Tv.com News

Charlie Sheen isn't leaving TV anytime soon. FX has renewed Anger Management—its Sheen-starring, Two and a Half Men-esque, multi-camera comedy that's based loosely on the Adam Sandler movie of the same name—for a whopping "back 90" episodes. The network announced the renewal this morning via press release, saying that production on Season 2 will begin at the end of September and the show will return to the air in January.

We pretty much knew this news was coming; it was mostly a matter of when (and frankly I'm kind of surprised the show wasn't renewed earlier). As part of Anger Management's original deal, announced when FX first landed the property, if the show did well enough in the ratings in its first ten episodes, it was guaranteed a 90-episode pickup... thus ensuring that it would hit the 100-episode mark typically required for syndication.

According to FX, Anger Management exceeded exceptions, becoming the highest-rated new comedy series on cable in 2012, and averaging 4.53 million total viewers and 2.5 million adults 18-49 in its first ten episodes.

Did you watch any or all of Season 1? If so, what did you think? Do you think you'll stick around for the long-haul?

View the original article here

Star Trek fans, rejoice! Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) has been remastered in 1080p high definition for the visual pleasure of nerds, geeks and the mundane human population alike.

Just as the Blu-ray release of the first season becomes available around the world, Wil Wheaton took some time to discuss his thoughts on Star Trek: TNG and what it means to him now, so many years later. He has become a bit of a familiar face on the small screen, notably appearing in shows like The Big Bang Theory, The Guild and Leverage, but he will forever be remembered as Welsey Crusher, the character that so many people loved to hate -- even Wheaton himself.

This Blu-ray release also marks the 25th anniversary of the first episode, which aired back in 1987, on 28 September. In a fitting way to celebrate the science fiction and pop-cultural phenomenon that the show has become, the HD transfers were, in itself, a technical feat.

In a release, CBS Entertainment, which acquired the Star Trek franchise in 2006, described the complicated process:

"The series was originally shot on film, and then transferred to videotape, which was used to edit episodes together. In order to create true HD masters, CBS is going back to the original uncut film negative -- all 25,000-plus film reels of it -- and cutting the episodes together exactly the way they originally aired. The visual effects were all shot on film and will be painstakingly re-compositioned, not up-converted from videotape. The newly cut film will then be transferred to true high definition, with 7.1 DTS Master Audio."

But for Wil Wheaton, who was only 15 years old when he first took on the role of Wesley Crusher, the Blu-ray release is something more of a stroll down memory lane.

"For me, it's very much like stepping out of the TARDIS and I'm in my high school in the late '80s, because I was privately tutored on the set of Next Generation," Wheaton explained.

"When a person who didn't work on Next Generation watches these shows, like if you sit down and watch Star Trek, your imagination is going to fill in where the rest of the ship is. While your imagination is doing that, my memory is filling in what we were doing that day, what part of the sound stage was that on, who came to visit us that day and things like that. I'm really, really grateful that I get the opportunity to look back on the production of the show in a way that I've just never been able to, until now."

But watching the first season again isn't always easy for Wil Wheaton. Mostly, it's been be cringe-worthy. "Especially, especially, those first-season jumpers," Wheaton lamented with a chuckle. You know the ones; over-sized and in blah colours, while everyone else walked around in sharp, tight (too tight in some parts) uniforms.

"I think it's really important to remember that Next Generation became an absolutely phenomenal science-fiction show, and we are all still very close 25 years on. But in that first season, you know, we all kind of struggled a little bit. The writers didn't know what the show was about; the actors didn't know their characters. Some of those first-season episodes are really bad."

Having watched the first season again in HD, however, Wheaton believes it will bring Star Trek to audiences at the quality it was meant to.

"It's important to look back at it in an historical context, and remember that we recorded these shows in 1987, and we did not have a ton of money per episode," he said.

"But we had an unbelievable art department and an extremely talented special effects department. We had access to a lot of visuals that existed because of the Star Trek movies, and our visual effects people and our art department worked together to make TNG look like something you would expect to see in a feature film. And that's amazing. I'm really happy that this re-release has allowed Star Trek to look to audiences today the way that we always wanted it to look."

The remastering has also allowed audiences to now look at the show in a new way.

"In a lot of ways, it's like watching something in black and white and then watching it in colour. Or hearing something through a small set of computer speakers and hearing it mastered in 7.1 surround sound in an IMAX theatre. It's just gorgeous," he gushed.

Wheaton was invited to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Mars Curiosity landing, along with a host of other guests. At the event, he ran into Seth MacFarlane (as you do), creator of Family Guy and avid fan of Star Trek.

"When I was there, we were discussing the [TNG] Blu-rays. He [MacFarlane] said, 'the Blu-rays are so beautiful, the sound is so incredible and they look so incredible -- that there are episodes I've seen that I didn't like the first time around, that I love them now'. And there are episodes that he liked that he is crazy about now, because it's so beautiful."

Along with remastering the show in HD, the Blu-rays will also offer an array of special features; some old, some new. The archival material includes promos and previews, and a short piece from 1987 that introduces audiences to the new Enterprise and crew. There are also several archival segments that have been on previous DVD and tape releases.

"I haven't had time to watch all of the behind-the-scenes features, but my understanding is that they are incredibly comprehensive, and just sort of tell the story of how we made the show," Wheaton said.

There's a massive new three-part documentary in HD that includes behind-the-scenes footage from the production of the series and new interviews of cast and crew that were shot specifically for the Blu-ray release.

"All of us from the cast gave interviews to go on the Blu-rays," Wheaton said.

"I understand that the group producing these behind-the-scenes features and documentaries contacted as many people as they could from Next Generation to participate, and every single person they asked said yes. Next Generation is such joyous, wonderful part of all of our lives that everybody that they couldn't reach reached out to them, and said, 'Look, I did whatever on Next Generation and I would love to talk to you'."

It provides a unique look at the production and history of the series. There is also an old gag reel (because who doesn't want to see the cast tell Wesley to shut up a lot?) and a very detailed feature that examines the process of working the original footage into high-definition quality, sourcing the old film elements and recreating the special effects, while remaining faithful to the look and feel of the series.

Wheaton has written at length about his character and his experience during and after his time working on TNG. Most, at first, thought that he was the luckiest 15-year-old in the galaxy, able to work with greats like Patrick Stewart in a sequel of a series that he was both a fan of and that already had large fan following. But then came the awareness that he was playing a character that would be disliked by many.

"Imagine being a teenager, trying to handle all the things a teenager has to deal with. Now, multiply that times being on a huge show, and all these people hate you. It was tough," Wheaton wrote on his blog.

"But I didn't handle myself with much grace, which I think echoes Wesley's situation: he had the intellectual capacity to be with these adults, and not the emotional capacity. It was the same for me, in real life," he added.

He recently turned 40, and now views the experience very differently.

"Honestly, Star Trek is a lot of things to me. I was a teenager, and there were days that I was so happy to be there and was having a great time. Then there were days where I really didn't want to be there, I wanted to be out at the beach with my friends, playing games, going to the movies or something like that. At the end of the day, Next Generation was my job. And like all jobs, there were days that were awesome, and days that were less awesome. But when taken as a whole and looked at over time, it's just a great part of my life. And I'm really, really grateful that I have Star Trek in my life."

What started as a column by Wheaton, Memories of the Future: Volume 1 became a book looking at the first half of the season through his eyes, as both a fan and cast member. It provides a very snarky look at the episodes, and snippets of behind-the-scenes stories. We asked him whether his book would also work as a companion piece to the Blu-ray.

"I certainly wouldn't dissuade people from thinking that! If they wanted to grab it and read along while they watched it," he answered with a big laugh.

"I think the best way to embrace that, and to just accept it, and kind of own it, is to look back at it they way you look back on a high school yearbook, where you flick through it with your friends, and you say 'Oh, my gosh, I remember that person', 'Oh, I had such a crush on her' and 'Oh, man, I can't believe I thought that was cool'."

The way he describes it, "Memories of the Future looks back at the first season of Next Generation with equal parts nostalgia and face-palm. And that's really the way that I watch Next Generation."

Unfortunately, the Blu-ray and his book probably won't ever be packaged together (come on, people, let's make this happen!), but Wheaton promises that, "As long as I'm able, I'll keep them available for people."

"The thing is, where I think Memories of the Future really lives and what makes it fun to read and what makes it fun to write is that in a lot of ways, it's just this lovingly snarky look back at the episodes that just aren't very good. You know, it's mystery science theatre in print, and when the show gets good, I think it's going to be less fun."

He's only finished the first half of the first season, but he's working on the last half -- and he'll be writing while watching it on Blu-ray this time.

"I've watched it on DVD for years. And now I've moved along to the Blu-rays. Honestly, it just makes it more fun to watch than it did before."

Despite playing a character that ended up being disliked by many, we have to give credit where credit is due: he was a child actor who turned out to be pretty damn decent. Though, if you only ever saw him on The Big Bang Theory, playing the character Wil Wheaton, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

"There's a very important distinction that needs to be made here. The character I play on Big Bang Theory is an evil, stylised version of myself. I'm not actually playing myself. I work very hard to be nothing like the guy I play on Big Bang Theory," Wheaton explained with a chuckle. We believe you, Wheaton. After all, he does promote "Don't be a D**k Day".

But the self-proclaimed geek now comes to his role on The Big Bang Theory as both a big fan of the show and a way to get a new generation excited about Star Trek.

"I'm now meeting people who are of my generation and who are watching Next Generation with their children, and one of the ways they can get them to watch Next Generation is they tell them that the guy they watch on The Guild and The Big Bang Theory was on Star Trek when he was a kid -- and that's all it takes for them to watch -- to have this thing to do with their families. And I really love that; I love being part of something that gives families a reason to get together, and a reason to spend time together that's real quality time.

"What is completely unsurprising to me is that 25 years on, Next Generation still resonates with audiences, is still important to people, still does awesome things for people's lives, and that there is a tremendous amount of excitement to see it on Blu-ray."

Wheaton outlined some of the parts that he thinks are great to see in HD.

"When the Enterprise docks in the Starbase in the episode '11001001'. Even on television in 1987, it looked amazing. You just got this sense that the Enterprise is huge, but the Starbase is even bigger -- and on Blu-ray, it looks like something you'd see on feature film. Just incredible.

"You get the same look and the same beauty for 'The Big Goodbye'. Even in 'Encounter at Farpoint'."

He also said, "Those space-jellyfish-thing looks phenomenal in Blu-ray."

Lastly, Wheaton added, "The Blu-ray doesn't do much to help some of the stories that are lousy, but it really makes watching the series an enjoyable and memorable experience."

You don't have to take his word for it. The Blu-ray is out now, though the release was delayed in some areas (including Australia) ironically because of some issues with the "7.1 DTS Master Audio", while CBS will provide replacement discs in the US and the UK.

Get it for yourself, and along with a copy of Memories of the Future, sit back and watch The Next Generation boldly digitally go where no Star Trek show has gone before, in remastered HD.

Yeah, I had to say it.

Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of TV.com.

View the original article here

Covert Affairs S03E07: "Loving the Alien"

I see what you did there, Covert Affairs. I see what you did and I approve. After all that hullabaloo about how female spies aren't supposed to get involved with their targets because their delicate womanly feelings will make them fall in love and cause national security concerns and after all that teasing at Annie Walker's motivation for sticking with Simon against orders...Simon ended up being the one to make a bad business move in the name of true love.

Of course, that's not to say that Annie Walker remains a CIA ice queen, judging by a few of her responses throughout "Loving the Alien," but let it be known that Simon made the first play, stealthily assassinating his own handler, Hector, when the seasoned spy made it clear that he knew who Annie was and he wasn't going to let her leave Cuba.

Oh yeah, Annie and Simon went to Cuba this week. I just kept ogling the classic cars.

Annie went to Lena for an assist when Simon asked her to join him for his Caribbean business trip, and Lena was actually helpful and not at all her usual, grotesquely characterized self. She was blunt with Annie regarding the fact that she could not authorize a mission to Cuba because it was Cuba and "North Korea would be easier" to extract Annie from if (when) things went south. However, she remained supportive and even got Annie set up with an impressive copy of her passport so that she could enter Cuba without anyone in the U.S. knowing.

Auggie was a tougher sell, not entirely buying Annie's story about babysitting for her sister in California. Acquiring transcontinental babysitters typically takes more planning than a phone call, I would imagine.

After much noise was made over Annie's passport, the fact that Simon insisted on locking it in a safe when the couple arrived in Havana set off a few more alarms. Annie's credibility with her spy suitor has been crumbling recently—or at least it seems that way, given that our last few outings with Simon have been panic-plagued, last-minute dashes toward maintaining her Smithsonian sweetheart cover. It's getting to the point that I can't imagine that Simon, a seasoned spy himself, isn't at least a little bit suspicious.

So, I'm glad we addressed that issue this week! Sort of. It's still unclear exactly what Simon knows, but it's obvious that he knows enough to understand why Hector wanted to whack Annie at the cigar factory. It's also obvious that Simon is really, truly in love with Annie, whomever he thinks she is. That was a pretty awesome fake-out leading up to Hector's demise, and Annie's body language was pretty terrible, reading almost entirely of nervousness and defeat. I mean, c'mon girl, you're riding around the Cuban countryside with two stellar spies. At least try to pretend that you don't think they're planning to kill you. You're a professional.

Though to be fair, Hector bringing Danielle into the equation was definitely one of those OH SNAP moments meant to throw Annie off her game. She was, understandably, caught off-guard.

After offing his handler, Simon returned Annie's passport and stuck her on a plane back to the States. He claimed to be heading home for a few days to regroup, and promised to check in with her again. Does this mean his nefarious plan to turn that old KGB base into a giant signal-jamming station has fallen by the wayside? Could this force Simon to go on the run from his own people, sending him to Annie for help, and opening the door to a legitimate relationship between the two of them?

I'm less convinced of Annie's own distance myself. Lena was thrilled to hear about Simon taking Hector out for Annie, and planned to use his obvious feelings for Annie to manipulate him in a way that would benefit the CIA. Annie herself looked nauseous and so-not-thrilled during that entire conversation. Annie and Simon sitting in a tree, S-P-Y-uh-I-N-G.

Where do you think the leaky Annie-Simon ship will sail next?

– Joan and Arthur continue to be the most repulsive individuals on this show. I'm finding myself slowly starting to root against them just because they suck so much. I mean, they were always borderline unlikeable, but this season is just ridiculous.

– Auggie got back on the wagon pretty quickly, diving back into the investigation of Jai's murder and setting his sights (ha, ugh, even Auggie would have groaned over that one) on Papa Wilcox.

– Speaking of Auggie, how do we think things will go down when he inevitably figures out what Annie's been doing the past few weeks?

View the original article here

White Collar S04E07: "Compromising Positions"

I am not a professor of law, nor am I a policeman, nor even a celebrated gentleman detective. Don't come to me with your legal questions, is what I'm saying, because I don't know everything about the law! I DO know that things that are against the law aren't legal. You can't just go and do something totally illegal and be like, "I didn't break the law just now," because you'd be wrong. You did. Go to jail. White Collar is ostensibly a show about the FBI attempting to stop high-class criminals from always getting away with everything all the time. Except, for a show about fighting crime it sure does feature our heroes doing A LOT of crime-breaking. We're talking nonstop breaking and entering, theft, document forgeries, you name it. The main loophole White Collar uses to excuse our heroes' behavior is that Neal isn't technically in the FBI, so as long as his methods yield an arrest, everything's cool. But "Compromising Positions" basically presented a funhouse mirror version of this show that, while insanely entertaining, raised some troubling questions about the FBI's ethics. Questions, by the way, that need no answers, because who really cares? Peter and Sara had a FAKE AFFAIR! And Elizabeth choreographed it! Yeah, this episode was awesome.

Mythology-wise one important thing happened in this episode: We met Sam! During one of his jaunty crosstown walks/fashion-shows, Neal suddenly found himself tailed by a mysterious SUV and then quickly jumped aboard at the first opportunity. Sitting behind the wheel was none other than the secret informant whom Ellen had assured Neal he could trust. I don't know about you guys, but I thought we'd get a gender switcheroo and Sam would end up being some hot lady that Neal would shirtless-hug a ton, but nope. It was Treat Williams. He'd received Neal's secret email a few days earlier and took the meeting as an opportunity to boss Neal around all kinds. Apparently he too wanted to find Ellen's killer but did not yet trust Neal to do the job, particularly due to Neal's FBI associations (the creeps responsible for the murder were likely on the inside). They argued about this for a while and then and parted ways. Undercover bro drama.

The episode's primary case involved the trial of a known low-life owner of a high rise. The man's guilt came down to Peter giving expert testimony in response to the expert questioning of the District Attorney. Unfortunately the District Attorney became so rattled by a woman in the courtroom that he borderline LOST THE CASE right then and there. As it turned out, she was a woman he'd had a one-night stand with a week prior and turned out to be the defendant's girlfriend. So when she showed up in the courtroom with her wry smiles and bodacious cleavage, the D.A. had no choice but to blow the whole thing. It happens! That's the legal system for you.

As the FBI came to discover, the entire one-night-stand and ensuing courtroom flirtation were all arranged by an "Executive Consultant" by the name of Ms. Shepherd. She was a Jill-of-all-Trades type woman, a Miss Fix-It, if you will, a Lady MacGyver, a Blackmailin' Madame, a Tricky Vixen, a Crafty Patty, a Ruiner of Lives and Destroyer of Dreams. Basically she was some lady who could accomplish anything she set out to do, usually through extortion, blackmail, and wry put-downs. She was kind of amazing, in other words, and not least because her high-powered roster of clients included our beloved Sara! That's right, Sara's company regularly paid this woman to go break the law a bunch in order to secure their valuables. But since this evil genius was the only thing standing between a conviction of the low-life landlord and his getting off Scot-free (are Scots free?), the team set out to dismantle her working relationship with the guy.

Fortunately, because Sara <3s Neal and Peter SO MUCH, she totally agreed to help ensnare Shephard in her own web of deceit. After Sara "hired" Ms. Shepherd to blackmail Neal into returning some sexy photos of Sara, Ms. Shepherd revealed that she was WAY smarter than anyone thought and instead blackmailed Neal with the knowledge that Mozzie had been snooping around in some illegal places. (Mozzie had actually been helping Neal track down Sam's home address. A rubber baby was involved. Long story.) So Neal called off the sting and Peter got super mad at him. This would be the first of a number of conversations in which Peter objected to someone doing illegal things (in this case Mozzie) only to then explicitly condone illegal things so long as he didn't know the particulars.

So that's when a particularly sexy Plan B kicked into gear. Because the gang knew that Ms. Shepherd would rather quit than have anybody tell her how to do her job (GET IT GURL) they conspired to get her to quit working for the landlord low-life by arranging for her to have to possibly betray Sara, her favorite client. Shephard chose not to, of course, which displeased her other boss, which caused Ms. Shepherd to quit in protest. The plan worked! But I didn't even tell you the best part... The thing she was supposed to blackmail Sara over? Pictures of Sara and PETER getting it on. Because LOL. For real, the scene in which Neal and Peter pitched this idea to Elizabeth and Sara had to have been one of my favorite White Collar scenes in a long time. Obviously the ladies were SKEPTICAL of this idea, but even Elizabeth came to see the logic. And it all lead to the most awkward and tense photo shoot of all time? Elizabeth swilled champagne while Neal took photos of Peter and Sara awkwardly rubbing on each other, but then Elizabeth jumped into the fray and directed them to be more believable. Oh man, so strange. So good.

So anyway, while all these shenanigans were going on, the original trial was just about to finish up and things were NOT looking good for the FBI. In a sort of hail mary move, Peter and Neal decided that Ms. Shepherd was probably still in possession of the smoking-gun bit of evidence needed to put her former boss behind bars. So Peter happily turned a blind eye while Mozzie used tons of illegal tricks (all magical, of course, seeing as he was the product of a paradox and an enigma that shared a special hug 45 years ago) to trap Ms. Shepherd into turning over the contraband. She did, it was lodged as evidence at the very last minute, and a thrilled-to-be-testifying Neal provided the last bit of expert testimony needed to put the criminal away once and for all. Victories all around! (P.S. Speaking of victories, the judge was the same actress who played Bibi from The Apple! A select few of you know what I'm talking about: Amazing, right?)

But it wouldn't be White Collar without Peter having misgivings about Neal, so right at the end Ms. Shepherd even explicitly warned Peter that Neal was up to no good (Sam-related stuff) and that when Neal got caught, Peter would get dragged down with him. Old news, lady! We've been through this before! Anyway, at the very end Neal DID track down Sam once again and Sam reluctantly agreed to help Neal find Ellen's murderers. Because what kind of monster would refuse Neal a second time? Cut to: Peter staking out the meeting and snapping photos and generally looking super butt-hurt that Neal tracked down Sam in secret. Oh, get over it, Peter. FIFTEEN laws were broken to track Sam down, and you're not into law-breaking right? RIGHT? Haha right.

Good episode. No complaints here.

QUESTIONS:

... Do you hope Ms. Shepherd will be a recurring character?

... Were you disappointed that Sam wasn't a foxy lady?

... Was the photo shoot super sexy or very awkward?

... Do you wish you had a power drill/USB drive in the shape of a baby?

View the original article here

All hail the immediacy of technology! Following in the footsteps of Fox, which recently released its two new fall comedy pilots online ahead of the shows' scheduled premiere dates, NBC has posted new Ryan Murphy comedy The New Normal online for all the (U.S.-based) internet to see. The network undoubtedly hopes to generate as much web-buzz as robotically possible before the series makes its official debut two weeks from now—on Tuesday, September 11 at 9:30pm, to be exact.

The New Normal stars Andrew Rannells (Girls) and Justin Bartha (The Hangover) as Bryan and David, a gay couple who are happily living out their lives in Los Angeles in a successful, committed relationship. On the surface, they have it all. Under the surface, however, they feel a void where a baby could be. So they enlist a young, newly single mother—Goldie—to be their surrogate baby mama. But with a checkered past that's riddled by a dead-end waitressing career and an overbearing single-minded grandmother (Ellen Barkin), is Goldie really up for the task?

Sure, it might sound like it's just a zany comedy out to more-or-less exploit what it means to be a gay couple trying to build a family. And sure, it might seem weird that the cast for some reason includes Real Housewives Atlanta reality star NeNe Leakes. But considering the forces behind the show—Murphy (Glee, Chuck) is working with Ali Adler (Glee, American Horror Story) and executive producer Dante Di Loreto (Glee, American Horror Story)—it might just be worth checking those expectations at the door and watching the pilot for yourself.

I'll even make it easy for you: You don't have to GO anywhere! Watch it right here, right now, via the embed below. (You can also watch it at NBC.com, I guess, if you want.)

So, what did you think? Will you be tuning in for the whole season, for a few more episodes, or not at all?

The New Normal airs Thursday nights at 9:30pm starting September 11 on NBC.

View the original article here

Oh man, oh man, it's another day on the Open Caption playing field. Who will win? Who will conquer? Who will make me snort so hard milk comes out my nose? Who will buy me a new carton of milk? Here are the winners from yesterday's contest:

From smithinjapan:

Annie: "I know you're pissed I called shotgun, but stop kicking the seat!"

ZeroCals:

Annie: "OMG! Like the audience, the bad guys have realized I'm a terrible spy, too..."

ViridianDynamic:

Annie: "When I said 'Up for anything :)' on the dating website, this isn't what I had in mind."

In tonight's season finale, "All the King's Horses," the team is confronted with a potential disaster right before their season opener. That can't be good. In the still below, TK (L) and Jimmy (R) crack open some brewskies on the street, no big. Post your best caption ideas in the comments!

Check out all of our recent winners on TV.com's Open Caption Pinterest Board.

View the original article here

BUSINESS TIME

... The biggest news of today actually came in late last night, but the much-discussed rumblings are now confirmed: Joss Whedon is bringing a S.H.I.E.L.D. series to ABC. Whedon will co-write the pilot with his brother Jed as well as Maurissa Tancharoen, and there's a possibility that he'll direct the project as well. I'm not that familiar with the comics, but this seems like a solid premise for a series set in the Marvel world, and it should help ABC replenish its drama docket, which is full of long-in-the-tooth shows, Shonda Rhimes shows, and long-in-the-tooth Shonda Rhimes shows. [Deadline Hollywood]

... Last night's ratings: Masterchef hit a season high over on Fox (a 2.8 in the 18-49 demo, 6.5 million viewers) while America's Got Talent took a dip (2.4 in 18-49, 9.5 million). When the big three switched to Republican National Convention coverage in the 10pm hour, NBC's coverage was watched by double the amount of people. It's a good thing Jeff Zucker's gone, otherwise he might have ordered an additional 68 episodes of the RNC. [TV By The Numbers]

... Syfy has ordered a 20-episode third season of Paranormal Witness based on the ratings success of Season 2's first few episodes. Syfy calls the show a "true-terror docudrama," which is a better phrase than "Paranormal Witness is a show." [SyFy via press release]

... In today's "We're bringing an old movie franchise to television" news, Eddie Murphy and Shawn Ryan (The Shield, Terriers, The Chicago Code, and the upcoming Last Resort) are joining forces to make a Beverly Hills Cop television series happen. In an interview with Rolling Stone last year, Murphy laid out the pitch: Axel Folely's son as the lead, with Murphy's Axel occasionally appearing as the chief of police. Honestly, that's probably the best idea Murphy's had since the 1990s. [Vulture]

... It pays to be cute and precocious on a populist sitcom: Modern Family's young cast members have negotiated an impressive salary bump that more than triples their previous intakes. The kids will now make around $70,000 an episode. That's a ridiculous figure, but Nolan Gould (Luke) deserves Charlie Sheen money for as much as he carried that show last season. [Deadline Hollywood]

... CBS has purchased a script from John Ross Bowie and Kevin Sussman, two guys who became friends while recurring together on The Big Bang Theory. Titled The Second Coming of Rob and loosely based on Bowie's life, the comedy will follow a newly divorced guy looking to find himself again by reconnecting with his college buddies after some years of "marital incarceration." Get it? Because marriage is like jail, except the latter includes physical affection. Hey-o! That one's on me, CBS. [Deadline Hollywood]

... Our collective turmoil over the fate of Wipeout is over: The ABC obstacle-course show will return for a sixth season, and the even better news is that Jill Wagner is coming back as co-host after a year off (during which she was temporarily replaced by Vanessa Minnillo). I can't wait to see how the producers write her back in; I assume detailed flashbacks will be involved. [Deadline Hollywood]

... Fans of great adult drama, rejoice: Robert and Michelle King, the duo behind The Good Wife, have set up a new project at Showtime called Girls with Guns. The premise is curious—two sisters from Los Angeles move to Israel, where women are drafted in the military so I assume one or both will be—but I trust the Kings. This seems like it could pair well with Homeland. [Deadline Hollywood]

CASTING NEWS

... NBC announced today that Seth MacFarlane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Daniel Craig will be the first three hosts of Saturday Night Live's upcoming 38th season, which will premiere September 15. White dudes, shocker. If MacFarlane doesn't do some sort of musical performance during his tenure, I'll eat my hat. The musical guests are a bit better, with Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, and Muse stopping by the show in weeks one through three. [NBC via press release]

RYAN MURPHY, FOREVER A TROLL NEWS

... The new issue of Entertainment Weekly features a cover story on American Horror Story that spills some details on the second season, which is subtitled "Asylum." The best of those details? Season 2 will involve "aliens, Nazis, and a serial killer named Bloody Face who wears a mask made out of his victims' skin along with a black nightie and opera-length gloves." I appreciate Ryan Murphy's consistent attempts to make the most outrageous and awful television shows and I love aliens, but come on, it will be tough to top Dylan McDermott cry-sterbating. [Entertainment Weekly]

Follow TV.com Writer Cory Barker on Twitter: @corybarker.

View the original article here

What to watch on Thursday, August 30...

Oh Thursday, where haven't you been all my life? It's like every week I turn around you're just there. So reliable, I tells ya! And now let's see what you've got to offer the world in respect to TV goodness:

9pm, Lifetime
Project Runway
In tonight's "Oh My Lord and Taylor" Bonnie Brooks will guest judge while designers scramble to complete in a challenge that could land them a deal that would showcase their designs as part of a 10-piece capsule collection. It's gettin' real, yo!

10pm, TBS
Sullivan & Son
In "How Carol Got Her Groove Back" a certain somebody (coughCarol) finds out she's starting menopause and gets, like, suuper depressed. What a fun surprise! To make matters awkward, Ahmed will do his best to life her spirits, but every attempt will backfire.

10pm, FX
Wilfred
In "Questions" Ryan will make an effort to figure out where Wilfred really came from. How? By digging deep within his own conscience. Is it wrong to assume Wilfred was formed out of a plume of marijuana smoke?

10:30pm, MTV
Awkward.
In tonight's "Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me" (could they have chosen a more narcissistic title? It's so Jenna!). Jenna publishes a blog that gets releaseed into the blogosphere and spreads through the school like wildfire—but the backlash of outspoken opinions about her life choices may be too much for her to handle. This is why we don't publish our secrets on the web, Jenna.

10:30pm, FX
Louie
In "Late Show, Part 1," which is the first of not two but three parts, Louie does his best to catch a break. And by break, I mean he does his best to be more famous than he already is. When will it be enough, Louie? WHEN WILL IT BE ENOUGH?

PLUS ALL NEW EPISODES OF...
Republican National Convention, 7 p.m., PBS, CNN, or MSNBC
The American Bible Challenge, 8 p.m., Game Show Network
Wipeout, 8 p.m., ABC
Auction Kings, 9 p.m., Discovery
Beat the Chefs, 9 p.m., Game Show Network
Behind Mansion Walls, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery
Big Brother, 9 p.m., CBS
Braxton Family Values, 9 p.m., WE TV
Crime Inc., 9 p.m., CNBC
Four Weddings, 9 p.m., TLC
Project Runway, 9 p.m., Lifetime
Rookie Blue, 9 p.m., ABC
Saving Hope, 9 p.m., NBC
The Next, 9 p.m., The CW
Extreme Chef, 10 p.m., Food
High School Moms, 10 p.m., Discovery Fit & Health
How Do They Do It?, 10 p.m., Science
Snooki & JWoww, 10 p.m., MTV
Sullivan & Son, 10 p.m., TBS
The First 48, 10 p.m., A&E;
The Real L Word, 10 p.m., Showtime
Very Bad Men, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery
Wilfred, 10 p.m., FX
House Hunters International, 10:30 p.m., HGTV
Awkward, 10:30 p.m., MTV
Louie, 10:30 p.m., FX

LATE-NITE PICKS:
Bruce Willis on Late Show With David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., CBS
Dolph Lundgren and journalist Savannah Guthrie on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., NBC
Spike Lee and Mike Birbiglia on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., CBS

What are you watching tonight?

View the original article here

CBS has announced the cast of The Amazing Race's upcoming 21st season, which means it's time to make some snap judgments based on looks, occupations, and little else. As usual, there are some interesting duos—including a pair of Chippendales dancers and the guys from that Planet Green reality show called The Fabulous Beekman Boys.

As for the game itself, the network is promising "the biggest twist ever," where if the same team wins both the first leg of the race and the last leg of the race, they will double their money and win a $2 million grand prize instead of $1 million grand prize. (Doesn't seem like much of a "twist," but hooray for higher stakes, I guess?) Along the way, "teams will travel through three continents, nine countries, and cover more than 25,000 miles, where they'll be faced with a 10-story rappel in Los Angeles, frying an egg on their heads in Indonesia, working as "rat collectors" in Bangladesh and revisiting one of the Race's most infamous Roadblocks in the Netherlands in this season's 'Switchback.'"

Sounds about right. Click through the photo gallery below to meet the new cast, then let's hear your first impressions in the comments.

The Amazing Race Season 21 Cast Photos

Will you be watching The Amazing Race this fall? Which team is your early favorite?

The Amazing Race returns for Season 21 on Sunday, September 30 at 8pm on CBS.

View the original article here

Pretty Little Liars S03E12: "The Lady Killer"

Wow, okay. I trust we've all had time to decompress?

As promised, Pretty Little Liars' midseason finale did not hold back: a character death, a character's life in jeopardy, the reveal of Maya's killer, and the unmasking of the second "A."

Well, maybe. I'm not so certain about those last two.

Nate makes sense as Maya's killer, but do we think he actually did it? As I've said before, his motive is clear—and now we know he was definitely a homicidal psychopath—but that doesn't link Maya to Alison at all. Her death couldn't have just been about Nate's insane jealousy: In the video Nate showed Emily, Maya talked about the mess she'd gotten herself into, and only then mentioned separately that her stalker had found her again.

Of course, it's possible that "A" just got lucky, and Nate taking Maya out of the picture was serendipitous—just like Nate inadvertently got Garrett out of prison by taking the blame for Maya's murder.

When it comes to Nate, PLL's writers might have dropped too many hints, because I don't think any of us were that surprised by his reveal as the stalker. If anything, I was annoyed that Emily was so dense as to believe him—didn't his creepy behavior in last week's episode merit keeping some distance? It also felt a little absurd that she agreed to go away with him without ever having met the rest of his family. You know better than that, Em.

But enough about Nate. Let's talk about Toby. That last scene between Mona and Toby was pretty killer; I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking we wouldn't get a peek under that hood. The reveal of Toby was the first major gasp moment Pretty Little Liars has offered in a while. But do we really believe he's bad?

Here's the thing: It totally makes sense that Toby would try to infiltrate the "A" gang in order to protect Spencer and her friends. So, yes, Toby could just be undercover, faking it. I don't know, though—does the timeline really make sense? If Toby is only pretending to be the second "A," how long has he been doing it? I don't think Mona would really buy the idea unless he's been in it for a long while. Honestly, I can see it going either way, and given how much PLL fans love Toby (and Spencer/Toby), I would not be surprised if this is all just a trick. I'm just saying, I'm not convinced.

If Toby isn't playing both sides, though, who called Emily to warn her about Nate? The mind, it boggles.

All speculation aside, the midseason finale was a fun and stressful episode. The scenes of Emily and Nate in the lighthouse were some of the scariest Pretty Little Liars has ever done, and the in media res opening was definitely effective. (I really thought Caleb was going to die. Now I'm 99 percent sure he'll pull through.) I'm glad that the next episode we're getting is a Halloween special, because I really just want Pretty Little Liars to up the creep factor. The relationship stuff is great and all, but I like getting spooked.

Normally this show's midseason finales leave me wanting more, and I'm always frustrated that I have to wait several months (only two in this case) for the next episode. But there was something satisfying about this. I'm content to wait it out for a while, even if it means endless speculation about Toby's true loyalty. Let's sit back, catch our breath, and wait for Pretty Little Liars to help us celebrate Halloween.

QUESTIONS:

– Okay, have at it: Is Toby really the second "A," or is he playing Mona?

– Did Nate actually kill Maya?

– Caleb's going to be okay, right?

Pretty Little Liars "The Lady Killer" Photos

View the original article here

What to watch on Wednesday, August 29...

I'm going to start calling Wednesdays "Reality Wednesdays" because it literally feels like that's all this day has to offer, which is why I feel like I'm always featuring the same shows week after week. My apologies in advance, but here is your television line-up for the night:

SEASON FINALE, 8pm, ABC Family
Melissa & Joey
We never feature this one, but considering it's the first season finale I figure, "why not?" In "Mel Marries Joe" Mel agrees to officiate a marriage between Joe and Elena, which is happening because Joe's about to get kicked out of the country if he doesn't marry somebody STAT. Of course, my guess is that Melissa's going to have a conniption fit watching Joey walk down the isle with some other lady.

9pm, USA
Royal Pains
In "Dancing With the Devil" Hank treats a pop star who seeks out treatment in order to prep for her latest tour. Hank also meets a pediatrition—maybe a new friend? Meanwhile, Divya falls for a polo player (one of the guys from last week?) and Paige gets ready to leave for school. Ahhh, it's that time of year!

SEASON FINALE, 10pm, Comedy Central
Futurama
In the hour long season finale (aka two episodes smushed together), "31st Century Fox; Naturama," Bender becomes a target for the hunters after saving a robotic fox from their grasp. Then the crew morphs into a team of wild animals when a nature documentary hones in on them as subjects. What kind of animal would Bender be?

SEASON FINALE, 10pm, USA
Necessary Roughness
In "All The King's Horses" the Hawks prepare for their season opener, but a massive disaster may materialize at the zero hour, threatening the team's future. Considering it's the season finale, do you think this "disaster" will wind up as a cliff-hanger? And what is this disaster, anyway?

10:30pm, TV Land
The Exes
In "He's Gotta Have It" the guys get a less-than-expected visitor—one of Phil's tennis star clients, who moves in for a short stint to escape from the paparazzi. Also Holly and Haskell kick start a competition to determine which one of them is better suited to take care of a pregnant Eden. Shouldn't Eden be best suited to take care of pregnant Eden?

