Teen Mom 2: The Kids > The Parents

I don't know about you, but in times like these when the teen mothers aren't doing anything all that interesting (with the possible exception of Chelsea trying to start a new job), it would be nice to see more of the kids. What is school like for Ali? We hear about Jace acting out but maybe we could observe him some more. What is Isaac's education like? I understand that maybe some of the moms are a little more protective than others (which is why we only see Aubree's class on the regular), but if it's not a privacy issue, I think that would be more interesting to viewers than seeing Jenelle cry about Nathan going to jail or Kailyn prepare to solo-parent for a while.

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Teen Mom 2 "When Everything Seems Wrong" (S05E15):
Leah: Ali's in some pain, and the medical insurance company denies their claim for the $20,000 wheelchair. Corey isn't calling constantly, and Leah is experiencing some anxiety and depression over the entire situation. [calling constantly probably wouldn't help anyway.]

Jenelle: She has started school to become a medical assistant. [this is her fourth attempt at higher education, correct?] Nathan will be heading to jail a week sooner than expected, and Jenelle suggests he stop drinking (especially in the middle of the day), because he tends to make poor decisions.

Kailyn: Isaac is turning 4, and is really tired and cranky at his party. [poor kid.] Javi has four weeks of training in Texas coming up.

Chelsea: She can't work at all until she gets her license, and a resolution is taking longer to reach than expected, so she's stressed moving into her new house. Her friend Chelsey is moving in, too. [and those pesky dogs.]

Teen Mom 2 "Overload" (S05E16): Paislee is six months old now.
Leah: She gets on medication for her anxiety, but suffers drowsiness. She really wants to get Ali's wheelchair, and asks Ali's physical therapist what to do. After they find out why the claim was denied, they can challenge each of the reasons. [makes sense.]

Jenelle: She's still going to school, and Nathan heads to court, where he'll be escorted to jail. [seriously, does ANYONE watch this show to see what Jenelle's up to??!?]

Kailyn: She wants to see inside Jo's house to know more about where Isaac goes, and she's able to put the past drama with Vee behind her in the process. [this should be interesting going forward...] 

Chelsea: Adam has pictures taken with Taylor, Aubree, and Paislee. Randy gets Chelsea a lawyer to solve her working situation, though all he does at this point is write a letter. [sensible starting place.]  

Hot in Cleveland: In A World of Pure Rejuvication...

It was only earlier this season I was ranting about Hot in Cleveland going to great lengths to utilize any sitcom gimmick possible, and they've done it again with an animated episode that spoofs such classics as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Wizard of Oz. Now, I thought that the caricatures of the girls were amusing (though not as much as the doppelgangers), but this episode added nothing to the overall story, except remind the viewers how long the comedy has been running, and that Elka's life still has many mysteries. I've come to question the renewal for a sixth season (I hadn't even realized this show has been on the air for four years already!), but highly doubt that it will get a seventh.

Hot in Cleveland "Straight Outta Cleveland" (S05E17): Joy is supposed to seduce a guy to catch him in the act, but she feels awkward doing it with Mitch around, so Melanie volunteers. [... because people aren't going to start recognizing her around town from her radio show?] Except, she's not great at being sexy, as she comes off as a couples' counselor more than a "honey trap." [that's a term I've never heard before!] But the entire situation sends Joy and Mitch to preventative therapy, only to learn that they're snoops who don't trust anyone. Still, they decide that's enough and quit counseling.

Victoria's son, Tony, comes to visit. But, because Victoria has always thought of him as gay, he pretends his business partner is his romantic partner to keep her attention. [I wanted to hear more about his company.] Melanie and Elka learn the truth, and encourage him to tell Victoria, only she keeps upping the ante, causing him to fake an engagement when a big wedding comes with matching Porsches! The final straw is when the guys have to kiss in public, so Tony comes clean. [I didn't really care for the end scene between mother and son... they both just admit they pretend the other doesn't exist??]

Hot in Cleveland "The Animated Episode" (S05E18): It's been four years since the girls landed in Cleveland, and they decide that it's high time they see inside Elka's house. Once they enter, everything is animated, the dog talks, and Steven Tyler is inside the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. [yep, off to a wacky start!] Tyler grants them wishes, and rather than the obvious "world peace," Victoria, Melanie, and Joy all want "eternal youth and beauty." [I wouldn't have thought of world peace as a first wish, either.] They're sent to Paris, and after a Madeline spoof, they find golden tickets and visit the chocolate factory, with Elka as Willy Wonka and Mamie Sue as the Oompa Loompas. Of course, the women misbehave, with Joy using the inflatable room to boost her bust and butt, Melanie trading her brains for a thin bod, and Victoria taking so many youth pills she winds up an infant. [haha as breast size options being Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, and Jessica Rabbit.] They're brought back, unhappy.

The second wish is for men to be hungry for them, which only sets them in a world of zombies. Mamie Sue appears, tries to reason with the zombies, and turns into one herself. The ladies use a "tae bo" gun to kill them all, except Mamie Sue, whom they lock up. [why bother with the gun joke?] The girls go to Elka's secret lab and build perfect mates from body parts hanging around, and after a goof where the men fall for one another, Elka has Robert Redford, Joy has David Beckham, Victoria has George Clooney, and Melanie has Abraham Lincoln. [yes, I'm serious.] Three weeks later, the relationships are falling apart, and the men have created a garage band, so the women allow Mamie Sue to eat the guys. [gross.]

The final wish: that LeBron had never left Cleveland. [but Elka wasn't part of the first wish, so doesn't she still have one?] This makes the whole city more confident, but it also means that "better" people have moved there and the girls are no longer the hottest of the hott. [ha!] They go to see LeBron in a Wizard of Oz spoof, and he agrees to leave for Okinawa to solve the problem. ["isn't feeling good about yourself really just feeling better than others??" - love it.] Things immediately go crazy, and, as one might have guessed, the ladies decide to return to their usual lives once more. 

Next Great Baker: Another TLC Crossover

I'll admit it: this is one of the only shows that I try to watch as close to live as possible. I generally don't care about spoilers (and sometimes look them up during a show because I can't stand waiting to find out what's going to happen), but with this particular competition series, I want to be able to assess the contestants alongside Buddy and the other judges. That said, life-size cakes are NOT the ones that I remember most from every season! [the past themes were Comediennes in S3, Buddy's sisters in S2, and there was no such challenge in S1!] Now that we've knocked out the team I've been against since the start of the season, I'm more excited to see what happens in the remaining episodes.

The remaining teams [with my current thoughts]:
Blue: Al & Lia of St. Louise, MO, coworkers at a fondant-free cake shop, where he strictly decorates, and she decorates and bakes. She's also religious. [They have no face-sculpting experience, so it was interesting to see what they could come up with.] 
Maroon: Kaiulani & Roxanne of Salt Lake City are niece & aunt perfectionists. Kai and her two kids are currently homeless. Other bakers are referring to them as the Kakedashians. [their talent is still impressive, even if I don't care for them as people.]
Black: Manny & Al of Woolwich, NJ, have been working together four years. Al has a family bakery. [their strengths haven't been showcased lately, but still strong competitors.]
Brown: Jose and Aimee of Chula Vista, CA are coworkers. [I still want to see what Aimee can do.]
Tan: Don & Meredith, of Long Island, are coworkers, with him designing and her baking. She also was his kids' nanny. [meh. I kinda think they're average at this, in comparison. ]
Purple: Bethany & Jennifer of Tomball, TX, who have known eachother for almost 20 years. [they're the only home bakers left in this game, apparently, so I'm intrigued to see how much longer they'll last...]

Cake Boss: Next Great Baker "Long Island Medium Cakes" (S04E06): [boring episode title, huh?]

Cake Challenge: In 12 hours, make a life-size cake of Theresa Caputo, who will judge alongside her husband, Larry. [she has some huge nails!] The winning cake will go to a charity event for an Off-Broadway theater. [interesting cause.] Buddy lets Teresa use her "vibes" to create the teams. [but I kinda don't feel like she did?] The winning team will get a year's worth of Satin Ice fondant, and because of structural failures last episode, Buddy gives some building suggestions. 

Black, Brown, Purple. Manny isn't happy about the teams. When they measure Theresa, she senses Jose has a deceased brother. [or, you know, guesses from his tattoo.] Jose helps Al figure out how to do the face, but when he struggles, Jose takes over. The result is still pretty masculine, plus the stance is strange and the torso is too long. Still, Theresa finds it very detailed, so they win.

Blue, Maroon, Tan. They shrink Theresa down a little to be more flattering, and Meredith tries to add in her knowledge of the Long Island Medium show by building a tape recorder accessory, which Theresa carries on the series. Theresa likes the shape, but the hands are flat and the hair is wrong. [Don did the hands.] 

TLC

Elimination Challenge: Sculpt a judge's face in one hour. [this seems like a complicated task for two people to work on together, no?]

Maroon does Jacques. Kai does the bulk of the face while Rox does the nose and ears. The nose is too skinny, but the finish is good. Theirs is the favorite.

Blue does Buddy, with Al focusing on the face and Lia doing the ears and nose. They do black buttercream hair in the final two minutes. The end result is cartoony and a bit out of proportion. [the Black team being excited when they saw who was still in the game was interesting... I'm guessing they don't see Blue as a threat?]

Tan does Bobbie, with Don focusing on the face while Meredith does details. [I didn't see the likeness at all.] The top features are less like her, and are more masculine. It's not recognizable, and that loses it for them.

Buddy's Bakery Rescue: Lost Causes?

This show is just painful to watch! The latest two episodes featured problems that I found to be really dumb, so I'm surprised those bakeries were chosen for this series. In the first case, the owners were doing just about everything wrong, from exterior look to interior design to flavor to visual appeal... if you need that much help, it's hard to root for you. The problem with the second case boiled down to the fact that they needed to get the air conditioning fixed. I know it's tough to do that sort of thing when you have no money (my family spent a couple Florida summers without a/c), but if the family had tried anything outside of the norm (fans. trade goods for service. window unit. humidifier. something.), it wasn't shown. I love seeing Buddy in action, but I'm hard-pressed to believe these two bakeries were the most deserving of his help.

Buddy's Bakery Rescue "Laura's Sweets Specialty Bake Shoppe" (S02E04): Buddy travels to the artsy town of Sugar Loaf in the Catskills Mountains of New York, where sisters Maria & Laura have been in business together for 18 months. They specialize in custom orders, but are $35,000 in debt and one is about to lose her home. Their operation costs $1500-$2000/week to run, but $2000/week is a really great haul for them. [I'm not going to touch the whole "we also homeschool as we work thing.]

It's very sparse inside, and the decorations outside are horrible. They've had no professional training, their stuff isn't really visually appealing, and Buddy doesn't care for anything he tries (cake, cannoli cream, macarons). [I was shocked that they thought their items looked artisanal! they're not even Wilton quality!] Buddy proves it to them by asking locals what they think... and the responses mention the flavors are store-bought and the looks are something anyone could do. So, Buddy teaches them stringwork and droplines for dummy cakes, and they teach themselves some brushed embroidery. [I really liked the design of the four-tier square cake they made.]

They change plastic picnic tables out front to wooden Adirondack chairs, and re-design the kitchen so there's an area designated for cake decorating, and another for homeschooling. The biggest change, however, was the new menu: fancier designs and an actual little sugar loaf.

Four months later, they're doing okay and keep working on staying artisanal.

Buddy's Bakery Rescue "Not Jus' Donuts" (S02E05): In Houston, a family-owned business has been open 13 years, though the owners only make about $7000/year because of the running monthly cost of $12,000. [I laughed that Buddy drove by it because the signs weren't eye-catching!] The a/c has been broken a while, but they don't have $8,000 to fix it, and they keep their baked goods in plastic containers to keep in the moisture, though that just makes everything look pre-purchased. [also, I agreed that the tablecloths were gross.]

Buddy tries some sweet potato pie, which is perfect. But, the sour cream cake is a bit too sweet and the pecan pie tastes artificial. He changes the recipe, and adds both a donut cake (to play at the bakery's name), and a buttermilk biscuit with fruit and cream to the menu.

He teaches them some fondant flowers, and after they have a four-tier cake, Buddy gets it photographed. [that was an interesting move, as he usually doesn't think pictures are worth as much as dummy cakes and the like, unless maybe it was being published for marketing and I missed that?] They do a major re-design to the front, adding benches and an awning. He also fixes the air conditioning, and gives them an updated decorating room and a sheeter. [this show does really make me want a sheeter, even if I only do fondant cakes a few times a year!] 

Three months later, business has been growing, and they're selling out of $45 cakes.

Switched at Birth: Moving Forward

I had no idea that current high schoolers could learn about their college acceptances online at a specific date and time. That would have changed so much for me when I was that age! I remember hearing about someone's acceptance every day to some different school, as the mail was so variable, and schools sent out letters steadily. Of course, then I wouldn't have had the thrill of being accepted to my #1 choice only ten days or so after applying, but that's besides the point. I'm really curious as to how the future of this show could potentially shape up... keeping certain characters involved with local schools makes it easy, and two sets wouldn't be that difficult to pull off, but it really makes everything a little less realistic if Daphne just heads to Gallaudet with Emmett rather than go to Northwestern or another university with a strong pre-med program... I guess it's still too early to tell too much. Oh, and one other thing... why does Gilles Marini get credited before D. W. Moffett and Lea Thompson if his character is now dead?

Switched at Birth "Girl With Death Mask (She Plays Alone)" (S03E17): It's been two weeks since Angelo's death, so when Angelo's mother writes, asking Bay to notify a Chicagoan relative of Angelo's death, John embraces the opportunity to get the girls out of the house. It's a bonus trip for Daphne, as they tour Northwestern, too.

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But, she's still upset at Regina, so she decides to get high. The med student she's hanging out with has a neighbor who smokes weed, but he sells them cocaine instead. [talk about upping the ante!] He's been living abroad for three years without his parents, but Daphne is sick of being good like that, and after she pushes a couch off the roof, she almost slams his laptop to the ground. [wow, that was awful!] She even tells Regina that she got high, in an act of rebellion, after learning that the lemon cake got thrown away.

When Bay meets her relative, Sebastian, she's disappointed that he doesn't have much to say about Angelo. She accidentally breaks a hand-blown vase, worth $700, and asks John for the money. Sebastian claims it was one-of-a-kind, but John notices three similar ones on a shelf. [so we're just painting the man in a negative light?] Bay does learn that Angelo had an older sister, Francesca, who died at 18 of an aneurysm. [ouch.]

Leo and Abby show up to visit Regina, but she forgot and isn't up for it, so Kathryn entertains them. [what a large shift!] Leo and Victor are no longer together, so Leo has been solo parenting for months, and Kathryn tries to set him up with Renzo, but they don't have much in common. [so odd to see Renzo flustered!]

Toby has his first DJing gig, but as he's practicing, he disturbs his new upstairs neighbor, Lily, who just started teaching at Carlton. [you know, because everything in this show must be inextricably linked.] Tank, Emmett, and MaryBeth go to the gig, and Emmett pretends to be Travis so as not to be awkward. Of course, after Travis gets off work, he shows up, and then Lily gives away Emmett's identity, leading Tank to figure out the truth, and throw a punch. [saw that coming!] Emmett ducks, Tank gets drunk, and Toby takes him back to his place. Because Tank's roommate in the residence hall doesn't like him, Tank decides to stay on Toby's couch permanently. [to stay EVEN MORE tightly linked.] 

Switched at Birth "It Isn't What You Think" (S03E18): Emmett and Daphne get accepted to Gallaudet, but Travis doesn't. [awww. but this is clearly going to become a learning opportunity...] Emmett wants to celebrate, Daphne is ambivalent, and Travis decides it's time to find another path to success... which apparently means dropping out of school right away to get a job with benefits. [hmmm...] Meanwhile, this gives Melody the idea to help create a satellite campus in the midwest, for more deaf kids to get the opportunity for a supportive college education. Funding will be a concern, though. [... and this is theoretically how the series will keep Emmett around, too.]

Bay learns that Tank is Toby's roommate, and that he hasn't told his dad about de-pledging yet. She goes along for moral support, and then shares that she's become obsessed with the fact that she may have a hereditary aneurysm. He convinces her to make an appointment to get screened. [which she's apparently not going to tell John and Kathryn about?]

Wes brings muffins to Regina, inviting her to the groundbreaking of the East Riverside project the following day. [what happened to Regina going to meetings? and did Daphne not get punishment for getting high?] Daphne goes to tell Nacho about it, and he decides to vandalize the area. Daphne goes with him, and they end up making out. [I'm really sick of her playing "the bad girl." That's Bay's job.] The damage is extreme, and leave Wes and Regina with no choice but to turn to Coto's contracting company, as all of the others won't touch the project now. [see? being bad only makes things worse.]

Toby hears that Sharee hasn't turned in all of her college scholarship forms, then learns that she's failing English. [first physics, now English? surely there will be another issue before the girl graduates...] Because the teacher is his new neighbor, he tries to get Lily to let Sharee have a re-take. Lily won't, as per her classroom policy, so he goes to Melody, which angers Lily. Lily and Toby sleep together, and Sharee gets the re-take. [whatever.]

Under the Dome: Unraveling

Lyle is on the loose, there are many people with bits and pieces of unshared information that could potentially help Chester's Mill, Rebecca is still dangerous, and scheming has become the way of life. Things Under the Dome are looking bleaker and bleaker, so Stephen King fans are probably nicely settled in for the remainder of the season. However, the non-readers may not be as attached, as the viewing numbers are down to about half of what they were last season. Still, it's highly speculated that the series will get a third season, so who knows. Personally, I'm in it at this point purely because it has reached trainwreck status in my eyes and I can't look away. 

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Under the Dome "Revelation" (S02E04): The census suggests the mother who birthed the first Dome baby is the next to go, and Rebecca wastes no time determining how that will happen. She takes blood from a diseased piglet carcass, and injects eggs to grow a virus. Sam and Julia figure out what's going on as Rebecca continues to sell BigJim on the idea that this way, only those who are strong enough to fight the illness will survive. [weird pants on Julia.] Rebecca claims that they only have 7 days of food left, so they plan to put the virus in the water source at the diner or in the church, but Julia stops them, and warns Rebecca that the virus is stronger than initially thought. [Rebecca: "a virus is nature's way of leveling the playing field."] Both Rebecca and BigJim spend the night in jail.

Norrie doesn't believe that DomeGirl is Melanie, but Barbie leads the teens to use microfiche at the library, where they learn that Melanie vanished. She then wants to go to her old house, and once they're there, she recognizes a drawing she made of pink stars falling in the woods. [now they have a new house they can stay in!] They head to the woods, and Melanie has flashbacks of Pauline, Sam, and Lyle with her, looking at a meteorite that they all touch. It explodes, they find an egg, and Melanie tried to protect it, only for Sam to accidentally kill her by pushing her back toward the meteorite, where she fell and hit her head. [and the deep marks on Sam's shoulder suggest he's Angie's killer, too.] Barbie digs until they hit the meteor... and they find Melanie's necklace.

Junior frees Lyle from prison, and learns that he helped Pauline escape, and she sent him postcards telling the story of the impending Dome. [I'm kinda over the clairvoyance part of this show.] When they find Pauline's old journal, Lyle whacks Junior and runs out with the book. Barbie and the kids find Junior, then Barbie goes to talk to Julia, but she won't speak to him because it seemed he was on-board with Rebecca's Darwin scheme.

Under the Dome "Reconciliation" (S02E05): [The internet was two days ago] BigJim and Rebecca need a lawyer, and Carolyn takes the case. Phil goes to the jail to break out BigJim, but he just has Phil sabotage Julia. [that definitely sounds like BigJim!] Julia institutes a voluntary food-sharing program to make sure nobody goes hungry, but there's an explosion that destroys a lot of the food. Carolyn suspects Phil when she sees a stocked storage closet, and he beats her. [not that surprising for a man who has already shot someone when a small riot broke out!] Barbie shoots him in the shoulder, while Julia learns that there's more food around, thanks to Lloyd, who was a survivalist and left his wife with a lot of hoarded non-perishables. Julia also wants Barbie to take over as sheriff, but he's not initially keen on the idea.  

Barbie fills in Julia about Melanie while the kids are out seeing if Melanie will have visions when she touches the Dome. Norrie insults Melanie, Joe kisses the ghost, and then they decide to compare their blood samples... only they don't know what they're looking for and need Rebecca's help. [are we out of medical personnel at this point?]

Sam digs out a wooden box with papers in it from Pauline's journal, and plants them in Lyle's barbershop. This makes Junior think Lyle killed Angie, and and he shares the other "hands" with Sam. Sam gets Junior drunk and plans to smother him with a pillow, but he doesn't go through with it. Instead, they return the school locker and discover a tunnel underneath. [uh huh. because that seems likely. ::eye roll::]

Falling Skies: Taking Opposing Sides

I'm not really much of a science fiction person. Longtime readers know that I never meant to watch Falling Skies, and at this point I'm ready for the fifth season to come and this series to end. That's sad to say, especially because I just came from Comic-Con and sat in a room of a couple thousand fans of the show, but it's true. This latest episode finally got everyone back together (which had been my primary complaint thus far this season), and I'll admit that it's interesting to see Tom and Hal on opposite sides of an issue. However, this Ben-Maggie-Hal wannabe love triangle is enough to make me gag, and Weaver becoming all sentimental because he has lost his child (for like the fourth time) makes me glaze over and stop paying attention. There's still time for this season to turn around, but they need to make some decisions pretty quickly... 

Falling Skies "Door Number Three" (S04E06): Ben dreams of being intimate with Maggie when Hal gets home, bleeding from the chest. [when did this shenanigan start to come about, anyway?] Fortunately, when Hal, Pope, and that group really arrive, no major scenes are made. Soon afterward, Tom, Weaver, and Matt also join, and that's when the latest happenings with Lexi are shared. And, by latest happenings, in addition to controlling the weather to some degree and meeting with the Espheni, Lexi has now enveloped herself into a cocoon. [because there's no limit to the weird on this program.]

JAMES DITTIGER

Anne wants to destroy it immediately, but because she has escaped from one before, Dr. Kadar tries a medicine to help her repressed memories surface. [... and now, for some reason, the writers want us to know that Anne had a son named Sammy at one point.] As she tries to put together the pieces, Tom fights to keep Lexi safe, as Hal, Pope, and a large group want to get to the bottom of what Lexi is.

2014 Comic-Con: Sunday's TV Fun

Comic-Con may be four days long, but it goes by in a flash. By the time Sunday morning hits, you're already sad that there's only eight hours left in the weekend of fun. But, I've had some awesome Sundays (2013 had TWO DuckTales sing-alongs and Jymn Magon's autograph!), and this one followed in that tradition. I may have only attended four panels, but will definitely carry with me the memories of other events of the day! The day was mostly focused on comics and culture, however, so only a little bit of television stuff to report...

Sesame Street & Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street,' with EP Carol-Lynn Parente, and Muppeteers Eric Jacobson (Grover and Bert), Joey Mazzarino (Murray Monster and head writer/director), and David Rudman (Cookie Monster and Baby Bear).
- the 45th season begins September 15th, and upcoming spoofs include Game of Thrones, Age of Ultron, and House of Cards.
- we saw the Numeric-Con spoof for Comic-Con and the Star S'mores spoof for Star Wars.
- the episodes that center around incarceration, deployed parents, etc. are handled by a different writers' group than the main episodes.
- Grover is the Ryan Seacrest of Sesame Street... he has like seventeen jobs!
- If the panelists had to choose another Sesame Street character to accompany them in line, Murray would choose Snuffy, Grover would choose Murray, and Cookie Monster would choose Herbert Birdsfoot (a Jerry Nelson Muppet from the 70s).
- not only was this the only panel I went to this Con where I received swag (limited Bert & Ernie poster), but it was also my only sing-along! (too bad we only did the first verse of the theme song, though!)

Sesame Street Autographs, with David Rudman, Eric Jacobson, and Joey Mazzarino.
- because the autographs were pre-signed photos, fans were able to chat with each Muppet/Muppeteer and take photos as we moved through the line. That was more exciting than I expected, but I wish I had brought someone with me, because the front-facing camera on my phone doesn't have the best resolution.

** find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site!  

Girl Meets World: Tradition and Failure

Yes, this show is a little saccharine (see image below). But I rather adore how cute it is. That said, the episode naming scheme is crossing the line. I don't know what sparked the idea to roll with the titles describing what Riley will encounter next, but I also appreciate seeing what parenting obstacles Cory and Topanga must face as well. The idea that "I just don't want to fail" is one that I face regularly, and would like to see illustrated and conquered by multiple characters on this series. Fortunately, with it already coming up for Maya and Cory, I think it will be an ongoing theme. What other recurring topics would you like this family comedy to tackle? 

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Girl Meets World "Girl Meets Father" (S01E04): Maya gets an F on a paper about Darwin, and claims that she must be a failure and Cory has nothing more to teach her. [Shawn says this to Feeny!] Despite the fact that Maya walks out, Riley believes that nothing will change. [um, hello... Cory believing that nothing will change between him and Shawn over and over!] Maya skips school and starts an online program... only to fail immediately. Cory helps Maya realize that she needs to stop trying to sound smart and just say what she knows, because she knows things. [how do the girls leave earlier for school than Cory does?] Maya admits that her father has moved out to live with another family. [Shawn would tell Cory things about his home life that nobody else knew.] 

Farkle wants to dance with the girls at the upcoming event, to which Riley wants to wear makeup. Topanga turns her down,but the bigger issue is that the dance conflicts with the final night of the season at Coney Island. For the Matthews family, that means it's time for the annual "ride the Cyclone" night, which Cory deeply adores. [Maya not wanting to attend the school dance is apparently only a passing thought. Cory asking Topanga to make it all better reminded me of many times in Boy Meets World, particularly when he thought she could save premature Joshua.] Cory eventually realizes that his daughter is growing up, but still has a father-daughter dance to end the school night... and he does it with Maya. [um, I think Riley is a little young to understand the logic there, and would have probably seemed a little more jealous.] 

Another notable similarity to the original series: Farkle counts the number of As he has received, much like Minkus did on Boy Meets World.

2014 Comic-Con: Saturday's TV Fun

Saturday was a lighter day as far as panels go, but we still managed to fit in a nice variety of television activities. Two pilots, an off-site experience, two state-of-programming television evolution discussions, another behind-the-scenes writers' session, and a scavenger hunt of sorts filled the day. Included below are some highlights from these events - look for more in-depth articles in the future. And, be sure to follow us on SmugMug, on Twitter or on Facebook for the latest throughout Comic-Con!

Why Not Serious? Comedy vs. Drama in Animation, with Craig Miller, Ted Biaselli, Brian Hohlfeld, and Jim Krieg.
- comedy episodes are more re-watchable than drama or adventure installments.
- sometimes descriptions don't translate well when animators are from a different region. Example: there aren't marshmallows in Spain, so there's a scene around a campfire with someone toasting a piece of bread instead!
- Mickey Mouse is a lot like SpongeBob... both are exuberant and love the world.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

Inside the Writers' Room: Earth's Mightiest Writers Re-Assmble, with Chris Parnell, Michael Narducci, Steve Holland, Sarah Watson, Bill Harper, Christine Boylan, Ashley E. Miller, Steve Melching, Jose Molina, and Mark A. Altman.
- The Vampire Diaries and The Originals allow support staff to submit scenes. If the make it into the script, they get a credit, and some even wind up joining the staff!
- Series that the panelists really enjoy currently include Game of Thrones, Justify, The Americans, Orphan Black, Orange is the New Black, Korra, Adventure Time, Penny Dreadful, The Good Wife, The Walking Dead, The Leftovers, and Fargo.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

NBC's Off-Site Constantine
We also went off-site to check out the Constantine experience (if you're looking out from E lobby, across the train tracks, it's the blue dome near the Omni). At the time, the wait was about 25 minutes, which was definitely worth the unique four minutes you watched the trailer. It was similar to a theme park atmosphere, actually, as there were 4D elements such as fans blowing wind.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

The Digital Revolution: The Convergence of Television and the Internet, with Daniel Alter, Jasmine Andrevos, Adrian Askarich, and Jeff Krelitz.
- you can be raunchier in an online format like Hulu, Amazon, or Netflix.
- The way the digital age affects television may show up again in the near future, as people don't want to deal with the hassle of driving to a movie theater if they can have a good time at home.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

The Strain Screening
- During specific times throughout Comic-Con, you could stop by three booths (FOX, Dark Horse, and Harper Collins) and collect wristbands promoting The Strain. Then, you could take them to a specific theater downtown and see what could have been done better. We scored autographed The Strain comic books and had our faces morphed so we'd know what we'd look like if something similar happens. After photographing a few of the props that were places around the room, we bailed on viewing episodes 2 and 3 in favor of hitting something more closely aligned with our interests...

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment: The Flash, Constantine, Arrow, and the World Premiere of Gotham, with ~35 members of talent on the stage at once! *We'll discuss the pilots later, but here are some highlights from the panel itself:
- Arrow will bring in Wildcat this season, who will interact with Laurel.
- Grant Gustin likes to dig as deep as he can with the emotional rawness of The Flash.
- Jesse L. Martin is excited to play a detective who actually gets to shoot people, as he apparently never did that in his ~200 episodes of Law & Order.
- Constantine's basic plan is to try a spell, fight, con, kick, then run away... he's no Superman! 

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

** find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site! 

2014 Comic-Con: Friday's TV Panels

Yesterday we saw television panels for three series and a scholarly approach. Today, our television panels included three for series, two for behind-the-scenes writing, and one on the translation of television to comics. Nope, this isn't exactly what we planned initially... we didn't make it to iZombie due to a time-ticketed exhibit, but learned that they weren't able to show the pilot in its entirety anyway (due to re-casting), so no major loss. We purposely chose to skip The Unexplained Files due to the additional information that was released describing the panel. But, we thew in another series and two different sessions discussing how pilots come to be, and what it takes to write one, so that's different. Included below are some highlights from these  events - look for more in-depth articles in the future. And, be sure to follow us on SmugMug, on Twitter or on Facebook for the latest throughout Comic-Con!

Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed, with Spiro Skentzos, Karen Horne, Keto Shimizu, David Schulner, and David Slack.
- The more television you watch, the better you will be at identifying event triggers, character goals, and the stakes of a dilemma, which will improve a writer's ability to create those things.
- It's helpful to write a character description in both the first and third persons so you can get into their head and think of how they'll say things.
- You need more than just a spec script for a currently airing show and your pilot. Create content to showcase your abilities. With that, write what you know.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

The Chair: One Script, Two Visions, One Winner, with Zachary Quinto, Dan Schoffer, Josh Shader, Shane Dawson, and Anna Martemucci.
- Martemucci was paranoid about being filmed as she directed, knowing that similar things have wreaked havoc on families.
- Dawson really learned to be patient through this project. He's accustomed to just putting an ad on Craigslist, getting an actor, and paying them. Now, he had a month to cast, a budget to work with, etc.
- Dawson won't be leaving YouTube behind after eight years of videos, but he thinks he'll need to change it, even if that's just slowing down to one video each week.

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

The 100 Special Video Presentation and Q&A, with Jason Rothenberg, Eliza Taylor, Isaiah Washington, Ricky Whittle, Lindsay Morgan, Devon Bostick, and Marie Avgeropoulos.
- The second season has fewer than 68 people alive. BUT, the title of the series doesn't refer to the number of people, but rather the name of the project.
- More information about the languages of the Grounders will come out - we even heard Avgreropoulos speak a bit in the tongue!
- Getting dirty happens much quicker than getting clean, so the actors don't mind wearing rags, because they're not spending hours in the makeup chair!
- If they had to spend a week with a castmate, Taylor would pick Bostick because he's funny, Whittle would pick Morgan because she can cook, and Avgreropoulos would pick Bostick because Canadians know how to survive!
- Most of the characters are now on the ground, so there will be some strange pairings in the near future. 

