DEVIOUS MAIDS: Which politician is going to protest this one?

Devious Maids was supposed to air on ABC, a TVnetwork that's quite accessible elsewhere. But after ABC passed on it when the pilot was presented to a test group, a cable channel (Lifetime) bought the show's rights. The first season of the series is set to air sometime in 2013, for 13 episodes.

Many of the cast members are made up of Latinas, given that one of the people behind the show is Eva Langoria. Devious Maids stars some of TV's most successful Latin Americans like Ana Ortiz (from Ugly Betty), Judy Reyes (from Scrubs), Dania Ramirez (from Heroes) and Roselyn Sánchez (from Without A Trace). Soap Opera veteran Susan Lucci is also in the cast.

Devious Maids is an adaptation of a Mexican telenovela and the American series is written by Marc Cherry, creator of Desperate Housewives (DH). The original series was patterned from DH, by the way. Which then means DH is adapting a show that's been inspired by their own show. Confused yet?

DH has a bad history with the Filipino audience. And because of the nature of the story on Devious Maids, I'm not going to be surprised if a protest sparks when this show airs. If and when it reaches Philippine shores.

Of late, I still don't know if there are any Filipina in the cast or if there are any slurs directed at Pinays. But I'm anticipating someone's bound to raise hell somewhere in the bowels of the World Wide Web when this does come up.

But you know what? I've learned, over the years, that slurs shouldn't be taken seriously in a TV show. I see this the same way I see religion and faith in that, regardless of how others convince you that you're going to hell for your beliefs or that you're on the wrong side of the fence, nothing and no one is going to disturb the foundation of what you stand for, just because one statement, which, normally, is used for dramatic impact on a TV show, has been said against it. (Wow, serious thoughts in the early morning. I'm getting a headache!)

Anyway, here's a short preview. And lemme just say --- I love, love, love Ana Ortiz. I'm glad she's on a new show after Ugly Betty!

[Video] James Wolk Sings ♬"Backstreet's back, all right!"♬ on Political Animals

I waited for an upload.

But it looks like there are only 15 people watching Political Animals. In the whole wide world. :P None of them didn't find this cute enough to video loop it?

Here's five seconds of James Wolk's pure adorability. Yum. :D

PS. Couldn't figure out how to loop on Quicktime. Well, I did. But I'd have to pay. :P

[The Closer] Brenda Leigh, I hardly knew you girl!

After seven seasons, The Closer bows out of TV and ends its run this week.

I was just done watching the final episode and much like how the series started and carried its weight in (cable) TV world all these seasons, the finale had little funfare, publicity and drama. Brenda said her goodbyes with tears. But there really was nothing to cry about.

Anyone following the show knows that The Closer is being "repacked" and the rest of Brenda's team remains, minus Chief Brenda. The show's title has also been changed to Major Crimes with the new captain, Sharon Raydor (Battlestar Gallactica's Mary McDonnell) leading the old team.

Kyra Sedgwick (Brenda Leigh Johnson) said in an interview that she thought for a year before deciding not to renewwith the series and that her leaving was a creative decision. She says she's ready to do other things. Maybe one of her "new roles" is to sit by the sidelines this time, when her husband (Kevin Bacon) starts his own TV series this Fall, when Bacon's much-buzzed pilot of The Following will air on Fox.

I started watching The Closer two years ago, after Kyra Sedgwick's big win for Emmy Best Actress (Drama) for the show's fifth season, its series peak. A friend is a huge fan and her enthusiasm for it rubbed off on me.

The Closer is easy to enjoy because, while it is a crime show, the writing is very light, humorous and entertaining. Kyra's Brenda has weird tendencies, but she's also sharp and smart, which makes her an endearing heroine to root for. Viewers and fans will miss Brenda, no doubt, because compared to the new girl, her personality was really as colorful as her clothes on the show.

Speaking of Brenda's dresses and shoes (and that iconic black purse!)...

Perhaps one of the reasons why the show ending affects me to a lesser degree --- I mean, compared to saying goodbye to series like Lost, The Shield and Friends, where bawling was a necessary catharsis! --- is because I still have four more seasons of The Closer to devour. I only finished Season 1, 6 and 7 and I am looking forward to following Brenda (and all her pretty dresses) some more.

Last night, while watching half-way through The Closer Season 5, Brenda came to work (dealing with a cadaver in her office, at that!) dressed in this:


Pretty red open-toe flats to match a lovely flowing, red patterned dress. So uncharacteristic of a police chief!

To honor Brenda Leigh Johnson's departure, Entertainment Weekly did a Top 10 list of Brenda's most fabulous clothes on the show the other day:

Read more: The Closer's Brenda's Top 10 Outfits

And this article from 2007 sums up why, other than the show's storylines and Brenda's fierceness, watching her in her all clothes is such an eye-candy for me.

From a 2007 article on this site.

I'm pretty sure that when I finish the rest of the show, it's all gonna sink in. Kyra Sedgwick has retired her character, who I'm just beginning to really, really love. :(

Some said it was a good call on her part, because she left while The Closer was still in top form.

Have you been following The Closer? If you haven't, try sampling just one: Season 5, Episode 6: Tapped Out. I think that it is the episode that best describes what I've just written about the show.

And here is my favorite parody of The Closer: