I’m such a sucker for period pieces, especially those that feature Oscar-winning costumes and amazing actresses like Emily Blunt.  Give me a period piece that includes both some history and a love story, and I’m compeltely gone. 

Going into this movie, I thought I knew a little about Queen Victoria, only to realize as I was watching it that I didn’t.  Her name is everywhere in London, as is her husband’s, Albert, not to mention the British Columbian city that, growing up in Seattle, I visited quite a bit.  The whole regency thing felt vaguely familiar, but apparently Hollywood’s ability to teach me history is more impacting than a textbook or museum plaque.  Go figure.

While I enjoyed learning about her life and the fascinating family/political relationships that affected her from such a young age, it was her relationship with German-born Prince Albert that drove the story forward.  I felt so bad for both of them, the way they were “guided,” more like controlled, by their family and advisors.  How would that feel to be so surrounded by people and yet feel terribly alone?  You could see how they understood each other from the start.  Of course that understanding grows into something more, something almost palpable it’s so strong.  But, like all real couple, loving each other is not as easy as it seems when you’re faced with the realities and difficulties of daily life.

Before I give away too much, go rent this now that it’s on DVD.  It will not disappoint.

Great second episode.  A real growing experience for all of the characters.  Of course we all know that they’re going to get some kind of custody but it was still hard to watch them go through the process.  I think about Cate and how she just barely let her fiance fully into her life.  How hard would that be to suddenly without any sort of warning have a 16 year old show up your door.  And not just any 16 year old.  Your daughter.  Wild.

And then there’s Baze.  Talk about not in the daddy mode.  And his girlfriend leaves too.  To be honest I’m not so sure he cared about his girlfriend leaving too much but he definitely wasn’t thinking about raising a teenager.  Did you feel super sorry for him though when he was told he couldn’t have Lux live with him?  I was heartbroken for him but truthfully he has some growing up to do.

I wonder if this is the last time we’re going to see Lux’s friend.  I was so devastated when she had to go back to the girl’s home.  But is it better for her to be living with her boyfriend at 16?  Thankfully it’s not my decision to make.  I secretly hoped that Cate would foster her too but that’s kind of asking a lot of Cate.

Still totally enamored with this show.  I can’t wait to see where it goes.  How was the second episode for you?

Life Unexpected is on Mondays at 9:00pm on The CW.

I really enjoyed this episode.  I was skeptical of it because it has the girl who played Lana Lang from Smallville and I really grew to hate her on that show so I was afraid that would carry into her character here.  It didn’t.  She was charming and sweet and just what Chuck needs.  It will be fun to see her play into the Buy More crowd.

Poor Morgan getting glued to a chair.  It would suck to work with that group of hooligans.  They have no moral code so anything goes.  I did love that Casey got behind weeding out the insurgents for Morgan.

I also loved that Chuck went on his first solo mission and even though he did get help he did it his way.  Nice twist with the stewardess.  Though the airline really should think about bolting their shelves to the wall.  It only seems logical.

Man, this show just makes me feel good.  What do you think about Chuck’s new love interest?

Chuck is on Mondays at 8:00pm on NBC.

Wow.  What an episode.  I was so moved by Migdalia’s struggle to deal with her emotions.  I have a similar struggle but not to that extent.  I couldn’t believe how angry she got and how she just wouldn’t talk.  She could have said anything but she couldn’t handle how it made her feel so she completely shut down.  When she was thinking of quitting because of this my heart just broke for her.

I was so proud of her mom though for telling her she needs to open up and work with Jillian.  That must have been a hard thing to do but she did it.  She was so encouraging when they were sitting at the table.  What a great mom.

I was mad at Bob though because he told Jillian to be mean and tough and then went in and totally ignored everything Jillian was fighting for and just told her to come back.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad she’s staying but I felt like he could have at least encouraged her in a gentle way to express her feeling and not bottle them up.

