A man I love is in danger!

All right, maybe that's an exaggeration. And no, I'm not speaking of someone in my life who's dying or anything horrible like that. The man I'm speaking of is John Constantine, and I've grown very fond of him, but I understand there may be no second season. So from that standpoint, he is in danger of being cancelled.

How awful to have a show one loves in imminent peril of having the plug pulled. I have two such shows that I know of - Constantine and Forever. And I love them both.

For those who don't know, Constantine is based on the long-running DC comic Hellblazer, concerning the exploits of a slick exorcist by the name of John Constantine, who is a very complex character. There was a movie made starring Keanu Reeves and I liked the movie pretty well - until I started reading the comics and realized just how far offbase the filmmakers were. First, in casting Keanu Reeves in the first place. he's very un-John Constantine, and totally mis-cast.

The NBC version features Matt Ryan, who makes a most excellent Constantine. And I have no complaint with the writing, or with the storylines they've come up with. They're far more canon than the movie, especially with regard to Chas.

I hope someone decides to keep this wonderful show, but NBC has a history of pulling the plug on shows I like - such as Awake, Dracula, and Do No Harm. I hear a decision will come in April, so cross your fingers!

Also, I recommend the comic books. And if you like the premise, I'd like to recommend a series of books I've been reading about another exorcist, Felix Castor. They're written by Mike Carey, the genius behind Lucifer, the graphic novels. I've read the first three and hope to be able to read the last two. Felix has vague similarities to John, but don't be fooled by that. Carey has created some rather memorable characters in this series, and his wit and intelligence are off the charts.

Now, my second show, Forever.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this show before, about an immortal medical examiner. This week's episode was awesome, having to do with a mummified body found at a rock concert in a building about to be torn down. Along the way, we learned more about Henry's past. I can't say enough good things about this show. Whenever it comes out on DVD, I'll get it. And I'll be devastated if it is cancelled.

What else am I watching? Well, Once Upon a Time is back, and this season features three villaineses - Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella, who have aligned themselves with Mr. Gold ****POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** who was cast out of Storybrook by a fed-up Belle. This season focuses on them, and on Regina's search for the mysterious author of Henry's book, so she can achieve her own happy ending.

My favorite character in the show is still Mr. Gold. I won't even lie - the man has issues. He's not exactly trustworthy, and he can kill without thinking twice about it. And yet there is something very irresistible about him. Maybe it's that bad boy vibe he gives off so well? Just ask Belle, I'm sure she understands.








This season is off to a good start and I'm enjoying it.

Cutthroat Kitchen is crazy and full of fun. You gotta love a no-holds-barred Alton Brown. The premise of the show is that four chefs compete against one another, in three rounds, and the name of the game is sabotage, which Alton is happy to oblige with his wicked auctions.  Fun, fun, and more fun.

Unlike Hell's Kitchen. We didn't watch the last season, as it came so quickly on the heels of the lackluster season before, but thought we'd give this one a whirl. After two episodes, Sarah and I asked each other - do we want to continue? And the answer was a resounding NO. Nothing new under this sun. Different chefs, same old problems, situations, screaming and dialogue. Heard it, over it. Still love Gordon Ramsey, but maybe he needs a new shtick? How about more Motel Hell? That was better.

Mr. Selfridge began its third season with a wonderful two hour premiere. *****SPOILERS

AHEAD***** Between the two seasons, Mrs. Selfridge passed on, but that was no surprise as we saw her receive her diagnosis last season. This season begins with Harry's daughter Rosalie's marriage to a Russian aviator named Sergei. I see a lot of fireworks coming out of this union. Sergei is tied to his mother, the Princess - read leach. That woman is all about getting what she can out of Harry, including taking a suite at an expensive hotel and charging it to him. Sergei is hot on developing his own airplane and building an aerodrome, and assumes Harry will foot the bill. Harry, though, decides to push for non-profit housing for returning soldiers, a plan which Rose at one time drew houses for. Sergei gets bent out of shape, but luckily for him, he is approached by another potential investor - none other than Lord Locksley! Boo, hiss!

Then there is Agnes, who split with Victor last season, and married Henri Leclair this season. Also this season, Harry's daughter Violette is coming into her own, and showing she is her father's daughter. There's a lot going on, and I'm looking forward to seeing it all!

