love on the small screen

Part of my love for TV shows comes from my investment in the characters. And like any other viewer, who doesn't love a good couple?  Being invested in my favorite couples mean I feel every up and down, whether it be the most precious moments to the most heart wrenching break ups.

Today I wanna clue you in on who I believe to be some of the best couples in TV history.  I know your probably thinking I'm gonna talk about Ross and Rachel, but I'm still on the fence on the whole "We were on a break" thing.

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1. Joey and Pacey
Dawson's creek is the One Tree Hill of the 90's, only better!  The show is centered around the life of Dawson Leery, including his long-time best friend/soulmate Joey Potter and trouble making sidekick Pacey Witter.  Season 1 and 2 are full of sexual tension and a quasi relationship between Joey and Dawson.  Pacey was always goofy yet he had a scandalous relationship with his teacher and long term roller coaster ride relationship with the super smart and mentally unstable Andie Mcphee.  It wasn't until the plot unfolded that we all realized that Pacey and Joey were meant to be. They shared some of the most memorable moments of the series and although they were not together during the latter part of the series, their reunion during the series finale was unforgettable.

Favorite Joey/Pacey Moment:  Season 4 Episode 3- The Two Gentlemen of Capeside. Joey to Pacey, "In the future when your dealing with life and death matters, remember that you're thinking for two."

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2. Jim and Pam
The Office is not well known for its romantic relationships except for one.  Audiences sat back and watched as Jim and Pam's friendship developed, all along knowing Jim's true feelings.  We waited patiently until Pam finally wised up and dumped warehouse worker Roy.  Then it was her turn to pine after Jim while Karen was in the picture.  We thoughts the writers and producers would never get it right until the end of season 3 when, both single, they finally went out on a date.  From dating to engagement, from marriage/pregnancy to children; their love has never faltered.  And that's why Jim and Pam's office romance blossomed into one of the best TV love stories ever.

Favorite Jim/Pam Moment: Season 6 Episode 4/5- Niagra. Jim, "And plan A was marrying her a long, long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her."

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3. Corey and Topanga
If your a 90's kid, like me, you remember watching TGIF each friday night just to watch you favorite teens on Boy Meets World.  If I'm emotionally attached to any couple it's this one for sure. This show is near and dear to my heart because I feel like a grew up with these characters.  Starting in middle school, we watched as the trouble making duo of Corey Matthews and Shawn Hunter picked on and made fun of the eccentrically weird Topanga Lawerence.  Moving into junior high the teasing turned into flirting when young love began.  This was a truly tumultuous relatationship full of many highs and lows.  Topanga moving away and demanding to come back, Corey kissing another girl at the ski lodge, Topanga's proposal at graduation, the two breaking up after Topanga's parents divorce, and finally their eventual marriage.  I always knew they would end up together but their ride was full of bumps. Watching Boy Meets World made me wanna date a good natured and slighty dorky boy like Corey and be like the smart, sassy and beautiful Topanga. 90's kids will make sure this love story lives on.

Favorite Corey/Topanga Moment: Episode 3 Season 1. Corey to Topanga, "Look Topanga if had to dream the perfect woman she wouldn't even come close to you."

There are so many other TV couples that I'm equally invested in but these are just some of my favorites.  TV shows love to toy with audiences by playing with couples plot lines.  We just love when our favorites end up together!  Comment below and let me know who your favorite couples are!

the good, the bad, and the really bad

Along with being unnaturally obsessed with television shows, I also love love love movies.  Other than some actors being in both movies and TV, the only time the worlds collide is on talk shows. Now the dedication I give to my favorite TV shows, I give to my favorite movies and actors. Therefore, I always try and watch them when they are on various talk shows.

If you've read my previous blog posts, you could have probably already guessed that I have a strong opinions about these talk show hosts, since I tend to have a strong opinion about everything.  There is nothing I hate more than an awkward interview and I think that has a lot to do with the interviewer. Although audiences love for all their burning questions to be answered, it does not help to make the actor/actress feel uncomfortable. That, in turn, makes the audience feel uncomfortable.

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He may have been on air for about a quarter of a century but my least favorite interviewer of all time is Regis Philbin.  He is a talk show veteran and I've only seen him do interviews in recent years but I think he is so incredibly awkward.  Kelly Ripa is so bright and bubbly that she often outshines his dull and clueless questions.  Being a Harry Potter Fan, I watched him interview the same trio over and over again. He asked the same questions every time and as a viewer it was monotonous and boring.  Even one time Emma Watson actually said to Regis, "You ask me this every time I come here."  The only redeeming quality of Regis Philbin is the Live with Regis and Kelly SNL skit; Darrell Hammond and Amy Poehler are dead on.

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I like an interviewer that asks off beat questions and keeps it interesting.  I mentioned this fine gentlemen in my first blog post alluding to the fact that I would love to be married to him.  As he transitioned from Saturday Night Live to late night he blossomed into one of my favorite late night talk show hosts.  Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is the definition of entertainment.  Not only is he hilariously funny but he is so personable.  Even some of the most shy and interview uncomfortable actor/actresses open up and can have fun when on his show.  With every guest he has some random game prepared that requires little skill but it is always amusing and funny!  The other great thing about Jimmy as a talk show host is that when he has guests that have come on before he actually remembers what they talked about previously and often references the last time they were on.  This makes it seem like the guests really matter to him and that makes the show so much more enjoyable.

Honorable Mention for the Worst Interviewer:  David Letterman- ugh he can be such a jackass sometimes.

Honorable Mentions for the Best Interviewers: Conan O Brien and Jay Leno.  Both are very funny and great at keeping the guests on their toes without making them feel awkward.

game changers

The first couple seasons for a show are critical.  You are constantly wondering if they will get picked up for a second or third season.  There is something that I like to call the “game changer” that solidifies a show as one that will be around for the long haul.  These so called game changers are those shocking, dramatic and downright fantastic episodes that leave viewers with their jaw dropped.  Although some of these shows are full of game changing moments and plot lines, these game changers were the episodes and moments that I go back and re-watch.  I can remember exactly where I was when I watched the episode and that was when they went from being just a show I watched to being a show that I couldn’t stop watching.

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One Tree Hill is one of the few shows that I started watching from the very beginning.  It started when I was in high school so there was an obvious connection to this teen drama.  Although I didn’t go to a school like Tree Hill or have those kinds of high school experiences the characters were very relatable and I was hooked from the start.  The show was full of ups and downs with friends, lovers, school, sports and families.  For me the game changing episode for this series was called, “"With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept" and it was in season 3.  For fans of the show this is the school shooting episode.  Not only was this episode emotionally driven as our favorite characters were either being held up with a gun or bleeding out in the library, but that episode ended with a bang. Literally. The last moments of this episode turned tree hill upside down and changed the whole series forever. The episode ends with Dan picking up Jimmy Edward’s gun and shooting his brother Keith square in the chest.  Tree hill was never the same and the show wasn’t either.



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Grey’s Anatomy has always been one of my favorite shows.  I used to watch ER with my mom growing up so Grey’s became my doctor show.  Grey’s has had a lot of game changing moments starting right from the start.  Season one, which was only 9 episodes, ended with the reveal of Addison Montgomery, “And you must be the woman that is screwing my husband”.  After that cliffhanger, audiences were bound to tune back in for season 2. Now for those of you who haven’t watched from the beginning Grey’s Anatomy originally aired on Sunday nights with desperate housewives. Shocking, I know, that there was a time when Grey’s didn’t consume your whole Thursday night.  The game changing episode that I am talking about is the bomb episode.  It was a two hour special episode that came on after the super bowl.  It was the highest rated episode of season two.  The two part episode started with a man coming in with an un-exploded bomb in his chest on being held together by a timid paramedic. Code Black.  The hospital is put on lock down as most everyone does the best to stay away from the bomb, including the paramedic, Hannah, who does not want to die.  The first part ends with Hannah running away and Meredith replacing her by putting her hand on the bomb. Along with being two hours of constant suspense and emotion, this episode was a turning point in the MerDer relationship. This episode highlighted the incredible writing skills and mind of creator Shonda Rimes and really showed audiences what a medical drama could be.  If this captivating episode was foreshadowing for seasons to come, I know why I kept watching.

Every show has game changing moments that keep audiences watching and those were just some of my personal favorites, comment below and let me know some of yours!

smash

Everyone who knows me well knows about my obsession with television shows.  So when spring/fall pilot season comes around I am bombarded with “Oh my gosh you HAVE to watch this show or that show, it’s so good”.  The problem that comes from this is that I already watch far too many shows and adding another is always difficult.  Therefore there haven’t been too many shows that I have watched from the very beginning; I usually wait to drop a show and then catch up on all the past seasons.  The shows this year that I have been instructed to watch are Revenge, The New Girl and more recently, Smash.  I still have yet to watch The New Girl, I’ll probably catch up on that this summer, but Smash has really caught my attention.  First off, I have a love for Debra Messing, from Will and Grace to the Wedding Date how can you not love her. Secondly, I have a love for Broadway and musicals.  Those two things alone have sparked my interest to just buckle down and watch the season’s first eight episodes.
 

I first watched the most recent episode with my roommate Jamie, she is a huge Smash advocate.  I was instantly addicted.  Then, over the past week/weekend I caught up on the other episodes.  Let me first off say that Katharine Mcphee as Karen Cartwright is sensational.  She is so good its not even funny.  Her competition in the show, Ivy Lynn, played by Megan Hilty is extremely talented as well. The show centers around a group of people including, stars, producers, writers and directors all working together to create a new broadway musical based on Marilyn Monroe. Smash gives insight into the behind the scenes work that goes into creating a musical.  The great thing about this show is that you become completley enthralled with the characters and story line.  I found myself genuinely rooting for this musical to succeed during the workshop episode.  I find Smash to be a more mature version of Glee.  It includes far less musical numbers and the plot is more sophisticated. The cast is so incredible and talented and I can't wait to see what else season 1 has in store for audiences.  Smash was also picked up for a second season on March 22, 2012, so it seems like it's here to stay!!  Check out a new episode of Smash tonight 4-2-2012 at 10:00 after The Voice on NBC!!