movies

flick fun: x-men first class

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X-Men: First Class

So I’m not a particular X-Men fan, but I have seen the earlier ones, I do in general like a good comic book flick, and I particularly like an origin flick. The reviews were in and it was supposed to be entertaining so it sounded like a good matinee, and the right time and place doesn’t hurt.

It’s called first class so you kind of know where the story is going, but it’s basically framed around the origins of and the relationship between Professor X and Magneto. Because they have a lot of story that they’re trying to tell the movie keeps moving. Unfortunately because they’re cranking through so much territory, and because you basically have a clear idea where things are going, you’re never quite invested.

Being a comic book franchise it makes it sort of ok that the characters are basically cartoonish, not just in their abilities but in their dimensionality (or lack thereof). What worked for them was the casting of James McAvoy (Atonement) as an idealistic man, a born leader able to bridge the gap between mutant and human using his mentalist abilities always for good, and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) as a tortured boy and man who is clear that his abilities to manipulate metal make him separate from humans. They each capture the essence of where Charles (X) and Eric (Magneto) come from and map to who we see them as later in life.

So I can’t for the life of me keep all of these characters straight and I might have appreciated it more (or noticed inconsistencies more) if I were an avid follower. But overall I was able to appreciate some of the character development as well as a couple of cameos. All in all it did in fact keep me entertained as a good summer matinee.

Most intriguing preview: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara/Least intriguing preview: The Change-Up with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds

Notable dvd releases 6/28:

  • Barney’s Version – Dustin Hoffman looks back on his/Barney’s life – probably skip it
  • Beastly – A cocky hot dude, Alex Pettyfer, gets the tables turned and must gain depth and love, Vanessa Hudgens – definite pass
  • Cyrus – Can romance survive an awkward mother son relationship, with John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei – uncomfortable humor mostly worked
  • Sucker Punch – Comic booky fake reality to escape prison – definite pass
  • Law & Order: CI (Season 6) – More crazy criminals – for the usual fans
  • Rizzoli & Isles (Season 1) – Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander do the cop coroner buddy thing – for fluffy formula fans
  • Warehouse 13 (Season 2) – Weird things get found and stored, a syfy twist on partner cop formula – for syfy formula fans
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new and noteworthy tv: 6/27-7/3

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Now comes the time of year when I decide how much tennis and cycling is too much…

Monday

  • Weeds/The Big C (Show, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – I’m only on season 2 of Weeds and can’t believe they’ve got this many season’s worth and have yet to try out the Laura Linney’s character has cancer show.

Tuesday

  • I Kid With Brad Garrett (TLC, 8pm) Series Premiere – Hanging with kids trying to be funny.

Wednesday

  • Melissa & Joey/State of Georgia (ABCFam, 8/8:30pm) Season/Series Premieres – Former sitcom star Raven-Symoné joins former sitcom stars for a night of formulaic sitcoms.
  • Royal Pains/Necessary Roughness (USA, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – New gal shrinking football players joins doctors on the fluffy formulaic network, some of which is fun.
  • Love in the Wild (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Bachelor Pad meets Survivor?
  • Behind the Music (VH1, 10pm) Season Premiere – Missy Elliott shares her stuff.

Thursday

  • Wicked Attraction (ID, 9pm) Season Premiere – And you thought your ex was crazy…
  • Extreme Chef (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – Unmarked can goods, cooking on a car engine… is takeout really that bad?
  • Ugly Americans (Com, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Something about a succubus on this animated series of not your everyday beings.

Friday

  • Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures (Nick, 8pm) Series Premiere – Two bros search for surf and whatnot in this new comedy series.

Saturday

  • Tour de France (Vs, 5am, NBC, 11am, and various) – The tour kicks off as does hours upon hours of coverage.

