TRAILER: "Game of Thrones" Season 5

Game of Thrones is coming back! This show has always been remarkably consistent, with no one season any better or worse than the other, at least in my opinion. In that sense it's probably the most dependable show on TV, and if you don't like it by now you never will. It premieres April 12th on HBO.

RECAP: SNL 1/24 "Blake Shelton"

Sorry I was so late on this recap everyone! But, it looks like I didn't miss much, as this turned out to be just another, generically dreadful episode, although Blake Shelton did about as well as he could, given that he's not an actor or anything.

COLD OPEN: We start off immediately with technical problems, as we can't hear anything but the audience for the first minute or so, but eventually we get a spoof of A Few Good Men with reporters yelling at Taran's Tom Brady over the "deflategate" scandal. Meh. Go Seahawks! That's all I have to say about this.

MONOLOGUE: Blake Shelton comes out and sings of course, doing a Hee-Haw bit about country jokes. Eh- I don't like this either. It falls flat despite Blake's efforts.

FARM HUNK: Premise starts off promising, with Blake spoofing the Bachelor and all the girls as idiot contestants, but it goes on way, way, WAY too long, and amazingly none of the jokes about the girls are funny at all. That should have been a softball right down the middle, shouldn't it?

WISHING BOOT: This is a music video with Kate, Aidy and Blake singing a country song, but it's not funny. Although I'm not quite sure it's supposed to be either- it actually sounds like a real country song, so maybe that was the angle of it. Which makes it boring.

FAMILY FEUD: Kenan's Steve Harvey hosts Celebrity Family Feud, with the contestants doing impressions of the American Idol versus The Voice judges, but they all suck today. Taran's Adam Levine is best, but Kenan's one-liners are terrible.

UPDATE: A really bad one, with many of Colin and Michael's State of the Union/football jokes going over like total duds, to an audience who's just not having it. A new character comes on in the form of Bobby as Michael's friend "Riblet" from high school who wants to steal his job, and then his ex-girlfriend. Didn't work for me though- did you guys laugh at that? I do have to say I'd prefer to see Riblet anchor Update over Michael Che. Pete also comes in with another stand-up bit about gay anxiety, but it's just okay. Man, this show is struggling.

PAROLE BOARD: Kenan does a Shawshank spoof of Morgan Freeman's last speech about redemption, but he's a cannibal who doesn't want to stop eating people. This one's okay, I guess. Not painful, but not hilarious either.

MORNING SHOW: Another Blake singing sketch (we've seen quite a bit of that tonight) as he's hired to sing a tribute song to an old man's dead wife- it turns out to be a roast. This one is mildly funny, and probably a better sketch of the night.

MAGIC SHOW: Blake heckle's Taran's magic show and begs for him to give him the power to "go down on himself." Okay, so that was maybe a bit chuckle-worthy, only because Blake really kind of went for it with the enthusiasm there.

So this was a very bad episode, but Blake tried and I kind of feel some sympathy for hosts who aren't actors or comedians. But the writing wasn't there, although the worst stuff was at the top of the show and got less painful in the second half. I still have to give it a D, because nothing made me laugh tonight. Next week it's J.K. Simmons- I sort of have to wonder if they're struggling to get guests right now- no offense to him, but is there anyone who watches this show that knows J.K. Simmons by name? See you next time!

'Orange is the New Black' and 'Downton Abbey' Win at SAG

Okay, so true to form. I did horribly on my TV predictions tonight (the only one I got was William H. Macy for Shameless), but I actually couldn't be happier about it because something finally took down Modern Family, and it was the very deserving, very populated cast of Orange is the New Black! Wasn't it awesome to see all those diverse women on stage? On another note, Matthew McConaughey has officially been shut out of any awards for True Detective, which no one would have predicted back when the show aired. And I'm not quite sure how Downton Abbey keeps winning in Drama ensemble- that's a real mystery, frankly.

DRAMA ENSEMBLE: Downton Abbey
DRAMA ACTOR: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
DRAMA ACTRESS: Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
COMEDY ENSEMBLE: Orange is the New Black
COMEDY ACTRESS: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
COMEDY ACTOR: William H. Macy, Shameless
MOVIE/MINI ACTOR: Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS: Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge

PGA-TV Winners Include 'Orange is the New Black,' 'Tonight Show,' 'Breaking Bad'

The TV side of the Producers Guild tonight was less exciting than over on the movie side, but I am happy about the win for Orange is the New Black! Ick for the Tonight Show (I cannot stand the phony, sycophantic Jimmy Fallon in that seat), and yawn on Breaking Bad (I don't know what kind of eligibility window they have for it to win a year and a half after it aired).

Live Entertainment in Talk TV - The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Competition TV - The Voice
Episodic Comedy TV - Orange is the New Black
Non-Fictional TV - Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Children's TV Program - Sesame Street
Sports Program - Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Digital Series - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Longform TV - Fargo
Episodic Drama TV - Breaking Bad

2015 SAG-TV Predictions

Okay, so I almost always bomb out on these SAG TV predictions- I know they generally like veteran actors and long-running shows (this is the complete opposite of the Golden Globes that way), but I'll go ahead and give this my best shot anyway.

TV MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS

• Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic
  
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
  
• Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
  
• Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart
  
• Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful
  

Oh, boy. Quite a few veteran actresses in here. Hmm- I think I'm going to pick Cicely Tyson for this one. Frances McDormand could win too, but since Tyson is in her 80's and SAG is a much more diverse guild than any other, I think she makes sense as a winner.

TV MOVIE/MINI ACTOR

• Adrien Brody, Houdini
  
• Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
  
• Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
  
• Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
  
• Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
  

I'm going to say Cumberbatch takes this, because he hasn't won a SAG yet, and the show was inexplicably resurgent this year at the Emmys. Maybe that indicated something. It could also go to Globe winner Billy Bob, maybe veteran Jenkins. But I'll just stick with the Sherlock vote.

TV COMEDY ACTRESS

• Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
  
• Julie Bowen, Modern Family
  
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
  
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
  
• Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
  

I guess Julia again? I don't know if/when we'll get to the point where there's fatigue for her and that show yet, after winning so many awards for it for quite a few years in a row. But I don't see support rallying around the other options here, so I guess it's Julia by default.

TV COMEDY ACTOR

• Ty Burrell, Modern Family
  
• Louis C.K., Louie
  
• William H. Macy, Shameless
  
• Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
  
• Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
  

God, what a boring category this is. All these shows are long running by now, so I can't decide who gets that veteran vote. Ty Burrell won it last year, so I guess he's always a threat. For some reason I also think Macy has a shot now, since they moved his show to comedy and he still hasn't been recognized for it yet. I think I'm going to go with him.

TV COMEDY ENSEMBLE

• The Big Bang Theory
  
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine
  
• Modern Family
  
• Orange is the New Black
  
• Veep
  

Modern Family wins this over and over again, and they had a good season last year. I'd like to see Orange take it, but it's probably just safer to stick with Modern Family once more.

TV DRAMA ACTRESS

• Claire Danes, Homeland
  
• Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
  
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
  
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
  
• Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
  
• Robin Wright, House of Cards
  

I'm thinking Viola Davis for this one. She's a longtime character actress, she moved over to TV, it's a hit. But frankly, Maggie Smith could take this as well- she's won it before and they never stop loving her. And Emmy winner Margulies is a real possibility, since The Good Wife also had a great season. Huh. I think I've talked myself into Margulies now. I'll go with her.

TV DRAMA ACTOR

• Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
  
• Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
  
• Woody Harrelson, True Detective
  
• Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
  
• Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
  

Funnily enough, everyone predicted that McConaughey would take every TV award for True Detective, and he's been shut out for both the Emmy and the Golden Globe. This is his last chance to win anything for it, and I'm kinda wondering now if people are just over him in general. Wouldn't it be cool to see Woody Harrelson win this? He's a longtime TV vet. I'm going to go with it- this is my wild card pick.

TV DRAMA ENSEMBLE

• Boardwalk Empire
  
• Downton Abbey
  
• Game of Thrones
  
• Homeland
  
• House of Cards
  

I really have no clue on this one- Downton Abbey won a couple of years ago out of nowhere, I guess because they hadn't rewarded it yet. Going by that logic, maybe it's Game of Thrones' turn? Or is the show too genre-y for even SAG? I'd love to see Boardwalk take it for the last season, but that won in its first. I'm honestly aiming in the dark here, but I'm going to just say that it is Game of Thrones' turn to win- I suppose House of Cards is the next most likely choice.

TRAILER: "Hannibal" Season 3

The first look at the third season of NBC's super creepy, mesmerizing Hannibal is here! Looks pretty great- too bad it's not coming until summer.

Benedict Cumberbatch in full 'Sherlock-ian' Garb

This is pretty awesome. In the middle of filming the new season of Sherlock, a set picture shows us Benedict in full, old-style classic Sherlock Holmes dress- just to drive the fans wild, I'm sure. Now all he needs is the pipe! The Sherlock Christmas special is set to come out at the end of the year, and the next season sometime in 2016. Sigh- why must they make us wait so long?

REVIEW: "The Fall" Season 2

Season 2 of The Fall (on Netflix now) is just as intensely disturbed, tightly wound and unbearably suspenseful as the slow, creepy first season was. And if that first season was all about exploring the psychology of a serial killer, this second part of the saga is more procedural, as it goes about the painstaking, strictly by the book steps superintendent Stella Gibson (played by the powerhouse Gillian Anderson) must take to bring him down.

I wondered exactly how the series would continue, as the end of the first season saw Jamie Dornan's killer Paul Spector take off into the countryside after revealing himself (or at least his voice) to Stella in a direct phone conversation. This year things appeared to be off to an uncharacteristically rapid start, as Spector had left behind crucial evidence at his last crime scene, and a still surviving victim who, if regaining repressed memories after waking from her coma, could identify him positively. With all these pieces set to fall into place, Stella goes about putting the puzzle together quicker than anyone else, and before you know it, the police department has a suspect, and of course, we as the audience know it's the right one.

It's an interesting approach for a show to take, as we follow both Stella and Spector's perspectives here, because you'd think there would be very little suspense on the investigation's side, since we obviously know who the killer is and whether they're on the right track or not. But the question doesn't lie with whether they have the right guy, but what exactly Stella's thinking to do at any given moment. She tends to make all the right moves, but will she make a crucial mistake? Is this show still about the cat and mouse game, or is it now a procedural on how to track a serial killer once you know who it is. The constant tension and setup tricks you into thinking anything might be about to happen and you have no idea what- that in itself is reason enough to watch every episode on the edge of your seat.

A big part of that carefully wrought tension is of course, what Paul Spector himself is up to, whose activities we track each episode. Jamie Dornan still has that creepy and sociopathic look and behavior down pat- we have no idea what he's doing or what he's thinking, and just about every move he pulls is a total shock as you can't figure out what he's up to. He wanders back into Belfast, but why? He's creating some kind of false evidence plant, but for who to see it? He befriends and seduces Katie, the 15-year-old babysitter from last season, but there are clearly ulterior motives up the wazoo in that relationship, and above all he still wants to toy with and mentally get inside Stella's head. The cat and mouse aspect reappears in a fantastically acted interrogation in the final hour (the season is six episodes long) that has you clinging to your shirt in utter anticipation, but of what you're not exactly sure. Things might go just as planned, or end up in total chaos- that's the brilliance that comes from creator Allan Cubitt's mastery of pace, plotting and suspense. This is one fascinatingly complex series, and with an intricately inscrutable and capable female heroine in the lead, it's one of the best shows on television by far.

Grade: A

RECAP: SNL 1/17 "Kevin Hart"

Well, I'm immensely relieved to report that this was NOT a terrible episode of SNL tonight! And I'm happy to say that I've finally seen enough of Kevin Hart to understand why he has actual fans- now that I've gotten a dose of his standup I can see why his style just isn't suited for things like presenting or hosting awards shows (which is really the only exposure to him I've ever had), but yeah, I now see that he at least can be funny. He was a pretty dynamic host tonight, committed to everything and elevating it, even when it was lame material (there's still no shortage of that, of course).

COLD OPEN: This was fairly tepid, with Kenan appearing as the ghost of MLK to high school student Pete, who tells him about all the racial "progress" we've made. It gets in a few digs at Selma's Oscar snubbing at least.

MONOLOGUE: Kevin Hart comes out and does his stand-up, as all comedian hosts do, and I finally see that he's funny, and can understand why he bombed at hosting the VMA's- he's not a punchline guy, he's a storyteller, and he needs time on stage. But yeah, this is pretty funny! I think I "get" him now.

CALVINS: Hilarious! Kate spoofs the Justin Bieber Calvin Klein ads and it's gold. She continues to be awesome and their best current cast member.

WHY'D YOU POST THAT?: This is a total misfire, no thanks to some serious technical glitches that fuck up the first few seconds and then again in the middle. Kevin is a host who ridicules guests for posting stupid Instagram pics, but the whole thing is kinda marred by the foul-ups offstage.

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN: Kenan, Kevin and Jay are three guys telling stories on the corner in Brooklyn. It's pretty decent, a couple of chuckles.

APOLLO: Kevin actually dares to take on a James Brown impression (always a risk after Eddie Murphy's legendary character) but he does a pretty good job as he just makes fun of the lack of rhythm of the white band members. It's not that funny, but boy is Kevin committed to this. He's totally filled the stage with energy tonight.

NANCY: Random sketch where Aidy hosts a talk show reunion of a soap opera cast, but the joke is that Vanessa is the only cast member who gets dopey "loser" music played as she walks out. It's a little funny I guess, in spite of the fart jokes part. Kevin even manages a laugh as the tech guy behind the scenes.

UPDATE: Oy. I never look forward to this anymore, but Colin and Michael have some slightly better jokes tonight as they target Romney's third run for president, and the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations. Then Kate comes out as an old lady with tips for dealing with loud neighbors, and she rocks as usual.

DRAGON: Very odd one set in a kind of Game of Thrones-esque palace where Taran, Cecily, Sasheer and Kenan sing about having to leave the village due to a dragon attack, while Kevin runs around panicking about actually leaving. The only laugh comes at the end when Leslie shows up as Kevin's wife to sing her part about him ditching her.

HEINZ HALL: This one is good! Leslie confronts Kevin about a one night stand years ago resulting in his love child, and brings Jay in, who does a spot on impression to his face. With both of them talking to each other it's actually pretty hilarious. Nice one.

CHOCOLATE DROPPA: I can't believe it- the last sketch of the night is another good one. Kevin goes for it 100% once again, as a rapper who spills all his friends secrets in his new song. And the jokes are pretty good. It works.

Wow. So, I'm surprised but I'll take it! A decent episode tonight that warrants at least a B- (there were still some lame sketches, but Sia's usual nutty performance art routines made up for that too). Kevin Hart brings it as the host and for once, there were a handful of actual good jokes tonight. I won't keep my hopes up, but this was a nice change of pace. Blake Shelton is hosting and singing next week- I would not expect him to be as good as Kevin was, but we'll find out soon enough. See you next week everyone!

TRAILER: "House of Cards" Season 3

With the third season due to drop on Netflix February 27th, we'll see what happens now that Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood has ascended to the presidency by virtue of the lying, scheming and murdering he plotted for the last two years. This show is kind of insane actually, but I do want to see him eventually taken down (which happened on the British version of the series, so I assume it will here too), so I'm continuing to watch for that reason.