lucy liu

This is not an episode of Punk'd.

Health officials in New York City are suggesting that everyone who was at the Socialista Bar on February 7th (and also on the 8th and the 11th) should get vaccinated for Hepatitis A just in case. A bartender who was working on those days has tested positive for the disease, which is caused by contact with fecal matter and creates an inflammation of the liver.

Why is this story on a TV blog? Well, it just so happens that Demi Moore threw a party for husband Ashton Kutcher on February 7, and guests at the party included Bruce Willis, Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane, Madonna, Ali Larter, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, Lake Bell, Ivanka Trump, and other celebrities. (Side note: doesn't it just make you all warm and gooey inside that Demi and Ashton get along so well with Demi's ex Bruce Willis?)

I wonder if this is what critics mean when they say that Hollywood is infecting America?

(S01E07) "Good night, Jason." --Mia

And I think that's the last we'll see of the Chinese brain surgeon. What a catch he was though. Smart (well, obviously). Sweet. Attractive. Sleepy. Okay, that last one didn't go over too well. How could anyone, tired from neurosurgery or not, fall asleep on Lucy Liu's abs? She looked downright hot in that lingerie. It reminded me of the Desperate Housewives episode when Brie went to Rex's motel room and whipped off her fur coat to reveal a red lace bra and panties. (Of course that was Marcia Cross's body before the twins.) Then Brie ruined the sexy mood by obsessing about a burrito about to fall and stain the motel carpet.

More on last night's Cashmere Mafia (and no more on Desperate Housewives, I promise) after the jump...

(S01E06) Cashmere Mafia is slowly but surely getting better. Let me digress quickly by saying that I lost a little respect for Kanye West last night. "Stronger" as the opening song for Cashmere Mafia? Did the producers really think that CM was cool enough to warrant that song as the background music for the opening scenes? I guess Kanye West had a momentary loss of self-respect when he agreed to that.

But enough complaining. I said the show is getting better and I'm prepared to explain myself. Let's see what's going on with the girls this week. A full review after the jump...

(S01E05) The "manny": "You're awesome."
Mia [whispers]: "I'm awesome."

Even my husband laughed out loud when Lucy Liu delivered that line. We got to see some more of Mia this episode which was nice. She went back and forth between the likeable but too-serious brain surgeon and the carefree and sexy "manny." By the way, did you find the brain surgeon too intense? I think he's sweet. The writers built him up as the stable, good-looking, intelligent man for Mia last episode then tore him down in the first ten minutes of this week's episode just to make room for a fling with the "manny."

More on Mia and the other girls after the jump...

(S01E04) "I am the worst lesbian ever."

Yes, Bonnie Somerville, you are the worst lesbian ever. And I am so glad that this pretending you're doing with Alicia will soon be over. Or at least I hope it will. I can't take the I-don't-know-if-I'm-really-gay storyline anymore. I fear Cashmere Mafia will drag it out for the entire season and dare I say, have Caitlin end up with Alicia. Ugh.

(S01E03) So I am really starting to enjoy Cashmere Mafia. And the reason? It's that little lady in the blue shirt above. Frances O'Connor is fantastic! Can you believe she's British? Her American accent sounds so natural. Furthermore, her comedic timing is always spot on.

Everyone else's storylines range from mediocre to pure crap. There's Juliet, who's moderately interesting. There's Caitlin who I like but they are trying to hard with her. And then there's Mia. Oh, Mamma Mia! You're story was so interesting that I checked my emails, Windexed my kitchen counters, and tidied up my living room during your scenes. And I didn't miss a thing.

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(S01E02) I'm still not sure about Cashmere Mafia. And with Lipstick Jungle coming soon, they had better step up their game. I liked tonight's episode a little more than the pilot but I'm not as taken with the show as I'd like to be--the way I was after the first episodes of Desperate Housewives. DH had more compelling storylines and carefully mixed the comedy with the melodrama. Cashmere Mafia definitely had its funny moments last night (i.e. when Mia said that Juliet was an ice queen...sometimes) but parts of the show are just overdone.

Mostly, I think I want more interesting, quirky, accessible characters. The stories that CM has come up with for these women (who could potentially be very compelling) are shallow and contrived at times. More on this after the jump.

(S01E01) Meet Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. Oh wait, I mean, meet (from the left) Juliet, Caitlin, Zoe and Mia. These are the ladies of Cashmere Mafia, ABC's new show that premiered last night but will be running at its regular time on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. So, this show is basically "diet" Sex and the City (you can use "watered down" SATC if you like). And if you watched last night, it shouldn't surprise you that Darren Star is one of the producers behind the show and that Patricia Fields is the costume designer.