Sunday

  • Wimbledon (NBC, 6am, and various) – The fortnight of tennis coverage wraps up with the Women’s and Men’s finals.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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flick fun: super 8

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Pchron reader Tom recently asked me, “Hey why don’t you write about movies?” (or something more elaborate than that). And as much as I love a good flick, or even sometimes a not so good one, I don’t always keep up to date. Feast or famine is sort of my way, but since I’m heading into a feast phase I thought I might take a stab at it and see how it goes. I’m still not thinking his suggestion to start reviewing international books is going to happen anytime soon…

Super 8

I had read good reviews and also seen some tweets about not spoiling it so I put this at the top of my list. I’m a fan of writer, director, and producer J.J. Abrams who we may most know from television for Felicity, Alias, and Lost but is no stranger to film-making with Mission Impossible III and Star Trek among others. But as we all know fandom can only get you so far in a movie.

In this case I wasn’t disappointed. The success of this film is taking a big budget, big action, big concept idea and telling it through a small lens. The movie is set in 1979 in a small Ohio town where they’re able to emphasize the simple things, kids riding bikes through the streets, great styling clothes, fun music, and of course make it possible for kids to be shooting a movie that takes time to develop (no flip cameras here). Showing the movie through the eyes of the kids was a strong choice, it just makes things able to be more pure. Our child protagonist suffering a recent loss was a great ambassador to their world and their summer. They’re helping a friend shoot his zombie movie and when something unexpected happens the town shows greater and greater signs that this isn’t your regular incident.

None of that would have been believable or engaging if the kids weren’t able to pull it off. Fresh talent Joel Courtney does an excellent job as well as his pack of misfit friends and of course love interest, the latest Fanning. The adults don’t have to be much more than archetypes which in this case works fine. As with any movie with a certain amount of action, and any sort of unknown, you need to suspend your disbelief, and in this case for the most part I was able. There is something about not only the world created and the way the story is told but also the juxtaposition of the kids making a movie that made some of the common themes of these movies resonate when they could have easily seemed trite. A very good summer showing.

Most intriguing preview: Cowboys & Aliens with Daniel Craig/Least intriguing preview: Zookeeper with Kevin James

Coming out on dvd 6/21:

  • The Adjustment Bureau – Matt Damon runs around with a girl he’s not fated to be with – I’ll probably skip it
  • Cedar Rapids – Naive Ed Helms get the full hotel convention treatment – Might catch it
  • Unknown – Liam Neeson’s life is erased after a car crash, or is it? – I’ll probably skip it
  • The Closer (6th Season) -Krya Sedgwick and her department are entertaining if not ground breaking solving ‘major crimes’ – Recommend for procedural likers
  • Louie (1st Season) – This is definitely an offbeat comedian sitcom but give it a shot you might be one of the folks who find it hilarious – Recommend for comedian or quirky enthusiasts
  • Medium (Full Series) – Turns out I don’t love Patricia Arquette in this but lots of fans out there enjoyed the her as seeing the dead helps solve a case wife and mother – Didn’t watch

In case I can’t keep up to date with flicks I thought I might keep an eye on what notable videos might be in the mix but we’ll see how this nets out as I move along.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/20-6/26

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A decent amount of summer fluff to add to the queue…

Monday

  • Wimbledon (ESPN2, 4am and ongoing; NBC starting Sat) – Early round coverage kicks off, top four men look good and the Williams sisters are back!
  • Hoarders/Intervention (A&E, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Problem behaviors in various states.
  • Rupaul’s Drag U (Logo, 9pm) Season Premiere – Who will they take to fabulous this season?
  • United States of Tara (Show, 10:30pm) Series Finale – Will any of the versions of Tara be end well?

Tuesday

  • Wipeout/101 Ways to Leave a Game Show/Combat Hospital (ABC, 8/9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Bad obstacles, physically crazy exits to what may be a quiz show, and the latest Canadian import hospital in a war zone.
  • History Detectives/POV (PBS, 8/10pm) Season Premieres – A look into some random historical events and artifacts and then kicking off with a look at pastry competition.
  • Hardcore Pawn/Storage Hunters (Tru, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – People’s stuff and personalities.
  • Staten Island Cakes/The Cupcake Girls (WE, 9/10pm) Series/Season Premieres – People’s baked goods and personalities.
  • Nail Files (TVG, 10pm) Series Premiere – Following some celebrity manicurist.

Wednesday

  • I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – I guess there are enough people for another season.
  • Life on a Wire (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Death defying stunts.
  • Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Folks are teamed up with rivals.

Thursday

  • Burn Notice/Suits (USA, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – Michael and his campy spyness return and then non lawyer lawyer with some sort of crazy memory tries to hang with the upscale legal doers.
  • Expedition Impossible/Rookie Blue (ABC, 9/10pm) Series/Season Premiere – It’s like amazing race but with teams of three and then the rookies return and one can only hope they are more impressive.
  • Wilfred/Louie (Fx, 10/10:30) Series/Season Premiere – So is he a dog like everyone else sees or a man in a dog suit like Elijah Wood sees but more importantly is it funny enough to be a good fit with off kilter Louie?
  • Futurama (Com, 10pm) Season Premiere – More animated space adventures.

Friday

  • Rhett & Link/Young, Broke & Beautiful (IFC, 10/11pm) Series Premiere – Traveling to film commercials and traveling to uncover underground subcultures.

Saturday

  • Carson Nation (Own, 10pm) Series Premiere – Queer Eye’s Carson travels doing makeovers.

Sunday

  • Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew (VH1, 9pm) Season Premiere – Can’t… look… away…
  • Leverage (TNT, 9pm) Season Premiere – Another season of the light but fun steal from the corrupt to make things right capers.
  • L&O: CI (USA, 9pm) Series Finale – Goodbye to the major case squad.
  • True Blood (HBO, 9pm) Season Premiere – Someday I will give this a go on Netflix.
  • The Marriage Ref (NBC, 10pm) Season Premiere – I didn’t think anyone watched this Seinfeld show of folks commenting on couples problems.
  • Extreme Chef (Food, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – Extreme food or extreme cooking conditions?

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/13-6/19

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Monday

  • Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABCFam, 8pm) Season Premiere – The not foolish and not secret life returns.

Tuesday

  • Cupcake Wars (Food, 8pm) Season Premiere – Kentucky Derby theme.
  • Pretty Little Liars/The Nine Lives of Chloe King (ABCFam, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premiere – The oldsters playing teens with ridiculous plots are followed by a sixteen year old who discovers she has powers, why do I feel compelled to at least check these out?
  • Memphis Beat/Hawthorne (TNT, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Cop show and hospital show that, for me, just aren’t all that engaging.
  • Real Estate Intervention (HGTV, 9pm) Season Premiere – The intervention appears to be of the staging variety.
  • Gene Simmons Family Jewels (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – This is apparently in the seventh season…
  • Indoors Out (DIY, 10pm) Season Premiere – Remodeling continues.
  • Jon Benjamin Has a Van (Com, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – A comedian reports ‘mockumentary style’.

Wednesday

  • Devil You Know (ID, 10pm) Series Premiere – Are people really what they appear to be.
  • Hot in Cleveland/Happily Divorced (TVL, 10/10:30pm) Season/Series Premiere – The nostalgia style sitcom returns followed by the return of Fran Drescher in a personal inspired I married a gay man series.
  • Rocco’s Dinner Party (Brav, 11pm) Series Premiere – Would love to be the recipient of dinner party competition dinners.
  • Toddlers & Tiaras (TLC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Still bizarre to me.

Thursday

  • Yard Crashers (DIY, 10pm) Season Premiere – Decorating outdoor style.

Friday

  • Flea Man (NGC, 8pm) Series Premiere – Flea market comings and goings.
  • A.N.T. Farm/Shake it Up (Dis, 8:30/9pm) Series Premieres – Series with kids, who will be the next Miley?
  • Paranormal Challenge (Trav, 9pm) Series Premiere – Competing to collect evidence of ghosts and whatnot.
  • Swamp Loggers (Disc, 10pm) Season Premiere – Another crew member joins.

Saturday

  • Celebrity Ghost Stories/Celebrity Close Calls (Bio, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – Can there really be that many celebrities with ghost stories, close calls to death, I suppose.
  • Outcasts/Inbetweeners/Come Fly with Me (BBCA, 9/11/11:30pm) Series/Season Premieres – 2040 planetary action, awkward teens, and airport mockumentary.

