Once Upon a Time: 7:15 AM
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This week’s episode of ABC’s Once Upon a Time showed quite a bit of progress in the relationship between Mary Margaret (Snow White) and David Nolan (Prince Charming). In fact, the entire episode features them and begins heading in the direction of how they end up getting married in fantasy land.
Significance of 7:15
The episode begins with Mary Margaret in a rush to “get to school” according to her. She claims she is going in early to help the kids with a science project. In reality, she is headed to the coffee shop where David goes ever morning to buy some coffee to go. Despite him being married, she has to see him.
In the meantime, you learn later on that David makes his early morning coffee run every morning in order to see Mary Margaret and that they share the same feelings for each other. The only thing in their way is David’s apparent wife, who he doesn’t fully remember because of the curse.
Fantasy Background Story
Meanwhile, in fantasy land, Snow White can’t stop thinking about Prince Charming who is scheduled to marry in two days. She seeks Rumpelstiltskin to obtain a potion that will make her forget the prince completely, but Rumpelstiltskin requires a price – a strand of her hair. While it doesn’t explain the significance of that deal at the time, it will likely be important in a future series.
Before Snow can take the potion, she receives a letter from Charming claiming his love for her. He asks her to come to the castle and run away with him. As she enters the castle she finds Charming but before she can speak, she is captured and taken to the dungeon where she meets Grumpy, the dwarf.
Grumpy tells Snow of a love he had and the lies that brought him to the dungeon when his fellow dwarf, Stealthy, sneaks in and releases them both. As they all try and escape, Stealthy gets shot with an arrow (which is why there is no Stealthy in the original Snow White). Grumpy escapes and Snow gets captured and sent to the king.
The king forces Snow to lie to Charming and tell him she doesn’t love him and she does.
How it Ends
On the fantasy side, Snow meets up with Grumpy and the rest of the dwarves and Charming escapes, looking for Snow. But before the dwarves can get word to Snow that Charming didn’t get married, she takes the potion and is unable to remember who they are talking about.
In Storybrook, Mary Margaret and David try and forget about each other because Mary Margaret spots a pregnancy test in the grocery basket of David’s wife. However, they end up finding out that she is not pregnant and the episode ends with them kissing (finally) in public. Unfortunately, the twist is that Mayor Mills (The evil queen) spots them.
Who is the Visitor
We mentioned the strange visitor in the last episode. He doesn’t make much of an appearance except to give some words of advice to Henry and arrange a date with Emma. We do learn his mysterious box contains a typewriter and that he is supposedly a writer. Expect him to play a major role in the few episodes to come.
Once Upon a Time: True North (Spoiler)
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This week’s episode of ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” proved to be a little different because it featured characters that hadn’t previously been introduced, Hansel and Gretel. We’ve had introductions of Jiminy Cricket, Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, the Huntsman, the Evil Queen, Prince Charming, and of course Snow White.
But the introductions of Hansel and Gretel are unique because they had not been known in either Storybrook or the fantasy world. We didn’t know of them until now. We’ll get to the reason for their introduction shortly. But first, here is this week’s review of “Once Upon a Time.”
The Plot
“True North” tells the story of Hansel and Gretel a little different than traditionally understood. The twin brother and sister were chopping wood with their father when he sent them off to gather kindling. He gave them a compass to be able to find their way back. While they were away, the evil queen took the father and used the children to get inside the home of the evil blind witch to steal a satchel containing a poisonous apple. You know the rest of the story, Hansel and Gretel get caught by the blind witch because they couldn’t resist their sugar cravings and ate part of her house. After being locked up, they escape and push the witch into the fire.
In Storybrook, the twins find themselves on their own, parentless. They are introduced by getting caught stealing from a grocery store. Emma finds out they are parentless but is reluctant to put them into the foster system, where she had so many bad experiences herself. So Emma sets out to find their dad.
The Twist
You’re probably thinking, “How does any of this add to the overall story?” Well, I thought the same thing up until the final 5-10 minutes of the episode. While trying to locate the siblings’ father, Emma is reminded of an object she had been given from her father (prince charming, but she doesn’t know it yet). It’s her baby blanket. She uses the baby blanket to show Gretel and to see if the little girl had anything from her parents. Gretel gives Emma the compass and Emma is able to use it to find their father (who obviously doesn’t remember them, but eventually takes them in).
In the meantime, Emma leaves the blanket out and Mary Margaret (Snow White) sees it. She picks it up, and while it doesn’t appear she remembers everything, you get the sense she’s starting to catch on.
The End
The episode ends with one final twist. As Emma is talking to her son, Henry, a man on a motorcycle rides up and asks them where the nearest hotel is. They direct him where to go and Emma asks, “I thought strangers never came to Storybrook.” Henry responds, “They don’t,” and the episode ends with that.
The Villains from Utah on ABC’s Bachelor and Bachelorette
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A new pattern appears to be coming out with the villains from ABC’s Bachelor and Bachelorette. They are all from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Michelle Money
This villain confused viewers and contestants alike. When she was on the show, she was kind to the other contestants, but when the other girls were not looking, she showed a whole new side. She became the comedian of the show with her wild statements and wishing for Chantal to get attacked by monkeys.
At the end of her season on “The Women Tell All” Michelle showed a different side. She seemed kind, generous, and claimed to just have been joking. She obviously did not want monkeys to come attack Chantal, but was just trying to make people laugh. Obviously not everyone has the same sense of humor.
Bentley Williams
The number one villain in Bachelorette history. Bentley came onto the show with zero feelings for Ashley and played with her heart like a dog would with a bone. Apparently he went on the show to promote his business, but that reason seems to be questioned.
Monica Spannbauer
In the new season of the Bachelor a new villain has come onto the screen. Monica Spannbauer, also from Salt Lake City, Utah has been targeted as the new villain on this season. When she first came into the house, she started to antagonize Jenna Burke. She even put poor Jenna to tears. While those watching the show can argue that Jenna took what Monica said to the extreme and could have handled herself better, others would say that Monica could have been more courteous.
A New Pattern
While not all of the villains from ABC’s most loved show come from Utah, we are definitely noticing a trend. Breaking the cycle might help the state get a better rep about it’s citizens. Hopefully Ben will not keep Monica long enough for us to see her claws come out further.
Once Upon a Time by ABC
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ABC has put up a new show that incorperates our favorite fairy tales from our childhood. Once Upon a Time premiered in September of this year and has surprised viewers with the amount of content and visual effects. In this article, we will go over some of the characters Once Upon a Time covers and how well they did with the story.
Cinderella
“The price of gold” is the name of this episode in Once Upon a Time. The story of how Cinderella gets to the ball is portrayed differently in this show. Instead of a fairy godmother who turns a pumpkin into a carriage, Rumpelstiltskin turns up and strikes up a deal with Cinderella. In exchange for a chance at the prince’s hand, Cinderella will give Rumpelstiltskin an unknown reward. What she doesn’t know is that Rumpelstiltskin desires the one thing she cannot give- her first born!
Snow White
Perhaps the best part of this tale is the story of Snow White. Typically, there is not much information about Snow White in the storybooks. All she does is sing songs, clean after the dwarves, and eat an apple. In Once Upon a Time, Snow and Prince Charming have a much larger role. The way these two lovers meet is not through the typical singing at the well. Snow actually steals from Prince Charming (who calls himself James) in order to get enough money to escape from her evil stepmother. After James captures Snow, they begin the journey of falling in love.
The Modern World
The entire fairy tale land is sent to StoryBrooke Maine. Their memories of their lives are wiped and time ceases to stop. Basically, there are not any happy endings in our world. Snow White’s daughter, Emma mangaed to escape this curse when she was a baby. Now she is 26 and has returned to Storybrooke to try to set things straight.
The CW’s The Vampire Diaries
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Coming in on it’s third season, the Vampire Diaries is surprising critics and viewers alike with its quality writing and great acting. Based off the book series by L. J. Smith, the Vampire Diaries is about two brothers who are in love with one girl- Elena.
About the Show
After her parents tragic death, Elena Gilbert is living in Mystic Falls with her Aunt, Jenna, and brother, Jeremy. Going back to high school is tough for young Elena, but she decides to push through her hard times. On her first day back, she meets a mysterious and very attractive Stefan Salvator. Intrigued by his dark past, Elena tries to get closer to Stefan. But as she gets deeper into his life, she realizes that Stefan isn’t even human- he is a vampire. He also has a brother, Damon, who is bent on getting revenge on Stefan- and on getting Elena for himself.
All three seasons has been about Elena coping with growing up into adulthood with having vampires in her life.
The Writing
The Vampire Diaries authors have surprised us with their skill in writing a storyboard. Not only do we feel for Elena and Stefan, but we feel for the villain, Damon (who later turns to the good side). This show and the characters in it cross the border of good and evil many times. But it is done in such a way that the views are still rooting for the villains. When they cry, you can’t help but feel for them and sympathize with what they are going through- loss and heartbreak.
Overall Analysis
This show has just about everything, humor, heart stopping romance (literally), action, and horror. For those who are dying to watch a show that will have them watering for more, tune in to the CW on Thursdays at 7/8 c.
CW’s The Secret Circle
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In September, the CW premiered a new show called The Secret Circle. This show is focused on the life of 6 teenagers who are trying to get through their teenage years like everyone else. Except they all hold a big secret, the are all witches.
A Preview of the Show
The main witch, Cassie, moves to her mother’s hometown after her mom was killed in a fire. While there, 5 teens show her that she is a witch and that she completes their circle. At first, Cassie does not take any interest in the group. She claims to just want to get used to her new life with her grandmother, and be completely normal. But when things go horribly amiss, she has to face the fact that she needs the 5 teens as much as they need her.
Based off The Secret Circle books by L. J. Lund, this series scored 3 million viewers on its series premiere. L. J. Lund also wrote The Vampire Diaries, another popular show on the CW. While some speculate if The Secret Circle can hold its own on Thursday nights, the show seems to be holding the followers of Vampire Diaries as The Secret Circle airs right after it.
How to Keep it Alive
The real question people may wonder is if this show will be able to stay on the air. So many shows have been cancelled lately, it is wise to watch the show religiously. You could also advertise your favorite show on your Facebook or Twitter to help prevent cancellation.
Overall Conclusion
Overall, this show seems to be worth watching. The story of 6 teens growing up with special gifts can be enticing to anyone. The Secret Circle has humor, romance, adventure, and a little bit of horror. Watch it on the CW at 8 on Thursdays or check your local listings for more accurate air times.
An Ode to all those Poor Cancellations
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Everyone loves to watch TV and has their favorite TV shows, like Vampire Diaries, Dancing with the Stars, or even America’s Funniest Home Videos. The only problem is, some people may like a show, but if the show isn’t liked enough it gets the boot.
Reasons for Cancelation
Ratings, it’s always about the ratings the show receives. If a show doesn’t get viewed that much odds are it won’t get renewed. Another thing that can be a problem for shows is the producers, if someone backs out, like what happened with ABC’s Legend of the Seeker, it will get cancelled.
Shows that have been cancelled recently
CW’s new teen drama, Hellcats was sadly given the boot after there weren’t enough views on it. Sadly, when CW figured out the show was getting canned, the season finale was already filmed and left the show ending in a cliffhanger.
ABC Family had a new teen paranormal drama out this summer called the Nine Lives of Chloe King, based on the book series by Liz Braswell. This cancellation didn’t come as much of a surprise as the ratings were low to begin with.
The 6th season of Eureka on Syfy has been cancelled but it will finish up season 5.
An Attempt to Save them
There are several ways to attempt to save a show; from creating Facebook pages to sending out petitions on the internet. One way is to advertise the show like crazy and have viewers watch it on Hulu.com or Netflix. Fans of Legend of the Seeker have even created their own fan-base called Save our Seeker. S.O.S fans have even done things like a Tweetathon to get people to know about their cause.
The one fear of every lover of TV shows share is the fear of a cancelled show. For a lot of fans, this fear has become a reality. If you like your show a lot, try liking it on Facebook or letting your friends know about it to help improve the ratings. Because once a show is cancelled, it is hard to start it back up again.
Modern Family Is Second Most Popular TV Show Last Week
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Not counting Sunday and Monday night football, Modern Family fell just below Two and a Half Men in the rankings of Adult viewers last week.
This is a huge achievement for the mockumentary type show, considering it was only launched in October of 2009.
Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan as they realized that the stories they told to each other about their own complicated family situations could make for great television.
Although it was first going to be shot from the perspective of a Dutch foreign exchange student who was going to be living with Jay’s family, although he had a crush on Claire, (while Mitchell had a crush on him) this idea was rejected by the network and they ended up having an anonymous filming crew.
ABC originally was hesitant toward the show, picking it up because they were afraid other networks would get a hold of it, the series tested high with focus groups even after the first pilot.
But after it started running, it wasn’t just a hit with audiences; the critics loved it as well. Immediately the show received “universal acclaim,” scoring 86 out of 100 with the Metacritics. Entertainment Weekly even gave it an A-, saying it was “immediately recognizable as the best new sitcom of the fall.”
It was reviewed by the New York Times and called “the funniest new family comedy of the year.” BuddyTV sayd that the show was the second best in 2009 and said that “every actor is fantastic, every family is interesting, and unlike many shows, there isn’t a weak link.”
Even if the show doesn’t have the running head start that Two and a Half Men does, we can see Modern Family gaining momentum fast and topping the charts.
Jerry Springer Denies Casey Anthony Rumors
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Just in case you haven’t yet tired of Casey Anthony being in the news, we’ve managed to find another scandal that she’s gotten herself into.
This summer there were reports that began to swirl that The Jerry Springer Show was going to pay Casey Anthony and her family $1 million to appear on the show.
Despite the fact that Casey Anthony would be a likely star on the motley Springer Show, Jerry Springer’s spokesman, Gary Rosen, replied:
“There is absolutely no truth to this story whatsoever. The Jerry Springer Show has not made any monetary offer to Casey Anthony and her family to appear on the program, nor will we.”
Despite the Springer Show denying these rumors, there are original reports from just after Anthony’s first degree murder charge acquittal that document the offer to Anthony’s legal team on Friday morning.
This offer was to be taken to Anthony and her family, and the content was supposedly an offer to appear on the show. This offer was leaked to Star Magazine who published the story saying that Casey Anthony and her family were interested and that the show would get huge ratings.
Since Anthony’s release from prison on July 17th there has been a resurgence of the rumors that had yet to be quelled by the Springer Show.
Although there is still a civil trial that may take place, one can only wonder when Casey Anthony will make her way to the talk show scene. She has been touted “America’s most hated woman” and that can only mean that millions will tune in to see her wherever they can.
Whether she makes it to primetime or not, one thing that’s clear is that Casey Anthony will be forever marked with the scarlet letter of her daughter’s ambiguous death for the rest of her life.
Primetime Heroes
0Although we’re always sad to see the sunshine go, there is an advantage to the cold weather—new Fall seasons! And from the looks of things, we’re in for quite a treat.
So bundle up and get excited for this season’s best shows:
ABC
Brand New:
Charlie’s Angels—they’re back and as sexy as ever with Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly, and Rachael Taylor.
Once Upon a Time—combines fairytales with modern life and has a cast that should help it live happily ever after in ratings’ history.
Pan Am—a show set in 1963, starring Christina Ricci, is bound to take you around the world and back.
Oldies but Goodies
Grey’s Anatomy
Modern Family
Happy Endings
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Castle
Dancing With the Stars
Bachelor Pad
CBS
Brand New:
Two Broke Girls—brought to you by the producers of Sex in the City, this show follows two broke girls who bond over having no money and no shame.
Unforgettable—whether you’re a master detective or not, this show is bound to entertain.
Person of Interest—from JJ Abrams, this show promises an intriguing mystery of victim or perpetrator.
A Gifted Man—a story of a brilliant surgeon whose ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from “the other side.”
Oldies but Goodies
How I met your Mother
Criminal Minds
CSI
The Big Bang Theory
The Mentalist
Blue Bloods
NBC
Brand New
The Playboy Club—you know you’ll watch this just by reading the name.
Up all Night—with a hilarious cast starring Christina Applegate and Will Arnett, this show is not worth missing.
Free Agents—based on the UK cult show, Free Agents has all the potential of The Office.
Grimm—plans to go toe to toe with Once Upon a Time for the most gripping fairytale series on television.
Oldies but Goodies
The Sing-Off
Parenthood
The Biggest Loser
Law & Order
Community
Parks and Recreation
The Office
Even if the economy is in recession, our Fall TV Series is looking like it’s as robust as ever!