Some similarities to the HBO classic series include: four girlfriends who counsel each other over lunch and drinks in New York City, quick (sometimes pithy) dialogue, good acting (for the most part), and great clothes courtesy of Fields. Differences? For starters, it's on network TV, so no sex. The other biggest difference however is that all the women are uber-successful. They all met in business school and now conquer the worlds of publishing, hospitality, advertising, and finance.

We TV Critics are dead on our feet now that we're in the last two days of a near-three week press tour at the Beverly Hilton, but that hasn't stopped us from getting dish from actors and producers here to hawk their fall ABC series.

On stage to promote Cashmere Mafia (a series about four women living life in New York City) creator Darren Star was asked about his other program about four women that call the Big Apple home. Star says: "There's a [film] script. It's in the form of pre-production."

(S01E19) This episode we found Daniel Meade reverting back to his old womanizing, irresponsible ways, but did he really ever change? Last thing I remember, he was bedding [fill-in-the-blank-random-model]. Oh, but this time he bedded the wrong random model, didn't he? Eh, I guess that counts as personal change.

While Daniel worked on spreading his genes, Betty, as usual, worked on keeping Mode together and chasing down her boss. Is it just me or is Betty's true secret love really Daniel? She's constantly stalking him, keeping tabs on who he's sleeping with (or not), and treats him like he can't pee without her holding his goods.

(S01E17) Here's the formula for a great Ugly Betty episode - let Wilhelmina be bitchy, let Marc and Amanda be campy and send one of the Manhattanites to Queens to have a fish-out-of-water bonding experience with Betty. Throw in a little geek chemistry, and you've got yourself one shiny Betty episode.

TV Guide is reporting that Lucy Liu has decided to return to television. She'll star in the pilot for Cashmere Mafia, a new ABC comedy from Sex and the City creator Darren Star.

Liu became famous in the 1990s for playing 'Ling Woo' in Ally McBeal, and recently appeared as a guest star on Ugly Betty, but has primarily stuck to movies. In particular, she seems to snag lots of roles where she kicks some ass (Kill Bill, Charlie's Angels). Maybe she's tired of all the stunts and Kung Fu?

Her role in Cashmere Mafia is definitely a departure from those action flicks. The series follows four career women in the world of dating and family in New York City.

(S01E16) To quote Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill and as The Chin on Ugly Betty, "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" Tonight's theme - "it's complicated." I ended my review last week by saying this, but I think it bears repeating. Watching good TV can be an emotionally masochistic endeavor. One of the first lessons you learn in "how to be a TV writer" class is to put the screws to your characters. This lesson is often phrased as, "Give the audience what they want, and then take it away." This week's episode was all about giving us what we wanted and taking it away. Betty opens up to Henry about her feelings for him. Done. Christina catches a break. Done. Alexis gets to feel a little human connection post-op. Done. Justin gets to see Hairspray. Done. Hope you enjoyed it because now those cruel, cruel writers are going to make us regret that we ever wanted those things to happen in the first place.

The Hollywood Reporter has an interesting story about the five "hottest" television actors who are looking for plum roles. And by "hottest", the publication means they're most in demand (plus, they're good-looking).

The five actors that all the networks are trying to scoop up are: Jeremy Sisto, Paul Rudd, Peter Krause, Simon Baker and Gabriel Macht. Honorable mentions include Christian Slater, Steve Zahn, and Michael Vartan, who just took a role in an untitled ABC drama. A look at their profiles on IMDB show that most of these guys (except Slater & Zahn) currently have a break in their schedules.

The preview for this weeks Blade teased a kiss between Krista (Jill Wagner) and Chase (Jessica Gower). In celebration of that possibility, I thought now would be a good time to touch on other girl-girl kisses in our television history. Sometimes they are to make a statement. Sometimes they are a ploy to grab ratings. And every once in a while, it's just a natural part of the story. Here are the five that come to mind first for me.

Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Sharon (Mariel Hemingway) - Roseanne
This was an important moment in television. At the time, there was no L-Word, and two girls kissing was still a very controversial thing. Roseanne has her faults, to be sure, but standing up to the network to get this episode on the air is something to be proud of.

Ally (Calista Flockhart) and Ling (Lucy Liu) - Ally McBeal
This one strikes me as somewhat the opposite of the Roseanne kiss. There was much less statement, and much more ratings grabbing sensationalism in this lip-lock. In that regard, it worked very well. Of course, the gang over at Ally McBeal had plenty of practice. Along with Ling, Ally also kissed Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Elaine (Jane Krokowski). But if I have to pick one, it's Ling every time. And yes, I was an Ally McBeal fan.