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

Falling Skies Season 4 Panel, with Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Sarah Carter, Maxim Knight, Doug Jones, Scarlett Byrne, and David Eich.
- Sarah calls the second half of the season "gnarly"!!
- Yet another variation on the species we've seen will come about.
- Bloodgood liked working with different actors this season, because although it was unfamiliar, it was also refreshing.
- Wyle thinks that the structure of this season allowed for a lot of the characters to develop their leadership skills.
- Anne will have a flashback to her life with a son.
- Patton noted that "Weaver feels a certain amount of things in his heart as Lexi makes him think about Jeanne." The character becomes one of Lexi's biggest proponents because of that. Also, he wants his character to have one more shot at love before the end of the series.
- Wyle hopes that Tom will get to be a founding father in the next society.
- Jones would like Cochise to understand what peace is and have a heart-to-heart with his father, then remain behind with his human friends. (and maybe move to Atlanta and become the head of programming at TNT, haha!)

photo: Amy K. Bredemeyer

Roar Comics: Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster, and More, with Adam Staffaroni, Chynna Clugston Flores, Anne Toole, Lesley Vamos, and Brandon Easton.
- In the Punky Brewster comic, Henry becomes the title character's mother's cousin. I had never thought about society no longer accepting a young girl living with an elderly unmarried man!
- Henry's job has also been upgraded to him being a successful traveling photographer, so the storylines will take them out of Chicago.
- Original characters like Alan, Margeaux, Cherie, and Betty are still there.
- The Saved by the Bell comic maintains the Zack-Kelly-Slater love triangle.
- They will be starting a Care Bears comic book in 2015! Also, be on the lookout for Madballs and Packages from Planet X.

How to Write a Pilot, with Gray Jones, Jen Grisanti, William Rabkin, Bill Taub, and Carole Kirschner.
- Although it's tough to sell a pilot without being established, Extant was written by a nobody. Mad Men also didn't sell until the creator had done other things.
- Writing your own show demonstrates an original voice, which can be great... but some showrunners want to see people who write in their tone, so specs are sometimes better.
- With that, you should really have a dossier of 2-3 original pilots and a few spec scripts so if anyone wants to read more of your work, you have it available!
- The series Bible has gone from the 40 pages of the 90s to just 6-15 pages now, but you should still know everything about your characters.

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

* find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site!

Try It Out: WGN's Manhattan

Most people probably either learned about The Manhattan Project through real-life (it took place 1939-1947, so living memory for some) or high school history class, but my introduction to it happened around Christmas 1992. We were over at my cousins' house, and they had received the NES game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project. We were playing when some relative came in and saw the box, and asked what the game was about. Only being on the second level or so, our description was fairly vague, I'm sure, but the well-meaning adult took the opportunity to teach us about what "The Manhattan Project" might reference. As it turns out, there are no atomic bombs in the video game, but I learned about it anyway, which gave me a leg-up in eighth grade history.

It seems like only yesterday we were covering WGN's Manhattan panel at TCA, but the series is already debuting, so it's worth another mention, as it really has great potential. Not just for viewers, either, but for the state of New Mexico, where it was filmed. Governor Martinez is "excited that this series will highlight New Mexico's celebrated history and [their] amazing, picturesque landscapes." Natural beauty aside, one of the more entertaining tidbits about filming is that, during location scouting, the producers found an old Army hospital that was about to be torn down. So, they cleaned it of asbestos and it's been working well for their needs!

The characters are another reason to tune in. Not only does it mark the return of Daniel Stern (of Home Alone wet/sticky bandit fame) to the screen, but the drama will also depict a nice variety of 40s personas. The leader of the project is a self-destructive scientist, there is both a female botanist and a female scientist, and there are others who are notably upset about a move from the riches of the northeast to the middle of nowhere. Plus, Manhattan doesn't shy away from the truth of the times, either - Spanish-speaking natives are seen around the area, acting as migrant workers and housekeepers. But, don't keep your eyes peeled for historical figures - although Robert Oppenheimer appears in the pilot, no other notables are found at the beginning of the series.

When you watch the pilot, here are some fun things to be on the lookout for:

- The prices/items in the market
- The technology
- The design styles... of everything from household interiors to hairstyles.

Watch for Manhattan to premiere on WGN America on Sunday, July 27th at 9pm ET/PT. If you're not a regular viewer of the network, look for it on 307 DirecTV, 239 DISH,  568 FiOS, 180/1180 U-Verse, and on other carriers.

2014 Comic-Con: Thursday's TV Panels

So, we had initially planned our Thursday TV panels to start in the Indigo Ballroom, but when the line for Ballroom 20 was super-short at 8am, we headed into that instead. So, rather than see Betty White and the USA Dig panel, we were treated to 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Under the Dome with a good chunk of the cast, and a screening of CBS's new drama, Scorpion. Not sticking around for Reign, we headed out and about to do all sorts of fun Comic-Con things before hitting an evening panel on the Psychology of Cult TV Shows. Included below are some highlights from these four events - look for more in-depth articles in the future. And, be sure to follow us on SmugMug, on Twitter or on Facebook for the latest throughout Comic-Con!

24, with Kiefer Sutherland and Jon Cassar.
- filming in London was very different. Sutherland talked about how many rules there are when it came to having weapons on the set, but onlookers were permitted to crowd outside the scenes and watch filming! At one point, 2,000 people watched a scene, then crossed the street for the next one!
- Sutherland wrote the backstory for Jack to become more aggressive and have less to fight for... so he didn't have to cover up his tattoos anymore.
- Sutherland likes Boardwalk Empire and Ray Donovan.
- Sutherland once jumped out of a car to help an elderly woman being mugged in Los Angeles. But, being Jack Bauer didn't work out... he interrupted a student film! 
- If Sutherland was cosplaying, he'd be a stormtrooper.
- He and his father never talk about work, even though they just made a movie together!

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

Under the Dome, with Mike Vogel, Dean Norris, Rachelle LeFevre, Alexander Koch, Colin Ford, Eddie P. Cahill (not Mackenzie Lintz), and Neal Baer.
- They just finished filming the season six days ago.
- 16 characters died in the first season. The second won't be quite as high, but once they start to fall, they'll fall fast! But, they can still make appearances, as ghosts and the like.
- It was hinted at that maybe a character will break out of the dome this season... and as Barbie appears to fall into a deep cave at some point in the near future, maybe it's him!
- Speaking of Barbie, his backstory is coming - we'll both meet his father AND learn that he turned away from life as a trust-fund baby!
- A fan asked each of the panel members to state who they would choose to have with them if they had to live under a dome. Vogel chose Chuck Norris, Norris chose Britney Spears, LeFevre chose Clive Owen, Koch said Dean Norris, Ford said his best friend, and Cahill said his wife.
- Viewers WILL find out what was in Melanie's locker when Angie died. 

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

Scorpion, with Walter O'Brien, Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, Katharine McPhee, Nick Santora, Nicholas Wooten, Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, and Justin Lin.
* we will be reviewing the pilot in a future post.
- Walt may have a nemesis in the show, but the real O'Brien no longer does.
- McPhee talks about filming a tough scene by explaining that the car wasn't moving at all but they had to pretend there were high speeds, traffic, etc.

photo: Jonathan Bredemeyer

The Psychology of Cult TV Shows, with Janina Scarlet, Travis Langley, Ali Mattu, and Billy San Juan.
- TV shows can be educational and healing in ways folks don't normally think about. We learn messages like persistence along with the characters.
- The representation of war on TV makes audiences more compassionate and knowledgeable.
- When two people share a fandom (like a television show), they can become fast friends.

