Emmys 2017: The shows I'm rooting for

The Emmy's host for this year aka Stephen Colbert aka Late Night star

IT'S THE EMMY'S TONIGHT aka the Oscars of TV (or US TV at least). I am extremely excited about the awards this year, because there are shows that I have actually watched that are nominated for awards! 

So I thought it would be fun to write about the shows I am supporting, and actors that I really want to win awards.

I won't be doing it category-by-category because there are a lot of awards, and in some I do not have any show or actor to support.

Let the showering of TV fan praise commence:

The Crown
This one has to go first because it is up for the most awards, and has the best chance of a big win, with five major nominations.
It's basically a shoe-in for John Lithgow to win Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, because his performance as Winston Churchill was stellar, so this is their best shot. Claire Foy is also in with a shot for Best Actress due to her Golden Globes win, but I am a bit conflicted on this one as there is another actress I am rooting for which I shall get to momentarily. 
I loved The Crown, and it's one of a lot of 'new' shows getting nominations, instead of the repeat winners. But it is a very 'critic-friendly' show, which could help it get a win! 

Sherlock
OK so now my TV fangirl is showing a bit. Sherlock is just one of those shows that I love regardless and I will root for in any awards show.
It has won nine awards in previous years, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman winning in 2014 after the third series. Although neither were there to accept so they better be there tonight, especially since it looks like Sherlock will not be returning to our TVs. Or at least have Steven Moffat there, he gives really nice acceptance speeches.
This year it is up for two major awards and two technical ones, so it has a decent chance for a win. One episode is classified as a 'TV movie' making it a cut above some other TV movies! Fingers crossed!

Stranger Things
I am seriously rooting for the Netflix brigade this year! I love Stranger Things (Season 2 needs to hurry up!) and its been a bit of a surprise in the awards circuit. It's up for four major awards, including Best Drama, and has had Golden Globe nominations and won the SAG as well (shoutout to Winona Ryder's facial expressions during that speech!). 
I'm already eager to see the kids walking the red carpet together, and if this show wins it will be so huge for supernatural shows in terms of their awards pedigree!

Viola Davis
Because Viola Davis! She is one of the best actresses working in the business, and she has an Oscar already! She has won the Emmy before, but the past season of How to Get Away with Murder was so good I think that she can win again! She is a total badass! But Best Actress in a Drama is a very strong category so it could go to anyone. The Handmaids Tale is a bit a of a force to be reckoned with this year. Fingers crossed!

So who's going to win? Who knows? There are very few repeat noms this year, so it's been made wide open. We shall see! 

Strictly Saturday: Predictions!

Yes I know Strictly Come Dancing isn't back until next Saturday, but since there is little to watch this weekend (until Victoria tomorrow at least) I thought it would be nice for me to post my predictions for this years lineup! I am beyond excited for Strictly's return! 

I am going to split my views into two separate areas: Should do well, and rooting to do well. Sometimes I love a dancer that I know may struggle slightly, so I like to show my support for them as well. Although last year I was glad to see my favourite dancer take home the crown. Go Ore! Here's his famous jive if you fancy a trip down memory lane! 

Now I want to precede this with the note that these predictions are in accordance with my opinion on the celebs, mainly from watching Strictly for over a decade, and what many others are saying about the lineup. I'm not a dance expert, so I'm going on how similar celebs have done in previous years. There could be wildcards in there. No one pinned Ore as a winner, along with Jake Wood doing so well a few years ago!

So without further ado here are my Strictly predictions:

SHOULD DO WELL
Gemma Atkinson
Gemma is very fit with the kind of body that could easily take up dancing. She's been partnered with Alijaz, and I can see them making a very nice pair. He's won before with Abbey Clancy. Also her actress background means that she can 'act' the dance very well. She's got the cha-cha first, which is a nice one to start on, so we shall see. Also her acting past, mainly Emmerdale, will get the public voting for her.

Aston Merrygold 
We all know JLS can dance, and while some people like to moan that Aston's background means he has an advantage, JLS dancing is different to the Strictly kind. But the experience will definitely help, and so I can see him taking to the faster dances quite easily. I am not so sure about ballroom, but with a foxtrot as the first dance I could be proven wrong! And I am sure I do not need to say that JLS fans will want to vote for him, so he has the fanbase behind him.

Alexandra Burke
This is kind of the same points as Aston. She can dance from her music and stage career, and that will always help on Strictly. However, I would say it is more helpful in the Latin routines, so with a waltz first, I am very excited to see how it will be performed. I can see her being very delicate in ballroom, like Abbey Clancy again.

Mollie King
People are already pinning her as a good dancer, because of her performing background, and the fact that Frankie Bridge was also stellar when she competed. I cannot hugely elaborate much else, except that she is doing a jive first. I LOVE a jive! I can see high scores for her from the outset.

Davood Ghadami
The only reason I am including Davood here is because he has a similar build as Danny Mac, who was amazing last year. His samba blew me away! He could be very very good, but we have also seen similar guys struggle. A cha-cha could go either way. 

All of the above celebrities have established fanbases from their main works that can be very vocal in their voting. Sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes it isn't. It can save them on a bad week, or keep them in the running when better dancers are voted off. Obviously we cannot call anything yet until we see them in action!

ROOTING TO DO WELL
Ruth Langsford
Hands down my favourite celebrity this year. I love Ruth on This Morning, and I was over the moon to see her paired with Anton! Ruth could be a good dancer, and I am so desperate to see Anton do well again after so many duds. He's one of two OG pros from the show, and it's clear he is an amazing teacher. I can see him putting together fabulous routines for Ruth. And with a waltz up first, I am very excited! Also I will be Eammonn spotting in the audience each week.

Simon Rimmer
Me and my Mum are both on the same page with Simon, as he could be a dark horse a la Ore, Jake Wood and Chris Hollins. He's been partnered with Karen Clifton who has done well in the past with Mark Wright. That and I just like him in general!

Brian Conley
Yes I squealed a bit with delight when Brian was announced. It was a shame to see him leave I'm a Celebrity so early, so I am already buzzing to see how he gets on. I can imagine him going the 'entertaining' route with his routines, which I am OK with as long as it is not overdone. Judge Rinder did something similar last year, and I loved him!

Jonnie Peacock
I am team Jonnie all the way! Mainly because I love his appearances on The Last Leg. He's been partnered with Oti who put together some amazing dances with Danny Mac last year (back to the samba again! And the jive! And the Charleston!). I am a fan of his, so fingers crossed!

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So that's my main Strictly predictions. I haven't mentioned everyone, as I wanted to focus on the main people I can see doing well or I will be supporting. Strictly is such a fun show, so whoever does well I will root for, but these are my thoughts ahead of the first dances next week.

I am not sure if I will be blogging every single week, but I will try to live-tweet @bylauramfox if I am watching it live! 

So watch this space, and in the meantime....keep dancing! (sorry couldn't resist!)

TV Review: Liar Episode 1

Yes I know this is a poster for the American broadcast, but it's quite slick and I like it!

It's days like today that I love social media! I saw the memedom go to town on Liar after it aired last night on ITV. So of course I had to watch it to see what all the fuss was about (in between my Call the Midwife marathon. That will be reviewed when I catch up!) 

For those of you who do not know, Liar is a drama starring Joanne Froggatt (Anna from Downton Abbey, and she played a serial killer in Dark Angel last year) and Ioan Gruffudd (Captain Fantastic in Fantastic Four, or the really dishy one who almost seduced Beckett in an episode of Castle) as Laura and Andrew, a teacher and a surgeon who meet for a date, and the ensuing events lead to two VERY different accounts. Laura accuses Andrew of rape, while Andrew denies anything happened.

So the million dollar question, and the main plot line, is who's lying? And I am sure the writers (who wrote the Missing too) will have us flip flopping between the two over the next six episodes.

Bottom line, did I enjoy it? Well yes, as much as one can given the subject matter. The episode blatantly sets you up to believe Laura, until a thing at the end (no spoilers don't worry). And her originally idyllic supportive sister isn't so perfect by the end. I kind of guessed that beforehand. After Broadchurch (RIP) I kind have to over-deconstruct every character in a show like this. 

Right now, the show feels like it is laying on extra elements to make the show worthy of a six episode run. With just the main story, I would have made it three or four tops. I will be interested to see where the side plots go. Also I'm a bit rubbish at pointing out the real culprits in these 'who is it?' format. But I am on a mission to get this one right.

I'm not sure if I will review this every week at the moment, but I will definitely try if each episode has enough to write about. I have a lot of my TV back in the next few weeks so I might have to prioritise! 

If not, I try to live tweet when I watch things live (or as close to live as I can) so drop me a follow @bylauramfox! 

TV Review: The Crown Season 1

So I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, since The Crown came out last November. But after a lot of planning to watch it, my Mum telling me how good it is, and a little bit of chance time off, I finally sat down and watched it! I'd like to say no spoilers, but all this stuff is British history, so it's a bit hard to spoil.

For anyone who doesn't know, The Crown is the story about our Queen Elizabeth II, from her marriage to Prince Philip right through until the present day.

The first season covers her engagement to Philip in 1947, coronation, and concludes with the dissolution of Margaret and Group Captain Townsend relationship. So in timeline terms, it's from 1947 to 1955.

I've always been a sucker for a good period drama, so I always planned to watch this show when it came. With it being on Netflix I knew there was no rush, especially since Season 2 isn't due out until December.

Despite it coming from the land of the binge-watch, each episode is very heavy and lush, so I wouldn't call it a show you can binge in one sitting. I couldn't watch more than one or two episodes before I had to take a break. That being said, if you like a challenge, or being one of those people who is found sitting in the living room muttering sweet nothings at the end of a TV binge, then knock yourself out!

The performances are solid too. For a bit of extra info, to faithfully document the entire life of the Queen correctly, the main characters are going to be recast every two seasons, with six seasons to cover the entire story, so the actors you see in this season will only feature in Season 2 from then on and that will be it. No news on the recasts just yet.

Claire Foy blends perfectly into the role of Her Majesty, presenting that 'fish out of water' idea as she was thrown into the role very early following the death of her father (sidenote: For a bit more background on George VI, Colin Firth does a fabulous job in The King's Speech). She starts off the series happily married, living a nice life in Malta with her two children, and then that all disappears as soon as she becomes the Monarch. She puts duty first, and some would say that is why she is still so well-loved today.

And while I was very excited to see Matt Smith play the Duke of Edinburgh, mainly as I am a big Doctor Who fan, I did not find his performance quite as compelling. Smith captures the mannerisms perfectly, but he just does not have as much to do. And that's fine, since I still enjoy his performance. I just hope we get to see more in later seasons of the way he is viewed today, for his quips and one-liners. I'm very intrigued who they get to play him next.

All props go to John Lithgow who plays Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His performance is by far the best in the show, in a role it would be very easy to stereotype. He plays Churchill in his second term of Parliament, when he had been viewed not as highly as in previous years, mainly due to his health and age. He was pushed to step down, and eventually he did. That being said, he absolutely nails the role of this fiery man trapped in an old mans body, and I'm sad he won't be in any future seasons.

Last mention goes to Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. I knew nothing about her going into this, so to hear about her somewhat controversial past was fascinating. Her relationship with Townsend was very romantic, something out of Austen, and I am a bit of a sucker for that sort of thing. Her rebellious nature is something of an anomaly for the royal family (or at least in the 50s it was, not so much now), and I just loved it. 

I very much enjoyed The Crown, if I could sum up now. I can't deny that I've been obsessively Googling royal history to get more info, but as I'm a history buff that's pretty normal anyway. Bring on Season 2!

If you like reading my reviews, follow me on Twitter @bylauramfox. I live tweet some of the shows as I watch them. 

What I'm watching on TV right now

I watch a LOT of TV. A dangerous amount. Whether that be on Netflix, an actual TV (because they still exist apparantly!) or on my iPad as I try to speed up my commutes or pretend to ignore the people bashing my shoulder as they walk through the train aisle.

The types of TV I watch are a bit all over the place, but some of the shows are not as watched so I am here to give them some recognition and love with a list of the 5 TV shows I watch the most. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum.

And these are CURRENT TV shows, ones that have ended do not apply. And yes, that includes Sherlock! It took me about a month to get over that ending though!

Let the list begin!

1. Scorpion: This show HAS to be first because I love it. It's definitely an example of a show with less of following, but we Scorpion fans are out there! Basically it's about a group of geniuses who are given problems only they can solve, and most involved nuclear weapons, international problems, or some kind of major tech meltdown. I don't just love it because of the different cases they undertake, but the characters are just so much fun. It's quite a light-hearted show, but can also rain down the feels upon us at the right moments. Relationships between the characters also drive the series (yeah, those kinds of relationships). It's on ITV2 in the UK, and the first two series are on Netflix as well. Literally counting down the days until Season 4 starts!
2. How to Get Away with Murder: Viola Davis is an absolute powerhouse,  and the twists and turns in this show keep me coming back. The title kind of explains the plot, but it's much more complicated now so I shall just say it's a courtroom drama about law students. It is a bit OTT sometimes, but I kind of love that because it has that guilty pleasure vibe (a bit like Love Island!). Again I cannot WAIT for Season 4, and it's on Netflix for UK watchers, but they are a tad behind in episodes so be warned!
3. Victoria: I love a period drama (Mr Selfridge was my show for four years) and I am beyond excited for the return of this. I was already on board because Jenna Coleman has been in another show that I will talk about momentarily. But it wasn't just her that got my attention after I started watching Victoria. I love seeing this feminist icon in her early days, stripping away that battle-axe persona of Queen Victoria that is engrained in history. She was a romantic too! And it's on ITV so easy to catch!
4. Doctor Who: This is a difficult one for me, because since my beloved David Tennant left the show, I've had very mixed views on the doctors that have come since, and I am extremely apprehensive about the idea of a female doctor. That being said, I love re-watching the Ten era, Eleven has grown on me over time and the 50th is flat out epic. It's still current so it makes my list, although it's older eps that keep me coming back. Obviously this is a BBC staple, and it might be on a streaming service but I'm not sure.
5. Will and Grace: I know, I know, this show has technically ended, but it's coming back this autumn for two new series at least so it counts. I got into Will and Grace after watching their Trump sketch last year, and while I don't have the time to catch up on every single episode, I have a jist of what's happened, and I've watched the finale several times. It's just such a funny show, and because it's only half an hour, it's an easy watch without too much substantial thought. I don't know when it will be airing in the UK or what channel, but I will probably tweet it when I find out. (Shameless Twitter plug @bylauramfox)

So yeah that's my favourite shows right now. Shoutout to Castle which is over now but that show was SO good (we won't talk about the finale. Just go on Tumblr to see how they ruined the end!)

Sidenote: I'm not really sure where I'm going to go with this blog. I kind of just want to publish my thoughts and musings on things at the moment. We shall see.

Either way give me a follow on Twitter @bylauramfox