Summer is in the air and it might be time to share some pins from the more nature oriented randomness…
Of course you can always check out the rest of my pins. Happy pinning!
random bits of pinterest…
new and noteworthy tv: 7/2-7/8
Still wrapping some sports, but taking it a little bit light for the American holiday week…
Monday
- Four Houses (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Decorating times four.
- Web Therapy (Show, 11pm) Season Premiere – Lisa Kudrow returns as the therapist most in need of therapy.
Tuesday
- Michael Wood’s Story of England (PBS, 8pm) Series Premiere – History.
- Haunted Highway (Syfy, 10pm) Series Premiere – Paranormal roads.
Wednesday
- A Capitol Fourth (PBS, 8pm) – Host Tom Bergeron brings music and fireworks.
- Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular (NBC, 9pm) – Regis hosts with performers and fireworks.
- America’s Lost Treasures (NatGeo, 9pm) Series Premiere – Treasure, historical style.
- Boston Pops Spectacular (CBS, 10pm) – Orchestra and fireworks.
Thursday
- Breakfast at Wimbledon (ESPN, 4am) – Recover from the fourth with a little preshow the the Wimbledon action.
Friday
- And recover from the fifth maybe by going out.
Saturday
- Tour de France (NBC, 5am) – Stages 7 & 8 hit the network for a little weekend viewing, otherwise catch one of the many showings on NBCSN.
- Wimbledon Highlights (ABC, 1pm, Sat & Sun) – Randomly the Wimbledon finals for both men and women are noted as “highlights” on ABC so keep the recording set for ESPN at 6am for what should be the full events.
- Dog Whisperer (NatGeo, 8pm) Season Premiere – Cesar begins his final season of dog (or owner) interventions.
- The Walking Dead (AMC, 8:30am) – Catch up from the beginning starting on Saturday or just the TiVo lost second half of season two starting Sunday at 11:30am.
Sunday
- Big Ang (VH1, 9pm) Series Premiere – A mob wife gets her own show.
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.
summer series roundup
There’s something about the tone of a summer series almost across the board, mindless and fluffy, and the somewhat year round cable offerings are more than happy to keep catering to that. So far only a couple are sticking around for another look from me, but I am making some progress on old Battlestar Gallactica.
- Anger Management (Fx, 6/28) – We watched him crash but is this latest vehicle funny enough to get us watching Charlie Sheen again?
- Baby Daddy (ABCFam) – Ah the hijinks of a young dude and his two buddies when left to care for a baby, I’ll pass.
- Bunheads (ABCFam) – Gilmore Girls creator takes another stab at quirky chatterers in a small town, this time with a dumb title to convey the dance slant, I’m intrigued.
- Common Law (USA) – What happens when the two best police detectives just can’t get along, couples counseling of course, not the best of the formulaic but watchable though I’ll pass.
- Dallas (TNT) – Picking up characters old and new, I wasn’t ever quite on board the first time but I made it through the pilot with little interest, pass.
- Hit and Miss (Dir, 7/11) – Chloe Sevingy is a pre-op transsexual contract killer, stay tuned.
- Inside Men (BBCA) – Plotting of a scheme has me intrigued, it’s on the TiVo, stay tuned.
- Longmire (A&E) – Can’t get enough of a quiet damaged small town sheriff, so far I’m on board.
- Men at Work (TBS) – I sampled but couldn’t get on board with this four buddies hanging in and out of their magazine jobs, pass.
- The Newsroom (HBO) – Alas no HBO for me but I was intrigued by the latest from Sorkin tackling a news show.
- Perception (TNT, 7/9) – Eric McCormack as a schizophrenic neuroscientist who helps former student and FBI agent Rachel Leigh Cook solve crimes.
- Political Animals (USA, 7/15) – Sigourney Weaver plays a similar to but not Hillary Clinton Secretary of State.
- Saving Hope (NBC) – So if the main character, a brilliant and engaged doc of course, is in a coma and can’t talk to anyone… I barely made it through the pilot, pass.
- Soul Man (TVL) – The latest old school feeling new sitcom of R&B singer turned Preacher, just not intrigued enough to check out, pass.
- XIII (Reelz, 6/29) – A memory wiped secret agent tries to find out who he is, slightly intrigued but no Reelz for me.
As always the reality shows outweigh the scripted but I just can’t pay attention to every profession or kind of crime. There are also some early fall August releases like Come On (Matthew Perry’s return to NBC sitcom), Major Crimes (Mary McDonnell’s Closer character takes center stage), and Copper (AMC’s latest dated drama), stay tuned as we lump those into fall.
new and noteworthy tv: 6/25-7/1
Starting the sporting portion of our summer schedule…
Monday
- Wimbledon (ESPN2, 3:30am) – The fortnight of tennis begins!
- Tour de France Preview (NBCSN, 8am, and various) – Who’s who and who to watch at this year’s tour.
- Olympic Trials (NBC, 8pm, ongoing + NBCSN) – Swimming! The trials are starting and the focus on the pool begins as we get a look at the times Lochte and Phelps will be throwing down, other trials are taking place on cable including Track & Field, Diving, and Gymnastics.
- Mobster Confessions (Disc, 9pm) Series Premiere – Mobster tales.
- Hollywood Exes (VH1, 10pm) Series Premiere – Stop the madness, if you stop watching these shows they will go away.
Tuesday
- Craft Wars (TLC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Tori Spelling hosts this competition of crafting.
- Retired at 35 (TVL, 10pm) Season Premiere – Has this dude been unemployed for a year?
Wednesday
- Final Witness (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – I think this is a combo of investigating and reenacting crimes.
- The Real World (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Apparently they haven’t run out of people or places to be real.
Thursday
- Wipeout (ABC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Nerdy dudes vs. hot dudettes.
- Anger Management/Louie/Brand X with Russell Brand (FX, 9/10/10:30pm) Series/Season Premieres – A new start for Charlie and Russell and another bad day for Louie.
- Trip Flip (Trav, 9pm) Series Premiere – Excursions.
- Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell (Food, 10pm) Series Premiere – Anne finds someone to turn restaurants around.
- Awkward (MTV, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – Welcome back another season of romance and public humiliation as only high school can bring.
Friday
- Chasing UFOs (NGC, 9pm) Series Premiere – A skeptic, a believer, and an undecided go chasing lights…
- XIII (Reelz, 9pm) Series Premiere – A secret agent looks for his true identity, I’m thinking Bourne-esque, might be worth a look.
Saturday
- Tour de France (NBCSN, 5am) – The boys are hitting the road for the first stage in the tour, get your dvrs cleared off!
- X Games (ABC, 10am, various and ESPN/2) – The games kick it off on Thursday hitting network on the weekend for another crop of crazy runs and hopefully only minor injuries.
- ER Nights (Health, 10pm) Series Premiere – Night time medical visits.
Sunday
- Queen & Country (PBS, 8pm) Series Premiere – Starting with a look at the guards of the queen.
- Weeds/Episodes (Show, 10/10:30pm) Season Premieres – Kicking off the final season of Weeds, do I move on past season three? and another season of Joey.
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.
watch this: the glee project
Here’s a new feature we’re trying out at pchron, ‘watch this’ throws a light on some shows that may be under your radar and are worth checking out. This first feature is a little nugget on Oxygen, The Glee Project. I caught this show last summer and was sucked in. But this year with deciding that singing competitions and Glee just sort of sucked, I wasn’t sure I’d be as enamored.
What keeps this engaging is its unique slant, this isn’t a competition for the best singer, it is casting for a specific show, Glee. And with the actual casting agent, vocal coach, choreographer, and creator of Glee making the call we get insight into the reality of the process. I don’t think watching Glee is a prerequisite, but having seen it might enhance your enjoyment.
The format is jam packed, the gang starts with a ‘homework assignment’ which is basically them being given a song and doing a group number, each person has to try to shine. The special mentor (someone from the Glee cast) picks the winner who gets some one-on-one time and an extra feature in the video. Then there’s the video, first they learn choreography, then they get in the vocal booth, and then we watch the shoot. It’s always a bit of a mess but at the end of the day they piece together a pretty good video, though they are all aware of who flailed.
The mentors (casting, vocals, and dance) pick the bottom three who then get to do a ‘last chance’ performance in front of creator Ryan Murphy. The first part of the show is more about whether they can bring it while fitting into the group and keeping up with the multiple demands of the musical numbers that make up the show. This second part gives them opportunities to not only perform but share a bit of their personality for Ryan who needs to decide whether the person is someone they can create a unique misfit character for. And when I say unique, they pick people from your standard geeky musical theater backgrounds but also like to add in peeps with a good story like a blind kid and a transgendered kid.
The kids are of course a mix of sweet, and annoying, and driven and all that, and there’s just a touch of their off screen time to add to the mix. As with all reality competitions at the end of the day I don’t so much care who the winner of the next The Glee Project is, but I enjoy tagging along for the competition.
Details: The Glee Project, Oxygen, Tuesdays at 10pm.
new and noteworthy tv: 6/18-6/24
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.
new and noteworthy tv: 6/11-6/17
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.
new and noteworthy tv: 6/4-6/10
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.
to tablet or not to tablet?
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?
new and noteworthy tv: 5/28-6/3
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.