Top Ten Bromances in TV History

With Terriers having its finale this week i decided to explore a topic that has become increasingly popular in Television. Hank and Britt are my new favorite bromance but they are hardly the first. Here's a look at my top 10 bromances in TV history:

10. Ed Stevens and Michael Burton- ED- One of the most underrated shows starts our countdown off. Ed and Mike were great friends since childhood but we saw there bromance truly flourish Once Ed moved back to Stuckeyville. When he was not running his bowling ally law firm or pining after Carol Vecesy, Ed was always hanging out with Mike. The staple of their friendship was their assortment of ten dollar bets. Anytime one of them would be the other 10 dollars to do something, the other one did it, no questions asked. When can we get an Ed DVD set already?

9. Bret Mckenzie and Jermaine Clement- Flight of the Concords- They were flatmates in New Zealand, studying film and theatre, before forming Flight of the Concords in 1998. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement hit the TV jackpot with Flight Of The Concords, their New York City-set HBO show in which they play a fictionalized version of themselves. Its clever and very, very funny

8. Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes- Chuck- These two have been friends since they were in the first grade They work at the Buy-More together. Now they are even spies together. Intersect or not the one person that Chuck can always turn to is Morgan. Whether it be handling Jeff and Lester or agents from the Ring trying to take over the world, these guys stick together How many other friendships do you know that can withstand near death experiences every week?

7. Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood- The O.C- Almost were deemed ineligible because they technically were brothers, but ill allow it. Seth was a complete loser and hated his life before the Cohen’s welcomed Ryan into their home. In Ryan, not only did he have someone that had his back now but also had someone that forced him to step out of his comfort zone. In a strange way, Ryan got the same thing. He got someone to talk to and someone who could talk him out of sometimes being reckless (although it did not always work) This is one of the more unlikely bromances but hey, it works

6. Joey Gladstone and Jesse Katsopolis- Full House- Continuing that idea of unlikely pairs we are brought to the two single dudes who lived with another single dude and three little girls. Strange I know. However, if it were not for their circumstances these 2 would have never formed a successful friendship. Their personalities were nothing alike but they had to form a friendship in order to deal with the living situation they were in Bonus points because their bromance eventually led to a successful business partnership.

5. Ted Mosby, Marshall Erickson, Barney Stinson- How I Met Your Mother- Whoa a bromance threesome! I couldn’t pick just two of them to put on here but who says in this day and age that a bromance has to be limited to two people? These three are inseparable and even thought they do get into disagreements from time to time it is usually about which one is closer friends with one of the other ones. I mean come on, Barney even wrote the “Bro Code” so that solidifies their place on this list.

4. Abed Nadir and Troy Barnes- Community- The newest addition to the list. Although they have only been around for a season and a half Troy and Abed already have climbed to almost the top of this list. Whatever adventures they cook up from week to week, they do them together. Only a strong bromance can turn a blanket fort into a whole blanket village.

3. Corey Matthews and Shawn Hunter- Boy Meets World- Friends from middle school to Junior High, to High School and through college. No matter where Corey and Topanga were at in their relationship, there was always Corey and Shawn. They followed a common theme in where one of the friends is kind of a dork and the other is kind of a rebel. As the show changed, Corey's brother Eric became an idiot and Topanga's rack could hold Costco sized products, these two remained a bromance

2. Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani- Friends- It's easy to be just roommates with somebody, but these two were match made in heaven, or really in a room with a bunch of writers. I mean, during the earlier seasons these two were inseparable. When you find one, you'll find the other, whether it'd be watching television, playing foosball, or simply hanging out with their duck and chicken . Another sign of how close they were was in the later seasons where Joey and Chandler have a situation with Chandler's bachelor party and Joey mentions how much he missed this; this being how they would hang out all the time, just  the   two of them, and get into shenanigans, thus they deciding to find a way to make time for each other.

1. John Dorian (J.D) and Christopher Turk- Scrubs- By far the most open Bromance to ever grace our TV screens, these two do not try to hide the fact that they are like a married couple. They have matching bracelets, intimate nicknames for each other, and even have fantasies of running away together. If that was not enough to seal the top spot in our list, they even sing a song together exclaiming their love for each other. The song, appropriately titles “Guy Love” talks about all the ways they are a bromance. “You’re the only man who’s ever been inside of me? I just took out his appendix!”

My Thoughts on Terriers "Quid Pro Quo"

Well our Terriers world just got turned upside down didn’t it? Quid Pro Quo was a reward for people who have been following the series since episode one. Unlike last weeks episode that was heavy in flashbacks and didn’t really require knowledge of previous episodes to enjoy, this episode played on many storylines that have been set up throughout the season and put us on track for what is sure to be one hell of a season finale. But before we get to far ahead of ourselves lets review what went down and we learned from this fantastic hour of television.

Was Britt really helping Zeitlin at one point? I would really like to think that Britt was playing him the whole time in order to find out for himself who the mole inside Zeitlin’s company was. However, as we saw with how he went off the rails last week, I don’t think Britt really thinks that far ahead and it seems like a stretch. Here’s hoping that now that he knows just how awful Zeitlin can be, he’s firmly back in the trenches with Hank. Speaking of Zeitlin, how awesome is Michael Gaston in this role? The man is a TV veteran, but he seems to really excel at playing a sleazy bad guy such as this role and his turn as a hit man in Prison Break. Leave it a scumbag like Zeitlin to try to pave over an entire town. The plan to turn the beautiful town into an airport is a lofty one, however it appears that Zeitlin has the power and resources to do it. He got Councilman Albrecht to change sides so quickly we didn’t even have time to finish being excited that Hank finally had a powerful ally other then Gustafson. Or that is what we are lead to believe. I actually think that he was just putting on a show for the people he was meeting with and he is not in Zeitlin’s pocket but that’s me being an optimist. Either way, it was quite foolish for Hank to part with his only copy of the airport plan, even if he really did believe he was leaving them with an ally.

And boy does Hank really need that ally now more than ever. While his quest to take down Zeitlin’s evil empire was a noble one at first, it was now a personal vendetta. Despite being told by Gretchen that she wanted Hank out of her life, Hank still loves her. By killing Jason, Zeitlin has left Gretchen devastated and if we know Hank, he will stop at nothing to bring the woman he loves justice. We are left feeling for Hank because what seemed like a solid plan to take down a bad guy has exploded in his face in more ways then he can count. With the mole in Zeitlin’s office now dead, and with his only other ally (other than Britt of course) Laura missing in action, Hank is now at his lowest point that we have seen him in the series. That being said things could and probably will get worse. I don’t want to see what happens to Hank when Gretchin find out that Jason was killed because he was trying to help him. What Hank is left with now is his desire for vengeance. Oh yeah, and a whole lot of bad ass weapons!

Quid Pro Quo was essentially a set up episode for the finale. However as far as set up episodes go this one was by far one of the most action packed. We got realtionship advancements and storyline progression while still raising new questions. Is the councilman really a bad guy? Will Gretchen find out about the circumstances of Jason’s murder? Where the hell did Laura go? Hopefully next week is not the last we ever see of Hank and Britt, but if it is, lets hope that we get the answers to these questions and are left with a satisfying conclusion to what has been an amazing ride.

I give this episode a 9 out of 10

My Thoughts on Modern Family "Mother Trucker"

Due to the holiday I was a little delayed in getting to this episode. I was actually thinking about not even reviewing the episode this week but I'm glad I changed my mind. “Mother Trucker” was definitely one of the stronger episodes of the season. I find myself surprised to be saying that because I usually am not very fond of the episodes that involve all three branches of the family being separate for the whole episode. But in this case most of the individual story lines worked.

Lets start with the one that didn’t work so that way we can go out on a positive note. The Jay/Gloria/Manny storyline, while having some good comedic moments, felt really forced and frankly kind of lazy. Almost like they knew they had 2 other good stories and really didn’t know what to do with this branch of the family. Hasn’t the whole idea of WEB MD as a comedy device been done to death already? Sure this was a slightly different take on it, With Gloria being the one refusing t admit that Jay might actually be sick, but it just felt like something we’ve all seen before. On a side note, it seems like every week they have Gloria do something that is not particularly sexy but for some reason it just makes her seem even hotter. Last week it was firing a gun and this week it was popping her shoulder back in to place after the ping pong match.

The Dunphy storyline was definitely much better then it was last week. I have always been a fan of Dylan and really hope that this is not the last we’ve seen of him. Phil is at this best when he is trying to be cool and fit in with the younger crowd. This week was no exception and he delivered on all levels and Dylan’s post break up bro. The storyline also delivered our 2nd really strong emotional moment of the season. The first one of you remember was between Jay and Manny earlier in the season. This one was between Phil and Haley and really showed that as good as Ty Burrell is as being goofy, he can play a loving father when he needs to. One complaint though, where was Luke?

The Cam and Mitchell storyline was played to perfection. They did not go the traditional route in the “spouse hates in-laws” storyline and it was really good to seem them be original in a storyline that could have felt otherwise. Of course Cam’s mom would be so touchy feely but even I was getting uncomfortable at some of the closeness. Celia Weston was the perfect choice to the play the role of Cam’s mom, both from a looks and personality standpoint. Add that in with the fact that Jessie Tyler Ferguson can really play the part of uncomfortably disturbed as good as anyone out there and we were left with what was a truly funny story/

QUICK HITS

“it’s got a very vibrant cowboy poetry scene”

“I’m not loving your color”

“ She wanted her varsity jacket back”

“Sad face emoticon! I can feel his sadness through the phone”

“I wanted you to see her fondling me”

“Show me on lily’s doll where my mother is touching you”

“She squeezes and lingers!”

“I need some time to date Dylan, and I mean myself, not another guy named Dylan”

“Why do I always almost kill my husbands?”

A great bounce back episode for Modern Family. I give it an 8 out 10.

My Thoughts on How I Met Your Mother "Blitzgiving"

Well color me impressed. I did not think that How I Met Your Mother could still put on 3 fantastic episodes in a row, but with “Blitzgiving” they did just that. It had the right mix of cleverness and silliness to really make it a great episode. Throw in a whole lot of Jorge Garcia and you have on satisfied viewer over here.

We see HIMYM go in a familiar direction here, by coining a new word or catch phrase to describe a phenomenon. However, having someone be “The Blitz” was one of the more clever ones of the last couple seasons. We all have the one friend who ducks out early, and in turn always misses something cool that happens. Steve has never been seen in the show before, and we are left to assume that is because he was always checking out early. In one of many clever nods to LOST, the way the curse of the blitz transfers from person to person was very much out of an episode of our favorite island show. All the actions that whoever is designated the blitz misses were a lot of fun as well. I would give anything to see a skateboarding dog! It is very interesting to see where this relationship between Ted and Zoey goes. We know Zoey is not the mother because Ted has already stated that he meets the mother at the wedding that was portrayed in the season premiere. However the writers have done a good job in actually making me care about a relationship Ted is in, even though I know she is not the mother. This is something that they have failed in doing in the past.

And let’s not forget about Barney. As funny as cool, wingman Barney is, Neil Patrick Harris’ best work as the character comes when he is acting like a petulant child. He really gets to shine here as a very whiney Barney; after Barney suddenly becomes the new Blitz. My only complaint in the episode was how annoying Lily has become. I’ve actually grown to start to hate her. Every week she is doing something hypocritical or wildly annoying. If she didn’t bring some funny lines out of Marshall, I would be fine with them writing her off the show.

QUICK HITS

“Quick I need some random number!...4,8,15,16,23,42!”

“Dear Wang Guy, can enemies become friends? Just wondering.”

“I was on that island for what seems like eternity. I’m gonna enjoy things on the other side.”

Everyone is shouting “Dance on the oven!” in the flashback except for Barney, who is shouting “Make out with Zoey!”

When Lily realizes that Reese Witherspoon was not responsible for You, Me and Dupree and announces, “Guys, we hate Kate Hudson,” Barney does not look happy.

One little nitpicking continuity thing: In one of the flashbacks, Blitz says he has to leave because he just picked up Madden 2k1 and he wants to play it. Robin was in this flashback. It was established that Robin did not join the group until 2005.

Another very solid episode, I give it an 8 of 10. THE GENTLEMAN!

My Thoughts on "127 Hours"

RATING: 10 0ut of 10

Interesting story about how I wound up seeing this movie. I found myself with some time on my hands so I decided to go see a movie alone. I love doing this. I feel like that’s the only way you can truly grade a movie is watching it on your own. So I checked out the movie listings and didn’t really see anything that tickled my fancy that worked out time wise. I had settled on seeing the Denzel Washington movie Unstoppable. If anything I thought it would be good for a laugh because I have been laughing at the trailer since it came out. I get to the theater and I see a movie called 127 Hours playing at the same time. I whip out the trusty android phone and watch the trailer for the movie. The trailer was fantastic so I said screw it and saw this movie. Moral of the story is don’t limit yourself to mainstream movies because you never know when you might be missing out on a masterpiece, which is what 127 Hours is.

The movie tells the true story of Aron Ralston, A young man who could be described as somewhat of a daredevil. He loves to rock climb and to explore canyons. Ralston is immediately established as a loner which comes into play later in the story. On one of his canyon adventures, a rock gives way under his weight and he falls down the shallow canyon. This wouldn’t be that big of a problem but the small boulder crushes his arm against the canyon wall and he is stuck there. What we see for the rest of the movie is Ralston’s attempts to survive and escape with limited resources at his disposal.

Ralston in portrayed brilliantly here by James Franco, Franco, who is sure to pick up a best actor nomination for this role, spent a lot of time with the real Aron Ralston in preparation for this movie. Needless to say he nails the part completely. He really portrays every emotion amazingly. Be it fear, desperation, hunger, thirst, or determination, we the audience are able to feel it with Franco every step of the way. Franco has really honed his craft as a veteran actor and at this point can shine in a dramatic role just as much as a comedic one.

Perhaps even more impressive than the performance by Franco was the directing on Danny Boyle. Boyle’s Slumdog Millionare was a huge hit with critics. I was actually in the minority and was not overly impressed with that film. I can not say the same thing about this movie. Every decision that Boyle made ended up working to its fullest potential. The best additions were scenes where Franco was drinking his minimal amount of water. Now, to really show us how much was left, Boyle stuck little cameras inside the water container as Franco drank it. We were able to feel the emptiness of the bottle and feel his thirst. The music in the movie is used brilliantly. There are times where music is played to make you feel the craziness that is setting in, as well as times where true desperation and perseverance set in. Now there is a scene that is fairly difficult to watch. In the end, Ralston is finally able to succeed in the task he had been attempting for a couple days, and that is amputating his own arm with a dull pocket knife. This is definitely a cringe worthy moment and I’m usually not one to enjoy these scenes unless I’m watching one of the Saw movies, but it really helps you feel what Franco as Ralston must have been feeling.

127 Hours is so much more than a story about a person cutting off his own arm to get out of a horrible situation. It’s about us as people. Strip away the Iphones, the Blackberries, the hybrid cars, and your left with what we originally had to do on this planet and that is survive by any means necessary. The movie is also about the paths that we pave. Ralston found himself in that situation partially because he had been such a loner in his life. He never returned calls from his parents and pushed away the one girl that he ever loved. In a point of true clarity he remarks that the moment that the specific boulder that has him pinned was created, it was created to kill him. He realizes that every choice he has made in his life has left him so alone and that has lead to no one being able to find him after he has gone missing for days. Everything we do leads to another event in our lives. I’m just happy that whatever I did led me to see this movie.

My Thoughts on The League "High School Reunion"

Who would have thought that a show about 5 guys in a fantasy football league could become the most consistently funny show on a stacked Thursday night. The League just gets funnier every week and this week was no different. In “High School Reunion” we got moments of hilarity from every character.

High School Reunion", as you may have guessed, is an episode that revolved around the gang's reunion. Each guy has a set of individual goals that they would like to accomplish at the event. Andre would like to prove to his classmates that he is not the loser that he once was, that he is an accomplished surgeon. Kevin makes that all but impossible when he spreads a rumor about Dre losing a testicle and having it replaced with a canine prosthetic. This means that Andre has to endure jokes like "How's Andre enjoying the reunion?" "Oh, he's having a BALL," all night long. Ruxin brings Sofia along in an attempt to shed his reputation as a chubby chaser (his nickname in school was The Herdsman). Pete is hunting for the worst person at the party. His plan is to create a trophy for the league's last place finisher and name it after this person, the anti-Shiva if you will. And Kevin is there pretty much just there to ridicule old classmates.

Even though he is a few years younger than his compatriots, Taco makes an appearance at the reunion as well. You see, Taco has recently coined the termed "vinegar strokes" which refers to the moments just before a man climaxes. (Because the dude's face looks like he just stuck his nose in a jar of vinegar). His goal is to create a Vinegar Strokes Symphony, which he will unveil at his own high school reunion and impress his classmates. He figures that there will be plenty of people hooking up at the event so it will be the perfect place to conduct some research. It turns out he is right. Sofia is so flattered by all of the attention Ruxin is (selfishly) showering her with that she agrees to sneak off and have sex with him. Taco follows him and is lucky enough to catch the vinegar strokes on tape with his cell phone camera. Taco is often the odd man out when it comes to the group, so he often feels shoehorned into the plot. This is certainly the case with "High School Reunion", but I felt like his material was strong enough to warrant his random appearances. And I know some people might find his musical numbers annoying at times, but I have loved them all so far. I'm sure I will get sick of them at some point, but I am not there yet


Martin Starr makes a guest appearance as Box of Frogs (because he looks like a frog, of course), a class mate that Pete absolutely despises and number one contender for last place trophy naming rights. Pete blames him for an incident in high school in which his mother's car was broken into at a party and used to have sex in. Well as it turns out, Box of Frogs is a really nice guy and offers Pete a too-good-to-be-true music industry job, which Pete promptly turns down by breaking Frog's car window and leaving behind a used condom. Pete and his buddies end up looking like the worst people at the party when Kevin reveals that he was the actually the one responsible for the damage done to the car. Kevin broke into the car to lose his virginity to Shiva and lost control of his legs during vinegar strokes and kicked out one of the windows. We also learn that Kevin screamed out Shiva’s full name while they were “finishing the deed” thus creating the original Shiva Blast.

QUICK HITS
“I see all the people from High School that I want to see, and I don’t even like that

“why don’t I just put, a Gumbel”

“Your prom date looked like Brian Dennhey with red hair”

“If we lined up all the girls you dates in high school, we could rush for 1000 yards in the NFL”

“Hey look its Quinceanera Barbie and Bar Mitzvah Ken”

"You may recognize her from a Ukrainian version of The Bachelorette."

“Can you turn Asain?”

“So the first Shiva blast was your Vinegar stroke?”

I rarely stopped laughing in this episode. I give it a 9 out of 10

My Thoughts on The Office "WUPHF.com"

I don’t really know what to say anymore. Every week I want to like The Office. Really I do. But this episode combined with the two before it have just left me so underwhelmed. It’s almost as though they just stopped trying because they know that Steve Carell Is leaving. That’s not to say that this episode did not have its funny moment. I think all the episodes at least a have a few funny moments, it’s just that we have to sit through a lot of awkwardness (not the funny kind) and minutia to get to the 2 or 3 funny moments the show has. Let’s try to separate the good from the bad shall we?

Last week I discussed how the Office used to do the cold open better than any other show on TV. While this was still not anywhere near what the cold opens used to be, at least it made me chuckle once or twice. Michael running through all the nicknames they have had for IT people was fun. The crux of the episode was spent on the office people who invested in Ryan’s awful social networking site Wuphf.com. A major part of this season of the office has really been looking for closure in the relationships that Michael has for people in the Office. They actually did this really effectively in the beginning of the season with Michael and Toby. I had a problem with the way they did it in this episode with Ryan. It’s not so much the execution but the idea itself. Ryan has become a huge D Bag. I know that’s the way his character is supposed to be and I am amused by it. But he has gotten to the point where even Michael shouldn’t be able to find a redeeming quality about him. Yes it was nice to see Michael admit to Ryan’s poor qualities but in the end he still stood up for him, even after Ryan had advised Michael to take a 2nd mortgage out on his house. Along the same line, I hated the Dwight storyline. The character or Dwight has become such a caricature of himself that you can’t even enjoy his crazy behavior anymore. The fact that he was going to name himself the “Hay King” could have been seen from a mile away. I’m so bored with him that I don’t even know what is supposed to be going on with him and Angela now. Ok, Kevin getting stuck in the maze was funny. And where was Mose?! This seemed like the perfect kind of story to bring him in. The even mentioned him! I was very disappointed when he did not show up.

I did enjoy the Jim storyline. It seems like often times throughout the last two seasons they have really not known what to do with Jim. They have forced him and Pam into the same storylines and it has not worked. However, there have been a couple episodes this season where they have let Jim do his own thing and it has worked. It was nice to see “grown up” Jim try to regain the cleverness and youthful exuberance it took for him to waste so much time back in seasons 1-3. His prank on Gabe was so deserving, so refreshing, that for one second I forgot I was in the middle of the worst stretch of episodes in the Offices history.

QUICK HITS:

“Try big boobs with a Z”

“New investors are key, that’s actually why I came into today”

“Those are show bales not play bales”

“If I can make mashed carrots seem better then a boob, I can pretty much sell anything”

“I always wanted to be Hay King, but the world shines on Mose”

“Oscar is my queen, that’s an easy one, give me a hard one, that’s what Oscar said”

Stanley’s dream of owning a lighthouse

Another week, another weak episode. I’ll give it a 5 out of 10, and continue to hope for signs of improvement.

My Thoughts on Terriers "Sins of the Past"

You know how you can tell a show is truly a great show? When every episode you watch becomes your new favorite episode of the series. That statement is very true for Terriers. It’s like the writers read my mind. I was just saying the only thing the show was missing was a little explanation of the mythology and the background of the characters. We got that and so much more with this episode

All this time we believed that Hank had lost his job and ruined his marriage because of his drinking problem. While that is partially true, it was actually a case that he was working on that played a major role in the falling apart of his life. We now know why Gretchen got so angry at Hank for investigating her new husband Jason. They have been in this situation before and by Hank refusing to just leave things alone it made the situation so much worse. Hank was talking from experience when he told Britt to just drop the situation and leave it alone. It was his failure to leave things alone that ended up costing him everything that was so important to him in his life. However, his marriage and his job were not the only thing they lost. Him and Gustafson, like him and Britt, were much more then partners, they were friends. We've seen hints to as much with how often Gustafson is willing to put this ass on the line for Hank. He crossed the border and headed to Mexico where he had no jurisdiction just to save Hanks new partner. The parallels between Mark and Hanks relationship and Hank and Britt’s relationship are uncanny, right down to the point that Britt is letting his life spiral out of control just like Hank did, and Hank is trying to protect him just like Mark did for Hank. Up until now, we have seen Mark write Hank off as a lost cause and a charity case. But by solving the case that originally drove him to throw his life away, Mark finally starts seeing Hank with the respect and adoration. Rockmond Dunbar gets his most extended screen time of the show here. Dunbar has been fantastic in previous roles such as Prison Break and his short guest stint on Grey’s Anatomy. He does not disappoint here as he does a great job conveying his care and worry for Hank in the flashbacks. This should be the episode that he submits for Emmy consideration as best supporting actor.

As for where all of this leaves Britt? Well it’s not looking to good for him. Britt’s actions were indefensible, even if he had the right guy who slept with Katie. And his reaction to Hank once he was in jail was also not very favorable. But this is one of the things that makes the show so great. Britt reacted in a way that you would expect a person like Britt to react in real life. Any other typical buddy cop show would have Britt get drunk, realize the error in his ways and take Katie back. This show could have just leaned on the charms of Michael Raymond James but the writers took a risk. They risked one of their most likable characters doing something so hateful, because they know that’s what real life is like. You can’t find writing like that just anywhere

I already made my plea to save terriers; you can find that article here. As the show heads into its stretch run, I’m glad they decided to explain the back stories of our characters. Now Hank can focus on dealing with the conspiracy that is going on in Ocean Beach and on repairing his relationship with Britt. This was a fantastic episode, I give it a 10 out of 10. "Oh she blogs? Do you Tweet?"

My Quick Thoughts on Modern Family "Manny Get Your Gun"

Ugh. Where to begin? This was not a good episode of Modern Family. That is difficult for me to say because unlike some people, I have actually really enjoyed this season so far. The Halloween episode was probably my favorite episode of the season. However this episode just had to much stuff that didn’t work.

I suspected we might be in for a clunker after the cold open. Modern Family does the cold open better than any other show on TV(a title that used to belong to The Office) The cold open this week though did not even make me crack a smile. The problem is that occasionally Modern Family turns to some really convoluted plots. Now usually this only effects one of the 3 story lines going on so its not so bad. This week I felt like all three stories were really out there and really forced. The Phil/Claire story is usually the most out there plot but Phil’s hilarity saves it in most cases. This week, not only was Phil rarely funny, they split the two of them up and it just felt like they were giving double the amount of time to a weak story. The Jay/Gloria/Manny storyline was by far the strongest but even that was something I felt like we have seen enough of. Gloria and Jay being stubborn in an argument while Manny acts much older then he should. Am I the only one who found it really awkward when Gloria shot a BB gun in the general direction of her son? I know it’s a sitcom but geez! Also, am I the only one who found it really hot when Gloria shot a BB gun? Moving on, we get to the most ridiculous story. First of all I feel like they were a little late on the whole “flash mob thing”. Yes the actual dancing mob made me chuckle, but it was a really long way to go for a 3 second laugh. I will admit though that I did crack up when Cam and Mitchell were on opposite escalators with their respective old people they were trying to help.

QUICK HITS

“Ill stop twice on my way back”
“I heard this summer there’s going to be a hoedown”
“Very funny, I don’t have time for this foolishness”
“Boy! I’m a boy!
“We’re running out of time? BE SENSITIVE!”
“Boys? Bodies are changing? Eggs?”


With no episode last week, I had high hopes this week and I was disappointed. Ill give it a 4 out of 10

LISTEN UP FX, YOU NEED TO SAVE TERRIERS!!

It happens every TV season. One show comes along and has the right mix of a great premise, great directing, great acting and great writing. We as fans get sucked into this show. We relate to the characters. We anxiously wait as the days pass for the show to come on. We suffer with the characters when they are down and we celebrate with them as they succeed. For one reason or another, despite our love for these shows, the ratings don’t see things the same way. We try telling people we know to watch the show, that it’s the greatest thing on TV. However, no matter how many people we tell, we are still left disappointed when the ratings come out each week. Eventually there is not much left for us to do except enjoy the ride while the show is still on and say farewell once it is inevitably cancelled.

I’ve been through it quite a bit. Last year it was FlashForward. Before that it was Jericho. So I’m not surprised that another show has grabbed my attention this season. That show is FX’s Terriers. For those of you who are unaware, Terriers is a show centered around 2 good friends who open up a private investigation company. One of them is a former cop who left the force due to a drinking problem and the other is a former burglar turning over a new leaf. The show is a mix of stand- alone stories and serialized stories. Every episode focuses around a particular case the duo is working on but also incorporates running aspects of their lives. Hank (portrayed by Donal Logue) is the ex cop. Aside from being a recovering alcoholic, Hank is also struggling with the feelings he has for ex wife, who is getting remarried. Britt (Portrayed by Michael Raymond-James) is the ex con. He has turned over a new leaf and is dating a girl studying to be a veterinarian.

Like I said, I’ve been sucked into these shows that only last one season before. What makes this one so different? What makes this one want me to write an article to the network pleading to keep the show going? I’m glad you asked. Terriers is built on the friendship that exists between the two main characters. The chemistry the two actors have together is unlike anything I have ever seen. Of all relationships on television, the male friendship seems to be the hardest thing for a TV show to get right. All the other successful friendships that come to mind are in sitcoms and are usually of the goofy nature. However, the way Brit and Hank banter and care for each other really makes you think that Logue and Raymond-James are really good friends off the screen. Aside from their friendship, both characters seem so real. In fact, every character on the show seems so real. On the outside it might just seem like another cop show where the story goes from case to case but it’s not. These characters are not larger than life. They don’t pretend to be better than other people. They are just normal people you could meet at any point in your life. They have their problems, they have their issues and they deal with them. Things don’t just magically get summed up or go away, because that is not what real life is like. As I mentioned, Terriers is a breath of fresh air in a very bland TV landscape. Every year there are dozens of shows that are copy cats of each other. The same old procedurals, the same old Chuck Lorre comedies, it can get exhausting. With Terriers, FX has something truly unique on its hands, and that is rare

So this is my plea. FX, do not make the huge mistake I know you are thinking about making. A couple seasons ago, NBC was contemplating cancelling Chuck. The ratings were fairly low for that show to, especially for a network show. NBC, in a surprising sign that they are not brain dead, renewed Chuck. And while the ratings haven’t seen a huge increase, that have stayed consistent and it has actually been one of NBC’s most stable shows in a time when they really needed one. Like Chuck, Terriers has a passionate, albeit not very large, fan base. They will not dessert the show. Not only that, but by renewing the show, FX will build up so much credibility with the fans. I for one am ready to give any show FX puts out a chance if they renew Terriers, because I would know the people running the network would know a good thing when they saw it. For anyone reading this, I beg you to send an email to user@fxnetworks.com and beg them to save Terriers. I promised myself that I would not let myself get sucked into a show like this again, but damn it Terriers did it to me. And it will do it to you to, if you just give it a chance

My Thoughts on How I Met Your Mother "Glitter"

The first time we met Robin’s Canadian alter ego was in the episode “Slap Bet”. That was one of the best episodes of How I Met Your Mother. The next episode we saw Sparkles in was “Sandcastles in the Sand”, which was ironically the first time we meet Ted’s friend Punchy. That episode was mediocre and seemed to really be forcing the character of Robin Sparkles. So when I heard that tonight’s episode, “Glitter”, would feature the return of Robin Sparkles; I was not too excited for it. I felt like it was the show running out of ideas and after the strong outing HIMYM had last week, thought it would kill any momentum they had. And while from an emotional storyline standpoint, this was not the greatest episode, it was freaking hilarious!

That’s not to say that every aspect of the story worked on a comedic level. Punchy, while funny in the 30 seconds that we saw him in the other episode, really annoyed me after about 5 minutes. Sure, the moment that he had with Ted was nice but I feel like we could have gotten that moment with much less Punchy in this episode. We learn that Ted will be Punchy’s best man at his upcoming wedding. Look for that to be the wedding that we saw in the season premiere. I also was a little upset that all the work they did to redeem Ted last week was kind of put on the back burner in this episode. It almost felt like last week’s episode should have aired after this one

OK, now that we got the negative stuff out of the way, on to the parts that made this one of the funniest episodes of HIMYM in a long time. Everything that had to do with the “Space Teens” video was pure gold. Including the thing HIMYM does oh so well, and that’s mock Canada. I love the fact that Allan Thicke is their go to Canadian Celebrity. Also a real nice bit of continuity that many people may not have picked up on: When Barney first put in the video and gets really excited that it might be porn; he runs over to Marshall and is about to slap him until Robin assures him that it’s not porn. A great call back to “Slap Bet”. Barney’s and Ted’s spitting reaction to the shows conversation about “beavers” would have made this a great episode on its own.

QUICK HITS
“Oh yeah, this tastes like a big bowl of Porn Flakes”

“Dude! Feel the room...”

“Two dudes watching a kids show might be worse

“OK kids, everyone knows a beavers favorite food is wood”

“Robin… Lebron…”

Barney’s list of Reality show exit lines was great; I don’t think he missed one
Way too many to keep listing them.

Not a great episode from a storyline standpoint, but again, very funny. In line with last week’s episode I’ll give it an 8 out of 10

My Thoughts on The Office 11/11

Last night’s episode of the Office, Viewing Party, was not a bad episode of The Office. I wanted to state that early because my review might sound fairly critical. It’s only because I love The Office. It used to be the show I looked forward to the most all week. Now it has fallen to my 4th favorite show on Thursdays. With any comedy it’s hard to sustain success as long as The Office had. But its episodes like this one that frustrate me because I see a lot of good in it. The middle of the episode had many funny moments and showed me that these writes still know what makes the Office such a good show. The frustrating part was that there was still a lot of stuff that did not work. The cold opens this season have been terrible. I feel like they have been drawn out and have been referencing things that we don’t care about. Yes, continuity is a good thing and it’s nice to see that they didn’t forget about the Scranton Strangler, but referencing something just for the sake of referencing it is not funny. They need to go back to focusing on Dwight and Jim in the cold opens, because those were by far the funniest ones (The Pavlovian experiment Jim did on Dwight with the Altoids comes to mind).

I also feel that one thing the Office used to do well was subtlety. The characters were written so well that we as the viewer did not need things spelled out for us. They seem to completely have gotten away from that and that was very evident in the Michael as a father figure to Erin storyline. We got the point throughout the episode that Erin was like an insecure child looking for Michael’s approval, and the idea itself is funny even though it has been done to death in sitcoms. My problem came when they actually had Michael act like a father and Erin act like his daughter. Not only did it assume that the viewers were not intelligent enough to figure this out for themselves, it was also very uncomfortable and awkward (and not in the good way that the office used to do so well). I’m also really tired of them beating us over the head with Andy and trying to turn him into Michael Scott 2.0. Andy was a great character in this ensemble when he was used in small doses like all the others. Creed is my favorite for example, but if every episode focused on Creed, I would end up disliking him.

QUICK HITS

I found it really odd that not only did NBC center an episode of their programming around a hit show from another network, but actually used clips of that show. Has a show ever done that with another show that’s still on the air?

“I wanted to eat pigs in a blanket… In a blanket”

“Honestly, That show? It’s irresponsible”

“I wonder if there's a guy in China right now, looking at a bunch of our stuff."

"If I had to choose between a tall dude who loved Asia, and a you-looking dude who loved sweaters? I'd choose you. And I'd blow your mind."

Again, I did not hate this episode. It was light years better than last week’s episode. I’ll give it a 6 out 10

My Quick Thoughts on The League 11/11

This weeks episode of the league was written by Nick Kroll and Paul Scheer (Ruxin and Andre). So it was no surprise to see these two take center stage. They are my 2 favorite characters on the show so I did not have a problem with that. The idea here was that Ruxin was defending a break pad company that was being sued by someone in an accident. The catch was the break pad company already paid for her plastic surgery and now she was suing for emotional hardship. Ruxin is very confident because the judge in the case has a thing for him. He calls her his “work flirt” As a plastic surgeon, Ruxin wants to use Andre as an expert witness. Meanwhile, Taco begins dating a court room sketch artist. The sketch artist is played by none other then Alia Shawkat. You may know her better as Maybe Bluth. Excuse me for a moment while I cry about Arrested Development not being on the air any more. The purpose of Pete in this episode is to hilariously one up Andre on basically everything he does. He suggests better restaurants, he tops Andre’s stories, and is even better at being a witness then him. Kevin is accused by the rest of the league of colluding with his wife in order to pick up Mike Bell. I always find it funny when they base something on a player who is actually completely inconsequential in Fantasy Football. Andre predictably completely fails at being an expert witness. Ruxin uses the opportunity to get Pete on the stand and forces him to admit that Kevin did in fact collude with Jenny. Taco finds out that his girlfriend is married and her husband finds the naked sketches that Taco gave her.

QUICK HITS

- I will give you a hundred percent for 4 minutes, and then like 60 percent for the next 5
- You know your not in the great Gatsby right?
- My guess is a country entirely populated by fans of Arrowsmith
- Oh good, so you look like a crafty sexual predator
- That’s because mom cant shave down there, she has razor burn
- what are you going to lure him into your bed and fondle the trade out of him
- But you are technically a shaft shaver?
- I would like the last witnesses vest stricken from the record

Pretty good episode, I'll give it an 8 out 10

My Thoughts on Community 11/11

Now this was the kind of episode of Community I have been waiting for. Sure I’ve liked the last few episodes that were all based on gimmicks or parody, but Community is at its best when the focus is on all the characters in the study group interacting with each other. The central premise of the episode revolved around Annie’s been being stolen for the 9th time. Because she is tired of getting her pen stolen she forces Jeff to lock everyone in the room until someone comes forward. By locking everyone in the study hall room, it allowed the actors to really play off each other. Its evident in the first scene, where everybody gets a turn to show what makes them all who they are. Jeff gets to become the leader. Britta gets to be all hippie and anti establishment/ Annie gets to be crazy to the point where its really hot (yeah ok so I have a huge crush on Allison Brie, so sue me). Pierce gets to show his stuck in the time thinking by making racist remarks. Abed gets to be all “meta” and reference everything to television. Make no mistake, the writers of Community know what makes there television show successful and it was definitely on display here.

When we return, Jeff is checking everyone’s bag. The pen is not found but we do find out that Abed has been accidentally charting the menstrual cycles of all the women in the study group. We also find out that Shirley has a pregnancy test in her purse. Through his handy dandy period chart Abed confirms she must have conceived around Halloween if she actually is pregnant. Keep in mind that that was when she slept with Chang during the zombie attack. I cant believe I just typed that sentence. The group eventually strips down and even removes Pierce’s cast to find many gross things, none of which are Annie’s pen. They all decide that its far more likely that a ghost took the pen than any of them actually taking it and lying about it. They all leave the study room together only to reveal that it was not a ghost at all, but Annie’s Boobs! For those that don’t recall, that was Troy’s pet monkey from an earlier episode. The monkey escaped and has been living in the vent of the study room

QUICK HITS
“ Sometimes I think I lost something really important to me and it turns out I already ate it.”

“Do they file thoughts in our butts? I knew I should have read that book”

“Tell Your disappointment to suck it, I’m doing a bottle episode.”

“More importantly, are they seriously marketing pregnant tests to black women?”

“Pierce have you been using Slim Jims to scratch yourself?”

A truly great episode. I give it a 10/10

My Thoughts on the Week 10 NFL Picks

HERE ARE MY WEEK 10 NFL PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD. ILL ALWAYS GIVE THE SPREAD IN REGARDS TO THE HOME TEAM

RAVENS @ FALCONS(PICK)- The first Thursday night game of the year and it’s a dozy. On paper these teams look fairly even and Matt Ryan has been a world beater at home. However, when two teams look pretty even, I am inclined to go with the AFC team. Throw in the fact that Roddy White is not going to be 100% for Atlanta. I’ll take the Ravens.

BENGALS@COLTS(-7)- The Colts never really struggle two games in a row, and even though the Bengals looked like they still had some fight in them on Monday night, their season is done. Give me the Colts giving 7 points.

TEXANS@JAGUARS(-1)- The battle of 2 heartless AFC South teams. The Jags have the second worst pass defense in the NFL. The worst would belong to the Texans. In a game that sure to be a shootout, I’ll go with the team with the better offense. Give me the Texans getting a point.

TITANS@DOLPHINS(+1.5)- The Dolphins are the first home underdog of the week and rightfully so. They have yet to win a home game this year. However I like Chad Pennington in this offense a lot more then I liked Chad Henne. I expect a big game out of the dolphin’s receivers here to overshadow what should be a pretty decent debut for Randy Moss. Give me the Dolphins get a point and a half at home.

VIKINGS@BEARS(+1)- You may think I’m being over dramatic here but this is a MUST win game for both teams. If the Vikings lose they fall to 3-6 and would be 3 games back of both the Bears and the Packers with having lost to both of them once already. The Bears would fall to 5-4 and be a full game back of the Packers with a really tough schedule the rest of the way. Call me a homer but I’ll take the Bears getting a point

LIONS@BILLS(-2.5)- If the Bills are going to win a game this year it has to be this one right? They have been hanging around with some tough teams the last few weeks. The lions will have Shaun Hill at the helm and I don’t expect things to go as smoothly as they did earlier in the season for him. I’ll take the Bills giving 2.5 points.

JETS@BROWNS(+3)- THE BATTLE OF THE RYAN BROTHERS! The Browns have been on a tear against some very good teams and I do not see that ending this week. Peyton Hillis has been a top 5 running back this season and as good as the Jets defense is, I do not see him slowing down. The Jets have been really sloppy lately and let the Mark Sanchez boo birds free. I’ll take the Browns getting 3 points in my upset special.

PANTHERS@BUCS(-7) They could not make this line high enough for me. The panthers are going with Jimmy Claussen at QB and Mike Goodsen at running back. Not much more to say. I’ll gladly take the Bucs giving 7 points

CHIEFS@BRONCOS(+1)- The Chiefs are finally being exposed for the hot garbage that they are. And while the Broncos are hot garbage to I think they can put up big offensive numbers here in what may be there last win of the season. I’ll take the Broncos getting a point

RAMS@49ERS(-6)- Um did I miss something? We are aware that the 49ers are pretty terrible right? Even at home, there will still be more still drunk Giants fans there than Niner fans. Give me the Rams in my LOCK OF THE WEEK

SEAHAWKS@CARDINALS(-3) Everybody repeat after me: “I WILL NEVER BET ON CHARLIE WHITEHURST” As long as you remember this, we will all be ok. I’ll take the Cards giving the 3 points

COWBOYS@GIANTS(-14) Now don’t get me wrong, I hate the Cowboys. But 14 points is a lot to be getting for any team. I am not happy about it but I’ll take the Cowboys getting the 14 points

PATRIOTS@STEELERS(-4.5)- A very intriguing matchup here. I was already for the spread to be 3 points and take the Steelers. However the extra point and a half has made reconsider things. I think the Steelers win by a field a goal. Having said that I’ll take the Pats getting 4.5 points

EAGLES@REDSKINS(+3)- Call me crazy because he missed 3 games but if the season ended today my MVP vote would go to Mike Vick. I wouldn’t even need to think twice about it. Vick left the first game between these two early. I see him finishing this game, and finishing with huge numbers. I love the Eagles giving the 3 points.

My 3 team parlay recommendation of the week would be Eagles -3, Rams +6, and Bucs -7. Don’t hate me if you lose, pay me if you win.

My Thoughts on the Real World Road Rules Challenge

Last time we left our drunken stunt men, Chet was in the hospital and the Gray team had just won its 2nd straight challenge. The blue team was looking a little thin however they did have their top competitors left.

Chet comes back to the house and he fills us in on horror stories from a Czech hospital which include bars on the windows and having to give himself a suppository. The Hospital does not want him to compete right away so cue TJ Lavin making an appearance at the house. You know when TJ is at the house its not good news. he informs Chet that because he has to miss another challenge, he is done with the competition. Chet’s reaction: " I would rather be circumcised with a rusty spoon" Good outlook on life Chet

The gang gets a text about there next challenge. Melinda says they need to win for Chet. How come no one has taken a run at Melinda? She is really hot and finally single. Plus her ex, Danny, is a huge dick, so that would be perfect revenge for someone who had beef with him previously. there challenge involves passing a basketball in a line until the last person shoots the ball in to hoop. Oh and of course they are all suspended in air. it wouldn’t be a challenge if they weren’t suspended in air.

The red team goes first and picks Brandon to be the shooter. Brandon is reluctant but accepts the role because he does what his team tells him to do. Of course they make the black guy shoot the basketball. MTV= RACISM. Red team is doomed from the beginning. When they do finally get a couple balls to Brandon, he launches them like a football and is not even close to making one. That will teach you red team for stereotyping. Next up we have the blue team. Derrick will be doing the shooting for the blue team. He does pretty well and makes 4 balls. Next up is the gray team and they have Abram shooting for them. Abram hates basketball. Why do all these people think that launching a basketball from a sitting position while suspended 50 ft in the air involves the same skill set that actually playing basketball does? Abram does surprisingly well and makes 5 balls, which is 5 more then the red team made. Gray wins the challenge and is safe from the Goulag(the elimination round)

In the voting, the blue team has it pretty easy. Emily nominates herself because she’s a rookie and has not been in yet. Derrick nominates himself because he’s tired of losing and knows he can kill bitches. The red team on the other hand is completely torn apart. In a really close vote, Melinda gets sent in. The red team votes Brandon in for the 4th time. Brandon is not happy about it but host TJ Lavin is even more unhappy. He says "this is the worst decision I’ve ever seen in this challenge." Cold words from TJ. The red team is confused that so many people received voted tonight. Later on while the gang is out at the club, Camilla reveals that she voted for Brad. Keep in mind the votes are anonymous so no one ever would have known that she did. Probably a bad career move there, rook. Brad's wife finds out and promises that Camilla will be going into elimination every week from here on out.

After more crying from Camilla about how she’s just trying to do the right thing, we finally arrive to the elimination. They use a game that they used earlier in the season where both players have their hand on two ropes in the shape of a circle. The goal is to wrestle the ropes from your opponent. First player to 5 wins. First up are the ladies. Everyone there, including TJ, is really impressed with the effort Melinda puts up, even though she loses 5 to 0. The guys are up next and despite winning the previous 3 challenges, Brandon is no match for the crafty veteran Derrick. He also loses 5-0. I’m more sad that Melinda leaves the show without one guy taking a shot at her. We end with Paula and Jenn (that’s not a typo, her name has 2 n's) arguing over something. Probably about whose fake boobs look better. My vote is for Jenn.

Sarah's Thoughts on Top Chef

Dave's Disclaimer: As i do not watch Top Chef, i did not write this article. It was written by my good friend Sarah Geddling. She is also an avid TV watcher and i respect her opinion. You will see more articles from her in the future.


First there was Top Chef, then Top Chef Masters, then Top Chef Just Desserts. With the new Top Chef All Stars coming out, some contestants have a second chance; I have reflected and noted the top mistakes on the show.

Let’s review some quick tips that I have learned from the past seasons on how to make it through:

1. Always do what the challenge asks of you.
If you are supposed to make a wedding cake, don't make an "engagement cake" if they ask you to use a certain protein or color--use those ingredients! Something that tastes good but doesn't follow the rules will still get you kicked off.

2. Don’t make anything you don't have time for!
Don’t make crème brulee when you know that it doesn’t have enough time to set. Don’t send out raw or undercooked food: protein, desserts, or pastas. Arnold and Lynne were double eliminated from season 7 because of undercooked pasta.

3. Don’t make anything you have never made before!
Only exception: Kevin and his Indian dish in season 7. He stated he had never made Indian food but his flavors would still be there. He even impressed Padma, who would have been the toughest critic.

4. Always taste your food.
How many times is the food too salty or not seasoned enough? Chefs should always taste what is going out in their restaurant, why would you want your food on national TV to be any different?

5. Don’t eliminate yourself.
This is a once in a lifetime chance. Your kids and family will understand your month absence! Every other contestant is leaving family behind for this opportunity, and they miss them too. Don’t let one month apart from your friends and family ruin this opportunity! Play to win every challenge!

6. Learn at least ONE dessert recipe before you come on!!
Have you seen this show? You ALWAYS need at least one dessert recipe off the top of your head! Sometimes 2 recipes. Don’t be defending yourself at judges table with the same excuse “I’m not a pastry chef” If the show is giving you money to start a restaurant, you better be able to make one dessert!

7. Have fun with the Quickfires.
Even if you fail, it doesn't count against you. The quickfire is supposed to be a challenge to any chef because of the time. It is better for the viewers and the judges that you just have fun and don't regret or take with you what might have gone down in the quickfire. Every chef has the same time constraints. Don’t have mental breakdowns on the quickfire, you can’t get kicked off! (Seth from Just Desserts)

8. Presentation is still everything.
Dots and swirls aside, make the plates look nice. No one wants to eat something brown and mushy on a plate, not even an infant. Most people will say that presentation isn’t everything. However, we all have been sitting in a restaurant and seen a yummy plate of food walk past us. We mutter “what’s that? It looks good!” Top chefs know that diners eat with their eyes first.

9. Make your own food.
I can cook a sausage that I bought at Whole Foods too. Don’t buy the store made puff pastry or coconut milk ice cream. (References to John on season 7-first one kicked off, Art Smith from Top Chef Masters) Prove you are a chef and not just a cook!

10. Don’t steal anyone’s pea puree!
Ok I just had to throw that in there for loyal fans. J
Doing any one of these things and you are sure you hear the lovely Padma serenade you with “Please pack your knives”.

Lastly, NBC needs to bring Top Chef to Network TV. Top Chef has finally beaten out Amazing Race in the Emmy Category for best reality-based competition show. Top Chef is no doubt better than the shows that they came out with this season that have already been cancelled. Fox has embraced Gordon Ramsey’s show as good enough for prime-time ratings. Top chef is on season 8 of the empire that they have built. It is time to upgrade Top Chef from basic cable.

My Quick Thoughts on Conan 11/9

Conan returned for his second episode on TBS seeming a lot more relaxed and at ease. Clearly this had something to do with the big numbers his first show did. Still a more relaxed Conan really made for a much better product. This episode felt like it should have been the one to kick start the Conan on TBS experiment.

The monologue was such a huge improvement over episode 1. In the first episode i felt like Conan focused way to much on taking shots at NBC. While that was to be expected, i felt like he really needed to steer away from that quickly before he turned people off. This was much more of an old school Conan monologue. From comparing the loud screaming audience to a hockey fight, to ripping out a a hair form his beard and giving it to the audience member, Conan was just in the zone

O'Brien admitted that he really wasn't sure exactly what he could say and not say on cable (after all, guest Seth Rogen got away with saying the word "titties" during the first show, something that almost certainly would have been bleeped out on network TV), so he chatted with the guy who is in charge of censoring him. He ran through a number of euphemisms for male genitalia ("The One Legged Pigeon") and sexual positions ("Have you ever tried a Tokyo Sandblaster?"). All in all it was a very funny segment

Next up were the guests, and i think we can all agree that Tom Hanks is awesome at basically anything he does. Hanks is the caliber of guest that Conan should have gotten for his debut episode and mot certainly would have if it was not for a scheduling conflict. He discussed being on Conan's 2nd episode of the Tonight how just a year ago, His upcoming movie with Julia Roberts, and what life at Pixar is like. Following Tom Hanks was the always funny Jack McBrayer. You all know him as Kenneth the Page from NBC's 30 Rock. He was a regular with Conan back on NBC and it was really good to see him still be able to join Team CoCo on TBS. The show ended with Soundgarden, who were playing on television for the first time in 13 years.

Overall a fantastic 2nd effort for Conan, i give it a 9 out 10

My Really Quick Thoughts on Running Wilde, "Best Man" 11/09

So as we come to the halfway point of what is most likely going to be the only season of Running Wilde, i have to say the show has really grown on me. And while people like Will Arnett were already known commodities in the entertainment industry, the best thing by far to come out of this show has been the emergence of Peter Serafinowicz as Arnetts friend Fa'ad. And Serafinowicz was front and center for this episode. Renewal for this show seems very unlikely but we can only hope that it leads to us seeing Serafinowicz is more stuff in the future

QUICK HITS

- I assume this is the end of David Cross's Andy for this show. I cant say that I'm sad to see him go. I love David Cross but he just was not funny and wildely(pun intended) under used in this show. Hopefully he get another season of Todd Margret on IFC, where he was much funnier

- "I went to go tell my wife about how crazy your idea was and now we are renewing our vows you bastard"

- "Perhaps I put to much faith in the wisdom of this tent schooled jungle child who combes her hair with a twig"

- "A dance a dance 2 men in tights shall prance, although what they think is a Maypole is really just a lance"

A funny episode, Ill give it a 7 out of 10

My Thoughts on the NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

And Without further ado, i give you my Week 10 Power Rankings:


32. CAROLINA PANTHERS(1-7)- The Panthers would have been last on this list even if Matt Moore was not out for the year. Whichever evil they pick between Tony Pike and Jimmy Claussen, I really don’t see this team winning another game all year. All I can ask for at this point is to see some life out of Deangelo Williams

31. DALLAS COWBOYS(1-7)- So this Wade Phillips era ends like so many of them before. I discussed the cowboys situation in a post yesterday. I really feel like Jason Garrett is just more of the same here. The only real interesting thing left to watch here is if the Cowboys can actually be bad enough to get the number 1 pick in the draft

30. DENVER BRONCOS(2-6)- Now I may be partial here because I HATE Josh McDaniels, but this is one of the most lifeless teams in the league. Every time I think about them I can’t get that drubbing they took at the hands of the raiders out of my head.

29. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS(2-6)- They would be a spot lower if not for an ugly win against Denver in London. You can’t really go any higher than 29 when you have a loss to Carolina on your resume.

28. BUFFALO BILLS(0-8)- Listen, I know they have not won a game yet, But they are coming off 3 straight 3 point losses to teams that would be in the playoffs if they started today. Ryan Fitzpatrick is an NFL Quarterback and Steve Johnson can play. Listening to Sam Rosen call him “Stevie” for an entire game was like nails on a chalkboard.

27. ARIZONA CARDINALS(3-5)- Kind of sad that they can be ranked 27th and still have a decent chance to win their division. The QB situation is a mess and even though it took a late comeback from the Vikings, Arizona was pretty much dominated the entire game.

26. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS(4-4)- And here is the reason why the Cardinals are still in
contention for the division. Has a division leader ever looked as bad in one game as Seattle looked on Sunday? There are no better options than Charlie Whitehurst? REALLY?! I think I would be a better option! This division is going to be won with 8 wins, maybe 7, and that is really sad

25. CINCINNATI BENGALS(2-6)- Living proof that talent does not always equal wins. This team always seems to find a way to shoot itself in the foot and last night was no different with a fumbled kickoff and getting a punt blocked. Chad Ochocinco is starting to whine at all the attention TO is getting so at the very least we will finally get to see what happens when Batman takes on Robin

24. DETROIT LIONS(2-6)- I really wanted to rank the lions higher but eventually they are going to have to learn how to close a game out. A valiant effort will only take you so far. I have to say that Sundays loss to the Jets was squarely on the coaching staff. Outside of passing on a third down when they should have been running out the clock, what was up with having Suh kick an extra point? Really? You couldn’t have the punter kick the extra point? I swear, half of this league is brain dead.

23. ST.LOUIS RAMS(4-4)- Coming off the bye I am actually very anxious to see what the Rams can do in the 2nd half. Their receiving core has been completely decimated due to injury but they keep finding new guys to step up, and that is one of the sure fire signs of a team that can hang around.

22. MINNESOTA VIKINGS(3-5)- Man, we were oh so close to putting Brett Favre and Brad Childress to bed and then the Cardinals had to go ahead and blow it. While the Vikes may have saved their coach and season for another week, a tough road game in Chicago this week looms. A win and they are right back in the thick of the division race. A loss and Chilly can start to pack his bags.

21. HOUSTON TEXANS(4-4)- This team is just destined to be middle of the road every
season. On paper the talent is there. However this is another team that’s just soft. They can’t bounce back from a punch in the mouth. Letting Phillip Rivers go crazy on them when his top 4 targets were out was just sad. Look for this team to be in the market for a new coach at seasons end after another disappointing 8-8 season

20. WASHINGTON REDSKINS(4-4)- Putting in Rex Grossman to finish that game almost had me drop this team to the bottom 5 in the league. That’s a bigger insult to Donovan McNabb then spitting out a mouthful of his moms chunky soup. Coming off a bye and a benching to face his old team, McNabb has something to prove this week.

19. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS(4-4)- The leagues’ most two faced team may also be one of the most boring. I can honestly say that nothing from a Jag’s game stands out in my head. Still with a win over Indy, the Jaguars have to be at least taken semi seriously

18. CHICAGO BEARS(5-3) Maybe I am a little hard on them because they are my team, but they have yet to really impress me. The one win I was impressed with was the Dallas win and it turns out I should actually be disappointed with how close the game was. A win this weekend to end the Vikings division hopes would go a long way in making me a believer.

17. CLEVELAND BROWNS(3-5)- Oh so close to cracking the top 15! I hate to break to everyone but Colt McCoy is legit. He had his team hang around against the Steelers and then led them to wins against the Saints and the Patriots. Had McCoy started the whole year, we would be talking about a 3 team race in AFC North/ A win against the Jets this weekend and we may have to start using the words Browns and Playoffs in the same sentence.

16. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS(4-5)- After their usual tough start to the season they go into their bye with a lot of momentum. Now with time to get healthy and the return of Vincent Jackson looming, I suspect that this is the lowest we will see the Chargers in the rankings going forward.

15. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS(5-3)- I don’t buy KC at all. I think Matt Cassel is one of the worst starters in the league. Thomas Jones is starting to show his age, and anyone (except for maybe the Bears) could run all over them. The showed their true colors against the raiders in a huge divisional game and I expect much of the same for the rest of the season.

14. MIAMI DOLPHINS(4-4)- The Dolphins have been the victim of a really tough schedule. However that’s not the only reason this team finds itself at .500, and I am pointing right at you Chad Henne. After going out and getting arguably the best receiver in the league in Brandon Marshall, it seems like Henne has taken 2 steps back in his development. Between him and the stalling of a once fantastic running game, the Dolphins have some things to evaluate going forward

13. OAKLAND RAIDERS (5-4)- For the record I predicted the rebirth of the Raiders before this season started. And although it took Jason Campbell a little bit longer the anticipated to become the leader this team needed, they are on the right path to making the playoffs for the first time since there Super Bowls loss to Tampa.

12. TENNESSEE TITANS(5-3)- We all know what this week is about for the Titans, and that is kicker Rob Bironas. Obviously I am joking. However outside the whole Randy Moss thing, the Titans actually have a huge AFC showdown with the Dolphins in what is a must win game for Miami. It will be interesting to see if the Titans can avoid the Moss distraction and pull out a statement game.

11. TAMPA BAY BUCS (5-3)- Ladies and Gentleman, Josh Freeman is a winner. That’s all there is to it. I’m tired of fighting it. Raheem Morris was right, stats are for losers. The Bucs were oh so close to doing the unthinkable and actually beating the Falcons in Atlanta. The way they do it might not be pretty, but the Bucs are here to stay.

10. GREEN BAY PACKERS (6-3)- Color me not impressed with what the Packers have done the last 2 weeks. The Jets laid an egg against them and the Cowboys just suck. They have no running game to speak of (and don’t give me that Brandon Jackson Crap). They may be the best team in a crummy NFC North, but that’s still not saying much.

9. NEW YORK JETS(6-2)- Combine last weeks gift from the Lions and that phantom Pass interference call against the Broncos and you have what can easily be a 4-4 team. The Quarterback play is inconsistent at best, and the Wide Receivers, while talented, too often look like they don’t want to be there. This really is a team that seems to play up to its competition, but at the same time will also play down to its competition.

8. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS(5-3)- As much as I dislike him I have to give Peyton Manning some credit. It seems like every week that goes by, he loses another target to throw to. However the Colts have shown through the first half of the season that they have weaknesses. I am still never betting against them in a night game though.

7. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS(6-3)- The saints go into the bye seemingly having righted the issues that plagued them earlier in the season. I’m still not fully convinced that this team could be what they were last year, but in a year with so much parity, they might not need to be to make a repeat trip to the Super Bowl.

6. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(6-2)- Well I did not see that one coming. The Patriots offense has really taken hit without Randy Moss. Wes Welker has all but disappeared, and as good of a story as the Law Firm is, he is not a lead back. The most alarming thing about the loss to the Browns was how the patriots defense reacted to getting punched in the mouth by a physical running back. Things don’t get much easier for them this week as they have a showdown with the Steelers.

5. ATLANTA FALCONS(6-2)- Nice home win for Atlanta against Tampa Bay. However I stress HOME win. If this team can get home field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs watch out. However I still don’t fully trust them if they need to go on the road and play outdoors (Like to New York or Philly)

4. NEW YORK GIANTS(6-2)- Remember when the Bears had a chance to basically end the Giants season but instead completely rejuvenated them? The Giants have not looked back since that game and they are looking extremely dominant. I still have issue trusting Eli Manning in the clutch, but they are for sure a force to be reckoned with.

3. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES(5-3)- I am buying everything Mike Vick is selling. When he has played this season he has looked like not only the best QB in the league, but the best player period. He’s looked much better then he ever looked in Atlanta. I know they only won by 2 but if you watched the game, this Eagles team completely dominated the Colts. As long as Vick stays healthy, you might see these Eagles playing for the title in Dallas

2. BALTIMORE RAVENS(6-2)- I’ve liked the Ravens all year but I always said that they had not put together a truly dominant performance. This past Sunday against the Dolphins was it. The offense looked great. More importantly is that the defense finally looked like the Ravens of old and is somehow, despite being old, playing better as the season goes on

1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS(6-2)- The Steelers just keep on trucking. The only knock I have on them is that for some reason Coach Tomlin seems to get very conservative with the play calling once the Steelers take a lead. Maybe he forgets he has his QB back, or maybe he is just really in love with what Mendenhall is doing. Nevertheless, the Steelers are the best team and the league, and you can PRINT IT.

My Quick Thoughts on the Return of Conan

I am a very big fan of Conan. So obviously I was very biased when everything went down with NBC and Jay Leno. I was very excited when a premiere date was announced for Conan’s new show. I don’t know how long I will post reviews of the show on here since I am not an avid late night viewer but ill review at least the first few episodes

Obviously the opening video was something that was going to be very funny. As good as Conan is live, I feel like he is even funnier in his video and pre recorded segments. The highlights of the video were the cameos of Larry King and Jon Hamm. Hamm seems to be popping up in cameos on every show lately and I am def. not complaining. Overall a very good open to the show

I was very sad to see that Conan was not able to bring the Mario set from NBC back over for this show. The whole bit with his new set was not very funny and pretty corny. The only thing that made it decent was Andy Richter. I’ve always been a huge fan of his and he was really on his game tonight. Line of the night by Richter: On what the Conan mask looked like, "It's like an Asian Val Kilmer."

Somebody call the cops, this skinny guy on Conan abducted Seth Rogen! Wow did the guy lose weight. I understand the logic in having Rogen as the first guest because he’s well known as a funny guy. He just was not very funny here. Rogen does not strike me as the type of guy who is very funny live, and he really should just stick to living life in his Judd Apatow bubble. Lea Michelle is really really hot. I don’t have much more of an opinion on her. Was surprised that Conan actually broached the GQ topic with her, but she handled it really well. Doesn’t really seem like the diva rumors about her are true. The show ended with Conan singing with the lead singer of the White Stripes. It was just ok

Overall not the most exciting debut show, but there were enough good things to keep me excited for Conan's run on TBS. Bonus points for the Ricky Gervais video. Ill also bump the score one point because I am just very happy to see Conan back on my TV.

Ill give it a 7 out of 10

My Quick Thoughts on How I Met Your Mother 'Natural History' 11/8

How I Met Your Mother has been really hit or miss for the last season and a half. To be honest it has been more miss then hit. That has been especially true for the first few episodes of this season. However Tonight's episode was a step in the right direction on all levels. Sure when they have the whole group together its good for laughs but i think the show works best when they can separate the group. We were reminded why Barney and Robin seemed so right for each other ( and also reminded how bad the writers botched that relationship). The part of the episode that was the most refreshing though was that Ted was by far the funniest part of the episode. By keeping this ongoing mystery of the mother going for this long it has left Ted without direction for the most part and what was once one of my favorite characters on TV has become annoying and not funny. It seems that with one episode however, the writers were able to redeem him, and even got me to care about one of his relationships, even though it seems like Zoe is not the mother.

QUICK HITS

- Always have to love an episode where they bring back the sandwich = Marijuana gag

- We learn that Marshall will eventually leave GNB

- We learn about Barny's father rather surprisingly and i do like how they did not make it another mystery to drag out

- Gonads!

Overall great episode, i give it an 8/10

My Thoughts on Wade Phillips

Before i begin, a picture to represent the Wade Phillips era in Dallas.

Today the Dallas cowboys did what many of us knew they were going to do for a few weeks. In firing Wade Phillips Jerry Jones once again is made to look like a fool. The sad part is that if he had just looked at recent history, the hiring of Wade Phillips should have never happened. A practice that has become entirely to common in the sports world is the hiring of the same group of people in different locations over and over again. The thinking in these moves are that these people have been around the block and have experience so they can bring the things the learned to their new position. However more often then not these retreads fail. Look no further then my beloved Cubs. 4 years ago when the cubs needed to hire a new manager, it was really between 2 guys: a young manager who had enjoyed some success in his only stint as a manager but was still relatively green, or the grizzled veteran who was going to be a future hall of famer. I am of course referring to Joe Girardi and Lou Piniella. Fast forward and Lou Piniella is out of baseball following 2 playoff flameouts and 2 losing season.

All Joe Girardi did in that time period was win a world series. Keeping it more specific in the NFL, just look at the last few coaches to make super bowls. In the last 2 super bowls, the 4 coaches that were there Were Sean Payton, Jim Caldwell, Ken Wisenhunt, and Mike Tomlin. What do these 4 coaches have in common? They are all coaches who are in their first tenure as a head coach. The NFL as a game has changed so much in the last 10 years alone, that these retread coaches are out of touch with what needs to be done to win. When the cowboys had signed Wade Phillips, the other person they were looking at was a former cowboy and the hot shot assistant de jour, Jason Garrett. Well, the cowboys now turn to Garrett to finish the season as the interim coach. Had they hired him back then, they might not be in the situation they are in now. However at this point it seems like Garrett is still representative of the old regime, and Jerry Jones needs to start clean. I just hope he takes a look at recent history before he decides to give someone like John Gruden a blank check....