next week 10/14

We’re almost done…

Sunday

  • Samantha Who? (ABC, Mon 10/5, 9:30pm) – Pilot. Christina Applegate wakes from a coma not knowing who she is, but maybe that’s a good thing as she starts to discover the not so nice gal she was.

Monday

  • The Price is Right (CBS, Mon 10/15, check your local listings) – I’ve never been a real watcher but Drew Carey taking over seemed noteworthy.

Thursday

  • Viva Laughlin (CBS, Thurs 10/18, 10pm – preview, second ep as official premiere on 10/21, 8pm) – Pilot So this is the one where they sing along to popular songs whilst dealing with gambling and at least one murder mystery…

Friday

  • Next Great American Band (Fox, Fri 10/19, 8pm) – Pilot American Idol but for bands, I am mildly interested in this, was initially into Idol and was a big fan of Rock Star, shouldn’t stick with it but maybe worth a glance.
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antm – down to 10

Well last week the ladies kept up the bitchy, mostly Bianca, and tried to keep up the model. We have quickly learned that the model walking is harder than it looks because man, do some of the gals look awkward, apparently adding a good facial expression to coordination in heels and an awkward dress is a challenge. But how appropo since we are in a competition. After a training round in straight jackets, Saleisha shone in an actual show. And then onto the shoot, high fashion on a climbing wall. Jenah, who is pretty personable is still taking great photos while Bianca and Kimberly were in the bottom two… They didn’t think Kimberly’s in person look was translating on film, so she was sent packing.

Jaslene, aka Cha Cha, of course breaks in with her awkward commerical. Ever since they instituted the previous year’s winners doing commercials they haven’t had much success. Again, it doesn’t look that hard… Jaslene had a random moment this week where they awkwardly tried to combine her wanting to do good work with domestic abuse while probably trying to sell cosmetics, and of course she’s not a great speaker…

Plus this week we had makeover week which is a favorite as someone always freaks out. This week we didn’t have any major breakdowns until Bianca’s hair was so fried they decided not to redo it but to cut it all off, and the tears started to silently pour out. They left a super short cut and gave her a fancy Beyonce wig, unfortunately, or fortunately she actually looks great without hair. And after a boring makeup challenge they went to a photo shoot where they all played plants. Jenah was good again and our bottom two was a toss up amongst, bad-attitude-and-bad-photo Yaley Victoria, overbearing had-a-moment-of-modeling Saleisha, and sweet little pretty-but-maybe-not-modely Texan Chantal. Chantal got the first reprieve, and then Saleisha, in tears and her new bob, took her photo to the line. Super good riddance to Victoria who not only wasn’t looking or behaving attractively but they repeatedly cut to her with the whole, ‘this isn’t what I want to be doing’ statements. Goodness knows a model has got to want it, at least in Tyra’s book. Afterall we aren’t looking for any model, we’re looking for America’s Next Top Model.

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favorite new shows

Separating the wheat from the chaff, watching the cream rise to the top, see what’s floating your boat… I can’t stop. Ok so here’s what I’m liking:

  • Pushing Daisies (Wednesdays at 8 on ABC) – So I’ve only seen one episode of this so far, but I love it when a show tries to be innovative in some way and is successful. And this is! The visual style of the entire show is done in such a fanciful way that it completely compliments the fanciful context. Ned found out early in life, by touching his dog, that he could bring things back to life. Unfortunately when he tried it on his mother he found out the two cons, 1) it was a one time deal and if he touched them again they would die and 2) if someone stayed alive for more than a minute someone else would die. Our weekly stories seem to involve his work with a PI in solving murders. Why not just ask them what happened? And our overarching story should entail the untouchable love of his life, childhood sweetheart, and now back from the dead, Charlotte/Chuck. The show and the cast are in fact delightful.
  • Dirty Sexy Money (Wednesdays at 7 on ABC) – They have struck the right cord in this over the top richest of the rich, spoiledest of the spoiled family drama. We’re following ‘normal’ guy Nick George who has inherited the post of family attorney, and solver of all problems, when his father was killed. Was the family somehow involved? Our patriarch Tripp Darling is trying to hold it all together, but did he know about the affair his wife Letitia was having with papa attorney? Their eldest, Attorney General Patrick, has greater political aspirations that may or may not be thwarted by the presence of his tranny mistress. Next up is the daughter Karen who is onto her fourth(?) marriage-to-be with some tennis pro, but is clearly still in love with Nick. Then there’s Brian, the man of the cloth who is hiding his illegitimate son from his family as a foreign exchange student. Rounding out the brood are the twins, wannabe actress Juliet and wannabe everything/playboy Jeremy. Not only is there tons of hilarity with all their foibles but I’m actually interested to see the story unfold and find out what happened to dad.
  • Chuck (Mondays at 8 on NBC) – Alias meets The Office, as dude from the Nerd Herd at Buy More (a la Geek Squad at Best Buy – who are totally lame) gets all the world’s secrets downloaded into his brain, all from receiving an email from his girlfriend-stealing college roommate turned rogue CIA agent. That was his roommate’s last move. So now said roomie’s partner, and paramour, CIA kick ass gal and NSA’s kick ass guy have set themselves up in his pitiful little life to protect, monitor and use him on what will undoubtedly be a new case a week. And of course he isn’t sure who he can trust and he can’t tell any of his friends and family. It’s got good feisty action and a tongue and cheek humor about things, and so far our crew is a hoot in their fish out of water situations.
  • Reaper (Tuesdays at 9 on CW) – Ok I’m still a little on the fence about declaring my deep like for this show but it has some real potential. I really dug the first episode, slacker guy Sam, whose parents dote on him, turns 21 and he finds out that they sold his soul to the devil. First we have some amusing escapades with the well played, both enticing and frightening devil forcing him to be a bounty hunter, returning souls to hell. He learns quickly that this isn’t a job he can blow off. He has some assistance from some random super abilities (they seem to be bounty specific), a vessel for storage (first week was as dustbuster), and the thrown in typical sidekicks and big crush. And then we have some actual touching moments with the family where they truly regret what happened, but of course Dad was sick and although they planned not to have kids after the deal was done, the devil made them do it. Sam and his buddies are likable, there is a great dynamic between Sam and Satan, but we’ll see if our hunt for the bounty of the week can keep us as engaged as we are at the start.
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tv online

So when I misjudged how many shows I was taping and my tape ran out (yes per me and tv I still use my vcr) and I missed the last bit of Grey’s Anatomy I was relieved to remember that I could check the latest episode online. You do need a decent connection, and sometimes a plugin, but it does come in handy. So if you’re missing, just head off to your network site where much can be found (not always all shows or all episodes for all shows):

http://abc.go.com/

http://www.nbc.com/

http://www.cbs.com/ 

http://www.cwtv.com/ 

http://www.fox.com/ 

As for Grey’s I am as usual annoyed by Meredith, and in turn Meredith and Derek, but so far am happy to see the rest of the kids in their usual states of emotional and surgical turmoil.

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next week 10/7

So the big launches are tapering off, good thing I have a lot of back logged tivo…

Sunday

  • Life is Wild (CW, Sun 10/7, 8pm) – City family moves to safari style living, I’ve heard this referred to as the next 7th Heaven in a way that as a non 7th Heaven watcher makes me want to avoid it, but I’ve also heard there are lots of lion cubs in the first episode so I will tune in.

Friday

  • 20/20 (ABC, Fri 10/12, 8pm) – Um, it’s a news features show right?
  • Women’s Murder Club (ABC, Fri 10/12, 9pm) – Angie Harmon is one of four professional gal pals, detective, medical examiner, da, and reporter, who solve cases and have drinks.
  • Men in Trees (ABC, Fri 10/12, 10pm) – I heard that this show got better last season, Ann Heche as love expert/city gal goes to Alaska after her love life crumbles, but I really didn’t like the Ann Heche character, or maybe I just didn’t like Ann Heche
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i hate veronica mars

Ok, so we all know that’s not true, but I’ve decided the VO (by VM’s own Kristin Bell) is maybe the most annoying part of the new show I love to hate, or the show I hate love, Gossip Girl. I am of course annoyed that the kids in private school all dress better than I ever could, and that’s all accessory based since they are all wearing uniforms, though I always did have a soft spot for a short plaid skirt.

So we’re mostly following the return of previous social queen bee Serena aka S (Blake Lively of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). She fled unexpectedly to go to boarding school and goodness we all still want to know why. We all know that she slept with her best friend Blair’s boyfriend Nate, who is clearly more into her than he is into Blair. And Blair aka B, now knows that, except she doesn’t know that Nate’s dad is basically forcing him to keep them together for the better of his business deals.

We know that Serena’s younger brother Eric tried to kill himself and is being hidden away by mom Darla in some treatment facility (supposedly he’s in Florida). He has recently gotten cozy with new gal Jenny, who is dying to become a part of the it crowd, and is touched by Serena’s true kindness but wooed by Blair’s offers. She has already accepted a dress in exchange for a future favor. And we all know that will be a doozy.

Jenny came into the light by getting almost date raped by Chuck. Chuck is the boy we’re all supposed to love to hate. But since it’s early in the season we only hate him. It will take a while for them to introduce some scenes where we learn how truly tortured he is and start to secretly like him. Chuck of course hates Dan (Penn Badgley of short lived series The Bedford Diaries and The Mountain), Jenny’s brother, the boy we’re supposed to root for, and we do. He doesn’t have money and he has some character and he looks out for his younger sister Jenny.by decking Chuck.

And of course Serena’s mother and Dan’s dad Rufus, a member of one of the ‘Top 10 Forgotten Bands of the 90s’, have a history. Though Dan and Serena are getting close we should assume that they’re not related since I don’t think these shows push it to incest. So mostly we follow how B and S are at odds, or are they the only people who understand each other. And seriously if one more person questions the appropriateness of a cheesy ass show setting an example for kids today… I can’t say it’s good, but I can’t turn away. Stay tuned.

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heroes chapter one

As we tune in ‘four months later’, I was trying to remember where we left off and I wondered how anyone who hadn’t been watching all last season had any clue at all. So I thought it might make sense for us all to take a moment to do a little catch up. Ok here’s what you need to know, if I remember correctly…

Last season we started out with a few folks who discovered that they had special abilities (we’re using the term hero sparingly as they all come to terms) and as they dealt with their own new issues they learned that this wasn’t a new thing in the world. Not only were some of their own families specially-abled, or at least involved, but there was at least one whole secret organization intended to study or utilize or stop folks just like them. Oh and then there was Sylar, the serial killing power stealer.

So where are we now? Mohinder, the so far just human scientist, following in his fathers footsteps, is lecturing on the disease that’s plaguing folks with special abilities. We’ve learned his sister, in her youth was one of its victims. Mohinder is sharing custody of a plagued young girl Molly, whose ability is to locate anyone, with the mind reading Matt (Greg Grunberg of Alias and Felicity fame). Matt’s a cop who has been trying to advance his police career while saving his failing marriage, right now looks like he’s only succeeding on the cop front.

It turns out Mohinder is also working with Noah Bennet/HRG (horn rimmed glasses) who used to work for the secret organization. They lost him when he had to choose to protect his adopted daughter, Claire, the indestructible cheerleader who was given to him by the organization to raise. They are trying to do a little witness projection thing in a new town, though it looks like Claire’s new, unknown to her, flying friend may find out who she is.

Claire is still in contact with her real father who she found last season, flying man Nathan Petrelli. Nathan was being set up to win a senate race on the road to the presidency. Too bad he backed out of letting the whole of New York get blown up to do it. Nathan’s brother Peter (Jess of Gillmore Girls) can absorb others powers and had a little exploding issue and Nathan flew him up into the air to save the city. We now find that Peter is missing and presumed dead, though later found in a storage crate with at least a touch of amnesia and fortunately a new haircut. Nathan is now a scruffy alcoholic who is at odds with his mother, differently-abled of the previous generation, who is now apparently being targeted for death.

As is her former compatriot Mr. Nakamura (Sulu from Star Trek), who received a death threat as well, and at the end of the episode looks like the threat may have been succesful, as someone tumbled him off a roof. Sulu has been hanging out in New York waiting for his son Hiro (with Hiro’s partner in all things hero, Ando), Hiro, in being able to manipulate space and time, got tossed real hard in the battle with Sylar and ended up back in age old Japan. He meets the famed warrior (Alias’ Sark), who turned out not to be as heroic as the lore tells him to be, and Hiro inadvertently screws with the past.

We also meet a couple of new kids, Maya and Alejandro Ortiz, who are wanted for murder and fleeing from the Dominican Republic to the US for answers. We learned not to mess with them, ‘cuz however she, or they, do it, a whole bunch of guys ended up dead.

And what about Nikki, who uses her dead twin sister’s alter ego Jessica to tap into her super strength, and her family? Her husband DL, who can move through solid objects, was in bad shape after they were trying to save their son Micah, who can tap into and manipulate electronics. For that, as well as what happened to Sylar, who was last seen slipping down a manhole cover, I guess we’ll just have to check out chapter two.

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next week 9/30

Well it’s tough to keep up but my schedule is finally starting to settle into place, one more wave of shows (and then perhaps a smattering) to consider…

Sunday

  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, Sun 9/30, 7pm) – I’ve never watched a full episode of this, but spastic/cute Ty Pennington leads a crew to totally build/rebuild the house of someone with an undoubtedly touching story.
  • Desperate Housewives (ABC, Sun 9/30, 9pm) – I watched, and enjoyed, this show for the first season but the freshness of the amusing nighttime soapy ladies on Wisteria Lane wore off for me.
  • American Dad (Fox, Sun 9/30, 9:30pm) – One of the animated shows that I never got into.
  • Brothers & Sisters (ABC, Sun 9/30, 10pm) – So the Walkers are a mess and I think new additions from last season illegitimate daughter/homewrecker and presidential candidate/fiancé are sticking around to stir the pot.

Monday

  • Everybody Hates Chris (CW, Mon 10/1, 8pm) – A fictionalized and theoretically more amusing look at Chris Rock’s childhood wasn’t ever quite funny enough to me to keep tuning in.
  • Aliens in America (CW, Mon 10/1, 8:30pm) Pilot – A kid not fitting into high school could be funny but maybe adding a Pakistani muslim kid can make it funnier.
  • Girlfriends (CW, Mon 10/1, 9pm) – I actually kind of like this gal pal, plus a guy pal, show with their various messed up relationships and jobs and you know, lives.
  • The Game (CW, Mon 10/1, 9:30pm) – So the girlfriend of a football star hangs out with the wives of football stars, and I’m not sure what else ‘cuz it didn’t quite grab me.

Tuesday

  • Cavemen (ABC, Tues 10/2, 8pm) Pilot – Ok, whatever.
  • Carpoolers (ABC, Tues 10/2, 8pm) Pilot – Jerry O’Connell, and three other guys, talk about their varied lives on their way into their varied jobs.

Wednesday

  • Pushing Daisies (ABC, Wed 10/3, 8pm) Pilot – This whimsical, comedic, fantastical, romantic murder mystery, where a guy brings the dead back to life to help solve their murders is supposed to be a gem.

Thurday

  • 30 Rock (NBC, Thurs 10/4, 8:30pm) – Tina Fey and her crazies in her show behind the show started to get a good groove last season.
  • Supernatural (CW, Thurs 10/4, 9pm) – Hunky yet one dimensional brothers hunt the supernatural, and the couple times I watched argued a lot.

Friday

  • Friday Night Lights (NBC, Fri 10/5, 9pm) – This show is reportedly great, but even with great writing and characters and whatnot they are still so focused on football that I couldn’t quite deal.
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the bitches are back

Tonight on ANTM the ladies move into the house. Of course it’s a new crew of them but it’s never much of a difference. This week Ebony turned the bitchy torch over to Bianca, lost all her spark, and almost became the first week’s cut. The first week there’s not a lot to judge the girls on so if that first photo isn’t good you’d better be bringing it in person.

Mila, our first victim, was super annoying as she thought everything was great and positive and funny, including her ‘serious side effects of cigarette smoking’ photo shoot. So when the shots were awkward she got the ax. The smoking thing is part of Tyra’s bid to change the world, she’s not only trying to get the show to go green, but she’s forcing all the gals to quit smoking so as not to be bad role models.

The only thing worse than a tired bitchy wannabe model is a tired bitchy wannabe model who has suddenly been cut off from her cigarettes. Let’s hope she drops of some nicotine gum. (I of course endorse both going green and quitting smoking but there is just something annoying about the way Tyra does it) And of course there was the weekly challenge where they were advised on and told to pick modely clothes, every year they’re told to keep it simple and they really just never learn.

We’ve yet to get a real sense for all the girls, and there aren’t any real standouts for me, but in addition to the bitchy gals we’re getting a dose of bookishly awkward Yaley Victoria and the medically awkward Asberger syndrome sufferer Heather. And of course the gal that Biana picked on this week Lisa the former ‘bikini dancer,’ who is actually not bad. Sadly I can’t wait for next week’s episode.

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judging a pilot

Now one of the things I love about television is that I can be as judgmental as I want, but often when my critical eye comes out I need to remind myself of all that a pilot is trying to do, introduce all the characters, the one or multiple situations, plus tell a story. Sometimes you find a true gem and sometimes you find the opposite (I stand behind my decision to not watch another episode of K-Ville) but sometimes it takes at least a second episode to get the feel for where a show is going. Plus who knows how long before the regular season the pilot was shot, could be some time to step back and make some adjustments. So as I watch the first episodes of Gossip Girl and Back to You and wonder if they’re really worth adding to the lineup, I try to remember whether The OC had struck its self deprecating humorous stride on day one, and remind myself that Friends didn’t delight me with its hilarity when Rachel first walked into the coffee shop. I guess each of those shows had a decent set up with some characters that could be interesting and good enough writing that I was willing to see more. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut, plus you just have to know your own tastes. So Gossip Girl may be stupid, but it’s my kind of stupid, so I’m going to give it another shot. Plus television doesn’t always have to be amazing, though thankfully sometimes it is, but sometimes all I want is to tune out and tune in and it’s nice to know there are some shows good for that too.

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