General TV

The timing of tonight’s episode of HBO’s VICE couldn’t be more relevant after Trump and his administration withdrew transgender bathrooom protections. The episode explores transgender youth and their families and how early the medical transition process begins for trans children. Gianna Toboni explores this emotionally charged and rapidly evolving issue with trans youth and their parents in the midst of that intense process.

The episode airs tonight on HBO at 11pm and will stream from Saturday, March 4th at 10:30AM EST for two weeks.

Watch the clip below:

vinyl canceled

Did you hear that record scratch? That’s the sound of HBO scrapping plans for Vinyl season 2.

vinyl canceled

You may recall that back in February HBO renewed the ’70s rock series after its two-hour premiere, much to the chagrin of disappointed viewers who thought this was going to be the next big HBO phenomenon. While most pilot episodes are pretty rough and can be forgiven, Vinyl never got much better beyond that introduction, especially since that first episode delivers hands-down the most hilarious scene of the year.

Vinyl‘s scatterbrained plot could be what did it in. You could tell that it wanted to be Mad Men with its suave, charismatic lead (Bobby Cannavale), female secondary desperate for power (Juno Temple), and hot wife given nothing to do (Olivia Wilde). But whereas Mad Men weaved in mystery with advertising, Vinyl threw everything against the wall to see what would stick.

vinyl canceled

You want murder? There’s that (see: most hilarious scene of the year). Cool cameos from rock legends that look NOTHING like the real-life icons? There’s that, too (see: Led Zeppelin). Stream-of-consciousness scenes that are supposed to tell us what Richie Finestra (Cannavale) is thinking? Well, I don’t know if anyone asked for that, but Vinyl has it. Don’t adjust your DVRs. There really is a woman playing the tambourine in that pilot episode (believe me, I watched it four times), and no, she’s not connected to the plot. She’s supposed to be the audience’s emotional touchstone to Richie, but she ends up just serving as a nice little interlude between coke binges.

With Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger on as producers, this show had so much going for it by name alone. And then with Terence Winter, the executive producer behind Boardwalk Empire and *gulp* The friggin’ Sopranos, HBO probably thought they had a hit on their hands. But alas, Vinyl was meant to be a one-hit wonder.

So, goodbye, Vinyl. May you enjoy living in HBO’s attic in a box next to John from Cincinnati and How to Make it in America.

abc the catch

Megan doesn’t like The Catch, but she can’t look away.

On paper, ABC’s The Catch has all of the elements of a great show.

One, it’s produced by Shonda Rhimes. Two, its plot has so much potential for sexy fun with a luminous private investigator (Mireille Enos, The Killing) tailing the fiance (Peter Krause, Six Feet Under) who stole millions from her.  And three, it’s created by Kate Atkinson whose book Life After Life left Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn dumbfounded, “There aren’t enough breathless adjectives to describe LIFE AFTER LIFE: Dazzling, witty, moving, joyful, mournful, profound.”

But easier said than done.

The Catch may be nestled in the Thank God It’s Thursday lineup, but it could just as easily be on a Tuesday. Or maybe even *gulp* a Friday.

What could be a post-feminism show about a woman getting revenge on the man that did her wrong ends up being about a mopey Mrs. Magoo-esque P.I. who’s frankly just not very good at her job. From the very first episode, we learn that Alice Vaughn (Enos) just got engaged to “Christopher” (Krause), and that she’s on the trail of the never-seen Mr. X (who also just happens to be “Christopher”). Mr. X is milling about a Los Angeles plaza, right in the open, but Alice never sees him. He even walks by her in a baseball cap and sunglasses (master of disguise).

A more accurate title for this show would be “The Catfish” because that appears to be EXACTLY what “Christopher” is doing to Alice. Yeah, you feel bad for her for about 15 minutes in “The Pilot,” until you learn that she’s kind of an idiot. Instead of paying attention to important Mr. X news at work, she gets caught in a daydream before exclaiming, “Christopher asked me to elope!” Women, huh? They don’t think about anything but men!

And Christopher’s marriage “proposal” isn’t actually a proposal. It’s the kind of exchange you’d cringe at if one of your girlfriends told you about it over drinks (“Alice, you in danger, girl“).

 

CHRISTOPHER

You ever want to get married?

ALICE

Yeah. In theory. I guess I just never met the right guy.

CHRISTOPHER

I’ll try not to take that personally.

ALICE

I wasn’t talking about you.

CHRISTOPHER

So if I were the right guy, you would marry me?

ALICE

No.

CHRISTOPHER

You wouldn’t?

ALICE

No, that’s not what I’m saying. What about you?

CHRISTOPHER

What about me?

ALICE

Would you?

CHRISTOPHER

Would I what?

ALICE

Marry me?

CHRISTOPHER

Did you just ask me to marry you?

ALICE

I guess. I’m sorry.

CHRISTOPHER

That’s all right. I just want to think about it.

 

After this flashback to the proposal, Alice exclaims to her colleagues, “I proposed to myself!” Yeah, duh! And over frozen yogurt in the park just like you always imagined it. And even worse, this bitch is so enamored with herself that she failed to see that in all the photos of her and Christopher, he’s CLEARLY covering up his face. So when she goes to track him, she doesn’t have a face to go on!

After Christopher goes missing with her millions in the pilot, the rest of the episode tries to explain why she’s still smart even though she was duped… like it could happen to anyone.

And yet, with virtually no training, just intuition, I feel like I am a better private investigator than her.

In the third episode titled “The Trial,” the crew has to go undercover at a lab in order to figure out why a particular drug trial is producing adverse side effects on multiple sclerosis patients. Just as Alice is about to be administered the drug, at the last second, she pulls out the IV, grabs it, and takes it to be tested. But then, as she’s leaving, the doctor says, “Don’t forget to take your orange juice.” While watching it, I thought, “Don’t do it. That’s probably how patients are receiving these side effects.” Whatdoyouknow, yes! Alice drinks it and starts experiencing blindness and loss of hand-eye coordination.

Also in this episode, in a flashback, Alice mistakes cute couple conversation for yet another marriage proposal.

 

CHRISTOPHER

How long have those two been married?

ALICE

Almost ten years.

CHRISTOPHER

If that’s what ten years of marriage looks like, I’ll take it.

ALICE

I’m sorry. Did you just agree to marry me?

CHRISTOPHER

I think I did.

 

Hmmm. No, he technically didn’t. He was just commenting that he hoped he looked that good after 10 years of marriage. You were never mentioned.

Alice reads into everything except real concrete details. Like don’t consume ANYTHING at a dangerous drug trial and then get in a car and go after your ex at a bar. This will only result in embarrassment (and it does).

So. . .why am I still watching this show?

Well, there’s something to be said about schadenfreude. Given that the premise of the show is that Alice is trying to catch her ex, you know she’s not going to do it any time soon. Otherwise, the show would not exist. It’s fun watching her fail and miss him, again and again, and even more so, the flashbacks that give all of the hints that he’s probably a skeez (you mean to tell me the ever-astute P.I. never flipped through her photos of him and wondered why HIS FACE WAS NEVER LOOKING AT THE CAMERA?).

I guess I watch because if I were Alice’s friend, we would have solved this issue months ago.

 

MEGAN

Do you ever notice how he always turns your conversations around?

ALICE

Hmmm. How so?

MEGAN

Well, you keep proposing to him. He never proposes to you.

ALICE

Whoah. I’ve been a private investigator for decades but never noticed that. You may be on to something.

MEGAN

Also, in all of your Facebook pics, he’s never looking at the camera.

ALICE

No shit. What do you make of that?

MEGAN

Probably has a wife and kids he doesn’t want you to know about.

(Beat.)

Did you also ever notice that he dresses like a ventriloquist without a dummy?

OK. So maybe I’m wrong with my wife-and-kids hypothesis, but I would have saved her MILLIONS of dollars.

What do you think of The Catch? Are you syncing with Megan’s thoughts? Are you hate-watching too? Sound off in the comments below!

Angie Tribeca

TBS will debut their new cop comedy, Angie Tribeca, this weekend in a most peculiar and unprecedented fashion. Instead of putting the entire season on Netflix or Hulu, the network has decided to air the first 10 episodes commercial free for 25 straight hours. I was contacted online by the awesome social media team from the show, and they sent me a totally badass box full of goodies to help me get through the episodes! Color me lucky!

Angie Tribeca

I was super anxious to see what was inside that I opened it on the kitchen floor (you know, like a fool). It was a particularly rainy day, so the box was pretty soaked when I got it. Thanks FedEx for leaving it in an actual puddle, by the way. The delivery service can’t be entirely to blame, though. From what I understand, the majority of apartments in South Florida have open designs, so I’m going to blame this one on the Sunshine State itself.

Angie Tribeca

The first thing to greet me was a letter from Angie Tribeca herself. If the show is similar in tone, I feel like I’m going to love it. She explains everything that she lovingly packed in this binge box. Angie knows that she’s asking a lot from her viewers, so she wants to make sure they are comfy while they tune in this weekend (it starts at 9 PM on Sunday night, by the way).

Angie Tribeca

I’ve never received something from an actual show, but this box is pretty sweet. Angie (we’re on a first name basis, just so you know) sent me the following swag:

  • A pack of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
  • An Angie Tribeca mug to drink it from (she’s sensible, obvi!)
  • A temporary tattoo to showcase my immediate (and permanent) love
  • An adult diaper so I won’t have to miss a single moment
  • An actual $20 giftcard. Consider pizza ordered!
  • Eyedrops to keep my eyes open in the wee hours

But want to know the best thing? The coziest and, in my opinion, snuggliest thing in this box has to be this bad boy:

Angie Tribeca

Ohhhh, yes! Be jealous of my Angie Tribeca fleece! I can confirm that it’s soft and cuddly in all the right ways. Even after this binge is over, I’m sure I will fall asleep draped in dreams of Rashida Jones.

Angie Tribeca debuts its 25-hour binge Sunday, January 17th at 9PM.

Hairspray

Following the major success of last season’s The Wiz Live!, NBC has announced that their next live musical presentation is going to be none other than the hair-tastic Hairspray. I’m telling you now that this is going to be a ratings behemoth.

Hairspray is an interesting animal simply because of its production history. John Waters directed the cult classic film in 1988, and then it became a hit Broadway musical in 2002. It cleaned up at the Tony Awards that year (collecting 8 including Best Musical), and then was turned into a critically acclaimed movie musical in 2007. The second film adaptation was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and an Outstanding Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award.Hairspray

So why is Hairspray a great choice for NBC? Unlike the grittier Waters original, the musical adaptation is one of the cheeriest musicals of the last 10 years, and its singable score invades your brain for days to come. Tracy Turnblad is a lovable leading lady, and she’s one of the only chubby characters to snag the stud of  any musical. The show has a squeaky clean message of tolerance and accepting others, so that will be gold for NBC to capitalize on. The cast is also massive, so NBC could parade a nice sized group of musical all-stars for this show.

The question now is who will star as the pint-sized girl who wants to change the world? Any suggestions?

The Office

The final day of the ADTV Advent Calendar takes us back across the water to the States from England, where The Office was first created by Ricky Gervais. Steve Carell and co found their feet rather quickly with the remake and made it their own to a large extent – one of the most-loved TV shows in our house. With it came a fine selection of Christmas related moments to choose from. Spoiled for choice, then, I opted for the classic rivalry between Angela’s Christmas party and then Pam and Karen’s apparently way more fun party. The quick-witted comedy banter back-and-forth between characters was a massive part of The Office‘s charm and success before it literally lost the plot somewhat in its final season. As Angela consults Dwight over the phone at the restaurant we are reminded of further great moments from that scene – not featured in the following clips. That’s right, plural, there are two videos for you today. Don’t ever say I don’t spoil you. Merry Christmas everyone.

All I Want for Christmas Is You (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon)

Jimmy Fallon and the Roots rejigging a popular song with basic instruments is just one of the various antics on The Tonight Show. This Christmas jingle is a winner on all counts (I have re-watched it numerous times), somehow fetching some kind of raw harmonies with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” – a hell of a lot of fun regardless of how much you are sick of that song or how much of a Mariah Carey fan you are. Or was. Best wishes one and all.

Publix Christmas Commercial 2013 (Publix)

We’ve done a lot of Christmas commercials during our AwardsDaily TV Advent calendar, and here’s another one! This one, though, is guaranteed to make the eyes of any parent – particularly the parent of a precocious little girl – glaze over with tears. See, folks, it’s all about expectations here, and to say anything else would ruin the magic of this sweet little confection. The video here isn’t great (it’s captured from someone’s television), but it’s decent enough for the message to seep through. Is it manipulative? Absolutely. Does it earn your tears? Every bit.

Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris has died over at NBC. There will be no service, nor there much sympathy from this writer, because I was never a fan of this attempt to revive the variety series. On paper this looked like a surefire hit. Neil Patrick Harris can sing and dance his way out of a paper bag, but this might have been too tricky for the Emmy winner to handle. He can revive a Broadway rock musical, but it appears the Twitter generation isn’t interested in a revival of a somewhat traditional variety show.

My love for NPH used to be very strong. Friends know why I have fallen out of love with Mr. Harris (I won’t go into it), but he’s a consistent television hosting presence. The variety show is a long dead and underappreciated medium. For those who have entertainment ADD, the variety show is a perfect way to spend 44 minutes. There’s singing! There’s sketch comedy! Want a dance number? Sure, we can do that!

If you’re still skeptical after all that potential content, Best Time Ever boasted a bevy of celebrity guest stars. Imagine my surprise when Reese Witherspoon showed up as the weekly celebrity announcer in the pilot episode. This Oscar-winner was clearly looking to have a good time in between prestige film projects, but that’s when I noticed something. Best Time Ever is all about Neil Patrick Harris. I get it—he’s the host, but it always felt like he was slightly shoving his celebrity in your face. The show was like being invited to a birthday pool party—except you had to spend the entire time watching the birthday boy jump off the high dive and applaud while doing so.

Surely, Mr. Harris was looking to bring a new experience to the small screen, but, alas, it didn’t work. It was too jumbled and undefined. There were moments where he brought “regular people” up on stage, and revealed to them that he had been following them around for days. Don’t worry. It’s not stalking when it’s all for good fun—and pitiful ratings. This should have been joyous, raucous and fun. Instead it was awkward and self-serving. I’ve had a better time at Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.

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