Watching The CW

Six days until new episodes of Smallville and Supernatural. SIX DAYS. Just as I was beginning to feel as if I had given up fresh programming for Lent, we are saved in the form of Lex and Lana’s nuptials (and there appears to be something untoward about Lana’s pregnancy), and a creepy three hander featuring the Winchester brothers plus guest star Tricia Helfer. Love it. Can’t wait. Might just hibernate until the 15th.

Curtsy of the folks populating YouTube here are the previews for next weeks shows:

Smallville, YouTube, The CW, Supernatural, Six, Tricia Helfer

In three acts: pose, duel and eradicate.

I know that it is early, but I am not feeling this cycle of ANTM. Anyone else got trainee model fatigue? Underwhelmed with this week’s school themed episode? Even the in-house bickering was boring. I think I need the Tyra sanctioned make-over episode as it is always good for meltdowns, and for the girls to be whittled down to a manageable number.

This week’s challenge was high school prom themed, and it was all very Romy and Michelle. It is amazing how tricky it is for three girls to do synchronized walking - all that boot camp marching is not paying off. I was confused as to why the Master of Ceremonies kept stressing it was a live fashion show.. hmm as apposed to those taped shows in Milan and Paris??? Amazed how many of the girls crashed into one another, but the highlight was when Sarah flashed the audience (sadly this was not brought up at her elim). Hubris struck Jaslene as she had her trade mark fierce walk ripped to pieces by the Master. She needn’t have worried as the prize (won by Brittany) wasn’t all that to write home about… a gigantic ghetto fabulous trophy.

The photo shoot was ‘High School Cliches’ the girls were styled as nerds, teacher’s pet, girl with bad rep, jock, class clown, etc. I think Jael came off best as she happily admitted that she like her exaggerated nerd outfit so much she’d wear it in real life. In the elimination round it came down to ‘Teacher’s Pet’ (Natasha) vs. ‘Girl with a Bad Rep’ (Samantha), the latter went home.

America’s Next Top Model, Tyra Banks, The CW, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion

Get you low fat cottage cheese and carrot sticks at the ready as tonight at 9pm is the next installment of America’s Next Top Model. This episode should be a lot more fun as we only have 12 wannabes to keep track of. I tried to watch Search For The Next Doll but I felt as if I was cheating on Tyra. In fact I had Little Miss Sunshine flashbacks.

America’s Next Top Model, PussyCat Dolls, Little Miss Sunshine

I am in the process of moving apartments but took a time out to watch last Thursdays Supernatural ‘The Usual Suspects’. It is, in my opinion, one of the strongest episodes this season as it starts to lay the groundwork for Dean and Sam coming to the attention of the authorities. Same format as yesterday and Smallville.

Plus
- The barrage of Winchester aliases in the opening montage.
- Linda Blair (criminal that she is not getting more work).
- Dean and Sam getting arrested for a crime that they did not commit (oh so A-Team).
- The boys arguing over who was the red-headed women (aka Scully).
- Sam channelling Verbal as he spins his tall tale.
- The boys being separated but trying to figure out ‘Dana Shulps’.
- “Casper the bloody thirsty ghost” and the parting words of “I feel like pea soup”.

Minus
- Linda’s squeeze was super creepy.
- Not enough Dean action, as he spent his time manacled to a desk.
- Just under two weeks till the next new episode.

Fingers crossed for a smooth move so that nothing gets in the way of next episode of ANTM.

The CW, Supernatural, Linda Blair, pea soup, The Usual Suspects, Verbal Kint

As promised, I am trying to have less of a Winchester driven view of the CW (but it is so hard when Supernatural is so darn good) and thanks to our cable going out over the weekend I was able to catch up with the Smallville repeats currently housed in my DVR. So for fun, instead of my recapping, I am going to list strengths and weaknesses.

Plus
- Theme song (’Save Me’ by Remy Zero)
- Anyone whose surname is ‘Luther’
- Stays true to its comic roots with the stylistic composition of each shot & the coloring
- That Clark, at times, is a typical earth teenager (for instance, he manages to trash the fortress of knowledge and does not settle down to do his chores)
- The fact that I feel sorry for Lex in the whole Lexana relationship (why should TomKat and Branglina have all the fun with the combined names)

Minus
- Clark’s color restrictive wardrobe
- Little Jimmy O
- His birth family comes with way too much intergalactic baggage
- I worry about who tends to the corn now that Martha is flying high at whatever day job she does that forces her to wear such ill fitting suits

The CW, Smallville, Supernatural, Clark Kent, Lex Luther, Save Me, Remy Zero

As always there are spoilers galore over at SpoilerFix and here are a few things that caught my eye…

Paul Rudd will be playing an aging English rocker touring the colleges and in need of a little detective help from Miss Mars.

The Winchester boys have werewolves and an alternative reality episode to look forward too. Plus, Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer will be guest starring in the March 15th episode.

Oh and there is a sassy interview with Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell is interviewed over at TVGuide.

The CW, Supernatural, Veronica Mars, TVGuide, SpoilerFix, Battlestar Galactica, Tricia Helfer, Paul Rudd

Let the games begin.

A little under whelmed with the two hour season premier. I find that ANTM tends to fall flat when it strays from its 60 minute formula: recap, bickering, challenge, more bickering, photo shoot, nervous bickering, critique, deliberation, elimination. Plus the two hour event was peppered with CW infomercial type PSAs about bikinis and haircare.

Thirty two wannabes are shipped off to a surreal model boot camp for the first 15 minutes of the show, but it wasn’t all that entertaining as all they did there was march in 3 inch high military style boots and get a rousing dance from Tyra. Then they were all critiqued in front of a slimmed down panel and 32 became 20, and then 13. Only then did things finally get moving and we got into a thrift shop chic challenge and a “political” photo shoot with the shaved headed Nigel Barker. It was the trainees first photo shoot but quite a lot of them really didn’t get the basics like looking at the camera and not to flail about. Even the short haired blonde who had previous modeling and photography experiences did not come up to Nigel’s lofty standards.

I think that two hours was too long and by the time we got to the elimination round I was losing interest as I’d already seen 32 girls being hauled over for posture and not being fierce enough. Plus, I am still mourning the loss of Janice Dickinson. Twiggy just pales in comparison. Though it was funny seeing Tyra and Miss J. Alexandre as the filling in a Brit sandwich. Things will be better next week.

America’s Next Top Model, The CW, Tyra, Twiggy, Nigel Barker, Janice Dickinson