Say "Hi" to my Mom...

My mother had a special friendship with Russell Means in the early 1970s, working with the American Indian Movement (AIM). I know they're having one hell of a beautiful reunion up in heaven.

Fall 2012 TV Season Review & Round-up

So far, this has been one of the most promising and satisfying autumns in years. Coming off a fairly good late summer crop of shows, almost all of the fall tv premieres that I've seen have been great; further feeding my television-obsessed brain.

But before we talk about the Good Things, let's get the bad stuff out of the way first.

New shows that I'm not impressed with:

• Revolution - In theory and on paper, everything about this show should appeal to me. At the top of that list is JJ Abrams; have I ever not loved anything he's had a hand in? It's about a dystopian future with a kick-ass young girl, which is the kind of shit I eat up; it has Billy Burke in it; it sort of has a clever premise about the world no longer having electricity. But boy did I not dig this show. I gave it a 3 episode chance (well, really 2.5 because I couldn't with last week's ep) but it's not getting any better. There SO MANY implausible and unexplained plot holes; it drives me crazy! I'm surprised that it's so popular; maybe one of these days (years) I'll catch up with it on Netflix but not now when I have so much other finer tv to watch.
• Partners - Ugh. I hate this show so much. I really like Max Mutchnick and David Kohan as people (their CBS Sunday Morning profile was hilarious and touching), and I've enjoyed most of the tv shows they've done before, but this one, based on their real-life friendship and relationships, is uncomfortably awful. I just feel really bad for the talented Michael Urie, Dave Krumholz, and poor Brandon Routh. This is another show that has been trashed by the critics but is doing fairly well in the ratings, so we'll see what becomes of it.
• The Mindy Project - 

I LOVE Mindy Kaling. I love Chris Messina. I should love this show. But oy, is it not good. But sort of, maybe, has potential? I don't know. I hated the first 2 episodes, but then last week's entry where the clinic staff all go to "Da' Club" was pretty hilarious. So maybe things are looking up? I hope so. I haven't totally given up on this yet, but only because of my solidarity with Kaling.

DVR Breakups:

• How I Met Your Mother - Sorry NPH and Jason Segal; my love for you guys can no longer sustain a relationship with this dumb, and exceedingly frustrating show. I may tune in whenever the hell they finally reveal who the stupid gawdamn "mother" is, and if there are any more Slap Bet songs, or Robyn Sparkle videos, I'll catch those online, but otherwise SAYONARA.
• Law & Order:SVU - this break-up has been very hard on me y'all. But if I'm being honest, Chris Meloni leaving the show had a bigger effect on me than I thought. I still love all of the characters (and actors) on this last remaining L&O franchise, but in the past several months each time I finally get around to watching one of the numerous eps clogging my Tivo, I end up being so bored. It really breaks my heart because Law & Order has been such a big part of my TV life. Watching occasional reruns of Law & Order:UK and Original Recipe L&O (Waterson/Harmon especially) will have to suffice.

Fall 2012 Television LOVES:

• Last Resort - Love it. Love it. LOVE IT. Scott motherf*ckin' Speedman (#1 all-time TV boyfriend) is back in my tv life, and he's kick-in it with perennial all-star Andre Braugher! And the show is well-written, well acted, suspenseful, and action-packed. God Bless America!

• Homeland - It's back and Season 2 is even more high stakes and kick ass than the first one was. And my love of Mandy Patinkin couldn't possibly grow any stronger. I just...you guys, I just love his portrayal of Saul so damn much.

• American Horror Story: Asylum - Coming off a much-deserved Emmy win, Jessica Lange is back in the second season of this creepy show, that is starting with an entirely new story set in a psychiatric hospital. I really like the approach that Ryan Murphy et al are taking with this show by keeping each season a separate stand-alone story capsule. 

AHS:Asylum also features the return of Zachary Quinto and has added Mark Consuelos (yes!) and Chloe Sevigny to the mix, among others. Good times ahead.

• Nashville - I love Every. Amazing. Thing about this show. Period.
• Revenge - Having Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross (with a funky new haircut!) on my television again is heaven on earth!
• Call The Midwife - Who knew a PBS drama about British mid-wives in 1950s East-End London could be so poignant, funny, and awesome?! Oh yeah, me of course.

All the rest:

• BBCAmerica's Copper has had a fantastic season and I can't wait to see how this season ends. I'm already anticipating season 2.
• Vegas has been a pleasant surprise of awesomeness. Dennis Quaid and Jason O'Mara are the sexiest brothers on tv right now.
• I don't care what anyone says - I'm enjoying the hell out of the latest Sherlock Holmes offering Elementary. And yes, Jonny Lee Miller can still get it!

