Devious Maids (Lifetime) - Pilot Review

Marc Cherry is back with another delicious primetime soap after his long-running ABC hit Desperate Housewives wrapped its run in 2012. With Housewives-alum Eva Longoria also serving as an executive producer, Lifetime's upstairs-downstairs series Devious Maids is loads of summer fun filled with endless loads of dirty laundry to unravel.

After the death of a maid named Flora (Paula Garces), the lives of a tight-knit group of maids—Rosie (Dania Ramirez), Carmen (Roselyn Sanchez), Valentina (Edy Ganem) and Zoila (Judy Reyes), is turned upside-down as they struggle to keep a secret while going on with their daily lives. Enter Marisol (Ana Ortiz of Ugly Betty fame), a new maid with a secret of her own, who upon her employment seems to take a heightened interest in the death of Flora. As this group of maids work for their filthy rich Beverly Hills employers, they each have ambitions of their own that they wish to fulfill: Rosie is fighting to bring her son to America; Carmen uses her good looks and sizzling attitude to kickstart a career in the music industry; and Zoila is doing whatever she possibly can to prevent her daughter Valentina from falling in love with their employer's son.

Devious Maids boasts a stellar cast led by Ana Ortiz, who brings the spark and spunk just like she did on ABC's hit Ugly Betty as Hilda Suarez. Also notable are TV veterans Grant Show, Susan Lucci, Rebecca Wisocky and Pretty Little Liars' heartthrob Drew Van Acker, whose dynamic characters bring the comedy to the series in their self-absorbed, fame hungry and superficial pursuits.

It's a fun show with some intriguing twists and turns, Lifetime's Devious Maids premieres June 23rd at 10/9c!

Oscars 2013 Predictions

Tonight is the 85th Annual Academy Awards, so I decided to share my predictions for who I think will win tonight, and who I want to win.

Best Picture
Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Argo


Best Actor in a Leading Role
Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Who Should Win: Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables


Best Actress in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Who Should Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty


Best Supporting Actor
Who Will Win: Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook
Who Should Win: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained


Best Supporting Actress

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Who Should Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables


Best Director
Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Who Should Win: Ang Lee, Life of Pi (Although Ben Affleck should have been nominated and should have WON)


Animated Feature Film
Who Will Win: Wreck-It-Ralph
Who Should Win: Wreck-It-Ralph


Cinematography

Who Will Win: Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi


Foreign Language Film

Who Will Win: Amour
Who Should Win: Amour


Original Screenplay

Who Will Win: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Who Should Win: Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty


Adapted Screenplay

Who Will Win: Chris Terrio, Argo
Who Should Win: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook


Sound Editing

Who Will Win: Paul N.J. Ottosson, Zero Dark Thirty
Who Should Win: Paul N.J. Ottosson, Zero Dark Thirty


Sound Mixing

Who Will Win: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Miserables
Who Should Win: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Miserables


Visual Effects

Who Will Win: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott, Life of Pi


Film Editing

Who Will Win: William Goldenberg, Argo
Who Should Win: William Goldenberg, Argo


Short Film, Animated

Who Will Win: John Kahrs, Paperman
Who Should Win: John Kahrs, Paperman


Original Score

Who Will Win: Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina


Original Song

Who Will Win: Skyfall, Skyfall
Who Should Win: Suddenly, Les Miserables


Production Design

Who Will Win: Eve Stewart, Les Miserables
Who Should Win: Eve Stewart, Les Miserables


Costume Design

Who Will Win: Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
Who Should Win: Paco Delgado, Les Miserables


Makeup & Hairstyling

Who Will Win: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Miserables
Who Should Win: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Miserables

Life of Pi (2012) - Film Review

Ang Lee's cinematic adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Life of Pi is a gloriously magnificent work of art. Shot in 3D, the film takes full advantage of the technology to bring to life the colorful world of India and the Pacific Ocean where the film's protagonist, Pi (portrayed by newcomer Suraj Sharma) finds himself trapped after enduring a shipwreck. 

There are several moments in the film where the cinematography greatly enhances the fantasy-like environment Pi finds himself in. The use of vibrant colors throughout the movie creates a dream-like state that wows on many levels. One notable sequence is a scene at night when Pi sees a school of glowing jellyfish in the ocean, as the neon glow of the jellyfish illuminates a large humpback whale that leaps over his head. The scene uses a carefully measured amount of visual effects to allow the viewer's eye to question whether or not the sequence is based in reality or in Pi's imagination. 

Another element that deserves praise is the marvelous Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger that Pi finds himself stuck with on the lifeboat out at sea. The CGI animal is so intricately designed it looks and feels real, and its ravishing color contrasts the various shades of blue from the sky and sea, generating a visual feast for the eye. 

Suraj Sharma, who makes his acting debut in this movie, gives a splendid performance. The hopes and fears of Pi is brilliantly captured in his acting. Sharma manages to create a character that remains grounded in reality despite the bizarre happenings around him. All in all, Ang Lee has created a masterful work of art in Life of Pi, which is visually pleasing and full of heart.  

The Carrie Diaries (CW) - Television Review

Take a trip back to the 1980's to see how America's beloved fashion icon Carrie Bradshaw first discovered her love for New York City and designer clothes.

AnnaSophia Robb stars as a young Carrie Bradshaw. As a new school year begins, Carrie is forced to take up a larger role in her family's life after the death of her mother. With her previously absent father (Matt Letscher) now trying to be a father, and Carrie's troubled younger sister Dorrit (Stefania Owen) up to no good, she has a lot on her plate. But when Carrie's father offers her an internship at a law firm in New York City, Carrie soon discovers her love for the city and the people there.

The Carrie Diaries was surprisingly one of the best pilots of the season. AnnaSophia Robb is a highlight and absolutely steals the show. The episode itself was cute, heartwarming and fun, and the 80's music fit right in with the show. The only weak point about the show is its supporting cast. With Carrie venturing off to Manhattan and growing up there, it makes her group of friends and love interests at her high school rather irrelevant. And while her two best friends, Mouse (Ellen Wong) and Maggie (Katie Findlay) were dynamic and all sorts of teenage fun, her love interest, Sebastian Kidd (Austin Butler) was boring, generic and easily disposable...especially since you already know who Carrie ends up with in the present day.

It's a light-hearted fun-filled adventure as viewers will have a blast from the past navigating the streets of Manhattan in the 1980's alongside a young Carrie Bradshaw, and AnnaSophia Robb's performance in this series is enough of a reason to tune in.

The Mindy Project (FOX) - Television Review

Minday Kaling stars in FOX's new comedy The Mindy Project, a series that follows a physician navigating her personal and professional lives.

While Mindy Kaling herself was all sorts of lovable, her show on the other hand, was not. Besides a rather hilarious opening scene and another one in a taxi cab, the pilot episode was a bit underwhelming.  The series also stars Chris Messina as Danny Castellano, the good-natured and brutally honest co-worker of Mindy, and Ed Weeks as the charismatic British boy toy Jeremy Reed.

But besides a few funny bits from the first episode, Mindy Kaling has a long way to go to cement herself as leading material in the comedy genre. She certainly does not have as much appeal as, say Zooey Deschanel in New Girl, and with a show that solely rides on her shoulders, The Mindy Project has a lot of retooling that needs to be done.

The New Normal (NBC) - Television Review

Ryan Murphy of Glee, Nip/Tuck and American Horror Story fame does it again with this new comedy on NBC, pushing boundaries and breaking new grounds in this series about a gay couple who wants to have a kid.

The New Normal is easily one of the best comedy pilots I've seen from the batch of new shows this Fall. The show is heartwarming, laugh-out-loud funny, and the ending instantly leaves you wanting more. The cast that has been assembled here is also top-notch. Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha play Bryan Buckley and David Murray, the gay couple trying to have a baby. Georgia King portrays Goldie Clemmons, a single mother who agrees to help carry the baby for the two men. Rounding out the cast is Goldie's daughter Shania, a hilarious role portrayed by the young Bebe Wood and Ellen Barkin as Jane Forrest, Goldie's conservative and outspoken mother.

The New Normal is not to be missed, and is a step in the right direction for NBC, a network that is known for quality comedy programming.

The New Normal premieres Tuesday September 11 @ 9:30/8:30c on NBC. **Please note that this is only a review of the early version of the pilot** 

Nashville (ABC) - Television Review

ABC joins the scripted singing game with its country music drama series Nashville which hails from the writers of Thelma & Louise.

Connie Britton stars as Rayna James, a country music sensation who finds her career quickly fading away. In hopes to not have her completely lose the profit from her upcoming concert tour, Rayna's producers offer her a deal to co-headline a tour with up-and-coming music artist, Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), who is Taylor Swift if she were a bitch with teeth. Unimpressed with the sloppy songwriting and autotune-heavy vocals of the young singer, Rayna is forced to find ways to keep her career in tact while also dealing with threats from her father, powerful politician Lamar Hampton (Powers Boothe) and the possibility of losing her music partner Deacon (Charles Esten).

I will start off by saying that Nashville isn't nearly as perfect as the reviews have been making it out to be. Due to its rather large ensemble, scene transitions and the pilot episode in general felt a bit bumpy and did not flow as smoothly as I'd hoped it to. That being said, the show has a lot of potential. With strong writing and an even stronger cast, this series could really take off once it finds its foot.

Connie Britton continues to prove that she can do no wrong, and while Hayden Panettiere's character could have easily come off as a one-dimensional mean girl, she is given a storyline in the first episode to redeem her behavior and also open up future storylines along the way. The show creators have created a rich group of characters in the world of country music, and its original songs fit seamlessly into the story. The show does not nearly rely as heavily on musical numbers as Glee or Smash does, which is a good thing.

The only other part that dragged the pilot episode along was the political sub-plot with Rayna's husband Teddy (Eric Close) being lured away by her father Lamar. With the music aspect of the show already filled with a plethora of characters and an abundant amount of potential plots, the sub-plot of having Rayna's husband run for office not only slowed the episode down but also felt a bit unnecessary.

The alphabet network has another compelling new drama series on its hands, and while not nearly as good as Revenge was last season, Nashville most definitely has the potential and will certainly find an audience. And even if you are not a fan of country music, there is still much to like about the show.





 Nashville premieres Wednesday October 10 at 10/9c on ABC. **Please note that this is only a review of the early version of the pilot**