Private Practice

One of the things I like about Private Practice is the music. The producers do a great job of choosing just the right tune to go along with the scene.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is in the very first Private Practice episode titled, “In Which We Meet Addison, A Nice Girl From Somewhere Else.” This is the great scene where Addison gets out of the shower and dances around her brand new house naked to the song of “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” by Scissor Sisters. Here’s a clip:

The music provides the perfect vibe to Addy’s new life, and Kate Walsh does an awesome job of dancing around with (and without) a towell. I can’t imagine doing that in front of a whole crew of people! The privacy of my house? Maybe. (Probably.)

Another great song choice was in the most recent episode of Private Practice, “In Which Dell Finds His Fight.” If you’ll remember, Cooper and Charlotte are in bed again, Dell kisses Naomi, Addison arrives at the police station[/tag] looking for that adorable cop, and this song plays in the background:

The song is both sad and sweet. When I first heard it I thought it was actually Nora Jones singing it. But no, it’s by Sonya Kitchell.

Another favorite choice is from the episode “In Which Sam Gets Taken for a Ride.” This was the episode with three births: the one in the birthing pool, the one at the convenience store, and the one with the woman that had three boys and wanted a girl.

The woman who gave birth in the tub had just lost her husband who happened to be a cop. That’s how Addison ends up meeting the cute cop to begin with. (He asks her out but then she has to say no because she’s supposed to meet up with Pete. Of course, later Pete stands her up and doesn’t tell her why. Oh… the drama!)

Back to the woman in the tub, though. She’s freaking out (and rightfully so) because her husband isn’t there and “You Have Been Loved” plays in the background:

Later, as the episode comes to a close, Pete arrives at Violet’s house (instead of Addison’s) and Cooper goes by Addison (after leaving Violet’s) and Sam arrives late to the office where Naomi is working. As all these storylines wrap up, “Say It’s Possible” by Terra Naomi plays in the background:

What a great voice this girl has, and so uplifting and moving all at the same time. Here’s the original video for this song which is very well done:

Perhaps the best song choice in Private Practice is in the episode, “In Which Addison Finds the Magic.” Pete is coming to grips with his wife’s death and goes to her grave to let out his frustrations and feelings and pent up emotions. Violet is still trying to get over Alan and finally has the courage to delete his one remaining voicemail message.

While all this is going on, Matthew Perryman Jones’ “Save You” plays in the background:

In Which We Meet Addison, A Nice Girl From Somewhere Else, Addison gets out of the shower, dances around, I Don’t Feel Like Dancin, Scissor Sisters, Kate Walsh, Dell kisses Naomi, Addison, Sonya Kitchell, You Have Been Loved, Say It’s Possible, Terra Naomi, In Which Addison Finds the Magic, Matthew Perryman Jones, Save You

Since this is the time many of us make New Year’s resolutions, I thought it might be fun to make a few for the characters of Private Practice. (After all, they can’t make them themselves these days. What with the writer’s strike and all.)

Here’s what the gang at Oceanside Wellness should resolve to do for 2008:

Dr. Pete should get over his dead wife already.

I know, this sounds callous. But it isn’t. It’s for his own good. After all, he’s missing out by not having the courage to move on. It’s been years since she died, and he hasn’t made peace with their relationship or the fact that she’s gone now. By holding himself in limbo, he’s unable to move forward and find happiness. Getting over his wife’s death doesn’t necessarily mean he has to jump into a new relationship. It does, however, mean he’s got to find that part within himself that is happy and secure. It will help his patients, his health, and yes, his love life.

Naomi needs to quit pining over Sam, and start up a fling with some young buck. But not Dell.

Don’t get me wrong here, I love the fact that Dell grabbed Naomi and kissed her. But it’s never a good idea to dip your nub in the company inkwell. Especially when Naomi writes Dell’s paychecks.

What Naomi needs is fun. She’s too darn serious and matronly. Sure, she did it with Sam on the conference room table, and that was pretty sexy, but even after being ravished by hunky Taye Diggs the character of Naomi still managed to come off like an old lady. She needs to find a great young guy that just wants sex from her and nothing else.

Violet needs to get her head out of her bottom.

Exhibit A: The guy Violet is pining over:

Exhibit B: The guy that is pining over Violet:

Do we really need to go any further with this one? Yes, we do. Because not only is Cooper the most adorable guy in the Oceanside Wellness office, he’s Violet’s emotional soul mate. They balance each other out. He takes her odd obsessing in stride and she manages to remind him that Internet dating is good, while having sex with someone you just met is BAD. Just take a look at this scene and decide for yourself who Violet should be with:

Addison needs to remember what dating is like.

It’s not her fault. When people get a little older in life they naturally begin looking at the single people they meet as RELATIONSHIPS rather than DATES. Dates are fun. Dates are low-pressure. Dates build up your self-esteem. You need to go out on several dates in order to see if you really and truly like a person. It takes several dates to make a relationship. Date, Addy, date!

Dell needs to remember he’s a young guy.

He’s not one of the middle-aged doctors at Oceanside Wellness. He shouldn’t even want to be like them. It’s been hinted at in earlier episodes that he’s had it rough, with possibly an abusive childhood. We already know that he’s the one dealing with Grandpa, too. People that have to grow up fast, like Dell, often forget how young they really are. Dell needs to find a cute girl his own age and spend more time surfing and less pining over ancient Naomi.

Cooper needs to stop having casual sex.

If he ever wants to get with Violet, and we already know he does, he needs to show her that she can take a chance on him. As it stands, his carelessness in dating is one thing that holds her off wanting to be with him. Cooper needs to understand that when you date sluts it’s just plain gross to that great woman you’re gonna want to be with one day.

Sam needs to stop wondering why he divorced Naomi and get with a brand new hot babe.

Sam is caught between wanting to want Naomi and wanting to be with someone else. This will only lead one place: outside his relationship with Naomi. He was well on his way but then slipped and accidentally had sex with Naomi on the conference room table. He just needs to keep going… out of Oceanside Wellness and into the great big world out there.

Oceanside Wellness, Sam on the conference room table, Taye Diggs

Funny how things work out. Just when you think life isn’t going your way, something SPECTACULAR comes along instead.

That’s got to be how KaDee Strickland feels right now. After all, her short-lived series The Wedding Bells got cancelled last year and she probably didn’t know what she was going to do next.

Then along comes Shonda Rhimes… and suddenly KaDee Strickland is the new doctor we love to hate on Private Private. Plus, she gets to do some steamy scenes with Paul Addelstein besides!

But that’s not the only hunk she can smootch with and get a paycheck for doing it. She also starred in the hit movie American Gangster and had a hot and steamy sex scene with Russell Crowe. Not bad.

Speaking of American Gangster, it just got nominated for both a Critic’s Choice award and a Golden Globe. Future projects will be flinging themselves upon her doorstep now (not that she wasn’t busy before.) Let’s just hope she doesn’t leave Private Practice in order to expand her acting chops.

Now, I know what you’re saying… I’m not a fan of her TWANG so I’m not a fan of the character. Not true. Nor, is it true that I hate southern accents all together. Just hers, for some reason. It think it’s the accident combined with the Julia Roberts tone that does me in.

I had to laugh, though, when Strickland gave an interview to the OttowaCitizen.com saying she can finally talk the way she really does! Apparently they downplayed the accent in the early days of the show. Her voice seems different even on this interview she did with E! back in September:

Sheesh! That must mean there’s more to come with that voice… let’s hope Cooper can stand it better than yours truly.

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First of all, I loved the fact that Dell kissed Naomi. So much better than cake! (An early Christmas present from Santa, perhaps?)

I think we saw a different side of Dell tonight. The storyline with his grandpa showed that he’s probably someone that had to grow up too quickly. I have a much larger appreciation for Dell since this episode.

I also loved that Cooper stole Charlotte’s notes and roster for the father’s parenting class. It showed some backbone. Although WHY he continues to sleep with her is beyond me.

I was also glad to see the cop was back in Addy’s world. That smile they both showed at the end said it all.

I still don’t love the Naomi and Sam series of events. I don’t see where it’s going, and this new “fighting for her” storyline is rather lame besides. Here’s why: First he leaves her… THEN he suddenly wants her back? I don’t buy it. Not with a guy like Sam. The writer’s are going to have to be very careful with this one!

Speaking of which… when are you guys coming back to work????

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New Private Practice tonite… which may be the last one for awhile, if what Kate Walsh said on The View is any indication. It’s hard to tell, given the amount of interrupting those other View hosts do, but it sounds like tonight’s eppy will be the last new one until the writer’s strike ends.

I didn’t get to see Kate on the The View, but I did hear she was great. (As always.) She’s very charming and funny and makes a great guest. Here’s here appearance the last time she was on The View, just after she got married:

Don’t you love how Elizabeth Hasselbeck makes the lame comment “Do you know anyone that has an open marriage?” Kate looks at her like she’s nuts.

Anywho, tonight Dell puts up a fight for Naomi. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I do not like Sam and Naomi so happily together. They don’t seem like they ever really went together, and also HE LEFT HER so I doubt he’d really want her back so soon. On the other hand, it might be fun to see Naomi and Dell together for a while.

We’ll also get to see more of Cooper and Charlotte doing the nasty. Here’s a clip in case you’ve forgotten:

I have mixed thoughts on this storyline as well. I liked the surprise of having Cooper hook up with Charlotte instead of Violet at the end of the last episode. And I do think it will be majorly awkward in the office when Violet realizes Cooper has DONE IT with the lovely (choke) Dr. King. Seriously, if she were not thin and blonde, would any man want this woman? That voice alone is enough to make you stay away, not to mention the bitchiness factor.

Should be an interesting one. Here’s the preview:

Can’t wait to chat all about it. See ya back here after the eppy.

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One thing is clear: our favorite TV characters don’t speak with their own brains. They can’t. They are fiction. In other words: They need writers.

From everyone I’ve talked to personally or heard from via emails to this blog, the vast majority of people wholly support the writer’s strike. Heck, even John Edwards got into the act by picketing in front of NBC Studios on November 16th. (He’s the one pictured at left for all of you folks living under a rock.) Here’s a great video on what’s being asked for by the Writer’s Guild and why:

Today the Writer’s Guild and studio heads go back to the negotation table. The last time they met was on November 4th. And we all know what happened there: The writer’s went on strike the very next day. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “The guild and studios have implemented a press blackout on Monday’s session, which is being held in an undisclosed location.”

That’s probably because a federal mediator has joined in the fun. And no wonder. With the support the strike has seen, every related means of Hollywood employment has been affected: from catering, to actors, to cameramen. And so on.

I commented in an earlier blog entry about the bigwig writers (including Private Practice’s own Shonda Rhimes) joining the picket lines. It is this support that gives voice to the other unknown and less well-paid writers. Perhaps if the support continues, we’ll see an end to the strike soon. Wouldn’t that be nice? An early Christmas present! Now that I’m into Addison and Pete and Cooper and Violet and all their kookiness, I don’t want to be left hanging. For some other of my show favorites, like The Office and 30 Rock, that need is even more persistent.

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In this age of unreasonable demands and pampered celebrities, what the writers are asking for seems so very reasonable. Everyone except this dolt seems to agree with them. I hope the studios kick it into gear and agree also.

Well… I’m back from the Thanksgiving holiday, and have some thoughts Wednesday’s Private Practice episode. First of all, I loved how the show started. Everyone is avoiding each other, and the only one not in on the joke is Dell. I also liked how the women all went into one office and the guys went into another – then they nervously looking at each other and wondered what they were talking about.

While I love how Shonda Rhimes has written these characters, I do think Taye Diggs’ character is a little off the mark. I DON’T think Sam would come in by Naomi and want to work on things again. Especially because he’s the one that left. (And let’s face it – the extremely hot one of the pair.) He wouldn’t ask for clarification on their roll in the hay (or on the boardroom table, as it were) because that’s NOT WHAT GUYS DO. Women do that. I’m not saying guys don’t ponder things, it’s just that they generally don’t do it aloud. Plus, Naomi is clearly the one wanting after Sam. It’ll be interesting to see where these two characters end up going, because right now it’s a bit confusing.

I came very close to calling the whole Charlotte and… someone… rolling in the hay thing. I had actually thought they might do it with her and Pete. But now that I think about it… of course it would happen with Cooper – who just can’t seem to have an emotional relationship AND sex with the same woman. Sure, he’s got the emotional thing happening with Violet… and then he’s got the sex part now with Charlotte. Violet is sure to go off the deep end upon finding out about this one. I can’t say as I blame her. Violet and Coop are just so perfect for each other. Speaking of which, here’s a cute video that highlights their relationship:

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Here’s a preview for tonite:

Thoughts on last night’s episode. Well, first of all, I think the whole Violet and Coop getting undressed thing was hilarious. Did you love how Cooper says, “You’re naked. You always have clothing on at work.” And Violet says, “I try to be professional.”

I did NOT see the whole Sam and Naomi having sex thing coming, tho! I still have a hard time believing that women would attract Taye Diggs! But then I’ve more than made myself clear on why that is.

Another six degree of separation thing was the whole birthing in a pool scene. ESPECIALLY when Addison gets in the pool with the pregnant girl! Know where I last saw that? None other than Judging Amy… when Maxine gets in the pool with Donna. (My Judging Amy circle is once again complete.)

Couldn’t you just hear the “Dar-leeeeen” from Roseanne somewhere off in the background during Sara Gilbert’s scenes? Like, if we were to peak in on Darlene Conner today I bet she’d be knocked up and robbing a convenience store. So… good casting there. I did think the whole storyline between her and the store clerk was kind of tired, though. I mean, she robs the joint because she needs money for the baby… and he takes the job there because he needs MONEY FOR THE BABY. So very Gift of the Magi.

Couldn’t you just see the disappointment on Addison’s face when the cop asks her out and she had to turn him down? You could just see that, “DOH!” look on her face… but she couldn’t very well cancel with Pete, could she? It didn’t surprise me at all that Pete blew her off. It was a cute twist that Pete showed up at Violet’s door while Coop showed up at Addy’s. Loved that.

Plus, I’m not buying the emotion that Pete is going through. He’s like a blank slate. He’s got no intensity… not for the grieving husband deal, or for the smarmy womanizer. Tim Daly’s really gotta work on that or I’m going to have to start yelling at the TV. (Cuz they can hear you when you do that. You knew that, right?)

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