Watching Sitcoms

I was wrong. It appears that instead of House airing new episodes the next three Tuesdays, they will instead be airing new episodes tonight, January 29, Sunday night, February 3 (after the Super Bowl), and then next Tuesday, February 5.

I don’t get that. Why would you show a new episode of a show that everyone wants to watch after a sporting event that doesn’t necessarily end on time?

I’m not against the Super Bowl or anything, but I’m not really a big sports fan. I probably won’t be watching the Super Bowl. (well, maybe we will be, cause I’m sure my husband is planning on watching it in living color on the big TV.) But I will be going to bed and I don’t want to sit up and just wait for the Super Bowl to end so I can watch House. I can, of course, tape House, but who is to say that House will start at 10 pm or 10:30 pm? How do I know if I’ll be taping part of the Super Bowl and part of House?

It just seems like you should show a repeat or something when you can’t be certain what time the show will air. Right? I mean, am I right? Maybe its just me.

Tonight’s episode is entitled “It’s a Wonderful Lie,” which sounds like a Christmas ep to me. Well, it’s not February yet so I guess it’s OK. Sunday’s ep is entitled “Frozen,” and it looks like it’ll be fun, when the team has to diagnose a researcher who’s located at the South Pole. Next week the ep is entitled “Don’t Ever Change.”

House, Hugh Laurie, Super Bowl XLII

Woo and hoo!! New episodes are back. At least for a couple of weeks. And you can color me happy. Not that I’m not enjoying all the stuff I’ve been watching on DVD, but I’d just like to see something filmed after 1989. Its been so long for some shows, I’m not even sure I can remember everything I watched before. Which is a bad sign, cause it obviously means I don’t need to watch anything I don’t remember. And there’s also the fact that even when I remember which shows I was watching, I’m pretty sure I don’t remember what was happening when I saw them last.

I already mentioned Chuck, which will air the last two taped episodes tonight on NBC at 8 pm and 10 pm (this is lovely, cause I really, really miss Chuck) and Torchwood’s new season, which starts on BBC America on Saturday, January 26 at 9 pm. My watchingcw blog also discusses the new eps of Smallville and Supernatural, which start airing on Thursday, January 31 at 8 pm and 9 pm, respectively, on the CW.

And in other very exciting news, also coming back with new eps is (yay!!) House, three weeks in a row, starting Tuesday, January 29 at 9 pm, following American Idol. It will be so much fun to finally see how the new team works out, since we just got them picked when the last ep aired.

Finally, season four of Lost is starting on Thursday, January 31 at 9 pm on ABC, preceded by a recap episode entitled Lost: Past, Present & Future, at 8 pm. I’m really looking forward to Lost, but I’m not exactly positive why. I guess I just keep thinking that some day I’ll understand it and then it would have all been worthwhile. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you should go watch the “Missing Pieces.” They are a little confusing as they’re in no apparent order and they deal with stuff that happened over the past three years, but they are still fun. It only takes about 20 minutes to watch all of them that are up at the ABC site, so you should go see them before the season starts.

Chuck, Torchwood, Smallville, Supernatural, House, American Idol, Lost

Well, kiddies, I have some exciting news. The final two new eps of Chuck will be airing on Thursday, January 24 on NBC, one episode at 8 pm and the other at 10 pm. (It bookends an episode of Celebrity Apprentice.) I’m not sure I understand the theory behind doing that, but I’ll be happy to watch them anyway (not Celebrity Apprentice, you understand, cause yuck!). Chuck had just been getting better and better every week before it went on hiatus. I constantly found myself thinking about the show and wondering what would happen next. I was sad to see it go, and I kinda wish they had spread these two episodes out over two weeks instead of showing both eps in one night.