** find more pictures of these panels, plus others, the exhibit floor, and off-site events at our SmugMug site!

Next Great Baker: Horror-Themed Cakes

With the design of this season having teams created by pairs of bakers, it's tough to see where individual strengths lie. Plus, we're seeing a lot more from certain teams than from others, so it's tougher to form an opinion on Purple or Tan than it is about Black or Maroon. The mix of home bakers with semi-professional or professional bakers also makes judging the teams difficult. I'm still without a clear favorite, though the leaders are definitely pulling away from the pack at this point. When we're down to five teams, I'll do what I did at the start of last season and look at the backgrounds of the competitors more closely, which should help me (and probably others) begin to actually root for a winner. 

The remaining teams [with my current thoughts]:
Blue: Al & Lia of St. Louise, MO, coworkers at a fondant-free cake shop, where he strictly decorates, and she decorates and bakes. She's also religious. [I'm for them continuing.] 
Maroon: Kaiulani & Roxanne of Salt Lake City are niece & aunt perfectionists. Kai and her two kids are currently homeless. Other bakers are referring to them as the Kakedashians. [they'll probably get pretty far, but I don't like them.]
Black: Manny & Al of Woolwich, NJ, have been working together four years. Al has a family bakery. [these guys have talent, and they should go farther.]
Brown: Jose and Aimee of Chula Vista, CA are coworkers. [I'd like to see where Aimee's strengths are....]
Tan: Don & Meredith, of Long Island, are coworkers, with him designing and her baking. She also was his kids' nanny. [I'm kinda over them.]
Purple: Bethany & Jennifer of Tomball, TX, who have known eachother for almost 20 years. [They're not very interesting. Bethany is grossed out by this stuff.]
Red: David & Elaine of Kissimmee, FL are husband and wife. She's full-time and would love a storefront. He's an amateur. [they need to go home.]

Cake Boss: Next Great Baker "Nightmare on Baker Street" (S04E05): Because nobody was sent home in the previous episode, Buddy starts off with an Elimination Challenge: In one hour, make your best chocolate chip cookie. [sounds like a fantastic round!] Meredith is worried that they won't measure up, but nobody else seems that concerned. [well, yeah. if you don't have a killer chocolate chip cookie recipe, go back to the kitchen!] Soon, the lights go out and some mixing bowls tumble to the ground, and Buddy admits that this was all an introduction to get the contestants scared and in the mood for the theme: scary. [boo. I really wanted there to be a cookie winner!]

Cake Challenge: Do a guts & gore cake for adults, not kids, in seven hours. It'll be presented to the famous Robert Englund (Freddie Krueger) at Times Scare. The three teams are randomized, based on the color filling inside a cake each slices. A couple hours in, Buddy pulls out some straightjackets, and each team must have an hour of handicap with a team member (two on the big team) in the jacket. [I would have freaked out! having other teams choose who is locked up was interesting.] Later, when the cakes arrive, two of the cakes suffered injuries in transit. [why show the Hoboken bus terminal?]

Red: Al & Lia, Bethany & Jennifer, Jose & Aimee. Al suggests a devil-puppet in a sarcophagus, though Jose was thinking sexy dominatrix. [I thought Al had a creepy idea.] They follow Jose's lead, but the end result is a cake that requires explanation, though it has good detail. The face is too cartoonish, the arms are too thin, and the only reason they win instead of come in third is because their cake traveled safely. [I didn't like the face.] Jose & Al were the jacketed individuals.

Chocolate: Kai & Rox, Don & Meredith. Kai designs a bride holding a bloody heart, though Don had other ideas. There are good fabric details, and it has a great face, so it would have won in design. [the date could be March 9th, as noted in the detail of the cake's marriage license.] Kai is put in the jacket.

TLC

White: Al & Manny, David & Elaine. Al & Manny want a gory baker zombie, and they are very detail-oriented. It's done well and realistically, but they still come in third. Al goes in the jacket but jumps on the table and uses a dowel with his mouth to keep giving directions. [that's dedication right there!]

Elimination Challenge: In one hour, create a dessert plate using at least one "scary" ingredient (Mexican grasshoppers, pork belly, wasabi, dragonfruit, chili powder, blue cheese).

Al & Manny do a biscuit with wasabi, blue cheese, chili powder, and dragonfruit, then do a chocolate cake with pork belly and garnish the dish with chocolate grasshoppers. [I would have fried up the pork a bit first!] The biscuit is a little dry, but good.

David & Elaine put blue cheese in the cream cheese frosting for red velvet cupcakes, and add some dragonfruit juice drizzle. The chocolate bowl is too bitter, and the blue cheese flavor is masked. [that was Elaine's intention, which was a bit off-the-mark.] Their presentation was good, but they just weren't ambitious enough.

Mistresses: Not Moving

I'm really happy that Lucy wasn't disappointed in having a nail-art birthday party. With the way she's been acting lately, it would be completely believable that she wouldn't be happy with an at-home party, regardless of the theme. And, nail-art is so simple... I don't know that I could draw out a three-hour event around it, but I'm glad that it worked. However, Lucy taking up half of April's screentime makes me less interested in the shoppe owner, and I think that's a shame. Similarly, I like that Harry is sticking around, as instead of eating up part of Savi's portion, he shares the screen with Joss now, and she's my least favorite. 

Mistresses "An Affair to Surrender" (S02E08): Karen is advised to transfer Anna as a patient so she can keep seeing Jacob. But, she doesn't want to let down Anna, so she breaks up with Jacob by telling him her therapist thinks it's too soon for her to date. [major eye rolls!]

facebook.com/Mistresses

But, Anna disappears. [figures.] Karen admits the truth to Jacob, and then Anna shows up again, thanking Karen profusely. Very soon afterward, Anna sees Jacob and Karen kissing. [ugh. but I should have seen that coming!]

April gets angry at Daniel, but continues to go back to him, despite telling Lucy that they're over. [how annoying!] Lucy's friend gets teased when her parents' unfaithfulness is uncovered, causing April to realize she can't continue sleeping with Daniel, because of how it must hurt his wife. [guess we'll have to start from scratch there!] 

Toni is nice to Savi, but Savi doesn't have time to think about her as she now has to be out of her home in a week because of a pushed-up closure. However, between hating every condo she sees and reminiscing with the girls about the memories being in the house, she realizes she can't leave, ad plans to buy-out Harry. [um, sidenote...Savi has hairy forearms.]

Speaking of Harry, looks like he's staying after all, too, thanks to Joss. After starting the process of moving in with Scott (and admitting she loves him), she learns he owns 10% of a new restaurant, being run by Greta. [can we talk about how quickly they're moving in together? they only met five episodes ago!] When they go to visit, she's offered a chance to plan the opening event, which could lead to a permanent position as the in-house party planner, but she can't stand the food. Scott doesn't want to say anything, so Joss steals some of Harry's dishes to bring over for Greta to try. [how very weird!] Harry is offered the position of head chef, so he'll be staying in town! [but he'll need a place to live now...]

Falling Skies: Splitting Up Again

I'm really not a fan of dramatic episodes that don't seem to add much to the overall story arc, and I feel as if "Mind Wars" was one of those. Something happens with Tom, Matt, and Weaver as they're on a journey, but they're back to status quo by the end of the episode. Hal gets his group further on their trip to join Lourdes & Co., but they don't make it all the way there and who is going to care in the future how they crossed the road? Lexi gets sick, Lexi gets better. Where's the carry-over material? Plus, although we had some merging of the groups recently, which allows the viewer to be more relaxed as they watch the series (fewer entirely different plotlines to follow), the potential of Tom running separately on his own again was a bit daunting. It's bad enough that it seems as if Anne and Lexi won't be able to co-exist for much longer...

Falling Skies "Mind Wars" (S04E05): Matt doesn't want Tom to shoot a rabbit, even though they haven't eaten in three days. [great. just what this environment needs... a conscientious objector!] They come upon a shack with a message of where to go, and narrowly escape some supernatural critters.

