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.