Grey's Anatomy: Strike

Tonight's episode of Grey's Anatomy was lackluster. No poignant moments, no hilarious moments.

This week Cristina has a PTSD breakdown and questions her relationship with Owen as well as her commitment to medicine and surgery. In previews for next week she explores leaving surgery all together.

On a separate note, Mark prepares to declare his love for Lexi only to get shot down before he gets the chance. My heart breaks for Mark. Just another example of the fact that finding "the one" is all about timing.

Next week I'd like to see more Teddy/shrink love and more screen time for Dr. Avery! Shonda, can you hear me?

I love that the episode ended with Meredith and Cristina together again, the twisted sisters. Their relationship has been the one that has endured through everything. I particularly loved when Meredith said to Owen, "I already fixed her, but nice speech." HA!

Here's hoping for a higher dose of drama next week!

Live: Jason Derulo

Last night I went with one of my college girlfriends to the House of Blues to see Jason Derulo for a pre-birthday celebration. In the past three weeks his song "Ridin Solo" has become my personal anthem!

We arrived at the House of Blues at 8:00pm which was the alleged start time. Jason's opening act, Auburn, came out at 8:30pm. She was absolutely adorable and reminded me of Brandy circa "The Boy is Mine" mixed with Rihanna circa "Pon De Replay." Though I hadn't heard of her before, her music was fun and catchy. My favorite number she performed was a mash up of her song with the Motown classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." See my video of the mash up:



After four or five songs, Auburn, who was incredibly sweet and humble, exited the stage and we waited for Jason Derulo. Jason finally came out on stage at 9:40pm! This is how I know I am getting old. The late start time on a Tuesday night had me panicking. Check out my video of his opening number:



Jason performed his first single "Whatchya Say":



He also did a beautiful, acoustic version of his current hit "Ridin Solo," which he wrote:



Towards the end of the show Jason covered Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." The most memorable part of the show was Jason's dance moves and when he took on the classic MJ choreography, he nailed it! Check out his version complete with a white fedora:



While Jason Derulo wasn't one of the best live shows I have seen, I will say, he has an incredible singing voice, not just a radio voice and the boy can dance! His moves impressed me more than anything else. He reminded me of Chris Brown during first VMA performance in which Justin Timberlake said, "Chris Brown, you just reminded me why I'm in this industry. Thank you for killing it!"

I also walked away with a new favorite Jason song "Encore." Check it out here. I've had this tune on repeat since we left!

Jason Derulooooooooooooooooooooo!

Movie Musings: The Town

When I first heard Ben Affleck was directing another Boston-based movie I couldn't wait to get to the theater to see it. I was so impressed by his directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone that I knew I had to see his next film. I became even more excited when I learned he was the lead alongside a cast that includes Jeremy Renner (the Hurt Locker), Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl).

Sunday night I went with three girlfriends to the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square to check it out. I love going to that theater because it has such an old fashioned feel. We saw a few previews including one for an independent film called Cherry that looks pretty funny.

The Town was even more than I expected. The first thing that struck me was how many beautiful, authentic shots they got of the city of Boston; Downtown, Fenway Park, Charlestown, Harvard Square, the North End and more. Every aerial view was breathtaking. It was also incredibly fun to recognize all the places they were shooting.

The film also captured the spirit of Boston and it's people. Just like with Gone Baby Gone, they used local residents as extras and it really adds to the candid nature of the film.

I thought Ben Affleck was exceptional in this role. The story line (man lives a life of crime, wants to start over) is an old one, but he brought new life to the theme and you really rooted for him.

Jeremy Renner was flawless as the ultra violent, ultra angry, just released from prison best friend who always brings the conversation back to loyalty.

Jon Hamm was so haunting as the FBI agent dying to nail Ben and his crew that I actually had nightmares about him for two nights after seeing the film. Not because he was overly violent but because he had the absolute worst intentions and was desperately seeking to destroy Ben and his buddies.

Blake Lively was a disappointment here as she never mastered the Boston accent and seemed to only be cast for her boobs.

Rebecca Hall plays Ben Affleck's love interest. This should have been a break out role for her (like Vera Farmiga in The Departed) but I just never latched onto her and her story.

As for the plot, there was a ton of extreme violence and gore, particularly at the end. My heart was pounding during every robbery scene and I was told by one of the girls I saw the movie with that I had my hands over my mouth for most of the movie. Ha! I didn't even notice. I was definitely scared and they did a superb job building the suspense.

If you love the city of Boston, Ben Affleck and a great crime thriller, The Town is an absolute must.

Gossip Girl: Key Master

This week on Gossip Girl the gang is back in New York and back to school! I absolutely LOVED Serena's first day of school pink and brown, flowy dress! Can I have that delivered to my door immediately?

First order of business, get into Hamilton House. Best line when Blair arrives at the house and discovers Penelope, "Ah, nepotism. That explains it." Ha! Turns out Juliet is the key master. Well, we are getting closer to figuring out why she's stalking Serena.

Speaking of stalking, thanks Gossip Girl for the head's up that Georgina has escaped to St. Barts while Dan discovers he is not Milo's father and tries to create a plan B. Poor, lonely boy.

Later in the day when Blair runs into Eva trying on dresses for fashion night out, her anti-Chuck rant is pure venom. Oof!

I LOVE that when Blair meets up with the Hamilton House girls for drinks there are new steps for her to sit on! Ha! Great high school reference.

Second favorite quote of the night, when Blair tries to explain why she bailed on dinner with Serena, "I was drunk on gin and attention."

At Fashion Night Out it would have been enough to see Blair and Serena victorious over the bitch-tastic Juliet, but Dorota standing by with champagne - the cherry on the hot fudge sundae.

On the subject of Juliet, who is the guy she visited in prison and what is their ultimate goal? Also, dear CW, it is not ok to play background music so loudly that we cannot hear the pivotal conversations! This has been happening every week and its getting old. Beef up your sound editing! Seriously.

It seems this week ends with three couples moving in - Dan and Vanessa, Chuck and Eva and of course, Serena and Blair.

Until next week, xoxo!

P.S. - How great is it to see Chuck back in his signature suits? Delicious.

90210: No Animal Is As Brutal As The Homosapien

This week's episode of 90210 had some intense plot development! Let's start with Adriana's rise to fame. Did she really think no one in Javier's inner circle would recognize his newest song? It seems Javier's uncle has some black mail plans in the works. He definitely has the creep factor.

Speaking of creeps, Oscar announces to Dixon that Ivy is a virgin which sends him into a typical teenage boy tail spin. In order to win back his trust, Ivy drops a personal bomb - her father lives 10 minutes away and chooses to never see her. Ouch. We also discover that Oscar's father had a relationship with Laurel and she apparently "destroyed his life." So its not weird at all that Oscar is sleeping with her . . .

On the topic of bed buddies, Teddy hooked up with a guy! This would have rocked my world had the Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview not spoiled for me that Teddy comes out this season! Why is he still trying to patch things up with Silver if he's digging dudes?

Meanwhile, Silver blindly followed Mr. Cannon back to his house where he tried to drug and rape her! Thank god she put two and two together when she recognized the one line in his documentary as a line Naomi shared on her senior video testimonial. My heart was pounding every second she was holding that tea cup! We'll see how she wriggles away from him in future episodes.

While Annie had a minor bizarre moment this episode with her boss asking to buy her eggs (at 18 years old there is no way I could have even contemplated that), I am more interested to see the story line behind this picture from next week's episode! Yes, the hot coffee shop guy/Liam's possible brother returns!

Also looking forward to the date auction teased in the preview!

Dining Out: Cuchi Cuchi

Saturday evening I went out with 12 girlfriend's to celebrate my 26th birthday. After careful consideration, I decided to make our reservation at Cuchi Cuchi in Central Square in Cambridge. A few years ago while I was living in Inman Square my roommate went to Cuchi Cuchi with her mother and older sister and came back to the house delightfully buzzed and raving about her experience there. Three years later, and after many more rave reviews from others, I finally made it there!

Cuchi Cuchi is just a few blocks east of the Central Square T stop on Main Street. The doorway is flanked by mermaid sculptures and beautiful shrubbery. Inside the bar is lively and the dining room has fantastic 20s, girly decor. Even the wait staff dress the part!

Since Cuchi Cuchi doesn't take reservations on Fridays or Saturdays, we had our name on the preferred seating list and after an hour wait in the bar, we were seated.

Our table was right in the front window with an excellent view of the restaurant. Our waiter was very friendly and began the evening by offering us warm towelettes to clean our hands and baskets of bread fresh out of the oven with olive oil for dipping.

The menu begins with the cocktail list which is just as long as the food menu! This is one of the most impressive and exciting cocktail lists I have seen. Each drink sounds delicious and has a fun, campy name. I tried the Raspberry Lime Rickey Ricardo, which was fantastic! The girls also offered high praise for the Blackberry Cosmo, the Orient Express and the Moulin Rouge.

Cuchi Cuchi offers small plates and recommends 2-3 plates per person. I think we may have sampled just about everything on the menu!

We tried the marinated mushrooms which were extremely flavorful and had two plastic, pink flamingos as a garnish:

We ordered the eggplant napoleon which rapidly disappeared at each end of the table:

Brie stuffed with walnuts and bacon, wrapped in a puff pastry, and served over green apple slices (the absolute favorite dish of the night):

The potato croquettes which actually tasted more like falafel. They came with two dipping sauces, a tomato and a cheese, and were garnished with two gorgeous origami paper cranes:

The ladies also devoured the short rib cigar served over black beans:

The duck a l'Orange crepes:

We also tried the mushroom risotto which was creamy and sublime, and what I would say was the best dish of the night, the deep fried tomato. The tomato is served with Mexican cheese and avocado, then deep fried to crispy perfection and served over pico de gallo. Sadly I couldn't snap a picture before it was gobbled up!

We had zero room for dessert, but it being my birthday and all, the girls had pre-ordered one chocolate cake for us to share (my favorite item on any dessert menu!). All of the wait staff came out singing and shaking tambourines as they carried the cake toward the table. They also brought a giant candle stick with a 12 inch candle for me to make a birthday wish. At that moment, surrounded by my best girlfriends in the most beautiful restaurant, I've honestly never felt luckier.

Thank you Cuchi Cuchi for superb drinks, crave-able food, and a one of a kind, fabulous atmosphere. I can't wait to return!

Live: Who's Bad

Friday night I went with two girlfriends to the House of Blues to see Who's Bad, the self-described "ultimate Michael Jackson tribute band." One of my girlfriends had seen them perform in New York City and told me if they ever came to Boston, I absolutely had to go.

The show started forty minutes late (super annoying) but once the band came out and started playing, the room became electric and pulsed with anticipation. Then Michael emerged. The performer channeling the King of Pop was so authentic it actually felt like you were watching the real Michael Jackson. The band opened with "Jam." Check out the lead singer's incredible likeness to MJ:



There were two singers who alternated playing Michael, and they were backed by a band comprised of a guitar player, bass player, drummer, saxophonist and trumpet player. All the band members danced and sang back up. It was awesome to see a band so involved with the performance.

The MJ impersonators wore outfits almost identical to those worn in the original music videos and they performed the choreography you've grown to love and idolize. The moonwalking, crotch grabbing and signature screams were dead on.

Who's Bad played every MJ tune you'd ever want to hear, everything from Jackson 5 classics to 80s number ones. Below, check out some videos I shot during the performance.

The Jackson 5 Medley:



Smooth Criminal (amazing dancing!):



Thriller (the band gets in on the dancing):



PYT:



The Way You Make Me Feel (in which he calls about 20 girls on stage to dance with him):



Beat It (easily one of the best performances of the night):



And an added bonus, they covered my favorite Beatles song, Come Together:



If you love Michael Jackson, keep your eyes and ears open for Who's Bad's next performance in your city. This was one of the most fun, high spirited, energized performances I have seen. Warning: you will be singing MJ tunes for 48 hours post-show.

Grey's Anatomy: Cleared

On a scale of one to ten, one being mildly upsetting and ten being complete and utter devastation, the season finale where George died was an eleven. Last year's season finale, with the mass murder at the hospital, is a definite nine. Given that fact, I was a tad nervous for what tonight's season premiere might bring.

In the opening scene we were left with several holes to fill: Cristina's getting married? Derek's been arrested multiple times? Bailey left work for a full month? Derek quit his role as the chief of surgery?

Can we just acknowledge how adorable the chief's victory dance in his office was?

Of course Alex would tell the therapist he uses his trauma to pick up chicks! Quite interesting that said therapist is Teddy's new love interest!

I love that the whole crew is back to hanging out in the hospital basement.

Meredith hasn't told Derek about the miscarriage? How can that be?

How is Chandra Wilson not the most decorated television actress in Hollywood? Her crying scene outside the hospital with Ben was absolutely incredible.

I have to admit, I am completely shocked that Cristina accepted Owen's proposal. When she didn't marry Burke, I was pretty positive she would never get married. We'll see if this relationship can endure. I really thought she might hook up with Dr. Avery.

In previews for next week, the staff deals with patients who have been struck by lightening and it seems Cristina is badly injured. Oh boy, here we go again!

GLEE: Back to School

I have been waiting for the season two premiere of Glee since the season finale in May! I absolutely loved the opening scene with Jacob Ben Israel's on camera interviews with the Glee club members! His questions were positively hilarious.

What can I say about the addition of the new character, Coach Biest? Can you even say her name without laughing? I love that Sue has a formidable opponent!

The cover of "Empire State of Mind" was incredible! Artie rapping was epic and Mercedes was sheer perfection! I'm going to be needing that black New York City t-shirt immediately.

Rachel and Sunshine battling to Beyonce and Lady GaGa's "Telephone" in the school bathroom? Um. YES.

New kid Sam Evans covers "Billionaire" on acoustic guitar? How does this episode keep getting better? Swoon.

Sue helps Vocal Adrenaline poach Sunshine?! Low blow!

Next week - the Britney episode! Get it, get it. Get it, get it. Whoaaaaa.

Gossip Girl: I Am Chuck Bass

Tonight's Gossip Girl left me with many questions. Including:

What was that hideous hair do Serena was rocking in Paris?

Did your heart stop when Blair's cab pulled up right next to Chuck?

Did Gossip Girl really say, "Holy Bruce Wayne, Batman!"? Chuck's new identity is hardly comparable to Batman!

How incredibly radiant was Blair's red ball gown?

Did Blair really leave Louis with one shoe a la the glass slipper?

What does Juliet want with Serena?

Wasn't it amazing to see Chuck in a suit again?!

Was it just me or was the music in this episode fantastic?

What did you think of this week's installment?

90210: Happy Birthday

This week in episode two of 90210, Annie meets a new love interest. If only we could all get a gorgeous guy's phone number after spilling scalding, hot coffee on him! After her first official date with Liam goes awry, she calls this new suitor and invites him to Naomi's party. At the close of the episode this new flame and Liam meet up and their interaction seems to imply the boys are brothers! What? Now this could get interesting!

Also this episode I was completely creeped out by Mr. Cannon and Silver spending time alone together in the news room. I was pretty positive he was going to lunge and throw himself on top of her. Not only did he keep her scarf, but he kept replaying footage of her complimenting him. Pervert.

On an unrelated note, I thought I was obsessed with my birthday, but Naomi Clark has me beat by a mile! I'm not sure what pushed it over the edge, the Naomi branded water bottles, the Naomi temporary tattoos or the life size Naomi cardboard cut outs. I also appreciated the Adrien Grenier cameo!

Does anyone else think Silver's new hair cut is supremely unflattering? She is so stunning, but I keep getting distracted by this new, terrible look! Can we get her a wig?

I'd also like to eject Oscar from the cast. He is sleeping with Laurel, chasing after Ivy, and paying girls to help break up Ivy and Dixon. Despite my annoyance, he does have a little Chuck Bass in him.

In previews for next week Adriana becomes famous fast by singing the song she stole from Javier. Uh-oh. I hope there isn't anyone else who knows he wrote it!

Rental Review: Date Night

While having a sleep over with my 13 and 10 year old cousins we watched the Tina Fey and Steve Carrell movie, "Date Night." I had wanted to see it in the theater, but after it received terrible reviews, I decided to skip it.

After finally seeing the movie, I am thrilled I didn't waste $10 to see it in the theater. While Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are hilarious on their respective television shows, they didn't shine as a duo. Each character had 2-3 funny moments in the film, but I wasn't dying laughing.

I was shocked by the number of celebrity cameos in this film! The list includes: Mark Whalberg, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Leighton Meester, Ray Liotta, Taraji P. Henson, Common, Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Whig. Sadly, their roles were so small they couldn't help elevate the film.

Skip "Date Night" and rent seasons of "The Office" or "30 Rock" instead.