Desperate Housewives

Good morning, everyone! Ready to dish? I am! Picking one actor this week was a tough job. I was partial to one’s performance, but another one also did really well. So, I have decided to go ahead and pick them both. This week, I’ve picked Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross.

Ever since the beginning, Felicity has managed to make me tolerate Lynette no matter how many dumb moves she makes. Like getting Tom fired, pretending one of her kids is sick to get into yoga… you get the idea. Still, I’ve really warmed up to Lynette ever since Kayla and her mother entered the picture. I like that, for awhile anyway, Felicity managed to walk a thin line between resentment and discomfort with the kid and affection. Now, she’s doing an excellent job of portraying a scared and frustrated mother dealing with a clearly messed up kid. The slapping scene in the mall is a perfect example of that. You could just feel the terror and frustration coming off her when Penny is threatened. She combines it with total regret over the slap itself. Kudos to her…. can’t wait to see where this all goes.

Meanwhile, Marcia Cross is doing a great job as well. Especially in the scenes where Edie blackmails her and she confesses the truth to the others. As Edie reveals she knows everything about the baby, Marcia Cross seems to visibly age several years in about two seconds. As for the confession, I loved the combination of resignation and regret in her voice as well as the obviously gratitude and relief when the others side with her and tell her she’s a great mom.

So, there you have it: my favorite performances this week. What do you think? Did I overlook someone? Let me know about it in the comments. Well, that’s about it for now. See y’all next time. I’ll be dishing about the finale promo, Richard Burgi’s (Karl) appearance on Reaper tonight and more this week. You won’t want to miss it!

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well today and ready for the new episode this weekend. So, how many of you have heard or have the Desperate Housewives soundtrack? If you don’t, you’re missing out (yes, this includes me). I was exploring Amazon last night and listened to some of the sound clips. There’s a lot of country on it, but there are also songs by Gloria Estefan, Joss Stone and others. One of the cuter things about the CD is the bits of dialog that are spread out through it. They picked bits they really fit each character. Gabby, for example, has the “I’ve been poor but happy before, and guess what? Wasn’t that happy” quote, while they chose Lynette talking about how other mothers make the parenting thing look easy.

By far, the best song on it is called “God Bless the American Housewife”. The song is performed by SheDaisy, a country music trio made up of sisters. The song was clearly written to touch of each character and the video is great as well. Here’s just one line from the song:

“Look at how my children play Commando in the cul-de-sac
Look at how my husband has survived another heart attack
Look at all the other mothers envious of all my things
Have to call the plumber cause my daughter flushed my wedding ring”

The video features Kassidy, Kelsi and Krystin on the set of the show re-creating classic moments from the first season. Kassidy (the brunette) plays Susan and Gabby, Krystin (the blonde) plays Lynette and Edie, while Kelsi (the redhead) makes a scary-accurate Bree. They burn down Edie’s house, get pulled over with the kids acting up in the backseat, mow the lawn in a party dress and other great scenes. If you want to see it, check it out here at the CMT web site. When you finish watching it, why not come back and tell me who made the best “housewife”? I’m personally partial to the one who played Bree. Well, that’s it for now. Check back a little later, when I’ll be sharing a really cute photo. See ya then!

I thought I’d take some time each week to recognize one actor or actress who came along and stole the show on the latest episode. This week, it’s Rachel Fox. She’s the adorable girl who pays Kayla, the latest addition to the Scavo house. While there were some great scenes and performances this week, I really feel like the Scavo plot made this episode, and she was at the heart of it. Rachel’s doing a great job of playing a messed up and very creepy kid. When she calmly smiled at Lynette as they were leaving to take Parker to the hospital, I got chills. Her expression perfectly showed what Kayla obviously was thinking when she came up with the whole umbrella idea: Keep messing with me. You see what I can do when you’re not looking?

Rachel is only 11, but she’s already got a nice resume built up. She’s made guest appearances on several Disney shows, including Hannah Montana and That’s So Raven. In addition, she played a young Sydney on Alias and did some voice-over work. If that wasn’t enough, her official site’s resume also lists some theatre credits to her name. Not bad for someone not even out of junior high. I’m thinking that if she keeps her head on straight, she’s got a long career ahead of her.

So what does everyone else think? Feel like another character stole the show? Tell me about it! Well, there you have it: my first “Actor/Actress of the Week”. I’ll be back either later today or tomorrow with news and other cool stuff. See ya then!

Good morning, everyone! So, I took some time yesterday to think about the show a bit and come up with some topic ideas. It didn’t take long for me to start reflecting on all the memorable scenes this show has had. I figured, why not highlight these moments? It’s not easy picking one, but I finally settled on a moment from the Season 2 episode “That’s Bad, That’s Good”.

