Ed Sheeran On Undateable

This Tuesday, NBC's comedy "Undateable" did something very daring, a live show. This show revolved around a open mic night at a bar. The cast did two live performances, to air different versions of the episode on the east and west coasts. The special was a star studded experience. Actress and singer, Victoria Justice guest stared, and Grammy nominated singer/song-writer Ed Sheeran had a cameo role.

The east and west coast episodes have the same concept, but certain details changed. I watched parts of both episodes On Demand. The east coast version, Ed Sheeran opened the show singing his hit single "Thinking out Loud." After finishing the song he was then kicked out of the bar by the owner (Brent Morin), who was not aware that he was the real Ed Sheeran. Later on Sheeran comes back to comfort Morin's character, telling him "I wont let anyone hurt you again."

The west coast version of the episode was undeniably more daring. Sheeran opened this show singing "Photograph," which will be the next single off his album "x". Later in the episode, when he comes back to condole Morin, he surprises the audience by planting an intense kiss on the actor. A moment that was later spread across social media in repetitive glory. The episode wrapped with Sheeran coming back to sing a cover of Britney Spears's "Hit Me Baby One More Time" accompanied by Victoria Justice and "Undateable" star Bridgit Mendler.

Overall, I thought that the show was funny. I liked to see Ed Sheeran try his hand acting, even though it was clearly out of his comfort zone. There was clearly an excited energy surrounding the entire cast, something you could feel through your TV screen.

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The Big Bang Theory

"The Big Bang Theory" on CBS has been a fan favorite sense its premiered in 2007. The show centers around a group of friends/scientists. It is a comedy about life and love through the eyes of these "geeks." The highlight of the show is Sheldon Cooper, portrayed by Jim Parsons.

The show is funny in a brainy way, but not so much that it is hard to understand or follow. It hit a huge market of people, from teenagers to the older demographic. The show has inspired a craze of merchandise and Bazinga! shirts, which is Sheldon Cooper's catch phrase.

With the show going so strong for so long, the question we have is when will it end? The show is currently on season eight, and even though it is still maintaining a large audience. However, it has received mixed reviews from the critics. The Inquisitr called it "not quite up to par" and "none of the humor particularly stood out."

Personally, I for see the show going on for a while longer because as long as they are getting views the network will continue to renew the show. The only reason why I could see the show stopping is because of loosing actors. Jim Parsons recently did a movie and is going to be on a Broadway show. If he decides to leave The Big Bang Theory to do other jobs, I would assume a huge decline in ratings would follow.

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Grace's Show Review

I mentioned a few posts ago that YouTuber, Grace Helbig has her own TV show on E! now. The show is now two episodes in, so I figured it was time I give my opinion on it.

The show takes place in Grace's "house" (really it is just a set designed to resemble Grace's home). The first episode had guests Aisha Tyler, Mamrie Hart, and Flula Borg. The second episode brought in comedian Nick Kroll and internet personality Tyler Oakley. It seems like Grace is trying to balance airtime between standard celebrities and internet celebrities. This is a huge move for Team Internet, because it give a lot of YouTuber a chance to be on the television platform.

I must say that Grace comes off quite differently on TV than she does on YouTube. Some of this may be due to the fact that she is in a different atmosphere on TV. She is dressed in cute dresses with her hair and make up done accompanied by flattering camera angles. On YouTube she typically wears sweats with old make up and one single camera angle provided by her tripod.

In the second episode Grace responded to a comment that she received saying that it sounded like she was reading her lines off of a teleprompter the entire time, when in fact there was no teleprompter. Helbig does in fact have a way of talking sometimes when she pauses at weird places. This is something that you are used to on the internet, but on TV it makes her come off as awkward (which is actually what she is going for I think).

As far as pop culture TV shows go, I think that this show is pretty decent. I am looking for to the next episode with guest Jim Parsons because I am excited to see how their personalities work together. My favorite thing about the show is how Grace incorporates YouTube styled challenges for her guest, because this is much more interesting than the typical interview that hosts normally give.

Tyler Oakley on Catfish

Yet another You Tuber has made a transition to the TV screen. Tyler Oakley, guest hosted on Catfish last week. Catfish is reality show on MTV, that aims to uncover whether or not people online significant others are real. 

Tyler Oakley has proved through his online medium that he is great at interviews and creating entertaining material. However, reality TV was outside of his normal element. Most of Oakley's vlogs are humor based. Even when he talks about a serious subject, he approaches it in a humorous light. Catfish didn't allow him this luxury. Throughout the episode, you could tell that Tyler was unsure of what to do or say. Seeing someone deal with an emotional experience left him awkwardly covering his mouth. 

The moments that Tyler did shine was when it came to making predictions and making entertaining commentary. I could see Tyler do a TV show in the future, but I would imagine him taking a route similar to Grace Hellbig. Celebrity gossip and pop culture commentary are his forte, and he should stick to that. 

The Middle

The Middle on ABC is about a middle class family dealing with the struggles of the standard American family. The show often gets overshadowed by ABC's money maker, Modern Family. Contrary to popular opinion, I much prefer the Middle.

My entire family loves The Middle. We watch it all the time, and sometimes quote it even. It is filmed like a typical sitcom, but the characters and the narrative are so strong, that the show is downright hilarious.

The Heck family has three kids, Sue, Axl, and Brick, and they all have completely different personalities. Axl is the jock, Brick is the book worm, and Sue is the optimist. Their personalities are exaggerated to the point that they are almost like caricatures. This could make the show cheesy, but the writers play it off well.

The thing I like the most about the show is that each episode can stand on its own and be funny whenever you watch it. You can skip a whole season and still understand the plot. Also you can re-watch episodes and catch jokes that you didn't get the first time.

Skins

Recently, I have been re-watching the British show Skins with one of my friends. I have already seen the entire series, but I have been enjoying watching it for a second time because there are a lot of things that I did not notice the first time around. 

The show revolves around a group of teens that go to a local College. The show tells stories of growing up and the problems that life brings us. Some story lines include eating disorders, pregnancy, death, and relationships. The show is a lot like my favorite show, Degrassi, however it is made for a more mature audience. 

One big way that Skins differs from any show I have seen is that it covers controversial subject matter without going into a moral-of-the-story sort of set up. The show seems to have a running theme that life is dark sometimes but that is just the way it is. The characters live a very extravagant lifestyle, with lots of partying and irresponsible behavior, but they are never represented in a negative light because of this behavior. 

The show is set up in three generations. Each generation has two seasons. The show does one thing very well, and that is developing characters. By the end of each generation you are sad to see the characters go. At the beginning of each generation, I found myself struggling to get used to the new characters because each batch is so different from the rest. But in the end you grow to appreciate each character. You love some and you hate some,  but they are so developed that you recognize the beauty behind them no matter what. If you are looking for an addicting TV show, Skins is definitely a show to watch. 

Glee Says Goodbye

With the series finale of Glee on last Friday night, Glee has officially come to an end. While the series has seen its ups and its downs, it is still sad to see it be over.

The final episode "Dreams Come True" showed all of our beloved characters of McKinley High in five years time. Rachel is a Tony award winning actress. Sue is running for president. Kurt and Blaine and Santana and Brittney are happily married. Mr. Schue is the principal of McKinley High School for Performing Arts.  Sam took over his place coaching the New Directions, and Mercedes is on tour with Beyonce. Everyone has achieved their dreams and are happy with the direction that life took them.

In the final moments of the episode, everyone came back to dedicate the auditorium to Cory Monteith's character, Finn Hudson. This was one last tribute to the deceased cast mate. In this scene, every past Glee character was back to sing One Republics song "I Lived." This gave viewers sentimental feelings of time gone by and old friends uniting.

It was nice to see that the show got a proper se
nd off. The last few seasons have not been to the standard of Glee's glory days. However, the show has a very strong group of fans who have an emotional connection with the characters. In many ways, seeing each characters success in this episode was like seeing an old friend after years apart. These characters have been on our screens for years, and we have rooted for them sense the beginning, so this was the best ending that Glee could have given us.

From YouTube to TV

Popular You Tuber, Grace Helbig, has recently announced that next month she will have her own television show on E! Creatively named The Grace Helbig Show, the show will premiere Friday, April 3rd, at 10:30 p.m.

The show will be an unconventional talk show. Helbig will host guests at random locations rather than in the typical studio setting. E! mentions potential sites such as grocery stores, cars, and Helbig's own home.

With millions of subscribers on her YouTube channel, Helbig no doubt knows how to capture an audience. Her videos consists or her special brand of sarcastic comedy. It will be interesting to see how her usual content is changed to be broadcast through a different medium.

YouTube celebrities are becoming more and more popular in pop culture today. Who knows, TV might be the next big thing for You Tubers to conquer. With such a large teen demographic, television networks are smart to take advantage of YouTube as a potential market.

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Tyler Hoechlin No Longer a Teen Wolf Regular

It was recently announced that "Teen Wolf's" Tyler Hoechlin will not be coming back as a series regular for the upcoming fifth season. Hoechlin portrays Derek Hale, the experienced former Alpha, who has spent the past four seasons as Scott's mentor.

However, just because Hoechlin is no longer a series regular, this doesn't mean that we have seen the last of Derek Hale. Creator, Jeff Davis told MTV that he and Hoechlin have already discussed upcoming plots involving Derek. We can expect to see appearances of the grouchy werewolf in future seasons, but he will no longer play as large as a part on an episode to episode basis.

After Hoechlin's recent experience in an indie film, the actor has decided that it is time to move on from "Teen Wolf" and work on other projects, like so many of his fellow cast mates. Colten Haynes (Jackson), Crystal Reed (Alison), and Daniel Sharman (Isaac) have also left the cast with similar reasons.

The biggest concern that I have with Hoechlin's departure is that he will take a part of the value of the show with him. After Alison and Issac left, season 4 fell short of the fan's expectations. Loosing a actor that is such a fan favorite really takes a hit at a show's ratings.

The fact is that the original cast of "Teen Wolf" and the cast that we will see in the next season are barely the same thing. This is a natural thing for a TV show. However, it is hard for fans to see a show go on without the characters that they first fell in love with.

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Binge Watching "Weeds"

At the request of my friends, I spent the last few weeks binge walking the Showtime series, "Weeds." Weeds is about a recently widowed suburban mom who becomes a drug dealer in order to support her family. The show focuses around around Nancy, her sons Silas and Shane, and her brother in law Andy.

At first, I was hesitant to watch the show, but after a few episodes I was hooked. I was completely attached to the characters, and I had to see it through to see if they ever solved all their problems. Of coarse, that never really happened. Just when you thought that Nancy couldn't get her family in any more trouble she would get involved with yet another gang that wanted to kill her.

The first couple seasons are no doubt the best. I like the dynamic of the show when the family lives in Agrestic. When they move away, the plots become more and more intertwined and more and more unrealistic. However, the characters are so lovable that you continue to watch.

As the show progressed, I found myself getting annoyed with Nancy as a character. It is completely her fault why the family wound up where they did. She would always comment about how she had no other choice but to be a drug dealer, but she had dozens of opportunities to get out throughout the series.

Andy and Silas were often the only shining light in the plot lines. I could always rely on them to make the episode funny and entertaining with all Nancy's drama spiraling around them. My biggest disappointment in the series is how Shane turned out. He seemed have got the brunt of Nancy's mistakes. While Silas and Andy were resilient and were able to bounce back, Shane seemed to fall further and further into the abyss.

