VH Corner » 2009

Aug 16 2009

TV: Week of August 17

Category: TV,Upcoming — velveetahead @ 5:01 pm

It is all reality shows that are premiering this week, but the only one to pay attention to would be Top Chef! Oh, nom nom nom nom.

Season Finales: Hawthorne, Miami Social, Saving Grace, Top Chef Masters, Merlin, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Ice Road Truckers

Pick of the Week

topcheflasvegas

Top Chef: Las Vegas
Channel: Bravo
Time: 9/8c
Starring: Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Toby Young
Premieres: Wednesday, August 19
Trailer

Synopsis: Seventeen chefs compete in Las Vegas to be crowned Top Chef, win some money and be featured in Food & Wine magazine.

My Take: I love the show because I love Padma and Tom. I also love drooling over the food and learning about weird food items with each show that I want to eat someday.

Continue reading “TV: Week of August 17″

Tags: flipping out, Gail Simmons, Heidi Klum, Hoarders, James May, Jeff Lewis, Jenni Pulos, Jeremy Clarkson, Padma Lakshmi, project runway, Richard Hammond, Ryan Brown, Shaq Vs., Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Gunn, Toby Young, Tom Colicchio, Top Chef: Las Vegas, top gear, Zoila Chavez

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Aug 15 2009

CW Fall 2009 Schedule

Category: News,TV — velveetahead @ 6:05 pm

After discussing NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC, it is finally time to finish up the networks with CW. Here is a breakdown on what’s new, gone and changing each night of the week on CW come Fall 2009:

Monday

gossip-girl283

CW is keeping its Monday nights the same with One Tree Hill followed by Gossip Girl. I’m amazed that One Tree Hill is still around, but also wondering how long it’ll last after its two leads (Chad Michael Murry and Hilarie Burton) decided not to return to the show.

Continue reading “CW Fall 2009 Schedule”

Tags: 90210, America's Next Top Model, Ashley Madekwe, Ashley Simpson-Wentz, Ashton Kutcher, Ben Hollingsworth, Blonde Charity Mafia, Candice Accola, Colin Egglesfield, Corbin Bleu, everybody hates chris, gossip girl, http://www.cwtv.com/shows/melrose-place, Iam Somerhalder, Jessica Lucas, Katerina Graham, Katie Cassidy, Kevin Williamson, Life UneXpected, Melrose Place, Michael Rady, Nico Totorella, Nina Dobrev, one tree hill, Paul Wesley, reaper, Sara Paxton, Shaun Sipos, smallville, Stephanie Jacobsen, Steve R. McQueen, supernatural, The Beautiful Life, the game, Vampire Diaries

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Aug 13 2009

Movies Opening August 14

Category: 2009 Movies,Movies,Opening — velveetahead @ 6:00 pm

Peter Jackson had picked a director to make a huge, big budget Halo, but that got put on hold indefinitely. They decided to make a full-length version of a short film that director Neill Bloomkamp had made before for much cheaper.It didn’t really have a promotional budget so they decided to show early viewings to some blogs and at Comic Con to get the buzz going. It appears to have worked since people that have seen it, say it is fantastic.

Nationwide Releases

District 9
Ponyo
Band Slam
Time Traveler’s Wife
The Goods

District 9
Directed: Neill Bloomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James
Trailer

Synopsis: Aliens have landed in South Africa where they end up as refugees fenced off from the rest of the World, but they aren’t allowed to leave the planet for unknown reasons.

My Take: The early buzz has been outstanding. It looks like a scary thriller.

RT Score: 93%
RT Consensus: Technically brilliant and socially poignant, District 9 has action, imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic.

Continue reading “Movies Opening August 14″

Tags: Adel Stanczel, Aly Michalka, anne heche, Arliss Howard, Ashton Kutcher, Bandslam, Betty White, cate blanchett, Cloris Leachman, Csaba Czene, david bowie, David James, David Koechner, David Mackenzie, Davis Guggenheim, Denis Hayes, Dennis Meadows, District 9, Earth Days, Eric Bana, Frankie Jonas, Gabrielle Rose, Gaelan Connell, Gergo Trocsanyi, Grace, Gyorgy Palifi, Hayao Miyazaki, Hunter Lovins, Istvan Gyuricza, It Might Get Loud, Jack White, James Brolin, Jeremy Piven, Jimmy Page, Jordan Ladd, Jordana Spiro, Kathryn Hahn, lily tomlin, lisa kudrow, Malcolm Stewart, Marc Bischoff, Margarita Levieva, matt damon, Neal Brennan, Neill Bloomkamp, Noah Cyrus, Paul Solet, Ponyo, Rachel Blanchard, Rachel McAdams, Robert Schwentke, Robert Stone, ron livingston, Rusty Schweickart, Samantha Ferris, Sebastian Stan, Serge Houd, Sharlto Copley, Sonia Rockwell, Spread, Stephanie Mills, Stephen Park, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stewart Brand, Stewart Udall, The Edge, The Goods, Time Traveler's Wife, Tina Fey, Todd Graff, Vanessa Hudgens, Ving Rhames

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Aug 12 2009

ABC Fall 2009 Schedule

Category: News,TV — velveetahead @ 12:40 pm

I did a breakdown on NBC, CBS and FOX back in May. Then I got distracted. I’m finally finishing the list this week! A breakdown on what’s new, gone and changing each night of the week on ABC come Fall 2009:

Monday

castle32

ABC is keeping Monday night the same with two hours of Dancing With the Stars followed by midseason hit, Castle. When Dancing finishes, it’ll be replaced with the show that won’t die, The Bachelor.

Continue reading “ABC Fall 2009 Schedule”

Tags: 20/20, abc, America's Funniest Videos, Anthony Carrigan, Ariel Winter, Ashley Benson, Atticus Shaffer, bachelor, Better Off Ted, Bill Lawrence, Bob Stephenson, Brian F. O'Byrne, Brian Van Holt, brothers and sisters, Busy Philipps, Castle, Charlie McDermott, Chris Kattan, Christa Miller, christian slater, Christine Woods, Cougar Town, Courtney B. Vance, Courtney Cox, Cupid, Dan Byrd, dancing with the stars, David Koechner, desperate housewives, dirty sexy money, Eastwick, Ed O'Neill, Eden Sher, eli stone, Eric Stonestreet, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Flash Forward, grey's anatomy, Hank, Heather Stephens, Ian Gomez, Jamie Ray Newman, jerry bruckheimer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, johann urb, John Cho, John Updike, jon bernthal, joseph fiennes, Josh Hopkins, Julie Bowen, Kelsey Grammar, life on mars, lindsay price, Macey Cruthird, Melinda McGraw, Michelle Borth, Modern Family, Neil Flynn, Nicole Kirby, Nolan Gould, Patricia Heaton, Paul Gross, private practice, pushing daisies, Rebecca Romijn, Rico Ridriguez, Rochelle Aytes., Ryan Wynott, Sara Rue, Sarah Hyland, scrubs, Shark Tank, Sofia Vergara, Sonya Walger, supernanny, The Forgotten, The Middle, The Unusuals, Ty Burrell, ugly betty, Veronica Cartwright, Zacharay Knighton

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Aug 10 2009

Adventureland

Category: 2009 Reviews,Movies,Reviews — velveetahead @ 11:00 am

adventureland

In 1987, James (Jesse Eisenberg) graduated college with dreams of traveling around Europe before heading to Columbia in the fall for grad school. Then he got the news from his parents that his father had been demoted. They had no money for the trip or to help him out with school or rent in the fall. James was stuck in Pittsburgh for the summer, looking for a job that could help pay for something in New York City. He soon found out that with a degree in Comparative Literature, he wasn’t really qualified for much of anything except working at the theme park, Adventureland. They really didn’t need any kind of experience. He got the job just by showing up and saying he wanted a job. That’s where he met Bobby (Bill Hader) and Paulette (Kristen Wiig), the park owners, who are pretty funny and I wished had been used a bit more in the film.

Continue reading “Adventureland”

Tags: Adventureland, Bill Hader, Greg Mottola, Jack Gilpin, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva, Martin Starr, ryan reynolds, Sue O'Malley, Wendie Malick

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Aug 09 2009

TV: Week of August 10th

Category: TV,Upcoming — velveetahead @ 1:05 pm

It doesn’t premiere until next Sunday, but hopefully that’ll give people time to catch up on the first two seasons of Mad Men before the third season begins.

Season Finales: Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Obsessed, NYC Prep, Better Off Ted, The Philanthropist, Easy Money

Pick of the Week

madmen

Mad Men
Channel: AMC
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Bryan Batt, Robert Morse, Mark Moses, Joel Murray, Colin Hanks, Alison Brie, Anne Dudek, Maggie Siff, Rosemarie DeWitt, Darby Stanchfield, Peyton List, Melinda McGraw
Premieres: Sunday, August 16
Trailer

Synopsis: The show has been tight-lipped about what will happen in the third season, including if it’ll pick up where the last season ended or if it’ll skip years like it did between the first two seasons. I’m sure it’ll include more smoking, fabulous clothes, and drinking at work.

My Take: It is a show where you have to pay attention to it and possibly watch an episode more than once to catch everything, but I love it. Plus, did I mention the drinking at work?

