Last week while driving into work, I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show and one of the New Year Eve’s topics being discussed was the “top television shows of 2015”. Although I liked most of Nikki’s choices, I did however, have a few of my own.
#1 – The Walking Dead
Yes, I am a “Walking Dead Head” as I grew up watching all-things horror, everything from Saturday’s Creature Double Feature, The Outer Limits, the original Night of the LivingDead …”they’re coming to get you Barbra” and of course The Twilight Zone, which I am watching now and have been for the past 24 hours!
The Walking Dead keeps hubby and I glued to the tube every Sunday night wondering why no one wraps their arms, neck and legs in leather to cut down on the possibility of being bitten by a Zombie!
Not just because I LOVE Anthony Anderson, not just because I LOVE Laurence Fishburne and not just because I LOVE Jenifer Lewis but because I am glad that finally there is a comedy aka The Cosby Show that everyone can sit down to watch and really laugh out loud – LOL.
I must admit that it took me awhile to get used to the kids, especially the twins, but they grew on me as do most kids who are not related and Deon Cole cracks me up as Dre’s co-worker Charlie.
Okay where do I begin…Tarji P Henson and Terrence Howard are definitely my favorite on screen couple and this was way before they teamed up to be what is going to be their best small screen project ever. Not only did Lee Daniels a phenom, create a highly charged “sitting on the edge of your seat” show with A-List guest stars, he also created a following that has people Tweeting, Facebooking and blogging every week about Lucious, and Cookie Lyons as well as their 3 sons in the cut throat music industry.
And really, how do you not love Oscar winner Marisa Tormei as Mimi, the billionairess who not only loves hip hop music she also loves beautiful women and recently revealed that her character has breast cancer.
I like Tyler Perry’s Madea plays and movies, but I love Tyler Perry’s small screen hits, Meet the Browns, The House of Payne, For Better or Worse but most especially The Haves and The Have Nots #HAHN. Tiki Sumpter as Candace and her “drama mama” Hanna, her brother “Speedy” Benny; Judge “Can’t keep his pants on” Cryer, his wife Katheryn, their “drugie” son, Wyatt and “RIP” daughter Amanda.
Oh, but how can you not HATE “gangsta in Gucci” Veronica? Angela Robinson is playing her role to the max with her blindly-in-love-husband David and their “finally getting a back bone” son Jeffrey all which make up the cast of this great show on the OWN Network. I can’t wait for them to return to the network’s line up as they are now in their OWN LINE UP being booked and heading to jail!
I like Sunny on The Kitchen and Guy on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and of course my own YouTube feature, Brunch with Blake, but Chopped is my favorite because four chefs face off against one another to prepare a spectacular three-course meal consisting of an appetizer, entree and dessert. I like the episodes featuring grandmothers, grandfathers and kids but the fun part is watching their creativity when it comes to using all the ingredients they are provided, sometimes even weird stuff like beef tendon balls.
At the end of each course, a panel of three guest judges “chops” one chef who fails to measure up in terms of taste, presentation and creativity and the last chef standing takes home $10,000.
Let’s Chat > What were your favorite television shows of 2015?
I am writing this post Saturday night a few days before hubby’s surgery, and deep in my heart I know that he will do well and all the cancer will be removed. #InJesusName and for that I will forever be THANKFUL.
(UPDATE – CANCEROUS TUMOR WAS REMOVED WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THERE IS NO SIGN THAT IT SPREAD!!!!!)
I am also thankful for being chosen as a Featured OWNer for the Oprah Winfrey Network, you can read the entire feature here and I would appreciate a comment as well.
I love most of the shows on the OWN Network and The Haves and Have Not is currently my favorite, I even wrote a post about it when it first debuted, remember this (click here).
This week as always, I am thankful for my family, friends and faith. I am also truly thankful for all of you and for your well wishes and prayers! Being a blogger with followers and friends such as yourselves is truly something to be thankful for.
Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?
Hello Friends, I hope you all had a wonderful and restful long holiday weekend!
