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Ke$ha’s crazy, beautiful advertisement

Oh, Lord. Another celebrity got a reality show. Wait, scratch that: Ke$ha got a really long advertisement deal with MTV. “Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life” produces a very carefully crafted image of the pop star known for singing about hangovers and her “Gold Trans Am,” but at least it’s entertaining.… Read more »


‘Hemlock Grove’ oozes with gore

Last Friday, Netflix released its third original series “Hemlock Grove.”  Based on the book by Brian McGreevy, this supernatural thriller centers on the gruesome murder of a high school cheerleader and the attempts of two young men to solve the mystery. In a day where movies are stuffed with angels… Read more »


“Veep,” “Jackie” creep out for finals

The spring season for paid cable kicks off with two shows returning just in time for the pre-finals lull. The humor-ridden, stressful lives of two of TV’s busiest ladies serve students as reminders that life only gets harder, never easier. “Nurse Jackie” First at 8 p.m. Sundays is “Nurse Jackie”… Read more »


More Draper, more drama

The cigarette-smoking, heavy drinking, womanizing advertisers of Madison Avenue are returning once again to capture America’s attention. The critically acclaimed AMC drama set in the 1960s is all prepped and ready for a two-hour season six premiere this Sunday. Behind the face of actor Jon Hamm, this funny and superficial… Read more »


‘Bates Motel’ offers ‘Psycho’ fans disturbing recreation

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‘Game’ time for ‘Thrones’ fans

Straight from the mouths of showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, Season Three of the immensely popular HBO series “Game of Thrones” is the one they have been waiting to make. Weiss said in a YouTube video released December 2, 2012, “… if we made it through Season Three,… Read more »


PCP: ‘Girls:’ The darker, the better

This story is about how I stopped hate-watching and learned to (mostly) like HBO’s acclaimed ad nauseam original series “Girls.” There comes a point when television becomes Good Television. “Girls” became relevant and relatable when shit got dark in Season Two. In the season finale, the girls of “Girls” catch a glimpse… Read more »


PCP: Life is ‘Girls’

The last major sequence of “Girls” second season is only unrealistic for one reason: Adam, a destitute carpenter who can barely rub together two nickels, apparently has enough cash to pay for the astronomically high fees that come along with keeping someone on FaceTime away from a wireless connection. So… Read more »


‘Community’ falls short of high grade

Bow down, TV lovers: “Community” has returned for a fourth season. The surprise hit show with a cult following seemed on the brink of cancellation, but, at least for now, “Community” will continue with a 13-episode season. “Community’s” ensemble cast of community college misfits normally gives the show an edge,… Read more »


Best and Worst: Super Bowl Commercials

This year’s Super Bowl commercials were once again comprised of what TV viewers love most: celebrities, beer and talking babies. While the familiar blockbuster trailers and slapstick comedy ads filled much of the event’s airtime, several commercials stood out as original and entertaining. Others simply fell flat. Best Commercials Ram… Read more »


‘30 Rock’ finale cements 7-year comedy legacy

Last Thursday marked the end of a comedy era. No more will Liz Lemon’s life lessons and Tracy Jordan’s cries for attention be a part of NBC’s Thursday night of comedy. After seven wonderful years of eccentric characters and valuable life lessons, “30 Rock” has ended. If you haven’t seen… Read more »


‘House of Cards’ best online series

Politics can be a messy business. Backstabbing, media wars and blackmail are just a few of the common tricks of political intrigue, at least according to the world of Hollywood. Yet, as of late, these ways of Washington have gotten old. The spotlight of quality hasn’t shined on political thrillers… Read more »


‘Carrie Diaries’ has relatable messages

It didn’t take long after the first episode of “Sex and the City” in 1998 for the television show to become a household name. Women all over the country could relate to Sarah Jessica Parker (“New Year’s Eve”) as Carrie Bradshaw: the single, Manhattan-based, sex columnist gal who strived for… Read more »


‘The Following’ isn’t worth keeping up with

Fox has a new crime thriller — ok — starring Kevin Bacon — interested — about a serial killer obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe — now we’re getting somewhere. “The Following” has a new twist on the usual formula for a crime drama. The show pits the former FBI agent… Read more »


Drop, stick & pick up

A new semester means less time for sitting back, relaxing and watching a week’s worth of backlogged shows. With current shows starting back up and new shows sneaking in under major shows’ mid-season break, we sorted through the good and the bad to recommend what you should stop watching, keep… Read more »


‘Girls:’ Voice of our generation?

Point by Katherine KruegerWhen people call someone the “voice of a generation,” I cringe. The cringe factor increases 10-fold when it’s used to talk about my generation. But because they’re using the trope to discuss “Girls,” an Important Cultural Force, I feel like I’m throwing myself in front of the… Read more »


TV drama ‘Revenge’ beyond hopeless in second season

Last fall, as many of my favorite TV series came to an end, I reverted to my usual skeptic attitude toward the new shows that debuted. Generally, I favor ABC’s lineup, because let’s be honest, Disney throws so much money at its programming that most are bound to at least… Read more »


Wave goodbye to the ‘Jersey Shore’

All good things must come to an end. For everything else, we just pray it eventually dies. Then there’s “Jersey Shore,” the raunchy, controversial reality show entering its final season, set in Seaside Heights, N.J.. Full disclosure: I lived in New Jersey for six years and am often bombarded with… Read more »


Moms fall victim to practical jokes in latest reality prank show

Next week, Lifetime will premiere “Prank My Mom,” the newest reality prank show to exploit innocent victims at the hands of a network and bitter yet good-humored offspring. As the title makes explicitly clear, the victims are the mothers of said pranksters. In a sketch format, three mother-and-child pairs hash… Read more »


‘Brickleberry’ brings animated edginess to TV

Daniel Tosh isn’t one to worry about taking it too far — offending people has kind of become his thing. And with his new show “Brickleberry,” which premieres tonight on Comedy Central, he will be doing more of just that. Tosh is the executive producer of the new animated show… Read more »


Must see or mute: This fall’s TV musings

This fall, television viewers will be introduced to new series involving everything from aliens as neighbors to shirtless firefighters from Chicago. Time will tell which shows become a hit and which ones will be short lived, but until then here are some predictions and suggestions: “Beauty and the Beast” (CW)-… Read more »


Savage penetrates television market

Podcast host and syndicated columnist Dan Savage recently added a new piece to his advice media empire with the premiere of his MTV series “Savage U.” The show follows Savage and his trusty producer Lauren Hutchinson as they travel across the United States answering college students’ romance questions. During a… Read more »


An ArtsEtc. Spring TV Preview

SUNDAY “GCB” — ABC, 9 p.m. Series premiere on March 4. Is it cynical to suggest that the naming of ABC’s new show — originally “Good Christian Bitches” — was as much of a marketing ploy as the diamond encrusted font used on its posters? Kristin Chenoweth stars in this… Read more »


The musician as American as ‘American Pie’

With the “Downton Abbey” season finale more than a week past, viewers of the Public Broadcasting Service will be searching for high-brow entertainment to fill the void left by the Crawley family and all its scandals. Singer songwriter Don McLean — most known for writing the complex and timeless “American… Read more »


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