Comedy, Violence and Drama!

She Said:

Sit-coms generally have a laugh track to prompt you when to laugh. Even if it’s not funny, hearing others laughing tells your brain you should be laughing too. In The Office, there is no laugh track and absolutely NO need for it. The Office is so relatable, hilarious and character driven which makes it one of the best comedies on television today. Like most comedies, it doesn’t appeal to just ONE demographic, college kids, young adults and “office workers” are all very much into The Office.

Episode 2 of Season 4 was a one hour episode that was one of the best episodes I’ve seen yet. I could not keep it together. Watching the breakdown of Michael Scott and the relationship between Angela and Dwight mad me delirious in laughter. The docu-style of The Office lets the viewer see into the Scranton Branch of Dunder-Mifflin like a fly on the wall, but we also have the benefit of one –on-one “confessional” type interviews. We hear and see all that goes on while none of the workers do.

Steve Carell is one of the best out there. In Episode 2 (Dunder-Mifflin Infinity) we finally see the flipped out yelling crazy Steve Carrell we’ve seen in almost every other movie he’s been in. We see Michael Scott at his breaking point—and we love it!!!

If only ALL episodes of The Office were an hour….we’d have 22 minutes more television sin laugh track.



He Said:

The Office is one of my favorite shows on television. The major draw of the show is Steve Carrell, who plays an amazing character, Michael Scott. Scott is a dry, dim-witted goofball of a manager who is able to provide the audience with a big laugh no matter what situation he is in. However, all of the characters play an important role to the show, no matter how little screen time they get. Sometimes, even just the expressions on their faces are enough to send me busting out in laughter. I’m sure almost all of us can find a way to relate to several characters on the show and if you don’t watch I recommend that you do. You will see what we are talking about.

Episode 2 of Season 4 was another terrific episode. This was definitely one of the most memorable episodes for me. I laughed my ass when Michael and Dwight drove into a lake because of the confusion with his GPS device. ‘Nuff said.

She Said:

The Contender:

Do I watch Boxing matches on cable, NO? Do I enjoy watching grown men beat and punch the crap out of each other, NO? Do I watch The Contender on ESPN every ____WEDS? __ Evening, YES!

When a program takes a sport as violent as boxing, makes it into a televised competition and allows the viewer to get into the lives of the athletes it is extremely interesting and entertaining to me. By getting to know these boxers (aka characters) and their attitudes, values and background I feel a connection to them and want to see them perform well or lose badly.

Watching these boxers train is another aspect that shows their determination, athleticism, and of course work ethic. If I see a cocky fighter who is more of a natural fighter vs. the underdog who works hard and fights hard, there is no question that I’m rooting for.

For some reason this season on The Contender I’m also drawn to the three non-American fighters. Sam Solomon is always helping his fellow fighters, he kicked ass, and of course his accent is dreamy. I love Paul Smith because he has a "who gives a crap" attitude and is ANYTHING but pretentious. He also has the scruffy Liverpool feel going on.

In comparison to the Ultimate Fighter on SPIKE TV, the fighters are younger, angrier and crazier. I LOVED The Ultimate Fighter last season and was very connected to the fighters. The day I found myself screaming at Joe Lauzon to get off the ground I realized I had been turned into a fan. Since then when HE and his friends order UFC fights on Pay Per View, instead of going out with the girls, I sit down, have some wine and enjoy the barbaric ass kicking. I’ve also learned how much technique and strength goes into MMA fighting. It may be barbaric, but it takes a lot of skill, strength and confidence.

This season, I’m not quite hooked on the Ultimate Fighter. No one has stuck out to me, expect Joey who quit because he’s a wimp and he’ll never fight again—OH WELL, so we’ll have to check on that as the season progresses……




He Said:

The Contender:

I have been watching boxing since I was about 7, so I would consider myself a fan and amateur analyst. The Contender has been great for the sport in my opinion. By no means are these fighters capable of handling top-ranked fighters but I give credit to Sugar Ray and the rest of the producers who were able to get a nice pool of quality fighters. In past seasons, I was not too impressed with the talent brought onto the show. What is great about the contender is that it brings us into the lives of several fighters competing for a hefty contract.

This show allows those who do not have a love for boxing to basically pick their favorites based on what they see. As she said, she is not a fan of boxing but because this show essentially turns the fighter into a “character” she loves it. This year Sugar Ray brought in two of the best trainers in the world, in Pepe Correa and Buddy McGirt.

The last 15-20 minutes of the show is an edited version of the 5 round fights. It is edited of course to show the most damaging jabs, hooks and uppercuts. Also, there are added sound effects to really make a punch seem even more damaging. What I do like about these brief fights is that most of these guys do really lay it all on the line.

