Which Golden Globe songs will be sung at the Oscars?

The nominations for the 2013 Golden Globe awards came out last week,with the likes of Lincoln,Argo and Zero Dark Thirty scoring some good seats in the movie section.

Since these awards are good predictors for what will be up for the Oscars this winter,scrutiny is tighter than ever. With the Best Song category getting the short shift these days from the Academy,taking a closer look at the songs nominated for the Globes might offer some hope in that department:

SAFE & SOUND(HUNGER GAMES): Taylor Swift contributed two songs to the HG soundtrack,getting the nom for this mournful number that she performed with The Civil Wars. S&S has also gotten a Grammy nod as well,raising the stakes for it to included in the Oscar games this season.

The song itself is a a sweetly haunting number that reflects the somber notes within the story and film. Swift may be a young singer but her voice has the echoes of an old soul here:

SUDDENLY(LES MISERABLES): With most of the songs from the upcoming Le Miz movie not qualifying for this category,having a originally written one certainly comes in handy.

However,this song doesn't sound like a convenient tune simply for the sake of a nomination. It describes Jean Valjean's emotional reawakening as a father,something explored more in depth in the book and given the spotlight it deserves on film. Also,it would be awesome to have Hugh Jackman perform this live on TV,come on Academy,make it happen!:

NOT RUNNING ANYMORE(STAND UP GUYS): Speaking of throwaways,this Bon Jovi song from the upcoming gangster comedy is coma inducing,folks. Seriously, I had to turn it off midway through in order to not fall asleep at my computer.

To be fair,he is attempting to make a mature melody about facing up to life here but it's just so dreary and foot dragging to listen to(plus,the old man on the merry-go-round is a little creepy to me):

FOR YOU(ACT OF VALOR): A much livelier tune is this Keith Urban track from Act of Valor,a movie best known for casting actual active duty Navy SEALS. It was a late winter release that came and went,with only a Teen Choice Awards nomination for it's trouble.

The song is a good inspirational number that salutes our troops credibly and wouldn't be out of place on the Oscar stage,in my opinion. Let's see if it gets that far,folks:

SKYFALL(BOND MOVIE THEME): When it comes to safe bets,Adele's anthem for Skyfall is one of the better ones I've seen in a while. Bond movie songs are catnip to most Academy voters and yes,a few have been overlooked lately but I would be surprised if this wasn't up for Oscar gold.

Adele's powerful pipes give the song a flair that puts one in mind of Shirley Bassey's contributions to the Bond series. Not to mention that Skyfall did pretty well with both audiences and critics and action movies tend to not get the big spots on the Oscar roster,so seeing it highlighted in the Best Song category sounds like a given:



The Golden Globes will be handed out on January 13,a few days after the Oscar nominations are announced. Regardless of how the Best Songs stack up,the Globes will be fun to watch this time around,thanks to Ricky Gervais no longer being the party killing host.

Instead,Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be co-hosting the show and seeing as how they've been great at making memorable award show moments lately,this should be quite the entertaining evening. Just listening to the two of them exchange on stage banter is music to my ears:

Have a Happy Jane birthday and a Merry Austen Christmas!

This weekend,Jane Austen fans will be celebrating her 237th birthday and since she happens to be one of those people whose special day comes so close to Christmas,I thought it would be nice to combine both of those themes together.

One of the best ways to enjoy December 16 in Miss Austen's honor is to read a good book about her or her characters such as A Darcy Christmas,a collection of three short stories featuring the Pride and Prejudice cast around Yuletide.

The authors assembled here are Amanda Grange,Sharon Lathan and Carolyn Eberhart.I was lucky enough to win a copy from a chat room giveaway held by Austenesque Reviews(much thanks to Meredith Esparza and Sharon Lathan for my prize)and it's been a sweet treat so far.

The only Austen novel that I can recall that features Christmas prominently is Emma,in the section where a Christmas Eve party brings new guests and old,not to mention a rather unexpected marriage proposal.

