Does Holly have any friends other than Sophia? Whenever she has a problem with Tate, she goes running to Doug. Why doesn’t she go to one of her other friends? She needs to stop telling him all her problems, especially since she doesn’t know him. We know the writers are heading towards putting them together, but it doesn’t make sense for her to keep talking to someone she barely knows about her boyfriend.
Why did Stephanie tell Chanel that she had her back when it concerned Johnny? Stephanie is Johnny’s cousin, yet she sided with Chanel. Johnny is the one in the wrong, but Stephanie could show some loyalty to her cousin. Stephanie has no loyalty to her family or else she wouldn’t have told Chanel that she would support her.
Belle needs to make up her mind about her feelings for EJ. One minute she considered him a regret that she slept with him and the next she defended sleeping with him again. Does she want to be with him or not? If she doesn’t, she has a hard way of showing it. She may as well give in to temptation and be with EJ if she’s going to keep sleeping with him.
Speaking of EJ and Belle, Marlena was upset about Belle being with EJ after what he’s done to the family. Did Marlena forget that she was willing to give Ben the key to the city after he tried to kill Will? If she’s going to be upset about what EJ’s done to the family, she should be upset with Ben for what he did to her grandson. She must have selective anger when it comes to her family.
We were shocked that Shawn defended Johnny to Chanel. Shawn and Johnny barely interact with each other, yet he was willing to defend Johnny to Chanel. It was good to see family look out for each other even if they don’t interact with each other. We applaud Shawn for telling Chanel that she should fight for her marriage considering he wasn’t willing to do that for his own marriage.
What is EJ’s end game? Does he plan on killing Rafe or keeping him in the wine cellar for life? We see how the writers are trying to make EJ come off like a saint because he’s feeding Rafe, but the man is still holding him hostage. Does EJ expect his plan to work and keep Rafe alive? It doesn’t make sense to keep Rafe tied up in the cellar. How long does he think he can keep people out of there before Rafe is caught?
The writers could have casted an actress to play Jada’s mother. What are the odds that her mother would be sick and not be able to go to Jada’s wedding? Since Jada’s mother has never been on the show, they could have casted her instead of making her miss the wedding. It’s bad enough her sister wasn’t making the wedding, but her mother wasn’t either. Both characters could have been casted so Jada could have someone from her family at the wedding.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
We have to scratch our heads when we watch EJ on the show. What are the writers doing with his character? Do they want us to love him or hate him? He didn’t want Arnold (Fake Rafe) to be with Jada because of what he did to Sami when he was around the first time. It’s good that he didn’t want that to happen a second time. Thumbs up to EJ for wanting to do the right thing. With that said, he dragged Rafe to the tunnels at the DiMera mansion to clean up Arnold’s mess. He felt like Rafe got what he deserved because he wouldn’t leave the mansion when he wanted him to go. Rafe was dumbed down in that moment, but this rant is about EJ. Do the writers want us to be confused about him? He needs to make up his mind about what he wants to do. For example, he kept Rafe in the tunnels and gave him access to his phone. What type of villain would do something like that? He definitely should have taken his phone from him. Jada could have figured out what happened. We know that was wishful thinking, but she might have realized that Rafe was missing. EJ can’t have it both ways. He can’t turn a blind eye when Arnold pursues Jada and then warn him not to do anything with her.
It’s time to shift gears and rant about someone else. Joy had us yelling at the screen. Chanel confronted Joy about making out with Johnny. It should have been a classic moment, but it didn’t turn out that way. Joy had an attitude when Chanel confronted her. She should have humbled herself when Chanel had every right to be mad at her. Joy had the nerve to say that she didn’t ask her to befriend her. We couldn’t believe our ears. Chanel wasn’t the one in the wrong. Joy and Johnny were wrong. They made out and kept the truth from Chanel. She had every right to confront Joy about her role in the secret. Joy has a nasty attitude considering Chanel was trying to be a friend to her. We hoped the value would be bigger since they were friends but that didn’t happen. Joy’s response made the showdown fall flat. If she humbled herself, we would have enjoyed the scene better.
We wonder what we’re supposed to think about Amy (Sophia’s mother). She is a conservative woman and wants her daughter to keep her baby. It looks like the writers are trying to make Amy look like a bad woman for having old fashioned values. Amy is pro-life and there’s nothing wrong with that. For some reason, the writers are choosing to make her look like a monster for wanting Sophia to keep her baby and get married. We know the writers want us to root for Tate and Holly so anyone who keeps them apart will be considered a villain. It must be Amy’s turn now that Sophia has been destroyed. We are being manipulated into hating her character because she wants Tate and Sophia to own up to what they did. On a side note, Holly said the consenting age in Salem was 17 when she wanted to be with Johnny. If that’s true, how come Sophia had to leave Salem to get an abortion? We know that Amy has to be the new interloper for Tate and Holly’s relationship, so she wanted him to marry Sophia. Back to the point of our rant. Tate and Sophia wanted to get an abortion to fix their careless mistake. We are pro-choice and don’t have an issue with abortion. Tate and Sophia decided to get the abortion because the baby was an inconvenience. She could have given the baby up for adoption. For some reason, they didn’t want to consider that option.
Brady and Kristen talked about Rachel’s behavior. They needed to have a conversation about her because she’s out of control. Rachel’s behavior needed to be addressed. They talked about her sending the texts to Ava. Brady suggested they get her help before her attitude gets worse. We applaud the writers for having parents have a conversation like that about their troubled daughter. Kristen tried to defend her, but she had to give in once Brady told her that Rachel would get like them.
The writers showed Julie mourning Doug. We weren’t sure if they were going to have her break down anymore once Doug III arrived. She seemed like she was over Doug’s death once he got there. It broke our hearts to hear her talk about feeling responsible for Doug dying. Most people felt that way when they lost the people they loved. We wonder what we could have done differently. Could one action prevent the person you love from dying? Susan Seaforth-Hayes lost Bill Hayes (Doug) in real life, so watching her grieve on the show was like seeing her pain. We applaud her for her realistic performance.
Writers on shows tend to create stories to get us to shift our opinions about certain characters. We see it happening with Stephanie. They go overboard getting us to believe that Stephanie is a hot character. The woman has been linked to at least five men since she’s been back on the show. She has been with Alex, Chad, Everett, Philip and made out with Harris before he left the show. Stephanie hasn’t been back that long, but she has done her share of bed-hopping. We understand people don’t have to settle with one person, but she is getting around on the show. It’s time for other characters to have fun on the show besides Stephanie. Our next rant has to do with Stephanie too.
Stephanie must be a villain on the show. The only people who overhear things on the show are villains. She overheard Philip’s conversation with Kate. He admitted that Victor’s letter was forged. Stephanie conveniently heard him admit to that. We didn’t think it would get revealed that fast. She told him off for risking her career with the forgery. Philip was stupid to talk about something like that on the phone. Kate already knew that no one could find out, so what was the point of the conversation? He was clearly supposed to get caught that way. Stephanie thought about Alex while she was sleeping in bed with Philip, so it helped her that she heard that conversation. It’s the ticket she needed to get away from Philip. We couldn’t believe that Philip got caught that way. He should have been smarter than that because he did something that could make him go to jail. We think the writers are trying to make us root for Xander while destroying Philip’s character once again.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
“Shifting Gears” on ABC Review by Suzanne 1//10/25
First, I have to admit that I’m not a fan of Tim Allen, and that was true long before he became vocal about his conservatism. I just never found his brand of humor funny in either “Home Improvement” or “Last Man Standing.” He was much better in his movies, such as “Galaxy Quest,” “The Santa Clause” and the “Toy Story” franchise.
To be fair, comedians and actors are only as good as the writing. Allen wrote the first sitcom, but not the second, and he’s not a writer on this series, either. It was created by husband-wife writing team Mike Scully and Julie Thacker-Scully, who previously wrote for “The Simpsons” and “Parks and Rec.” I just don’t think this comedy they wrote is very funny (which is the main prerequisite for a sitcom). The characters are fine, but the jokes are very predictable: Tim Allen’s character, Matt, is at odds with his daughter, Riley (Kat Dennings). They argue about everything. In between their arguing, Matt says a lot of lame right wing comments that are, I guess, supposed to make us laugh (whether we’re laughing at him, or his jobs, I’m not so sure). The acting is fine, but the actors aren’t given much to work with, comedically-speaking.
Now, the show does have a lot of heart, which is the only thing that works at all. Both Riley and her dad are still mourning Riley’s mom, who died suddenly. The feelings between them, and about the late wife, feel very real. Perhaps they should have made this a drama instead.
One thing that I found interesting is that Matt is a toned-down version of Allen’s previous characters. His right-wing rants are not nearly as bad as they were in “Last Man Standing.” Also, the show seems to be more of an ensemble show than “Home Improvement.” Riley has two children that enjoy spending time with their grandpa. Matt runs an auto body shop, where we quickly see a potential love interest for Riley is Gabriel (Seann William Scott). The only bright spot among the cast, besides Dennings (who’s wasted here), is Daryl Chill Mitchell (Stich), who doesn’t look like he ever ages. He’s funnier than the others in this show.
“Shifting Gears” follows Matt, the stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When his estranged daughter, Riley, and her kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.
“Shifting Gears” stars Tim Allen as Matt, Kat Dennings as Riley, Seann William Scott as Gabriel, Daryl Chill Mitchell as Stitch, Maxwell Simkins as Carter and Barrett Margolis as Georgia.
Tim Allen executive produces alongside Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily and John Amodeo. Pasquin also directed the pilot episode. Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully are executive producers on the pilot episode. Kat Dennings is a producer. The ABC series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.
01. “Restoration” Matt, the widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop, is confronted with his most unexpected and challenging project yet when his estranged daughter, Riley, and her adolescent children come crashing back into his life.
Air Date: 01/08/2025
02. “Accommodations” Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.
Air Date: 01/15/2025
03. “Job” Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.
Air Date: 01/22/2025
04. “Grief” When Riley discovers a closet filled with her late mother’s clothes, she insists Matt hasn’t processed her death and urges him to see a grief counselor. Meanwhile, Gabriel faces a crisis of confidence when he’s put in charge of the shop for a day.
Air Date: 01/29/2025
05. “Jimmy” Riley’s estranged husband, Jimmy, shows up to win her back, much to Matt’s dismay. While Matt struggles to get through to him, Riley finds support in an unexpected place.
Air Date: 02/05/2025
Everyone suddenly had their homes decorated for Christmas. No one had their houses decorated before.
How did Hattie get Belle’s number? They didn’t know each other like that so how did she get her number?
How did Hattie know that Belle was in town to represent her? She might not have been free to be her lawyer.
Speaking of Belle, why would she agree to represent her after what she did to her mother?
Tuesday
The DiMeras should consider getting better security because Arnold (Fake Rafe) was able to show up at the mansion without an issue. People shouldn’t be able to get on the property so easily.
Paulina needs to make up her mind about the commissioner position. She was ready to replace Jada if she didn’t solve the cupcake mystery. She’s only concerned because her husband ate one of the cupcakes.
EJ was talking while Rafe was shown.
Wednesday
No one said anything about Holly’s birthday coming up.
Speaking of Holly, why didn’t Nicole come back to Salem to give Holly her birthday gift? She and EJ are divorced so she could show up for her daughter’s birthday.
Julie knew that Doug III was on the phone, but she didn’t hear him talk about the necklace.
Why would Chad take the kids to Orlando when the family should have been closer together after what happened to Doug?
Since Julie lost Doug why would she want to celebrate Christmas?
Shawn wasn’t in Salem when Konstantin was there so he shouldn’t know anything about him.
Holly was with Tate at the pub one minute and at the Horton house the next. She went back to the pub like she never left.
Thursday
Eli and Lani arrived in town for Christmas and could have celebrated with the Hortons. Their ornaments were on the tree so they should have been there to hang them on the tree.
Steve wasn’t giving the person on the phone a chance to reply before he started talking. It was obvious that he wasn’t on the phone with anyone.
Kayla called Roman by his full name. She called him Roman Shawn Brady. The problem is that Roman’s middle name is Augustus, so why would she do that? His sister should know what his middle name was.
Why would Steve help Ava after what she did to him and his family? He shouldn’t have helped her figure out who was stalking her.
Friday
EJ called Arnold out for raping Sami. Did he forget that he did the same thing to her? He raped her for a different reason, but he still did it.
Doug III felt bad for what he did to Julie. He stole a necklace that was in the Horton family. His actions hurt the family.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Belle clearly doesn’t know how to be loyal to her family. Did she become an ambulance chaser? She decided to take on Hattie’s case. For some reason, she decided to take Hattie’s case. She clearly forgot what the woman did to her mother. Hattie imitated Marlena on more than one occasion, and Belle was okay with fighting her case. We know that everyone deserves to have representation, but she didn’t have to jump on taking her case. How did Hattie know she could call on her anyway? She shouldn’t have her number. Belle shouldn’t have taken her call after what she did to Marlena. The woman doesn’t know the first thing about being loyal to her family. We shook our heads watching her jump at representing her. Hattie didn’t have to convince her to represent her. She has been messy since she came back to Salem.
Speaking of Belle, EJ wanted Kristen to fire Belle from the company. He felt like she would go after more cases that he didn’t want her to handle. We didn’t realize that EJ told Kristen what to do. Belle reminded EJ that she didn’t technically work for DiMera and could do any chase she wanted. We see that the writers are testing the waters between EJ and Belle. They want to see if something sticks between them. We’re sure they will have more scenes together to build up tension between them. Kristen didn’t jump at his whim and decided not to let her go. We didn’t think she would allow EJ to tell her what to do.
We want to put these comments together because they are linked. Ava went to Steve for help with the texts she received. She thought Kristen was the one that sent them. Steve didn’t think twice about helping her. Everyone in Salem seems to forget that she was responsible for Shawn getting killed. Ava did other things while she was in the mafia, but everyone suddenly has amnesia when it concerns her. His loyalty should be towards his wife, but he didn’t think about that. Maybe we just had a hard time getting over something like that since she hasn’t been redeemed properly. Taking her out of Steve’s story doesn’t change what she did. She doesn’t deserve to get treated like she is the princess of Salem when she hasn’t paid for her crimes. Speaking of, why would Roman allow her to stay in the same home of the man she killed? He goes out of his way to protect her when she is the reason why his father is dead.
Steve found out that the person who sent the texts to Ava was at the DiMera mansion. It played out like a little mystery. The person who was responsible for the texts was revealed to the audience. It turned out the person who did it was closer to Kristen than she realized. Rachel was the one sending the texts to Rachel. She was upset that her parents weren’t back together. Rachel blamed Ava for why her parents weren’t together so she wanted to send her a message. She did what she thought she could to get to Ava. We don’t understand the point of her plan because it won’t stop Brady from dating her. She’s trying her best to be a pint-sized DiMera. The problem with her plan is that everyone will think that Kristen did it. She could get in trouble for something that Rachel is doing. Rachel is quickly becoming the bad seed of Salem.
Guess who is back in Salem. If you guessed Arnold (Fake Rafe), then you are right. Arnold showed up at the DiMera mansion out of the blue looking for more money. It’s strange that he showed up out of the blue. He was gone for years and now he’s back. Arnold wants money and doesn’t plan to leave Salem any time soon. He’s a reminder that EJ is far from perfect. Arnold called him out and let him know that he would talk if he didn’t give him more money. He has EJ on his toes right now. EJ acts like he’s tough, but it won’t take much for Arnold to ruin him. We get to watch EJ squirm while Arnold is in town. He will try his best to quiet Arnold, but we don’t think it will work out the way he wants it to. Arnold being back in Salem will catch up to EJ because he isn’t going to walk away as easily as he would like.
EJ deserved the Hypocrite of the Week award. He had the gall to remind Arnold that he raped Sami by pretending to be Rafe. Did he lose his memory when he was shot? He forgot that he raped Sami too. EJ raped her first and wasn’t hired to do anything to her. He didn’t assault her with a mask on, but he forced her to have sex with him to save Lucas’ life. Sami fell in love with him so we were supposed to forget that he raped her, but we didn’t. We never forgot what he did because his actions led to the destruction of one of our favorite couples on the show. Sami and Lucas never recovered from what EJ did. He didn’t have a right to call Arnold out for raping Sami when he was just as bad. Arnold wouldn’t have been around Sami if he didn’t pay him to break up her relationship with Rafe. EJ clearly forgot his actions, or he wouldn’t have called him out for that. We were ready to yell at the screen for being a hypocrite.
It’s time to shift gears. We were surprised that Julie was in the holiday spirit. She lost her husband during the holiday season, but she wanted to celebrate. It was strange that she wanted to do that when the love of her life was gone. We understand that she had to move on, but she lost him recently. Julie is the last one who should want to celebrate the holidays. She’s taking Doug’s death very well, and we expected her to need cheering up. The writers should have had Julie feel down after Doug died. We don’t know of too many people who would be in the holiday spirit if someone they love died the way Doug did.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Interview with Bailey Chase, Jesse Hutch and Dawn Olivieri of the movie and TV series “Homestead” on Angel Studios by Suzanne 12/11/24
This is a really good movie, and I look forward to seeing the TV series that comes next. I really enjoyed Bailey Chase’s work, ever since I saw him in “As The World Turns” years ago, but he has grown into an amazing actor. It was nice to speak with all three of these gifted performers after watching them in the movie. I was originally supposed to speak to the show’s creator/director/showrunner, Ben Smallbone, but he had to leave at the last minute. Dawn was a real trouper to answer what she could of my questions for him as well.
Angel Studios Launches the companion HOMESTEAD: FAMILY SURVIVAL Series
Exclusively on Angel.com and the Angel App on December 20th.
Synopsis: A nuclear bomb is detonated in Los Angeles, and the nation devolves into unprecedented chaos. Ex-Green Beret Jeff Eriksson and his family escape to The Homestead, an eccentric prepper’s fortress nestled in the mountains. As violent threats and apocalyptic conditions creep toward their borders, the residents of The Homestead are left to wonder: how long can a group of people resist both the dangers of human nature and the bloodshed at their doorstep?
Directed by: Ben Smallbone (Documentaries: Stone Cold Country + Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon)
Written by: Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman, Ben Kasica Produced by: Ben Kasica, Andrea Royer and Ben Smallbone Starring: Neal McDonough (Minority Report), Dawn Olivieri (1883), Bailey Chase (Longmire)
Jesse Hutch (FBI: International), Currie Graham (Assault on Precinct 13), Olivia Sanabia (NCIS)
Bailey Chase (Jeff Ericksson)
Bailey was born in Chicago but moved to Florida after his parents divorced at a young age. He attended Duke University on a football scholarship and majored in Psychology. After graduation, Bailey moved to LA to pursue his boyhood dream of acting which encompassed a training stint in London (LAMDA). His first film break came in Adam Shankman’s Cosmo’s Tale (1998), which screened at both Sundance and Cannes. Bailey’s career blossomed in television starting with Buffy, the Vampire Slayer then working with Oscar-winners in Saving Grace and Damages before his own critically acclaimed performance in Longmire. Bailey has starred in various projects since including Batman V Superman, Chicago PD, Grimm, 24: Legacy, Twin Peaks and Queen of the South. He was recently nominated for Best Lead Actor for his performance in Far Haven and is currently shooting Homestead (2024). Bailey resides in North Carolina with his wife and three children.
Dawn Olivieri (Jenna Ross)
Dawn Orienne Olivieri is an American actress perhaps best known for her turn as Lydia in Heroes and Monica Talbot in House of Lies. She has appeared in the Showtime series House of Lies for 41 episodes, starting in 2012, playing the competitive management consultant and ex-wife of main character Marty Kaan and mother of their son, Roscoe Kaan. She acted as Janice Herveaux in the third season of the HBO series True Blood. She played a reporter and Damon Salvatore’s girlfriend Andie Star in the hit CW show The Vampire Diaries. Wrapping up the 4th season on Heroes, she has also completed parts on TBS’s My Boys, NBC’s Knight Rider, TNT’s Trust Me, and SyFy’s Stargate: Atlantis, and recurred on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother. Olivieri played a lead role in the SyFy movie Hydra, and she is the voice of Pepper Potts in the new Avengers animated series on Disney XD. She appeared in the October 2009 issue of Maxim. Olivieri appeared on HBO’s Entourage on September 13, 2009, and hosted a contest on Scripped. She voiced Lucy Kuo in a PlayStation 3 video game, Infamous 2, which was released in June 2011. As of March 2018, she has a recurring role in the CBS action-adventure series SEAL Team as Amy Nelson.
