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Hello everyone!

I’m cross-posting a podcast series called the TV Week in Review here on the Pure TV Network blog. These episodes are a segment of our television-focused podcast series, Reflections on Pop Entertainment, co-hosted by my fiancée Meghan and myself (James). In this series, we discuss different television shows that aired during the week and give our thoughts and analysis. The shows we discuss differ from week to week and we hope to help foster discussion about these great television shows, both new and established, currently on the air.

To give you some background about ourselves, Meghan and I have known each other since college where we participated in theatre together. We are very analytical when it comes to the things we enjoy and we constantly discussed and analyzed shows with each other. After doing this for the past couple years, we decided that we should turn these discussions into a podcast. We both come from different academic backgrounds (Meghan has a Masters degree in American literature and I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in physics), which combined with our theatre background gives us what we hope is a unique perspective.

This past summer we recorded a series of podcasts covering season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance, so visitors who frequent puresytycd.com may recognize us from over there. In addition we are also posting weekly podcasts dedicated to The X-Factor, the new reality singing competition on FOX, over on Pure X-Factor.

If you like what you hear in these podcasts, we encourage you to subscribe to our blog. You can also follow our Twitter account @ReflPopEnt for our latest updates and thoughts.

Below is a summary and list of time stamps for the latest episode of the podcast. Let us know your thoughts and reactions after the show by leaving us a comment here, on our blog, or by tweeting us. We look forward to interacting with fellow television fans!

Summary
It was an exciting week of premieres, both old and new! In this week’s podcast we discuss following shows:

The Playboy Club- A new series from NBC that offered a very polarizing first episode that we aren’t quite sold on yet
Person of Interest- A new series from CBS and our favorite new show of the fall season
How I Met Your Mother- We got to see more of Barney’s wedding day, but still no sign of who the bride will be
Glee- The show returns to its Season 1 roots and has solid, well-placed musical numbers
The Office- The new boss is revealed and the show attempts to move forward without Michael Scott and we attempt to reconcile the changes that the show has undergone since Season 4
The Big Bang Theory- A quick resolution to a “shocking” cliffhanger
The Mentalist- A legitimately shocking cliffhanger gets a legitimately ridiculous resolution
Fringe- Everything is reset and we have no idea what is going on

We have a few more premieres coming up next week, including The Amazing Race, Pan Am, Boardwalk Empire and Suburgatory. Let us know what you thought by leaving us a comment!

Episode Length: 31:38

Time Stamps
0:00 – Intro
0:34 – The Playboy Club
3:45 – Person of Interest
8:53 – How I Met Your Mother
10:23 – Glee
13:17 – The Office
20:15 – The Big Bang Theory
22:09 – The Mentalist
23:51 – Fringe
30:33 – Wrap-Up

The first episode for the TV Week in Review series, covering September 11th through the 17th, can be found here.

We’re back again with week 2 of The Sing Off 2011. Below you’ll find the videos from all of their performance. Plus, we have the list of Sing Off music with links to each of the Sing Off groups performance music on iTunes.

Week 2: Group Number
Eight of the 16 groups come together in part two of the season premiere for a collaborative performance of “Sing” by My Chemical Romance.

Week 2: Dartmouth Aires Sing “Higher Ground”
The Dartmouth Aires put their own spin on Stevie Wonder with their performance of “Higher Ground.”

Week 2: Messiah’s Men Sing “People Get Ready”
Messiah’s Men perform “People Get Ready” by The Impressions.

Week 2: Sonos Sings “Wicked Game”
Sonos croons Chris Isaak’s hit, “Wicked Game.”

Week 2: Soul’d Out Sings “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
High school group Soul’d Out performs “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension.

Week 2: The Collective Sings “Rolling in the Deep”
The Collective performs Adele’s smash hit, “Rolling in the Deep.”

Week 2: The Deltones Sing “Feels Like Home”
The University of Delaware Deltones perform “Feels Like Home” by Randy Newman.

Week 2: Pentatonix Sings “E.T.”
Petatonix takes on Katy Perry’s hit song “E.T.”

Week 2: North Shore Sings “Runaround Sue”
Doo-wop veterans North Shore perform Dion’s “Runaround Sue.”

Week 2: Elimination Round 1
The first four groups anxiously await the judges’ decision.

Week 2: Elimination Round 2
The second four groups anxiously await the judges’ decision.

Week 2: Soul’d Out’s Swan Song
Soul’d Out sings “Mama I’m Coming Home” for its final performance.

Week 2: Messiah’s Men’s Swan Song
Messiah’s Men sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” for their final performance.

Time for a look at the Sing Off Week 2 Preview!

Eight more groups compete in part two of the season premiere.

In case you missed The Sing Off Week 1 (possibly because you were busy watching Dancing with the Stars), we’ve got all The Sing Off week 1 performance videos for you to enjoy. Plus, I’ve linked to the Sing Off music on iTunes as well.

Week 1: Group Number
Eight of the 16 groups come together in the season premiere for a collaborative performance of Pink’s “F-in’ Perfect.”
Group’s version:

Week 1: The YellowJackets Sing “Wavin’ Flag”
The University of Rochester YellowJackets sing World Cup anthem “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan.

Week 1: Vocal Point Sings “Jump Jive an’ Wail”
Vocal Point gives a high-energy performance of the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s “Jump Jive an’ Wail.”

Week 1: Fannin Family Sings “Who Says”
Fannin Family gives a heart-warming rendition of “Who Says” by Selena Gomez.

Week 1: Delilah Sings “Grenade”
All-girl group Delilah performs “Grenade” by Bruno Mars.

Week 1: The Cat’s Pajamas Sing “Some Kind of Wonderful”
The Cat’s Pajamas showcase their playful energy with their performance of “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad.

Week 1: Afro-Blue Sings “Put Your Records On”
Afro-Blue gives a soulful performance of “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae.

Week 1: Urban Method Sings “Love the Way You Lie”
Urban Method gives a heart-wrenching performance of Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie.”

Week 1: Kinfolk 9 Sing “Secrets”
Kinfolk 9 give a moving performance of “Secrets” by OneRepublic.

Week 1: Elimination Breakdown
Digital Correspondent Sam Tsui explains the judges’ reasoning behind the elimination of Fannin Family and The Cat’s Pajamas.

I must admit that I think the Sing Off is going against some tough competition tonight for The Sing Off 2011 Premiere. It’s going up against the powerful and popular Dancing with the Stars. Plus, it has the finale of Hell’s Kitchen. Plus, the premiere of comedy night on CBS. DWTS is obviously going to take away the most viewers since it likely has a very similar audience. I’ll be interested to see the ratings for tonight.

If you like a capella, then you’re going to enjoy this video of Sami Tsui Medley
The Sing-Off Digital Correspondent Sam Tsui sings an a cappella medley of songs from the judges.

Even their correspondent can sing.

This evening you could also check out NBC Live. Looks like NBC is working to provide a social TV watching experience. I’ll be interested to see how that goes for NBC. No doubt we already to much of this on twitter (you can follow me on @tvblog).

I found another great video introduction of the Sing Off 2011 cast. Sam Tsui does a good job introducing the various a cappella groups they have on this season of The Sing-Off. Does anyone already have a favorite? Mine is the BYU group Vocal Point since that’s where I went to college.

Meet the Contestants with Sam Tsui
Digital Correspondent Sam Tsui introduces the 16 groups of The Sing-Off Season 3.

I know I’m pretty excited to see NBC really investing in The Sing-Off. I love seeing amazing talent get rewarded. Well, The Sing-Off season premiere is happening September 19, 2011 at 8/7c on NBC. I’m interested to see how Sara Bareilles is as a judge. I love Ben Folds as a judge and Shawn Stockman is fine.

Here’s an extended preview of The Sing-Off 2011:

Also, some pictures from The Sing Off 2011:

Then, a couple other NBC videos showing how cool A Cappella can be and the amazing sounds you can make just with your voice.
16 Groups, One Tool

Straight Up A Cappella
Warning: the following sounds were produced entirely with the human mouth.