#onthetele

[Photo: ABC]

By Tara Moore

I am, without a doubt, a devout Grey's Anatomy fan. That being said, I've continued to watch week after week despite my better judgment that the show is flailing for a major catastrophe. And it's not going to be Cristina's marriage.

The Owen and Cristina drama + 1 (that is, the nurse she wrongfully accuses of cheating) has been dead and dying for weeks but for some reason Shonda and co. want to see this through. Last night's discovery that Owen is in fact cheating, but not with the nurse, is a straight disservice to the genius in Cristina. She's too smart, and we can credit her with knowing that he's cheating, but making her look like a fool for confronting the nurse, just digs the knife a little deeper in her back. We're not even going to get into the 'dirtbag' status Owen earned himself last night. Well, maybe we will a little.

Is it just me or is it the age of the pitiful man who blames his infidelity on his woman's complexity? Cristina doesn't want to have kids. That's been a given since day one. Out of rage and pain and whatever else he wants to say, he cheats. Is Cristina left feeling guilty, or just outright angry (as she should be?) We'll see next week.

As for the happy Derek and Meredith, I don't know how much longer a united front will last between them on the show. It's 'Grey's Anatomy:" the anatomy of Meredith Grey's overly complicated, emotional, traumatic/dramatic life, and right now, her life is looking pretty bland. Especially now that she's so big sisterly to Lexi (it's almost like Shonda wants us to know the show is resolving all of its drama and probably won't have a purpose much longer past this season. Series finale soon to come?) 

I've said this time and again: we need another bomb episode to revamp this dying property--or maybe a shootout. That was intense, and well played. 

[Photo: NBC]

By Naima Abdi

Oh how I remember the days when you could count on SNL to actually make you laugh but lately I find that just isn't the case anymore. Could it be the writing? The cast? Or perhaps even the general SNL vibe that somehow changed from a fresh live comedy series to a predictable, unoriginal and (dare I say it...) boring sketch show? Week after week I struggle to stay awake while watching the day after its aired (because at this point i'd rather be out on a saturday night in a crowded club with over priced drinks rather than spending my night in to watch bad tv) and not even the occasional celebrity dream boat guest can keep my attention for longer than 3 minutes.

After each episode/nap-time, I'm left wondering whatever happened to the regular character skits that actually made comedic sense. Like Coffee Talk With Linda Richmond, Night at the Roxbury, The Church Lady and The Spartan Cheerleaders. Sure, some of the recent character sketches ( the singing sisters, whats up with that and some of the Samberg and Justin Timberlake collaborations) have some pull. But overall the shows are inconsistent. Rather than watching the entire show, I've almost found it better to watch 4 minute clips of the good moments on Hulu and then keep it moving to another show. In order for SNL to recreate a successful hour of weekly comedy, the show needs new writers and a full cast of real, and of course, funny actors/comedians.

[Photo: Syfy]

By Naima Abdi

Sadly last night's episode was the last of the second season but proved to be a full-scale television event that has left me more in love with this show than ever before. For the final spot light challenge this week, the last three artists still left (RJ, Ian and Rayce) were faced with the task of delivering stellar make up functional enough for the models to perform a fully choreographed dance in front of a live audience and the esteemed panel of Face Off judges. And just to raise the stakes, the contestants had to select a film genre and create three different looks for the genre they picked, and in Ian's case, got stuck with.

Luckily, after receiving all the spotlight specifics, previously eliminated contestants were brought back to help with the daunting list of to-dos in this super high-stakes challenge. (By the way, on the line is 100,000 dollars and 25,000 dollars in make up from Alcone.) As per the usual everyone freaked out, messed up and at some point had to improvise and go with the flow. About halfway into the challenge the stressed but determined competitors and their (some) talented team of have-no-mores got a visit and solid guidance from Michael Westmore, renown make-up artist, member of the famous Westmore Family and father to the show's host Mackenzie Westmore. Though because it was the final, the drop-in only eased tensions for a short time and once last looks approached, it didn't look good for Rayce and Ian. RJ on the other hand was nearly complete and right on track for showtime. 

The Looks:

Ian— His theme was horror and though the sculpting was good the paint job just sucked overall. There were elements that looked pretty cool but as a full package it was messy and didn't really reflect a unique vision of horror as a genre. His pieces survived the dance so that was a victory within itself but it wasn't enough to make him win. Non-victories aside, considering the fact that he is fresh out of school and made it to the finals—it's safe to say he's doing more than alright. Props to Ian!

Rayce— His designs for the Sci-Fi genre were amazing. The sculpts were super precise and the paint was vivid. This was a blessing for him because there was a lot of anxiety around whether he could actually pull it off. Rayce's looks really looked great on stage for exhibition but didn't hold up during the dance routine. Yet it didn't matter because the judges sealed his fate as winner of season 2 of Face Off. Congrats!

RJ—I won't lie; I wanted RJ to win this competition and it's still my belief he should have. First off, his make up was impeccable head to toe. His fairly-tale/mystical theme was very rich in character and didn't budge on stage. There was detail, romanticism, diversity and originality. How the judges decided he wasn't the winner is beyond me. However, I'm sure that given the scope of his work and how he executed his vision will get him doing show biz work in no time. Goodluck RJ...it should have been you!

[Photo: ABC]

By Tara Moore

I'm not sure what drives me to the television every Monday night during the Bachelor/Bachelorette season, but perhaps it's the hope that sometimes, it really is love. Granted I'm a bit of a skeptic, I couldn't help but watch week after week as Ben foolishly fell for Courtney, sending home America's favorites like Casey B, and then last night's devastating goodbye to Lindsay (who even went so far as to leave her heart on the table if it doesn't work out with Courtney). But at the end of the day, Ben was exactly what I thought. A fool.

Going down a list of pros for Courtney, my eyes stop abruptly--there aren't very many. One, she's really beautiful. Two, she's really horny. Three, she's not all that intellectual so it must be nice not to try too hard to have a conversation. But then the cons come into play, and all those pros seem to evaporate. One, she's really beautiful, and it's hard to trust a beautiful face. Two, she's really horny, so did Ben just fall for her after their skinny dipping episode in Puerto Rico, perhaps even a little poke in the ocean? Three, she's not all that intellectual, so what do they talk about when they live together and don't have anything else to say other than about how cute they are and in love? Never once did Courtney have something truly amazing to say, nor Ben, who let's face it, is not really a talker. 

Chris Harris said it best though, they're both really, really weird, so maybe they are made for each other. But after the off-screen breakup was announced last night, and the second onscreen semi-proposal, I'm convinced Ben knows he's a fool now, and it's all a PR game to make him look less stupid and Courtney look less evil, and the Bachelor look less scandalous. Maybe it's a reach, but either way, the audience wasn't buying the Ben and Courtney happily ever after. 

[Photo: Syfy]

By Naima Abdi

Last night's episode of Face Off starts with a grim announcement concerning this week's high-stakes spotlight challenge. The goal: create a human and dinosaur hybrid in three days. The catch: only three contestants can advance to next week's final challenge to vie for the title of Face Off winner and sadly,  two artists get eliminated from the competition. 

With so much on the line,  everyone at one point or another stuttered under the pressure. Some people took on too much while others weren't thinking big enough. Both RJ and Rayce (previous spotlight challenge winners) found it difficult to hone in on a design and deliver an original concept to the judges.  While Matt, Ian and Sue, on the other hand, had a bit more confidence despite the double elimination dangling over everyone's head. Midway into the challenge the remaining five hopefuls get a visit and some great advice from esteemed special effects fabricators Cleve and Constance Hall.

Still the typical challenge jitters and makeup malfunctions created a panic for some of the artists into the last moments before their creations were set to take the stage for judgement.

The Looks

RJ— "Velociraptor/Velocirapper" Despite his worries about getting sent home on his birthday, this look was a keeper. The concept was funny--he even had dino-bling and feather dreads! The paint job was polished, and the face and tail were thoughtfully sculpted and generally liked by the judges. So much so that he grabbed the final spot on the finale...what a wonderful born-day present and an awesome reason to celebrate.

Ian— "Triceratops/Lumberjack" Great sculpt! This was a functional look complete with hands and feet that ultimately spoke to the heart of the challenge. Although it was colorless and dingy on the wardrobe fixings, it was enough to secure him a spot in the final challenge.

Sue—"Tianyulong/Dino-Hipster" Fun, funky color choices and generally successful. She hit the mark on half-human-half-dinosaur entirely. All together, this was a great character but didn't sway the judges enough to keep her in the competition.

Rayce—"Corythosaurus/ET of the Dinosaurs" He nailed it, won the challenge and filled the first spot in the finale. His design was gorgeous and smart. The wardrobe wasn't anything special but overall it was a complete look.  Everything from the face sculpt, the detailed add-ons like the tail and the color rich paint job delivered a unique character.

Matt—"Carnotaurus/T-Rex Gladiator"  The final result was pretty mediocre and slightly missed the mark on a Dino-Human Hybrid. Sure there were great elements such as the wardrobe pieces and accessories but the face sculpt was rough and understated in color.  Unfortunately for Matt, his look couldn't carry him to the last show.

[Photo: BravoTv]

By Naima Abdi

As per the usual, it was more of the same on this week's episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. For starters, the main stage drama from last week carried its way into the present when a couple of comments from Kandi and Cynthia [about not being able to picture Kim coming to Africa alongside NeNe and visiting an African orphanage filled with black babies], came back to Kim, courtesy of the shows famed instigator Sheree. When the ladies returned from Africa, Kim invited Sheree, Phaedra and Kandi over for a small get together to get caught up on their African adventures and of course to confront Kandi about the comments which inevitably turned into a cross-table-screaming-melee.

Kim stressed that she didn’t appreciate the comments because they make her appear racist and shallow. Now considering the fact she’s in the country's number 1 "Chocolate City" and is the only white face in an all black cast,  the anxiety of coming across as racist might be a bit of paranoia because for those of us watching the show, we have enough common sense to know that if she was a bigot she wouldn’t even be on the show. And how could anyone possibly think that Kim Zolciak is shallow? So what she’s got a room full of thousand dollar wigs made from someones once long and beautiful hair, a new mansion sized appropriately for a giant and his nuclear family of giants and a whole lot of other ridiculous and overpriced comforts she deems crucial to her life as a...(feel free to fill in the blank when you come up with something else besides mother of 3, failed pop star, reality TV cast mate and former nurse)? 

What’s more is that her beef is with Kandi and not with Cynthia who actually made the comment about the black baby.  And the footage proves that Kandi is keeping it real while Sheree is relaying some murky information that is likely to come out on the reunion show... so for sure this won’t be the last time we hear about this...it just may be the last time Sheree looks like a squeaky clean BFF to Kim. We can only hope for another epic wig shifting brawl between the two. 

On a lighter note, NeNe’s son Bryson was arrested... again. This time, for stealing something small and cheap from Walmart. In a tough-loving motherly fashion, NeNe decided not to bail him out, despite the advice of Peter (Cynthia’s hubby). If only more parents decided to take a page from NeNe’s book and not enable their kids by wanting to be besties with them...Viva NeNe. And finally after a year of mixed marital bliss Peter and Cynthia are having their 1 year anniversary party. The event will be the highlight of next week’s episode and in typical RHOA fashion, something will go wrong, drama will ensue and perhaps an indecipherable argument will go down.

[Photo: Showtime]

By Naima Abdi

Sunday’s episode of Shameless was pseudo-filler and predictable. Yet had some great breakout moments that will likely resurface in the episodes to come.

