American Horror Story's Jamie Brewer

I was encouraged by a friend to start watching this TV series. I admit the first episode made me really excited because of the nudity. But there is a scene stealer.

She is a very little-known actress named Jamie Brewer. Incidentally, her chracter's name is Adelaide and she seems to know a lot about the haunted house in the series. She pops up in dark corners and witnesses many gruesome events. Viewers do not know yet if she is merely a witness or a participant in numerous murders.

It is very surprising that she can actually compete with Jessica Conroy (the neurotic mother in "Six Feet Under") and veteran film actress Jessica Lange. I really hope we see more of her on this series and other shows.

Desperate Housewives Season 3 (TV)

Again, I am amazed at how well-written this TV series is. The storie makes me think that nothing in life is really constant. The ones who are up eventually goes down. And the ones who are lost are found.

I have been forgetting to mention in the past reviews about the excessive use of plastic and botox in this TV series. What's wrong with Teri Hatcher's eyes? It seems she cannot open them properly. Nicollette's boobs are always higher than her own shoulders.

There are two episodes in this TV series that went out of its traditional formula. One of them is "Bang", the supermarket hostage. It was extremely tense and dramatic. It makes me realize how life can change in one instant.

There are a couple of funny incidents in the film: one of them is Marcia's pregnancy. They hid her tummy with the TV, tables, layers of blankets and also used a few body doubles. James Denton is also terribly thin in this season. I wonder what happened to him.

Some performances of the supporting cast should be mentioned. Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey is adorable. She can be funny and very sad at the same time. I love her character a lot and her stories are heart-wrenching. The other good supporting actor is Kiersten Warren Nora Huntington as the manipulative bitch who wants the best for her daughter. Her exit in the TV series is extremely sad.

The ending is great. It is good that Edie is becoming more and more real. I am very much interested to find out what is going to happen to her in the next season although I doubt if it would be a lot. This will be the season where they had the writers' strike.

Desperate Housewives Season 2 (TV)

I am starting not just to like this TV series but to love it. The stories are heartfelt but not cheesey. They made me learn something without being preachy. I found myself shedding a tear in some of the scenes and that no TV series has done that to me.

The characters are evolving meticulously. I am sure some of you may find it surprising but I find Susan Meyer's character very despicable. She is as ruthless as Edie Britt but the former hides behind a sweet innocent-looking face. At least, Edie is honest--she is just a bitch. Bree's relationship with her children are very touching. Most of my tears for this season are for her. Alfre Woodard has a very commanding presence in the small screen. Eventhough Betty Applewhite role is not that interesting, she made it real and relatable.

Peter and I have been discussing about the writers and I do not think they are all gay. I am sure some of them are mothers because I cannot imagine gay men knowing about the pressures and stresses of motherhood. Those women's concerns are too alien to me and it is nice to learn about them.

I wonder if there are more gay men in the next season.

Desperate Housewives Season 1 (TV)

I have already watched this season in the Philippines and I still find the program very funny and clever. The characters may be colourful and stereotypical but the theme is actually extremely dark and morbid. The combination is not forced though. It makes me wonder: are people really happy with their lives?

The clothes and makeup are great although not as flamboyant as the single women in Sex and the City. Many of the characters use tailored clothes and I do not think the look will get old easily.

The actors are very funny and talented. Marcia Cross as Bree may be over-the-top sometimes but I can imagine such a person existing. She is a conservative Republican--someone I hate in the real world but she is also someone I can relate to. I want everything in my life to be perfect and I do not want to settle for second best. Cody Kasch as Zach Young has a tremendous task of portraying a possibly psychopathic teenager.

The writers are ridiculously good. The lines seem effortless but of course, they are calculated. I wonder if there is any effect on this TV series during the writers' strike.

Lost Season 4 (TV series)

This season has 13 episodes only and I am not surprised. They are hyperextending the idea already and they are at a risk of boring their audience. I am sure they have thought of giving Vincent the dog some flashbacks or back stories as well.

I have a feeling that they changed some of their writers because the style has changed a bit. They also have flash forwards aside from flashbacks. (Edit: I just found out that the production suffered from the last writers' strike in Hollywood.)

There is one thing that I have noticed in this series for a very long time is their use of gun (rifles and hand guns) butts to knock other people out. They have used this to women, men, young and old. I am surprised they have not used this technique on children (especially the baby Erin) and on Vincent the dog.

They have a few fancy fight scenes. Sometimes, it makes me feel like I am watching a judo match.

Matthew Fox is actually becoming better in this series. Or maybe in real life, he is just a tortured soul. I have noticed that he has been going to the gym and spending time having his body waxed. In the first season, he was hairy and somehow on the island, a professional made him baby-smooth.

The final season will be aired early next year.

Lost Season 3 (TV series)

Why do people waste their time watching silly TV series like this one? Why am I watching this story of how a group of plane crash survivors endlessly look for a way to get off a weird island? Why am I even writing about this?

I believe that once in a while, it is OK to just have fun and chill out. I do not need an intellectual stimulation every hour of the day. Sometimes, it is healthy just not to think.

So I will go back writing about this TV series. The third season of Lost is again spent on finding ways to get off the island amidst people and things who want them to stay in the island. I feel that the flashbacks used are already fillers. They do not fit in anything anymore.

Are there memorable performances in this season? None really. The character of Michael Emerson (Benjamin aka Henry Gale) is becoming bland. There are no more twists and turns in his decisions. He is just one mad leader trying to control a brainless herd.

Production-wise, it is still not impressive. There is one episode that was supposedly shot in Phuket and I cannot tell the authenticity of the setting because I have not been there. But the Thais in that episode definitely have an American twang in their speaking.

Shlosh! Shlosh! My brain has turned into a goo.

Lost Season 2 (TV series)

I love pork scratchings and fried pig intestines not because they are good for me. I eat them because they are delicious. In fact, they are actually bad for me and I could feel my cholesterol shoot up everytime I have one.

This TV series is like that: it entertains me but I could feel my brain cells melting away. I probably won't stop watching it.

Lost has some good elements though. One of which is the high production value and scheduling. I am just amazed by the number of the cast and how they are able to schedule all of them in different scenes. Some of the scenes are obviously shot in a sound stage and others are on location.

I love Michael Emerson as the mysterious Henry Gale. I could not keep my eyes off him because he is just so commanding. He is both scary and sympathetic. Too bad many of the main actors are not really very good.

Off to the third season!

Dexter (Season 2)

Please do not ask me how I was able to watch this TV series with my limited budget right now.

Dexter Morgan is still looking for answers surrounding his past. Some of them have been answered but there are some more questions that were also "uncovered". Dexter is becoming a celebrity that is both feared and admired and some new characters want to share some of that.

The visuals are still gory but I am no longer affected by the scenes. I am not sure if the concepts are scientifically correct but that did not deter me from understanding what they are talking about.

The new actors are good especially Lundin (played by Keith Carradine). I must admit he is handsome even if he is really old. His ass is still up there. Jaime Murray as Lila is effectively scary and sometimes, scarier than Dexter. But her surgically enhanced face sometimes bother me. She tries very hard to have variety in her expressions because she had taken too much collagen. She could not even squint. And her lips look like beaks already. They are way too firm.

I can understand why this series has been getting a lot of complaints as the producers decided to show it on broadcast TV. I did end up rooting for a serial killer. Whether or not people are subconsciously affected by it, I really do not know.