surprised by this dark comedy that seemed to have real heart and vitality despite its focus on death.

Lee Pace. I have to admit, he wasn't what I was imagining for the role, but he won me over almost instantly. There is a sweetness and innocence about him that is necessary for "Ned." Plus this Julliard graduate really is a fabulous actor, picking up on various subtleties in the role that were quite profound.

Anna Friel. Friel captures the sincere and playful spirit of "Chuck," the object of Ned's affections, perfectly. She's kind and sweet, and with just enough spunk to make the character seemlessly adorable.

Chi McBride. McBride plays Ned's greedy yet oddly lovable business partner "Emerson Cod." While he tries to maintain a sort of hardass exterior, he's really a funny and kind-hearted guy, which adds more dimension to the character and makes him fun to watch.

Kristin Chenoweth. Ned channels his lonliness as a pie-maker in a shop by day, and Chenoweth is his ditzy and naive waitress with a big heart. While she is meant to be obnoxious, Chenoweth is just so freaking adorable, that she's hard not to like.

Honorable mentions go to the supporting cast: Chuck's aunts played by Swoosie Kurtz (she is so hilarious and fun in a dark, disturbed kind of way)and Ellen Greene, narrator Jim Dale (his voice is just so perfect for this), and Field Cate and Sammi Hanratty who play young Ned and Chuck, respectively.

This is a very classically trained cast, which is exciting to see for a single tv show. I hope it gets picked up and that the American public can appreciate it for what it is: a quirky, loveable, and unique dark comedy.

Pilot Review: Marlowe

"Marlowe"
ABC PILOT

Jason O'Mara, Amanda Righetti, and Adam Goldberg

Concept: Film Noir for the 21st Century. This detective drama centers around Philip Marlowe, a Private Investigator on LA's Sunset Strip and the very seedy cases that unfold around him.

Review: The jury is still out on this one too. I like the main guy, a lot, I'm just not sure if America is ready for the film noir genre's valient return on network television. Take last year's Brick for example: while it was a critical masterpiece, the modern audience wasn't too impressed. Marlowe is complicated and fast-paced and, as quick as I am, I still found myself trying to focus my brain to keep up. This is not a show for the infamous multi-tasker. Still there is something about it that catches your attention, its a little reminiscent of an FX show (dark and disturbing), "Nip/Tuck" in particular.

Jason O'Mara. He took some warming up to, but I was really impressed with O'Mara's performance. He brings something new and yet nostalgic to the tv screen. His character is sarcastic and biting (like Dr. House on Fox but without all the bitterness), and yet has the perfect flavor of the old crime dramas of the 40's and 50's. He's charismatic and flawed all at the same time, and he carries with him a certain sex appeal that should be noted.

Amanda Righetti. I've never really been the biggest fan of hers, but here I found her presence almost distracting. She just seemed flat to me, and even her lines which were meant to be funny just came off annoying. Still, I'm willing to give her another chance to prove herself as a real actress with yet another series.

Adam Goldberg. LOVE LOVE LOVE in general. As for this, his pornstache was a bit much, but I thought he did a decent job. He's mastered the neurotic jewish character, and I'm proud of him for trying to step out of his box. There were definitely elements of the same old Goldberg, but I felt like he brought something a bit darker and more fresh than usual.

I don't want to give any more attention to the other characters because they are likely just guest stars, passing in the wind. Although, I was particularly annoyed by Jaime Ray Newman, who played the female victim. The "femme fatale" character played by Lisa LoCicero was good, and Aja Evans a co-star also caught my eye. My favorite though was the guy who played the dead guy's brother, Matt Dentzler. Of course, he's not listed on IMDB so I'll have to figure out who he is on a later date.

BSG: Frakin' Great

Okay, so I have revealed myself to be a sorority girl already...now its big reveal #2: I am a huge dork. I have been known to be drawn into the Sci-Fi genre on occasion (not StarTrek and the hardcore stuff though). However, even I was surprised at how overcome I've been by the SciFi series "Battlestar Galactica." I cannot say enough great things about this show. It's brilliantly written, a drama set in space, not a space show w/ drama. The characters are so real, its unlike anything I've ever seen before. Their personal conflicts and inner turmoil are profoundly realistic. You can see yourself making every right and wrong decision along the way, and you feel the pressure the few have on them to try to save the many. Its beautiful and insightful and sucked me right in without a fight. While a lot of this credit goes to the writers, credit is still due to the phenomenal (and mostly foreign) cast that really reveals these characters as representatives of mankind to the audience. They feel so real, so human, so not characters created on a page, and for this, I commend them.

