We love our shows so much we created a blog for it.
athenawj is a writer-mama-artist-editor-blue ribbon junkie who can't get enough of her favorite t.v. shows (and the ridiculous amount of videotapes in her house proves it). She's owned various t.v.s for awhile, but only recently discovered the joys of OnDemand.
merserene is a professional-turned-student who has an unhealthy addiction to some shows. She bought her first TV last year and is particularly fond of old reruns and British comedy.
Alias
Coupling
Desperate Housewives
Fawlty Towers
Keeping Up Appearances
Rick Steves' Europe
Sex And The City
Two And A Half Men
What Not To Wear
I am in total TV Lady heaven!! I usually don't watch t.v. until Judge Judy comes on at three, but Mr. Calm and I were eating breakfast and I was flipping around the channels. What should I find on Superstation WGN but Homicide: Life on the Street!!! I literally yelled out, I was so happy to see it.
This is one of the best shows to have ever played on t.v. Seriously, you! Looks like it's in the second season, so I have lots and lots happy of 10 a.m. viewing.
Anyone who has basic cable, I urge you to catch it sometime. Despite low ratings its entire run, it was a critical darling and an Emmy- and Peabody-recipient. With good reason. One of the best shows ev-ah.
(yes, now I'm employing the tvs-as-stars. Four out of four!!)
I've been pleased with the quality of SVU this season. Is it because Olivia's been gone, and all the contrivance between her and Stabler is gone as well? Hrm...
First, the guest stars have been terrific. First Leslie Caron, and last night Jerry Lewis. I think a lot of people were surprised that Jerry Lewis can act, but wasn't he a bit of a dick in The King of Comedy? Anyway, I know he's been sick, so that contributes to his appearance, but I thought he did a wonderful job on the ep last night. And Leslie Caron was heartbreaking. She broke into a stride in the last frames of the ep, changing her stance from withdrawn to confident, and I was reminded of how she's a dancer, and how a good one can convey emotion with their body. Very nice.
Now, onto Dani (Danny? I don't know how to spell the character's name), Stabler's new partner, played by Connie Neilsen (I don't know how to spell that, either!). In a nutshell, I like her, but something completely stupid is bugging me- her accent. I first saw her in The Devil's Advocate (cause, you know, I'll PAY to see Keanu), and she didn't have it. I have to remind myself that on a movie set, she probably had/has access to a vocal coach, and the filming's not as fast-pased as episodic television. Anyway, moving on...
I like the way she and Stabler interact, and his behavior reminds me of the way he acted with Olivia in earlier seasons, when she was greener. She's pretty cooler. It's almost the way I felt when Michael Imperioli took over for a little while on The Mothership: I know she's leaving, but I wish she'd stay.
A bit of a spoiler here: I'm not sure how reliable it is, because I read about it awhile ago, but something might happen between her and Stabler. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Thoughts?
So, Premiere Week's over, and I'm definitely satisfied. For me, it's a return of old faithfuls, and one or two new buddies to hang with. A rundown of what I think so far...
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: I watched this because I'm a Steven Weber fan from Wings, not an Aaron Sorkin one. I still can't muster more than an okay for this one, even after two shows. While it's well-acted for the most part (not counting Amanda Peet, who's usually very good, but seriously miscast in this role), there seems to be an underlying feel of the words being pleased with themselves. Perfect answers, perfect witticisms, perfect solutions. Everyone knows exactly what to say. It's a bit of a turnoff, but maybe it'll get better, so I'll give it a few more chances.
Law & Order: SVU: Still one of my favorites, although last season I got quite sick of Benson and Stabler working apart. There's still an episode from last year-- the one about the serial rapist who kidnapped two kids-- that I haven't watched on repeat and probably won't ever. Seems like for dramatic reasons, or maybe more award nominations, TPTB have nearly ruined one of the best partnerships on t.v. It's been a big letdown, Benson's march toward sainthood and Stabler's de-Stablerization, and I hope that after Mariska Hargitay's maternity leave is over things go back to what they were.
Yeah, right.
The premiere episode was pretty good, though, especially with the return of Marcia Gay Harden's FBI agent (if it was the morning after the premiere, I'd remember her name). Hokey accent aside (exactly where is she from? The southern side of Mars?), it's terrific to see a Southern woman who isn't from Steel Magnolias or Deliverance. Good story, good involvement on my part. However, the end was ridiculous-- obviously a way to get Mariska gone for a while, but Benson getting upset that MGH shot the activist dead? Um, the girl was going to blow up the building.
