HBO Series : Big Love

Big Love is the first American TV drama series devoted to the subject of polygamy. Produced by HBO, Big Love starred Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson, the owner of a hardware-store chain headquartered in Salt Lake City. Although Bill was no longer an active member of the extremist Mormon sect United Effort Brotherhood, he remained married to three different women at the same time, who lived in neighboring houses with one connected backyard.

Played by Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb, she is Bill's first and only legal wife, who loved her husband and respected his religious beliefs but wished that she could be certain that she was foremost in his heart. Wife number two, was Nicki Henrickson played by Chloe Sevigny, who had grown up at the United Effort Brotherhood's Juniper Creek compound was somewhat ignorant of the ways of the outside world. The youngest of the wives, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, was Margene Henderson, who was understandably confused and disoriented by the unique situation in her household.

Because he lived and worked in a country where polygamy was a crime, Bill was forced to jump through hoops to keep his multiple-marital status a secret, thus enabling wife Nicki's father, Roman, self-styled "prophet" of Juniper Creek, to blackmail Bill into giving him a sizeable chunk of his business profits. Also in the cast were Bruce Dern and Grace Zabriksie as Bill's parents, Franklin and Lois, who still lived at Juniper Creek, as did their other grown son, Joey, who in turn had given up a promising football career to remain at the compound with his wife, Wanda. Other main cast members included Daveight Chase as Roman's new child bride, Rhonda; Joel McKinnon Miller as Bill's best friend, business partner, and fellow polygamist Don Embry; and Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, and Jolean Wejbe as Bill and Barbara's children, Sarah, Ben, and Tancy. Though the basic situation was frankly nothing to laugh at, a great deal of wry and provocative humor arose from the byplay amongst the many cast members, and from the tortuously twisted plot convolutions.

Stardust

This summer a star falls. The chase begins.

One of the best romantic fantasy movie I've seen was the film, Stardust. It was based on Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name illustrated by Charles Vess, and originally published by DC Comics. The casts are starstudded including Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Nathaniel Parker, Peter O'Toole, David Kelly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Mark Heap and Charlie Cox. The story of the movie is about a young man who makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

The story begins around 150 years ago, in an English town named Wall. Wall is built beside a wall that is a portal to a magical kingdom named Faerie, which includes the realm of Stormhold. After a young man named Dunstan Thorne crosses the wall in spite of a guard trying to prevent this, he meets a nameless woman, but then later find out is named Una.She tells him she is a princess captured and used as the slave of the witch Ditchwater Sal. She gives him a glass flower, which she claims will bring him incredible luck, for the price of a kiss. Dunstan makes love to her and returns through the portal to his hometown of Wall the next day. Nine months later, Una sends him a baby in a basket, their infant son, Tristan.

When dashing Tristran Thorn promises the fairest girl in the village, Victoria, that he will prove his love by bestowing her with a genuine falling star, his daring mission sends him on an adventure far outside the comfortable confines of Wall. In order to find the fallen star, Tristran will have to ascend the wall and venture deep into the forbidden heart of the fantastical realm known as Stormhold. Upon discovering that the meteorite he sought was in fact a beautiful girl named Yvaine, who has stumbled though space and is now being pursued by the King of Stormhold's sons (who long to use her cosmic powers to lay claim to the throne), Tristran vows to protect the otherworldly visitor at all costs. But the King's sons aren't the only ones in search of the luminous Yvaine; fearsome witch Lamia has become convinced that the young girl's power can help her to achieve eternal youth and beauty. As Tristran makes his way through Stormhold on a mission to bring the star back to Wall, he will encounter a series of spectacular characters and creatures that will lead him to a fate he never imagined.

The O.C

The O.C is an American teen drama TV series premiered on the 5^th of August, 2003. The Orange County in California or O.C for short is known as an idyllic idyllic paradise, a wealthy, harbor-front community where everything and everyone appears to be perfect.

The O. C tells the story of the Cohen, Cooper, and Nichol families, and Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks, who is thrust into this world, and who will forever change the lives of the residents of The O.C.

Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) is a troubled teenage youth from the wrong side of the tracks in Los Angeles who finds himself on his own after he is thrown out of his own house. He finds a place to stay in the posh home of the Cohens in the wealthy community of Newport Beach, the O.C. (Orange County), California. Ryan is accepted by the hard but compassionate Sandford "Sandy" Cohen (Peter Gallagher), a lawyer who represented Ryan in the past for his miss-deeds. But Sandy's wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), aware of Ryan's criminal history, is watchful of this new house guest. The Cohen's son Seth (Adam Brody) bonds with Ryan quickly and shows him the ropes of the community and vice versa for Ryan giving advice to Seth about life and love. Ryan develops a crush on Marissa Cooper (Micha Barton) a neighbor girl who lives down the street and has problems with her not-so-sheltered existence in dealing with her distant father Jimmy (Tate Donovan) and weak-willed mother Julie (Melinda Clark). Also, Marissa's best friend, Summer (Rachel Bilson) is oblivious to the crush that Seth has on her, while taking a liking to Ryan.

The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years is an Emmy award winning drama-comedy tv series created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens launched on January 31, 1988. It is about the story of a young teenager who is facing rites of passage on his way to adulthood. Kevin Arnold is the main character in the series which was played by Fred Savage. He is living in a quiet-middle class suburb together with his father Jack, his mother Norma, his brother Wayne, and his sister Karen. Kevin also grows up with his love interest Winnie Cooper, and his best friend Paul Pfeiffer. The story is narrated by an older, wiser Kevin voiced by Daniel Stern, describing what is happening and what he learned from his experiences.

McMillan and Wife

McMillan and Wife was one of three original rotating elements in the NBC Mystery Movie which was aired on September 1, 1971. It is a crime drama television show about a married couple that solves criminal cases. Stewart McMillan is the police commissioner of San Francisco, who is the man with ponderous responsibilities. Together with him is his beautiful wife, Sally, who's fond of solving criminal cases which she unintentionally stumbled upon.

They live in the city and have a smart housekeeper named Mildred, who is opposite to her absent-minded sister, Agatha. McMillan's duties require her to intervene personally when circumstances warrant in police cases, and here she is aided by the saturnine but enthusiastic Sgt. Enright. The commissioner's mother, Beatrice McMillan is a brilliant person, independent-minded and a very fast driver.

The Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

While I was at the mall yesterday, I was thinking whether if I'm going to watch The Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End or not, since I was not satisfied on the second movie of it. But then I realized, it's better-off rather than not watching the film at all. And as the age of piracy comes to a close, Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.

The film begun with Lord Cutler Beckett as he unmercifully executed the mass who were associated with piracy. Lord Beckett wants to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates, and now with control of Jones' heart, he formed a dark alliance with Davy Jones. Elizabeth Swann who is the governor Swann’s daughter and engaged to Will, together Tia Dalma, a witch who travels with the Black Pearl crew to rescue Jack and raised Captain Barbossa from the dead, and Captain Barbossa with his crew, went to Singapore and ask Sao Feng (the captain of the Chinese Pirate) for a ship and crew to rescue Jack Sparrow at the Davy Jones' Locker. At first, he refused to help them since Jack is his mortal enemy because of stealing his navigational chart before. But then, after attack of the Becketts' company, they still managed to negotiate, and Sao Feng offers them a junk Chinese ship vessel and crew. Mr. Mercer, Beckett's right hand man in hiding from a cargo, overhears this but does not kill either of them since they are significant of capturing where Jack Sparrow is, and to convince him to be their alliance. Through the help of the map of Sao Feng, which Will stole after the fight, they've been at Davy Jones' Locker and was able to rescue Jack Sparrow.

After they discover that Lord Beckett possesses the heart of Jones and begun eliminating piracy with the commanded assistance of Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman ship, the world's pirates gathered for a meeting of the brotherhood known as the Brethren of the Coast which consists of nine pirate lords. Eight of the nine pirate lords discuss the threat of Beckett and the release of Calypso from her imprisoned human form. They were expecting Sao Feng to show up and reach a decision, but they saw Elizabeth instead. For she was chosen by Sao Feng to be the new captain of the Empress, due to his belief that she is Calypso, despite the revelation that Tia Dalma is. Every pirate argues over the matters at hand and Jack proposes they make a king. Since every pirate lord has only one vote, and that they would only vote for themselves, everyone is taken by awe when Jack votes for Elizabeth instead of himself, making her the Pirate King of the Brethren. Against Barbossa's persuasion, Elizabeth orders the pirates to fight against Beckett and leave Calypso be.

The peak of the story was when Barbosa frees Tia Dalma or Calypso and ask her to help in the battle, she turned into a giant and turned into huge numbers of crabs and went under the sea. A maelstrom came and so as the battle began between the pirates and Jones company together with the Royal Navy. Jack was able to get back Jones heart in his hands, but was still unfortunate because it slipped through his hands. While they're on the fight, Will proposed to Elizabeth to marry him. And so, Elizabeth and Will are joined in matrimony by Captain Barbosa whilst fighting the crew of the Flying Dutchman. But soon after Jones stabs Will in the heart,and Jack took Jones' heart again, he lets Will stab it, and that was the time Jones got killed. He who kills the captain of the Flying Dutchman must replace the captain. Therefore Will is now the captain of the Flying Dutchman. Elizabeth was heartbroken, thinking Will was dead, but as the Flying Dutchman emerges from within the sea, Will is alive and the crew has returned to normal. The pirates of the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman then turn to face Cutler Beckett, and sink him and his ship to the depths.

The pirates emerge victorious, but learn that the Flying Dutchman must stay in the undersea-world for a decade because of the curse. Will and Elizabeth spent their last day together on a beach and she promised she will wait for him and keep his heart safe. And so, Jack embarks on a quest to find the fountain of youth.

Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the succeeding scene after the credits. But some of my friends who were able to watch that part and told me the succeeding scene, I have also read some sypnosis and other summary, it was revealed that Will and Elizabeth have had a son whose name is William Turner too. After the curse has been lifted, Will comes back to Elizabeth and his ten year old son who were waiting in the shore for him.

After watching the film, I have proved that I couldn't be more wrong, and the film was not a regret at all since I was really entertained on the cinematography, special effects used, the humor of Jack Sparrow and the other pirates as well as. It's much better if you have watched the last two movies because you'll be able to connect the stories. I hope there's still more of it and see more of our heroes lives and adventures.

Boston Public

"Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity."

From the creator of Ally McBeal and The Practice tv series, David Kelly created another hit tv series called the Boston Public. It was debuted on the 23rd of October 2000 with 81 episodes in 4 seasons. The series focused on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school and their various personalities.

It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. Steven Harper was the principal and top of the faculty chain of command. Harper is a strong and intimidating and is the force behind the school's objective to make students smarter and better. From handling irate parents to confronting school bullies and even settling disputes between his staff is a challenge for him. At the head of the Social Studies department is Lauren Davis, who is battling it out with students and has to avoid the advances of fellow administrator, Scott Guber, the stern and formidable vice principal. Other faculty members are Harvey Lipschultz, the 80-year-old history teacher who longs for the past. Marilyn Sudor, the music teacher who's most of the male students want to sleep with her. Harry Senate, the rebellious geology teacher known for his unusual teaching tactics. Marla Hendricks, the special education teacher who needs a medication cocktail to make it through the day. And Louisa Fenn, the school Secretary/Assistant to the Principal. And the most recently, Ronnie Cooke, the successful lawyer, who switches careers in order to teach at Winslow High School.

Most of the issues tackled in the show included many modern controversies and problems facing American public high schools today, like school violence, teenage pregnancy, bullying, obesity, racism, gang activity and many others. And social commentary sometimes took the form of using the high school setting to serve as an example of the school and social issues in America.

Blood Diamond (2006)

Blood Diamond was one of the best action films I've ever watched. An action packed drama with a conscience movie produced and directed by Edward Zwick, which has been nominated in the Academy Awards last 2006. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, Jennifer Connelly as Maddy Bowen and Djimon Hounsou as Solomon Vandy, the film portrays a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and brutal rebel forces. The film depicts many of the atrocities including rebels cutting off people's hands to stop them from voting in upcoming elections.

Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990’s Sierra Leone, the story begun when Solomon Vandy, a fisherman by the Revolutionary United Front(RUF) rebels was separated from his family and enslaved to work under the command of Captain Poison, the commander of the RUF. The group collects a precious stones diamonds use to finance their war effort often trading them for arms. While working in the diamond fields as a forced laborer, Solomon found a large diamond of rare pink coloring. Just the time when the government troop launch an attack, Captain Poison sees Solomon hiding the diamond. But he was injured in the attack before he can get the stone and both he and Solomon were arrested. Meanwhile, Solomon's son Dia was kidnapped by the RUF and brainwashed to become a child soldier.

Danny Archer is a South African smuggler who specializes in the sale of "blood diamonds," also known as "conflict diamonds”. He trades arms for diamonds with an RUF commander. But when the time he smuggled the diamonds neighboring to Liberia, he was arrested. He was smuggling for a South African mercenary named Colonel Coetzee, he's former commander in 32^nd Battalion, the most decorated unit of the South African Border War made up of Angolan soldiers and white South African officers which in turn employed by South African diamond company executive Van De Kaap. Archer is desperate for a way to repay Colonel Coetzee for the diamonds he lost when he was arrested. While in prison, he overhears Captain Poison ranting to Solomon about the discovery of the large diamond and makes plans to hunt down the stone. He arranges for Solomon's release from prison and offers to help him find his family in exchange for the diamond.

Archer meets Maddy Bowen, an American journalist covering the war and investigating the illegal diamond trade. Archer convinces Bowen to help him and Solomon find Solomon's family. They find his family in a UN refugee camp in Guinea inhabited by over a million refugees. Solomon's son Dia is not with them and Archer uses this to convince Solomon to help him find the diamond.

They found the mining camp where Solomon hides the diamond and was reunited with his son. But Colonel Coetzee was also after the diamond, so he dispatched the RUF rebels in a massive air raid and made a deal with Archer forces Solomon to retrieve the stone. But Archer realized they would have killed both him and Solomon upon locating the diamond so he killed Coetzee. At this point, Dia holds Archer at gunpoint, but Solomon manages to convince him to side with them. Unable to continue due to a gunshot wound he sustained in the fight, Archer gives Solomon the diamond and urges him to leave Sierra Leone to sell the diamond in London. Before drop to his wound, he makes a final phone call to Bowen asking her to help Solomon as a last favor.

With the help of Bowen, Solomon negotiates a large sum of money for the diamond and his wife and children. Bowen later publishes a magazine piece that exposes the trade in "conflict" or "blood" diamonds. The film ends with Solomon addressing a conference on blood diamonds in Kimberly, South Africa to describe his experience of the diamond mining and trade and accompanying war in Sierra Leone. This is in reference to a real meeting that took place in Kimberley in 2000 and led to the Kimberly Process Certification Process which seeks to certify the origin of diamonds in order to curb the trade in conflict diamonds.

Happy Feet

One of the most enjoyed animated film I have watched in the year 2006, was the movie, Happy Feet. Directed by the creator of a hit movie,Babe, George Miller. I enjoyed a lot watching it and the story was great. The movie bagged multiple awards in different award giving bodies like the Golden Globe Award, Online Film Critics, American Film Institute and many more. The performance of the actors and actresses of the movie was dubbed and each character was superb. The casts of the movie are power house. Hugh Jackman played the role of Memphis, the father of Mumble. Nicole Kidman as Norma Jean who was the mother of Mumble. Brittany Murphy played the role of Gloria, Mumble's love interest. And Hugo Weaving as the Noah the Elder. The character I enjoyed most, was portrayed by Robin Williams which is Ramon. An adélie penguin, and the head of the misfit amigos. He speaks with an Argentine accent. Ramón and the others befriend Mumble and help him on his journey to the Forbidden Shore in his search for the "aliens." Ramón also proves himself a talented singer and attempts to help Mumble to woo Gloria with a Spanish rendition of “My Way”.

Aside from Ramón, I also liked the character of Mumble. He is the protagonist in the movie. He was voiced by E.G Daily as a chick Mumble and Elijah Wood as an adult. Mumble is different from his fellow emperor penguins especially in appearance as well as in trait. Because of an accident when he was an egg, Mumble was born late in the season. All of his fellows express themselves through singing, but Mumble express himself through tap dancing.

Happy Feet tells the tale of one penguin's quest for love. It is a comedy adventure set in the land of the Emperor Penguins in the heart of Antarctica. These penguins sing, each needing their own special song to attract a soul mate. For them, a simple song can mean the difference between a lifetime of happiness and an eternity of loneliness. One particular couple, Norma Jean and Memphis, pair up and produce an egg. The egg is left in Memphis' care while Norma Jean and the other females leave to fish for several weeks. While the males are struggling through the harsh winter, Memphis drops the egg, briefly exposing it to the freezing Antarctic temperatures. This chick is Mumble. Through that incident, he was not able to given the talent to sing romantic songs, instead, he express himself in some fancy footwork by tap dancing and has an extraordinary talent with almost magical energy and expression. However, emperor penguins are not supposed to tap dance. As a result, Mumble was always excluded throughout his childhood, and only his parents and his friend Gloria are the ones who he can turn to.

Leaving away from his parents, his friend, and his tribe, he found a new friends from a group of Adelie penguins whom which the leader is Ramon and rescued him in a leopard seal while finding his venture off into the icy landscape. They take Mumble to their home and discover that all of their fish is being taken from unknown 'alien source' which was pertaining to humans. They ask Lovelace, the a non-wise and cocky leader of the Adelies, to help them. Together with Lovelace and the Amigos, Mumble sets out across vast landscapes. But he wasn't able to help them for he was injured by the alien. Leading on an incredible adventure, they try to discover the threat of their food source and survival. Using courage and bravery and after some epic encounters, Mumble begins to teach everyone begins to learn that uniqueness isn't a burden, but is a gift to be treasured and proves that by being true to yourself, you can make all the difference in the world.

Comedy TV Shows Review

THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN

3rd Rock from the Sun is an inspired comedy show that is about a group of aliens with a human condition set in the fictional city of Rutherford, Ohio, to learn about Earth's population, customs and others. Starring John Lithgow as the High Commander of an investigative team sent to Earth on a mission to learn everything about humans and their so-called advanced civilization. This leader takes the position of a college professor, and the other as members of the group as military expert as his sister, the intelligence expert, supposedly oldest of group takes form of his teenage son. The uninhibited reactions turn everyday events into unusual situations.

SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH

Sabrina Spellman is a 16-year old student who lived in Greendale with her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda, and her talking black cat, Salem. She is a half-witch because her father is a warlock and her mother is a mortal. Informed by her aunts that she is a witch on her 16th birthday, she is hesitant to believe them at first. But along the way, she gets into many scrapes while figuring out how certain spells work. Sabrina learns the tricks of magic in order to receive her witch's license. She also has to keep the secret from her boyfriend, Harvey, friends Jenny and later Valerie, stuck-up nemesis Libby, and her ever-suspicious vice-principal, Mr. Kraft, her true identity.

THE NANNY

Fran Fine is a whiny, nasal-voiced Jewish woman from Flushing, New York, and the main character in the sitcom, who has just been fired from her job and abandoned by her boyfriend. She ends up selling cosmetics in Manhattan. This takes her to the home of Maxwell Sheffield, a rich, widowed English Broadway producer. His three kids named Maggie, Brighton and Gracie. Fran is mistaken to be applying for the job of nanny to Maxwell's children and is hired for that purpose. She gave joy to the house that had been blue ever since Mrs. Sheffield passed away. She also becomes quite attached to the children, and becomes great friends with Niles, the butler, who is always aware of everything that is going on in the house. Included in the show is Sylvia, Fran's compulsive eater, nosy mother. Val, Fran's best friend with a low I.Q. and Yetta, Fran's grandmother. The attraction between Fran and Mr. Sheffield became evident as the years went by, for C.C. Babcock, Maxwell's business partner, who also likes him and always had a crush on him.

CAROL BURNETT AND FRIENDS

Carol Burnett and Friends was originally from CBS premiered on the 1^st of October, 1972. The sitcom was the collective, revised version of The Carol Burnett Show wherein sketches was only shown. The casts of the show includes Harvey Korman, Dick Van Dyke, Tim Conway, Lyle Waggoner, Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett herself. 151 episodes in Six Seasons were produced in the show which becomes the finest variety show during the 70's.

THREE STOOGES

Three Stooges is about the lives and careers of the famed slapstick comedy team of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser. They are three good-hearted fools who have a knack for screwing up even the simplest task. They were first introduced to the men in their early days of vaudeville, struggling to make ends meet. Then Hollywood calls and their years of hard work pay off, taking them to the "big time". However, struggles between each other and health issues create obstacles for the comedy group, yet somehow the group survives and becomes the legend we know and love. Some of the episode of The Three Stooges Show includes Moe slapping Larry, several eye pokes, head conks, and the ever possible pie fight.