TV Recaps Reviews

The study group gathers to study, and what they want more than anything is to find an excuse not to study. They take time to welcome Pierce back from his rehab stint then realize they have nothing left to do but study. As Jeff cracks his book open to lead the study group, Dean Pelton arrives with campus news. The study group slams their books shut and are thrilled for the dean’s distraction. Dean Pelton tells the gang that Vice-President Joe Biden is stopping by as a part of his Biden-Time Talkin’ Bout Teachin’ Tour of campuses.

Abed quips he noticed some secret service agents hanging around campus. Dean Pelton tells the gang that Vice-President Biden plans to meet with the president of the college, Dean Pelton, and the student body president. Dean Pelton points out that Greendale has no student body president so they must have elections today in order to elect a student body president in seven hours before the Vice-President arrives! Annie is thrilled at the prospect of running for student body president while Jeff chides her on the phoniness and futility of politics. Dean Pelton tells the study group he plans to wear his sister’s patriotic Uncle Sam costume for his meeting with the Vice-President.

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The SAG awards featured major wins by The King’s Speech, overtaking the buzz captured by The Social Network at the Golden Globes. The King’s Speech also recently won the Directors Guild of America Award, giving momentum to the film as the Oscars loom next. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman won best acting awards, repeating their wins from the Golden Globes, as did Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for best supporting acting awards. Steve Buscemi won best actor for Boardwalk Empire, repeating his win from the Golden Globes. The cast of Boardwalk Empire pulled out a surprise win as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, beating out the time tested casts of The Closer, Dexter, The Good Wife, and Mad Men.

2011 Screen Actors Guild Winners List
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The 83rd Academy Awards will be televised by ABC on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. The awards ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre, in Los Angeles, California. Nominations include ten films same as last year, up from the original five films traditionally nominated. This opened up award opportunities for a number of films. The King’s Speech garnered 12 Nominations, including Best Picture, while True Grit received 10 nominations, edging out recent front runner The Social Network, and Inception, both receiving 8 nominations. Black Swan ended up with a total of 5 nominations, less than the movie received at previous award shows.

Noteworthy exclusions to the Oscar nominations included actors and actresses nominated by the Golden Globes and Screen Actor’s Guild: Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter; Robert Duvall, Get Low; Golden Globe Best Actor winner Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version; Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleep’s; Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine; and Mila Kunis, Black Swan. Leaving out Julianne Moore as a Best Actress nominee makes no sense with her co-stars Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo nominated for The Kids Are All Right. Sometimes great actors make it look too easy, Moore deserved a nomination as much as Bening for her fine work in the film. Movies receiving notable nomination snubs included the film The Town, and Christopher Nolan as Best Director for Inception.

The 83rd Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on ABC, check your local listings for show times.

2011 Oscar Nomination List

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The Golden Globes had a few surprise winners and a number of expected wins. The Globes host Ricky Gervais was shockingly funny, making some pointed remarks about Hollywood. As expected there were wins for The Social Network. Black Swan, and The Kids Are All Right. The surprise wins in motion picture categories were Paul Giamatti winning as Best Actor, Musical or Comedy for the film Barney’s Version, Melissa Leo winning as Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter, and for television, Steve Buscemi as Best Actor, Drama, for Boardwalk Empire and Katy Segal as Best Actress, Drama, for her role in Sons of Anarchy. It is always great to see the exceptional Paul Giamatti win an award for his fine work. Steve Buscemi, seriously, this actor should have won a number of Emmys and Oscars by now, glad to see him win. It was especially encouraging to see Katy Segal win, since Segal’s stellar work in Sons of Anarchy has been until now underappreciated by the award shows. Time to acknowledge the talented Sons of Anarchy cast and see some award nominations upcoming for Ron Perlman and Charlie Hunnam, among others.

List Of 2011 Annual Golden Globe Awards For Television

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Anyone that regularly watches the comedy series Community on NBC knows of Jeff, the high profile lawyer turned college student who fights against what he considers the banality of college life. Community’s Joel McHale is a talented guy who has an acting background and is a stand-up comedian. Before Community, McHale was known as the quirky host of E!’s The Soup, a crazed mix of bad TV show clips narrated with razor sharp quips by McHale. If you have never caught The Soup it is well worth watching. There is nothing high brow here but plenty of laughs and sarcastic commentary from McHale as he laments the awfulness of what is offered to the viewers on popular and reality TV. The regular and recurring segments include Chat Stew (clips from TV talk shows), Gay Shows (lame series meant to show men’s machoness), Chicks, Man (showing the latest segments of girly focused shows), Reality Show Clip Time (every possible incarnation of bad reality shows available to the masses), What The Kids Are Watching (horrifying segments of what not to let the children watch or participate in on TV), Tales Of Home Shopping (bad goofs and strange happenings from home shopping channels), Miley Cyrus News (clips of the latest inappropriate choices and comments made by Miley), and the Clip Of The Week (a final favorite stupid clip of the week).