It's also nice to see Emma and Mr. Knightley make up their quarrel over Harriet Smith's refusal of Robert Martin,as well as the sarcastic delights of John Knightley. In many ways,it is an amusing holiday gathering but perhaps not so much for some as for others:

The gals at The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have taken to highlighting the holidays and in this most recent episode,Lydia happens to have a December birthday and plans to throw one of her usual "modest" parties while her parents are out of town.

That leaves our Dear Lizzie somewhat in charge,a prospect that she's looking forward to as much as another ear splitting blast from her father's new Christmas train whistle. Then again,she did forget her sister's b-day and you do only turn 21 once:

What's a birthday or Christmas without presents and if you're in the mood for a little online shopping,the Jane Austen Centre in Bath has quite the extensive offerings.

They have just about everything an Austen admirer could desire,from teacups to clothes,jewelry,books and even costumes from a few of the more recent Austen adaptations.

You can buy items by theme,such as I Love Darcy,Keep Calm and Read Jane Austen and of course,the Pemberley collection. You can also buy specific novel themed items like a Persuasion perfume. Not sure what that book would smell like but it certainly wouldn't take a lot of arm twisting to get me to try it:

If you're worried about something from overseas not arriving on time for the holidays,you can always indulge in an Austen treat closer to home such as my new ebook,The Austen Avenger(shameless plug alert!),which is currently available for free at Smashwords and Kobo,coming soon to other fine online retailers near you.

In the meanwhile,have a lovely Jane Austen time this season and may you get what you truly want underneath your Christmas tree(or other holiday decor),especially if it's true love:

Top Chef Seattle feeds the famous,Vampire Diaries' mid winter finale and a terrific TAR win

More than one trick was up their sleeves for the Quickfire challenge on Top Chef Seattle this week,as the contenders were tasked to make a holiday style of dish, that could be sweet or savory,using Truvia. Plus,they had to share one knife amongst the twelve of them during prep.

The guest judge for the QF was Marilyn Hagerty,a lady who writes a food column for a Midwestern newspaper and who received some unexpected internet fame for a review of the Olive Garden she did last year. She seemed like a nice,down to earth type of gal and her feedback on the dishes was well appreciated.

Brooke won this challenge,for an apple crostata with cheese and pine nuts. That won her immunity for the Elimination Challenge,which had the chefs making a family and friends meal for a local celebrity couple.

The couple in question was Anna Faris and Chris Pratt,who are natives of Washington state and stars of screens big and small.

The prize for this round was a new car,which whet the appetites of the chefs and the only major instructions they were given for the food were to incorporate local fare such as fish and game.

Unlike the last Elimination challenge,plenty of good food came out from the kitchen and the judges had no trouble selecting the plates that deserved top honors. However,one chef was a little nervous about his chances due to the special guest star on the judging panel.

Turns out that John used to work for Rick Moonan,who took a spot at the judges' table and was making Rick's recipe for clam chowder that included cockles,crab and sockeye salmon.

He was really freaked upon seeing Rick but his fears were for naught. Rick loved the chowder,along with the rest of the judges and the hosts of the party as well.

Joining him in the winner's circle was Sheldon,who chose to make a dish that he liked to eat whenever he goes home to Hawaii.

His braised pork belly with seared scallop and rice congee was a real hit that hit the right spot with everyone. Good for him!

It was a double dose of good luck for Brooke,as she won the car for her lamb stuffed squid served with black rice and coconut milk.

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt raved about the dish,with the judges practically swooning
over each bite. Brooke's now a top contender in this game,so she needs to watch her back.

Hitting bottom yet again was Josh,for his roast pork shoulder which needed seasoning badly. Even his side dishes of corn puree and apple fennel succotash didn't add enough flavor to the meat.

To make matters worse,Josh owns a restaurant called The Divine Swine and tried to joke about his problems with pork during the challenges. Padma kind of shot him down hard there,saying maybe he shouldn't cook it anymore on the show-ouch!

