Movie Night In - DVD Recommendations

There are some great DVDs now available to watch.

Sex and the City: The Movie came out last week and if you are a fan of the series you will definitely want to be a part of the phenomenon. I found it to be an emotional roller coaster but also enjoyed seeing what the girls had been up to since we last saw them on the small screen. Everyone is still in top form.

After a long wait, one of my favorite comedies of the year was released on DVD today. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is now available on a 3 disc collectors edition and also as a single disc. I found myself laughing throughout the entire movie and there is a great ensemble cast of characters in this Judd Apatow Production which was penned by the movie's star, Jason Segel. As with Apatow's other releases there is a bit of raunchiness in this film but the story has a lot of heart and the Hawaii scenery is as beautiful as you would expect it to be.

The other big new release today is Iron Man. I have not yet seen this movie but have only heard great things about it so I cannot wait to make my own judgement. I expect I will love it since Robert Downey Jr. is always entertaining and it looks like another great comic book adaptation. It is in my possession and I will watch it soon.

So there you have it! Lots of great movies to add to your queue. Enjoy!

Super Premiere Thursday!

There are so many favorites returning today that I am beaming with excitement. Here is the schedule for tonight!

8pm ET
Survivor: Cabon on CBS (2 hour Premiere episode)
My Name Is Earl on NBC (2 back to back Premiere Episodes)
Kitchen Nightmares (2 Back to Back New Episodes)
Ugly Betty on ABC (Premiere)
Smallville on the CW (Premiere)

9pm ET
The Office on NBC (1 Hour Premiere)
Grey's Anatomy on ABC (2 Hour Premiere Episode)
Supernatural on The CW (Premiere)

10pm ET
CSI (Premiere)
ER (Premiere)

I am a huge fan of The Office and Grey's Anatomy so I can't wait for tonight's new episodes!

Tonight's Season Premieres

More Fall shows are back! Check out tonight's TV schedule!

8pm ET
The New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS (Premiere)
Knight Rider on NBC (New Show Premiere)
Bones on Fox (New)
Dancing With the Stars Results Show on ABC
America's Next Top Model on The CW (New)

8:30pm ET
Garry Unmarried (New Show Premiere)

9pm ET
Criminal Minds on CBS (New)
America's Got Talent on NBC (New)
'Till Death on Fox (Premiere)
David Blaine: Dive of Death on ABC (2 Hour Special)
90210 on The CW (Rerun)

9:30pm ET
Do Not Disturb (New)

10pm ET
CSI: NY (Premiere)
Lipstick Jungle on NBC (Premiere)


Happy TV Watching Everybody!

Tonight's Season Premieres

More shows have their premieres today and many others return with all new episodes. Here is the schedule:

8pm ET
NCIS on CBS (Premiere)
Biggest Loser Families on NBC (2 Hour Premiere Episode)
Opportunity Knocks on ABC (Premiere)
House on Fox (New)
90210 on the CW (New)

9pm ET
The Mentalist on CBS (New Show Premiere)
Fringe on Fox (New)
Dancing with the Stars (New 2 hour episode)
Privileged on the CW (New)

10pm ET
Without a Trace on CBS (New)
Law And Order: SVU on NBC (Premiere)

Tonight's Season Premieres

This week's TV schedule kicks off with some season premieres of your favorite shows tonight. So make sure that you are ready! Or at least be sure you set your TIVO/DVR!

8pm ET
The Big Bang Theory on CBS
Dancing with the Stars on ABC (2 hour premiere episode)

8:30pm ET
How I Met Your Mother on CBS

9pm ET
Heroes (2 hour premiere episode) on NBC
Two and A Half Men on CBS

9:30pm ET
Worst Week (new show) on CBS

10pm ET
Boston Legal on ABC
CSI: Miami on CBS

There are also new episodes of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill on the CW while Fox has new episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Prison Break.

Emmys Awards 2008

So I was catching up on Dirt Sexy Money Season 1 on DVD when I made sure to stop so I could turn on the 60th Annual Emmy Awards. Why do I keep pretending that they might actually change it up a bit each year? The first award was for best supporting actor in a comedy. There were excellent nominees in this category. Is it just me or is it really annoying when the same person wins for the exact same character for years in a row? When I heard the nominees I was so excited for Neil Patrick Harris. I thought - it's got to be his year!! But alas, they awarded Jeremy Piven with his third consecutive Emmy. Don't get me wrong- I think Piven is supurb as Ari Gold on Entrourage. I just get so tired of the same people winning over and over again for essentially doing the same thing when there is so much other talent out there. And most of this amazing talent isn't even nominated!

Thus began my viewing experience of this year's Emmy Awards. Essentially the word boring sums up the night for me. I did not find the reality host nominees entertaining for the most part. And by the end of the evening it was quite obvious that everyone is a member of the Tina Fey fan club (maybe this is why Sarah Palin became so popular so quickly!). I do enjoy 30 Rock and am a fan of Tina Fey's work but I also LOVE The Office and thought it was snubbed. I also can't help but wish Arrested Development was still around and that it received half the Emmy love that 30 Rock is getting for the second year in a row. Oh how I miss Arrested Development!!! But moving on...

The Best Television Drama category felt more like the show with the most hype won. I watched the entire first season of Mad Men but did not fall in love with it. I enjoy how well the show is done and that you feel transported to the time period it takes place in while you watch it. I just thought Lost or Dexter were a bit more deserving. But hey, this is just my take on the matter.

The one show I felt deserved absolutely every award it recieved was John Adams. What an excellent piece of work on all possible fronts. If you haven't already seen it, add it to your queue today! Don't be deterred by the length of this mini-series, it is supurb and worth every second.

Highlights for me was the Ricky Gervais/Steve Carell bit, Kathy Griffin and Don Rickles presenting, and I actually enjoyed Josh Groban's theme song medley performance. For me there wasn't much else to write home about. Even the fashion was rather blah this year and that is usually my favorite part. Maybe one year the Emmys will get it right both with the nominations and the awards themselves. One can still hope, right??

For a full list of winners go to: http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/primetimeawards.php

Movie Night In - DVD Recommendations

Fall Premiers are almost here and that means new DVD releases to add to your online rental queue. Now is the time to catch up on any shows you may have missed and make sure you are all caught up with your favorite storylines. The following are some of my favorites and are either available now on DVD or soon will be:

The Office Season 4

Pushing Daisies

Grey's Anatomy Season 4

Desperate Housewives Season 4

Dirty Sexy Money

Heroes Season 2

Ugly Betty Season 2

Chuck

Private Practice

Brothers and Sisters Season 2

Samantha Who (avail 9/23)

If you'd prefer a movie, check out Baby Mama - a hilarious comedy featuring the fantastic pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Made of Honor is the major new romantic comedy released this week. Patrick Dempsey stars in this role reversal but still formulaic chick flick. And for some enlightened but ridiculous laughs, see The Love Guru with Mike Myers.

So grab some popcorn, curl up on the couch and enjoy!

Spectacle - Coming Soon to Your TV Set!

As a member of Jenny Lewis' fan club I was happy to see a post for a contest to see her for an upcoming show in NYC. It all happened pretty quickly so when I won the contest I still was not sure exactly what I was in for. Turns out I had won tickets to see a taping of Elvis Costello's new talk/variety show appropriately named Spectacle: Elvis Costello with....

This show is taped at the historical Apollo Theater which is the perfect setting for the creative musical collaborations that I was lucky enough to witness. This episode featured the super talented singer/songwriting of Jenny Lewis, She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), and Jakob Dylan.

The show began with Elvis coming out to greet us, playing a song and as he introduced his band we discovered that one theme of this episode was how these artists were all children of famous/show business parents. Once the open discussion began it was also evident that all of these artist's new album and recent creative work really complemented each other.

She & Him opened with their song Change is Hard. It has a soft yet meaningful old country feel to it. Their first album together She & Him: Volume One has been said to sound like it was from a different era because there is such a timeless and sometimes old fashioned quality to it. Elvis then spoke with Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward for a bit about how their collaboration came about and how their influences inspired their work. Soon after Jenny Lewis came out to join the discussion and we find out that she and M. Ward worked together on songs that will be on her upcoming album - Acid Tongue (out 9/23/08). Jenny brought up how she is a huge fan of old country music and has been deeply influenced by the emerging LA country style that she has heard. I am eagerly anticipating her new album and was overjoyed to hear her perform Pretty Bird which M. Ward had worked with her on. I loved it! We also found out that Jenny and Elvis Costello had combined forces. We were treated to a performance of the 2 songs they sing together on each of their respective albums.

Next up was Jakob Dylan. He too has a new solo album called Seeing Things and after years of trying to distance himself from the more quiet man-and-his-guitar style, he is now comfortable embracing it. He even played an acoustic version of his first hit with his band the Wallflowers - "One Headlight". His discussion with Elvis was quite informative and we got to hear some amusing stories of interactions they each had with other famous musicians. These two had a great rapport with each other and it was a pleasure to hear them share their influences. We also heard two of Jakob's new songs performed with Elvis playing and singing along.

Jenny Lewis then came back on the stage for a one on one interview. We heard more about her writing process and how she gets the ideas for her songs.

The grand finale featured all the guests on stage performing Peace Love & Understanding together. Hearing this live was amazing and Elvis reminded us that this song has so much meaning in the times we are living in today. I couldn't agree more!

Overall, this show left me really inspired and eager to view it as a finished product. For anyone who is interested in getting in depth access to their favorite artists it will surely be a hit. Elvis Costello is entertaining all on his own but hearing him have these intimate discussions with other artists on how their ideas and music come to exist is a priceless opportunity. Not to mention the combined performances that occur throughout the show. I will definitely be watching when this show is on the Sundance Channel. I will keep you posted with when it airs.