FALL TV Begins TONIGHT!

Tonight begins my favorite time of year, FALL TV Season. With so many new shows beginning and old favorites returning, I have to weed through the hype and dazzling promos and make firm cuts to my weekday lineup. My DVR can only hold so much. If a show makes it to my DVR, it is a must watch.

Starting with tonight, here's my DVR lineup...I'd love to hear yours!

Monday: Castle 9pm (ABC). Hart of Dixie (CW, 9/26)

Tuesday: Glee 7pm (Fox). New Girl 8pm (Fox). Parenthood 9pm (NBC)

Wednesday: Up All Night 7pm (NBC). Modern Family 8pm (ABC). Happy Endings 830pm (ABC). Revenge 9pm (ABC).

Thursday: Person of Interest (CBS, 8pm)...yes, you read correctly. I am not planning on watching Grey's. I believe I have fallen out of love.

Sunday: Good Wife 8pm (CBS). Boardwalk Empire 8pm (HBO). Pan Am 9pm (ABC)

*You will notice there is NO Brothers & Sisters listed. It has been cancelled. I am sorry if I am the one to break the news to you. I will miss is dearly too*

A few shows I may flip to/sample are:

• Two Broke Girls (CBS, Mon 730pm)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC, Mon 7pm/Tues 8pm - I always like to catch a few dances and pick a favorite)
• The Playboy Club (NBC, Mon 9pm)

Shows I will 100% NOT be watching:

• Two and 1/2 Men (CBS, Mon 8pm)- too hyped, really don't care. Ashton's long hair bothers me. I think the show's been played out for a while.
• Charlie Sheen Roast (Comedy Central, tonight 9pmish) - really, really, really don't care. I hate roasts and Charlie Sheen freaks me out these days.
• X Factor - (Weds and Thurs) I hate American Idol. I will take The Sing Off and The Voice any day over these over-hyped, over-publicized, over-paid television juggernauts. Vomit.

What's Missing?

This may or may not seem like a full line up to you...depending on your level of love for television. However, what is not listed are any of David's television programs. As always, there will be plenty of football watching in my house. Thursday - Monday night there is always a football game (or several) to watch. There is also the never-ending Storage Wars marathon. I do enjoy an occasional episode, but the constant "Yyyyyiiiipppp" is wearing thin on my nerves. (you have to watch to know what I'm referring to). Finally, the second to last season of Jersey Shore. Although I still watch it with David from time to time, I think their stars have faded. Once Deena and Snooki became a couple...I checked out.

If I haven't listed one of your favorite shows and you want to know when it begins, check out my favorite TV website. It has more info than you could imagine.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/

Anyway, I'm looking forward to an eventful season of television. I hope to update my reviews on the new shows as often as possible....but we'll see what really happens.

Happy Watching!

Post Holiday Television

The holidays are a festive time. Egg nog. Three day work weeks. A Christmas Story marathon. But for TV lovers, it is a drought. Networks begin stunting with holiday programs like "Kenny Rogers: Home for the Holidays". Or cheesy Lifetime movies like "All She Wants for Christmas" (real title). There are no original run episodes because sweeps is over. So, with the promise and hope of a New Year, also comes the second half of the 2010-11 season. Whoop Whoop! Today is Monday, Day One. What am I watching? And what am I DVR'ing? I started my evening with the Premiere of the last season of Greek on ABC Family (see pic above). This has been one of my favorite shows on television. Not for the refreshingly creative writing or deep and complex characters, but for the pure simplicity of college life. Most days of my 815 to 530pm work week, I dream of taking a 3pm nap on my college sofa while watching Oprah. Will Greek win an Emmy? A Golden Globe? Not so much. But for one hour each week, I am transported back to a time when finding a Grub Date was the most important part of my week. And whether or not to eat Cane's or Mellow Mushroom was the question of the day. I miss it. From 9-10pm, I'm watching Castle. Yet another show that may not win an Emmy for its intense crime solving mystery, but you will fall in love with the characters. All of them. The silly, yet loyal and competent team of detectives. The flawless, strong willed Kate Beckett. The debonair, yet teddy bear like Rick Castle. And of course, the adorable flirtation between the last two. Each week, I find I'm not even paying attention to the crime...I'm just watching to see how Castle and Beckett interact. It's similar to how I feel about Benson and Stabler on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit...except without all the incestuous rape, violent child abuse and brutal domestic violence. And for tomorrow, I have a two hour premiere of The Bachelor DVR'd. Only problem...I hate Brad Womack. Literally, I do not want to watch him. YUCK!

GLEE's TOP 6

When it comes to Glee, I was originally hesitant...like most people and the Twilight series. Originally, you don't want to be a fan because you think its overrated and everyone's a fan, so where is the fun in that? Then, you jump on the bandwagon and realize, its the greatest thing ever. I came around late in Season 1. My original hesitation was the casting on Cory Monteith as Finn. I thought, of all the Zac Efron's in the world, you cast this guy to play the leading jock role? Seriously? And after a while, he grew on me. I realized, he is his own version of a "typical" jock and I like it. Therefore, when it comes to ranking the past season's greatest hits, I am not taking anything from Season 1 into consideration. Just need to make that clear in case Gleeks come out the woodworks to hate on my rankings.

When choosing this list, its pretty simple. I rank them based on how many times I have talked about, sang myself to sleep with and rewatched on my DVR (or someone else's...Therese and Bobby). So, without further adieu, my Season 2 TOP 6 Glee Performances.

Honorbale Mention: "Umbrella/Singing in the Rain" I almost caved under the pressure and put them in the Top 6, but it was only ok for me. Great performance, great match up but the others really outranked in my opinion.

#6 Quinn and Sam sing "Lucky" in the Duets episode. Sam plays the guitar. Quinn innocently flirts and prances around him as they sing this Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat love song. New favorite couple. Check.

#5 The entire Britney epsiode. When rewatching, the choreogrpahy was simply ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean amazing. And my amazing, I mean flawless. Holla back Brittany S. Pierce. Special shout out to Santana and Brittany's duet. I tip my imaginary hat to you ladies. Well done.

#4 Amazing performed by Finn and the group in a tear-jerking, I Love You Man, moment. Not only do I love the song by Bruno Mars, but I love the fact that Finn is not being such a d-bag anymore. It's about time Finnster.

#3 Gwyneth Paltrow's "Forget You" version of Cee Lo's hit song. Despite the fact that I am pretty sure she flashed the Glee clubbers when hopping up on the piano in her mini skirt, this song performance made me sing for days.

#2 "Teenage Dream" by Blaine and The Warblers. I never imagined that a group of half gay/half straight boys in uniform could make me love a Katy Perry song. Bravo Warblers. And Bravo to the random dude fist pumping in the background. If you didn't notice him, it is worth rewatching.

#1 My costume for next year. "Start Me Up/Livin on a Prayer" mash up with the girls of Glee decked out in leather. Watched it several times. Sang the songs for days. Still singing the song now.

Reasons to LOVE Cougar town

First of all, its been so long since I've posted on my blog, that the web address did not even come up in my browser. Sad. For that, I apologize. Now, on to the topic at hand.

Many of you are fans of Modern Family. Some of you from the beginning pilot episode where Phil infamously identified WTF as "Why the Face?". Others are late bloomers. The hype surrounding the show, plus an Emmy for Best Comedy, followed by everyone talking about it, made it difficult to not begin watching. However, is the midst of the Modern Fam hoopla, a show has gotten lost. That show is Cougartown. Originally titled for Courtney Cox's character, who was a divorced single mother, looking to pounce on the next young thang, the thirty minute comedy morphed into "Friends" on crack. On some days (dare I say) I believe Cougar town to be funnier than Modern Family. Here my list of why you should get hooked.

1. Everyone drinks wine. All day, everyday. It has become the eighth member of the Cougar town clan and can be seen in almost every scene of every episode. However, wine snobs, they are not. They will drink anything placed in front of them. And they have funerals for broken wine glasses. Classic.

2. The overabundance of one-liners. Some solid examples:

• "Some of us over did it at the 'Pre-No More Alimony Party' Party, so I made these margaritas with crushed up aspirin."
• "I'm in love and it's the real deal, like keep the baby type of love."
• "This is our cul-de-sac damn it. Tonight we take back the sack! First order of business we need a new slogan."

3. The coining of new phrases and games.
 "Penny Can" - a rousing game of skill where one's hand and eye coordination are tested by attempting to toss a penny in a...wait for it...can. Seems mindless and simple...and in fact...it is!

4. Each character is true to form. Ellie is the nosy neighbor who peers down from her high horse only to ridicule those beneath her...but in a funny way. Jules is the neurotic self-obsessed ring leader who has a sick obsession with her only son. Travis is the seemingly intelligent sarcastic son of an overbearing mom and less than motivated dad. And so on...

5. It comes on at 830pm, so you are already invested in the 8 o'clock hour with Modern Family. No need to change channels now. Stay put.

6. The writers are fully aware that the title "Cougar town" no longer applies to the show. Therefore, each week, in the opening credits, the writers take a jab at themselves by adding a subtitle to the the title. This week the addition was "Its ok to watch a show called...Cougar town".

7. They make fun of themselves. When the show is getting pretty silly, they call themselves out on it.

8. And most importantly, you can expect to laugh out loud at least one time in every episode. Whether Ellie is tipping her imaginary hat to Grayson, Andy is reinacting the "Its not your fault" scene from Good Will Hunting or Bobby dressing up as Windy Guy, the show is a must watch. You will not regret it. It often reminds me of my friends...only richer and funnier.

FOOTBALL TIME

It's September, which means a few things: 1. Kids are back in school, traffic is bad again. 2. Most of my favorite shows are back in new episodes. 3. Football. In my house, football pretty much takes over. Every Saturday, Sunday, Monday and the occasional Thursday and Friday. Most of the time I enjoy, but then again, its is September. Talk to me in November.

In the spirit of football, I have taken on a new show...Friday Night Lights. I know, this show has been around for 4 seasons. But due to scheduling conflicts and overall disinterest in NBC programming, I haven't tuned in prior to now. What's got me on the bandwagon? ABC Family has started from Season 1 and runs an episode everyday at 5pm. My DVR is already overloaded, so each day I race home, watch my new obsession and delete it immediately to make room. This new routine may begin to wear off soon. It's quite exhausting. But as of now, it is the highlight of my day. Instead of having to wait a full week or a whole summer for a new episode, I only have to wait 24 hours. AND there are three more seasons to watch!

Now, here's why I like Friday Night Lights...First of all, there is an innocence to it. The innocence of first loves, thinking you will stay with your high school sweetie forever and thinking the world follows the same rules as high school. After 10 years out of MCA, those ideas could never be more false. Next, I love the simplicity of it. High school team and coach loved and admired by a community. All of their hopes and dreams, fears and joys, wrapped around the local high school football team's success. There are breakups, breakdowns, new loves, lost loves, success and failure. Simply put, its just life in Texas...with a whole lot of attractive people. However, knowing that this show has not received much love from NBC or the critics, I'm praying it doesn't take a turn for the worse. As for now...I love Texas football.

PREMIERE WEEK

In case you didn't know...its Premiere Week. Every show worth watching (well, almost every show) begins this week. As I watch the Saints, who are down by 5, in the 3rd quarter of MNF, I am not worried. Mostly, because we are Superbowl Champs and secondly because I believe anything is possible with Drew Brees. Therefore, I see no problem in talking about the big week ahead. Should there not be a game tonight or So You Think You Can Dance? Tour last night, here is how my TV schedule would go. Keep in mind, most need to be DVR'd or I would not have a social life. As it is, I am not sure what I am going to talk about in Book Club in two weeks. Too much TV to watch. Anyways, here my schedule. Shows in bold are what I have to watch, others are only if I catch them or have time.

SUNDAY

9/19 8pm Boardwalk Empire on HBO

9/19 9pm Mad Men on AMC

MONDAY

9/20 Dancing with the Stars (The Situation)

9/20 9pm Castle on ABC

9/20 9pm Gossip Girl

TUESDAY
9/21 8pm Glee on Fox
9/21 9pm Life Unexpected on CW
9/21 9pm Detroit 187 on ABC



WEDNESDAY

9/22 7pm The Middle on ABC

9/22 730pm Better With You on ABC

9/22 8pm Modern Family on ABC

9/22 830pm Cougartown

(with Jen Aniston) on ABC

THURSDAY
9/23 7pm My Generation on ABC
9/23 8pm Grey's Anatomy on ABC

SUNDAY
9/26 9pm Brothers and Sisters on ABC





New Shows: I am very much looking forward to Boardwalk Empire. I absolutely LOVE period pieces, especially shows set in the 20s. I've seen the pilots for Detroit 187 and My Generation and I think both should be successful.




Returning Favs: I am ecstatic about Glee, Brothers and Sisters and most of all Modern Family. Its been way too long without a little Manny in my life. I was blown away by the Grey's finale, but wasn't so much looking forward to the return. However, they've done a great job of trying to reel me back in. Check out the new TV Guide cover below. 

After this week, we can really delve into which premieres are phenomenal and which premieres under deliver.

The Evolution of Jersey Shore

When Jersey Shore began last year, I was a late addition to the Fan Club. My Jersey vocab was a little slower to develop and it took almost a full season before I could watch an episode in its entirety. Then Season 2 rolled around and I was 100% hooked on the guido/guidette journey to Miami. From Season 1 to Season 2 there has been an evolution in the series....see changes here.
#1 The Situation is the "mature" one in the house. He is involved in the least number of controversies, he is making the most cheese and he has a new career...Dancing with the Stars. If you watch the show, you understand that saying The Situation is the most mature is deathly scary considering he still takes home broads only to escort them to a cab 30 minutes later.
#2 Snooki is the new Smush Queen. After a full season of not finding a gorilla to tangle in the sheets with, this season she is on fire. Although not close to the numbers the boys put up, she is racking up a list of her own. #3 Vinny is in the game. Last season, I felt he was on the back burner. More of a Mama's Boy. Not too controversial, not too important. This season he is a valuable wing man for Pauly D and Mike, while also sticking his nose in the family drama enough to increase his face time on camera.

Although these things have changed, there are a few that remain 100% the same and stronger than ever.
#1 Sammi is an idiot. Not sure how else to say that. Every girl has had the wool pulled over her eyes by a guy, but to be blinded 4, 5, 6 times in a row is ridiculous. Get a clue Sam.
#2 J-Woww is crazy as ever. Some may find her scary, unattractive, evenly beastly. I, for one, would always want her on my team. She may have fake nails, boobs, eyelashes and hair but her bitch factor is real through and through.
#3 Pauly D is only dude on the planet with a "blow-out" that I would want to hang out with. Every time I think I've heard it all, DJ Pauly D busts a new one-liner that has me crying and laughing at the same time.

For your enjoyment, here's a few one-liners from the season:
* "Can't stand this weather. You can't get tan in this weather, you can't creep in this weather, you can't do anything." -- Pauly D, on living in a prison of rain.


*"Who AAA call when AAA get stuck?" --The Situation

* "I don't go tanning-tanning anymore because Obama put a 10 percent tax on tanning. And I feel like he did that intentionally for us. McCain would never put a 10 percent tax on tanning because he's pale, and he would probably wanna be tan." -- Snooki, on what's wrong with Washington.


*Jenni’s t--s definitely defy gravity. I think Albert Einstein should come back and rewrite his laws of physics and work it around Jenni’s t--s. --Vinny