BETTINA STRAUSS

They're still with Weaver, but Chochise separates to head back to his own group. The trio come across a pair of brothers who idolize Tom, but the free food is too good to be true, and they kidnap Tom in the night, telling him Matt and Weaver were shot. [seriously??!?] Tom tries to get them to turn on one another, then appeals to the humanity of one who was a father. [yeah, they really do need a term to describe people who have lost a child...] Meanwhile, Weaver and Matt track them and prepare to kill the captor, but Matt can't do it. [I didn't think he could.] One of the brothers admits he killed the other's children so the two of them could survive. [O.M.G.!!] The childless father kills the murderer, then is about to shoot Tom when Weaver comes up and saves his friend. [phew!]

Hal tries to find a way to cross a road being patrolled, and Pope and Sara help out. Then, they find out there's a real-time way of tracking the patrols, and are able to travel to set a course for Lourdes, Anne, Lexi, Ben, Maggie, and the Espheni-Free Zone. [but will it actually be that simple...?]

Anne interrogates an Espheni, who hurts Ben through their spike connection. [ouch!] Then, when she talks to Lexi, the girl hurts her, before falling ill and developing a fever over 120 degrees. [yep, she's not human!] When the Espheni won't help Lexi, Anne starts to beat on one, but he's connected to Ben, who suffers the internal injuries. [that was pretty horrible!] The Espheni suggest flower tea, which brings Lexi to consciousness. She suggests that she's been forced to choose between Anne and her Espheni father, so she protects him. [and that might cause another divide...]

My 2014 Comic-Con TV Panels

In a week, it'll all be over. San Diego Comic-Con (known by many simply as "Comic-Con") begins on Wednesday night at 6pm and runs until Sunday at 5pm. Plans for the convention begin over a year in advance, and the dates for the subsequent event are generally known before the current one ends. Online pre-registration for badges takes hours. Determining your hotel order for the lottery is a lengthy process. But what really takes time and effort is planning how you'll make the most of those four days... from panels to see to booths to visit, from autograph possibilities to sorting through shopping exclusives, from to sifting through film schedules to discerning the best off-site activities, the work involved is great. [flashback to our previous SDCC schedules: 2011, 2012, 2013.] And that's considering you've been before and don't need to learn how to get around San Diego, where to eat, and how the logistics of attending work.

Because of the amount of work involved (note that I haven't even mentioned the hours spent in lines yet), outsiders don't think Comic-Con is worth the hassle and expense. It is a pricey event (for starters, the vast majority of hotel options come in over $180/night), but it's also one of a kind. Repeat attendees share a camaraderie like no other; once you've been initiated into SDCC, you understand. You share a kindred spirit with all who swarm upon the San Diego Convention Center, whether they be comic book collectors, zombie fanatics, wannabe filmmakers, creative cosplayers, or another variety of pop culture junkie. Folks at Comic-Con appreciate the passion everyone has for something, regardless of whether there's overlap in interest, and that's what makes the ambiance of the environment truly special.

All of that said, I've painstakingly narrowed down my selections and made my schedule for how I will spend Comic-Con this year. I still have twelve television panels on my list, but I'm not going to be camping out in Ballroom 20 or 6 BCF all day to maximize my TV program exposure. Why? Because I have other interests, too, and can't wait for my geek-out moments, which inevitably happen (like after the Disney Afternoon panel last year).

So, without further ado, here are the television panels I'm hoping to see, tweet, and report on this year:

Thursday, July 24th
10:30-11:30am: Legends of TV Land (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), featuring Betty White, among others, who will answer questions about making history on television. Plus, a look at the animated episode of Hot in Cleveland.

11:30am - 12:30pm: Dig: A USA Network Event Series (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), an inside look at this fast-paced international thriller, with actors participating via satellite from Israel.

8-9pm: Psychology of Cult TV Shows (Room 23ABC), will feature several scholars and scientists and examine the cult followings of shows like Doctor Who, Firefly, and Buffy. As someone who has studied Rocky Horror cult fanatics, I'm especially interested in the scholars.

Friday, July 25th
11:30am-12:30pm: iZombie Pilot Screening and Q&A (Room6BCF), for the new CW series that will premiere midseason.

1:30-2:30pm: The Chair: One Script, Two Visions, One Winner (Marriott Hall 2), for the new Starz series. Both directors and the creator will be there, and scenes from the movies and the series will be shown. I've already written a little about this show, and look forward to more.

4:30-5:30pm: Falling Skies: Season 4 Panel (Room 6BCF), for what may very well be the final panel for this post-apocalyptic television show. I've seen the three before this one (2011, 2012, 2013), and while they're not groundbreaking and tend to show you a clip from the very next episode, they're a goof time.

5:30-6:30pm: Roar Comics: Saved by the Bell, Punky Brewster, and More (Room 8), because I love that some of my favorite characters are in serialized narrative format. Some announcements are also promised, so perhaps more television shows are going that way?

7-8pm: The Unexplained Files (Room 7AB), from Science Channel, will be taking a deeper look at stuff you can't believe. It's as simple as that, but still truly fascinating, plus there will be scholars, eye witnesses, and prizes.

Saturday, July 26th:
10-11am: Why Not Serious? Comedy vs. Drama in Animation (Room 9), caught my eye because I hadn't thought about how little action and adventure is in cartoons. I grew up with Danger Mouse, and The Awesomes is around, but the big 80s/90s X-Men, Batman, and the like aren't really there anymore, so I am interested in the theories as to why not.

5-6pm: The Digital Revolution: The Convergence of Television and the Internet (Indigo Ballroom, Hilton Bayfront), will hopefully offer more information than I've already been learning lately about how ratings are changing and people are "cord-cutting."

8-11pm: Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment: The Flash, Constantine, Arrow, and the World Premiere of Gotham (Hall H) may be too tough to get into, as the Gotham pilot is very highly anticipated, plus a full viewing of The Flash will also entice people, but I'm game to try.

Sunday, July 27th:
10:15-11:15am Sesame Street & Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street' (Room 6A) is near and dear to by heart. Two new parodies (on Comic-Con and Star Wars, no less!), plus looking at how popular culture has influenced the iconic show, with muppeteers on the panel.

Yeah, you probably noticed that there are quite a few gaps in this schedule... so what else am I planning on seeing, panel-wise? Well, Thursday features a Hanna-Barbera offering I don't want to miss, plus a Goonies discussion, and a look at retro 90s stuff. Friday and Saturday I'll hit a little of the Film Festival for a little bit of old-time Disney magic, plus take in a few how-to sessions about writing television shows. And Sunday I'm back at my old scholarly ways with an anthropological study panel, plus the making of the LEGO movie. Keep checking back as we report on the many distinct facets that make up Comic-Con!

Girl Meets World: Riley is the Focus

I think the toughest adjustment to make in watching this series is recognizing that Cory and Topanga aren't the main characters. It makes sense that they're not, but it seems that most spin-offs center around the character(s) that make the jump, rather than other people entirely. [although Harriet was certainly not the focus of Family Matters, LoL.] Still, it's taking me a little while to adjust to relating to Riley and her friends as the protagonists. Of course, Farkle is absolutely adorable, has the best lines, and is disarming beyond belief, but I'm still a little hesitant to fall in love with Maya or Lucas. Auggie has started to win me over, but that's really not much of a chore for a five-year-old! I think that as the series continues, it'll get easier, especially if Riley keeps doing things that I remember her father doing on Boy Meets World, like hiding out in a locker! 

facebook.com/BMWSequel

Girl Meets World "Girl Meets Sneak Attack" (S01E03): Riley is in a great mood, but when she sees Lucas talking to another girl, Missy, she becomes completely jealous. [windows from the hallway into the classroom? that seems like an odd expense, though it's probably safer.] Riley decides to stand up for herself when Missy asks Lucas to the movies, but she doesn't know how to flirt and winds up sticking her finger up his nose. [no guy would hold still like that!] She's beyond embarrassed and plans to stay in her locker, but, fortunately, Farkle is always there to help his friend out. [how does he know how to flirt when Maya doesn't? Shawn certainly knew what he was doing! also, the whole "barf! barf, I say!" thing was totally Cory!]

Riley tells Lucas that she doesn't think he should hang out with Missy alone, but the temptress gets detention with Lucas for the express purpose of being alone with him. [I officially don't like Missy, LoL.] Riley and Maya follow suit. [in a much weirder way!] But, in detention, Lucas talks about having more fun with a group of friends while in seventh grade. [a little preachy and afterschool special narrator-y, no? and who walks out of detention? but the placecards were cute.]

