Watching Sitcoms

Best of the West. Did I talk about this show before, or did I just think about it? I do that sometimes, I think the whole thing out, just in my head, and then never get a chance to write it down. Then I forget everything I thought out that was so witty. Or whatever. Then I either forget about it entirely, or just think I already did it. So, I’m not sure about Best of the West and I’m too lazy to go back and check.

Best of the West was a western comedy back in 1981. And look what I found on YouTube:

This is just a few minutes of one of the eps, but it gives you an idea of what the show was like, for those of you, unlike me, who don’t remember it very well. I remember it really well. That Meeno Peluce (he’s related to Punky Brewster, you know) was such a little cutie, and Tracey Walter, who played Frog, was just so hilarious.

One episode I remember particularly well was about the railroad coming into town. The man who determined where the railroad would go was very religious. Since they wanted the railroad, they decided to pretend they were religious, too. They converted the saloon into a church, and draped the dancing girls in sheets, stationing them along the stairway, to be the choir. They start to sing the hymn, Rock of Ages, but no one knows more than just the title, so they keep singing that over and over to the tune of the song, “rock of ages, cleft for me” pause, “rock of ages, cleft for me” and so on. For some reason, that struck my mother and I as very funny and whenever we hear that song, we always sing it that way. Just goes to show you how people remember silly things.

The writer of the show, Earl Pomerantz, has a series of posts in his blog, entitled “Story of a Writer,�? where he talks about Best of the West and how it came to be. He mentions another funny bit in one episode where the wife is sweeping the floor and complaining that she can’t get all the dirt up, when the husband points out that it’s a dirt floor. Again, silly, but one of those things you remember, even nearly 30 years later.

I also found this link, to someone who has created a DVD of the show and is selling it. I might just have to get those.

The first thing I did this morning when I woke up was check dialidol. Really. It’s an illness, I can admit that now, when its almost over and I don’t have to think about it again until I go to the concert in July. Anyway, I wanted to see what dialidol had to say about who was gonna win American Idol. It says David Cook. And dialidol has never been wrong. At least it has never been wrong for this week, for the final winner. My mother won’t even discuss it. She has already decided that David Archuleta is the winner and she won’t hear anything else. If he does win, she’s gonna be unbelievably obnoxious. My mother is a bad loser and a bad winner.

So as I get ready to watch AI tonight, I’m ready for anything.

Ryan says we had 97 1/2 million votes. That’s 23 million votes more than the most before. Does he mean ever or just this year? So the votes weren’t even that close, 56% to 44%.

Mikayla Gordon is in Kansas City for David Cook. Matt Rogers is in Salt Lake City, Utah for David Archuleta. I love Matt Rogers. I was so sad when he didn’t make the concert in his year.

I think this was the least awkward group performance all season. Which isn’t saying much, but still. It was almost exciting to see all those people I had mostly forgotten about, like David Hernandez. Did anyone else notice someone in the back start to walk off and then go back and get in position? Was that Jason??

I never care much about the audience, but this is a big night. I heard Danny Noriega is upset because he wasn’t invited. Anyway, so far I’ve noticed Marilu Henner and Janice Dickinson. That doesn’t mean anything, it’s just who I noticed.

When they come back from the commercial it seemed like they weren’t actually ready for that. So the start of the David/David song was a little weak. But they did a good job, they sounded good together. I’m almost starting to look forward to the concert now.

The Love Guru skit was actually funny. Who knew? I love the way Fox fills up time by promoting their movies and shows, “Mariska Hargitay.” That’s fun. I’m gonna start staying that.

Next Syesha sings “Wait For You” with Seal. Seal was great, but the song didn’t sound like it was in the right key for Syesha. But obviously, when you’re singing with a real celebrity you have to sing it in his key. And anyway, the judging is over.

Now we have Jason singing “Hallelujah.” How come he doesn’t get to sing with a celebrity? I saw Melinda Doolittle in the crowd. I was crying, too, Melinda.

The Ford commercial this week was just outtakes from old commercials. Question: Why don’t we ever see those commercials as commercials? You know, other than just on AI.

Now the chicks get to sing some Donna Summer, “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Hot Stuff” and then Donna Summer comes out and sings her new song. This is hardly ever a good idea. When old people come back with their new stuff, its usually scary. This was just OK. I missed the ending cause the dogs had to go out.

Next up we have Carly and Michael singing “The Letter.” If I recall, Constantine’s group sang this during Hollywood week. I know that doesn’t matter, but I have to talk about something right now and I’d rather not say anything rude about Carly. Or anything about Carly at all. I wish I wasn’t seeing and hearing her now. Her voice totally grates on my ears and her ugly tat is annoying me. Sorry.

Ryan hands the show over to Jimmy Kimmel. Yeah, Sanjaya is in the audience. I love him! And they showed a pic of Chris Sligh. I love him, too!

Now we have the top 6 guys singing some Bryan Adams, “Summer of ‘69″ and “Heaven.” This is turning out to be a great night for me, cause I’m a big Bryan Adams fan. Forget everything I said about old people singing new stuff and how it’s not good. Bryan was amazing. I actually did a little fangirly squeal when he came out on the stage.

Bo Bice sighting. It makes me wonder where Constantine is. I doubt they could have this finale without him, can they?

Now up we have David Cook with ZZ Top singing “Sharp Dressed Man.” Whenever I hear this song I always hear “his shy best man” for some reason. I know the words, I just always think that. And I can’t believe ZZ is on American Idol.

More Mikayla. Then Brooke singing with Graham Nash, “Teach Your Children Well.” Wow, he’s old. And she’s not wearing shoes. What is that all about?

Is that my imagination or was that David Cook in that Guitar Hero commercial? I wish I was taping this on a video, cause I think I’m gonna want to keep this year’s finale for a while.

Ryan says this next group needs no introduction, and maybe that’s true if you’re a teenage girl, but no one in this living room has any idea who they are. I hazard a guess that it’s the Jonas Brothers. I’m right.

Now, Ryan, with his arm around some strange woman from the audience, introduces a tape of the best of the worst. Just when I had finally repressed it all. Then they bring out Renaldo singing his own song, “I Am Your Brother.” Complete with a marching band. They clearly have too much time to waste on this show.

One Republic is up next with “Apologize” and David Archuleta. Laura just shared that Ryan Tedder looks like a guy named Robbie that was stalking her once. But not as cute. Yes, little by little, the living room has been filling up with people to catch the AI finale. I’m sure we’ll have some phone-ins soon, too.

More with Matt Rogers. Next up with Jordin Sparks. I thought she was on voice rest or something. Apparently not any longer.

The stuff they can do with video these days is just amazing. They can even make Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. into Pips.

Now we have Carrie Underwood singing some country song. I know everyone likes her, but I really never did. We’re busy discussing her outfit. Its like she put her jacket on but forgot a skirt or pants. So much for sweet and wholesome.

Ashley Tinsdale sighting. I never even mentioned anywhere that the two David’s were given Ford Escape Hybrids.

Oh, look, there’s that Guitar Hero commercial with David Archuleta. Cookie was better.

Another group number with the top 12. George Michael medley. It’s OK, David H, you can say “naked” on TV. And, as is no surprise at this point, we are joined by George Michael. Why is Paula crying? Is she flashing back to some bad experience in the 80’s? We’ve all fallen silent listening to George. Its almost like a spiritual thing. Except for my husband who abruptly left the room when they started singing “Faith.”

OK, so finally, we are down to the end. Finally. It took long enough. And so, the American Idol of Season 7, the best season of American idol, ever, is . . . (drum roll, please) . . . David . . . Cook. Yeah!!!!! We can’t even believe it. I just had to call my sister and be obnoxious. I love it when things work out.

As this season is drawing to a close once again (didn’t this just happen a few weeks ago? No, wait, that was a strike) and most of the shows I watch are going into hibernation for the summer, I did a little sleuthing to see what was what. So here’s a really, really, really (and I mean, really) comprehensive list of all the shows on TV right now, what’s coming soon, and what’s never coming back, from the Futon Critic. I’m amazed at this list. It must have taken forever to put that together and I’m glad all I have to do it link to it.

Anyway, I’m pretty disappointed about a couple of things. First of all Moonlight. They promised me it would be back. Well, maybe not promised, maybe I just assumed it would be back. But it was cancelled. Also, Fox kept Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and cancelled New Amsterdam. It’s like no one even listens to me when I talk.

As for sitcoms, Back To You was cancelled, which is no surprise to me. It had been going downhill ever since it came back after the strike. Also cancelled, and no surprise, were Miss/Guided, Welcome to the Captain, Cavemen, Carpoolers, The Return of Jezebel James and Unhitched. I kinda liked Miss/Guided.

Of all those new sitcoms that came out way back last Fall, we did get to keep my fave, The Big Bang Theory. The last few weeks have seen me laughing out loud, not something I do often, and I’m looking forward to the show coming back even funnier next Fall.

So you’ll want to to check out the list to see if your fave shows are returning or if they are going the way of Moonlight. *sigh*

Who will make the Top 10? This is American Idol. And this is my choppy, cut and chop night review. I’ll be fast-forwarding through stuff again this week. Cause I can. Oh, no, are they doing that songwriter thing again? Why do they do that? It’s almost like they hate us.

Also, I think they should avoid the big group sings with this crowd. These people are too awkward and dissimilar to sing together. Question: Was Ramiele’s mic even on? And why didn’t David C, Jason and Ramiele get to sing solo at all?

I’m even more anti-recap this week than I am other weeks, cause last night’s performances are not something I want to have to sit through twice.

So on to eliminations.

First up is Brooke. She is safe.

Carly is next. She is in the Bottom Three!! Yay! I never expected that.

Next up is David A. He is safe. (Wow, what a surprise.)

Michael is safe!

Now we’re showing the Ford commercial - but the fun part is we get to see how it’s made. So how cold was it in Hollywood when they did that commercial? I mean how cold does it really get there?

Back to eliminations.

David C. is next and he is safe.

Kristy Lee is . . . once again in the Bottom Three.

Jason is safe!!!! Yipee! I get to see him on the tour.

Ramiele is next and she is safe. Wow, everything I thought is being blown out of the water, isn’t it.

Then they did the silly audience questions. I’m just fast-forwarding through these, thanks to DVR. Ditto to Kelly Pickler. And the Idol Gives Back stuff.

Back to eliminations.

Syesha is safe.

So all that’s left is Chikezie and Amanda. Chikezie is safe and Amanda is in the Bottom Three.

I knew it would be a girl. Could this show be more scripted?

Carly is sent to the couches first. She is safe. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Please let it be Kristy. Please let it be Kristy. Please let it be Kristy. *sigh*

I’ll miss you, Amanda.

I just found something new online. It’s a site called Hulu.com and it has lots of tv shows and movies that you can watch for free. Some are just clips, but there are lots of full episodes and full movies on the site. And not just new stuff, either.

For example, I just watched an old episode of Barney Miller and really enjoyed it. I used to love this show and it was fun to see an ep from back when. I’ve considered buying the DVDs, but never did because I knew I’d probably just watch them once. Now, I don’t need to spend that money, I can just watch them on Hulu. Now, not all the eps from all the seasons are there, but still there were several to choose from and that was good enough for me.

The episode I watched, The Ghost, was from the third season and starred a recurring character that I remember well from the series. His name is Kenneth Tigar and he played various crazies in several episodes over the course of the show. I remember one episode he was in where he said he was a werewolf and the way they played it, you almost believed it yourself. In The Ghost, he plays a man who claims he is haunted by the ghost of an ancestor and suddenly strange things start happening at the precinct. Very funny.

In all honesty, for years I believed that the guy who played those roles was Sam Anderson, who presently plays Bernard on Lost and also had a recurring role on Angel. The two actors do look something alike and I never thought to look it up. So, see, I learned two things this week. Apparently, you are never too old to learn.

So go check out Hulu.com. It only takes a moment to register and the site is free, so enjoy!

The American Idol Top 12 is about to become the Top 11.

The entire Jim Carrey thing was embarrassing. At least I was embarrassed. Oh, and lucky us, we get to hear this group kill off a few more Lennon/McCartney songs next week. Whoopie!

This is the best Top 12 ever? Are we grading on a curve?? They didn’t really blend at all and the whole group sing thing seemed kinda awkward and uncomfortable. It was like they didn’t even know the songs and hadn’t actually rehearsed together. Ooh, quick glimpse of Sanjaya in the audience. I hope that isn’t the highlight of the night.

Recap of yesterday, pointless as always. One good thing about DVRing the ep and watching it that way is that I can fast forward through the recap.

So now we are about to pick our Bottom Three.

First up, Carly, Michael, Jason and Syesha. Carly is safe, Michael is safe, Jason is safe, Syesha is not. She is the first in the Bottom 3. She gets to sing for us one more time. Did they do this last year? I mean, have then sing when they hit the Bottom 3 instead of when they are voted off?

I was so busy fast forwarding, I almost missed the Ford commercial. I didn’t like it. There wasn’t enough Jason for one thing.

So they got to meet Jim Carrey and see Horton. Good for them. Their lives are changing and getting so much better. Blah, blah, blah.

Back to the results. Chickezie, Amanda, Kristy and David Cook. Chikezie is safe. Amanda is safe. David Cook is safe. Kristy asks “where is my microphone,” so she already knew she deserved to be in the Bottom 3. Ryan thinks this song is fun? What has he been smoking? There’s Sanjaya again!!!

This year, the audience gets to call in with questions. Paige has a question for Jason. I have one for him, too. Are you free later? He’s so incredibly goofy and cute. The rest of the questions are so ridiculous that I just fast forwarded through them and moved on with my life.

Now we have David Foster and Katharine McPhee performing Something. I always thought there was something creepy going on between these two in their year. Yuck. Anyway, I don’t like her and I never did, so I fast forwarded through that, too.

So is Jim Carrey in a movie?

Last up, David A, David H, Brooke and Ramiele. David A is safe. Brooke is safe. (Brooke has a husband?) Ramiele and David H are last. Ramiele is safe and David H is the last in the Bottom 3.

So now we have to listen to him sing again. Well, you did, I fast forwarded.

So we have Syesha, Kristy and David H. in the Bottom 3. Who is safe, who goes home?

Paula never saw a stronger bottom 3? What about in Season 3 when Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson and Latoya London were all in the Bottom 3? That’s the question I want to call in and ask. Do they really think if they keep saying this is the best group ever, it will eventually be true. Cause it won’t.

Syesha is safe. Kristy is safe.

David Hernandez is out. I did say he would never make the tour. I was right.

So it’s on to the cut and chops tonight, and we find out who the American Idol Top 12 are for this year.

I’m a little sick about the Lennon/McCartney thing, and I wish they wouldn’t keep mentioning it. Especially not when I’ve just eaten.

First up we have Blake Lewis singing, How Many Words. I liked him better when he was on Idol. Maybe its just that I don’t like the song that he (or whoever) wrote. It just sounded kinda boring and dull to me. Oh, wait, he’s not being judged anymore. Of course, this proves that one does not have to win Idol to sell albums. People will buy anything. Question: Has Blake been watching this year? And he thinks the judges critique has been good? Another question: What is that hat Paula is wearing???

Oh, and how come there was no big group sing this week? Not that I wanted them to, I’m just wondering.

As I sit here waiting to see who is in and who is out, I realize that it doesn’t really matter. No matter who is in and who is out, I’ll keep watching. I’ll sit here every week watching these random strangers, who have become so familiar, as they sing karaoke and are berated by these rarely, if ever, coherent judges. And I’ll like it.

As like last week, I can live without the recap, since I already had to live through the show once. It would be so much easier for them to just tell us who is out and get it over with. But I’m sure there isn’t enough commercial time in a show like that.

So the first safe guy is David Cook. He is followed by David Archuleta. Why does Ryan want me to get crazy over Jason every time??? Yay! Jason is the third guy in the Top 12.

Now time for the girls’ recap. This is even worse than the guys’ recap, since the girls are worse than the guys.

The first girl who is safe is Brooke. No surprise to me. Next up is Syesha. This one I wasn’t sure about.

Next is Kady, who is out. Also, no surprises there. The down side is, of course, as always, that she now has to sing that same song she sang so terribly yesterday. Why do they put us through this torture? She is not better tonight. It’s nice how all the girls (except the ones who are already safe and don’t care anymore) gather around her at the end to show their support. Not really. Actually, the show might go faster if they just kept in their seats and moved it along.

Back to the guys. David Hernandez is safe! What??!! He won’t make the Top 10. Not if I have anything to say about it. Michael is also safe. Oh, really?

Luke is out, which is no surprise. Can he please not sing? As he finishes, my husband says, I’m glad that song is gone. I’m just glad Luke is gone. Sorry, but he’s just painful to listen to. At least his family loves him.

So that leaves only Danny and Chikezie. My husband likes Chikezie and I like Danny. So, who is out?

Back to the chicks. Ramiele is safe. I wasn’t sure about her, but I’m kinda glad. I just hopes she kicks it up a notch. Next is Carly, who is safe, of course. *cough* plant *cough*

Amanda is safe!! Yay!! I’m glad about that. So it’s down to Kristy and Asia’h. But we’ll find out after the break. My husband likes both of them and I like neither. Kristy Lee is in the Top 12. That is very hard to believe, since Asia’h is about a thousand times better than Kristy. I guess looks count for more than talent. Why do I keep forgetting that I’m watching American Idol and it’s all fixed? Why do I keep watching?? The only good part about it is that I don’t have to listen to Kristy murder a Journey song again. Oh, and that I won’t have to keep typing Asia’h’s name with that hyphen in it for my reviews.

Now we are back to Danny and Chikezie. Wow, that was a surprise. It would have been more interesting with Danny, but I’m OK with Chikezie. I do think this show is fixed, though, cause a world where someone like Chikezie has more fans than someone like Danny isn’t a world I want to live in.

So here is the Top 12:

David Cook
David Archuleta
Jason Castro
Brooke White
Syesha Mercado
David Hernandez
Michael Johns
Ramiele Malubay
Carly Smithson
Amanda Overmyer
Kristy Lee Cook
Chikezie

In my Internet travels trying to find out when the sitcoms, new and old, are starting back up, I came across lists of other shows. You know, the stuff that’s not sitcoms and not stuff I necessarily watch, but I thought it might be interesting to some of you, so here’s what I found out.

I’ve arranged the list chronologically, with the date, the show, the network and time (all times are ET).

March
4 - New Amsterdam - FOX - 9:00 pm
The Real Housewives of New York City - Bravo - 11:00 pm
5 - Destination Truth - SCIFI - 10:00 pm
High School Reunion - TV Land - 10:00 pm
9 - Keeping Up with the Kardashians - E! - 10:00 pm
11 - Gene Simmons Family Jewels - A&E - 10:00 pm
12 - Hotel Babylon - BBC America - 9:00 PM
Top Chef - Bravo - 10 pm
South Park - Comedy Central - 10:00 pm
Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil - Comedy Central - 10:30 pm
17 - Dancing with the Stars - ABC - 9:00 pm (and Tues 3/18 at 9:00 pm)
America’s Prom Queen - ABC Family - 9:00 pm
The Bachelor - ABC - 9:30 pm (moves to 10 pm on March 24)
18 - The Riches - FX - 10:00 pm
24 - CSI: Miami - CBS - 10:00 pm
Greek - ABC Family - 10:00 pm
28 - Battlestar Galactica - SCIFI - 10:00 pm
30 - Cold Case - CBS - 9:00 pm
The Tudors - Showtime - 9:00 pm
Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union - Showtime - 10:00 pm

April
1 - Hell’s Kitchen - FOX - 9:00 pm
2 - Criminal Minds - CBS - 9:00 pm
CSI: NY - CBS - 10:00 pm
3 - CSI - CBS - 9:00 pm
Without a Trace - CBS - 10:00 pm
Step it Up & Dance - Bravo - 10:00 pm
4 - Ghost Whisperer - CBS - 8:00 pm
Numb3rs - CBS - 10:00 pm
8 - Boston Legal - ABC - 10:00 pm
NCIS - CBS - 10:00 pm
10 - ER - NBC - 10:00 pm
11 - Moonlight - CBS - 9:00 pm
13 - Desperate Housewives - ABC - 9:00 pm
14 - Bones - FOX - 8:00 pm
24 - Ugly Betty - ABC - 8:00 pm
Grey’s Anatomy - ABC - 9:00 pm
Lost - ABC - 10:00 pm (new time slot)
28 - House - FOX - 9:00 pm

So there you have it. Live, watch, enjoy!

It looks like lots of good stuff is coming our way for Spring, now that the strike is over, both new and returning. I’m still sifting through them trying to decide which, if any, of the new shows I want to add to my increasingly full TV schedule. And which of the returning shows I want to continue to watch.

Sitcom-wise, here’s what to expect and when to expect it:

Sunday, March 2
Unhitched on Fox - 9:30 pm

Friday, March 14
The Return of Jezebel James on Fox - 8:00 pm

Monday, March 17
The Big Bang Theory on CBS - 8:00 pm
How I Met Your Mother on CBS - 8:30 pm
Two and a Half Men on CBS - 9:00 pm

Monday, March 18
Miss Guided on ABC- 10:30 pm; regular time Thurs, 3/21 at 8:00 pm

Monday, April 2
Samantha Who? on ABC - 9:30 pm

Thursday, April 3
My Name is Earl on NBC - 8:00 pm

Thursday, April 10
30 Rock on NBC - 8:30 pm
The Office on NBC - 9:00 pm
Scrubs on NBC - 9:30 pm

Monday, April 14
The Rules of Engagement on CBS - 9:30 pm

Other shows, new and returning, starting tonight, Sunday March 2:
Oprah’s Big Give on ABC at 9:00 pm
Canterbury’s Law on Fox at 9:30 pm
Here Come the Newlyweds on ABC at 10:00 pm
Dirt on FX at 10:00 pm; Second season premiere

So have fun watching something new and, hopefully, interesting for a change!

American Idol is heading into Hollywood week, finally. So this week, we have two hours on Tuesday and one hour on Wednesday. Then next week we start the Top 24 eliminations with two hours on Tuesday for the Top 12 boys and two hours on Wednesday for the top 12 girls. Finally, we also get an hour on Thursday for the first four eliminations.

I’m happy about that, cause I was pretty tired of the initial auditions. Especially since no one was too good. No one was really that bad either. Don’t get me wrong, there were some really sucky people who auditioned, but there was no William Hung, if you get my drift. Well, there was the guy in the white winged costume who sang his own song about being brothers. I guess he was almost like William Hung. Except that I don’t know his name. Does anyone? I mean I’m sure any one of us could go look him up somewhere, but you didn’t have to look up William Hung, he was everywhere and everyone knew his name by the next day.

As I’ve already pointed out, I barely remember the names of any of the people who were good, never mind the ones that weren’t.

I do, however, have high hopes for Hollywood week. I really, really do. I keep thinking that maybe the reason we didn’t get to see too many good singers during the auditions is that they want to wow us this week with how awesome the good people are going to be. Call me the eternal optimist, but I believe that American Idol can still turn out to be good this year. I honestly do.

OK. Fine, I did go look up the white winged brother guy. His name is Reynaldo Lapuz, and just to memorialize the end of the auditions, here he is:

Now that the absolute end of the strike is in sight (yay!!!), here’s some news about when shows are gonna be back on the air. I love Michael Ausiello, don’t you? He always has all the answers.

So I checked out his list for all the shows I’m watching, and I was interested to see that some shows still have pre-strike episodes that haven’t aired yet. Somehow, I thought everything that was out there had already aired, with the exception of those few shows that are presently airing new eps, like Lost, Smallville, Supernatural and whatever else there is . . . they know who they are. For instance, I didn’t realize that there are still eps of Back To You and Bones that haven’t aired. So that’s fun. Hopefully, those will air before Spring.

It was sad to see that both Chuck and Moonlight are not going to be back until Fall. I love those shows. Along with Big Bang Theory, they were my favorite new shows of the past season. At least Big Bang will be back by April or May. I guess it gives me something I can look forward to. I have some questions about those shows, though. When will the first season DVDs come out? And when they do, will it be just these few episodes? I mean, they won’t hold off on putting out the DVDs until after new episodes air next Fall, will they?

Well, the exciting news is some of the shows we’ve come to know and love will be back soon. And right now I’m busy pretty much every night of the week watching American Idol anyway.

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

Christmas has been keeping me really busy. I’m sorry I haven’t updated in a bit. In any case, I decided it was a good time to take a look into news on the strike - although, honestly, I’d rather not know.

One thing I uncovered that was kinda cute is this blog with the text of a letter from the writers of How I Met Your Mother. Clearly, they are just as unhappy as the rest of us.

Further investigation uncovered some exciting news for me. Apparently, on December 4, 2007, while I was shopping or baking or something, Les Moonves, President of CBS, announced that both The Big Bang Theory and Moonlight, possibly my two favorite new shows, will be renewed for a second season! Of course, that’s provided that the writers strike does eventually end and they can go on with the present season. I’m pretty happy, though, cause I really was worried. Not so much for Big Bang, cause that seemed like everyone liked it right away, but definitely for Moonlight, which definitely has a much smaller target demographic.

One of my other very fav new shows is Chuck, which was picked up for the rest of this season. (You know, the one that’s not really happening right now?) So that was more good news.

Checking out the other couple of sitcoms I’ve been watching, Back To You will be back to us in late March and finish out the season. There’s been no word on a second season. As for Carpoolers, it was greenlit for 13 eps and 6 aired. But there’s no word on whether or not we’ll ever seen any of the remaining 7 episodes. Or any others for that matter.

Well, at least I’ve still got my DVDs. (Except my DVD player has been starting to skip . . . but Christmas is coming, so you never know.)

How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Moonlight, Chuck, Carpoolers

Here’s a link to Nielsens Top Numbers for last week and it’s not what I would have thought at all.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore, but I was kinda, by the fact that Samantha Who, which I think is one of the least good new sitcoms this year, is on the Top 20 list, and none of the others are on there. I’m talking new sitcoms here, not old ones, cause there are a couple of those on the list. I suppose it has something to do with Samantha airing a new ep last week when most of the others (maybe all of the others) were repeats.

Another thing that surprised me was that I saw very few, if any, of the shows I watch listed in the Top 20. Granted, I was busy last week and maybe didn’t watch as much TV as normal, but overall, very few of the shows I like and watch are on that list.

I only saw House, Law and Order:SVU, Jeopardy (which I catch occasionally) and Judge Judy (which I watch religiously, cause I just love her!) The Top 15 Cable list had some movies on there which I’ve seen, but which I did not watch again last week, namely, Santa Clause 2, High School Musical 2 and Elf.

Call me crazy, but most of the stuff I saw in the Top 20 just didn’t appeal to me at all. So now I’m wondering, am I watching the wrong stuff or is everyone else?

Nielsens, Samantha Who, House, Law and Order:SVU, Jeopardy, Judge Judy, Santa Clause 2, High School Musical 2, Elf