sammi says

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" lived up to my expectations. The best book in the series translated into the best "Twilight" movie yet. Go figure that the movie with the most supernatural activity seems to be the most realistic.

In case you've been living under a rock, here's what's happening in this installment...Edward and Bella are back together after Edward's plan to leave her to a normal life fails. Jacob is still in love with Bella and is not happy with her decision to be turned into a vampire. Victoria, still bitter after Edward killed her mate in the first "Twilight" movie, creates an army of newborn vampires to seek vengeance on the Cullen family and kill Bella. The vampires and werewolves team up to save Bella's life.

This is the first "Twilight" movie to step away from Bella's perspective for a few scenes. We got to see what was going on in Seattle with the newborn vampires, their leader Riley (major hottie, Xavier Samuel) and the red-haired villainess, Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard). I think this really helped break up the intense mood set by the Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle.

Robert Pattinson finally brings the undead, Edward Cullen back to life. In the first two films Edward was always sulking in the shadows, brooding and silent. This time he is full of genuine emotion. He was secretive, jealous, vindictive, sly and despite all of that he had captivating moments of lightheartedness. Just a few months ago Robert, Kristen and Taylor had to go to Vancouver to reshoot the infamous "tent scene" and I'm so glad they did. Granted, I don't know what it looked like before, but Rob stole the show and lit up the screen. He made Edward human and it made the entire film.

We finally got to see Bella grow up. "New Moon" showed Bella's immaturity while "Eclipse" portrays Bella as composed, decisive and even a little funny. A monologue at the end of the movie (that wasn't in the book) really makes the whole movie, even series, believable. Bella basically puts it out there and makes you understand why she's choosing Edward and not for the obvious reasons. I thought Kristen Stewart made Bella much more likable in this movie. My only complaint was with her terrible wig.

More vampires and less werewolves really seemed to agree with the film. But I thought the addition of Leah and Seth Clearwater (Julia Jones and BooBoo Stewart) was wasted considering they're barely in the movie, at least not in human form. I remember really liking Seth's character and his relationship with Edward in the books. I thought after Edward and Seth's victory there should have been some recognition of their teamwork. I realize Seth couldn't phase into a human but I would have accepted a scratch on the head or something. Am I the only one?

The battle was pretty cool. I was surprised at how violent things actually got. I've never seen so many headless vampires. It was pretty gross. It was totally creepy seeing *spoiler* Victoria's head lying next to her body and Edward setting her on fire.

Bringing on David Slade as director was a great idea. The film was dark without taking itself too seriously. It was fast paced and left you wanting more. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" could stand on its own outside of the series as an exciting and romantic film.

Steve Carell has announced that he will be leaving "The Office" after its seventh season this fall.

He says, ""I just think it's time. I want to fulfill my contract. When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and this coming year is my seventh. I just thought it was time for my character to go."

That's fine. You can't begrudge the guy for wanting to move on, but NBC needs to wise up and make season seven the last season of "The Office." While I still love "The Office," I think it would be absolutely disastrous without Michael Scott as boss.

Seven years is a long time to play the same character. Not all shows can go on for ten seasons like "Friends" or "Seinfeld." "The Office" deserves to go out on a high note. It's never fun when TV shows overstay their welcome and end up getting cancelled.

If NBC decided that "The Office's" seventh season would be its last it would give the writers and actors a chance to develop and move to other projects. The writers and actors of "The Office" are some of the most creative, funny people in the business...I'd actually be excited to see what they could come up with next and that can't happen with "The Office" still on the air. The actors, especially, have really established themselves in TV and film and I have no doubt they could thrive on a new or different series.

So listen up, NBC. Work with the producers of "The Office" and come up with a way to go out with a hilarious bang.

It's that time again. We're only days away from the opening of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the third installment of the hit franchise, in theatres June 30.

I used to be a little embarrassed about my love of all things "Twilight," but not anymore. I was an apprehensive "Twilight" fan at first, but fully jumped on board after last year's "New Moon" (read my review). I know these movies aren't for everyone but I think I can come up with some very good reasons for you to quit hating, have some fun and see “Eclipse.”

"Is it high art? No. But it’s not trying to be," says "Twilight" screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg. Even she understands that "Twilight" is all about fun. They aren't trying to make cheese-free, serious movies. The films are exciting and entertaining...there is no need to feel guilty. The movies are geared towards a slightly younger crowd but as long as you aren’t wearing “Team Jacob” t-shirts or making YouTube trailer reaction videos, I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of…(I cried I was laughing so hard watching the link above)

Oh, did I mention the films star the super-hot, super-charming Robert Pattinson? My love for "Twilight" has grown just because of the R-Pattz interviews I've seen and read. It's possible that he's the whole reason I'm into this phenomenon in the first place. He's so incredibly charismatic, funny, self-deprecating and I love him. It's hard to watch an interview with Rob and not feel warm and fuzzy. Plus, he’s British. Hello? Who doesn’t love a man with an accent? I think it’s safe to say that Rob Pattinson is not going anywhere anytime soon. Since his “Twilight” success he’s landed the lead roles in some pretty interesting projects. He recently filmed “Bel Ami,” a period piece about a man who uses sex to work his way up the social ladder co-starring Uma Thurman and Christina Ricci. He’s currently shooting “Water for Elephants,” co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. Lucky for me, Rob should be around for many years to come. His co-star/girlfriend doesn't show any signs of slowing down either...

Can you say K-Stew? That’s right, I’m totally behind the sometimes grouchy and slouchy Kristen Stewart. The more I see and read about her, the more I like her. I don’t think she’s half the grump the media makes her out to be. I think she’s completely self-aware, wears her heart on her sleeve and has had her moments of really great acting. Recently, she compared being followed by the paparazzi to rape and all hell broke loose. In an upcoming Entertainment Weekly article, her boy-toy Rob comes to her defense and starts seriously hating on internet media going as far as calling bloggers nerds. Kristen, knowing Rob can do no wrong, responds, “You could say, “I just took a s***on the Queen’s face,” and people would be like, “Oh, I love him! I love him!” So, so true. Love it!

“Eclipse” is not just brooding vampires and shirtless werewolves. Ok, that’s a big part of it, but there’s supposed to be a lot of action in this film. The director, David Slade, has a reputation of making brutally violent vampire movies. The action should make the movie a little more fast-paced and exciting and a little less heavy breathing and longing stares.

And lastly, if you see “Eclipse” you’ll finally get the answer to the question you’ve been dying to learn. Who does Bella choose? Edward or Jacob? Ok, I’m sure if you’re reading this you already know that answer. For those of us who have read the books we know that some of the most anticipated moments in the series are in “Eclipse.” We finally get to see Edward propose to Bella, even some sexy-time between the two and of course, the infamous tent-scene.

What more could you want? I’m super excited to see the movie and hope it lives up to my expectations. “Eclipse” is my favorite book out of the series and I’m hoping it will be the best “Twilight” movie yet.

If anything, you should go see the movie so we can talk about how hot Robert Pattinson is…

Sometimes girls just want a good cry. It's true. There are days where we just want to read a cheesy book or watch a sad movie and remember that our problems aren't so bad. Such was the case when I borrowed the book, "My Sister's Keeper," by Jodi Picoult from a friend. I remember seeing previews for the movie so I knew it was going to be a real downer. What I didn't know was that a very popular and widely received book could be so incredible juvenile.

Each chapter of the book is told from the first person narration of each character and is written in different fonts in case you needed more distinction that you're reading someone else's opinion. I've read books with two or three different perspectives...but seven different points of view? It left absolutely no sense of mystery and left nothing up to interpretation. The story itself was an interesting take on a family struggling with cancer. The main character, Anna, is admirable. So when I finally got over the cheese factor and started enjoying the book thinking things are going to wrap up just how I imagine they will then...BOOM!

It seems like Jodi Picoult consulted M. Night Shyamalan in writing the last ten pages. Picoult throws in a major, unexpected tragedy and gives us ten whole pages (from three different perspectives) to deal. Because she shocked us and made us cry are we supposed to think that this is good or worthy literature? Hardly. It's a cheap, trash novel that could have told a emotional story about a struggling family, but instead took the route of ripping our hearts out and calling it a day.

I was so furious with the ending that I immediately wanted to watch the movie to see if it would redeem itself. I had heard friends say the movie was nothing like the book, so I figured that perhaps the movie would take the high road and eliminate the trick ending while keeping the heart of the story. Well, wrong again. Yes, the ending is different but the entire movie is focused on Kate, the sister with cancer, rather than Anna, the book's protagonist. So basically they removed the only good parts of the book (Hello? Campbell and Julia!) and added a super whiny Cameron Diaz.

Boo's all around for "My Sister's Keeper."

Here are my final thoughts on the series finale of "Lost."

What happened on the island happened. Oceanic 815 crashed on September 22, 2004. Some survivors stayed on the island, some left and some even came back. Jacob, the smoke monster, the Dharma Initiative and the time travel were all real. Jack died on the island, Hurley and Ben stayed to protect it and the others flew away on Ajira 316. That much I can say with certainty.

The alternate reality or flash sideways world is where things start to get tricky. I really do believe that the creators wanted to leave this up to our own interpretation. I believe Christian Shepard explains it all. He tells Jack that he and all the others in the church are very real. Alive, not so much...Real, yes.



We were assuming that the sideways timeline was taking place in September 2004 after Oceanic 815 landed safely. Yet, Christian explains that there is no now. They are in a world that transcends time. Once Jack realizes that he's dead Christian explains that these people all died at different times, some before Jack, some long after Jack. Life went on for the remaining survivors after Jack died on the island. When Hurley greets Ben outside the church he says, "You were a great number two." Ben tells Hurley he was a great leader. This leads me to believe that Hurley and Ben stayed on the island for some time and share a history together after Jack's death. When Kate kisses Jack and is trying to make him realize what is going on, she tells him how much she missed him. She misses him because she had to live the rest of her life without him after she left the island.

Now onto the plot in the sideways world leading up to the church scene. Why were they all back in that time? Why were the meeting up with each other. If they all died at different times how come they look the same age? Christian tells Jack that the time they spent on the island was the most important time in their lives. These were the people that mattered most. So in death, they still needed each other to let go and move on.

All these people were brought back to this time in their lives because it dealt with the ultimate "what ifs." What if Oceanic 815 had never crashed? What if Ben was never brought to the island as a child? What if Alex grew up with her mother? What if Sawyer became a cop instead of a con-man? What if Desmond had not met Penny? In the alternate reality the characters were still dealing with the choices they made and similar situations that led them to the island in the first place...like Jack dealing with the death of his father.

Which brings me to this point...Jack's son was not real. After Locke wakes up from surgery, wiggles his toes and has his 'awakening' he even tells Jack, "You don't have a son." Jack and his son's relationship represents the relationship Jack had with his father. Which is ultimately the most important relationship Jack had in his whole life. Jack worked things out with David, which gave him a better understanding of what went wrong between he and Christian. Jack needed to do that to be able to move on to his afterlife. Christian had to wait for Jack, too.

The entire series has been about the big questions...Life, death, fate, destiny...So it's not surprising to me that the end of the show took a more spiritual route than some maybe were hoping for. When you think about it, how else could they have ended the show and wrapped up the alternate timeline? I'm under the suspicion that people would never be truly satisfied. Say that the alternate reality really was real- so what happens when Kate, Sawyer, Claire and the gang land the Ajira plane back in LA? The two timelines can't both exist. I agree with the popular opinion that it would have been a real let-down if the sideways world turned out to be a dream or just a fantasy.

I am very satisfied with the ending. I think it was great way to make it ok that all of our favorite characters had died, knowing that somehow, someway they did get their happy ending. Many of us pray and hope that we will see our own loved ones when we die and that we will all go on to a better place, so why can't it be the same for TV characters? I loved that we were able to see some of our old favorites again before the show ended for good. The reunions between Sawyer and Juliet and Claire and Charlie had me crying my eyes out. "Lost" has always been about the characters and I think it was fitting that it ended with the typical music and panning shot of everyone reuniting...Something we've seen at the end of several "Lost" episodes.

So why were some people missing? Ben told Hurley he simply isn't ready. I like to imagine that he is going to make things right with Alex and Danielle Rousseau. I loved that Ben apologized to Locke for killing him. Desmond mentioned in the previous episode that Ana Lucia wasn't ready either. Eloise Hawking kept telling Desmond it wasn't time. She was worried that Desmond was going to take her son, Daniel Farraday with them. Eloise hadn't let go yet of the fact that she killed her own son, so they stay put...same with Charlotte and Miles. We learned earlier this season that Michael is roaming the island as a lost soul, which brings us to Walt. Walt was on the island for a much shorter time than everyone else...maybe it wasn't the most important time in his life like it was for the others. Or maybe he wasn't dead yet, which I'm assuming is the case with Ji-Yeon (Sun and Jin's daughter) and Charlie (Desmond and Penny's son).

As for the the action on the island- I thought it was amazing. I knew Lapidus was going to turn up sooner or later. I wrote in my last recap that he was going to eventually wash up on shore to serve his final purpose, to fly the plane off the island. Remember that Lapidus was supposed to be the original pilot of Oceanic 815. Claire finally gets to be reunited with Aaron and will learn how to be a mother from Kate. I could not have asked for a better ending for these people.



Having Jack and the Man in Black peering down into the cave felt so poignant and of course reminded us of when they were looking into the hatch in the season one finale. The dialouge between Jack and the Man in Black was perfect...Jack telling him that John Locke had been right all along and how it was a disgrace for the Man in Black to be taking his form. Desmond finally played his part. He removed the stone, extinguishing the light making it possible for the Man in Black to die. It was fitting that Kate got to be the one to kill the Man in Black to avenge Sun and Jin's deaths. Hurley was destined to become the protector of the island. He was the only one that is completely pure of heart and deserving of the job.



Jack sobbing and laughing as he put the rock back into its place in the cave was such an emotional scene. And let me tell you, when Jack laid down in the bamboo field and Vincent stayed with him, I lost it. I'm losing it right now just typing about it. It really was the perfect ending. It was genius to put Jack right back where he started and to end on his eye closing. Jack had finally fulfilled his destiny.

Everyone's saying they still have questions. I feel like all of my questions have been answered. I mean, maybe not the ones about the physics of time travel, the space time continuum, and what happens after you die- but who can answer those anyway? As for the shot of the Oceanic wreckage over the credits, I think it is nothing more than a red herring and I'm pretty much disregarding it all together (see update below).

I will miss "Lost" like crazy. It was one hell of TV show that told a really great story. Most of all, I'm going to miss the characters. Thanks to the creators, crew, actors and everyone who made "Lost" possible...You took us on a great ride that we won't soon forget.

Goodbye, "Lost." I'll see ya in another life, brother.


UPDATED 5/25/10: I just read a great theory on Doc Arzt on what the images of the Oceanic wreckage over the final credits of "Lost" could possibly mean. They say that it's similar to the Black Rock, the Dharma stations, the temple and the four-toed statue...The wreckage is what our characters have left behind. Life goes on and when the next group of castaways or explorers are brought to the island the Oceanic wreckage could be just one of the oddities or mysteries they could discover.

For some reason these images lead a lot of people to believe that the crash survivors were dead the whole time which is just simply not true. Yes, for half of seventeen episodes in the last season they were dead, but not the whole series! I don't think the flash sideways timeline was a cop-out. In every other season there were flashbacks and flash forwards. How could they have done flash forwards when most of the cast dies over the course of the final season? It definitely would have taken away a lot of the suspense and shock surrounding the deaths of Jack, Sun, Jin and Sayid. It just simply wouldn't have worked for the show. I also think we would have felt cheated if there wasn't any kind of alternate timeline. We would have been worn out if this season only took place on the island.

SECOND UPDATE: Fifteen minutes after I posted my previous update I found out that ABC has released a statement saying the the final images over the credits were added by ABC not the producers of the show and were only put there to soften the transition between the ending and the following program. So that solves it once and for all. Here's the link to the statement.

(Pictures from lost-media.com and lostpedia.com)

Farewell, "Heroes." I'm not shocked at all to learn that NBC has officially given "Heroes" the ax after 4 seasons. "Heroes" was a show that had absolutely the most potential to succeed but after one amazing season it lost all of its magic. Season one of "Heroes" stand alone is the some of the greatest TV in the last ten years. It had so much potential. Rich characters that we cared about with great backstories and even greater futures ahead of them.

It's such a shame that instead of focusing on these characters that we already knew and loved, the show's creators brought on too many new heroes and gave them too much screen time. The new heroes had interesting abilities but they didn't deserve to become season regulars. Why not just feature them in an episode or two? I think they wanted to capitalize on the success of the first season dealing with ordinary people coming to understand their superhuman abilities and went overboard. "Heroes" became boring and did very little to progress the stories of the characters we already liked.

I am sad that NBC has canceled "Mercy." This is totally not a show I would normally watch, but I caught the first episode and consistently wanted to see more. I usually overlook medical dramas because I find them unoriginal, but this one offered us a little more. My dad calls it the "poor man's 'Nurse Jackie'" which I find hilarious because it's kind of true. They both focus on no-bullshit nurses in New Jersey. "Mercy" doesn't push the line as much as "Nurse Jackie," but it still has some edge. The main character, Veronica, is an emotional wreck. She suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and is an alcoholic going through a divorce with her high school sweetheart all while dating a doctor at her hospital. This show had serious potential and I enjoyed it. I would have loved to have seen a second season especially after the cliffhanger season finale.

Another cancellation that hurts is "Flash Forward." I'm disappointed the show didn't catch on. I think it had a great premise but was maybe hindered by the fact that viewers don't know how the show could progress past the date the characters saw of the future. I agree, I don't know where they could take the show, it could have been another "Heroes" on our hands, but I enjoyed it. I don't know what kind of resolution we'll get in the remaining episodes but I'm sure it won't be a proper finish for a worthwhile show.

It consistently blows my mind that shows like "Minute to Win It," "The Marriage Ref," "The Bachelor," "Wife Swap," "Wipeout," "Undercover Boss," and any other contrived, cheap and ridiculous reality/competition show the networks can come up with get picked up over scripted TV shows. If "Chuck" hadn't been renewed for a fourth season, I'd really start to lose faith that the networks have any idea what people like to watch. Don't get me started on the whole ratings system. The whole thing is a bunch of nonsense the numbers are so flawed. With all the technology in today's world there's still no better way to track TV viewership than for a couple thousand households in our country to type in codes into a box? Please.

Shows like "Modern Family," "Glee," and even "The Vampire Diaries," give me hope for the future of network television...even though we all know cable's where it at.

There's been a a bit of backlash against "Lost" following last week's episode, "Across the Sea." The episode featured none of the series regulars, took place a couple hundred years ago and starred Allison Janney. What the heck? Right?

I've always been eternally optimistic about "Lost" Even a bad episode of "Lost" is still infinitely more enjoyable to me than half of the TV shows out there. But I don't even think the episode was bad. Do I think it should have been the third to last episode of the entire series? No! This episode answered a ton of our "Lost" questions. Origins of Jacob and the Man in Black on the island. Check. Purpose of the island protector. Check. Birth of the smoke monster. Check. Adam and Eve. Check. You get the point.

I think that this episode would have gone over a lot better if it had aired earlier in the season, or even three or four episodes ago. It threw off the whole rhythm of action they set up in the previous episode. I mean Sun, Jin and Sayid? Gone so fast? Is Lapidus dead? He kind of fell off my radar with all the madness in the submarine, but I wouldn't doubt if he washes up on shore next Tuesday. In a "Lost" discussion my boss brought up a great point...Why would they have him tag along for the last two seasons if he wasn't going to serve some greater purpose or at least go out with a bang? He got hit with a door and disappeared.

I'm still in disbelief that there are only two episodes left and I've given up on guessing what's going to happen. I'm sure it has something to do with them all staying on the island (well, those who survive) so that they can have their happy lives in the alternate reality/flash sideways world. I'm still wondering where the heck is Desmond? I'm hoping the first piece of business they take care of next episode is getting Desmond out of that well so he can finish saving the world!