Fall TV 2011 - Returning "Favorites"

Just in time for premieres starting this week, let's talk about returning TV shows now -

Parenthood
Returns: September 13 at 10 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: I love the Bravermans! They are probably my favorite TV family. And Jason Ritter is back where he belongs after leaving to be on the failed dumb show The Event.

America's Next Top Model
Returns: September 14 at 9 PM on The CW
Why I’m still watching: It's All-Stars time! Transgendered Isis, drunk Lisa, Angelea "From The Block", sweet Laura and other bitches are back for more fighting and runway stomping. I still hate Tyra Banks with every fiber of my being, but damn if she can't produce an addictive show.

The Sing-Off
Returns: September 19 at 8 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: Nicole Scherzinger left for The X Factor and singer Sara Barielles has joined the judges panel instead, which should be a good thing because this show already has the good fortune of having the best reality competition judging on television. They're getting a major upgrade from short end-of-the-year filler to a full-on series but I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not - we'll see. Still, an acapella show choir competition? YES!!!!

How I Met Your Mother
Returns: September 19 at 8 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: Marshall and Lily's baby will arrive sometime during the season which may or may not ruin things; we presumably find out more about Barney's wedding; maybe we'll finally get an answer to who the fucking mother is?!! Not likely and even though I increasingly HATE Ted, I do still love Marshall and Lily and would happily watch a show that was just about them.

Hawaii Five-0
Returns: September 19 at 10 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: Terry O'Quinn is joining the cast! And from the commercials, it's obvious that McGarrett will get off the hook for the governor's murder. This show is like the television equivalent of rice krispy treats. Utterly uncomplicated and nicely tasty.

Glee
Returns: September 20 at 8 PM on Fox
Why I’m still watching: I'm one of the few folks out there seemingly (especially above the age of 30) that still finds this show delightful. Sure it has its hits and misses but generally it's one of the most enjoyable parts of my tv watching week. I seriously don't understand some of the criticism it takes. Anyway, I was really sad and a little annoyed to hear that Chord Overstreet wasn't coming back; not because I was particularly enamored with Trouty Mouth, but because his leaving means that we won't get a continued love story between him and Mercedes, which would have been a brave subject for this show to tackle. But I am excited to see how the writers deal with Kurt, Finn and Rachel's senior year. And since I didn't watch The Glee Project I'm interested to see how those kids are written in as well.

Raising Hope
Returns: September 20 at 9:30 PM on Fox
Why I’m still watching: Probably my favorite new show from last year. LOVE Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt as the funniest grandparents on tv.

Modern Family
Returns: September 21 at 9 PM on ABC
Why I’m still watching: If the Parenthood peeps are my favorite family on a TV drama, the Pritchett-Dunphy clan are my faves in the Comedy category. Love.

Happy Endings
Returns: September 21 at 9:30 PM on ABC
Why I’m still watching: It felt like I was one of the few people out there who caught this mid-season replacement show this past spring. I didn't want to like it but kind of ended up loving it by the end of its run. I thought for sure that ABC would've canceled it, but instead they brought it back for a new full season. ABC is weird you guys.

Law & Order: SVU
Returns: September 21 at 10 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: Christopher Meloni has left :-(, Mariska Hargitay is supposedly cutting back her amount of eps, and they've added a few new detectives that aren't Munch and Ice-T. Not to mention the fact that I'm still smarting over the loss of L&O:LA and Corey Stoll's beautiful moustache. So why am I still looking forward to this show? BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY ONE LEFT DAMMIT!!! I can't live on L&O reruns alone. Sigh...

Parks & Recreation
Returns: September 22 at 8:30 PM on NBC
Why I’m still watching: The more important question is - Why aren't YOU watching this phenomenal show?! The amount of friends that I have that refuse to watch the funniest show on television really upsets me. Yes, it was weak when it first started (3 fucking years ago); it's improved to surpass any other comedy on tv in terms of laughs, timing, acting, and writing. Get with the fucking program people.
This season we will meet Tammy 1 and Ron Swanson's mother. God help us.