And what about Michael.  He was totally messing around.  I’m so mad at him for having so little motivation to change his life.  He thought he had a pass this week but that came back to bite him in the butt.  Ridiculous.

What happened at the end?  Holy crap.  Melissa only loses one pound.  And then both Bob and Jillian jump all over her.  I thought it was awesome but how is next week going to be in the gym?  I thought she got caught in a lie two weeks in a row but she was too proud to admit it.  It’s been done in the past.  We’ve seen it before.  Everyone knows what’s going on.  Just fess up.

What do you think?  Did Melissa throw the weigh in?

The Biggest Loser is on Tuesdays at 8:00pm on NBC.

I miss Carla (Turk’s wife).  Having Turk talk to her on the phone just made me want her to come on the show.  Jordan showed up last week why can’t Carla show up?

I just assumed it was Cole who cheated.  I never suspected Lucy.  She seems so straight arrow.  I guess the pressure just got to her.  I did love how Cole was like, I pretty much own this place so I don’t care what kind of grades I get.  What a jerk.

I was not expecting to find out Drew was married.  That came from left field but I’m glad Denise could look past it.  I really like them together.

I was really happy to see Catalina from My Name is Earl playing one of the patients.  I love it when my TV families meld together.

I was really skeptical of this season at the beginning but it’s coming together for me.  Maybe I just love Scrubs so much that I’m willing to take what I get.  I don’t how.  How are you feeling about it?

Scrubs is on Tuesdays at 9:00pm on ABC.

I am so sorry that Leonard and Sheldon got robbed but so glad they did.  But I’m getting ahead of myself here.  How can I forget the Mobster sauce.  It can’t have little bits of mobster in it because it was listed under seafood.  And the chicken dish that either the chef lost faith in or he lost faith in himself.  I love Sheldon.

So back to the robbery.  When Sheldon went screaming back into his room I assumed it was for some kind of action figure or other comic memorabilia.  I was almost right.  They didn’t steal his comic books.  Sigh of relief.

Can you believe that alarm system they put in.  Of course we know it going to go horribly awry but it was still funny to see Sheldon twitching on the floor.  ”I am no longer the master of my own bladder.”

Two weeks in a row totally hilarious shows.  I hope they keep up this momentum.  Were you dying when Sheldon told the police to monitor the science journals for the thieves?

The Big Bang Theory is on Mondays at 9:30pm on CBS.

I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to this show.  It was touted as Gilmore Girls meets Juno.  Awesome.   I can’t think of a better pairing.  And you know what.  It delivered.

So the story goes… A 15 year old girl gets pregnant and puts the baby up for adoption.  She never tells the dad so he assumed she got and abortion.  Turns out the baby has a hole in her heart so no one will adopt her.  She gets passed around from foster home to foster home.  She’s pretty jaded.  Doesn’t trust anyone.

The show starts with her trying to get emancipated at 15 turning 16 very soon.  Problem is her birth parents never singed over their rights so she has to get their signatures in order to do it.  She goes and finds them and that’s where the show gets good.

Remember in Gilmore Girls when Rory slept with a married Dean?  How can you forget?  I know.  It was devastating.  Well there’s one of those moments here where the birth parents who are both in relationships sleep with each other.  They decide it was a mistake and go back to their lives but I can’t help being disappointed in them.  Especially since the mom was getting engaged.

I’m willing to forgive this though because I think the show has amazing potential.  It’s shot beautifully and the characters are really interesting and I already care about what happens to them.

If you didn’t catch if Monday it’s being shown again tonight, Wednesday, at 8pm on The CW.  Did anyone else catch this?  What did you think?

Life Unexpected is on Mondays at 9pm on The CW.

I loved that Awesome got pulled into the spy world.  It was nice to see someone bumbling around worst than Chuck.

One of my favorite scenes is when Awesome is trying to lie to Ellie.  There was this bear and he decapitated it with his bare hands.  All the while Chuck is mouthing, “Keep it simple.”

I’m curious about this new guy.  Superman from the recent movies.  I wonder how long he’s going to stay or if this was a one shot deal like the chick spy.

I’m happy to see Morgan getting ahead in his life.  Assistant Manager.  And he handles it well.  The fight club was a little predictable but I did enjoy the electrified cage.

This is just a feel good show with bits of violence thrown in.  What could be better?

Chuck is on Mondays at 9pm on NBC.

Well, I’m split on this episode.  I was so mad that Phil would even think of blaming his son for what he himself did.  That’s super low.  I know it totally fits his character but I’m mad at him for that.

And that dog.  Can you believe Jay was calling it a piece of art.  I did love when he told Gloria the dog couldn’t be in the guest bedroom because he (the dog) worked for them.  I wouldn’t want that thing in my house either and was thoroughly entertained by Gloria’s repulsion of it.  I loved the scenes where Jay was expressing his love for Gloria while he was holding the dog’s hand and in front of the preacher.

I love Cam.  I love that he has no bounds to his big heart.  I love that he ended up throwing a wedding in his living room for his gardner.  How funny was it that they even had an archway?

Not my favorite episode but certainly funny.  What did you think?

Modern Family is on Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC.

I loved the walkie talkies with Turk and JD.  It was totally perfect that they both shut themselves in cabinets (what were those things?) at the end.

I was a little sad to see JD again because I had written him off but just seeing his crib was funny enough to make me forget.

I guess Jordan can come back intermittently because she’s on another ABC show (Cougar Town).  That makes me happy.  I was really missing her.  And I love that Lucy discovered that Jordan is the tough one in the relationship.  Did I mention that I really miss Jordan?

I wonder when Elliot is going to have her baby?  Did any of you go on a babymoon?

Scrubs is on Tuesdays at 9pm on ABC.

Did you see how thin that balance beam was they had to walk across?  I’m amazed any of them even finished the challenge.  It would have been ridiculously hard for me to do and I’m not carrying around 100 extra pounds.

When Maria fell down my initial reaction was that it couldn’t have been that bad but wow, she really got hurt.  I was shocked at how much blood was coming out of her.  Knowing that she was injured I was amazed at how much weight she lost.  Incredible.

And I guess Maria was a main focus of the show this week but if she was really that scared of water, which it sure seemed like she was, doggy paddling across the pool is crazy.  I don’t know how much time they were actually in the pool before she did that but it was less than a day at least.  That’s a huge thing to do.

It came to the end and I didn’t really care again who went home.  It sure seems like Patti really took care of everyone though.  And I saw that her goal was to be off her meds by the finale and have no diabetes.  That would be awesome.  I like that she’s looking at it from a health point of view.

Any favorites yet?

The Biggest Loser is on Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.

OK, I watched this episode twice I thought it was so funny.  The addition of Bernadette to the show is just perfect.  I love that she says what she’s thinking no matter how inappropriate it might be.  When her and Wolowitz were making out in the back seat and she said, “Sliding into third.”  I just about peed my pants.  What makes it even funnier is that Leonard actually turned around to see.  He did catch himself though and had a disgusted look on his face when he faced forward again.

I don’t know what to think about Penny and Leonard.  If Leonard was willing to go to the psychic Penny should have been willing to read the book.  That didn’t seem very fair to me but whatever I’m just glad they worked things out.

Then Raj and Sheldon.  Oh my gosh.  This the funniest I’ve seen these two.  How bad did you feel for Raj though that he had to keep giving Sheldon such valuable things just for Sheldon to play along.  ”Hulk is sad.”  I loved seeing Raj finally get a girl but the best part of the whole show was when Sheldon left that girl in his bedroom and went with his Green Lantern Lantern to sleep in Leonard’s room.  Can you imagine what she was thinking?

Awesome episode to kick off with.  I may very well watch it again.  Were you as tickled as I am?

The Big Bang Theory is on Mondays at 9:30 on CBS.