Also struggling was Danyele,who feels intimidated consistently. No one is giving her a hard time here,so this is all about nerves on her part. Judge Tom suggested that she stop worrying and just do her own thing.

The boar chops that she cooked were very thin,which made Danyele extra tense while cooking them and they turned out both over and under done in parts. She needs to get her head in the game right quick there.

Sent off to pack her knives,however,was Eliza. She sliced her elk very thin in order to avoid chewiness but the whole plate was rather bland.

Despite the huckleberry port sauce,both the meat and the sides of polenta and carrots tasted under seasoned,putting the judges off their palates. Maybe Eliza will fare better in Last Chance Kitchen and with any luck,Danyele won't have to join her there.

It was a tense two hour finale of The Amazing Race,as Team Twinnie was determined to kick the Beekman boys out of the running. They openly insisted to the others to ditch Josh and Brent as soon as possible,even right out on the road during the next to last leg in France.

Part of that was due to the girls having a Speed Bump(lacing up a ladies' corset) to deal with before heading off to the Detour.

As fate would have it,Team Twinnie met up with the Beekmans at a challenge to prepare food for a pack of bloodhounds. Natalie and Nadiya tried to mess with them verbally but the fellas were well armed in that department:

By the end of the leg,the girls were out and the Beekmans were in,along with Trey and Lexi and Team Chippendale. All three groups then headed out to New York for the last leg,starting at Coney Island to find their clue.

It took awhile for all of them to figure out where to go but eventually they found their way forward. Josh and Brent were a little waylaid by the pizza delivery challenge,due to bringing the wrong pizzas to two of their locations.

Their do-over gave the lagging behind James and Jaymes a chance to catch up,not to mention a keg up for Trey and Lexi:

Things all evened out at the last Road Block,where each team had to match the right terms for "hello" and "goodbye" from the countries they had gone to during the race. Josh and Brent finished up first and became the winners of this season of TAR.

It was great to see these guys,they ran a good race throughout. Granted,I would have been happy for the Chippendale boys,too,but Josh and Brent were super nice to folks like Abbie and Ryan when they were at the back of the pack,which earned them that extra good karma for the final leg.

Congratulations,Beekman boys and good luck to you both with your farm. It was also super sweet to see that playing the game in a true sportsmanlike manner can pay off:

The Vampire Diaries will be airing their last episode for 2012 tonight,to start up again sometime after New Year's and it should be quite a cliffhanger.

Between Tyler leading the hybrids in a revolt against Klaus and Elena trying to help Jeremy with his vampire killing urges,things are bound to get dicey.What is most disconcerting is the trust being placed in Professor Shane,who has his own agenda regarding the Five,the weres and Bonnie to boot.

At least Damon's trouble radar is beeping yet hopefully he'll be able to step in at the right time to prevent any real damage(something that Damon is not exactly known for):



RANDOM NOTES:

THE NEXT IRON CHEF: The competition headed to Vegas,where a weird food pairing challenge tested the chefs mightily indeed. Our remaining ladies are still riding high but the upcoming buffet challenge could be a maker and a breaker there:

Sample some genre goodies from the Midwinter Movie Trailer Park

While there are plenty of big movies out and about right now,not to mention due to open on Christmas Day,there will still be something new to view at the multiplex after New Year's Eve.

Most of those flicks that are set to arrive around that time are just screen filler,yet finding a gem amongst the dross is not entirely impossible. I don't promise that any of the typical genre types that are going to be showcased here are potential masterpieces but one or two might be fun to check out:

THE DELAYED DEBUT: The crime drama Gangster Squad was scheduled for a September release but due to some editing changes(one of the scenes that appeared in the first trailer had an eerie resemblance to the Aurora tragedy this summer),it's coming out in January.

The story is your standard man against the mob period piece,with Ryan Gosling as one of the law enforcers,with Emma Stone as his love interest and Sean Penn playing the legendary gangster Mickey Cohen. If you're in the mood for an old school cops and robbers film,this should ring your bell there:

KOOKY COMEDY: Melissa McCarthy hits the big screen again,this time in the leading lady seat as a scam artist in Identity Thief,who is tracked down by straitlaced business man Jason Bateman.

He's determined to clean up his credit and legal troubles caused by this one woman wrecking crew by bringing her to justice himself. Melissa's a funny gal,especially in the physical humor department and having Bateman as her straight man for this film could be a good time had by all:

FANTASY FIREFIGHT: The fairy tale remix trend continues with Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters,where the title set of siblings(Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton)dedicate their lives to wiping out kid eating witches,like the one that almost had them for dinner.

Being so good at their job,they naturally run into a few enemies including a local official who would rather deal with the witches on his own terms and an evil sorceress(Famke Janssen)on the hunt for the hunter themselves. Total brain candy on display here and sounds pretty sweet to me:

THE INEVITABLE SEQUEL: Just when you think there's no more story to tell, Bruce Willis' John McClane gets back in action for a fresh bout of punishment. In A Good Day to Die Hard,our hero heads out to Russia in order to assist his grown son(Jai Courtney)out of some legal trouble.

The two of them wind up in the midst of a terrorist plot and have to engage in various forms of gun play to save the day. "Far fetched" is too mild a term for this movie and yet,..oh,McClane,why can't I quit you?:

ZOM-ROM-COM: Warm Bodies is quite the perfect date movie,if you're into zombie flicks,that is. The male love interest here(Nicolas Hoult)can't even remember his name,due to being one of the wandering dead that have taken over civilization.

One day,he stumble across a living girl(Theresa Palmer)who stirs what's left of his humanity and tries to protect her from the rest of his flesh eating friends. The pair fall in love,which may lead to a cure for the remainder of the undead that doesn't please everyone on either side. This film is based on a YA novel by Isaac Maron and could be a sleeper hit in the making:

Like I said,midwinter movies are a mixed bag of goods but you never know when a tasty treat might pop up with your popcorn. Granted,some of these movies might be better off seeing on home video but if you have the free time and spare cash,there are worse things you could do.

At the very least,a new flock of supernatural romances should be rolling in to ease the end of the Twilight saga like Beautiful Creatures,based on the popular series of books by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I'm not familiar with this story of good vs evil "casters" but hey,it looks like a blast. Sometime,you just need to wallow in the weird and wonderful,folks:

Taking the Le Miz leap

It may be too soon to start talking about New Year's resolutions and usually,I don't make any because they're broken all too easily before springtime hits. However,I do have one for 2013 and it's of a major literary commitment;I plan to read Victor Hugo's Les Miserables in it's entirety.

Or,as entire as the Norman Denny translation that I'll be reading is. From what I understand,Denny takes a couple of lengthy passages and places them in an after portion of the book but apparently it makes the story a little easier to get into. As long as that move doesn't interfere with the plot,I'm good with it.

This isn't the first time that I've tried to read Les Miz,or Victor Hugo for that matter,but I really want to give this reading a serious try. My morning reading regiment has been working well for me(am in the midst of Martin Chuzzlewit right now)and that strategy should work well here.

Les Miserables is one of those literary mountains that readers like to climb and for good reason. The book has been around for over two hundred years and adapted for the movies about half of that span,finding relevance with new audiences along the way:

The biggest pop culture springboard for Les Miz has been the highly successful musical stage version that hit Broadway during the 1980s and is now about to be a major Christmas movie release.

The play won several Tonys and has been performed internationally,winning various honors along the way. It's become so beloved that even the anniversary concert performances of the show are sold-out sensations. I haven't seen the play and would like to see the new film version and yes,that is part of the reason that I want to tackle the book but not the main one:

This story of Jean Valjean and his attempts at redemption never seems to fail to strike those resounding chords of empathy and resilience with each generation it comes across,musical or otherwise. A strong feature of the story's appeal is in it's French Revolution setting yet that can not account for this epic tale's timelessness.

Le Miz not only has worldwide drawing power but it's been a subtly steady influence on pop culture,from the TV show The Fugitive to video games and even the South Park creators took a few notes from the musical for their animated big screen foray a few years back. If this classic novel can take root and blossom in such unlikely creative soil,there really must be more to it than a placement on a required reading list:

So,hopefully,I'm ready to travel this rough road along with many others like me who will take the new adaptation as inspiration for some serious page turning. While I don't plan to start the book on January 1(still have to finish up Martin Chuzzlewit after all),Les Miserables will be part of my reading plan for quite a while in the new year.

As for the film,I'm not sure when I will get to see that but even if I do during my reading of the book,that won't spoil any of the pleasures and sorrows that await me with every chapter. The movie does appear to be a bright spot on the Hollywood holiday horizon and should rack up a sweet number of Oscar nominations there.

The real merits of the film and this story,however, is the hope in a better world that even the most downtrodden characters hold on to,a need that time does not wear away completely. Perhaps,in these troubling times,this is the perfect comfort that art can provide:

Top Chef Seattle's awful artisan blues,Team Twinnie still on TAR and Vampire Diaries' Elena needs some girl talk

The Quickfire Challenge on Top Chef Seattle this week took everyone to market at the Pike Place Market,to be more specific. Teams of two were formed and each one had to make a breakfast dish for the vendors. The big catch was,it had to be on a stick(I hear a Jeff Dunham joke calling!).

Most of the stick served offerings went over well,but the winners of this challenge were Sheldon and Bart.

They managed to make an egg sandwich that turned out great despite the trouble they had with their panini press. Their team received double immunity,pretty sweet!

For the Elimination challenge,everyone stayed in their teams and drew knives to see what special artisan ingredient needed to be highlighted in their dishes for the judges and local makers of those products.

Ten grand was on the line for the winner,however the end results were so poorly done that Judge Tom took away the cash prize and announced that there would be another double elim.

Wow,I haven't seen him that mad since,...well mad enough to cancel the prize money there,that is a first,I do believe!

While the judges couldn't select a winner,they had no trouble putting three teams up on the chopping block for the loser honors.

One of those teams was Stefan and Brooke,who made a glazed duck with cabbage,using the rose petal jelly they had been given for the glaze. Unfortunately,the bird was overcooked and the cabbage only enhanced the sweetness of the jelly,making the entire plate hard to eat.

Next up was Josh and John,who had to work truffle popcorn into their dish. They went with pork medallions on top of popcorn seasoned grits.

The grits were bland and mushy,plus the pork was not properly cooked, It was a real disappointment and one that could've been easily remedied to boot.

The main problem with this team(and a lot of the others)is that both members were way too compromising towards each other. Josh did not want to cook the pork in medallions,for example, but went with John's suggestion in order to avoid a fight.

Neither one of these guys like each other and I can see not wanting to argue over something that would get in the way of completing the task. Yet,in this case,that strained harmony was reflected in the food and nearly cost them the game.

Luckily for them all,CJ and Tyler's display of spicy pickles was less than appetizing. At CJ's insistence,they made a pork hamburger served on a crumpet with some fried pickles on top. Tyler wanted to try something different but CJ kept saying that Judge Tom would prefer a simpler dish. Well,you were wrong on that,now weren't you,buddy?

The crumpet was a terrible choice of bun,becoming a spongy mess and the fried pickles weren't even done well(the breading flaked off). Worst of all,CJ ,for some strange reason of his own,tried to throw another team under the bus whose dish wasn't even up for elimination!

Granted,the chocolate curry coconut mousse that Lizzie and Danyele made wasn't up to snuff but (a)the judges obviously didn't think it was bad enough to send them home and (b)what ever did those girls do to you,CJ,that made you call them out like that? I don't get it,not at all.

Well,good luck in Last Chance Kitchen,guys. You're going to need it,what with Kuniko cleaning some major house there( way to go,Kuniko!).

We came very close to saying so long to Team Twinnie(Natalie and Nadiya)on The Amazing Race,as this leg in Spain caught them flat footed.

They had trouble driving their team car and floated quickly to the back of the pack as things progressed. As they reached the Pit Stop,I was hoping to see Phil send them home but alas,that was not to be.

The girls had one last bit of luck,as this turned out to be a non-elimination leg.*Sigh* Sorry,folks but Team Twinnie has grown more annoying to me over time,not to mention their scheming and stealing of Team Rocker's money(in cahoots with Trey and Lexi,still wanting to see you go down for that!).

The two hour finale airs this weekend and I'm rooting for either the Beekman boys or Team Chippendale to win. The twins will have to face a Speed Bump on the next leg,so maybe this is when their bad karma starts to truly kick in:

Elena's new love connection with Damon on The Vampire Diaries is being given a new direction,as Caroline and Stefan slowly realize that she's acting under the influence of a sire bond(similar to Klaus and his hybrids).

Damon doesn't seem to have intentionally caused this to happen but is in no hurry to end it,obviously. While this sounds like a bit of plot contrivance in order to bring Elena back to Stefan,there is some solid basis for it.

After all,with Tyler and his werewolf friends determined to break their ties to Klaus(which has a secret sinister purpose connected to that shady professor Shane who's all into Bonnie),it stands to reason that Elena will need some of that assistance to break away from Damon's amorous influence. Perhaps a girls night out can clear her head just as well,then again,maybe not:



RANDOM NOTES:

COMIC BOOK MEN: With their second season finished,look for the Secret Stash gang to return in January on a new night and time. Say what you will about comic book fans,it's fun and funny to see them light up with that glow of childhood innocence when the likes of Stan Lee stops by or a toy from the past turns up at the counter:

All assemble for The Austen Avenger!

Today is Shameless Promotion Day here at LRG,due to the publication of my newest E-book,The Austen Avenger,(with excellent cover art courtesy of my sister Stephanie)this weekend at Smashwords. This is a short story that combines two of my favorite pop culture passions;Jane Austen and comic book lore.

The leading man of our tale is Andy,a guy who knows more about the characters found in the pages of Marvel and DC than any from Austen's body of work. One night,while crashing a party with his best friend George,Andy spots Amy, the girl of his dreams, on the other side of the room and longs to talk to her.

He decides to move over in her general direction when, as if by magic,a mysterious woman in period garb claims him as an acquaintance and gives him that much needed introduction to the object of his desire:

That odd intro leads to a romance but Andy finds himself running into this soft spoken stranger yet again and starts to wonder about what she's up to. Her manner of speaking and choice of dress remind him of some of those Jane Austen movies he's been watching with his new girlfriend Amy lately,giving him more points to ponder.

Here's a excerpt from The Austen Avenger to show you just why he gets so curious about this "Emma Thompson" like woman of mystery:


“I DON’T have a few minutes to waste while you figure out how to do your job and I don’t appreciate your tone at all!” Oh, man. I was feeling really sorry for the clerk and was tempted to go over to provide a possible distraction from the tension building up there. Someone else seemed to have the same idea in mind and she was a lot closer to the action than I was.

“Pardon me, miss. May I inquire about your stock of Pride and Prejudice, particularly if you have a hardbound copy on hand?” Sure enough, Miss Mystery had slipped around the corner and was standing slightly off to the side of the Furious Fur Coat Fury taking up most of the counter space. Her outfit was more of a daytime look, with a long beige jacket and what looked like a bonnet on her head that matched.

It wasn’t a pioneer type of bonnet, more like something out of an Emma Thompson movie, the one where Kate Winslet was her little sister who wound up with Alan Rickman. Amy had me watch that with her recently, so that look was fresh in my mind. Not to mention that Miss Mystery was the only person that I had ever seen dressed up in such an out of place get-up in public, outside of a Comic Con, that is.

The clerk nodded at her and started to say something but naturally Cranky Lady wanted all the attention aimed at her. “Don’t even think of dealing with anyone else ahead of me! I have been waiting for this book for months and if I have to stand here much longer, I’ll be taking my business elsewhere and letting everyone I know why!”

Miss Mystery then turned her sights on her. “My dear madam, I do apologize for disrupting your transaction. Please allow me to assist you, if I can.” I thought for sure that Her Crankiness was going to unleash more of her attitude on Miss Mystery but there must have been some magic in the way that request was made.


After yet another unexpected encounter with this super woman of sense and sensibility,Andy chooses to tap into his inner Lois Lane and find out who she really is, once and for all:

The Austen Avenger was originally written as an entry for the Jane Austen Made Me Do It contest last year and I've expanded it slightly,so think of this as the Director's Cut(no Blu-Ray required!). My thanks to Laurel Ann Nattress,the editor of JAMMDI and headmistress of the blog Austenprose,for her encouragement of my efforts to bring this story to another medium for all to enjoy.

For me,the biggest challenge in writing TAA was in deciding to use a male protagonist as the driving force of the story. Most Austen themed tales are aimed at women and understandably so,but we should not forget the fellas out there in Austenland. They appreciate a good novel as much as we do and have as much to learn about life and love from Our Dear Jane as well:



The Austen Avenger is a free download and at the moment,available only at Smashwords. When it is shipped out and on sale at other online retailers such as iTunes and B&N.com,I will add links to it at the official Austen Avenger Facebook page.

In addition to those updates,there will be Austen themed video clips put up on a regular basis,so you can tune in for that. I do hope that my fellow Austen fans like this story and give my other E-books a try.

I also hope that comic book fans will check this out as well,since one thing that both Jane Austen and Stan Lee do have in common is that they truly believe that a hero doesn't need a fancy costume to save the day for the ones they love(although it does help sometimes)and care more about the results of their actions than in taking the credit for them:

I'll take Unexpected TV Musical Moments for 1000,Alex!

While we do have TV shows these days that openly cater to the musical loving crowd such as Glee,Nashville and even The Voice,some of the best fun to be found in this area comes right out of the blue.

Not that I mind a nice musical themed episode there but when all of a sudden,the regular cast on a drama or sitcom surprises us by bursting into song,that's a true sweet treat for the soul.

Here are a handful of special singalong sequences from the small screen that I've selected for your viewing pleasure:

HOT BLOODED,INDEED: One of the early indicators that the leading lady and man on the forensic detective series Bones would become a couple was their mutual enjoyment of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded."

While Dr. Brennan was a little reluctant to confess her love of that song,Agent Booth made that choice of rocking tune very acceptable,to the point where the two of them performed it together in public:

SING US A SONG,YOU'RE THE CASTLE MAN: During the third season of Castle, Rick and Detective Beckett were wrapping up the last of a case that allowed him to cage a rare bottle of Scotch hidden beneath a legendary bar.

With everyone in a good mood together,an impromptu rendition of "Piano Man" started up that was so inviting that even the stoic Kate Beckett joined right in. Quite a good way to cap off any show,if you ask me:

DOWNTON ABBEY DUET: The on again/off again romance of Mary and Matthew on the second season of Downton Abbey grew even more intense,as WWI divided the couple nearly for good.

Both of them were also involved with new partners,so each was willing to give the other one up out of a sense of honor. However,when Matthew went missing on the battlefield,Mary found it hard to keep a stiff upper lip. As she entertained the troops during a charity event,Matthew's return was a most welcome surprise and a very romantic accompaniment to her song " If I were the Only Girl in the World":

BIG BOLLYWOOD THEORY: A running gag on The Big Bang Theory a couple of seasons ago was Raj's crush on his best friend Howard's girlfriend Bernadette. This lead to one episode where he kept having vivid daydreams about winning her heart without upsetting his friends.

At one point,Bernadette confronted him about his standoffish behavior in the real world which lead to a Bollywood dance number where they declared to be each other's heart and universe. Eventually,Rai got over his longing for Bernadette but that magical music moment was worth it:



With any luck,more surprise song and dance outbreaks will crop up on TV as time goes on. Granted,these things can be easily overdone and become all too predictable but when it's timed just right,those sudden musical moments become ones to treasure: