HD

Wow. So DVR recorded part one of the Damages season one recap in HD (because now that I know I have FX in HD, I'm of course recording the series in HD instead of SD).

Let's just say that one of my biggest complaints about the first season was that the video quality made the show practically unwatchable. I knew that it was an HD/SD issue (as well as potentially bad calibration on my TV set... but none of the shows I recorded at the time in HD had color or contrast issues). The problem persisted on other cable shows, so... yeah.

Anyway, the recap looked AWESOME. Yay high definition video quality! Can't wait for the Damages premiere. And BSG (another show I had video quality problems on so would often just wait and watch online... and now I have Sci-Fi in HD, too!)

Here's hoping, should I still have Time Warner Cable, when Mad Men season three comes out, I have AMC in HD...

It's January 2009?

I'm back from being away on vacation. Oh, my, it was necessary. Don't go back to work until Monday, so it's not entirely over, but the "away" part is.

Anyway, Happy New Year, everyone!

Have you all programmed your DVRs to record the plethora of new/returning programming that January brings us?

I must say, I was going to post today about being angry at Time Warner Cable for dropping Viacom's MTV Networks, meaning I'd lose my beloved Comedy Central programs (South Park - available online, The Daily Show / Colbert Report - available online, and Futurama repeats - available on DVDs I already own) but an 11th hour agreement was reached and I no longer give a flying nun.

But, looking into this revealed that TWC has started supplying several new HD cable channels without informing me. Which means that come January 16th, I'll be watching the final season of Battlestar Galactica in HD. Woo!

I've also programmed Psych to record, as I watched the holiday special over Thanksgiving and was charmed at least by the character-based interplay between the two leads, if not astounded by the crime case (it's supposed to be funny, and it succeeds at that).

We've also got Damages returning this Wednesday and to a lesser extent Nip/Tuck (which is now very much a "save for weekend" show... but still one I can't stop watching for some reason).

Oh, and, um, can anyone say LOST!?

2009 is looking good, my friends.

Rachel Maddow

She really is the smartest newsperson currently on TV, isn't she?

The Biggest Loser Finale

ROFL, "America" voting in a 84/16 landslide AGAINST what Ed and Heba wanted and what Ed directly asked viewers to do. I mean... love it! For the irony, of course. Since if it had been the other way around, Heba would've won the competition and $150K more than she got.

Villains, and other Monday Television

I'm still not watching the next chapter (given the oh-so-been-there-done-that of the glimpse at the "Fugitives" volume... really, another X-Men plot rip... although knowing me I'm sure I'm going to watch the first episode just as I'm watching the 24 premiere against all logic) but is it possible that from the series' worst season, the best volume finale was made? I mean, they did kill off a LOT of characters, which at the very least helps the series concentrate-ish on the few characters the few viewers may still have an affinity for.

Perhaps it's all relative.

I wasn't vastly entertained during the first half of the episode, but I think it built to several decent, if separate, climaxes.

Ironic that Ando gained a power and it's AMPLIFYING OTHER PEOPLE'S POWERS. Meaning he's still got nothing on his own. Also Hiro is now powerless? My guess is that's undone during the next premiere, although NOT having a time traveler (er, except Peter? or does he need to reacquire all the powers he previously absorbed so now only has the power to fly like Nathan?) will help avoid the time travel plot device the show always falls into (and they have brought back the African version of Isaac Mendez meaning the show will continue to rely on paintings that show the future).

Sigh.

Anyway.

How I Met Your Mother - hilarious Christmas episode (Barney's sexually charged parody carols!) capped off by one of the best/most unexpected tags the show has ever had (Marshall in a Canadian bar with Robin karaoke-ing Robin Sparkles' "Let's Go to the Mall")! Ted is a dick and I'm glad Barney and Ted's sister showed him, using Lily's new inability to keep a secret.

Big Bang Theory - the show's first Christmas episode, and of course Sheldon has his own special holiday. So glad I was (easily) convinced to not remove this from my DVR series recording list. Also Michael Trucco! That reminds me, BSG in one month! Have you been watching the webisodes?

Gilded Globes

The Golden Globes are a joke. These nominations, on the whole, are terribly uninspired.

Hollywood better hope that the Academy has better sense than the HFPA. If neither The Dark Knight nor WALL•E are nominated for Best Picture, it's going to be yet another low-rated telecast. And both those movies thoroughly deserve BP nods.

House shipping...

OMG did Foreteen just happen?

Leno in Primetime?

Not sure how I feel about the news that, starting next fall, Jay Leno will bring some form of his show on the road to the 10-11pm hour from Monday through Friday for NBC. From a ratings perspective, the show is bound to do better than, say, My Own Worst Enemy. But Jay can't come cheap, and while his show may have a pretty stable viewing base after so many years in late night (so we probably won't see the typical second episode slide from a premiere we see with basically every new show)... his show has been on for many, many years. Are new viewers going to flock to it just because it's earlier? Will younger viewers watch it? I don't know. This seems like a desperate attempt to plug up the sinking ship that is NBC... and it may be a lifeboat, but I just don't see it as the savior NBC needs.

Plus we all saw how disastrously stripping 5 hours of primetime with the same show worked for MyNetwork TV in 2006-07. Granted, Jay Leno's show isn't exactly a telenovela...

... the loss of 5 hours of primetime real estate for scripted television depresses me wholeheartedly.

Oh Thank God

1) Scare of the weekend tonight when I came home from a friend's place where we watched the penultimate Dexter of the season... and my DVR would not play anything back. I was able to watch much of Brothers & Sisters live, but because it was still recording I didn't want to unplug my cable box to reboot. Anyway, 11pm rolled around and I did. And the DVR was working again! And...

2) Thank God that Nick and Starr won The Amazing Race. Nick and Starr were perhaps the only fully competent team on this cycle. If the show ever does another All-Star edition, I'd love to see them competing against other capable teams. Did anyone else, um, totally notice the absence of Toni and Dallas at the finish line? Can we get a spin-off about the State Department getting them home from Russia after Dallas lost the passports? And then an MTV reality show about Starr and Dallas dating? And some more interesting and smarter contestants next cycle? Ken and Tina's putting their wedding bands back on was touching.

3) The Simpsons actually had some real laugh out loud moments tonight. I had to pause and cackle for about 30 seconds after Mr. Burns shot the guy in the gorilla mascot costume. And, of course, Homer's WALL-E moment.

4) Yay for Desperate Housewives letting us know the reason Dave is after Mike... and it's a reason that some people (at least in online chatter) predicted, but not many. Which, IMHO, is a sign that the writer is doing a mystery correctly (if some can guess, then it can't be entirely out of left field, but if most haven't guessed, then it's still a good reveal).

Character Promos

Now that The CW has given two Gossip Girl characters their own promo spotlights (er, aside from the way the netlet originally promoted the show...) what character/song combos do you suggest for the other four main teens (no, I don't count Vanessa)? Remember, they apparently need to be tarty modern upbeat pop songs... so as much as we want Dan to have a promo to Radiohead's "Creep" it's just not gonna happen.

Chuck / "Womanizer" (Britney Spears)


Blair / "Keeps Getting Better" (Christina Aguilera... OH NO THEY DIDN'T!)


How about character/song combos for other shows?

R U SRS

Dallas and Toni. DALLAS AND TONI.

You give me such pain.

Okay, first of all, sending Dallas to do a mental task? Very smart (can you detect sarcasm?) As Toni acknowledged in confessional. Dallas soooo is lucky Tina helped him.

And then LEAVING THE BAG WITH MONEY AND PASSPORTS IN A CAB!? R U SRS!? As I'm watching and the camera lingers I'm thinking "surely, the producers are contacting the cab company and will have the bag and money and passports waiting at the Pit Stop. Remains to be seen, but... um... yeah...?

If I were Toni I would (a) be kicking myself really hard for sending my dumb son to do that Roadblock, and (b) be kicking the ass of my dumb son.

Also Phil's explanation of the detour took about 5 minutes. Damn this is a complicated leg... and there's so much stupidity-induced drama!

Also... WTF DAN'S DANCING. OMFG. AND HOW THE EFF DID THAT LADY GIVE THEM THE CLUE BASED ON HIS SO NOT GETTING IT!?

OMG DAN AND ANDREW ARE IN THE FINALS. SANJAYA. SANJAYA!

You know there's gonna be some plane-related and task-related bottlenecking, but seriously if Dan and Andrew somehow beat Nick/Starr or Ken/Tina... I don't know what I'm going to do.

Psych

Sat down with the family to watch holiday specials of both Monk and Psych tonight. I'd seen a few episodes of Monk in the past and had decided the schtick was just not for me. And tonight's episode was no different. Psych, OTOH, I had dismissed after the pilot and hadn't watched again despite several friends telling me they thoroughly enjoyed the show. And I must admit I enjoyed tonight's episode. I believe that Psych has a new convert in me.

Not like I'm recording two other things on Fridays at 10pm that it would be a conflict (and BSG doesn't start again until the week after Psych returns).

See, I can admit when I'm wrong.

Hehehe

ROFL

So Long, Vic

Just watched The Shield finale, since I took the red eye last night back to the east coast.

All I can say is... yes.

Absense. Heart. Fonder?

Starting 24: Redemption now.

I loathed the sixth season of 24. Had the Writers' Strike not happened last year, the foul taste left in my mouth would still be so pungent that I would not have considered watching it (until people told me if/that the show had markedly improved... I've already heard from Fox friends that Cherry Jones will win the Emmy for her role). Of course, those people (well, not them specifically) also greenlit Do Not Disturb) so... grains, salt, etc.

So here we are, about 18 months after "Day 6" counted down its final minutes (in such a boring, boring way as I recall).

And this two-hour movie is going to air.

And I'm... well, I'm watching it. Hopefully, as a two-hour standalone piece involving Jack "There's No Time / It's For National Security" Bauer is, well, two-hours of standalone story it won't be bogged down by the tiresome antics the writers of 24 constantly employ (a mole! in CTU? again?) and thus, perhaps, it has a chance of being a fun action-thriller MOW (movie of the week for those not versed in TV Industry English).

I wonder what Dave Barry has to say about this... he was the only thing that got me through "Day 6". Well, I'll find out after I've watched.

If this doesn't completely suck (read: it's markedly better than the "Day 6" average), I will be watching the 2-day, 4-hour premiere and making my decision then on "Day 7".

Dammit, I thought we had a legit time jump (a would-be first in 24 history), but apparently the first few minutes were prequel to the rest of the "events occur in real time" (which they are back to saying out loud, I see...) two hours.

Onward, etc. It's 11:33pm, I'm going to shut up unless I absolutely have to comment on something. After all... tomorrow is Monday.

The Amazing Race Where Contestents Couldn't Read Good

OMFG WTF DAN AND ANDREW.

How are you IN FOURTH PLACE in this cycle of TAR when YOU CAN'T READ THE CLUES. CONTINUOUSLY. LIKE, EVERY LEG OF THE RACE.

Only 27 minutes into this episode, so they could still somehow pull victory out of the jaws of defeat... but could they please NOT?

HOW THE EFF IS DAN "SPORTS AND TV BASED" WHEN HE CAN'T MARCH? AREN'T SPORTS PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE MODERATELY PHYSICALLY COORDINATED? AND AREN'T TV VIEWERS USED TO WATCHING THINGS!? OMG LOOK AT THE OTHER PEOPLE YOU STUPID, STUPID PERSON.

I know this is probably a non-elimination round... but can it please be an elimination round?

And can someone PLEASE make that Dan and Andrew blooper reel and post to YouTube?

K thx bai.

Srsly though, the only characters this cycle who have been remotely interesting are the semi-villains Ken and Tina (really just Tina) and kinda Ugly Americans Terrance and Sarah (really just Terrance).

Though we do enjoy the presence of Nick, Starr, Dallas, and Toni (well, not so much Toni).

ETA: Dallas, seriously, do them one at a time. I R Dumb Jock.

ETA: Dammit, it was non-elimination.

Um 2

Grey's Anatomy. WTF. You are killing me with your CRAZY.

How do you go from hilarity like "Who's making a porno in Izzie's room" to THE INTERNS TAKING OUT THEIR OWN APPENDICES.

Plus side: Melissa George has great abs.

Also... Izzie having sex with Ghost!Denny... WTF.

W.

T.

F.

Was at Twilight earlier. Just watching now (about 1/3 of the way through). 30 Rock was amusing, The Office was... odd. Felt like we skipped an episode coming off last week with Pam coming back. Weird.

America's Next Top Mehdel

ANTM is not going to win fans back by continuing to kick fan favorite models out in 3rd place and leaving choices between "meh" and "bad" for the crowd. I mean... SAM!? Over Analeigh? Seriously? With those CoverGirl photos? SERIOUSLY!?

Good to see last season's ought-to-be-the-winner is getting booked like crizazy in the "Top Models in Action" segment. Love the brunette look on Anya sooooo much more than the Joely Richardson blonde.

Tyra pulled me back into ANTM this season with the tranny. But I'm just as disappointed with this finale, and with this season's contestants as a whole, as I've been the last few cycles. Cycle 8 had some spark, Cycle 7 was probably the best group of contestants the show ever had (at least from an entertainment standpoint... and from a modeling standpoint! CariDee? Melrose? The twins?) Since then it's just been crap, crap, and more bland crap.

Glad that Tyra, from her talk show, is giving Isis the sex change operation. You go, girls!

I think I may be done with ANTM.

So it's a tumor, right?

WTF is wrong with Izzie Stephens?

KTLA

WTF. Tomorrow will be the 3rd week in a row that Top Model is preempted in LA for a Clippers game. THE FREAKING CLIPPERS. FOR A THIRD WEEK IN A ROW.

This would never happen on a real network.

At least it hasn't happened on Gossip Girl night.

Yet.