I’ve Had A Shit Day, You’ve Had A Shit Day, We’ve Had A Shit Day

Punk-pop star Pink scores another summer hit with the appropriately titled “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” a spunky new single off her sixth studio album “The Truth about Love,” which is set for release on September 18, 2012.  The up-tempo pop song debuted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and although a music video for the song has not been released yet, the track debuted last week after a demo of the song was leaked. The 32 year old singer, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, grew up in Doylestown, Philadelphia and has credited Janis Joplin and Madonna as her biggest musical influences, the former of which she once wished to be cast as in a biopic.  Pink made her debut on the music scene sporting short, pink hair in 2000 with her first single “There You Go” off the album “Can’t Take Me Home.” She garnered a lot of success in her early career, singing songs about acceptance and being different, which her teenage audience could often relate to.

After taking a break from music following the somewhat failure of her third album “Try This,” Pink made a triumphant return to the music scene when she parodied many of Hollywood’s socialites in the music video “Stupid Girls.” Never afraid to speak her mind, the talented singer-songwriter was awarded with three Grammy Awards within her career. Pink remains an activist and wants to be seen as a role model for young girls, including her daughter Willow with whom she had with her husband Carey Heart last year. Pink even went as far as to sing about her husband, who she had divorced at the time, and asked him to make an appearance in her music video for the song “So What.” One of her most memorable moments was when she sang the song “Glitter in the Air” all the while performing acrobats at the 2010 Grammy Awards. “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” is being compared to the singer’s previous hits including “Raise Your Glass” and “So What,” while also being weighed against the likes of singer Kelly Clarkson’s recent hit “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).”

The Drama Summer

Top Five Summer Television Shows

5) “Dallas:” The reboot of the 1978 CBS series “Dallas,” which ran for thirteen seasons will finally make its premiere after seeing the preview over a year ago. The new show will focus on the now adult sons of J.R. and Bobby who will also be featured in the drama. The show centers on a rich Texan family who made their money in the oil and farming business, but the new series sees some family members venturing off into alternative energy, which “naturally” causes conflict. Several original cast members return to the show, which premieres June 13, 2012, including Lucy Eqing and Ray Krbbs with new faces added to the cast including “Desperate Housewives” narrator Brenda Armstrong and “Fast and Furious” star Jordana Brewster.

4) “True Blood:” After a wicked fourth season of “True Blood,” the HBO series returns June 10, 2012 and it doesn’t seem to have a new supernatural entity to center on like the show has done in past seasons, but instead has chosen to focus on the return of villain Russell Edgington. There has been some buzz about a fairy storyline reboot after it was awkwardly portrayed in the first ten minutes of season four, but the real question is will Tara survive the blow to the head from last season’s finale? The vampire craze began in 2008 when Bill Compton walked into Merlotte’s where he met waitress Sookie Stackhouse and the rest is love novel history. Christopher Meloni and Scott Foley join the cast in its fifth season, which is sure to entertain all summer long.

3) “Awkward.:” The lone comedy that made the list is MTV’s “Awkward.,” which stole our hearts last summer and returns for a second season on June 28, 2012. The series centers on high school outcast Jenna Hamilton who blogs about her life as a teenager and how she went from invisible to having a secret relationship with Matty McKibben, the coolest guy at her school. “Awkward.” delivers an awesome ensemble cast to choose favorites from including Guidance Counselor Valerie whose interesting advice often borderlines unprofessional. This show works because it’s quirky, relatable and not about bronzered degenerates getting wasted in New Jersey. Plus, Jenna was caught in a love triangle in the season finale between Matty and his best friend Jake.

2) “Damages:” Although many viewers lost interest in the legal drama after its amazing first season, the trailer for the upcoming fifth and final season of “Damages” may get people back on board. With each year focusing on the death of a character by slowly showing viewers how this happened with the beginning and ending of each episode, it is revealed that the show’s main star, Rose Byrne, will meet her demise in the series’ last act. How this happened might be unknown as for now but something tells me Glen Close’s conniving Patty Hewes might have had something to do with it. Ryan Phillippe and “Dharma and Greg” star Jenna Ellfman have also been added to the cast for its final run which begins on July 11, 2012.

1) “Political Animals”/”The Newsroom:” From the creators of “Dirty Sexy Money” comes the USA miniseries “Political Animals,” which stars Sigourney Weaver as the divorced Secretary of State and former first lady; that sounds familiar. Although there has yet to be a trailer for the drama that premieres July 15, 2012, the plot sounds interesting enough to catch our eyes. There has also been a lot of buzz surrounding the new Aaron Sorkin drama titled “The Newsroom” for the past year and after an underwhelming first look at the series, the show seems to have found its footing in the trailer’s second go around. Airing after “True Blood” on HBO on June 24, 2012, this drama sees Jeff Daniels playing a news anchor who, with his staff, set out to put on a news show in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements.

It’s Time To Meet The Muppets

It’s time to play the music, its time to light the lights, it’s time to meet the Muppets on “The Muppet Show” tonight. Long before the world of lovesick ogors, Sponge Bob Square Pants and voiceless mermaids there existed a show that relied solely on a group of puppets. In their first movie in over a decade, family comedy “The Muppets” brings audiences back to a time when the Muppets brought laughter to audiences across the globe. Jim Henson’s “The Muppets” first appeared on the show “Sam and Friends” in 1955 and have since created countless films and television series including “The Muppet Show” which aired on CBS from 1976 to 1981.

In the groups’ newest installment, Kermit the Frog finds himself a victim of fraud as he has unknowingly agreed to sell the original Muppet Studios to be knocked down along with each character’s trademark names. Now, with the help of Walter, his brother Gary, played by Jason Segal, and his girlfriend Mary, played by Amy Adams, Kermit must get the rest of the gang back together and put on one last show in order to raise the money needed to save the studios. There’s only one problem: “The Muppets aren’t famous anymore.”

The success of this film could argue otherwise as “The Muppets” brought in over $150 million after opening last November. With plenty of cheesy jokes and choreographed dancing, this film got its best laughs when it wasn’t afraid to make fun of itself. The movie’s story was written by actor Jason Segal who also won an Academy Award for one of the many songs sung throughout the film. Though Segal will not take part in the sequel that has already been announced, the Muppets have certainly made a comeback with this movie becoming the most successful film of the series.

Sweets Dreams (Are Made Of These)

Supernatural procedural “Grimm” is the other fairytale drama that made its way to the airwaves this television season and while the show shares a similar premise with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” its dark tone and police backdrop make it a completely different experience. Along with its counterpart, the NBC show was held back until October where it scared up over seven million viewers during its premiere just days before Halloween. From the producers of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” each episode brings viewers closer to feeling like they are watching long lost episodes of the cult favorite WB show “Angel.”

The series centers on Detective Nick Burkhart, played by David Giuntoli, who just found out that he is a descendant of a long line of Grimms, hunters who protect the innocent from supernatural forces. With the help of his partner Hank Griffin, played by Russel Hornsby, Nick must keep the secret and take on the evil that lives in his town of Portland, Oregon. After his aunt is attacked by a fairytale creature, Nick meets and later befriends Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell, who is one of the creatures he has sworn to hunt, but has chosen to assimilate into human culture and help Nick along the way.

Nick also has his girlfriend, Julliette, to worry about, as well as his Captain, who seems to know a lot more about what is really going on then he perceives. Viewers seem to have taken a liking to the mystery drama bringing in a healthy six million people each week for the Peacock, which has been suffering in the ratings for some time. “Grimm” seems like a safe bet for a second season pickup given that its one of the highest rated shows on NBC’s current schedule. With already ten episodes under its belt, the Friday night drama can be caught On Demand for free in its entirety for Cablevision subscribers.

The series thus far has reintroduced viewers to such fairytale characters as Hansel and Getel, The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. “Grimm” has received many positive reviews and comparisons to “Once Upon a Time,” saying that it puts an interesting twist on an old story and that “on a repeat viewing the craftsmanship and attention to detail made more of an impression.” In the beginning of each episode, a quote from a fairytale is displayed in scriptive writing giving viewers hints about what lies ahead. Check out the pilot along with the rest of the season; you’ll be humming Marilyn Manson’s rendition of the eighties classic for days.

Sweet Sweet Fantasy, Baby

Last Sunday’s “Once Upon A Time” brought viewers back to the land of fairytales with an episode that centered on the show’s best storyline to date: Snow White and Prince Charming. While the ABC drama’s winter premiere focused on the mischievous Rumplestiltskin’s past, many viewers found the episode to be less interesting, especially after the show killed off the Hunstman just as he was starting to remember his past and show feelings for Emma Swan. The fairytale drama might sound childish to some, but it is quickly becoming one of the best new shows on television with strong comparisons to another ABC show with mystical storylines: “Lost.”

Perhaps it’s the viewers need for escapism or the pure fun of watching a retelling of childhood memories, but “Once Upon a Time” has become a hit of its own, bringing over ten million viewers in each week for the Alphabet Network. There has also been buzz that a companion show could join “Once Upon a Time” next fall in the form of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is also being remade at the CW, as well. This episode titled “7:15 AM” centered on the torn romance going on between Mary Margaret, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, and David Nolan, played by Josh Dallas, while also flashing back to their past lives as fairytale characters.

In Storybrooke, we learn that each morning Mary Margret rushes down to the diner at precisely 7:15 AM in order to “accidentally” run into David because it’s the only way she can see him without feeling sorry for his wife, Kathryn. Little does she know that David comes to the diner for the exact same reason. Meanwhile, Regina and Emma both become suspicious of the stranger who has come to Storybrooke, which apparently has never happened before with the exception of Emma, of course. After some cute banter, the stranger, also known as the poor man’s Graham, reveals to Emma that he is a writer who perhaps wrote the book that Henry is carrying around.

In Fairytale land, Prince Charming’s wedding to King Midas’ daughter, Abigail, leaves Snow White little time to mend her breaking heart. After getting a letter from the Prince confessing his love for her, she ventures off to the castle to do the same, only to be captured and held prisoner with two dwarves, Grumpy and the not-so recognizable Stealthy, which makes sense once he is killed. Prince Charming’s father forces Snow White to tell his son that she never loved him leading Snow White to drink a potion to forget she ever knew Prince Charming just as he leaves Abigail at the alter.

The real reason why viewers might be taking such a liking to “Once Upon a Time” could be its strong resemblance to ABC’s former hit “Lost.” With its character centric episodes and flashbacks to Fairytale land that comes to mirror the real world the characters currently live in, this show might just be what fans have been waiting for. Rather than continuing to torture viewers with hopes that Mary Margret and David would get together, the writers chose to move this story along by having them kiss in Storybrooke at the end of the episode, unaware that Regina watches their secret love affair unfold from a parked car.

Marry The Night

Dark comedy “Fright Night” might have sailed by moviegoers when it premiered at the tail-end of the summer, but this remake of the 1985 Tom Holland film has made its way into living rooms on DVD. The R-rated 3D film packs a lot of language, gore and laughs, but fails to keep viewers interested from a lack of mystery and suspense. With comparisons to the similarly-plotted “Disturbia,” this movie centers on a young teenager named Charlie, played by “Terminator Salvation” star Anton Yelchin, who becomes convinced that his neighbor is a blood-sucking vampire.

The story takes place in a small dessert development just outside of Las Vegas, perfect for Colin Farrell’s Jerry to go on a secluded killing spree without being noticed. Farrell gives both a convincing and frightening performance as a slick, seductive four hundred year old vampire. However, the film didn’t know whether to be seriously scary or outrageously funny, which is proven when Charlie’s mom, played by Toni Collette, barely reacts to just escaping her house being blown up by her neighbor. This could have been a great film had it not been for the lack of thrill or seriousness in tone.

It’s obviously alright for a dark comedy to be a little out there, but this was by far ridiculous. What “Fright Night” got wrong was immediately telling the audience that their suspicions were in fact correct and Jerry is indeed a vampire about fifteen minutes into the movie. The whole reason why films like “Disturbia” and “The Lost Boys” were successful was because the audience was kept in the dark as much as the main character and part of them really wonders if whether what the main character is thinking is real or if it’s all in their head.

Each writer’s take on vampire anthology is always different and in this form, vampires can create other vampires by biting them, but their victims can return to human form if they themselves are killed. “Fright Night” opened at number six at the Box Office and grossed only eight million dollars while accumulating nearly forty million dollars globally against its thirty million dollar budget. Although there were obvious issues with the story and some really bad lines, the film was mostly fun to watch with great computer graphics and a dark music soundtrack, but viewers couldn’t help but ask where this story was going.

Missed My Ride Home, Lost My iPhone

Pop-Rock band Hot Chelle Rae strings another hit with “I Like It Like That,” the second single off their new album “Whatever,” which was released on November 29, 2011. The song has peaked at number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and features hip-hop group New Boyz rapping throughout the song. The music video that was released with the single in October features a behind the scenes look at what’s happening while the band is on tour, partying and looking very hipster in their tight jeans and Ray Bans.

The group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005 and includes Ryan Follesé, Nash Overstreet, Ian Keaggy and Jamie Follesé. The band, which was originally named “Miracle Drug,” got the idea for their name after a MySpace stalker provided the group with entertaining online activity until her false identity was discovered and brought to light. While Follesé are brothers, Overstreet is the son of country music singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet and the brother of “Glee” actor Chord Overstreet, who was also featured in a music video.

Their debut album, “Lovesick Electric,” was released on October 27, 2009, but it wasn’t until last summer when the band gained widespread attention for the single “Tonight Tonight” that Hot Chelle Rae was made a household name. Fueled with catchy one-liners and a fun, fresh beat, the song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and it’s been a blast ever since.

La La Lie

Teen drama “The Lying Game” will pack a one-two punch come January second when it is paired with fellow guilty pleasure “Pretty Little Liars” on ABC Family. This might just be the best match yet for the “Liars” as this show, which debuted over the summer, will air the second half of its first season at nine o’clock on Monday nights.

The drama revolves around Emma Becker, a foster child who has finally found  her long lost twin sister Sutton Mercer only to be forced to switch places with her so that Sutton can find their biological mother somewhere in Los Angeles. While Emma’s childhood was rough, living in a ghetto in California and going through several foster parents, Sutton has been living the life of luxury in Phoenix, Arizona where she just found out she was adopted.

The show tends to focus on Emma who has been uprooted into Sutton’s high society where she will be living with her family and attending high school with her friends. Emma soon realizes that Sutton has kept a few secrets of her own from her family drama to the lying games that she found on her laptop, not to mention Sutton’s secret boyfriend Ethan, a fellow student from the wrong side  of town.

Previously shrugged off as a “Ringer” carbon copy, “The Lying Game” has become a show of its own with better storylines, highly developed characters and even more impressive ratings than that of The CW show. Just as “Ringer” has a nice, poor twin versus a bitchy, rich twin, “The Lying Game” does as well and did we mention that “Super Girl” actress Helen Slater plays Sutton’s adoptive mother?

What this show has going for it is the mystery of who is lying and who is not, which not only includes the girls and their friends but also their foster parents. And you can’t help but root for Emma and Ethan who have developed real feelings for one another after Ethan immediately realizes who Emma really is. Will Emma tell anyone else about her secret twin or biological mother and who  is going to find out next?

Rumour Has It

With nearly half of its third season underway, musical dramedy “Glee” has finally revealed a glimpse of why viewers fell in love with the show in the first place with the latest episode “Mash Off.” After heavily relying much of senior year on the school production of “West Side Story,” the high school drama prevails by returning to its original formula of incorporating music that has to do with what’s happening to the show’s stars.

FOX’s “Glee” centers on a group of very different high school students who form a singing group with the help of their Spanish teacher, Will Schuester. With a variety of characters in the ensemble cast, many episodes reveal dramatic characteristics about each star including relationships, sexuality, and social issues that result in song. This was shown in last week’s episode, which saw cheerleader Santana Lopez being exposed as a lesbian on television, which prompted her to sing her heart out to Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

After creator Ryan Murphy was criticized for the second season of the hit show, which depended on big guest stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and heavily themed episodes, he vowed to return to a more character-driven storyline. But the season thus far has left much of the show’s best characters like Guidance Counselor Emma Pillsbury in the dark and has given ex-cheerleader Quinn Fabray an odd baby-stealing storyline.

Murphy even went as far as to write off fan-favorite Lauren Zizes and give Sam Evans the boot, but has thankfully welcomed back the ladder who will return in the season’s eleventh episode. But the third season hasn’t been all bad: some highlights include Kurt Hummel’s campaign for Class President; Mercedes Jones’ rival choir group “The Troubletones,” and who could forget Mike Chang’s heartbreaking dance episode.

But was there really anything wrong with “Glee’s” second season to begin with? Viewers don’t seem to think so with last season being its highest rated to date, including a superbowl episode watched by nearly thirty million people. While the second season normally saw upwards of ten million viewers per episode, viewership continues to decline for its third season averaging nearly nine million people.

The FOX show also has an amazing merchandise line that includes soundtracks, concerts, and  last summer’s 3-D film. But with the departure set for show stars Rachel Barry, Finn Hudson, and Kurt Hummel, will “Glee” survive another plot change or will the introduction of new cast members drive viewers away? Maybe they won’t have to: “Rumour Has It” many departing characters will be featured in a spin-off.

Be My Escape

Spiritual civil rights novel “A Lesson Before Dying” leaves an impact on readers that rings true in today’s world, which has less to do with teaching a man on death row a lesson and more to do with teaching the story’s protagonist.

Written by critically acclaimed author Ernest J. Gaines in 1993, this book was set in the late forties and told the story of Grant Wiggins, a twenty-something African American school teacher who was given a difficult task in a small Louisiana town. His Aunt has burdened her nephew with teaching her godson, Jefferson, that he’s not a “hog” before he is sentenced to death.

It may be too late to save Jefferson from an unfair trial for a murder he did not commit, but it’s not too late to save him from God. Grant, who is an atheist that no longer attends church and believes in “nothing,” must meet with Jefferson over the course of six months in order to turn him into a God-fearing man.

Grant is an educated man with poignant pronunciation and thinking skills that are often taken as “being smart” with local white authorities. He wishes he could run away with his girlfriend, a divorcee mother of two, so they can be free of becoming anything since neither of them wish to be teachers.

This novel, which was adapted into an award-winning HBO film, can be most closely related to “Tuesdays with Morrie,” which offered the same weekly meetings of a man near death. However, this story is frighteningly different in comparison to an ailing, Jewish college professor.

The book doesn’t focus on the murder, trial, or even much of Jefferson; it deals with the everyday challenges of Grant and the decisions that he must make as an African American man living during this time period. Most notable from the book is the difference in delivery of the final three chapters, which were just as compelling and memorable as the rest.