Sunday

  • Daytime Emmy Awards (CBS, 8pm) – Wayne Brady hosts.
  • Drop Dead Diva (Life, 9pm) Season Premiere – Model in a lawyers body returns for another season of what is surprisingly an entertaining show for a silly premise.
  • Falling Skies (TNT, 9pm) Series Premiere – Citizens holdouts against alien invaders in the latest Spielberg offering, supposed to be a good start.
  • Miss USA Pageant (NBC, 9pm) – Ladies…
  • Police POV (Tru, 10pm) Season Premiere – Of the Cops ilk.
  • Ryan & Tatum (Own, 10pm) Series Premiere – Do we need to follow more dysfunctional people?

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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random bits of pinterest…

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For those of you who have gotten a taste for the semi regular postings of Random Bits of Web Goodness… I want to take you on the next step of my journey in sharing delights.

It started with misc emails that I’d send to people of random items that I found online. And then in an effort to stop spamming folks I began gathering them into a semi regular email. And then, well, I thought if this isn’t a procrastination what is, let’s post them. But it’s actually just a slight bit more of a pain than it’s worth.

Lucky me that I found a new service that lets you save and categorize items with a quick bookmark. And they’re all available for viewing pleasure. You can bookmark, categorize, search, repin… it’s all very easy and pretty darned engaging.

Apparently there are more images on books and nails that I enjoy than I thought but mostly it’s stuff I would share as Web Goodness… Take a look at my categories, feel free to click on any of the category titles to view more or just visit me on pinterest.

arty

home

jewelry

fashion

places and spaces

stuff

nails

words

critters

xmas

 

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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 6/6 – 6/12

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Monday

  • Masterchef (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – A few kitchen dudes look for the next amateur ready to make it big time.
  • My Yard Goes to Disney/House Hunters on Vacation/HGTV’d (HGTV, 8/8:30/9pm) Series Premieres – Outdoor spaces Disneyfied, travelers visit homes before selecting one as a vacation stay, and surprise makeovers.
  • Switched at Birth (ABCFam, 9pm) Series Premiere – It reads like a Lifetime movie but this latest fictional look at the rare familial entanglements will keep going week after week, this family channel is often too trite but sometimes worth a look.
  • Unfaithful/The Dr Laura Berman Show (OWN, 9/10pm) Series Premieres – A look at infidelities and then a camera joins the dr’s radio show.
  • Behind Mansion Walls (ID, 10pm) Series Premiere – Why just look at murders when you can look at murders involving rich people.

Tuesday

  • White Collar/Covert Affairs (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Campy spy business back to back, I’m more enamored with the likable hustler than the newest addition to the CIA.
  • 19 Kids & Counting (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Please tell me these people aren’t still counting on more kids.
  • Love/Lust (Sund, 10pm) Season Premiere – The season starts out with a look at street foods.

Wednesday

  • CMT Music Awards (CMT, 8pm) – Country goodness.
  • Operation Repo (Tru, 9pm) Season Premiere – More repossessions.

Thursday

  • Nightmare Next Door (ID, 10pm) Season Premiere – Crimes in your own neighborhood, depending on where you live.

Friday

  • My Babysitter’s a Vampire (Dis, 7pm) Series Premiere – Disney’s take on vampires in our midst.
  • FBI: Criminal Pursuit (ID, 10pm) Season Premiere – Cops FBI-style.

Saturday

  • Color Splash (HGTV, 9pm) Season Premiere – A tranquil bedroom update.

