REVIEW - The Carrie Diaries S01E03

Carrie's voice-over of the episode "Let's face it. Life is easier if you read the labels. Like, do not put in dryer. Expiration date: 1 week ago. Everything we wear, everything we eat, they all have labels. They same is true for everyone we know. Stoner. Class Clown. Well-meaning but ultimately clueless class counselor. And, the boy of my dreams."

Is it just me or is this show just getting better and better? I admit I wasn't a HUGE fan of it when it started, but now I am completely addicted and hooked on the storyline so if it does get cancelled oh lordy I am gonna be pissed!

In episode 3 Carrie is still reeling from the news that she cannot see Sebastian by orders from her father, so she is going to have to do some investigative work to find out exactly why. We find out that Mr Bradshaw is a lawyer and that Sebastian is one of his cases.

I don't want to give too much away but it is quite a scandalous secret as to why Carrie cannot see him and when Carrie finds out what it is, her feelings put a distance between them.

This is the first episode where things get a little racy, a lot racy actually, Carrie and Mouse visit a gallery opening in the City were a performer is sitting on a chair and people pay a penny for her to show them her vagina. It is the kind of weird and kooky thing you would probably see in New York.

Carrie stands out to the artist and she commands Carrie to claim her vagina as her own and never to let a man run it. It is highly amusing, and because we know the end result in Sex & The City it just adds to effect.

Meanwhile back at home her sister Dorrit stole a hamster from a pet store and longs to have a pet that her mother promised her before she died. Mr Bradshaw's parenting is come into question a few times in the episode and the family values really stand out in this show, something that I did not expect from it.

Overall this show keeps building and building and it is becoming just as addictive as Gossip Girl did (when it first came out!) Save room in your heart for The Carrie Diaries!

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REVIEW Kourtney & Kim Take Miami Season 3

That's right! Summer is nearly over and we all know what that means in TV land! The invasion of the Kardashian shows, and frankly it could not come soon enough. I have been drooling in anticipation over the next season of Kourtney and Kim after her marriage imploded and left her embarrassed and publicly humiliated.

So naturally all of us gossip hungry, guilty pleasure types (myself included) were waiting with baited breath for this and it has not disappointed so far!

The first 3 episodes sees the Kourtney & Kim returning to Miami to take inventory of their Dash store and give it a much needed facelift. Kourtney has her new daughter Penelope, Mason is a running toddler who is full of cheek and cuteness. Scott is noticeably missing from the trip and Khloe has come along to help the girls settle in and personally check on the store.

Checking into the hotel Kim receives a white kitten from her current boyfriend Kanye West who she is instantly attached to and is a source of entertainment for Mason. Meanwhile at the store things are not looking too good at all, the shelves and racks are a mess, the back room is over-crowded, rubbish in the changing rooms, so the girls set the staff to work cleaning the store and getting it back to how it should look.

Kim received call after call from her divorce attorney with her current husband of a year and half now unwilling to budge and reach a settlement, Khloe is trying to force Kim to talk about how she is feeling about the divorce and get more off her chest. A confrontation shows that Kim has fully moved on from Kris Humphries and is completely in love with Kanye (anyone else noticing all the K's in the world?)

Kim and Khloe notice that Kourtney is struggling with the two toddlers and no support so they convince Scott to surprise her and stay and help out with the children. Not too impressed by the surprise Kourtney accepts the help and tries to sort out a system so Scott doesn't fly off the rails again, like every other time in Miami.

Khloe and Kim decide it is time to have a good night out and start a party in the hotel room which then becomes too rowdy, Scott doesnt want them to wake the children and offers to drive them to a pizza place to get them out of the hotel. The girls are heavily intoxicated and start shopping for YOLO clothes and meet up with family friend Jonathan to take the girls and leave Scott to go home.

The first few episodes show us just why we love to hate these girls, they are talented, funny and exciting to watch on tv. If you love yourself some Kardashian goodness definitely check this out!

Kourtney & Kim Take Miami Season 3 airs Sunday nights on the E!Network

Review by Alaisdair "Arrow" Dewar

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REVIEW - The Carrie Diaries S01E02

After a stellar pilot episode and some not so stellar ratings, The Carrie Diaries continues with this episode focusing on Carrie's continuing relationship with Sebastian Kidd. Still grounded with her sister we actually see their relationship attempting to improve with a great family car wash moment that sets a beautiful tone for the episode.

Kidd is still being pursued by the school's "it girl" Donna LeDonna and has started being nice to Mouse to try and show a good side that will impress Kidd who is still hung up on Bradshaw. Sounding a lot like Gossip Girl? I know, I know, it is hard not to compare the two especially with the same producers and writers, but the funky 80's tone and depth to Bradshaw stop it from going full Upper East Side.

The photoshoot has finally arrived but Carrie's internship is under a deadline and she may not be able to make it with the purse. Making a decision to attempt to do both and win her boss over she is able to get both done and still impress her boss. The city doesn't stick around for too long after the photo shoot and we are back to the Kidd storyline.

The chemistry that is building between these two is quite remarkable for a show like this and the two are mesmerising together. It is really hard to watch this and not compare it to Sex & The City, but there are definite similarities yet the show seems to be carving out its own identity which is necessary to ensure its survival past its initial 13 episode run.

This show is definitely one to keep watching and if you have missed the first couple of episodes don't worry you haven't missed out on too much yet!

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REVIEW - The Taste S01E01

Cooking shows and talent shows are plaguing our television screens at the moment, with so many it can seem hard to keep up with the "in" show of the moment. ABC have created their own show called The Taste and combines the culinary skills of Masterchef with the talent credibility of The Voice, how does this work? Each contestant cooks a dish and it is served on a spoon to the four judges who cannot see who cooked the food. Each judge says yes or no based on the taste and then they get to meet the person that made it.

The four judges are Anthony Bourdain who is like the Simon Cowell of this group, he seemingly feels like a no holds barred judge who tell it like it is. Brian Malarkey who is the two sentence nice guy who doesn't say a whole lot, Ludo Lefebvre an extremely sexy French chef who has a strong palette and knowledge of food and finally the sexy and charismatic Nigella Lawson, domestic goddess who has crossed the border and also serves as an executive producer on the show.

The first episode is a 2 hour spectacular and they have done a great job of introducing the concept of how the show works and it definitely chooses substance over style. What I loved was a lot of wanky professional wannabe chefs that you get on these kind of shows are shown the door as they over complicate food and people who know how to make something taste good prosper. My favourite contestant was definitely Lauren, a young girl who made an alluring flourless chocolate cake with pistachio crumble.

The judges really work well together, and each brings a different view to the table and this keeps things interesting. Each judge gets to choose 4 chefs to cook with and one by one each week they will do the blind taste test and the judges could even send their own chefs home.

This is a fantastic idea for a show and it has been executed seamlessly. If you are a reality show junkie you will love this new addition, if you just like cooking you will also get something out of this as it presents itself without any pretention and shows the kind of chefs you want to see on television.

The Taste is showing Tuesday nights at 8/7C

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REVIEW - Smash S02E01 Part 1

Thanks to our friends at Hulu Plus we had the absolute privilege of watching the first hour of the two hour season premiere of Smash, due to premiere February 5 on NBC. 

For those who missed the incredible first season Smash is a musical drama set on the bright lights of Broadway and revolves around the lives of producers, actors, writers and singers attempting to put together a musical around the life of Marilyn Monroe. The musical titled Bombshell was established last season and met some well received and critiqued preview shows at the end of season 1. 

The star studded television show stars Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Jack Davenport, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty and Krysta Rodriguez. New roles in the second season will also include Jennifer Hudson, Jesse L. Martin, Jeremy Jordan, and Sean Hayes.

Season 2 kicks off with all of our unresolved storylines from last season still dangling, tempting us but still not delivering any resolutions. There are plenty of new cast to keep us distracted with the breathtaking b Jennifer Hudson playing a successful  Broadway performer, a chatty bar tender who is more than he seems at first and his friendly gay sidekick. There are plenty of jaw dropping performances that take the show to the next level and outperform and outshine anything rival shows can offer. 

Dev has officially left the series but the tension between Ivy and Karen is tense and could keep going well into the season. Meanwhile Bombshell faces extinction after several setbacks, the cast and crew are told to move on to other projects. 

Putting two idol powerhouses like McPhee and Hudson is a rt risky move but it pays off, the duet between the two at a press event is hair- raising event that is one of the highlights of the episode. 

If you haven't seen Smash before now is the perfect time to jump on board, if you are a fan you I'll love this season return full of drama, comedy and of course music.

Smash premieres Tuesday February 5

Review by Alaisdair Arrow Dewar

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