• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

I thought this was a category with very deserving nominees. Mad Men is a good show, so I’m not surprised. Wow, sorry for the lack of insightful comments about Best Drama.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama

• Glenn Close, “Damages”
• January Jones, “Mad Men”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

I originally thought Anna Paquin or Kyra Sedgwick would take home this award, both of whom I love. However, I was absolutely thrilled to see Julianna Margulies take home her first Golden Globe win. She is phenomenal as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, and I am so glad the show is returning for a second season.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama

• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

I kind of thought Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie would win (as tradition dictates) but Michael C. Hall is certainly great in Dexter.
Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Whew. So you all know my feelings about Glee, right? This moment was probably the best one of the entire awards show for me. The cast was dressed beautifully, Ryan Murphy made a wonderful speech and most importantly, then won! The only thing better would have been if they broke out into song on stage! That said, Modern Family is still amazing in my eyes and well-deserving too but I think it will have its time. This has been Glee’s year, and I think there are many more nominations and wins to come. With the talent pool that they have, who knows what the future holds! It has been a pleasure watching this show from the beginning, and I can’t wait to see more!

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

• Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
• Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Lea Michele, “Glee”

I was very disappointed Lea Michele didn’t take home the win. I was pretty confident Tina Fey would take home the award but Toni Colette was a bit of a surprise. She’s fantastic, but I wasn’t expecting it.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• David Duchovny, “Californication”
• Thomas Jane, “Hung”
• Matthew Morrison, “Glee”

For this award, I didn’t think Glee was snubbed. I love Matthew Morrison, but I kind of figured Alec Baldwin would win. Steve Carell is a genius though and I would have liked to see him win.
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jane Adams, “Hung”
• Rose Byrne, “Damages”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”
• Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”

Many critics have been a-twitter about Jane Lynch being robbed. Here’s what I think: It’s a tough category. Supporting Actress for some reason is lumped together in terms of Drama and Comedy, and I’m not sure that’s the right way to do it. Jane Lynch deserved to win, hands down. She is a comedic genius who has showed her diverse talent in film, television and plays alike. Sue Sylvester is an amazing character who she plays with such tenacity. I can’t say enough good things about her, and I wish she had won. I am not going to say Sevigny isn’t good in “Big Love.” I am glad that Lynch (and Lea and Matthew) had their big moment when the ensemble won, but I was disappointed she didn’t win this award, too.
Best Supporting Actor, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Michael Emerson, “Lost”
• Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
• William Hurt, “Damages”
• John Lithgow, “Dexter”
• Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

I had a feeling Lithgow would win, because he was great on Dexter. But, there was a big part of me rooting for NPH to be awarded for his brilliant portrayal of Barney Stinson.

Overall, I am mostly happy. Glee won, even if the actors didn’t. It was a night where new and old shows were honored, and I was glad to see so many great nominees. What are your thoughts? Who did you want to win? Who was snubbed?

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

I thought this was a category with very deserving nominees. Mad Men is a good show, so I’m not surprised. Wow, sorry for the lack of insightful comments about Best Drama.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series-Drama

• Glenn Close, “Damages”
• January Jones, “Mad Men”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
• Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

I originally thought Anna Paquin or Kyra Sedgwick would take home this award, both of whom I love. However, I was absolutely thrilled to see Julianna Margulies take home her first Golden Globe win. She is phenomenal as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife, and I am so glad the show is returning for a second season.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Drama

• Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

I kind of thought Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie would win (as tradition dictates) but Michael C. Hall is certainly great in Dexter.
Best Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Whew. So you all know my feelings about Glee, right? This moment was probably the best one of the entire awards show for me. The cast was dressed beautifully, Ryan Murphy made a wonderful speech and most importantly, then won! The only thing better would have been if they broke out into song on stage! That said, Modern Family is still amazing in my eyes and well-deserving too but I think it will have its time. This has been Glee’s year, and I think there are many more nominations and wins to come. With the talent pool that they have, who knows what the future holds! It has been a pleasure watching this show from the beginning, and I can’t wait to see more!

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical

• Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
• Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Lea Michele, “Glee”

I was very disappointed Lea Michele didn’t take home the win. I was pretty confident Tina Fey would take home the award but Toni Colette was a bit of a surprise. She’s fantastic, but I wasn’t expecting it.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• David Duchovny, “Californication”
• Thomas Jane, “Hung”
• Matthew Morrison, “Glee”

For this award, I didn’t think Glee was snubbed. I love Matthew Morrison, but I kind of figured Alec Baldwin would win. Steve Carell is a genius though and I would have liked to see him win.
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jane Adams, “Hung”
• Rose Byrne, “Damages”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”
• Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”

Many critics have been a-twitter about Jane Lynch being robbed. Here’s what I think: It’s a tough category. Supporting Actress for some reason is lumped together in terms of Drama and Comedy, and I’m not sure that’s the right way to do it. Jane Lynch deserved to win, hands down. She is a comedic genius who has showed her diverse talent in film, television and plays alike. Sue Sylvester is an amazing character who she plays with such tenacity. I can’t say enough good things about her, and I wish she had won. I am not going to say Sevigny isn’t good in “Big Love.” I am glad that Lynch (and Lea and Matthew) had their big moment when the ensemble won, but I was disappointed she didn’t win this award, too.
Best Supporting Actor, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Michael Emerson, “Lost”
• Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
• William Hurt, “Damages”
• John Lithgow, “Dexter”
• Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”

I had a feeling Lithgow would win, because he was great on Dexter. But, there was a big part of me rooting for NPH to be awarded for his brilliant portrayal of Barney Stinson.

Overall, I am mostly happy. Glee won, even if the actors didn’t. It was a night where new and old shows were honored, and I was glad to see so many great nominees. What are your thoughts? Who did you want to win? Who was snubbed?

I recently had the chance to chat with Liz Tigelaar, the absolutely brilliant creator of the show, who has put her heart into this wonderful series. Here is what she had to say about her passion project, the casting process, and what we can expect from its freshman season.

What was your inspiration behind creating Life Unexpected?
The show is very close to my heart.  I’m adopted and I’ve always had questions about who my birth parents were and had a fantasy about who I imagined they were.  In a weird way, even though I have the best adopted family any person could ask for, I’ve kind of been searching for them my entire life — going from person to person, wondering “Are you like my birth mom?  Are you like me?  Essentially, searching for someone who’s just like me…”  This pilot is about that search and how you don’t always get the answers you’re expecting — sometimes you get better than you ever imagined, other times you’re disappointed.  The show is also about what it means to be a grown up and in your thirties today.

When I first saw the pilot back in September, I thought it reminded me of the Old School CW/WB at it’s best. What does it mean to you to be on this network?
It means a lot.  My first job was on Dawson’s Creek on the WB.  I’ve always had an affinity for that type of show so it means a ton to be back here, eleven years later.  I feel like I’ve come full circle.  If anyone had told me when I was a P.A. on Dawson’s Creek, sitting around with people like Mike White, Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec that I’d be here, I never would’ve believed it.

The show has also been compared to Gilmore Girls (it reminded me of the show as well). Do you like that comparison? Did you watch the show?
I didn’t watch Gilmore Girls regularly but I watched it enough to know I love the comparisons.  I can only hope we’re a fraction as successful as that show was.  I appreciate being mentioned along side of a show like that, absolutely.

The show has a great mix of incredibly poignant and funny moments. And one thing that really shines through is that it has a ton of heart. Did you draw from any of your personal experiences to create and write the show?
The show is incredibly personal to me.  Each character is a part of me, especially Cate and Lux.  I struggle myself with knowing I’m a grown up but feeling like a kid, knowing I could be a parent now but wishing someone would still take care of me.  All Cate’s fears, insecurities, neuroses and skewed logic come from me so I love writing Cate.  She’s flawed and damaged and authentic and just herself, kind of take it or leave it.  But there’s a lot of Lux in me, too.  I’m not as bold as Lux but what she throws out there, the way she looks at things, the way she calls people on things… I probably aspire to be Lux when I grow up.  I also always pictured Lux to be blond.  For some reason, that was important to me.  Probably because I’m blond too and I just saw myself in her.  Is that lame?  We also have the same taste in music and fashion sense.

After the first episode, we get to meet Cate and Baze’s family. Will we meet Ryan’s family?
We won’t meet Ryan’s family until the end of the season.  But we do meet a “family” of Lux’s…

In the next couple episodes, we see a different, perhaps not as innocent side to Lux. Will we see more of that?
Yes, absolutely.  There’s a limit to how edgy we can make her.  Believe me, I’d go as dark and real as they’d let me but what we learn is that this kid had other plans than just getting emancipated and living on her own.  We also see how deep her damage runs and little bits of her past start to come out.  That’s such an important part of the show to me.  Hugely important.

In the screeners, there are no opening credits. Will there be a “theme song?” Have you finalized the opening credits yet?
We haven’t finalized them yet.  I have some ideas, we have a great person working on it.. we’ll know soon.  I miss the days of long main titles like Dawson’s.

What was the casting process like? You worked on Dawson’s Creek. Did you have Kerr Smith or anyone else in mind?I didn’t.  I was open to anyone and everyone.  Kerr came in and I was so happy to see him.  We didn’t really know each other on Dawson’s so it’s been awesome getting to know him.  I’d met Shiri a long time ago (at Dawson’s Creek actually) but she doesn’t remember.

Brittany Robertson is fantastic, but she also looks nothing like Kris and Shiri. Was that intentional?
No, that wasn’t.  We cast the best people for the part.  We didn’t want to be dictated by hair color and because Lux means Light, it was important to me to keep Britt’s natural color.  Weirdly, hair color aside, I think Britt actually looks somewhat like Kris and even a little like Shiri.  Believe it or not, two brunettes can have a blond kid… we researched it knowing people would get hung up on it.

Have you directed any episodes of Life Unexpected or do you have any plans to?
Oh my god, no.  I’d make a mess of it.  But if the show stays on for a few seasons, I’d love to.  I’ve always wanted to direct and am trying to learn.  Being in editing helps a lot… now if I could just be on set more…

I loved your episode of Melrose Place. Do you plan on working more with that show in the future?
Aw, thanks.  I only worked there for about a month.  It was great — the nicest writing staff and showrunners ever.  If L.UX. didn’t come back and Melrose did, I could conceivably go back if they wanted me.  You’d have to ask Todd and Darren…

Can you give us a little teaser/spoiler of what’s coming up this season. Are there any big surprises that we might not see coming?
Our surprises are more emotional surprises than plot point surprises but as far as what’s coming up… look for Baze to intrude on Cate and Ryan, look for the secret of the pilot to come out, look for Lux’s other “family” to bump up against her new family… oh, and Lux has a boyfriend.  Named Bug.

And you are a creator of this great show, but what are your favorite shows?
My favorite show, hands down, is Friday Night Lights.  It’s the best show ever.  Coach Taylor is a modern day “Pa Ingalls” I’ve decided (Little House is my other favorite show).  American Dreams was one of my favorite shows and right now, I’m obsessed with Glee.

Be sure to tune in this Monday (January 18th) at 9 pm on the CW for the series premiere of Liz Tigelaar’s wonderful show Life Unexpected. And in the next few days, I will be posting interviews with Kris and Britt!

Life Unexpected is one of the best pilots I saw back in September, and a show I have been excited about for quite some time. I was absolutely hooked from the first few minutes. The show centers around Lux (Britt Robertson) who has decided to emancipate herself from foster care at 16. This process leads her to her biological father Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kris Polaha from Mad Men) and her biological mother Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby from ER and Roswell). Baze owns a bar and lives above it, and is stuck almost in a state of arrested development. Cate is a local radio star of a show called “Morning Madness” (which Lux listens to every morning) with her partner and off-air boyfriend Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith from Dawson’s Creek). You can absolutely tell is a well-thought out, passion project. It is quirky, sweet, funny at times, but most of all, it just has a lot of heart. We need more of these types of dramas out there, and I’m so excited for this one. I recently had the chance to chat with Shiri Appleby, about what drew her to the role of Cate, how she relates to her character, and her favorite moment from filming the show.

First of all, I saw the first few episodes, and I love Life Unexpected.

Thank you so much. We’re so excited for people to really get to see it, it’s been such a long time coming.

Tell us a little more about your character, Cate Cassidy.
I sort of like to think that she’s the girl that you see across the room that you would sit and have lunch together, but then when you get to know her, you realize how broken and messed up she really is.

What originally drew you to the role of Cate?
I think the fact that there was a moment where the character realizes that she has responsibilities in life and she has to grow up. And I think that’s a moment that most of us goes through, because I don’t think becoming an adult is something that just naturally happens with age. And I thought she was going to go through a really interesting journey and ride. And I can just really relate to her issues, her being scared to commit to somebody long-term, how do you know if you can trust somebody, and how do you also know that you’re good enough to be there for somebody else.

You obviously are not in the same situation as Cate, how do you relate to the character?
I think it’s something that I talk about with my girlfriends all the time. How do you know that you’re able to commit to somebody for the rest of your life? All of these issues that she has, regardless of the fact that she’s now a new surprise mother, are issues that all my friends and young women are facing and having to grow up and make real life decisions. I think her story and her arc is really relatable.

Cate’s a radio host. Did you listen to any radio shows to prepare for the role?
You know, I didn’t. Kerr was really good, he went on Ryan Seacrest. Once you get to a radio station set, you sort of put those headphones on, and we’re mic’d [sitting] next to each other, we kind of just like let it go. It feels really, really natural. Obviously, I’ve done a lot of radio tours and gone to radio stations in the past for other projects, so I’ve had a little bit of experience in that world, so it kind of felt pretty comfortable.

Just coming off ER’s final season, what made you want to jump back into a TV series? I think the show is really special, but what made it special for you?
Well, ever since Roswell ended about 8 years ago, I was wanting to do another television show. But after that experience, you realize what a commitment it is, so I look for shows that I felt like I would want to spend five years of my life being a part of, and when I read this script instantly I knew that this was a character that I would be excited to go to work to play for years, if we’re so lucky.

Life Unexpected in on the CW, and Roswell was on the WB (its former incarnation). How does it feel like to be back on this network specifically?
It feels really good. I know the way these people at the network work, I knew a lot of the publicists already, and I feel like this network is hungry to us to go out there and do what we can do. They’ve been really, really supportive, and they have been since day 1 of this show which has been a real, real blessing for all of us. But it feels like home — I get it. I know what kind of stories they tell.

Do you still have a fan base from Roswell that you think will come over and watch this show?
Yes! I hope so! They’ve been incredibly loyal, which is such a gift. I hope they’ll come and watch this show. If people like Roswell, there’s a lot of similar themes of being there for each other, and yearning for people, and love and friendship and family. There are some pretty similar themes, obviously set in a different world but I think both of our shows are about being a good person and finding true love.

The show centers around a secret from the main character’s teen years. Did you have any secrets from that age that you could share?
I think the thing that I can share with that character is the high school crush gone wrong. (laughs) You know, I mean I definitely had that guy in high school that you were crazy about and it goes wrong and now Cate is faced with having to deal with him in obviously a major way. But you relate to those feelings of looking at that person and being so nervous and not knowing what to do with yourself, and so whenever she’s around him now, she’s instantly that age. She’s instantly sixteen again.

You have great chemistry with Kerr and Kris. Was that instant when you started filming?
Yes, it’s been pretty instant from the beginning which has been really cool. And when Brittany and I read together, you could feel it. And the same thing with Kris and I. And the second Kerr and I stated working, it just felt really natural. We’ve all become really close. Kris, Kerr, and I went to Whistler this weekend. Brittany and I live together. It’s just like a group of people that have been working for long enough to know that we’re lucky right now, so we’re all just really appreciating it.

There’s a very poignant moment in the pilot where you tell Lux (Brittany) that everything will work out. What was it like filming that scene?
First of all, it was freezing. We had these heaters going right in front of us, we were like shaking but at the same time, you know, that scene is what the show is about. And just looking at her — when we shot that last take and the camera was across the street and I put my arm around her and I hugged her, it was almost like an older version of her personally telling her no matter what your issues are, it’s going to be cool, so just enjoy the ride.

Do you have a favorite moment from filming the show so far?
Actually, Kris and I shot a scene the other night. We were back in the high school and Cate has to tell him how she really felt about him back then, how she thought that he was going to be her boyfriend, and how crushed she was by him. And what was interesting was being back in high school, and having to do that, and these characters are now moving past hating each other because they are so uncomfortable. They are starting to see each other for the people they really are and I feel like — I don’t know, I feel like the show is starting to go in a really, really interesting, cool direction. And that night was really special. It was five o’clock in the morning (laughs) and we were so tired, there were no guards up. It was a really good scene.

My first reaction to seeing the show was that it reminds me of Gilmore Girls. What’s your thought? Do you like that comparison? Do you think it’s different?
Well, to be honest, I’ve never really seen Gilmore Girls but it had a six-year run. So I’m grateful for that comparison. If we had six seasons, we’d be thrilled. But I think that the show is sort of its own entity–that show–I don’t know much about it. I know it’s about people caring about each other and young mothers, so obviously there’s similarities there but this show I think is really trying to do their own thing.

Liz Tigelaar is a favorite writer of mine.
Oh yay!

What has it been like working with her?
She’s amazing! We just worship her. She’s been awesome from the beginning. She said that she and I are creating this character together, and it’s totally true. If I have a suggestion, I shoot her off an e-mail and the next day you get pages reflecting that. It’s just everyone on this project is just really focused on making this the best thing we possibly can. There’s not a lot of ego, all the drama’s going on in front of the camera which is great. And Liz wants to listen and talk to you and really she’s so open with herself that when she talks about what’s going on with the character, you’re like “got it…I get what you’re looking for.”

You mentioned that you had a big role in the development of your character. What have you told her that you want to see from Cate?
For instance, in the beginning, before we even started shooting the first episode, I said I think it’s really interesting if when Cate is with Ryan (Kerr Smith’s character), she’s an adult, she’s able to be a woman, and be mature and very civilized. But then when she gets together with Baze, let’s really play her like she’s still stuck in her sixteen year old self. She doesn’t know how to relate to him as an adult. And Liz took that idea and ran with it. And it’s awesome because now those two relationships are radically different. So I think that’s just one thing, but it’s comes to the tiniest things, and she’s always totally open.

There are a lot of dramas out there, what do you think makes Life Unexpected so unique?
I think it’s just a show about these specific people. There’s not a lot of flash, it’s a show about people caring about each other without — there’s not the mystery of the week, basically–which is still a nice, great thing, but it’s just about people learning to be there for each other and people of all ages learning to grow up. And I think it’s a struggle that all of us face–how do you do that? It’s a story of watching these people figure it out.

I know you can’t spoil too much, but can you give us a little teaser of what’s coming up this season for your character and the show in general?
I think she’s [Cate] very conflicted about who (laughs) she’s supposed to be, and she tries her hardest. Every time she tries, she fails. And she lets her guard down, and I think it’s a season of watching this character try to mature, is really what happens.

Your character is definitely very vulnerable. Do you think that will show more as the season goes on?
Oh, absolutely. The last episode we just shot was we went to a wedding expo, and the end of the episode, the character’s been holding — she very much has a guard and a wall up at the end of the episode, she lets it down, and you see the character break. So that vulnerability with Ryan she has that’s beyond all the sarcasm, we definitely see it.

I’m already sold on the show. I love it and will be watching. But what would you tell viewers — why should they tune in and watch this new show?
I think they should watch this new show, because it’s a good time, it’s really funny, and it’s also very honest. It’s a story about people being there for each other, trying to do their best. And I think that’s something right now we could all use a little bit of.

Well, we are good unless there’s anything else you wanted to add.
I just wanted to thank you so much. I’m so glad people are watching it and watching it and wanting to write about, so thank you for taking the time.

And be sure to tune in Monday, January 18th at 9 pm on the CW for the series premiere of Life Unexpected!

Also, Jack Black is guest-starring on Community, as a student who wants to be part of the “in-crowd.” (In other words, Joel McHale and his crew).

And if that’s not enough, James Franco appears on 30 Rock! Check out these video sneak peeks and be sure to tune in tomorrow night on NBC starting at 8 pm for this amazing Thursday night line-up.

Parks and Recreation:

Leslie goes to get an MRI, and Will Arnett plays the MRI technician:

Amy Poehler talks about working with her husband, Will Arnett on Parks and Recreation:

Community:

Jack Black talks about his character, Buddy, that he plays on Community:

30 Rock:

Sneak peek of James Franco on 30 Rock:

ABC Family has renewed Make It Or Break It for a 2nd season! Sources at the network have informed me that they have been picked up for ten more episodes. It is slated for a summer premiere. In addition, there’s more great ABC Family news! Secret Life of the American Teenager has been picked up for a 3rd season, and 10 Things I Hate About You will be returning March 29th.

So expect more drama, more gymnastics, and more great-ness coming your way next summer!

Meanwhile, Razor has returned and Emily finally admits to him that she’s a gymnast. In addition, one of the National Team committee members informs Emily and her mom that she has to get a B in math to remain on the team. In steps Damon, the “mathlete” and new tutor (Emily’s mom asked him). It is clear he has romantic intentions, so I’m curious to see what happens in this love triangle. This episode also explored the interesting relationship with Emily and her mom. When taking her math exam (supervised by Summer), Summer shows Emily all the letters her mom sent to Marty to try and get her into The Rock. Emily slowly comes to realize that her mom has helped with her gymnastics career all along, and has always had her best intentions in mind.  

The other big storyline involves Kaylie continuing to grapple with the pressures of a National Champion. She decides she is going to tell her dad about her mom’s affair, but is unable to go through with it. She calls Carter for support and opens up to him about the pressures and Marty, and feeling like she isn’t in control of her own life. Kaylie starts to kiss Carter and things get a little heavy, but he stops it. He tells Kaylie he’s not giving up on her, and is always there if she needs him. I like that Carter is back in Kaylie’s life. I think he has a lot of making up to do, but in this case, he did the right thing. I hope their relationship will continue to develop.

Because Kaylie couldn’t go through with the Marty sabotage, the girls think up a new plan. They tell the new National team members several petty lies (he’s very hands-y, he has bad breath, don’t look him in the eye) to make Marty look bad. Sasha catches on to their plan, and is clearly disappointed in the girls. In an interesting twist, Kellie Parker reveals to Payson why Sasha wasn’t chosen: essentially because his star gymnast got a career ending injury. Payson goes to talk to Sasha, who reveals that a previous gymnast of his suffered a fall, appeared to be fine and then ended up dying. Sasha tells Payson that the girls look up to her, and she needs to be a leader. Throughout the episode, Sasha (and even Marty) asked Payson to coach, and she said she wasn’t interested. During this talk, it seems as if Sasha finally got through to her. She decides to talk to the girls and tells them they will all be going to the Olympics together–maybe not in the way they anticipated, but it would happen one way or another. Payson may have given in (in a sense) but that fire isn’t gone. While the National Team photo is being taken at the end of the episode, she turns to her mother and tells her she’ll be up there next year, as the new National Champion. (Way to go, Payson!)

I really enjoyed this episode. The return of Kellie Parker was great (she is always a good counter-bitch to Lauren), and I loved seeing Payson step up her role. I hope to see her back in the gym one day, but this was a good start. Also, Emily and her mother’s relationship has always been unique, and I enjoyed seeing this side of Emily’s mother. She seems like the perpetual screw up — always late, always forgetting things — but this episode brought her into a new light. In the scenes from the next episode, the girls hit Hollywood, and there’s more to Damon than we think. I am Damon girl myself, so I’m curious to see what happens. 

Make It Or Break It airs Monday nights at 9 pm on ABC Family.

And beginning Tuesday, March 2nd at 10 pm, TNT will air six new episodes. So if this was a show that interested you but you never had a chance to watch (the cast is fantastic!), you have the opportunity tonight. And because the fate of the show might be unknown, you might just help it get another season. Southland is a great drama that doesn’t feel formulaic or overdone, so tune in tonight at 10 pm on TNT to see what all the buzz is about.

The announcement was made today by FOX at the TCAs (Television Critics Association panels). According to reports, Fox entertainment President Kevin Reilly said: ”We’ve loved ‘Glee’ ever since it was a pilot script, so it’s been an incredible thrill to watch the show take root and see audiences embrace these characters in such a huge way this season. The show is a true and rare gem in television. We couldn’t be more proud of what Ryan Murphy and the ‘Glee’ team have created so far, and can’t wait to see what they come up with for Season Two.”

And about the search for new cast members, Ryan Murphy added:

“Glee has always been about finding new fresh exciting voices. Anybody and everybody now has a chance to be on a show about talented underdogs. No matter who you are — a Broadway talent or a struggling singing waiter with a dream in the Midwest — you now have an opportunity to make that dream come true by posting your talent video and showing us what you can do. All the roles will be chosen form the video audition process, which is exciting and unprecedented.”

I am so thrilled about this news, as you know my love for Glee knows no bounds. In addition to the 3 new Glee cast members, there will be a special chronicling the search. I’m not sure how I feel about this special, but I’m interested to see how the new cast members will factor in, and how they are chosen. But there will be more Glee, and that is something to celebrate!

The episode centers around Ted meeting a girl at the University where he teaches (Rachel Bilson), who we think could be the mother. And Barney wants to be with the new hot McLaren’s bartender (Stacy Keibler), but she hates Wall Street guys in suits. He has to grapple with his suit addiction (one can call it that I think), and decide between the girl and the suit.

This is the first episode where get a really big glimpse as to who the mother is. We don’t ever see her, but we somehow get to know her much better than we had in episodes 1-99. How I Met Your Mother is a comedy with a great deal of heart, and this episode showcases that in an incredible way. Ted reveals some memories about the mother, we see a relic from her past…and we come to understand more of what Ted’s love life is in the future. And then there’s the musical number. You have to wait all of 21 minutes to see it (it’s at the end of the episode), but Neil Patrick Harris can do anything, including singing on top of a taxi cab. We knew he could sing and dance but he really takes it to another level. And each cast member plays a part in this amazing suit-centric song. My guess is you’ll be humming it for the next week…it’s that good. I recently chatted with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the brilliant creators of the show about the 100th episode, what we can expect in the 2nd half of the season, what their favorite episodes have been so far, and the aforementioned ever-so-talented NPH.

What kinds of highlights we can expect in the 100th episode?

Craig: Boy, there’s a lot — this is about the most we’ve packed in to 20 minutes and change, and that’s saying a lot. I think one of our season finales had like 83 different scenes, and while I don’t think this matches as many scenes, this is just about the most bursting-at-the-seams episodes we’ve ever done. We feel like everybody in the cast gets something fun, but the two big stories are a Ted story and a Barney story. Ted’s story is he meets someone at his university who may or may not be the mother. And I think it’s going to be a real kind of edge of your seat–oh my gosh–is this her? Has it taken 100 episodes to get here and we’re finally here…you know, I can’t say too much about that one, because I will be shot and killed by both network and studio but it’s really great. Rachel Bilson plays the part of the girl in question, and she’s fantastic. So yeah, we have several kind of fun cameos in the episode–we have Rachel Bilson, we have Tim Gunn and we have Stacy Keibler. Tim Gunn and Stacy Keibler factor into the other big story of the episode which is a big Barney story. Barney’s been with almost every type of woman in the world–every type of profession, size or shape of woman except one feather he does not yet have is a hot bartender. McLaren’s has hired a new hot bartender, played by Stacy Keibler, and Barney is driven insane–he must get this girl. It’s driven him nuts that he never got to notch that one off–the hot bartender. So Barney’s job in the episode is the pursuit of this girl, and the curveball is that it turns out she’s dated a lot of jerky Wall Street guys, and she hates guys in suits. So Barney, in his passion to try and land this girl, vows that he’ll give up suits, and it turns out to be sort of like a heroin addict deciding “okay no more of that stuff, I’m done with the heroine,” and it turns out to be pretty tricky. And Barney is faced with this horrible, horrible, horrible question — a girl, or my suits. And that’s a question no man should ever have to be faced with, especially Barney Stinson.

Did the success of Glee have anything to do with your decision to do a musical episode now?

Carter: Craig and I are huge music fans and we love making music. Our creative partnership began in a band, and so music has been something that has always been on the back burner for us for this show–we always wanted to do it–we’ve got two terrific Broadway song and dance men in the cast in Josh Radnor and Neil Patrcik Harris. We’ve got Cobie, who obviously made her mark as Robin Sparkles, and Jason obviously–he writes music for his movies. Music is a big part of the show, whether we’ve actually seen it or not. And we’ve done people singing on the show before but it’s sort of felt like this is the time — as fans of the big splashing movie/musical, we sort of felt like number 100 was a good time to make our foray into that. I think would Pam, our director, would probably kill us if we did it too often. But it feels like something — now that we’ve gotten our feet wet, we’d love to do it again. As fans of Glee, and that show has definitely made it clear that you can do a fun movie/musical type thing on television.

Craig: And ironically enough per your question, the musical number in episode 100 was choreographed by Zach Woodley, the choreographer from Glee, and he did a phenomenal job working with Neil Patrick Harris and our cast and about 65 dancers in suits who all showed up at around 5 in the morning so Zach could kind of put this choreography on them in the dark, before we started rolling at the crack of daylight. It was a pretty impressive feat to watch, it did kind of cross paths with Glee in kind of a fun way.

Carter: And I think we like to challenge ourselves, and do things that are a little bit dangerous. There was a fun moment shooting this where Neil jumps up onto a cab. And there were a few moments where he jumps up onto the cab and does a spin and sings and it’s all in one shot, and there were a few moments on that spin, where it felt like it was like wait, is this maybe the end of the show? Is he going to fall off this cab and that will be it?

Craig: Neil’s incredibly graceful, he just amazing at nailing continuity take-to-take in any scene. But there was a little moment or two, when his shoes were a little slide-y on the top of this cab and we were watching the monitor…

Carter: You realize how fragile a TV show can be.

Craig: Carter and I happened to be watching the monitor with Gary Newman and Dana Walden the presidents of the studio, and you just saw their hearts leap up into their mouths, as one of their stars took a little slide on the top of this cab, treacherously to the edge of the roof, of course being Neil, he righted himself and nailed it. But of course there was this little moment of oh well, 100 episodes, we made it, that’s great, now Neil will die, Neil’s going to land on his head and die. We can’t complain. But it all came out well. Suffice it today, that’s not the final take we used that you’ll see Monday night.

How many hours did it take to shoot the scene?

Carter: We had to add an extra day to shoot the musical. Usually we tape in three days, but we added a 4th, because we did 2 days of just a musical. The musical number is very much a musical number. It goes piece to piece and sequence to sequence, it’s not all one thing. It’s kind of like several different pieces, and there’s a crazy Pirates of Penzance-esque middle section with the rest of the cast, so it was really kind of like just knocking out piece by piece by piece — a handful of different sections to it — so we needed 2 days, and it was 65 dancers filling the Fox lot’s New York street, and Pam Fryman, our director, sort of acting like Cecil B. DeMille with this enormous production number, and she had never shot anything like this. And she kept turning to me and saying “I hope any of this is useable, I don’t really know what I’m doing here.” And of course it came out amazingly well.

Craig: I feel like this entire endeavor was everyone not really knowing what they were doing. Carter and I wrote this musical number — we’re not musical number writers, we have a piano and guitar, we just sit there and plunk something out, and then all of a sudden we’ve got 100 piece string orchestra playing the stupid song that we wrote.

Did you know how multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris was when you hired him?

Carter: We knew what America knew which was Doogie Howser and Harold and Kumar. And Harold and Kumar– that movie gets all the credit in terms of putting him on our radar, because that movie was so funny. But yeah, we had no idea. The one thing he did in his audition that sort of set him apart was the audition scene was a scene of Barney playing laser tag, and every other person that had come in and done it had mimed shooting laser tag guns and stuff, and it was always pretty fun. Neil comes in and does a full-on shoulder roll like dives behind a couch, does a roll, in that one little microcasm, you could see 100 episodes of utter commitment, and utter going the extra mile to get the laugh. That was the moment where we knew this guy’s going to try anything and usually be capable of it.

Craig: The more time you spend with him, the more stuff comes out that he can do. He’ll just sort of casually mention–yeah, I set up a high wire in my backyard to practice my high wire walking. It’s just — We had no idea what a show biz ninja this guy is. Each season, something new comes out that he can do. And he directed our 101st episode, and he did a fantastic job behind the camera, too.

It’s been 100 episodes, what has been your favorite episode so far?

Craig: The really strange thing is reaching this point, where you suddenly find yourself forgetting about entire episodes. Like I will sometimes forget about an entire episode from Season 1 like Life Among The Gorillas, that was really fun and really funny. It’s kind of nice reaching this point, where I look forward to when this show starts in reruns in the fall because — when it’s syndicated — because it’s kind of amazing that there’s this such enormous back log all of a sudden, because it does feel like we just started doing this. As far as a favorite, I still look at from season 1 “Drumroll, Please” because I know that Pam Fryman, our director, she actually brought that up to us just the other day, kind of reminded us–go back and watch that, because it really was — it kind of set the blueprint for the romantic tone for the show that I know we all really love. So I’d say that would be mine probably.

Carter: Boy, I feel like I can’t name a favorite one. But for some reason, the moment that pops into my head — the moment that I look at and I go “boy,” I kind of realized what we can really do on this show is the very ending of the season finale in season one, where you have Ted finally getting this girl — getting Robin, who he’s been chasing all year with the help of Marshall and Lily supporting him, and he comes home, so jubilant after this amazing night he had with Robin, and finds Marshall sitting out there in the rain with his engagement ring that Lily had given back because he and Lily had just broken up. And just like — one of the best moments of Ted’s life…Ted thinks he’s probably just met the woman he was going to spend his life with, and he finally landed her and comes back and just hits this brick wall, this huge curve ball that his best friend has just lost his fiancee. And he just sits down next to Marshall on the stoop in the rain and puts his arm around him. There’s this great song by Bloc Party called “This Modern Love,” playing at that moment, and we just sort of pulled back and ended the season on this kind of bittersweet moment of one friend on this high and one friend on this low, and they just sit in the rain with their arms around each other. And it was just to me, that was the heart and soul of this show and hopefully what sets it apart from sitcom, day of the week kind of show. Obviously, you can’t do that every episode. You can’t be that heartbreaking every episode, but it’s made me love these characters and feel for them, and I was just so excited to come back and do season two.

I absolutely adored the musical number in the 100th episode.

Carter/Craig: Thank you.

And I wanted to know if there might be a musical episode in the future.

Carter: We’ve talked about that, and we’d have to find a way to do it that would be just really a signature How I Met Your Mother kind of musical. There have been so many other shows that have done the all musical episode, it’s almost like it’s a — I guess you could say it’s a rite of passage for a show that’s been around long enough — but we will never stop writing songs, it’s just something we love to do. And whether it’s for this show or even for some dumb little website that’s connected to the show, that’s what Craig and I do with our hands when we’re idle. We love music.

Craig: That’s so dirty the way you just put that. (laughs)

Carter: (laughs) I know. But yeah, to us — one thing we should make clear about this musical number, it’s not just like all of a sudden, for some reason, people are singing musicals in reality. This musical takes place kind of within Barney’s mind, so it’s just one part of the show, it’s not an entire musical episode. I think it’s kind of hard to do an entire musical episode, and I think to me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Once More With Feeling did it so perfectly that it would be too daunting to try and do an entire musical number that could possibly as good as that. But it was so much fun. The whole concept of this was kind of to have an on-air 100th episode celebration party, and just go nuts. And have three minutes of unadulterated, silly, joyful fun and see our cast and suits just doin’ it, and just kind of share our joy and pride at getting to 100 episodes, and throwing a little party for the fans. But it’s really just the end of the episode that’s the musical part of the episode.

Craig: I think we’d be more likely as opposed to an all musical episode, I think it’s more likely that when the show is over when we’re done with our run of the series, we’ll do How I Met Your Mother: The Musical, and put that up on Broadway, and maybe have a touring company.

Carter: (laughs)

Craig: That’s probably more likely.

That’s a fantastic idea. (laughs)

Craig: I think it could be fun! Maybe put it on ice, even.

Carter: I say skip the Broadway part, just go straight to ice.

I’m sure Neil Patrick Harris could skate.

Craig/Carter: I’m sure he can.

What was the spark that convinced you that this was a good premise for a TV show?

Carter: Initially, we had the idea for the title: How I Met Your Mother. And we didn’t know if it was a movie, or a TV show, or a book, who knows what. But it just felt like there was a relatable story in there. There’s something kind of universal, in kind of wanting to know where you come from. I think everybody has that question, and so it felt like — we wanted to write a story like that, and at the same time, we wanted to write a story about our lives and about the trevails and tribulations of people our age at the time, in our late 20s, either single and trying to figure out exactly how to transition from being single to basically being to moving forward in your life, and also for people in couples, how to navigate those waters, and it sort of felt like telling that story under the framework of a character 30 years later, explaining how it happened–those two elements sort of came together and that was the genesis of the show.

Was there a slap bet in your lives?

Craig: When I was in high school, I had a friend, and we used to make slap bets about various things. It was definitely…this is what we did in lieu of having girlfriends or lives. We’d watch wrestling matches on TV and slap each other. It was a good childhood, I’m not complaining. I made it out of Cleveland.

Carter: I thought that Slap Bet: the Board Game would get us sued. But the response was more “Where can I get that? I want that in my own home.”

Can you tell what’s coming up in the 2nd half of the season?

Craig: It sort of feels like the first half of the season was kind of arranging the ducks for what’s going to unfold in the second half vis-a-vis Robin and Don and especially Barney. Obviously, in the first half of the season, they gave it a shot and it didn’t work in the first half of the season, and the second half is going to be kind of them digesting that and then processing it, and seeing how that affects their friendship and the various friendships in the group.

Carter: We have a bunch of fun casting coming up. We have Carrie Underwood booked for an episode, you’ll see Amanda Peet on the episode in a couple of weeks, we have and episode with Nick Swisher from the Yankees, and Jim Nance in it. We have this Super Bowl themed episode we air the Monday night after the Super Bowl, and there’s a Barney storyline that leaps out of the Super Bowl, and if you watch the Super Bowl, there may even be a little clue or two along the way but I don’t want to say too much.

Craig: We’ve got something cooked up that will air after the Super Bowl that is Super Bowl related that will put events in motion that will lead to some interesting stuff.

The fans want to know who the mother is. Have you felt that pressure from them?

Craig: I think it’s definitely — there is a version is where we reveal who the mother is, and that is the end of the show. We hear that from time to time, like come on, tell us who the mother is, already. And then it is kind of like the ride’s over in a lot of ways. We definitely have that option, and we have ideas for stories that could take place after you’ve met the mother, but I think in addition to Ted, we’ve got 4 interesting characters with 4 interesting lives, and we sort of like the idea of making the show about more than just that central question. It’s nice having that question as sort of the central undercurrent throughout the whole thing, but we’re still very much enjoying the journey, so we’re in no hurry to wrap up Ted’s love life storyline.

Carter: …The truth is, we’ve always had one leading plan and way we want to do it, and we’re still committed to that, and I’m sorry, but I can’t say what that is.

Craig: It’s sort of like watching M*A*S*H and saying “End this war, already! Come on, enough, you’re still in Korea?” It’s like, that’s the show.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 8 pm on CBS for the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother…you might say it suits you to watch!