Well, I have to stop there. I hope to write more tomorrow night about other shows, such as Dig and Vikings.

Have a great Friday!

Who doesn't love a hot criminal and more

So I have new favorite hot criminal (which doesn't mean I'm forsaking Hannibal, not by any means).

Interesting that these two co-exist on the same network. Perhaps NBC is returning to what they once were, the strongest network for dramas? Even if they did cancel my darling Jason's Awake. But now they have brought me The Blacklist and I am happy indeed.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, James Spader plays Raymond "Red" Reddington, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, who one day suddenly and inexplicably surrenders himself to the FBI and offers to help them catch some of the most heinous criminals loose in society.

But there's a catch. He'll only deal with one person - brand new profiler Lizzie Keen, played by Megan Boone. It's her first day on the job, and she is as baffled as her employers as to why Red wants to deal only with her, but she complies, and so it begins. This show is smart, clever, dramatic, twisty, exciting, but mostly it lives and breathes because of James Spader, who brings Reddington to life. Do not confuse him for another Hannibal Lecter, far from it. Besides the capturing of wanted criminals, there is a subplot involving Lizzie's husband, as well as the mystery surrounding Red's need to have her in his life. Long lost father? Too simple, too pat and too trite, methinks. So we must patiently wait for the answer, which is no problem. As long as I have Red to look at, I'm good.

And speaking of NBC, they recently debuted another drama, Dracula, which runs on Friday nights, starring

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, last seen as Henry VIII in The Tudors. I was skeptical, I must admit. I tend to be very wary of anyone who wishes to take license with one of my favorite stories - and oh, how they have butchered it in the past. But I had to watch, to see for myself, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised.


The story takes place in Victorian London, 1881, at the point in the book where Dracula arrives in England.

In this version, he re-invents himself, with the help of his faithful assistant Renfield as American entrepeneur Alexander Grayson, come to shed some "light" on British society. JRM does a good American accent, I must admit. And he's certainly easy on the eyes. We have the people we expect to see from the novels, but with twists in the plot. Mina Murray is a medical student, working to become a doctor, under the tutelage of Abraham Van Helsing (who, by the way, is the person responsible for reviving our sexy vampire in the first place and, in this incarnation of the character, is working with him). Mina's boyfriend, Jonathan Harker, is a poor journalist who has trouble providing the lifestyle Mina is accustomed to, especially as she is friends with the wealthy Lucy Westenra and her family. To add fun to the mix, there is a group of devoted fanatics, the Order of the Dragon, determined to exterminate vampires wherever they may be found - so built-in enemy.

The show is off to a great start and I am enjoying it immensely and look forward to the rest of the season. The cinematography is great, everything is beautifully done. The costumes, the sets, everything simply cry out Victorian England. NBC has another winner on its hands, I believe. Keep up the good work, guys! And do not hesitate to show us more of JRM!




Once Upon a Time is back, and this season, we're in Neverland, where Peter Pan has kidnapped Henry to,

and the others have followed, except for Neal/Baelfire. *****SPOILERS AHEAD**** In case you haven't been watching, everyone thinks Neal is dead, but no, he just ended up in the Enchanted Forest and, with the help of Mulan and Robin Hood, he is now in Neverland. Well, Mr. Gold knows, but he's not with the others. Emma, Snow, Charming, Regina, and Hook are traveling together, and Hook is putting the moves on Emma bigtime. He now knows that Neal is alive. It will be interesting to see what he does with the knowledge. Henry is becoming more of a Lost Boy the longer he stays with Pan, who believes him to be the True Believer that he needs.

I can't stand Pan, and I still heartily dislike Hook. My favorite character is undoubtedly Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin. It will be interesting to see if he can redeem his relationship with his son and help to save Henry. I am hoping Belle's influence will help him stay on the right path, and his own love for his son and grandson. Robert Carlyle brings such dimension to his portrayal of Gold, who is neither all good nor all bad. I still dislike Regina as much as ever too. I hope that some day we'll get to see the Hatter again, but if nothing else, I get to watch Sebastian Stan in the next Captain America ***MORE SPOILERS**** And yes, for those who don't know, he is the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, and no, he did not die.

