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TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “The Spanish Teacher”

By CARL CORTEZ | 02/08/2012

Matthew Morrison in GLEE - Season 3 - "The Spanish Teacher" | ©2012 Fox/Adam Rose

Stars: Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Ushkowitz Writer: Ryan Murphy Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Network: Fox, airs Tuesday nights Original Telecast: February 7, 2012 Throughout most of the GLEE episode “The Spanish Teacher” I felt bored, and then offended and finally, just plain confused. I also felt a little violated as well, since after an episode of “Michael,” the series immediately dived in to another bit of stunt casting with Ricky Martin and the producers promised […]Read On »

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TV Review: SMASH – Season 1 – “Pilot” – Series Premiere

By CARL CORTEZ | 02/07/2012

Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty in SMASH - Season 1 | ©2012 NBC/Mark Seliger

Stars: Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Jack Davenport, Angelica Houston Writers: Theresa Rebeck Director: Michael Mayer Network: NBC, airs Mondays Original Telecast: February 6, 2012 Of all the new TV series, SMASH seemed to be the least appealing to me. My initial perception, like many, that it was a more adult version of GLEE set in the world of Broadway. It looked like it had limited appeal across the board. Then something magnificent happened. I actually watched the pilot episode and was blown away. Granted, I am reviewing the “Pilot” episode, but since the second episode was […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: NCIS star Michael Weatherly celebrates 200 episodes

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN |

Michael Weatherly at the TCA Winter Press Tour 2012 speaking about NCIS | ©2012 CBS/Monty Brinton

Today, everyone who watches television knows that NCIS is one of the CBS network’s big success story. A spinoff of JAG, which ran on CBS for ten seasons (1995-2005), NCIS premiered in 2003 and is now in its ninth season. Tonight, Tuesday at 8 PM, it celebrates the airing of its 200th episode, “Life Before His Eyes.” NCIS – the initials stand for Naval Criminal Investigation Service – follows a squad of investigators and forensics experts headed up by Mark Harmon’s Special Agent Jethro Leroy Gibbs, who handle cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the Navy. Although there is […]Read On »

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TV Review: ALCATRAZ – Season 1 – “Guy Hastings”

By PETER BROWN |

Robert Forster in ALCATRAZ - Season 1 - "Guy Hastings" | ©2012 Fox/Liane Hentscher

Cast: Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill, Parminder Nagra, Jonny Coyne Writers: Bryan Wynbrandt, Steven Lilien Director: Charles Beeson Network: Fox, airs Mondays @ 9 p.m. Original Telecast: Jan. 6, 2012 So it isn’t hard to figure out the pattern of storytelling on ALCATRAZ, although granted “Guy Hastings” in terms of the overall plot was a bit of a change as it was a prison guard returning rather than an inmate. The pattern follows this general principal: Madsen (the getting hotter by the episode Sarah Jones) whines about something her father – an inmate in Alcatraz or her family has […]Read On »

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TV Review: CASTLE – Season 4 – “The Blue Butterfly”

By ANNE LOUISE BANNON |

Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion in CASTLE - "The Blue Butterfly" | ©2012 ABC/Karen Neal

Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, Tamala Jones, Seamus Deaver, Jon Huertas, Penny Johnson Jerald Writer: Rob Hanning Director: Thomas J. Wright Network: ABC, Monday nights, 10 p.m. Original Telecast: February 7, 2012 In “The Blue Butterfly,” the CASTLE team pays tribute to the great detective films of yore with a case that harkens back to June 1947, and let’s be real here, the result is little more than an excuse to get the cast all duded up in great 1940s fashions and hairstyles. But it’s a really good excuse! The 1940s scenes happen as Castle (Nathan Fillion) reads the 1947 diary […]Read On »

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TV Review: SUPERNATURAL – Season 7 – “The Slice Girls”

By RACHEL REITSLEFF |

Alexia Fast in SUPERNATURAL - Season 7 - "The Slice Girls" | ©2012 The CW/Jack Rowand

Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Harry Groener, Sara Canning, Kendall Cross, Jill Teed, Alexia Fast Writers: Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner, series created by Eric Kripke Director: Jeremy Wanek Network: The CW, Fridays @ 9 PM Original Airdate: February 3, 2012 At the end of “The Slice Girls,” it’s hard to believe what we’ve just watched. Not because SUPERNATURAL has once again done some very wacky things with mythology – that’s par for the course – nor that they’ve introduced and killed yet another Winchester relative (even more par for the course). However, given that the Winchester relative in question […]Read On »

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TV Review: SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE – “Fugitivus” – Season Premiere

By SEAN ELLIOTT |

Liam McIntyre in SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE | ©2012 Starz

Stars: Lucy Lawless, Liam McIntyre, Manu Bennett, Peter Mensah, Viva Bianca, Craig Parker Writer: Steven S. DeKnight, Created by Steven S. DeKnight Director: Michael Hurst Network: STARZ, airs Friday nights Original Telecast: January 27, 2012 SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE first episode “Fugitivus” picks up pretty much just after we left off in the first series BLOOD AND SAND. Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) having escaped the House of Batiatus with his fellow gladiators and slave in tow, has fled beneath the streets of Capua plotting their next moves against the Roman Empire. Gaius Claudius Glaber (Craig Parker) is dispatched from Rome to take the […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: SMASH producers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank bring Broadway to NBC

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN | 02/06/2012

Brian d'Arcy, Frank Houston, Jaime Cepero, Anjelica Huston, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey in SMASH - Season 1 | ©2011 NBC/Mark Seliger

Getting an original musical onto Broadway is an epic undertaking. Getting a scripted network TV series depicting the travails of getting an original musical onto Broadway magnifies that epic undertaking into what some might consider realms of sanity-challenging difficulty. However, NBC and executive producer Steven Spielberg are bringing forth SMASH, which premieres tonight, Monday, at 10 PM. SMASH is about the creation of a new musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. Debra Messing and Christian Borle play the songwriting duo who launch the project. Anjelica Huston plays their hard-nosed producer and Jack Davenport plays the temperamental director. Megan Hilty and […]Read On »

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Review: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Sneak Preview Footage and filmmaker/actor discussion

By A.C. FERRANTE |

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN teaser poster | ©2012 Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios

I have to admit, my interest in the new THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movie hasn’t been as rabid as my interest in the other superhero movies this summer (and you know who you are). Maybe it had to do with loving the Sam Raimi incarnation, or maybe it just felt that the Spider-Man world had been exhausted in the film world. Yet, today, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios offered up a special global sneak preview of the new film (opening July 3) with the filmmakers and actors in attendance in one of the many select cities across the globe so fans […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: SUPERNATURAL star Jared Padalecki chats about Season 7, the future of the series and clowns

By SUE SCHNEIDER |

Jared Padalecki in SUPERNATURAL - Season 7 | ©2011 The CW/Jordan Nuttal

As SUPERNATURAL hits the midway point for Season 7 (and the series renewal for another season, though still looking good), it was about time to catch up with one-half of the show’s duo – Jared Padalecki who plays Sam Winchester. CW recently held a party at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena during the Winter Television Critics Association annual tour and ASSIGNMENT X grabbed a few minutes with Padalecki about the series, his character and the show … and yes I really mean a few minutes. ASSIGNMENT X: What do you want to see happen with Sam the rest of […]Read On »

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