As you all recall, I’m sure, George spent quite a bit of time harassing Bree and trying to win her over. One day, he finally pushes her too far. Bree is holding one of her dinner parties, when he shows up with a karaoke machine. Much to Bree’s embarassment, he starts serenading her with a house full of guests. Bree tries to politely make him leave, but he doesn’t. So, in typical Bree fashion, she puts on a sweet smile and excuses herself, running upstairs.

Next thing you know, Bree is in her room, loading a shot gun. She goes over to the window and demands he leave. When he refuses again, she cocks the gun and aims it at the speaker, firing a shot. Of course, George runs and Bree calmly re-joins her guests, acting like nothing ever happened. That image of Bree in a prim party dress, cocking a rifle is one of the most memorable images of the show for me. It also illustrates the complicated nature of Bree’s character. She’s prim, proper and all about maintaining her dignity. Still, she’ll go psycho on you if you give her cause.

The “Desperate Housewives” dolls by famed doll creator Madame Alexander have made their debut. Retailers are taking orders now and “the girls” will be in stores early this summer.

Regarding the dolls’ lack of resemblance to the actresses who portray the characters, Jane Abrahams the director of marketing for Madame Alexander says:

The “Desperate Housewives” dolls embody the qualities of the women of Wisteria Lane, though they are not meant to be replicas of the actresses. In fact, they are referred to as “non-dedicated sculpts.”

“It is the character and their great sense of fashion that our company wanted to bring to life.”

Well, that explains that. The dolls’ outfits were styled directly from outfits that were worn on the show, for that extra note of authenticity. These dolls are all about fashion. Want to learn more about each doll’s specific look? Read on below.

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While I still haven’t found a good quality video clip of the cute segment that Felicity Huffman did on Oprah a couple weeks back (I’m still looking! If any of you out there spot it, let me know!), I did find this clip of Nicollette Sheridan’s recent visit to The Ellen Degeneres Show. I don’t quite remember what date it aired, but it was no more than a couple weeks ago. I caught this segment when it originally aired and thought it was hysterical. So I was very happy when I saw that the clip was posted on Ellen’s website. Go take a look, have a chuckle and let me know what you think. Did Ellen throw the arm wrestling contest? I think the two gals were pretty evenly matched, don’t you?

Desperate Housewives, Ellen Degeneres, Nicollette Sheridan, video clip, arm wrestling

“Desperate Housewives” is no longer just restricted to our tv sets. There’s a new review of the “Desperate Housewives: The Game” for the PC over at GameSpot.com. Even before I read the review, I saw the screenshots from the game and thought, “Wow, that looks just like ‘The Sims’.” Even the reviewer mentions the eerie similarities. The interactions are similar, as are some of the game’s goals and mini-games. The basic idea is your character is a new neighbor on Wisteria Lane and you have a secret past (of course!). You interact with the other ‘wives, but ultimately the story is about you. It sounds interesting, if a little silly. But the reviewer does mention that is part of the appeal. After all, “Desperate Housewives” itself is a little on the silly side, and that’s what makes it so delicious to watch. So if you ever played “The Sims” and loved it or if you’re in the mood for some guilty-pleasure-style fun on the PC, pick up a copy at your nearest electronics store. I have to admit, it does sound interesting.

Also coming to a store near you, “Desperate Housewives” dolls. Created by Madame Alexander, these Barbie-sized beauties will be featured in Fashion Doll Quarterly’s spring 2007 issue. Looking at the dolls, I can’t see where they truly resemble the characters. The Bree doll is the most recognizable simply because she’s the only Housewife with red hair. But think of the clothes. I think that’s where the market are with these pint-sized cuties. Another concern: who are these dolls for? Adult fans of the show who are also doll collectors? Or for small girls who shouldn’t even know what “Desperate Housewives” is yet? Interesting.

Have you ever watched the show, boggling at the antics of the residents of Wisteria Lane, and compared yourself to the housewives? Do you find yourself saying, “I’m so much like Susan!” Or, “I’m totally Bree!”? Well now you can take a quiz that will confirm your suspicions. There’s dozens of these quizzes around online but they vary from the absurd to the entirely filthy. I found a quiz over at ABC.com that seems to be the best. Go ahead, take the quiz and post your results in the comments! Do you think its accurate?

For the record, it says that I’m Bree, which is a complete and utter sham. I’m so not like Bree it’s not even funny. I don’t cook, I don’t clean and I certainly don’t wear any pearls. Ah well. No one’s perfect, not me, not Bree and not this quiz.