This season, ABC has brought us a spin-off from Once Upon a Time, which is Once Upon a Time in

Wonderland. As its name suggests, it concerns the exploits of Alice in Wonderland. This is another favorite tale of mine, one which I don't suffer lightly to be harmed. Sarah and I are watching it together, although she doesn't watch Once Upon a Time. There is only one reason for her interest in this, and it's a good one, I must admit. Naveen Andrews, last seen in Sinbad, plays Jafar. He is one seriously sexy man, and he is the reason I am still watching because although the show isn't bad, per se, it does not have the same strong writing as Once Upon a Time (the spin-off is the collaboration of the producers of UPaT and the writers of Lost). Alice has escaped from the mental institution she's been placed in, searching for her lost love, the genie of the lamp, Cyrus, who is being held by Jafar and the Red Queen. John Lithgow (in CGI) plays the perfidious White Rabbit. Alice is being helped in her quest to find Cyrus by the wanted criminal the Knave of Hearts. So far, the show is rather one note. If not for Jafar, I'd probably not take the time to watch it, as I have a lot of other things to watch. But he keeps drawing me. Lose him and you'll definitely lose this viewer.

I should probably stop there and continue tomorrow. I have other new shows to discuss, including Masters of Sex and Sleepy Hollow, plus some returning faves - like Grimm and Hawaii 5-0. But I have editing to do, books to write. So I'll bid you have a good day, and talk to you later!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Highs and lows - separating the good from the bad

If I wanted to be evil, I'd tell you something like guess what? I just got signed with Random House for a six novel contract! And then follow it up with April fools!

But I won't, because that would be silly. Plus, when it happens, I want to be believed, not have everyone put it down to a trick or joke or something. So I'll just move on and talk about other stuff, because Random House hasn't signed me. Yet.  *grins*

There's a great new series on History Channel that I look forward to every week. It airs on Sunday nights

but I record it and watch it Monday mornings. It's called Vikings and stars that gorgeous blond Travis Fimmel. I always thought Travis was hot, but he's matured into a very good-looking man. He plays a Viking named Ragnar, married with two children, and he has a brother Rollo (standing to his right, in the picture). He lives in a village presided over by their chieftain, the Earl, played by Gabriel Byrne. The Earl is not a nice man. He tells them where to raid, and takes his share of their booty. But when Ragnar says they should go west, rather than east, the Earl says it can't be done and won't listen. So Ragnar has his friend Floki build him a boat, assembles a crew, and heads west, proving the Earl wrong by sailing to England. They raid a monastery, bring back the spoils, including some monks as slaves, but the Earl confiscates most of it. Ragnar ends up with one of the monks, Athelstan, as his slave. Athelstan speaks their language, having traveled some. I really really enjoy this show. It's doesn't sugarcoat the Vikings, it presents them as they were, and I definitely recommend it, even if some claim there are historical inaccuracies. Floki is played by Gustaf Skarsgard and yes, he's one of those Skarsgards, brother of Alexander and son of Stellan. Great pedigree, and Floki is a very interesting character.

Recently, A&E premiered Bates Motel, a series which looks at the life of the young Norman Bates, of Psycho fame. I was confused as to why they updated the time frame of the series, since Psycho was in the early 60's, and I assumed this would take place before that. But they moved it to modern terms, perhaps thinking the audience wouldn't connect if they didn't. I watched two episodes and decided I couldn't connect, not for that reason but because I didn't find it particularly interesting (if you watched Deadwood, Dan shows up in the first episode as a former owner of the motel). So I've already stopped watching it. Ditto with Cult. I watched that basically for Robert Knepper, but after two episodes even he can't keep me watching. The main character is played by the actor who played Alaric in Vampire Diaries, and this is also a CW offering. Note to self: Stop watching the CW, it never ends well.

Hannibal premieres Thursday night on NBC, and we'll be watching, and hoping. I have to say I'll be really critical if they don't do this right, since I am a huge fan of the books and the movies and won't tolerate anything second-rate or half-assed. The previews aren't enough to tell me what it's really like, so we'll just have to see. I'm still unhappy with them over what they did to Awake and Do No Harm.

Grimm is back on Friday and doing well. I love this series so much!  *SPOILERS AHEAD*** Nick found out about Juliet and the Captain, and Rosalie is helping everyone to get back to where they were. Juliet is having hallucinations as her memory returns, and Monroe accidetnally let it slip about the trailer, so she insisted on going there. Meanwhile, the Royal Family is trying to get the key and things are really heating up.



Once Upon a Time is leading up to the season finale. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** Mary Margaret is torn

apart by her part in the death of Cora, Neal's fiance is in town and she is not what she appears to be - she knows about the magic in the town, even though she pretends not to. She knew August from before and she is involved with Owen, who is searching for his father. August was changed back to a real boy, but unfortunately he was unable to warn about her. I'd love to see Hatter come back, but I suspect Sebastian Stan is busy filming the new Captain America.  I wonder if Bucky will show up in the Avengers films at some point?

Not much going on with the cooking shows - still watching Chopped and Restaurant Impossible. Chopped All Stars starts soon. Watching Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen. Oh yes, new season of Hell's Kitchen started. ***SPOILERS**** There was a very obnoxious woman named Gina who had a puppet she annoyed the others with. I was hoping she'd get sent off by Chef Ramsey, but she didn't. However, she did just up and quit one day, next best thing. Usual fights and stupidities and yelling from Gordon. So far entertaining.


That's about it for now, back to my writing. I'm finishing Trapped in Time for eXtasy, and I want to work on more Stan and Ollie.

Have a great day!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

An Unexpected Twist in the Borgias, Chopped All Star Finale, and more

The Borgias is going well, thanks in no small part to the hotness that is Cesare Borgia (Francois Arnaud), and this season is off to a great start **Spoilers ahead** We've seen Lucrezia's lover murdered, and the Pope bed a young male artist (except he's really a she, in disguise), watched Cesare bluff the French king with plaster cannon in defense of Rome, and watched the same king torture a man gruesomely. Saw Della Rovere poisoned, leading him to become more cautious about his food and drink. Saw the French king take out his frustration at  not being able to attack Rome on a convent (the one where Cesare's lover was), watched Cesare take a more active, albeit secret, part in the sport of war. But what was totally unexpected and most delightful came when Cesare traveled to Forli to deal with Caterine Sforza, cousin to Giovanni (husband of Lucrezia). He took Micheletto with him, who was from Forli, and was able to see his mother, who believes he's studying medicine in Rome - a delusion which Cesare did nothing to dispel. Later, as Micheletto waits for Cesare in the cemetery, an old friend approaches, they exchanged a few words, and then began to disrobe - and yes, they were lovers and it was glorious! I love the Borgias even more now!

Sunday night came the Chopped All Star finale which brought together the four winners from the competitions before - Michael Symon, Jeffrey Saad, Penny, and Marcus Samuelsson. I hated that Penny beat Vic to get in, I didn't think she was worthy, and I prayed for an early defeat. An unfortunate error of omission tossed Michael Symon out in the first round, and then Penny was routed after the second, leaving Jeffrey  face to face with  Marcus. While I find Jeffrey a very amiable fellow, I just knew his talent wasn't the same caliber as Marcus', and thus is proved to be the case, as Marcus won in the dessert round! Congratulations to a very talented chef!
Next week, Food Network Star begins a new season, should be interesting.



***SPOILERS****

Once Upon A Time comes to a dramatic close next week,and it looks  like Emma is going to do what she was meant to do - break the curse and free the inhabitants of Storybrooke. We've learned August's secret, that he is Pinocchio. Mary Margaret is free from the charge of killing Catherine, since she's still alive. And Regina got poor deluded Sidney Glass to confess to setting it all up. A desperate Regina has brought the very sexy Hatter back, and he's helped her retrieve a bit of magic from her world in the form of a poisoned apple. But her plan backfires when Henry eats the apple, not Emma. I have to wonder if that will be the jolt that Emma needs to finally believe and set everything in motion. I also wonder once the equilibrium is restored - what next? Will there be a season two, and where will they go? I'm actually coming to like Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin - I hope he's around next season too.

Grimm's season finale is this week, tonight in fact, and from what I've seen of the previews, Hank is going to see Monroe in his blutbad form - oh my! This show is highly imaginative, and very creative, and I'm excited that it's been renewed for a new season. Personally, I'm sort of hoping Juliette finds out what's going on and leaves Nick - I don't think she's much of an asset to him or the show. I like Monroe's new love interest, the lady apothecary. And Renard makes a sufficiently evil, albeit handsome villain.

Interior Therapy, Wednesday nights on Bravo, with Jeff Lewis is a fun show. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I do.; In each episode, Jeff and his assistant Jenni stay in a client's home while they  help solve his decorating issues. This week featured overly large furniture crammed into a small house by the wife, while the husband had no say-so. By the time they left, the house looked really nice, and the husband turned out to have better taste than his wife. Last week's featured a man with a bow tie fetish, who was redecorating his home before his gf moved in, but from the get-go, you got the idea he didn't really want her to move in and didn't care what she thought. By the time Jeff and Jenni left, I was pretty sure that couple was heading for Splitsville. Next week is the season finale, which is sad, but I hope that they get Flipping Out back on the air soon; I miss seeing Gage, Jeff's SO.

Hawaii 5-0 had a cross-over episode last week with some of the cast of NCIS. Unfortunately, I didn't know this ahead of time, or that the second part of this would be shown on NCIS the next night. By the time I even watched the first part, it was already too late to record NCIS. I'll have to catch it online, which is annoying. CBS should have handled that a bit better for those of us who don't watch both shows. And no, there were no promos the week before because there was no Hawaii 5-0 the week before. Just food for thought. So I'm behind on that til I catch up, but I saw that this week's episode features Wo Fat, which I'm looking forward to seeing.

Well, that's it for now, I'll save the rest for later - Awake, Vampire Diaries, Restaurant Impossible and Sandwich King.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Of Teddybears, Fairy Tales and Things that go Bump in the Night

Californication is back for its fifth season, and now we're several episodes in and I'm all caught up. **SPOILERS AHEAD***  It starts out a couple of years after the fourth season ended. We're all done with Hank's probation over the statutory rape of Mia and hopefully she won't pop up again. But having said that, one never knows. Karen is married to Richard Bates (you may remember him as the psychotic drunken writer who likes to show his schlong at inappropriate times), Marci and Stu are still together, and they have a child Stuart, who is actually Charlie's son, conceived after his vasectomy was found not to have taken. At the age of two and a half, Stuart doesn't speak, which disturbs Charlie, but Marci says it's normal. And now Becca, Hank's teenage moody daughter has a boyfriend. And damned if she didn't pick a guy just like her old man. Which he learns, when he catches said boyfriend cheating on her. What's Hank doing? He's writing a script for a rapper named Samurai Apocalypse, who's making the transition to actor, and it's called Santa Monica Cop. Don't dare compare it to Beverly Hills Cop, Sam gets really ticked off. On the flight from NY to California to see about doing this project, Hank meets a lovely lady on the plane and they do it in the bathroom. Of course, being Hank, Karma bites him in the ass when he discovers that he just boned Samurai A's girl.

Besides sharing custody of his son, Charlie isn't doing very well in the romance department (not that Hank is doing much better - he broke up with a girl in NY who turned out to be all kinds of crazy and torched his apartment, played by the actress who plays Winona Hawkins on Justified). Charlie's problem is that he treats women the way he sees them treated in the porn he loves - and that doesn't get him very far.  Now let's talk about Charlie for a minute. As an agent, he's had his ups and downs. If you'll recall, he was fired from one agency because he was caught too many times in the act of self-love while in his office. Hank's his main client, but Hank had a dry spell. And then the whole Mia stealing his book thing. He worked briefly for Kathleen Turner, who demanded he service her when she wanted it. It was through her that he met Rick Springfield and Marci got to have her fantasy fuck. Then there was the whole Vagina Town debacle, and his liason with the girl who became the porn actress.

 In last night's episode, Charlie got a long time wish when he and Hank went with Samurai Apocalypse on a ride along with the police department, to prepare for the role. Of course things got horribly fucked up. The policeman had a seizure at a donut shop and they had to call 911. At that point, they should have taken the car back and found something else to do. But that would have been sensible, right? Especially after Samurai learns his girl, who left him two weeks before, is out with some dude. Things go from bad to worse. After that, Hank gets a call from Becca. Her bf has gotten Richard drunk and he's exposing himself in public. In attempting to deal with that, the bf recognizes Samurai as one of the group that beat the shit out of him after Hank caught him cheating, and now Becca and Karen think he had something to do with that, which he didn't. And then Charlie ends up getting a blow job from a tranny hooker, which Hank and Samurai are bound to never let him forget.

Charlie Runkle. Yes, he's not perfect, far from it. But there is something about him. He's a teddy bear. He's cuddly and adorable. If I had to choose between him and Hank for dating purposes, sorry Hank, but I'm taking Charlie. Hank is not only hopelessly in love with Karen, he's also incapable of commitment and being in a long term relationship. Charlie has possibilities. I think with the right woman, he'd settle down and be a great husband and father. He has very pretty eyes. And bald is sexy, so yeah...

Grimm is still going strong, and I hope it stays that way. I enjoy the stories, the writing and acting are good. It's a definite twist on a police show, and I know there are interesting things ahead. I especially enjoy the relationship between Nick and Monroe, his werewolf friend. In one episode, Monroe suffered bodily harm from other supernaturals because of his relationship with Nick. But he decided he wasn't going to give in to their pressure, he'd help Nick all he wanted to. The make-up and cgi work is really great. The last episode was based on Hansel and Gretel and concerned a black market for human organs. They take familiar fairy tales and give them a modern twist. I'm not sure what the ratings are, so watch it while  you can. It's definitely worth it.

***SPOILERS***Once Upon a Time is getting really good too. After the death of the Sheriff, Emma was elected as his replacement, to Regina's dismay. Mary Margaret and David try to fight their feelings for one another, as David is trying to be a good husband to a wife he doesn't remember, but their love is too strong.  After a storm, Regina has had Henry's secret play area torn down, to his distress. And his book is now missing. Emma tries to catch her in misappropriation of town funds, but only succeeds in making her look better when it's revealed that she's planning a park for the children, including Henry, to play in. Emma turns to Sidney, whom Regina has cast off, to help her take the Mayor down, and we learn about Sidney's story - as the wicked queen's one time lover who became the genie in the mirror. What Emma doesn't realize is that Sidney is not what he appears to be, and he's still in Regina's pocket. A stranger has come to town, and Emma and Henry both wonder why and who he is, cause strangers never come to Storybrooke - other than Emma. I suspect he's Henry's father, but we'll just have to see. Sunday nights on ABC - definitely worth watching.

Top Chef Texas is winding down, hopefully they have a great replacement waiting in the wings. Not the best Top Chef season they've ever had. In last week's we were down to five chefs, and I was afraid Edward was going to be axed, but he's still in. I'm really happy that Beverly got taken out, I just hope she doesn't come back with that little survivor thing they have going on after each episode. I think we'll find out this week. Apparently, she beat Nyesha, so let's hope someone beats her or we'll see her back again. I'm rooting for Edward all the way!

There is a new Restaurant Impossible this week and a new Chopped. Looking forward to those. No Iron Chef America, instead it was a night of Cupcake Wars. I watch that sometimes, but it's of limited interest. New Alcatraz tonight, looking forward to it. I'll talk about the new season of Vampire Diaries another time.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Horrible Houses and Horrible Restaurants and then some

*****Spoilers ahead beware****

I think that writers can't help but be influenced by what they see, read, and experience. It's often reflected in their work. Perhaps that explains my new Silver Flash - Dallas in Wonderland. Something a little different, probably the influence of American Horror Story. ****Spoiler alert***** I've completely caught up with the series now, and am definitely loving it. It's like peeling an onion, pulling away the layers to get to the inner core. Assuming there is one. Ben and Vivien are splitting up after she discovered his infidelity with Hayden continued and resulted in a child. Of course Vivien has no idea that Hayden is lying dead beneath the new gazebo which Ben had to put up. In this episode, "Open House", Vivien discovers that she is carrying twins. Shades of Rosemary's Baby! I can't help but remember the man in black who had sex with her, never saying a word. She assumed it was Ben - I'm not so sure. In this episode, we learn more about Larry and his history, which he's been lying about, as well as his obsession with Constance.An Armenian gentleman wants to buy Murder House and tear it down - but Constance and Larry and Moira conspire against him. This series just keeps on getting better and better, and in next week's previews, I caught a glimpse of Zachary Quinto. Can't wait.

Guess what else I saw while watching this episode?  A preview for Justified!  Hooray! It's coming back in January.  I also saw an ad for a new Anthony Bourdain show on the Travel Channel, coming soon. Might have to check that out.

Lately, I've been watching back episodes of Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible. At times it's somewhat formulaic - restaurant owners needs help, writes Robert and he shows up to turn things around, with certain inevitable pitfalls - I find each episode interesting and worth watching. In fact, I've seen some of them now often enough to recognize them when they start. I do like the series, and I like the way he shows them how to change a losing proposition into a winning one. Sometimes that's all you need, somebody to kick your butt and show you the way. Some of the restaurants I've seen make me wonder why the health department hasn't shut them down. Robert's designers take a limited budget and bring freshness to these places, while Robert shows the owners how to run the business, to understand pricing and food costs, while he shows the chefs how they should be cooking.  I've gained a whole new respect for Chef Robert after watching these shows. I hope the series continues for some time to come.

On the Next Iron Chef, the wily Chairman presented the potential Iron Chefs with a sweet challenge - make a  sweet and a savory dish from candy. Chef Alex had the advantage and assigned everyone their ingredient. I've found that often times what appears to be a disadvantage for one of the chefs turns out to be a good thing and brings out hidden depths. It can also be a downfall. Chef Falkner won this week with her malted milk ball creations. At the bottom of the pack were Chefs Hughes, McMillan and Guarnaschelli, but Alex was given a reprieve, and the other two were sent into the sudden death secret ingredient challenge. The ingredient was tofu. Although the judges repeatedly tell the chefs that less is better than more, Chef McMillan did three tofu dishes to Hughes' one - and won.  Next week's episode has to do with comedy, and I saw Kevin Nealon in the previews. Bye bye Chef Hughes.

The more of Once Upon a Time I see, the more I like, as Emma gets more and more involved with the people of Storybrooke, and with her son Henry, and fighting the curse laid upon the town and its inhabitants by the Evil Queen, aka the Mayor. This week's episode was The Price of Gold and featured the story of Cinderella, both in the present and in the past. In this version, Ella is an unwed mother who is being forced to give up her unborn child to Mr. Gold, the pawnbroker, who is actually Rumpelstiltskin - mirroring the past. In the process, Emma learns that you can't run away from your life, and she accepts an offer to be a deputy to the Sheriff - unaware that he is sleeping with the Mayor. An unexpected twist which we learned at the end of the episode. I have to admit, I didn't expect much from this show, but it's been a delight to find how good it really is. If only ABC could keep this quality going. But then again, they also brought back Charlie's Angels. The first time was bad enough, seriously? But all's well that ends well. I just found out it was scratched after four episodes. Good news indeed.

All for now. I'll talk about Hell on Wheels and Walking Dead and Grimm another time. Back to editing and writing and house cleaning!

Have a wonderful day! Feel free to comment or question - I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and more

Once upon a time. Sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale. And so it should, because it is. But it's also a new  program on Sunday nighs on ABC which I decided to give a try, despite the fact that I probably haven't watched anything on ABC since NYPD Blue aired, which has been a while. But I gave this show a chance, and I'm glad I did. It's more than just a show about fairy tales, it takes what we know and reinvents it in a very interesting way. It has to do with Snow White and Prince Charming - and the Evil Queen, of course. What fairy tale is complete without one? She lays a dark curse on the kingdom for the slights done to her - imagined or otherwise - and the only hope for the inhabitants lies with the child of Snow White and the Prince, an infant girl named Emma, who's wisked to safety. It is prophesied that she will save them when she's 28. Okay, fastforward a bit. We meet a tough hard-hitting bailbondsman named Emma, who is approached by a ten year old boy who claims she is his birth mother. Not a stretch, as she did give up a child ten years before. But she never expected to see him again. The boy's name is Henry, and he has a book of fairy tales. He says the town where he comes from needs her, she is their only hope. Thrown for a loop, she doesn't know what else to do, so Emma takes Henry back to Storybrooke. Of course she doesn't believe his claim that the inhabitants are under an enchantment, and don't realize they're all fairy tale characters. Who would?  But when Emma arrives, things begin to happen. Such as the town clock, which hasn't run within everyone's memory - starts up again.

