Midseason Review – Sundays

old-tv-set1With the advent of winter premieres, the start of the premium cable network shows, and with February sweeps around the corner, it’s time to revisit my thoughts from the beginning of the season and look ahead at what’s to come for Sunday nights.

8:00

Shameless – Season 8 of the show is on tap to return in November.

The Gallagher clan is close to wrapping up their latest season, which has been interesting, as always.

The Walking Dead – I kind of lost interest in season 7, following the (in my opinion) bungling of the introduction of Negan in the previous season finale.  I have 14 episodes sitting on the DVR, so it may soon be time for a decision on whether to continue with the show or not.

While I continued recording the show, I have yet to jump back in and watch any.  I may be about ready to jump ship and delete them.

So that’s where we stand with the shows I planned to watch in the fall. Let’s take a look at new shows starting this spring:

Homeland – The show returns in February for its 7th (and final?) season, with Carrie goes up against a president who she feels is abusing the power of the office.

Counterpart – STARZ enters the fray with a sci-fi espionage drama starring J.K. Simmons.

Crashing – Pete Holmes returns to HBO for his second season.

The Academy Award Goes To…

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

The race seems to be coming down to either Boyhood or Birdman.  My guess is that the innovative storytelling in Boyhood will put it over the top.

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Michael Keaton seems like the obvious choice to win here.  A one-time box office star who faded away and is making a comeback seems like a guaranteed Oscar success story.

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alive
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Well, at least there is a performance here that I have actually seen.  But, I’m not going to go with Rosamund Pike’s work in Gone Girl, but instead will be putting my vote behind Reese Witherspoon.

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