Edward James Olmos--Stern and undoubtedly wise, Olmos has crafted the perfect military leader as "Commander Adama," the kind of guy you hope and pray would be around in the ultimate crisis.

Mary McDonnell--The opposite of Olmos in her approach, but just as credible. McDonnell's peaceful, sympathetic, and almost enlightened character brings an element of hope to the series in the form of "President Laura Roslin."

Jamie Bamber--Bamber reveals the brave "Apollo" to be a plagued hero, one who is smart and strong, but who lacks the real wisdom and faith to lead just yet.

James Callis--Brilliant actor. See previous post.

Katee Sackhoff--The headstrong "Starbuck," Sackhoff has carefully crafted a man's role into that of a woman, and she's done so in a sympathetic and beautifully developed way.

Grace Park--The human cylon "Boomer", Park does an amazing job of showing both the human and "toaster" sides to a machine, created in the human image--almost too human. Still, she maintains a distance, a confusion, that is necessary for this role.

Tricia Helfer--Helfer has the complicated task of portraying "Number 6," who appears to know everything that is to be with both cylons and humans alike. While she is crafted as the perfect machine (gorgeous, manipulative, unaffected), she maintains a human and spiritual element that seems to surprise even herself at times.

A few others of note:

Aaron Douglas--The noble "Chief," an enlisted man who truly believes in the system. Douglas does a magnificent job of bringing life and notice to a character that could easily be lost in the story.

Paul Campbell--The humble President's assistant "Billy," Campbell brings an innocence and naivete to the ship whose character is peppered with good instincts, intelligence, and a freeness of speech that few others get to experience.

Kandyse McClure--The petty officer on the ship in charge of its communications, "Dee" is loyal and obedient by nature, but illustrates a kind heart, level head, and strong will. Her on-ship romance with Billy is sweet in its innocence.

If you've never seen this show, please give it at least one episode. My bet is you'll get sucked right in despite its science fiction base. It's a story of humanity and each actor does an amazing job of pulling hard at our heartstrings with each passing ep.

Pilot Review: Lipshitz Saves the World

So the Pilots are starting to roll in from across the land, and I'll give you my sneak-peak reviews as I get them. First up:

"Lipshitz Saves the World"
NBC PILOT

Leslie Nielson, Jack Carpenter, Ty Burrell, and Brooklyn Decker

Concept: Lipshitz is your typical teenage outcast, a forgotten kid who secretly feels he is destined for greater things. One day, Leslie Nielson shows up and reveals that Lipshitz might be "HE" who is destined to SAVE THE WORLD. Of course saving the world isn't easy, and neither is being an outcast teen, so trouble arrises with the most popular girl in school (Brooklyn Decker) and "The Man in Red" (Ty Burrell).

Review: I'm kinda split here. I mean, the show is very very funny and the jokes are quick, extremely witty, and fresh, but I just don't know if the whole thing sold me overall. The comedy is a lot like "30 Rock," which I love. However, I found some of the actors to be annoying and fake...to a distracting degree.

First of all, Leslie Nielson! He's just great. He's like comedy royalty. I just love this man...I mean, he's SO OLD, and yet he's still kicking...literally. There are some interesting fight sequences in this show.

Newcomer, Jack Carpenter. Eh. He was okay. I thought his voice was really annoying, but there is a Jon Heder-Napolean Dynamite quality about him that almost works.

Ty Burrell. Its so hard to judge because the script is just so strange, but I kinda liked this guy. He's so awkwardly funny. He handles a really bizarre sleazy character predominantly well.

Brooklyn Decker. BORING. She's like the poor man's Rachel Bilson, but blonde and without any real acting ability. She's really cute, but that's about it.

Look Out For...

RYAN DEVLIN

I've heard this young up-and-coming actor's name more than once in that past few weeks from Directors, Producers, Managers, and the like. He's creating quite a buzz about him. You might recognize him from various guest-starring roles over the past few years on TV, like "The War at Home," "Grounded for Life" and an arc on "Veronica Mars" (creepy rapist guy). He's a pretty versatile actor that can handle the cutesy boyfriend roles as well as some things with more of an edge. He just finished an anticipated pilot called "The World According to Barnes" for The CW, where he stars opposite Autumn Reeser; the series will hopefully get the greenlight sometime this week. Personally, he's a really cool guy with a great sense of humor and a passion for the craft. I hope he finds his way in this hustle-and-bustle business.

Good at Being Bad.

Two of my FAVORITE TV Villians...

ZACHARY QUINTO (SYLAR on "HEROES")
Quinto masters the perfect personification of evil, comic book style. He's a sympathetic character who became evil because he felt forgotten and alone. Now, however, his evil seems almost subhuman, like his heart was replaced with something cold and dark and even he is overwhelmed by it. I just love how he can be oh so creepy, and yet sometimes you really do feel a twinge of sympathy for him. Quinto is a pretty versatile actor to be able to capture all of this and still freak the socks off people with each coming episode. His facial expressions are genius and really bring depth and that true sense of evil to his character.

JAMES CALLIS (DR. GAIUS BALTAR on "Battlestar Galactica")
So I haven't even taken the time to delve into what a phenomenal cast this show has, and Callis is just the tip of the iceberg. He is such a versatile actor and you get to see many sides of what he can do on the show. While Quinto is the personification of evil, Callis presents a more human villian. He's a pathological narcissist who only looks out of himself, and yet he's a complete coward, weak and yet wildly intelligent. Not to mention, more than a little bit crazy. Talk about a difficult character to portray believably, and Callis does it with ease, brilliantly in fact. I think he might be one of the greatest actors I've seen in recent years, and I don't use that phrase lightly. There's such a charisma about him mixed in with all these things that even though his character is essentially a really bad man, part of me still wants him to win.

LOST Has Found Its Way!

ABC announced its plan to bring LOST to its final end in 2010 with a self-proclaimed "highly anticipated and shocking" finale. Over the next three years the 48 remaining episodes will be broken up into uninterupted 16-episode runs beginning with the 2007-2008 season.

Thank goodness. Now that they know when they're going to end, they can start building towards a resolution and actually develop the story again, instead of floundering around and stalling for time with useless plot derivations and new character introductions.

This announcement breathes new excitement and life into a series that has clearly Lost its magic, and gives us former diehard Lost Fans something to hope for and look forward to again. Now they'll be forced to give us answers and have every new plot development mean something to the overall progression and eventual conclusion of this intriquing story. I'm excited! I just hope some crazy contract things don't happen with the cast members that makes them start dropping out of the island like flies. There'd be no point to finish out the series without its signature Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Jin, Sun, Locke, Sayid, Claire and Charlie. The rest can "die" a contractual death...especially the new characters like Juliet. So over the Elizabeth Mitchell of it all...

Addison's Anatomy Pt. 2

So its not even done yet, but I'm pretty sure that the new Grey's Anatomy looks like my version of hell. Women crying, whining about their lives...yada yada. Its like Sex and the City, but without the singles empowerment. Don't get me wrong, I love love love KATE WALSH, but the reason I left Grey's Anatomy in the first place is because I got bored with the female-centered storylines. Meredith whining b/c she's beautiful and perfect and has 2 guys in love with her...WOE IS HER. It just didn't appeal to me, and honestly, neither does this from what I've seen so far. The scene that put me over the edge was 1:00 when the little hottie surfer secretary walks through the clinic in his swim trunks holding a surfboard on his way for a surfing lunch break as the gaggle of women look on in awe. Please. Its gonna have to give me a lot more than that if its gonna win over this viewer. The dialogue, the speeches, the cathargic moments, were just too cliche for my taste. That being said, the cast did a surprisingly good job...my faves were Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman, and Tim Daly. Ugh, but there they go again being lame...did he really just kiss her? Its not them, its the script. Still, something tells me people are going to like this...a lot. We'll see.

On a positive note, TRAVELER looks like its gonna be freaking great.