Today the weather didn’t cooperate so I didn’t get a chance to sit by the pool, so instead I watched “The Haves and Have Nots” marathon on OWNTV Network and worked on my Blog with next week’s posts.
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Last month I received several nominations for Blogger Awards and having finally found the time I want to say, “THANK YOU” and pass them along to others.
1. Display the Award Certificate on your blog
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the blogger who nominated you.
3. Present 15 deserving bloggers with the award.
4. Link your nominees in the post and let them know of their nomination with a comment.
5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself.
What happens when it’s Friday night and you don’t feel like cooking, ordering pizza or going out and a bowl of cereal just won’t cut it? In our house when that happens we head straight to the garage and to the freezer. There is where I try to keep microwavable meals and snacks specifically for those occasions and last Friday night it was Lean Pockets Pretzel Bread Sandwiches.
I am not a big proponent of frozen meals & snacks because of the excessive sodium some of them contain but these Lean Pockets brand sandwiches are only 250 calories with 650 mg of sodium which isn’t a lot compared to others that contain well over 1000 mg of sodium.
The Lean Pockets Sandwiches were filled with Spinach and 3 Cheeses, Fontina, Romano and reduced Fat Mozzarella. I zapped one in the microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds in the crisping sleeve then cut it in half. It didn’t seem like it had a lot of filling and could have had more spinach, but to my surprise it was quite good and hit the spot. The soft pretzel bread encased a flavorful mix of spinach and cheeses that paired well with my glass of Friday night wine!
Speaking of wine, I want to reintroduce my “play cousin” Cook E doe Face. She is a down to earth YouTube Vlogger who will have you in stitches as you watch her create some delicious dishes and “knock you on your butt cocktails”.
Cook E de Face is from Philly and I fell in love with her atty-tud (Philly slang) from the very first video I watched. In today’s world it is so easy to get caught up in the negativity but you know me, I like to keep it light. Cook E doe Face has me laughing out loud and reminds me of my own New York cousins. If it were left up to me she would definitely have a show on the Food or OWN Network!
Oprah Winfrey launched the OWN Network on January 1, 2011, but I have to admit that I didn’t know what channel it was on nor what shows were being featured. That has since changed with the introduction of Tyler Perry’s two new hit shows, The Haves and The Have Nots on Tuesday nights and Love Thy Neighbor on Wednesday nights. My television cable box is now locked on VerizonFios Channel 161!
Tyler Perry, the genius behind the “Madea” stage plays and movies, had made his mark on the small screen with the TBS sitcoms House of Payne, Meet The Browns andFor Better or Worse, which was based on his movieWhy Did I Get Married?, but he has taken it to a whole new level with The Haves and The Have Nots!
Think of Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Dallas all rolled up for the 21st century, where the deceit and duplicity is doubled, but praying and thanking Jesus is the foundation. Not only is prayer and a strong belief in God prominently displayed in these shows, it is also what makes Tyler Perry the man that he is today. I honestly believe that his mother is sitting in Heaven on the right side of God, nudging him, saying, “see…see…that’s my boy…watch him work!”
Love Thy Neighbor is a sitcom featuring Mama Hattie, a strong woman running a diner, working hard and trying to keep her recently divorced daughter off her couch, because she just got her recently employed grandson off of it! I love Hattie’s feistiness and warm heart, and her voice will you have sitting upright. It seems as though all the cast members work extremely well together, each bringing their own style and flair. The stand outs are Tika Sumpter, who plays Candace, the beautiful devil diva in The Haves and The Have Nots, and Jonathon Chase, who plays Sam in Love Thy Neighbor, a hilarious man-child whose comedic timing and mannerisms reminds me of a young Jim Carrey!
If you haven’t seen The Haves and The Have Nots or Love Thy Neighbor, I urge you to check them out, I know once you start you’ll be hooked. When you do, make sure to join in on the weekly Twitter Chats because you never know, your tweet just might be retweeted by Oprah or Tyler – mine were!
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 "Lean Pocket out of the microwave")
