Tonight: ABC Family's Preview: The Pretty Little Liars Find New Drama in Ravenswood!

the girls attend the masquerade party in ravenswood in the annual hollowen special

ABC Family is Unstoppable This Summer

the unstoppable, thank the gods, 'pretty little liars', the new 'twisted' and 'the fosters' shine along with the well written and acted 'switched at birth' and the funny cute zanny 'baby daddy'  all make summer tv watching a good time. (i don't watch melissa and joey but it's here too.)

check the promo. then give these shows a try.

'Pretty Little Liars'

they're back. tonight. thank the gods.

Red Coats Everywhere

the season 4 poster for 'pretty little liars' was just released. soooo....we have all four of the girls in the infamous red coat. the 'real' reason behind this gives pause for thought. like could one of them be A. june 16th can't come soon enough.

'Pretty Little Liars' Season Finale Tonight

already? damn. but have no fear it will be back in june for season 3. i will say it now: troian bellisario deserves an emmy nomination this year. her performance has been nothing but remarkable. all the 'liars' are good actors but troian has been given the best material this season. i admit i am crazy about her. and i still love this guilty pleasure show that does not get it's due.
 season 2 gets an A.
 the balls are still in the air and the dishes are still spinning. it is still the best guilty pleasure on tv.

season finale trailer

'Pretty Little Liars' Returns Tonight, Finally!

my favorite guilty pleasure is back...let the games begin...

Josh's Juke Box: Extraordinary'

the soundtrack of my life

lucy hale

i think lucy hale is an extraordinary talent. she is wonderful as aria on 'pretty little liars. she has a voice to match her acting abilities. it is time for someone in hollywod to finally film the musical 'she loves me' and cast her as amalia barish. then redo 'carousel'. she is the perfect julie jordon.

Say It Ain't So

but alas it is so. 'pretty little liars' ends it's summer run tonight. so we find out who killed maya not really one of my favorite characters. yet it remains one of my favorite shows and still gets an A for this partial season. see you in october girls.

Spring TV Season in Review Part 3: 'Pretty Little Liars'

this will come as no surprise. 'pretty little liars' is still the best guilty pleasure on tv. it just keeps getting better and better. in fact this season has had some of the best scripts so far in it's three year run. the 'liars' are growing up. so are their problems. the actresses portraying them are getting better episode by episode as they grow into their characters. the juggler keeps juggling. the balls have yet to drop.

the season which is only partially into it's run gets an overwhelming A+

as far as the guys go tyler blackburn and keegan allen shine although mr allen has been way underused this season. and does anyone else think ian harding (ezra fitz) is becoming a john edwards slime ball type a guy. he's beginning to make my skin crawl. perhaps this is the choice and they are working it into the storyline. i hope so. otherwise he is just creepy and aria needs a new love interest.

Reminder: Tonight on ABC Family

'pretty little liars'

TONIGHT!!!

more lies. more mayhem. more fun. still one of the best.

They're Back...

finally, at last, tomorrow night. let the fun begin.

Season Finales Part 2: The Best Finales of 2011

cliffhangers are the staple of the dramatic episodic shows since the 'who shot jr' moment on dallas. some are contrived, some are just okay and every once in awhile some are brilliant in that they astonish and make wish the summer away. this season there were four that left us begging for more. in alphabetical order they are:

'Castle': the season finale had more twists and turns that other shows can't accomplish in an entire season. rick castle has matured yet maintains his boyish charm. kate becket becomes a woman in search of a murderer and new roots. if nathan fillion and stana katic do not get emmy noms there is no justice. week after week they threw home runs. in the finale they astounded. bravo to both of them. all this with an amazing supporting cast makes this one of tv's best shows.

'The Good Wife': this is one of the few finales that had me smiling for days. but underneath that smile i was well aware of all the complications that are coming. julianna margulies continues to amaze. the writers continue to give us crisp characterizations and plot lines. this is the finest ensemble cast on network television. this is the best series on television. if you are not watching this you are missing tv at it's best.

'Pretty Little Liars: the juggler has not dropped a ball. the plate twirler keeps the dishes spinning. not a single crash yet. who's lying? who's being lied to? where the hell did that body in the bell tower go? who the frack is 'a' really? happily the next season begins june 14th but i don't expect qick answers.

The Vampire Diaries: it has left "true blood' in the dust. it is still the most erotic program on the air. damn who could keep track of the body count on the last two episodes. but the finale holy hell. damon getting heart? stefan going roque? elena/catherine what's next? september can't come soon enough.

honorable mention goes to 'bones'. it put a smile on my face but not 'the good wife' smile. the episode itself was a major letdown but the last 45 seconds semi redeemed it. almost!

Guilty Pleasure: 'Pretty Little Liars' Spring Finale

'pretty little liars' had it's spring finale this week. this show has come a long way...meaning from very good to even better. the twists and turns don't stop. nor do the lies. the characters have developed nicely as four young actresses, two young actors and a few adults have grown into their roles. this show is like watching a juggler or a plate spinner and wondering when the balls will fall or the plates crash. but here they don't. they stay in mid air. we hold our breathes. the mystery of it all goes on. it returns in june. too too long.

the liars

ashley benson (hanna), lucy hale (aria), shay mitchell (emily) and troian bellisario (spencer)

these four actresses are given equal time on the show but spencer's (bellisario) character developement has been amazing. she has gone from the quiet brainy one to scene stealer. ms. bellisario is the one to watch.

spencer's relationship with town pariah toby (keegan allen) developed gradually and blossomed much to their surprise and ours. they work well off each other and appear meant to be. is spencer's faith in him justified? i hope so but a momentary glimpse of him in the crowd in the final seconds of the finale raises doubt. for spencer's sake i hope her faith in him is indeed justified. for dramatic purposes maybe not so. either way they need to keep them together on screen. their work together is so natural, so believable.

aria

aria (lucy hale) and ezra (ian harding) were for me an abcfamily network surprise. teacher and student? must be a new kind of family watching this. definitely not for the palin's i think.


but finally they are no longer student and teacher. good. it was wearing a bit thin. they've uped it. his ex is back. menage anyone? spinning dishes you see.

hannah


ashley benson is terrific. the four friends are all vulnerable to the mysterious "a". but hannah is the most vulnerable period. it's her history. her relationship with caleb (tyler blackburn) seems so real. they have good chemistry. where that relationship is in the finale though is another of those rotating dishes.

emily

emily (shay mitchell) is out and proud. her struggling with people around her trying to push her back in the closet is real. been there! the amazing thing though is the acceptance by her closest friends. high school somewhere has become an easier place for a gay teen. why is it only on tv. since this show is aimed for a younger crowd maybe they can learn from this. i can only hope. ms. mitchell goes through the ups and downs of 'gay youth' beautifully. i hope GLADD recognizes her portrayal when next they gather to award good and healthy gay portrayals on film and tv.

and then there is poor dead alison. portrayed well by sasha pieterse she is the mean girl anyone would want to see dead.but who is channeling her from the great beyond is another jugglers ball in the air.
(pictured here with ms. mitchell and ms. hale)

till next time

Tonight on ABC Family Pretty Little Liars: The Identity of "A," Revealed and Other Scoop for the New Year

At the end of Pretty Little Liars first season, both the girls and viewers came thisclose to discovering the identity of their tormenter, known only as "A." Based on the successful book series of the same name, the ABC Family series follows recently reconnected friends Hanna (Ashley Benson), Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) as they try to figure out who murdered their best friend Alison (Sasha Pieterse) — all while being taunted by A, the mysterious texter who knows all their secrets.
The upcoming episodes — which executive producer Marlene King call "darker and edgier" than the season's first batch— pick up right after the summer's hit-and-run accident. King spoke with TVGuide.com about the paths each of the girls will take in the next 12 episodes. Plus, she reveals when we'll figure out who A is. (Hint: Very soon.)

Emily Emily began the season with a boyfriend and ended it with a girlfriend. Viewers watched her begin to understand her past feelings for Alison, and new feelings for Maya. King says their relationship has "a beautiful storyline over the first four episodes that culminates in a very lovely romantic evening," but also warns that a new love interest will come into her life. And yes, it's another girl. "It's very important for us to stay true to the fact that Emily is coming to terms with her sexuality. She's not going to flip flop back and forth. Her path is really about coming to terms with who she is, and being proud of who she is, then also hopefully helping her parents understand and accept who she is as well.  

Aria The person King hinted would be a wrench in the Aria-Ezra relationship isn't the only one the couple needs to worry about. "The person who saw them that night [in the finale], who wrote, 'I see you on that car,' did really see them," King says. "There's a real viable threat to their relationship from the moment we come back." Plus Hale tells us about an impending love triangle between Noel, Aria and Ezra. "For awhile there, you don't know which guy she's leaning towards. So for all the 'Ezria' fans that can make them a little nervous," Hale says. But not to worry. "There's a resolution to it all. I think people will be pretty happy with it," she says

Spencer Viewers will see a very important Spencer flashback from the night Alison disappeared. "It's very riveting, very powerful and very telling," King says. The love-hate relationship between Spencer and her sister Melissa (Torrey DeVitto) will also be further explored. While the two were at odds during Season 1, they'll call a truce very quickly this time around. Too bad King says it also won't last.

Hanna Hanna was run down by a mysterious driver, and when the season resumes, she'll wake up in the hospital — with a memory of what she saw that night. "Within the first 15 minutes she'll tell that to the other Pretty Little Liars and the mystery kicks off full steam ahead from there," King says. While Hanna recovers she gets a few unexpected guests. Ashley Benson tells us that "each visitor lets out some sort of secret."

A King says that the mystery of A will resolve itself before the year's fourth episode -- then the story will shift into figuring out who killed Alison. "The girls really do believe they have a very viable theory and that person becomes very much a threatening person in their lives," she says. "We're a little bit darker with the mystery in this next cycle. We weren't afraid to be a little bit edgier, and you will see a glimpse of Alison moments before her death that is shocking."

New characters Rosewood will welcome some new faces, including Caleb (Tyler Blackburn), who's described by King as a "sketchy guy with a heart of gold." "He seems dark and mysterious ... but we often explore the theme on the show of what appears to be isn't," she says. Simone (Alona Tal) is Aria's babysitter from when she was 12-years-old and brings conflict into her relationship. Paige (Lindsey Shaw) is going to be a teammate of Emily's that's a "very bitter dark rival" for her.