tv

new and noteworthy tv: 6/18-6/24

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I have almost identified and recovered the shows I lost with the TiVo, what I’m missing is the second half of The Walking Dead season 2…

Monday

  • Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta (VH1, 8pm) Series Premiere – Atlanta’s version of the music slanted reality couples.
  • Danger by Design (Sci, 9pm) Series Premiere – Following daredevil Nik Wallenda.
  • Rupaul’s Drag U (Logo, 9pm) Season Premiere – Getting the latest dragsters in style.
  • Miss Advised (Brav, 10pm) Series Premiere – EW basically describes it as: three shockingly irritating women try to find love.
  • The Glass House (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – If we’re to believe the lawsuits this either is or isn’t exactly like Big Brother.

Tuesday

  • Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp (Life 10pm) Series Premiere – I just can’t…

Wednesday

  • Baby Daddy (ABCFam, 8:30pm) Series Premiere – Three men and a baby sitcom style.
  • Diamond Divers (Spike, 10pm) Series Premiere – Sailos search for diamond treasure.
  • Inside Men (BBCA, 10pm) Series Premiere – I do like a good heist show, so I’ll take a look at the plotting of an armed robbery.
  • School Spirits (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – A look at ghost stories school style.
  • Soul Man/The Exes (TVL, 10/10:30pm) Series/Season Premieres – Another addition to the new old school style sitcoms, R&B singer turns preacher, followed by the return of the singles.

Thursday

  • Justin Bieber (NBC, 8pm) – All around the world.
  • POV (PBS, 10pm) Season Premiere – Kicking off the season with reincarnation.
  • Snookie & JWoww (MTV, 10pm) Series Premiere – Did they envision this show before or after the baby?
  • Wilfred (FX, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – What happens to the buddies next?

Friday

  • UFC on FX (FX, 9pm) – A special presentation of fight night.

Saturday

  • Oddities: San Francisco (Sci, 9pm) Series Premiere – Science oddites in San Francisco.

Sunday

  • Army Wives (Life, 10pm) Season Premiere – The wives return.
  • The Great Escape (TNT, 10pm) Series Premiere – Kind of an Alcatraz Amazing Race.
  • The Newsroom (HBO, 10pm) Series Premiere – Sorkin’s latest, think Sportsnight meets West Wing.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 6/11-6/17

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Monday

  • The Secret Life of the American Teenager/Bunheads (ABCFam, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premiere – Not really that ordinary teenagers and then the latest from Gillmore Girls creator ASP, give it a chance even though the name is so dumb.
  • Tia & Tamera/Chicagolicious (Style, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premieres – The twins continue their lives and then a Chicago hair salon.
  • Hurricane Hunters (Weath, 9pm) Series Premiere – Can we just say no one cares about new weather shows and be done with the weather channel?
  • Top Gear (BBCA, 9pm) Season Premiere – Testing at the track.
  • Lizard Lick Towing (Tru, 10pm) Season Premiere – Towing, towers, towees…

Tuesday

  • Barter Kings (A&E, 9pm) Series Premiere – Can’t pawn, perhaps a trade is in order.
  • Thorne (Enc, 9pm) Miniseries Premiere – Investigate thyself.
  • Teen Mom (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Do they follow the same moms or are there new teens each season?
  • World’s Worst Tenants (Spike, 10pm) Series Premiere – You thought your neighbors were bad…

Wednesday

  • Dallas (TNT, 9pm) Series Premiere – We’re all skeptical of the continuation of Ewing drama, even with some returning cast, but will folks tune in?

Thursday

  • Burn Notice/Suits (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Michael is back and up against it all and I think I am tiring of it, while our two “lawyers” continue their shenanigans in and outside the courtroom which was entertaining enough last season.

Friday

  • Countdown to Niagra/Megastunts (ABC, 8/9pm) – Tightrope walking across Niagara Falls.
  • Say Yes to the Dress/Randy to the Rescue (TLC, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – What dress is right for you, and he’s coming to you to find the right wedding dress.
  • Gravity Falls (Dis, 10pm) Series Premiere – Twins visit their uncle and find something amiss in a remote town.
  • Evil, I (ID, 10pm) Series Premiere – I guess we can also just assume ID is running one variation of looking into crimes stories after another.

