TV Update Jan 2013

So since I'm into so many different shows right now I don't think I can review just one.  Some shows I'm just starting and others I'm trying to finish...so this post is more about the stuff I'm currently watching.  All of it at once...yep I have an addiction ;)

First is Alias.  I've been watching this show for a few weeks now and it's ok.  Not my favorite and definitely won't be re-watching episodes but interesting enough to keep me coming back.  The auto start of the next episode feature on Netflix doesn't hurt either.  So far 3 stars.

Then there's Hart of Dixie on the CW.  Normally I'm not a fan of the CW but this show is kinda awesome.  It's about a doctor from NY that goes to practice in Alabama.  I can TOTALLY relate because I moved from NY to Indiana for college and I feel like I'm in the same boat as the main character a lot.  And she's hilarious.  I love a character who has a witty comeback for everything!  4 stars.

Also on the CW is The Carrie Diaries.  I can't decide if I like the prequel to Sex and the City or not but so far so good.  There are only 3 episodes out so this 'review' is very early on.  The characters are ok but I LOVE the 80s fashion and music.  This is one to watch for now...3 stars.

Pretty Little Liars.  I have been with this show from the beginning and it is just slow enough to be in the 3rd season and I STILL don't know who killed Ali.  We know two people on the A team but that's it.  My favorite couple just broke up though so I might have to struggle through the rest of this season :P As of this moment 3 stars.

Bunheads is my FAVORITE show to watch right now.  Every episode has something hilarious and something that causes drama and something that messes with every main character.  And of course the singing/dancing doesn't hurt either when the main character is Tony award winning Sutton Foster!  Have I mentioned my obsession with her?  Cuz I now have a huge Broadway playlist on my iPod that I cannot stop listening to. 5 stars!

The Biggest Loser is a show that I love to watch.  Not for motivation or because it's good tv, but mainly because I like to eat while I watch it.  Awful I know, but there's something about eating ice cream while a bunch of overweight people pass out.  2 stars, this show is more of background noise than watchable tv.

Lost Girl I have already mentioned in an earlier post but I still LOVE this show!!!  Every character has an element and even the new character is amazing! I love to hate her!!!  Plus all the drama that's going on with Kenzi is making me anxious for the next episode!! 5 stars :DDDD

How I Met Your Mother is also a really good show.  This is something I watch with all my friends (virtually unfortunately) and we all can't wait to find out who the mother is!!  Granted this is THE longest story in history but it's still awesome.  Five years later, I pretty much know nothing about the mother, but I'm still as interested as season 1.  4 stars because I'm still waiting for the new Robin Sparkles episode.

I'm not sure if Leverage counts because it got cancelled a few weeks ago but I still watch repeats everyday.  This is the only show I can watch and re-watch over and over again and not get bored.  I know most of the dialogue for the pilot but I still love everything about it.  I've even picked up a few tricks!  I can now officially pick pocket someone without them noticing! 5 stars forever and for always!!

Those are all the shows I'm watching right now and for the most part they're pretty interesting.  I left out some occasional reality shows but these are the ones I watch on a pretty regular basis.  Full reviews to come soon!

Lost Girl (2010-present)

Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.

OMG WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!

There's sex, violence, sarcasm, more sex, mysterious ancient creatures, MORE sex...you get the idea ;)

So this is Canadian 'late night' tv.  They show more than I'm used to in terms of steamy scenes and I'm not usually into that kind of thing but it actually works for this show.  And well the main character is a succubus so it's hard to avoid the sex subject.

Bo is the main character (I'll admit, I LOVE everything about this show except her name...Bo, really?) and she has been on the run since she was 18 and killed her first love.  While in the place where the show takes place (I have no idea where...somewhere in Canada?) she meets Kenzi, a runaway and Bo's self-proclaimed human protector. Together they start a PI business and help the cops solve some cases.

Bo has some love triangles on the side which complicates things and she learns her true heritage.

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SHOW!  Seriously I'm addicted.  I started watching it last week and I'm already done with seasons 1 and 2.  Season 3 is currently airing on SyFy and I am proud to say I'm up to date (even without a tv).

And then there's the acting.  Anna Silk plays Bo and I'm pretty sure I have the BIGGEST girl crush on her.  The acting between her and Kenzi is so organic and hilarious it reminds me of my relationship with my sister.

So if I haven't stressed this enough...WATCH THIS SHOW!!!!!!!

I know it's on a 'no-name' network and it has a bunch of 'no-name' actors but it is seriously worth your time.  5 billion stars!!!!!

Touch Series by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help—but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

This book series was just disappointing.  That's it.  I loved this author before I picked up this series and now I just feel empty inside.

Camelia is the most boring character in the world.  She is so self-centered and the entire book is from her point of view so you don't really get to know anything around her.  Her friends are mysteries and her mom is vegan (that's about as much detail as you get)...oh and she and her dad make lots of runs to Taco Bell.

I did like the end of the first book, Deadly Little Secret, hence the summary at the top.  But I decided to include all three books in this review because they were all the same.  If it was a single book I would have been satisfied and moved on.  But it wasn't so I didn't.

Once the Ben/Camelia ship has sailed they have to bring a new guy into the mix to heat stuff up again.  Seriously I realized authors get paid on commission but one was ENOUGH.  The template was the same, the characters were the same and even the love scenario was the...you guessed it...same!!!

To be honest I got half way through the last book and decided to call it quits.  Classes have started up again so I don't have as much time to read as I did before.  I think the fact that I had no motivation to read how the series ends explains to you how poorly executed this concept was.

And this is all coming from a reader who worshiped this author a few years ago when I read the Blue is for Nightmares series.

Overall, don't waste your time.  If you need to satisfy your curiosity then stop after the first one.  Seriously stop.  You will think there's hope, that now the second one couldn't be that awful, especially after the first ending.  But trust me, it's worse.  Just stop.

3 stars because I used to love this author and she gave me enough motivation to finish 2.5 books.

Burlesque (2010)

A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.

This movie was alright.  Not the musical I wanted it to be and not the small-town-girl-turned-stripper movie either.  Essentially this movie was just Christina Aguilera showing off.

There was no plot line.  The characters were never developed.  This movie lacked a soul.  By the end I was grateful for the credits and that's when you KNOW a movie is horrible.

This movie was so bland and average that I have nothing else to say about it.  I would recap the plot, but there wasn't one.  They tried to create conflict but it didn't work out because the main character always made the right choice.

Granted Aguilera is a great singer/dancer/performer, but acting is not her forte.  I will appreciate her from the comfort of my car radio, nothing further.

Overall, don't bother watching this movie.  There's nothing to see...really.  2 stars because I wanted so much out of this movie but was extremely disappointed.  One positive note?  The soundtrack.

Les Miserables (2012)

In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

A-FREAKIN-MAZING!!!  This movie was everything I thought it would be and more.  Granted, it was a little long but so worth the butt muscle pain.

It was kind of a given that I was gonna cry like a baby through the whole movie (I cried listening to the soundtrack) but still every scene was pure gold.  The acting was stellar and the live singing made everything that much MORE awesome.

So if you don't know the story...

Jean Valjean receives his freedom from French prison.  He was arrested for stealing bread and trying to run from the [insert French word for cops here].  Before he leaves he is threatened by Javert, a man who takes his threats seriously.  He tries to find work but no one will hire a convict until he finds shelter in a church.  He steals most of their silver and tries to escape in the night but gets caught. The priest insists that the silver was a gift so he doesn't get arrested. From this point on he decides to be a better person and help out whoever he can.

Years later he becomes the mayor of a small town under a new name (he renounced his old name) and inadvertently gets a mother fired (Fantine).  Javert turns out to be the new head-cop-guy for this town and begins to recognize Valjean.

Fantine ends up dead after losing her job and a series of unfortunate events.  Valjean is by her bedside and promises to protect her daughter, Cosette.

He and Cosette run from Javert for a while and the French Revolution is beginning to take shape. Cosette falls in 'love' (the kind where you look at each other for a minute and decide that you have to be together).  Valjean makes sure this super special guy survives the revolution to take care of Cosette.

Some side stuff happens and then Valjean dies a happy old man. Sort of.

But anyway GREAT movie, especially if you ignore the revolution stuff.  France just fails when it comes to fighting/revolting.  I think if you include all the backstory mentioned in the movie they revolted and failed at least 3 times.  Just a word of advice...you guys should probly plan a little more before starting an uprising.

Other than that, I give this movie the full 5 stars.  I'm gonna buy it when it comes out on DVD and the soundtrack and probly some posters too :)  Hands down you HAVE to see this movie!