He Said:

The Ultimate Fighter

Simply put this is a great show, especially for those in that 18-34 male demographic. This show’s ratings even beat out game 5 of the World Series last year for that demo. This year is not a lot different from past years. Two coaches who absolutely hate each other or are huge rivals, a crazy cast of fighters and Dana White doing what he does best (being an absolute badass). What I love about this show aside from the fighting is getting an inside look at how these guys train, learn and have disagreements with coaches. Every year there is at least one dumbass, which blows his shot at the big time. This year it was Joey Scarola, who couldn’t hack it in his fight or in the house. He definitely did not represent his coach, mentor and good friend Matt Serra by his cowardly and selfish actions. This is one guy that I know will not get another shot. He simply does not have a fighter’s heart. Overall, most of the fights are pretty entertaining. While watching the show I am always able to pick out my favorites to win it all. This year is pretty difficult because I haven’t really seen anybody stand out but there are still many fights left. The past 3 seasons I made my picks early on and was right. In fact, I actually called Serra winning it and winning the title as well. He is just a great fighter with a lot of heart and will to win. I can’t wait until he meets Matt Hughes (the other coach) for the title fight. I think Serra will once again shock the world and take care of Hughes. So keep tuning in to see who your favorite fighters are and make your pick to win it all!


She Said:
Ugly Betty has it all: drama, humor, suspense, sarcasm and of course cheese. I knew this show was special when I would come home from work at 9 pm and instead of IMMEDIATELY watching Grey’s Anatomy per usual, I started watching Ugly Betty on my DVR ad watching Grey’s after or sometimes over the weekend.

The premiere episode of Season 2 had me balling at the end of the show. WHAT? Santos is dead? You made me believe he someone how miraculously was saved after Hilda was crying on the floor during the finale last year? You made me feel warm and fuzzy inside only to tell me it was a DREAM and he IS dead? See, usually I am smarter than this. I’m media savvy and know these tricks they like pull. I was so invested in their relationship that I did not even QUESTION whether this was a dream. I accepted it without thinking, because that is how I wanted it to be.

I love America Ferrera’s Betty Suarez but I have to say that Michael Urie’s Mark and Becki Newton’s Amanda are two of my favorite characters on television. They are mean, hilarious and shallow. BUT WE LOVE THEM. I was SO excited last night when Michael Indelicatos’ Justin had a major role in the episode. This kid is awesome and I hope he has a major storyline THROUGHOUT the season.


He Said:

Ugly Betty is a very entertaining and overall fun show to watch. Believe it or not my favorite characters are Mark and Amanda; they just bring that extra silly humor that I can’t get enough of. . I don’t want to go into a whole lot of details; I think she pretty much covered it all.

THE KINGDOM

She said:

The opening intro to The Kingdom really gets the viewer right into the situation. With clear graphic and oral explanation of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, past and present, I felt very comfortable and confident after the intro heading into the opening scenes. Generally I don’t like watching violent or suspenseful films. I’m extremely empathetic when it comes to TV/films and get overly involved in the characters. However, for some reason when it comes to war/political movies, I love them! The aspect of truth in regards politics and history is something that makes me less “scared” and more interested.

The cast of The Kingdom is great-Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman all play serious yet cool characters. I was so excited to see Jennifer Garner kick ass again—she rocked on Alias for those who don’t know. Jamie Foxx is intense per usual and Chris Cooper gives a solid performance. It was refreshing to see Jason Bateman as an FBI Agent after seeing him in wacky comedies for the past few years. Ashraf Barhom, plays the Saudi “babysitter” of the agents and has a large role in the development and action of the film. I was very surprised to see that The Kingdom was only his fourth feature film. He has a great future in film ahead of him!

I would say this IS a good date movie per say, it has action, drama, slight comic relief and has great themes. Themes of family, tradition and pride are seen throughout the movie. These are all themes we all can relate to. It also shows how different The Kingdom may be from the U.S., but when it comes down to it…we have very similar wants and ideals.

He said:

This film just kicked ass from the very beginning. I am a pretty big history buff, so I know a good amount of all the conflicts and issues that have taken place in the Middle East in past years and recent years.

The cast was terrific in The Kingdom. All the characters had a lot of great chemistry and Jason Bateman was great with the one liners. The movie really had it all, insane action, a bit of comedy, drama and it hit hard on the political side. I highly recommend seeing this movie, regardless of your political beliefs. I don’t think it was one-sided at all. Enjoy!