Saturday

  • Standup in Stilettos (TVG, 10pm) Series Premiere – Lady comedians, who invariably are not all wearing stilettos.

Sunday

  • Falling Skies (TNT, 9pm) Season Premiere – A return of the battle against the alien invasion that I could never quite get into.
  • Gator Boys (ANPl, 9pm) Season Premiere – Gator boys worry about their reputation?
  • Taboo (NGC, 10pm) Season Premiere – A look at peeps outside the norm.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 6/4-6/10

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Tomorrow will be a week without TiVo, and thusly cable, but with the expected arrival tomorrow I can figure out what I’ve been missing, fortunately I think with the start of summer not much…

Monday

  • Hell’s Kitchen/Masterchef (Fox, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – It’s the Gordon Ramsay channel.
  • Real Housewives of NYC (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Housewives.
  • Push Girls (Sund, 10pm) Series Premiere – Reality hits the wheelchair set.
  • Cajun Pawn Stars (Hist, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Cajun pawning.

Tuesday

  • Pretty Little Liars/Jane by Design (ABCFam, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – More campy and fashiony drama.
  • Love in the Wild (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Singles in the jungle.
  • Dance Moms (Life, 9pm) Season Premiere – Child torture?
  • Rizzoli & Isles/Franklin & Bash (TNT, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Not the best of the procedural shows but mindless drama with decent casts.
  • Kendra On Top (WE, 10pm) Series Premiere – Is it worth stating my irritation of reality stars getting more reality shows?
  • Storage Wars (A&E, 10pm) Season Premiere – What’s in your unit?

Wednesday

  • CMT Music Awards /My Big Redneck Vacation (CMT, 8/10:30pm) Season Premiere – Country singers and odd vacations.
  • Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America (Trav, 9pm) Series Premiere – I do like a good sandwich.
  • Haunted Collector (Syfy, 9pm) Season Premiere – Checking out the haunted.
  • Million Dollar Listing (Brav, 9pm) Season Premiere – Isn’t everything in LA over a million?
  • Property Brothers (HGTV, 9pm) Season Premiere – Checking out a new pad.
  • Royal Pains /Necessary Roughness (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – More fluffy formulas, Hamptons doc and sports shrink.
  • Fast n’ Loud (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Vintage auto restorations.
  • Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman (Sci, 10pm) Season Premiere – Sciency questions.

Thursday

  • Take Me Out/The Choice (Fox, 8/9pm) Series Premieres – Women pick men who pick women, followed by a dating use for the Voice chairs, pass.
  • Saving Hope (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Dr in a coma roams the halls?
  • Selling London (HGTV, 9:30pm) Series Premiere – Property for you.
  • Cajun Justice (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Just put Cajun in front of any existing show.

Friday

  • Lives on Fire (OWN, 9pm) Series Premiere – Following female firefighters.
  • Comedy Bang! Bang!/Bunk (IFC, 10/10:30pm) Series Premieres – Late night talking and gaming.

Saturday

  • Million Dollar Neighborhood/Real Life: The Musical (OWN, 9pm) Series Premieres – Learning how to save a million and saying things musical style.
  • Redneck Island (CMT, 10pm) Series Premiere – You can also do a redneck slant on anything, like Survivor.

Sunday

  • French Open (NBC, 6am) – Wrapping up the clay court action.
  • Tony Awards (CBS, 8pm) – NPH hosts.
  • Mob Wives Chicago (VH1, 8pm) Series Premiere – They go where the mob is.
  • True Blood (HBO, 9pm) Season Premiere – No I don’t watch this because I don’t get HBO, I know.
  • Untamed Americas (NGC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Wildlife.
  • Bridezillas (WE, 10pm) Season Premiere – Bride action.
  • Our America with Lisa Ling (OWN, 10pm) Season Premiere – Child beauty pageants, they can’t be good right?
  • Storage Hunters (Tru, 10pm) Season Premiere – What’s in your unit (déjà vu)?

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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books, magazine, tv

to tablet or not to tablet?

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When the iPads first came out I was one of the skeptics. I have a laptop and I have a phone. Do I really need yet another thing to own, carry, and buy? And buy again in another three years when I can’t stand how outdated it has become? And as time rolls on I keep rethinking my dismissal but I’m not entirely sure the reasons I don’t need one have changed.

As I find myself reading more and more on my phone and my laptop I start to wonder if reading on some sort of tablet might make more sense. I still believe in books and I still believe in magazines but… With a trip coming up I start to wonder if not traveling with books might make sense. And with my pile of magazines stacking up I start to wonder if faux flipping of digital pages might entertain me without the backlog guilt. And would I watch more tv online? What else can I be doing?

But if I’m doing it, what should I be doing it on? Because of the magazine and video factors I am leaning toward an iPad over a straight up book reader but is the compromise on size and book readability worth it? And is it worth the cost? Is there a right answer?

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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 5/28-6/3

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And here I thought listings would start quieting down, a few summer series to check out…

Monday

  • French Open (ESPN2, Various) – Week one of play gets going, will Nadal crush another?
  • Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO, 9pm) – Word is good for this dramatic look at Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman as these writers.
  • Cake Boss/Extreme Couponing (TLC, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Cakes and coupons.
  • Gene Simmons Family Jewels/Monster In-Laws (A&E, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Gene and his family and family in-law dynamics.
  • Hatfields & McCoys (Hist, 9pm) Mini-series Premiere – Family rivalries drama.
  • Single Ladies (VH1, 9pm) Season Premiere – A little cast swap but assume the ladies will still bring the same flavor of drama.

Tuesday

  • The Catalina (CW, 8pm) Series Premiere – A look at the goings on at a real South Beach hotel.
  • HGTV Design Star (HGTV, 9pm) Season Premiere – Twelve designers design.
  • Roadtrip with G. Garvin (Cook, 9pm) Series Premiere – Visiting eateries.
  • What Not to Wear/Big Brooklyn Style (TLC, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premiere – Stacy and Clinton return and then we visit a plus-size clothing store in Brooklyn.
  • Tosh.0/Workaholics (Com, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – The boys are back.

Wednesday

  • Dogs in the City (CBS, 8pm) Series Premiere – Dog trainer Justin Silver visits some dogs.
  • Melissa & Joey (ABCF, 8pm) Season Premiere – Who’s the Boss-esque update is back.

Thursday

  • Breaking Pointe (CW, 8pm) Series Premiere – The world of ballet reality-style.
  • Final Offer (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – A more selective bidding on big ticket items.
  • LA Hair (WE, 10pm) Series Premiere – Celebrity stylist.
  • Mountain Men (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – Outdoorsmen live off the wilderness.

Friday

  • Whale Wars/Louisiana Lockdown (AnPl, 6/7pm) Season/Series Premiere – Whaling and prison.
  • Culinary Adventures of Baron Ambrosia (Cook, 10pm) Series Premiere – On the hunt for tasty treats.
  • My Yard Goes Disney/House Hunters on Vacation (HGTV, 8/8:30pm) Season Premieres – Disney themed yards has a whole show? and you know vacation houses.

Saturday

  • The Glee Project (Oxy, 7pm) – The casting special heads into the show that I actually enjoyed for it’s focus on casting of a specific show and not just talent, I won’t hold lackluster performances by winners on last season’s Glee against them.
  • It’s Me or the Dog (AnPl, 7pm) Season Premiere – Dogs gone wild.
  • Easy Chinese (Cook, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – Chinese food made easy.
  • Iyanla, Fix My Life (OWN, 10pm) Series Premiere – Iyanla and Oprah patched it up now you can see her work again.

Sunday

  • Adele Live in London/Miss USA Pageant (NBC, 8/9pm) – Specials.
  • Secret Millionaire/Extreme Makeover Weightloss (ABC, 8pm) – Rich people pop by to visit poor people and focus on weightloss.
  • Drop Dead Diva (Life, 9pm) Season Premiere – Ridiculous premise made cute, with the merging of lives of the model drops into a lawyer’s body.
  • Empire Girls (Style, 9pm) Series Premiere – More reality of reality stars.
  • The Glades/Longmire (A&E, 9/10pm) Season/Series Premieres – The return of the detective that I almost find entertaining and a look at Wyoming lawman based on the book series with intriguing enough cast to tune in.
  • Ice Road Truckers (Hist, 9pm) Season Premiere – I think there’s ice, roads, and trucks.
  • MTV Movie Awards (MTV, 9pm) – Its own brand of movie awards.
  • Are You Normal, America? (OWN, 10pm) Series Premiere – Oprah’s look at what’s normal.
  • Call of the Wildman (AnPl, 10pm) Season Premiere – He’s looking into nature.
  • Head Games (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Delving into the human brain.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 5/21-5/27

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Folks are suggesting new shows for me to fill the gap votes for “Game of Thrones” and Korean drama “My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho”…

Monday

  • House (Fox, 8pm) Series Finale – It’s time.
  • Clash of the Commercials (CBS, 10pm) – It’s USA vs. the world.

Tuesday

  • Hollywood Treasure (Syfy, 10pm) Season Premiere – Ruby red slippers for sale.
  • Hip Hop Squares (Mtv2, 11pm) Series Premiere – Ok who remembers Hollywood Squares?

Wednesday

  • American Idol (Fox, 8pm) Season Finale – Who is the next… person to go on to guest on next year’s Idol?
  • Dev (MTV, 11pm) Series Premiere – Behind the scenes of a rising music star.

Thursday

  • Duets/Rookie Blue (ABC, 8/10pm) Series Premiere – Sing with the judges for the win, Kelly Clarkson joins another reality show, then how long are you a Rookie?
  • So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Auditions begin.
  • Men at Work (TBS, 10pm) Series Premiere – The latest sitcom with four dudes hanging and whatnot.
  • Pin the Fly/Tattoo School (TLC, 9/10pm) Series Premiere – Behind the Southwest scenes and learn to tattoo.

Friday

  • The Link (NGC, 7pm) Series Premiere – The link between things. like water wheels and mega jets.
  • Insane or Inspired (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – Countdown of top superhero videos.
  • Mystery Diners (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – Undercover diner investigations.

Saturday

  • 24/7 (HBO, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – Pacquiao/Bradley.

Sunday

  • On Sundays we rest.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 5/14-5/20

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Schedules and cancellations rolling out, time to prune my season pass list…

Monday

  • America’s Got Talent (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Howard Stern joins.
  • The Bachelorette (ABC, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – Dates, roses, whatever.
  • Outlaw Empires (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Kurt Sutter supplements Sons of Anarchy with a look at real life criminal organizations.

Tuesday

  • Pregnant in Heels (Brav, 10pm) Season Premiere – Maternity concierge is pregnant herself.

Wednesday

  • ANTM (CW, 8/9pm) – Maybe it’s time to check back in on the British invasion.

Thursday

  • American Idol (Fox, 8pm) – Aren’t we done with this yet?

Friday

  • Tron: Uprising, Beck’s Beginning (Dis, 9:30pm) Series Premiere – There’s more story to tell about Tron.

Saturday

  • Hard Parts (Speed, 11pm) Series Premiere – Haven’t you always wanted to watch someone track down hard to find auto parts?

Sunday

  • AMGEN Tour of California (NBC, 10am) – The cable coverage wraps up on NBC as the guys head into Los Angeles.
  • Billboard Music Awards (ABC, 8pm) – Performances, awards.
  • Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E!, 9pm) Season Premiere – Whatever.
  • Jessie Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (CBS, 9pm) – Tom Selleck returns to the role that is much better than that Blue Bloods thing he does.
  • Mrs Eastwood and Company (E!, 10pm) Series Premiere – Managing a South African singing group.
  • Mystery Diners (Food, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – Can a hidden camera catch a thief?

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 5/7-5/13

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Do I finally just delete my Glee backlog…

Monday

  • World’s Wildest Police Videos/Undercover Stings (Spike, 8/9pm) Season/Series Premiere – Needs no explanation.
  • House Crashers (DIY, 11pm) Season Premiere – Kitchen remodel.
  • Tanisha Gets Married (Oxy, 11pm) Series Premiere – Reality people do reality.

Tuesday

  • The Devil’s Ride (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Motorcycling dudes.
  • United States of America (Hist, 10pm) Series Premiere – Comedic facts about America.

Wednesday

  • Around the World in 80 Plates (Brav, 10pm) Series Premiere – Curtis Stone and food and some sort of challenges.
  • White Heat (BBCA, 10pm) Series Premiere – Drama returns when reconnecting with college friends.

Thursday

  • Indoors Out (DIY, 9pm) Season Premiere – Outdoor decor.

Friday

  • Common Law (USA, 10pm) Series Premiere – The latest of the fluffy USA slight gimmick procedurals, buddy cops in therapy.
  • The Half Hour (Com, 11pm) Series Premiere – Comic Rory Scovel.

Saturday

  • Mom Caves (HGTV, 8:30pm) Series Premiere – A ladylike spin on Man Caves.
  • Fish Tank Kings (Nat Geo, 10pm) Series Premiere – Tankable?

Sunday

  • Desperate Housewives (ABC, 9pm) Series Finale – And the ladies sign off.
  • The Next Food Network Star (Food, 9pm) Season Premiere – The next crop of competitors arrive.
  • Sister Wives (TLC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Apartment living.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 4/30-5/6

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Dabbling in a little more of On Demand recently added to TiVo, early learnings, don’t try shows like Idol that depend on serious fast forwarding…

Monday

  • The Pitch (AMC, 9pm) Series Premiere – After the preview the ad agencies return.
  • Ridiculousness/Money From Strangers (MTV, 10/10:30pm) Season/Series Premiere – Beiber visits and then on the street pranks.
  • Bath Crashers (DIY, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Bath it up.

Tuesday

  • Hip Hop & the LA Riots (VH1, 9pm) – Reflections twenty years later.

Wednesday

  • The LA Complex (CW, 8pm) – In case you haven’t caught this fluffy new Canadian take on LA wannabes, I’ll definitely be checking out another episode.

Thursday

  • 65 Red Roses (OWN, 9pm) – Oprah’s latest heartfelt doc shares a woman’s support awaiting a transplant.

Friday

  • Goldfathers (NGC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Gold panning.
  • In Plain Sight (USA, 10pm) Series Finale – Say goodbye to Mary and Marshall Marshall.

Saturday

  • Treasure Island (Syfy, 7pm) Mini-series Premiere – Treasure map.
  • The High Low Project/HGTV’s Great Rooms (HGTV, 8/9pm) Season Premieres – Decorate it up.

Sunday

  • Giro d’Italia (NBC, 11am) – Let the racing begin.
  • Sherlock (PBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – More mysteries.

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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tv

new and noteworthy tv: 4/23-4/29

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Do I care enough to catch up on American Idol and The Voice…

Monday

  • Top Gear (BBCA, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – Italian supercar shootout.

Tuesday

  • Celebrities at Home/Million Dollar Rooms/White Room Challenge (HGTV, 8/8:30/9pm) Season/Series Premieres – Homes, rooms, decor.
  • The L.A. Complex (CW, 9pm) Series Premiere – I think this is a Canadian take on Melrose Place.
  • Yardcore (DIY, 9pm) Series Premiere – Outdoor restyling.

Wednesday

  • American Guns/Auction Kings (Disc, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – Following firearms and auctions.
  • Total Blackout (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – Contestants face their fears in the dark.

Thursday

  • Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding (Brav, 9pm) Series Premiere – Real  Housewife gets married.
  • 7 Days of Sex/The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet (Life, 10/11pm) Series Premieres – Couples try to rekindle with sex and then Amanda chats with celebrities.

Friday

  • Whale Wars: Operation Bluefin (AnPl, 8pm) Series Premiere – More whale wars.

Saturday

  • Flipped Off (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Flipping houses in Houston.
  • Cloudstreet (Ova, 10pm) Mini-series Premiere – Another visit to another time.
  • The Graham Norton Show/The Thick of It/Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show (BBCA, 8/9/9:40pm) Season Premieres – Interviews and comedies.

Sunday

  • My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Gypsy and traveler community celebrations.

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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