Discussions Below the Belt
Violet Hart’s Discussions Below the Belt is online. Articles on everything inbetween since the column’s inception in 2010 in one place.
Laugh Tracks: Top 15 Moments, pt. 2
Date Posted: June 6, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email 7. Jazz-Kwon-Do (Happy Endings) Every girl needs to learn how to properly defend herself in the big city of Chicago, but most every girl would prefer to do it in the most fashionable way possible. In Happy Endings, audiences get another treat [...]
Laugh Tracks: ABC’s actual finale week
Even though some of ABC’s shows last week had a very finale vibe (Modern Family and The Middle), their actual finale night was this last Wednesday. That means Laugh Tracks has met its inevitable summer break and won’t be back until the fall with new shows, season two comebacks and wonderful classics that aren’t going anywhere.
Laugh Tracks: Finales, renewals, and cancellations
It’s a week of finales, with some sitcoms bidding a final goodbye and others looking toward a bright future.
Laugh Tracks: Finales, renewals, and cancellations, pt. 2
Date Posted: May 23, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email Cougar Town gets ready for their season finale next week that will include a trip to Hawaii to chase down Travis. This last week’s episode gives the reason for such a trip. Travis is crushed after Kirsten broke his heart, and Jules [...]
Laugh Tracks: Finales, renewals, and cancellations, pt. 3
Date Posted: May 23, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email Even though Creed is ready to go in his Porsche with a personalized license plate that says “NEW MGR” and his team building exercises are awe-inspiring, “Stanley, Phyllis, Ted, Elroy,” The Office search committee have a big day ahead of them filled [...]
Laugh Tracks: Two P&Rs are better than one
CBS’s HIMYM still hasn’t answered their own question on Monday night, though they may be getting closer. FOX borrows from a couple of other sitcoms for ideas. ABC has some teenage lessons, a birth and cancellation, Freaky Friday-esque switching of parental roles, guest star Nia Vardalos and another double up of a new show. CBS Thursday has some germs and new friendships. NBC celebrates with both season finales and season finale eves. Watch for The Office and P&R conclusions this week.
Laugh Tracks: Two P&Rs are better than one, pt. 2
Date Posted: May 16, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email Cougar Town is all about family in their latest episode. Travis has borrowed Jules’ break-up blanket and her dad has come to town to try to nurse the poor kid back to emotional health. Andy’s brother Nestor is in town and Ellie [...]
Laugh Tracks: Two P&Rs are better than one, pt. 3
Date Posted: May 16, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email The Office needs a new acting manager while Deangelo is in a coma and Jo tries to find a replacement, but when Jim turns down the job because he doesn’t want to ruin a good thing, Dwight accepts it with big plans. [...]
Laugh Tracks: ABC celebrates moms
CBS goes through a bar menu of emotions on Monday night and a lesson in cliquey espionage on Thursday. FOX gets a little flirty and a little too honest on Tuesday night. ABC celebrates mothers and adds some new vocabulary to their own personal dictionary on Wednesday. And NBC Thursday goes western with a Lost guest star, learns about sexism and rivalry, has one season finale and two to-be-continueds, and celebrates a wedding. All in all, big week.
Laugh Tracks: ABC celebrates moms, pt. 2
Date Posted: May 9, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Mothers’ Day hit ABC in a big way on Wednesday night, and The Middle lead the pack with a true Heck disaster. Mike and the kids forget about Mothers’ Day, so they frantically try to remember what she’s asked for and then [...]
Laugh Tracks: ABC celebrates moms, pt. 3
Date Posted: May 9, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Community goes themed again, but this is a themed episode I can really jump on the wagon for. D&D? I didn’t really get. Pulp Fiction? I never saw it. The return of paintball in a western themed episode of to–be-continued glory? This [...]
Laugh Tracks: That’s What She Said
CBS forgot about Monday night. FOX brought only one show to the table with some Inca tea and Hope’s sleep training. ABC learned a new word, “pexting” and started a new Twitter account, @TheLarmy. Sheldon Cooper goes out with the girls and things get a little c-razy. And NBC gave us not only a birth and Lizbianism, but also two extended shows featuring a tearful goodbye to one of the most beloved and transformed characters on television and Leslie Knope as a topless centaur. Good week. Very good week.
Laugh Tracks: That’s What She Said, pt. 2
Date Posted: May 2, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Community gets a baby Greendale! Seriously. Shirley has her baby in the middle of anthropology’s final class. While Professor Duncan and his students, minus Annie, are drinking it up and celebrating the best blow-off class ever, the Dean comes in with a [...]
Laugh Tracks: 100th 30 Rock
ABC doubled up on two of their shows: one irrefutable hit and one questionable newbie. FOX brought some love into Maw-Maw’s life. Dr. Sheldon Cooper stood us up for another week in a row. And NBC congratulates one show on 100 episodes and gets ready for a tearful farewell to a memorable manager.
Laugh Tracks: 100th 30 Rock, pt. 2
Date Posted: April 25, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email It’s Royal Wedding time in the Heck household on The Middle. Frankie knows something’s up when Brick’s quirks mellow out and his fever starts the Heck Plague of 2011. This plague is a little different, though, because Frankie’s light at the end [...]
Laugh Tracks: 100th 30 Rock, pt. 3
Date Posted: April 25, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email The Office. What can be said other than, who knew Michael Scott could be such a sympathetic character? It’s the last Dundies hosted by Mr. Scott, and he’s passing the torch on to Deangelo; however Mr. Vickers isn’t so good with the [...]
Laugh Tracks: Deangelo Vickers. That is all.
This last week saw a huge influx of high quality television, with a few struggling to keep up. Will Ferrell has finally graced us with his presence as The Office fully accepts the awkwardness of managerial transitions. ABC was kind enough to offer the first two shows of their new comedy Happy Endings in lieu of the Cougar Town comeback which will be both Monday April 18th and Wednesday April 20th, while FOX kept their new hit Traffic Light going through a fake bachelor party. So much to watch, so little time.
Laugh Tracks: Deangelo Vickers. That is all., pt. 2
Date Posted: April 18, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Modern Family came back with a hilarious misunderstanding when Phil gets a new realty campaign featuring his family and an awkwardly phrased slogan: “I can’t be satisfied until you’re satisfied. Let me make your dreams come true.” On the one side of [...]
Laugh Tracks: Dangelo Vickers. That is all., pt. 3
Date Posted: April 18, 2011 By Amy Van Veen (Staff Writer) – Email Unfortunately for me, one of the poor few subject to cable sans PVR, I was forced to sit through a waste of time before a Will Ferrell-clad Office. That waste of time? The Paul Reiser Show. NBC has decided to take on [...]
Laugh Tracks: Perfect Couples becoming perfect
With only a morsel of the shows this week being new ones, it was an easy one to get through with the semester breathing down my neck. Wednesday brought some new Sunshine among a couple of hilarious The Middle reruns and one of Modern Family. Thursday night NBC only brought forth Perfect Couples and Outsourced along with CBS’s Big Bang Theory. Next week the goodness starts once more with new episodes all around and, most notably, Will Ferrell visits The Office.
Laugh Tracks: Shenny together again
With each network this week only bringing one new episode a night, the expectations have been high and the pickins have been slim. CBS borrowed an NBC regular on Monday night. FOX’s light was yellow this week. ABC has a new assistant and Thursday night brought both justice and wedding preparations.
On a lighter “note”…
Blogger Sean Evans lists 3 ways for students to take a breather during this stressful time of year.
