House of Lies season 1 gives viewers an intelligent, sometimes perverse, and always wonderfully witty world to explore. And what is this world about? Why, management consulting, of course! You know the one. It’s that mysterious white collar career with duties that are impossible to pin down, and difficult to explain without using words like “manipulation” and “scheming”. Honestly. Blair Waldorf would have been damn good at this.

But the cast we do have is pretty great, and we don’t need any fictional characters to help stock it. In fact, the first reason I got interested in this series was seeing the cast – which includes Don Cheadle (enormously talented, we all know that), Kristen Bell (one of America’s greatest sweetheart treasures along with Kristin Chenoweth), Ben Schwartz (hilarious and full of swagger) plus the unquestionably talented Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr.

Perfection in the first season didn’t happen, as some plotlines seemed destined for no where, and many dramatic moments didn’t really land in the intended satisfying sweet spot. I expressed my dismay for this bit of “off-ness” in some reviews as the show aired, yet ultimately left the series by being very glad I’d stuck around. Showtime pretty much always offers something substantially worth watching. What they served with House of Lies is a nice little slice of intriguing entertainment.

House of Lies Pictures

Photo Credit: Showtime

House of Lies Season 1 DVD Extras

The House of Lies season 1 special features could have been more stimulating. What you get is a few interviews, then character featurettes, commentary, cast bios and photos. I think we can all agree that bios and photos as a special feature are always laughable. We can get all of that online, right? Right. It would have been nice to have a gag reel! But we still got one other thing to get excited about, and that’s the commentary.

There are two tracks for commentary, and they have Cheadle, Lawson, Schwartz along with Matthew Carnahan (writer) and Jessika Borsiczky (executive producer). But, how do you find the House of Lies commentary tracks? Not in the special features section, no siree. You’ll want to go through this formula: Setup > Audio to select track > Episode Selection > Episode.

House of Lies DVD Review Summary

Though every episode wasn’t solid, this season of the series ultimately was. Why? Because it’s a hell of a lot of fun. And there was too much talent put into this for it not to be tangible for viewers. As always, Showtime is a risk-taking network that let’s its’ series explore unusual avenues that are entertaining. The episodes are short and easy to re-watch and find some new nugget (whether a joke or a concept) each time.

House of Lies – The First Season DVD Official Description

Based on the best-selling book “House of Lies” by Martin Kihn, HOUSE OF LIES takes viewers into the captivating world of management consulting where nothing is off limits. Delve into the fascinating world of HOUSE OF LIES with exclusive episode commentary with the hit show’s actors, writer and executive producer. With an all-star ensemble cast including Don Cheadle, who was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy for his role, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard, Jr. and Glynn Turman, HOUSE OF LIES takes a scathing look at a self-loathing management consultant Marty Kaan (Cheadle), who is never above using any means necessary to get his way with – and for – his clients. By his side is Jeannie Van Der Hooven (Bell), a razor-sharp, Ivy League graduate who, along with her competitive co-workers, strives to maintain the firm’s flawless image. Marty’s life is just as complicated outside the office: filled with an acerbic ex-wife, a psychoanalyst father and a cross-dressing son, Marty struggles to keep it all together. The HOUSE OF LIES: THE FIRST SEASON DVD will be available as a 2-disc set including all 12 episodes of the show’s acclaimed first season. The collection is presented in widescreen 16:9 with English 5.1 Surround, Spanish 2.0 Stereo, and English subtitles. It is not rated, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $46.99 U.S. The total running time is approximately 347 minutes.

House of Lies Season 1 is currently available on DVD.

Photo Credit: SHOWTIME

Maybe it’s the magic of the Matt Czuchry smirk. No? I suppose I’ll dig deeper then.

I think this episode can be summed up in one moment – the look on Kalinda’s (Archie Panjabi) face when she first saw Nick in Lockhart/Gardner. Nothing like that moment when you are innocently flirting with some woman you dated (probably too strong a word) and then you suddenly see your estranged psychotic husband walk in the office with your tentative BFF and that cute guy you also flirt with and once kissed in a lobby. That moment can kind of ruin your day.

We have always known that Kalinda is a bit… off kilter. She is gutsy, sexy, private, sensitive and more than just a little bit scary. And all of that is taken to the furthest extremes by the return of Nick. He may claim that his new tattoo, a midnight sun, means new beginnings, but his actions – fighting Kalinda, their violent sexual encounter, getting close to an unknowing Alicia (Juliana Margulies) through business – shows that maybe this isn’t so different after all. I have a feeling we will be watching Kalinda spiral, and it scares me as much as it enthralls me.

Kalinda and Nick aren’t the only ones with not-so-new beginnings. We also found a new beginning at the firm, which seems familiar as they are always in trouble. As Will (Josh Charles) approaches his return to law, he and Diane (Christine Baranski) also approach bankruptcy. One of many new faces this season is the man appointed as their trustee while wading through these rough waters, Clarke Hayden (Nathan Lane). We as the audience, along with Will and Diane, immediately wanted to hate the guy. He is trying to sell all the pretty art! Has he no taste?! But he also did the firm a favor and basically forced the always smarmy David Lee to stay with the firm, and not become another creditor they owe, as he does bring in a lot of cash. Hurray for divorce lawyers!

But don’t go thinking Hayden is all cuddly. His promise to Diane that he and Will, who refuse to give each other up as partners, now need to cut 30% of the staff makes him mean and evil once more. Of all the stories, I’m least excited about this. Why? Because so help me, if they pin Alicia and Cary against each other again and don’t let them be the next Will and Diane as they are so meant to be, then I will riot. I. Will. Riot. One day I want them to have an exchange as perfect as this as they sit in their big corner offices sipping scotch.

Will: He said the firm suffered through your leadership for the past six months. Now it needs a man at the top.

Diane: He didn’t say a man!?

Will: No. I added that to piss you off.

God, they are perfect. Not perfect, but certainly not as awful as he once was (a new beginning, maybe?): Zach (Graham Phillips). Listen. I’m not saying I like the kid. Let’s not get carried away. Teenagers are a pain, and I do not look forward to a few years from now when my oldest gets there. But the kid is proving to definitely be his mother’s son. However, when he got pulled over and then video taped that cop and sent it to himself I yelled out my common gripe with television shows: “Why are teenagers all idiots?!” This has been said a lot recently. Anyone else watch Revolution? Anyway, I was mad.

But in the end, he helped his mom get what she needed to get him out of his charges, but it just ended up causing all sorts of problems for his dad’s campaign, much to Peter (Chris Noth) and Eli’s (Alan Cumming) horror. I’m curious how much Madison County State’s Attorney Phil (Jeremy Davidson) is going to play into the season. I assume he is there to make up for the fact that Mike Kresteva (Matthew Perry) is off crying about his dead wife on an NBC sitcom. Either way, I’m always happy to see a wrench thrown in Peter’s plan, if only because Cumming is one of my favorite actors, and I like him best when he is playing super annoyed. And nothing annoys Eli more than things getting in the way of his plans for Peter.

Zach may have proven to be his mother’s son in his ability to use his resources to fight down the man, but he is also his father’s son. What does he do to celebrate bringing down a corrupt cop? He pulls up porn on his computer. Somewhere Peter Florrick sheds a proud tear.

While she may have been relegated to almost an aside in the episode due to the unforeseen circumstance of a lighting rig nearly killing her, I have to say that Kristin Chenoweth was a delight as nosy journalist Peggy Byrne. And I’m happy to know that despite previous reports to the contrary, she has been back filming on set and I’m sure causing all sorts of problems for Alicia. And Will, I would assume.

What did you think of the Season 4 Premiere of The Good Wife? I loved it and can’t wait for next Sunday! (My DVR, on the other hand, hates Sundays. How are all of you handling the overload of the night?!) Give me your thoughts in the comments!

Find Melissa on Twitter @serrae

Noteworthy (and crazy) ideas in GCB episode 2:

• Teen girls regularly getting breast jobs (“starter boobs”) in high school. And mothers compromise on cup size.
• A charity called “Children with Something.” This is probably what most types of women like these GCB’s would appreciate being able to say. They love charity parties, they just don’t care about them. (I’m qualified to say that after seeing so many episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County.)
• Putting “project” at the end of something makes it a Reality TV show. “The Boobylicious Project.

More below.

• “The Booblicous and Armadillo Mart. Using the name of “Boobylicious” is juvenile while “Armadillo Mart” is appropriately tongue-in-cheek.
• A bible blog! The idea of a Bible Blog is adorable, and I guarantee you there are plenty online. In fact, I bet many of them are actually sweet and inspirational. But when you see the petite and furious Kristin Chenoweth (using a Southern accent) go talk about her Bible Blog… it’s just kind of funny.
• A couples’ bed so damn big that to roll and turn the light off they have to roll several times.

Read our GCB reviews every week. The show airs on ABC.

Having not seen the show yet, my general feeling is that this will be the equivalent of a guilty pleasure, chick flick. Except it will be a TV series. And that’s unfortunate. Why? Because people will tune into a silly Lifetime movie for a couple hours, but they won’t be a fan of an exceptionally cheesy TV show for an entire season. However, sometimes campy works. If GCB manages to produce something that’s on the level of Desperate Housewives, then they’ll likely get a season 2.

A Sidebar: I’m looking forward to the GCB show, but not expecting anything too amazing. And if you’re a TV exec, low expectations are your friend! It’s easier for me to gradually warm up to a show than to be blasted with promo spots that built it up only to have the first several episodes flop. You might ask me, hey, how can we promote the darn show, then? My suggestion is to use internet banner ads on major websites like TV Guide, maybe even on Twitter. But don’t overdo the hype, and don’t replay the very best parts of your show on TV for a week before it airs. People will be annoyed. And the best marketing doesn’t happen online. It happens over the phone and on the playgrounds where Mother’s sit and talk to each other in a few spare moments they have. And since these are busy women (and men, although this show seems to target women), they don’t want to waste their time on a bad TV program. In a nutshell: only hype up your series half as much as you should. Then let other people build the show up for you by talking about how good it was. That’s free publicity, and everyone wants to get in on something cool that’s being kept a little bit secret.

While “GCB” will be super easy to trend on twitter (#gcb – except that I keep typing the c before the g…) it’s odd that they had to change the name so much. When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody. To take a show that is based on a book, you already have a title and built-in fans. The show went from Good Christian Bitches to Good Christian Belles and for some reason it was decided to be shortened down to GCB. Although it has a little bit of a mafia tone to it “The GCB!” this writer thinks the name change was a poor choice. “Good Christian Belles” conjured up a lot of connotations, and it was still appropriately snarky sounding. “GCB” sounds like what us TV fans on Twitter do to shorten TV show names (i.e. TVD for The Vampire Diaries and TSC for The Secret Circle.) It will be interesting to hear why the name change from Belles to just letters was made.

Now, let’s talk a little bit more about the actual series. Because a name, alone, does not make or break a series. The show will center on Amanda Vaughn, played by Leslie Bibb, who returns home to Dallas after her marriage ends. She has two children. Amanda’s overbearing and pushy mother, Gigi Stopper, is played by Annie Potts. …From that description it sounds a lot like “Hope Floats” set in a different location, huh? On the other hand, this has the possibility to end up resembling one of Bravo’s Real Housewives series

There’s Carlene Cockburn (Kristin Chenoweth) who’s the queen bee. And you know Chenoweth always delivers. Carlene’s husband is Ripp Cockburn (David James Elliot.)

GCB also stars Jennifer Aspen (Rodney) as Sharon Peacham, Miriam Shor (Swingtown, Damages) as Cricket Caruth-Reilly, Marisol Nichols (24) as Heather Cruz, Brad Beyer (Jericho) as Zack Peacham, Mark Deklin (Lone Star) as Blake Reilly.

Marisol Nichols is someone I remember from “Scream 2″ (the sorority sister who scares Cici Cooper shortly before she dies.) A quick wiki check of this actress notes she was in that awful show The Gates, and is also a Scientologist.

Both Leslie Bibb and Marisol Nichols had small parts in the 90′s hit movie “Can’t Hardly Wait.”

GCB Show Synopsis from ABC

The soap returns to Dallas in this wicked new drama that shows that you can go home again… but only if you’re ready to face the sins of your past.

Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb), once the ultimate high school “mean girl,” is forced to return home in disgrace after her marriage ends in scandal. Amanda is nothing like the girl she was 20 years ago, but as her old classmates reacquaint themselves with the new Amanda, will her home town welcome her with open arms or seek revenge? No one in this town is a saint, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a heart. As Amanda and her teenage kids try to adjust to their new lives, the ladies from her past alternate between sympathy and scheming.

GCB Show Pictures / GCB Pictures

Based on Kim Gatlin’s hit book, Good Christian Bitches. GCB is produced by ABC Studios.

What do you think? Will you give the pilot a chance?

The longer you look at this picture, the funnier it gets. Call us when you start impersonating this move & look to make the workday more bearable.

Chenoweth was on The Late Show with David Letterman and she talked about twitter, her extreme love of Starbucks, her Broadway show “Promises, Promises” and her unfortunate cl*t smashing (and she makes it sound adorable!)

The second part of the video is under the jump. Don’t stop the cuteness now!

Photo Credit: Disney

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Kristen Bell’s movie “You Again” and the trailer has finally been released! The movie stars TV favorites like  Bell (who we loved on Heroes and Veronica Mars, plus  Party Down), Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies and Glee) and Betty White (SNL host this weekend, woo!) The plot in one sentence: “A young woman (Kristen Bell) learns that her brother is marrying her high-school tormentor.”

Some TV trivia for you guys, You Again? was also the name of a TV show that aired on NBC from 1986 to 1987. Uncle Jesse was in the show! Wiki says, “You Again? starred Jack Klugman as Henry Willows, a man still embittered from his divorce 10 years earlier, who had made no effort to see his son Matt (John Stamos) during that time. Henry had become fairly comfortable with his life as a supermarket manager and was not really looking to make major changes to it when Matt arrived looking to stay with his father, whom he hardly knew anymore. Matt was an ill-mannered but quite attractive youth who was very popular with the girls. He drove the gruff Henry almost over the edge, but of course in the end familial ties conquered all differences in sitcom tradition.”

I have learned that the best way to review Glee might just be is to first talk about it with my Mother. Glee is one of the only shows that gets her excited (I have heard her cheer about the show being on, seemingly ready to hang pinatas and throw confetti) and she will carve out time to watch. For as obsessed as I am with TV and watching all of my shows, she is oddly ambivalent about keeping up with them. She even falls asleep  or walks away during the end of just about every movie she watches. I don’t think she’s seen the ending of a movie since 1980. Which is something my OCD could never let me do.

Mom says: “That woman with the big forehead, I don’t like her hair pulled up like that. Why was her hair puffed up so much?”

Translation: She’s talking about Kristin Chenoweth

My retort: Kristin Chenoweth is a national treasure, you should never insult her! I thought her hair was elegant in that last scene. And seriously, have you ever seen Snooki from Jersey Shore? Chenoweth’s hair was not that puffy.

___

Mom says: “That girl with the bug eyes wasn’t there. Is she gone? I thought she was dating that other guy.”

Translation: She’s talking about Jayma Mays playing Emma Pillsbury.

My retort: Her eye’s aren’t that big! She isn’t gone, she just wasn’t in this episode. Did you read my post about how Lindsay Lohan insulted her?

Mom’s retort: “No. I haven’t been clicking to any blogs.”

Translation: My Mom doesn’t support me! Waaah.

(When then had a brief intermission to talk about how Lindsay Lohan started out so nice in Disney movies and has had chances to work with great people like Bridget Fonda, but is now seriously screwed up.)

___

Shop the look for less: NINE OPTIONS for Rachel Berry’s Bow Top

___

Mom says: “It was too choppy. Why didn’t Will fight to get the auditorium back. Instead there’s suddenly a roller rink?”

Translation: Hey, she actually remembers the character’s name!

My retort: They needed a way to work the Kristin Chenoweth character back in, mostly. And who doesn’t love roller rinks?

___

Mom says: “They should cover songs by the woman who sang “Midnight Train to Georgia”…Who was that? Dionne Warwick? No. But they should do her, too. I didn’t like that every song was so somber.”

Translation: I had to google to make sure – she meant Gladys Knight and the Pips. Is it funny that she was sitting right next to a laptop when she was talking about that, but never thought to google it despite the fact it was driving her nuts?

My retort: I agree. The songs were not my favorite. Kurt singing “A House is not a Home” was beautiful to hear, but uber creepy to watch. Hey, did you know they might do a Britney Spears episode?

Mom’s retort: Ugh.

___

An additional moment of our conversation:

Me: Madonna says she doesn’t know what Glee is.

Mom: She knows what glee is. Glee clubs were very big in the 70′s.

Me: No, I mean the show. She hasn’t seen it. She actually said she would rather the show use someone else’s songs than butcher her work.

Mom: (I’ll just condense a five minute long rant and tell you that she thinks Madonna’s ego is far too big. She also started talking about Cher and people with only one first name. Then she started talking about American Idol and Shania Twain, and the Beatles, and then Sandra Bullock’s new adopted kid.)

___

An additional moment of our conversation:

Me: I loved the line, “I think my cat is reading my diary.”

Mom: I don’t remember that.

No Glee coverage is complete without mentioning these quotes: “How do you two not have a show on Bravo?” and “I’m full time fancy now!”

Check out American Idol Judge Kara Dioguardi with her Dog is Good tank

The company Dog is Good has gotten love from lots of celebrities that we love, such as Neil Patrick Harris or Kristin Chenoweth. (Also: Kellan Lutz, Julie Benz, Daneel Harris, Madeline Zima…) The tanks and t-shirts are adorable, and it’s always nice when you can wear something that shows you love dogs without looking like a preschooler!

Judge Kara Dioguardi (man, that is a difficult last name to type) received one of the tanks, and in the picture (seen above left) she even has her little dog in her purse! Everybody now: Awwww. I know it’s such a Paris Hilton thing to do, but it’s cute on everyone but Hilton. She’s Smart is having a contest where you can win a gift card for Dog is Good, and if you ARE an American Idol fan, check out this highly updated American Idol blog.

Lifetime movies can be really hit or miss with me. The last time I gave one a chance was because Sarah Chalke was attached to the project (Maneater)and the plot seemed like it had potential to be a cute time-waster. But what I got was a really dumb, exceptionally (& unfairly) long movie with very little charm.

So, proceed with all kinds of caution towards the Kristin Chenoweth Lifetime movie 12 MEN OF CHRISTMAS. If you’d like to watch, it airs Saturday, December 5 at 9:00PM-11:00PM (ET/PT).

It’s anything but a Merry Christmas for die-hard New Yorker E.J. Baxter when she loses her high-powered publicity job and her fiancé all on the same night as her office holiday party. To escape everything around her, E.J. takes a job in Kalispell, Montana, and channels her energy to help raise funds for the local search-and-rescue team. Initially, E.J. feels like a fish out of water, but with the help of her new colleague Jan, she cooks up a concept that will leverage Kalispell’s greatest asset – their handsome guys. E.J. faces resistance from some of the men, especially town bad boy, Will, but she is determined to fill all the months of the calendar…and has her eye on someone special for Mr. December! Starring Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Hopkins and Jessie Pavelka.

So far, Glee has been lucky enough to have some great guest stars, like Kristin Chenoweth. I bet they’ll have some other great people.

1. Kristen Bell: Is it any wonder why people would want this actress on Glee? Not only is she amazing in every respect, but she can actually sing. You may have heard her singing on Veronica Mars, or maybe in the Reefer Madness musical. KBell has a strong voice and she loves musicals. We bet she’d sign up if they made an offer. If we can’t make a Veronica Mars movie happen, let’s try for this!

Kristen Bell singing Fame:

Kristen Bell singing Romeo and Juliet:

Kristen Bell singing One Way or Another:

2. Emma Caulfield: You remember her as Anya (the ex-vengeance demon) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We got to hear her sing in the Buffy musical episode in season 6 (Once More with Feeling) and then again in a flashback to that episode in the season 7 episode Selfless. She may not be a trained singer, but she brings …what’s that word? Oh yea. Moxy! I think she’d prance around powerfully, maybe even in a top hat.

Emma Caufield Singing I’ll Never Tell

Emma Caufield as a singer in I’ve Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We’re Together (She is the one singing about bunnies!)

3. Amanda Seyfried: There was a time when people didn’t recognize her name. But now you know her from movies like Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls and Jennifer’s Body. While she proved her singing credentials in Mamma Mia, we loved her on Veronica Mars first. She’s bubbly and she has a unique look. Let’s book her, pronto!

Amanda Seyfried singing Gimme Gimme Gimme

Amanda Seyfried singing Honey Honey

4. Hayden Panettiere: While I have a friend who calls her ‘Hayden Panerabread’ I have a weakness for liking this actress. She’s cute and fun, dammit! She does have singing experience and has been acting since she was a fetus – she’s a pro! I wouldn’t call her an ‘artist’ when it comes to singing, but give the “cheerleader” a chance – I bet it’ll put a smile on your face.

Hayden Panettiere singing the National Anthem

Hayden Panettiere singing Wake Up Call

5. Mary-Louise Parker: I have no idea if she can sing, but I’m prepared to watch her in anything she chooses to do. She’s a strong lady with spunk.

Mary Louise Parker, not singing but being gorgeous in an equally gorgeous music video called Listen to the Darkside by Charlie Mars

Who are your picks?

http://smallscreenscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/kristinchenoweth_emmys09_290_.jpg” alt=”Kristin Chenoweth kills on "Glee"” width=”232″ height=”160″ />

Kristin Chenoweth kills on "Glee"

Tonight on “Glee” on FOX, Kristin Chenoweth performed the bestest song on the planet: “Alone” by Heart. Matthew Morrison was there too, but Kristin was the star. I love this song by Heart, I love this song by Carrie Underwood, I love this song by Allison Iraheta and now I love this song by Kristin Chenoweth.

Here are the lyrics to “Alone:”

I hear the ticking of the clock
Im lying here the rooms pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it

wont end though
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

You dont know how long I have wanted
To touch your lips and hold you tight
You dont know how long I have waited
And I was going to tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
And my love for you is still unknown
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
Alone, alone