Royal Pains on the USA Network

We’re now four episodes into the USA Network’s latest hit Royal Pains and The Blot has to say, I like this show. I was a little concerned at first because the show’s plot seemed a little iffy and it stars Mark Feuerstein, an actor probably most well known for his many failed television shows, and Paulo Costanzo of Joey fame…not exactly a ringing endorsement. But USA has been on fire with its original programming of late and Royal Pains airs after one of my favorite shows (Burn Notice) so I thought I’d give it a shot.


As it turns out, the show is really entertaining despite its convoluted “concierge doctor to the rich and famous” premise. The cast is entertaining and the actors seem to have already developed some real on screen chemistry for being only four episodes in. Plus, the Hamptons eye candy the show throws in each and every week rivals that of even Burn Notice’s. But what really blew me away are the show’s ratings. Royal Pains debuted to 5.57 million viewers and its ratings actually went up in its second week, even beating its Burn Notice lead in. And don’t even get me started on the fact that the combo of Burn Notice/Royal Pains is actually pulling in higher ratings than shows on the broadcast networks in their same Thursday night timeslots.


For those of you not familiar with Royal Pains, it is the story of Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) who inadvertantly became the Hamptons' newest doctor-on-demand. Hank was a rising star in the New York City medical community, until he lost everything fighting for the life of a patient. With his career stalled and his personal life in shambles, Hank’s younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) stepped in to help jump start Hank’s life. Fed up with Hank's personal pity-party, he convinces Hank to join him on a last-minute trip to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend. When the brothers crash a party at the home of a Hamptons billionaire and a guest falls critically ill, Hank saves the day. His dramatic medical rescue draws attention from the crowd, and soon Hank's phone starts ringing off the hook with patients demanding house calls. Hank has now become the hot new "concierge doctor" in town…and the rest they say is history.

Royal Pains airs Thursday nights on the USA Network at 10/9c.

Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland First Look Photos

It would be near impossible for The Blot to say anything negative about Disney’s upcoming live action film Alice In Wonderland because I absolutely love any movie that pairs director Tim Burton with superstar Johnny Depp (yes even the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake). So I was extremely excited to find out last week that Disney had finally released the first stills and promotional pictures of what is sure to be one of the craziest adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel.


What I love about Tim Burton the most is that the man has a vision and he goes with it, no matter what path that vision takes him. Both he and Depp have shown time and time again they have no fear of what others might think of their work. Now people may be turned off by the warped look Burton gives to many of his films, but I think that’s part of the reason I enjoy his movies so much. You just know going in to a Tim Burton film to expect the unexpected! Plus, more often than not his films star one of the greatest actors in Hollywood, Johnny Depp (Depp has now appeared in seven of Burton’s movies).



While we still don't know too much about Alice In Wonderland, from the few glimpses we’ve seen so far I know it will be visually stunning. Just look at the colors in these stills and promo photos. The film itself is very unique in that it is live action “merged with CG animation and motion-capture creatures and then transferred into 3-D.” (link)



While the live action movie is based on Carroll’s 1856 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the film's storyline has been “modernized.” In Burton’s version “Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn't remember.” (link) What’s in store for young Alice once down the rabbit hole is anyone’s guess!




Alice In Wonderland stars Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas and Christopher Lee, and will be released in theaters on March 5, 2010.