McHale’s comic jabs are funny to downright hilarious, and there are many more recurring comedy segments well worth watching weekly. For a great end of the week laugh check out The Soup on E! Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

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The winter television schedule has a number of shows that should be worth catching. Stars gracing these new series include Kathy Bates, William H. Macy, Matthew Perry, and Allison Janney. Series to watch: If Shawn Ryan’s The Chicago Code is as good as FX’s The Shield and Terriers (a greatly under appreciated series), you won’t want to miss it. Check out the new series coming to your TV screen soon.

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Premieres: Sunday, January 9 at 8:30 p.m.

This is another animated series joining Fox’s animation Sunday. The show stars character Bob Belcher, a third-generation restaurateur running a burger joint, and follows the ups and downs of Bob’s business as well as life with his wife and three kids.

The Cape (NBC)
Premieres: Sunday, January 9 at 9:00 p.m.

This superhero series stars David Lyons as Vince Faraday, a decent cop unjustly framed for a murder and thought to be dead. Vince wants to reunite with his wife and son, and takes on the persona of his his son’s favorite comic book hero, The Cape, fighting against crime on the streets. Also stars Keith David, Summer Glau, and James Frain (The Tudors).

Shameless (Showtime)
Premieres: Sunday, January 9, 10:00 p.m.

Shameless is a remake of a British series that follows the lives of six siblings who care for their alcoholic father. The show stars William H. Macy (Fargo), which ought to tell you it must be worth watching. Also starring Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera).

Lights Out (FX)
Premieres: Tuesday, January 11 at 10:00 p.m.

FX rolls out another series to join their stellar group of current and past drama series. Holt McCallany portrays Patrick “Lights” Leary, as a former heavyweight boxing champion whose career slump leads him to become a debt collector, but the boxer yearns to regain the glory of his fighting career. Also starring Stacy Keach, Catherine McCormack, and Pablo Schreiber.

Harry’s Law (NBC)
Premieres: Monday, January 17 at 10:00 p.m.

This legal drama stars the ever talented Kathy Bates as Harriet “Harry” Korn, whose recent firing leads her to open her own law firm where she calls the shots. This is another courtroom drama from David E. Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal).

The Chicago Code (Fox)
Premieres: Monday, February 7 at 9:00 p.m.

New police partners team up to work the streets in the Chicago Police Department. Starring Jarek (Brotherhood’s Jason Clarke) and Caleb (Friday Night Lights’ Matt Lauria), Jennifer Beals, Delroy Lindo, Todd Williams, Devin Kelley, and Billy Lush. FX’s Shawn Ryan (The Shield, Terriers) is the show’s creator, his track record for superbly written shows is a good reason to catch this new series.

Mr. Sunshine (ABC)
Premieres: Wednesday, February 9 at 9:30 p.m.

Arena manager Ben Donovan, deals with his mid-life birthday by realizing he doesn’t want to go through life alone anymore. Donovan’s personal life is entwined with his professional life, making things complicated. Starring Matthew Perry (Friends), James Lesure, Andrea Anders, and the most excellent Allison Janney (The West Wing).

America’s Next Great Restaurant (NBC)
Premieres: Wednesday, March 16 at 9:00 p.m.

Top Chef producers are branching out to mainstream TV with this culinary competition for aspiring restaurateurs who compete to win a restaurant chain. Chef Bobby Flay (Food Network) serves as a mentor and judge on the series.

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The Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced Thursday, December 16th. The nominations included actors not seen on the Golden Globes nomination list, most noticeably nominations for the Coen brothers movie True Grit. Jeff Bridges was nominated as best actor for True Grit, joined by Robert Duvall in the best actor category for Get Low. True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld also received an acting nod for best supporting actress. The King’s Speech received nominations for Colin Firth as best actor, Geoffrey Rush as best supporting actor and Helena Bonham Carter as best supporting actress. The Fighter picked up a total of four nominations, including supporting acting nominations for Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo. Betty White received a nomination for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series for her role in Hot in Cleveland, and the show received a nomination for best ensemble in a comedy series. Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill picked up nominations for Modern Family, good to see Sofia Vergara and Ed O’Neill receive well deserved nominations among this talented ensemble.

The 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are scheduled for Sunday, January 30, 2011 on TBS and TNT, check your local listings for show times.

2011 Screen Actors Guild Nomination List

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The 2011 Golden Globes nominations were announced December 14, starting the annual awards season off. There were a number of nominations by perennial nominees of television shows, and a few surprises along the way. The movies The Fighter, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Inception, and The Black Swan garnered a number of nominations. Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman are nominated for Best Actress, along with front runner Natalie Portman for Black Swan. The Best Actor category features some new faces including Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network, along with nominees James Franco, Ryan Gosling, Mark Wahlberg and Colin Firth. The extremely talented Johnny Depp was nominated twice in the same category for his work in Alice In Wonderland and The Tourist. I was glad to see Katey Segal finally get nominated for her fine work in the FX television series Sons of Anarchy. Actor extraordinaire Steve Buscemi joined the list of Best Actor nominees for televison for his role in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, joining a list of excellent returning nominees in this category.

Ricky Gervais will host the Golden Globes once again. The Globes are scheduled for January 16, 2011 on NBC, check your local listings for show times.

2011 Golden Globe Nominations List

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Looking for some family oriented television specials during the holidays? Forget the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take some time to sit down with the kids and remember how fun Christmas is through their eyes. There are a number of annual Christmas specials available in the coming week, perfect for kids and parents both to enjoy.

I Want A Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown!
ABC Tuesday, December 14 at 8:00 p.m.

This is a rarely seen Charlie Brown animated Christmas special, another Christmas themed show for the Peanuts gang joining the traditional annual A Charlie Brown Christmas special. I Want A Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown! follows Linus and Lucy’s younger brother ReRun’s quest for a dog as his special Christmas gift.

Scrooged
AMC Tuesday, December 14 at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.

An updated version of the old Dicken’s classic Christmas story, Scrooge, starring SNL alum and comic star Bill Murray, run back to back so you can fit in all the holidays shows in one evening.

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
ABC Family Tuesday, December 14 at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m.

If you are in the mood for a movie tonight, check out Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. This is the telling of the traditional Dr. Seuss story starring comic star Jim Carrey, with showings run back to back.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
ABC Thursday, December 16 at 8:00 p.m.

Here’s a chance to watch the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie Brown is dismayed over the commercialism of Christmas and seeks the true meaning of Christmas in this perennial favorite.

Yes, Virginia
CBS Friday, December 17 at 8:00 p.m.

This is a re-telling of the classic Christmas story as an animated special. Voice talent for the animated story includes Neil Patrick Harris and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Frosty The Snowman
CBS Friday, December 17 at 8:30 p.m.

The classic animated story follows the Christmas adventures of Frosty the Snowman.

Frosty Returns
CBS Friday, December 17 at 9:00 p.m.

This is a sequel to the original perennial favorite, Frosty the Snowman animated classic.

Enjoy the family TV shows this week, and be sure to check your local listings for show times in your area.

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Conan O’Brien debuted his new talk show “Conan” on TBS Monday, November 8, 2010. The show opened with a crazy skit hinting at NBC’s poor treatment of Conan, complete with Conan being gunned down twice by machine gun toting thugs. The joke continued as Conan is shown finishing his successful debut show at TBS, only to again be gunned down by the same thugs.

O’Brien appeared relaxed and ready for the monologue and the audience was happy to see him, giving him a standing ovation. O’Brien was once again joined by sidekick Andy Richter, and the original Max Weinberg 7 band, minus Max Weinberg, now renamed The Basic Cable band. O’Brien announced his first guest of his new show, a joke appearance by Arlene Wagner, who won a online contest to be Conan’s first guest. Arlene Wagner is the curator of Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum and was dressed in a German outfit and accompanied by a life size nutcracker. Conan’s “Team Coco” website featured a poll letting fans choose the first guest on his new show. Other nominees for first guest on the poll included Pope Benedict XVI, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Jack Nicholson, 80′s super group REO Speedwagon. and the cast of the 2004 film Fat Albert. O’Brien’s sidekick Andy Richter sat at his side as he introduced his second guest of his new show, Seth Rogen. O’Brien’s third guest was Lea Michele of the popular Fox show Glee. O’Brien finished the evening jamming to a rousing rockabilly tune with gifted musician Jack White.

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