Pan Am: Maggie, Maggie, Maggie...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

While I have been anxious to find out more about Maggie, I didn't think it would be like this. I'm pretty disappointed... she basically cheated her way into the position, and I think she deserves to be ousted. I'm also not a fan of how she has no scruples and will sell out anyone to get what she wants. That character aside, this episode didn't really intrigue me much. I mean, Kate had a separate story going, which was kinda cool. But, at the same time, her finding out information about Niko just to turn him seems a bit strange and uncomfortable. What did you think?

Pan Am "The Genuine Article" (S01E06): [We know it's now August. Let's start with Kate's updates...] While the other girls are preparing to fly to Rio, Kate is pulled for allegedly not having her smallpox vaccination on file with HR. Between that an a "burst pipe" in her building, things look a little suspicious. And, of course, they are. In reality, Kate was pulled because she hasn't been giving any more information to her connections. [see, this is why it's not good to get into business with sly folks... they can do all kinds of horrible things to your life.] Flat out: Niko is doing political stuff and the government wants details. So, Kate takes Niko to an amusement park, and she finds out that he's going to Yugoslavia for a week. But, he finds out that his cousin is being put on trial... and will be forced to sign a statement. So now he's going to head to Belgrade to do what he can. [neither of these trips sound that interesting to me, but whatever.] Kate passes on this information, and reiterates that Niko isn't a communist. Clearly they believe her, as she's told to try to get Niko to be a spy for them! [I was almost as shocked as Kate to hear this...]

[Now, Laura, who doesn't have much this week and could almost be left out completely...] Life magazine is doing a follow-up on the April piece about Laura. So, on the flight to Rio, Laura does first class while Collette covers economy and Maggie picks up both. The photographer tells Laura not to pose, but she's struggling, as she's not a fan of being followed around constantly.

ABC.com

After they land, she does manage to lose the photographer at the beach. [...okay. whatever. I blame Maggie for telling the photographer to see what the girls do after-hours.] Laura and Maggie go shopping, but end up downtown at the police station. Using a translation book, Laura tries to talk to the officers, but Ted once again comes to save the day, with a bribe. [I'm kinda sick of Ted, guys. What about you?] Laura later apologizes to the photographer. [of course she does. Because she's a good girl. ::eye roll::]

[Maggie's story is quite complicated this week, as we learn a lot about her past. So, let's look at that first...] Maggie used to be a waitress in a diner, but she quit the day a guy said that he left a three-cent tip because he didn't want to encourage her... she could be something more. [interesting and sad all at the same time...] So, she got a job at the college admissions office at the University of California - Berkeley. [so she went from Washington to Berkeley? Or was she already in California and then went to Tacoma later?] When a girl comes in to drop a world literature class, Maggie asks why. The girl is a Pan Am stewardess and the class conflicted with her schedule. So, Maggie takes the class herself, as if she were that girl. [she does make it painfully obvious when roll was called, though...] She does the same with other courses as well. Maggie was found out at the end of the semester in her lit class, and it is assumed that the other courses realized the same thing. So, Maggie gives up and goes to a Pan Am interview. But, she's late and has to lie to cover up where she was. She makes up a story and hands them her transcript, which lists Spanish as a foreign language. Well, when she's told that they don't need Spanish-speakers, she busts out a few words of Portuguese she picked up when her boss yelled at her at the diner. The Pan Am interviewers need someone who can speak Portuguese, and she's hired on the spot. [what are Maggie's other, possibly faked, languages?]

Because of her conduct, Maggie's file is being sent to a base manager for review, which was supposed to ground her before the Rio flight. But, Maggie points out that nobody else speaks Portuguese, and is allowed to go. [possibly a smart tactic, but also a fairly bad idea. Additionally, why didn't they bring in a fourth girl at the last minute, the way they brought in Maggie in the first episode?] While on the flight, she asks the photographer for a favor (after all, she's less likely to be fired if she's in a positive light in the media), but that doesn't work. When she and Laura are at the Brazilian police station, she is forced to tell Laura that she doesn't actually speak more than a few words of Portuguese. [why wasn't Laura more outraged? Though maybe she just had bigger things on her mind at that moment...] By this point, Maggie is really afraid that she'll be found out, and even pleads with Henson on the flight. He tells her he won't get involved, but she offers him some private information... which apparently works. She even goes to use a Pan Am learning station to work on her Portuguese. [I thought that was an interesting scene... both because she might be able to cover her Portuguese lie if she can learn some of the language quick enough, and because it was neat to see what a language lab might have looked like in the 1960s.] It's clear that she feels bad for selling out Dean, though. [and, well, she should!]

What?!? She sold out Dean!?? Yep. He's been with Ginny quite a few times now. She even visits him in the cockpit on the flight to Rio. Then, while in Brazil, Henson tells Dean that Ginny isn't really his secretary but something more. Ginny goes to Dean, but he won't answer the door, presumably because she lied to him and because she's a higher-up's mistress. Eventually, she does talk to Dean and tells him that she is in love with him. But, now that Henson presumably knows about their encounters, who knows what will happen next!

South Park: Sneak Peek

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

It's difficult to predict what South Park will make fun of next. But, we really should have seen the "Occupy Wall Street" / "1% vs. 99%" coming. Well, it appears that Cartman stands out because he doesn't have a great physical fitness level... and the other kids will suffer...

1%
Get More: SOUTH
PARKEric Cartman,Wendy Testaburger,more...

Tune into Comedy Central on Wednesday at 10pm to see what happens!

South Park: What Broadway Does for You...

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Suburgatory: Is Tessa Possessed?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, this is the fifth episode. I've been talking about possibly dropping this show, and at this point, I feel like I have enough of a background in it that I could make an intelligent and informed choice. Problem is, I'm not sure what I want to do. The first few episodes were just such turn-offs. And then there was a good one, and a decent one. This one wasn't memorable and probably not worth re-watching, but it's not bad. So, I guess I'm in until it just pisses me off... are you still watching?  

Suburgatory "Halloween" (S01E05): George and Tessa are decorating the yard for Halloween and are going all out. They're having good daddy-daughter fun until George's HS friend shows up, pointing out that there will be a fine if they didn't clear what they're doing with the neighborhood association. [gotta hate that. seriously.] Dallas is the head of the neighborhood association, so heads to talk to her, but is told that the neighborhood is trying to keep the kids safe, not scared. But, it soon becomes apparent that Dallas is the scared one, so George brings over some scary movies to her place. He might be making some progress, and they're taking turns scaring one another. But, when Dallas' husband unexpectedly comes home, he slugs George, thinking he's a prowler. [yeah, the whole story isn't that good. and the end result isn't clear, except that George gets to decorate in the end. And, it looks like Dallas' husband is suspicious of George.]

Tessa goes to school as a tacky suburban girl, complete with a bump-it in her hair, for the costume contest. [dumb, but a little funny I guess.] She soon gets called to the office because her outfit is in "bad taste," and she's in trouble for impersonating Misty, the girl who lived in her house before her. Lisa tells Tessa that Misty was her best friend... until she got Lasik and started hanging out with the popular crowd. [of course. anyone who sheds the dorky image becomes popular. such a Hollywood trope!] Anyway, apparently Misty disappeared, and her parents said that she went "to a better place," leaving everyone to think that she mysteriously passed away. Soon, Lisa thinks that Tessa is possessed by Misty. [though she has no good evidence or examples or anything... which I thought made for a very weak case.] Sleeping in a dead girl's room is freaking out Tessa, so she tries to get to the bottom of Misty's story. But, Lisa and Malik decide to go ahead and perform an exorcism on Tessa... which is interrupted when Misty shows up... apparently she's not dead, she just moved to Paramus to go to a remedial school, called A Better Place. [wow. this is really stupid. crazy stupid. The guidance counselor should have known... maybe he did... either way...]

The end? Tessa and George do up the whole yard anyway and scare kids while they hand out candy.

Throwback: Judy Jetson Played the Field

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Were you a Jetsons fan? I was. I liked them quite a bit... though not as much as I liked The Flintstones. I wasn't a big fan of Elroy though... Mr. Spacely. So, obviously, I was pretty limited in what I considered a "good" episode. That said, one of my favorite movies of all time is The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones... I wish that would come to DVD!

Anyway, let's get back to the point. Did you ever realize how many different boys Judy liked? She would talk about them pretty much ALL THE TIME, but I never realized how many different gentlemen were included until I saw the video below. I was really pretty awestruck... and not just at the moaning that the compiler included toward the end.



So, what did you think? Did you realize that there were so many different guys in Judy's life? Or that she planned to settle down well before she turned 20? Go figure.

The Middle: Axl's a Hero, Sue's in Style, Brick's the Normal One

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

You've got to love a Halloween episode where someone who thought that they were too old for Halloween realizes that it can still be just as fun. That was Axl this time around. You also have to love a Halloween episode where someone chooses a costume that nobody is going to understand. And, just like last time, that was Brick. But, interestingly, the big part of Sue's life in this episode was the fact that she is making an attempt to dress more "normal," during the one week a year that you can get away with dressing "different." For more, read on...

The Middle "Halloween II" (S03E06): Sue is dressed as a die for a Halloween party taking place the week before the holiday. But, the box is so large that she needs to ride in the back of a pick-up truck. [reminds me of the third grade when Kristi G. went as a slice of birthday cake... her parents had to drive her to school and THEN she put it on. everyone else just rode the bus, LoL.] When she gets home, she tells Mike that the party wasn't great... and then asks him what boys want in a girl. Poor Sue is so naive that she then asks why everyone else was wearing itty-bitty costumes at the party. [because somehow she hasn't realized that teens dress differently from grade-schoolers...] The next day, Mike fills in Frankie on the situation, blaming her for not having more "girl talk" with Sue. But Frankie tells him that girls with a close relationship to their father start having sex later, so he heads immediately to her. [hahahahaha!] Sue asks Mike if guys are most into bodies, and he tells her that everyone's into different things and the goal is to find the guy who's into what you have. [not the best response in the world, but pretty good for Mike!] She asks him what to do to be more noticed, and he tells her to stop dressing like a third grader. [a little harsh, but it's pretty true. Though I must admit that I'll be sad if they start changing Sue's wardrobe.] Sue tries a few new looks over the next week, like a hat, a poncho, and a shirt with a dog on it, thinking of it as an animal print. This is getting ridiculous [and Sue has no clue] so Mike gives her $20 to buy herself a "smart outfit" at the mall, and even implores her to ask the salesgirl for help. She comes home with a new top on and Mike begins to freak out, though it's just a fitted purple top with shoulder cut-outs. Mike thinks it's too tight and too grown-up and isn't thrilled that she's wearing it to a boy-girl party. He wants Frankie to confront Sue, but Frankie says that if he has a problem with it, he should say something to her... and he'll have plenty of time, since he's driving her to the party. But, he never does. And, it turns out that he didn't really have to... Sue puts on a zip-up Halloween-themed sweater over it anyway. [hahaha. I didn't see that coming.]

Meanwhile, Brick wants to be a book, and is bummed when Frankie won't make him a costume. [I know that Frankie is busy and all, but it makes me sad how little effort she would put into her children's costumes.] Brick doesn't want to trick-or-treat with the social skills group, since he thinks they're weird. This might now have been a problem, except for the fact that Frankie is in charge of taking the group around. Brick ends up going as the Ghost of Ernest Hemingway, cutting up his "boat sheets" to do so. [see? told you he was going as something people wouldn't get!] Frankie takes the kids in the group out with them holding onto a rope. [you know, like two-year-olds. but, you do what you can, I guess.] When a woman says that she wouldn't let her kids "get away with that," referring to the way that Frankie had the kids all over the place and blocking a walkway, Frankie gets upset. After all, she had apologized and it wasn't acknowledged. So, she hunts down the woman and confronts her, hoping that the kids will see how to deal with different social situations. The woman apologizes so all is well in the end.

Axl, who was originally calling it "how-lame-ween," hatches a plan to go get all the candy from the neighbors and then sell it back to other kids, figuring on the speed, grabbing ability, and costume-changing capabilities of him and his friends. So, on Halloween, they dress as superheroes for "round 1." But, on their way to change for "round 2," they find that a crime has been committed. A girl dressed as Lady GaGa (in the bubbles costume) and her brother had their candy stolen... so the guy go after the thieves. They retrieve the candy and deliver it back to the young kids. [who shouldn't have been alone in the first place... who was with them??] Axl and the others bring the candy back to the kids and are off again, enjoying the age-old tradition of trading loot after a nice haul. [see? it's good to be a kid again! you're never too old to enjoy some good, clean fun!]  

Two and a Half Men: Walden + Alan...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Blandest episode of the season so far. Alan has to make sure he's got a place to live when Walden starts to think about making a big change, so he sends Walden to therapy... where it's revealed that he needs to be there. Surprise, surprise. Then, the guys act gay to pick up some lesbians... but then they accidentally illustrate their gay relationship to Bridget and her date. meh.

Two and a Half Men "The Squat and the Hover" (S09E06): Alan tells Jake that he doesn't pay rent since Walden doesn't want the money and Jake says that he can't wait until he's got his own friend to live off of. [this made me laugh quite a bit, actually.] Walden comes into the room naked and Alan and Jake are both a little weirded out by it. [...and I'm getting sick of it, frankly.] Walden received the divorce papers and is upset. Walden then starts burning old photos and letters related to Bridget. [you know, like every television character does but nobody in real life really does.] Alan's not really caring, but once Walden mentions that he might move to New York, Alan is all over it (you know, since that would throw a wrench in Alan's living situation). So, Alan convinces Walden to see a therapist. In session, we learn that Walden's very first memory is his father disappearing when he was 3... as a magician. When he was 4, the guy ran off for good, though. Walden says that the saddest day of his life is when his mother stopped taking care of him... the day he got married. [yep, this sounds like someone in need of help to me!] She recommends that he come in three times each week, and he believes it. [you know, because he's crazy gullible.]

Alan and Walden are out to the movies and see Bridget out with a man. Walden opens with his "giant penis," (which Jake is envious of, PS) and the guy she's with thinks that Walden turned gay and that's why he's with Alan. Alan pulls the "left my wallet in the car" gag at the movie concession stand. [knew this would happen, but still.... booooring.] They head to the bar afterward and Walden wants to get drunk... but he meets a girl named Dani, who is with Kiki... they're lesbians but the guys didn't get that at first. And, since Walden wants to be friends with Dani, he kisses Alan to show that they weren't hitting on them, they're gay. ["If a man's gonna kiss me, I prefer he look like the son of God." was a pretty funny line. Alan keeps pulling out some famous gay lines, like "I can't quit you."] Back at the beach house, Walden keeps chatting up Dani, and says that he came out when he was married. Dani comes back inside and Alan had convinced Kiki to kiss him... so Dani punches Alan THREE TIMES. [poor Alan. but seriously, how dumb was Kiki??]

During another night at the movies, Walden tells Alan that he's his best friend, and Alan tells Walden that he feels "he's the luckiest guy in the world," which provokes Bridget's date to question Alan and Walden of being gay. [you know, since the odds are there that they'd ONCE AGAIN be at the movies at the same time...]

The Duggars: A Really Boring Episode

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

If you haven't watched it yet, guys, don't. It's a loser episode. Really boring. In fact, I could sum it up in LESS a tweet: JimBob's got allergies to mold, dust, trees. Anna takes both kids shopping. Josh grills. Family eats out. Should you want the whole run-down, keep reading. But really, it's not worth your time. :-/

19 Kids and Counting "Daddy Duggar's Birthday" (S08E08): Anna thought it would be fun to grill out, so she takes the kids to the store while Josh was at work - this is her first time taking both to the store at the same time. Anna struggles to keep Mackynzie from treating Michael like a doll. [I totally believe it. I have a friend who recently had her second child, and her first is younger than Mackynzie. The first child thought the baby WAS a doll at first.] Anna stays home now, though she used to bring Mackynzie to work. [Why do they still have the H3?? I guess that's Anna's permanent car at this point.] Anna has Mackynzie fist-bumping. [cute but WEIRD.] Josh bought a grill that's been sitting in a box. [typical lazy Josh, anyone?] Josh talks about how macho he is, tossing away the directions and all, and of course he's left with an extra piece... it's only a little table-top gas grill. Oh, and Josh apparently has a secret seasoning mix.

JimBob turns 46 and Michelle takes him to the allergy clinic. JimBob and Michelle are on-camera kissing over 300 times. [that is an a lot I guess. I wonder how many they have of Josh and Anna?] Michelle fills out JimBob's medical forms for him. [this annoys me, but maybe JimBob just has hideous handwriting?] JimBob has been on three different diets in the past year... but the girls don't always consider that when they cook. [hahaha.] JimBob gets pricks in the back to see what he might react to, which hurts more than he was expecting, Turns out, he's allergic to mold, dust, and some types of trees. He's going to take nasal spray since he doesn't want shots. JimBob takes the family for Mexican to celebrate his birthday. He plans to start another diet the next day, LoL.

Last Man Standing: Trick or Treat!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was the first new Halloween episode I saw this year, which made me happy... I have a thing for holiday-themed episodes, LoL. There are a few errors though... or things that just don't make sense... read on to see what I mean.

Last Man Standing "Last Halloween Standing" (S01E04): Eve normally likes to trick-or-treat with Mike. But she's over it at this point and he's a little upset. Now that she's 13, she thinks dressing up is ridiculous... well, Victor, the boy she likes, thinks it'd ridiculous and she doesn't want him not to like her. [pffft. I couldn't imagine not dressing up! I just ignored my current teenage-fling and did Halloween with my friends! but the girls in this family seem to put quite a bit of value on male attention, so maybe it's different...] Vanessa, meanwhile, is dressed as a pirate wench because she's tired of dressing as wholesome characters. And one neighbor is obsessed with coming over to see her. [creepy!]

Kristin doesn't want Boyd trick-or-treating, but Mike got him a skeleton costume, wanting someone to go around with on Halloween. [you know, I'm really getting sick of Kristin's attitudes toward parenting. Is the audience supposed to hate her??] Mike dresses as John Wayne in Green Berets, and tries to get away with trick-or-treating by saying that there's a 90-year-old lady on the corner without many Halloweens left... and she would love to see Boyd, so he takes him there. [I liked the part where Mike sees a kid dressed as Buzz Lightyear and tells him that he's wearing "the wrong wings" - you know, because Tim Allen voiced Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films.]

Mike with the Wong boy

All's well and good until Mike gets back to the house and realizes that he somehow managed to swap out the kid at some point. [...but he was pushing Boyd in the stroller. So did he get the wrong stroller too? You'd think he'd notice that, or someone else in the family would...] Eve knows the child belongs to the Wongs, but before they can really do anything, the Wongs call and say they're bringing over Boyd. [I don't know that yelling in another language with captioning did anything for the show...] Kristin gets home first, however, so Mike tries to distract her... he even tells her that he took Boyd trick-or-treating... but he still gets caught. Mike apologizes to Kristin and she invites him to join her and Boyd on his first Halloween. [but "first" isn't correct, since we know Boyd is two... maybe she meant his first trick-or-treating experience?] But, on the bright side, Victor comes over dressed as a cop and says that, since Eve likes Halloween, he dressed up. He invites her to his house to hand out candy and stuff. [awwww. how cute! I wonder how long this is gonna last though.... he's a 9th grader and she's in 8th grade... that's a big difference, what with them going to different schools and all...]

Mandy with the second Garfield costume;
Vanessa as the pirate wench

While all of this is going on, Mandy tries to sneak in. [love how Eve blew that for her, too. But, that begs the issue of time... Mike had said "it's not too late yet," in regards to trick-or-treating, but if Mandy is already home, it must be kinda late...] See, Mike had told Mandy that she's not dressing as a tramp for Halloween, and got her a Garfield costume... the head for which is enormous. [and, therefore, hilarious.] But, when she comes in she's wearing a different Garfield costume... this one is a fur miniskirt and an orange and black bikini top with a tail. [see photo to the right!]

Other things from this episode... Mike did do another video for his work. We found out that they live in Denver. And the best line was, "last time I checked my watch, it still said America."

Cake Boss: The New Jersey Devil...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode had two ideas, but still only one story. Joey teaches the younger bakers how to make spumoni, since it's an older recipe that they haven't been making for a while but they want to bring it back. Buddy does a cake featuring the Jersey Devil for some ghost hunters, who also search Lackawanna for apparitions... finding the spirit of Buddy's father. Yeah, sounds creepy. And it kinda was... even though Buddy didn't seem as convinced as Mary. Anyway, I'd skip this episode if you were on the fence. Though, seeing a picture of the New Jersey Devil cake would be a win.

Cake Boss "S04E31" (Spirits & Spumoni): Mary brings over some Ghost Hunters... aka paranormal investigators. They want a cake to look like the Jersey Devil... head of a horse, tail of a snake, wings of a bat, legs like a goat. Apparently it's been haunting the forest since the 1700s. [yeah, when I lived in PA I heard a lot about the Jersey Devil... but I thought it had the head of a bull for some reason...] Buddy wants to make a girl devil to entice the "real devil" to come out. Ralph begins to feel ill while working on the cake, so Buddy has to finish it. Then, when they go to deliver the devil cake, they find that the wings fell off in the truck... but the ghost hunting club things that "the devil" did it. [eye roll...]

There's also a slight concern that Lackawanna is haunted, so the ghost hunter guys check out the factory as well. They take Sophia, Anthony, Mary, and Buddy around with them and find an electrical field... which they think is the ghost is Buddy's dad. [....ooooook.]

Buddy wants to resurrect some old-school recipes now that they're in Lackawanna, so he's starting with spumoni, which has a fun history. In fact, his dad used to call the other bakers in town to determine the price for spumoni! It's Vanilla & chocolate ice cream, a little sponge cake, and some liquor soaked in. But it's not as easy as that... it's actually a 3-day process, since you have to start with a steam kettle and make a custard mixture as the base of the ice cream. Then you take a piece of liquor-soaked sponge cake and pop it in the ice cream, then you add whipped cream and a cherry... you re-freeze and then add the chocolate ice cream. Lastly, you pop the ice cream hunk out of the form and wrap it in paper. [you know, I always thought spumoni was gross when I saw it in a shoppe, but now I feel like trying it, LoL!] Joey takes the spumoni to the store so the girls can taste it, and now they want all sorts of other old recipes. [hahahaha, should have seen that coming!]

Oh, and one last thing... Joey tells Buddy that he can't leave the fire department, but will only do two days a week there. [but 5 days a week at the bakery... so he'll be working every single day... rough.]

News Roundup: Third Season Renewals are in the air...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
CBS has ordered full seasons of Unforgettable and Person of Interest.

HGTV has ordered 13 more episodes of Dina's Party, to air in Spring 2012.

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a third season.

Workaholics was renewed for a third season.

Beyond Scared Straight was also renewed for a third season.

NBC renewed Love in the Wild.

FOX affiliates will be airing The Wendy Williams Show through 2014.

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness premieres November 7th on Nickelodeon.

MTV's True Life: I'm Occupying Wall Street will air November 5th.

Speaking of MTV, their Movie Awards will air June 3rd, 2012 and their Video Music Awards will air September 9th.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Scott Baio will star in Nick at Nite's first original live-action comedy show, Daddy's Home.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
ABC has bought the rights to turn the blog post Why You're Not Married into a television show.

Netflix lost 810,000 customers in the third quarter. They also plan to launch streaming services for the UK and Ireland in early 2012.

A third Sherlock Holmes movie is in the works. You know, just in case you can't get enough of Robert Downey Jr., who is also going to be in Iron Man 3.

A few of the Boss showrunners have left the series... already...

FOX is looking to bring The Punisher to television.

Downton Abbey is under scrutiny for not using language fitting with the time period.

Tim Burton will have a balloon in this season's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

PeeWee Herman wants to be on Dancing with the Stars...
NBC has a comedy planned about a dysfunctional family living in the White House, called 1600 Penn.

2 Broke Girls: Caroline Gets a Bed

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode, by far, had the most sexual jokes and references of the series thus far. There were two in the first two minutes, and the second one was pretty blunt - "little tip." Overall, it was an okay episode... I'm not into romance for this show, so the Johnny scenes were a bit off in my opinion.

Two Broke Girls "And the Disappearing Bed" (S01E06): Earl says that credit cards and Kim Kardashian are the downfalls of America. [haha, that's random.] Caroline gets a crappy tip and complains to Max, who follows the couple out to the street to ask them about it. The guy claims that tipping is optional and his accompanying friend apologizes, saying it was their first (and now last) date.

CBS.com

Back at the apartment, Caroline gets Starbucks and a bear claw for Max so she'll listen. [haha. I love it when you know how to play to your audience!] Caroline pulls out her "vision board," where the immediate item is a nice bed. Caroline just wants to get 9 hours of good sleep and Max suggests she just get "9 good inches." [hahaha!] How to fit another bed? Install a Murphy bed, of course! Caroline has already ordered a DIY Murphy bed, so it's pretty much happening. [haha on having the plan in motion before Max agrees.]

Peach, the woman that Max nannies for, is preparing for the first birthday of her twins. She's having the twins get massages and spray tans. [oh, and apparently she BUYS BREASTMILK for someone! gross!] Caroline wants to cater the desserts for the party, so she has business cards made and tells Max to hand them out. ["Max Black, Owner/Baker." cute.] Max goes to tell Peach about her cupcake business but she gets really tongue-tied and doesn't get it out before Peach leaves. [weird. I didn't expect that Max would have moments like that!]

Max flirts with Johnny, the guy from the bar. Apparently, he's a napkin artist. Caroline asks Max about handing out the card, and when she gives an example of what to say, Max says that it sounds desperate. [to a certain extent and to a certain ear, it does.] Caroline demonstrates by immediately selling four of Earl's saxophone CDs. [that was pretty impressive, though I'm not the biggest fan of making up details in order to make a sale! Boo!]

Caroline is still working on building the bed after a couple days, but it's not working, so she ends up calling Johnny to help. But Max is weirded out about it... she has the napkin art up all over the apartment. [whoa. also didn't expect that. Apparently Max is full of surprises today!] The two of them go around and pull down all of the artwork. Max tells Johnny that he can't help Caroline, as she needs to figure it out for herself. [...why? who cares?] So, Max keeps Johnny company in the backyard with beer while Caroline continues to work on the bed, using Johnny's tools. But the situation gets weird and Johnny ends up leaving, which upsets Max. Caroline is just struggling like crazy with the bed, so eventually Max gives in and helps her.

Peach gets upset that her original dessert person fell through, so Max gives her the card. Peach calls Caroline (saying that she has no idea how she obtained the business card), but hangs up when she mentions she's a start-up company when asked what other events they have done. [I have to admire Caroline's optimism about the whole thing. But I don't see why she didn't make up a few events, just like she made up a history for Earl...]

Cupcakery Fund Total: $423.25 [they lost $170?]

HIMYM: Hello Mother, Hello Father...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The main point of this episode? You wind up with someone who is somewhat like one of your parents. We see Lily being like Marshall's dad, Marshall being like Lily's dad, Nora being like Barney's mom, even Robin being like Kevin's mom and a random girl Ted meets seeming like his mom. I particularly liked that it was James, Barney's brother, who brings this to everyone's attention when he announces to the group that he "doesn't like Nora" because she's too much like their mother... the British accent, the way she hugs, she calls him "my sweet boy" and says "special treat." Lily & Marshall's story is the funniest, so let's start there...

CBS.com

How I Met Your Mother "Noretta" (S07E07): Lily can't button her pants anymore and Marshall just can't say anything nice. [well, maybe she should have just kept that fact to herself to begin with...] Marshall designs a board game called Chutes & Lilys, to make Lily feel better, but all of a sudden it makes her think of her father (who is also crazy for board games). After a while, Lily tells Marshall that he's reminding her of her father.... and then Marshall realizes that his dad is like Lily - they both like midnight snacks, food rubs, etc. Soon, Marshall and Lily are both picturing their parents in the bedroom and neither of them can go through with it. [hahaha! and SUPERGROSS.]

Barney thinks it's the night that he'll finally have sex with Nora after two months. [wow. he must be crazy in love with her to go that long! I almost don't believe it!] But, when ice skating, she falls and busts a tooth. [omg how horrific!] Barney brings her to a "24-hour dentist" to "turn things around" and back to his favor. [ahhh! a very fake-looking tooth! eek. :(] But, when they leave, a rat jumps on Nora's head, freaking them both out to the point where they're almost deer-stuck-in-headlights. Nora just wants to go home after that, but Barney keeps trying to turn things around - she takes a bath at his apartment, then they have champagne on his balcony. It's back to being good, but then a jumper passes them on his way down. [really? This just seemed really over-the-top to me...] Barney's bummed that the night "is ruined," but Nora starts singing "Favorite Things," which Barney hears in tandem sung by both Nora and his mother. Barney doesn't consider the "mom thing" to be a deal-breaker though, since he considers his mom to be a great person.

Kevin accidentally sees Ted's genitals, which cause him to spill coffee on himself, so he drops his pants so his leg isn't burning, but Ted didn't realize any of that and gets upset that Kevin wasn't fully clothed. [the weirdest things happen with Ted...] Another night, Kevin and Robin are on a couch date, and Ted interrupts, bothering Kevin but not Robin. Soon, she's giving Ted a backrub and they make plans to see a concert together, which freaks out Kevin. Kevin then sees his mother in Robin. [totally was taken aback by the appearance of Kevin's mother, LoL.]

Ted meets a Weird Al fan at the bar, but she calls him "sweetpea" which his mom calls him, LoL.

And, Ted can't find anyone who likes Weird Al... until he finds a fan at the bar... but she calls him "sweetpea," which is what his mom calls him. [funny Canadian Weird Al joke.]

Pan Am: Kate Mixes Business with Pleasure

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

As a long-time ER fan, I was looking forward to seeing Goran Visnjic on Pan Am. We got a little glimpse of him in the preview video that circulated on Friday, and he'll return to the show next week as well. The episode didn't have the gorgeous on-location-type images that we've seen in the past, but the glamor of the 60s continues to shine through. My big disappointment this week? Hardly any Colette OR Maggie. another small gripe? The timeline was a bit rough this week... I had to rewind in parts to be sure what day it was. Can't win them all, though.

Pan Am "One Coin in a Fountain" (S01E05): Ted offers to help Laura get to a meeting in Harlem. She tells him the story of walking out on her wedding, having no money, and pawning the engagement ring. [interesting... I guess I hadn't thought about the fact that nobody really knows Laura's background... right?] Since it had been 60 days, it got sold, and Laura has hunter down the buyer. Laura offers the guy an extra $50, but he wants a few extra hundred, which she doesn't have. Laura blames Ted for the deal falling through, though she finds out later that he traded his Rolex for the ring. [why did he keep that from her for so long??]. This allows Laura to take a taxi to Greg's to return the ring so that she can finally close things.

At work, the crew is flying to London, then Monte Carlo. Kate asks Laura if she is enjoying living with Maggie, but she gets a quick answer. A passenger in a fur coat heads into the cockpit and distracts the pilots for a bit, flirting with Dean. The passenger is joined by her "boss" (an airline executive) on the plane, and Kate meets Niko. She needs to collect the fingerprint of the woman who will gamble with Niko. Once they land in London, Maggie flirts with Niko, but Kate takes center stage when she offers a round of billiards. [I'm not sure that we needed the London scenes at all... but maybe the trips were historically New York - London - Monte Carlo so they had to throw it in?]

courtesy of Pan Am on Facebook

In Monte Carlo, Dean is enticed by the passenger from the plane, and climbs into her vehicle, later hanging out with her in a park. But he almost gets caught when he's reaching into the airline executive's car to find a missing key, which the woman had already grabbed. [because, in case you didn't catch on, the girl is personally involved with the airline executive.] That evening, Kate lies to Niko to get invited along. [not a shining moment, but I liked how the French passively gave her the information she needed, LoL.] After a while, the Soviet woman arrives, but she's wearing elbow-length gloves, making fingerprints tricky. Kate spills red wine on the woman's gloves so she must remove them... and when she puts down a glass, Kate stuffs it into her purse. [meh. I thought that was clumsy.] Kate continues flirting with Niko, and they end up back at the billiard tables and later in bed.

Back in New York, Kate is still with Niko. And, we find out that Kate might not be getting paid for her work. [so is it more like blackmail? a sense of pride? why would you risk so much?]

Chuck Giveaway Winner!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent Chuck giveaway. We had 12 entries on the post itself, and no additional entries made via comments on other posts this week. As was mentioned in the contest post, a winner was chosen at random, and we used random.org. Comment #1 was the winner!

Comment #1 was from Kelly Schrumpf - congratulations, Kelly!

We have contacted Kelly and look forward to getting the shirt out to her. TheTalkingBox continues to have giveaways 2-4 times each month, so be sure to check back for your chance to win!

NEW SHOW: Boss

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Boss is the seventh of my ten fall hopefuls to premiere, but the second-worst pilot I've seen. I've already dropped 24 Hours in the ER, which was going to be my second BBCAmerica show. Now, Boss is by no means boring, which was my problem with 24 Hours. Rather, Boss has a LOT going on... perhaps too much. Issues with his wife, a battle of sorts with his daughter, secrets he keeps from everyone. Corruption. Sex. Disease. Politics. All of these things are downers for me, at least for the most part. However, the show has some excellent points as well. For instance, Kelsey Grammer is a nice fit for the role of Mayor Tom Kane. And, we have the return of Kathleen Robertson, whom I loved long ago as Claire on Beverly Hills, 90210. Plus, I was very intrigued by the life of the title character's daughter - works in a clinic yet seems to be on drugs of some sort... what's going on there? All in all, it wasn't bad, but I certainly don't know how interested I am in it as a whole. We'll see.

Boss "Listen" (S01E01): Tom Kane, in a Chicago slaughterhouse, hears that he has a degenerative disease with no known cure. Orientation, intelligence, insight are the first to go. Speech, depression, hallucinations, anxiety, muscle tremors, and memory will follow. He's looking at 3-5 years, but doesn't appear devastated by the news. His main concern? He doesn't want to shake, and will take a few drugs to try to stop that from happening. He will need to determine power of attorney, and will eventually need 24-hour care. After leaving the meeting, he's upset and wants to cry, but has to go give a speech.

Some carvings are found in a graveyard. Tom takes a meeting regarding the carvings found in the graveyard, and we find out that there are a ton of issues behind it... a 22-year-old project is at stake over it. Tom gets loud and violent.

Tom talks to a young man and hears his life story... he then asks him to run for governor, with the primaries being a mere three weeks away.

The doctor who saw Tom is seeing another patient, Sam.... who is really a reporter looking at Tom. He wants information for the public, even though he knows that she is bound by confidentiality. He is shown out, though he does leave a business card, which the doctor crumples. Tom finds out that Sam has gone to talk to the doctor and wants her to have a "gentle reminder of certain oaths." The doctor, who has a young son, is given a neuro-muscular tranquilizer and told to behave, clearly frightening her quite a bit. 

That night, he starts shaking at a meeting, which looks like it'll go all night because nobody can agree on anything. He ends up having everyone turn in their electronic devices until the matter is settled. He leaves for an event, where he meets up with his wife. They are separated but do make some appearances together. He also doesn't stay at "the house" often. After the event, Tom goes to meet someone alone, receiving some drugs and handing over some money. Back at "the house," Tom receives a set of ears, which he puts down the garbage disposal, breaking it. He tells his wife that they need a plumber and that he'll set something up, but she doesn't really respond to anything he says until he calls her by her name, Meredith.  

And, finally the story so far on daughter Emma: Shortly after receiving the diagnosis, he calls a free clinic to reach his daughter, but she is working and receives the message later. Later in the day, Tom's daughter sees Darius, the nephew of a patient, in the streets, and wonders if he's into drugs. She offers him a ride. She wants something and he brings her to it. When Emma calls Tom, he can't really talk, and she won't give him a number other than the church's so she'll have to call him back. Another day, Emma distributes communion at church and Darius attends, slipping her something when he leaves. Tom again calls Emma's office, though she doesn't answer. She also decides to throw out both the message to call her dad and some pills...

Lastly, one of Tom's assistants is having an affair with a politician.

Pan Am Sneak Peek!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Aren't you a fan of Pan Am yet? I know that it's one of my favorite new shows this season! While it has spent a lot of time building some of the characters at this point, we've also seen some exotic destinations as well! In the upcoming episode, "Coin in the Fountain," guest star Goran Visnjic appears. You may remember him as heartthrob Luka on the long-running ER. Take a look at the clip below to see a little of him with Kate and Maggie, my favorite stewardesses on the show!



So, what do you think? Are you interested in what his character will be like on the show? Will you be tuning into ABC on Sundays at 10pm to find out? And, while I'm at it, are you favoring any of the Pan Am stewardesses more than the others?

Something Different: 24 Hours in the ER

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I learned about 24 Hours in the ER when I was at the TCA Summer Tour... and it seemed like a really interesting show. When I chose it to make the list of the ten shows I was going to try out this fall season, I was hoping for an educational experience, since the show is set in King's College Hospital in London, which has a very different atmosphere from the US hospitals and the procedures would be unique. Well, I never even got to the "community issues" in the show. Less than half-way into the first episode, I knew I was in for trouble. By the time that episode was over, I felt like I had been sitting there for three hours... and I only made it past three scenes of the second episode before I just completely gave up.

The Garden Productions Ltd.

I didn't find it interesting at all. I watch documentaries on television about once a month... but maybe a "television show format" doesn't work for me. I I did learn some things, like their ER is an "A & E department," and that HEMs are Helicopter Emergency Medics. I still think that the concept (a single day in the ER each episode) is great, and liked how they updated the viewer on the time, plus it started at a random time (12:58pm on a Friday in the first episode). But apparently that wasn't enough to save it. I just can't watch it... it bores me to tears. I took a few notes on the patients of the first episode, mostly planning to comment on how the injuries and care procedures might be similar to the demonstrations we see on American medical dramas like ER, but ended up with nothing of substance.

So, I bid adieu to 24 Hours in the ER, which debuted on September 27th. If you're interested, check out BBCAmerica Tuesdays at 9pm...

Two and a Half Men: Alan's an Idiot... Again...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There's not many episodes that are Alan-centric that result in a positive outlook. They generally paint Alan to be a giant dope who can't do anything right. Well, the embezzlement episode aside, of course... that was genius. This episode reunited him with Lindsay... twice... but in the end he ruins it for himself anyway. Anyone actually surprised?

Two and a Half Men "A Giant Cat Holding a Churro" (S09E05): Lindsay is bloated and full from dinner, but Alan thought they'd be having sex and ends up on the couch watching strange, "vintage porn" with Walden. [...awkward!] Turns out, Lindsay is in the film! Alan is troubled about it for a while, but ends up confronting Lindsay... she just says that she was young, stupid, and needed the money... after all, it was 20 years ago. [I'm pretty sure that's the same story everyone uses, haha.] To make things even, Alan tells the story of the dog who ate peanut butter off his testicles... but then he doesn't shut up. He tells another story about kissing a guy, then the stories of his embezzling, cheating on her, the fact he might have a second child with Judith, the fact he stole her birthday earrings last year from Judith, and that he kept the mannequin thing a secret from Charlie because Rose gave him $50,000. [I don't know that I would have opened with the dog story, but at least I'd know when to shut up!] Lindsay doesn't reciprocate her secrets... she just throws him out. [hahahaha, saw that coming!] Berta teaches Walden how to bake.... pot brownies. [that Berta is obsessed with getting that Walden, LoL!] Alan tells Berta and Walden that he and Lindsay broke up... but they're too high to care. [...yep.] Alan calls Lindsay and leaves a message on her machine... which, of course, isn't the greatest. Walden gets the Malibu Beach volleyball team to come over, and surprises Alan with them. Of course, in the midst of the party, Lindsay shows up. [was ANYONE surprised??] Walden is too "gone" to be able to cover for Alan, and throws him over the railing so that he's not there. [hahahahaha!] Later, Alan goes to Lindsay's, but he tells her the truth about where he was and she throws him out again. [I'm just sitting here shaking my head... what about you?]

South Park: Gerbils Take Over?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

South Park "Bass to Mouth" (S15E10): A kid at school had an accident requiring that his mother bring in a new pair of underwear and pants. It's on a gossip site, Eavesdropper, which some of the kids are touting as awesome.

kids checking out Eavesdropper
photo courtesy: Comedy Central

Cartman gets called into the principal's office and asked to let the kid's accident go, giving an example of another kid's nightmare that Cartman caused... that kid ended up committing suicide. The school doesn't want another suicide on their hands, so they say they'll make it worth Cartman's while if he'll let it go. [I can't even begin to guess what Cartman might get in return...] Cartman tricks another girl into eating a laced cookie, which causes her to have an accident in class... she jumps off the roof in an attempt to kill herself, but survives. [things like this piss me off too much to laugh.] Cartman is brought back into the principal's office and told that he can't make fun of anyone for having accidents OR make them kill themselves. Of course, Cartman finds this appallingly difficult. His solution? Give the entire school laxatives on the pizza, plus Arby's horsey sauce. [this show always has weird things to say about what makes you have digestive troubles...]

Meanwhile, Stan sent a private email to Kenny that gets on the Eavesdropper and Stan is pissed. Kyle "tracks the IP address" to find out that the stories are being posted from the music room... where there's a "rat" typing away. [these kids always do the craziest things that would never be possible...] The creature is named Wikilinks, who has a brother named Lemmiwinks. [love the names, not the talking animals.] The kids try to stop the vermin, but it runs off and finds more gossip, like the fact that two of the girls in school have alcoholic mothers. While the hunt is in progress, the teachers get Selena Gomez to come to the school and they beat her up for Cartman. [totally didn't see that coming. weird.] Then, the teachers start going after the rat, too, after they see that he is taping them spike the pizza.

A magical fish talks to the kids and tells them that the gerbil is in power because his brother can't do anything... so the kids run to a random kid's house, grab the gerbil, and take a bus back to school... BUT, the faculty conspire to have Cartman commit suicide in order to keep the pizza story under control on the website. So, they throw Cartman under the bus (literally), but the kids are more focused on stopping the Eavesdropper stuff than if Cartman's okay. So, the teachers drive them to the school so that a magical frog, fish, and owl can get the two gerbils fighting. Lemmiwinks wins in the end and all is well. Cartman has a broken leg and arm, and isn't upset about the bus incident... he did give the teachers all cupcakes, however...

The Middle: Axl Plays Frankie

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Call me crazy but I couldn't get over how well Frankie responded to Axl's scheme this episode! I wish I could predict how people respond well enough to trick them! Additionally, it must be nice to live in such a neighborhood that it's worth it, LoL. But, Mike has mentioned that he bought the house in 1991 so they've been there a LONG time.

The Middle "Bad Choices" (S03E05): It's a block party but there's a lot of people missing, as a lot of foreclosures have taken place. It starts raining and the entire family has to rush home and save the house... putting bowls all over to catch drips and covering the television with a clear plastic bag. [hahaha. loved the whole scene but my favorite part was favoring the television over the photos.] A few days later, the dishwasher starts flooding the kitchen!

ABC.com

Frankie thinks that they should consider moving to an apartment. The parents are set on moving to the apartment, though the kids aren't thrilled. In fact, they all vote NOT to move, as seen in the image to the right. Mike goes up to put a tarp on the roof and a neighbor offers some shingles... then, another offers the use of a nail gun. [neighbors are so nice... in this fake television show. I need to remember it's fake... LoL.]

Sue and Brad are writing, directing, and performing a skit for don't-drink-text-drive awareness week. [wow, things sure have changed. It looked like there was an assembly to pick the volunteers and then another assembly for the performance... we only had like 5 assemblies a year when I was in high school. I liked the non-rap parts of the skit.]

Axl is setting up Frankie so he can get out of school Tuesday on a fake sick card. It works because he says he's turning down a (fake) basketball game first. Then, he acts like he's half-sick but he has an integral role in a surprise party and that if he doesn't do it, a dumb kid would have to do it... and since Frankie doesn't want someone's birthday ruined, she sends him to the party. Then, when he finds out that the second part of the Spanish test is the next day, he's got to pull off the sick thing again. It works, but then Axl's friends call him from school to tell him that the coach won't let him play that night if he's absent... so he comes to school and tells the Spanish teacher that it was a Jewish holiday. She tells him that she'll come in on Saturday so he can make-up the test, and Axl pulls a funeral line... an aunt who was 97 who drove off a bridge... quoting one of Sue's in-the-newspaper examples of people who texted and drove. [hahahahaha. I had to pause and just laugh.] The teacher of course sees this in the paper and believes it and tells him not to worry about the test and to take care of himself. [...what's to stop a kid from just randomly memorizing the facts in any old obituary? Naive teacher, I say.] In the end, Axl's story is completely blown because of the mini-block party. [figures. I had hopes he'd get away with it, though...]

In other news, Brick now recites Shakespeare quotes on demand. [...cool?]

Last Man Standing: Get Your Grandson Expelled...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I'm still enjoying this show quite a bit. This episode didn't have the Mike-yelling-as-a-video moment that I thought was becoming synonymous with the show, but that's okay. Mandy is still annoying, and Kristin still seems to be the daughter with the most focus. Let's hope for an Eve-centric episode next week? Or maybe something that will show us what Vanessa does as a career?

Last Man Standing "Grandparents Day" (S01E03): Vanessa and Mike have Grandparents Day at Boyd's school. The teacher continues to be a bit fruity and fluffy for Mike. The school doesn't use the word "normal" because it implies abnormal. [okay, I can buy that...] Because of Mike's outbursts and because the "family energy" doesn't mesh, Boyd, at the tender age of 2, is expelled from the preschool, and Kristin isn't happy. [really? your grandparent gets upset and YOU get expelled??] Kristin wants Mike to beg the school into taking back Boyd, but rather than do that, Mike offers to watch Boyd until they can find another preschool. He even builds a bouncy house at work with a tent and some inflatable rafts. [not sure how well that worked, but I liked the concept!]

ABC.com

Several of his colleagues take turns playing with Boyd, but it's tiring everyone out and Mike decides to just apologize. Of course, it didn't help that every other preschool in the area apparently has a waiting list. After Mike sucks it up and says he was wrong, Kristin freaks out that the teacher doesn't like Mike's role modeling and Mike has to pull her out before something else goes wrong. [this was pretty unbelievable... I don't really think that Kristin would decide to stand up for her father like that...]

Other events in this episode? Vanessa feels old at the preschool so she ends up at a teen store in the mall, where she runs into Mandy, who is dying to give her a makeover. Vanessa comes home with a new outfit and feathers in her hair... and the desire to possibly have a baby so she doesn't feel old. [this comes up in every sitcom... twice in Tim Allen's Home Improvement. I wonder what they'll do with it here?]

And, Mandy thinks Eve's been using her shampoo, though it was really Mike who did so. [started out as a dumb and boring story, but the reveal of Mike being the culprit made me laugh!]

Suburgatory: Who Steals Shirley Temple Dolls?

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Suburgatory "Don't Call Me Shirley" (S01E04): There's been a doll robbery at Sheila's... apparently she has a lot of Shirley Temple collectibles. [collections are fine. bins upon bins of doll clothes? Not so fine.] In suburgatory, that means that the nieghborhood is now grinding their teeth, giving George's HS friend plenty of opportunities to bank it on making mouth guards. [yep. still hating that guy...] And, George might be able to sell some panic rooms to those same freaked-out folks... Dallas (who apparently doesn't eat in public??!?) wants one immediately. [Who was Lisa eating lunch with in the cafeteria?] Dallas and Dahlia waltz over and plan to stay with Tessa and George overnight because they don't feel safe. The general family dynamic changes quickly, with Dallas taking over dinner and moving around George's delicates. Sheila comes over just to announce that the dolls have not yet appeared online for sale... and wonders if the theft was a personal attack. [I'm sorry, what was the purpose of making this announcement/] Dahlia picks on Tessa and Tessa retaliates by pointing out that she wears so much mascara that she can't blink. [hahahahaha!] 

ABC.com

George and Tessa hear something in the night and go looking around, only to find Dallas eating a sandwich in the laundry room. [so strange!] By the next morning, Dallas and George had become friends and were planning weekend events for them and their children. In a plan hatched by Tessa, Dahlia (at school) accuses Tessa of stealing the dolls, and she admits to it. Her father is called into the guidance counselor's office, and Tessa is still sticking to the story. He brings her to Sheila's to apologize, but it turns out that Lisa stole them. [really? this show is so messed up.]

19 Kids & Counting: Another Visit to the Bates'

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was a pretty straight-forward episode. The family was traveling back from Atlanta and stopped in Knoxville to visit the Bates family, who are expecting their nineteenth child currently. Between the two families, they have thirteen kids under 10 years old.

19 Kids and Counting "38 Kids & Counting!" (S08E07): [I got goosebumps hearing everyone sing "Amazing Grace."]  For whatever reason, we see the build on the Bates house AGAIN. [haha on JimBob thinking that they could do it in a weekend and it took a YEAR. The Gil Bates vs. Bill Gates things made me laugh, especially when they related it to richness.] The kids rode horses. Nobody leading that horse that Jackson and Johannah were on (helmetless) was a bit reckless. Other kids played foursquare.[ LoL on Jackson just trying to talk but not cutting off Hanny until she was done.] Tori taught a little fiddle - slurring & sliding. JimBob plugged Gil's tree service. [it's so frustrating when he promotes things...] JimBob rode a log being lifted by a crane. [Josie blowing kisses was just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen.]

We also got some background on Zach Bates, who is now courting Sarah Reith. Sarah is one of four children of a Missouri family, and she plays bluegrass banjo. On June 23rd, he brought cheesecake and roses. [It really looks like Zach loves that girl.] They've talked about it and have decided to hold the kissing until the wedding.

2 Broke Girls: Ride that Pony!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The only issue I really take with this episode? How are horses "90s" ??

2 Broke Girls "And the 90s Horse Party" (S01E05): When most of the customers aren't actually ordering, Max and Caroline realize that a flash mob is about to happen... and it does. [very unexpected. though I liked it. :)] Max sprays water at everyone and Earl also stops people. The boss is just trying way too hard to be hip (he even wears some Urban Outfitters clothing).

Back at the apartment, the phone rings and Caroline answers it. Max gets upset because it is a creditor, then pretends to be someone else. Caroline takes the phone and then finds out that Max only pays $5 a week to each creditor, which ain't doin' much. [not smart, Max. not smart.] Caroline begs Max to let her give some financial advice, but ends up being shocked at some of the charges... including a college loan. Turns out, Max was an art major hoping to illustrate children's books. [whoa. didn't see that coming. I think they did that on purpose, though, LoL.] Max makes a joke about how she's on her fifth identity. [ha.]

Caroline's ex-boyfriend comes to the diner and Max goes to the table. They make some crude jokes and won't leave, so Earl moves the clock hands to 2am so they can close. [Earl doesn't do too much on this show, but I love what he does do.] 

CBS.com

Then, it's Caroline's first trip to a Laundromat, but they can't stay because the place has been rented for 80s party. [haha on the "lost Winklevoss twin" joke.] VICKI from Small Wonder is supposed to be coming, so Max wants to stay... but it's $75 a pop so they can't. [those crazy cover charges for parties are ridiculous!] This does, however, give Caroline an idea... they should have a party and charge hipsters a lot to ride Chestnut. So, they get Han's permission and host a 90s party. Han makes a punny t-shirt, they sell "9021-oreo cupcakes" [haha] and tamagotchis. ["my wad in his face for a change" was too much.] 

Cupcake Savings Total: $593.25

News Roundup: You Really Gotta Take a Look...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There has been a TON of news, what with the cancellations, the renewals, the pick-ups, and the talks of new pilots coming in the future. I have no doubt that this is the longest news roundup that TheTalkingBox has ever done, hence how I couldn't even pick a few things to headline the title! Anyway, hope you find something that interests you!


Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Revenge and Suburgatory received the go-ahead for full 22-episode seasons. Happy Endings has gotten an order for six more episodes.

Hart of Dixie, Ringer, and Secret Circle all got full-season pick-ups as well.

NBC gave Harry's Law another six episodes, bringing the total up to 19. They did the same for Prime Suspect.

FX has picked up a fifth season of Sons of Anarchy.

MTV's Ridiculousness has received a second season.

Adult Swim picked up a second season of NTSF:SD:SUV, a 15-minue cop procedural parody.

Cinemax's Strike Back got renewed for a second season.

The Simpsons was renewed for seasons 24 and 25, but the cast had to agree to a pay cut to keep the show going.

So You Think You Can Dance was renewed for a ninth season, and the news went out on Twitter.

A&E renewed The Glades for a third season.

Haven was renewed for a third season.

Boardwalk Empire got renewed for a third season by HBO.

MasterChef was renewed for a third season by FOX.

The CW canceled H8R and will air repeats of The Ringer in that slot. [I think this was my favorite news this time around!]

ABC canceled Charlie's Angels.

NBC canceled Free Agents.

Memphis got canceled.

CBS canceled How to be a Gentleman, shortly after banishing it to a Saturday night slot.

Rules of Engagement now airs Thursdays at 8:30pm.

Fear Factor will be back December 12th. [NBC Entertainment Press Release]

Showtime released a bunch of premiere dates....House of Lies on January 8th, Shameless on January 8th, Californication on January 8th, From the Sky Down on October 29th, The Last Play at Shea on November 11th, Saint Misbehavin' the Wavy Gravy Movie on November 17th, and Thespians on November 10th.

CNBC's Best Jobs Ever will premiere Thursday, November 3rd. Some jobs that will be featured include Victoria's Secret photographer, Hollywood Stuntwoman, High-End Car Purveyor, and a Music Teacher. [CNBC Press Release]

CNBC's Pepsi Challenge will premiere Thursday, November 10th. This original documentary will give viewers a look at the food labs of the snack and beverage giant, and especially what they're doing to take a healthier approach in the future. [CNBC Press Release]

Cast & Plot Updates:
Abby found out she was adopted on NCIS! Oh, and she has a new brother.


Lily's father, Barney's mother and brother, and MARSHALL'S FATHER will appear in the October 24th episode of How I Met Your Mother. [Marshall's father died last year, if you forgot...]

Nick Jonas and Bernadette Peters will appear on Smash on NBC in the Spring.

Jaleel White will host a game show in SyFy, called Total Blackout.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Interested in A&E's Bag of Bones miniseries? The Stephen King thrilled now has some promos available.

A terminally ill man who has decided to be mummified now stars in a documentary.

McDonald's is launching an in-restaurant channel, which will feature local sports, movie previews, and human interest stories.

Seth MacFarlane, who has a ton of things going these days, thinks that Family Guy is near the end of its life cycle - "I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series."

It's not finalized, but Downton Abbey will likely get a third season.

Is a screening of the Grimm pilot coming to a city near you?

Mandy Moore will be in an upcoming single-camera family comedy for ABC.

A television version of Zombieland may come to FOX.

It looks like there may be a Friday Night Lights movie.

Netflix is in talks to potentially bring back Reno 911!, which was canceled two years ago by Comedy Central. And, speaking of Netflix, they will be getting a bunch of shows for streaming, including The Walking Dead, Portlandia, The Increasinly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, My Fair Wedding, Bridezillas, Girls Whole Like Boys Who Like Boys, and Braxton Family Values. Netflix also struck a four-year deal with The CW to stream past seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, and Nikita. Supernatural and 90210 will be added in January as well, plus Ringer, Hart of Dixie, and The Secret Circle next fall... plus new shows not even yet aired. Oh, and one more thing about Netflix? They've decided to do away with the split in service (also known as Qwikster for DVDs and Netflix for streaming) and stay as one cohesive unit... for now.