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Men of a Certain Age starring Ray Romano, Scott Bakula & Andre Braugher

Posted on December 17, 2010 Written by ripitup

Men of a Certain Age starring Ray Romano, Scott Bakula & , Andre Braugher.

Joe (Ray Romano), Terry (Scott Bakula) and Owen (Andre Braugher) have been friends for a long time. Now pushing 50, they are at different crossroads in their lives:

Joe’s wife Sonia (Penelope Ann Miller) has left him and taken their two kids Lucy (Brittany Curran) and Albert (Braeden Lemasters). Joe stays in a hotel and is not exactly over his wife, so he likes to pretend that they might eventually get back together. His party-supplies shop is doing well, despite his fondness for betting on sports games.

Terry is an actor who hasn’t quite made it, so he is working at an office job. He is living the bachelor life – he keeps fit, dates 25-year-olds and can’t get around his head around Owen’s problems, who seems to detest his job as a car salesman.

Owen is working for his father (Richard Gant)’s car dealership company and he is miserable. Forget any nepotism. His father is being the hardest on him and the sales numbers come before family. Owen doesn’t like his working conditions but there’s not much he can do since he and his wife Melissa (Lisa Gay Hamilton) have three kids and just renovated the house.

These men meet quite often, chat about their lives, problems and relationships, while also trying to go hiking in the morning.

Men of a Certain Age was created by Ray Romano and Mike Royce. Romano is no stranger to our TV screens. His sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond – went on for 9 successful seasons (1996-2005). I had first found Everybody Loves Raymond a little too familiar and a little too ordinary at first. But as I watched more episodes, it grew on me. And there were some very hilarious episodes.

Men of a Certain Age takes a different turn. It is not a 20-minute sitcom but a 40-minute comedy/drama. There are some laughs, but the show is more concerned about putting a smile on your face with bittersweet moments rather than consequent hilarity.

It’s refreshing to see Romano in a more lifelike role. OK, so his Ray Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond was very real but it was all laughs and the characters in Men of a Certain Age have more problems than just crazy parents and in-laws.

I enjoyed watching the first couple of episodes, despite not exactly being in the target audience. And while not being a guy of a certain age is won’t necessarily stop you from enjoying the show, it might make you relate much less.

If you are not a big fan of Ray Romano, bittersweet comedy or too life-like situations, I’d suggest watching this show in the background. It is a little slow, but has some very decent moments. Frankly, I’d rather watch this show than Ed O’Neill’s hit comedy Modern Family.

Men of a Certain Age is currently rated 8.2 on IMDB. 6.5 from me.

Fallen Mini-Series starring Paul Wesley

Posted on December 16, 2010 Written by ripitup

Fallen was shot as a TV movie in 2006, also starring Paul Wesley. The movie’s plot was continued as a 3-part mini-series in 2007, each episode lasting about 80 minutes. Paul Wesley plays Aaron Corbett, a half-angel, half-human hybrid.

The first episode of Fallen also features some of the other cast members, in addition to Paul Wesley – Alex Ferris, Chelah Horsdal and Russell Porter.

I don’t know what happens exactly in the movie, but the series is good enough even if you haven’t seen the film. I know I haven’t. The series provide enough background info.

The Plot

Aaron Corbett (Paul Wesley) is a successful high school senior. He is also a good wrestler and he can obtain a wrestling scholarship. He is getting along well with his latest foster parents, Tom and Lori (Russell Porter, Chelah Horsdal) and their problematic biological kid Stevie (Alex Ferris). In fact, Stevie seems to be responding better to Aaron.

However, strange things start happening as Aaron turns 18. He starts hearing voices in his head and he gains the ability to hear what animals are saying. He also starts being able to speak any foreign language at will. He comes up with the only explanation that makes sense – that he is losing his mind.

However as he is tracked down by two separate angels, and told the impossible, he truly feels stuck. He wants no part of being an angel, although he will be left no choice as there Angels after him that want him dead and he needs to protect his family. Being 18 probably never had been that complicated…

The Verdict

The show was shot in 2007, before Paul Wesley got the leading vampire part in the hit series The Vampire Diaries. The Fallen is easily watchable and it has pretty decent effects for a mini-series.

The fight/battle scenes between the angels are pretty glorious and Aaron’s quest to respond to his calling is full of exciting twists and turns.

Paul Wesley does in fact look younger than his actual 25 and he has perfectly captured innocence, angst and frustration as well as pure love.

It goes without saying that The Fallen is recommended for any Paul Wesley fan, as well as the fans of the fantasy/adventure genre.

6.6 on IMDB. 7/10 from me.

Fun note:

It seems like angels and vampires go hand in hand:

Paul Wesley played two leading roles, one as an angel and one as a vampire

Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s David Boreanaz shot to fame playing a vampire named Angel.

All Posts feat. Paul Wesley and his Vampire Diaires character Stefan Salvatore

The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

The Vampire Diaries Salvatore Brothers Poll: Ian Somerhalder’s Damon Salvatore or Paul Wesley’s Stefan?

The Vampire Diaries Cast Trivia Feat. Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig & More

The Vampire Diaries TV Show Entertainment Trivia: Entertainment References of The Vampire Diaries Characters

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters Feat. Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert & Paul Wesley’s Stefan Salvatore

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Michael Trevino’s Tyler, Katerina Graham’s Bonnie & Zach Roerig’s Matt,

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Matthew Davis’ Alaric, Sara Canning’s Jenna, Candice Accola’s Caroline

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Ian Somerhalder’s Damon, Nina Dobrev’s Katherine & Steven R. McQueen’s Jeremy

Fringe starring Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv & John Noble

Posted on December 15, 2010 Written by ripitup

Fringe starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson & John Noble

Pilot Episode

Boston.

FBI Agents Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and John Scott (Mark Valley) are having a secret relationship, as agents in the same unit are discouraged from gettting romantically involved. However one late phone call to a bizarre incident shows that their romance is the least of their problems.

The Passengers have died in the most mysterious circumstances and Homeland Security is also involved in the investigation. It doesn’t help that the agent in charge is Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) is not the biggest fan of Anna.

While Olivia and John chase a lead, John becomes exposed to the same strange material that killed the people on the plane. His tissues thicken and he goes into a coma, giving Anna a limited amount of time to save him. She learns that her best chance is the genius scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) who has been in a mental institution for the past 17 years. Her only access can be through his son Peter (Joshua Jackson), a guy with an IQ about 190 and would rather spend time in Iraq then see his dad…

Olivia manages to get Peter to see Walter and have Peter sign him out. But Walter’s methods seem just as insane as she is. Will she be able to save John? And is the plane incident only the beginning of a series of highly disturbing events?

What’s to Come & Characters

Olivia eventually makes peace with Reddick and tries to come to terms with what John had been keeping from her. Reddick recruits her to investigate similarly weird phenomena that can not be solved without Peter and Walter, so they become a part of this elite team.

Peter doesn’t like his father’s past involvement with this Fringe Science, as every case seems they run across happens to be at least partly Walter’s fault. However he likes working with Anna and ends up getting to know his dad better. He also often finds himself translating his father’s language to Anna and others, as well as using his genius IQ to help matters.

There is a talk of The Pattern and a gigantic corporation called Massive Dynamic, founded by William Bell – a scientist who used to be Walter’s lab partner. Massive Dynamic seems to be behind all Patter- related things. However being a powerful company and ever- playing the helpful party, Olivia finds herself asking help from the woman running the company – Walter’s right arm- Nina Sharp (Blair Brown)…

Creators, Alias & Lost

Fringe TV Series was created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci. If you like this mystery/thriller genre with a sci-fi touch, you probably heard of J.J. Abrams who created the hit series Alias and Lost.

Fringe’s plot differs vastly from the previous shows of course but as a hardcore fan of Alias, I can’t help but noticing some fun similarities. The parallels should probably be the topic of another show but if Massive Dynamic reminded you of SD-6 and Nina Sharp reminded you of Arvin Sloan, we are on the same page: ) )

The Verdict

Creating highly engaging and addictive TV shows is J.J. Abrams’ specialty. And while I wasn’t able to get caught up in the hype of Lost, I enjoyed the show to a certain extent. But I always felt that it lacked the heart of Alias and well, while Alias still remains my favorite, Fringe is a close second.

I didn’t think I’d be interested in fringe science until Fringe started but now I can’t get enough of the episodes. The show comes up with semi-surreal plots that are too realistic to be sci-fi and too fantastic to be realistic.

The characters are interesting and the cast is pretty good. However the stars of this show are the episodes themselves. The show is currently in its 3^rd season.

I really hope J.J. doesn’t lose interest in this one and leaves it hanging as he moves on to greener pastures (shows).

9/10 from me. Rated at 8.8 on IMDB.

Fun Note:

It seems like Anna Torv and Mark Valley really got caught up in playing a couple in love, since they got married in 2008. They are separated now, though.

