The Bourbon Kings: Oh, my! This book sure is one giant soap opera (My thoughts on book #1 in the Bourbon Kings book series by J.R. Ward)

Let me start out by saying that originally I was planning to wait a while to read and review The Bourbon Kings. However, I decided to go ahead and read it now because I’ve wanted to read it for months, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how excited I was to read The Bourbon Kings. Right off the bat, I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. That being said, I’m just going to come right out and say that while I loved this book, there’s no denying that it also has a lot of problems, which I’ll get to later.

The main thing that I love about this book is the fact that it’s basically a soap opera in the form of a book. I’m a huge fan of soap operas, and I typically love just about anything that has a soap opera vibe to it. As soon as I read the plot description of the book that’s on jacket of book the first time that I saw The Bourbon Kings at Barnes & Noble, I immediately thought that the book sounded a lot like a soap opera, and most of the reviews for the book on Amazon also compared the book to Dallas and Dynasty. Reading so many reviews that compared the book to soap operas was definitely the thing that drew me to The Bourbon Kings the most. One thing that really helps this book to feel like a soap opera is fact that the story has a big ensemble of characters and a variety of storylines that the characters are involved in. While The Bourbon Kings is definitely an ensemble piece, at the end of the day, it’s very much Lane’s story. He’s definitely the character that gets the most focus and development throughout the book. I should probably also mention that technically Lane’s name is Tulane. Yeah, I would definitely go by the name Lane, too. Tulane sounds like an extremely ridiculous name that would most likely cause the bullies at school to tease anybody with that name every day of their life and maybe even beat them up, too.

The Bourbon Kings’ ensemble nature is one of the things that really helped the book to feel like a soap opera. However, it also definitely leads to one of this book’s biggest problems, which is that it was often times kind of challenging to keep track of all the characters and subplots in book. You almost need to make a very complicated chart to keep track of all the one trillion characters in this book, the numerous subplots and which characters are involved in each of the subplots. While the book doesn’t actually have a trillion characters in it, this book does have a lot of characters to keep track of, and unfortunately too many of the characters were woefully neglected and left underdeveloped, if you ask me. 

Dallas: Episode 3x14 "Endgame" & Episode 3x15 "Brave New World" Promo (HD) ( 2-Hour Season Finale)

Here's a promo for next week's 2-hour season finale, episode 3x14 "Endgame" and episode 3x15 "Brave New World". It looks like this is going to be another awesome episode. :)

Dallas: Episode 3x13 "Boxed In" Promo (HD)

Here's a promo for next week's episode, episode 3x13 "Boxed In". It looks like this is going to be another awesome episode. :)

Dallas: Episode 3x12 "Victims of Love" Promo (HD)

Here's a promo for next week's episode, episode 3x12 "Victims of Love". It looks like this is going to be another awesome episode. :)

Dallas: Episode 3x10 "Dead Reckoning" Promo (HD)

Here's a promo for next week's episode, episode 3x10 "Dead Reckoning". It looks like this is going to be a great episode. :)

Revenge: Yeardley Smith to Guest-Star in Season 4

According to TVLine's Andy Swift, Yeardley Smith will be guest-starring in the upcoming fourth season of Revenge. Here's an excerpt from the article, which gives some details on Smith's role:

Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa on The Simpsons, will guest-star on Revenge‘s season premiere, TVLine has learned exclusively. Yeardley will play Phyllis, a fellow patient at the mental institution where Victoria was admitted (against her will) in the Season 3 finale.

Link to the full article:‘Revenge’ Season Premiere Spoilers — Yeardley Smith Joins Victoria | TVLine



My thoughts: As I've already mentioned in several other posts, I recently decided to start watching Revenge again after not watching the show once season 2 ended. That being said, all of the spoilers for season 4 that have been released so far have really gotten me excited about the show again, and this casting news is no exception. When it comes to watching TV shows and movies, I've always really enjoyed watching actors and actresses that I like play a wide variety of roles, so I'm really looking forward to seeing Yeardley Smith in an onscreen role. When it comes to Smith's work as an actress, I'm only familiar with her voice work on The Simpsons. Admittedly, I haven't watched The Simpsons in years though.

Lastly, the whole thing with Victoria being put in a mental institution against her will reminds me a lot of the original Dallas when J.R. found himself trapped in a mental institution after James Beaumont tears up the release papers as a part of the show's season 13 cliffhanger. Victoria ending up in a mental institution against her will is exactly the kind of thing that made me fall in love with the show in the first place when it started, and it's also one of the things that got me interested in watching Revenge again. I was already really excited to see how the whole storyline with Victoria being put in a mental institution against her will would play out next season, but this news is one of the things that has gotten me really excited about season 4 and the show in general once again.

Dallas: Scoop on the season 3 midseason premiere (Episode 3x09 "Denial, Anger, Acceptance") from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams

Here's some scoop on Dallas from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams' Mega Buzz column, which was posted on 8/12/14.

I can't wait for Dallas to return after that crazy midseason finale! How quickly will things pick up when the show returns? — Evelyn
The summer premiere picks up right after the events of the finale, with paramedics trying to revive Pamela after her overdose. But Pamela isn't the only character dealing with consequences: Bobby finds out within the first episode that Ann shared a kiss with ex, Harris. It may be hot in Dallas, but it's safe to say things are going to be a little icy between these two.

Link to the full article:Mega Buzz: True Blood's Cure, an NCIS Return, and a Vampire Diaries Mystery - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

Dallas: Episode 3x09 - Episode 3x15 Press Releases

Here are the press releases from TNT for episode 3x09 to episode 3x15 of Dallas, which were posted on the SpoilerTV website.

Episode 3.09 - MID-SEASON PREMIERE: "Denial, Anger, Acceptance" – Monday, Aug. 18, 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

The mid-season premiere finds the Ewing family searching for answers as to who set the fire at Southfork Ranch and who will survive. While John Ross and Emma struggle with their role in Pamela's overdose, relationships among the family are forever changed.

Directed by Steve Robin
Written by Bruce Rasmussen
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.10 - "Dead Reckoning" – Monday, Aug. 25, 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

The dark cloud over Southfork continues to grow with the news of a family death. Meanwhile, Christopher and Heather's relationship is put to the test as John Ross tries to redeem himself with Pamela, who begins to face the real reasons behind her overdose. Elsewhere, Elena makes a drastic move to get justice for her family, putting John Ross directly in her crosshairs.

Directed by Anton Cooper
Written by Julia Cohen
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.11 - "Hurt" – Monday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

In a thrilling showdown, Elena finally confronts the Ewings for what J.R. did to her father and for framing Cliff. Sue Ellen, Pamela and Ann are shocked over the truths Elena exposes, realigning relationships and forcing Bobby to re-examine the steps he took to implement J.R.'s master plan. Meanwhile, Nicolas' plan to steal Ewing Global for the Cartel moves forward, setting the stage for a new battle.

Directed by Patrick Duffy
Written by Aaron Allen
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.12 - "Victims of Love" – Monday, Sept. 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

As Ewing Global goes public, twists and turns abound while everyone scrambles to claim ownership. Pamela struggles with what to do now that she knows Cliff didn't really kill J.R., and Bobby seeks the aide of an old flame Tracey McKay (guest star Melinda Clarke) to help get back control of the company. Meanwhile, Judith and Ryland work to fix their own problems with the cartel, which ends up putting lives in the balance and aligning the Rylands and Ewings in a way no one ever expected.

Directed by Ken Topolsky
Written by Taylor Hamra
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.13 - "Boxed In" – Monday, Sept. 15, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

In the wake of a devastating family kidnapping, Bobby puts everything on the line to save lives. John Ross and Pamela form a truce of sorts. Elena, who's been in hiding with Nicolas, finally learns the truth about his connections to the cartel, which sends her spiraling. Christopher desperately searches for Elena, fearing for her safety. And Bobby is forced to make a choice he never anticipated.

Directed by Rodney Charters
Written by Gail Gilchriest
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.14 - "Endgame" – Monday, Sept. 22, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)

While Christopher races to find Elena, Bobby is double-crossed by the cartel. No longer able to sit by, John Ross puts his own life on the line to attempt a rescue. Meanwhile, Nicolas tries to prove himself to Elena by making a deal with the authorities that puts him on a collision course with John Ross' plan and places both their lives in jeopardy.

Directed by Millicent Shelton
Written by Bruce Rasmussen
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre

Episode 3.15 - SEASON FINALE: "Brave New World" – Monday, Sept. 22, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

In the electrifying third season finale, the Ewings and the Rylands finally force the cartel to pay the piper as some lives are saved and others are lost. Bobby and Sue Ellen form a new alliance to protect the family, which pits them against John Ross, who is still trying to regain control of Ewing Global and fix his marriage to Pamela. Snd Elena is pushed to the brink when she finds out the real depths of Nicolas' betrayal. As the season comes to an end, enemies are unmasked, new alliances are formed, and John Ross learns a shocking secret about J.R. that sends him halfway around the globe in search of a surprising new cohort.

Directed by Steve Robin
Written by Robert Rovner
Created by David Jacobs
Developed by Cynthia Cidre
Guest Star Melinda Clarke

Link to the full article:Dallas - Episodes 3.09 - 3.15 - Press Releases | Spoilers

Revenge: Does absence make the heart grow fonder? I'm starting to think that it can sometimes (A brief reflection of my thoughts on the first 14 episodes of season 2)

As a part of my preparation for reviewing the upcoming fourth season of Revenge, I'm currently watching season 2 again before season 3 comes out on DVD in about a month, and I thought that I would write a brief reflection of my thoughts on the first 14 episodes of the season. I might write a post reflecting on my thoughts on the rest of season 2, but that's not a definite thing. I might do the same thing with season 3 depending on how busy I am when I'm watching the season in a few weeks once it comes out on DVD. Since I've only seen two episodes of season 3 at the moment, it will essentially be my first time watching season 3 when I do that, which might make reviewing season 3 a bit trickier for me, but I digress.

When season 2 of Revenge first started and a lot of the viewers started becoming more and more vocal about their criticisms with the season, I admit that I was probably more willing than most of the other fans of the show to defend the season for most of season 2. However, I eventually fell behind on watching the show at some point during the second half of the season for reasons I can't even remember now. When I finally got around to finishing the second half of the season, watching the show started to feel more and more like a chore to the point where wasn't as willing to defend season 2 as I had originally been, which is a big part of why I decided to not watch the show any more when season 3 started.

That being said, after watching the first half of season 2 again for the first time in about two years, I have to say that the season has grown on me quite a bit since I watched it the first time around. Don't get me wrong, I still think that the season is a major mess in a lot of ways, but I'm definitely having a lot of fun watching the show again after not having watched it in such a long time. As for what I feel went wrong with the show in season 2, the introduction of The Initiative was definitely a big mistake on the producers’ part. I truly think that everything with The Initiative played a big role in the show really going off the rails in season 2. 

However, what I still absolutely hate about the season even more than everything with The Initiative is definitely the direction that the writers took Daniel in as a character. I hate that they made him basically become his father's son, which I think is weird since I love Conrad as a character. I think the reason why I hate seeing Daniel act incredibly devious, ruthless, and an all around asshole to pretty much everyone around him, Victoria and Conrad included, while I'm able to see Conrad act the same way in a lot of way is due to the way Josh Bowman and Henry Czerny play their respective roles. 

While I do think that Josh Bowman is a good actor, I don't think that he has the same charm and charisma that I feel Henry Czerny has to make Conrad work as a character. Conrad has always been one of my favorite characters on the show along with Emily, Victoria, and Nolan. I think that the writers have always done a good job of writing Conrad as a character, but I feel like the writers kind of dropped the ball in terms of how they handled the direction they took Daniel in as a character in season 2. To me, my dislike of Daniel as a character, while I love Conrad as a character, is very reminiscent of how I feel about Christopher Ewing and Bobby Ewing on TNT's Dallas in the sense that they are both supposed to be the good guys of the show, and yet Christopher is arguably the most despicable character on the show, and therefore the most hated character amongst the show's viewers. 

The difference in that case is that the writers have always done a good job of writing the character Bobby, and Patrick Duffy is a good actor. Christopher on the other hand has been a horribly written character ever since the very first episode of the series. What makes things even worse in that case is that Jesse Metcalfe couldn't give a good performance on the show even if his life depended on it, while Josh Bowman has always been at the very least a decent actor, regardless of what the writers have done with Daniel. As I said earlier, Josh might not have done the best job of making Daniel work as a character starting with season 2, but he's still a decent actor.

It really upset me seeing Daniel seize control of Nolcorp from Nolan. I'm no business or legal expert, so maybe he had the legal right to do that given that Nolan got the start-up money for his company from David Clarke, and David was once an employee of Grayson Global, but that still seemed very messed up and unfair to Nolan when Daniel did that. 

Nolan has always been one of my favorite characters on the show and just one of my favorite things about the show in general, so I felt really bad for him throughout season 2. Despite how upset I felt for Nolan in season 2, I also loved everything the writers did with Nolan and his ex-boyfriend, Marco. When I was watching season 2 the first time around, I always thought that Gabriel Mann and E.J. Bonilla had great chemistry with each other, and I really wish that the writers had featured Marco more than they did. While there are so many things that I love about the character Nolan, especially the dialogue the writers write for Nolan, I think that the writers have always done a great job of handling the fact that Nolan is bisexual. Being bisexual myself, I feel like the writers have done a great job of utilizing Nolan's bisexuality to create some truly great soap opera-style drama, while still being respectful of the bisexual community.

The other issues that I have with the season is the way they brought back Emily's mother, Kara, what they did with the character and the way the writers had Kara leave in what I feel was a rather abrupt manner was all rather disappointing. I'm also still not sure that Jennifer Jason Leigh was right for the role in the first place. The one final issue that I still have with season 2, at least at the moment, is the presence of the character Amanda on the show. I never really liked both Amanda as a character and Margarita Levieva as an actress very much at all. They both always annoyed the hell out of me, and I really feel like Amanda/Margarita Levieva totally overstayed their welcome on the show. Honestly, I remember that I was really happy when Amanda was finally killed off in episode 1x14 "Sacrifice". I found Amanda's death to be a welcome relief for me personally, and time hasn't made me feel any differently about Amanda getting killed off.

Watching the season again and given that I just finished watching episode 2x14 "Sacrifice", four episodes that really stand out as some of my favorite season 2 episodes are episode 2x04 "Intuition", episode 2x06 "Illusion", 2x07 "Penance" and episode 2x08 "Lineage". What I loved about "Intuition" is the whole thing with Amanda falling over the balcony in the Grayson's mansion during her fight with Victoria and giving birth to baby Karl prematurely. That kind of thing is a classic soap opera staple, and I absolutely love that the writers did that. Victoria and Conrad getting married again and everything that happened with their wedding in the episode "Illusion" was a lot of fun to watch. 

Mason Treadwell/Roger Bart's presence in both the episode "Illusion" and "Penance" also added a lot to my enjoyment of those episodes. Mason Treadwell has always been one of my favorite recurring guest-star roles on Revenge, and I think that Roger Bart plays the role flawlessly. The first thing that I ever saw Roger Bart in was on Desperate Housewives as Bree's pharmacist that killed Rex in the show's first season, George Williams, and I loved him in that role. I've seen Roger Bart on a few other TV shows besides Desperate Housewives and Revenge, and I just think he's always awesome, not matter what TV show he's on or what movie he's in.

As for the episode "Lineage", I think that episode did a great job of providing more back-story for every character on the show, and I just think it's an altogether fantastic episode.

All that being said, while I still think that season 2 is a mess in a lot of ways, the season really has grown on me a lot since the last time I watched it. Despite the season's many flaws, I'm enjoying season 2 a lot more than I did the first time around. Once again I'm finding the show to be rather addictive and a lot of fun to watch like I did back when it was in its first season. Perhaps there's some truth in the expression "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." after all. :)

Dallas: "After the Fire" Promo (Promo for second half of Season 3)

Here's the "After the Fire" promo for the second half of season 3 of Dallas. It looks like the second half of the season is going to beyond awesome. :)

'Major Crimes’ and ‘The Last Ship’ Renewed, ‘Falling Skies’ Renewed For a Fifth and Final Season

According to TVLine's Matt Webb Mitovich, TNT has renewed Major Crimes for a 15-episode fourth season. The Last Ship has been renewed for a 13-episode second season, while TNT has renewed Falling Skies for a 10-episode fifth and final season. Here's an excerpt from the article, which gives some details regarding this news.

“The Last Ship has become this summer’s top drama among key adult demos with its epic scale and visceral storytelling. Major Crimes continues to be one of the most enduring and popular crime-drama franchises on television,” TNT programming chief Michael Wright said in a statement. “And Falling Skies has begun an ambitious and thrilling story arc this summer as it sets the stage for next year’s climactic final season.”

Link to the full article:‘Falling Skies’ Final Season — ‘Major Crimes’ and ‘Last Ship’ Renewed | TVLine



My thoughts: None of these renewals come as much of a surprise to me, because as far as I can tell, the ratings for Major Crimes, The Last Ship and Falling Skies all look pretty good for TNT's standards. That being said, in terms of these renewals, the renewal that I'm the most excited about is Major Crimes' since I recently got hooked on watching that show. I think it's a really great show in terms of the writing and the acting on the show, especially when it comes to Mary McDonnell, who is the main reason why I started watching Major Crimes in the first place. Both Mary McDonnell's acting and her character on Battlestar Galactica (Laura Roslin) were always one of my favorite things about that show, and Battlestar Galactica was the first thing that I ever saw her in, but I digress.

I've always watched Falling Skies rather casually, and I still haven't watched The Last Ship, but I want to. I'm still hoping that TNT will renew Dallas and Perception for a fourth season, but the ratings for both of those shows have looked a bit worrisome this season from where I'm standing. That being said, I really am excited about this news, and it always makes me happy to see good TV shows do well.

Dallas: Melinda Clarke to Play Recast of Tracey McKay in the Second Half of Season 3

According to Dallas Decoder's Chris B., Melinda Clarke has been cast as Tracey McKay, who was one of Bobby's girlfriends from the original series. Clarke will appear in the second half of Dallas' third season, which resumes Monday,  August 18. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Tracey was introduced during the original “Dallas’s” 12th season and was played by Beth Toussaint. The character is the daughter of Ewing rival Carter McKay, played by George Kennedy, and was briefly romanced by Bobby (Patrick Duffy), but the affair ended when he tangled with Tracey’s drug-dealing brother Tommy, played by J. Eddie Peck. Tracey briefly returned to the series the following season when Tommy was killed off.

This season, TNT’s “Dallas” introduced Carter’s grandson Hunter (Fran Kranz), a childhood friend of John Ross and Christopher’s who is secretly helping Nicolas (Juan Pablo Di Pace) with his scheme against the Ewings.

Link to the full article:Melinda Clarke to Play Tracey McKay on Dallas – Dallas Decoder



My thoughts: I absolutely loved Melinda Clarke when she was on The O.C., so I'm definitely excited about the fact that she'll be appearing on Dallas. That being said, I do think it's kind of weird that they're a recasting a character that was introduced on the original series instead of just having Beth Toussaint reprise the role. Although, after looking at Toussaint's IMDb page, it looks like she retired from acting after appearing on The Young and the Restless back in 2006, so I suppose it's possible that the producers approached Toussaint about appearing on the show and she declined the offer. Honestly, I have no idea whether or not she was even approached by the producers.

That's just my theory as to why the producers decided to recast the role of Tracey McKay though. I think it's odd that the producers were willing to recast the role of Tracey when they haven't recast any of the other characters from the original series, such as Pamela, when it's public knowledge that Victoria Principal has refused to appear on the show. Maybe the producers didn't think that they could get away with it without upsetting the fans since Victoria Principal was very popular with fans of the original series and the fans had already been very vocal about wanting her to appear on the new series.

I know that fans of the original series might not be too happy about the producers' decision to bring the character Tracey McKay back for the new series, only to recast the role with a different actress. However, since I've seen very little of the original series and none of what I have seen of the original series was from the point in the series in which Beth Toussaint was on the show, it doesn't really bother me all that much that they've recast the role. Personally, I'm really excited about this news and I'm glad that the producers appear to be creating some new drama for Bobby and Ann that doesn't ultimately stem from Ann's past like they have done throughout the series at this point.

Yes, I know that Bobby has gotten upset with Ann for keeping things regarding her past a secret from him, and I do think that he has a right to be upset to a certain extant. However, it really bugged me when Bobby lashed out at Ann for shutting him out at times when he himself has done the same thing to her at times throughout the series. For example, he kept the fact that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer for a little while when the series began and he also didn't really tell her what he was up to when he was carrying out J.R.'s master plan back in season two. Given that he briefly kept those things a secret from Ann, I think that makes Bobby a major hypocrite for getting mad at her for keeping secrets from him. However, that has created some major drama on the show, and drama is always good on a show like Dallas. That being said, it will be interesting to see what brings Tracey back into Bobby's life and how it will impact his marriage to Ann. Regardless of what happens with this plot development, I'm definitely in favor of pretty much anything that can take potential screen time away from Christopher/Jesse Metcalfe. I've always thought that Melinda Clarke was a very talented actress, so I'm sure that she'll do a great job playing the role.

Dallas: Scoop on the future of John Ross and Pamela's marriage in the second half of season 3 from TVLine's Matt Webb Mitovich

Here's some scoop on Dallas from this week's (Posted on 5/14/14) Matt's Inside Line column.

Do you have any scoop yet on the next half of Dallas Season 3? Will Pamela get back at John Ross? –Taylor
“She’s definitely out for me,” Josh Henderson assures. “It’s been a beautiful roller coaster between her and John Ross so far, and it comes to a head pretty quickly. Once we pick back up, it gets pretty nasty.” (Speaking of “the nasty,” Henderson shared this anecdote about reading the midseason finale’s threesome scene for the first time: “I was actually pretty nervous. I was like, I’ve never done this in real life, so this is going to be ‘interesting.’ But we had fun with it, and the audience went nuts!” IOW, I think I just got an exclusive on the limits of Josh’s romantic history.)

Link to the full article:‘Agents of SHIELD’ Season 2 Director Coulson Spoilers — ‘Once Upon a Time’ - TVLine

Dallas: Episode 3x08 "Where There's Smoke" Promo (Season 3 Mid-season Finale)

Here's a promo for next week's season 3 mid-season finale, episode 3x08 "Where There's Smoke". It looks like this is going to be another awesome episode. :)

Dallas: Didn’t anyone ever tell you that denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, John Ross? (My thoughts on episode 3x06 “Like Father, Like Son)

Right off the bat, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. The biggest highlight of this episode for me personally would be all of the scenes featuring John Ross, who spent the episode desperately trying to keep the Arctic lease deal alive by scheming with various people throughout the course of the episode. His primary strategy was to suggest to Christopher, Bobby, Pamela and Sue Ellen that they take Ewing Global public. He originally got the idea from an old friend of his, Hunter McKay, and Nicolas, who both told him that they became rich by originally buying controlling interest in a company, so John Ross set out to do the same thing. He thought that he had managed to get enough support from Nicolas, Pamela and Sue Ellen, but when the time came to vote Sue Ellen voted against taking the company public, so his plan ultimately failed.

If that wasn’t enough trouble for John Ross to deal with, Sue Ellen continued to tell John Ross that he was acting just like J.R. by cheating on Pamela with Emma and his secretary Candice, but he made it clear to her that there was nothing going with Candice. Candice did try to make a move on John Ross at one point in the episode though, but he rejected her advances. Throughout the episode he repeatedly told Sue Ellen that he’s not J.R., but personally his attempts to convince her that he’s not just like J.R. were about as convincing as Jim Parsons’ attempt to convince everybody that he’s not Sheldon when he was hosting Saturday Night Live, which weren’t even the tiniest bit convincing. After all, in his opening monologue he talked a lot about how he’s nothing like his character on The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper. He even sang a song about how he’s not Sheldon, where the lyrics consisted primarily of him singing “I’m not that guy” over and over, only to act just like Sheldon in pretty much every sketch that he appeared in throughout the episode. I’m now convinced that Jim Parsons is pretty much just being himself when he’s playing Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, which in my mind shows that despite all of the awards that he’s either won or been nominated for, he has a very limited range in terms of his acting ability. That really makes me wonder what will happen with Jim Parsons’ acting career once The Big Bang Theory eventually ends, but I digress.

Speaking of bad acting and characters that annoy the hell out of me, while I’m willing to admit that for the past several episodes Christopher hadn’t been annoying me nearly as much as he did last season, he unfortunately found a whole new way to annoy the hell out of me that didn’t even involve him talking or threatening to have someone sent to jail in this episode. Towards the beginning of the episode, Bobby told John Ross that he was giving his shares in Ewing Global to Christopher, because now that he’s serving as the interim Texas railroad commissioner regulations dictate that he can’t own any shares in a company. What made Christopher so annoying in that scene is the way that he stood in the background with an incredibly obnoxious smirk on his face the entire time Bobby was telling John Ross this.

Dallas: Episode 3x06 "Like Father, Like Son" Promo

Here's a promo for next week's episode, episode 3x06 "Like Father, Like Son". It looks like this is going to be another awesome episode. :)

Dallas: Casting related scoop from E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos

Here's some scoop on Dallas from Kristin Dos Santos' Spoiler Chat column, which was posted on 3/10/14.

Jacob: You guys should give more Dallas spoilers.
Ask and you shall receive. Prepare to meet one of our new favorite returning characters: Walter is a ruggedly handsome CIA black ops security contractor who has seen-it-all and willing to share his expertise with our gang.

Link to the full article:Spoiler Chat: Scoop on Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Good Wife and More! | E! Online

Dallas (TNT Series): Good news, Everybody! The Ewings are back, and they are more scandalous than ever before (My thoughts on episode 3x01 “The Return”)

Right off the bat, I’d like to say that I found the season three premiere somewhat challenging to review. That’s not because I thought the season premiere was bad, it’s actually a very good episode in my opinion. What makes this episode particularly challenging for me to review is the fact that I feel like this episode was primarily providing exposition for season three instead of simply diving right into the action and having the show hit the ground running like the writers did with the season two premiere.

I don’t view that as a bad thing at all though. My main complaint with the season two premiere was actually that even for a show that typically moves at a pretty fast pace, the season two premiere seemed to move too quickly for its own good, especially when it comes to how they handled the reveal of Ann’s secret and how it effected Sue Ellen’s life as well. Because the writers seemed to be moving really fast with the events that took place in the season two premiere, as a viewer I felt like I wasn’t being given a chance to take everything in and process what was happening from an emotional standpoint, which was a little frustrating at times and was one of the contributing factors in terms of why I found the reveal of Ann’s secret so underwhelming and disappointing. There was also the fact that Ann’s secret was simply just rather lame. However, Brenda Strong’s acting in that episode as well as season two as a whole definitely helped make up for the lameness regarding the details of Ann’s past that were revealed last season, but I digress.

In terms of my thoughts on the season three premiere itself, I found it refreshing that the writers really used the entire season premiere to move forward from the events of the season two finale and set things up for season three. One of the things that I was really glad to see was the fact that the writers specifically established how much time had passed since the events of the season finale unlike the season two premiere where they played fast and loose with how they handled the passage of time. For example, Ewing Energies was completely up and running and yet Pamela was no longer visibly pregnant. However, I just wrote off the whole thing with Pamela not looking pregnant for roughly the first third of the season as something the writers did since John Ross and Pamela had several romantic scenes during that portion of the season. However, while they did a mini time jump in this episode, they did start out the episode by picking up right where they left off with John Ross and Emma meeting with each other at a hotel so that Emma could give John Ross some files that belonged to Harris, followed by them having sex. After the theme song, the show jumped ahead twelve hours.

Dallas: "Love Triangle" Behind the Scenes Video

Here's the "Love Triangle" behind the scenes video that gives a preview of what will be happening with the Pamela/John Ross/Emma love triangle in season 3 of Dallas. I'm really excited to see what happens next with that in season 3, especially after watching this video. :)

Dallas: Scoop on the future of the Pamela/John Ross/Emma love triangle in season 3 from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams

Here's some scoop on Dallas from TVGuide's Natalie Abrams' Mega Buzz column, which was posted on 2/4/14.

I still can't believe John Ross cheated on Pamela with Emma so soon after they eloped! Where do things stand on the new season of Dallas? — James
Things will still be hot and heavy between John Ross and Pamela... and between John Ross and Emma. Playa! However, it won't take long for someone to catch on to John Ross' infidelity. But it's not the new Mrs. Ewing who is suspicious, but rather a former Mrs. Ewing, if you catch my drift.

Link to the full article:Mega Buzz: House of Cards' New Season, a Blacklist Affair and New Vampire Hatred - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com