Law & Order SVU's New Cast Members

Obviously, Christopher Meloni left some very big shoes to fill when he exited Law & Order: SVU. Shoes so big that they chose two actors to replace him. Danny Pino of Cold Case fame and Kelli Giddish who starred in last season's Chase on NBC.

I guess the duo aren't actually replacing him because from what I can tell, the two will be partners. Giddish will play Det. Amanda Rollins, a former Atlanta detective with a degree in forensic psychology. Meanwhile, Pino will play Nick Amaro, a Jersey boy with a talent for interrogation.

The show debuts on my birthday, ... September 21 at 10:00 PM (NBC)

*Photo courtesy of TV Guide

Even More to Look Forward To

As a gleek, I can't help but get excited over this promo for Glee!



In case you are wondering Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang) and Darren Criss (Blaine) have been promoted to series regulars. Chord Overstreet (Sam) was not promoted, but he will still be featured in a few episodes ... especially since he's apparently Mercedes' BF!

I'm also a huge Castle fan. I never watched Firefly so I'm late getting on the Nathan Fillion bandwagon, but I'm on it now. Check out this cast picutre (courtesy of Entertainment Weekly).

Look closely and you'll see the woman who'll replace the recently deceased (he died in the season finale) Captain Montgomery as the new head honcho Captain Victoria Gates. If you were a fan of 24, she might look familiar. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald played the villianous First Lady Sherry Palmer.

Show runner Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice fame has sold a new project to ABC and this time she's venturing far outside of the hospital. In fact, the show, Gilded Lilys is set in a luxury hotel in .... wait for it ... 1895!

She says, it's about the "first true luxury hotel ever built in the city — the family who owns it, the staff who work it, and the people who pass through." Of course, its a long way from sale to season premiere, we'll have to wait and see if this show goes the distance.

Actress/Dancer/Director Debbie Allen is checking into Seattle Grace Hospital but not as a patient. She'll be playing the mother of the delicious Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams) on Grey's Anatomy. She's set to arrive in the fifth episode and reveal a little more about Jackson's past.

Speaking of past, in the past year, Allen has directed three episodes of Grey's.

What I'm Looking Forward To...

The New
Surprisingly of all the new shows, there really aren't that many that have me all excited.

The Playboy Club: Maybe it's because Eddie Cibrian is all kinds of sexy. It could be because I'm a fan of Mad Men and I like that whole 60's vibe but I'm looking forward to this show. It seems like it could have some decent intrigue to it.
Premieres Monday, September 19, 10:00 PM, NBC

The New Girl: I've been inundated with promos of this show for months now - but it looks like of quirky and fun and I like quirky and fun. So I think I'll check it out.
Premieres Tuesday, September 20, 9:00 PM, FOX

The X-Factor: Truth be told, I did not miss Simon Cowell on American Idol last year, but I'm actually sort of looking forward to this, especially since there is no age range. L.A. Reid as a judge should be interesting too.
Premieres Wednesday, September 21, 8:00 PM, FOX

The Old
On the other hand, there are a lot of returning shows that I am looking forward to seeing again.

The Sing-Off: I have loved this show since the beginning. The a Capella singers (16 groups will compete instead of 10). The judges - Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and .... oh wait, Nicole Scherzinger is on The X-Factor now. The new judge is singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles. I hope she has the same kind of chemistry with the guys as Scherzinger had.
Premieres Monday, September 19, 8:00 PM, NBC

Castle: When we last saw our favorite will-they-or-won't they Detective/Writer duo, Captain Montgomery was dead and Kate had been shot. I've been waiting since May to see this first episode. Now, that's how you do a cliff hanger!
Premieres Monday, September 19, 10:00 PM, ABC

Glee: It's the last season for Rachel, Quinn and Finn. Plus, we have the winners of The Glee Project. I really enjoy this show and I can't wait until it comes back. The Glee Project did a good job of tiding me over until the fall, but now I'm ready for the real deal (but not the two-episodes featuring the horror that is Alex from The Glee Project).
Premieres Tuesday, September 20, 8:00 PM, FOX

Raising Hope: By far, the funniest new show of last season. Between Matha Plimpton and Cloris Leachman this show was laugh out loud funny. And, it takes a lot to make me laugh out loud (I live alone and laughing out loud just seems weird).
Premieres Tuesday, September 20, 9:30 PM, FOX

Harry's Law: This show got some really mixed reviews last year, largely because of the David E. Kelley tendency for way larger than life plot devices and his penchant for preaching his point of view in the courtroom scenes. Yet, largely because of Kathy Bates and Christopher McDonald, I enjoyed the show and look forward to seeing it again.
Premieres Wednesday, September 21, 10:00 PM, NBC

Law & Order: SVU: This show is starting to wear on me. It's storylines are so depressing that it's exhausting to watch at times. However, I am interested to see how this season will unfold without Christopher Meloni.
Premieres Wednesday, September 21, 10:00 PM, NBC

Kitchen Nightmares: My love affair with Gordon Ramsey continues. I watch all three of his shows, Hell's Kitchen, Master Chef, and Kitchen Nightmares. I've gotten my hearty helpings of HK and MC this summer, so I'm ready for another course of KitchenNightmares.
Premieres Friday, September 23, 8:00 PM, FOX


Fringe: This show gets better every season and now that we are into Season 4 my hopes are high. In the last episode we didn't just jump into an alternate universe but we jumped into the future too. John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop consistently delivers Emmy-worthy performances definitely worth watching.
Premieres Friday, September 23, 9:00 PM, FOX

Meh
These are shows both new and returning that I am just not that excited about.

Charlie's Angels: Yes, I liked the movies. Yes, I should be excited because there is a black angel. Yes, I really enjoyed Minka Kelly on Friday Night Lights. Yet, nothing about this show interest me. Like the section says, "Meh."
Premieres Thursday, September 22, 8:00 PM, ABC

Grey's Anatomy: I'll watch it because Eric Dane is ridiculously hot, but I'm tired of Meredith and Christina's acting. High school ended for them like 15 years ago, so it's about time they grew the hell up and started acting like real women.
Premieres Thursday, September 22, 9:00 PM, ABC


Whitney: I've seen promos for this show for months now, and it just doesn't seem funny. In fact, every time I see 'Whitney' all I can thing of is how much I want her to get some rest or do something about the bags under her eyes!
Premieres Thursday, September 22, 9:30 PM, NBC

Prime Suspect: It was successful for years on the other side of the pond, but I'm not so sure about this version featuring Maria Bello. There is just something about the way this character comes across in the promos that makes me not want to watch it.
Premieres Thursday, September 22, 10:00 PM, NBC

Desperate Housewives: It's the last season and frankly, it's about time. I'll probably watch it because it's the last season but it's definitely not must see TV in my house.
Premieres Sunday, September 25, 9:00 PM, ABC

Get Your Facts Straight!

I've heard it reported throughout the day that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett were separating. The story struck me as odd, so I started doing a little investigation. And all I had to do was a little.

What did I find?

I found that In Touch Weekly had an 'inside' source who talked about the separation. However, I didn't find an official announcement from a publicist, which is routine in these situations.

What's disturbing is that so many people initially reported this nonsense. My degree is in journalism, but my, how things have changed since I graduated (you should know better than to ask me when that was)! It's scary to think how quickly these media outlets will abandon little things like corroboration and fact-checking in their race to be the first to report the news ... even if it isn't news.

Here is the statement that Will and Jada issued to E! News.

"Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false. We are still together, and our marriage is intact."

In fact, as soon as the story broke family members and friends began tweeting that the story wasn't true.

The Moral of The Story: Wait for the facts before you believe the first thing you hear ... or visit me because I don't deal in rumors and I will dig until I find the truth!

Ummm... Thanks but No Thanks

The other day, I was talking to my friend Tanya. She was all excited about the Basketball Wives reunion show. She asked me if I planned to watch and I told her no. Actually, I think I told her "Hell no!"

You see, as much as I love Hell's Kitchen, Master Chef and American Idol, I don't get into reality shows about fake celebrities and women who are on TV solely because they are huge-egoed, histrionic, bitchy drama queens.

So I don't watch: Basketball Wives, or any of The Real (NOT) Housewives shows. These women are in a word, ridiculous. Who ever heard of grown women fighting? You mean to tell me that you are in your 30's, married (or divorced or in the case of half the Basketball Wives a baby momma), have kids, and are living some allegedly lavish life, and you can't find a better way to solve a problem?

I'm sorry but I just can't watch those women. I couldn't stand to be in a room with any of them for 5 minutes. And no, I'm not hating. These women have nothing to hate. In fact, they are living proof that money (and fame) are not everything. I'd rather have sense and class any day. Most of the women I've seen on these shows have neither.

I think I watched two episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta. When I'm on my deathbed, I'll want that hour back.

In fact, I take a pass on the celebrity reality shows too. I don't care that Ice Loves Coco. I say "Oh no!" to the T.O. Show. Gene Simmons can keep his Family Jewels. I could care less about Kesha Cole or DMX's Soul.

The idea that these people are supposed to be interesting because they are famous is laughable. I guess we're suppose to think ... "Oh look, they have trifling relatives just like me, I feel so much better!" Or, are we supposed to look at everything there money can buy and be impressed? Maybe we are supposed to look at their difficulties and think "Wow! They have problemss too. They really are human!" Sorry, that isn't working for me. If anything these shows prove that athletic, musical or acting talent is no substitute for substance.

I think I saw 10 minutes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I could actually feel the brain cells dying. In fact, they weren't just dying, they were committing suicide!

Guess Who's Back??? It's Me!

I’m back! And, I’m definitely looking forward to the Fall Season. My birthday is September 21 and it falls smack dab in the middle of Premiere Week. In fact, The X Factor premieres on my birthday. So as I get back into the swing of things, let me share some of my thoughts on what I’ve been watching over the summer.


Favorite Networks

As fans of this blog (both of you) know, I’m a FOX girl. I watch a lot of FOX, some NBC, a little ABC and no CBS. I’ve given some thought about why CBS isn’t on my radar and I can’t figure it out. Suffice to say if you are looking for NCIS, or CSI or The Good Wife, you’ll want to look elsewhere.


Lately, my new obsession – and it is an obsession is ID TV – Identification Discovery. It is what CourtTV used to be before it morphed into the unwatchable TruTV. It’s all crime all of the time. Seriously, I have spent almost entire days watching episodes of Wicked Attraction, Deadly Women, The Nightmare Next Door and most recently Unusual Suspects. I cannot explain my fascination with true crime … suffice to say that I share a birthday with Stephen King.


The Glee Project

I watched this show religiously every week. In fact, my last few blogs before my hiatus were about The Glee Project which ended last night. I was ultimately happy. The last four standing were Lindsay (I started off liking her but she turned out to be a major b***h); Alex (who I abhorred from Day One and my animosity toward him grew with each passing week); Samuel (white boys with dreds are kinda creepy but outside of that he was okay); and, Damian (my favorite, the cutie with the Irish brogue).


Last week, all four moved into the finals and I spent a solid week and one hour dreading that Alex would win and my favorite show would be tainted with that shrill non-acting drag/drama queen for seven excruciating episodes.


Thankfully, I’m only stuck with him for two! Samuel and Damian were the last two standing and Sam ended up winning (and I didn’t mind that). Yet, before I could even fully formulate my disappointment, Ryan announced that Damian would also receive a 7-episode arc on the show. I was so happy!


Yet, Lindsay and Alex weren’t total losers (even though I would not have had a problem with that). Both will receive two-episode arcs. The only lingering disappointment I had was that Cameron had bowed out. I think he could have won it all. Both he and Damian with 7-episode arcs would have been amazing!


Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A lot of people have issues with evil clowns or just clowns, in genearal. I’m not Coulrophobic (that’s fear of clowns … don’t say you never learned anything from reading this blog!) – However, I do have a fear of evil
monkeys. Now, don't get me wrong, I love monkeys. In fact, according to Chinese astrology, I am a monkey (it sounds vaguely racist for a black girl to be a monkey. Anyway…). So monkeys, good. Evil monkeys, bad.


A co-worker asked if I’d be seeing Rise of Planet of the Apes and I explained that I would not be seeing it on the count that the monkey in the commercial looked evil. Then my dad came for a visit and surprise! He wanted to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes.


I was surprised at how good the movie was. It was a thoroughly unexpected surprise.


First off, the monkey, Caesar, wasn’t evil. He was just mad, sad and upset and for good reason. Once I knew he wasn’t evil, I was fine. Yet, the movie was just overall really good. I loved the way they explained the rise of the apes as well as the demise of the humans.


The actor that played Caesar was incredible. Apparently, they did some CGI effects to get his expressions to register on Caesar’s face and it was incredible. The nuances and subtleties that came across were amazing.


This proves that once again, Father really does know best!

Hiatus

I love TV, movies and pop culture. I really do. And, I love blogging about it. I appreciate the readers of this site more than you'll ever know. However, right now I'm going through a difficult time and I need to focus on getting things in my life taken care of. I hope that by taking a few months away, I'll be able to come back in the fall and give this blog the time and attention it deserves. I just can't do that right now.

If any of you care to do so, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me in your prayers.

If you want to be notified when the blog is back up and running contact me at diva@divasoulsista.com. I really do appreciate you. ~ Karyn