Cin’s Movie Critiques

Guest Review by Raelynn Stewart

YOUR VOTES ARE IN! WHO IS OUT? LIVE…THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!!!

TV. Raebear Review:

I only watch one show a year and this is it!! In my book it is the only reality tv show!!! (I can hear all of you Survivor and Lost and American Top Model viewers boo-ing me…hahahahha) Ironically, I didn’t even watch season one. I was in Phoenix with Jaimie when she had Dalynn and got hooked during season two, and haven’t missed one yet!.

Televisions number one show debuted its seventh season in January with host Ryan Seacrest and 160 million viewers across the globe. It airs Tuesday nights on FOX TV, with the results show on Wednesday night. The show gives the power to the viewing public to vote who will go home at the end of the series with the coveted American Idol title. Thousands and thousands of singing hopefuls travel to major audition cities across the United States to take their chance at receiving a “golden ticket”, the passport to go onto the show and sing their hearts out! The first few weeks we see all the pathetic auditions of people who are sadly mistaken about their singing voices, life in general, sex appeal, talent, intelligence, and just plain common sense. It really is quite entertaining! Then the judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell narrow the contestants down to the top 24, 12 boys and 12 girls, and the competition really gets started.

Every season they start with a few themed nights to get the ball rolling. So far this year we have had the Beatles songs and songs from the year the contestants were born. Next week will be the first of celebrity visits with Dolly Parton coaching the contestants singing her songs. Should be interesting!!!

Season seven has been the best season yet for real talent! We have a good mix of rockers, blues, country, soul and just good ol’ singers. Carly Smithson is from Ireland, Michael Johns was born in Australia. Chikezie parents are from Nigeria and Ramiele is Philipino. Amanda is a rocker that sounds like Janis Joplin, and Brooke White is the top twelve sweetheart with a big smile and sultry voice. At 17 David Archuletta is the baby of the group but WOW what a beautiful voice!! Kristy Lee Cook is the cowgirl with an attitude and Syesha Mercado has one of the purest voices I have heard in a long time. Jason Castro is a favorite among the girls with those blue eyes and un-traditional dreadlocks! Which leads me to my favorite David Cook. He is by far the most unique and confident of all the idol contestants. His rock songs and vocals are the best in my book. To see his lastest and best performance click here.

Not only will you see David in action but you will get a glimpse of the judges and Ryan Seacrest also. A major part of the draw of the show is the interaction of Simon Cowell , the blunt Brit judge, and host Ryan Seacrest, the hot guy with the quick wit! (The Brit and The Wit…wow that wasn’t even on purpose…) Check this video out of Brooke White my next favorite.

So take a chance and try something new if you haven’t yet delved into the genre of reality tv!! It is well worth the time and it’s great to see many of the contestants go on to have very successful careers. You won’t be sorry! Past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and recently crowned Jordin Sparks already have risen to the top of the recording industry. Not to mention Chris Daughtry who was voted off the top 6 last year and had a contract and a record released almost before the American Idol was crowned!

Last season, AMERICAN IDOL entered the philanthropy arena with “Idol Gives Back,” which raised more than $75 million to fight extreme poverty in the U.S. and Africa. Check out Americanidol.comto get the total scoop!!

ENJOY!!! And all you American Idol fans out there tell me who you are rooting for to win!

I LOVE Thursdays! Because Thursday is the day all my favorite shows come on TV. Used to be they were all spread out on different days of the week, but then the planets and networks aligned, and voila! all three in one night!

So on Thursday nights, I cuddle up in front of the tele in my jammies. I get my coke, get my blankie, turn the ringer off, and I settle in for an immensely enjoyable evening of staring at the tube. 7:00 Survivor. 8:00 Lost. 9:00 Eli Stone. Who could ask for more?

Eli Stone

Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Garber, Natasha Henstridge. Cin’s Critique:

Eli Stone is a newbie, and if you haven’t seen it, give it a try. It’s got all the key elements for a great series: humor, romance, mystery, drama, and a warm fuzzy at the end of every episode that lets you once again believe there is some good in the human race.

Eli Stone is a lawyer at the top of his game when he begins having hallucinations. These hallucinations are, in my opinion, what make the show worth watching! So many possibilities and bizarre events you can throw into an episode if none of it is real… The hallucination that got me hooked: George Michael singing “You Gotta Have Faith” in Eli’s living room.

Eli discovers the cause of these hallucinations is an inoperable brain aneurysm. He also discovers that if he finds the hidden messages in his hallucinations, he learns more about himself, and he helps other people through his work. Each episode has been fabulous, I highly recommend getting caught up on abc.com (only 5 episodes have been aired so far) and then spend your Thursday nights like I do!

So, a few days after Colton got his stitches, we had a big family get together for my parents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary. Colton was very excited to show off how tough he was and displayed to every cousin, aunt and uncle the seven stitches on his middle finger, simultaneously flipping off every member of my family several times over the weekend! They all laughed and thought it was cute, and I was secretly jealous that he was effectively giving the bird to a few people I personally would have liked to flip off! (Um…if you’re reading this, then uh…no, you aren’t one of those people…)

House

Hugh Laurie as Dr. House. Cin’s Critique:

This is another great TV series I’ve recently become addicted to. It is unique because the main character is such a jerk! It took several episodes to actually like him. It also took several episodes for the producers to figure out what hooks an audience. Although each episode presented a new, unique, bizarre case for House and his team to figure out, the series didn’t become interesting to me until I started getting tidbits of the personal lives of the doctors, to guarantee that I watched the next episode, hungry for more.

