Wednesday, November 19, 2014

True Tori

True Tori Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Tori, Dean, Mary Jo and the Love Guru


Tuesday night on Lifetime's True Tori Season 2 Episode 5, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott found themselves at odds about a number of things.
Knock us over with a feather, we know. Absolutely jarring.
Specifically, True Tori Season 2 Episode 5 saw Tori confront Dean with allegations levied by his ex-wife, Mary Jo Eustace, his first wife and baby mama.
What a totally awesome, unscripted idea by the producers.
Because when you’re having trouble overcoming your husband’s affair, you must speak with the woman he was married to when he cheated with YOU.
“Our common denominator is Dean,” Tori tells the camera.
“It just makes sense that we’d want to talk about it.”
Perfect sense. Anyone in America would do this.
Tori and Mary Jo Eustace meet for lunch, during which she awkwardly produces a love letter that Dean wrote to her back when they were still together.
It says she is the love of his life. Tori shudders.
Apparently unaware that marriage is supposed to be forever, and he was married before, Spelling is taken aback that he once felt this way for Mary Jo.
Mary Jo tells Spelling that Dean was “determined” to cheat with her, insinuating it was for money and not just 'cause he liked to masturbate to Tori on 90210.
Strange as it is to say, the ladies end up bonding over this lunch and by the end, Tori observes that she now trusts Dean’s ex-wife more than Dean himself.
He sets the bar very low, but we see her point.
When she gets home, the actress finds what else but a love note from Dean waiting for her on a kitchen counter!! WHAT DO YOU F--KING KNOW!?
“It’s a love note from Dean to me, and I just read a love note from Dean to Mary Jo. How ironic is this?” Tori ponders, as if anyone believes a second of this.
Tori and Dean Moment
Tori and Dean share a touching moment. So much to say about these two.
Dean is not happy, saying he was a "weak, emasculated individual" in his first marriage, that he was on cocaine a lot, and feels like now he's a "laughing stock."
Just wait 'til Emily Goodhand comes on the show next.
In any case, Tori feels guilty for worsening their marriage with all the drama you see when you watch True Tori online, so she decides to bring Dean to a guru.
For real. Guru Singh will try to help their relationship.
Question #1 posed by the love doctor? “Who is Tori?”
Dean's response: “Intelligent, immature, a baby, afraid of hurting feelings, afraid of hurting people, ill, physically, amazing wife, amazing mom, full of love, amazing touch."
"The love of my life,” he adds, forcing it a bit there.
Who is Dean? Tori says, "My love, little boy, caring, selfish, lost, smart and stupid,” only to have Dean add, “Not worthy, conflicted, confused, complicated.”
Then, in the weirdest and most uncomfortable scene ever, the guru tells Dean to let himself accept the breakdown, which in turn, results in a “release.”
Dean cries like a baby, moaning and wailing.
It's very odd, but the guru totally "gets" Dean after this and tells Tori, after laughing hysterically, that her husband is perfectly fine and is now "a true man."
Or something.
Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling hooked up with Dean McDermott while he was still married. And then she was shocked that he cheated on her...


The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 1 Recap: Who Crashed the White Party?

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 1 kicked off another run of 90210 insanity on Bravo Tuesday, and what better place to get it going than ....
The White Party. It has been the stuff of legend as long as we can remember.
In addition to newcomers Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna, former cast members Adrienne Maloof, Camille Grammer and Taylor Armstrong all attended.
The stage was set for drama at Kyle Richards' annual soiree. Who delivered?
Clearly the soap opera stars did not join the cast to make friends. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 1 proved this point in spades.
It was a series veteran who served as the foil for most of the cast, however.
First, we catch up with Yolanda Foster, who is proud of her daughters Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid, and with Brandi Glanville, who is a total mess as usual.
She's still holding a grudge against Lisa Vanderpump after last season. Sigh.
As for the Vanderpump Rules star, she admits to separating herself from the ladies after feeling ambushed, but Kyle says she never owns up to anything.
Then we meet Lisa Rinna, at least in the context of this Bravo reality smash.
The actress and Kyle are acquaintances, and she's married to actor Harry Hamlin, with whom she has two daughters, Delilah, 16, and Amelia, 13.
Kyle orders some Chanel stamped cake pops for the party, because KYLE.
Brandi Glanville is getting ready for the soiree and is nervous about Lisa, and the fact that former co-star Adrienne Maloof is going to be there as well.
When the shindig begins, the model arrives and makes herself uncomfortable.
Feeling ostracized, immersed and caught up in a world of drama, Brandi is even more awkward than Kim Richards, who's feeling good of late. That says a lot.
Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin arrive, but say they must soon because they're headed to the Mad Men series wrap party. Her calendar is just booked, ladies.
Brandi pulls Adrienne aside to try to quash the beef. Or at least attempt to.
Adrienne, surprisingly, agrees to have coffee sometime and talk this thing out. We'll have to watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills online to see how that goes.
Brandi Glanville
Brandi's back, and boozy as ever. Spoiler alert: At some point this season, she smacks Lisa Vanderpump. You'd HAVE to be drunk to assault such a classy lady!
Kyle gets all the girls together to dance. Except Brandi. Because SHUNNED.
Lisa leaves without saying goodbye to her, then tells the cameras she's not angry at Glanville, really. She just feels sorry for her former friend at this point.
She knows she's a good friend and it was Brandi who burned that bridge.
Is that true? Will they have it out again soon? Next week, it looks like Brandi and Adrienne have their sit-down, so expect some fireworks there big time.

The Flash

The Flash Season 1 Episode 6 Recap: Bully for You

We dipped into Barry Allen's past on The Flash Season 1 Episode 6, as the Villain of the Week turned out to be a grade school bully with whom our hero was once familiar.
We’re talking about a Biff Tannen-esque meathead who is now a meta-human and can turn objects into steel. (Yes, he's a very different kind of Man of Steel.)
This bad guy had the gall to kidnap Iris during the hour, citing her blog while doing so and telling Barry’s friend to give him as much attention as The Streak.
Barry, however, with some scientific help from Caitlin and Cisco, found a way to deal a devastating blow to his nemesis, revving up to a speed of Mach 1.1 after getting a five mile-plus running start.
Reuniting after her frightening experience, Barry and Iris made nice with each other following last Tuesday’s tiff.
During a chat about her rescuer, the former accidentally gave the latter an idea for the hero’s new moniker: The Flash. Hence the title of this episode, "The Flash is Born."
Elsewhere, when you watch The Flash online, you'll Joe West talk at length with Dr. Wells, whose brain the detective wanted to pick in order to figure out who/what killed Nora Allen back in the day, long before the S.T.A.R. Labs mistake gave birth to a number of freaks.
Might there have been another particle accelerator that pre-dated S.T.A.R.. Labs? And, wait, where was Dr. Wells before he arrived in Central City, which happened to occur a month after Nora’s homicide?
Wells was irritated by this line of questioning. He told Joe to look up the name “Tess Morgan,” the doctor’s former partner in research. And also in marriage. She was killed in a car accident and that’s what prompted Wells to move to Central City.
So he claims, at least.
We’ll see what Joe’s investigation digs up… though we may need to wait a bit to see it. Toward the end of the hour, Joe received a visit from the “man in yellow,” who made off with all of the case files, leaving behind a knife driven into a photo of Iris, along with the scrawled message:
STOP OR ELSE.
Gulp. Where will this storyline go on The Flash Season 1 Episode 7? Check out the official CW promo here:


Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy Season 7 Episode 11 Recap: Spilled Juice

Juice finally spilled on Sons of Anarchy Season 7 Episode 11.
With his suspicions raised by what Abel said last week, and with Unser then telling him that the Chinese man Gemma picked out as Tara's killer was in a Vegas drunk tank the night she was murdered, Jax sat across from Juice in jail this week.
He learned that Juice killed Lin and he got a recording of Lin naming Charlie Barosky as the club's rat.
Watch Sons of Anarchy online and see how Jax responds to the truth about Gemma.
He then pressed Juice for the truth about him and Gemma and she was helping him... only to hear the complete true story about what happened the night Tara was stabbed to death.
"Thank you," Jax said in reply, fighting off tears. "I'll make sure it's quick."
So this admission seemingly spells the end of Juice... but what about Gemma?
Juice called Gemma and told her what he passed along to her son. She packed a bag in response. She got soem help from Chucky. She said goodbye to her grandkids and to Nero (who broke down when Jax told him the truth) and she drove out of town.
Later on, Jax revealed everything to SAMCRO.
He started by telling them about Barosky and that he's gonna sit down with the Indian Hills charter and admit his mistake in killing Jury. As previously noted by Rat, this may lead to a Mayhem vote between clubs.
He also opened up about Gemma, much to the shock of everyone at the table.
Jax took full responsibility, sounding very much like a broken man. Which he is, of course. 
Charlie Hunnam was simply fantastic this week, playing Jax as a man who is no longer sure of anything, who still loves his mother (as he told Nero), but who's entire world has been shattered.
He's also wanted by the police because Unser told Jarry Jax should be off the street, so she put out an APB after he punched Unser in the face. When we leave Jax, he's hiding out in Alvarez's warehouse.
The entire hour was focused on this storyline, on the truth finally coming out and on fans now be left to wonder as they look toward Sons of Anarchy Season 7 Episode 12: Is there any way this ends well? For anyone?!?

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Gotham

Gotham Season 1 Episode 9 Recap: Making a Dent
Nicholas D'Agosto debuted as Harvey Dent premiered on Gotham Season 1 Episode 9
But the freshman series made the same mistake with this character as it has made in the past, seemingly caring more about teasing his future as Two-Face than establishing him as an actual person in this Gotham universe first.
Consider: the first time we see Dent, he's using his famous two-headed coin to teach a young criminal a lesson.
Gotham has many strong parts on its own. It doesn't need to keep reminding us about who these people will become. It ought to focus on who they are right now.
Along those lines, Harvey Dent did at least bring a few smiles to what may be the most dour show on network television.
He also told Jim that a billionaire named Dick Lovecraft may the murderous mastermind behind the Wayne family killings.
We later saw Dent interact with Lovecraft and witnessed the temper than can occasionally flare up in the district attorney.
The Case of the Week, meanwhile, was a relatively pointless bore. It centered on an expert bomb maker who Gordon and Bullock eventually exonerated.
But then Fish Mooney's henchman, Butch, blew up some stuff and... well... the entire point of this arc was for the Mayor to dub Arkham as a destination for the criminally insane.
Again, more foreshadowing for what's to come way down the line. Not enough focus on the here and now.
The most entertaining aspect of the hour centered on Bruce and Selina Kyle. Jim chose to store the latter at Wayne Mansion to keep her safe as a witness in the Wayne murders.
And it was cute to see Bruce and Selina get along, tease each other, flirt up a storm. We'd tell anyone to watch Gotham online (via the above video) for this reason alone.
Finally, Jim called Barbara after reading the note that said she needed time away. And viewers saw she was in bed with Montoya. Sigh. The show really has gone there.
But it looks like it will go someplace far more exciting on Gotham Season Episode 10, the fall finale. Check out the official promo here:


Vanderpump Rules

Vanderpump Rules Season 3 Episode 3 Recap: Will Kristen Doute Get Closure at Last?!


Monday on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules Season 3 Episode 3, we saw Lisa and her cast of characters preparing for the grand opening of her bar venture.
Who's PUMPed up for that?! (See what we did there?!)
Naturally, this meant lots of budget and schedule analysis on Vanderpump Rules Season 3 Episode 3, and also plenty of work to be done for all involved.
So who got closure? And who got kicked to the curb?
After getting fired by Lisa Vanderpump last week, someone either doesn’t know what "fired" means, or he was too busy taking Beamer selfies that he forgot.
James Kennedy, everyone. What a douche.
The British thorn in Tom Sandoval's side actually showed up ready for work SUR, where Lisa had just terminated him after his epic fight with Tom.
Peter did the honors a second time here.
However, will the third time be the charm? After penning a heartfelt letter to Lisa, James Kennedy was REINSTATED as SUR’s most famous busser!
How could she really fire the guy after he brings so much to the table (see what we did there?!) when you watch Vanderpump Rules online these days?
Exactly. It's just business, dahling.
Meanwhile, Stassi was amped up for the opening of PUMP, and Jax was stoked to have her back on the L.A. scene. Scheana Marie, on the other hand?
Far from thrilled.
It wasn't long, in fact, before Scheana confronted Stassi about her wedding, telling Stassi she acts like she's better than everyone, and then storming off.
[Slow clap]
So well rehearsed and convincing, Scheana. It's a wonder that acting career hasn't taken off by now, although she's doing quite well here on Bravo.
Finally, we have Kristen Doute and Tom Sandoval, who broke up months ago but are clearly obsessed with each other, at least if you ask the other one.
"Tom needs to get out of my life," Kristen says at one point, in between talking about Tom, chatting up his alleged paramours and talking about Tom some more.
After she texts him to plan an exchange of their stuff, she headed over to their old place - where Tom now lives with Ariana - and then became a mess.
Stassi Schroeder
Sassy Stassi is the resident wit on Vanderpump Rules. She's basically a young Lisa V. in the making.
Kristen cried, said she's so happy, stated that they all don't have to “like each other,” told Ariana she doesn’t hate her, then cried more and got closure.
We think?
At first, Tom hesitated to relinquish the cable box, but when she said this would always keep them connected, he gave it up like Scheana Marie to Eddie Cibrian.
Kristen, of course, having just achieved catharsis and excited to move on, said that even when she’s married with kids, she will likely think about Tom.


The Originals

The Originals Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: While You Were Sleeping

Elijah flashed back to his childhood and suffered through a restless day of sleep on The Originals Season 2 Episode 7, courtesy of Esther's witchy ways.
When he awoke (courtesy of an antidote Klaus tracked down in the bayou), quite a few developments had taken place. To wit:
KLAUS KILLED HIS FATHER. His biological dad followed Klaus out into the woods and helped him find the magic herb that would awaken ELijah.
He talked to his son about the peace he would find as a werewolf and seemed to make a sincere impression on Klaus. But he also said that he knows Hope is alive (via his werewolf intuition or something) and this would prove to be his fatal undoing.
Yes, Klaus believed that his father had honest intentions about helping to protect Hope. But what if Esther got a hold of him? What if she cast some spell on him and learned the truth?
It was too risky. Klaus could not afford any chance his daughter would be in danger. So he sliced his father to death with a sword and left his corpse as a present to Esther.
VINCENT AND KOL WERE CAPTURED. Hayley, Josh, Aiden and Marcel used Cami as bait to lure Vincent/Finn in, taking advantage of his feelings for his pupil.
But they were nearly overpowered on their own once they had Vincent cornered in the church. So it's a good thing Jackson accepted his responsibility as the alpha when he did, swooping in to rescue Hayley and giving Cami a chance to snap sme magic handcuffs on Vincent.
Kol, meanwhile, spent more of the episode bonding with Davina. He showed her a tomb he used to frequent in 1914 and explained to her how he knows some dark magic.
But he needs her help. Their chemistry makes them stronger as a team and, if they work together, they could make a dagger into the kind of weapon with which they could stab Klaus and leave him in a box.
When you watch The Originals online, you'll see how Marcel is able to apprehend Kol after he brings Davina home to sleep.
So we left off with Klaus and Elijah smiling over their handcuffed brothers, planning to use them in some way against Esther... who captured Camille to close out the hour.
Where will things pick up on The Originals Season 2 Episode 8? Check out the official CW teaser here:

Friday, November 14, 2014

Toddler Watches Cartoon Penguin Reunite with Mother, Bawls Her Adorable Eyes Out

No, the Kim Kardashian nude photo spread in Paper Magazine did not break the Internet.
But the following video may end up accomplishing that goal. 
It features a little girl who is already totally adorable, surrounded by a number of plush toys in her car seat.
But the cuteness level gets ratcheted up to nearly unbearable levels when the toddler grows emotional - VERY emotional! - while watching a scene from The Chipmunk Adventure in which a baby penguin is reunited with his mother.
"When I noticed my young daughter getting emotionally absorbed in the cartoon she was watching, I set up a camera to record her,” father Travis Lupher wrote in the YouTube caption. "And the results are just adorable."
Are they ever!
Along similar lines, we published a video last year of a four-year also bawling his eyes out upon listening to "Say Something."
It's emotional stuff! It resonates across all age groups!
Take a look below at other examples of kids reacting to things in totally precious ways:
We're Going to Disneyland?!?
What happens when parents tell their daughter the family is going to Disneyland? An awesomely adorable reaction.


Taylor Swift Lip-Syncs to "Blank Space," Knows All the Words

Over the past several weeks, we’ve watched with a smile as folks from all walks of life have published their own versions of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” online.
There was this father and daughter adorably dancing to the catchy track.
And, of course, who could forget the fraternity brothers who earned tickets to a Swift concert thanks to their amazing lip dub video?
But now Swift herself has teamed up with BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James for a totally awesome lip-syncing of her latest smash, “Blank Slate.”
In the above footage, Swift sits in the passenger seat and is her awesomely expressive self as she channels the crazy ex-girlfriend at the center of this fun track.
Taylor is quickly becoming an expert at this whole faux-singing-in-the-car thing, as she celebrated the mammoth success of her 1989 album by rapping Kendrick Lamar‘s “Backseat Freestyle” last week.
Follow this link to see Taylor rapping about guns and dead hookers and then check out 19 GIFs from her "Blank Space" music video:
Taylor Goes Elin Nordegren
This is what happens when Taylor Swift catches a man cheating, at least in her music video for "Blank Space." She goes all Elin Nordegren on his car!


Thursday, November 13, 2014

Couples Therapy

Couples Therapy Season 5 Episode 10 Recap: Who Got Engaged? Who Got a Non-Engagement Ring?

On last night's Couples Therapy Season 5 Episode 10, one cast member took a major step forward, while others were stuck in neutral, unsure of the future.
With this being the season finale, it marked an obvious turning point for the various couples, and sadly, we already know how it ended up for one of them.
As we picked up the action on Couples Therapy Season 5 Episode 10, Dr. Jenn Berman tells Jenna Jameson where her late mom’s grave is located.
With boyfriend John Wood, she sets out with Dr. Jenn to finally visit it.
For a woman who has been so over the top, outrageous and borderline obnoxious throughout much of the season, it's striking to see Jenna so ... human.
She's not always a reality TV parody of Jenna Jameson.
This was the purest emotion you'll see in the genre, as she spoke directly to her mother. You could almost feel her relief and catharsis when she stopped.
Back at the house we see Juan Pablo Galavis and Nikki Ferrell getting cozy and feeling really good about things. Call it the calm before the storm, Part 10.
You don't have to watch Couples Therapy online, or The Bachelor, to know these two were headed for trouble, and if you somehow missed it, well ...
Spoiler alert, but they broke up in late October.
Amazingly, the two actually seemed to be in a better place after their TV therapy than before it, and gushed after filming that the show saved their relationship.
So much for that.
Juan Pablo and Nikki Ferrell Kiss
Juan Pablo Galavis and Nikki Ferrell kiss in a cute photo.
Meanwhile, Cicely gets a call from home and breaks some news to Treach that he gets really upset about, and you can see how she fears his hostility.
Talking to Dr. Jenn, Treach says he thinks Cicely asked him to move out, and won't back down from his position of anger even when Cicely denies this.
It's a little bizarre, and Cicely is well aware of it.
At the season-ending party, Dr. Jenn tells Treach that video doesn’t really reveal Cicely saying what he thinks she said, and he still won't back down.
Cicely wants to dump him. Dr. Jenn says to wait.
In their farewell toasts, each couple says some sweet things to their partners, but Juan Pablo really ups the ante by pulling out a ring box for Nikki!
It's a non-engagement ring, of course, for her middle finger. Wonder if she flushed that thing, Kendra style, before Juan Pablo and Nikki broke up.
John, meanwhile, actually does propose to Jenna! She says yes, and the gang agrees that while she has issues, she wants to be loved and happy.
As for Treach and Cicely, it was make or break time, and he urges her to stay with an impassioned plea. It looks like it worked, too, at least for now.
Dick Donato and Stephanie Rogers-Fischer
Dick Donato, or simply Evel Dick as he's known to Big Brother Nation, is working on things with his girlfriend Stephanie Rogers-Fischer ... and chose Couples Therapy as the platform from which to reveal that he is HIV positive.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

True Tori Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: When Tori Spelling Met Mary Jo Eustace ...



The more things change, the more they stay the same.
So it appears for Dean McDermott, who cheated on his first wife with his second wife, then cheated on her as well, despite having kids by both women.
Yeah. He's one heck of a class act, that guy.
Dean's past, and prologue, was the setup for an awkward True Tori Season 2 Episode 4, in which Tori Spelling planned a party for Dean's oldest son, Jack.
This meant Mary Jo Eustace, the first wife of the Chopped Canada host and mother of Jack, being brought back into the Lifetime reality TV fold. Oye.
We begin the episode in couples therapy, and Tori in tears because Mystery Girls got canceled. After that, talk turns again to her former spouse Charlie.
To hear Tori tell it, Charlie Shanian is SO mature and amazing and kind and nurturing and sweet, basically the epitome of what a real man should be.
Then there's this schlub she's married to now.
Tori starts to wonder what relationship she and Dean even have beyond sex - which, if you watch True Tori online, you know he thinks she sucks at anyway.
Their therapist says Tori has an emotional connection with Charlie Shanian and a sexual connection with Dean, who wonders if he's even the person for her.
We've wondered the same, man.
Anyway, it's Jack's 16th birthday, and they're having a party at the house, making like one big happy family with Tori, Dean, Mary Jo and a LOT of guests.
Tori is intimidated by Dean's ex.
Like Tori and Charlie, Mary Jo Eustace and Dean look the part of a happy married couple together, making things oh so awkward and highly dysfunctional.
Tori approaches Mary Jo, ostensibly to discuss being on the same page and setting rules for Jack at both houses, but as we know she's a bad actress.
She obviously wants to discuss the cheating scandal(s), because why else does Tori Spelling even have a TV show ... one that needs all the buzz it can get.
Tori apologizes again for enabling Dean to cheat on Mary Jo (the first night Tori and Dean met) and says now she has a different perspective on the situation.
Hmm. Ya think?!
Mary Jo says she's put her life back together since then. Tori starts to talk about Dean's recent cheating with Emily Goodhand, and Eustace cuts her off fast.
She tells Tori to own the fact that she's a home wrecker. Until she does that, don't expect any true bonding and friendship from this First Wives Club.
Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling hooked up with Dean McDermott while he was still married. And then she was shocked that he cheated on her...