PLUS ALL NEW EPISODES OF...
Big Brother, 8 p.m., CBS
Oh Sit!, 8 p.m., The CW
Republican National Convention, 8 p.m., PBS, CNN, MSNBC
So You Think You Can Dance, 8 p.m., FOX
Baby Daddy, SEASON FINALE, 8:30 p.m., ABC Family
Abandoned, 9 p.m., NatGeo
America's Got Talent, 9 p.m., NBC
American Greed: The Fugitives, 9 p.m., CNBC
American Guns, 9 p.m., Discovery
Haunted Collector, 9 p.m., Syfy
Hollywood Exes, 9 p.m., VH1
How the Universe Works, 9 p.m., Science
Not My Mama's Meals, 9 p.m., Cooking
Buying and Selling, SEASON PREMIERE, 9 p.m., HGTV
Restaurant: Impossible, 9 p.m., Food
Storage Wars Texas, 9 p.m., A&E;
Toddlers & Tiaras, 9 p.m., TLC
Toy Hunter, 9 p.m., Travel
Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?, 9 p.m., Investigation Discovery
America's Lost Treasures, 10 p.m., NatGeo
American Hoggers, 10 p.m., A&E;
Auction Hunters, 10 p.m., Spike
Dirty Jobs: Down Under, 10 p.m., Discovery
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 10 p.m., TLC
I Married a Mobster, 10 p.m., Investigation Discovery
Paranormal Witness, 10 p.m., Syfy
Restaurant Stakeout, 10 p.m., Food
The Real World: St. Thomas, 10 p.m., MTV
The Soul Man, 10 p.m., TV Land
The Soup, 10 p.m., E!
Top Chef Masters, 10 p.m., Bravo
House Hunters International, 10:30 p.m., HGTV
The Exes, 10:30 p.m., TV Land

LATE-NITE PICKS:
Shia LaBeouf on Chelsea Lately, 11 p.m., E!
First lady Michelle Obama on Late Show With David Letterman, 11:35 p.m., CBS
Bill Maher qnd Tristan Prettyman on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, 11:35 p.m., NBC
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Fiona Gubelmann on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, 12:37 a.m., CBS

What are you watching tonight?

View the original article here

As a television viewer I like to think I'm easy to please. All I need from m'programs are: (1) characters I continue to care about after the credits roll; (2) stories I think about long after they end; and (3) images I've never seen before and may never see again. Oh, and beautiful people. BECAUSE YOLO. (Except, honestly, that's optional. #breakingbad) I don't think these things are too much to ask from a television show. They are just the basics! So why do most shows seem to fall short? As easy to please as I think I am, it turns out I'm rarely pleased? If we're being real, a lot of television can be a chore to watch, and that's why I've become so loud/obnoxious in praising a little show called Teen Wolf. This thing is an absolute pleasure to behold. And in this just-concluded Season 2 it went from a solid show to an amazing one.

Guys, imagining the next nine months WITHOUT Teen Wolf is almost too much to bear. So let's instead celebrate all the things that made Season 2 so terrific.

Here are the 18 things I liked best:

Villains tend to bring out the best in heroes, so for this season we were going to need some really good villains to make our already-great heroes step up their games. That's why we got THREE threats! First up, Gerard Argent (Michael Hogan), angry father to deceased zealot Kate Argent:

It was no big surprise when we found out he was up to no good. What was surprising was how sad and understandable his intentions were. He simply wanted to be turned into a werewolf to help reverse his inoperable cancer. In my opinion, he probably could've made that happen in a much easier fashion than manipulating most of the citizens of Beacon Hill and also taking control of a mythological murder machine, but that's just me. You know? He could've just been like, "Hey, werewolf who's trying to build a pack of powerful allies, please bite me?" I guess he had too much pride or something. Anyway, I like when villain's plans are as ludicrous or flawed as Gerard's were; aren't they always?

Also, Gerard's "death" was pretty great:

The primary villain for the first ten episodes, however, was Sufjan Stevens lookalike Matt the photographer (Stephen Lunsford):

Usually on a TV show whenever a new character starts horning on beloved characters' dramas (think Nikki and Paolo on Lost) they feel like such an intruder. In the case of Matt, that was basically the point! He was onto Scott pretty quickly and spent much of the season infiltrating the gang via Jackson. That's like psychological stalking!

His backstory and motives were about as laughable and-over-the-top as Gerard's were: After a near drowning as a child, Matt had hate in his heart for the older swim team that failed to help him. Obviously these people had to die.

Luckily for Matt, the town's newly bitten supernatural creature was basically a revenge artist for hire. Again, I never necessarily agreed with Matt that the severity of the incident was worth a multiple-murder, but sometimes it's the insanity that makes villains scary.

Which brings us to the Kanima:

As a villain, the Kanima was genius for a couple of reasons: Its reptilian persona was a wonderful (and surprising!) contrast to the hirsute lycanthropes of the show's title. No really: Just when it was likely that a supernatural teen drama might only have ONE creature, Season 2 immediately shirked that notion with one slimy murderer. Even though the Kanima was part of the werewolf ecosystem (in addition to, I don't know, Greek folklore?), just the idea that non-werewolf creatures exist in this world was a pretty big thrill to me. At one point it even seemed like Jackson might've had superpowers of his own—he didn't, but still. Just the possibility made my brain tingle. And, of course, I loved the Kanima's ability to paralyze everyone. You can't fight paralysis! What a terrifying (and budget-friendly) tactic! So good.

If I were in charge the Emmy nominees for Best Costumes would be Teen Wolf five times. Because come on:

Often the most dazzling (and cheapest!) visual effect one can put in a television show or film is some good ol' fashioned skin. Every seedy Hollywood producer since the beginning of the industry has known this fact, but it's generally only really been applied to female actors. Teen Wolf is nothing short of trailblazing for putting men in the same position, and for those of us who actually appreciate such things, we can attest to how rare it is. Oh, Teen Wolf. It's like you KNOW us.

Over the years opening titles have become shorter and less prominent, eventually giving over to just having the show's title onscreen for a couple seconds. Indeed that's the route Teen Wolf went during Season 1, but clearly Jeff Davis, the mad genius behind this show, knew that Season 2 deserved better. Something more epic. And that's why we got this truly dazzling opening sequence:

All season long, I never NOT got chills after each episode's cold open. That music! The succinct and powerful imagery for each character. Heck, even this:

I am still not even sure what that was supposed to represent. But it still works! So yeah, it's hard to overstate just how important these opening credits were. I loved them so much.

Season 2 saw the world of Beacon Hill expand a great deal. The number of werewolves alone doubled and we needed new and compelling characters to make those transitions as compelling as Scott's was. Isaac Lahey was Derek's first recruit, a troubled grave digger and lacrosse player who'd had just about enough of his abusive father's shenanigans.

As a supporting character he didn't necessarily get the MOST screen time, but it shows just how compelling Daniel Sharman's performance was that Isaac still felt fleshed out and sympathetic, even during his initial jerk phase.

But few things this season were quite as satisfying and tingle-inducing as Isaac and Scott's burgeoning bromance.

This quick moment at the rave where Scott alerted Isaac to the fact that people (and specifically Scott) actually care about Isaac a great deal... It was pretty great.

And while I'm still not sure what the significance of the pain-sucking skill will be, Isaac's sheer elation that he was capable of helping other creatures was another standout moment.

See, these were not larger-than-life spectacles but tiny, intimate exchanges, yet they somehow felt just as important. Isaac was a character I always cared about and I was legit scared for most of the season that he'd get killed off. It was a source of tension for me! Fortunately he wasn't, and even better, it looked like he was on track to becoming another hero in Season 3. Can't wait.

Isaac was the best of all the new characters, but I don't mean to sell short the other new cast. In fact, this is probably more a compliment to the casting director than anyone, but I felt there wasn't a weak link in the crew. A TV producer once told me how insanely difficult it can be to hire young actors who both look attractive AND can act. Teen Wolf managed to not only find a talented crew, but also differentiated each character so much that the crew just seemed more and more rounded out. And because everyone was well-drawn, I also never became exasperated that I was spending too much time with a new character when the old ones deserved the attention (e.g., The endless Salome scenes on True Blood Season 5).

Anyway, these people killed it:

We already knew Stiles (and specifically Dylan O'Brien) was one of the funniest people on TV. And while I didn't love some of his broader moments (like the huge present, or snoring in the waiting room), Teen Wolf Season 2 brought out a side of Stiles' personality that more than made up for those moments: His emotional side! No for real, few things were as alternately joyful or devastating as the scenes between Stiles and his father. To use a gross cliché, their relationship has become the heart of the show, a fact made even more notable by the fact that this thing was essentially conceived as a romance between Scott and Allison. Team Stilinski!

It's always been enjoyable to watch Sheriff Stilinski dote on his son while Stiles tries to wriggle out of getting in trouble. But this season we saw the Sheriff actually come to accept Stiles' help in the serial murder case, which by itself was a touching moment.

But the thing about this show is, sometimes there are actual repercussions for questionable decisionmaking, so Sheriff Stilinski ended up losing his job over it. The scene where he tried to keep this fact from Stiles was one of the more devastating moments of any show this year.

Later it seemed like the season's events were actually starting to rattle Stiles, and that led to this lovely opening scene where he laid himself bare for the school guidance counselor.

It was super well-written and inspiring, concluding with the counselor quoting Winston Churchill, "If you're going through hell, keep going." It honestly felt like a scene from Friday Night Lights in the best way.

And how could we forget the momentous incident when Stiles actually took to the field? And then WON the game for everyone? (Granted, 75% of the players had been sidelined by injury, but still.) But the glory was short-lived as only moments later Stiles had been abducted by Gerard!

It was downright troubling to see Sheriff Stilinski so distraught over having lost his son (he was a widower, after all), but that made their eventual reunion that much sweeter. This season Teen Wolf expanded beyond its initial premise in so many ways, but it was Stiles' journey that helped take this show out of your typical teen drama and into something much more heartfelt and and nuanced. And considering Stiles is the comic relief, it just shows how refreshingly different Teen Wolf does things.

Back to the subject of how you don't realize how rare something is unless it's important to you personally, I've never seen a mass appeal TV show be so no-big-deal about the very existence of gay people. I mean, it's 2012 and shows should be that way anyway, but I'm telling you, it's RARE. Usually gay characters are tokens, their plotlines relegated to coming out or having abusive parents, and then written off when producers realize that romantic options are limited. Teen Wolf has earned a lifetime of devotion from me for its insistence that gay people are just normal and entirely no-big-deal. I mean, can you even think of a show or movie where the jerky jock A-hole is best friends with an openly gay character, and oh yeah, that gay character is the most popular student in school? I haven't! So cool.

Anyway, this midseason jaunt to a local small town gay club totally summed up the show's attitude here: Not only did the characters not think this bar was any different than any other dimly lit dive, they—get this—didn't have gay panic!

I loved how we even revisited the best recurring joke from Season 1: Stiles' obsession with gay men not finding him attractive.

And I know this was just a throwaway joke, but the idea that Stiles kept in touch with the drag queens from the gay bar and invited them to Lydia's birthday party? Hilarious. But also, you know, awesome. Wake me when something like this happens in Mystic Falls.

Season 1 concluded with Mr. Argent turning on his own sister when he found out she'd violated the Hunter Honor Code. The consistency of his morals has been one of the best things about Teen Wolf; even when Mr. Argent has actively worked against our heroes, we know he's a principled foe and therefore it's hard not to like him. Season 2 hit the reset switch a bit and Mr. Argent spent spent most of the season hating Scott and being a dick to everybody.

But he took an interesting turn when he began actively training Allison to be a Hunter.

The thing was, he already had earned some credibility with us during Season 1, so when he explained to Allison all the reasons their family had this duty to protect humanity, it was believable!

Also it turned out he was surprisingly ripped?

In a nice parallel to Season 1, Season 2 also featured a crucial third act reversal from Mr. Argent. But this time he turned against his father! I am a major sucker for character reversals, and Mr. Argent teaming up with Scott was just lovely.

And remember when he SHOT a bow and arrow out of Allison's hands? Holy moly, this guy is the best. Anyway, now that we know that werewolves are safe from Mr. Argent so long as they don't murder anybody, it's hard to imagine how he'll keep butting heads with Scott. Especially now that Scott and Allison are officially broken up, I wonder if we might see Scott and Mr. Argent becoming something akin to friends? Or like a surrogate dad situation? I don't know. Anything's possible, and that means this is just good writing.

View the original article here