After seeing him perform a conflicted lawman in Dexter, it’s no wonder that Jimmy Smits would end up getting involved in the hit FX series Sons of Anarchy now. Rumor has it that Smits is slated to be a new mentor for Jax, the main protagonist of the show, as Jax struggles to move SAMCRO out of the gun running business and become a more legit business and more peaceful motorcycle club. Smits’ new role as Neron “Nero” Padilla acts as a harsh influence on Jax, pushing him to keep the club an outlaw club while Nero has his own exit strategy from the latino gang he is affiliated with.

What is notable about this character’s differences from all of Smits’ other TV personas in L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, and Dexter is that he is not acting on the side of the law this time and will not don a shirt and tie anymore — his suit is replaced with tattoos, leather and gang patches. It should be interesting to see him finally run a new TV persona for a whole season. Will he make it beyond this season? Watch to find out!

As far as highly entertaining, modern and edgy shows go, FX is a great network. It’s who has brought us The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Damages, Rescue Me, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, American Horror Story, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Louie, and more. But after seeing yet another terrible, terrible interview with Charlie Sheen on the Today show, it’s a big wonder how FX was talked into creating a TV show for him.

There are some great new shows and new seasons coming this April 2012

7. Magic City (series premiere, April 6th) – This Starz channel noir throwback features a 1960s Miami Beach setting where producer Mitch Glazer (Lost in Translation, Scrooged, The Recruit) has set a release date for April 6th. While the timeslot is a Friday night in spring (not the best timeslot), the storyline has incredible potential. Picture all your favorite noir topics: drugs, criminal underworld, gambling, strip clubs and prostitutes..

And now picture it in a 1960s Miami Beach night club, with the swank and swoon of that classic time period we have all recently gotten a good taste of from Mad Men, and you got yourself an instant hit.

6. The Big C (season three, April 8th 2012) – I wasn’t blown away by this show at first, but it really has a life of its own. The characters all have quite a bit of depth and the storyline, while is often far-fetched, is contrived and realized in a way that leaves you rooting for the characters. It sits at #6 on this list, though, because the following programs blow it out of the water..

5. Nurse Jackie (season four, April 8th, 2012) – It was said by Variety Magazine that Nurse Jackie was “all style and no substance”, but that has to be the dumbest criticism of a TV show. First off, a show is meant to entertain and that is how you should judge it. From where I’m sitting, Nurse Jackie is a deluge of substance: character development, real-world issues, and the viewer’s love/hate relationship with a witty, possibly amoral person who feels almost too-human at times. The show only lacks a solid direction, but substance is overflowing here. Anyway, if people have trouble turning it off then that means it’s entertaining, no? I personally had to watch all episodes of every season in one sitting.

4. The Borgias (season two) – There is, right now, no other show on TV that fits this genre. It’s entirely unique and tells the story of the Spanish/Italian Papal Family in all it’s crooked glory. The first season proved to enormously overshadow showtimes other series of the same genre The Tudors in that it showcased a much higher skill of acting from all fronts. From the wardrobe to the style to the direction and writing, this show has serious class.

3. Breaking Bad (season five, series conclusion) – Ok, this one doesn’t start until July, but it’s still very much worth mentioning now. While you’re out jetskiing, surfing, sailing, or any other water sports your summer entails, you’ll be missing the concluding season of one of the best shows on television. Thank god for Tivo! Walter Sr. is said to make the ultimate sacrifice and determines the fate of himself, his family and Jesse Pinkman once and for all in this exciting AMC drama.

2. Mad Men (season 5) – After a year off, Mad Men returned to AMC March 25th with their fifth season, which showcased the intimacy of Donald Draper and his new wife Megan Draper, including a party where Megan sings a sassy, burlesque-like song in French in one of the most unforgettable scenes on television this year. The style on this is through the roof and it’s no wonder Mad Men has received so much critical acclaim.

1. Game of Thrones (season two, April 2nd 2012) – Like millions of people around the country, I was a big, big fan of Lost and didn’t think it was possible for a show of that caliber to ever come around again — until I saw Game of Thrones. From the cinematography to the story arc to the direction and imagination of the original author and creator George R. R. Martin, there is seriously no other show that comes close to how moving, awe-inspiring, addicting and (ultimately) highly entertaining as this fantasy set in a mythical, medieval world. If you haven’t seen series one yet, you should drop everything you’re doing now and go watch it. Because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, all I want to say is NED STARK.

At age 48, Whitney Houston is found dead at a Hilton Hotel on the night before the Grammy Award show.

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that, while we don’t officially know the cause of death yet, Houston’s self-destructive behavior has finally reached a boiling point. After a night of partying, the pop music legend passed away, leaving behind a daughter, a broken career, and millions of dollars in assets whose new ownership are yet to be determined.

Before you go and get uptight about any sort of “indecency” that critics may be showing at this time, first try to take into account the overly-irresponsible behavior of a celebrity who once showed the world an emotionally powerful and uplifting song like “The Greatest Love Of All” in contrast to probably the worst performance ever caught on camera of any pop diva after years of a reckless, drug-induced lifestyle:

Bored To Death and How To Make It In America were two great shows that HBO completely ditched for no good reason. 2.5 million viewers an episode is not bad by cable standards at all, and that is what How To Make It In America was averaging. consider the fact that the CW houses Nikita at 1.5 million an episode on Friday nights, a horrible timeslot on a network tv channel, and the same goes for Fringe on Fox. all HBO had to do was move these shows to another night or time on Sunday and give it a go, but to completely cancel either of these shows is very inappropriate by cable rating standards because cable ratings are typically much lower than network tv ratings.

the big loss, however, is putting the hipster scene on TV. both shows showcased this lifestyle, How To Make It In America more overtly and Bored To Death more subtlely. on one level it’s a win for the underground scene so that How To Make It In America’s basterdized Vice Magazine font and iphone photo style isn’t procreated anymore on national television, leaving it as an in-the-know-only aspect of the NYC party scene, but on another level that is exactly what How To Make It In America was about: two guys from the new york hipster party scene who were sick of being broke and trying to make something of themselves in America’s center of fashion. this is what made the show one of a kind and a perfectly valid, even important contribution to popular culture. sure, there is America’s Next Top Model and other horrid reality shows that feature New York fashion, but none that grasp hipsters so well — from architects to designers to fine artists, it’s a side of New York that hasn’t ever been showcased is such a way on television. maybe that was a turn off to people who in reality embody the subject matter themselves, or maybe those people were just too busy partying and being cool to watch the show. but just as Entourage caught the essence of making it as a Hollywood star in Los Angeles, How To Make It In America was truly capturing NYC fashion dreams circa 2011.

as for Bored To Death, it was a ridiculous show with a ridiculous plot and three ridiculous lead characters that never ceased to incite a long continuous stream of laughter from me and anyone else I know who watched the show. this show was rife with brooklyn scenery and carried three random concepts that when thrown together make a rather creative and thought-provoking television show: noir, anti-ageism, and comic book penises. the sleuth-driven storytelling in the new york setting has surprisingly not been done in quite a while, at least not in the throwback sense. mixing it with comedy carried Who Framed Roger Rabbit nostalgia without the cartoons, although Super Ray more than makes up for that even if it’s only just a few shots of comic book frames now and then — the concept behind it is integrated well enough into the series that Super Ray is hard to forget. the best part about the show, however, was the unprejudiced interaction between younger people and older people. it showed how age doesn’t need to stand in the way of good friendships or even sexual relationships. this concept even extended to different classes since the main character was a popular and successful writer who often mingled with criminals through his work, while Ted Danson’s character ran a respected magazine during the day and smoked pot with a private investigator and a comic book artist at night. of course, the best part of the show was Zach Galifinakis as a supporting character whose charisma and comedic talent are not yet getting tired. to be fair, Bored To Death had a three-season run, which is only a little more than consequential to say the least. but taking it off the air entirely is definitely depriving America of a truly creative and original show, one that I would feel sideswiped if topped by any new shows in 2012.

Looking for a Billy Zane noir movie that I couldn’t remember the name of, I stumbled upon this lost mid 1990s b-movie. I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever even heard of the title. There are a lot of great things that stand out in this movie, from the screenplay to the direction to the performances by all the actors to the cinematography and even to the soundtrack at some times. Cameron Diaz and Billy Zane have clear a chemistry and being so young and vibrant, they are a treat to watch interact on the screen. What’s great about the screenplay is that it moves quickly without feeling rushed and as a viewer I feel entertained and enthralled even before anything big happens 18 minutes into the film. And then it turns into a whole new film altogether.

Substance is lost when it comes to the aftermath of the discovery of Billy Zane’s character Kent by Harvey Keitel’s character George. The story doesn’t move as fast as I would like at this point and is a little redundant albeit entertaining for a good 30 minutes or so while the characters struggle with making the choice to either be honest but ostracized by the media or being dishonest and safe in the privacy of their lives while committing a serious crime. If the movie had explored this idea more thoroughly, philosophically and darkly, it would have continued into what it started out to be. But it soon moves away from the creepiness and thrill of the desperation that overcomes one of the characters and brings out a cold-blooded side with a stark intent on covering everything up and into a campy dark comedy starring Cameron Diaz (at least this was before she got big), and I have to say her performance turns to utter crap by the end of the movie.

While this movie is charming and entertaining overall, what bothers me about it is probably the same issue that most critics would have: there are times when it is very serious and times when it’s extremely campy. The musical score is probably mostly to blame for this, but it could really just be that the producers were looking to make something accessible by too many markets instead of just sticking to one. I can imagine the script originally being a thriller and being amalgamated into what it became. Some examples of this are the beginning being a very serious and drama-oriented mood which prepares the viewer for a murder mystery, then turns into a would-be black comedy with no real jokes for the rest of the movie, studded with moments of a classic horror film format. Again, it’s difficult to fit this movie into a specific genre and that makes it difficult to swallow as a viewer. The best movies, the ones that have won the awards for best picture usually, are the movies that don’t fail on this account. Even if you were to make a movie that is cross-genre and/or unique in terms of genre-fitting, it should still carry through from beginning to end in some cohesive format. Without it, as a viewer, I feel cheated or tricked into watching something that I wasn’t truly interested in watching from the beginning.

The honeymoon home from the movie Twilight can be rented by the day and jewelry from the movie has been auctioned off. Now, the home which is almost half and acre and located on Selkirk Lane in Bel Aire which was being rented by Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson is now for sale. Situated on a private promontory, feast your eyes on Stone Canyon Reservoir with this beautiful west-facing property surrounded by green scenes and some of the most tranquil sights you will ever see. This luxurious home was built in the 90s and has had some recent renovations with an upkeep that is very frequent, both inside and out.

This 2,604-square foot abode has definitions of hardwood floors, very spacious dining and living room areas, high wood ceilings and a large terrace for barbecuing and entertaining, a pool and spa, and a gazebo that is ideal for gazing at California sunsets. The main level also consists of a powder room, a beautiful contemporary style kitchen complete with cooking half-island, and even a media room for viewing and listening pleasure.

The lower level of the house contains the master bedroom suite, complete with gorgeous views of the reservoir, French doors leading out to a green lawn, and has two other bedrooms and a bath and laundry as well. What’s more is there is a guest house that is included on the property, which is 1,440-square feet and contains an open living room area with a spiral staircase leading up to the loft bedroom.

As far as security, the entire place is gated off and very private due to the greenery overgrowth in the area. You will have complete privacy and solitude while you spend your time with your loved one or entertain important guests.

The home is being sold by Mossler Properties. That is a link to their website where you can see photos of all the rooms and land.

“It’s connecting more to what their lives are now than when they were high school kids, cuz they’re not high school kids anymore”, says Bill Condon regarding the maturity of the two star actors of new Twilight movie Breaking Dawn Part 1. “For example, Robert played more of himself in this movie than in all the others because Edward is sort of happy now,” referring to the correlation between Pattison’s character and his real life. Does he mean Pattinson’s relationship to Kristin Stewart? Hmmm…

This particular movie has garnered quite a bit of attention at San Diego’s Comic-Con 2011, currently being held at the San Diego Convention Center. While director Bill Condon mentions that he’s felt a slight bit of weight on his shoulders while filming these movies, he says you can only do it the way you think is “the most beautiful and powerful,” which is not just a nod to himself but to everyone who worked on the film. It’s clear Condon is extremely appreciative of his cast.

The Day The Show Dug Deeper Into Its Contrived Sci-Fi Hole, is more like it.

Joshua Jackson finally starts to act a little bit in Friday night’s season finale of Fringe. His usual [bad] Fox Mulder-rip-off mumble actually disappears for a short while when he expresses loss, regret and excitement for possibly the first time ever since the beginning of the show in 2008. We won’t bore you with spoiler details, but this really isn’t the interesting aspect of the finale.

The Observers’ role in the show returns into view after a Lost-like time-warp occurs as seen at the end of the previous episode and drags us through a steampunk fashioned what-if future version of all our favorite characters. The writers are obviously having fun, but sadly at the expense of their audience. Just like the season two finale, the storyline is rushed so much that I’m pretty thankful I gave up considering this show a worthy watch last year.  While the whole of season three has been….interesting….there is pretty much nothing going on that resembles the first season at all.  The writers have basically completely ditched the “monster of the week” fun that gave us the MIT time-travel transhuman, the teleporting German, and of course all the mystery behind Massive Dynamic and the plot to destroy the universe by the underground terrorist cell.  In fact, I can say with confidence that as soon as they revealed the answers to all the mystery I lost all interest in the show.  Now, the show has become a smorgasbord of how far they can take the plot (not far at all) instead of using the mystery they once had to intertwine all sorts of common questions about the universe we all have to slowly unravel the plot. I’m actually really saddened by the whole thing and have decided that there’s a difference between J.J. Abram’s awesome interest in puzzles, sci-fi, conspiracies and the unknown and his ability to produce a good show. Undercovers is a good example of the thoughtless crap he is capable of attempting and failing at.  And at this point, I think it’s safe to say the only exemplary show he’s had a hand in is Lost, and that is probably because he had the help of better producers and writers than himself. (Honestly, J.J., just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you have any talent. Try a writing class or even borrowing a book on it from the library once in a while. You’re not a bad actor, though — your performance in Six Degrees of Separation was pretty great — you should have stuck to that).

The one thing that keeps me watching the show is John Noble’s two characters and performance. This is clearly one of the most talented actors of our time and the only one on the show that never gives a bad performance or loses his character. The possession of Olivia’s body by William Bell was an interesting concept, but Anna Torv’s performance of it was only C+, while her return to natural Olivia ended up being irritating at best.

All in all, they’ve destroyed this show and it’s an utter surprise that it’s gotten renewed. I’ll still watch out of curiosity, but only if I happen to catch a rerun. D -

It’s pretty simple: you go up there, you crack a few jokes and you introduce the awards presenters, but no… Hosts of awards ceremonies always find a way of making really uncomfortable jokes while they’re in the spotlight, and if you’re an elephant in the room, you will be spotlighted — it’s an old trend that’s become mainstream and dubbed a “Roast”, a (hopefully) good-humored spiting of the guest of honor (or guests). But roasts can go overboard as this one has in some people’s eyes, such as Robert Downy, Jr. as quotes as saying, “it was mean,”.

”

Interestingly enough, Gervais is also a devout atheist and can be seen gurgling the sentiments of the holy spirit on Inside the Actor’s Studio.