Mid-Season Premiere Dates for New & Returning Shows

from Entertainment Weekly (ew.com)

Jan. 2

Mysteries at the Castle–Travel Channel
Undercover Boss–CBS
Hawaii Five-O–CBS
Blue Bloods–CBS

Jan. 3
Raising Whitley–OWN
Sag Harbor–OWN

Jan. 4
Galavant–ABC
Revenge–ABC
Resurrection–ABC
The Good Wife–CBS
Madam Secretary–CBS
CSI–CBS
The Celebrity Apprentice–NBC
Downton Abbey–PBS
Thicker Than Water–Bravo
Sister Wives–TLC
The Simpsons–Fox
Brooklyn Nine-Nine–Fox
Family Guy–Fox
Bob’s Burgers–Fox

Jan. 5
Antiques Roadshow–PBS
The Haves and the Have Nots–OWN
The Bachelor–ABC
Gotham–Fox
Sleepy Hollow–Fox
2 Broke Girls–CBS
Mike & Molly–CBS
Scorpion–CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles–CBS

Jan. 6
Marvel’s Agent Carter–ABC
MasterChef Junior–Fox
Pretty Little Liars–ABC Family
Switched at Birth–ABC Family
Cougar Town–TBS
Child Genius–Lifetime
NCIS–CBS
New Girl–Fox
The Mindy Project–Fox
NCIS: New Orleans–CBS
Person of Interest–CBS
About a Boy–NBC
Marry Me–NBC
Chicago Fire–NBC
Forever–ABC

Jan. 7
American Idol–Fox
Empire–Fox
Love Thy Neighbor–OWN
Hindsight–VH1
My 600-lb. Life–TLC
Duck Dynasty–A&E
Wahlburgers–A&E
Donnie Loves Jenny–A&E
Mysteries of Laura–NBC
Law & Order: SVU–NBC
Chicago PD–NBC
Modern Family–ABC
Black-ish–ABC
American Horror Story: Freak Show–FX
The Mentalist–CBS

Jan. 8
Archer–FX
Expedition Unknown–Travel Channel
Babylon–SundanceTV
Portlandia–IFC
Parenthood–NBC
The Big Bang Theory–CBS
Mom–CBS
Two and a Half Men–CBS
The McCarthys–CBS
Elementary–CBS

Jan. 9
Banshee–Cinemax
Glee–Fox
Cold Justice–TNT
Jessie–Disney Channel
Masters of Illusion–The CW
Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars–WEtv
David Tutera’s CELEBrations–WEtv
Comedy Bang! Bang!–IFC

Jan. 10
Archer–FX
Ghost Adventures–Travel Channel

Jan. 11
Shameless–Showtime
House of Lies–Showtime
Episodes–Showtime
Girls–HBO
Togetherness–HBO
Looking–HBO

Jan. 12
Eye Candy–MTV
Castle–ABC

Jan. 13
Parks and Recreation–NBC
Face Off–Syfy
Younger–TV Land
Kroll Show–Comedy Central
Genealogy Roadshow–PBS
Hotel Showdown–Travel Channel

Jan. 14
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia–FXX
Man Seeking Woman–FXX
Melissa & Joey–ABC Family
Baby Daddy–ABC Family
Broad City–Comedy Central
Criminal Minds–CBS
Stalker–CBS
Rock This Boat–Pop
The Story Behind–Pop
Snoop & Son: A Dad’s Dream–ESPN
Web Therapy–Showtime

Jan. 16
12 Monkeys–Syfy
World’s Funniest Fails–Fox
The Fall–Netflix
Helix–Syfy
Grimm–NBC
Constantine–NBC

Jan. 17
The Musketeers–BBC America

Jan. 18
Grantchester–PBS

Jan. 19
The Fosters–ABC Family
Chasing Life–ABC Family
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore–Comedy Central
Jane the Virgin–The CW
The Originals–The CW

Jan. 20
Justified–FX
The Flash–The CW
Supernatural–The CW

Jan. 21
Arrow–The CW
The 100–The CW

Jan. 22
Backstrom–Fox
The Vampire Diaries–The CW
Reign–The CW
Nightwatch–A&E

Jan. 24
Black Sails–Starz

Jan. 25
Sons of Liberty–History

Jan. 26
Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations–Travel Channel
Mud, Sweat, and Gears–BBC America

Jan. 27
Sirens–USA Network

Jan. 28
The Americans–FX
Suits–USA Network

Jan. 29
Grey’s Anatomy–ABC
Scandal–ABC
How to Get Away with Murder–ABC
Fortitude–Pivot

Feb. 1
The Blacklist–NBC

Feb. 4
EARTH A New Wild–PBS
Fresh Off the Boat–ABC
Nashville–ABC

Feb. 5
Allegiance–NBC

Feb. 8
The Walking Dead–AMC
Better Call Saul–AMC

Feb. 12
The Slap–NBC

Feb. 17
Rizzoli & Isles–TNT
Perception–TNT

Feb. 19
The Odd Couple–CBS
Vikings–History

Feb. 23
The Voice–NBC
The Night Shift–NBC

Feb. 25
Survivor–CBS
The Amazing Race–CBS

Feb. 27
House of Cards–Netflix

March 1
Once Upon a Time–ABC
Secrets and Lies–ABC
The Last Man on Earth–Fox
Battle Creek–CBS

March 2
The Following–Fox

March 3
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.–ABC
Hell’s Kitchen–Fox

March 4
CSI: Cyber–CBS
Broadchurch–BBC America

March 5
DIG–USA Network
American Crime–ABC

March 17
Undateable–NBC
One Big Happy–NBC

March 20
Mr Selfridge–PBS

March 23
The Late Late Show with James Corden–CBS

March 26
Bones–Fox

March 29
Call the Midwife–PBS

March 31
Weird Loners–Fox
Younger–TVLand

April 4
Outlander–Starz

April 5
Wolf Hall–PBS
A.D.–NBC
Odyssey–NBC

April 18
Orphan Black–BBC America

May 14
Wayward Pines–Fox

Candy Recommends: Elementary

Most people are pretty familiar with the character of Sherlock Holmes, and there’s no shortage of Holmes films or tv in today’s culture. It seems that when one concept strikes a fire within the masses, Hollywood grabs onto the concept for dear life and wrings the life out of it. So, why was Candy interested in watching Elementary?

There are a number of reasons:

I. Network TV rarely can compare to the quality dramas to be found on cable these days—with rare exceptions, such as Lost. Candy keeps hoping the Big 3 will latch onto something that works, giving a bit more cred back to the original networks. But she’s not holding her breath. Candy will watch (almost) anything once, keeping an open mind.

II. Johnny Lee Miller—Candy can take him or leave him, but when he’s good, he’s very good. She first was impressed by him in Trainspotting. How can you not like a tow-headed, handsome, baby-faced Brit who gets his Scottish accent spot-on, and is playing someone called Sick Boy?

III. Lucy Liu—It’s so nice to see her on TV again. She was so good as Ling on Ally McBeal, and she completely rocked in Kill Bill as O-Ren Ishii. She is quite a versatile actress, and Candy really liked her in Elementary. She and Miller have quite good chemistry.

That’s all well and good but why should YOU watch the show? Well, when Candy started watching, she was a bit put off by Miller’s portrayal of Sherlock. He seemed to be going overboard to be too quirky—which could either grow on you or grate on you. But as the show progressed, he toned it down a bit, and it worked. Candy actually kind of like this portrayal of Holmes as being so socially awkward. Rich guy with drug problems, a severe combination of what seems to be ADD/Autism/OCD/Clinically Insane, and a God complex . . . that character definitely has plenty of room to grow! I’d hope that they hold off on any romantic entanglements between Holmes & Watson for a good while, though. Surely they won’t jump that shark too early.

Candy also found it quite funny how the show ended with Elvis Costello’s Watching the Detectives. (Which, FYI, is Candy’s favorite EC song!) If any of you are B-movie cable watchers like Candy, you will have seen the film Watching the Detectives, which Candy watched only because of her weird attraction to Cillian Murphy. It’s quite an odd film, but just quirky enough to be somewhat interesting. And let’s just say it, Candy would gladly be part of a Cillian Murphy/Lucy Liu sandwich!  😉   Not to mention part of a Johnny Lee Miller/Lucy Liu sandwich.

So, though you may end up hating it, Candy recommends you give Elementary a try—at least once—and let her know if do you end up liking it.

Until we meet again . . .

C

Candy Recommends: REVOLUTION

Juliet & President Obama shielded by the post-apocalyptic Secret Service.

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck . . . well, you know the rest.

Candy’s Back . . .

Just an FYI to my 3 fans out there—Candy is coming back! She’s not got a lot to say, but she’ll share it with the world anyway. Look for a few new posts, soon, along with other miscellaneous, such as shared images, comics, etc.

Candy’s Best of 2010: Books

It’s been a thin year for good books in 2010, in my humble opinion. There are loads of “Best of” lists for books out there, but a lot of the books on those lists just don’t appeal to me. I have pretty varied taste in my reading selections, but I go through phases in which I tend to read only one genre. For me, this has been the year of YA books. And I’m not ashamed to admit that. 🙂  I believe that some of the best writing out there today can be found in Young Adult books, but, much like any other genre, you have to search through loads of crap before you can find the true gems.

Candy’s Celebrity Crushes: Through the Years

I can’t lie . . . I was always boy crazy, even back as young as about 3. I remember having a crush on one of my parents’ friends, when I was around that age. My friend Bethany, in junior high, even wrote in my yearbook about the fact that I always had a crush on someone. How embarrassing to look back on, but it’s true. I was always a day late and a dollar short with the boys, though – I liked the outgoing guys when the nerds all liked me. I liked the nerds when they had already given up and moved onto someone else. I was once told by a guy in school that I’d had a crush on for about 4 years that he always thought I was a snob, and that he wished we’d begun to hang out sooner. I had no idea – I was just a shy girl who assumed that she was invisible to the opposite sex, for the most part.

Candy Looks at One of Her Favorite Directors: Sofia Coppola

I believe my love for Sofia Coppola is well-known, but I recently revisited most of her films, and I came to realize that I love her work even more than I had known. She definitely has a style all her own, and she is a master of atmosphere, music, and style – not to mention that she excels at finding and sharing moments . . . those moments that make us all feel a tug in our gut and a little swelling in our throats when we recognize a little bit of ourselves and our lives in her work.

Candy’s Weekend B-Movie Flashback for October 2: “Psychomania”

Candy loves campy, cult classics – especially those with a grindhouse feel. Thus, she has thoroughly enjoyed watching this British cult horror classic on Turner Classic Movies this weekend. The BBC has described the film as “a teenage, zombie, biker, frog, voodoo, hippie musical” – so if that’s your idea of fun (and it is for me!) , give this movie a shot. And, if you happen to have some smoke or drink handy, you will probably enjoy some parts of the film even more.

Mourning the Death of Original Music

Growing up, I had a very cool Mom who watched MTV with me, and we had the same taste in music, from the 60s to the 80s. I would listen to my Grandmother fuss about all the modern music (from The Beatles up through to INXS), and how it was all terrible and sounded alike. Of course, I thought she was old and crazy, and I vowed never to be that closed-minded when I got to be her age. Now, I’ve just turned 41 and, against all of my good intentions, I find myself griping and moaning about all of the music on the radio today. Granted, there are a number of bands that I really like currently, but I find myself more and more turning back to just about any decade pre-2000 when I’m buying or listening to music.

Candy Can’t Recommend “Hot Tub Time Machine” . . . Try “Sex Drive” Instead

Aah . . . July 4th weekend–plenty of time off work; not a lot to do; and plenty of TV time available since the World Cup is winding down. I got home Saturday afternoon and eagerly purchased Hot Tub Time Machine from pay-per-view service. I had heard that it wasn’t that great, but I had to see for myself. Having been in high school in 1986, and being a fan of John Cusack and Craig Robinson . . . I couldn’t miss it.

However, I now kind of wish I had my $4.99 back. The movie wasn’t terrible, but when one of the only times you laugh is at a gag regarding a one-armed bellboy, you know that you’re probably not watching a quality film. I can appreciate that this was kind of a vanity project for the guys; and I can appreciate the movie for what it is–a fun homage to the teen movies of the 80s. There are numerous nods to those films: the skiing theme of Better Off Dead; the cameo of William Zabka (of Karate Kid fame); references to Red Dawn; etc. But, I don’t think that these concepts are enough to save the entire film. As someone said in a review on Rotten Tomatoes, “The film lacks any structure,” and “many of the gags are inadequately developed.”  I feel like I watched a demo of a real movie, rather than watching a final film. That’s likely deliberate on the part of those behind the film, but it just didn’t really sit well with me.