Set Your PVR

It's TV time baby!

Now that our Monday's won't be clogged up with an hour's worth of The Playboy Club (cancelled today), we can make room for some of this fall's real gems.

First things first, Up All Night.

I am absolutely loving this show. Christina Applegate, Will Arnet and Maya Rudolph are hilarious together. Applegate and Arnet are new parents, he stays home with the baby, while Applegate works as a producer for Rudolph's daytime talk show. Rudolph plays an obnoxious diva, but is still super likeable. Sort of like Kim Kardashian (she's likeable... isn't she?).

Next up is The New Girl.

While I find this show is quite funny, I will say they need to seriously lose the laugh track (it ruins my train of thought). Zooey Deschenal is the clueless new roommate, living in a house full of dudes (trust me, I never say dude, but how else would you describe this crew?). She's super awkward which is adorable, but also kind of embarrassing.

Finally, Suburgatory.

Mean Girls meets the Humphries from Gossip Girl. This one is about a teenager from New York City (Tessa) who lives with her dad. After he finds condoms in her drawer, he packs her up and they move to the suburbs. Tessa thinks the Barbie doll like girls in the suburbs are totally lame, but I think they are incredibly amusing. I wish this show was one more than once a week.

As for my old time favs, can someone please tell me when Cougar Town will come back on? I miss it. Also, what are our thoughts on The Office sans Steve Carell? I'm feeling it.

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Jesse Eisenberg - Surprises Us All

While we're on the topic of last weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live, how impressive was Jesse Eisenberg? Seriously. I had seen him on Conan and his awkwardness was very uncomfortable to watch. When I heard he would be hosting SNL I wondered how he would do under pressure at a live taping; I assumed it would be painful to watch, but lucky for me, I was wrong.

Not only did he kill it, but he was so multi dimensional. I was under the impression that his Mark Zuckerberg portrayal for the Social Network was half Eisenberg simply playing himself. (Speaking of Zuckerberg, were you as shocked as I was at his guest appearance? Talk about good PR.)

He proved himself on SNL by playing everything from a pre-teen science enthusiast to a hunchback sidekick.

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The Bachelor is BACK

It's Monday, and that means we get to watch a legion of single women fight over the heart of one Brad Womack tonight on every lady's guilty pleasure; The Bachelor.

Why does every season of this show have to have some crazy girl named Michelle? First with Jake, we had the insane (and apparently super sensitive) Michelle; the girl who never dries her eyes because another good cry is just a commercial break away.

Now we have birthday girl Michelle, and yes, she is very beautiful, but come on. If you watched last week's episode, you were cringing as much as I was throughout the entire two hours. Not only did she mention it was her birthday every chance she got, but she was so aggressive with Brad it was laughable. Michelle is definitely not there to make friends...

Here is Bachelor alum Molly Mesnick's recap of last week's episode. Can't wait to watch tonight's drama/comedy (let's be honest, this show has more of a comedic element than ABC would like to let on).

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Running Wilde; Running Out of Steam

Didn't you people learn anything from Arrested Development? You need to give these comedies a chance. Running Wilde is the funniest show on TV right now and it's about to get cancelled. Scratch that, it has been cancelled. Fox has announced that the remaining 5 episodes have been pulled, never to see the light of day.

It worries me that a show like Skating With the Stars will bring in more viewers than a hilarious show like Running Wilde (although let's be honest, Skating With the Stars is likely to be the most unintentionally hilarious show of 2011). Sometimes I picture the meeting at Fox when Skating With the Stars was first pitched... what was the immediate response around the table? Was everyone on board straight away, or did it take some convincing? In any event, I digress...

For those of you who haven't watched (which I'm guessing is all of you?) Running Wilde stars Will Arnett, Keri Russell and David Cross amongst numerous other familiar faces. It's a comedy about a wealthy oil heir (Arnett) and his childhood love, who just so happens to be a tree hugger (Russell). You can only imagine the hilarity that follows.

I can't wait for three years from now when people actually watch the 1st season of Running Wilde, and then petition for the movie. You guys know that doesn't really work, right? Like I said... have we learned nothing from Arrested Development?

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Conan is Back!

They say everything happens for a reason and that couldn't be more true for Conan O'Brien.

A year ago the Conan drama was non-stop with him leaving his 16 year gig as the host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien to replace talk show veteran Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. This was the biggest deal in late night talk shows to happen in many years, and everyone was watching; that is, until they weren't. The debut of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien brought in huge numbers, but for one reason or another the viewers didn't stick, and within months NBC decided it was time for another shake up. Basically their plan was to give Leno back the time slot, and shift Conan to the less popular 12:05 spot. Conan said no chance, packed up his crew and said goodbye to NBC. (But not without getting one pretty sweet severance package to the tune of $45 million).

All's well that ends well and Conan's new show on TBS (or the Comedy Network in Canada) proves that. It premiered on Monday night, and if I do say so myself, Conan is funnier than ever. He didn't dance around the controversy, opening the show with blatant digs to his old bosses. The jokes were funny, Conan seemed rejuvenated and his duet with Jack White at the end of the show was fantastic! Who knew?!

Conan is back to his roots with his old side kick, Andy Richter, joining in on the fun. The show runs from Monday to Thursday and is definitely not to be missed.

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I Will Always Love You

Very happy to hear the rumours about Bobby and Whitney rekindling their romance have turned out to be false. It did, however, bring back memories of our girl, back in her prime. Still one of my favorite movies of all time.

Best. Kiss. Ever.

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VIFF and the Two Escobars

VIFF means a lot of things for Vancouverites; great films, cool parties and something to do every night of the week for two weeks straight.

Last year I went to the opening gala, but that's where my VIFF experience ended. This year, I was lucky enough to be hooked up with some tickets from Vancouver 24 hours. I took advantage of the passes and on Friday night took a girlfriend to see the documentary everyone had been talking about "The Two Escobars".

To summarize; the doc is about the 1994 world cup soccer game in the USA where star player Andrés Escobar accidentally scored on his own net. Weeks later he was shot to death, presumably by Columbian drug cartels. The story also chronicles the rise and death of Pablo Escobar.

With intimate interviews from the close friends and families of both Escobars, the documentary unfolds the story about a time in Columbia where drug money funded not only the soccer league, but built homes, parks and schools for the poor, when their government couldn't afford to do so.

At the end of the film, director Jeff Zimbalist did a question and answer period, which was a definite highlight for me. His passion for the project beamed as he answered each question casually without a nervous bone in his body.

This movie is too good to miss. They've already shown it twice at VIFF, with a third screening scheduled for Thursday at 3:30 (and possibly a forth being planned, due to popular demand).

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The Social Network

How many of you ran out to see The Social Network over the course of the last week? I certainly did! Best Saturday night ever.

I saw Mark Zuckerberg on the Oprah show earlier last week, where he stated that the movie is purely entertainment, but after watching the film, I'm not so sure it's all as fictional as he would like us to believe. A quick search on Google paints a different image of the "shy" Zuckerberg, with leaked (juicy!) text messages about the Winklevoss twins and interviews where he seemingly talks down to the reporter.

The funny thing is, I think I like this version of Zuckerberg more than his squeaky clean, geeky image he's trying to hard to portray.

If you haven't seen the movie yet, I think it's definitely worth the $12. I really enjoyed the story and couldn't help but day dream about becoming a billionaire myself after watching it (very unlikely). It also brought back memories of when I was first introduced to Facebook, back when you had to have a student email address in order to sign up.

Facebook has literally become our lifeline for communicating with friends, family and even total strangers, with most of us logging on everyday. Social networking is more than just a movie; social networking is our way of life.

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Gossip Girl and Dexter

This is quickly turning into a TV recap blog, but I just can't help myself. It's all too good.

Let’s start with Dexter. First off, all ladies love Dexter. He's so mysterious, attractive and... emotional? His breakdown at the end of the season premier this week seemed pretty out of character for our favorite serial killer, but it was refreshing to see that he is, in fact, human. I still find it weird watching the dynamic with him and his "sister" Deb, who happens to be his wife off screen. I'm a bit worried about the show; where can it go from here? With Rita dead, is Dexter going to be a single father, all while continuing his late night adventures? Watch it Showtime... this is crossing into "unbelievable" territory.

I missed the first two episodes of Gossip Girl this season, but was able to read re-caps online before watching the third episode last night. There's no sense commenting on the plot since it's just the same thing every season. People don't watch Gossip Girl for the storyline anyway, they watch it for the clothes (or at least I do).

I love Tiffany Keys. I really do. I own one in fact, but really? The girls on Gossip Girl are wearing them? I expected much more from these Upper East Siders. Cartier Love Bracelets would have been more believable. Tiffany Keys seem so... two years ago. For a show that prides itself on haute couture and unattainable designer goods, the Tiffany Keys seemed out of place.

Britney’s on Glee tonight. Seriously; best. September. ever.

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Glee

Two great things have happened for me TV-wise this week; the obvious being the season premiers of all the good shows, the second being after having my cable down for almost 2 weeks, it's finally been fixed (more on that later).

Last night was the premier of Glee. I am an admitted "Gleek" so I would have been impressed even without the Empire State of Mind performance. I thought it was good. Charice gives me goose bumps when she sings, but I bet everyone says that.

My only complaint, and I could be totally wrong, but did Lea Michele (AKA Rachel Berry) drop some serious weight over the summer? I thought it was so distracting. Last season she had the perfect body! I just think it's so sad to see another Hollywood starlet shed the pounds, when they looked amazing to start with (I'm talking to you Lindsay Lohan, Misha Barton and Nicole Ritchie).

As for my cable being down, I just switched providers yesterday, so now I'm a Shaw girl. I must say, so far so good. I was with Telus for over a year, and was persuaded by friends who are with Shaw to try them out. I had a few frustrating phonecalls with Telus (lets not get into it) and decided to pull the plug and give Shaw a chance.

I'm counting down the seconds until the season premier of Modern Family tonight, and with Grey's premiering tomorrow this week is only getting better and better!

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Harry Potter

I recently saw the new Twilight movie (ok, it's not really new, I'm just slow and don't like full theatres and bad seats). Is it bad that I thought the best part was the preview for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows? Oh. My. God.

I am an admitted Harry Potter freak - I love Harry Potter. I've read all the books many times over, own a pair of glow in the dark HP pajamas, an HP toothbrush, and even a snow globe of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There's just something about Harry, Hermione and Ron that I can't get enough of. Judging by the Harry Potter phenomenon, I'm not the only addict out there.

The most recent proof is the estimated 250 million dollar Harry Potter theme park, that recently opened at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. I'm dying to check it out.

The first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows will be released this November, with part 2 in July 2011. I'm not loving the 8 month break between the two, but at least it will allow enough time for part 1 to be on DVD before part 2 premiers. You know what I'm getting at, right? I'm talking about the Harry Potter movie marathon to end all marathons! And you thought the Sex and the City premiers were big...

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Lost

Who watched the Emmys last night? And who was as disappointed as I was that Lost didn't win any major awards?! Seriously, what the hell happened?! Lost is/was the best show of all time.

I only recently got hooked on Lost; I started watching it from the very first episode in February of this year. Six seasons is a lot to watch back to back, but this was a labor of love. By the time the final episode aired, I was caught up and watched it on TV (with baited breath), like my other fellow "Lost-aholics".

For all of you still trying to fill the hole in your hearts left by Sawyer, Jack and Kate, I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is you can give up trying; there are no comparables. The good news however, is that there are a lot of us out there, and it would seem like many of you have started Lost blogs.

Consider this our group therapy.

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Bachelor Pad

Ok, I was definitely slow to get into the Bachelor and Bachelorette, but now that I'm fully on board, I've become victim to their latest guilty pleasure: Bachelor Pad.

I was half watching it last night and missed most of the "plot", but what I did catch is the following:

• Girls binge eating pie and then ultimately purging. Honestly, couldn't they have chosen a better challenge? Last week was Twister in bikinis, which if I do say so myself, was a lot easier to watch.
• Someone wearing a ridiculous pink tutu.
• Chris Harrison wearing a seriously mismatched shirt and tie combo.
• And last but not least, Gia is bad?!?! (She was my favorite on the Bachelor)

Can't wait for next week's drama. The previews look intense!

One of these things is not like the other...

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Chelsea Handler, you're my idol

I thought that absolutely EVERYONE had heard of Chelsea Handler, comedian, author, late night talk show host; but it seems as though some of my friends have not. This needs to be corrected straight away. I've been a Handler fan for years now, her books are hilarious and her dry sense of humor can make me laugh on even the crankiest of days.

Chelsea is the host of Chelsea Lately, which sadly, I cannot get, even with my lucrative cable subscription (what's up with that Telus?!) but I have had the pleasure of reading her books, and catching her on Leno, Jimmy Fallon, and Regis & Kelly. This lady is funny, but be warned; she is not for the faint at heart.

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