This is a well-told, well-acted show. I am already engrossed in it and enjoying it, waiting to see what will happen next. *****possible spoilers******** From the first show, you realize that Emma is the child of Snow White, who turns out to be Henry's teacher. The Evil Queen is the Mayor of Storybrook - and Henry's adopted mother. So far we've also seen Rumpelstiltskin, Gepetto and Jiminy Cricket, while Prince Charming lies in a coma in the hospital.  I highly recommend giving this show a try.

Also on Sunday was the start of a new season of Next Iron Chef. This is my first time watching it. I presume the winner will become an Iron Chef on Iron Chef America, but I honestly don't know how it works. All I do know is that some of the chefs I know and some I don't are competing in this challenge. ****spoilers**** It was interesting to see these chefs compete, as some I've only seen as judges, never chefs, such as Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelssonand Geoffrey Zakarian. Anne Burrell I've seen cook, and Spike from Top Chef. I wondered why he was even in such company, he isn't even of their calibre. Well, I won't have to worry about him any more, he was the first casualty. In the first show, Spike lucked out and got an advantage. He was able to choose his own partner, and put the other chefs into teams. He tried to set them up so that conflicting styles or personalities would trip them up, while he chose to work with Marcus. The competition is set up in such a way that the two lowest chefs of each episode face off in a sudden death surprise ingredient challenge. Spike and Marcus ended up on bottom, and Spike's grand strategy ended up by him shooting himself in the foot. The secret ingredient was scallops, and Marcus beat him. End of story. Next week takes place in the San Diego ball park, should be interesting.

My daughter Katie talked me into trying two other shows - Grimm and American Horror Story. Grimm is about a man who suddenly starts seeing strange things, and finds out that there are aspects of his family he knew nothing about. The pilot episode involves the disappearance of a little girl. Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) is a homicide detective who is apparently descended from a line of Grimms, who fight and destroy supernatural creatures. The first episode is a take off on Little Red Riding Hood. I enjoyed it greatly, and look forward to seeing more. I believe it airs on Fridays on NBC>

You'll find American Horror Story on FX. It stars Dylan McDermott as a therapist who has an affair and is caught by his wife, so he uproots his family and moves them across country to a gothic Victorian house with a history.  In the pilot episode, you learn that twin boys died here under very mysterious circumstances. They were warned not to go in by a Mongoloid girl named Adelaide. When the Harmons move in, she and her mother are their next door neighbors (the mother is played by veteran actress Jessica Lange). Adelaide has a disconcerting habit of walking in the house whenever she chooses, obsessed with it, and also with telling people they're going to die. Ben works at home, and one of his patients is a young boy with homicidal fantasies who takes a liking to Ben and Vivien's daughter Violet. Violet is having a hard time at the new school, and at first she welcomes his attentions. But things rapidly turn creepy. Ben and Vivien have been estranged, even before the affair, since Vivien miscarried a child at seven months. They're trying to put things back together. Vivien hires Frances Conroy, who was the previous housekeeper (the mother from Six Feet Under). The weird thing is that when Ben looks at her, he doesn't see an older Moira but a young hot one - who keeps coming on to him. He's doing his damnedest to resist this temptation, but when he spies her pleasuring herself, he runs off and jerks off alone. I have to say we get some very nice footage of Mr. McDermott's derriere (no frontal, alas!). The show is creepy, the characters damaged, and the premise very interesting. I'd love to own this house! (sans spirits lol).  I'll keep watching, for sure.

This week's Hawaii 5-0, which aired on Halloween night, was sufficiently spooky, with a guest appearance by horror master Robert Englund. Tonight is Person of Interest and Sweet Genius and Vampire Diaries. More on  those later.

Back to writing and editing and cleaning house!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie