Criminal Minds

Here’s a picture of Thomas Gibson looking all smiley, which I thought was appropriate for his birthday. Wish Thomas the best, and have a happy Third and Fourth of July! Have a safe weekend and see lots of fireworks! Hopefully, it won’t continue raining here!

For Kirsten fans, here is a review from Backstage.com on her new production, “Kill Me Deadly” with the Theater of Note. Here is the review by Les Spindle:

Playwright Bill Robens, who previously focused his satiric lens on classic Charles Dickens (A Mulholland Christmas Carol) and Irwin Allen disaster flicks (The Poseidon Adventure: The Musical and The Towering Inferno: The Musical) now goes after film-noir private-eye melodramas, with rib-tickling results. Though the tomfoolery wears thin in the home stretch, this merry excursion in scenery-chewing fun benefits from Kiff Scholl’s zany directorial touches and a game cast milking the genre clichés for maximum hilarity.

The underbelly of 1948 Hollywood, as filtered through the pulpy sensibility of vintage B-movies, is cleverly conjured by Davis Campbell’s evocative set, Kimberly Freed’s deliciously gaudy costumes, Matt Richter’s shadowy lighting, and Darrett Sander’s hysterically cheesy black-and-white projections.

Merging seamlessly into this kicky milieu, stereotypical characters from formulaic whodunits quickly set the story in motion. At the center of the action, of course, is gumshoe Charlie Nickles (Dean Lemont), who projects an aura of detached confidence. Yet in analyzing clues, he always seems to be several steps behind his resourceful secretary, Ida (Lynn Odell), a CSI-caliber whiz decades ahead of her time. Haughty millionaire Lady Clairmont (beautifully overplayed by Kathleen Mary Carthy as a daffy cross between Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury) summons Charlie to her home, revealing that someone has threatened to kill her. After the murder inevitably takes place, the suspects include the dowager’s fired Guatemalan gardener (Phinneas Kiyomura), her uppity butler (Ezra Buzzington), her wacko son (Nicholas S. Williams), her spoiled daughter (Megan Bartle), and a histrionic femme fatale in a flaming-red gown (Kirsten Vangsness in the production’s funniest portrayal—a damsel-in-distress who’s as helpless as Attila the Hun).

The plot is negligible, and the killer’s identity is evident midway through. Robens would do audiences a favor by cutting at least a half-hour out of the piece. The laughs become scarcer as the story complications linger on and the shtick begins to feel repetitive. Nonetheless, this vehicle shows great promise, and you simply haven’t lived until you’ve heard Vangsness bulldoze her way through an ingeniously ludicrous “rainbow” song that’s equal parts Judy Garland in overdrive and Julie Andrews at her spoonful-of-saccharine sunniest. [Go Kirsten! Perfect!]

I forgot it was Wednesday! I didn’t even realize it was July today. I tell ya - summer runs together into one big, hot day for me sometimes. Luckily, I realized what day of the week it is so I could watch Criminal Minds. CBS is reairing “Cold Comfort,” which guest stars Cybil Shepherd as the mother none of us wants. In “Cold Comfort,” the team tracks a killer who embalms his victims so he can spend more time with them. I am looking forward to seeing this - despite the creepy killer embalming women, I feel like the creepiest part is the mother. She’s very cold and seemingly uncaring. It is an interesting dynamic there, especially because Mr. Gless has kept in contact with his son when his mother did not.

Anyway, that will be on at nine. Tune in and let me know what you thought! It’s a great episode for those new to Criminal Minds also, so bring friends!

(photo from Theater of Note) These people don’t stop working. Poor Matthew Gray Gubler is hobbling around on crutches, going to premiers. Kirsten Vangsness is taking a break from her Criminal Minds role and going to the theater. She always does things with the Theater of Note, and this summer it’s a production of Kill Me, Deadly. Variety had a review.

Here’s a quick plot summary:

When private detective Charlie Nickels (Dean Lemont) meets the rich Lady Clairmont (Kathleen Mary Carthy) and her daughter Veronica (Megan Bartle), the main thing he notices is the Bengal Diamond, a huge red gem she keeps on display. This stone is said to be cursed, which quickly becomes apparent as Lady Clairmont is murdered and the diamond stolen. Veronica and her odd brother Clive (Nicholas S. Williams) are immediate suspects, but then so is the fired gardener, Jaime (Phinneas Kiyomura). Or it could be the fast-talking and mysterious Mona (Kirsten Vangsness), whom Charlie might suspect if he wasn’t in love with her.

And the reviewers comments on our favorite CM lady:
http://www.watchingcriminalminds.com/wp-admin/post-new.php
Vangsness is brilliant as the manipulative Mona, who almost trips over herself switching from seductiveness to vulnerability to selfishness, sometimes within a sentence. The actress captures this energy in a perf that sounds like a southern Liza Minnelli combined with a touch of Mae West. And Mona’s earnest rendition of the deliberately sappy song “Rainbow Dream” is comedically sublime.

Click here for the rest of the review. The whole show sounds awesome.

What happened? Matthew Gray Gubler arrived at the premier for 500 Days of Summer sporting a not-so-fashionable accessory - crutches! Apparently he had a knee injury that required surgery. Poor guy! He twittered this:

i just gained a lot more respect for peg legged pirates. it’s way harder than you think. especially on a swaying boat.

He seems to be in good spirits! Get well soon so you can chase some more bad guys!

Update: CBS just released the premier schedule for fall shows. Criminal Minds is kicking off its fifth season on Wednesday, September 23! Busy week for me - Sept. 23, Criminal Minds, Sept. 25, my son’s first birthday, and Sept. 27, my daughter’s fourth birthday. I’m really really looking forward to September! Plus, I don’t like hot weather. It makes me cranky, but it does wonders for my hair. Who else is stoked for season five??

Tonight, we see a Criminal Minds rerun, “House on Fire.” I have a confession to make before we go any further. I have terrible retention. Seriously, if I’m not sitting there with my eyes glued to the screen, taking notes, my mind just sort of goes wherever it wants. This is why I can watch reruns of Law & Order: SVU over and over again. I remember what happens, but a lot of details get lost along the way. In my own defense, I do have a toddler and a baby, and at the time Criminal Minds is on, I’ve just put them to bed and am getting used to the quiet again. And bedtime for them is often work time for me. So I’m always kind of impressed by people who catch all these things! I don’t know why I felt the need to tell you all this, but the point is, I know what happens in “House on Fire,” but I’m just looking forward to see it again to fill in some details. The details really make the show, so it’ll be a good chance to pay attention! Usually, that’s not a problem with Criminal Minds - it’s one of those shows that draw you, leaving your work sitting there neglected! I know you all wanted to hear all about ME today…but let’s talk about “House on Fire.”

An arsonist is targeting public meeting places in this episode. After thirty-one people have been killed, the BAU is called in. Shows like this are terrifying to me - in the opening scene, people are in a movie theater, watching The Blob. Outside someone pours gasoline on the theater, and poof, everyone is running for their lives. It makes it seem like nothing is safe - you can be doing the most normal thing, with your family, and then one person makes a decision. That’s really part of what makes this show so good to me - so scary sometimes too.

Enjoy “House on Fire,” tonight at nine. Drop me your comments after you’ve watched, I’d love to hear from you!

I know many of you are fans of Alex O’Laughlin. He played a vampire in Moonlight and an unsub in Criminal Minds, and now he’s coming back to his own prime time show on CBS. Three Rivers is a medical drama. Here’s a promo with little interview snippets. Enjoy!

Stupid Fox. So You Think You Can Dance won the nine o’clock hour (actually I do like that show - I wish the second hour wasn’t on opposite Criminal Minds!), and second was I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Third was Criminal Minds, then Law & Order, and in fifth, Hitched or Ditched on the CW. CM has 7.6 million viewers, which I think is still respectable for a rerun.

Season four will be released on DVD on September 8, so look for that in the fall. Here’s the cover art:

Their logo is “Focus on the criminal, not the crime.”

To read a complete - and extremely thorough - recap of “Soul Mates” from TV.com, click below the cut. And to leave your thoughts about the show, just pop me a comment! What did you think of this episode?? (more…)

picture from FanPop

Criminal Minds is on CBS at nine tonight. They’ll be replaying “Soul Mates.” This is the one with a team of killers working together - who are the soul mates of the title. The team goes to Atlanta to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. A rerun but definitely worth watching. Catch it tonight!

Also, Criminal Minds stayed in the top twenty for last week. Great for rerun season (and #8-20 had all really similar numbers, so CM wasn’t that far back with over 8 million viewers. Not as high as when their episodes are new, but definitely really great for reruns). Here’s the Nielsen top 20 from the Associated Press:

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for June 8-14. Listings include the week’s ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An “X” in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) NBA Finals: L.A. Lakers vs. Orlando, Game 4, ABC, 15.96 million viewers.

2. (X) NBA Finals: L.A. Lakers vs. Orlando, Game 3, ABC, 14.2 million viewers.

3. (X) NBA Finals: L.A. Lakers vs. Orlando, Game 5, ABC, 14.17 million viewers.

4. (X) “NBA Trophy Presentation,” ABC, 13.48 million viewers.

5. (20) “The Mentalist” (Tuesday), CBS, 11.62 million viewers.

6. (5) “NCIS,” CBS, 11.05 million viewers.

7. (9) “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 9.52 million viewers.

8. (8) “The Mentalist” (Thursday), CBS, 8.94 million viewers.

9. (50) “48 Hours Mystery” (Tuesday), CBS, 8.85 million viewers.

10. (5) “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 8.74 million viewers.

11. (44) “So You Think You Can Dance” (Wednesday), Fox, 8.69 million viewers.

12. (44) “So You Think You Can Dance” (Thursday), Fox, 8.65 million viewers.

13. (50) “Wipeout,” ABC, 8.49 million viewers.

14. (11) “Criminal Minds,” CBS, 8.34 million viewers.

15. (14) “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 8.21 million viewers.

16. (16) “CSI: NY,” CBS, 8.02 million viewers.

17. (X) NHL Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh vs. Detroit, Game 7, NBC, 7.99 million viewers.

18. (37) “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 7.82 million viewers.

19. (11) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.64 million viewers.

20. (63) “The Bachelorette,” ABC, 7.19 million viewers.

I normally don’t care how much people weigh or what they look like, but I’m interested in AJ Cook’s weight loss because she had her baby around the same time I had my son. And I can assure you that she looks a million times better! It’s hard to hate her because she seems like such a lovely person though. Anyway, AJ made her weight loss journey public, and I’m glad that we get to see a normal, natural, healthy weight loss. Unlike Angelina Jolie who has twins and fits into her size double zero jeans before she leaves the hospital. That’s just not normal! But it makes normal people feel bad. We saw AJ on the other hand, after she had her baby, looking like a woman who had a baby. Nothing wrong with that, and she’s losing her weight healthily. So my respect for her has been ratcheted up yet another notch.

Here’s the picture from April of AJ:

Looking fabulous. Now here she is in the most recent shot (these are for Health Magazine):

She looks great. And healthy. Here’s a quote from the article:

With adjusting to being a new mom, working on TV, and sitting for hours in L.A. traffic, my schedule is tight. Finding time for my workouts has been one of my biggest challenges. What’s helped is having accountability to my trainer—if I cancel, I know I’ll be letting him down, too. I also picked a gym near my home, so I can get there quickly. Plus, I try to squeeze in little workouts whenever and wherever I can, whether it’s doing some toning in my trailer during a break on set or pushing Mekhai in his stroller on my day off.

I’m sure that’s quality time as well as quality exercise. Click here to see this page and the links if you want to check more about about AJ’s weight loss and finding time to exercise. This is important for EVERYONE, not just new moms, so everyone take a look!

My kids. Man, they make me tired. The baby is eight months old, and he’s going to be trouble. He has no fear. And he is extra motivated to walk/talk early so he can keep up with his sister. Who is already trouble. And I have a lot of work that I am unmotivated to do, and I’m neglecting my blog, and I’m just cranky in general.

So I thought today would be a good day for a Shemar Moore sans shirt picture. Feast your eyes:

I was looking for yummy pictures and you know, there are a lot of Shemar in this exact pose.

Quite honestly, if I had a stomach like that, I would never wear a shirt. That may present some problems and embarrass my children, but wow! I hope that made everyone a little less cranky (it worked for me) and set the tone for the rest of your weekend. Have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll talk some serious Criminal Minds on Monday. Or look at more shirtless pictures. I wonder if there are any of the other CM boys….

This is a preview for 500 Days of Summer, which co-stars Matthew Gray Gubler. Its stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The trailer looks awesome, and this film got a standing ovation at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It’ll be in US theaters on July 17. If you’re missing Matthew Gray Gubler by then, check it out!

And don’t forget to tune in tonight on CBS at nine for “Normal.” This was one of my favorite episodes of season four - what makes a “normal” person turn into a killer? The team investigates the “Road Warrior,” who is targeting drivers of luxury cars.

Here are the ratings for the first week of June. Criminal Minds did a great job - major competition was the NBA finals and Inside the Obama White House. (X is for one-time presentations. The numbers in parentheses are the year-to-date ratings.)

1. (X) “NBA Finals Game 2: Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers,” ABC, 14.06 million viewers.

2. (X) “NBA Finals Game 1: Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers,” ABC, 13.04 million viewers.

3. (38) “Law and Order: SVU,” NBC, 11.56 million viewers.

4. (5) “NCIS,” CBS, 11.26 million viewers.

5. (24) “The Mentalist” (Tuesday, 9 p.m.) CBS, 10.88 million viewers.

6. (9) “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 10.1 million viewers.

7. (X) “Inside the Obama White House” (Tuesday), NBC, 9.17 million viewers.

8. (X) “Inside the Obama White House” (Wednesday), NBC, 9.04 million viewers.

9. (11) “60 Minutes,” CBS, 8.89 million viewers.

10. (64) “Law and Order,” NBC, 8.87 million viewers.

11. (44) “So You Think You Can Dance” (Wednesday), FOX, 8.85 million viewers.

12. (11) “Criminal Minds,” CBS, 8.64 million viewers.

13. (8) “The Mentalist” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), CBS, 8.55 million viewers.

14. (13) “CSI: Miami,” CBS, 8.52 million viewers.

15. (44) “Wipeout,” ABC, 8.44 million viewers.

16. (27) “Rules of Engagement,” CBS, 8.31 million viewers.

17. (44) “So You Think You Can Dance” (Thursday), FOX, 8.18 million viewers.

18. (5) “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” CBS, 7.86 million viewers.

19. (16) “CSI: NY,” CBS, 7.75 million viewers.

20. (62) “48 Hours Mystery” (Tuesday), CBS, 7.73 million viewers.

More about Emmy awards in a minute. But first, I found this great site with a post on Matthew Gray Gubler, and some videos. He sort of documents his activities and things on video - you can find these on youtube if you’re looking for some MGG entertainment before September. Anyway, that’s here.

And another item of interest is an article I found on Emmys. In the last post, I linked to an article that talked about how procedurals are often overlooked (ok, almost always overlooked) for Emmy awards. This article talks about how serials (like Lost), that require viewers to watch every week tend to get the Emmys while procedurals (like Criminal Minds) have the advantage of longevity and ratings. This article is great, and Ed Bernero, the exec producer of Criminal Minds talks about the appeal of procedurals - which are self-contained episodes. So you can catch CM one week, miss it, catch it another week, and you can catch up. With Lost, if you missed an episode - any episode of any season - you’re lost.

This is good news for Criminal Minds because some people tune into American Idol, and when that ends, they can switch to CM and have no problem knowing what’s going on. Each story is independent, while there are some storylines among the characters, we can get the point. It makes it more approachable. Here’s what Bernero says:

“Procedurals offer the basics of storytelling that people want to hear. It’s very Arthurian and basic to human experience. People like to think that, while they can be scared and pull the blanket up around them, there are heroes out there who will save the day. It’s very comforting, and that’s why there will always be a huge market for cop shows: People need to know there are heroes.”

The heroes don’t get Emmys though! Too bad, but we know this show is among the best on TV, and the ratings confirm that. To read the rest of this great article, click here.

ABC Studios has submitted “Mayhem” and “Shades of Grey” for Emmy consideration. Both good episodes - I really liked “Shades of Grey,” which was the one in which the team is investigating a series of child murders. They apprehend someone, but one of the murders was committed by someone else. The bad seed episode - very creepy. “Mayhem” was the season premier, and I have fond memories of it because I was in the hospital about to have my son when I watched it. So both good choices. Do you think CM will win?

I recently read an article about shows like CM, Bones, and Ghost Whisperer being really popular yet never winning awards. They seem to get passed by, so hopefully that will change sometime soon! Here’s a link to that article if you want to check it out - it’s interesting!