Tags: Aaron Staton, Alison Brie, Anne Dudek, Bryan Batt, Christina Hendricks, colin hanks, Darby Stanchfield, elisabeth moss, January Jones, Joel Murray, John Slattery, Jon Hamm, mad men, Maggie Siff, Mark Moses, Melinda McGraw, Michael Gladis, Peyton List, Rich Sommer, Robert Morse, Rosemarie DeWitt, Vincent Kartheiser

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Aug 08 2009

MWG: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Category: 1990s,Movie Watching Group,Movies,Reviews — velveetahead @ 8:49 pm

July was Jer’s pick for the Movie Watching Group (MWG). He waited until August 1st to make his pick and then I forgot to post about it until now. He picked one of his favorite movies since he hadn’t seen it in a while so this was a good reason to make others see it too.

rosencrantzandguildensternaredead

Netflix Synopsis: Director Tom Stoppard turns William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” topsy-turvy in this witty, existential puzzle box, presenting the play from the view of trivial characters Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth). Beckoned to find the cause of the Danish prince’s malaise, the duo strolls into the midst of the royal intrigue. But with no memory of Hamlet (or anything else), they’re mystified by their mission — and oblivious to their fate.

RT Score: 69%

Watch it and come back here to review it!

Tags: Gary Oldman, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, tim roth, Tom Stoppard, William Shakespeare

Comments (3)

Aug 07 2009

Movies Opening August 7

Category: 2009 Movies,Movies,Opening — velveetahead @ 4:55 pm

There are movies about fighting Cobralalala, cooking yummy food, and vacations gone completely, horribly wrong. In the limited releases, Cold Soul is Certified Fresh and might be the oddest movie in the bunch, even weirder than the corpse robbers who like to steal the undead in I Sell the Dead. There is also the partial documentary about finding love that has a lot of cameos of the Apatow crew. Finally, there is the movie with the “realistic” acting that looks so unnatural to me that it drives me crazy.

Nationwide Releases

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Julie & Julia
Perfect Getaway

gijoe

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Directed: Stephen Sommers
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ray Park, Christopher Eccleston, Brendan Fraser, Rachel Nicols, Jonathan Prayce, Arnold Vosloo, Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Karolina Kurkova, Byung-hun Lee
Trailer

Synopsis: A movie based on Hasbro toys where American soldiers need to fight the big evil Cobra.

My Take: It looks big, fun and dumb.

RT Score: 37%
RT Consensus: While fans of the Hasbro toy franchise may revel in a bit of nostalgia, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is largely a cartoonish, over-the-top action fest propelled by silly writing, inconsistent visual effects, and merely passable performances.

Continue reading “Movies Opening August 7″

Tags: Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, Alex Karpovsky, amy adams, Andrew Bujalski, Anne Dodge, Arnold Vosloo, Beeswax, Brendan Fraser, Byung-hun Lee, Channing Tatum, Charlyne Yi, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Messina, christopher eccleston, Christy Moore, Cold Souls, Dana Korzun, david strathairn, David Twohy, Dennis Quaid, Dominic Monaghan, emily watson, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Glenn McQuaid, I Sell the Dead, Jake Johnson, Janet Pierson, Jonathan Prayce, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julie & Julia, Karolina Kurkova, Katheryn Winnick, Katy O'Connor, Kiele Sanchez, Larry Fessenden, lauren ambrose, Linda Emond, Maggie Hatcher, Marley Shelton, Marlon Wayans, meryl streep, michael cera, Milla Jovovich, Nicholas Jasenovec, Nora Ephron, Paper Heart, paul giamatti, Perfect Getaway, Rachel Nicols, Ray Park, ron perlman, Said Taghmaoui, Sienna Miller, Sophie Barthes, Stanley Tucci, Stephen Sommers, steve zahn, Tilly Hatcher, timothy olyphant

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Aug 03 2009

Herb Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes & Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus

Category: Food,Recipes — velveetahead @ 9:11 pm

goatcheesepancetta

Both of these recipes were stolen and tweaked from Food & Wine magazine.

Continue reading “Herb Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes & Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus”

Tags: asparagus, goat cheese, pancetta, tomato

Comments (8)

Aug 02 2009

TV: Week of August 3

Category: TV,Upcoming — velveetahead @ 10:34 pm

Cable is the best place for new shows this upcoming week with Psych & Monk on USA and Skins on BBC America. The sad reality shows are on the network channels.

Season Finale: The Superstars, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, So You Think You Can Dance, Burn Notice, Surviving Suburbia, The Goode Family, Dirty Sexy Money, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, In Plain Sight

Pick of the Week

psych

Psych
Channel: USA
Time: 10/9c
Starring: James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson
Premieres: Friday, August 7
Trailer

Synopsis: Shawn & Gus solve more crimes as “psychic detectives”.

My Take: It is consistently one of the funniest shows on tv with great chemistry between the cast.

Continue reading “TV: Week of August 3″

Tags: Barbara Corcoran, Corbin Bernsen, Daymond John, Dule Hill, Emmy Clarke, Hector Elizondo, James Cook, James Roday, Jason Gray-Standord, Kathryn Prescott, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin Harrington, Kevin O'Leary, Kirsten Nelson, Lily Loveless, Lisa Backwell, Luke Pasqualino, Maggie Lawson, Megan Prescott, Merveille Lukeba, monk, Ollie Barbieri, psych, regis philbin, Robert Herjavec, Shark Tank, skins, Ted Levine, There Goes the Neighborhood, Tim Omundson, Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?