Gregory House heads the department of Diagnostic Medicine. He and his team are presented with patients that have illnesses so complicated that the other doctors cannot figure out what is wrong with them. House is technical and complex, and is focused on the medical stories much more than the personal lives of the doctors. If you like medical dramas, give it a try.

I recently took Colton to the emergency room for stitches. Seven, in his finger, after he sliced it to the bone on his scooter. (Parents, check your children’s bikes and scooters for bar ends!) I’m sure, given the nature of my child, this will be the first ER visit of many to come. In fact, I’m a little surprised he made it over four years without stitches.

What is it about ER doctors? Is there a requirement that they be incredibly handsome? Maybe they do that so you don’t mind being there for five or six hours. Anyway, our doctor really liked Colton, and gave him the nicest compliment I think he has ever received.

He said, “I don’t have any kids, but if I knew I’d get one like him, I’d put in my papers today.”

If I hadn’t been so weak in the knees (and a complete chicken) I would have replied, “The application process begins with taking his mother out to dinner!”

Aaahhh…he was a true McDreamy. Those of you that have watched Grey’s Anatomy know that Patrick Dempsey’s character is nicknamed McDreamy. Those of you that haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it.

Grey’s Anatomy

Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey. Cin’s Critique:

The pilot episode began with Meredith Grey waking up in morning next to the man she picked up at the bar last night. She tells him to leave, then gets ready for the first day at her new job as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital. When she meets her new boss, guess who it is?? Yep, McDreamy himself, the man from her fling last night.

What a way to start off a new series! Sound a little steamy? Well, it is. It’s a guilty pleasure aired prime time. Grey’s Anatomy really is about Meredith Grey and the personal lives of her and the surgeons she works with more than about the actual medical emergencies that happen on the show. This is what I like about the series, it’s about the people. Yes, there are plenty of episodes where people are jumping into broom closets, but to me, it’s about life. In fact, Meredith’s voice over in each episode kind of reminds me of what we all do in our own heads. We try to make sense of what goes on around us and within us. So, while some of you may not enjoy this series because of the soap opera feel, I loved every minute of it and watched two entire seasons in less than a week, and haven’t missed an episode on TV since.

Planet Earth

Just the previews for this superior miniseries on The Discovery Channel are enough to give you chills! I actually saw a trailer in the movie theater last week, it’s pretty unusual to see a TV preview in that setting, and it caught my interest. Now, I like watching nature shows as much as the next person, but let me just say “WOW!” After watching five hours of Planet Earth, I am convinced that you will love it as much as I do.

Planet Earth is broken down into eleven episodes: Pole to Pole, Mountains, Deep Ocean, Deserts, Ice Worlds, Shallow Seas, Great Plains, Jungles, Freshwater, Forests, and Caves. I have watched five so far and been utterly amazed. Enough to watch each one a second time with my kids (who also love it) so that I can record it!

Educational and beautiful, offering a unique look at our planet, don’t miss this series on The Discovery Channel. Every Sunday during April with two new episodes each week. Want more? Check out the official website at www.planet-earth.com.

Unfortunately, in this case, here is something not worth watching on TV.

Steven Spielberg presents Taken

2002 TV miniseries. Drama/Science Fiction. Cin’s Critique: 1 ½ *

This is the story of three families involved in the Roswell incident, when an alien spaceship crashes on Earth. One family being that of the Air Force captain in charge of the investigation, one family being affected by the escaped alien, and one family being taken by aliens against their will. All three families are followed through four generations up to the outcome of fifty years of experiments, investigations, and very boring stuff in between.

For all the time I invested in watching Taken, I was very disappointed. Over fifteen long hours could have been devoted to watching something I actually enjoyed, but I kept hanging in there hoping it would get better. The story was interesting enough to have the promise of a good build and outstanding ending, but unfortunately, that was not so. I was expecting much more from Steven Spielberg and the all star cast. Don’t waste your time, take it from me, watch Alien instead.

I am starting a new category! Things Worth Watching on TV. Yes, I am a movie lover indeed, but I love TV too. Maybe I’m just a homegrown, buggy eyed, couch/theater seat potato. I love having a show to be devoted to. It makes me happy. And with TV on DVD these days, I have added many series to my “watched every single episode” category.

I LOVE TV on DVD! It’s almost better than the real thing. No commercials! No waiting an entire week between episodes! No postponed episodes because something ridiculous like “The State of the Union” takes precedence over what I am much more interested in watching! Plus, you can watch in peace and quiet after the kids go to bed instead of yelling at them to stop making noise, or to move out of the way of the precious television. And you get all the extras like gag reels, interviews with cast members, and so on.

Now, yes, TV on DVD does have a drawback or two…hardly worth mentioning. If you watch an entire season in one day it’s a little rough. But don’t worry, all humans can go several days without food and water, so you’ll be okay. If you’re ready for the next disc in the series and it hasn’t reached you yet, and the movie store doesn’t have it, extreme anger is a possibility. And one other drawback, when you do get every last episode watched there is a small withdrawal period. No worries, the red eyes and scraggly hair get back to normal within a day or two. The voices of the on screen characters stay a little longer. Outbursts of laughter or tears at irrelevant moments because you relived a particular favorite episode are quite normal, just ignore all the scared looks people give you. Get plenty of sleep to make up for what you lacked, and a week or so to get over the side effects of “Series Addiction”, and you’ll be just fine!