The Focus

Karen decides she doesn’t want to keep the baby. So Instead, she plans to sell their baby to the highest bidder and though hesitant, Lip decides to go with her and collect estimates. But after the first two offers of zero dollars for the baby, Lip and Karen get referred to an attorney that sets up wealthy couples looking for all white babies with girls like Karen looking to make a buck for “vagging out” an unwanted baby. Lip still isn’t settled on the giving the kid up and leans towards wanting to keep and raise the baby but has school and Fiona stopping him...

At this point surely everyone is wondering:

a) Why is lip willing to throw his life away for Karen and her whoreable ways?

b) How come he hasn’t decided to wait to see if the baby is even his before getting all bent out of shape about what to do?

c) Is he insane? and did he forget that Karen not only had sex with practically the whole south side including Frank (his dad) and posted it on the internet for everyone's eyes to see. Something tells me she's not exactly wifey, mom or even MILF material. In fact I think she falls into a whole different category... somewhere between SMUT and Slam Pig.

At the same time, Grammy Gallagher is near death at Sheila’s after the epic meth lab explosion in Fiona’s basement got her put out.  Seemingly no one cares she’s dying and of all the people happiest to see her fade out, Frank is the most excited but begrudgingly continues to cater to Grammy’s demands. Jody and Sheila team up to try and make her passing as painless as possible while Frank steals her pain meds and oafs around town as usual. 

Unfortunately Grammy sort of came and went, not sure why they gave her such little play because her character was really starting to gel with the cast and the story this season.  But luckily there's still four episodes left so perhaps Grammy’s beyond the grave legacy will make for some interesting highlights in the episodes to come. 

On the home-front

Fiona struggles to convince Lip to go back to school and finish out his senior year. But As a former high school drop out, she realizes her word isn't worth much so Fiona offers to go back and complete school if he does, but when she goes to the office to check up on what she needs, she gets discouraged and decides to take the GED instead. Which seems like the perfect distraction to forget about Steve/Jimmy and all his fluff— but it's hard to erase someone when they keep showing up at your door step with spoils for your so easily bought brothers and sisters. So far it seems that Steve/Jimmy won't throw in the towel till he gets Fiona to give him another chance. But it isn't working out so swell. So he ups the borderline stalker anti by  volunteering to coach Karl’s pop-warner football team to get more face time with Fiona.

Her resolve is admirable.... but its likely that some how, some way she’ll cave and get back with him. Unless the shows writers edge Steve/Jimmy out and introduce another love interest. If it goes down she’ll most likely find a different faulty do-gooder whose simply looking to save her from her life as the Alpha Gallagher. Still I think we'd all like to see Fiona with a nice man whose unattached (or at least one that won't blab to his wife afterwords), isn't pretending to be someone else and doesn't sound like a dying walrus when getting it in. 

Sub-drama

On a visit to the Cash N’ Grab Frank interrupts one of Ian and Mickey’s (the neighborhood dirt bag and self-loathing homosexual) back room rendezvous. Frank more concerned with grabbing free booze and cash from the register is indifferent but Mickey fears being exposed so he goes around the neighborhood on a man-hunt to find and kill Frank Gallagher. Though eventually his plan gets foiled and Frank lives to drink, mooch and scam another day. (Surprise!) 

Somehow this situation seemed to be the most filler-esque of everything going on. If anything it carried no real weight on the episode and I’ll bet it doesn’t influence anything else set to take place on the show. But I guess, if anything, it let us know that Ian (for whatever reason) cares about dirty-closet-case Mickey more than just a backdoor-freezer room cut buddy. Even if Mickey doesn't share the sentiment.

Meanwhile, V and Kevin are trying to make a baby. Which could be a very interesting addition to the shows cast and plot for the next season. Just the very thought of Veronica being pregnant and Kevin venturing into fatherhood will for sure make for some unforgettable moments, but hopefully nothing too grim or depressing, though it is Shameless so pretty much anything goes.