Eh, it was ok

Desperate Housewives
Original airdate: 2.12.06

So, I've essentially given up on this show, but I still TiVo it and feel compelled to give anything I TiVo a fair shake. So, in that vein, I watched this episode TiVo-styles...which means that I sped through the scenes that looked annoying (most of them having Tom and Lynette and their ridiculous boss eating donuts out of toilets) and watched, more or less, scenes that appeared to have some comedy and/or drama (most of those scenes being with Gabrielle kicking the hell out of a nun).

Last year, when I began to watch this series with 26.2 million of my closest friends, I really liked the Susan character. She was quirky, fun, cute, sweet, etc. She was a hoot to watch and it was easy to root for her. Now she's as grating as the rest of them. Plagued by insecurities (why she has them is anyone's guess since she has the body, looks and kindness to feel just fine about herself), she tends to do stupid things. Annoying things. Grating things. This week's little number was agreeing to (or did she actually, since, well, I watched this TiVo-styles) marry her ex-husband for his insurance benefits. I'm also not getting why this is necessary at all. THERE HAS to be a better way to get benefits, starting with a trip to her local Kaiser. Or whatever. If she lives on Wysteria Lane, she can afford a little operation. Who's with me??

So, Susan used to be my favorite. Then came little Gabrielle and her hot Latina ways. Actually, her hot funny ways. Frankly. Eva Longoria is very good at what she does. She's crazy overexposed (to the point where seeing her face sends me into seizures) but she has talent. Besides Marcia Cross, she has her character nailed to a tee, and she is just great to watch. She's incredibly tiny, and when she spars with whoever is in her way - from ex-cons to husbands to gardeners and to th aforementioned nuns - she is on her game. This episode was no different. She really made me believe that she had true and honest doubts about starting a family, and it was easy to relate to her. In addition, her ability to get rid of Nunny-Dearest was THE BEST. That fool had it coming!

So, if Eva Longoria is that good, how come Felicity Huffman gets all the props? I'll tell you why - because she is also a movie actress, and since TV critics, stars, directors et. al can't get over the fact that they're working for TV and not for film, they always assume that anyone who has a successful film career is a better actress than anyone who's stuck to TV. And that's nonsense and we all know it. In Felicity's case, even though her character's personality and storyline is part of the reason why she can't really show off her acting chops, I also think she chooses to be lazy. She knows she has everyone wrapped around her little finger, so why try harder? Why try and make Lynette relatable or even believable? Why show the viewers how and why Tom actually stays with her? Why demonstrate one good reason why those kids don't hate her? 'Cause she's lazy.

This episode was ok. And looks like Danielle Van De Kamp is about to get jumped!

Boom!

Grey's Anatomy
Original airdate: 2.12.06

Wow. At first, as this show started to heat up, I thought "eh, not as good as last week." And with stupid Meredith in "peril" (in quotes because we all know she ain't goin' nowhere), I was a little disappointed how the episode was concluding.

But it got better, folks! Highlights:

- George convincing Bailey to give birth. Wow...I was so sad for him when Addison Montgomery-Shepard Jones Smith Johnson, etc. yelled at his butt for well, just being concerned, but he sure showed her! The combination of firm love for his superior inspired her to push and give birth to her baby son. I usually am a minor fan of the George character, but he sure made me a believer.

- Meredith almost blowing up. OK, not really a highlight since the cute Bomb Squad guy bit the dust...and well, did all the fools waiting for the bomb also blow the heck up? After Meredith's perfectly glossed lips, shiny hair and adorable swagger were literally blown off the floor, they kind of ...disappeared. Horrible! Do the fools who put together this bomb go to jail for this ridiculousness? Count me on the jury, cause they're going down! So yeah, Meredith got blown up just a bit, thought not really, which sucked.

- Cristina telling Burke she loved him. She shows no emotions ordinarily, and was less than moved by his plea to leave the OR so he could "concentrate" (so sweet...he couldn't focus on the task on hand with her in the room), but she finally breaks down and declares her love to a sleeping Burke. So cute. By the by, Sandra Oh is estranged from her husband right now - how sad! She's at the apex of her career and where is he? She was with him for all the Sideways nonsense. Poor Sandra!

- McDreamy and Burke and their first names. Respect finally earned, Dr. Preston Burke called McDreamy "Derek" which was lovely. I just love these guys, and though too incredibly handsome to be real doctors, I still buy it.

So seriously, who is going to buy me Season 1?

Delicious

Scrubs
Original Airdate: 2.7.06

Yummy. That's how I feel during and after watching an episode of "Scrubs." I love the whimsical sense of humor, the chemistry of the cast and usually the stories. Sometimes the stories feel forced or are annoying. Sadly, episode one of the two episodes aired on Tuesday was one of those.

The storyline and JD's new love interest was ok. Mandy Moore is sooo adorable and just happens to be the artist behind my wedding song. However, she's just a so-so actress, and with this ensemble, you can't be so-so and not stick out like a sore ankle. That being said, that storyline was still ok. I loves me some Zach Braff and so does Mandy.

The other story about Carla and Dr. Cox was slightly better. Carla worships Dr. Cox (without admitting it) and respects him so much, that discovering he doesn't have a solution for a mdeical problem was a shocker for her. In addition, his side story about no longer wanting to kiss his son due to his age was done very well. It's been well-established that Dr. Cox has father issues - both with his and with being one - but his pure love for his son has never been in question. When he gives in at the end and kisses him all over, I felt all warm and yummy inside. Yummy! (By the way, does Christa Miller Lawrence's son play their son??? He looks just like a combo of Bill Lawrence and Christa...but I can't find anything on the Web. Oh Internet, WHY HAVE YOU FAILED ME?? If my non-existent readership can weigh in on this, that'd be great.)

So, the annoying storyline award goes to the "air band." Sure, it was a kick to see Donald Faison demonstrate his ample dancing skills, but come on...so lame. Why is that funny? I ask you Bill Lawrence, WHY?

The second episode of the evening continued the Mandy Moore love affair. JD has a history of dumping girlfriends for stupid reasons, so he was on the verge of doing so again....however, his friends staged a pretty funn intervention and he managed to hang in there. Later in the episode as he was getting passed his immaturity, he proclaims that he thinks she could be "the one" and she promply says "Dude, I'm 23. I don't even think about stuff like that!" OK, a couple of things...1) Zach Braff and Mandy Moore are dating in real life. I have to guess (without checking imdb because I am lazy) that age difference is accurate - she's around 23, while he's around 30. I wonder if that is a "real issue." But I've pretty much quickly dismissed that since Zach Braff is all crazy famous/sexy/cool now and likely has no plans of settling down. So really, it's all a moot point.

But I digress, as usual. He dumps her after finding out she's not thinking long-term. The end of Mandy Moore. Now, did they cut her guest stint short because she sucks as an actress? Or is she just soooo very busy with her guest stint on Entourage that she had to toodle out of there? I suppose we'll never know. But Oh Mandy, I will always love you...

Scrubs is so cool! If you don't watch it, start immediately. Because I swear, if they cancel this show, I'm coming after every one of you.

Uncle Joey

Skating with Celebrities
Original airdate: 2.6.06

I didn't watch all of this show, but yeah, I have comments.

1. Is Dave Coulier really as slimy as he appears? And does Nancy Kerrigan hate him? The answer is yes, so I probably shouldn't waste anyone's time by asking.
2. Bruce Jenner looks crazy old.
3. Kristy Swanson gained weight, but she holds it together very well. She's a cutie. Oh, and she was also in my movie debut.
4. I can't tell you how happy I am that Debbie Gibson got the boot last week. She is not only obnoxious, arrogant and self-absorbed, but NOT TALENTED! Her voice isn't that great, she clearly can't skate, and her Playboy pictures were lame. (yeah, I saw them...what of it?!)
5. Is it wrong that I still love Nancy Kerrigan? Go U.S.A.!

Mick Jagger sucks

Super Bowl XL
Original airdate: 2.5.06

I barely watched the halftime, but I'll take old man Paul McCartney over Mick Jagger any day after tonight's display. Even Kid Rock was better than this fool. The Stones were terrible. Guys, collect your money, keep selling your songs to Microsoft or whatever, live in England with lots of gardens or double-decker buses, and stop performing. Do us all a favor.

The game was good up until about the third quarter. Oh, Matt Hasselback, you need more practice. Too bad this was the last game of the season. Oh, Shaun, you didn't even score one TD. Who ARE you? Oh, Steelers fans...ONE FOR THE THUMB!

Next year....NY Giants 28, Indianapolis Colts, 3. Manning v. Manning, baby. You heard it here first!

Not cool

Grey's Anatomy
Original airdate: 2.5.06

Did I not say that this was my new favorite show? This show absolutely ruled (gack, I hate this word in this context, but it's late and don't feel like consulting my colloquial thesaurus) from almost every aspect. The only issue I had was the ending...the fact that it didn't end. DOES THE GUY BLOW UP OR WHAT? OK, the answer is probably no, but wouldn't it be interesting to see what a show does after blowing up all the major characters? Like, maybe save one or two, and then have the rest of the show be about those characters living with the aftermath of their dead colleagues. I'd save Cristina and Burke. And maybe Bailey. And maybe McDreamy. But that's it. Meredith is sooooooooooo annoying.

Alex & Izzie? Eh.

The best scene was the heart-pounding discovery that the shell of the bazooka existed. Alex racing up the stairs...though you knew it would end with them finding it out and not starting the surgery, it was still pretty darn exciting. The guy who plays Burke...he made that scene really work. And then stupid Meredith gets the info - "Hey, FYI, Cold Black, go tell people." Meredith: "Whaaat? Code Blaaack? I don't get it...I'm stupid. Tell me more. You don't seem serious or scared enough to get me to do what you asked..." I don't have the complete transcripts, but I think that's pretty close.

Can't wait for next week!

What's the big idea?

I have learned, in my many years of life, that television is a better experience if it's a shared experience. What I mean by this is the Watercooler effect. There is a reason why that term has stuck out the long-haul - we all know what it means. The Watercooler - before computers, Tivo and coworkers that you're trying to avoid - has long been understood as a gathering place at which to discuss the latest TV show and the happenings from the night before. The Watercooler is all but dead in this information age, but the blog has taken the torch and decided to run with it.

There are other sites that do what I am about to do better than I ever will. A couple you can find here and here. They're written by smart, funny people, and you'd do yourself a disservice in reading my blog over these sites. But if you're lazy and don't feel like clicking, well - read on.

I hope to use this forum as a place to discuss my views on TV shows that I watch. These include, but are not limited to:

- All My Children (ABC): I have been a faithful viewer of this soap opera (off and on - which is really contradictory to the word "faithful") for nearly 20 years. No joke! This show cracks me up, annoys me and has even made me cry on occassion. I'm not saying I'm proud of it, I'm just saying it's been known to happen.
- Grey's Anatomy (ABC): This is my new favorite show. I missed the first 3-5 espisodes, which will hopefully be rectified when greedy ABC releases the first season DVD set.
- Scrubs (NBC): This is my old favorite show. I'm currently obsessed with it. I've dreamt about Zach Braff a couple of time. This blog ain't about hiding the truth, folks!
- Bringing Home Baby (TLC): Dudes, this show is mad funny. What is more of a train wreck to watch than witnessing the first 36 hours of a newborn's arrival to his new home? How do the parents act and react? Does the family dog pee on him? It's so awesome.
- Lost (ABC): This show is so annoying, I should boycott it. But I won't. I watch this show about 3 weeks after I Tivo it. So don't expect timely commentary.
- Law & Order: SVU (NBC): I've also dreamt about Chris Meloni.
- House (FOX): My dad turned us on to this show. It's about 85% super cool and 15% ridiculous.
- Repeats of Friends (Syndicated): Yes, I still watch this show almost every day.
- Desperate Housewives (ABC): I swear, I was the first person who saw through this show. It's cloying, obnoxious, unrealistic and overwhlemed with too many plots. However, I still try and keep up because stupid Felicity Huffman is everywhere, and I need to stay current with her crappy storyline.

Oh, there are more shows I watch and have opinions on, but this is a start. If you have any requests, just let me know. And then I'll decide if I care.