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Friday, June 22, 2012

Burn Notice - Gabrielle Anwar Interview


Burn Notice airs on Thursdays at 9/8 C on USA Network.

Note:  This interview contains slight spoilers for upcoming episodes.  I will update this post once I receive the official transcript.

Fiona Glenanne is one of TV's strongest female characters.  An ex-IRA bomber living with her CIA boyfriend, Fiona is an integral part of Miami's best crime-fighting quartet.  Last season saw big changes for the show and Fiona when she turned herself into the US government on charges of murder in an embassy bombing.  Gabrielle Anwar, who plays Fiona, called in to discuss how these changes affect Fi and the benefits and challenges of playing a character with such a vibrant personality.

Anwar is very grateful for the role of Fiona, especially since her character is often forced to create different aliases to infiltrate crime rings.  She finds it refreshing to play different people although the accents can be difficult.  Her favorite undercover persona was playing the stereotypical dumb Jersey girl a few seasons ago.  Recently she played a woman from Boston, which was a particularly hard accent to get right.  In the last episode they shot (6.08 or 6.09 she thinks) Fiona goes undercover as a mobster which is her favorite persona this season.  So yes spoiler hounds, Fiona is out of prison before the midseason break.  She also promises some romantic and emotionally charged scenes as a result.  Although Anwar was a bit cagey about revealing any major spoilers, she did allow that the CIA does have a purpose for Fiona much to Fi's chagrin. 

In disappointing news, there are no current plans to bring Fiona's back story into the CIA entanglement or to make a Fiona-focused movie like the Sam Axe one last year.  At least not to Anwar's knowledge although she would love to have an episode where Fiona goes back to Ireland.  She has an entire concept of Fiona coming from a wealthy family, which may not necessarily match creator Matt Nix's vision.  While Anwar does enjoy the enigmatic quality about Fiona's story, she thinks seeing a slice of Fi's life outside of Miami would be interesting.  Anwar would also like Fi to relax a little more although she thinks Fiona has been mellowing a tiny bit more each season.  Anwar joked, "Lowering her hem lines have somewhat calmed her a bit."

Anwar loves that Fiona is a strong female in a man's world.  She appreciates her impatience, intolerance, disdain of men on many levels, and her erratic and uncontrollable nature.  In fact she says that "all the things that are considered negative about a person are the things I love most about Fiona."  Anwar admits to having Fiona's impatience herself.  This translates in doing a lot of her own stunts because it eliminates coordinating on a tight schedule.  Her philosophy is "just teach me to do it and let's go."  Anwar appreciates that Fiona has remained a strong character and thinks TV has some fabulous female roles, especially with Homeland and The Good Wife.  She finds it "incredibly exciting and refreshing" that good women are being represented on TV.

Incarcerating Fiona was a bold move on the part of Burn Notice and Anwar thinks fans will see Fi maturing because of the experience.  She more keenly realizes the significance of people like Michael and Sam who have become her family.  Just like most, she sometimes takes them for granted and prison stresses their importance to her.  Although prison makes it more difficult for her to communicate with them, she does find a way to connect by trading favors and general resourcefulness.  She has more access to the outside world than people might think.  Fiona also has to adjust to the high female ratio.  For someone who spends the majority of her time in male company, it is difficult for her to develop relationships with other inmates.  Anwar thinks the show is subtly tapping into an element of distrust between women.  One thing Fi is not concerned about is her new prison style.  She may be a fashionista but prison provides much bigger issues for her than rocking the orange jumpsuit.  While Fiona finds jail a challenging change, Anwar actually wanted her to stay in a bit longer.  The best part was the phenomenal shooting schedule.  Anwar basically shot scenes one day a week, which allowed her to spend more time with her children. 

Another element of the incarceration plot line is the forced separation of Michael and Fiona.  Citing her own feelings about her children as an example, Anwar believes Fiona and Michael would sacrifice anything for each other.  Their commitment and devotion to each other make the sacrifice of her life and freedom for Michael believable.  Sacrifice in true love strikes a chord in Anwar, who believes that when people truly love each other they do things not out of duty to the other person but because they themselves feel compelled to give everything.  Still Anwar does not see Michael and Fiona settling down and having kids.  Fi thrives on the unconventional and doesn't like to define things.  Fiona simply wants them to be together without the shadow of the CIA or FBI.  Learning in the interview that the title sequence officially changed Fi's status from ex-girlfriend to girlfriend flustered Anwar.

Playing Fiona can be a challenge - the biggest of which is running in heels.  According to Anwar, her little toes "retired in season 2."   She isn't sure how you learn it but she considers running in heels to be an incredible skill, one to add to her resume︠.  Her background as a dancer might help.  She originally started in the dancing program at school but switched to the drama department after sustaining an injury.  She finds acting to be a lot less demanding than dancing was but the pain is comparable when "running around in bloody heels."  Another difficulty in playing Fiona is her tendency to shoot first.  Anwar has no formal weapons training although she did go shoot some bigger weapons in the beginning to get used to how heavy they are.  She finds holding a gun disconcerting because she is an ardent pacifist.  Knowing she is holding something that could potentially kill someone always throws her for a loop. 

On set, her difficulty lies in keeping a straight face.  Bruce Campbell in particular is always funny - "unparalled" as Anwar puts it.  She spends hours a day on set with him and still finds herself reading his tweets at night.  She admires his phenomenal humor.  Still it is a male-dominated set so while she gravitates toward dramatic scenes where they can show emotional vulnerability, the guys really get into the action scenes.  It can get a bit overwhelming for her.  So while they are getting giddy like 10 year olds over an explosion scene or when stunts take over the day, she sits with the girls and talks about shoes and things.  The male-female divide sporadically comes up in the scripts too, as she occasionally questions whether a woman would say something like "douche bag."  While they do improvise at times, they stay closely to the script if the scene is pertinent to the plot.  As far as guest stars are concerned, she has nothing but good things to say about them.  There is no one in particular she would like to see guest in the future but she loves how guests infuse the cast and crew with fresh blood.

When predicting Burn Notice's future, Anwar believes there are several great spy ideas around, so the writers will never run out of plot lines.  She appreciates the 6 year run and thinks they still have more seasons in them.  Originally she didn't think the pilot would even be picked up due to the phenomenally small percentage of pilots that actually make it on air.  Once picked up, she wasn't sure she could survive the intense Miami party scene that accompanied her pilot shoot.  She compares Miami to Las Vegas - always a party somewhere, but she has settled in nicely.  She follows the Miami Heat and tweets from their games.

See more of Fiona's adventures on Burn Notice - Thursdays 9/8C on USA Network.  


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Monday, June 18, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1P - Polls



Important Announcement - Please Read:
The Best Show Competition  starts tomorrow on SpoilerTV so we will be taking a hiatus from this contest until it concludes. Once the Best Show is crowned, we will start round two in our search for the Ultimate SPN Episode. I greatly encourage you to participate in the Best Show contest and to get out the word to as many sites as possible. The show that wins will be the show that has the most websites encouraging their fans to vote. Supernatural has won 2 years in a row and that means we have a huge target on our back. Whether we win or lose doesn't matter as much as getting the positive buzz out about Supernatural to people who have never watched it. So use the comments to talk up the show and always play nice. In the past, we have gotten many people to try our little show that could.

Today we end round 1 so perfect timing for our little break. Round 1 has seen some tight races, celebrations when favorites have moved on to round 2, and unfortunately disappointment when episodes were voted off too soon. Mostly though it's been fun sharing opinions and remembering favorite scenes. I can't wait to continue the conversation in round 2. Episodes heading to round 2 include In My Time of Dying by the biggest margin yet (almost 94%), When the Levee Breaks, Heaven and Hell, and Hello, Cruel World. Leaving the contest are Family Remains, Bloodlust (awww), Everybody Loves a Clown (41% of the votes), and Sam, Interrupted. Quote nominations today come from the incomparable Mystery Spot and Jus in Bello - two of the finest episodes around. A nomination form for season 3 has been added below in case you missed any episodes. Also always comments are a big slice of pie and happy voting!

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Season 3 Nominations for the Ultimate Supernatural Quote Contest

We are looking to do a major contest of the best Supernatural quotes this year and we need your nominations. Please make sure you put it in the correct episode and please tell which character said it if you remember. For example, in the Pilot box I would put Dean: "Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole." This makes it easier to tabulate nominations. Thanks for all your great nominations and remember that comments are lovely.

















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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1O - Polls


Today we head into the final leg of round 1. After the rounds today and tomorrow, we will advance to round 2. Speaking of round 2, Survival of the Fittest, It's a Terrible Life, Meet the New Boss, and Clap Your Hands if You Believe are moving on. In a tight race, Dream a Little Dream of Me was beaten by only 11 votes and reluctantly leaves the contest. Other episodes booted include Houses of the Holy, Malleus Maleficarum, and Repo Man. Prediction wise I was at 75% again, having predicted Repo Man would take Clap Your Hands if You Believe. Today's contest may see the biggest blow out yet as Family Remains goes up against the giant In My Time of Dying. Happy voting and don't forget to nominate your favorite quotes from Malleus Maleficarum and Dream a Little Dream of Me.


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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1N - Polls



Lots of great discussion in our last round, which I'm sure will be carried into round two. Heading to round 2 will be The French Mistake, Reading is Fundamental, Slash Fiction, and All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1. Leaving the contest are Playthings, Wishful Thinking (by a mere 7 votes), Provenance, and Family Matters. While being an okay day for my prediction list (called Wishful Thinking poll wrong but rest right), it was a miserable day for my episode picks. Today looks to be better. Don't forget to nominate your favorite quotes from Fresh Blood and A Very SPN Christmas. One of my favorite quotes of all time gets nominated today. "You fudgin' touch me again, I'll fudgin' kill you." Simply classic! Happy voting!

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Friday, June 15, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1M - Polls


Yesterday's polls seemed to be difficult if the comments were any indication. Unfortunately some favorites will be leaving the contest early. Moving on to round 2 will be What is and What Should Never Be, Asylum, Faith, and Plucky Pennywhistle's Magic Menagerie. Headed off for a SPN afterlife are Red Sky at Morning, Nightshifter (46.62% of the vote), Dead in the Water, and After School Special. I will miss Nightshifter and Dead in the Water, both of which unfortunately got an unlucky draw. I wish I could say today would be an easier vote but for me it is not. Pitting one of my favorite season 7 episodes against one of my favorite season 1 episodes sucks out loud. I hope it's an easier vote for you. Don't forget to nominate your favorite quotes from Bedtime Stories and Red Sky at Night. Happy voting!

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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1L - Polls



Round 1K was very easy for most people and the results bore that out. Lazarus Rising has now received the biggest percent of the votes this contest with 92.74%. It surpassed All Hell Breaks Loose 2 which received 92% of its vote. Winning by a landslide were Lazarus Rising, In the Beginning, and Appointment in Samarra. Skin also joins round 2 beating out Good God Y'All which had 41% of the votes. Other episodes leaving the contest include Of Grave Importance, Free to be You and Me, and 99 Problems.

Today's vote includes 5 of my all time favorite episodes. Unfortunately 4 of them are going against each other. Suffice to say, whatever happens I will be feeling the loss tomorrow - cursed ranking system. I hope it will be easier for you. I refuse to vote in these 2 polls. On a happier note, our quotes nominations are up to Bad Day at Black Rock, one of the funniest SPN episodes, and Sin City, one of the most underrated ones. If you missed out nominating any episode from seasons 1 and 2, please click on the links below for the nomination forms for the whole season. As always comments are love and happy voting!

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1K - Polls


It was another close round with 2 Minutes to Midnight and Death Takes a Holiday battling it out to the end. Winning by only 7 votes, 2 Minutes to Midnight advances to round 2 along with Lucifer Rising, Crossroad Blues, and Weekend at Bobby's. The latter all won their rounds handily. Leaving the contest is of course Death Takes a Holiday (such a shame), No Exit, The Benders, and Wendigo. Thus far I'm batting 100% on the second half of round 1 predictions and not too shabby on my picks either. I'm sure that will change. Today we have some of my favorite episodes so it will be easy for me. I hope you feel so too. We also start season 3 quotes nominations so break out your demon fighting tools and grab the flamethrower for the changelings. It's The Magnificent Seven and The Kids are Alright today.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1J - Polls


Yesterday's polls marked easy wins for A Very Supernatural Christmas, The Usual Suspects, Something Wicked, and Time After Time. They all advance to round 2. Leaving the contest are Exile on Main St., Fresh Blood, The Mentalists, and The Curious Case of Dean Winchester. The closest one was Fresh Blood with % of the vote. Today's poll has an wide variety of episodes so it should be interesting.

We're taking another small break in our quotes nominations since we have finished season 2 and I need to watch 23 episodes of Castle in 2 days. Today is all about what ideas you have for future polls. So get your great ideas ready and we'll see what we can do. I will try to post a list of contests we have already done. If you've already mentioned a poll idea, please feel free to nominate it anyway. I have written several suggestions down but this way I won't have missed something. They can be big ideas like the episode contest we are currently doing or smaller one-shot contests. Whatever you think would be fun to do here. You can nominate 1 idea or up to 10. If you have more than 10, please tell me in the comment section so I can add them. In fact, please share all of your ideas in the comments. It makes things more fun. As always, happy voting!

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1 - I - Polls


Round 1H saw the end of the first half of round 1, with another upset victory albeit not as exciting as the round before. Folsom Prison Blues (#76) knocked out It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester (#53). ItGP,SW received 41.51% of the vote. My predictions for the round were 100% as the following episodes advance to round 2: The End, Folsom Prison Blues, The Pilot, and My Bloody Valentine. Leaving the contest is Hollywood Babylon, It's the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, and Hammer of the Gods.

Today we start on the other half of the contest where at least one poll should be a major blow out and another one very, very close. We might have a nail biter win again. We are also closing out season 2 in our quotes nominations with All Hell Breaks Loose parts 1 and 2. Definitely powerful episodes. Don't forget to comment below and happy voting!

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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1H - Polls


Round 1G included the closest poll of the contest so far. Flip flopping numerous times for the lead, in the end Monster Movie defeated Caged Heat by only 3 votes. It was also the first major upset of the tournament since Caged Heat came into the contest at #37 while Monster Movie came in at #92. Today may also see an upset vote as 4 episodes no one's really talking about are competing against each other. I of course am rooting for the underdogs. Proceeding to round 2 are All Hell Breaks Loose 2 (with a whopping 92% of the vote - largest so far), Sympathy for the Devil, Dark Side of the Moon, and Monster Movie. Leaving the competition are Jump the Shark, Party On Garth, Phantom Traveler, and Caged Heat.

After rallying after a miss with My Heart Will Go On, Monster Movie is the second episode I called wrong in my predictions so far. (Not that I mind in this case.) That puts me at 26 out of 28 right in predictions. Of course only 15 of the episodes I've voted for have won, so not near as good of a record there. In today's quote nominations we have Folsom Prison Blues, which coincidentally is also in today's poll, and What is and What Should Never Be, my favorite episode. WiaWSNB is also one of the few that I have completely transcribed every word so I'm good on quotes today. Happy voting and nominating! And don't forget, comments are like a last minute win over evil. They get everyone stoked and cheering.

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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Contest - My Predictions

Before the contest started I made predictions of how each poll would play out. So far I am doing well, having predicted all but one. These are those predictions and boy was I wrong at the end. I did pretty well in teh first 3 rounds but round 4 and on kicked my butt.

Moving on to round 2 - Death's Door, Heart, Frontierland, Home, No Rest for the Wicked, Scarecrow, Bad Day at Black Rock, Yellow Fever, Mystery Spot, The Man Who Would be King, Devil's Trap, On the Head of a Pin, Swan Song, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Abandon All Hope, My Heart Will Go On, Changing Channels, Simon Said, Croatoan, Jus in Bello, The Born-Again Identity, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Girl with the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo, The Monster at the End of This Book, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2, Sympathy for the Devil, Dark Side of the Moon, Caged Heat, The End, Folsom Prison Blues, The Pilot, My Bloody Valentine, A Very Supernatural Christmas, The Usual Suspects, Something Wicked, Time After Time, Lucifer Rising, Crossroad Blues, Weekend at Bobby's, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Lazarus Rising, In the Beginning, Appointment in Samara, Skin, What is and What Should Never Be, Asylum, Faith, Plucky Pennywhistle's Magic Menagerie, The French Mistake, Wishful Thinking, Slash Fiction, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1, Survival of the Fittest, It's a Terrible Life, Meet the New Boss, Repo Man, In my Time of Dying, When the Levee Breaks, Heaven and Hell, Hello Cruel World, Born Under a Bad Sign, And Then There Were None, Point of No Return, and Tall Tales

Moving on to round 3 - Death's Door, Frontierland, No Rest for the Wicked, Bad Day at Black Rock, Mystery Spot, On the Head of a Pin, Swan Song, Abandon All Hope, Changing Channels, Jus in Bello, The Born-Again Identity, The Girl with the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2, Dark Side of the Moon, The End, The Pilot, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Time After Time, Lucifer Rising, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Lazarus Rising, Skin, What is and What Should Never Be, Faith, The French Mistake, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1, Survival of the Fittest, Meet the New Boss, In My Time of Dying, Hello Cruel World, Born Under a Bad Sign, and Tall Tales

Moving on to round 4 - Death's Door, Bad Day at Black Rock, Mystery Spot, Swan Song, Changing Channels, The Girl with the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo, All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2, The End, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Lucifer Rising, Lazarus Rising, What is and What Should Never Be, The French Mistake, Meet the New Boss, In My Time of Dying, and Born Under a Bad Sign

Moving on to round 5 - Death's Door, Mystery Spot, Changing Channels, The End, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Lazarus Rising, The French Mistake, and In My Time of Dying

Moving on to round 6 - Mystery Spot, The End, A Very Supernatural Christmas, The French Mistake

Finals - The End, A Very Supernatural Christmas

Winner - The End

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1G - Polls


With the exception of I Know What You Did Last Summer vs. How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters (which lost by a mere 12 votes), all polls were a cakewalk last round. The Born-Again Identity, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Girl with the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo, and The Monster at the End of This Book are heading into round 2. Apparently long titles are winners! Leaving the contest are The Rapture, How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters, Two and a Half Men, and Like a Virgin. I am sorry to see How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters go, but we push on today with episodes I think people will like better. Well at least one of them.

In quotes nominations we have Heart and Hollywood Babylon, two episodes as different as can be. Remember that you can nominate quotes for past episodes at any time. Just click on the link for the season 1 or 2 nomination forms below. Happy voting and comments are like a great classic rock song. Spread the love.


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Burn Notice - 6.01 - Scorched Earth - Preview


Burn Notice season 6 premieres on 
Thursday, June 14 on the USA Network at 9/8C.

From explosions to intense character drama, one thing is sure - the season 6 premiere of Burn Notice does not disappoint. Picking up where season 5 ended, Fiona is taken into custody and processed. She is facing possible prosecution for 3 counts of capital murder, but Michael is the one falling apart. In one of the most intense emotional scenes of the series, Michael reads the letter Fiona wrote him. Sam finds him in the Charger on the side of the road and Michael accuses Sam of letting Fiona go. Things are tense with the best friends as Sam later admits that he and Fiona staged her "escape" and that tension lasts throughout much of the episode. As Sam tries to convince Michael that Fiona did the right thing by turning herself in before Michael lost sight of who he was, Michael yells, "I was fighting for her." Brokenly he asks, " What do I do now Sam? What do I do?" Sam tells him to fight harder and that's exactly what Michael does. It's not a secret that I thought season 5 was subpar. However the premiere of season 6 has exactly what season 5 lacked - a Michael on a mission hellbent to restore order to his life. Not even in season 1 when he was trying to find out who burned him has Michael been so determined. He will get Fi out of prison or die trying. In other words, Michael Westen is back folks and heaven help the person who stands in his way this time.

Anson Fullerton is target #1, and Jesse has a lead on him. As Sam explains that Anson is heading for the boat docks presumably to flee, Michael slams on the brakes of the Charger and nearly concusses Sam. A Michael this focused worries Sam and he asks what the plan is. Michael: ""He's the reason why I lost Fi. What do you think the plan is?" Usually methodical and logical, this Michael has been pushed too far. He has no patience with bureaucracy, doesn't want to talk things through and even shoots at a civilian to make his point. It's a fascinating look at the character and bodes well for an intense season 6. In other good news, Fiona has her share of drama too, Maddie rocks even when in danger, and one of my favorite Burn Notice characters comes back. It completely shocked me and I hope it is a season long arc. This episode has something for every Burn Notice fan and is an impressive way to kick off a promising season 6.

Favorite lines (in no particular order):

"We both know that you didn't kill Larry Sizemore because you were suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to provide free security for the British Consulate."
Michael: "You'll never convince me that Fiona giving herself up was the right thing to do. Never." Sam: "Well that's why we didn't ask you."
"Believe it or not. We're the good guys."
"I hope that this business relationship that you have with Michael is worth it because from the way it looks, you're going to die for him."
"I'm going to hunt you down and I'm going to kill you."
"I'd hate for you to lose Fiona and your mommy on the same day."
"I know explosions, I know Michael, and I know that we're done here."
"There's the good guy patch."
"What about Fiona. Is it as bad as the news is saying?" "It's worse."
"Your statement is interesting Ms. Glenanne. Some of it even fits with what we know. Here's the problem. Your story is missing a main character."

What I Learned:

Old trucks are easier to steal than new ones
Speed and sharp turns cause accidents
Manhunts are all about the number of people available
The CIA has some nifty gadgets
Never, ever take something Michael loves away from him

Don't forget to watch Burn Notice on Thursday, June 14 on the USA Network at 9/8C. It's going to be quite the ride!

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Friday, June 8, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1F - Polls


In Round 1E, it was a very good day for solid mytharc episodes. Heading to round 2 will be Changing Channels, Simon Said, Croatoan, and Jus in Bello. We say goodbye to Sex and Violence, Live Free or Twihard (44% of the vote), Dead Man's Blood, and Nightmare. Today should prove a bit harder for most. After a slip up in the last round, my predictions were back to 100% but depending on who shows up to vote, I could be facing my biggest prediction flub today. This one's packed with divisive episodes.

Quotes nominations start again. Today we have Tall Tales and Roadkill. Tall Tales is particularly filled with quotables. Should be interesting to see which ones are the favorites. I'm also starting a new list of future poll suggestions since the one from midseason has relocated to places unknown. If you have ideas, please include them in the comments. This time I'm computerizing the list so I can't lose it. :-) As always, spreading the word and commenting are the salt and holy water of the internet. Happy voting!

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1E - Polls


Another round done and four more episodes advance to round 2 easily: Swan Song, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Abandon All Hope, and The Song Remains the Same. What didn't remain the same was my perfect prediction record. I went with My Heart Will Go On instead. That makes me 15 out of 16 now, but there may be a close vote today too. Episodes leaving the contest include: The Real Ghostbusters, Shadow (which had 38% of the vote), The Kids are Alright, and My Heart Will Go On. So sorry to say goodbye to TKAA already.

Today we are taking a small break from our Favorite Quotes nominations to nominate your favorite episode title. You DO NOT have to like the episode, just its name. This nomination form will stay open for one week and we will do the actual poll towards the end of the summer. Happy voting, nominating, and commenting!

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1D - Polls


Round 1C is done and I'm still at 100% in predictions. Today will see that record tested big time since for the first time there is a poll I am unsure about. It could go either way. As for yesterday, it was basically a blow out for all the winners. Moving on to round 2 are Mystery Spot, The Man Who Would Be King, Devil's Trap, and On the Head of a Pin. Leaving the contest are Ghostfacers, You Can't Handle the Truth, Are You There God? It's Me Dean Winchester, and Mommy Dearest. The closest contender was Are You There God? It's Me Dean Winchester with 36.5%

We are moving right along in our quotes nominations. Today is Houses of the Holy and Born Under a Bad Sign. Below is a link to the season 1 and 2 quote nomination forms so feel free to nominate your quotes for past episodes at any time. However, tomorrow we will take a little break from quotes because I need to watch all of season 7 in 2 days for the podcast. Tomorrow we will be nominating our favorite episode titles. This in no way means that you think the episode was good. Just that you liked the title. In fact, some of my least favorite episodes have the greatest titles. Unlike the quotes nominations, the episode title nomination will open tomorrow and then close after a week. I hope everyone finds this a fun little break. Now on to the show. Happy voting and don't forget to leave a comment below.

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Supernatural - Ultimate Episode Round 1C - Polls

4 more episodes have made it to round 2, all easily. The closest vote was Scarecrow vs There Will Be Blood, the latter having less than 39% of the vote. So No Rest for the Wicked, Scarecrow, Bad Day at Black Rock (which got a whopping 89% of the vote), and Yellow Fever move on. We say goodbye to Time is On My Side, There Will Be Blood, Out with the Old (or the new in this case), and The Devil You Know. Prediction wise, I'm still at 100% and I don't think the next round will change that.

Today we have 2 of my favorite episodes and 2 of my all-time worse. I predict 3 of them will move on to the next round. Ghostfacers will say goodbye. So what is your choice? Happy voting!

List of episodes in contest
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Season 1 Quote Nominations Form
Season 2 Quote Nominations Form















Screencaps by Home of the Nutty

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Season 2 Nominations for the Ultimate Supernatural Quote Contest

We are looking to do a major contest of the best Supernatural quotes this year and we need your nominations. Please make sure you put it in the correct episode and please tell which character said it if you remember. For example, in the Pilot box I would put Dean: "Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole." This makes it easier to tabulate nominations. Thanks for all your great nominations and remember that comments are lovely.
























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Royal Pains - Mark Feuerstein Interview



Royal Pains is about concierge doctor Hank Lawson, who works with both the rich and the working class in the Hamptons, along with his brother and business manager Evan and their friend and colleague Divya, as they save people and build the Hank Med business . Its fourth season premieres on Wednesday, June 6 at 9/8 central on the USA Network. Mark Feuerstein who plays Hank took time out to talk about upcoming events for Hank and the show in general. Feuerstein came off as gracious, humble, warm, witty, and in need of a few hundred more Twitter followers. Get on that Royal Pains fans. You can find him @markfeuerstein where he loves to reach out to the show's fans, whom he described as articulate, witty, lovely people. He used to be in his own acting bubble but social media has allowed him explore and express his own voice, which he hopes will be funny.


Feuerstein started the conversation thanking fans who have supported him and the show and sharing the tidbit that the Evan character was originally supposed to be his best friend not his brother. However the two actors looked similar enough that they changed it. Since the major season 3 cliffhanger saw the brothers dissolving their business partnership, much of the interview explored how the split would affect Hank, Evan, and Hank Med in general. Essentially Evan will be busy creating Hank Med 2.0 with new doctors while Hank tries to piece together the remains of his work. Feuerstein felt this was an interesting story line because business partners in real life often have issues when it comes to growing/changing the business. His father is actually a corporate lawyer who deals with "business divorce" regularly. Since Hank often defines himself by his work, the transition is particularly hard for him. He's still working with patients but now he has to think about things that Evan normally took care of too. For instance, at one point a potential client asks Hank for a pamphlet about the business but Hank doesn't have one. Hank would rather deal strictly with patients but he's forced to look at the business side more because of the split. Although he feels "a little out to sea," Hank's all about succeeding in a challenge.

From Feuerstein's perspective, Evan is right that the business needs to grow. You have to actively search for clients instead of hoping someone will come to you. However Hank is a purist. He doesn't see why Evan is pushing to spend time on promotion when they could be saving someone's life or making someone feel better. Both brothers suffer a bit from tunnel vision when they really need both perspectives. While Feuerstein won't say who gets Divya in the divorce, he does say that both brothers woo her to work with them. It will be a major story point in the beginning of season 4. In the end, he believes the brothers will overcome their differences and be more mature and productive because of the schism. He hopes in the future they can create a new work relationship based on trust and respect. In the meantime, the separation allows Hank to explore life outside of the Hank Med structure. Evan's relationship with Paige is a foil to examine his own life as a whole.

Feuerstein was open about future guest stars and some of the medical cases they face in season 4. Ashley Williams, whom he worked with on Good Morning Miami, will play Sydney, the manager of the Blackstone Club. It's a very elite country club based off the real Stone Club in the Hamptons. A large part of Sydney's job is catering to the members' needs but she starts having trouble recognizing people's faces. It's a condition commonly called face blind and puts her job in jeopardy. Judy Greer will also star as a matchmaker born with 2 hearts. When those hearts begin beating out of rhythm, she becomes Hank's client but she also decides to make Hank one of her clients. She fixes him up with a woman played by Kat Foster. Another potential romance for Dr. Hank will come through Boris' world. While Hank has seen the medical and personal aspects of Boris' life, this season he is pulled into the sociopolitical and socioeconomic worlds as well. Things get more global and intriging as Hank is slowly immersed in the mysterious Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz world. He also meets on of Boris' business cohorts named Dmitri who has an interesting medical condition.

One guest star who will not be back in the foreseeable future is JoAnna Garcia who played Dr. Nina Greene, the specialist who treated Hank's friend Jack. Feuerstein "can't say enough nice things about her" and hopes that Garcia's schedule will allow her to come back in the future. He ran into her recently and she complimented his wife's TV pilot. Garcia's husband is Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees. The day after they lost the World Series he came to the set and spent hours signing baseballs for all of the cast and crew.

Other guests will include recurring guest Henry Winkler who plays their father. Feuerstein is always "over the moon" when Winkler guests because he brings a smile and great warmth. He feels lucky to know someone who is such a talented man, actor, person, writer, and human being. Winkler will continue to be involved with Ms. Newberg and helps Evan grow his business. Ben Shenkman will also join a multiple episode arc as Dr. Jeremiah Sacani, a brilliant doctor with terrible people skills. The character is named after Christine Sacani who is a line producer on the show. Feuerstein was jealous because he nailed a speech with more medical jargon than has ever been on the show. "I want to get to say all those big fat words."

Speaking of medical jargon, Feuerstein says he sometimes goes over those monologues for 5 days to make sure he can say the words fluently so he sounds like he understands what they mean. He is not gifted with a photographic memory so it takes a lot of preparation. It must work because occasionally people mistake him for a real doctor. His parents have a house in the Hamptons and he was at an event for ovarian cancer research when a woman approached him. She had been stung by a wasp and started explaining her symptoms. Feuerstein got her a glass of water while her husband calmed her down, remarking that she must be genuinely delirious if she though a TV actor could actually do something to help. Feuerstein assured that if actually presented with a real emergency, he would be the first person yelling, "Is there a doctor in the house?"


Season 3 contained more emotional scenes for Feuerstein especially with the death of friend Jack O'Malley, played by Tom Cavanagh. He found it easy to show his care for the character because of his friendship with Cavanagh. To prepare as an actor for the aftermath of Jack's death, he thought about Cavanagh's 3 kids. Thinking about children growing up without their father put him into the right mindset for the scenes. He thought Jack's death was a brave move on the writers' part. For 3 years Hank had a perfect medical record but that doesn't happen in real life. Letting a main guest star die that not only Hank but also the audience was emotionally invested in added a gravitas to the profession and helped sell the authenticity of the show.

Currently Feuerstein is in production to direct another episode. He just picked a location for a bar scene and is in the process of casting a thug for that scene. He'd also like to enlist an executive from USA Network to be in the episode. He thinks it would be fun for an executive to see how things actually go on set. Feuerstein previously directed last season's My Back to the Future. He is grateful the USA Network and Royal Pains producers trust him to bring his own vision to the show and for opening the door to a possible new career. He loves how it allows him to delve into the story from multiple perspectives instead of just Hank's. While he describes acting as sometimes being stressful to the point of a heart attack, directing will officially give him a heart attack and "force me to perform open heart surgery on myself." Still he enjoys bringing more of himself to the table and having the authority to choose the images he wants to tell the story and to pick what jokes get in, etc. He loved how My Back to the Future had so much going on. He was able to incorporate a car crash, a fake funeral, and bad back shtick. His favorite was the slow motion shots of Evan putting on Dr. Van Dyke's coat before they went into a client's home. He also got to include many former guest stars in the funeral shot so that was a lot of fun.

There are many former guest stars he would love to come back, all of them in fact. He dreams of having a Hank Med anniversary party where everyone who has ever been a client would attend, although the agent logistics would be a nightmare. He would particularly like to have the Big Show from the WWE back. He originally played a client with zinc poisoning. While shooting the season premiere in Georgia, Feuerstein ran into a fan who watched that episode and noticed her father had similar symptoms. She took him to the doctor and found out she was right. Other guest stars he would like to work with again include Constance Zimmer, Jennifer Fearon, David Harbour, Callie Thorne, and several others. He also tweeted that he'd love to have Sarah Shahi from Fairly Legal join them. The medical field is so litigious that he could see her character visiting the Hamptons right as Hank Med got into legal trouble. He also did a play with Gabriel Macht from Suits and would love to work with him again. In fact, he thinks the USA Network is the perfect place for crossovers. All USA shows speak a similar language and take place in similar well-dressed settings. Ideally they could have a crossover USA movie, which Feuerstein described as The Avengers meets the USA Network. They already did crossover promos so who knows.

Don't forget to check out the season 4 premiere of Royal Pains on Wednesday, June 6 at 9/8 central on the USA Network. Oh and if you have Twitter, give @markfeuerstein a follow.

Screen caps by StarpulseJudy Greer's Fans, and Spot on Long Island.