Jesse Hutch (Evan Lee)
Jesse Hutch was born in the same geographical location as the Marvel hero Wolverine. This could be nothing more then a fun fact, however, it does not excuse why Mr. Hutch is immune to Tylenol and Novocaine(most commonly used in dental practice). He drowned when he was 19 years old. Fell from a 25 foot rock quarry while free climbing in middle school. Had his stomach cut open by a barbed wire fence when he was 10, and he moved across the country(solo) when he was 21 to pursue acting. Mr. Hutch says he’s still working on his: “24 year overnight success story”.
With over 100 professional Television and Film credits to his name, You may have seen him in cult classics such as “Freddy vs Jason” and “The Butterfly Effect”. Maybe you saw him in the 60’s as Jimmy Riley on Dick Clark’s ”American Dreams”. FBI International, Dark Angel, Kyle XY, Smallville, Arrow, Almost Human, Supernatural, Batwoman and Project Blue Book are but a few of his television roles.
Jesse’s upcoming theatrical releases include: “MEMEC” a dark thriller comedy where he plays the main antagonist. And “HOMESTEAD” a present day post apocalyptic series by Angel Studios. When asked what his best role has been to date, his response: “My best roles will always be that of husband and father. I believe that giving your life for others is one of the greatest gifts you can strive for. Turns out this is also the best acting class you will ever take…life”.
As for new Television in 2024: Jesse recently was a producer and actor on “A Little Women’s Christmas” where he acted alongside his daughter Charlize. He co-stars alongside Jill Wagner in their new Christmas Film which will also air on Great American Family.
Keep an eye out for Mr.Hutch. His performances range from Drama, to action, to comedy and back again. We are always in a state of mystery as to what his next role will be. His ability to be extremely grounded allow depth, yet he can be funny, charming, dangerous and unpredictable at times. He can play a large range of roles with believability. His stunt ability is backed by a consistent and regimented style of training. Hutch commands the screen regardless of wether he is speaking or listening.
Mr. Hutch is married to his beautiful Wife Loreili, and they have 3 wonderful children.
As a final note, His social media presence is fun, genuine and family friendly.
Interview with Alix Villaret of the movie “Utopia” by Suzanne 12/11/24
Alix seems very nice, and we had a pleasant chat. She is a gifted young actress who did well with her part in this violent action flick. Available to Buy on Digital December 10, 2024
Moe Dunford, Charlotte Vega, Jason Flemyng, Daniel Bernhardt, Alix Villaret, Wanda Banda, Michael D. Xavier, Lucy Akhurst, Maddy Ambus, Jade Coatsworth, Sean Sutton, Joe Carmichael, Mercer Boffey, Philipp Boos
DISTRIBUTED BY:
Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label)
GENRE:
Thriller, Sci/Fi, Action
RATING:
R for strong violence, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
SYNOPSIS:
A soldier searching for his missing wife breaks into a high-tech facility, believing she’s been caught in a human trafficking ring. But beyond its walls, he finds a surreal, futuristic fantasy park where reality and illusion blur. As he navigates this seductive and dangerous world, a shocking truth pulls him deeper into a deadly game where nothing is as it seems.
Alix Villaret is an ingenue French actress of Japanese ancestry born in the heart of Paris. She is fluent in French and English. Alix has always been obsessed with Cinema since she was 6 years old, having attended the neighborhood movie theatre with her father seeing such classics as An American In Paris, Sabrina, Gigi. She has wanted to be an actress as far back as she can remember and started studying drama and finally be asked to do the leads in over 12 theatre productions in her neighborhood theatre. She is proficient in Krav Maga.
Interview with actors Madison Wolfe, Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson and Gavin Warren, and Director Warren Skeels of the film “The Man In The White Van” by Suzanne 12/2/24
This is a very suspenseful and chilling thriller, set in the early 1970’s. You don’t want to miss it when it opens tomorrow, 12/13/24, in theaters. Madison Wolfe stars as a young women, Annie, targeted by a serial killer. Brec Bassinger stars as her sister, Margaret. Skai Jackson plays Patty, Annie’s friend. Gavin Warren plays Annie and Margeret’s younger brother, Daniel. Sean Astin and Ali Larter play Margaret and Annie’s parents. I hope you enjoy our video interviews! I was particularly glad to speak to Brec Bassinger, since I was a huge fan of her show, “Stargirl.”
STARRING: Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Goonies), Ali Larter (Final Destination, upcoming Taylor Sheridan series, Landman), Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2, Malignant), Brec Bassinger (CW’s Stargirl, Final Destination: Bloodlines), Skai Jackson (Disney’s Jessie and spinoff Bunk’d), Gavin Warren (Night Swim)
SYNOPSIS: Based on true events. In 1975 Florida, a series of violent disappearances go unnoticed, and young Annie (Madison Wolfe) is targeted by an ominous white van that stalks her every move. As the menace escalates, her parents dismiss her fears, and Annie is soon plunged into a terrifying nightmare that shatters her world. Also starring Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson, Ali Larter, and Sean Astin. Directed by Warren Skeels.
GENRE: Thriller
Madison Wolfe was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She began acting at the age of seven, and made her debut alongside Kristen Stewart and Amy Adams in “On The Road.” In the years following, Wolfe landed many roles in various critically acclaimed films and television shows such as Jessica Brady in “The Campaign,” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, Audrey Hart in “True Detective,” opposite Woody Harrelson and Matthew Mcconaughey, and Young Poppy in “Mr. Church,” starring Eddie Murphy. She can also be seen playing Bryan Cranston’s daughter in “Trumbo,” and acting alongside Robert DeNiro, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell’s “Joy.”
Wolfe is best known for her lead role in James Wan’s “The Conjuring 2.” Starring opposite Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, she plays Janet Hodgson: a young girl from Enfield, England who is traumatized and haunted by the possession of demonic spirits. Wolfe is also well known from her lead role in Oscar winner Anders Walter’s “I Kill Giants.” Rotten Tomatoes names Madison’s “powerhouse performance” as troubled teen Barbra Thorson one of the highlights of the film.
Most recently, Wolfe can be seen playing Tessa Mayfair opposite Alexandra Daddario in AMC’s “The Mayfair Witches.” She has completed production for her next true crime thriller, Warren Skeel’s “Man in The White Van.” Set in 1974, Wolfe portrays the lead role of Annie Willains: a free spirited teen from a small town in Florida who becomes the obsession of a horrific stalker. Being a musician, Wolfe also wrote and recorded an original song for the film’s soundtrack to be released. The film is not yet rated.
Brec Bassinger, born May 25, 1999, is an American actress best known for her leading role as ‘Bella Dawson’ on the Nickelodeon series “Bella and the Bulldogs,” her role as ‘Catherine’ in the “47 Meters Down” sequel, her recurring roles in “School of Rock” and “The Goldbergs,” and her starring role in the DC Universe series “Stargirl” (2020).
Brec grew up in a small town in Texas, and first went to Los Angeles for acting when she was 13 years old. Growing up she enjoyed gymnastics, cheerleading, volleyball, and natural-beauty pageants. She was crowned the 2009 World’s Our Little Miss. Her acting career started with a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s “Haunted Hathaways.” She graduated high school at 16 and continues to expand her education. A Type-1 diabetic, she has become a huge advocate for diabetes research and is a national ambassador for JDRF. She had the leading role of Stargirl for the CW for two years, and then she plays the titular role in the miniseries “V.C. Andrews’ Dawn” on Lifetime..
Gavin Warren is an American model and actor. As a child he played the piano and did gymnastics before, inspired by Adam Sandler, he decided he wanted to become an actor. In 2015, Warren won an acting and modeling competition, after which he was accepted into a local artist agency. This was followed by his first roles in the short film Two Wongs Make a White and in the film drama Back Roads, before Warren was seen in Damien Chazelle’s film biography Awakening to the Moon alongside Ryan Gosling in 2018.
In order to focus on his acting career, Warren switched from public school to home schooling. In subsequent years, he made guest appearances in the television series Daybreak and NCIS: New Orleans, while he took on supporting roles in the films Mack (2019), A Hard Problem (2021) and 12 Mighty Orphans (2021). In 2023 he appeared in the eighth season of the horror series Fear the Walking Dead before playing a leading role in the horror film Night Swim the following year.
His other announced film projects include the thrillers The Descendant and Geechee, the drama film Unbreakable Boy and the crime film The Man in the White Van.
How did Liz know where to find Marlena? The last time she was in Salem Marlena was staying in the house with Roman. How did she know to find her at the townhouse?
Jennifer couldn’t imagine waking up without the person you love sleeping next to her. Did she forget there was a time when she thought Jack was dead? He also abandoned the family, so she spent plenty of time with her bed empty.
Who told Liz about what happened to Doug? Liz hasn’t been in town since 1986, so who would have called her to tell her about Doug?
Liz wore a fur coat, but she didn’t have it closed. It couldn’t be that cold in Salem. Maggie and Marie were sitting outside at the town square as if it were spring, so it wasn’t that cold there.
Tuesday
Why didn’t Marie visit Julie right away? She was at the town square when she came back for Julie.
Ciara’s dress was inappropriate for her grandfather’s funeral.
Belle was wearing a jacket when she and Marlena walked through the town square, but it was off when she was shown at the church.
Why was Marlena in the front row at Doug’s funeral, but most of Julie’s family was sitting in the back?
Why didn’t Sarah go to Doug’s service? She’s walking now so she should have been able to go to the service.
Wednesday
Would anyone miss their family’s funeral because they were too sick to go? Claire was conveniently sick and couldn’t go to Doug’s funeral. She should have been there to say goodbye.
Why did Leo assume that Steven was in town for Doug’s funeral when he didn’t know he was related to Julie? Steven could have been in town for any reason.
Ciara and Jennifer didn’t know Steven, but they were sure he wouldn’t steal Alice’s diamonds.
How did Doug III know his way around Salem? He just got out of jail, but he knew how to get to St. Luke’s.
Thursday
Hope didn’t have flowers when she showed up at the Horton house but had them when she went to the cemetery.
Ciara had to text Shawn to let him know that Hope was in town. Hope could have reached out to him.
Jennifer wanted to give Hope a ride from the cemetery. How did Hope get there when she arrived alone? What was supposed to happen to the car Hope drove?
Friday
Would it hurt Alex to put a shirt on occasionally? He always answers his door without a shirt on.
What made Cat think that Chad would care about her mother and not what happened to Abby’s remains?
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
This was a sad week for the Hortons as well as the fans of the show. As you know, Bill Hayes (Doug) died at the end of last year. The show has finally written his death into the show. Jack tried to wake Doug up last week, and he found out that he passed away. It rocked everyone’s world when they found out the news. The audience finally get the chance to see the cast react to what happened. We had to wait a long time to see the Hortons’ reactions to the news. The show focused on Doug’s passing for most of the week. We will talk about our thoughts about the tribute to the actor and the character.
The writers decided to bring people back for Doug’s funeral. Liz (Gloria Loring). Marie (Maree Cheatham), and Steven (Stephen Schnetzer) back to the show. They are characters who haven’t been on the show since the 80s. We weren’t watching the show when they were front and center so it was strange to see new people. It was nice to see them again. We give the writers a thumbs up for including some history for those of us who didn’t watch the show during that time. Liz and Marie had a soapy history because of an affair. Liz slept with Marie’s husband back in the day. We would have loved to see that story unfold. Checking YouTube would be a great idea to find out the history between the characters. They still have heat between them, and they exploded on each other during the service. It may not have been the right time, but it was a break from the grief. We do have a nitpick about what happened between them. For some reason, Maggie expected them to move on from what happened between them. She was with Neil too, so why weren’t they mad at her? She’s supposed to be family to Marie, but she was with Neil too. If we’re mistaken about that, we are sorry. We weren’t watching the show at the time so we could be wrong about that.
As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, Steven was brought back to the show. He’s Julie’s brother. We have never seen him on the show. We didn’t know that Julie had a brother. He came back to help Julie. Who told him about Doug? Why would anyone call him when he hasn’t been in touch with Julie? He became involved in a mystery. The Hortons accused him of stealing Alice’s necklace from the time capsule. He felt like he had a right to the necklace because it belonged to his grandmother. It’s strange that he felt like that when most of the people at the Horton house were related to Alice. We don’t know if Steven is going to stay in Salem now that the funeral is done. If he doesn’t stay, it was good to see the actor on a soap opera again. If you ever watched Another World, it would be a treat to get a chance to see him on TV again.
Jack, the right Jennifer (Melissa Reeves), Shawn, Belle and Hope were back too. They have been on the show, and it was great to see them back. It has been a long time since Melissa Reeves has been on the show, and it was a breath of fresh air to see her playing Jennifer again. She was the actress who worked with Bill Hayes so it made sense to have her come back to say goodbye to his character. Reeves has chemistry with Matthew Ashford so she is the one who should be back any time they write Jennifer back into the show. It felt like no time went by when she returned to the show. We know that she won’t be back when the character returns, but it was amazing to see her back on screen. Hope is one of our favorite female characters on the show. She’s one half of our favorite supercouple (Bo/Hope). We were cheering when we heard the news that she was returning to say goodbye to Doug. There’s no way that she would have missed seeing Doug when she was his daughter. We are grateful the writers decided to bring her back instead of having the character be in another room. It was great to see her back on the show. She and Peter Reckell (Bo) are truly missed as part of the show. We are looking forward to them being back on the show next year. To get back to Hope, she was suspicious of the guy who claimed to be Doug’s grandson. She asked the right questions about him. The man did show up out of the blue claiming to be Doug’s grandson. We already went through a con job with the fake Abby. It looks like we’re dealing with it again. Hope wanted to know if someone talked to Charles (her half-brother through IVF) to find out if he had a kid named Doug. It’s hard to believe she was the only one who thought to call him. Shawn and Belle are back on the show too. They have been missed too. The show needs more characters their age on the show. They are breaking up and dealing with the aftermath of that. The writers are keeping them for a long-term storyline.
Did anyone else feel the tears falling when Julie spoke about Doug? It had to be hard for the actress to get through the scenes when she was married to Doug in real life. He was more than just a TV husband. Bill Hayes was her world. Susan Seaforth-Hayes did an amazing job with the material. She nailed all the emotions a grieving widow should have during her time of grief. The actress made us feel her pain. We couldn’t stop crying watching her pour her heart out to the man she loved for the majority of her life. The writers gave her a chance to express how she felt about losing the love of her life.
We’re not sure how we feel about the stranger who approached Julie. He introduced himself as Doug’s grandson. We needed the writers to utilize the history of the show to explain the connection. The storyline needed exposition because we didn’t think Doug had a son. Jennifer and Hope suddenly remembered that Doug had a child through IVF. It’s something that’s never been discussed while we were watching the show. The reveal happened after he passed away. It’s good that Doug’s death allowed another story to develop, but the story has holes in it. How did Doug III know to find the Hortons? Where has he been all this time? What happened to his father? Did he know Doug? Who told him that Doug died? We could probably come up with more questions, but we’ll stop there.
We know that we talked about the funeral a lot in this article, but it was the focus of the week. It’s time to shift gears. EJ decided to pay Joy to leave town so Johnny wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of seeing his mistress around town. For some reason, Johnny didn’t want him to pay for her to leave town. Did he enjoy her being there? Why would he want her to stay in town? He might enjoy the attention he received from her. Joy agreed to leave town. She told Alex that she was leaving, and he got upset. Alex wasn’t involved in the situation, so why would he care if she left town? Did he like the idea of Johnny squirming whenever Joy was around? Alex went to Johnny, and they got into an argument about it. Chanel walked in and heard the end of the argument. We weren’t surprised that she didn’t hear the important parts of the argument. It seems like the writers want to dumb Chanel down for this storyline to work. We think she may know what happened between Johnny and Joy and that’s why she makes so many comments about him being faithful. Is it possible that she’s giving him the rope to hang himself with it? Chanel goes out of her way to mention that he didn’t cheat on her. It feels like she’s waiting for him to confess to what he did. If he wanted to do that, he should have talked to her about it. She still would have been mad about what he did, but the extra lies wouldn’t have been attached to it.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Interview with Alexander Ludwig, Jessica Frances Dukes, Aaron Tveit, Todd Komarnicki and Kearie Peak of “Earth Abides” on MGM+ by Suzanne 11/20/24
This is a very exciting 6 part miniseries on MGM+. I hope you can watch it because it’s fascinating. Although it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, it’s not too gross, gory or depressing. The acting is very good. Alexander Ludwig stars as “Ish,” a man who survives the pandemic that has destroyed most of the world’s population. Then he finds a wonderful woman, Emma (Jessica Frances Dukes), and they start their life together. Other people find them, and they start re-building the world. It’s got a very positive message about the future of the world, how people can adapt and get along, and about how the earth can heal. It was great to speak with the two stars, Ludwig and Dukes, as well as Aaron Tveit, who plays a pivotal character named Charlie, and the show’s creators and showrunners. The series is based on an old scifi book but modernized. I think they did a great job. We put up Tveit’s interview later because there are spoilers in it.
Alexander Ludwig (Ish) and Jessica Frances Dukes (Emma)
In “Earth Abides,” when a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction. The series is based on George R. Stewart’s classic sci-fi novel of the same name.
A Note from Todd Komarnicki (Executive Producer/Writer/Showrunner)
Earth Abides was ahead of its time. George Stewart’s novel, despite being written in 1949, has cohered brilliantly with our current moment. Long before nature began to suffer at the hands of man’s inability to live in harmony with her, Stewart knew that the Earth never needed us. We are more of a pestilence she has survived. As the world within the novel starts over, the earth has a chance to reassert herself. It is now man who must be the survivor. But what if those chosen to be humanity’s second chance aren’t suited for each other or the task at hand. They are a mixed blend of personalities, the kind that might have never joined forces prior to the apocalypse. But the life altering thing that they all discover…is that their differences might become the only thing enabling them to persevere. The story is a stark reminder that our differences should not separate us but unite us. A lesson we could all pay closer attention to in these times so riven by strife.
When adapting this novel for television, it was Stewart’s brilliant story that remains the infrastructure for keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. We shed new light through a deeper level of intimacy introduced in our show. While the intent of the original remains untouched, the tenderness and vulnerability of its characters and their journey over the years has been heightened in a fundamental way. Showing that journey of over twenty years together without losing the narrative thread and the audience’s connection to the characters was one of the biggest challenges we faced in the adaptation. Letting the series be guided by Ish’s own voice and the characters sharing their story not only kept the narrative intact but made them relatable and deeply human. That human aspect is what I hope audiences connect with most. The show lives in the shadow of a society torn down to cobblestone, but that is just the stage for a thrill ride that is utterly human. It is full of perseverance but also doubt, rage, addiction, murder and rebirth. No matter how dark the road gets for these characters, there is always a sliver of light calling them forward…love. What I hope audiences take away from our show is that love…really does win.
About MGM+
MGM+, an Amazon company, is a premium linear channel and streaming service delivering a broad lineup of exclusive original series and docuseries, current movie releases, and classic film franchises—all available in the U.S. on TV, on-demand, online, and across devices. MGM+ is a destination for premium content, with original series including sci-fi horror series FROM, Emmy-winning Godfather of Harlem, the Western adventure Billy the Kid, suspense thriller Emperor of Ocean Park, crime drama Hotel Cocaine, and upcoming sci-fi drama Earth Abides and horror thriller The Institute, along with limited series A Spy Among Friends and cinematic dramatic series Rogue Heroes, Belgravia and War of the Worlds. The network is also the home of acclaimed docuseries, including the critically acclaimed In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon, My Life as a Rolling Stone, and NFL Icons, as well as the anticipated docuseries Hollywood Black and The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood. Premium movies are also available, including Challengers, IF, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning, The Beekeeper, The Boys in the Boat, American Fiction and Mean Girls.
MGM+ is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite, digital distribution channels and the MGM+ app. For more information about the current MGM+ lineup, go to www.mgmplus.com or follow us on X,Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Alexander Ludwig
Alexander Ludwig is a multi-talented performer who continues to make his mark in Hollywood and beyond.
Ludwig can next be seen in the leading role of the upcoming MGM+ limited series Earth Abides, premiering December 1. Helmed by acclaimed creator and showrunner Todd Komarnicki and based on George R. Stewart’s best-selling novel, the 6-episode limited series story follows Ish (Ludwig) through the aftermath of a global plague as he tries to set the survivors on the road back to civilization.
Additionally, on television, Ludwig starred as Ace Spade in the Starz series Heels, which ran for two seasons and was recently licensed to Netflix after popular demand for a third season. The show, set in the world of independent wrestling, focuses on two rival brothers battling over their late father’s legacy. He is also recognized for his portrayal of Bjorn in the History Channel’s popular series Vikings.
On the big screen, Ludwig most recently reprised his role in the box office hit franchise Bad Boys 4: Ride Or Die alongside Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and Vanessa Hudgens. Ludwig joined the franchise with Bad Boys for Life (2020), which stands as the most successful film in the franchise, breaking box office records. Ludwig will next appear in Killing Castro, directed by Eif Rivera, alongside Al Pacino, and will soon begin production on the horror thriller Night Comes, marking the feature directorial debut of veteran actor Jay Hernandez, set for release next year.
His additional film credits include Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant with Jake Gyllenhaal, National Champions featuring Uzo Aduba and J.K. Simmons, and the war epic Midway alongside Woody Harrelson and Dennis Quaid. He also starred in Peter Berg’s acclaimed Lone Survivor, blockbuster hit The Hunger Games with Jennifer Lawrence, and the hugely succesful Race to Witch Mountain opposite Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Ludwig began his acting career at nine, landing his first major role as Will Stanton in the action-adventure film The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising in 2007. His earlier credits include Grown Ups 2 and When The Game Stands Tall.
Following his passions outside of acting and filmmaking; he is a gifted musician who recently released his debut full-length Country album Highway 99 via Broken Bow Records. A mixture of amplified guitars, climactic choruses, and heartfelt hooks, the 16-track collection offers universal stories about small towns, wild nights, broken hearts, and big dreams. A follow up to his 2021 self-titled EP and career-launching 2020 single “Let Me Be Your Whiskey,” Highway 99 was produced by Nashville heavy-hitters Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy and proves Ludwig is making a permanent mark on Country music.
Jessica Frances Dukes
Jessica Frances Dukes is an accomplished actress set to star as the female lead in the upcoming MGM+ original limited series “Earth Abides,” alongside Alexander Ludwig. This imaginative adaptation of George R. Stewart’s classic sci-fi novel, created by showrunner Todd Komarnicki (Sully), explores a world ravaged by a deadly plague that nearly wipes out humanity. As civilization crumbles, a few survivors face the struggle for existence. In the series, Jessica plays Emma, a character who contrasts sharply with Ludwig’s character, Ish. The limited series, produced by Oscar winner Michael Phillips (The Sting) alongside Juliana Maio and Kearie Peak, is slated to premiere on December 1, 2024.
In addition to “Earth Abides,” Jessica is currently filming a recurring role in the third season of the Emmy-nominated series “The Gilded Age” on HBO.
Jessica is best known for her regular role as Special Agent Maya Miller in the multi-award-winning Netflix series “Ozark” (2020–2022). Her other notable credits include leading roles in HBO Max’s “Project Greenlight” (2023) and the award-winning film “Gray Matter” (2023).
A seasoned theater veteran, Jessica portrayed Millie Davis in the Tony Award-nominated “Trouble In Mind” on Broadway. She is an Obie Award winner for “Bootycandy” at Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway and received an Audelco Award and a Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance nomination for her role as Vera in “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” at the Signature Theatre.
Aaron Tveit
Aaron Kyle Tveit, born October 21, 1983) is an American actor and tenor singer. Tveit originated the lead role of Christian in the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! on Broadway, a performance for which he won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and received a 2020 Grammy Award nomination. His other work on the Broadway stage includes originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, as well as performing the roles of Fiyero Tigelaar in Wicked, Link Larkin in Hairspray, and the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He also played John Wilkes Booth in an Off West End production of Assassins.
Tveit has also portrayed several musical theatre roles on screen, such as Enjolras in the film adaptation of Les Misérables (2012), as well as Danny Zuko in Fox’s Grease: Live (2016). Tveit is also known for his work in television, including the roles of Gareth Ritter on BrainDead, Tripp van der Bilt on Gossip Girl, Mike Warren on Graceland, and Danny Bailey/Topher in Schmigadoon!.
Todd Komarnicki
Todd Komarnicki is a prolific writer, producer, and director of film and television aswell as an acclaimed novelist. Komarnicki’s screenplays include SULLY directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, which opened at #1 in the box office to rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film went on to earn over $240 million worldwide, and was a 2016 AFI Top Ten Film. Komarnicki has also written an adaptation of the international bestseller, THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN, starring Mel Gibson and Sean Penn; and he wrote, produced, and directed, BONHOEFFER, the WW2 true story of legendary pastor turned assassin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is being released theatrically worldwide November 22nd.
In television, Komarnicki has written EARTH ABIDES, for MGM+, an adaptation of the international sci-fi favorite, by George Stewart, the series premieres December 1st. In the literary world, his first novel, Free, was published by Doubleday in 1993 and his second novel, famine (Arcade 1997), received tremendous reviews and was subsequently translated into French, Italian, and German. His third novel, war, was published to exceptional reviews in July of 2008 by Arcade.
Komarnicki is the president & founder of the production company Guy Walks Into A Bar. Komarnicki and Guy Walks partner Jon Berg produced the Christmas blockbuster ELF, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau. The film has become a worldwide perennial favorite every Christmas season. All told, Komarnicki’s films have accounted for well over half a billion dollars at the box office.
Komarnicki lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, their daughter, Remy, 14, and son, Dashiell, 11.
Executive Produced by
Todd Komarnicki, Kearie Peak, Michael Phillips, Juliana Maio
Directed by
Bronwen Hughes (101, 102), Rachel Leiterman (103,104), Stephen Campanelli (105, 106)
Written by
Todd Komarnicki
Showrunner
Todd Komarnicki
Cast
Alexander Ludwig as “Ish”
Jessica Frances Dukes as “Emma”
Aaron Tveit as “Charlie”
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as “Jorge”
Elyse Levesque as “Maurine”
Hilary McCormack as “Jean”
Luisa d’Oliveira as “Molly”
Birkett Turton as “Ezra”
Jenna Berman as “Evie”
The writers decided to start two whodunnits. Someone poisoned cupcakes for the cast and crew of Body & Soul. We could stop right there in case we lost you. Please try to stay with us while we talk about this mystery. Some members of the cast ate the cupcakes and got sick. Roman also got sick from the cupcakes. The person’s identity wasn’t revealed to the audience. We have a theory about who did it. It’s not set in stone because the person didn’t get revealed. We think Hattie is the culprit. She put a curse on the show for killing off her character. No one else had a reason to go after the cast and crew. The only people who got sick (except for Roman) are pat of the show. It’s not hard to figure out who could have done it. We do have a question about it. How did Hattie (or the culprit) know Abe’s address? She hadn’t been there before so how did she know to send the cupcakes to him?
The other mystery that unfolded was the identity of the new Lady Whistleblower. Leo found out that his storylines were revealed in Lady Whistleblower’s column. He accused Javi of being the person who spoiled the show. It’s not too hard to believe that he would do that since he saw him looking at his laptop when they were together. Leo jumped to the wrong conclusion and accused Javi of spoiling his storylines. We think Lady Whistleblower is Gwen. She’s coming back to the show and has the biggest motive for wanting to ruin his show. He betrayed her by sleeping with Dimitri, and she didn’t forgive him for it. She would do anything to make sure that Leo paid for what he did to her. It’s understandable that she would want to pay him back for what he did to her. His conscience got to him once they were about to get caught. Gwen probably still owns the paper, so it’s not hard for her to create the stories. The hole in our theory is that she had no way of knowing what he was writing for the soap opera. It’s convenient that she would be able to hack into his computer, but he didn’t have the job before she left town. There’s no way she could have known he was writing storylines for the show. We have a feeling we are right so you heard/read it here first.
Rafe was kicked in his stomach when he found out he wasn’t getting his job back as commissioner. It’s a slap in the face to him when he was hurt on duty. Rafe dedicated his life to the force only to get treated as if he didn’t matter. We’re not surprised that he was disappointed and angry about the news he received. Paulina was cold about telling him that Jada was keeping his job. She should have showed compassion about dropping that bomb on him. The woman can’t make a decision without causing problems for someone. He didn’t get hurt by playing around on the job. Rafe was investigating what happened to Abby and got hurt. It’s not fair that he lost his job because he was hurt. Roman put the idea in his head to sue the department. It’s the right decision to make because he was unfairly demoted. Roman wasn’t the person to tell him that because he’s Abe’s best friend. Jada thought Rafe should keep the job as detective. What made her think that he would want to get demoted just because she’s in charge? If she lost her job, she wouldn’t take a demotion. She shouldn’t expect Rafe to do that. He wanted to resign to save their relationship. Rafe thought he would resent her if he accepted the demotion. He did the right thing because it would be hard for him to go to the station knowing that she had his job.
Johnny proved that he’s a scumbag. He called Chanel out when he thought she cheated on him. She was a cheating slut when he thought she slept with Alex. He cheated on her, and we’re supposed to feel sorry for him because he doesn’t want to get caught. Johnny was torn between telling the truth and protecting his secret. We know what answer he chose. He decided to keep the affair a secret. Johnny continued to lie to her even when he had a dream about Joy. He will deserve it when Chanel leaves him for what he did. Johnny didn’t want to show any mercy towards her, and he will know how that feels when she turns her back on him. We noticed that Chanel kept shoving Joy at Johnny. It’s as if she knows that they were together.
Tate is also a scumbag. He used Sophia to get over Holly. It didn’t take much for him to go to bed with Sophia because she offered herself to him. He did what any guy would do. It was wrong, but he did what any man would do in his position. Sophia had herself to blame for giving herself to him when she knew he wasn’t over Holly. Tate’s problem is that he treated her like she was a prostitute while acting like Holly is a delicate flower. It’s bad enough he called out Holly’s name while he was making out with Sophia, but he had to act as if she didn’t mean anything to him. He had no problem going to bed with Sophia even though he knew how he felt about Holly. Fast forward, and Holly wanted to go to her room with him. Tate decided to be a gentleman for Holly. He had the chance to be with her, but he wanted her first time to be special. What type of guy is he to treat Sophia like that. She’s not the villain just because she had feelings for Tate. We applauded Sophia for not wanting to be treated like she didn’t matter.
We cheered Xander on when he was man enough to apologize to Brady for accusing him of hitting Sarah. It’s good to see him own up to what he did. He told him about what happened when Kristen demanded to know details about how Sarah was doing. Xander showed a side of vulnerability and that’s a good thing. He proved that he doesn’t always have to scheme or get himself into trouble. Xander showed how scared he was about what happened to Sarah. The writers should have him show that side more often.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Interview with Dennis Haysbert, John C. McGinley, Ser’darius Blain, Holland Roden, Noemi Gonzalez, Erin Cahill, Lindy Booth, Rachelle Lefevre and Osric Chau of “Holidazed” on Hallmark+ by Suzanne 10/18/24
These were three very fun interviews in the Hallmark+ junket. I was especially happy to speak with Dennis Haysbert (“24“), Holland Roden (“Teen Wolf“), Lindy Booth (“The Librarians”) and Osric Chau (“Supernatural“) because I already knew them and admired their work. I hope you enjoy our videos, and the show is worth watching if you love family, holiday or Hallmark movies and shows. This is Hallmark’s first holiday or Christmas TV series.
Dennis Haysbert, John C. McGinley and Ser’darius Blain
Brief description: New Episodes Thursdays. The series follows six families, all living on the same cul-de-sac, as they gather for the holidays when emotions are amplified and relationships tested. But in the end, all come together in heartwarming and funny celebrations that showcase what we do have in common: LOVE in all its different forms.
HOLIDAY REVELATIONS, FAMILY CONNECTIONS AND A BEVY OF STARS SHINE IN THE SERIES PREMIERE EPISODE OF HALLMARK MEDIA’S FIRST-EVER HOLIDAY SERIES HOLIDAZED PREMIERING NOVEMBER 14 ON HALLMARK+STUDIO CITY, CA – November 4, 2024 – Love, family and holiday surprises take center stage as introductions are made and secrets are unveiled in The Beginning, the first episode of Holidazed, a new Hallmark+ original limited series, premiering Thursday, November 14 (12 a.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark+. Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy), Dennis Haysbert (24), Ser’Darius Blain (Jumanji), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), John C. McGinley (Scrubs), Holland Roden (Teen Wolf), Lucille Soong (Grandma Lin), Osric Chau (Supernatural), Noemi Gonzalez (East Los High), Lindy Booth (The Librarians), Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight), Ian Harding (Pretty Little Liars) and Erin Cahill (Power Rangers Time Force) star. In The Beginning, as the holiday season begins, families around The Oaks cul-de-sac embark on their yearly traditions, hoping to create the perfect celebration filled with joy and connection. However, as the families gather, unexpected confrontations and secrets arise, leading to a whirlwind of laughter, tears and heartfelt moments. Amid the chaos, each family must navigate their unique dynamics, discovering that while the holidays may not unfold as planned, the true spirit of the season lies in love, connection and the joy of being together.
As the series kicks off, viewers will be introduced to a vibrant cast of characters:
Linda Johnson (Devine): Robert’s ex-wife, determined to embrace her independence and live her best life.
Robert Johnson (Haysbert): A retired attorney adjusting to life after divorce, slowly rediscovering the vibrant man he used to be.
Evan (Blain): Handsome and fit, Linda’s boyfriend, who exudes the exuberance of youth and is eager to embrace new experiences.
Connie Manetti-Hanahan (Madsen): The glamorous matriarch of the Manetti-Hanahan family, fiercely devoted to her loved ones.
Chuck Manetti-Hanahan (McGinley): Connie’s husband, a former marine with a tough exterior but a soft heart.
Katie Manetti-Hanahan (Roden): The youngest daughter of Chuck and Connie, dating Gaby’s brother Kevin, with a complex past of bullying Gaby.
Grandma Lin (Soong): The traditional family matriarch who brings a strong sense of family values.
Ted Lin (Chau): A focused and driven young man about to graduate with his MBA, navigating the pressures of family expectations.
Gaby Camarena (Gonzalez): A polished aspiring chef who confronts her past when she discovers her brother is dating her high school nemesis.
Lucy Woods (Booth): A dedicated single mom who runs a health-focused bakery and seeks balance in her life.
Sylvie Woods (Lefevre): Lucy’s adventurous sister, who brings a vibrant energy and spontaneity to the family dynamic.
Josh Hill (Harding): An accomplished architect re-evaluating what home means to him during the holiday season.
Nora Jacobs (Cahill): The local sheriff and widow, who juggles her responsibilities while seeking connection and love.
Holidazed is from Unity Pictures and Little Engine Productions. Executive producers are Ron French, Claudia Grazioso, Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo. Ilene Rosenzweig is co-executive producer, Ben Mallin is co-producer and French is producer. Stacey N. Harding directed from a script by Claudia Grazioso.
Dennis Dexter Haysbert (born June 2, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, Secret Service agent Tim Collin in the political thriller film Absolute Power, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the CBS military action drama series The Unit, God on the Netflix show Lucifer, and President David Palmer on the first five seasons of 24. He has also appeared in the films Love Field, Navy SEALS, Heat, Waiting to Exhale, and Far from Heaven, as well as the science fiction series Incorporated.
John Christopher McGinley (born August 3, 1959) is an American actor. His best known roles include Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Captain Hendrix in The Rock, Sergeant Red O’Neill in Oliver Stone‘s Platoon, Marv in Stone’s Wall Street, FBI agent Ben Harp in Point Break, and the serial killer Edgler Foreman Vess in the TV miniseries of Intensity, based on the novel by Dean Koontz.
Ser’Darius William Blain (born March 10, 1987) is a Haitian-American actor. He is best known for his role as Anthony “Fridge” Johnson in the Jumanji film series, appearing in the sequel entries Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level. Blain is also recognized for his portrayal of Galvin Burdette in the first season of The CW series Charmed.
Noemi Artemisa Gonzalez (born July 3, 1988) is an American actress. She portrayed Soli Gomez in the Hulu series East Los High and portrayed the character of Mia Rosales on CBS Daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2018 to 2019.
Interview with Isaiah Mustafa and Ben Watkins of “Cross” on Prime by Suzanne 10/29/24
I enjoyed speaking with one of the main actors, and the showrunner, of this great new series. I’ve spoken with the main star, Aldis Hodge, years ago (when he was in “Leverage”). Sadly, I did not get that chance this time.
Hodges stars as Alex Cross, the forensic psychiatrist and detective featured in James Patterson novels (and some movies). Aldis was one of my first one-on-one interviews, so it was memorable. He’s always very nice. I also spoke with him in 2011 and 2012.
Mustafa and Wakins, whom I interviewed recently, also were a joy to speak with. Mustafa is a former football player but has become quite a good actor. He plays John Sampson, Mustafa’s close friend and fellow detective. Ben Watkins created, wrote and executive produced the show. He’s worked on some of my favorites, including “Hand of God” and “Burn Notice”.
These are audio-only, even though I did speak with them on video. I didn’t realize that they were only going to send me the audio until yesterday (that was my mistake for not making sure). Oops!
You should definitely check out this series’ first season, which drops Nov. 14 and has already been renewed for season 2. It is a thrilling drama that everyone should enjoy. It also stars Ryan Eggold (“New Amsterdam”), Alona Tal, and Johnny Ray Gill.
Starring Aldis Hodge, Cross is a crime thriller series that follows ALEX CROSS, a decorated D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist who faces a sadistic serial killer leaving a string of bodies strewn around the city. As Alex and his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), track this killer, a mysterious threat from Cross’ past appears, aiming to destroy what he’s done to keep his grieving family, career, and life together. Ryan Eggold, Alona Tal, and Johnny Ray Gill also star; Ben Watkins serves as showrunner.
Credits
Produced by
Amazon MGM Studios, Paramount Television Studios, Skydance Television
Created by
Ben Watkins
Directed by
Ben Watkins
Executive Produced by
Ben Watkins
Sam Ernst
Jim Dunn
Craig Siebels
James Patterson
Bill Robinson
Patrick Santa
David Ellison
Dana Goldberg
Matt Thunell
Cast
Aldis Hodge
Isaiah Mustafa
Juanita Jennings
Alona Tal
Samantha Walkes
Caleb Elijah
Melody Hurd
Jennifer Wigmore
Eloise Mumford
Ryan Eggold
Ben Watkins was born on March 19, 1971 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Cross (2024), Burn Notice (2007) and Quest to Ref (2002). He has been married to Kandi Ali since June 1992. They have four children.
Interview with Molly Kunz of “The Irrational” on NBC by Suzanne 10/24/24
I really enjoyed speaking with Molly! I love her show, so it was very nice to speak with her about it, and about her character. Don’t miss the next episode, which airs Nov. 12!
The Irrational
Season 2 Premiering October 8 on NBC (10-11p.m. ET/PT)
“The Irrational” follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) as he lends his unique expertise to high-stakes cases and mysteries. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him to work alongside varying clients ranging from the FBI to everyday people caught in perplexing situations desperate for answers. With the help of his trusted team and social-science experiments, Alec solves crimes and uncovers the truth to answer intriguing, and irrational, questions.
The cast also includes Maahra Hill, Travina Springer, Molly Kunz and Arash DeMaxi.
Arika Lisanne Mittman, Mark Goffman, Sam Baum, David Frankel and Robert Wolfe executive produce.
The show is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Next Episode: “Anatomy of a Fall” Simon’s mother asks Alec to help stop a suicide contagion when a third student death strikes the campus; Alec asks Marisa to help when he thinks there might be more to the case; Phoebe struggles with her next career move.
Molly Kunz
Phoebe, “The Irrational”
Molly Kunz stars as Phoebe in the NBC drama “The Irrational.”
Kunz recurred on “Colony,” “Finding Carter” and Hulu’s original series “Battleground,” created by J.D. Walsh. She also co-starred in the Lifetime movie “The Marsh Sisters at Christmas.”
On the film side, Kunz will co-star in the thriller “Wild Eyed and Wicked” and was previously in “The Wolf and the Lion,” based on the French film “Mia and The White Lion.” Kunz also had a supporting role in Steve McQueen’s feature “Widows,” opposite Colin Farrell, as well as a role in the indie “The Wise Kids.”
Kunz is originally from Madison, Wisc., and began her career in regional theater. Productions include “The Nerd” (Memorial Theatre Company), “The Sound of Music” (Music Theater of Madison), “Carousel” (Madison Repertory Theater), “The Boxcar Children” (CTM Family Theater Company), “The Secret Garden” (University of Wisconsin Theater), “Annie” (Stagestruck Productions), “Tom Sawyer” (Madison Creative Arts Program), “Alice in Wonderland” (Shorewood Drama), “The Nutcracker Ballet” (Madison Ballet), and “Sleeping Beauty Ballet” (Performing Arts for Children).
Why did the writers decide to add on to Rafe and Gabi’s family again? They don’t have faith in the extended family, so what’s the point of adding more people on to the show? Javi has been added to the show, and we couldn’t care less about his character. There are people walking around on the show without storylines, but the writers wanted to add a new character. They should have given stories to the people on the show. We will try to keep an open mind about him because he just started, but it won’t be easy to do. Days could use more minority actors on the show, so we will see how that goes. We hope that he doesn’t get shoved down our throats.
Vivian was back on the show again. We never mind seeing her on the show because she’s deliciously evil. The show needs a legendary villain on the show whose name isn’t Clyde. Vivian was a character who was able to accomplish whatever she wanted, and she did it again. She’s involved in two storylines. We’re excited to see the legends front and center. She was responsible for keeping Stefan and Gabi apart. The writers were good to keep her return a secret from the audience. In a social media era, that’s practically impossible to do. She’s also involved in Philip’s storyline. They were both written back into the show for this week. We’re not sure how long they are staying on the show. Vivian’s return could help give Kate a storyline outside of Body & Soul. Louise Sorel may not be back long, but she may give the show a much needed boost. Hopefully she will be back on the show for a while. We need a villain like her instead of Clyde doing everything in Salem. Fiona’s character isn’t enough and Kristen is getting stale as a villain. The writers don’t seem to know what to do with her, so Vivian is back just in time.
Johnny, Chanel and Joy’s storyline has the making of a classic soap opera. Johnny and Chanel were on the outs because he called her a cheating slut. He jumped into bed with another woman (Joy) before he found out the truth. Joy came back to haunt him because she’s part of Body & Soul. She’s going to play Chanel’s enemy on the show. They are fighting over the same man. It sounds eerily familiar to their storyline. Johnny was in for a shock when Kate introduced Johnny and Chanel to his worst nightmare. Joy was hired to work on the show. They will be working together on the soap. Johnny wanted Joy to keep their one-night-stand a secret. We know their affair will come out at some point because they always do. She might end up getting pregnant especially since Chanel wants to have another baby (she made that declaration in the trailer for the show).
Tate, Holly, and Sophia also have a triangle brewing. Tate and Holly broke up so that left the door open for Sophia to get the man she wants. She and Tate ended up having sex with each other because he thought his relationship with Holly was over. Apparently, he jumped the gun because Holly wanted to make up with him. She sent him a text to talk, but Tate didn’t see it. He had sex with Sophia before he saw the text. Holly and Tate made up, but that secret night with Sophia is lingering over Tate’s head. Will he come forward and say something to Holly? Will Holly find out because Sophia decided to tell it?
The writers do a Halloween episode every year. We know they want to take a break from their ordinary stories and get away with doing something unusual. They decided to make it related to Body & Soul. It was a waste of an episode because the murder mystery was surrounded by characters who aren’t on the show. We had to watch the characters from their faux soap opera be front and center. It was a waste of a storyline. We love mysteries as much as the next people but there was no need to have it involve characters from Body & Soul. It could have easily featured the characters from Salem.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Interview with Sarah Drew, star of “Mistletoe Murders” on Hallmark+ by Suzanne 10/18/24
It was a lot of fun to speak with Sarah about her new mystery series! We had a nice chat about the new show. Check it out. It premieres Thursday, 10/31/24 on Hallmark+ .
Stars: Sarah Drew, Peter Mooney, Sierra Marilyn Riley
Mistletoe Murders follows Emily Lane (Drew), the outwardly friendly, and optimistic shop owner of a charming year-round Christmas-themed store, Under the Mistletoe. However, her inner voice reveals a sardonic sense of humor, cunning intellect, and keen eye for details most people would miss…because Emily has a big secret. Residing in the quaint tourist town of Fletcher’s Grove, Emily finds herself compelled to investigate not-so-quaint local murders. And when Emily begins her personal investigations, Detective Sam Wilner (Mooney), a smart local cop – with a crush on Emily that is not completely unrequited – begins to wonder if there’s more to Emily than meets the eye.
Executive Producer/Showrunner Ken Cuperus (Carter), Executive Producers Michelle Melanson (The Next Step), Jocelyn Hamilton (Burden of Truth), Drew and Co-Executive Producer Grant Harvey (The Way Home) and producer Robbie David (Dark Matter).
The series comes from Lionsgate Canada and Headspinner Productions.
Mistletoe Murders is adapted from the Audible Original series Mistletoe Murders starring Cobie Smulders, Raymond Ablack and a full ensemble cast. Two seasons are currently available and season 3 will premiere on November 7, only from Audible.
Mistletoe Murders Season 1
With time running out to prove her friend’s innocence, Emily puts her own secret past on the line to find the real tree farm killer, raising suspicion from Detective Sam Wilner.
Sarah Drew
Multi-hyphenate actor, producer, writer, and director, Sarah Drew is best known for playing ‘Dr. April Kepner’ for nine seasons on the hit ABC series “Grey’s Anatomy” and Hannah Rogers in Warner Bros’ “Everwood”.
Her recent TV credits include Freeform’s hit series “Cruel Summer” which was the recipient of the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Cable Drama Series, and the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series “Amber Brown,” written, directed and produced by Bonnie Hunt. Sarah released four films in 2023, producing and starring in Lifetime’s “The Girl Who Caught a Killer”, Sony Affirm’s “Birthright Outlaw”, and starring in Hallmark’s “Guiding Emily”. “A Cowboy Christmas Romance” marks Sarah’s second feature film that she’s written and executive produced for Lifetime, in 2022, Sarah produced and starred in her writing debut “Reindeer Games Homecoming” as part of Lifetime’s holiday slate. Sarah made her directorial debut in “Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team the Webisodes” which was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Awards for an Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.
She recently directed a radio play for LA Theater Works called “Fever Syndrome” which is set to be released later this year. In film, some notable projects include her debut in Columbia Picture’s “Radio” alongside Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr., as well as the lead in the hit Sony comedy “Moms’ Night Out” alongside Patricia Heaton and Sean Astin. In 2022, she received a Canadian Screen Award Nomination for her lead role in Lifetime’s “Stolen By Their Father”. She began producing with Provident Films’ “Indivisible,” in which she starred alongside Tia Mowry.
Sarah got her start in the arts at a young age before booking the lead role of the critically acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet at McCarter Theatre Center, an award-winning regional theater, in her fourth year of university. The opportunity catapulted her career, opening doors thanks to rave reviews by critics. She went on to make her Broadway debut in Vincent and Brixton, a classic play based on Vincent van Gogh, at the Lincoln Center Theater, then London’s West End, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television and film. When she’s not working, Sarah spends time giving back to her community, donating to charities close to her heart such as Door of Hope in Pasadena and Lwala Community Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving health care in Africa.
Sarah told Fiona that she remembered what happened while she was alone.
Why would Julie tell Steve that Chad went to Paris?
Holly didn’t know Abby, so she had no reason to eavesdrop on her phone call.
Brady suddenly remembered that Fiona was the one who drove the car. He was too drunk to function, but he suddenly remembered everything.
Xander was the only one who saw Fiona taking Sarah out of her room.
Tuesday
Xander could be heard talking while Brady was shown.
Brady gave everyone credit for helping him except for Kristen. She was willing to help him from the beginning. Kristen was the one who moved the car to keep him from staying in jail.
You would think Marlena would want to help Abe with his soap opera. He’s supposed to be her friend, but it took Leo to convince her to help with the show.
Chanel was at the hospital one minute and at the mansion the next.
Speaking of Chanel, she was on the left side of the bed and now she’s on the right side of it.
Wednesday
Mark talked about murdering Chad at the town square. Anyone could have heard him talking about that.
Abby cried without any tears.
Why would Chanel ask Alex to help plan the party? She knows that Johnny is jealous of her relationship with him so why would she ask him to help her? Johnny has a lot of relatives in Salem so she didn’t have to ask Alex to help her plan his party.
Johnny conveniently knew where Alex lived. He never went there before, but he knew where to find him.
Thursday
Chad clearly avoided looking at his phone. He put the picture down and clearly tried to avoid looking at his phone. Chad should have seen the text that Kayla sent him.
Xander cried without any tears.
Fiona was talking while Xander was shown.
Friday
Chad’s phone should have blacked out, but Abby managed to see Kayla’s text to him.
Why does Sophia have to tell everyone her problems? What makes her think anyone cares?
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Why did the writers make Holly so vital to Chad and Abby’s storyline? She just happened to be listening to Abby while she was on the phone with Mark. Holly never said one word to Abby, but she instantly recognized her. It’s not believable that Holly suddenly spotted Abby while she was in Paris. Needless to say, Holly’s discovery became important later in the week. She confronted Abby about the phone call. It led to Chad discovering the truth about Abby. Chad needed the fall from grace because Jennifer and Steve tried to tell him that she wasn’t Abby. Chad refused to listen to them when they warned him that something was off with Abby. Now he has egg on his face since the truth is out. Let’s get back to Holly. We aren’t thrilled that Holly had to be the one who caused the truth to get revealed. She wasn’t involved in the story at all and suddenly became an important factor in it. Steve should have been the one to cause Chad to see the light. We loved how Steve played Mark and found out he lied about the DNA test. He tricked Mark by giving him DNA that belonged to him and Kayla. We loved how Steve was involved in the storyline. He should have been one of the driving forces of the story since he’s related to Abby.
Does Johnny want to get divorced like his father? He kept making digs about Chanel being with Alex. He saw Alex having sex at the hospital and thought he was with Chanel. There’s no way he could confuse Stephanie with Chanel. Stephanie is a Caucasian woman while Chanel is an African American woman. Each time the flashback was shown, it was easy to see part of Stephanie’s arm. We wondered why Johnny didn’t interrupt them. He stood there and watched them having sex without saying a word. Who would do that? Most people would say something about what they saw. They wouldn’t watch and then walk away. Johnny was making digs about them being together. He thought the worst of Chanel because she told him that she and Alex didn’t rehearse, but he didn’t believe her. It was easier to think the worst of her than approach her about what he saw. Why would Chanel have sex with another man when Johnny could have seen them together? They would have been somewhere more private. If he keeps acting the way he is, Chanel will end up divorcing him.
It’s time to shift gears. We noticed that Xander was being judged for his actions towards Brady. He wanted to get revenge on the person who he thought hurt his wife. There isn’t a man in Salem who wouldn’t want to do what he was willing to do to Brady for hurting Sarah. We knew that Brady was innocent, but Xander didn’t know that. As far as Xander was concerned, he was guilty. Every man reacts the way he did. For some reason, he looked like the bad guy for wanting to make Brady pay for what he did.
Sarah and Brady finally remembered what happened the night of the accident. With help from Eric, they remembered who really hit Sarah. Sarah confronted Fiona about hitting her with the car. We thought that was stupid of Sarah to confront her when she was alone. Sarah was defenseless against Fiona, but she told her that she was going to tell Xander what happened. It wasn’t a surprise that Fiona tried to kill her. Xander showed up in time to stop her from killing Sarah. We were waiting for the revelation to happen, and it finally did. Fiona had to confess to what she did. Xander went off about what she did. He wasn’t over the top with it. Xander talked to her as if he were disappointed in her for destroying his trust. He couldn’t believe that he was gullible enough to fall for her lies. Brady told Fiona off when she was at the station. She tried to explain what she did, but he didn’t want to hear it. We don’t blame him for not wanting to listen to more of her lies.
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Happy’s Place stars Reba Macintire as Bobbie who inherits the bar named Happy’s Place after the death of her father.
Bobbie is stunned when, at the reading of her father’s will, she finds out she has a half-sister named Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) who owns half the bar. The two sisters must get to know each other and run the bar together. The bar has a cast of quirky employees and customers. Melissa Peterman plays Gabby the bartender at Happy’s Place who wishes she was Bobbie ‘s half-sister.
The show has plenty of funny moments, most notably, when Reba and Melissa Peterman are on screen together since they worked together before on the show Reba. They have their comedy timing perfect with each other. The other cast members need more time to work together on their comedic timing. The cast needs time to relax and get into a rhythm with each other.
The show airs Fridays at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST.
I think this is one of those shows that will get better as the season goes on and the audience gets to know the characters in the show.
“Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage Review by Eva 10/20/2024
I miss Young Sheldon, so I was glad to hear that Georgie Cooper (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) were getting their own show.
Georgie, Mandy and baby CC move in with Mandy’s parents after they get married. Mandy doesn’t get along with her mother Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones) because Mandy’s mother thinks she could have done better than Georgie for a husband and she only married Georgie because he got her pregnant.
A big part of the show is the constant conflict between Audrey and Mandy and how Mandy’s father, Jim ( Will Sasso), tries his best to be the peacemaker between Audrey and Mandy. Georgie is also determined to make Audrey see that he is a good man who loves Mandy very much and would have married her even if she hadn’t gotten pregnant. Young Sheldon fans know that Georgie’s father, George Sr. (Lance Barber), died in the series finale, so Jim becomes a father figure for Georgie, and they have some touching moments in the show. I enjoyed the moments between Jim and Georgie the most.
If you are a fan of Young Sheldon you will enjoy this show very much, but even if you have never seen Young Sheldon, you can still enjoy the show because it stands alone with occasional mentions of characters from Young Sheldon. The audience can get to know Georgie better. I think this show is well written and acted it is worth watching. If you miss it you can stream it on Paramount+.
The show airs on Thursday nights at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST.
Tracker stars Justin Hartley as Colton Shaw whose father taught him survival skills and now he uses those skills to find missing people. Colton collects the rewards offered by the police or family members only if he finds the missing person. Colton is also trying to figure out how his father died because he doesn’t think his father committed suicide.
I didn’t think I would like the show because I thought it would concentrate too much on Colton’s survival skills, but it really doesn’t show that too much. Colton has a talent for finding people and reuniting them with their family. If you like solving mysteries this show is worth watching.
I give this show a 5 out of 5 stars.
If you want to watch the show, it comes on Sundays at 8 EST/7 CST.
There are occasions when show times may vary because of sports. If you subscribe to Paramount+, the show can be streamed there the next day.
Angela has been a busy realtor since her amicable divorce a couple of years ago to Dakota, a paleontologist whose adventures kept him anywhere but home. Now, she is a devoted if often harried, single mom to a smart and loving 10-year-old girl, Brooklyn. Angela’s busy schedule makes it hard for her to find time for much of anything…or anyone…else. As it is, she can barely get Brooklyn to her scout meetings on time, much to the disapproval of the other mothers. When Brooklyn gets the idea to have William, the owner of her favorite bakery, cater her scout troop’s posh annual holiday event, she asks Angela to work with him on pitching the idea to the moms in charge. Despite sensing that her daughter might be trying to play cupid, she agrees to help and finds herself enjoying time with him, but is reluctant to open her heart and life to someone new. When Dakota returns, missing her, Angela must decide what is best for her daughter and best for her heart. Starring Tamera Mowry-Housley and Carlo Marks.
Tamera Mowry-Housley is an Emmy award-winning host, actress, producer, and entrepreneur who has captivated audiences for over 20 years.
She started her career in Hollywood alongside her sister, Tia, on the hit show “Sister, Sister,” which aired over 100 episodes from 1994-1999 and has gone on to see a cultural revival over the past few years since it was released on Netflix. Mowry-Housley’s work on the show gained praise and recognition; she received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Television Actress. She returned to the screen with Tia on the hit Style Network reality TV series “Tia and Tamera,” which chronicled her life as she balanced her acting career along with major life transformations of marriage and motherhood.
Mowry-Housely co-hosted the groundbreaking and Emmy-winning talk show, “The Real,” for six seasons. “The Real is the first syndicated talk show in years to be renewed for a sixth season. She worked alongside co-hosts Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon and Jeannie Mai. Together, the ladies won the Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host Emmy at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards in April 2018.
In November 2020, it was announced that Mowry-Housley would be expanding her relationship with Crown Media Family Networks, parent company to Hallmark, in a new overall deal to star in and executive produce original films for the network. Her credits include the television movies “A Christmas Miracle” for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, which she also executive produced, as well as “Christmas Angel,” “Something to Sing About,” and “Seventeen Again.” She was a series regular on “Strong Medicine,” “Roommates” (ABC Family) and “Melissa & Joey” (ABC Family). Mowry-Housley has voiced characters in the FOX hit “Family Guy” and Cartoon Network’s “Superhero Squad Show.” She also produced and starred in the Lifetime movie “Double Wedding.” On the big screen, Mowry-Housley co-starred in the Rob Schneider comedy The Hot Chick. Most recently, she starred in the Hallmark original movie “Christmas Comes Twice,” which premiered during the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event in 2020.
In addition to co-hosting “The Real,” she hosted season one of Facebook Watch’s “Help Us Get Married, a 12-episode reality web television series that followed three couples trying to plan their weddings with the help of the Facebook community. Mowry-Housley was also a frequent guest host on Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family.” In 2021, she also competed in season five of “The Masked Singer” and wowed audiences nationwide with her singing abilities as the beloved Seashell.
In June 2021, Hulu announced its upcoming baking competition series “Baker’s Dozen” with Mowry-Housley and former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses. Set to premiere in October, together, they’ll host the unscripted series which pits passionate amateur bakers against seasoned culinary experts. Contestants will compete in head-to-head challenges for a chance to win the golden rolling pin and a cash prize. Additionally, she will serve as a judge alongside Martha Stewart and Chris Hessney on HGTV’s new design competition show, “Table Wars.” In each episode, the competitors must deliver the ultimate themed party environment, including stunning tablescapes, lighting and displays in order to impress the judges and avoid elimination. The finalist who delivers the most over-the-top event space will win the Table Wars title and a $50,000 cash prize.
Born in Germany and raised in Southern California, Mowry-Housley graduated with honors from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on Abnormal Childhood Development. After meeting at Pepperdine, she married FOX News correspondent Adam Housley in May 2011. They welcomed their first child, Aden John Tanner Housley, in November 2012, and their second child, Ariah Talea Housley, in July 2015. They live in Napa Valley, where they oversee Century Oak Winery. They also opened their own celebrated tasting room in the heart of Downtown Napa where they both can frequently be seen pouring their family wines for fans and visitors. They have also opened up their own coffeehouse and coffee line called Barnhouse Napa Brews in Downtown Napa. They have six brews of coffee at the shop, all of which are locally brewed and sourced and grown sustainably from all over the world. Additionally, 90% of the food and products they have for sale are women and minority owned.
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Bailey Chase 
Jesse Hutch
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About MGM+
Alexander Ludwig
Jessica Frances Dukes
Aaron Tveit
Todd Komarnicki
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Starring Aldis Hodge, Cross is a crime thriller series that follows ALEX CROSS, a decorated D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist who faces a sadistic serial killer leaving a string of bodies strewn around the city. As Alex and his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), track this killer, a mysterious threat from Cross’ past appears, aiming to destroy what he’s done to keep his grieving family, career, and life together. Ryan Eggold, Alona Tal, and Johnny Ray Gill also star; Ben Watkins serves as showrunner.
The Irrational
Premieres: Thursday, October 31 on Hallmark+
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