US Open Men's Final

I have always found this photograph HIGHLY disturbing. It totally looks likes Novak Djokovic is about to mack on Andy Murray. The thought of which makes me want to barf because, Ewwww Andy Murray!, but also I find rather erotic because the thought of Nole kissing any human being is hot.

ANYWAY. These two are, as we speak, battling it out for the US Open Grand Slam title. Djokovic is currently down a set and is already down a break point in the second. Not good sweetie!

A great match nonetheless for no other reason than watching Sean Connery in the crowd make the GREATEST faces as he cheers on Murray.

In my fantasies I like to think that American decathletes, Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee are congratulating each other on their medals and saying - "Hey, you know who should really be in the middle of this hug? Our girl Kat!"

Yes, I know I'm deranged.

Random Thoughts - 2012 Summer Olympics Edition Part 2

I've been following the history being made by the young lady who was the first female athlete from Qatar that they've ever allowed to compete in an international event. Unfortunately it's had a heartbreaking end before it even really started.

I’m super bitter about stupid ol’ Roger Federer getting past Juan Del Potro to make the finals of Olympic men’s singles in tennis. If ever I needed my boyfriend Novak Djokovic to step up and beat the smug right out of Federer, it’s now. C’mon Nole!!!

My boyfriend Ryan Lochte went from looking happy like this:


To looking dejected and disappointed for the rest of his individual medal events:

Top all this with having to deal with your mom bragging about your “playa status”; it’s been a tough week for my Ryan boo.


What no one has been able to explain to me (and I’ve actually submitted this question on both the IOC site and through Bob Costas’ blog because I’m a dork), is why when two athletes tie for the silver medal, they only give out a gold and those two silvers; no bronze is given for the third best time.

But if two people tie for bronze, they’ll go ahead and give out both bronze medals.

Except of course if it’s gymnastics, the sport with the most ridiculous and nastiest scoring rules. When American Aly Raisman tied with Russian Aliya Mustafina for the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around bronze medal, they didn’t just give them both a bronze and move on – which would have been the right thing to do.
Instead they did an archaic scoring system where they threw out the lowest score for each girl, in this case both of their beam scores, and recalculated the remaining three scores. Mustafina ended up winning the bronze because basically she got to throw out her HORRIBLE beam score, which was the worse of the night, and Raisman’s remaining scores were 6 tenths lower than hers. It was so disappointing.

One week of the Olympics is finished and while others, especially people I follow on Twitter are expressing "Summer Olympics Fatigue", I'm still just as excited for the start of the track and field events, as I was for the swimming and gymnastics.

But can we talk about all of this INSANE HATRED towards NBC for their televised coverage of the Games? Every two years the same argument breaks out - people complain about the fact that medal events happen throughout the day but are only shown by US network television during primetime hours, a long time after they finished and the results are on the internet and WAAAAHHHH! spoilers are bad!

Get over it people! First of all, NBC (or whatever network) has to make money. There's nothing wrong with that. And hey internet savvy hipsters? There are millions of people in this country that aren't on the internet all day and you know, work, so the only opportunity to watch Olympic coverage is during primetime with tape delay.
Not to mention the fact that this particular Olympics is in a time zone where all of the events are taking place between 2AM and 7AM American time. I guarantee that NONE of the dumbasses complaining about the NBC tape-delay televised coverage would actually be willing to get their asses up at 3AM to final a gold medal swimming race. And hey, guess what? If you are inclined to do - YOU CAN WATCH IT ONLINE LIVE.
I think NBC has done an exemplary job of televising the Olympics this year. Not only do they have their affiliate networks helping out (Bravo is playing all of the tennis matches, CNBC is showing the soccer), but they've made all of the events available online with high-quality video players that haven't once clogged up with buffering nonsense or ads.
And for those who complain that they only show Americans performing in events. Guess what? That's all that most of us care about. If you want to watch a sport that isn't being televised, again you can go onto the NBC Olympics website or use their smartphone app to watch whatever the hell you want. It's all there - every heat, semifinal and final, for every sport.
And other nations' televised content is the same way. I'm privileged enough to live in a city that has access to Canadian televion. Do you think their Olympic coverage is slanted towards Canadian athletes? Damn right it is.
Okay, rant over. But seriously, lay off NBC you guys. I'd like to see any of you come up with a better solution.