The post where I spend too much time analyzing a TV show

Cameron has joined the ranks of the TV obsessed toddlers. Two weeks ago she started showing a marked interest in one particular show. I admit I encouraged it. She had shown minimal interest in the show 4 months ago so I taped a dozen episodes in the hope that one day she would be content to sit and watch it by herself while I got things done around the house. Well, the interest level is there but she insists I watch the show with her so I haven't been able to realize much gain yet.

We are limiting her to one show a day and sometimes two on the weekend. But the constant refrain of "Minnie Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Minnie Mouse" is starting to get on my nerves. We don't give in but I have to face it, my child is obsessed with the Mickey Mouse Club. She loves Minnie the most which surprises me because I figured Mickey or Pluto or Goofy would be the main attractions. But Cameron is living up to my prediction that she will be a girlie girl with her Minnie love.

I find myself spending far too much time thinking about this stupid show as I sit with Cameron and watch it. The show is very well done. Aside from a few minor tweaks (Mouska Dance vs. Hot Dog Dance) it hasn't changed in the four seasons I've taped episodes from. I can't imagine that it takes much effort to produce an episode so it has to be a serious money maker for the Disney corporation. Story lines are formulaic and many of the scenes can be recycled (hot dog dance, mouska tools, etc.). There is a lot of "interaction" where the characters talk and expect responses which Cameron loves. She eagerly says, "Oh Toodles!" upon command. I saw one extended episode where the writers made Toodles into a true character. He was like the Jar Jar Binks of the Mickey Mouse Club and I'm glad I have yet to see his return. See? Far too much time spent thinking about this show.

I am a TV fanatic so I don't begrudge my daughter a TV show of her own. I like that it is 25 minutes and commercial free. A DVR lets me even skip the before and after ads. I'm sure she has already been sucked into the commercialization but she has yet to ask for any toys related to the show. And hey, at least she'll recognize characters when we go to Disney next year!

So, what other shows so I consider adding to our DVR list over the next few months? I can't imagine I'll avoid repeat episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club forever. And the show is annoying enough that I would prefer not to see any repeats. What do your kids love and you can tolerate?

Friday Fun: What's on my Season Pass

Fall TV officially commenced this week. DH and I spent time pouring through the special double issue of Entertainment Weekly and picked out the shows we wanted to watch individually or as a couple. Let me state for the record that DH thinks he is going to watch far too many shows with me this year. The Yankees are guaranteed a spot in the MLB post season. Which means he is tied up 6 nights a week watching baseball. So I have a feeling many of the "us" shows will become Stacey shows. Any takers on that bet?

House - DH stopped watching this show for a while but got sucked back in last season. I'm looking forward to seeing some growth from the grumpy doctor this season given his new relationship with Cuddy. At least one can hope, right? Plus Amber Tamblyn is joining and I have loved her since Joan of Arcadia.

The Mentalist - I'm kind of bleh on this show. The main character comes of as smarmy a lot of the time. Although very, very pretty to look at. DH calls him the "smiler." Because it is a CBS show, I can't watch it on Hulu which is why it is on my Season Pass. For now. This is a Stacey only show.

How I Met Your Mother - I will always watch this show but this season the writers better put their money where their mouths are and start progressing the storyline. 'kay? DH likes this show too.

Fringe - My X-Files type show that DH likes too. A win/win. We had about 10 episodes saved this summer and blew through them pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to more alternate universe story lines.

Gossip Girl - What can I say, I love watching rich people and their "problems". I hate the Dan-has-a-baby storyline but other than that, it's all about the fashion, booze and sex. Love it. Need I mention that DH derides this show constantly?

Bones - Another show I started watching because of a Buffy alum. I think it's hysterical how much goo and gore gets worked into the episodes. And the "will they/won't they" storyline isn't annoying at all.

Private Practice - I'm totally only loyal to this show because of Addison. And I love looking at Taye Diggs. Here's hoping the story lines get better.

Grey's Anatomy - I'm impressed that DH has stuck with this show. I thought for sure that the soapiness would have turned him off long ago. Grey's still manages to choke me up on a regular basis. So it will stay on my Season Pass for a long time.

Modern Family - You all watch this so enough said.

The Good Wife - Finally a good vehicle for Mr. Big and Julianne Marguilles. Great supporting cast (including Logan from Gilmore Girls) and a great feminist vibe. DH does not watch this one.

Glee - Dare I admit it? This show is getting a little old for me. I actually fast forwarded through most of the songs from this week's episode. I'll keep it on the list and hope that the Brittney Spears episode brings me back around. I'm sure your not surprised to hear that it's a Stacey only show.

Cougar Town - Totally underrated and actually had a good guest appearance by Jennifer Aniston. Check it out. Seriously, despite the terrible name it's a good show and it's nice to see a Friends alumnus getting a regular paycheck.

Parenthood - I thought that Maura Tierney would be excellent as Sarah but I also love Lorelai. I mean Lauren Graham. Easy mistake, right? You can tell that a lot of it is ad libbed and sometimes the shouting and talking over each other can be painful. But DH and I both like it.

Castle - I had a void in my Monday nights so I filled it with this light fluff. Another Joss Whedon alum stars and I love him. If anyone watches this, can you confirm if the female lead is pregnant or not? There were some suspiciously roomy shirts and shoulders up camera work.

Blue Bloods - DH is making me DVR this. I doubt I will watch it but I'll save at least 5 episodes for him before they get deleted forever. If you are excited about this show, please tell me why to like it. I might give it a shot.