Grey's Anatomy
Returns: September 15 at 9 PM on ABC (Note: a lot of web sites list the premiere date as 9/22 but I trust my Tivo)
Why I’m still watching: Because. I'm invested in these dumb gits at this point. And because I still think Justin Chambers and Eric Dane and their respective characters, Dr. Alex Karev and Dr. Mark Sloan, are effin' hot. And because I still find it amusing as a Seattle resident to see the outside location shots and where they supposedly have scenes taking place - Bainbridge Island is NOT West Seattle. And because it's one of the only things left that my dad and I can have conversations about without me wanting to murder him.

CSI: New York/CSI: Original Recipe aka Las Vegas
Returns: September 22 and 23 at 9 PM on CBS
Why I’m still watching: For the past several years NY has been the only part of the franchise that I've consistently watched so I feel sort of loyal. NY is coming back for an abbreviated season, and the premiere is supposedly going to tackle/pay tribute to 9/11 which might be maudlin and annoying or could be great. Las Vegas has Ted Danson taking over the lead reins from Laurence Fishburne which might be really cool so I'm going to at least watch the first couple of eps, at least until Jorja Fox annoys me too much (which might be within the initial 10 minutes).

Gossip Girl
Returns: September 26 at 8 PM on The CW
Why I’m still watching: I love these stupid, privileged wankers. Especially now that Jenny Humphreys and Vanessa Abrams are out of the damn picture.

Hung
Returns: October 2 at 10 PM on HBO
Why I’m still watching: The continuing struggles of part-time prostitute Ray are always fun to watch. Plus supposedly this season we're getting the full frontal male nudity that we've all(?) been clamoring for.

Dexter
Returns: October 2 at 9 PM on Showtime
Why I’m still watching: I'm not going to lie, last season (5) was kind of a let down for me. It was good, but coming after the incredible 4th season it just didn't hold up. But for season 6 they've moved the show a little into the future, about a year, and I think that will shake things up in a nice way. Edward James Olmos, Mos Def and Colin Hanks will be guest starring this time around. Can't wait.

Dreamy!

My response to the screencap picture above and last night as it aired on television? SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

I have had serious reservations all season regarding Blaine and Kurt's burgeoning relationship. I loved the introduction of the Dalton Academy Warblers and Blaine, and particularly the addition of Darren Criss to the acting ensemble; he's a great little actor along with having an amazing voice and face. I held my breath as they showed Kurt falling in love with Blaine and worried that the only reason they introduced his character was to give Kurt a mate. But then the writers seemed to steer things in a good direction with Kurt and Blaine developing a friendship and not immediately falling into a romantic relationship. I liked last week's episode with Blaine going to Mr. Hummell and the subsequent Hummell Father/Son sex and relationship talk. I even liked the episode a few weeks back where Kurt was hurt when Blaine professed his crush on that weird Gap employee and actually revealed his feelings to Blaine, and how it didn't affect their friendship. I thought that was fairly realistic concerning something that would happen with teens in real life. I was firmly on the side of Blaine and Kurt not being a couple, at least not yet.
But a tv show is a tv show and I knew that eventually this season we would have Kurt and Blaine romantically involved for better or for worse. So last night - IT HAPPENED. Kurt and Blaine kissed.

Early in last night's episode, little Pavarotti, the Dalton Academy canary that Kurt was taking care of died suddenly. Kurt eulogizes the bird with the other Dalton boys by singing the Beatles song "Blackbird" and in that scene you see Blaine having an epiphany and coming to the realization that he loves Kurt. It was a beautiful scene. Darren Criss has such gorgeous, emoting features; when the camera slowly pans across Blaine's loving, enraptured face it was really moving.

Later, Blaine confessed his feelings to Kurt and then the momentous kiss happened. And it was kind of perfect. It wasn't too twee, or too overtly sexy. It wasn't tame, nor was it vulgar. In a word, it was HOT. And sweet. And lovely.

So good job Glee. But my happiness over last night doesn't mean that I'm not still concerned or cynical about where/how you're going to take this relationship. Last night's climatic lip-lock and Blaine's love revelation seemed a little rushed, so I'm once again withholding judgment until I see how it all plays out through the rest of this season. But if it means that I get more Darren Criss on my screen then I'm all for it. He is so damn cute.

.

TV Things and things

Glee -

I really enjoyed the Sectionals episode this season. Even the cop-out of having New Directions and The Warblers tie in the end. I especially loved getting to see the spotlight on a few of the other kids - Santana rules! I've loved this second season of Glee, all the haters can suck it. And my love affair with Darren Criss continues. Sigh...Blaine is dreamy.



Top Chef: All Stars -
Premieres tonight! I can't wait. And except for Elia and Jamie (who I wish were replaced by Kevin and Stefan), I am really excited about all of the contestants for this season. There are so many of my faves here that I really don't care who wins (but would be over the moon if Carla or Richard Blaise took the prize)

America's Next Top Model - The finale is tonight. I've really come to HATE Ann but I fear that she will win tonight. I didn't think that it would come down to her and Chelsea; I really wanted Kayla to be in the top two. But it's been a fun season; and I haven't hated Tyra Banks nearly as much as I usually do.

Gossip Girl - I'm this close to being oVAh this show. Can Juliet please die now? This revenge storyline is getting old.

Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills - I've had a Tivo break-up with the Atlanta ladies. Even with the slightly interesting Nene storyline developing, I feel my soul dying each minute I waste with them.
But Beverly Hills! I love love love these ladies. Camille Grammer is a total nut-job but so fun to watch her delusional confessionals.

The Fashion Show - Shut up David and Dominique! The challenge this week was do a time capsule outfit. That had to incorporate plaid in some way because Iman loves plaid. It was very strange, and resulted in my sweet Ro Ro being eliminated but I'm still living for the second season of this show. Iman and Isaac Mizrahi continue to be awesome.

Damn you Ryan Murphy! - Glee Season 2 Episode 6

For making me LOVE a gawddam Katy Perry song! I watched the "Teenage Dream" performance on tonight's episode of Glee about 23 times in a row. And how 'bout that Darren Criss kid? He charmed the pants off of me as Blaine. He's adorable!



Keep it up Murphy & Co.

Edited to add - Everyone should go read Tom and Lorenzo's recap of this episode. It made me cry. At 9:30 AM. At work.

TV Week in Review Oct. 25 - 29

Some thoughts on this week's addictions -

Project Runway: Everyone's already ranted and complained about the finale outcome on the interwebs, so the less said from me the better. I'll only add another WTF?! to the thousands exclaimed last night. Mondo was robbed.

Sound of Music cast on Oprah: The entire cast was reunited for the first time in 45 years. It was an amazing episode despite the fact that I wanted to jump through the screen and back in time to throttle Oprah Winfrey. Seriously, why is she so damn annoying?! Also, Christopher Plummer is the hottest 80 year-old ever and I would still run away with him to be his sex slave in a minute.

RW/RR The Challenge: Cutthroat - All you really need to know is that this week's Gulag challenge involved slapping the shit out of your opponent with a fly swatter while holding up a 20lb bucket. And that before the nature of the challenge was revealed, all of the cast were wildly speculating about what it would involve. Some of the best ideas about what the challenge would be about? Brandon's suggestion that the guys would have a dualing "boners" contest and see who would kiss each other first, Brad's overly serious (duh!)insistence that it would involve FIRE, and Danimal's idea that the contestants might get water-boarded. If only. The red team won again so Brandon was safe another week. My Johnny Bananas hair hatred continues unabated. And I still want to find that Czech bar patron who punched Johnny and buy him a beer. And maybe pay him to kick Bananas in the nuts. God, I can't wait for CT to get to Prague and maybe kick some of these people's asses.

Glee - This Rocky Horror episode could've been so much worse. I think that's why, once again, I'm in the minority of those who enjoyed it. I had really low expectations that were succeeded. And hello, I got my wish to see my boyfriend John Stamos sing on the show. And Matthew Morrison and Chord Overstreet were shirtless so there's that.

TV week in review - Early October 2010

Thoughts on TV this week...

Showtime Shows:
Dexter - Wow, season 5 has really started out strong. Considering season 4 kicked all sorts of ass and there's pretty much no way to live up to it, they're doing an admirable job so far. You can't even tell that much that Michael Hall is wearing a hair piece (because he was undergoing cancer treatment for most of this season's shoot). But seriously, Hall and his real-life wife Jennifer Carpenter who plays his on-screen sister Deb, have been acting the HELL out of the writing they've been given. They both deserve Emmys this year, no question. I'm not even minding nosy ol' Quinn who is bound and determined to fuck Dexter up in some way. I'm intrigued to see how this season's story lines all play out. And hee hee, every time they show Dexter carrying Harrison in his little car seat to all of these weird places to do his forensic dirty work, I get a big kick out of it. Dexter is still the sexiest killer on television.

The Big C - My appreciation for this show has been growing steadily since it started in August. Right from the beginning I loved Phyllis Somerville's Marlene and the great John Benjamin Hickey as Sean, but it took awhile for me to warm up to Laura Linney and the rest of the cast, as well as the story. But after the last two episodes I've really learned to love this new series. Could it be hot hot Idris Elba as Lenny that's making me feel this way? Could be. As we near the end of this first season, I'm hoping for a second one.

Modern Family: I saved up the first 3 eps of this second season so that I could enjoy a nice amount of quality time with my favorite TV family. The show is definitely proving that they deserved that Best Comedy Emmy. I didn't think it was possible to love Phil Dunphy or Cam Tucker (or the actors that portray them, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet) any more than I did in the first season but I was wrong. And I loved the way the writers chose to handle the (TOTALLY STUPID and IRRITATING) brouhaha that's been swirling for the past year over the fact that Cam and Mitchell never kiss on the show.

Cougar Town: First, I love that the producers/writers are totally in on the joke, and have been making fun of the increasingly ridiculous title of this show in their credits each week. Nicely done! So far this show isn't having the sophomore slump that I predicted, which is such a pleasant surprise.

I was sad to hear this week about Courtney and David's marriage split; they seemed like good partners.

Glee: The past few weeks I've read a lot of negative reviews and hateful comments over this second season of Glee. As usual I totally don't understand why people take this show so seriously and can't appreciate it for what it is. Anyway, even the most critical watchers have been saying good things about last night's "Duets" episode. From the snarky mention of Grease 2, to the fantabulous Mercedes/Santana performance of "River Deep, Mountain High", the hilarious way that all of the kids were SO into the fictional Breadsticks restaurant, to the amazing duet between Rachel (Babs) and Kurt (Judy) of the classic "Happy Days/Get Happy", this episode was really excellent.

"The Challenge" aka Real World/Road Rules Challenge aka Freaks on Parade:

Tivo didn't want me to watch this newest season of my favorite televised crack addiction. Even though I shamefully have several different "wishlist" season pass ticklers for this craptastic show, Bunim/Murray have evidently fiddled around with the title so much that my little dvr isn't catching on (it's apparently called The Challenge:Cutthroat this season). So it was with surprise that I was randomly switching channels last Wednesday night and came upon TJ Lavin's stoned mug and immediately squealed "NEW CHALLENGE SEASON!", waking up the dog and cat on my lap and almost dumping an entire mug of tea on myself. I quickly set the dvr to record the 11pm rerun and booted up the lap top to see which drunken losers contestants are gracing this season. I am excited about Abram and Bananas (but not about their unfortunate heads of hair), but was appalled to see Fresh Meat II's Theresa and Laurel back. And contrary to many people, I kind of miss my pasty Canuck Evan and my boyfriend Kenny.

Low Resolution's Joe had a wonderful discussion about this show with the two Sarahs that needs to be shared with all who love this stupid thing.

TV and Movie Week in Review

Movies:

The Social Network - I LOVED this movie that tells the story of how Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg came to create and expand the social networking site Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg continues to impress with his mad acting skillz. The film also gave me a nice look at newcomers Andrew Garfield and Rooney Mara who are getting so much press right now for their future star projects, the revamped Spiderman and the remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, respectively. And can we talk about Armie Hammer for a minute please? He did double-duty (with body help from Josh Spence) to play both Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, who sued Zuckerberg in 2006 for supposedly stealing their Facebook idea. Hammer did a great job portraying both twins, and got to deliver some of the best Aaron Sorkin penned one-liners in the movie. The line about being the Karate Kid villain is a classic. And I truly believed that I was watching twin actors in the roles -  that was some spectactular CGI magic there Fincher.  side note: I've actually met the real Winklevoss twins (through rowing association functions), and let me tell you, they're not as cute as Hammer.

This film deserves all of the good buzz that it's been getting from the critics and fans. Even if it does mean that we're robbed of another album from Justin Timberlake in the near future because of his focus on acting.

Television:

Glee's "Britney/Britanny" episode -
I may be one of the few people over 30 who loved this episode but I don't care. Was it nothing more than a thinly threaded series of amazing music videos? No it wasn't. Do I care one iota? No, I do not. The only thing I was disappointed in was that John Stamos didn't sing or dance. I am hoping that this is corrected in coming episodes. Also, before seeing/hearing Heather Morris and Naya Rivera's version of the song "Me Against The Music" I absolutely hated that song. But their version has been playing on a continuos loop on my iPod all week; Naya and Heather BLOW Britney and Madonna out of the water in all aspects both singing and dancing. Madonna and Brit also didn't have Mark Kanemura (SYTYCD alum) in their video, which is another failure on their part. hubba hubba

Cougar Town -
Finally caught up on the first 2 eps of the second season. The show continues to bring the funny; despite unevenness from some of the guest stars (I'm perplexed that Jennifer Aniston got such good reviews from the critics for her turn as Jules' therapist). And Christa Miller and Ian Gomez are still awesome as my favorite married couple on tv.
Grey's Anatomy -
Another meh episode for me but I think we are headed for some stellar work in the coming weeks from Sandra Oh as Christina Yang continues to fall apart after the gunman ordeal last season.

Television Revisited - For the love of Glee's "Acafellas"

Summer hiatus television. A lot of silly new shows, returning cable favorites, and a chance for the networks to run repeats of their hit shows' past season. Fox is rerunning Glee from the beginning throughout the summer and this week's episode was the infamous "Acafellas". Now if you ask most fans, and definitely most detractors of Glee, to name one episode that they hated, many would name this one. "Acafellas" was the episode that caused no less than 4 of my friends to stop watching Glee altogether, even though it was only the 3rd episode into the series.

The chief complaints included: the story arc strayed away from the kids and focused too much on Mr. Schuester and tertiary characters that we never see; it didn't make sense for Schue to want to give up on the glee club so quickly; the confidence "lesson" theme; Mercedes not understanding that Kurt is gay was totally unbelievable and seemed to contradict previous eps; the dumb show choir choreographer Dakota; the Acafellas music was lame...and while I agree that there were some flaws to this ep, I've never understood why people didn't like it.
I love it! Here are some reasons why:

• The other name options for the acapella hip hop group were "Crescendudes" and "Testostertones". Hee hee
• Victor Garber was introduced as Will's dad. And sure, he hasn't been back but just knowing that there's a possibility that I'll get to see Garber and Morrison singing a duet someday is enough.
• Other cameos included Tony award winner John Lloyd Young as returning shop teacher Henri and Josh Groban as himself giving us a small hint at the brilliance he'd show later in the season finale.
• This was the first episode to really introduce the fantasy element to Glee; with performances turning into dream sequences and where the audience gets to be inside the heads of the characters. People have come to love, or at least "get" this element of the show now, but I think it was hard to adjust to it when it was first introduced.
• We got to fully know and fall in love with MILF-lover Noah "Puck" Puckerman.
• Anytime we get to see Sheets n Things employee Howard is always a good thing, especially when people are yelling lines at him like - "Who is Josh Groban?!! Kill yourself!"
• THE MUSIC IS AWESOME. Maybe it's because all of that early cheesy hip hop came on to the scene when I was in college, hearing Bel Biv Devoe, Montel Jordan, and Color Me Badd (especially song acapella) just brings a smile to my face. 

Glee Season 1 finale

Sigh...well it's over. And even though I have the summer reruns to keep me company, I'll still have a gaping hole because my Tuesday nights won't have Glee to fill it.





I am a big fan of this show, but I’ll be the first to admit that this first season has been wildly erratic with transcendent highs (anything with Burt Hummel loving his gay son, Gaga, Madonna, Groff/Menzel) and painful lows (most of the “lesson” episodes, Matthew Morrison “rapping”). I’ve had to defend Glee on more than one occasion and I hope that Ryan Murphy and the writers take this time off to really tap into the show’s potential greatness, and not let it become a cliché of itself.


Here are some things that have been on my mind for the past 14 hours regarding last night's finale:

1. Journey super-fan that I am, I really enjoyed the medley of songs that the McKinley kids performed at regionals. Including the always awesome fave "Lovin', Touchin', & Squeezin', and an expanded version of "Don't Stop Believing" that had new solos added for Santana and Puck.

2. The fact that Josh Groban and my beloved Olivia Newton John awesomely and fearlessly acted like total conceited assholes for the joke, and really brought the funny as they played "themselves". Brilliant.

3. Johnathan Groff. And that "Bohemian Rhapsody" performance. First, I think it's kind of great that the writers actually chose to show Vocal Adrenaline performing the full piece (has this show ever had a full song performed on air?); and the way it was juxtaposed with Quinn giving birth was totally crazy and totally worked! And seriously Groff? So damn hot.
4. TV/Movie pet peeve - "newborns" are played by baby actors who are like a year old. I get it but good lord the baby they had playing Beth was GIGANTIC.

5. Shelby's adoption of baby Beth was perhaps the fastest and easiest adoption OF ALL TIME. Even by fake tv standards. I mean I get why they did it for story purposes, but it would've been nice if we'd seen Shelby talk about adopting or had any inkling of this desire prior to the last 10 minutes of this finale.
6. The AMAZEballs rendition of "To Sir With Love" that the New Directions kids did for Mr. Schue. That song gets me every. damn. time. Oh, and Matt and Mike got lines!
7. Dialogue goodness from one Sue Sylvester:

"It looks like a briar patch. I expect racist animated Disney characters to pop out up and start singing songs about livin' on the bayou."

"From Fort Wayne, Indiana, the not at all stupidly named Aural Intensity!"

"I spent large segments of each day picturing you choking on food, and I recently contacted an exotic animal dealer because I had a very satisfying dream that I once shoved your face into one of those pink-inflamed monkey butts."

10 Things I LOVED about the Glee "Dream On" episode

1. The episode was a reunion of Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris. They make magic together!

2. That in an episode where the centered on 3 plots, the B plot (well technically the "C" plot) was all about Artie and his dream of dancing.

3. Artie's dream sequence at the mall where he performs "Safety Dance" and the whole thing was filmed and done flash-mob style to brilliant effect!

4. Idina Menzel is Rachel's mom!! Fans wanted it from the beginning but Ryan Murphy had said it wasn't happening. Tricky tricky man.

5. But oh, how sweet it was to hear Idina and Lea's duet of "I Dreamed A Dream". Seriously, SUCK IT Susan Boyle!

6.Wet Jonathan Groff. That scene between Jesse and Shelby in the car probably had some great dialogue that was important to the story but I was totally distracted by the HOTNESS that is Groff in a wet t-shirt.

7. "Dream On" duet between Schue and Bryan Ryan. Awesome, over-the-top, amazing falsettos, all while running around a half-finished Les Miz set. Genius.

8. The chemistry, both comic and sexual, between Neil Patrick Harris and Jane Lynch.

9. The "Dream A Little Dream" performance by Artie, with Tina and Mike (!) tap dancing.

10. The small touch that Quinn gives Artie's shoulder during the performance. Totally heartbreaking.

Also, check out Tom and Lorenzo's thoughts on the episode. They've captured exactly how I was feeling as I was watching the episode; absolutely my favorite of the season.

Things and more things - cute boys edition

I love Heather and Jessica over at Go Fug Yourself - seriously two of the funniest ladies around, dishing about celebrities and their bad fashion choices. I laughed out loud for a good 10 minutes after reading their blurb about Penn Badgley and Matthew Morrison at the Met Ball. Enjoy!

Someone I've been obsessed with this week (and last week, and the week before that, truth be told) is actor, singer, musician, teen heartthrob Asher Book.

Seriously this kid! He first came to my attention in the horrid Fame remake that came out in 2009. The kid has a BEAUTIFUL voice, but his acting skills left a lot to be desired in that dreck of a film. But that must have been the result of the bad writing for that movie because now Asher's on NBC's Parenthood, as recurring character Steve and over the past few weeks he's been kind of a revelation on that show for me. Book manages to make the 17 yr old Steve smarmy, charming, smart-alecky, intelligent, geeky, cool, vulnerable - all at the same time.  And I really love where they're going with his storyline, setting up a love triangle between Steve, Haddie, and Amber - I can't wait to see more.
I've been listening to a bunch of Asher Book's tracks from the "Fame 2009" soundtrack this week and I'm again reminded how incredible this kid's voice is. I kind of love the fact that so far the producers of Parenthood have chosen not to capitalize or showcase his musical talent on the show at all. It lets him show his range.
But heads up Ryan Murphy! I implore you to hire Asher Book IMMEDIATELY as a guest star on Glee for the upcoming season. Book already has an "in" with the show because one of his best friends is Kevin Mchale (Artie). Maybe Asher can be brought on as a new love interest for Quinn or Ttttina or as the heir apparent for the lead in rival club Vocal Adrenaline's troupe after Jonathan Groff's Jesse St. James graduates. I'm just saying. You're missing out on a great opportunity here.

Catching up

I've been so damn busy this week practicing and preparing for our Christmas show this Saturday that I really haven't had a chance to breath, much less watch television or read. Basically I've been getting home close to midnight and trying to fit in a little Tivo or reading before collapsing into a deep sleep each night this week.

So although I know that most of the items in this post have already been discussed or dissected, I'm still going to share my opinion with y'all. Here's what's on my mind this week.

Movie news:

You know I love anything Jane Austen, even shitty movie adaptions or poorly written Austen sequels/adaptations. And now there's news that Natalie Portman will star in the upcoming film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's mash-up of Austen's Pride & Prejudice and Zombies. I'm okay with this choice, actually even sort of excited about it.

I'm not excited about Avatar; and you can't make me be.

TV:

SYTYCD eliminating down to the 6 in the finale - Although Ashleigh totally deserved to go (hey America, remember we talked about this shit?!), I was okay with Mollee leaving us this week. What I wasn't okay with? The fact that Legacy went home before Ryan or even Russell totally bugs me. Sigh...well I'll see him on tour at least.

This week in reality television competition finales - I was truly happy with the Amazing Race and Top Chef finalists. And ultimately satisfied with Meghan and Cheyne winning the 15th season of TAR, although I was hoping for Bryan and Ericka to eek out 2nd place ahead of the gay brothers.

On Top Chef however, I think the wrong Voltaggio brother won. Bryan clearly won 2 out of the 4 courses and split the judges on the other two. But Michael still won?! Was it because he takes more "risk"? **eyeroll** Who cares? I hope Bryan at least is consoled that he's the nicer, more competent brother.

On the RW/RR Challenge I was happy to see the Champions win only because it meant that Susie got the most money which she totally deserved for having to put up with Johnny Bananas dumb ass. My former boyfriend Kenny and Evan didn't deserve shit though. It still totally pisses me off that neither of those douches ever went into the Ruins and pretty much controlled everything from the get-go. At least Derrick was able to take some money home to feed his kid, because God knows he's too dumb to earn money any other damn way. And as much as I hate Kellyanne's crazy ass, or Sarah's crying desperate one, they really did awesome in the final challenge and nearly snatched the win right out of the Champs hands. Oh how I would've loved to have seen Kenny and Bananas faces if that had happen, but Susie would've been ripped apart which wouldn't have been good. But seriously this show is my crack. And where else would you be able to see grown "straight" men throwing golf balls at each other's bare assess and pouring hot wax on their bodies? For no apparent reason, other than to pump each other up for the competition? Excellent.

Glee autumn finale - I'm still in denial about this gem not being back on the air until fucking April but at least I have the latest volume of music to comfort me a little.
And the knowledge that the first part of this season will be on DVD the end of this month. I'll definitely be rewatching these episodes over the winter.
I really liked that they revealed Terri's fake pregnancy and the fact that Finn isn't the baby-daddy before the end of this mini-season. I'm looking forward to seeing how the "Road to Regionals" goes come April. Especially since Jonathan Groff will be joining the cast as the leader of rival group Vocal Adrenaline. Yay!

Things I'm thankful for

Hope everyone had a glorious Thanksgiving. Mine was excellent; filled with good times with great friends eating amazing food that we prepared.
As I sit here in the world's most boring telephone conference meeting, I've been reflecting on other things that I'm grateful for besides the great friends in my life, and naturally for me that turns to television shows. Yes, I love tv that much.

So, what's on my thankful for list this season?

• Having 2 DVRs: Wednesday nights alone have been saved by my Tivo and Ti-faux. I can't imagine what I would've missed out on if I hadn't been able to enjoy the delights of Modern Family and Cougar Town; because they're opposite my beloved Glee and sadly if I'd had to choose what to record on Wednesday nights at 9, Glee would've won. Thankfully, there's been no need for that type of "Sophie's choice". I've been able to laugh with Courtney Cox again, and to fall in love with the crazy awesome family made up of Jay & Gloria, Phil & Claire, Mitchell & Cameron, and all of the kids on Modern Family.
  
• Cameron from Modern Family - okay, Cameron may be my favorite character on tv right now. Seriously, you know I'm in love if the image of Cam as Fizbo the (classicly trained Auguste [hee!]) clown doesn't terrify me but instead fills my heart with joy and laughter. Eric Stonestreet is brilliant as this loveable gay dad. And Stonestreet in real life is single and straight! (Hey Eric, call me - I want to have a million laughing tubby babies with you!)


• Glee - I've already praised this show here numerous times and defended it to my friends that don't get its appeal (Todd, I'm looking at you). But right now I want to discuss the show's flaws. This might not make sense in a list about things that I'm thankful for, but you see, if I can love a show that has stupid fake pregnancy plots, continually hammers me over the head with "very special moment" messages that can be a little condescending to say the least, hasn't yet figured out how to do character development for some of their best players, and generally overuses the auto-tune for the musical performances even though they are blessed with a bevy of Broadway and other music talent that don't need it? You know that this show is outstanding and worthy of all of its hype and attention. All of the stupid baby-stealing and teen love plots in the world won't make me quit you Glee. Especially when you consistently make me smile (Don't Stop Believin', Somebody To Love, all of the mash-ups) and cry ("Lean on Me", "Imagine", I'll Stand By You"). Keep on keepin' on Glee!

Dear Journal...

"Feeling listless again today..."

Oh Sue, don't let the "bi-curious machinations of a cabal of doughy misshapened teens" get you down.

TV Round-up for Wednesday, September 30

Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins -
A few words from returning champion Wes on why he decided to come back for another Challenge: "I saw the opportunity to be with two of the most important girls that have ever been in my life [Johanna, Kellyann]; to be there with someone I'd consider a hated enemy [Kenny]; to be there with other ex-boyfriends of my girls [Cohutta, the aforementioned Kenny, etc.]; to me was just too hard to pass up." This guy is a NUT JOB. Welcome back Wes! It's also good to see my boy Kenny, Bananas, sad Brad, crazy Katie, daddy Derrick, and 'roidy Evan. Even self-righteous annoying Evelyn made me smile. And Chet! It's an embarrassment of riches really.
But seriously when Derrick and Cohutta are consistently the voices of reason during the first hour you know something is messed up. Is it weird that I don't actually know where the Challenge is taking place? Thailand? Mexico? Fiji? Mars?

Glee -
I loved EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE. Tonight's episode was made of WIN! First were the awesome performance numbers; Fox has been teasing us for months with tiny seconds of "Somebody To Love", but getting to see the full piece was so much better than I could hope for. And gawd, I couldn't love Kristin Chenoweth anymore if you paid me. Her comedic timing is amazing. Oh and her Sally Bowles! Kurt Hummel and I shared a tear watching her sing "Maybe This Time". And her duet with Matthew Morrison on Heart's "Alone" is quickly going to become the most played song on my iPod. A keeper all-around.

Modern Family/Cougar Town -
Last week wasn't a fluke. Both of these new ABC shows had good second episodes. Keep up the good work guys.