Despite my dislike of how they pretty much try anything to keep Benson and Stabler apart, I am looking forward to Connie Neilson's eps.
America's Next Top Model: I've actually never watched the beginning of any of the seasons. Usually, the girls will watch the marathons on VH1, and I'll get sucked in as I always do (God, I even watched some of that crapfest that is Flavor of Love), but I've never seen the initial girls. All I can say is "Screamy. Whiny. BRATS!" Wow, were we like that when we were 18, 19, 20? Is it cattle mentality? I would beg for a lobotomy if I were stuck there with them.
Now that there are only 12 (I think) left, my nerves will calm and the show will get better. My favorite parts are what ridiculous poses and scenarios they get their pictures made in, and when the girls have to get the hair makeovers. Someone always cries. Boo. Hoo.
My Name is Earl: Jaime Pressly is the shit. 'Nuff said. On her own show, the white trash schtick would be too much, but on this show, it's in perfect doses and she's terrific. They should have handed her the Emmy on a silver platter.
The Office: Now that Deadwood is gone (screw you, HBO!), this is my favorite show. There were a lot of complaints from fans after the season premiere about the show, but I loved it-- it seemed a return to the darker tone of Season One. And we're back to the angst of Jim and Pam, because Jim's transferred and Pam's newly single. That I don't like, because now there are too many characters on the show, as the "documentary crew" have followed Jim to Stamford. I can only hope for downsizing, merging, and then firing.
The main plotline was how Michael, still played wonderfully by Steve Carell, outed Oscar, one of the accountants, and the denouement was cringalicious: in a show of support, Michael kissed Oscar in front of all the employees. This is what I loved: laughing, cringing, at times unable to even look at the t.v. because of Oscar's palpable discomfort, everyone's horror, and Michael's complete oblivousness at how much he embarasses himself.
Oscar thought about quitting and suing, but Corporate gave him a three-month paid vacation and a company car. Best Talking Head Line (from Oscar): "Kids, sometimes it pays to be gay."
Survivor: Too much to say about this show, but the racial divisions (which are laughable in themselves-- seems like the producers think all Hispanics come from Hispaniola, and all Asians come from Asiaville) turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, with the exception of Cao Boi from Vietnam, who's an absolute riot. And Yul is hothothot.
ER: Wow, nice return to form. I don't like that they're grooming John Stamos for leading man status if Goran Visnjic leaves at the end of this season ( I mean, come ON-- John Stamos????), but there was some top-notch acting in this one. Afterward, OD turned to me and said, "Well, GV can act," and yes, I agree... and okay, shutting up now, because I'm just going to start babbling about how gorgeous GV is.
Law & Order: The Mothership: Hmm... new partner, new ADA, and suddenly we got personal stuff on a show that prides itself on keeping that shit at a minimum? Since when did McCoy have a falling out with his daughter? Who the hell's his daughter? And where do they keep getting these ADAs? Harvard School of Law & Beauty?
I'm not sure about the newbie detective, Detective Beauty Queen or Whatever. I'm glad that she's not a know-it-all; she's green (ha! get it? Green!), but this habit of having attributes shoved down our throats is a bit much. Come on-- it's 2006, and most of us are savvy to the ways of introduction. Throw us for a loop and do something new.
I loved Van Buren's hardass approach. Because she's cool and number one and I want to be her when I grow up.
I'm still out on the ADA, too. Like her more than DBQ, but she takes some unusual pauses in her delivery, as if she can't remember her lines. It's annoying. Otherwise, she's okay.
Bet Britney and Federline lurved that storyline, heh.
Coming to your HBO - which I don't have - is "Big Love," the story of a man, his three wives, and their family in Salt Lake City. You can read more about it by following the link.
All I gotta say is, I'd like to see a show with a wife and her three husbands.
Subtitled: "Law & Order Spinoff"
Actually, it doesn't have a subtitle, and I've never watched a full episode of this. But NBC is rerunning this and I'm too curious not to watch. It's got both Arthur Branch and Alex Cabot and is set in New York. Alex returns as the "head" ADA in charge of freshman ADAs.
Last we saw of Alex, she had to go into a witness protection program because the mob was after her. She couldn't even attend her own mother's funeral. My question is: So what is she doing back?!
I didn't see an explanation of this, but frankly, I'm not sure I want to watch this. NBC advertised "Conviction" out the wazoo; by the time it actually premiered, I had no desire to watch it. Besides, Law & Order is interesting because it is L&O. When a show is all about the background stories of the attorneys...well, something seems to be missing.
Some stories are better off untold. Some characters are better off "gone."
There was a lot of AD to digest in those 2 hours, but great! We laughed our heads off at William Hung and His Hung Jury and Judge Reinhold. Franklin the Puppet and various ruses involving the prosecutors were cute. But cuter yet was Michael's infatuation with Mabee, their fake real wedding, and Michael's fake bar mitzvah. Then there were the fake Saddam's and George Sr.'s involvement with the CIA. And how good does Justine Bateman look?! She and Jason look so much alike you just wanted there to be a brother-sister connection on the show, but it's ok...I liked her appearance the way they wrote her in.
AD, I will miss you. If Showtime picks you up, I will see you on DVD! 
,
merserene
I'm not going to comment much on last night's Mothership episode; it was a good one, I was interested, but I'm a little tired of these "antidepressants/Ritalin made me do it" storylines. Time to move on. I did appreciate McCoy's line of "What's next? My inhaler made me do it?"
Heh.
I'm such a bad fan. The people in this house are huge fans of the movie Serial Mom. During the last scene last night, OD walks in and asks, "Isn't that Serial Mom?" I say yes. She sits down and mutters, "Wasn't he her husband?" Oh, hell-- she's right! But I didn't remember til that moment. So, very cool to see Mr. and Mrs. Sutphin back together. 
***
This week's Fear Factor was entitled "Freaks and Geeks". Four couples: two freak, two geek. They really played it up. One guy's pants were so hitched up his armpits were gasping for breath. Geeks can't dress well? One of the lady freaks had her tongue split (both sides could move independently), and her guy had those piercings that stretch out the holes. Argh. That's a little too much for my taste, but hey, you can float your own boat.
The geeks won, whom I was rooting for. Guess geeks can be triathletes as well, which the woman in the couple was.
They must be hurting in the ratings, because they keep thinking up these themed shows. I don't mind the Couples editions, but I wish they'd go back to the original format of six individuals competing for the money.
***
I've watched quite a bit of American Idol this season. I agree with the articles that say the judges have gotten meaner this season. Simon's the same, and Randy, to a degree, but it's Paula that surprises me. She just outright laughs or makes faces, and has offered some less-than-patented-nice comments. It's weird. You could always count on Paula before to at least not make the contestants feel like utter failures.
As usual, they've had the clueless and beyond clueless. I've no doubt for some of them it's just to get camera time, but one thing that always struck me about these contestants is how they lack self-awareness. Or the ones that get pissy when they're not invited to Hollywood. It's not a given, you're not entitled, but yet you still get these people who rant and rave against the judges, talk about what idiots they are and how they're gonna make it regardless (Fame!) when they're cut. Someone needs to teach these folks that bitchiness is never endearing.
Anyway, my favorite contestant is the girl who sang Billie Holiday and The Dixie Chicks in her initial audition. She sang my favorite song by TDC ("Cowboy, Take Me Away", and anyone who isn't moved by that song is dead), and it sounded just as beautiful.
***
I've been watching The Office every week this season. I'm happy and heartened that the show's ratings have gotten better as the year's gone on, and last week I made my mom a fan. My favorite ongoing storyline has been the Jim-and-Pam one, but I thought I'd offer a few of my favorite Michael Scott (Steve Carell) moments.
Tonight's the Valentine episode. Of those moment above, it doesn't mean I loved Michael Scott. In fact, I would have gladly thrown him out the window after how he treated Phyllis during Secret Santa. Really, a little boy throwing a hissy fit isn't as bad. He's still a clueless jerk a lot of the time. It's part of what makes it a terrific show.
Well, it's over: the three-week arc of contestants on Fear Factor's Psycho House edition. It was all right. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the contestants getting hundreds of cockroaches dumped on them. I can't say I'd be any better, but wow, what screaming meemies.
I couldn't stand the young, dumb couple. I try to be nice. I really do (but I'm usually less than successful when it comes to reality shows). But that girl was just so dumb it got aggravating. That, coupled with her growing sense of entitlement, made me crow when they lost the next-to-last stunt.
I'm happy the Southern couple won. Yay for you, 'Bama.
Oh, the best thing were the spiders they had to eat on this ep. I've never seen things like them. Iraqi Camel Spiders, with the biggest mandibles of all spiders. Soldiers tell stories of these spiders crawling into sleeping bags and eating people from the toes up. Um, bogus, methinks. Maybe they'd get a good chomp or two, but with mandibles that big, you'd certainly feel it after one or two bites!
***
Next week is the hair-cutting stunt. I wouldn't do it. Nope. My hair is.... my hair. I suffer from low self-esteem; my hair's one of the few things I feel good about. Take it away and I'm the mopiest gal on the planet. It'd take a helluva lot more money than fifty grand for me to let ANYONE shave my head.
I missed the first 45 minutes of this; hence, I missed Steve Carell's speech, which by all accounts, was one of the highlights of the show. Fortunately, NBC now has it up on their home page. Friggin' hilarious. For those who missed it, here it is, verbatim:
"Wow, I, uh, I really did not expect this so I didn't write anything. However, my wife did and handed me something. Um, I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for this great honor. I would also like to thank my wife, Nancy, for her constant support and for being so beautiful tonight. That's true. Thanks also to Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant for creating such a wonderful, ground breaking piece of television and to Greg Daniels for his talent, courage, and sheer audacity. This is good, thank you. Uh, also to my wife, for giving me two wonderful children as painful as her labor might have been. Thanks also to an excellent cast, crew, and writing staff all of whom I am indebted to. If were not for you, I would not be here right now. (muttering) I don't know about that. Steve Sower, Michelle Bowen, Matt Labog, Holly Berell...Nancy, my precious wife, who put her career on hold in support of mine and who sometimes wishes that I would let her know when I am going to be home late so she can schedule her life which is no less important than mine. To my parents for not making me go to law school. And finally to the love of my life, my wife Nancy. Thank you very much. This is a very great honor."
OD and I absolutely cackled with delight when, after all of Chris Rock's spiel about what Mary Louise Parker was up against, the only non-Desperate Housewife in the Best Actress in a Comedy category, she won! Yeah, the show may be good (I guess; I don't watch), but there's definite overkill in the media about the show.
This year, I didn't mind who won most of the time; very weird from previous years, when I usually get pissed. I'd still love to finally see Johnny Depp win, but I didn't expect him to for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. From everything I've heard, Phillip Seymour Hoffman deserves his award, it was sweet watching Ang Lee's acceptance speech, and OD was totally happy that Hugh Laurie won (and Geena Davis remarked that "Mr. and Mrs. Little won", hee!). I'm sure my mom was, too-- she has a tiny crush on Dr. House. Golden Globes for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were LONG overdue.
My biggest thrill was seeing S. Epatha Merkerson win. Her speech was touching and funny. To be 53 years old and finally get a lead role, then to win multiple awards for it, must be a thrill beyond thrills (thrills much in that sentence?).
Dennis Quaid's remark while introducing the clip to Brokeback Mountain of how it was a film that rhymed with "chick flick" made my jaw drop. NOT funny. Ugh. How unclassy.
Miscellaneous Notes: John Travolta, Pierce's last name is "Brosnan", not "Bronson"; Nicolette Sheridan continues to look like a drag queen; Harrison Ford's turned into a sad old man. That's really sad.
Last: I thank God and kiss the ground that Gwyneth Paltrow and her next Baby Fruit didn't win.
Onto the Oscars...
Just in case the news hasn't spread, the season (series?) finale of AR will be aired on Friday, Februrary 10, 2006, from 8-10 pm EST/PST.
TWO full hours of AR back to back! But really, they could've made some effort to space out the episodes during the normal season. That'd be asking too much.
Have we heard if other networks have picked up AR?
This week, on my TV -
(SPOILERS ahead. Proceed at your own risk.)
SVU: "Blast"
Interesting approach to let Tamara Tunie, who plays the M.E., Melanie Warner, to be one of the leads. She's been made a regular this season and appears in the credits; it would seem appropriate to give her character a bit more depth. She's paired up with Elliot this week while Olivia is practically out of the picture. We learn that she's served in the Gulf War, knows how to handle a gun, and has a daughter who still needs to be picked up from school. Aside from that, she is a doctor (not just your regular M.E.s) and very much cares about the people who are living.
Tunie turned in a very nice performance but this is one of those things that work because it happens so rarely - it wouldn't work if the writers repeatedly have her step into the cop role.
Squeamish moment: When Melanie had to jab the Bic pen barrel into the father's collapsed lung to save his life.
L&O: "Family Friend"
Ah yes, the mob again. After 15 seasons, you'd think criminals would learn that associating with the mob gives you a one way ticket to jail or death? The twist in this one is that the wife knew about the husband's involvement and had asked the family friend, who is a cop, to take the law upon his hands and kill the perp.
I swear, for the longest time I thought the cop was a member of the mob because 1. I wasn't paying attention and 2. he looked like he belonged in the mob.
Smart move moment: The wife asking for full immunity for her testifying against the family friend.
"Doh!" moment: When Jack finds out that it was the wife who was originally responsible for having the perp killed.
Conflicted moment: That the family friend would suddenly testify to "coming clean" about tainting evidence and framing people, just to blackmail the DA's office into letting him go free. At the end of the episode, we hear from Alexandra that dozens of attorneys have filed new motions to reopen their clients' cases based on the dirty cop's false confession on the stand. Should Jack have let the cop go in order not to re-prosecute 40+ criminals? Is it justice for justice's sake at the expense of all else? Tough question to think about.
Lost: "The 23rd Psalm"
Here we had the backstory of Mr. Eko, my favorite new/Tailie character. Much mystery has built up around him and they were finally answered.
We learned that he was a top warlord in Nigeria, who came to his fate not of his own choosing but due long-standing violence in his country: As a child, he sacrificed himself to save his brother and ends up getting involved with the rebels who kill innocent people and kidnap children. His younger brother had a chance to become a priest and to lead a somewhat normal life. Eko's last encounter with his brother involved twisting his brother's arm to "ordain" him as a priest so he can fly a plane smuggling heroin in Virgin Mary statutes out of Nigeria. At the last minute, his brother pleads with him not to go on that plane. The military shows up, kills his brother, while Eko's partner kicks Eko out of the plane and flies it away, with the brother's body inside.
The plane? Apparently downed and ended up on the island, with the hundred of Virgin Mary statutes con heroin found by Locke and Boone. The pilot of the plane? Dead, after an unsuccessful attempt to parachute out of it. Eko? Never went on the plane and life saved. And as the ending showed us, his soul was saved as well, as he finally answered Charlie's question of whether he was a priest or not by putting on his brother's cross and recited Psalm 23.
Nice writing: Brotherly parallels between Eko/his brother, Charlie/his brother Liam, and Moses/his brother Aaron. Biblical references abound.
"WTF?" moment: The black smoke, a.k.a. the Monster, that revealed itself to Eko. Tons of theories are flying around on what that thing actually is. The most plausible (to me), especially if the writers have claimed the explanation is "rational" (highlight to read): The monster is either made up of nanobots, or some sort of iron dust that operate in a weird fashion due to the strong magnetic fields of the island.
Tearjerker moments: When Eko cradled his dead brother's body, and when he set the plane on fire as a funeral pyre to his brother while reciting Psalm 23.
One of my favorite episodes and one of the top back stories, right up there with Sawyer's and Locke's.
SOBs, indeed. FOX, that is, though it stands for "Save Our Bluths." Leave it to AR for some double entendre!
It was funny, as usual; clever, too, in the episode's hidden agenda - how 'bout pimping itself to audiences and asking HBO and Showtime to pick up the show? (Though I thought ABC was also interested, but don't recall any references to that.) Physical comedy-wise, not as funny ha ha as other episodes, but then again, I've just introduced the episode to my dad and had to explain certain things. To my surprise, he liked it.
Oh wait, I remember now - Andy Richter and his quads (as well as a "stunt double") was on. So was what's his name with the glasses. George-Michael remains adorable in his efforts to be near Maeby. Poor kid, though; finally confessed that he loves Maeby but Michael was totally oblivious!
I like that FOX has been airing old episodes of AR right afterwards, though Kitchen Confidential, which used to come after AR before it was cancelled, was pretty cute.
3 episodes left!
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