Girl Friends in The Big Bang Theory

WARNING SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 of The Big Bang Theory.

In Season 4 of The Big Bang Theory Penny, the lone female lead in a cast of four males, finally got some girl friends. Now, I love The Bang Theory, but these two new girls (Bernadette and Amy) added some much needed balance to the cast (and some female nerds, which was awesome).

There’s something refreshing about the larger cast, mainly because it adds more maturity to the show (in a way) because Penny, Bernadette, and Amy can discuss relationships, work, friendship in a way that the male characters can’t. Of course, the relationship was necessary because of Leonard’s new relationship with Raj’s sister (Priya) caused Penny not to hang out in Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment. Poor lonely Penny needed friends of her own (and more excuses to film in Penny’s apartment) and she got them.

Deep friendships with the opposite gender are explored a lot on The Big Bang Theory and I’m happy that the girls and boys have their own time to discuss things together that may be awkward or impossible to discuss with a mix gender group. Plus, it’s led to some great situational humor as Amy tries to have the female friendships she should have had growing up.

Relive all of the fun girl friend moments with The Big Bang Theory Season 4 on DVD/Blu-Ray.

 

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Big Bang Theory Season 4 on DVD.

 

ION Television Picks up Flashpoint

[Press Release] ION Television premieres its newly acquired hit police drama “Flashpoint” on Tuesday, October 18 at 10pm ET/PT with new original episodes. ION Television, the new home for the award-winning series, will schedule “Flashpoint” in a two-hour block on Tuesdays from 10pm-12am ET/PT and again on Saturdays from 9-11pm ET/PT.

To support the series launch, ION Television will unveil an integrated marketing campaign, including television, print, out-of-home & digital advertising. As part of the campaign for the first-time ever, ION will feature a Quick Response code on all printed marketing elements, which will provide fans access to exclusive cast interviews, a never-before-seen sneak peek from the premiere episode and entry into the ‘Flashpoint Alert’ contest, starting September 26th. The online contest provides fans a chance to win weekly cash prizes by scheduling the premiere episode onto their digital calendars and their social media platforms.

ION Television, a top-10 network, acquired the rights to all existing episodes and future production of “Flashpoint” from CBS Television Distribution earlier this year. The production of the season’s upcoming episodes marked ION Television’s first venture into originals planned by the network in the coming year.

“Flashpoint” joins ION Television’s primetime line-up of hit off-network series such as “Psych,” Monk,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Without a Trace,” and its blockbuster theatricals, which have driven record ratings for the network. The new series joins the schedule on the heels of ION’s recent acquisition of the hit series “Leverage” and “House,” both set to launch on ION in 2012.

Starring Hugh Dillon (Durham County), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars), Amy Jo Johnson (Felicity) and David Paetkau (Whistler), “Flashpoint” is the nail-biting cop drama and an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of police in the Strategic Response Unit (inspired by Toronto’s Emergency Task Force). Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they are trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the subject’s head to understand the emotional breaking point (the “flashpoint”) that triggered the crisis.

“Flashpoint” is produced by Pink Sky Entertainment and Avamar Entertainment in association with CTV and CBS. Executive producers are Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos. Creators are Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. David Frazee is Series Consultant.

Movie Review: The Killer Elite

The Killer Elite opens 9/23. Buy tickets now on Fandango.com.

Find out more about The Killer Elite at killerelite.com

I went to see “The Killer Elite” last week at a special press screening and I have to say I was blown away. I’m not normally one for assassin vs. assassin movies, but “The Killer Elite” is more than just your typical violence for the sake of violence film – it’s actually a real interesting story about trained assassins, government corruption and the role the West has played in the Middle East. Entirely relevant for the current culture and political times today.

Both myself and Lisa, who came along, walked out after seeing it surprised at how much we really enjoyed the film because, at the end of the day, it told a compelling, redemptive story. Added bonus? Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker from Chuck) plays the romantic lead.

Synopsis:

“Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite pits two of the world’s most elite operatives – Danny, an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) and Hunter, his longtime mentor (Robert De Niro) – against the cunning leader of a secret military society (Clive Owen).  Covering the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East, Danny and Hunter are plunged into a highly dangerous game of cat and mouse — where the predators become the prey.”

Non-Spoilery Verdict:

Come for the explosions, car chases, stellar cast and leave with a compelling story.

Jason Statham does what he does best in this role: he plays the hard on the outside, teddy bear on the inside lead. As Danny he gets to really play with the tortured soul who is pulled back into the assasian business because of his friend. Robert DeNiro gets to play an excellent role as a foil for Jason’s character adding to every scene he’s in without having to outshine the rest of the cast. Yvonne gets to play a good Australian country girl, and even though her role is smaller than the male leads, she really lights up the screen at every turn. I was pleasantly surprised that her character wasn’t as flat as I had anticipated she might be in this very male genre film.

Clive Owen is masterful and gripping in his role. Of the three male leads I really believed his character most of all.

At the beginning the movie did feel more like an independent film (long, non-actiony type shots), but the action picked up and left me interested through out. There were a couple unexpected turns that the movie made that I wasn’t expecting and the overall message was redemption is possible and who you were does not have to define who you become.

Downsides to the movie (for me) was it was rated R for language (brief nudity) and violence (though the violence wasn’t as bad as I thought it may be).

This is a really great movie based on a non-fiction book The Feather Men and I recommend you go see it for yourself.

Psych Fan Apperication Screening in New York – Enter to Win Tickets!

USA NETWORK CELEBRATES LOYAL FANS WITH PSYCH FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 
WIN TICKETS TO A FAN-ONLY ADVANCE SCREENING OF THE SIXTH SEASON PREMIERE OF PSYCH AND SPEND AN EVENING WITH THE ENTIRE CAST

 

500 Loyal Fans Will Win a Pair of Tickets to NYC Screening on Thursday, October 6; The Sixth Season of PSYCH Premieres on USA Network on Wednesday, October 12, 10/9c

WHAT: PSYCH FAN APPRECIATION DAY:  As a thank you to PSYCH’s most loyal fans, USA Network is hosting a Fan Apprecation Day featuring an advance screening of the sixth season premiere, Q&A’s before and after with the cast and creator, and a chance to mix and mingle with the greatest PSYCH-O’s of our time.  Beginning September 8 at 10am EST,  fans can go to psych.usanetwork.com to sign up for a chance to win a free pair of tickets to Fan Appreciation Day on October 6 at the historic Ziegfeld Theatre in NYC.  All cast members – James Roday, Dulé Hill, Corbin Bernsen, Timothy Omunson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson plus series creator Steve Franks will be in attendance.  Popcorn, drinks and surprise giveaways will top off an exciting evening.  Fans who can’t make it to the event can catch the action from the comfort of their own home.  USA will stream live coverage of the event including green carpet interviews and an exclusive cast Q&A.

Fan Appreciation Day is all about the fans, the PSYCH-O’s who have made PSYCH USA Network’s current longest running original scripted series with nearly two million Facebook fans. The show follows the adventures of a young police consultant who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute, he attempts to convince the precinct detectives that he’s psychic.

The tickets to the screening will be given away via a lottery system and each ticket will include a guest.  After fans signs up, they will be notified via e-mail if they have been selected and then will have 48 hours to claim their tickets online.

WHEN: September 8-21, 2011

25 Things You May Not Know About Anderson Cooper (US Weekly)

Anderson Cooper has a new talk show so he sat down with US Weekly to discuss 25 things you may not know about him. Read more about Anderson over at US Weekly. Find out about his new talk show at andersoncooper.com.

1. I started going gray in college.

2. I wish I still had brown hair.

3. I love my Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills. Miami, not so much.

4. I met Charlie Chaplin when I was 6. I have a photo, but no actual memory of it.

5. I am very disorganized.

6. Shopping for clothes makes my head hurt.

7. I work out nearly every day. Yes, I know how annoying that sounds.

8. I love fast food.

9. I need to eat better.

10. I collected toy soldiers when I was young.

11. I became a reporter by going to wars by myself with a camera and a fake press pass.

12. I’ve been addicted to TV since I was little.

13. I was a Dungeons & Dragons geek when I was young. I spent a lot of time indoors.

14. I can fall asleep anywhere at any time.

15. I was a child model. Embarrassing!

16. I don’t drink any hot liquids. No tea, no coffee.

17. Oddly, my favorite ice cream flavor is coffee.

18. I don’t like to wear sunglasses, no matter how bright out it is.

19. I struggled with dyslexia as a child.

20. Chocolate chip cookies make me happy.

21. I can’t sing, and won’t try.

22. I like to dance, but never on TV.

23. I’ve bitten my nails for as long as I can remember.

24. I am a dog person and have a dog named Molly, but I’ve recently discovered cats are OK too.

25. I like to assume the best about people, until I am proven wrong.

The Big Bang Theory and Co-Workers (and lasers)

This past season of the Big Bang Theory we saw a lot more of the boys at work at CalTech. Their office life is something that I envy! Imagine being surrounded by cool lasers and a cafeteria that lets you take as many napkins as you want. My last office job was full of geeks much like CalTech, but it seemed to have a higher ratio of females than CalTech.

One of the things I love about the Big Bang Theory is a lot of the relationships between the characters are centered around hanging out and eating. It’s no different at their work where a lot of pivotal discussions and introduction of new character/plots happen in the cafeteria. A lot of my co-worker bonding time has been around food as well (shared lunches, free lunch Friday, etc). There’s something universal about sharing a meal together.

Of course, I’ve never spent overnight sleeping at my office like Sheldon did when he refused to learn how to drive. But in a lot of other ways my office experiences were similar to the ones you see on The Big Bang Theory… except for the laser part.

How about you? Do you and your co-workers bond over lunch? Do you get to work with lasers (okay, I’m super jealous of the laser bit, I admit)?

Buy The Big Bang Theory Season 4 on DVD/BluRay! http://bit.ly/nAnZ5T

I have been hired by Warner Bros. WBWord division to promote The Big Bang Theory Season 4 on DVD.

Top 5 Favorite characters On Gossip Girl

I am a geek, but I am also a girl. I enjoy my geeky shows like Smallville, Buffy, and Star Wars, but I also enjoy a good teen drama, like The OC, Dawson’s Creek, and Gossip Girl. The characters on Gossip Girl are loved and hated, sometimes all in one episode.

Here are my top 5 favorite characters on Gossip Girl.

5. Eric van der Woodsen: Eric is the voice of reason many times on the show. He doesn’t agree with the fight for social power that Jenny and Blair undertake, though he gets caught up in it more times than he’d like. Eric isn’t one of the major players on the show, but he is one of the more true to life characters.

4. Gossip Girl: This never seen on the show character makes the list because we wouldn’t have the show without her. She has eyes everywhere and a must read blog. Voiced by Kristen Bell, Gossip Girl makes and breaks relationships, loves a good scandal, and outs anyone she can. Maybe one day we’ll find out her true identity.

3. Serena van der Woodsen: Serena is the good girl of the Upper East Side, well most of the time. Serena used to be a wild child, but she has reformed. When Serena does go a little crazy, it’s usually because of something to do with her best friend, Blair. Serena has been in an on-again-off-again relationship with Dan Humphrey for years, and sometimes with Nate Archibald in between. I like Serena best when she’s not with a guy, but trying some self discovery. Of course this usually leads to her hooking up with a guy!

2. Blair Waldorf: While Serena is usually thinking of things in the minute, Blair is always thinking about her future. While in high school, she made sure she was Queen Bee, top of the social ladder. She is always aware of what will help her reach her social potential, which is very important on the Upper East Side. This also applies to who Blair dates. She has been in love with Chuck for years, but might now be marrying a prince. Blair usually gets what she wants through questionable (or downright nefarious) means, which makes rooting for her a very strange experience as a viewer.

1. Chuck Bass: I hated Chuck in early season 1 of Gossip Girl. He was so slimy and basically evil. He is still both of those things, but he’s one of the bad boys you just love. I think it happened when he fell in love with Blair, that’s when Chuck became a person. Chuck has had some very bad things happen to him, so he’s a sympathetic character when he’s not being a jerk. Chuck can make anything happen. He has money, power, and influence. If it weren’t for his love of Blair Waldorf, he’d probably be the most powerful business man in New York. Blair is his weakness, and quite the distraction. Also, just to show my girly side, Chuck gets the number one spot because when he utters the line, “I’m Chuck Bass,” it’s just so hot!

Honorable Mention: Georgina Sparks must be included in this list somewhere, but not being a main character, I couldn’t put her in the top 5. When Georgina shows up, portrayed by Michelle Trachtenburg, you know that trouble is coming and mayhem will ensue.

Catch up on Gossip Girl S1 and click here to buy the entire series of Gossip Girl Books at DeepDiscount.com.
Gossip Girl: The Complete First Season [5 Discs]Gossip Girl