At the closing of the series, I found that the finale wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be. I think that it focused too much about unimportant characters. It attempted to bring back nostalgic feeling from all the seasons past, but it dropped the ball on a few key characters. It may have been due to availability, but there were some actors that didn't come back that I really would have liked to see.

Modern Family Goes Apple

Last week's Modern Family episode was filmed entirely using apple products. The episode took place from the screen of Claire's Mac Book. The episode featured FaceTime conferences with the rest of the family, scrolls down Claire's Facebook wall, and iMessage chats between the characters.

While watching the episode, I couldn't help but feel that it was just a super extensive Apple commercial. I like the uniqueness of the concept, however, I felt that the show was shoving Apple down my throat. Also, the rapid shifts from different media sources proved to be nauseating when watching the show on a large screen.

I would have liked the episode more if the FaceTime clips would have switched to take up the whole screen while the characters where communicating. Instead, Claire would be doing other things on her desktop while the video only took up a small portion of the screen. I found this to be distracting. Had Claire not been multitasking so frequently, it would limited the amount of stimuli that the viewer was forced to take in while watching the episode.

Overall, the episode had themes of technology complicating our lives. On one hand, it showed off all the cool things that you can do with Apple products. But on the other hand, it showed how in the end, the technology only caused unnecessary drama. I think that the writers meant this as a commentary on our society's internet habits.

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Open Heart Doesn't Quite Connect

While Degrassi is on hiatus, Teennick is running the show "Open Heart." The shows share the same producers, as well as some writers and actors. I decided to give the show a chance, mainly because Degrassi alumni Dylan Everett, Christine Prosperi, and Justin Kelly would be making appearances.

The premise of "Open Heart" is that Dylan Blake is assigned to do community service at the hospital that her grandparents own and that her mother and sister work at. While she is there, she is trying to find her father who went missing. Foreshadowing tells us that there are major family secrets that are about to be uncovered.

The biggest problem that I had with this show is that the main character, Dylan, is utterly unrelatable. The supporting cast outshines her acting performances. Most of Dylan's airtime make her out to be a whinny princess who never listens to others advice, even when it would be to her benefit.

In many ways, Prosperi and Kelly are the lifelines of the series. The duo work great together and their characters play off eachother nicely, giving the show a much needed comedy aspect. Also, Prosperi's character's cancer background gives her plenty of emotional attachment with her audience.

I predict that this series will not prove to be long lasting. It might do better in Canada (where it is made), but I would be surprised if Teennick will pick it up for another season in the States. "Open Heart" shares a lot of Degrassi's writing and character flaws. For Degrassi, these flaws aren't detrimental because it is a long running franchise. However, with a new show, I think that these flaws will prove to be terminating. 

Degrassi 14A Wrap Up

The first block of Degrassi season 14 is over, and with the break before 14B comes on, it is a good time to reflect on all the drama. 

First, the Eli/Clare/Drew situation. Clare is pregnant and has just found out that the baby is Eli's (she originally thought that it was Drew's. Now that Eli knows this, he wants to be back in Clare's life to help with the baby. Purely on platonic levels of coarse. I predict that the next block of episodes, the pair will figure out that it is impossible for them to be just friends. They will probably try their luck with dating again. Which will probably fail miserably just like the two previous times. 

The mid season finale brought an close to the cheerleading drama. It is officially out of the bag that Zoe is the one behind Degrassi Nudes (the cheerleading squads very illegal way of fundraising). However, she tried to pin the whole thing on Frankie. As revenge, Frankie and Winston trapped Zoe in a room and tried to scare her with costumes and disguised voices. The drama between Zoe and Frankie will definitely continue next block. It is highly unlikely that the two will ever completely make up.

The biggest thing that happened in the finale was Miles burning down the school. Okay, maybe he didn't completely burn it down, but he definitely displayed some pyrotechnics. Miles lit one of his fathers campaign posters on fire to demonstrate his hatred for his abusive father. However, this backfired when the fire wouldn't go out and spread throughout the hallway. Thankfully, everyone was able to make it out of the school safely. The episode ended with all three of the Hollingsworth siblings taking a stand against their father and walking off into the sunset (or to The Dot to get some food). 

Overall, this season had it's ups and downs. I was not a fan of the Degrassi nudes story line or the Imogen/Jaque polygamy struggle. Also, I think that the entire premise of Clare's pregnancy is completely out of character, and basically just a tool to keep Eli in the picture. However, I did enjoy the arc about Miles abuse, because Degrassi hasn't tackled parental abuse since Craig back in the original generation. I also liked the continuation with Maya's struggles with protecting her friends in the aftermath of Cam's suicide. 

Victoria Justice Catches Viewers Eyes

MTV has a new drama, called "Eye Candy," based off of an R.L Stine novel. The show stars Victoria Justice, the former Nickelodeon star of "Victorious." While it has set no records, it has been steadily increasing in viewers sense its premiere in January.

Justice plays Lindy, a tech savvy woman on a mission to find her kidnapped sister. This is a murder mystery for the internet age. Lindy uses computer hacking to trace down "the flirtual killer," a serial killer who murders people who lie about their appearance on their online profiles. Coincidentally, this killer has an interest in Lindy. He believe that she could be the flawless person that he is searching for.

The story is told in hour long episodes. It is filmed much like "Teen Wolf," one of MTV's most successful shows. Each episodes is like a miniature movie, combining elements of drama, comedy, horror and suspense.

Sadly, the show falls into the trap of most murder mysteries' biggest flaw. Conclusions and solutions are pulled out of nowhere, often unrealistically. While the show lacks believably, it is easy to get into. The show succeeds in pulling plot twists over on its viewers. Also, for those who crave horror, there is a good dose of graphic, freak murder situations.

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Glee's Final Season

The sixth and final season of Glee premiered on fox last month. As a turn of events, all the beloved characters from seasons past have found their ways back to McKinley High School to wrap up everyone's character arcs. Now that we are midway through the season, it is time to reflect on what has gone down so far.

Rachel has been shunned from television and has now taken over the New Directions at her Alma Matter with the help of her best friend Kurt. Also, Blaine has taken over the Warblers and Mr. Schue is the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline, making the group rivals.

There is a new batch of students on the show that fill the space of the kids being coached. However, they are more of a plot devise for the alumni, rather than characters of their own. In fact, I can't even recall a single one of their names.

Most of the plot lines this season seem to revolve around two things. 1. Relationships and/or 2. Rachel Berry. The biggest things going on in the relationship side of things are the Santana and Brittany marriage, the budding romance between Rachel and Sam, and lastly the undeniable tension between formally split up Glee power couple Kurt and Blaine. Other than that, the rest of the plots revolve around Rachel getting her mojo back.

The last episode, "Transitioning," was a tribute to transgender people. I think that the episode was well done and talked about important subjects. However, it seemed sort of like a token hard hitting subject. One that they pound out in one episode and never talk about again. This is mostly due to the fact that Glee is strongly based on comedy over continuity. The tone of the show isn't supporting of such a complex and serious subject. I applaud Glee for trying to be controversial, but I fear that they did not present the subject in the best light.

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First Impressions of Fresh Off The Boat

ABC's newest comedy, Fresh Off the Boat, premiered this month. The show follows a Asian American family in 1995. The Huang family has taken the leap from their comfort zone, moving from their Washington DC neighborhood to an all white suburb in Orlando, Florida. The show is narrated by Eddie Huang, a hip-hop loving 11 year old.

The show puts a comedic spin on the family's feelings of being outsiders. The first episode focused around the kids adjusting to their new school. Eddie had problems because the kids thought his homemade Chinese food was gross. Distraught, he convinced his mom to buy him Lunchables, his ticket to normalcy.  However, this didn't work as well as he wished.

So far, I am enjoy this show very much. It is funny with out being watered down. The show still touched on life lessons, without being either too insensitive or too lighthearted. I think that it was the perfect mix.

Also, I was drawn to the characters in the show. Even though there has only been a few episodes, the actors have done a great job of giving their characters individuality. Each episode, you root for the family to figure things out by the end.

Fox Cancels Red Band Society

Last Saturday, the two hour series finale of Red Band Society aired on Fox. This was a bitter sweet event. The terrific writing proved all the reasons why RBS should have been given another season.

Fox had halted production midway through shooting season one. Eventually, the network granted the series four more episodes to wrap up each character arc. Then the show sat in limbo, not being officially canceled, but also with no further production.

The winter finale had left fans on a cliff hanger, with no idea if we would even see the final three episodes. Without much warning, Fox aired those episodes on two Saturday nights,  January 31 and February 7. This came with the news that Red Band Society was officially canceled.

Even though the finale was beautifully done, and wrapped up each arc nicely, it still leaves me, and many other fans, bitter about the networks seemingly premature ruling. It seems like a different time slot or different marketing techniques could have gotten the show where it needed to be.

The show actually has a solid group of followers. The biggest problem, I think, is that Fox is basing their success purely off of Nielson ratings. The problem with this is that it seems like watching live TV is a thing of the past. Especially with Saturday nigh broad cast, many people will miss the original airing and find other methods of viewing the episode (such as online or On Demand).

Another main concern with Fox's approach is that they aren't targeting towards the right audience. They are airing RBS on an "adult" station, at 9:00 pm. I think that if they put it on a more teen oriented station, or at an earlier time, they will capture more of the teen demographic. This should really be the age group Fox should be targeting, because this is the demographic that will connect with the shows story lines.

In the end, losing Red Band Society is a big loss. The writers and cast have worked hard to bring important stories to the screen. Many fans have reached out saying that the show has helped them. Countless teens have reached out saying that Emma's struggles with Anorexia have helped them come to terms with their own disorders. It is a sad thing to take these characters away from their audience that appreciated them so much.

Sources:  Cinema Blend  TV By The Numbers  Enstars

The Golden Globes Recognize The CW's Latest Comedy

Jane The Virgin star, Gina Rodriguez, was a big winner at the 2015 Golden Globes. She accepted her award for Best Actress In A Comedy Series with a tear struck speech. Many people are saying that her's was the best of the night. She proclaimed "this award is so much more than myself, it represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes."

Her title is well deserved, too. Every Monday night at 9 pm, Rodriguez captures The CW's audience with her simultaneously humorous and emotional role. Her character, Jane, is a young woman who was actually inseminated and is now pregnant with the baby of Raphael Solano, the son of a wealthy hotel franchise owner. Now, Jane is caught in the family drama that Raphael comes with, as they try to make things work before the baby comes.

If you are looking for a good binge watch, or a show to fill your Monday evening space, I strongly recommend Jane The Virgin. The crazy plot is perfectly accompanied by a narrator who draws you in with his sarcastic commentary. The show is outrageous in a way that it is aware of the absurdity. The writers turn this into one of the selling points.

Soure: ET

Introduction

TV is a way to unwind after a stressful day, but it is also a way to look at the world around you. When we watch TV we get a gimps into other's lives. Even though most of our favorite TV stars are fictional, we can find characteristics we can relate to.

It seems like the popular opinion is that TV is a waste of time. Parents tell kids to turn off the TV or "it will rot your brain." While I agree that too much screen time is a bad thing, watching television doesn't have to be a complete waste of time.

In my opinion, whenever you are consuming a medium with a critical eye you are benefiting yourself. This blog is going to be my outlet for this.I hope to view and critically analyze the TV shows that I like, and the TV shows that are popular at the moment.