List: The 8 Great Returning Shows

Yes, 8 is an odd number to count down...well, anything - but with the new US TV season starting this week, I've profiled the 8 returning shows, that have me in a current frenzy anticipating their return. So here goes:

8. American Horror Story (Season 2)

FX- 17.10.12

Officially titled American Horror Story: Asylum, creator Ryan Murphy opted for the second season scare-fest to be a completely separate affair to what was offered last year. This time, the setting is, of course, a mental asylum, detailing the various goings-on with both the patients and the staff within its 1950s setting. Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Zachary Quinto who all had roles in the first series will return as completely new characters, with details only revealing that they will play the “opposite” of who they portrayed last year. They will be joined by newcomers Chloe Sevigny, Jenna Dewan and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, along with a host of others.

7. Modern Family (Season 4)

ABC- 26.9.12

Ratings and critical killer Modern Family returns to ABC at the end of September, with big changes about to emerge. With the heart-breaking scene at the end of season 3 in which Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) had finally had enough of the stress of trying to have another baby with partner Cam (Eric Stonestreet), Gloria (Sofia Vergara) announced that she was pregnant with her second child. Being a huge comedic success I’m anxious to know how it’ll play out…as it’s been announced that the entire first episode will revolve around Gloria breaking the news to the extended family. There are sure to be fireworks, both of the good, and the awful kind.

6. 30 Rock Season 7

NBC- 4.10.12

Liz and co. will be talking their final bow in December, after the show finishes its short and sweet 7^th and last season. 30 Rock can easily be called by many (including me) one of the best contemporary American sitcoms of the last 10 years, loosely based on creator and star Tina Fey’s early experience’s as an ex-head writer for the now ironically unfunny Saturday Night Live. The show returned mid-season in early 2012 and the signs that the show was standing on its last legs were imminent, due to the fact that it had lost so much of the spark and wit it carried in it's earlier seasons. Nevertheless, it’ll be sad to see Lemon and Donaghy part ways for good.

Until a film adaptation is announced.

5. Parks and Recreation Season 5

NBC- 20.9.12

Golden Leslie Knope returns for a full length fifth season on Thursday the 20^th with a changing setting taking place for the cast. As Ben (Adam Scott) heads for Washington and Andy (Chris Pratt) hints at joining the police force, Knope will be taking her newly elected position in City Council when the show returns. Parks & Recreation has struggled to obtain a large viewership since its inception, but with its small yet devoted fanbase, NBC has given one of the funniest shows on television chance after chance as it rightfully deserves. Both Lucy Lawless and comedian Jon Glaser have been tapped for guest roles this season, with the latter playing Leslie’s new nemesis within her role in Office.

4. Revenge Season 2

ABC- 30.9.12

Although I named Revenge “the show Gossip Girl wishes it was” may have seemed harsh, it is also incredibly true. The surprise hit of last year, moves into the coveted Sunday night slot once occupied by Desperate Housewives. Styled as an appropriation of The Count of Monte Cristo, the series follows Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) and her subtle and extremely personal quest for vengeance. Many questions were left unanswered at the end of the first season, ready to be unfolded bit by bit over 22 episodes starting on the 30^th of September. While it has been revealed that Emily’s mother is very much alive, the role that she’ll play this season remains completely unknown. It would even be completely unsurprising if she had her own manipulative plans for Miss Thorne herself.

3. Scandal

ABC- 27.9.12

You know what (rhetorical) question I’m gonna ask...yet I'm gonna say it anyway: “Who Is Quinn Perkins?” Scandal, fronted by Kerry Washington and created by Grey’s Anatomy and TV juggernaut Shonda Rhimes left us all wondering last season who the hell the woman Olivia had invited to work alongside of truly is. Washington’s character, Olivia Pope, serves as the head of a crisis management firm, dealing with minimising political scandals in and out of the White House. 7 episodes were shown on ABC earlier this Summer, completely proving that less is more; as each episode flowed smoothly and concisely, without any waffle or unnecessary plot turns. More TV shows need to learn from this.

2. Happy Endings Season 3

ABC- 26.10.12

The most underrated sitcom returns towards the end of October for its third outing. At the beginning of the last season, the show was dubbed “The Year of Penny”, as an ode to the hilarious show standout Penny Hartz. As the dreaded and inevitable “love triangle” started to rear its head earlier this year, one can only hope that Happy Endings writers can tackle the cliché sitcom go-to the only way Happy Endings should…by making overt and unsubtle references to ‘Friends’.

Although it is one of my favourites, the fact that it’ll air the same time as the universally adored New Girl worries me. This better not be the last season already.

1. X Factor Season 2

Fox- 12.9.12

Judge me. Judge me all you want, but I’m not even gonna lie and say I’m not looking forward to seeing you-know-who on the judging panel this week. Did I watch it last year? No. But this is soon to change. A third of people I speak to about the upcoming season say they’ll watch it because they love Ms. Spears, the second say she’s a mess which is exactly why they’ll watch, and the third don’t care…but are gonna watch it anyway. Having been on reality TV overload last year, I completely neglected the first season of the show. But with the addition of Britney and Demi on the judging panel, it’s sure to be must-see-TV. 

NBC Thinks It's 2002

Christina Aguilera at the 'Blind Auditions' for The Voice Season 3
and Britney Spears at the first open auditions for The X Factor Season 2

Two of the most eagerly anticipated reality television shows will be making their return when the US TV season kicks off next week, and dirty tricks are being played before either show has even aired.

News has recently arrived that those at NBC have decided to air its sleeper success 'The Voice', with judges Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee-Lo Green and Christina Aguilera directly against the second season of Fox’s 'The X Factor', with judges Simon Cowell and L.A Reid along with new additions Demi Lovato and Britney Spears. Originally, the former was to reappear on Monday the 10^th over two nights, but a third has now been added, airing on Wednesday 12^th at 8pm. The same as The X Factor. Although it still remains unknown whether or not further episodes will air against each other, I think it's safe to say this won't be the last time either.

Those that are pretending that NBC did so because of the similarity between the two shows can drop it, as it’s a move that has obviously been calculated because of who is sitting in the judges seats this year. It also ties into age old conflicts of women being pitted against each other unnecessarily within the music industry...and the media industry in general. NBC is embarrassingly trying to reignite an old tabloid rivalry between Aguilera and Spears; one that hasn’t existed for years and one that neither star pays attention to. Both 'The X Factor' and 'The Voice' could easily have co-existed together on separate nights which would have meant that both networks, as well as the fans would win. 

l-r: Reid, Spears, Lovato & Cowell at the
Fox Upfronts in May 2012

'The X Factor' debuted last September with just over 12 million viewers, falling drastically short of Simon Cowell’s original statement that anything under 20 million would be “disappointing”. Meanwhile, 'The Voice' which is entering its 3^rd season has continued to grow since its inception, with its Season 2 Super Bowl lead-in watched by 37 million viewers, and subsequent auditions averaging at around 15 million viewers an episode. Cowell has spoken out against the move, reportedly stating that "this is a cynical, cold-hearted, unprofessional way of doing business", calling out NBC as being unfair towards judges on both sides, as well as its viewers.

While I remain doubtful that this kind of sudden move would’ve occurred between two male judges that have had a long history, the final thing I will point out is that NBC could’ve potentially shot themselves in the foot with this. The buzz of Britney Spears joining the panel for The X Factor seems unprecedented, as interviews and fluid promotional material from the artist has been few and far between since 2007, and to see the star on unscripted (and later) live television is a huge deal for many people. Only time will tell which show this season has fared better. But I know what I’ll be watching more of. 

The [Celebrity] Apprentice- Season 5/12 (TV Series)

Just over a week ago, real-estate mogul Donald Trump found his fifth Celebrity Apprentice in former talk show host and comedian Arsenio Hall, with season 2 American Idol runner up Clay Aiken forced to take second place once again. Having been the first season of Celebrity Apprentice, as well as the first American version of the show I have ever watched, the 15-episode series has been entertaining, and melodramatic to say the least.

This season featured 18 participants, featuring the likes of magician Penn Juilette, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, and former Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, among others. For those who don’t know, the format is as follows: the celebrities are split up into two teams and given a task (often tying in with an existing brand) to help raise money for charity. A project leader is appointed amongst the teams, who takes control and has the final say as to how their groups approach the various tasks. The winning team is either the team that raises the most money, or the team that client likes the most and sometimes both. The losing team however is sent to the boardroom with Trump, where one is fired. Simple.

Well actually…not really. With so many celebrities and therefore so many egos at play, The Celebrity Apprentice has been one of my favourite shows to watch this season. Donald and co. put these 18 faces through their paces, and then forced them to speak their mind on their various teammates in the boardroom, often creating fireworks in the process. It would even be safe to say some of the best moments all season have taken place within the boardroom, with comedienne Lisa Lampenelli losing her temper as well as her mind a number of times, as well as various heated showdowns between Arsenio Hall and former Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day, culminating in the latter to temporarily walk off the show.

It’ll be a long wait until the next season of The Celebrity Apprentice, but after being gripped to my TV screen from February to May watching the show unfold, it’ll definitely be worth it.

A

Key Episodes: Hero Worship, Failure To Launch, Walking Papers

Haley Reinhart- 'Listen Up!' (album)

Haley Reinhart said she felt “at ease” with the fact that she finished in third place on last year’s 'American Idol'. That easy, breezy temperament and calm attitude that twenty-one year old Haley possessed during her season shines throughout her debut album ‘Listen Up!’.

Haley Reinhart grew from the underrated underdog to a fan favourite during her time on Idol, performing stellar cover versions of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ Elton John’s ‘Benny and the Jets’ and Gaga’s ‘You and I’ before it was even released. Travelling down a number of different musical avenues in front of the camera and the judges I had no idea what to expect when I heard she was signed to Interscope records, the same label as the eventual winner in the same season, Scotty McCreery.

The album is a jazzy throwback that’s part Dusty Springfield, part female Cee-Lo Green, which isn’t a style that is unheard of today, although magically the album is able to stand out and separate itself as a great filler-free piece from a former Idol contestant.  ‘Listen Up!’ hits you in the face with its opening track ‘Oh My!’ featuring B.O.B, who connects with Reinhart perfectly despite their distinctly different musical styles. Reinhart’s fantastic voice takes us through ten tracks about the good (Now That You’re Here) the bad (Wasted Tears, Undone) and the messy (Free, Liar) sides of a relationship; you hear the power in her voice in the good, the desperation in the bad, and the quizzical yet confident in the messy.

ETA: Reinhart is the third non-winner of Idol’s tenth season to release a full album, after runner-up Lauren Alaina, and overall Haley she should be happy and at ease with the fact that she came third. If not, we might not have had this great album.

B+

Key Tracks: Oh My!, Free, Undone

Where Are All The Dark Skinned Women?

If a number of you were asked to name some of the top selling, and most successful music artists at the moment, the names Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna would spring to mind for most. Those that would name these three specifically might also come to say that music, and pop music especially is currently dominated by black artists such as these aforementioned women, and maybe even rank them among the most attractive women in the industry. In fact, Beyoncé herself was recently crowned 'People' magazines “world’s most beautiful woman”, also appearing on the cover.

Rihanna and Battleship co-star Brooklyn Decker

But what stuck out to me was the appearance of Miss Knowles…sorry, Mrs. Carter, on the last issue, looking incredibly light on the cover…and not in the form of weight. Similarly at various press conferences for Rihanna’s first feature film Battleship, the Bajan superstar looked incredibly pale in skin tone, appearing to almost be the same colour as her all-white cast mates. I wondered if it was just me who thought this, but various others on the bloggersphere pointed out that if you covered her face, you wouldn’t be able to tell that that one: the woman in the picture is Rihanna, and two: if she is even remotely black.

Photo retouching, more specifically, retouching a black celebrity’s skin tone such as Beyonce’s to look lighter sadly is nothing new to most of us, as it’s something that is consistently done, to which I think is in part, to make these black beauties appeal to a universal audience, fearing that a darker woman might alienate parts of the public. It also leads me to believe that dark skinned black women are often seen “lesser than”, and often demonised because of their skin tone, with a large number of darker women being cast in Reality TV shows, often being portrayed as, surprise surprise, the bitch (think Tiffany “New York” Pollard, and Omarosa). In fact, on a season 2 episode of Tyra Banks’ competition America’s Next Top Model, she stated during the judging panel section of the show that she has noticed that a number of black women hate to be made darker in photo shoots, referring to a contestant who appeared unhappy to portray performer Grace Jones in a celebrity themed challenge.

Many come to blame the lighting or the “photoshopping” of an image that makes their favourite star look the way they do. However, there are cases in which neither of these are plausible excuses. Which brings me directly to Kimberly Denise Jones, aka Lil' Kim.

 Lil' Kim in 1999 (left) and again in 2012 (right) 

It is blatantly obvious to see the transformation that Lil' Kim has made aesthetically over the years. Kim recently appeared on "BET's Rip The Runway" in which she performed a medley of tracks, in front of a live audience. However, I couldn't believe that the woman standing front centre of the stage was Lil' Kim herself, as the MC appeared to have much lighter skin, an incredibly narrow nose, and very fair hair, looking nothing like the "Hard Core" rapper from the 90s. 

For someone who is often called one of the pioneers of hip-hop, a genre that is in large dominated by men, it is incredibly worrying to see someone transform themselves to the extent to which she has done. It sends out a terrible message that in order to be a successful female within the music industry, and maybe even as a woman in general, there is something unnatural or unattractive about having darker skin. One artist set to change that is Harlem, New York rapstress Azealia Banks, who has found both critical and commercial success, without feeling the need to appear lighter or fairer than she naturally is. 

Similarly with Missy Elliott set to release a new album in June, along with Dawn Richard (an artist who herself has commented on the isolation of being one of very few darker skinned singers) releasing more music soon, it appears as if this may not always be the case within the music industry. 

I for one sincerely hope this isn't.

It's On Like Aubrey-Kong: Aubrey O'Day vs. Arsenio Hall in 'The Celebrity Apprentice'

Normally I only do reviews for music and films but I wanted to take the time to write about something I feel quite passionate about, and I think I will continue to do this every time I get the inspiration to.

For anyone who watched the latest episode of The Celebrity Apprentice from across the pond was sure to have seen some incredible fireworks in its 3 hour drama piece. After the first elimination the teams were switched up, leaving the female team ‘Forte’ forced to interact with the male team ‘Unanimous’.

Now let’s cut to the chase: a bitter argument erupted between contestants Aubrey O’Day and Arsenio Hall, after Hall stated that O’Day tried to take credit for something in the task she didn’t do. It resulted in Hall, as well as other team members labelling Aubrey as “not a team player”, and agreeing that if the team lose the challenge, Aubrey should be fired.  By some miracle Hall’s team, to which he was the project manager for, actually won the task. But as the winning group went back to the lounge to watch the rest of the show unfold, visibly emotional Aubrey decided not to follow her team, opting to take the lift out of Trump Towers, seemingly eliminating herself from the show in the process.

Arsenio Hall

I have a number of problems with both contestants, although I must say, Aubrey is- or was my favourite out of the remaining cast members. Hall has had it out for O’Day for a while, as he previously described her as “so self-righteous” and that it was no surprise that Diddy ended up firing her from her former girl group Danity Kane. But what’s funny is that a number of things O’Day was called out on during this episode were very reminiscent of her final days within Danity Kane itself. There are two main reasons as to why she got the boot. One: because of her “raunchy” image, and two: the seemingly disrespectful way in which she spoke to Diddy. Furthermore, Diddy’s last words before she was ousted from the quintet were “I didn’t work these amount of years to have you disrespect me” to which you can faintly hear Aubrey say “I’m not meaning to disrespect you”, which may show that Aubrey herself, hasn’t found the tactful way of being the opinionated woman she proclaims to be, without causing offense or disrespect to others.

Meanwhile on The Celebrity Apprentice, it should be noted that a number of contestants have had their personal feelings get in the way of what should be about business. Aubrey herself has been named a bully by some, in reference to treatment of her team mate and former Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, whose accent she frequently imitates, while also referring to the car the group has to ride around in the “cool van”. Although O’Day later cleared up her "cool van" comments, as well as the way she sees Dayana, some are sceptical about whether she should be representing the charity she does, which is GLSEN- The Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which is hoping to eradicate bullying others solely on their sexual orientation. However, Hall is also guilty of making personal comments to his now team member O’Day, by hinting that she shouldn’t even be on the show, as he "googled her and a naked picture of her with a gut popped up", while allegedly referring to her as a w**** and a c*** to other cast members.

Aubrey O'Day

I’ve come to realise that a large part as to why Aubrey is treated the way she is, (as well as every person in the limelight to an extent), comes down to the fact that people define her by her image. If she didn't possess such a buxom figure and a heavily-made up face she would not receive the treatment she does, and people would actually take notice of the fact that she is a talented singer, songwriter and dancer. What I’m trying to say is that it is difficult for a lot of people to take O’Day seriously as an intelligent, creative and opinionated woman when she looks the way that she does. It is a fact that Aubrey, along with former team members comedian Lisa Lampanelli and 80s singer Debbie Gibson were often the three members of the team who did the heavy lifting so to speak, as far as creating and developing various tasks, to which everyone can vouch for.

Although The Celebrity Apprentice is a reality show, which by nature must include a certain amount of entertainment and drama, it is also a place were great celebrity minds are supposed to come together as a team to raise money for charity. Trump must have seen something in all 18 original members of the current 12^th season good enough to represent themselves articulately and professionally, as well as representing their respective charities.

Maybe it is just clever editing but who knows? The reality of reality television is that scenarios are chopped, changed, and edited to make things look one way or another. Close former team member Lampanelli called out the NBC network for its clever editing of the scenario, stating that “the stuff they cut out of the boardroom was disgusting,” and that it will “all come out.”

As for anyone that thinks that I am taking sides, I am not. Both Hall and O’Day neither 100% in the right or wrong for their actions, but IF Aubrey does decide to come back, there is no reason why she can’t be humble along with being the opinionated, creative, and intelligent woman she is.