Undercovers - I have a sneaking suspicion that this show will be an early cancellation. Not a lot of buzz despite a massive ad campaign. Poor J.J. - at least he has the DVD release of Lost to console himself. DH claims he will watch this show with me but I don't buy it.

The Whole Truth - Only because it has Maury Tierney and Rob Morrow. Yes, DH and I were one of the few who watched Numbers. Get over it. This will be a "bottom of the pile" show unless the first episode is really good.

The Event - Please, please, please be my new Lost. Another show DH thinks he will watch but considering he made fun of Lost (are they found yet?) and never watched Flash Forward I think I'll be watching it solo.

Detroit 1-8-7 - This is all DH. I will not watch it. Never liked Sopranos. Don't like the main actor. Zero interest.

No Ordinary Family - Please, please, please don't suck like Heros.

Terriers - Another DH cop show. Bleh.

Hawaii Five-O - A last minute add after the rave reviews I read online. There is the Battlestar Galatica connection as well as Lost.

Shows I watch on Hulu because of conflicts: Chuck, 30 Rock, Community

OK, written out, that is a heck of a lot of shows. However, we don't watch movies so TV is basically my main entertainment. So please don't just the quantity too harshly, OK? Also, I have a feeling quite a few will be cancelled soon or drop off my Season Pass because of suckiness.

What do you like this season? What are your recurring favorites? Am I an insane American TV watcher? Inquiring minds want to know.

Summer TV reviews

With the advent of all these new cable channels it has started a trend that I like a lot: Summer TV programming. Basically it means we have new TV year round. Woo hoo! Here are the shows currently on my DVR. Let me know if you love 'em, hate 'em or have other suggestions.

• Drop Dead Diva - I have a soft spot for this show. I think that the actress does a great job of channeling a model in a plus sized lawyers body. The best parts (IMO) are the cases. Sometimes the personal life plot lines are a little lame. Like Bravo, Lifetime replays shows a lot so you don't have to worry about recording conflicts.
• The Gates - I checked this show out for the first time last night and I'm not sure I'm going to keep recording it. Another vampire/werewolf drama? Boring. Some of the characters are engaging but they are in the minority. I have a feeling this show won't stick around long anyway.
• Scoundrels - Really, TV? Is Virginia Madsen is old enough to have a son who graduated law school? I think not. But I like her. It also features Sloan from Grey's Anatomy doing her ditzy best. This is a maybe show for me. My DVR forgot to record it this week and I found that I didn't really care. So I'm on the fence with keeping this as a Season Pass.
• Royal Pains - This is a cute show and I love the interaction between the two brothers. But the patient story lines are kind of lame and the show doesn't appear to know where it's going this season. Maybe it will get better.
• White Collar - Fun fact: the start of this show went to Carnegie Mellon and graduated a year after me. Damn, if he was that hot in school I'm mad I didn't know him in real life!! How can you not love a show that has Tiffani Theissen in it? I rest my case.
• Top Chef - need I say more?
• Doctor Who - I have to get my SciFi fix in there somewhere, right? I'm not in love with the new Doctor yet but he's growing on me. I do really like his new sidekick but why did they have to erase her fiancee? Lame-O.
• Leverage - DH and I love this show. Good plots (although the "solution" is a bit ridiculous at times) and engaging actors. I'm saving up some episodes since we've been trying to get through our 8 remaining Fringe episodes. But then it's full steam ahead on this show. I hear that this past week had a Parker-centric episode. I'm already excited to see it!

Lost, Ugly Betty and other TV thoughts

My grandmother is probably appalled that I am writing a third post in a row about TV but hey, I am a child of the 80s! I promise to follow up with a cute Cameron post.

Last week ABC announced that they were not going to renew Ugly Betty. And I found myself bummed. I was considering dropping this show from my play list earlier in the season but have been impressed with the new story lines and advancement of the shows characters. I love the look of the show with the white walls and bright colors and most of the characters are endearing, even Vanessa Williams' character. Apparently I am a poor predictor of America's taste because last year I predicted that The Forgotten would last maybe a handful of episodes. But Christian Slater seems to have found his TV vehicle and the show is still around. Anyone else have a secret crush on Ugly Betty and wishes it had been renewed?

Last night I sat down to watch Lost. And perhaps it was the two (OK, three) glasses of wine, but I was extremely disappointed. I have loved the juxtaposition of story lines last season (Losties on the Island, Losties in LA) but don't think that it is working this season. Kate's interactions with Claire felt forced like the writers knew they needed the two characters to be connected in the alternate timeline and did it in the sloppiest way possible. I'm also not sure I like the new Others that have been introduced. I was looking forward to having more answers (and true, we have gotten some, like "Locke" being the smoke monster) and feel like by introducing a whole new group of people we are still getting more questions and characters that aren't insisting on answers. I realize that not every episode can be flawless and I hope that the writers were just trying to advance the plot and that resulted in the sloppy dialogue. There were actual times that I laughed out loud at the dialogue. Like when Hurley and Miles agreed to leave Jack alone with Sayid. I don't have the dialogue on hand but let me assure you that real people would never talk like that.

I'm worried that Lost will end up going down the X-Files rat hole. The X-Files knew it was ending so it attempted to wrap up lots of loose ends with its mythology. Instead it ended up contradicting itself and leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I'm hopeful that because the writers on Lost have known this season was to be the last for a long time that they will weave a tapestry equal to Jacob's. If you are a Lost fanatic, I encourage you to check out my friend Helen's blog for more insights and discussions. What do you think about the final season? Living up to the hype?

Mid-season reviews of TV shows

DVR is ruining my TV watching ability. I have 5 episodes of Fringe and 2 of Grey's Anatomy still to watch. But I have managed to stay up with a bunch of new shows and also some returning ones (Thank you, Hulu! Curses to all the networks who won't air their episodes on it!). So here are my thoughts about returning and new TV shows now that we are in the midst of November sweeps.

In terms of Grey's Anatomy, DH and I had an epiphany about why it's been so hard to watch the episodes. After Mercy merged with Seattle Grace and we were introduced to the new characters I turned to DH and said, "All of these new characters are assholes." His response, "All of the characters are assholes now." And that hit the nail on the head. Why do we want to watch these people when they are so self absorbed and mean to each other? If I wanted to do that I'd watch Private Practice. Tee hee hee hee. Fortunately we just watched the Derrick-gets-his-mojo-back episode and it was probably one of the best episodes in a very long time, including last season. So I have hope again although I don't miss Izzy at all so I'm not looking forward to her return.

Modern Family has consistently been one of the best shows we now watch. There are tons of laugh-out-loud moments and the gay couple is totally disfunctionally awesome. If you don't watch it yet you should add it to your DVR list. Other good comedies that I've been able to keep up with via Hulu are Community, 30 Rock and Cougar Town. Yes, I did say Cougar Town. I know, I'm just as surprised as you! Creatively 30 Rock is a bit down for me this season. I feel like they are really stretching with some of the over the top jokes. Best line of last week though was Kenneth: "That's about as useful as a mom's college degree." Awesome.

Glee continues to perform well with the musical numbers and the amazing Jane Lynch. The biggest problem for me is the Quinn pregnancy storyline. And I hate, hate that Will's wife is going to take the baby (supposedly). It just doesn't work for me. I'd prefer the show if it was focused more on general teen problems and didn't go so early to the teen pregnancy.

FlashForward is definitely one of the better serial dramas. Not sure I buy into the premise that they can change their future but I guess it will be born out over the season. They just need to keep up their momentum. This past week's episode was a little weak for me. DH and I have been taping V but we are waiting to watch it when his parents come to visit. Apparently his mom was a fan of the original. So, no review of that show from me although I'm hearing that it will be yanked after 5 episodes not to return until after the Winter Olympics. Not a good sign.

House has really lost it's mojo for me. I still like Dr. House but I hate the Cameron/Chase storyline. Who knew I'd be on board with the new team after I bitched so much when they broke up the band? I guess the suckittude that is Chase and Cameron made me change my mind. I never thought I'd say this but, "Come back, Thirteen!"

I started watching White Collar on Hulu when I was bored one day. It's pretty cute and I am happy that Tiffany Thiessen is working again. And the main character is very, very good looking. I showed him to DH yesterday while he was watching football. "That guy is annoyingly handsome," he told me. And oh so yummy to look at.

The Good Wife has settled in to a nice groove. Not much movement on the larger, overarching storyline but I'm OK with that. The characters are pretty well drawn and it's nice to have another female driven drama on the air. But one that isn't too slap-stick (yes, Desperate Housewives, I'm looking at you!).

How about the rest of you? Any shows you are watching that have taken a downturn in creativity? Any new shows that I should be adding to my list?

Being a baseball widow

I've mentioned many times in this blog that DH is a baseball fan. No, he deserves the un-shortened version of the word: fanatic. He is obsessed with all things baseball, but especially his beloved Yankees. Since April I have suffered along with DH as he managed his two fantasy baseball teams. Well, three but one was free so he didn't really talk about that one. I suffered because I had to hear in detail about how his team wasn't doing as well as it should because of the "stupid" things that the other team owners did. Or how luck the other teams were. Or how unlucky DH was. I heard stats and possible outcomes until my eyes glazed over. Per usual he made too many trades when he should have just left his team alone. But he did manage to eek out a second place win in one league. I had to hear about the tight race for second every night for the past two weeks as he constantly checked his line up, StatTracker and wavered on picking up new pitchers. It was torture for both of us.

So you can imagine my relief when I was told this past weekend that fantasy baseball was over. Well, until next year. The only problem? Now it is the post season and the Yankees are entering it with the best record in baseball. What does that mean for me? Y'all (yes, I live in the South now) know how much I love TV right? Usually I can tape two shows at one time while we watch a pre-recorded one. Not when the Yankees are in the post-season! DH informed me in no uncertain terms that he is watching every minute of the post season on our flat screen HDTV. I can't fault him for that. It is way better than our other TV. My only problem is that we don't have a Fios-type system so I can't watch any DVR'd shows in the other room. Thank goodness for Hulu. I was able to watch FlashForward from last week. DH stopped Glee from recording because it overlapped with Modern Family and would interfere with the live game. Fortunately Hulu carries Glee episodes.

Is it any wonder I hope that the Yankees lose quickly in the post season? Well, I am a Red Sox fan too....

New Fall TV show recommendations

You would probably be disgusted at the number of TV shows I have on season pass in my DVR. I wouldn't be lying if I said it was close to 40. In my defense there are quite a few shows that have 1/2 seasons (Stargate (yes, I am a dork), Psych, etc.) Quite a few shows also don't start until after the first of the year (Lost, 24, American Idol). So really I'm closer to 20 or so shows that are on my DVR for the Fall. Surprisingly, most of those shows are not new. DH has laid claim to the TV for basically the entire month of October. Why? Well, let's just say that the Yankees swept the Sox (booo!) and picked up the division title. My favorite was when a sports reporter said, "It's the first time since 2006. It's been a long time coming." Um, long time coming? Why don't you check in with the Cubs on that first?

Baseball bitterness aside, I have leveraged Hulu as my go to place to check out new shows. It gave me a chance to sample, make a decision and move on. Here are the shows I watched and my opinions:

The good:
Flash forward. Yes, I am a sucker for all things Lost-like. I wasn't planning on watching this show. I was going to ignore it and hope that that didn't come back and bite me in the ass. But when I was on Hulu it was the first show that popped up and it just begged me "Watch Now." So I did. And I really, really liked it. I also like what I've read about the show which includes getting to the flash forward point by the end of the season. No mysterious hatches that can't be opened here! Plus I've heard that the writers have already mapped out story arcs for 5 seasons. I'm hopeful that means a lot of thought went into it and it will be consistently good, story-wise. Great actors too.

The Good Wife. I am as shocked as you. This show will probably end up as a case of the week type show but frankly that's been missing since Boston Legal and Eli Stone (curses!) went off the air. I heart Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth. And if you look at Tuesday's line up, there isn't much that conflicts. Score! The worst decision for CBS? That they didn't let Hulu host the download. I had to watch it through CBS and the picture never synched up with the audio.

The OK:
Community. I think Joel McHale is a hoot on the Soup and he is appropriately smarmy on this sitcom. But something isn't quite clicking for me. Given the huge number of conflicts I have on Thursday nights I'm passing on this one. Damn Fox for putting Fringe in the Thursday slot!

The awful.
The Forgotten. Oh, Christian Slater. Can't you and your agent find good shows for you to be on? Let me save you all some trouble and tell you this show is DOA. I give it 3 episodes, max.

Mercy. Another show about nurses? Thanks NBC! Just what we needed. Too bad most of the people on it can't act their way out of paper bags. I give it 1/2 a season, tops.

Shows I haven't checked out and am not sure I will:
Three Rivers. As an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon I am happy to see a show featuring Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh always gets a bad rap and it's really a nice city. Seriously, it is! But another hospital drama? Meh.

Trauma. What is it about nurses, paramedics and doctor's this season? Does this mean next year it will be all lawyer shows? Or is the cops turn? I guess Law & Order has that sewn up.

If you are interested in the other shows I watch (except for those who have been cancelled. Fair well Pushing Daisies, Boston Legal, and Dirty, Sexy, Money), you can read it here, here and here. So my fellow TV addicts, what am I missing for new shows? Or even existing ones? And don't tell me the Amazing Race. That show gives me a heart attack every time I watch it.

She'll certainly be less crazy

I found out yesterday that Ellen DeGeneres will be serving as the fourth judge on American Idol. Ellen is often known as the "every woman" and plans to bring that viewpoint to the competition. My problem? I think that having a fourth judge at all is not the best idea. Last season it resulted in only two judges giving feedback per contestant and we lost valuable Simon critiques. While I will still miss Paula Abdul's kookiness I do like Ellen. But I'm reserving judgement of my own until after the first few episodes. What do the rest of you think about Ellen as the newest judge? Too much change with adding in Kara, removing Paula and now adding Ellen?

Aside from the fourth judge here are the guest judges currently on tap for auditions: Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, and Joe Jonas. Any favorites? Any you think will be terrible?

Addicted to Hulu

DH loves to watch baseball. He might be OK watching something else if his beloved Yankees aren't scheduled but otherwise, the TV is his for the night. I could go up to his office and watch TV but there's no DVR and I can no longer watch commercials. Yes, in the 6+ years since I received a TiVo I hardly ever watch "live" TV.

So during the summer and all the baseball watching, I decided to check out Hulu.com. Now when DH starts watching baseball I do my own thing and power up Hulu.com. I love it! I love when they give you the option of watching the longer commercial for no commercials during the program (duh, easy choice) or to pick amongst three different commercial options. Very, very smart advertising strategy. And I actually do watch the commercials since they are usually 15 or 30 seconds and then right back to the show. I love when I find a show that I've been meaning to check out and I can "dip my toe" into the water. I love all the old shows they have although some of those have not held up well.

Since I started watching Hulu I have seen the last few episodes of Scrubs, all of John Doe, a couple of Doogie Howser, MD (wow, those are dated!), dabbled in a variety of other shows and discovered 30 Rock. When I asked for TV suggestions before heading out on maternity leave quite a few of you recommended 30 Rock. I have avoided the program because I was afraid it was too much in the vein of The Office and rife with embarrassing moments humor. I hate that. Plus I also discovered that watching shows via DVDs isn't for me. I need to tape them and have the urgency to watch them as my % available decreases. Otherwise it just won't happen.

Anyway, back to 30 Rock. I freaking love it! I've been skipping around because Hulu doesn't show a lot of episodes or all of them in order. But ever time they have one up I haven't seen before I am very excited. I love everything about the show. Alec Baldwin is a genius. And the writing is very sharp. Question, what do the letters TNS (is that right?) stand for before "The Tracy Morgan Show" on all the signs? I can't figure it out and have only seen episodes from Season 3 so far.

If you all are interested in my other recommendations for comedies here are the ones I've enjoyed. Comedy is probably the hardest genre in TV shows. So few are truly enjoyable (Yes, Everybody Loves Raymond, I'm looking at you):

• Friends - yes, along with the rest of America. But even now if I see an episode I will still laugh out loud. Pretty good for a show that has been off the air for years.
• Scrubs - I stopped watching this show when it was airing new episodes but I enjoyed catching up on the last season via Hulu. And if there's nothing else on I will watch some episodes on Comedy Central.
• How I Met Your Mother - it's a-wait for it-mazing. I have never laughed louder or longer than at the Bob Barker and Slapsgiving episodes.

Have you tried Hulu? What do you think? Game changing in how we view entertainment? I think so. I've even heard they are getting higher ad rates than prime time shows. What other comedies do you like? I'm tempted to check out The Big Bang Theory but it's not offered on Hulu. Curses!

And so we say goodbye to a very unique judge

I won't have Paula Abdul to kick around any more in my American Idol recaps. Apparently she was never asked to renegotiate her contract. The producers decided to go with the younger, hipper and arguably more talented and hard to pronounce Kara DioGuardi.

I know for sure that 4 judges didn't work last season. There wasn't enough time for them to make comments and I didn't like that I had to wait so long to hear what Simon said. But I'm not sure the producers are making the right choice. Paula has always been viewed as the "nice" and "supportive" judge. Not to mention the fact that I usually got a break in recapping the shows when she started nattering on and on.

What do the rest of you think? Is this an improvement? Will you miss the odd sexual tension between Simon and Paula? Will Paula ever learn that unique needs no other modifier? Will Paula have a nervous breakdown now that she isn't a judge or does this mean we can expect a new season of "Hey, Paula"?

My super power

Before I get to revealing my awesome super power I wanted to provide an update on little Miss Cameron and our quest to have her sleep through the night. She required only two pacifier insertions by DH starting at 4:30 AM and I had to wake her up at 6:30 AM to eat. Yay! 1 night down, thousands more to go. Of course I was wide awake worrying about how she was going to react from 4:30 AM on but that's what being a mother is all about, right?

Last night DH and I finally got around to watching the season finale of Fringe. Yes, it's been about three months but nothing was spoiled for us. I didn't read any spoilers about the episode or what's on tap for next season. The finale was definitely good but the best part is that it supported my assessment of what my personal super power is. Don't read further if you don't want to know a key plot point! About 20 minutes into the episode I asked DH to pause the recording.

Me: I think that Peter will turn out to not be the real Peter but the Peter from a parallel universe.
DH: OK. I like it. Let's see what happens.

20 minutes later.

Me: I was totally right!
DH: You must have read something about it. How the hell could you predict that?
Me: It's my gift.

Yup, I completely predicted one of the major plot points. And that is my super power. I can predict what will happen in a movie or TV show about 99% of the time. Lost is probably the one show that I can't predict but even that is become a bit more predictable as time goes on. I accredit my super power to a couple of things. First, I am a former Creative Writing major. Did you know that there are only something like 12 original story lines? Everything is just a combination or riff off of those. Secondly, TV is predictable. Hollywood has made trillions of dollars but they usually do it by recycling the same stories. How else do you explain the remake of Footloose? Third, I read. A lot. And assuming I remember even 10% of the hundreds (probably thousands but I'm being modest) of books I read I will see something repeated in TV or movies.

The hardest thing to probably understand is why I watch so much TV if I can in fact predict most scripted shows. Well, I do watch a lot more reality TV (although DH will argue that that's because only reality shows seem to be scheduled these days). I also like the overarching story lines in most shows. Character development and all that.

So, that's my super power. What is yours?

Jon & Kate Plus 8: A new season, a marriage ending?

I love Jon & Kate Plus 8. I've watched almost every episode and am amazed at how the family manages. I can hardly function with one child! It is inspiring to me because if they can do it then surely I can too.

From the very beginning the show has been polarizing. Whenever DH watches it with me he comments about how mean Kate is to Jon. I always disagree and stick up for Kate. She was the primary caregiver and everything needs to be scheduled and planned to the smallest detail when you have 8 children. True, she could be a bit nicer in how she talks to Jon but when you tell him the same thing over and over again, sniping just comes naturally.

I was amazed to see a series of cover stories about first Jon and then Kate on my gossip indulgence, Us Weekly. I'm a fairly naive person. I usually question the cover stories and assume that people aren't having affairs only to be proven wrong time and again. So I was horrified to see the articles about Jon's supposed affair, not to mention Kate's. I still don't believe it's true for Kate but am on the fence about Jon. He flatly denied it in the season opener but he's so monotone in his delivery it's hard to believe him. Kate was much more passionate in her defense and rightly so.

As Laura commented in her post, the saddest thing about this episode was seeing Jon and Kate in separate interviews (which has never happened before) and hearing Alexis say she doesn't like it when Jon's away.

There has been some role reversal with Kate traveling and Jon being the stay-at-home parent. While I know DH would love it, Jon appears to be very bitter about it because the "choice was made for [him]." But would he be any happier if he made the choice himself? I don't think so. I felt so bad for Kate as she put on a brave face while tackling the birthday party by herself. And you can tell from the twins' behavior that they know something is wrong - they were being way too nice not to!

By the way, how fat and mellow was that rabbit? Funniest part of the show.

What do you think? Is this marriage ending or will Kate pull it through by sheer force of will? If anyone can do that, she can. I'm interested to see what happens this season. Their final interviews did not give me hope for their marriage.

Attempting to reinvent the wheel

For the past year I have been missing my favorite reality show (yes, even more than American Idol!), Project Runway. Bravo TV's contract with the producers was up and the show was sold to Lifetime instead. Per usual with Hollywood, lawsuits ensued and it will have been over a year since the last season (a lifetime, no pun intended, in the world of reality TV) by the time it airs on Lifetime this summer.

Not to be outdone, Bravo used it's time wisely as the lawsuits continued and developed a new show, The Fashion Show. I saw the debut and am not sure I will be adding it to my regular TV mix. To be frank, it is Project Runway-lite and not necessarily in a good way. Isaac Mizrahi is the big name draw as co-host and judge. His designs are best know through Target stores. He is delightfully gay and honest. So put that in the plus column for the show. On the negative side is Kelly Rowland. The former Destiny Child singer adds nothing to the commentary. Even the producers seem to recognize this as we only see her speaking scripted lines or giving small inane comments.

Another plus is that the contestants give a fashion show to industry insiders so it's not just the judges who review and provide feedback. It's great exposure for the designers. On the flip side, the producers decided to go with over the top personalities rather than just talent. On Project Runway there was always one or two quirky people (remember Austin? or Kenley?) but they don't completely dominate. On this new show the crazies seem to outweigh the normals.

And Isaac's parting catchphrase? Horrid. "We just don't buy it." Gah. Worse than the Top Design, "See you later, decorator." Has anyone else checked out the show? How do you think it compares to Project Runway? Are you missing Tim Gunn as much as me?

And so humanity will continue on

In 2004 a little show called Battlestar Galatica premiered on the SciFi network. While the network has now started calling itself SyFy for branding purposes, I hope it continues to be a bastion for innovative shows. We'll see what happens with new shows premiering this summer.

I have watched Battlestar Galatica since the very beginning. Unlike a legion of other fans, I knew the original only vaguely. Names, a general sense of plot, that's about it. So I was not outraged at the re-imaging of the series including the casting of a female (the horror!) Starbuck.

I liked the show and also disliked it for the same reason: it felt almost too real. I don't mean the technology or the space battles or even the plot itself. Instead what drew me and disturbed me the most was how humanity would react if we ever found itself in the situation of being on the brink of extinction. The show gave us the pettiness, the fear, the selfishness, the courage, the hope and the sheer human messiness of people's reaction to the potential destruction of humanity.

To give non-viewers some perspective here are some of the very cool ways that the creators have established humanity thousands of years in the future:

• Democracy is alive and kicking and not always the perfect system it is needed to be
• There is no cure for cancer
• There is no one true religion
• People still do stupid things like drink a lot and smoke cigarettes
• Robots have become more than just hunks of tin
• A military is still pervasive and necessary
• Humanity's hope is still based on the next generation

There were times that I did not look forward to watching a new episode because the series is very dark. Hope was in short supply the first and second seasons of the series. But there was enough to keep me watching, even if I had to store up a few in a row on the DVR to watch in one sitting. The original plot was not very complicated: find Earth. It was compounded by politics and character driven situations and somehow became extremely complicated once the remaining humans and Cylons discovered that Earth may not be the paradise they needed. I think that having a final end date for the show both helped and hurt this last half season. It helped because an expiration date gives the creators and producers time to wrap up the series without rushing it. However, because there is only a half season, I felt as though there was almost too much plot in the last 10 or so episodes. But in a way, it is a nice contrast from some of the slower episodes in the middle part of the series.

I won't give away the ending for those who haven't seen the last episode yet or the series in general (here's a hint: there is a really big space battle in the finale. Shocking, I know!). But if you enjoy shows like Lost, I encourage you to watch Battlestar Galatica. Characters are very complex (albeit with some issues I have with the female characterizations) and while the show is in the Science Fiction genre it also transcends it.

Next I'll try out Stargate: Universe and Caprica. Any other promising Science Fiction shows coming out that I should be aware of?

What to watch while on maternity leave

I figure I'll be locked up in the house pretty much the whole time during maternity leave. Yes, I'll have the occasional trips out but I won't be able to pop in the car and go get a mani/pedi like the pre-baby days. DH will be working for most of the leave (he only gets 2 weeks paid paternity) upstairs. In order to keep from bugging him, I need to keep myself busy. Before you all laugh at me, yes, I know that the bulk of my time will be spent with the baby but not every minute can be devoted to her, can it? CAN IT????

Assuming I have some down time, I plan on going through digital photos and cleaning them up. I have decided to drop Snapfish and start using Flickr instead. If you have a strong opinion on another photo service, let me know.

I also plan on watching TV. As I say in my profile I am a child of the 80s and love TV. Plus I can more easily multi task with the TV on than a book in hand. I am not a movie person so I plan on signing up for NetFlix for their TV show DVDs. Mommy, Esq. got me Arrested Development the Christmas before last and I have yet to tackle it so that's on the list. Perhaps when she's out visiting me and the baby (and DH of course!) we'll pop a few of them in.

What other shows should I add to my NetFlix queue? Please keep in mind that I absolutely hate uncomfortable situational humor. So I will never watch The Office. I don't care how good it is.

American Idol Season 8 Auditions: Phoenix and Kansas City

The long lines.
The screaming fans.
The people with talent.
The people with crazy.

This is American Idol.

Ah, you've got to love auditions week. A few weeks ago I heard that AI was making some changes to their format. Everyone knows about the new judge, Kara. I'm still on the fence about her, but more on that later. The other changes I heard about were that more "good" auditions would be shown instead of bad and Hollywood week would result in a top 36 instead of top 24. Now last year I only started blogging at the top 24 but my fans (well, really fan - Hi Natalie!) have requested I start earlier. I can't promise next day recaps like I had last year because so much more happens during auditions and Hollywood week. But I should be back on that schedule by the top 24 at least.

I don't think that AI has been showing that much more in the way of good auditions. OK auditions, yes, but not necessarily good. There are maybe 4 or 5 people I've seen so far that I think "have the chops" to make it to the live sound stage. Yes, I am predicting that "chops" will be the word of the season.

The thing about American Idol that kills me every audition season is that so many people think it is going to change their lives. Really? Really, people? One person makes it a season. One. Odds are it ain't gonna be you. I doubt Sanjaya is making much money off his voice these days. And he even made it to the Top 10. I still don't understand how that happened...

That's the thing about American Idol that makes it so great. It is so very American. Yeah, I know there are many other countries that have it but let's focus on our country first. I've already mentioned the delusions. Americans are also willing to prostitute themselves (no, I'm not just talking about bikini girl) to get on TV. Of course the guy with the weird outfit singing to a banana is going to make it on TV. He and you both know he's pure comedy gold. Americans are also delusional. There really are people who think they have stellar voices. Um, OK. Just because your mom thinks you are good doesn't mean you are. And what's up with those family and friends who just know a person is going to make it? Reality isn't just a TV genre. The best are the people who think just because they have worked "so hard" they deserve a shot at Hollywood week. Puh-lease. If you really worked hard you'd be a welder instead of a kid who lives with his mom. Snap!

The first stop on the AI audition tour was sunny and hot Phoenix AZ. Did you know that this city is rapidly becoming the retirement capital of the US? Move aside, Florida! The baby boomers have no interest in living in the swamp with their parents. They prefer 100 degree dry heat. Ryan Seacrest opens the show with a montage from last season. Is it totally wrong that I recognized every single person show in those clips? No, I'm not obsessed.

AI decided to "reward" the audience with a first audition that was awful. I am immediately disappointed. Then we see the girl who will be DH's favorite if she make it to the top 12: Emily Wynne-Hughes. Rocker extraordinaire. I made fun of Carly for her tatts, I am not afraid to make fun of hers. She sings Barracuda and is quite good. Totally willing to dump her bandmates (and apparently they are pretty popular in LA so they will hate here) which is a good sign. Hollywood or bust!

Then we see a rocker wannabe. Dude is terrible and thinks just because he dresses all Axel he'll make it to Hollywood. Simon is quick to correct his assumption. He is quickly followed by one of those, "I can't believe he's only 16" vocal freaks that probably sings the lead in every high school musical. Simon loves him of course. And he immediately fades away in my mind. We'll see if he reappears after Hollywood week. I doubt it.

A couple more freaks come through (why do their families encourage them!?!) and Kara is showing her nice side. She hasn't been broken yet by the machine that is American Idol. Just wait until her favorites bite the dust during Hollywood week. How quickly things change! Don't get your hopes up on any contestant, new judge. They will all disappoint you some time or another.

The judges put through another cute, 16 year old (Arianna Afsar) and keep the hope alive that this time a David Archuleta will win. They then see the obligatory Kara D. fan that must be introduced just so the audience knows how awesome she is. I'm still on the fence, AI, don't push it! She seems normal at first but the pink cowboy hat and book of songs is a dead give away. Fortunately Kara is not swayed by her fan and she is denied. Not denied is another 16 year old named Stevie who seems pretty cool. She does sing the most overdone wedding song ever ("At Last") but she does it well.

Apparently this is the young/old season because the next contestant let through is a 27 year old who makes his living on an oil rig. Very cool. Interestingly I think it was the same oil rig that was featured on "America's Toughest Jobs". DH made me watch it, I swear. I feel kind of bad for this guy because he's not good enough to make it. He's just not. But his hopes are now up that he can quit his "fifth most dangerous job" and provide for his family.

And then we leave that sweet man to see the horror that is bikini girl. This is when I start to think I might like Kara. Now, I am not going to deny that this girl is hot. Although her body is a lot more hot than her face, IMO. But did she deserve a pass to Hollywood with her mediocre voice? No. But that's what happens when you give Simon the deciding vote. Kara is appalled and I applaud her attitude. Kara shows her how the song should be done and gets attitude in return. Now Kara can sing! Don't worry, the chickie will crash in Hollywood once she's wearing clothes and Simon doesn't remember her.

Also through is a girl who sings, "Let's Hear It For The Boy." As soon as she said she was going to sing that song I knew Brianna was in. I fricking love that song. Yes, I spent hours singing along to the soundtrack of Footloose. What girl born in the 1970s hasn't???

Some random girl who tries to adopt other people's families is through as is the scary effeminate boy who is also creepy but has a good voice. Then we see a smart contestant. OMG. A smartie! Of course Simon does not like that but this kid is so cute. His name is Alex and he sang in a closet until mold forced him out. What an engaging story. He could totally use that on his college essay. He totally riffs with Simon but not in that annoying "I'm trying to one up you" kind of way. He is through as he should be and I'm tentatively putting him on my list.

The last contestant is the ratings grabbing blind guy. And I have to say, he is totally inspiring. Obviously his parents did an excellent job raising him. Yes, now that I'm pregnant I'm all about praising the parents. He is totally through and I would be surprised if he doesn't survive Hollywood week too. No way he'll win the whole thing but America loves a sob story.

I'm exhausted, people. OK, on to Kansas City. This will be shorter as I'm only mentioning the people I really like or really hated.

Like:
Casey Carlson. Smoking hot, great voice. Totally in the Top 10. She's already being written about on TMZ. Always a good sign.

Guy who's wife died. I was totally prepared to roll my eyes at this one. Remember how they milked the dead dad last season? But it was his wife, y'all. It was touching. And he has a really nice set of pipes. I see him surviving Hollywood week. He kind of looks like Robert Downey, Jr., don't you think?

Girl who sang the song Simon wrote. He writes songs? Is there nothing this man can't do? Of course she was going to make it through, footprints or footsteps notwithstanding.

Guy with fedora. But he will be dropped early because is pretty high school musical.

Girl who takes care of her 93 year old grandmother. Adorable!

The dorky Anoop "Noop Dawg" who is a graduate student at UNC. He wrote his thesis on BBQ. What is cooler than that? Very nice voice but could use a makeover.

Asa who sang Michael Jackson and did it well even though it is so hard to sing Michael Jackson.

Girl with husband and three kids who's apartment was destroyed by a tornado. At least she wasn't all, "I deserve this because my life sucks." She wasn't as good as the judges thought, IMO, but I think they were worn down by the suckiness of the other contestants.

Hated:
Sleeping girl who used God as her vengeance. Really sleeping girl? Perhaps you should have practiced instead of sleeping. God will get you now!

Guy who had two cheerleaders. Plus he was totally cabaret. I hate when girls let themselves be used like that. Especially by gay guys.

Jason Castro's brother. Dude was not that good. He's only through because of his whole, "I only started singing 21 days ago BS." And he's very odd looking.

The guy who had a dream about Simon and basically bullied his way into Hollywood. Simon told the other judges they were "duped" and they totally were. Of course he let bikini girl through so he's not really one to talk.

That was exhausting, people. I'm not sure I can do this again next week, but you never know! Now that I'm feeling back to normal I could have the energy for note taking. What did you all think about the auditions. Any particular standouts for you?

I would ask you to reflect on the following: have we ever seen a winner come out of audition footage that airs during audition weeks? I don't think so.

Time for Grey's Anatomy to go?

DH and I finally watched the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy last night. All I have to say is, "Ugh." There was so little I liked about it we were talking about taking it off our Season Pass. Here's what I still like about Grey's:

• They still make me care about patient's stories. Except for last week's episode (that teenage girl was very annoying AND an over-actor, never a good combination) I usually find myself crying at some point. How is it that they can show a patient's story for 8 minutes and I'm still asking for a tissue? Of course they are usually heavy on the tragedies but sometimes it's good crying.
• Christina rocks. She is probably one of the most complex characters on TV.
• Little Grey. Yes, she's grown on me. I thought I would never like her from last season but despite the despicable intern self cutting storyline (come on!), she's been very cute this season. A nice bubbly contrast to her half sister. I don't even mind that she and McSteamy are getting together; although I could have done without the whole throwing herself at him. Why does Grey's always rush into the sex? Let them date first...
• Derek and Meredith are together. Finally! Sure it makes for a more boring relationship and I've seen Derek be a lot more manipulative than I thought he was but I'm OK with that.
• Dr. Bailey rocks. Is there a more kick ass character on TV? I think not.

Not a bad list, right? Well, check out the negatives:

• Die, Denny, die! DH and I chanted this the first time around that Denny was on the show and it is no less desired this ridiculous second time around. Now he's hanging out in the hospital with Izzy? Gah. Hate it. I kind of hope that she does have a brain tumor so that they can kill off her character. Remember strong Izzy from the first season who ripped off her clothes to prove a point? Where has she been?
• George. He used to be my favorite character but now he's just pathetic. Yes, he grew a small pair to retake his intern test but other than that, he's just a mumbly mouthed blob wandering the hospital. It was all downhill after he and Izzy got together. I'm not sure if they can redeem his character.
• Revolving door of new characters. Remember the good old days when we could keep track of who was on the show? I barely learned Han's name before she was gone. And don't even get me started on Addison leaving (too bad Shonda Rhimes ended up creating such a crappy vehicle for her; and yes, I do watch it). There are just too many characters around these days plus all the patients of the week.
• Lesbian storyline. I don't object to showcasing lesbians on network television. I am from Massachusetts after all! But I hate that they had to "turn" Callie into a lesbian. It wasn't really gradual or authentic feeling. And now they have her falling in love with Melissa George's character? Terrible. Absolutely terrible. It's a good thing I like Callie and Mark's friendship so much. Or Callie would be crossed off the list of redeemable characters. By the way, I hated Melissa George on Alias and she's even worse on Grey's.

What about the rest of you? Are there things you like or hate?

Detox footpads and other things I'd secretly like to try

I've never been much for infomercials. Or channels like QVC that hock things I'm sure I will never in a million years need or want. I'm helped along by my trusty DVR which has allowed me to gloss over approximately 90% of all commercials in the past 3 years. But every once in a while I come across a product that intrigues me. If I was a little more motivated and had a little more cash lying around, I might indulge myself. It's probably why I like to stop by the store in the mall, As Seen On TV.

First up, the detox footpads that draw toxins out of your body at night. The images are what convinces me. People wake up and there is gunk on white pads. Something must be happening! Assuming it worked (big assumption) then I would have the satisfaction of purging myself of something. I'll assume from the black color that it's harmful. And I get to do it without exercise! Or spending hundreds at a spa! Looks like a deal to me. $11.95 for an 8 pack is a steal.

What about Evert-Fresh Bags? Guaranteed to double the life of your vegetables and fruits! There are many times I've had to throw out moldy veggies because we just didn't go through them fast enough. I blame the supermarkets who assume meal planning is for a family of four. Besides avoiding organic waste, these bags are also reusable. It's like we are saving the environment. Totally worth the $5.45price tag for 10 bags. Not that I've tried it yet...

I'm kind of on the fence for the Aqua Globes. DH thinks they look interesting but they are kind of ugly. Could be good for a week long trip though. You fill the "beautiful" container with water and insert into the the plant. Over time it dispenses water. They claim, "No more spills!" "No more dead plants!" But I would think that the soil needs to be a particular denseness in order to distribute the water evenly. In other words, I doubt it works. But a set of 4 is only $14.99...

What about the rest of you? Any cool products you've seen on the market that you'd like to try?