I was just thinking the other day about the ep where Casey, when he saw that Bryce was still alive, said something like, “Didn’t I kill you?” It was so awesome and very Jayne Cobb-like. Since I first fell in love with Adam Baldwin when he played the character of Jayne on Firefly, it made me so very happy to see that side of Casey. If you haven’t seen Firefly (and I can’t imagine that, since I mention it about once a week, it seems), you really, really should get the DVDs. There are only 15 eps, but each and every one is really good.

Back to Chuck. Don’t forget to catch it Thursday. I know I won’t. And what’s even more fun, I’ll be able to see it in HD.

Chuck, Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, Firefly

This is a guest post by Margie, who writes watchingbionicwoman.com and watchingbsg.com for 451 Press. Thanks, Margie!

October Road is a quiet, quaint and thoroughly entertaining dramedy that is currently airing on Monday nights on ABC. While October Road is not a sitcom in the traditional sense, the show definitely has its amusing moments and is worth checking out … especially while many of our favorite shows are off the air due to the writer’s strike.

5. The Cast. There are no weak links in the October Road cast, this is a great ensemble of people who are wonderful at playing their characters. My personal favorites are Evan Jones as outcast Ikey and Brad William Henke as Owan Rowan. Evan oozes pain and regret as Ikey, and every muscle in Brad’s face commits to whatever expression he wants to make as Owen. I am also pretty fond of “Pizza Girl” and of Rebecca Field as Janet, but more on that below.

4. The Romances. While the central romance of the show is supposed to be Hannah and Nick, they are actually the characters with the least amount of chemistry. Far more interesting is the mature and matter-of-fact romance between Nick’s working class dad, “The Commander” and the Dean of the local college or Nick’s on-again-off-again relationship with Odette Yustman’s hottie character Aubrey. First prize goes to the growing love between legendary playboy Eddie Latekka and local barmaid Janet, where we watch them tumble through worried disbelief that the romance between “the hot guy and the fat girl” will end badly. I hope it doesn’t, but you never know.

3. The Family. Whether it is the family they chose or the family they are born into, one of the central themes of October Road is that the ties you were born with never break. Some of the best scenes of the show are between Tom Sizemore’s “The Commander” and his two boys, or between Laura Prepon’s Hannah and her precocious son Sam.

2. The Lighting. An odd thing to say about a television show, but much like the ship on Firefly was vital to the feeling of that show, the golden lighting of October Road is almost a character in itself. A good example of the light is Ryan Adams video for “Follow the Lights” shown above, which was written after watching the show.

1. The Friendships. There is a comfort that happens after twenty years of friendship, and October Road captures the love between old friends and the way they can become the family you choose and just as important to you as the family you already have. The central fabric of the show is the old feelings of the characters, and each episode usually has a memory or a tradition that winds up being central to the plot - for better or worse. While some of the scenes in October Road are wispy or melodramatic, the overall connection between the characters makes them worth it.

October Road, ABC, Ryan Adams, Firefly, Evan Jones, Brad William Henke, Rebecca Field, Tom Sizemore, Laura Prepon

Tell me, where do they find all these crazy people? No, I’m serious. I mean, who, in their right mind, would want to get their lousy 15 minutes of fame by acting like a freak on national TV? Like, was it absolutely necessary for me to watch some random fat guy in a Princess Leia costume get his chest hair waxed? Ewwwwww!!! And what was with all the Princess Leia stuff anyway? I mean, Carrie Fisher is on some other reality show now, isn’t she? Can’t they go torment her with that crap?

Look, I understand that American Idol is just for entertainment and not to be taken too seriously, but some of those people are just beyond the pale. (If you think I’m making that phrase up, I’m not. Go google it. Alright, fine. Here’s a reference from Dickens [The Pickwick Papers] that completely covers my meaning: “I look upon you, sir, as a man who has placed himself beyond the pale of society, by his most audacious, disgraceful, and abominable public conduct.” )

In any case, I did notice that everyone is up to their old tricks this year. Ryan, causing issues quietly and looking though he really cares; Randy, consistently taking offense at anything and everything; Paula, seemingly more sober, but still never wanting to disagree with anyone who says yes (more on that later); and, Simon, being Simon. I do have to note that this year Simon seems more relaxed and playful. He was letting people through normally he wouldn’t. I think, mostly to see Paula’s confusion. She always wants to let everyone through to Hollywood, so she feels the need to agree with anyone who says yes. If Randy says yes, she agrees, if Simon says yes (although she’d rather not agree with him), she says yes.

And why not let that little boy through, the one who hasn’t kissed a girl? He wasn’t bad at all. Honestly, I thought they let through lots of other people who weren’t nearly as good. What’s wrong with never having kissed a girl by 17 years old anyway? Seventeen isn’t that old. We expect kids to grow up too fast. Would it have been better if he had two illegitimate kids with two different mothers by 17, or just more accepted as normal?

And, as far as the white feathery caped bird guy, I didn’t think he sang too bad, actually. I mean, he’s no American Idol, but he was very nice. And he wrote that song that Simon said would be a hit. I’m almost convinced, because the silly song stayed with me for days afterwards, “I am your brother, your best friend forever . . .”

Finally, I was really looking forward to AI, and it didn’t disappoint, so I just want to give shoutouts to some of the more memorable contestants: the cute chick whose model husband loves her, fingernail guy, cute dredlock guy, that weird Douglas who they escorted out, and whatever other colorful people I may have missed. I have to say the one person I rememnber as good was Junot from the first night. I’ll be on the lookout for him during Hollywood week.

American Idol

So last Friday started up new eps of Monk and Psych on USA. I’m happy that the new season (or the second half of the season, with all new eps) has started. I watched Psych first cause I was busy watching Moonlight at 9 pm.

I really love Psych. I forget that sometimes, cause it seems like there’s just a few new eps before it’s all over and then such a long time between new eps. But whatever, I’m over it.

The entire cast is just so funny. They all seem so perfectly in tune with each other so that everything is right on cue. The ep itself, about Gus having been married once before and now his wife wants a divorce, was pretty funny, but it was made even funnier by the antics and repartee of Shawn and Gus. I think maybe one of the things I like the most about it, is that it’s just quietly good. It’s not one of those loud splashy shows that makes a big deal about itself and wants everyone to know.

Monk, on the otherhand, was just OK. Somehow I expected better. Maybe it was the topic or just that I saw it after Psych and when I was tired, but it wasn’t too funny. I guess I really needed funny. The ep was about a cult leader that the police believed had murdered a young girl who ran away from the commune. The ep was just so seriouis, Monk gets sucked into the cult, denounces his love for Trudy and turns from his friends. I just couldn’t find the funny in that. Hopefully, this week will be better.

Psych, Monk, USA, Moonlight

Finally, new episodes of Moonlight are back (we’ve had none since November) and I was so excited to watch TV on Friday night. Probably just because it was something new, something that I hadn’t already watched like twelve times before, and it wasn’t reality TV.

Also, it was the first ep of Moonlight I got to watch on the big screen TV and it was in HD. So amazing. They do this little segue (much like what was done on Angel) where they start with a blurry image and then sorta zig zag back and forth and into LA, showing all the lights and colors, all crystal clear and very cool in HD.

Oh, and the story was good, too. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to be SPOILED, don’t read any further. (And don’t forget, if you haven’t seen it and you want to, you can watch full eps on the site.)

The ep itself was pretty bloody and poor Josh dies. But it was fast-paced and interesting. I did think, for minute, when Mick was standing over the dying Josh, with his hands all covered in blood, that he was gonna vamp out or take a little nip. Or at least lick his fingers. (Can I just say “ewwwwww?”) It was in that moment that I realized that Mick is much more human than the vampires I’m used to seeing. He’s not Angel or Spike. Not that Angel would lick his fingers, but they would have shown his weakness, call it lust, around all that blood. They did show Mick having an issue with being in the sun for so long, but just briefly. The real story was his refusal to turn Josh, even though Beth begged him to do it. He didn’t really even try to justify himself. Not really. He did a bit later, but not at that moment. Which I think makes him less monster and more man than either Angel or Spike. They would have whined more.

I did find myself wondering how they would explain it if Mick had turned Josh. I mean, what would that have told the cops?

I loved that Mick dealt with the bad guy on his own without letting the cops get involved. That was cool. But I do wonder, what did he tell Carl later? I mean, they’ve got to think that either the bad guy lied to him or that he lied to them. So will they trust him next time? Just me thinking too much.

Moonlight

I’m getting more and more excited about American Idol. I haven’t actually started a countdown or anything yet. (I still might, but I’m busy counting down to my birthday on the 13th.) In any case, American Idol - Season 7 - starts on January 15, which is only 6 days away. I can’t believe how involved I’ve gotten in this silly show. I didn’t watch it the first season at all. Well, I did watch a few minutes of the first ep, became very embarrassed for all those sad, pathetic people and turned it off. About halfway through the second season - it was the wildcard week -I needed my mom to come help me with something (I had a home business and I needed envelopes stuffed or some such thing), but the only way she would help is if I would put American Idol on, cause she was watching it. (I’d like to say right here that I haven’t missed an episode since, cause it would sound great, but, unfortunately, that’s not exactly true.) I avidly tuned back in for Season 3 though.

Then in Season 4, something happened. Constatine Maroulis was voted off at sixth place. I was aghast, horrified. I really, really thought he had so much support he would make it much further. I voted for him for two hours every week, on two phones, nonstop. I was very nearly devastated. I even cried. Especially since my hubby was so smug about it. He never liked Con. I was a GGG (Greek God Groupie) and a member of the Betty Boards (named for his then band, Pray for the Soul of Betty.) I didn’t watch another ep that season and after that, I was pretty positive that the voting was a complete sham. And I still believe that. (I’d also like to say I never voted again, but that’s not true either, since I did throw a couple of votes Sanjaya’s way last year. Just in case.)

Last Friday, I saw Constantine on Paula’s Party. It was embarrassing in the extreme. Paula was all over him. I mean ALL OVER him. She made comments about Greek men liking older women and gray hair, and women with a little something-something. It was scary. I really felt sorry for him. I mean the kid can only get gigs like this and he has to deal with the geriatric set. He was supposed to be like Tom Jones and have women throwing room keys to him. What he got was Paula Deen asking him to pull up her pants. Yikes!

All that aside, I really look forward to AI, cause even if the entire show is fixed and they’ve decided the winner beforehand, which I very firmly believe, its definitely entertaining. We even go to the concert each year (me and a friend, cause my husband would rather be shot).

I’m planning on having a small AI-watching party at my house on the 15th, too, so we can all watch AI in high def on the big screen with surround sound. Should be a good time.

American Idol, Constantine Maroulis, Paula Deen

So yesterday, I was at jury duty. Yes, that’s right, I was fulfilling my civic duty by sitting around all day in uncomfortable chairs reading a book in the basement of our county hall with 600 strangers. (And it cost me like $20 when you consider gas for the car.) It was quite the experience. I doubt anyone would put me on a jury anyway. I have 20 years of legal experience and I know too much!

I’m sure there’s some show out there with a funny jury duty scene it, I just can’t, for the life of me, think of one.

I was thinking that it would make a good sitcom, like The Love Boat, but you know, Jury Duty. Wait a minute, what was that from? I can hear it now, someone trying to sell their new TV show ideas and every one is a takeoff of The Love Boat. I remember, it was on Moonlighting (back in season 1, I think). David was singing the theme song for each show, like, Parking Lot . . . . Parking Lot, exciting and new, blah, blah. I don’t remember it all, but it was funny.

Back to my new sitcom (clearly, I have to write, produce and star in my own if there are going to be any new sitcoms), I picture it like this: The Court Clerk and the Office Clerk are the series regulars, along with at least one judge and a couple of attorneys. Then each week you have different plaintiffs and defendants, and different jurors. Although, you should have some regulars, too, cause that would be funny. The same plaintiff several times, and a bunch of regulars who hang out in the jury room every day cause they have nothing else to do.

So, who’s with me? Do you want to write our own sitcom and see who picks it up? Of course, we’ll have to wait until the strike is over anyway, cause I’m not crossing any picket lines.

sitcoms, writers strike, The Love Boat, Moonlighting

So I was messing around online checking things out. You know. Doing my serious research to write this informative blog. Actually, it was research for my blog watchingcw.com. But, anyway, I’m not sure how I missed these before, but I guess I’ve been living in a ditch since Thanksgiving. Possibly longer.

I found these youtube videos (part 1 and part 2) of Mutant Enemy Day at the strike. Wow, I had absolutely no idea. I didn’t realize that hundreds of people would show up from all over the world to support the strike. If I had given it any thought, I guess I should have known that Joss’s fans would rally en masse to support him.

I’ve been sitting around bemoaning what a nuisance the strike is cause I’m missing my shows and cause I need stuff to write about in my blogs. I don’t know if I’ve ever actually voiced an opinion one way or another, but I am in support of the strike. I’m not generally a big supporter of unions, mostly because I think a lot of people use the union to gain stuff they probably don’t need. I’m not trying to judge, just voicing an opinion. When you read about the beginning of unions in this country, with the advent of the industrial age, you can see that these people were fighting for something that was necessary. They worked 12+ hour days for very low wages that they then were forced to spend entirely in the company’s store, so that they were continually in debt to the company they worked for and they could never get out from under it. Nowadays, it seems like unions are fighting for stuff like half hour breaks every hour or whatever. OK, that was a generalization, but hopefully you get my point.

If I correctly understand what the writers want, its really just what they are due for the work they’ve done.

So I’ll just end this blog by asking you to visit unitedhollywood.com and repeating Joss’s final words on the video, “You people are causing a disturbance. Thank you so much for causing it.”

(Just so you know, we are having a little problem with comments. If you comment and it doesn’t show up right away, not to worry. I’ll try to make sure they get approved as soon as possible.)

writers strike, Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon

I hope everyone had a lovely, lovely New Year’s. Mine was quite nice.

We’ve finally got the new TV and DVD player with surround sound all hooked up. My poor husband made the mistake of telling me I could have the big TV to watch whatever I wanted all day, since he’s been laid off for 6 weeks and has been watching TV constantly. Then he remembered the big hockey game (Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins) and was pretty unhappy. I let him DVR it so he can watch it later in HD. We lost anyway, which was a foregone conclusion. Let’s see, it’s Buffalo, in a ground breaking game that everyone in the world is watching. Do we win it or do we lose? Well, naturally, we lose. We’re the big losers - wide right, no goal . . . whatever.

I’m getting really excited about American Idol. I know it’s crazy, but I’m thinking of having an AI party at my house every Tuesday night to watch the show in HD on the big screen with surround sound. Woo hoo!!! Sometimes wishes do come true. We’ve been talking about doing this for ages and now we have it. I want to enjoy it and appreciate it and not just act like all ho hum about it.

American Idol is one of my fav shows, so look here for my reviews each week. I’m not as happy about the first few weeks of shows where they just make fun of people (I’m very easily embarrassed) but I love the real competition. Except for Country week, since I don’t like Country music under any circumstances. At all. But other than that, I even like all the awkward unhelpful celebrity mentors. Its a lot of fun and I’ve been blogging about it for years now. I look forward to sharing all that here as well.

Plus, it will give me something to talk about as this strike continues . . .

American Idol, NHL, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, country music, writers strike