Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
NOTE: Starz will air all 8 episodes of Outlander as a marathon.
7 PM: Bee Movie (animated) movie on Bravo Back to Christmas movie on ION (Reair)
7:30 PM Debbie Macomber’s Mr. Miracle movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair)
7:45 PM: The Princess Bride movie on Sundance
8 PM: Call the Midwife Holiday Special 2014 on PBS (DEBUT) Doctor Who on BBC America The Shawshank Redemption movie on Encore Divergent movie on HBO2 Julie & Julia movie on OWN
9 PM: Doctor Who: Lost Christmas on BBC America (DEBUT) Christmas Under Wraps movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair) A Perfect Christmas List movie on ION (Reair)
10 PM: Elementary on CBS (NEW) Christmas in Rockefeller Center on NBC (Reair of Special) Homeland on Showtime (Reair) The Princess Bride movie on Sundance Alex Cross movie on TMC Notting Hill movie on TV Guide Network
10:30 PM: Doctor Who on BBC America A Royal Christmas movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair)
Music is an important aspect of all our lives, whether it is in your favorite TV series, playing on your car or office radio or more specifically on iTunes, Pandora or your iPod and/or phone or the latest box office film you have been anxiously waiting to see. Music, obviously, comes in many different formats: pop, hip hop, rap, metal, country, classic rock, inspirational, R&B, Latin, dance and much more.
Among some of the special music moments from this past year are as follows:
Most Played Single of the Year – “Fall in Love” by Phantagram
Best New Import – Vance Joy, who has the hit single “Riptide”
Best R&B Artist – “All of Me” by John Legend
Top Rock Song – “I Wanna Get Better” by Bleachers
Most Anticipated Album of the Year – “Shine On” by Sarah McLachlan
Best Duet – “Say Something” by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
Best Rock Band – Arctic Monkeys
Catchy-est Hit Single – “Everything is AWESOME” by Tegan and Sara (from the box office film The LEGO Movie)
Best Male Singer – Sam Smith
Most Overplayed Single – “Happy” by Pharrell Williams (from the box office film Despicable Me 2)
Best New Band – Magic!
Best Country Band – The Band Perry
Best Male Country Singer – Jason Aldean
Best Songs Used in TV Shows [Three-Way TIE] – “Aquarius” by Digital Daggers (used in pilot of short-lived series Star-Crossed); “Love Me Again” by John Newman (used as advertising for the USA Network series Suits) and “Human” by Christina Perri (also used in short-lived series Star-Crossed)
Talented Artist Who Needs to Put Away the Autotune and the Glam and Just Sing – Ariana Grande
Here is the auto-tune and over-the-top “glam” version of Ariana:
While here is the live Ariana version where she is just singing:
NOTE: See the difference!!
Best New Artist – “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
Here is the video too:
Most Overlooked Single – “Battlefield” by Lea Michele
Here is the video of Battlefield so you can hear a live version of the single:
Most Entertaining (and Lip Dubbed) Video – “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
Most Moving Single and Video – “Try” by Colbie Caillat
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
6 PM: Pearl Harbor movie on Bravo
7 PM: A Christmas Mystery movie on ION (Reair)
7:20 PM: Doctor Who on BBC America
8 PM: It’s a Wonderful Life (classic) movie on NBC Monsters University (animated) movie on Encore How to Train Your Dragon (animated) movie on FX The Nine Lives of Christmas movie on Hallmark Channel The Red Tent movie on Lifetime (Reair of Part 1 of 2)
8:40 PM: Doctor Who on BBC America The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie on Starz
9 PM: Homeland on Showtime (Reair) Pearl Harbor movie on Bravo A Christmas Kiss II movie on ION (Reair)
9:45 PM: Red 2 movie on Cinemax
10 PM: Scorpion on CBS (Reair) The Red Tent movie on Lifetime (Reair of Part 2 of 2) Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor on BBC America Kung Fu Panda (animated) movie on FX Angels Sing movie on Hallmark Channel
Every TV season viewers never know what to expect from their favorite shows because the powers that be behind those shows are sneaky, they like to freak us out, make us laugh, make us cheer and sigh in relief. There is always so much going on each TV season that sometimes it’s hard to point out all of the best (and worst) that TV gives us each year, but the following list, which is featured in no particular order, is what really stood out for me:
Best Battle – Oliver and his team against the Mirakuru soldiers on the May season finale of Arrow
It’s About Damn Time [TIE] – Kate finally gets Bracken for the murder of her mother AND Castle and Beckett finally get married and have their honeymoon on Castle
Reaching a TV Milestone [TIE] – 250th episode of NCIS and 200th episode of Supernatural
NOTE: Here is the awesome rendition of “Carry On My Wayward Son” from the Supernatural 200th episode:
Best First Kiss [TIE] – Felicity and Oliver on Arrow (even though it meant the end of their relationship before it could even really get started) and Jack and Elizabeth finally kissing on When Calls the Heart
Best Actress in a Drama – Eliza Taylor on The 100
Best Actor in a Drama – Josh Charles on The Good Wife
Best Male Newcomer [TIE] – Grant Gustin on The Flash and Justin Baldoni on Jane the Virgin
How Could They End It Like That – Witches of East End (huge cliffhangers for all the characters and then the show gets canceled)
Favorite New Cable Drama – Outlander
Best New Summer Cable Drama – Finding Carter
Best New Villain [TIE] – Mara on Haven and Martine Rousseau on Person of Interest
Best Way to Bring a Show to an End – Warehouse 13’s series finale
What the Hell Just Happened – Olivia being taken on Scandal’s fall finale
The Returning Drama That’s Experiencing a Bit of a Sophomore Slump – Sleepy Hollow
Best Performance By a Veteran Female Character – Kate Beckett in the episode of Castle entitled “In the Belly of the Beast” when she goes undercover as a Russian courier who actually turned out to be a hired killer
Best Performance By a Male Character – Stiles on Teen Wolf (when the fox spirit was possessing him)
Prettiest Newcomer [TIE] – Candice Patton on The Flash and Gina Rodriguez on Jane the Virgin
Most Anticipated Shows for the Upcoming Mid-Season TV Season [TIE] – 12 Monkeys on Syfy and Agent Carter on ABC
The Most Overlooked New Drama of the Fall TV Season – Red Band Society
I Didn’t See That Coming [TIE] – Dean becoming a demon on the May season finale of Supernatural and Ingrid and Freya being killed on Witches of East End
Most Valuable Player – Kenzi sacrificing her live to save Bo and the rest of the team on Lost Girl
I Actually Did (Kinda) See This Coming – Ward turning out to be part of Hydra on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Favorite New Show of the Fall TV Season (Not Based on Ratings Results) – Scorpion
Best Season Finales (from May 2014) [Four-Way TIE] – The 100, Grimm, Castle and Person of Interest
Best Supporting Actor on Cable Drama – Rick Hoffman on Suits
Best New Addition – Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel on Grimm
Worst Cancellations from 2013-2014 TV Season [TIE] – Star-Crossed and Almost Human
We Are SO Gonna Miss You, but Pretty Happy with the Ending (Well, Almost) [Three-Way TIE] – Drop Dead Diva, Psych and White Collar
Favorite Couple on a New Drama – Jamie and Claire on Outlander
Most Anticipated Episode of a Cable Drama – The Wedding episode of Outlander
Best Guilty Pleasure Shows [TIE] – Bitten and Transporter: The Series
Still Can’t Believe This New Show Is Doing As Well As It Is – The Mysteries of Laura
He So Deserved What He Got – Slade Wilson on Arrow
Best Sidekick (Who Is SO Much More Than Just a Sidekick) – Diggle on Arrow
Most Buzzed About Family-Themed Cable Drama – The Fosters
Favorite TV Techie – Tory Ellis on Castle
What’s Up With All the Stunning Deaths [Nine-Way TIE] – Allison on Teen Wolf; James Novak on Scandal; Will Gardner on The Good Wife; Neal Cassidy on Once Upon a Time; Hale on Lost Girl; King Joffrey on Game of Thrones; Moira Queen and Sara Lance on Arrow; Captain Irving on Sleepy Hollow and Dr. Lance Sweets on Bones
Why Did They Have to Show Us That – Huck and Quinn having sex on top of a parked car on Scandal (EWWW!!!)
Dramas That Have Taken The Biggest Ratings Hits This Fall TV Season [TIE] – Resurrection and How To Get Away With Murder (losing 4 million and 5 million viewers respectively from their premiere nights)
This Cable Show Is Just Unstoppable – The Walking Dead
The What the Hell Just Happened in That Fall Finale – Oliver Queen getting stabbed by Ra’s al Ghul, who then kicked him off a cliff on Arrow
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on what you liked the most and the least on television throughout 2014. Please share.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
8 PM: NCIS on CBS (Reair) The Flash on The CW (Reair) A Boyfriend for Christmas movie on Hallmark Channel Dear Santa movie on Lifetime
8:30 PM: Divergent movie on HBO
9 PM: The Year: 2014 on ABC (DEBUT of Special) NCIS: New Orleans on CBS (Reair) Supernatural on The CW (Reair) The Missing on Starz (Reair) Michael Buble’s Christmas in New York on NBC (Reair of Special) The Polar Express (animated) movie on ABC Family
10 PM: Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas on NBC (Reair of Special) Homeland on Showtime (Reair) Window Wonderland movie on Hallmark Channel
Actor Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) will guest star as Poseidon on Once Upon a Time in an episode set for 2015 that will find actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher reprising her role as Ariel. Actor Sebastian Roche (The Originals) will also guest star on Once Upon a Time, playing King Stefan, the father of Aurora (recurring guest star Sarah Bolger), who has a complicated past with Maleficent (recurring guest star Kristin Bauer Van Straten). (Natalie Abrams and Jonathon Dornbush at Entertainment Weekly)
Actor Michael Pitt has been replaced by actor Joe Anderson (The River) as sociopathic meat-packing magnate Mason Verger on Hannibal. (Michael Slezak at Entertainment Weekly)
The cast has been fleshed out for the Syfy space drama Dark Matter, including actor Roger Cross (24 and The Strain) and Anthony Lemke (Witches of East End) and actresses Zoie Palmer (Lost Girl) and Jodelle Ferland (The Cabin in the Woods). The series focuses on the crew of a derelict spaceship, who are awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets. The 13 one-hour episodes will debut on this coming summer. (Etan Vlessing at The Hollywood Reporter)
Actor Mike Colter (The Good Wife and Ringer) has landed the role of comic book hero Luke Cage in the Marvel and Netflix series Jessica Jones that will star Krysten Ritter in the lead role. Marvel and Netflix have partnered to adapt four of the Marvel’s properties — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist — into four hour-long, 13-episode series, with Daredevil set to debut first in 2015. (Laura Prudom at Variety)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Here are the top 10 box office movies for this past weekend courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – 56.2 million
2. The Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb – 17.3 million
3. Annie – 16.3 million
4. Exodus: Gods and Kings – 8 million
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – 7.7 million
6. Wild – 4.1 million
7. Top Five – 3.57 million
8. Big Hero 6 – 3.56 million
9. Penguins of Madagascar – 3.52 million
10. P.K. (The Bollywood comedy) – 3.4 million
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: Do you know when Agent Carter picks up? — Donald
Natalie: It obviously takes place after Captain America: The First Avenger, but actually before Stark asks her to head up S.H.I.E.L.D. with him at the end of the Marvel One Shot. “That will essentially be the last thing that ever happens in the series,” executive producer Michele Fazekas says. “We will never have S.H.I.E.L.D. in this series. So, in some regard, the One Shot is the end of the series.”
Question: What are three words/things that are mysterious now, but won’t be once Once Upon a Time returns this March? — OnceStorybrooke
Natalie: I took your ingenious question straight to the OUAT bosses and the answer is… interesting. “Voice, Feinberg and eggs” executive producer Edward Kitsis says. “Take that, Once people!” Any guesses as to what the heck that means? The comments section is yours for the taking.
Question: Will Sarah Bunting return for season five of Downton Abbey? — Tonya
Natalie: Yes, Sarah Bunting (Daisy Lewis) will play a larger role in the upcoming fifth season. “She creates quite a lot of crisis for [Tom] Branson,” creator Julian Fellowes tells my colleague C. Molly Smith. Not being a Downton follower myself, Molly offers up her best guess as to what the “crisis” is: “It has to do with politics, the foundation of Tom and Sarah’s connection,” she says. “But, I wouldn’t rule out romance either. The two share said common interest, and Tom just might be ready to find new love.”
Question: Do you have any scoop on the next time Barry will face Reverse Flash on The Flash? — Steve
Natalie: After the disastrous first bout, Barry will set his sights on testing the limitations of his powers in a bid to match his nemesis. “We’re exploring the vibrating a lot going forward and what the vibrating can do,” Grant Gustin says. “And how to slow things down, see things and survey situations with time stopped, essentially.” Will those powers also include time travel? “Maybe,” Gustin says with the highest pitch voice of someone trying to keep a secret.
Question: Now that Nolan and Louise are friends, does that mean she won’t be having anymore visions on Revenge? — Derek
Natalie: Alas, she’s still crazy. “She still has her visions,” showrunner Sunil Nayar says. “Louise is wonderfully damaged in a lot of ways. There’s going to be an element to Nolan and Louise—we’re going to deepen their dynamic together. We’re also going to bring Louise’s brother in and we’re going to dig deeper into the Ellis family history so that we understand who Louise is more and understand what it is that she really wants and what makes her tick.”
Question: Please tell me anything about Slade’s return to Arrow! — Tim
Natalie: Burning questions will be answered! “Everyone’s been asking: How does he feed himself?” executive producer Marc Guggenheim says. “You’re going to get an answer to that question. He loomed so large in season 2 that his return in episode 14 really makes it feel incredibly epic. You’ll see why it’s very appropriate for us to revisit Slade Wilson in episode 14 when you see the end of episode 13.”
For nearly 10 years now, I have been putting together my year-end round-ups on all things related to the entertainment industry; and what a great year it has been for all of these mediums, right? There have been plenty of scandals, horrors (Isis anyone?!), Twitter wars and unexpected calamities but, above all else, fans have been provided with a lot of great entertainment [when tragedies have been overlooked].
Like every year, I want to take a little bit of time, selfish though it may be, before I get underway with the 2014 year-end round-ups to focus on some of the goals I set for myself each year.
Besides watching a lot of television, one of my favorite hobbies is reading; and each year I strive to read at least 20 books in the year. This year I actually made it well beyond that goal (YAY me!!). Among the books that I wanted to read were the first two books of the Outlander franchise by Diana Gabaldon – mainly in preparation for the debut of the Starz TV series Outlander – and I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I also read two more books by fictional TV character Richard Castle (from the TV series Castle) and the first book in the Veronica Mars book series. And, very much like last year, I enjoyed reading more Jane Austen inspired books from authors like Cora Harrison, Jenni James, Syrie James, Nina Benneton, Belinda Roberts as well as The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet.
This year I was also busy with TV events, including Wonder Con in Anaheim and Comic Con in San Diego. Like so many past years, I also attended the annual Paley Fest in Los Angeles, participating in their panels for Veronica Mars, Pretty Little Liars, the Lost reunion, Sleepy Hollow and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I also attended the following events at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills: The Evolution of the Crime Drama Heroine, a screening for the new show Manhattan, the center’s Annual Preview Parties and The Facts of Life reunion.
I also thoroughly enjoyed attending one of the first Outlander events in Los Angeles, saluting the Starz drama well before it debuted in August, attending the Sarah McLachlan concert at the Greek Theatre and the Nocking Point Wines (Stephen Amell’s wine company) Fall Release Party in Studio City.
But enough about all of that, tomorrow I will start rolling out my year-end round-up starting with the best (and worst) in television with much more as 2014 comes to an end.
NOTE: I apologize in advance for any omissions, spelling errors or oversights I may have made, but I don’t apologize for any of the choices I made.
Football reigned supreme on TV for the most part last night for the major networks, delaying the only new episodes of the primetime dramas still airing new episodes.
Here is how those two shows fared in the overall ratings:
9 PM Show (Delayed by Football): The Mentalist (CBS) [NEW] – 8.2 million
10 PM Show (Delayed by Football): CSI (CBS) [NEW] – 6.6 million
What did you watch on TV last night? Please share.
Here are the new holiday specials to watch on TV this week:
The Call the Midwife holiday special will air on Christmas Day on PBS at 8 PM. The nurses and nuns of Nonnatus House try to have a happy holiday between births and preparing for the Sunday School Christmas concert. This is a bonus episode that finds narrator Vanessa Redgrave appearing as the mature Jennifer Worth for the first time.
Also on Christmas Day, the Christmas episode of Doctor Who will air on BBC America at 9 PM.
Rueben's Ramblings 