Television

Everyone is talking about the mesmerizing chameleon work of Tatiana Maslany as her various incarnations in the series ORPHAN BLACK, but one of the more fascinating characters making up the clone-club world is Sarah’s right-hand man, Felix (Jordan Gravari’s).    Sarah would literally be up a creek without the one person who has her back, her foster-brother Felix; even Paul (Dylan Bruce) had not been solidly on Sarah’s side to support her and help her until last week’s episode “Parts Developed In An Unusual Manner.”  Before that, Paul was really just monitoring Sarah’s increasingly erratic behavior.  It had been Paul’s job to only watch, not assist.    But Felix, through the familial bonds of being her brother and the bonds of friendship forged over decades growing up together, has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty.  When Sarah appears out of the blue after a 10-month absence, Felix drops everything to be at her beck and call, including: planning a fake funeral to throw Sarah’s dubious ex-boyfriend Vic (Michael Mando) off her trail; hiding and selling the illicit cocaine that Sarah stole from Vic; covering with Sarah’s adoptive mother Mrs. S  (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Sarah’s daughter Kira (Skyler Wexler); nearly getting shot in head; playing faux bartender for Sarah’s clone Allison’s block party; and then in last week’s episode, Felix infiltrated the goth Neolution club to scope out the set up for Sarah before she stuck her neck out.  Felix also anxiously waited to see if Sarah was successful in rescuing Paul, being her backup in case she didn’t make it out.  That’s Felix’s biggest job, having Sarah’s back.  He is literally the only person she trusts enough with her own well-being.   However, Felix is not just her back-up plan and her brother; Felix is really the only one that Sarah knows will always be there no matter what.  He may be the first to tell her that she’s out of her mind, but when things really start to get weird or out of hand, he is there. On the lighter-side, Felix is an outrageously fun character in his own right.  He is not just the loyal brother, the confidante, and the fixer; Felix is Mr. Party.  He doesn’t live just for his sister. He sneaks in flings with every good-looking guy that crosses his path – morticians not excepted.  His sense of style and fashion would put most runway models to shame.  And he knows exactly what to say, no matter what the occasion; a few favorites include: “Impersonating a dead officer – that’s like a whole new crime” and “I’m beginning to realize crazy is genetic.”  Sassy one-liners and eye-popping fashion aside, Felix is the kind of person we all want in our lives.  Someone who is so self-possessed and confident that we can lean on them when our lives go to hell.  In Sarah’s case, that is pretty frequently, so perhaps Felix has learned to be the reliable and secure one in their relationship out of necessity. Sarah brings the adventure to ORPHAN BLACK, but Felix brings the fun.  The show would be just another gripping drama series without its perfectly timed moments of levity and the reminder that there is a family at the heart of the show.  Sarah and Felix’s relationship is stronger than most siblings.  Their time in the foster care system raised under the strong-willed and stringent Mrs. S taught them that they needed each other, and yet they also appreciate the other for the person they have become.  Neither Sarah or Felix seeks to fix or curb the lifestyle of the other.  When Sarah announces she is taking over the identity of her clone Beth, a cop, Felix barely bats an eyelash.  In turn, Sarah takes it in stride with the constant parade of lovers leaving Felix’s place.  These are the norms in their lives and they accept each other wholly as who they are.  The core of their relationship is founded on love. They love each other for exactly who they are and what they may do.  Though we suspect Felix’s love must be the stronger given the craziness that tends to

Time Network Show Rating 18-49 8PM CBS Undercover Boss 5.38 1.0/4 NBC Dateline NBC 5.27 1.1/4 ABC Shark Tank 5.00 1.2/5 FOX Kitchen Nightmares (R) 1.91 0.7/2 CW Nikita 1.08 0.4/1 9PM ABC Shark Tank 6.57 1.9/7 NBC Dateline NBC 5.27 1.1/4 CBS Undercover Boss (R) 5.00 1.1/4 FOX Bones (R) 2.46 0.6/2 CW Supernatural (R) 790,000 0.3/1 10PM ABC 20/20 5.59 1.5/5 NBC Rock Center with Brian Williams 5.07 1.3/4 CBS 48 Hours 4.37 0.9/3

Friday, May 17, 2013 ratings -- New episodes: Shark Tank, 20/20, Undercover Boss, 48 Hours, Nikita, Dateline, and Rock Center With Brian Williams. Reruns: Kitchen Nightmares, Undercover Boss, Bones,...

The best network on television, FX (that's a fact), will order The Strain to series, that's a 99% guarantee.Indeed, they have already scheduled a 5-month shooting window in Toronto, where the pilot will be filming this fall for a whole month (probably a 90-minute pilot then) :Guillermo del Toro's THE STRAIN is also heading to Toronto, FX pilot shoots from Sep 3 - Oct 4 with the series scheduled for Nov 18 - Apr 4.— Production Weekly (@prodweek) 18 mai 2013Guillermo Del Toro is a proven fan of FX series :- He cast Charlie Hunnam as the star of Pacific Rim because he stars in Sons of Anarchy, where his good friend Ron Pearlman (Hellboy) co-stars - Ron Pearlman is also co-starring in Pacific Rim ;- He appeared as Pappy McPoyle in The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre, AKA episode 8.03 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Charlie Day co-stars in Pacific Rim too.And now he'll get to have his very own FX series, which is expected to run for 3 seasons, if I remember correctly, and pretty much be FX's Game of Thrones (since it's based on the book series written by Del Toro). And on top of that, it belongs to fantasy, a genre FX hasn't really delved into yet — American Horror Story is more about suspense/horror than full-blown fantasy, imo.

HitFix's Liane Bonin Starr rounds up the reality TV news of the week, including the latest on the "American Idol" season finale and more. http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/starr-raving

Top Posts of the Week – 5/18/2013 via Rickey.org Here are the top posts on the blog for the week ending May 17, 2013. Wow, at Survivor! Survivor: Caramoan – Winner Results – Finale Video American Idol 12 – Finale and Winner Results The Voice – Season 4 – Results – Top 12 American Idol 12 – Top 2 Perform Candice Glover – I Who Have Nothing – American Idol 12 Top 10 American Idol 12 Top 2 – Who Will Win American Idol? – Poll Malcolm Freberg of Survivor to make soap opera debut on ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’ Kelly Rowland – Dirty Laundry – MP3 Listen Candice Glover – I Am Beautiful – Full Winner’s Single Listen Dancing with the Stars 16 – Results – Week 9 Follow me on Facebook! • Follow me on Google+ The Voice • American Idol • The X Factor

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Comedian Stephen Colbert thanked the University of Virginia during his speech Saturday at its 2013 valedictory exercises for inviting him to be the keynote speaker, which he took to mean he had been awarded an additional honor."I believe that means I am this year's valedictorian, and I am as shocked as you are because I didn't make it to many classes this year," Colbert said. "You guys must've really tanked your finals, thank you for that."Colbert addressed the graduating students and their parents at the event, which is meant to pay tribute to students' time at the university. Graduates will walk across the stage and receive diplomas Sunday at a separate commencement.Colbert noted U.Va.'s top rankings in U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, as well as Playboy's ranking of top party schools, which placed the Wahoos first. Colbert clarified, "I only read Playboy for the rankings." He made light of the controversy in June 2012 when the U.Va. board of visitors ousted Teresa Sullivan as president. The board later reinstated Sullivan after an intense backlash from students, faculty and alumni."I want to thank president Teresa Sullivan. You are way better than that last president, Teresa Sullivan, she was terrible," Colbert said to plenty of laughter and applause. "I am so glad they cut her loose. Good riddance, I say! No, you are clearly the woman for this job."The famed satirist and host of television show "The Colbert Report" then turned his attention to the university's governing board. Colbert suggested it was named the board of visitors because Thomas Jefferson, the school's founder, was trying to put the local Native Americans at ease. "Just visiting, should be going home any century now," he joked.Colbert acknowledged that the founding father was known for "embracing diversity," a reference to the United States president's personal life. But instead of going on, Colbert said he would just send a tweet:Later in the speech, Colbert brought up Time magazine's recent cover story declaring millennials the "Me Me Me Generation.""So self obsessed -- tweeting your Vines, hashtagging your Spotifys and Snapchatting your YOLOs -- your generation needs everything to be about you," Colbert said. "And that's very upsetting to us baby boomers because self-absorption is kind of our thing."But Colbert told the grads that their generation would be better off in the long run, partly because they're inheriting a world with so many challenges."You may learn sooner than most generations the hard lesson that you must always make the path for yourself," Colbert said. "There is no secret society out there that will tap you on your shoulder one night and show you the way. Because the true secret is your life will not be defined by the society that we have left you.""I believe we have given you a gift, a particular form of independence," Colbert added a moment later, "because you do not owe the previous generation anything. Thanks to us, you owe it to the Chinese."Watch a clip of Stephen Colbert's speech at the University of Virginia in the video above.