Sunday

  • The Tony Awards (CBS, 8pm) – Host Neil Patrick Harris has been teasing me with glorious reviews of broadway’s best, via twitter of course.
  • Bridezillas/Amsale Girls (WE, 9/10pm) Season Premiere – Difficult brides from bride and bridal store perspective.
  • Finding Sarah (OWN, 9pm) Series Premiere – Folks like Dr Phil and Suzy Ormand help out Sarah Ferguson.
  • The Glee Project (Oxy, 9pm) Series Premiere – Real life Gleeks compete for a role on Glee, I’m mildly intrigued though don’t think I get this channel.
  • Swamp Wars (AnPl, 9pm) Series Premiere – Beheaded pythons and gator killings.
  • Keeping Up With the Kardashians/Ice Loves Coco (E!, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – Blah, blah, reality, blah, blah.
  • The Protector (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – This series introduces us to a divorced homicide detective’s work and home.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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shows on probation…

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E! recently asked readers what shows they were retiring from their schedules (aka DVR DOA). This of course led me to wonder about my own personal cancellations. Aside from shows that have in fact been canceled I don’t know that I officially retired anything from my lineup but a few are definitely on probation, and let me tell you why:

  • American Idol (Fox) – This is the one show that I actually am planning to retire, but we’ll see how desperate I am mid-season after checking out X Factor, I find the week after week performances a bit redundant, the more interesting talent (good and bad) gets eliminated earlier than the bland but likable, and the judges lack of judging has caused my fast forwarding to become too much.
  • America’s Next Top Model (CW) – I have skipped a couple seasons and think about dropping this every year, the model wannabes and their challenges are actually entertaining, and annoying, but again the week after week format with my not actually caring (or remembering) who wins is right on the brink.
  • Chuck (NBC) – This show has been on my favorite list for many years because of the sharp wit of the juxtaposition of the spy world and the nerds of Buy More, as well as some genuine good chemistry, but I so tired of the family mythology… with that wrapped up and it extended for a final season I’ll check out the final 5 eps on TiVo (and still probably ride out the final season).
  • Hawaii 5-0 (CBS) – The problem with this show is that it just isn’t that good, I like the joking between the leads, mostly thanks to Dano, but mostly don’t really follow the case of the week or care about the characters, though most weeks I’m game enough to see them romping through paradise chasing some scum balls, though if the TiVo backs up enough I still may delete all.
  • House (Fox) – I get it, he’s curmudgeonly, and not in a ‘but he’s really a good guy’ kind of way, but he’s also a genius, but watching he and his staff almost kill or let a person die each week until they figure out the puzzle with a House a ha moment has gotten a bit redundant, with him kicking his self destruction up a notch and Cuddy exiting we’ll see if the dynamic intrigues.
  • L&O: SVU (NBC) – This will be the last of the bunch and while I have tired of Olivia and Elliot, as well as some of the ripped from the headline sexual stories, I’m intrigued as to the change in dynamic that will come with Elliot not returning, hopefully a little more time with Munch and Tutuola.

Any other casualties out there?

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new and noteworthy tv: 5/30-6/5

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It looks like summer is here, if not in weather then in the start of summer series…

Monday

  • Basketball Wives/Single Ladies (VH1, 8pm) Season/Series Premieres – Real life wives and then a fictional take with a Sex & the City-esque hang with some gal pals.
  • Cake Boss (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Will the NASA cake fly?
  • Platinum Hit (Brav, 10pm) Series Premiere – Kara DioGuardi and Jewel bring us the latest singing slant on folks who write their own.
  • Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (ABC 10pm) Series Premiere – Spending a year with one person instead of a couple weeks with a couple dozen contestants.

Tuesday

  • NBA Finals (ABC, 6pm) – Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks kick it off.
  • America’s Got Talent (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Another season of random talent.
  • Deception with Keith Barry (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – A ‘mentalist’ looks at the world of deception.
  • The Little Couple (TLC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Fertility issues continue.
  • Love Handles (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – How could a mix of reality, couples, and weight issues be wrong?
  • Million Dollar Decorators (Brav, 10pm) Series Premiere – Hmm, how far does a million dollars go?

Wednesday

  • Franklin & Bash/Men of a Certain Age (TNT, 9/10pm) Series/Season Premiere – Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer offer up another take on unconventional lawyering then more conventional guys.
  • Haunted Collector/Hollywood Treasure (Syfy, 9/10pm) Series/Season Premieres – Not just places but things can be haunted and this guy takes a look, then a look at items more cinematic.
  • Man v. Food Nation/Sand Masters (Trav, 9/10pm) Series Premieres – Food challenges hit the road and then sand castles get serious.
  • Sweat Equity (DIY, 9pm) Season Premiere – More home repair.
  • Love in the Wild (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Think Survivor as a dating show.
  • The World According to Paris (Oxy, 10pm) Series Premiere – I am not even interested in Hilton in a trashy sort of way.

Thursday

  • The First 48: Missing Persons (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Spinoff of The First 48 follows missing persons.
  • Love Bites (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – I believe this is a summer burn off of a romance anthology that never quite made it into the schedule.
  • NY Ink (TLC, 10) Series Premiere – A Miami Ink guys starts up in NY.
  • Children’s Hospital (AdSw, 11:59pm) Season Premiere – This is one of those comedies that is so random I kept wanting to like it.

Friday

  • French Open (NBC, 11am) – The week on ESPN2 leads up to the men’s semis, with women’s final Saturday at 6am/pst and men’s final Sunday 6am finals.
  • Whale Wars (AnPl, 9pm) Season Premiere – More anti-whaling action.

Saturday

  • NHL Stanley Cup Finals (NBC, 5pm) – Go hockey, Game 1 is Wed at 5pm/pst, games 3 & 4 head to Vs. and returns to NBC for 5 and on if needed.

Sunday

  • Food Network Challenge/The Next Food Network Star (Food, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – 80s cakes and then 15 new chef’s arrive to compete.
  • MTV Movie Awards (MTV, 9pm) – Jason Sudeikis hosts the one where they vote for things like ‘The Best Kiss.’
  • Ice Road Truckers (Hist, 9pm) Season Premiere – More ice, more trucking, more truckers.
  • Locked Up Abroad (NGC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Crimes in foreign countries strikes me as a bad idea.
  • Finding Bigfoot (AnPl, 10pm) Series Premiere – Do you think they find him?
  • Freaky Eaters (TLC, 10pm) Season Premiere – I’m glad these people are getting help even if it is through exploitation tv.
  • The Glades (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – I found this fluffy detective out of his element in Florida series not necessarily great but enjoyable.
  • Mancations (Trav, 10pm) Series Premiere – Man friendly getaways.
  • The Real L Word (Show, 10pm) Season Premiere – Reality show lesbian-style.
  • Teen Wolf (MTV, 11pm) Series Premiere – I can’t stop picturing Michael J Fox and Justin Bateman but this is a much more modern take on a high school werewolf.

new and noteworthy tv: 6/6 – 6/12

June 5th, 2011

Monday

  • Masterchef (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – A few kitchen dudes look for the next amateur ready to make it big time.
  • My Yard Goes to Disney/House Hunters on Vacation/HGTV’d (HGTV, 8/8:30/9pm) Series Premieres – Outdoor spaces Disneyfied, travelers visit homes before selecting one as a vacation stay, and surprise makeovers.
  • Switched at Birth (ABCFam, 9pm) Series Premiere – It reads like a Lifetime movie but this latest fictional look at the rare familial entanglements will keep going week after week, this family channel is often too trite but sometimes worth a look.
  • Unfaithful/The Dr Laura Berman Show (OWN, 9/10pm) Series Premieres – A look at infidelities and then a camera joins the dr’s radio show.
  • Behind Mansion Walls (ID, 10pm) Series Premiere – Why just look at murders when you can look at murders involving rich people.

Tuesday

  • White Collar/Covert Affairs (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Campy spy business back to back, I’m more enamored with the likable hustler than the newest addition to the CIA.
  • 19 Kids & Counting (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Please tell me these people aren’t still counting on more kids.
  • Love/Lust (Sund, 10pm) Season Premiere – The season starts out with a look at street foods.

Wednesday

  • CMT Music Awards (CMT, 8pm) – Country goodness.
  • Operation Repo (Tru, 9pm) Season Premiere – More repossessions.

Thursday

  • Nightmare Next Door (ID, 10pm) Season Premiere – Crimes in your own neighborhood, depending on where you live.

Friday

  • My Babysitter’s a Vampire (Dis, 7pm) Series Premiere – Disney’s take on vampires in our midst.
  • FBI: Criminal Pursuit (ID, 10pm) Season Premiere – Cops FBI-style.

Saturday

  • Color Splash (HGTV, 9pm) Season Premiere – A tranquil bedroom update.

Sunday

  • The Tony Awards (CBS, 8pm) – Host Neil Patrick Harris has been teasing me with glorious reviews of broadway’s best, via twitter of course.
  • Bridezillas/Amsale Girls (WE, 9/10pm) Season Premiere – Difficult brides from bride and bridal store perspective.
  • Finding Sarah (OWN, 9pm) Series Premiere – Folks like Dr Phil and Suzy Ormand help out Sarah Ferguson.
  • The Glee Project (Oxy, 9pm) Series Premiere – Real life Gleeks compete for a role on Glee, I’m mildly intrigued though don’t think I get this channel.
  • Swamp Wars (AnPl, 9pm) Series Premiere – Beheaded pythons and gator killings.
  • Keeping Up With the Kardashians/Ice Loves Coco (E!, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – Blah, blah, reality, blah, blah.
  • The Protector (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – This series introduces us to a divorced homicide detective’s work and home.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation other than those underlined. Times noted are typically PST.

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looking beyond summer…

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The fall upfronts are done. ‘The what?’ Some of you may be asking… This is when the networks start pimping their fall shows to advertisers.

Personally I try not to get too invested in anything new. Most of the pilots aren’t finalized and certainly aren’t reviewed so things can change dramatically between now and then (and even go away). Though I am admittedly not immune the hope of a high concept show (Charlie’s Angels), the return of a favorite talent (Sarah Michelle Gellar in Ringer), or creators with a somewhat proven track record (Once Upon a Time from the creators of Lost and Spielberg’s Terra Nova).

What I tend to pay a little more attention to at this point are shows that have been canceled (see notations below) and shows in a schedule shootout. Every fall there is at least one time slot where something gets kicked to the curb that would normally make the cut. I do like to watch new shows at least once so thank goodness for a couple of replays and online viewing to ensure the right picks are getting the season pass. Here’s what it’s looking like for me for now:

Monday

  • 8pm – How I Met Your Mother/Two Broke Girls (CBS) vs. Terra Nova (Fox) vs. The Sing-Off (NBC)
  • 9pm – House (Fox) vs. Hart of Dixie (CW) vs. Two and a Half Men (CBS) – willing to give Ashton a try
  • 10pm – Castle (ABC) vs. Hawaii Five-O (CBS) vs. The Playboy Club (NBC)

Tuesday

  • 8pm – Last Man Standing/Man Up (ABC) & Glee (Fox)
  • 9pm – Ringer (CW) & New Girl (Fox)
  • 10pm – Unforgettable (CBS) & Parenthood (NBC)

Wednesday

  • 8pm – The Middle/Suburgatory (ABC) vs. The X Factor (Fox) vs. Up All Night/Free Agents (NBC)
  • 9pm – Modern Family (ABC) vs. ANTM (CW) vs. Harry’s Law (NBC) vs. The X Factor/I Hate My Teenage Daughter (Fox) – I admittedly can’t endorse 2 out of those 4 but I do watch
  • 10pm – Revenge (ABC) & L&O: SVU (NBC) – say goodbye to Stabler

Thursday

  • 8pm – Charlie’s Angels (ABC) vs. Big Bang Theory/How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) vs. X Factor Results (Fox) vs. Community/Parks & Rec (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grey’s (ABC) vs. Person of Interest (CBS) vs. The Secret Circle (CW) vs. Bones (Fox) vs. The Office/Whitney (NBC)
  • 10pm – The Mentalist (CBS) & Prime Suspect (NBC)

Friday

  • 8pm – Chuck (NBC)
  • 9pm – Grimm (NBC)

Saturday – Nothing

Sunday

  • 8pm – Once Upon a Time (ABC)
  • 9pm – The Good Wife (CBS)
  • 10pm – Pan Am (ABC)

And for a look at your own schedule check out TV Guide’s fall grid and for what’s been canceled (and sticking around) check out The Futon Critic’s scorecard. New shows are in italics.

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