Wow. This episode did not disappoint! Laura and I were chatting before the show aired what the scandal could possibly be, and I have to give her credit for hitting it right on the nose. If you didn’t watch, Rozlyn apparently had a relationship, during the show, with a staff member on the show. That staff member got fired, and Rozlyn was sent home. That’s pretty much the gist of it, but if you want to read about it in more detail, go to Chris Harrison’s blog.

As far as the rest of the episode played out, I just LOVED Ali’s date. Of all the seasons of Bachelor, I think that date wins the “Elaine’s Favorite Date” award. I have been on a small airplane for a date once, and it IS romantic. But, to be flown by your date, looking hot, wearing the “Top Gun” sunglasses, pretty much beats mine. And, (the main reason why it’s my favorite) to end the night with a personal concert by Chicago would be the icing on the cake. They have been my favorite group since I was about 14 years old. So, maybe my husband will read this post, and when we’re rich, he can take me on the date of my dreams. Lucky Ali! (Oh- I can’t forget to mention the absolute cheesiness when they played “On the Wings of Love” and showed them in slo-mo.)

The only 2 bachelorettes I want to comment on are 1) Elizabeth and 2) Michelle. I was a little surprised that someone on The Bachelor would go as far as to tell a guy she doesn’t want to be kissed until she’s the last one. Sleeping together is one thing, but kissing… really? And then, of course, what does she do? She gets alone time, talks to Jake about 6 inches from his face, asks if he wants to kiss her, and (I think) totally rats herself out as being a flirt, tease, and a game player. Anyone who actually has certain standards that they want to keep will do anything but put themselves in the situation to break those standards. Anyway, I really hope Jake can see through the game playing…

And Michelle, Michelle, Michelle… that girl needs to go home. She is way too emotional! I know that she may think Jake’s the one, but a lot of girls, myself included, would not, and should not try and find love this way. I’m not the type who likes competition when it comes to guys. I want to be pursued. And I think a lot of girls feel that way. How can you go against your nature, and try to fight for attention just to possibly be one of the last ones standing? Anyway, clearly, Michelle is not cut out for it. And I’m going to say it again- She needs to go home next week!

If I had to bet, it looks like it’s Vienna who gets sent home… even before the rose ceremony. So, we’ll find out! Oh, and as sad I was for the 2 who went home this week. I’m pretty sure it was Christina’s drunkenness that sealed her fate. Have these girls not learned how completely ridiculous they look and sound when they’re drunk?

I am so glad Chuck is back on.  I’ve really missed this show.  I am super sad for Chuck though that he flunked out of spy school but super happy for me because it would have sucked if Chuck had been a super spy.  It wouldn’t have been as fun as Chuck bumbling around causing problems.

But to walk away from Sarah?!  What was he thinking?  When they showed that scene on the train platform my jaw dropped.  Sarah is his dream girl.  I have trouble believing he wanted to be a spy that badly but I guess he did.

I’m also sad for Morgan for flunking out of Benihana school in Hawaii.  But again, super happy he’s going to be living with Chuck now.

How sad are you that the manager got killed.  He was despicable but I loved him.  I am really going to miss him.

Well, in the end everything got back to normal.  The three of them are  together again.  Just as it should be.

Were you totally stoked that they aired two episodes?

Chuck is on Mondays at 8pm on NBC.

This is the latest book in the Kitty Norville series by Vaughn.  Kitty is a werewolf who runs a radio show that deals with the supernatural.  Because she’s one of the few lycanthropes that have come out she’s kind of a celebrity.  She gets asked to be on a reality tv show where werewolves and vampires and psychics and such will get together and educate the world on the supernatural.  But something’s not quite right.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was pretty predictable but I love vampires and werewolves and such so I still had fun reading it.  And I love that it totally leads into the next book.  This is a great series.

Has anyone checked out his series?

So, this season… let’s face it… is going to be cheesy!! From the first moment they started Jake’s intro, I was laughing out loud! All of the shirtless moments of running, weightlifting, walking on the beach, and pondering in the sunset, coupled with the longest list of overdone “pilot” puns, had me wondering if there was any way I could make it through even the first episode. I know the intros are always cheesy, but have they always been this bad? Maybe I need another episode or two to become numb to it.

So I convinced myself that I may only be watching this season for “entertainment” purposes. Watching some of those girls get out of the limo got ridiculous; half of them brought something along to help them stand out, the other half flaunting their “assets,” including one model who totally posed for the camera as she got out. Hmmm, she’s not here for publicity, is she?

Anyway, while I thought much of it was ridiculous, I was, of course, hooked by the end. The drama that will potentially happen this season has me intrigued. I know they have to come up with new things… but what is it going to be this time? And I’m sure as we see more, I will be rooting for a specific girl or two. I don’t have too much to say at this point. Like many of the reality shows, it takes me a while to find out who my favorites are. I don’t think Vienna will stay long, and Michelle… really? That girl is an emotional roller coaster! One of the girls said it best- it’s good to come here to fall in love, but not if you’re desperate. And clearly Michelle is desperate. I give her one more week.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is the funniest show on network tv.  My husband disagrees and says Community is the funniest and I’ll give him a solid second place for that.  There is something about this family that gets me every time.  Since we haven’t been blogging about it I’ll give you a really quick overview.  The dad has married a younger drop dead gorgeous Columbian woman with a ten year old son.  Then the daughter is married to a really nice moron and has three children.  Teenage years and down.  Then the son and his boyfriend have just adopted a little baby girl named Lily.  So that’s the family.  Hilarity ensues.

Enough with the intro.  I totally loved when Gloria’s ex showed up and swept Jay off of his feet.  How sad to see him heartbroken when Javier doesn’t show up for their man date at the end.  I did like when Javier said “I used to” are the saddest words.  I’m only in my thirties and there are definite “I used to’s” in my life.

Then Phil with his kidney stone.  ”You’ll be all right.”  ”We don’t know that.”  And I just about died when Claire came out of the closet all dolled up for the firemen.  Wearing heels and a low cut blouse with makeup on.  But nothing compares to Phil cavorting with the big busted ladies next door in the hospital.

And then there’s Cam and Mitchell.  Oh my gosh did this bring back memories.  My husband and I fought over Ferberizing our first and it did not end well at the time.  Everyone is great now but man I wish I had those months to do over again.  It’s so hard when one parent is into it and the other isn’t but Mitchell trying to take Cam down while he’s running for Lily will stay with me forever.  Cam and Mitchell are by far my favorite part of this show.  I love them.

So not the funniest episode but still really good.  Where you as shocked as I was that Alex was so excited about the firemen too?

Modern Family is on Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC.

With three shows to blog about I’m obviously not going to get to everything.  Season 9 isn’t nearly as good as the original 8 seasons but it’s growing on me.  I still don’t like Lucy one bit so it’s frustrating that she’s such a vital character but I like everyone around her including Cole.  Does he look familiar to you?  That’s because he’s the little brother of Peter Parker’s (Spiderman) best friend in the recent movies.  Crazy right?  They have the same exact smile.

I actually was happy to see JD go.  Surprising, I know but he wasn’t adding anything to the new format of the show.  He was just reminding me how great it used to be so I’m happy he’s not a main character anymore.  And I’m happy that Turk found a kindred spirit in Denise.  The interviewing process for a new JD was hilarious though.

I really like Drew.  The more and more we learn about him the more I like him.  I’m glad he got to give him White Coats speech after all.  His relationship with Denise is my favorite but it kind of drives me nuts because it’s a replacement for Dr. Cox and Jordan.  Being mean to each other but loving each other at the same time.

I thought it was cute that Turk and Dr Cox were one of the couples highlighted on the show.  As the mom and dad.  And I loved the little saying they made each other say in public about each other.  ”Dr Coxy is so foxy.”  ”Toot toot tooty. Dr Turk’s a cutie.”

I was super mad though at the end when Lucy was laying down rules of what Cole couldn’t say.  Step off.  That’s what makes him awesome.  Just one more reason not to like her.

So my husband thinks because they are showing so many episodes and on different nights (last Friday) that the show is being cancelled.  It wouldn’t surprise me but like I said, the show is growing on me so I’d be sad to see it go.  I couldn’t find any information online that says it is being cancelled but I’m wondering if you’re getting the same vibe?

Scrubs is on Tuesdays at 9pm on ABC.

I’m glad this show is having so much success but I’m a little thrown off by the back to back seasons.  That being said I still enjoy watching the show so it’s not that big a deal.

The show started off with hometown weigh ins which I would imagine would be horrifying.  I didn’t think so at first because their initial weigh ins even at the ranch will be televised and millions of people will watch but I talked to my husband about it and he convinced me that a live audience of your peers would be super intimidating.  At least at the ranch you only see twenty or so people who are all in the same situation that you are.

The first two couples voted off and then given a second chance in a month was no surprise.  Of course they’re not just going to ship off two couples the first day.  It’s hard though when people go home and then come back because I have no attachment to them and therefore don’t really care if they stay or not.

So the half ton twins got split up.  Well, unfortunately that’s all I have to say about that because I’m not attached to anyone yet.  I think it will be a great season and we’ll see some incredible weight loss.

Did you pick any favorites last night?

The Biggest Loser is on Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.

We canceled our cable a few months back and I’ve been on a little bit of a hiatus from television in general.  I’m sorry to my followers who’ve been missing my trashy reviews!  This has given way to an absolute reading frenzy in my household and I thought I’d post a few of my favorites from the last couple of months.

(Just so you’re aware I’ve been really into Ya fiction lately so most of these come from those shelves)

So do you love Shannon Hale as much as me?  My love affair began with Princess Academy, continued with “Book of a Thousand Days,” and hit an all time high with “Austenland”.  I’ve already read the cover off of “Austenland”- buy it, read it, love it.  It’s just as the name implies, for those of us that can’t get enough of Mr. Darcy and anything related to “Pride and Prejudice.”

I finally finished her Books of Bayern.  “Enna Burning” was probably my favorite of the series- Enna being by far my favorite character.  I love a strong female lead and this series has three of them.  This would be a great gift for the teenage girl in your life.  Have you read them?  Who was your favorite character?

I then dove right into “The Actor and the Housewife.”  I know this book has taken some serious critical hits from the mommy world.  I’ll just throw my opinion out there.  I really enjoyed this book- I laughed and I cried.  I didn’t feel like she was having an emotional affair on her husband.  The relationship in this book between the husband and wife, wife and friend, may not work for everyone- but it’s fictitious and it worked for the character Hale presented.  It made me think about my own relationships with the opposite sex- past and present, how they affect my own husband and how his “relationships” affect me.  It made for an enjoyable read, and a good discussion.

Have you read the “Hunger Games” yet?  I hope so, because this next book is one part “Hunger Games”, two parts “Lord of the Flies-” with a little bit of originality thrown in for good measure.  “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner  is the first in a trilogy.  Don’t let that scare you off from reading it- the first book will give you plenty to think about, and is a complete enough story in itself, not to leave you absolutely salivating for the next one.  My dreams have been spinning the last few nights filled with this book.  If I could make one request from the author it would be to see the next book in the series switch perspectives- not that I didn’t love Tom.  The world was just so fascinating that I want another view of it.

Speaking of the “Hunger Games,” I finally finished up Suzanne Collins “The Underland Chronicles.”  I still need to go and check some Q&A’s to see if “The Code of the Claw” was really the last book.  There were just too many questions unanswered in the end to be “the end.”  These would be great reads for the 8-12 year old boy set, and great read-alouds for younger kids.  I enjoyed them too even though the entire time I read them I had a serious case of deja vu.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but they feel like books you’ve read before.

I begin “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” by Carrie Ryan tonight because I’ve been in the mood to curl up with something a little scary after “The Maze Runner.”

Have you read anything good lately?