At home, Auggie decides that five-year-olds shouldn't have plush toys from children's television shows, and starts hanging around with Ava, a bossy six-year-old neighbor. She irritates Topanga, and Auggie learns there's no rush to grow up. 

Other notable similarities to the original series: Maya saying "pleasure doing business with you" was an exact quote of Shawn's. Also, the "what was I supposed to do? I xxx, I yyy." was totally Cory! [I think catching little things like this is my favorite part of the series currently!]

RETURNING: Bakery Boss, now Buddy's Bakery Rescue

It's unclear why the title of this series changes from Bakery Boss to Buddy's Bakery Rescue between seasons, or why the runs are so short (season one ran seven episodes, this season will run six), but, regardless, Buddy Valastro is back at it again, helping small, family-run bakeries figure out what they need to do to get themselves back on their feet. As with last season, this ranges from making the menu more attractive to improving the look of the bakery to updating the equipment so they can update their recipes and designs. In the first half of this set of installments, we see all of these things, from a college town corner establishment to an airport cafe to a trendy upscale shoppe. Family conflicts seem to be a common issue for the bakeries, but I have to wonder what really sets one apart from another on this series...

Buddy's Bakery Rescue "Bing's Bakery" (S02E01): Bing's Bakery is the oldest running bakery (since 1946!) in Delaware, on Main Street in Newark near Delaware University. [sounds like they have a lot going for it already!] A new family bought it eight years ago, but they're not making money the way they should, and hit "shut-off" dates frequently, making ends meet only by being late on one payment to pay another. [that's the blue collar motto, no?] The place is dated, they have broken equipment, they owe about $650,000, but their products are good - Buddy rated the glace, strawberry cheesecake, carrot cake, and pecan danish as good, the french pastry as okay, the baba au rhum as too sweet and not authentic, and the brownie as tasting artificial. The variety of items they offer is really wide, and that's why they don't have "10" products, so Buddy's advice is for stop making the items that are only "5s."

Colleen Douglass/TLC

It's strange that the head baker is so headstrong about continuing to bake as many items as he does - they give away about 20% of their stuff to charity when it doesn't sell in 3-4 days. [that's a lot!] He doesn't want the place to look empty, so Buddy suggests they take out some shelves and showcases, but it takes hard math to convince Tom that they have $9,756 of product on the shelves, and because they don't take exact inventory of what sells, they're probably throwing away close to $2,000 twice per week. [they don't keep track of what sells?!??!] This is about double what Tom was guessing, so he agrees to trim the menu by about 20%.

Another big problem is that there are 16,000 students less than a mile away, but they don't come in. [I WISH there was a bakery that close to my college campus!] So, Buddy wants the bakery to update its menu to attract them, but first he has to convince the Bings that their items aren't working. The Bings make black-and-white cookies and cannolis, while Buddy makes brownies and pocket pastries, and they set up cameras to see which get taken in the university cafeteria... turns out, the eye-catching stuff wins! [duh.] The family decides that they need to change their black-and-white to school colors, add more types of coffee, and offer free wi-fi.

Buddy re-does the look of the place and fixes some of the equipment, and adds a cappuccino machine, a decorating station near the front window, and a better inventory system. [what was with the varying age of the bakery... 90, 60, 70 years old??] They also add in some menu items to draw the younger demographic: brownies, lemon-and-blueberry cake (for the school's colors), pocket pastries, cupcakes, peanut butter bar, oatmeal cream cookies, and smoothies. [so pocket pastries are like glorified PopTarts?]

Four months later, revenue is up, charity is reduced, and they have more college students in the place.

Buddy's Bakery Rescue "Grandma Millie's Bakery & Cafe" (S02E02): The bakery opened in 1999 and is in a small airport in Fulton County (upstate New York), and run by a mother, her two sons, and one of their wives. One of the sons went to culinary school and wants to update the menu, but mom wants to stick to comfort foods, like their signature apple pie. Although their location gives great views of planes taking off as well as vintage aircraft, there are days when they get ZERO customers. They survive on events, but "survive" is a manner of speaking, as their debt is near $200k. [the four of them not having equal shares in the company started off seeming to be a big deal, but that died out.]

When Buddy arrives, there's no pie available, and he judges the pineapple upside-down mini cake to be stale, the cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake to be gritty, and he won't even try the seasonal item, "autumn squares" (open-faced turnovers) of cream cheese, apple, and pumpkin in a puff pastry, because it looks gross. [what a terrible way to start! I gotta admit, none of that sounded good to me, either.] Of course, they're not working with top-of-the-line equipment, either... they don't have fondant tools, the mixer is bad, the oven leans, and they hardly ever clean the fridges and racks. So, the first order of business is for Buddy to ask everyone to pitch in and clean. Then, Jason, Chauncey, and Buddy all bake some items to take to the local Fall Fest to see what the community prefers. The family makes chocolate peanut butter petit fours and the "harvest squares" while Buddy offers fudge and pocket pies, which the people of Johnstown like. [labels would have helped the petit fours, I think.]

Chauncey still wants more respect before she'll let Jason take control of the kitchen, so Buddy asks Chancey to teach Jason her grandmother's apple pie recipe, which he hasn't been able to properly replicate before. Buddy also changes up the menu to be more colorful, with pocket pies, birthday cakes, apple pies, mini cobblers, fudges, airplane and cloud cookies, s'mores-on-a-stick, and cupcakes. [that sounds like a pretty balanced menu for a small shoppe.] This is helped by themed aviation decor, new equipment, a seating area to watch planes take off, new signage, a new display case, a fondant sheeter, more tools, and even a new van from a charity organization. [that's cool. was that also a new chef's uniform? and, where was Buddy making a joke about keeping all the new stuff clean, LoL?]  

Two months later, they're selling tons of cookies and pies, and they've booked a lot of parties. 

Buddy's Bakery Rescue "Pastry is Art" (S02E03): Jenny is Peruvian and has been doing pastries since she was 16, and has decided to run her own bakery in North Miami so she can spend more time with her son. [interesting reasoning.] They also make sandwiches in the shoppe, but Jenny doesn't let the other employees do it, so she's constantly pulled away from things during rushes. She has her employees try to bring in customers by acting sexy. [I liked the rolling pin door handle, but I was offended by the "sexy" thing!!] Buddy notes that nothing in the decor pops, so the pastry design is brought down. [good point.]

Operating costs are $12-15k/month, but they only make about $10k, so they're a little more than $90k in debt. The items in the display case are mis-labeled, but the flan cheesecake is great. The frasier has strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, and is also good. The linzer tart isn't good, as the consistency is dry, but Jenny fights that. [and I instantly dislike her.] Buddy thinks that they should serve ice cream with their desserts, especially being in Miami, but Jenny thinks she'd need a new person just to do that, as she bought a used ice cream machine but has never tried it. [I'm rolling my eyes at how pathetic she thinks her employees must be!]

A plate breaks and a meal falls to the ground, and Jenny yells at the employee (her sister), which shows Buddy that management is the real problem. He sends home Jenny so he can try working with the others, and has them make a telenovela to show Jenny what she's like. [ha!] Then, he teaches Jenny to make gelatin decorations and discusses marketing with them, as they had been relying on word-of-mouth for advertising. [in Miami?!?] Buddy also sets Jenny up with an event gig so she can start doing more parties.

The redecoration features pictures of her pastries with descriptions, like an art gallery. [cool concept. this was definitely one of the more nuanced makeovers, too.] They also get some better appliances, and a few new desserts that are both visually striking and tropical: blueberry guanabana cake, jigsaw cake with gelatin on top, raspberry-orange cheesecake, chocolate joconde, tropical lady tart. [that jigsaw cake is neat, but I personally think it's tough to make.] He also hooks up their ice cream machine. [how tough was that, actually? also, for the re-opening, I don't consider that a "great crowd" in Miami.]

Three months later, they're selling a lot of the jigsaw cake, and sales are up 20%.