“Joey” 2004

American audiences fell in love with Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani in NBC’s sitcom juggernaut “Friends.” But lightening rarely strikes the same place twice, and for Matt LeBlanc that cliché couldn’t be more true. “Joey” premiered on NBC on Sept. 9, 2004, was placed on hiatus (during the 2^nd season) and returned in March of 2006. NBC cancelled the series in May and did not air the remaining episodes. How’d you like to find that sunken treasure?

“The Bradys” reprised every character except Marcia, which we’re sure Maureen McCormick is still thanking herself for opting out of. More drama than comedy, in the first episode Bobby is rendered a paraplegic from a wreck that sidelines his budding car-racing career.

The series followed the exploits of Joanie and Chachi as they moved to Chicago and tried to make it on their own with a rock band and a music career. It mixed the traditional elements of a sitcom with musical performances on each show by Scott  Baio and Erin Moran.

“Saved by the Bell: The College Years” 1993

Take the powerhouse cast of “Saved By The Bell” and add Raiders defensive tackle Bob Golic as Michael Rogers, who played a dorm adviser/foil and wasn’t nearly as appealing as Mr. Belding, and you’ve got yourself a one-season flopper, where we all learned that we need to stay in school.

“That ‘80s Show” starred Glenn Howerton, Tinsley Grimes, Chyler Leigh, Eddie Shin, Brittany Daniel and a handful of other people you’ve never heard of before (and probably won’t again.)

 

And, we can’t forget these honorable mentions: Flo (Alice spinoff – 28 episodes),  Phyllis (The Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff – 48 episodes), Gloria (All in the Family spinoff – 22 episodes)

Sometimes it is better to leave well enough alone, and simply reap the rewards of a hit show as it cashes in on the syndication circuit. The above shows are great examples of such.

It may be irresponsible to judge the quality of a television show based on its Nielsen ratings, as high viewership can’t speak for quality of acting, directing or engaging plotlines. But ignoring Nielsen would refute America’s standard gauge of what we are and are not watching. So based on these ratings, we’re not very impressed with what we’ve been offered this fall.

Only two fall TV premieres are ranked on the top ten most-watched list, according to Nielsen. “Vegas” (6) and “Elementary” (10), which are both CBS properties and are the only fall debuts to make the top ten.

Set in 1960s Las Vegas, the series “Vegas” centers on Sheriff Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid) and his dealings with Chicago mobster Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis), who moved west to set up his own operation. The Lamb character is based on a real-life former rancher who served as Sheriff of Clark County from 1961 to 1979.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so many reviewers hailing a new network series for its potential. I’m about to do the same thing, but I do worry that this might backfire in a couple of ways. People who tune in to the first episode of ‘Vegas’ with too-high expectations might be disappointed enough to never come back, and people who aren’t interested in waiting to see if a show turns into something might not show up at all. I don’t see it turning into one of those shows that lures people who normally don’t watch TV, and it’s probably lucky to be part of one of the least interesting slates of new shows in many a moon. But the potential is there.” — Phil Dyess-Nugent, The A.V. Club

“Elementary” is an American television series that premiered on CBS on September 27, 2012. It presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes detective stories set in the United States. It stars Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as Watson.

“When critics sit down to write pre-air reviews, it’s often hard to avoid talking about specific plot details or character reveals that are best experienced fresh. However, when I finished watching ‘Elementary,’ I realized there’s honestly nothing to be spoiled. Aside from some smaller details about Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes or Lucy Liu’s Jane Watson revealed throughout the hour, the ‘Elementary’ pilot is honestly as simple as “A murder takes place, a murder is investigated, and a murder is solved.” There’s no serialized arc or sudden twists or elaborate action sequences the show could never afford beyond its pilot. Instead, this is the story of two people with complicated pasts coming together and solving a mystery.” – Myles McNutt, The A.V. Club

The other eight most-watched programs include perennial favorites: “Sunday Night Football,” “NCIS” (two of them, in fact) and “Dancing With The Stars.” Though we are only two weeks into many of the fall premieres, and it’s impossible to predict which shows will finish strong, early indications are that it won’t be a 2012 offering.

It’s likely that most of the 2012 television shows premiering this year have debuted their first episode. It is just as likely, you, the viewer, have already decided you will never watch “Are You There, Chelsea?” And if you haven’t, NBC decided for you.

In honor of 2012’s offering of winners and losers, New Show Studios takes a look back at 20 years of premieres you hated, forgot about or never even heard of.

1992 — Great Scott!, FOX

Nineteen-ninety-two was a good year for TV: George Bush threw up on Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa’s lap and Johnny Carson capped off a seminal, 30-year career as host of “The Tonight Show.” Oh, and FOX premiered “Great Scott!” starring a young Tobey Maguire. This dandy also starred Kevin Connolly, who has been just as unappealing as Eric in “Entourage” and Conor in “He’s Just Not That Into You.”

1993 – Class of ’96, FOX

Starring “Heavenly Kid” Jason Gedrick, “‘96” focused on seven students at Havenhurst College in New England. Although the seven had come from different backgrounds, circumstance led them to become friends. The series dealt with the differences, both in personality and social status, of the group of friends, the challenges they faced in their first year of college, and social issues such as racism and sexism. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

1994 — The Cosby Mysteries, NBC

“The Cosby Show” ended in 1992, and Bill Cosby began looking for ways to get audiences to not like him as much. He found a vehicle for this in “The Cosby Mysteries.”

1995 — The Office, CBS

There are people who prefer the BBC “The Office” and people who prefer NBC’s version. But how many times have you heard someone in a bar loudly arguing the credence of Valerie Harper’s “The Office”?

1996 – Homeboys in Outer Space, UPN

UPN is noted for passing on shows like  “American Idol,” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” which were both offered to the network before being picked up by FOX. Sorry Bryan Cranston, we’ll take our chances with Flex Alexander.

1997 — Hiller and Diller, ABC

You’d think this combo platter of delectable ’90s haircuts would have carried “Hiller and Diller” up until the arrival of millennial faux hawks. Best friends Ted Hiller (Kevin Nealon) and Neil Diller (Richard Lewis) are two comedy writers for a television show with two very opposite families. Just like “The Odd Couple,” but not funny, successful or appealing.

1998 — The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, UPN

Wikipedia: A black English nobleman named Desmond Pfeiffer (the “P” IS silent) is kidnapped by his enemies and sent to America on a slave ship. He eventually becomes President Abraham Lincoln‘s valet. In the show, he serves as the intelligent and erudite backbone of a Civil War-era White House populated by louts and drunkards. Wait, what?

1999 – Movie Stars, WB

This show stars Harry Hamlin. Thank you.

2000 – The Michael Richards Show, NBC

Two years after the success of “Seinfeld” and seven years before his racist tirade at The Laugh Factory, Michael Richards had his own show for a season. Michael Richards played a reality-challenged but successful private detective, Vic Nardozza, who gets the job done despite his unconventional methods. USA would make this concept work with Tony Shalhoub in 2002 as “Monk.”

2001 – That’s My Bush!, Comedy Central

There’s no amount of punctuation in the title that could make this show good. Possibly the only stinker Trey Parker and Matt Stone ever conceived of, “That’s My Bush” stars, and we use the term loosely, Timothy Bottoms as President George W. Bush.

2002 – Late world with Zach, VH1

Before “Between Two Ferns,” Zach Galifinakis hosted a talk show that apparently nobody laughed at. God bless VH1 for trying, though.

2003 — The Mullets, UPN

Short in the front and long in comedic value, mullets dominated the magnets and calendars of your unfunny coworkers for most of the early aughts. Leave it to UPN to spin gold into hair.

2004 – Come to Papa, NBC

Tom Papa stars as a reporter for a large newspaper who has bigger plans to become a comedy writer and move out of Jersey. Our guess is that Tom never got any farther west than West New York.

2005 — Jake in Progress, ABC

“Jake in Progress” was supposed to be a real-time comedy, paced in a way similar to the pacing of FOX’s hit “24.” But the thing about comedies is that you need a comedian, and “Jake in Progress” starred John Stamos.

2006 – Crumbs, ABC

According to Wikipedia, “The series was officially cancelled on May 13, 2006.” We’re guessing the decision to terminate this Fred Savage joint came five months too late for ABC.

2007 — The Black Donnellys, NBC

Created by Paul Haggis, screenwriter of “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby,” this show was destined to succeed. But, it didn’t. The Black Donnellys starred Michael Stahl-David, who once guest-starred on “Numb3rs.”

2008 — Canterbury’s Law, FOX

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A television series centered on a tough-minded defense attorney who isn’t afraid to push boundaries in order to protect innocent clients.

2009 – Accidentally on Purpose, CBS

That oxymoronic title makes us laugh! And since the title was borrowed from a book of the same name, CBS and “Accidentally on Purpose” are responsible for 0-1 in the laughs scored from this stinker. Billie (Jenna Elfman), a San Francisco movie critic in her 30s, meets Zack (Jon Foster), an aspiring chef in his 20s, at a local bar and they have a one-night stand. She soon finds out that she is pregnant, and decides to keep the baby. Now we’re cooking!

2010 – Outsourced, NBC

Not since “The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer” (see 1998) has there been a more contrived commentary of the differences between ethnicities.

2011 — Mad Love

You’d think that show with that girl, who is the sidekick in every romantic comedy would have done better.

 

DOA, 2012:

Alcatraz, FOX

Are You There, Chelsea?, FOX

Awake, NBC

Best Friends Forever, NBC

Bent, NBC

The Finder, FOX

The Firm, NBC

GCB, ABC

Missing, ABC

Napoleon Dynamite, FOX

NYC 22, CBS

Remodeled, CW

Rob, CBS

Work It, ABC

There are high-grossing movies (see Avatar at nearly $2.8 billion), then there are very profitable movies. Profitable movies are more appealing to studios because their budgets are low and their box-office receipts are high. Below are the most profitable movies of all time, according to CNBC.com.

 

15. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)

Return on investment: 1008%

Budget $111 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $377 million

Peter Jackson’s three-part epic retelling of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name was shot simultaneously – a risky proposition if the first film turned out to be a bust. Well, it wasn’t, and the New Zealand-shot “Lord of the Rings” franchise went on to gross $2.9 billion.

 

14. “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993)

Return on investment: 1160%

Budget $38 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $441 million

“Hellllloooooooooo!” profits. When three of your main characters are played by Mara Wilson, Lisa Jakub and Joey Lawrence’s brother Matthew, you are probably not breaking the bank with your budget. The movie’s cash-cow: a cross-dressing Robin Williams, and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation laughed all the way to the bank with this 1993 hit.

 

13. There’s Something About Mary (1998)

Return on investment: 1194%

Budget $31 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $370 million

The Farrelly Brothers couldn’t miss in the mid- to late ‘90s. With movies like “Dumb & Dumber” and “Kingpin” already on their resume, the Farrellys were seasoned veterans at turning raunchy jokes into money-making machines. Apparently, you don’t need an “Avatar”-sized budget to make fart jokes hilarious.

 

12. The Hangover (2009)

Return on investment: 1297%

Budget $36 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $467 million

Rolling the dice on a Vegas-based, bachelor party hedonism fest isn’t a too difficult decision to make if it will only cost you $36 million. And if it doesn’t gross $467 million, producers can always put the remaining budget on black.

 

11. Jaws (1975)

Return on investment: 1308%

Budget $36 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $471 million

Making an entire generation of tube-sock-wearing teens afraid to step in the ocean, sea-set horror “Jaws” also made Universal some big bucks.

I think we’re going to need a bigger boat (to carry all these profits).

 

10. Ghost (1990)

Return on investment: 1446%

Budget: $35 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross Revenue: $506 million

What’s sexier than Patrick Swayze being your dance partner at a recital for rich kids? Patrick Swayze as ghost, having the ability to appear out of nowhere and help you mold a nice ashtray. Boo! “Ghost” won two Oscars for Best Writing and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

 

9. Home Alone (1990)

Return on investment: 1590%

Budget $30 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $477 million

You thought Kevin McCallister’s dad was rich, flying an ungrateful Uncle Frank, a snarky Buzz and the rest of the McCallister clan to France for Christmas. Well that kind of glut can’t compare to the $477 million Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation made on their $30-million investment.

 

8. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Return on investment: 1749%

Budget: $35 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross Revenue: $612 million

Mel Gibson’s ultraviolent saga that chronicled the death of Jesus Christ scored big with Christians and non-Christians alike. This controversial film drew a lot of media attention, and, in turn, a lot of revenue.

 

7. American Beauty (1999)

Return on investment: 1780%

Budget $20 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $356 million

The beauty of a plastic bag floating in the air pales in comparison to cashing in on a 1780-percent ROI. This $20-million gem also earned five Academy Awards: Best Actor (Kevin Spacey); Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall); Best Director (Sam Mendes); Best Picture (Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks) and Best Writing (Alan Ball).

 

6. Star Wars (1977)

Return on investment: 1938%

Budget $40 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross Revenue: $775 million

Written and directed by a relatively unproven young buck named George Lucas, “Star Wars” turned a $40-million budget into $775 million in gross earnings. The “Star Wars” franchise is the third highest-earning franchise of all time behind only “James Bond” and “Harry Potter.”

 

 

 

5. Grease (1978)

Return on investment: 1975%

Budget $20 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $394 million

“Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?” Sound like a recipe for a million-dollar success? Probably not. But add a disco-dancing Travolta and a bubbly, appealing Olivia Newton-John dancing around in leather. Now you’re onto something.

 

4. Pretty Woman (1990)

Return on investment: 2013%

Budget $23 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $463 million

“Pretty Woman” treated the masses to the pitch-perfect pairing of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. They would meet again in 1999 in the slightly more wholesome “Runaway Bride.”

 

3. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Return on investment: 2520%

Budget $15 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $378 million

A Mumbai teen, who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” The result? A cast of millionaires, millions in profits for the studio and eight Oscars.

 

2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Return on investment: 3172%

Budget: $25 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross Revenue: $793 million

After this blockbuster, if E.T. wanted to phone home, I’m sure the charges for his collect call would be accepted. E.T. won four Oscars, including Best Visual and Sound Effects, Best Music and Best Sound.

 

1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Return on investment: 6150%

Budget $6 million (inflation-adjusted)

Gross revenue $369 million

Not only does “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” hold the number-one spot for return on investment, it also holds the title for contributing the prefix “My Big Fat …” to a lot of TV shows, restaurants and newspaper headlines.

 

 

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Photo Sources: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Photo Sources: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

 

Animation. Family Entertainment. Disney. A Winning Trifecta. I guess my point is that unless something goes terribly awry, adults will share Disney classics with their offspring for decades to come.

It’s a “tale as old as time,” to borrow a phrase from “Beauty and The Beast,” which happens to be one of my personal favorites for family viewing.

What is so wonderful and worth sharing from one generation to the next, despite evolving technology, style and fashion, as well as the ebbs and flows of both political and economic climates, are the messages that so many of these classics share.

While I just might be the least sentimental gal on planet Earth, the thought of a beauty falling for a creature, loving him at his most unlovable and seeing beyond the beastly appearance, gets me every time.

I am a sucker for fairytales filled with love conquering all, good triumphing over evil, right trumping wrong…And a fancy ball gown and good looking prince thrown in for good measure is just the icing.

Maybe it’s not realistic, maybe the prince isn’t coming, maybe animals don’t talk and nobody is as pure and kind as Snow White or as industrious and undeterred as Cinderella, but there are still such wonderful lessons shared along the way.

That’s why these winners endure.

But even Disney isn’t infallible. As the article below points out, when we address the BEST in Disney animation, we have to deal with the WORST as well.

Many of those billed as flops, I have not personally seen—Now I know not to bother!  They fall short for various reasons, including weak musical scores, being a little too bold in their violence and humor, being over or under ambitious… Or simply adapting something that maybe had no business being adapted in the first place!

Among the losers is “The Great Mouse Detective” (homage to Sherlock Holmes featuring a mouse striptease…YUCK), “Tarzan” (music by Phil Collins…interesting choice) and “Hercules” (a little bloody for family fun).

But to end on a positive note: “Tangled”—A winner with humor for adults and kids, great music, lovely love story and life lessons. Enough said.

Until Next Time…

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20609141_20616457,00.html?xid=family-outbrain

“The Avengers” recently premiered in theaters across the nation (and world) and while it’s not necessarily my first choice for theater entertainment (I usually go more for the mushy rom-com stuff), I have to say that I reveled in the film just as much as my male friends.

Most of my male friends are comic book fans and could tell you the backstory of each of the Avengers and the villains. As a non-comic book reader, I worried that the movie plot would lose me. But, I slowly figured out the film and its band of characters, as the story developed.

Based on past movie experiences, superhero movies tend to place action sequences above character development and plot. The Avengers definitely had plenty of action, but it didn’t add action scenes for the sake of blowing up stuff (Rambo, I’m looking at you). The plot integrated action, character development, and humor into a great comic book adaptation.  

Actually, the humor was really what sold me most on the film. Robert Downey, Jr’s Iron Man character is always a riot and he didn’t disappoint on this one. There was a lot of clever sarcasm and colorful banter between the characters that kept the movie light, even during low points in the plot.

Overall, I think they did a really good job of highlighting each of the characters, while still focusing on the team aspect of the Avengers. There were a lot of underlying themes throughout: old vs. new, strength vs. intelligence and even religion vs. science… but, there were still plenty of explosions and comic book goodness (Quasi Spoiler Alert: with an appearance by Stan Lee, of course), if that’s all that you came for.

Though not usually my thing, I’m definitely planning on seeing the sequel(s)!

Until Next Time….

 

Image Source: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

 

As scary competitive as I am, I have grown weary of contest-based reality television. Singing, dancing, dating and ‘other talent’ shows just aren’t doing it for me these days. Maybe I am alone?

There was a time when I was among the “Idol faithful”… I believe it was during seasons one through three. It seems folks are still watching “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent,” etc… but I am not among them.  I’m not saying that they are bad shows, but I’m just looking for something new and different.

They used to be novel, new and exciting…I’m talking to you Kelly Clarkson. The first couple of seasons of “Idol” were magic:  Big voices, total new genre (mostly) and judges who were not yet ego-maniacal enough to steal the show.

I was even willing to patiently endure every long, painfully positioned commercial break, at the urging of Ryan Seacrest, to find out who had survived another round.

Then, every wannabe started waiting in line to be ‘discovered’ and my love affair ended for the most part.

What I love(d) was that Idol turned “nobody’s” into bona fide stars. What I love(d) was seeing who could sing without the bells and whistles of backup singers and accompaniment. What I love(d) was that we got to see new talent, before the Hollywood machine took over and made them more marketable (you know how this works).

What I really want is something new. I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (did I butcher that quote?), but I want something that doesn’t copy or imitate. I guess I am issuing a challenge of sorts to all those idea people out there to come up with something that isn’t a singing competition featuring diva judges.

Maybe I am asking too much? It doesn’t have to be a new genre in the way that reality television was when it burst onto the seen a decade and a half ago (Real World anybody?).

 

 

Until Next Time….

 

 

So I hear there is a graduation coming up on Glee; to which I say, “It has happened yet again.” “It” meaning that I totally missed jumping on the bandwagon and now the show is probably in the jumping the shark phase. Fear not: I have begun watching Season 1 of Glee and it’s not too late to play catch-up…

It’s not too late for you either!

With a few episodes under my belt, I can safely say it’s worth my time and probably yours. It is campy, fun, witty and easy to adore. Mostly, it’s light and airy while the comedy can be totally dark and biting. What a fine dynamic!

I also must confess I have a thing for high school drama; perhaps because I still fancy myself a teenager. Oh, and high school was such a drag and to see others mock it for the nightmare it can be brings me infinite pleasure.

Plus, who doesn’t love when young, attractive and talented people break into song?! It certainly doesn’t hurt that the songs are fun and feel-good, which makes me absolutely root for these kids at every turn.

Then there’s Jane Lynch. If ever there was a woman who was born to play a part…

She is just so over-the-top, yet under-the-radar with dry, biting sarcasm and unabashed disdain that I simply cannot get enough.

So far, Glee has been a really good time for me. I haven’t seen much, and I have heard that future seasons lose some of the character interaction in lieu of more music, but I really want to see where these kids go from Season 1. I find myself in need of a Netflix catch-up maneuver, or a Hulu hiatus or a DVD diversion…I need to know what the rest of America knows.

Give Glee a shot if you haven’t already…They put on quite a show.

Until Next Time…

 

Image Source:  Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

 

I’ve watched on and off most of the season. Here’s what I determined: ABC’s Happy Endings is really funny. I literally laughed myself to tears. Maybe I was in one of those moods when I would have found many things funny… so I will watch again to be sure.

To me, the show is kind of like NBC’s Friends (with more diversity) meets NBC’s & ABC’s Scrubs. If you are looking for a show that’s plausible or true to life in any way, then cover your eyes… please look away. 

It is the tale of six Chicagoans; including a married couple, each one more stunningly beautiful than the next. Two famous faces stuck out: Elisha Cuthbert (Alex) and Damon Wayans Jr. (Brad). The other cast members had greater or lesser degrees of familiarity to me. None of the players seem to actually have jobs or careers that interfere with their friendships. They have plenty of free time. They are livin’ the dream!

A recent episode was an elaborate comedy of errors where one little white lie led to an elaborate series of lies that created a web of lies that only a hilarious scripted comedy (with really talented writers) can concoct. Oh, and of course it was all solved in less than 30 minutes.

It’s really the kind of show that’s right up my alley. The comedy is smart and witty, but it’s also so silly, outlandish and over-the-top. I might be a fan for the long haul.  As of the writing of this blog, it has not been officially renewed by ABC for next season.

Nothing would make me happier than for you to give Happy Endings a shot. Hopefully, reruns of the second season will air this summer (or check it out on Hulu). Laughter truly is the best medicine (but sometimes antibiotics are also really helpful).

 

Until Next Time…

Is it Lindsanity that Lindsay Lohan’s hosting gig on Saturday Night Live was positioned as a comeback? I think yes. First of all, can we wait until she shows some capacity to live clean and sober for longer than 10 minutes and stops looking like a drug-bloated hot mess to declare her well? Please?

Hey, I love a redemption story as much as the next gal. Robert Downey Jr. is the best one I can think of off the top of my head. But, it takes time to prove you have indeed come back before you give interviews about ‘coming back.’

Lohan has been a mess more than she’s been anything else. The girl has issues and issues don’t go away after some visits to the morgue and several hour-long stints in the county jail. Walk the walk, Linds.

Thing is, I have seen the Saturday Night Live promos and the girl has comic timing, the ability to laugh at herself and plenty of material about which to inspire laughter. I happen to think she has some talent and that back in the day…before her 20s, she was an absolute beauty. I am more than willing to see her have some success, but we all know what too much too soon did for this kid the first time around.

The Hostess With the Most-est?

In all fairness, Lindsay Lohan wasn’t a bad host at all.  She was a decent host—above average even, but she didn’t exactly carry the show or win me over as her new biggest fan. She was no Justin Timberlake (but really, who is?!)

She was neither the kind of good that makes me psyched to see her next film, nor was she the kind of good that screamed, “I’m back, baby…TMZ best find some other Disney disaster to kick around!” (Though that wouldn’t exactly be a tall order).

Ms. Lohan was a solid good sport and one of her skits made me laugh out loud: The Real Housewives of Disney. Granted, it was Kristen Wiig that really got me going, but Lohan was a solid ensemble cast member in all of her skits, really. She had a funny monologue…Why does this all sound like backhanded praise???

Maybe, I expected more. I wanted her to come out on fire and make us all forget the laughing stock she has been for half a decade. She didn’t. While her performance was more than okay, she just looks, well, not good. Twenty-five isn’t supposed to look like that. Twenty-five isn’t supposed to include inflated lips and cheek fillers. It is all distracting and very sad and reminds me how not ‘comeback-ready’ this kid really is.

On the bright side, it was a start. Hopefully Lohan will do more in the future to make us laugh with her and not at her. Addiction isn’t all that funny…Even in Hollywood.

 

Until Next Time…