Downton, Not Downtown!

I have often been amazed at the quality of television the BBC manages to create...Doctor Who, Absolutely Fabulous, and Merlin just to name a few. Recently, during my convalescence I stumbled upon Downton Abbey which is now in it's second series (what they call a season in the UK).

Never a more stellar cast!

The plot revolves around the servants and family that inhabit the magnificent piece of real estate. I have found it to be a fascinating period piece (which I usually don't enjoy) that not only highlights the aristocracy, but also those who served them. It also delivers intricate plotting that is akin to what we have come to know as a Soap Opera. For some reason tho, being British, it's all seems much more high class and proper.

No cat fights in the mud or Koi Pond to be found here. The cat fights to be found in this drama are all delightfully verbal and fiendishly clever. Maggie Smith, playing the Dowager Countess, rules the screen with more grace and venom than any "Alexis Carrington" I have ever witnessed.

The series is beautifully photographed. It is mostly filmed on location at the amazing estate you see in the photo above. I have also been captivated by it's score. The Hubby often makes fun of me for my ability to listen to the same selection of music over and over again. This score has been playing from my iTunes since I downloaded it 4 days ago. Take a listen and also get a glimpse of the cinematography that has so captivated my attentions

I hope you have a chance to check out this series if you haven't already. I 'm sure it can be found somewhere on BBC America. It's managed to hold my attention much like Game of Thrones, except here the characters bathe on a regular basis.

We Interrupt the Hospital Posts...

...for this breaking discovery. Every now and then at 2 o'clock in the morning I find something amazing on the internet that isn't about porn. I jest! (Hey, it's out there...what can I say?)

Last night I was checking in and catching up on the many Blogs I follow and one had a link to this hilarious You Tube video created by a British comedian named Isabel Fay. Yes, she prefers comedian to comedienne. (says so herself on her website)

Well, at this point, I have probably watched the video 20 times and I can't stop laughing. I pick up something new in the lyrics every time. I have to admit I don't know who some of the british celebrities are, although I did recognize Helen Lederer from Absolutely Fabulous.

You can also click over to Isabel's website Clever Pie to see some of her other videos. I got a huge kick out of "Total Paperclips of the Heart" and "Commemorative Commemorabilia".

Just thought I'd share a giggle what with everything else that's been going on lately. Let me know what you think of her in the comments.

The JimNotMike Annual Oscar Fashion Review

I admit it, I am a whore for the Oscar's. Heck, I didn't even see half of the movies that are up for nomination. I don't care about the movies. I want to see what everyone is wearing to the event! I want to see the streamline gowns and the fabulous train wrecks. I want to see who starved themselves and had a rib removed to fit their dress, and more importantly…who didn't!

This year, I think I'll start out with what I 'm calling…The Misses

Poor Sandra

I might take some flack for this one, but Sandra Bullock…where did your waistline go? I think I would love this dress if only it were slightly more fitted. It looks like a pudgy Morticia Addams ran into a Grecian column.

Sandra at the 2011 Oscars

How does one go from flirt to frump in the course of a year? Sandra, send me pics of your gown prospects for next year. Tod and I will help you chose.

Melissa McCarthy. Big gurls, ya know I love em!

She has looked so good at other award shows, I had very high hopes for Melissa on Oscar Night. Unfortunately, they were dashed along with the hopes of Big Gurls everywhere. There ain't no amount of sparkly dazzle that can save what I believe to be a pair of curtains she found hanging in her guest room. Scarlet O'Hara may have gotten away with it, but I am convinced Rhett was blind or at least had only one good eye.

What is with the leg?

It pains me to write this about my girl, but Angie…what has happened to you? I am seeing "Barbie goes Black" in this picture. It's the only thing that can explain to me the odd position of both her leg and her arm (It even looks like her middle 3 fingers are molded together..just like Barbie). Something tells me that she also had no idea that the cocked leg pose would go on to have such a life of it's own. The inter-webs will grab on to the craziest things.

And now they can grab onto both of them…Brad would!

Now that I am going to a cold dark hell for dissing on Angelina…let's get to my favorite looks of the night.

Ah Penelope…I love your first name!

Depending one which pics you might have seen, this dress was either gray or blue. I'm going to plant myself firmly in the middle and say it's a Bluish Gray. No matter what color it is, I think it's gorgeous! It has a great flow to it, yet it is also tight in all the right places. (Dang, I sounded like a Str8 guy there for a minute)

Ah Gwyneth…I love your first name!

I am soooo glad Gwyneth covered up her, all too muscular/boney, shoulders. In doing so, she made her look one of the sleek classics of the evening. If I had that body, I'd wear that dress too. (Gee look! The str8 guy has left the building)

Now let's talk about the Drag Queen!

Ah Glenn…I love…your dress!

For her age, Glenn Close is just amazing. I do think she removed a rib or 2 to fit into this gown. Something tells me she turned them into a corset. I tried to talk Tod into making a version of this outfit for Abigail and he said, "No way in hell and I doing that!" I don't really blame him, it's an incredibly intricate design. I really like how it was paired with a tuxedo jacket. Something only Glenn Close could pull off on the red carpet.

So that's Oscar Fashion 2012. Thanks to all of the websites I grabbed these pics from. Please don't sue me! What looks were your favorites?

Smashing!

I may possibly have a new favorite television show. Don't be silly! Nothing will replace Once Upon A Time in my heart. But this one comes close.

Via NBC. I did not take this photo LOL

For reasons I can't explain and by means that could possibly send me to prison, I was able to view the pilot episode of the new NBC series "SMASH". (Yes, I think it must always be capitalized) In a nutshell, it follows the cast as they attempt to produce a musical about Marilyn Monroe on Broadway. A lot of buzz in the media has compared it to Glee, one of my other favorite shows. Well, let me tell you, this show ain't nothing like Glee! 

There is singing and musical numbers, but not like the ones on Glee. This show is produced much more like movie musical than Glee. Many more of the numbers on this show are original songs springing out of the writers of the fictional musical the show is about. I noticed one cover song in the pilot. Not something that can be said of Glee. One thing this show has that Glee will never have is Angelica Houston! She is amazing. I hope they give her a number to sing eventually.

I want to stop comparing these shows. They are two very different beasts and I think there is plenty of room in the television landscape for them both to prosper and thrive. What would be cool is a crossover story arc where Rachel and Kurt graduate from McKinley High and go to New York and get cast in "Marilyn"! I know it will never happen...different networks. But it would be soooooo cool!

So, if you are at all interested in musical television, then be sure to watch SMASH (all caps) on NBC after the Super Bowl (is that a large Tupperware Party?) on Feb 6th.

Once Upon A Time...

Those words have been the prelude to so many wonderful stories(and a Broadway musical). It is my hope that they are not only the title of, but also the prelude to a wonderful story to be told on ABC television.

I think I may have found my next Halloween Costume

I have finally discovered my favorite show of the new television season.  Yes, there is an evil queen…every good story needs one. But there is also Snow White and Prince Charming, the Seven Dwarfs, Rumplestiltskin, and Jiminy Cricket!

All of these characters, thanks to an evil curse, have been trapped…stuck in time, in the town of Storybrooke, Maine to live here in our world where happy endings are a thing of fiction. The gaps are filled in for us via flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest where all of the characters we know and love existed. What I find most fascinating about even just the pilot episode is seeing where these characters fit into our "Real" world. Snow White is a teacher, Grumpy is the town bad boy and Jiminy Cricket?…a shrink, in human form of course.

Snow White and Prince Charming's child has been "saved" from the curse thanks to a magical tree stump that transported her to our world only seconds before the Evil Queen's wicked spell could come to fruition. She appears in our universe as an orphan named Emma Swan. Emma gave up her child Henry at birth to none other than The Evil Queen, now the mayor of Storybrooke.

If all of those tidbits aren't enough to get you interested in the story, I have one more to impart. Once Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke…time starts back up for the town. I gasped and cried, of course. I'm a sap when it comes to story telling and this show has nailed it!

I hope it can hold onto it's ratings long enough to at least be granted a second season. I think there is amazing potential here to tell a story we haven't seen before. Not one about the end of happy endings, but one that teaches us how to find them again.

Glee-tastic!

OK, I'll admit it…I'm a Gleek. I love the show. No matter how thin the plots can sometimes be. No matter how horrible I think some of the musical numbers are. No matter how big Will's hair gets or how far Sue's venom spits. I love it, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

It's gone until the fall, and I have a new love. I'm such a TV slut! LOL

Again, everyone knows how much I hate reality television, but this competition show is one I can get behind. It airs on the Oxygen network which I know not a lot of people have. If you do, I highly recommend it.

They are in the process of picking the next star of Glee. How could that go wrong? 12 finalists out of 40,000 folks who auditioned now have the chance to vie for a 7 episode arc on the hit show. The great thing about it is that it plays very much like an episode of the show itself.

Each show starts with Homework. A song is chosen, folks are assigned roles and a guest judge from the show is brought in to critique the performances. So far they have had Darren Criss (Yum) and Edina Menzel (Major Voice, funny eyes). The winner of this challenge is then given a featured role in the current weeks music video shoot, as well as, some one on one time with the guest judge. Some of the greatest moments of the show come out of this time the kids spend with the star. They're a little star-struck, but at the same time are trying to glean every every ounce of wisdom they can from them.

The kids spend time learning the choreography for the shoot and recording the vocals. I myself, would like to see more of that. But it's really about the shoot and the characters that the kids create. These numbers really embody what the show is really about. Each week it's a different theme, much like on the television series.

After the shoot, and we see the final music video it's time for elimination. In this show you are either "called back" or not. 3 contestants (supposedly the weakest ones) are selected to perform a final number. These numbers are performed in front of Glee's creator, Ryan Murphy. I can't even imagine the pressure! They only have a couple hours to rehearse these numbers. What can be really really fascinating is Mr. Murphy's critique. He hasn't lam-blasted anyone as of yet. but I can see it coming as the competition progresses. But if someone didn't get their ass handed to them at some point, it wouldn't be Glee.

After the individual performances a list is posted outside the choir room in typical Glee fashion. One by one the final 3 take a gander at the list. Also in typical Glee fashion this is all done in slow motion with voice overs from the contestants. Once we find out who didn't get called back we segue into "Keep Holding On" being sung by the entire cast with the "ejectee" taking the lead.  How very Glee of them.

It's not Glee, but in a lot of ways it is Glee. It's what the show is about. In front and behind the scenes.

Drag-Tastic!

Ok, summer TV sucks! Let me be the first to say it. Ok, ok…yes, True Blood comes back soon, but it can be so dark, sexy…but dark. My favorite light, happy, fun summer fare is…

I think I have talked about loving RuPaul's Drag Race in the past. It's the only "reality" TV show that I will watch. Its glamorous, fierce, and catty all at the same time.

Drag U is a little bit different. Here, ordinary every-day women come to the show to be transformed into goddesses. Every show has a different theme. Sometimes it's women who work jobs that men typically perform that need to be reminded that they don't have a penis. Other times, like the first episode of the second season, it's women tho have fallen into a rut and need some 5 inch heel therapy in order to step out of it.

I am always surprised by how emotional the show can be. Sure, it's a lot of fun and sequins. But a lot of these women have "issues". Most of the time it's something in their lives that has managed to make them believe they aren't beautiful anymore. To see them make the journey from frump to diva is inspiring to me. In the course of the hour, they manage to deal with their demons, learn to walk in very high heels, and study a choreographed drag number to perform on "Draguation" day.

The judges are also different on Drag U. Lady Bunny, the Dean of Drag…and someone who's been doing it longer than I have been alive, elevates these women to the level of goddess with her "Lady Lessons". The Dean of Dance…who's name I can never remember, is quite complementary of the transformations these ladies make. There is then always a guest judge, usually of some celebrity caliber. The guest judges are the most fun to watch. They are so truly delighted to be on the show. Not to mention the fact that it is a delight to watch Meredith Baxter say the word "titties".

So don't miss out on Drag U this summer. It's on Logo, which I know not everyone has on their cable. But they also rerun episodes on VH-1. It is an hour of pop-corn entertainment that won't leave you lusting for blood afterwards.

Gone and Hopefully Forgotten…Or Not

It's been a big week in TV Land. All of the networks have announced which shows have been canceled, what's coming back and what's new on their schedules. It's looking like my fall TV viewing is going to be taking a definite downturn.

ABC

Ding Dong Brothers & Sisters is dead! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Not only was I growing terribly tired of this show, but I also felt a twinge of guilt for not watching it's slow painful death.

It is a bit of a shame. I adore every single one of the actors attached to this show. I even loved the first season and part of the second. I totally blame the writers for this one. They took what was an fascinating family drama and turned it, character by character (bottle of wine by bottle of wine), into a Soap Opera.

I'm also not upset about ABC canceling V. I have an earlier post all about how they ruined that show. I am on the fence about No Ordinary Family. I think the show had great potential, but their writers too, kind of "dumified" it for the masses. Masses that then did not turn out to watch it. I'm very happy that all of my truly favorite shows are returning. Castle, Cougar Town, Modern Family, Happy Endings, Grey's and PP…they will more than make up for the void created by the above canceled shows. Yes, I know…I didn't mention Desperate Housewives. Mainly because I no longer watch it. I'll give it a chance to grab me next season, but this season fell flat for me.

CBS

This will be easy. I only watch one show on this network.

This show has replaced Brothers & Sisters as what I consider to be the best written drama on television. Not to mention that Christine Baranski, my favorite actress EVER!, has a very meaty supporting role.

NBC

I just realized that I have never watched a single episode of any of the shows canceled by this network, so this will probably be a quick one too.  I have become a fan of Chuck tho.

I poo-pooed this show for a long time…a very long time. This season when Linda Hamilton joined the cast as Chuck's mother, I could no longer resist. I know, you would have thought that when Scott Bakula turned up as his Dad that I would have been hooked. But no, back then I still considered the show too nerdy for me. What I discovered is that Chuck has something for everyone. Action, adventure, and a huge amount of references thrown in for the nerd set. I have to admit…I get a lot of those references even tho I am not a nerd.

Fox

Fox also didn't cancel anything I care about. Sorry about Human Target Tod. I know you enjoyed that show, but it just never grabbed me. I am very excited that Fox renewed Fringe.

What started out appearing to be an X-Files knock-off, very quickly proved to be one of the most tightly plotted and riveting shows I've watched in a long time. They have spanned 2 parallel universes and countless years without it ever being confusing or terribly difficult to figure out. Unlike the X-Files, they don't keep the payoff from you. You learn as the characters learn and are as shocked as they are about it. Riveting! And I don't use that term very often when talking about television.

I goes without saying that I am looking forward to a 3rd season of Glee. I mean, who isn't??? My only fear regarding Glee is that it's going to play itself out. I hope they have something new in store for season 3 that we haven't seen before. How many times can it be about the road to regionals or nationals???

The CW

I still don't even really consider this a network. They have canceled the only show I ever watched on it.

OK, maybe I am a nerd after all. I just couldn't get enough of this show! It was total pop culture popcorn.  I'm not even sure you can say that it was canceled. I feel like the producers had told their story and it was time to logically end. Unlike so many shows they didn't drag it 2 seasons past when it stopped being any good. I always liked that about the Star Trek series too. They planned for 7 seasons and at 7 seasons they ended it. Don't get me started on LOST, but I really appreciate the fact that the producers of that show set an end point. I wish more shows would do that. Really, how hard is it to figure out how many seasons it's going to take to tell you story and stick to it!

So that is what I'm excited about in terms of cancelations and renewals. Stay tuned for my post regarding the new shows I am excited about.

What are you sorry, and or happy to see removed, and or saved regarding the fall season. Let me hear it in the comments!

Whatcha Watchin?

So, what is everyone excited about in terms of Winter TV?

I know I can't wait for the return of Glee!!! It really has become the only show I feel I just can't miss watching. There is something about the combination of the characters, the story telling and the music that I just hate to miss each week.

The return of V has also sparked my interest. I watched the first season and have to say that I was a bit disappointed in it. Usually, unless a new show grabs me by the throat within the first 4 episodes, I let it fall to the wayside. I stuck through V for the entire first season and at the end of it I still wasn't exactly sure I would be back. The second season is off to a bang and has totally made up with me in regards to the season one pitfalls. I am most excited that Jane Badler who played Diana in the original miniseries is now appearing on the show. You can't ask for a better 80's bitch than that! I mean, Joan Collins never ate a Guinea pig!

I also have what I call my "Staple Shows"; Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Brother's & Sisters. These are shows that if I miss an episode or 2 I'll live. I enjoy them, but because of their "Soapy" nature, you can miss a few and still be up to date. I could miss 5 episodes of Brothers & Sisters and be just fine. It has been in danger of falling off my schedule for quite some time now if it weren't for Sally Field it would have been gone a long time ago.

As for my comedies, I only have 2. I am enamored with Modern Family and Cougar Town. Lot's of people didn't give Cougar Town a chance. I encourage those folks to give it another chance. It has evolved into an ensemble comedy that is completely different than it's meager beginnings.

My most eagerly awaited premiere of the winter season is, of course...

Now, I hate reality shows. I hate competition shows, but I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! You can have your Top Model, your Top Chef, your "Top" anything. All I need is my RuPaul. I am amazed by this show and now it's "sister" show RuPaul's Drag U. There is nothing more humanizing than taking a bunch of men who enjoy dressing up like women and throwing them into a competition to become the world's next Drag Superstar. It's got everything, drama, tears, and most of all Fabulosity! The competitions are fun (a Scarlet O'Hara themed, make an ensemble out of curtains) and I get goosebumps every week when I hear RuPaul utter the words, "And now...it's time...to...lipsynch for your LIFE!"

That in a nutshell is my TV life. Pretty darn good for a guy who doesn't own a TV set or have cable installed in his house.