Song of the Week - September 9th - Ronan by Taylor Swift

Songs have a certain way of tugging at the heart strings. A song can make us remember a particularly happy or sad moment in our lives. Sometimes, we can get so attached to a song - the lyrics, melody, its meaning - that it brings a tear to our eyes. Needless to say, my pick for Song of the Week is certain to bring one, if not a stream, of these aforementioned tears, and is sure to relate to everyone who listens in some capacity. My pick for Song of the Week is...

Ronan by Taylor Swift

Swift released this ballad on Friday night at the multi-network Stand Up to Cancer event, and the song immediately went to #1 on iTunes. It's not hard to see why. Swift was inspired to write this song after reading the blog of Maya Thompson, an Arizona mother who lost her four year old son, Ronan, in 2011 to neuroblastoma, a cancer commonly found in young children. Using words and memories from Thompson's blog, Swift wrote this heartbreaking tribute to the young victim and credited Maya as a co-writer on the song. She premiered it on Stand Up to Cancer in a moving performance that brought many in the audience and Swift herself to tears. Certainly, the song has struck a chord with audiences throughout the country. Even those who have never personally been affected by childhood cancer can't help but grieve for the Thompsons as Swift croons "Come on baby with me/We're gonna fly away from here/Out of this curtained room/And this hospital grey, we'll disappear/You were my best four years." Admittedly, the song moved this blogger to shed a tear. All of the proceeds of the song's sales with go to childhood cancer research. The song was, originally, not planned on being on the tracklist for Swift's upcoming album, Red, but sources say her label is looking to add the track at the last minute. Please take a listen to the song and purchase it on iTunes, it's a painless $1.29 that could help save a child's life.

Evan

TV This Fall: Sundays

After a crazy weekend, there's nothing like Sunday night television to get you ready for the week ahead. Luckily, you've got some great options for TV this fall on Sundays. Let's check it out below!

SUNDAYS:
8:00-9:00
The Amazing Race (CBS, premieres 9/30), Football Night in America (NBC, premieres tonight!), The Simpsons/Bob's Burgers (Fox, 9/30), Once Upon a Time (ABC, 9/30)
9:00-10:00
The Good Wife (CBS, 9/30), Sunday Night Football (NBC, premieres tonight!), Family Guy/American Dad (Fox, 9/30), Revenge (ABC, 9/30)
10:00-11:00
The Mentalist (CBS, 9/30), Sunday Night Football (NBC, premieres tonight!), 666 Park Avenue (ABC, 9/30)

First off, let me remind everyone that The CW does not air original programming on Sunday nights. Not that it would matter due to all the great competition. Things start off hot at 8 with a bunch of big names. Obviously, Football Night in America looks to be the big starter for NBC's night, and they should be highly successful in leading the ratings. Other than that, it's a tight race. The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers are a reliable start to Sunday nights, but they don't stand a chance of beating the competition. The Amazing Race is always a great performer for CBS, especially since it moved here, but, as was the case last year, time delays can put a damper on the show's performance. Additionally, the NFL announced that the 4:15 games that always run overtime into primetime will be starting ten minutes later this season, which means the delays will be even worse! Still, CBS is confident that audiences will stick around even through the delays (as a fan of The Good Wife at 9, I can say that some nights, when faced with fifty minute delays, I chose to go to bed early instead), so we'll see what effect that has this season. But the biggest show of this timeslot is Once Upon a Time, which, after being one of last season's biggest hits, is coming back stronger than ever. I'm sure it was a hot show to catch up with over the summer and that means more new viewers, so the show should have a great performance this fall.

At 9:00, we have one of the hardest match-ups on the schedule. Sunday Night Football will obviously rule here, but we've got three other networks. Family Guy and (to a lesser extent) American Dad are very popular among young audiences, so they'll tune in if they aren't focused on the game of the night. The real race is between CBS and ABC, who pitted their two buzziest hits head-to-head. CBS has The Good Wife, who already spent one season in the timeslot. The Good Wife, while lacking an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series this year, looks to regain some steam next year (sexier storylines, huge guest stars). ABC moved their breakout hit from last season, Revenge, to Sundays at 9 following the end of their soapy hit Desperate Housewives. Replacing one buzzy series with another seemed like a great route for ABC, and the show has a whole lot of anticipation riding on this season. Like Once Upon a Time, I think a lot of viewers caught up with this show over the summer or introduced their friends, plus the early timeslot could get some more eyes. As far as The Good Wife vs. Revenge is concerned, it's going to be a neck-and-neck race, I can really see either one taking the crown, but I'm giving the advantage to Revenge for now.

Finally, at 10, we've got three completely different shows. Sunday Night Football will continue to rule the night, but CBS has moved The Mentalist to Sunday nights, in hopes of getting an audience similar to what the now-canceled CSI: Miami did for so many years. The competition is ABC's mysterious new drama, 666 Park Avenue. The show has been described as sexy, magical, dark, scary, thrilling, and just plain great. It seems to combine the magical elements of Once and the thriller and sexy aspects of Revenge and combined it into one show, so audiences from Once and Revenge may stick around for 666. I'll give The Mentalist the advantage just because I think it skews to an older audience that may still be around that late at night, while 666 is definitely going for a younger audience who may not be completely reliable for good live ratings. But keep an eye on 666, it has potential to be the breakout hit of the fall.

What are you watching Sunday nights this fall? I know that, in addition to The Good Wife, ABC's entire Sunday night lineup is must-see for me! Let me know your schedule in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: Elementary

Very few pilots are guaranteed a spot on the fall schedule. As the networks discuss which shows to pick up, ditch, experiment with, there are never any pilots that are, without a doubt, making the schedule. CBS' new crime drama Elementary is one of the rare exceptions, however. Just thinking about the auspices of the first episode should make it an easy sell: a modern-day Sherlock Holmes drama, starring Jonny Lee Miller (most recently known for playing the titular Eli Stone in the short-lived ABC series), Lucy Liu (perhaps best known as one of Charlie's Angels in the 2000 movie update, but she's been in a whole lot), and Aidan Quinn (an Emmy nominee for the 2007 HBO movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee), not to mention a pilot written by Rob Doherty (producer on cult hits like Ringer, Tru Calling, and Medium) and directed by Michael Cuesta (an Emmy nominee this year for directing the pilot of Homeland). The series just screams "potenital hit! potential hit!," right? Well...basically, it is. For everything you would think to find here, you should be heavily satisfied. The story itself is a pretty basic crime with the usual twists and turns, although Sherlock's spunk certainly makes the scenes a little more fun. The best part of the entire episode is when they explore character relations, specifically Sherlock (Miller) and Joan Watson (Liu, yes, Watson is now a female). The chemistry between these two is already so strong and they get some pretty powerful scenes, although it's kind of a shame that the pilot episode has already spilled out their pasts for us, as that would have been great material to dive into further on into the season. Miller, if the work stays consistent, is a threat for a Best Actor in a Drama Emmy nomination next year (hooray for broadcast TV nominations!). Liu is pretty solid, better than I was expecting. Quinn was given a good amount of screentime, but I imagine they'll dive further into his character as the season progresses (I could see the potential for him having some skeletons in his closet). As of right now, these three are the only series regulars, so hopefully they add some fresh blood so we don't get bored of the same three characters. Cuesta does another fantastic job with the direction here, and if he doesn't take home the Emmy for the Homeland pilot, let's cross our fingers and hope he gets a second chance with this one! Overall, I was highly impressed with this first episode and I will definitely be tuning in to watch it this fall, as I suggest you should too! Below is a little trailer to whet your appetite until September 27th when Elementary premieres on CBS:

Evan

TV This Fall: Fridays

I know, I know, what is there to possibly watch on Fridays? But in the past couple of years, the networks have been making a valid attempt to bring back Friday night television, which (believe it or not) was hot at one time. Here's what you have for options if you opt to stay in on Fridays.

FRIDAYS:
8:00-9:00
CSI: NY (CBS, premieres 9/28), Whitney/Community (NBC, 10/19), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 9/28-10/19), Touch (Fox, 10/26), Shark Tank (ABC, 9/14-10/26), Last Man Standing/Malibu Country (ABC, 11/2), America's Next Top Model (The CW, 10/19)
9:00-10:00
Made in Jersey (CBS, 9/28), Grimm (NBC, 9/21), Fringe (Fox, 9/28), Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC, 9/14), Nikita (The CW, 10/19)
10:00-11:00
Blue Bloods (CBS, 9/28), Dateline (NBC, 9/28), 20/20 (ABC, 9/14)

The 8:00 hour is probably the most interesting hour of the night. CBS moved their modest hit CSI:NY to Fridays this fall, so we'll have to see if audiences care to follow. If not, they have a variety of other choices. NBC has a comedy hour featuring their worst comedy (Whitney) and their (second) best (Community, sorry, but Parks and Rec is definitely the best NBC comedy). Weird choice? Definitely. Will they succeed? Well, at least Community has a passionate fan base. If any show has a chance of making it on Fridays, it's Community. I'm still confused how Whitney made it past three episodes. Fox and ABC are premiering two reality shows for the start of the season, only to replace them with scripted material by late October/early November. The reason? For Fox, October means World Series, so alot of their shows are pre-empted by games for the majority of the month. Of course, some shows stay on the whole month, others take a break. Fridays are a popular night for games, so Fox and ABC are putting on these reality shows which don't have a particular structure (they aren't competition series) so if games air on Friday, it won't be a big deal. After that, Fox is bringing back last season's midseason sci-fi experiment Touch, which had some potential, and ABC looks to relaunch it's Friday comedy night with the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing and the new Reba McEntire comedy Malibu Country. Neither may be of great quality, but they have big names and are more family oriented than...say...Whitney/Community. Finally, The CW moved one of it's biggest titles, America's Next Top Model, to Fridays, probably to boost all around ratings. CBS will probably win the hour.

The 9:00 hour is full of question marks. Nikita was a good performer for The CW last year yet still faced cancellation possibilities. It's back with a pretty dull timeslot, but other shows like this have succeeded in the past on Friday nights. ABC is airing non-fiction material after their comedy block, which doesn't really make sense, but it's "no structure" structure might help. Fox somehow brought Fringe back for a final season, and the ratings will consist of fans and that's about it. This isn't the kind of show you can jump right into. NBC tried out Grimm on Mondays in August where the ratings were less than favorable, but it's returning to Friday nights in September where it found a whole lotta success.  Finally, CBS is premiering Made in Jersey, an Ally McBeal wannabe. We'll see if the show catches on, considering it's not really in the vein of it's lead-in, CSI:NY. Because of CBS' power, I think Made in Jersey could win the timeslot, but if Grimm can find that audience again on Fridays, it could be a surprise winner.

Finally, the 10:00 hour is so boring it's...boring. NBC has Dateline which is...fine? ABC has 20/20 which sounds really...dull? The only scripted show, and the one that'll win the timeslot, is CBS' Friday night hit Blue Bloods.

Does any Friday programming looking appealing to you? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan

TV This Fall: Thursdays

It's almost the weekend, which means it's time for what is generally regarded as one of the best nights of TV, Thursday night television! What do Thursdays have in store this year that'll have you talking all weekend? Let's find out!

THURSDAYS:
8:00-9:00
The Big Bang Theory/Two and a Half Men (CBS, premieres 9/27), 30 Rock/Up All Night (NBC, 30 10/4, Up 9/20), The X Factor (Fox, 9/13), Last Resort (ABC, 9/27), The Vampire Diaries (The CW, 10/11)
9:00-10:00
Person of Interest (CBS, 9/27), The Office/Parks and Recreation (NBC, 9/20), Glee (Fox, 9/13), Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 9/27), Beauty and the Beast (The CW, 10/11)
10:00-11:00
Elementary (CBS, 9/27), Rock Center with Brian Williams (NBC, TBD), Scandal (ABC, 9/27)

The night starts off with a big battle. CBS made the bold move to swipe Two and a Half Men of its anchor position of Mondays at 9 and instead place it behind the network's biggest hit, The Big Bang Theory. Together, these two make a deadly combination. Their competition? NBC is going to try to attract the witty crowd with it's hour of the final season of 30 Rock and the returning baby comedy Up All Night. 30 Rock fans will stay loyal for the show's last thirteen episodes, but I don't know how well that'll bode for the overall ratings. Fox has the results show of The X Factor, which they are hoping will finally get them in on the Thursday ratings race, but results shows are generally lower-rated, and it faces severely stiff competition. ABC is hoping to launch Last Resort at 8, but the move is...questionable. The pilot has been getting great marks and comes from great auspices, but it feels more like a late night show, and I don't know if it'll succeed here. Finally, The CW has it's biggest show, The Vampire Diaries, returning to it's Thursday slot, and while the show probably won't beat out the other four broadcast networks, The CW will rely on it to bring in good ratings, which, after a dynamite third season, it definitely should. But as for an overall winner? CBS should take this hour.

The 9:00 hour has (almost) every network pulling out their big guns. Strangely enough, the crowds for each of these shows is different. The CW is premiering Beauty and the Beast, and given the title and subject matter, it seems like it would be a good fit behind The Vampire Diaries and could be a successful show for the network. But this is Thursdays at 9, so that'll be tough. It's most direct competition will come from Glee, since both attract a younger, female audience, although there is definitely a split between those obsessed with fantasy and those obsessed with music and dancing. After anchoring Fox Tuesdays for three years, Glee is moving to one of the most competitive time slots of the year. Can it find success? The Gleeks are a mighty force to be reckoned with, so don't count them out. CBS is returning Person of Interest which, after a slow start, became a big player on Thursdays last year. Can the momentum continue to build this year? CBS is certainly hoping so. NBC has it's two biggest comedies together at 9:00. The announcement of a final season of The Office could make way for a boost in ratings, and Parks and Recreation looks certain to take over as the network's highest rated comedy as it's popularity increases every season. The final competitor for the hour is its oldest veteran, Grey's Anatomy. Following a truly horrifying finale, the ratings for the premiere, at least, should be markedly higher, but the show will probably settle down after a few weeks. As far as how well it'll do compared to everyone else? I think CBS will also take the 9:00 hour, with ABC close behind and Fox making a good run for the 18-49 audience, who may opt for Grey's but probably won't go for Person of Interest.

The 10:00 hour is kinda surprising for a Thursday night. To think of all the hits that once inherited this timeslot, the networks have scheduled one new show (Elementary), a flop of a news program (Rock Center with Brian Williams), and a sophomore show whose first season only had seven episodes (Scandal). What?! First, I cannot believe NBC would be so stupid to give Rock Center this crucial timeslot, especially given it's truly awful performance last year in a better slot. Yikes! Scandal started off pretty well last year behind Grey's, and the ratings stayed pretty constant. The show itself got better and better every episode, and it looks like Shonda Rhimes might actually have a decent follow-up to Grey's and Private Practice (sorry, Off the Map!), so if the buzz carried over the summer, Scandal could return and be the surprise returning hit of the season. But part of me thinks CBS will win this hour (and thus, winning the night) with Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes drama with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu (as a female Watson, hello female audience!). The buzz is pretty good and if it can sustain quality over the season, I can't see why it wouldn't be a big hit for the network.

Well? What do your Thursdays look like this fall? I know mine are packed. Let's count: The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, The Vampire Diaries, Parks and Rec, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and Elementary. Eight! How about you? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: Revolution

After watching five comedy pilots, I figured it was time the networks start releasing some new dramas too! Luckily, NBC came to the rescue and released the pilot episode of Revolution yesterday, and I got to take an exclusive look! Here's the basic set-up: Sometime in the not-so-distant future, Earth is inexplicably swiped of it's energy and power. Flash forward fifteen years to a dystopian looking America, where agriculture and greenery cover where skyscrapers and power lines once stood. We meet the Matheson family, Charlie, Danny, and Ben. Danny, the father, is approached by The Militia, the closest thing to government this new world has, and after a violent altercation, Danny is left for dead while Ben, the youngest child, is captured by the leader of The Militia, Captain Tom Neville (played by standout Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito). Before Danny dies, he instructs his oldest daughter, Charlie, to find her Uncle Miles in Chicago for help. Charlie is off, but she's accompanied by her father's best friend, Aaron, and Maggie, her father's new partner after his wife is killed (she is seen in flashbacks, played by sci-fi fave Elizabeth Mitchell). Along the way they run into the mysterious Nate and eventually find Miles (pilot MVP Billy Burke), but trouble is lurking as The Militia locate the Matheson duo. Also, Ben escapes The Militia, is taken in by a woman named Grace who then allows him to be recaptured by the bad guys and (somehow) has access to energy and higher powers (it all makes sense if you watch the whole thing). So...how is it? It's okay, with strokes of good and bad. I wasn't completely impressed by the show and I see some areas where they're going to have to work, but it seems like they have some idea of where the show is heading. There are some twists at the end of the episode that point to obvious plot lines, but I won't spoil them here. There's no character that I really feel for, except maybe Miles, but maybe that's because Billy Burke was my favorite part of this episode. Giancarlo Esposito is seemingly playing the same role that got him his Emmy nomination this year, but he does it well so you can't complain. Tracy Spiridakos is good as co-lead with Burke, although her plead to Uncle Miles comes off like she's trying too hard. JD Pardo plays Nate but I really don't know what to think of the character. Is he good? Is he bad? Does he feel the heat between him and Charlie? (The last one is definitely a yes.) The other characters don't get enough time for me to form an opinion, but there's certainly potential. The writing is okay, my biggest complaints being the references to modern times (I think we're supposed to love Aaron, but with his references to "this old Internet thing called Google" and his whole "I'm a bumbling idiot on a mission" thing, it's forced) and the forced speeches (again, the "family" speech is cheesy, cheesy, cheesy). But is there potential? Yes. I think so. We'll see. This could get better and become a success story, or it could become a carbon copy of last season's flop Terra Nova. Let's pray it's not the latter. Judge for yourself by watching the first episode on Hulu or NBC.com or when it premieres September 17th! Check out the series trailer below:

Evan

TV This Fall: Wednesdays

It's time once again to see what you'll be doing a few weeks from tonight. Yep, it's Wednesdays, so it's time to see what TV is in store for you this fall! Let's get started...

WEDNESDAYS:
8:00-9:00
Survivor: Philippines (CBS, premieres 9/19), Animal Practice/Guys with Kids (NBC, 9/26), The X Factor (Fox, 9/12), The Middle/The Neighbors (ABC, 9/26), Arrow (The CW,10/10)
9:00-10:00
Criminal Minds (CBS, 9/26), Law and Order: SVU (NBC, 9/26), The X Factor (Fox, 9/12), Modern Family/Suburgatory (ABC, MF 9/26, Suburgatory 10/17), Supernatural (The CW, 10/3)
10:00-11:00
CSI (CBS, 9/26), Chicago Fire (NBC, 10/10), Nashville (ABC, 10/10)

Once again, it would appear we have two reality shows going head to head, although unlike Monday night's intense battle, this looks to be less intimidating as Survivor and The X Factor aren't seen as bg ratings powerhouses...at least that's how it used to be...as if you've haven't already heard, The X Factor underwent a huge overhaul this year after it's first season was a bit of a bust. These new additions include judges Demi Lovato and Britney Spears, which Fox thinks will attract a bigger audience. I'm definitely inclined to agree. First, the competition: NBC has two pretty bad comedies starting off their night and I don't see success for either show. The Middle is a good comedy that can anchor the hour, but The Neighbors looks veeeery strange and I don't see it becoming a hit. The CW is looking to skew males with Arrow, their first superhero show since Smallville. Finally, CBS has the aging Survivor whose ratings, while still strong, are definitely on the fall. That leaves room for Fox to have potentially great success with The X Factor. This is one to look at very closely!

In the next hour, things get a little hazier. While The X Factor stretches out over two hours, CBS and ABC pull out the big guns. Criminal Minds, which is reflecting CBS' other hit, NCIS, in growing with age, is arguably one of the network's strongest shows, and it draws male and female viewers. But do you think Criminal Minds is too grotesque? Need a family show? The best one around, Modern Family, airs at the same time, and ABC is pairing it up with last year's hot comedy Suburgatory, so the comedy block should be pretty successful, at least as long as Modern Family keeps up the great ratings. Law and Order: SVU is one of NBC's strongest shows, yes, but also remember, this is NBC. Still, the show should get good ratings, although the timeslot change may or may not help. And finally, Supernatural, one of The CW's strongest performers, will try to help boost the network's overall numbers, but it'll still finish fifth. Criminal Minds will probably win with viewers overall, but Modern Family should lead ABC to the young crowd win.

Finally, at 10, CBS has their (old) hit CSI, the only vet in this timeslot. That'll certainly help, especially since one of the show's biggest competitors is a trite drama from NBC titled Chicago Fire which won't attract a giant audience. However, ABC has one of the hottest drama pilots in this timeslot, Nashville. It's female skewing which will be good against CSI and Chicago Fire, plus the network had huge success launching Revenge in this timeslot last year. If none of this pleases you, remember that FX is airing American Horror Story: Asylum at this time as well.

So what do you think? What Wednesday shows are screaming "YOU!"? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan