The 2007 “My TV” Awards

THE NOMINEES

Best Drama
• Lost
• Grey’s Anatomy
• Brothers & Sisters
• Friday Night Lights
• Prison Break
• Boston Legal
Best Comedy
• Aliens in America
• Desperate Housewives
• How I Met Your Mother
• Samantha Who?
• Ugly Betty
• 30 Rock
• The Office
Best Reality/Game Show
• Big Brother
• Kid Nation
• American Idol
• So You Think You Can Dance
• Identity
Best Actor in a Drama
• Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
• Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters)
• Dave Annabelle (Brothers & Sisters)
• Kevin McKidd (Journeyman)
• Matthew Fox (Lost)
Best Actress in a Drama
• Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice)
• Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
• Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters)
• Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
• Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)
• Evangeline Lily (Lost)
Best Actor in a Comedy
• Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
• Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America)
• Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
• Zach Braff (Scrubs)
• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)
Best Actress in a Comedy
• Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives)
• Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)
• America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
• Christina Applegate (Samantha Who)
• Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
• Timothy Busfield (Studio 60)
• Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars)
• Michael Emerson (Lost)
• Dominic Monaghan (Lost)
• Paul Adelstein (Prison Break)
• Paul Adelstein (Private Practice)
• Justin Chambers (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Robert Knepper (Prison Break)
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
• Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Yun Jin Kim (Lost)
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost)
• Emily VanCamp (Brothers & Sisters)
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
• Neil Flynn (Scrubs)
• Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies)
• Kyle McLaughlin (Desperate Housewives)
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
• Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother)
• Rainn Wilson (The Office)
• Paul Lieberstein (The Office)
• Michael Urie (Ugly Betty)
• Christopher Gorham (Ugly Betty)
• Marc Indelicato (Ugly Betty)
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
• Liza Weil (Gilmore Girls)
• Kelly Bishop (Gilmore Girls)
• Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies)
• Angela Kinsey (The Office)
• Mindy Kaling (The Office)
• Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty)
• Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty)
• Becki Newton (Ugly Betty)
• Allison Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother)
Best Reality Star
• Zach (Kid Nation)
• Sophia (Kid Nation)
• Laurel (Kid Nation)
• Danny (So You Think You Can Dance)
• Sabra (So You Think You Can Dance)
• Jordan (American Idol)
• Eric (Big Brother)
• Jen (Big Brother)
Best Reality Host/Judge
• Cat Deeley (Host- So You Think You Can Dance)
• Nigel Lithgow (Judge- So You Think You Can Dance)
• Mia Michaels (Judge/Choreographer- So You Think You Can Dance)
• Wade Robson (Judge/Choreographer- So You Think You Can Dance)
• Simon Cowell (Judge- American Idol)
• Ryan Seacrest (Host- American Idol)
Best Writing for a Drama
• Grey’s Anatomy
• Lost
• Brothers & Sisters
• Boston Legal
• Veronica Mars
Best Writing for a Comedy
• 30 Rock
• Ugly Betty
• Gilmore Girls
• How I Met Your Mother
• Pushing Daisies
• Desperate Housewives
• Aliens in America
Best Costumes
• Ugly Betty
• Pushing Daisies
• Samantha Who
• Journeyman
• Gossip Girl
Best New Actor
• Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
• Kevin McKidd (Journeyman)
• Paul Adelstein (Private Practice)
• Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America)
• Zachary Levi (Chuck)
Best New Actress
• Blake Lively (Gossip Girl)
• Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies)
• Christina Applegate (Samantha Who)
• Gretchen Egolf (Journeyman)
• Amy Brenneman (Private Practice)
Best New Show
• Pushing Daisies
• Private Practice
• Aliens in America
• Gossip Girl
• Samantha Who
Best Network Lineup
• ABC
• NBC
• CBS
• FOX
• The CW
Best Guest Star
• Elizabeth Reaser (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Edward Herrman (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Seth Green (Grey’s Anatomy)
• John Cho (How I Met Your Mother)
• Allison Janney (Studio 60)
• Kristin Chenoweth (Ugly Betty)
• Betty White (Ugly Betty)
• Nina Siemaszko (Private Practice)
• Luke MacFarlane (Brothers & Sisters)
Most Ridiculously Good Looking Male
• Henry Ian Cusack (Lost)
• Daniel Day Kim (Lost)
• Matthew Fox (Lost)
• Wentworth Miller (Prison Break)
• Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights)
• Dave Annabelle (Brothers & Sisters)
• Chris Lowell (Private Practice)
• Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl)
• John Krasinski (The Office)
• Luke MacFarlane (Brothers & Sisters)
• Jason Lewis (Brothers & Sisters)
Most Ridiculously Good Looking Female
• Blake Lively (Gossip Girl)
• Adrienne Palicki (Friday Night Lights)
• Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights)
• Evangeline Lily (Lost)
• Yun Jin Kim (Lost)
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost)
• Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy/ Private Practice)
• Chyler Leigh (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty)
• Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars)
• Emily VanCamp (Brothers & Sisters)
The Marry- Me Award
• John Krasinski (The Office)
• Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
• Christopher Gorham (Ugly Betty)
• Wentworth Miller (Prison Break)
• Dominic Monaghan (Lost)
The Be-My-Best-Friend Award
• Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters)
• Tina Fey (30 Rock)
• Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty)
• Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars)
• Tina Majorino (Veronica Mars)
• Paul Adelstein (Private Practice)
The Moment of the Year Award
• Betty goes to Henry’s apartment- “Defying Gravity” (Ugly Betty)
• Barney’s “play” (How I Met Your Mother)
• The Walkers jump in the pool (Brothers & Sisters)
• Hilda admits Santos is dead (Ugly Betty)
• Mark comes out to his mother (Ugly Betty)
• Lorelai and Rory eat one last breakfast at Luke’s (Gilmore Girls)
• The outdoors wedding (How I Met Your Mother)
• Eva and Alex are reunited (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Christina breaks down (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Bree gets a fork stuck in her fake pregnant belly (Desperate Housewives)
• Katie Lloyd speaks to the church after Joseph Washington’s death (Boston Legal)
• Morgan organizes a religious service (Kid Nation)
• Laurel sings “Amazing Grace” (Kid Nation)
• Zach gives his campaign speech (Kid Nation)
• Danny and Lauren’s top 6 Mia Michaels contemporary routine (SYTYCD)
• Sabra and Neil’s top 6 Mandy Moore jazz routine (SYTYCD)
• Wade Robson’s anti-war solos- “Waiting on the World to Change” (SYTYCD)
• Chuck and Blair’s hookup (Gossip Girl)
• Ned brings Chuck back to life (Pushing Daisies)

Top TV Moments of 2007

Justin in West Side Story while Hilda finds out about Santos’ death on the season 1 finale of Ugly Betty.

Pam walks on hot coals and confesses her feelings in The Office then Jim asking her out in the finale.

The Walkers jumping in the pool in the finale of Brothers & Sisters

Danny’s “We are the Champions” solo and the crowd/judges/his family reaction on So You Think You Can Dance

Betty coming to Henry’s door to the sounds of “Defying Gravity” in the Wicked episode of Ugly Betty

Charlie’s death in the Lost finale

Michael and Sara kiss on the train in Prison Break

Bree gets a BBQ fork stuck in her fake pregnancy belly on Desperate Housewives

the prop guys walk out for Allison Janney’s episode within an episode on Studio 60 (and her and Tim Busfield are on screen together again)

Barney on The Price is Right on HIMYM

the HIMYM wedding

The HIMYM hot/crazy scale

Barney’s play to get back at Lily in HIMYM “moist”

Michael telling Toby he can’t go to The Office beach party

Stewie and Brian’s intro to the Emmys

Meredith helping Christina out of her wedding dress in the finale of Greys

Sophia’s 50,000$ and Zach’s 20,000$ gold stars on Kid Nation

Best Season Finales

TV's Best Season (not series) Finales (off the top of my head and in no particular order)

The West Wing Season 2 (Mrs. Landingham's funeral, "will you be seeking re-election")
The West Wing Season 3 (the war of the roses, Mark Harmon dies, the assassination of Sharif)
Lost Season 3 (charlie's sacrifice, flash forward)
FRIENDS Season 4 (Ross says the wrong name at the wedding)
FRIENDS Season 6 (Monica and Chandler's engagement)
How I Met Your Mother Season 1 (Ted makes it rain)
How I Met Your Mother Season 2 (the wedding)
The Office Season 2 (casino night, Jim and Pam's first kiss)
Gilmore Girls Season 1 (Max's proposal)
Gilmore Girls Season 3 (Rory's graduation)
Buffy Season 2 (killing angel)
Buffy Season 3 (graduation)
Buffy Season 5 (Buffy dies)
Buffy Season 6 (evil willow and the yellow crayon)
Veronica Mars Season 1 (solving the murder, who's at the door?)
Slings & Arrows Season 2 (Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet open)
Brothers & Sisters Season 1 ( the engagement party, goodbye to Justin, jumping in the pool)
Grey's Anatomy Season 1 (Addison's arrival)
Grey's Anatomy Season 2 (Denny's death)
Grey's Anatomy Season 3 (Christina's wedding)
Prison Break Season 1 (breaking out and starting to run)

Best Couples

TV's BEST COUPLES

10) Jin and Sun Kwong (Lost)
9) Miranda Hobbes and Steve Brady (Sex and the City)
8) Danny Kincannon and CJ Craig (The West Wing)
7) Chandler Bing and Monica Geller (FRIENDS)
6) Henry Grubstick and Betty Suarez (Ugly Betty)
5) Niles and Daphne Crane (Frasier)
4) Marshall Ericson and Lily Aldrin (How I Met Your Mother)
3) Eric and Tammy Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
2) Jim Halpert and Pam Beasley (The Office)
1) Paul and Jamie Buchman ( Mad About You)

Honourable Mentions:
Orson and Bree Hodge (Desperate Housewives)
Robert McCallister and Kitty Walker (Brothers & Sisters)

Best First Kisses

Top 10 TV First Kisses. in no particular order

Ross and Rachel in the coffee shop.
Jim and Pam in the season 2 finale after Casino Night
Tim and Dawn in the Office Christmas Special
Nathan and Haley outside Tree Hill High
Dawson and Joey in the season 1 finale by the window
Veronica and Logan at the motel
Michael and Sarah in the infirmary
Buffy and Spike in Once More With Feeling
Sydney and Vaugh after taking down SD6
Rory and Dean in the Supermarket

LOST and Grey's

so Jack's last name is Shepherd. Derek's last name is Shepherd. They are both doctors.

there is only one other doctor on the island. Juliet.

Juliet's last name is Burke, as in Preston Burke.

Both on ABC, both premiering the same season (20004-05), the doctors Shepherd and Burke have 2 homes.

Buffy Season 2

Disk Five of Buffy Season 2 on DVD

two episodes, back to back feature 3 hollywood actors of the swoon-worthy sort (all before they got famous, all in small to tiny parts)

I Only Have Eyes For You stars Christopher Gorham (later in life to star in Popular, Out of Practice, Ugly Betty and more)

and

Go Fish stars Wentworth Miller (of Prison Break fame in a role that requires him to say "dude" more than once- something he should NEVER do- it just sounds weird from him. he's also playing an unfocused, slightly thick high schooler and let's face it- we all know Wentworth's the smartest guy in the world, it was very weird to see him play Gage- still as beautiful as ever though)

it also features Shane West (later to star in A Walk to Remember and join the cast of ER) in a role with 2 lines. that's right 2 LINES.

let's also thank the buffyverse for not only jump starting these 3 favourites but for also giving us David Boreanaz, Nikki Brandon, James Marsters and for introducing the spectacular Ally Hannigan to the world (not a hot guy like the others but spectacular and completely worth a mention, also anyone who later was on How I Met Your Mother needs to be cheered)

Best Sophomore Seasons

The Best Sophomore Seasons EVER


1) The West Wing: opening with the brilliance of "in the shadow of 2 gunman" parts 1 and 2, followed by the triumph that is "Galileo", the brilliance that is "Noel" and all culminating in the best season finale of the series "two cathedrals". The best season my favourite show.

2) Ugly Betty: I know it's only just begun but every single episode of this season's Ugly Betty is better than the previous one. Ana Ortiz and Marc Indelicato gave spectacular performances as the grieving family of Santos, Mark is getting a spectacular storyline, Christina's got one too, we went to see Wicked, Betty is in love and we get LOTS of my beloved Christopher Gorham- BRILLIANT!

3) The Office: the season when they really hit their stride (the American version, by the way), flourished from beneath the shadow of David Brent and his comrades and remained fresh and hilarious every week (seasons 3 and 4 could not achieve such a feat). Jim pined while still best friends with Pam (a lovely dynamic), from the season premiere where we were awarded "the dundies", through Christmas and Meredith's flashing, the boat cruise and the heartbreak that accompanied it to the shocking final kiss this season was the best the office ever was.

4) How I Met Your Mother: though the first season tops it overall, the second season of this intensely funny show dished up such brilliant moments as the introduction of "Ted Mosby, architect" and Swarley, a glimpse into casa al Barney, Marshall and Lily's romantic reunion, Barney finding the jelly bean to win thousands of dollars in the Chinese casino game, robin's Canadian pop star music video, the birth of the slap bet, the introduction of Barney's gay, black brother James (Wayne Brady), the Superbowl challenge, Marshall's "bridezilla" hair freak out, Scooter's return, Ted and Robin's saucy breakup and a truly lovely wedding.

5) FRIENDS: the season I will always remember as "the Rachel and Ross season", we pick up with Ross coming back from China with a new girlfriend and follow the epic couple through Rachel's side of the pining, Ross' decision between the 2 women, the "what dreams are made of" kiss in the coffee shop, another short breakup and the happiest of happy endings in "the one with the prom video". while the introduction of "we were on a break" doesn't happen until season 3, the happy part of their relationship all starts here. There are also such wonderful episodes as "the one with the chicken pox", "the one with the baby on the bus", "the one with phoebe's husband" and "the one after the super bowl" with the memorable "in the jungle" moment.

and finally...

6) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: easily the most romantic and one of the most heartbreaking seasons of all time, if "innocence" and the season finale don't make you cry you clearly have no heart at all. Season 2 also serves as the introductions to Oz and Spike (two of my most beloved characters)

breaking my silence just to say...

I'm re-watching Buffy.

I'm currently in the middle of one of the best 2 parters ever- season 2's "surprise" and "innocence"
and I would just like to say...

I LOVE OZ!!!!!! it's far too easy to forget how much one loves Oz. I LOVE OZ!!!!!

also,
I love innocent, nerdy, pre-magic Willow. she's so cute.

LISTS

I'm resolved not to blog about TV and Film until after the writers strike but that doesn't stop me from posting lists. Inspired by EW's list of best "top of the staircase moments", I present to you my list of lists:

BEST "TOP OF THE STAIRS MOMENTS" in FILM. THE BIG, BEAUTIFUL REVEAL MOMENTS
- Pretty Woman the red dress reveal (Julia's defining breakout moment)
- Eliza Doolittle's appearance at the ball in My Fair Lady
- Princess Diaries: both the before and after makeover reveal and Mia's entrance in her ball gown at the end
- What A Girl Wants: the reveal of Kelly Preston there to support her daughter and remind Colin Firth how much he loves her.
- Keira Knightley's entrance to her wedding as Juliet in Love Actually
-Tracey Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky)'s triumphant entrance from the hairspray can for the finale of the movie musical version of Hairspray
- Jennifer Lopez dazzles Ralph Fiennes in her pink dress and borrowed jewels in Maid in Manhattan
-the first appearance of Guy as Josie's high school ideal in Never Been Kissed
- Aurelia comes into Jamie's view at the restaurant where he has come to propose in Love Actually
- the crowd-parting introductions of Michael and Kimmy in My Best Friend's Wedding as well as Rupert Everitt's heroic swoop-in at the ending.
AND THE BEST "top of the stairs moment" EVER...
-Drew Barrymore as Danielle aka Cinderella's "Breathe, just breathe" memorable entrance to the ball in Ever After.

TV'S STRONGEST LADIES: the tube's boldest and most brilliant bombshells
- Veronica Mars (the smart, sassy and strong sleuth who taught us all that thick skin and a big heart are a powerful combination and that its cool to love your dad)
- Tammi Taylor (this Texan beauty is a prime example of strong modern woman- raising a teenage daughter, coping with a new baby, acting as a mentor to high school students as their guidance counsellor who really cares and keeping her head around the brain-numbing book club women of Dillon while maintaining a strong and equal partnership with her football coach of a husband on Friday Night Lights)
- Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore girls (pregnant and alone at 16, Lorelai left her privileged life behind and built a new one for her and her expected daughter. She became a successful business owner, beloved friend and the mother of the most successful young girl on TV- that takes unparallelled independence and strength of character)
- Sydney Bristow on Alias (this big-hearted super-spy saved the world more times that I can count while dealing with multiple heartbreaks, the loss of friends and a whole lotta daddy issues. and she did it all in fancy wigs and heels)
- The Walker Women of Brothers & Sisters ( sisters Sarah and Kitty and their mother Nora have their share of problems but are perfect examples of smart, strong, independent women who aren't afraid to speak their minds. They are strong and supportive mothers and high powered career women, unflinchingly brave in the face of their father/husband's death, their brother/son going off to Iraq and the other multitude of obstacles they face in their lives (including divorce, a father's infidelity, a miscarriage, a nephew's infant death, custody battles, a daughter's illness, a loved one's addiction, corporate issues and a presidential campaign)
- Lynette Scavo (this desperate housewife fought cancer while fighting to protect her kids' tree house, fighting to keep the family business afloat, fighting for her marriage, fighting for the loyalty of her friends and fighting her mother. She's tougher than most superheroes while caring more for everyone and everything than for herself)
- Miranda Bailey, Christina Yang and Callie Torres (these brilliant and independent women of Seattle Grace Hospital have fought through the trenches of drama at Grey's Anatomy and come through their respective traumas a head above as the some of the most capable ladies on TV.
- Addison Montgomery (though she's lost some of her luster since joining Private Practice, let us not forget the brilliant, funny and compassionate woman, the best neo-natal surgeon in the country, who still lives beneath her insecurities)
- Betty and Hilda Suarez (Hilda lived through her fiance's death and is still there to restore her sister Betty's faith in the world as the independent Ugly Betty continues to forge her own path through the fashion industry)
- Jamie Buchman (Mad About You's independent career woman showed the world that a woman doesn't have to give up her dreams of a career for her dreams of love. Jamie's sense of self and sense of humour are what made her equal partnership with her husband Paul so enchanting and endearing)
- Kate Hennessy (on 8 Simple Rules, after her husband's death, Kate was able to keep her household running smoothly by juggling a career as a nurse, 2 difficult teenage daughters and a mischievous son seemingly effortlessly. Supermom personified, Kate was the sitcom version of Lorelai... times 3.
- Miranda Hobbes and Samantha Jones (Sex and the City's high-powered career women spoke their minds and were unashamed of their sexuality, intelligence and independent spirits. What sets these women apart, was their abilities, in the end, to bravely open themselves up to relationships that could leave them vulnerable. They were independent and strong yet unafraid of being hurt or left alone).
- Lost's Kate, Sun, Anna Lucia and Libby (2 of these women are/were kick-ass power houses who were known to wield guns and hike into the jungle. they are the heroines, just as strong as the men of the island. The other 2 are perhaps even more impressive in their resourcefulness, intelligence and resilience. Sun shows a constant strength that her small stature doesn't even hint at while Libby's compassion was all that kept Hurley from plunging off a cliff. These 2 women show that you don't have to be an adventurer to be a hero)
AND TV's ULTIMATE KICK-ASS HEROINE...
- Buffy Summers (this vampire slayer, who vanquished evil for seven straight seasons, dressed to impress and never missed an opportunity for a witty remark)


THE TORTURED HEROES OF THE TUBE: they may have their flaws, but these boys have won the hearts of millions over the years
- Alex Karev and Marc Sloan (Grey's ultimate truth tellers, dirty adulterers and big hearted jerks who would scale mountain tops for the ones they love)
- Jin and Sawyer (Charlie may be a rock star drug addict but these Lost boys take the cake on the seeming villains of the group front. Their abusive behaviour towards the other castaways hides their sentimental and deeply wounded selves that we all know are underneath)
- Tim Riggins and Smash Williams ( Friday Night Lights) they get in a fist fight every week, drink like crazy and sleep around but when it comes down to it Smash will fight for the dignity of anyone he cares about in a moments notice, Riggs will go to the end of the earth to save his best friend, be a big brother to a neighbour, save someone from a tornado or humble himself to apologize- these two bad boys are some of the best good boys on TV.
-Pacey Witter (Dawson's best friend who stole his girl. The eternal screw up, the funny sidekick, the big mouthed, under appreciated kid who had an affair with his teacher. Pacey wasn't set up to be a hero, just comic relief with a little sympathy on the side, but he grew to be one of the most loving, compassionate and adored characters on the show. His unwavering loyalty, earnest goodness and mischievous grin were a winning combination)
- Jeffrey Tennant (Slings & Arrow's eccentric artistic director is, well, crazy. but he's also a genius. a genius who turns the festival around, inspires all those around him and ends up marrying the woman of his dreams- sounds like a Shakespearean dramatic hero to me)
- Logan Echolls (this movie star's son started out as a pure antagonist who gained depth and inspired pathos as the series continued until viewers were all rooting for him and Veronica Mars to be together forever)
- Dylan McKay (this 90210 surfer dude spent much of season 1 throwing things and drinking heavily. But Brenda's love tamed him and by the time he graduated high school he had 2 girls fighting over him and an unparallelled knack for his AP English course)
AND THE ULTIMATE LOVEABLE BAD BOY...
- Spike (this high cheekboned, bleached blond, centuries old killer represents perhaps the most dramatic character arc of all time. Journeying from being the cold blooded killing machine Big Bad of season 2, to having a chip implanted in his head in season 4 preventing him from harming humans, to falling in love with Buffy and protecting those she loves in season 5, to being her useful but scorned boy toy in season 6, to attaining a soul and saving the world by sacrificing himself in the series finale, Spike transforms more than any other character I can call to mind. He was one of the most popular characters ever on the series. For someone who's main goal was once to kill our heroine, that his sacrifice 5 years later was as heart wrenching as it was is truly remarkably- Spike really is the ultimate tragically flawed and unexpected hero of TV.

Bloggers Support the WGA Strike

in a showing of support for the Writers Guild Strike that's going on right now. TV Bloggers are going on strike as well.
as of Tuesday, November 12th there will be no more posts from My TV until the blogger blackout ceases.

Ill still reply to emails and post podcasts so please email me at mytvpodcast@gmail.com and download the podcast from the iTunes store.

hoping to write again soon!

My TV Heroes stand up for the little guys.

as the nightmare WGA strike continues a plethora of star actors, writers and directors have been spotted on the picket lines showing their support. Steve Carrell refuses to cross the picket line, shutting down The Office completely until the strike ends even though they already have some finished yet unshot scripts. Ron Rifkin has joined the Brothers & Sisters writers and Julia Louis Dreyfus is out there too for the Old Christine writers. Patricia Arquette made an appearance an Jay Leno brought donuts

my favourite? Allyson Hannigan and her husband Alexis brought candy bars with Cobie Smulders out to the HIMYM writers.

Joss Whedon is out there too- LOVE. read his open letter from Variety.com here:

http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog/open-letter-from-joss-whe.html

GREATEST EPISODE OF ANYTHING EVER!!!!

I ADORED UGLY BETTY THIS WEEK. Last year I liked it, this year Ive been loving it and I worship last night's episode. As a massive Wicked fan I thought they used the show brilliantly (and of course I loved seeing bits of it on TV). The "I'm Not that Girl" montage was heartbreaking. "The Defying Gravity" moment at the end was over the moon, out of the park, cant eat, cant sleep world series kind of great. I cheered and I gasped and I held my breath. I'm completely in love with Henry. Just so completely in love.

in other story lines... Mark's relationship is spectacular! I love Cliff, I love seeing Mark with more dimensions. Mark and Amanda are 2 of the greatest characters on TV and I'm so happy they have story lines!!! There was also some lovely Wilhemina stuff wherein we get to see her really as a human as opposed to a robotic villain. and Daniel and Christina looking out for Betty is always sweet.

Ive already watched it twice, I cannot get over this episode!!!!!!! CHEERING!!!!!!!

OTHER BRILLIANT PODCAST

Ive recently discovered another podcast that's absolutely brilliant. It's had me laughing out loud all night.

THE OFFICIAL UGLY BETTY PODCAST!!!!!

hosted by Michael Urie (Marc) and Becky Newton (Amanda) and co-host by a different cast member almost every episode.
These 2 are just as good together off screen as on screen- hilarious.

available on iTunes and hosted by ABC.com

BIG NEWS!!!!!!!

PUSHING DAISIES HAS BEEN PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON!!!!!!!

This means that at the very least there will be 22 43 minute episodes of this gem out there for the world to enjoy- YAY.

The cleverest, beautifulest, loveliest, most adorable-est show on TV is STAYING ON THE AIR!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!

if you're not watching, you should be watching.

Thank you ABC- you are my favourite network this year. With Pushing Daisies, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Samantha Who, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Big Shots and Boston Legal you are hands down my most-watched network. Kudos.

Dear Shonda Rhimes,

are you in love with your best friend? you must be. Otherwise I cannot understand why you keep creating wonderful male-female friendship dynamics on your shows then destroying them with the unrequited or forbidden love factor. WHY??????
Poor Cooper. In one swift motion you've made me resent my favourite character and my favourite relationship on Private Practice. I usually love you but my patience is wearing thin.

Please reform.

Loving thee always,
TV fans everywhere

Back on another old show

I gave up on Desperate Housewives after season 1 but this season so far had been getting such good reviews that I decided to give it a try. There's a clip show to recap past seasons available at abc.com then I was able to dive into the best season since the freshman one. Nathan Fillion and Dana Delaney are wonderful additions to the cast. They really fit with the dynamic of the group, their mystery is intriguing and her rivalry with Bree is hilarious (especially since Dana Delaney was the original choice for the role of Bree- though how anyone could ever play her as well as Marcia Cross Ill never know)

So far, so good. I'm loving the housewives again (particularly Bree and Lynette since I love the actresses who play them).

Good job with the salvaging Mr. Cherry.

Giving Chuck another chance

Its one of those in between shows- not brilliant by any means but still entertaining and worth the watch.
I decided to give it another chance and since I liked the second episode a lot better than the first I think I'll go back indefinitely.
may I just say though that Zach Levi is entirely too attractive for this role. This may be the year of the nerd but apart from Big Bang Theory all the nerds look like supermodels (which kind of makes them the perfect guys... who wants a hottie who's just hot when you can have one who can fix your computer?)
also: in stark contrast to what was intended to be the kick-ass blond girl on Moonlight, Sarah (Chuck's kick-ass blond girl) is not only blond but seriously kick-ass. She's pretty cool. I love Sarah Lancaster as Chuck's sister and her Marshall Erikson-esque boyfriend Captain Awesome. I really like Casey as a foil for Sarah. Morgan kind of gets on my nerves but my crush on Zach Levi allows me to ignore the bits with Morgan and enjoy the show anyway.

It seems I wont be making so many hasty cuts from my TV schedule from now on.

A New Show for the Roster

Samantha Who is great!. Very cute, very sweet. Love the Barry, love the Melissa, love the Jennifer, love the Christina. Spin City and Gilmore alum with new jobs- YAY and Barry Watson doesn't remind me of Matt Camden any more so its looking good for him too.

Great show. The stuff with the doorman Frank was great. Very promising.

one more for Monday nights.

I love Jason Dohring. He is always playing Logan, but I love him anyways.

That love, however, does not rub off on his new show Moonlight. While my beloved Jason's scenes and chemistry with the show's lead are the best things about the show, it as a whole lacks almost every element of quality TV. This is especially sad when we think back to Jason's last gig- the late Veronica Mars (moment of silence).
The stupid blond is almost bad enough an actress to warrant a role on Bionic Woman.
The last moments of the pilot could not have been more contrived.
It didn't capture my attention for a single minute.
They clearly didn't set up much of a mythology at all (ie: do these guys have souls? why does Mic have moral but Josef doesn't?)
Shannyn Sossamon is still the most beautiful person in the world (remembered from the awesome film that was A Knight's Tale- take a moment and appreciate the great Paul Bettany) but does nothing to improve the show.
and seriously- that blond is horrifying (she cant even do a convincing American accent)

the only thing this show accomplished was make me miss two wonderful shows that we'll never get to see the likes of again: Veronica Mars (Jason Dohring really plays everyone just like Logan, which is not actually a good thing except that Logan was awesome) and the one and only true world of TV Vampires (Whedonia: Buffy and Angel- you don't appreciate the detail, metaphor and wit of those shows until you see someone try to bring back the vampire genre)

Brothers and Sisters- an episode I didnt love

for the first time ever I was disappointed with this week's Brothers & Sisters. First of all where was Sarah? she was only in one small scene then disappeared. It seemed almost as if Rachel Griffiths was shooting a movie or something and could only spend a couple hours on set for the week. I hope she's in more in the next couple weeks, she's so immensely talented.
I'm tired of Justin and Nora's pity party. I want the old fun Justin from last year who had more troubles than imaginable but smiled through everything- I don't like him in pain and I don't like him on his meds either. I need him better so that he can be wonderful and Nora can be funny and opinionated and busy-bodyish (like she was in relation to the radio host in last week's wonderful episode).
I was really glad to see Scotty again- I always liked him. Any storyline with Kevin and I'm in- I haven't disliked one yet. Kevin's definitely the best character (and the show is very good about responsibly portraying gay men realistically). I love Scotty's smile and how it seems to brighten when Kevin's around, he just seems like someone you could really open up to and I love that he's making something of his life.
and McCalister- he cant possibly win the election and stay on the show but there is no way that guy loses. He's a republican who liberals love- he's a win win. and those baby blues...
I like that they're taking their time with Sol's bisexual story-line. The show tends to burn plot really quickly so its nice to see them pace themselves with something that could be so fascinating to see unfold.
The making sundaes bit at the end with Nora and the boys was nice but we really need more Walker family together-ness- that's the heart of the show and when it's a its best.

overall a bit of a let down but there were some lovely moments (all Kevin related in some way) and every other episode ever aired has been close to perfect so they're allowed a weak point every now and then.

TV Podcasts

A true TV aholic doesn't just watch television. They read blogs, they subscribe to TV magazines and most importantly they listen to podcasts. Here's the breakdown of what I listen to.

1) The TV Addict: Daniel Malen's website and accompanying podcast is great. The new co-host Renessa is wonderful and brings the podcast up to a whole new level. It's less off topic banter and more TV analysis. They're in Toronto and not TV professionals, just big fans so its very personal, like talking to your friends about your favourite TV shows.

2) The TV Guide Podcast: THE place for TV news and a bit of analysis. Michael Ausiello is the TV scoop king even if I don't always agree with him. It's really suffering since they lost Dan and Angel but so long as Maitland is still there it's still worth a listen. They also do a brief overview of the new movies in theatres.

3) The Official Scrubs Podcast: Every episode two members of the cast, crew or production team do an audio commentary of that week's episode. They're fun and insightful into the world of the Scrubs set. If you tape the episode it works to watch the show on low volume while you listen to the podcast so you know what part they're referencing.

4+5) The Official Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice Podcasts: executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers talk about the show. They provide great insight and it's fun to get a sense of what the people behind such hit shows are like. This is also the place for interviews with cast members.

6) Big Brother On The House: if you're addicted to Big Brother, these 3 friends from different corners of America record together live after every episode (3 a week). listeners can call in live or record a voice mail. They can also chat live or email in comments. The three of them are a great balance: Joey is funny and lighthearted, Mike is analytical and cynical, Amanda keeps them both in line and they all sympathize with different players in the game and have different views on their strategies. Definitely the best of all the Big Brother podcasts.

Last but not least...

My TV podcast!!!!!!!!: my very own podcast where I talk about my favourite shows and what I think isn't worth watching. You can download my podcast from iTunes at the following link:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=266597391

What to Watch

We're far enough into the new television season at this point for me to provide my picks for what you should be watching this season. They are as follows (in order of scheduling):

Brothers & Sisters (Sun, 10, ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (Mon, 8, CBS)
Prison Break (Mon, 8, FOX)
Pushing Daisies (Wed, 8, ABC)
Kid Nation (Wed, 8, CBS)
Private Practice (Wed, 9, ABC)
Gossip Girl (Wed, 9, CW)
Ugly Betty (Thurs, 8, ABC)
30 Rock (Thurs, 8:30, NBC)
The Office (Thurs, 9, NBC)
Grey's Anatomy (Thurs, 9, ABC)
Big Shots (Thurs, 10, ABC)
Friday Night Lights (Fri, 9, NBC)

and if you have the time, also worth a watch are (in order of Merit)...

Aliens in America (Mon, 8:30, CW)
Journeyman (Mon, 10, NBC)
Boston Legal (Tues, 10, ABC)
House (Tues, 9, FOX)
Back to You (Wed, 8, FOX)

please don't take offense. I gave up on Desperate Housewives 2 seasons ago, The Simpsons and Family Guy are best if watched in syndication when bored, I found Chuck underwhelming, Bionic Woman horrifying, The Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement boring, Bones is too procedural, Men in Trees was formulaic, Smallville bored me after 2 seasons, Two and a Half Men is simply not funny, I gave up on Heroes but have every intention of returning if only for Kristen Bell and I simply never tuned in to K-Ville, Everybody Hates Chris, Reaper, Bones, Cane, Dirty Sexy Money, Life, Supernatural, Moonlight or anything else not aforementioned.

Friday Night Lights Episode 202

I love this show but I fear its not what it once was.
There were some lovely Landry-Tyra moments but their storyline is far more One Tree Hill than this truthful character drama ever was in the first season.
Why has Jason not accepted his condition yet?
What is Julie's problem and why can't she appreciate Matt? Why doesn't she help her mother more? she just doesn't seem like the same girl who compared her father to captain Ahab in the pilot episode. Her love for her parents, Matt, learning and culture seems to have faded as the series progresses.
I hate Lyla Garitty- That had nothing to do with the second season since Ive always hated her but I just thought it should be known.
I love Tim Riggins- see above. always loved him, always will.
Coach Taylor needs to move home. I'm sure he will soon but it needs to be soonER.
Tammi needs to pull it together, she used to be so much stronger and more fun than her circumstances are allowing her to be right now.
Even the opening titles aren't as good as they used to be.

Now this isn't to say its not still wonderful. FNL is still quality TV and I still strongly urge you to watch it but I'm just saying that this sophomore seasons is looking to be a bumpy one.

You Know You Love THEM: Gossip Girl XOXO

I am LOVING Gossip Girl. I wish they would post the episodes online faster so I didn't have to wait until Saturday to watch but the show is sooo great. Its one of those shows that leaves you feeling good by the end, and we all need a little of that in our lives. Besides, as of yet its not sot crazy plot-wise to make it un-relatable like The OC. Its a heightened reality but one to which we can relate at least on some level.

This was an especially important episode (Bad News Blair) for characters that we as of yet were not supposed to like. Serena and Dan have been set up as sympathetic- they're the heroes, well already love them and probably always will. But Blair and Chuck have been the antagonists of the story until now. While it was really Serena that pulled out all the friendship stops in regards to the Waldorf photo shoot, the audience got a better glimpse into Blair's insecurities and the reasons behind her behaviour. We got to see a bit of what used to be there between her and Serena and the knowledge that as much as she hates Serena, she really loves her.

Similarly, Chuck is a jack-ass. He's a jerk. He's a philandering, doped up, drunkard who sees women as objects and wealth as a descriptor of merit. But his friendship with Nate clearly parallels that of Serena and Blair. They've been together forever and will not be splitting up any time soon. They hate each other and disagree on most things but it wasn't that baseball that Chuck went to the poker game to get back- it was Nate.

Gossip girl is pulling out all the stops in trying to be more than just a teen soap. Like Seth and Ryan's was, the 2 central friendships in Gossip Girl are the heart and soul of the show and give it a legitimacy that extends beyond its frolicking teenagery ways.

It seems that even the most villainous of villains can be redeemed when you see them with their best friend.

Grey's Anatomy's worst decision EVER: Gizzie

poor Callie. I love Callie. Trouble is I love Izzie too. I like George but he's not one of my favourites so Ive decided to throw all the blame his way so that the characters I like are simply victims of circumstance.
Whoever's idea it was to throw Izzie and George together needs to not work in television (yes, even if it was the almighty Shondra who's right about soo many other things in this world). First of all, the precedent set at the beginning of their relationship was that Izzie would never even look at George in that way- she asked him to buy tampons. Secondly, she's a wonderful character but is coming off flighty: she only took half a season to get over Denny and decide that George was all of a sudden the love of her life. She only wanted him once he was unavailable which isn't true love so much as a character flaw. and its not true to her character in the first place. Izzie isn't flighty at all; she's committed and idealistic and caring and loyal; she wouldn't fall in and out of love nearly as fast as the writers have her doing. and Callie, yes I understand that it creates much more conflict to have the decision be between two good women (more Casablanca than Titanic) but that's only fair if the women are more equally matched. Callie is insecure about not being the belle of the ball type girl. She's strong and independent and Izzie even said herself that "George is [Callie's] McDreamy". George choosing Izzie doesn't just mean that Callie looses the love of her life, its exactly her worst nightmare from high school- the pretty blond model stealing her boyfriend (and though Izzie is more than that, its still too cruel). It was exactly the right Casablanca dynamic when McDreamy was choosing between Meredith and Addy, both were good women but it didn't have the same tone as a high school popularity contest (though why anyone would EVER choose Meredith over Addison I will never know). Besides, Izzie was never George's ideal. He never inclined towards her, I would have accepted him leaving for the girl of his dreams (Meredith- who I hate so am glad they didn't pursue that further, but still, in theory...) but Izzie wasn't that. She was his best friend. Izzie and George have wonderful chemistry together, their dialogue sparkles and they play off each other beautifully, or at least they used to before all the drama began. Which brings me to the root of my disapproval...

Why Can't Men and Women EVER be friends on TV????
Someone got it into their head that unless there is romantic drama men and women are boring to watch together. The network even fought Seinfeld for years to get Jerry and Elaine together (and even though they were never together on the show, they still had dated). Joey and Dawson had one of the greatest dynamics on TV before they made it about unrequited love. Xander and Willow were wonderful, then they hooked up. Andy and Nina, Jack and Becky, Joey and Rachel, Dawson and Jen (for that matter- every pair they could come up with on DC), Donna and Josh, Kat and Ethan, THE LIST GOES ON...Even Sports Night's Dana and Casey flirted with the possibility of a relationship. Men and women CAN be friends. They can be best friends. they can be lean on each other, call at 4am, finish each others' sentences BEST FRIENDS and not fall in love. Now mind you sometimes its wonderful when they do (aka Jim and Pam, Monica and Chandler, Hannah and Bright) but more often than not TV shows throw them together because there's nothing better to do. It then ruins them forever when what they had was wonderful. There are shows who attempt do try and preserve this rare but awesome male-female dynamic. One Tree Hill's Hailey and Lucas share a badly written close friendship but the writers never spoiled it with a relationship, Veronica Mars and her best friend Wallace were amazing, Ted's close friendship with his best friend Marshall's wife Lily on How I Met Your Mother is one of my favourite relationships on TV.
SO WHY COULDN'T GEORGE AND IZZIE BE LEFT ALONE? Their catch you when you fall, can talk to you about anything-ness was superb and they will never have that openness again (not to mention poor Callie will be devastated).

BOO I say BOO.

I REALLY hope that Private Practice holds true to the wonderful dynamic they've set up between violet and cooper and doesn't ruin it with a relationship- it's looking like they might go the right way on that one. fingers crossed.

end of rant.

Building a Better Nation- Kid Nation

There has got to be something wrong with me because I just cried like a baby while watching Kid Nation. The friendships that have developed are truly touching and the emotions are more real than any other reality show could hope to be. When Cody left it was just like the last day of camp when you're leaving your friends who live far away and you wont see them again. The way Campbell cried and Morgan took care of him was so touching. and while I'm on the topic... Morgan is amazing!! the way she handled the issue of faith and the prayer service was truly impressive.

Some of these kids clearly were raised with very rigid values and not much exposure to anything else but the way some of them reached out to learning other religions was amazing. When Zach was teaching the other kids the similarities and differences between the bible and the Torah I couldn't help but be overcome with hope knowing that there are kids like that out in the world. When the little Christian girl started to take part in Anjay's Hindu ritual when earlier she'd had no idea what Hinduism even was- oh, beautiful. And while some (aka Mallory's ignorant older sister) are clearly single minded (um hello, cross section of the American population- they cant all be amazing), most of these kids are awesome. That prayer service was unbelievable- and I'm not even at all religious.

Alex is clearly a prodigy child- he's absolutely BRILLIANT!!!! Mallory's got some game too. Zach is unbelievably inspirational and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be leading the yellow team very soon. Morgan is clearly an extraordinarily beautiful and nurturing person. Sophia is spunky, intelligent and independent. Michael is a white knight with a sparkling intellect and an incredibly noble sense of right and wrong. Jerrod is a creepy little kid (had to let that be known even though this is a list of good things in general). Mike is clearly a together and capable guy with a solid head for leadership and Anjay is a strong and positive influence while keeping calm and collected even under scrutiny. WHERE DID THEY FIND THESE KIDS? AND CAN THEY PLEASE RULE THE WORLD SOME DAY? just keep Greg, Emilie and TAYLOR out of the way.

Taylor needs to be thrown off this show- NOW. She represents so much of what's wrong with the world.

Big Shots

not nearly as bad as its bad press would let on.
certainly better than chuck and big bang theory and miles ahead of bionic woman.
Id put Big Shots on par with Journeyman this season. Now that doesn't mean I think they'll make it- in fact I think both will be cancelled fairly soon- but they are both worth the watch (if after you've finished with Brothers & Sisters, Prison Break, How I Met Your Mother, Boston Legal, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Gossip Girl, Aliens in America, The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Kid Nation and Friday Night Lights you still have time).

Dylan McDermott and Michael Vartan get more attractive every day and Ive loved Josh Malina since his 2 lines in A Few Good Men. The characters are amusing (particularly the 4th guy whose name I don't know) and while some of the dialogue is cliched its still fun to watch (although I would watch grass grow if there was a picture of Michael Vartan superimposed onto it). and (unlike the unlikeable hit Entourage) the male friendships ring true. Its a much harder dynamic to establish on screen than female friendships in because they tend to be more physically distant (the exception being Scrubs, lol). The creative team behind Big Shots seem to have successfully established a believable male dynamic that combines a bit of Alan and Denny with a bit of Marshall,Ted and Barney and a bit of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.

Id love to see this show stay on the air not only for its eye candy but just so that Josh Malina can say he's had a job that wasn't given to him by Aaron Sorkin.

Aliens in America

the funniest, most self aware, sweetest thing in a long time.
Raja is my new favourite person in the whole world (yes I know he's fictional, but he's soo sweet)

Since becoming the CW, the WB has lost much of its former glory. The very glory that brought us such wonderful teen and/or family based entertainment as Buffy, Angel, Popular, Dawson's Creek, Felicity, Charmed, Everwood, Jack & Bobby and Gilmore girls.

Their new season doesn't promise a return to what it once was but Gossip Girl offers up some fluffy entertainment on average with the early years of One Tree Hill (something I used to be addicted to and now watch out of loyalty to what it once was) and Aliens in America promises to be a wonderful sitcom (one of the top 5 on air easily).

Love seeing Luke from Gilmore girls back on the screen alongside Annie from Caroline in the City (an old favourite of mine) and the young cast is wonderful as well. Hopefully the show will keep up what the pilot established as wonderful characters in a satirical but achingly honest world.

HIMYM episode 303

really really funny. nice turnaround of classic trapped in a room episodes like Marshall and Lily in the bathroom waiting for Ted and Victoria to move to the bedroom in season 1 and four of the FRIENDS trapped in the bedroom while Ross and Rachel have their massive "we were on a break" breakup fight.

it was great to see Trudy again (a season 1 favourite as well as a welcome face from The West Wing) and its always fun to see Dawson's Creek alum back on TV (Busy Phillips).

I still don't like Lily's evolving style, she doesn't seem down to earth, friendly, and independent enough anymore.

Robin's storyline was unfunny and dumb.

but overall the episode made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. The Wii stuff was hilarious.

How I Met Your Mother man... best sitcom perhaps ever.

Kid Nation part 3

this show is soooo entertaining!!!

#1) Taylor desperately needs to be impeached and replaced with Zach. I feel like they purposely put her on the council to contrast the other 3 who are all outstanding leaders so there would be a revolt.

#2) Greg is so flipfloppy. He often deserves the star but why cant he figure out how to work the politics of it? he needs some of the brains of these other kids

which brings me to...

#3) THESE KIDS ARE SPECTACULAR!!! Mallory and Zach and Colton... even the little ones are really impressive (I particularly like Zach) not to mention, yes I'm going to say it again, MICHAEL- genius!!!

and Mike and Anjay are pretty great too (Laurel is usually pretty good but gets on my nerves sometimes)

The Lovliest Show Ever- Pushing Daisies

I've just finished watching the pilot and have concluded that while it doesn't move at quite the pace of some other shows, Pushing Daisies is pure delight. Its got the lightness and sweetness of a sitcom with the romance and longing of a drama and the mysteries of a procedural. The visual effects, score and narration give it the feel of a fantasy film (think Stardust or Nanny McPhee). The cast is lovely (I tuned in partly for Kristin Chenoweth alone). Ned is the most adorable guy on TV (yes that includes both John Krasinski and Wentworth), Chuck (Charlotte) is lovely and sweet- their love story is amazing! (they can never touch or she will die so its full of the most spectacular longing). Chi McBride is back on the screen which is nice to see and you can NEVER go wrong with Kristin Chenoweth. This show is simply WONDERFUL. Its all the happiness you need wrapped up and package nicely in a little 42 minute box.

TV on DVD last season releases

Today I went to Best Buy and bough Season 2 of How I Met Your Mother, Season 3 of The Office, Season 3 of Arrested Development and Season 1 of Friday Night Lights.

I love TV on DVD. if I was patient enough to wait until everything was released on DVD I would watch everything like that. Cliffhangers mean nothing, there are no commercials and everything takes either 22 or 43 minutes instead of hour and half hour blocks.

I'm in the middle of season 2 of How I Met Your Mother and have to say that its just as good the second time around- totally worth the $35, even if you watched it all when it aired.

Also great for catching up on other series that you've missed (its how I watched all of Greys and intend to catch up on Lost and Heroes, its also how I watched the entirety of Buffy, Kitchen Confidential, Sports Night, Arrested Development, Slings and Arrows, the beginnings of Six Feet Under and Prison Break as well as much of Veronica Mars and The West Wing)

TV on DVD- my favourite thing EVER to buy. also: if you think about it, for a single season of the average sitcom you get 22 episodes of 22 minutes each that's like 8 hours of straight material plus bonus features and commentaries. for an hour show you get 23 episodes of 43 minutes a piece (sometimes 13 episodes of hour long shows, depending on the network) which gives you more than 16 hours of brilliant programming. All for somewhere between $25 (your average sitcom price, ie: HIMYM, FRIENDS) to $45 (the average hour long action-adventure price, ie: Prison Break) to $65 (the average bit hit price, ie: Grey's Anatomy) to $85 (your average high income target demographic price, ie: West Wing, Six Feet Under). And that's at HMV the most overpriced of stores available. And second hand you can get them for almost half. If you buy a film newly released on DVD it'll set you back about $40 for about 2 hours plus special features- ladies and gentleman if this isn't hard proof that TV is an under appreciated (though I'm glad to keep it that way to support my budget) medium than I don't know what is.

Kid Nation episode 2

Firstly: no one is as great a kid as Michael. He's spectacular: hardworking, vastly intelligent, analytical, fair, kind, he has his priorities straight, he's fond of the young kids, he knows when to speak and when to stay silent, he's got an extraordinary gift of communication and leadership. I'm waiting for his flaw. he's also clearly very well off judging by the way both he and his mother reacted to the gold star win (and the camera was very careful not to show much of his house unlike Sophia's).
Secondly: the green team has the two best kids in town (Michael and Sophia) so why do they suck so much?
Thirdly: Taylor should be exiled for being an idiot. Zach should usurp power over her team. There had better be a rule stating she can be overthrown.
Fourthly: how rocking a leader is Mike? he's got amazing leadership potential. He's organized, competitive, driven and strategic but was the first to tell the green team that their loss was alright.
Fifthly: why doesn't Anjay get any screen time?
Sixthly: DK seems pretty cool- we need more of him.
Seventhly: Emilie is a lunatic
Eighthly: so is Jerod
Ninethly: I understand where Greg is coming from but he screwed himself over by messing with Mike the first week and now he has to work harder for the recognition than other kids do. There's still time for him to win if he keeps up his new behaviour but next week he's sure to throw a tantrum that will ruin his chances for good. Also: he's a weirdly skilled boy, first he's a butcher, now he's a plumber? that's skill. They would have been lost without him on that chicken thing. But being a jerk will kill you every time. I liked that he still worked after winning the challenge (even if for the wrong reasons). He and Sophia seem to get on really well and they're both past puberty and within a year of each other... showmance anyone?
Tenthly: they have got to leave those kids to their own devices more and stop pretending that that book was left for them by an old pioneer.

This show is SO much fun. but they have GOT to get rid of Taylor- she's an example of a whole lotta stupid and lazy and lies.

BEAUTIFUL BETTY!

and for that matter. beautiful Hilda, beautiful Daniel, beautiful Justin, beautiful Mark, Christina, Claire, Alexis, Amanda, Wilhemina, Bradford, Santos and beautiful Henry. This show is just beautiful.

The revelation of Alexis' memory lapse made me gasp out loud (I'm sure my floor mates think I'm nuts), I almost started to cry when it was revealed that all of Hilda's scenes had been imagined (I thought he was dead at the end of last season but fell for the trick in this premier). I knew Henry would come back (if you have Christopher Gorham you USE Christopher Gorham. Ive loved him ever since he was Harrison on Popular and it simply is not an option to see him as little as we saw him this episode. He'll be given a lot more screen time in upcoming episodes Im sure. He's prince charming). Whilhemina I don't think will marry Bradford- something will get in the way, Claire perhaps.

I adore this show. its happy and sweet and not devoid of artistic or comedic merit which so many things that are hailed as "happy and sweet" are. Its simply wonderful. And while American Ferrera is perhaps one of the actual most beautiful people in the world, may I just ask: "when is Betty getting those braces off?" though already she looks less dumpy than she did in the beginning- I say get it off Amanda and give Betty back her fat suit. Also: I adore the Betty-Daniel dynamic and Hilda is one of the most underrated characters on TV- her material in the second season premier was almost as good as Sandra Oh's in the season 3 finale of Greys. And let us not forget when the entire continent descended into tears in last year's finale when Hilda collapsed on the floor while a little girl sang "Somewhere" to her son who was pretending to die onstage. SPECTACULAR.

The Betty people do burn story very quickly but their episodes are so well crafted that I have every belief that they will always find something more to explore.

My Ode to Brothers & Sisters

To the best cast ever: the best of Everwood, Alias, The West Wing, Ali McBeal, Prison Break, Six Feet Under, Reunion and an Oscar winning matriarch to tie them all together. Its lightning in a bottle when these people get together in front of a camera.

To wonderful characters and relationships: no show has ever achieved a family dynamic as wonderful and as truthful as the Walkers. Every single character is unique, fascinating, flawed and wonderful and they relate to each other in beautifully intricate ways. Watching the Walkers is like a symphony of personalities and connections. Each individual instrument plays on its own and is spectacular and unique in what it is but then when it joins with something else it becomes so complicated and is all the more beautiful for it. But its only when you hear all the instruments together that perhaps the solo makes sense.

To perfect and relevant story lines: Justin in Iraq, Kitty's world of politics, Kevin's boyfriend troubles, Sarah's striving to hold on to her family and her business, Nora's desperation to move on and stay connected, Rebecca's desire to be a part of the family, Sol's struggles with his sexuality and the lies hes told those he loves.... spectacular, fascinating, socially and politically relevant and true to the characters. My only fear is that they may run out of story they go so fast.

And finally, to the writers: every single character on this large ensemble drama has a distinct voice. They speak differently, distinctly and yet you can still tell by the way certain ones communicate which are Walkers. Brilliant voice development in conjunction with brilliantly plotting and relationship arc= the writers of this show are my gods (second only to Aaron Sorkin and Joss Whedon)

To the entire cast, crew and creative team of Brothers and Sisters and to the ABC execs who put it on the air and kept it there... I LOVE YOU and both this year and last year's television seasons owe you for making up for some of their mediocrity.

A Big Pile of Bionic Waste

I must confess that I got only half way through the pilot episode of Bionic Woman before turning it off in repulsion- and I had to force myself to get that far. I start of every new TV season with every intention of watching absolutely everything, at least giving it a couple episodes to win me over (after all, I hated the Grey's pilot and subsequent couple episodes but now it's one of my favourites currently on the air). This is just too bad though, there's too much on this year to waste my time on something that's so un-enjoyable I would rather be writing my term paper that's due next week than watching it. If it becomes a huge hit I might someday return (like I plan to with heroes and with lost) but as of now I refuse to watch any more Bionic Woman.

Firstly there is nothing more annoying on TV (or any medium for that matter) than an actress who seems like every line she's saying is being read from a script. This is partly the fault of the writers since the other characters do it a bit as well but it's really evident in the lead. Memo to TV producers: just because she's pretty it doesn't mean that she's an actress. God I miss Buffy, back when actresses could dress like supermodels, be witty and engaging, hit the high emotional moments and kick serious vampire ass all at the same time. See Grey's for more examples of both extraordinarily beautiful and more normal looking people with serious acting chops. (and writing ones too- go Shonda!).

Also: I know they tried to justify this but since when do genius professors (who happen to be young and hot by the way) date drop out bartenders... can you say "this TV, we can do anything". THINGS PEOPLE CAN BELIEVE IN AND RELATE TO WORK BETTER!!!!! these producers are idiots. and let us not forget the wonky editing (why does the color composition keep changing in the hospital?

This show is an example of everything that's wrong with TV. When people finally decide they're going to switch the channel from drivel like Deal or No Deal and Survivor and tune into something scripted and find this (an unoriginal, badly scripted, badly acted, badly edited play for viewership off false novelty), they simply tune back into the reality shows.

is this show does really well Ill be sooo pissed.
and to think no one is watching Friday Night Lights- may I present to you the idiocy of North America!

I love Adison Montgomery

She's the best. Kate Walsh brought to life a character that was set up to be hated by an entire continent rooting for her husband to be with another woman. She turned Addison into one of the most complex and compelling characters on Grey's and I would watch her in anything. That said, private practice wasn't as great as expected but its sure to improve and I love soo many of the people involved. Its a blast to see Paul Adelstein play someone so completely different than how we've seen him on Prison Break for the last 2 years, he's so bumbly cute and his character's friendship with the adorably dysfunctional Violet is wonderful (I really hope the producers dont throw them together and instead leave them as truly best friends. I'm also so glad to see the Piz has a job since Veronica Mars didn't come back. I really liked Dell's speech demanding respect from Addison. and Taye Diggs has a smile that could light up the dark side of the moon (and he's a Broadway guy married to Idina Menzel which just adds to the awesome). So far I love the cast and under the leadership of the people who brought us such dynamic and intricate characters as Preston Burke, Miranda Bailey, Christina Yang and Addison Montgomery herself, Private Practice promises to be a crowd favourite. (PS: though I'm glad Addi didn't last with Derek I don't understand who would ever chose Meridith over her).

Boston Legal

there are typically, in Boston Legal, moments when you just think to yourself "what is this?" it's completely ridiculous and they take it too far and it's kind of strange that it gets the Emmy attention it seems to... but... there there are moments when you realize that it's so much more than the farce it sometimes succumbs to and there are moments of pure joy.

This season's premier of Boston Legal was in every sense a classic Boston Legal episode with every feature that I mentioned above. They somehow managed to fire half their cast and hire an entirely new one whilst maintaining not only interest but plot that the audience has come to expect. I didn't miss Constance Zimmer at all (and I'm a really big fan of hers). It was the smoothest cast transition since the world forgot that Hawkeye ever shared a tent with anyone other than BJ and Charles.

The Denny and Shirley moment when he sang "You are my sunshine" almost made me cry- it was absolutely beautiful, one of the best moments on television ever (from 2 characters I don't usually enjoy watching), Jerry berating John Larroquette's character for being mean was spectacular "even if I was serious you never head butt" and Clarence's performance at the end was pure happy (Big Hairspray fan so it was predetermined that I would love that). I'm glad they're onto another big murder trial that will last a couple episodes (last year's was fascinating) and as of yet I don't hate the new girl (though the one that will be hired next week promises to be hatred worthy).

This season will probably a lot of fun with a couple of moments of "that's why it keeps getting best drama Emmy nominations"

Season so Far recommendations

Of what I've seen of this year's premiers these are my recommendations for what to watch if you're running low on TV time:

How I Met Your Mother
Gossip Girl
Prison Break
Back to You
Friday Night Lights

more premiers to come this week, will add to the list once Ive seen them- get excited!