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Recommended Posts, Movies & Series

Alias Review- TV series created by J.J. Abrams

Forever Young- movie starring Mel Gibson & Elijah Wood- written by J.J. Abrams

Regarding Henry- movie starring Harrison Ford & Annette Bening – written by J.J. Abrams

The Shadow Dancer- romantic drama starring Joshua Jackson, Harvey Keitel & Claire Forlani

Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen & Connie Britton

Posted on December 12, 2010 Written by ripitup

Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, Heather Locklear, Connie Britton, Barry Bostwick & Charlie Sheen

The Plot, Characters and First Episodes

Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) is the Deputy- Mayor of New York City. He is ambitious, hard-working, witty so the often-clueless Mayor Randall Winston (Barry Bostwick) depends on Mike for everything. Mike runs an equally funny group of employees: the introverted and goofy speech writer James (Alexander Chaplin), the always dating Nikki (Connie Britton), goofier, lanky and socially clueless media spokesperson Paul (Richard Kind), and the annoying but harmless Stuart (Alan Ruck).

Mike also manages to squeeze in a serious relationship with the beautiful, ambitious journalist Ashley (Carla Gugino) who gives Paul nightmares. However Mike feels an overwhelming pressure when Ashley talks about letting her apartment go, since they practically live together. Add this to the mayor’s constant goofs and the attack from the leading gay activist Carter (Michael Boatman) and Mike feels at a dead end. But at the end of the day, he always manages to save his own butt, as well the mayor’s. He hires Carter – persuading him that it will be much harder to actually contribute to policies than putting blame and what better job to make the mayor’s life a nightmare?

The team is complete with constant jokes about politics, relationships, friendships, character personalities and sex.

Sense of Humor

Spin City is one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen. I don’t care about politics and I am not even a New Yorker, but the jokes are universally hilarious and the characters are original, as well as highly relatable. The show has the advantage of making fun of the politically incorrect situations, and the goofiness of its characters. No character is perfect and despite Mike’s professional success, he can be equally ridiculous when it comes to his personal life.

Some Early Favorite Lines & Scenes

* Mike feels frustrated in his relationship with Ashley so he asks Carter if gay relationships are easier. Carter says that apart from not having the toilet seat argument, it is just as, maybe even more complicated.

* Mike: (on a formal dinner they are all attending) There are 10 commandments. I’d like your dates to check out on at least 7 of them.

Nikki: (on phone): I didn’t mean to scare you, it was just a simple run of the mill orgasm… (Mike walks up) …Can you hold on a second, Mom?

Mike: Oh, I’ll let you get back to your mom, before she loses her erection

Changes in Cast and the Departure of Michael J. Fox after Season 4

Carla Cugino left after playing in 13 episodes. Connie Britton (Nikki) left after 4 seasons and so did Alexander Chaplin. While some Spin City fans didn’t like the arrival of Heather Locklear in 1999, I didn’t really have problems with that. While she is not the funniest actress around, she suited her character and the comedic timing of the rest of the cast remained perfect. For me, the show got its real and crushing blow after season 4, as Michael J. Fox, the leading character of the show, had to leave due to his progressing Parkinson’s disease. Charlie Sheen took over, playing the new deputy mayor Charlie Crawford.

Charlie’s character lacked Mike’s likability and for me, Charlie Sheen failed as an actor where Michael J. Fox had shone. I never found sheen to be a great actor but he is OK. He is just not my type of funny. I don’t really enjoy his popular comedy Two and a Half Man either. I quit watching Spin City a short time after J. Fox left.

Recommended episodes:

All of the first 4 Seasons! But if you are in some way allergic to Heather Locklear, all of the 3 seasons.

Fun Notes:

* Charlie Sheen was married to actress Denise Richards, who was rumored to have had an affair with Richie Sambora while he was married to Heather Locklear.

* Charlie Sheen is best friends with rocker Bret Michaels. Charlie Sheen’s brother Emilio Estevez is best friends with rocker Jon Bon Jovi.

Also on Spin City

Spin City TV Show Guest Stars Trivia: Amanda Peet, Gabriel Macht, Paula Marshall & Tracy Pollan

Spin City TV Show Guest Stars Trivia: Feat. Jennifer Garner, Kim Raver, Carla Gugino, Christopher Llyod & More

Other Posts on Michael J. Fox

My favorite Canadians: #1 Michael J. Fox

Canadian Celebrity Trivia: Featuring Bryan Adams, Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds and More

Posts on Heather Locklear

10 Celebrity Couple Break-Ups You May Not Have Seen Coming

Charlie Sheen Movies and Posts

The Three Musketeers starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Chris O’ Donnell

Actor Families: Michelle Pfeiffer, Dedee Pfeiffer, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen