I'm Breaking Up With You... Maybe?

You know, when Lost is on, it's like other channels and other shows don't exist. At least on my blog. But trust me, I'm watching other shows. LOTS of other shows. In fact, I've been having quite the TV trials and tribulations lately, and have decided to share.

In December, there was barely anything new on, so I decided to see how much of the saved shows (100 hours' worth) on my PVR I could plow through. (I originally spelled that plough, but worried it might look strange to American readers. Especially next to the word "through." People not familiar with British spelling might think it said ploo... or pluff.) ANYWAY, in the fall, I was working on my Finding Lost Season 4 book, and didn't have time to watch any TV. So it piled up. And now it was time to watch through everything and decide what was staying on my list and what was going.

Before I continue, I was on the CBC last week on Jian Ghomeshi's show. To anyone who followed quirky college novelty bands in the 90s, Jian was in a band called Moxy Fruvous, and I actually went to see them play (I interviewed them, too... I remember Jian being taken with some paisley shirt I was wearing and talking about shirts the whole time... yes, PAISLEY. It was the 90s.) My husband wanted me to go onto the show and say with absolute seriousness, "Well, in Lost this season we'll find out that once Jack was the King of Spain, but now he eats humble pie." He triple dog dared me on that one. Anyone who knows Fruvous will get that one. No one else will. I didn't do it. Ghomeshi was a really nice guy... and super smart. He doesn't need to be reminded of that band.

The subject of the show was, "Breaking up with television shows." As many of you are aware, this is actually a phrase I use often with my TV. I love my TV. Television series and I develop very complicated relationships, we have our arguments, we put work into it, and we find it a mutually fulfilling arrangement. When a show lets me down, I'm extremely upset and uncomfortable about it. Other viewers just shrug and change the channel. I go through a very bad breakup situation, holding on, stalking the show, and refusing to believe it's over. (I had lots to say on the subject, but if you listened to the broadcast, or the podcast that's now up on the CBC site, it doesn't sound like it... the script went haywire and too much time was spent on shows we weren't prepared to talk about, and we'd been prepped in the back to talk about a bunch of things and then it just went in a completely different direction, so I had to make it up quickly and it moved far away from the wicked analogies I'd been prepared to make. So I shall make them here.)

Take Fringe. I watched the first 2 eps of Fringe and left the rest to watch in December. JJ Abrams, Alias writers, how could it go wrong?? But... see, I don't know, maybe it's just the science side of it that's just not doing it for me. But it's just not doing it for me. Granted, I didn't get far -- I got to the one where that woman walks into the restaurant at the beginning and then everyone dies -- and there were moments that made me laugh out loud, but mostly dialogue that was completely wooden. The crazy scientist dad is WAY too over-the-top for me (that wavering voice, that weird not-British accent, the eccentricities that make me want to throw a shoe at him), and I didn't understand why exactly Joshua Jackson's character was still hanging around... other than to just whine about how he has no purpose and shouldn't be hanging around. I love Joshua Jackson, but not so much in this. And Anna Torv didn't have a lot of charisma either. I don't know what happened... the first two eps were awesome. Maybe I wasn't focused enough. I really want to give it a second shot on DVD, but so far, it's not working. And I'm really sad about that, actually. Now apparently the first episode of this year was pretty awesome, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I was told it had a pretty extensive "previously on" and I ask Fringe fans out there: was it extensive enough that if I skipped the rest of the season and just watched it, would I be caught up?

Man, this is SO unlike me to ever want to miss a single episode of a show. Does that signal the end?

And then -- oh man -- there's Heroes. Oh, the torrid, passionate affair I've had with Heroes. I almost left Lost for it. (Never, Lost. NEVER.) Season 1 of Heroes was so mindfrakkingly awesome it made me look at Lost -- my long-term partner -- and think, "you know... I remember when it was like this between us." And then... the season 1 finale. OH that season 1 finale. I came onto this blog moments after it had ended and ripped into it with a vitriol unlike any I'd ever displayed on this site before. A book came out by David Lavery, Lynnette Porter and Hilary Robson on Heroes (Saving the World) and they asked to use that blog in the book as the ANTI finale, with Lavery responding to me as the PRO finale (he was WRONG. Ahem).

That horrible finale, following that incredible season... it was like our love had been so strong, and I was beginning to see a future with it, and then... I walked in and it was having sex with According to Jim on our kitchen floor.

Sigh.

But I forgave. I believed season 2 would make up for it. We'd get our love back. But oh no. Hiro went to Japan for WAY too long, the Dunder Twins showed up from Mexico or Argentina or wherever, and some chick's power was fashioning roses out of tomatoes. "Don't you come near me or I will be FORCED to make a daisy!!!" UGH. I hated it. But then Tim Kring came out and made a mea culpa in EW. He said yeah, it sucked, yeah, we had every right to be upset, please don't leave, it'll get better. I had my bags packed and was standing at the front door and Heroes was there on bended knee promising to stop drinking. Sigh. I put the suitcases down.

And then season 3 began. I thought there was hope. It wasn't... awful. It wasn't awesome, either, but it had the potential to come back to where it used to be. And wherever it just wasn't satisfying me anymore, or where my suspicions started to surface that maybe it was going to cheat on me again, I'd think back to that wondrous honeymoon of a first year we had together, and I just couldn't leave.

But then I let the rest of the season build up on the PVR. My readers started emailing me either telling me to watch it because they really wanted to see if I'd like it, or telling me not to bother because it was terrible. Then Jeph Loeb left. And there was that EW cover story. It was a disaster. So, I started watching it.

Now, I feel like I'm in a bit of an abusive relationship with Heroes. One week it's good, really good, and the next week it's so awful I'm reading a magazine and watching another show using the picture-in-picture button. Sylar was emasculated (they took one of the great TV villains of all time and NEUTERED him) and Claire was a brunette and there were two Peters and there was this episode with Weevil from Veronica Mars where he actually looked like Weevil but Peter was in his body so the producers assumed we were too stupid to realize Peter was in his head so they had Milo play the character even though all the OTHER characters could see Weevil and I was So. Confused. But then there was the episode with Bubbles from The Wire (BUBS!!) and he played this guy who sent people into a vortex and it was beautiful. He was amazing. I loved it. I felt like, okay, I'm still in the abusive relationship with Heroes but... gosh, he's just so nice when he's not drinking!!

I watched up to the second half of The Eclipse episode.

And then it was the week of Lost. What I didn't tell y'all that happened to me that week was I upgraded my PVR. I've had an HD TV for over a year now, but had a regular digital box. But for Lost, I really wanted the new PVR (it holds 200 hours!!!) So these two dumbasses came in, sat on our couch and drunk-dialled friends on their cellphone while complaining to us occasionally that our satellite wasn't right or something, called Bell on our phone (while still talking to friends on their cells) and said "On the screen it's showing the satellite is at 90%, so is that OK?" and my husband's staring at the screen and it said 65%... of course Bell said it was OK and so these two yobs left, and I spent the rest of the night getting the damn thing to work properly while this lovely man in India sat with me and talked me through installing the thing myself.

ANYWAY... with my old PVR they took all my programming, and that included the rest of Fringe, the last two episodes of Heroes, and a bunch of other things. Sigh. So I have to catch up on those and watch them in streaming video on the network sites or something.

But to be honest, after Pushing Daisies was cancelled (:::SOB!!!:::) the news went out that Bryan Fuller was coming back to Heroes, and if he is, then there's still hope that it might return to its former glory. Think of it as going into rehab and coming back out the man he used to be.

But if he doesn't, then maybe I really will have to pack those bags and move out. Will I become a stalker ex? Checking in to see what's going on every once in a while, reading spoilers to keep posted on everything? Or will I make a clean break? Or will I let some time pass and then, like an ex who just wants to be friends, watch an episode just to make sure it's OK?

I don't know. Time will tell.

GOD, breaking up really IS hard to do. Thank god I don't have to do this with Lost. So many people left in season 3, and I like to think it's like some idiot who leaves her boyfriend because he put on weight or lost his job and then she finds out a year later that he's won the lottery and is the lead singer of a suddenly successful band and is totally awesome. Huh. Too bad she left so soon! ;)

I don't want to be her. So I shall hold on, Heroes. But really, there's only so long I can be the only one giving in this relationship. I need something back. Soon.

Good News... and Possibly Terrible News

The facts are these: Rumour has it that Bryan Fuller, who was on the writing team on Heroes during the first season (a.k.a. its heyday), will be returning to the series in January to revive it and bring it back to its first-season glory. The problem? He's the creator of Pushing Daisies. Fuller has stated he is exclusive to Pushing Daisies until its 13th episode, but if by then it still hasn't been picked up for a full season, he'll be heading over to Hero-land.

This is such a conundrum. Like Ned, Fuller could use his magic touch to bring Heroes back to life. But Pushing Daisies must be the fatality that will suffer the consequences. I loved Heroes in season 1, and the thought that it could return is definitely squee-worthy. But at the expense of Pushing Daisies? Sigh... I'm afraid my loyalties have shifted from the time/space-bender to the piemaker. Getting Heroes back will be a bittersweet thing, if this all comes to pass.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

As the world continues to bask in the end of the election, and the Republicans dish the dirt on the loose cannon that was Sarah Palin, I am happy to finally get back to talking about TV. Because not only is the election over, but as of yesterday, I'm finished writing the Lost book! (You can preorder in Canada and the US using the buttons on the left side, plug plug.) My PVR is overloaded, and I'm going to be gunning through some programs. Many people have been emailing me or leaving comments asking about why I'm not writing about Heroes or Fringe, and it's simply because I haven't watched them. I watched the 2-hour premiere of Heroes, and the first two episodes of Fringe. That's it. When you work full time and have two young 'uns, you have to use every spare moment you can to fit in writing time. (Well, that and Mad Men, which I'm totally obsessed with right now, midway through the second season.)

So look for longish (like I do short, ha!) posts coming soon on Heroes and Fringe -- the story so far. And my beloved Pushing Daisies, which is sitting there like a luscious cheese-topped pie begging me to come and watch it.

But first, DOLLHOUSE. Y'all might have seen the trailer for it, premiering in February, but since FOX is doing its utmost to keep the trailer away from prying eyes outside the U.S. borders, here it is for the rest of you.



WICKED. And now... the bad news. Insiders are saying that FOX has halted production AGAIN on this show, and the series' super-awesome time slot has just been announced: Friday nights at 9pm.

Um... can you say FIREFLY?? Cripes almighty, Joss, I TOLD you this would happen. This trailer just has me tingling with excitement, and this article that talks about all the problems has me cringing in fear. FOX has one problem after another with the scripts, and keeps forcing Joss to go back for rewrites. According to one insider, he's barely on the set anymore because he's spending all day, every day, rewriting.

Come on NBC and ABC: step up next time the Master is looking for a network that will accept his brilliance, and sign him up. ABC: you've given Damon and Carlton the keys to the network; take a look at Joss next time. Sigh...

I'm sad.

In other news (old news now), Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander have been fired from Heroes. My initial reaction (and, since I haven't read much about it since, still my reaction) is that these two were the naysayers who were sitting in the meetings saying, "Um... this storyline kind of, uh... sucks?" Apparently when Entertainment Weekly was conducting interviews for their recent cover story on the series, they did it under the auspices of a big feature saying Heroes is back (I don't know if that's true, but that's what reports from NBC are saying) and it shocked everyone when the big cover story came out, basically calling Heroes a colossal FAIL, and NBC sent down the message from on high that heads must ROLL for this one. So, two heads rolled, and they were the two heads I thought were two of the most sensible ones in there. Alexander is from Alias and Lost, and Jeph Loeb is, well, a legend in comic books. The thing that bugs me about Heroes is that while it actually used comic books heavily in the first season as a selling point, Kring happily admitted he knew nothing about them, but that was why Loeb was on board. Well, quick thing about comic books: while the stories are short and there's satisfaction to be had at the end of each issue, comic books typically hold back certain things and drop them as crazy twists so you keep coming back. It's sort of like, oh, I don't know... LOST, where there are lots of questions and we keep coming back dying to hear the answers. Kring's way of doing things was, "Oh, you want the answers? Here ya go." If he'd written the Star Wars trilogy, it would have opened with a different crawl:

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships (Leia is their princess; don't worry, you'll see her soon), striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire (which includes Darth Vader, who ironically, is Leia's father! In fact, we'll soon be seeing Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, and HE is Leia's sister and Darth Vader's son! But it's still worth watching for his unwitting incestuous feelings toward his sister and his Oedipal reaction to his father). ANYWAY... During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal...

I find it hard to believe that the current state of Heroes has everything to do with Loeb and Alexander and not the team of writers with less of a comic background.

Now, as you all know if you've actually read everything I've written in this post, I haven't actually SEEN Heroes, and I'm sad that it has the potential to be disappointing (I thought the premiere held promise) so I'm simply basing my comments on what I know from the season 1 finale and what followed in season 2. I'm still going to watch the episodes with an open mind -- who knows, maybe the show is much better when you watch the episodes back to back! :)

Of the shows I HAVE been watching, The Office, 30 Rock (last week's episode was a brilliant return -- "She was wearing Dora the Explorer underwear, which I'm pretty sure was made for an obese child"), Dexter (I love this season, and the idea that Jimmy Smits is pretty much taking the place of Dex's father), Gossip Girl ("You just hooked yourself a Bass." Have I mentioned I've decided I'm in love with Chuck Bass? AND Rufus? So much love in that show), The Amazing Race (I'm two weeks behind, though, so I don't know who's been kicked out, but I'm really hoping those frat boys go soon), The Daily Show (when I watched the clip last night of Dick Cheney giving his endorsement to McCain -- yeah, it was an old episode -- and he had to clear his throat, and it cut back to Jon Stewart clearing his throat like a cat with a furball, I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe and tears were running down my face... seriously, I haven't laughed that hard since summer 2007, when I was watching Eddie Izzard in Dress to Kill), Entourage (I'm mad that Ari didn't take that studio position; it would have been an interesting and new direction for the show; otherwise I love it), The Life and Times of Tim (if you haven't watched this, watch it; I should do a longer post on it). So yeah, it's not like I haven't been watching TV (like, come ON) but I'm watching TV that I could have on in the background while washing dishes or cleaning up or something. With the exception of Dexter, which I watch while seated on the couch taking a break from writing.

Heroes Season 3 Opener

First, some background for those of you who are newer to this blog. I loved season 1 of Heroes. LOVED IT. Until the ending... that was one of the worst hours of television I'd ever seen, simply because it was such a huge letdown after such an incredible season. (I rant about it in the book Saving the World: A Guide to Heroes, arguing against the great TV writer David Lavery, who liked it.)

Then came season 2. I hoped the finale had been a fluke... but apparently it was simply a nod toward the new direction of the show: which was SUCKSVILLE. New heroes included the DunderTwins from Mexico, a girl who could double-dutch or fashion roses out of tomatoes (seriously, THAT was her superpower), and Mohinder, who was seriously hot and sort of sympathetic throughout season 1 became Moronder, the numbskull who was forcing his father to spin in his grave like a freakin' gyroscope. Nikessica was even more irritating than she'd been in season 1. And NO ONE who died actually stayed dead, which was annoying. I thought maybe Veronica Mars could save the show, but uh uh... she'd turned down Lost to be on the more popular show, and didn't realize how much the writing would rot when she got there.

But then something interesting happened. Tim Kring, the series creator, came out with a mea culpa in EW, saying yeah, Hiro had been in Japan too long, and no, the new romances weren't working out, and yeah, some of it was just too stupid and drawn-out and no, they hadn't really worked through the new heroes to come up with anyone interesting. I'd never seen a TV bigwig admit anything like that. Usually an executive would blame the audience for not understanding their vision (especially with Kring, who responded to mass criticism of the season 1 finale with the outrageous, "Oh yeah?? Well... you guys were just expecting too much! It's YOUR fault for not lowering your expectations!"), but Kring confessed his vision had sort of gone south and he was kinda out of ideas. This guy who'd been making snide remarks about Lost dragging out mysteries had now realized that when you show all your cards, you've got nuthin for a second season. The final 2 or 3 episodes that followed this mess were really, really good, and gave everyone hope that maybe things would change. The Writer's Strike hit, and Heroes never returned. NBC shelved their very big plans and allowed Kring to go away and reimagine the show.

And now, season 3 is here. Problem is, season 2 happened so long ago and I'd lost interest so much that I couldn't remember where everyone was in the story. So I recorded the hour-long "Heroes: Countdown to the Premiere" that NBC aired leading into the 2-hour return, thinking they would catch me up, but instead it was the entire cast standing in Times Square mugging for the cameras, with lots of fans standing on the street behind barriers screaming in frantic enthusiasm for the show. It made NBC and Heroes look RIDICULOUS. Apparently this show they'd put so much stake in has fallen so far they had to create this fictional mania for the return to make it look like it was important and relevant again. Instead of recapping season 2, we watched Masi Oka stand there going, "I'M STANDING HERE WITH FANS OF HEROES, AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS, SAVE THE CHEERLEADER, SAVE THE WORLD!!!" cut to a bunch of girls dressed as cheerleaders. UGH. "I'M HAYDEN PANETTIERE AND YOU KNOW, I LOVE BEING ON HEROES!" "I'm Greg Grunberg and..." "HA! I'm Adrian Pasdar stealing the mike from Greg, you rascal..." "Oh yeah?? You're such a funny guy!"

And on and on and on... Stupidity.

FINALLY, I got to the premiere. Absolutely no "previously on Heroes," so I'll admit I was lost for part of it (there's Maia, what happened to her brother again? did he die or run away?... wait, why is Bennet in the cell? Who caught him?... what happened to Adam? Have we left him somewhere? why isn't he in this episode?)

But I have to say, I was pleasantly entertained for the 2 hours. Nothing mindblowing, but it's off to a good start, and I'm keen to see more. Some fave moments:
-Veronica Mars and Weevil, reunited
-Hiro and Ando watching the DVD of his dad, then opening the safe, and then the dad saying on the prerecorded message, "I told you not to open the safe!!"
-the speedster! It was awesome to see Jean from Friday Night Lights again (I TOLD you not to dump her, Landry, you tool.)
-the future standoff with Claire and Peter
-Sylar looking through Claire's brain
-Claire asking if Sylar was going to eat her brain and him expressing his disgust
-the creepy guy Parkman runs into in the desert (and him talking to the turtle)

What I didn't like:
-Mohinder still bugged me. "Oh hey, I just met you, but HERE is where I keep my precious, super-secret USB drive with ALL of the secrets my father worked a lifetime to keep, so if you ever need it, it's right here!" Were we supposed to take his rant as being sort of NRA agenda vs. Maia's non-NRA agenda? (The idea that if we ALL had guns, we'd be much safer, not realizing the people who we should be scared of probably have bigger and worse guns than we do... similarly Mohinder says he could inject his new formula into people and they could all be superheroes, despite the fact he KNOWS that the only ones who would want it are those who could do bad with it.) He's SO going to turn out to be a baddie. I'm kinda glad he's scaling or whatever that gross stuff was.
-I didn't get why they showed Milo Ventimiglia at the end instead of Francis Capra. Yeah, we get it, Peter's trapped inside Jesse's body, but everyone can see Jesse, not Peter, so why have Milo play the scene? That was really confusing.

Could someone explain to me what Sylar did with Claire's brain? Did I miss something or were we not supposed to see it?

Your thoughts?

Stuff for a Monday

So much to say, so little time. When I'm not back at work I'm rushing to get dinner ready and then it's helping my daughter with her homework (in junior kindergarten?? Has the world gone COMPLETELY crazy??) and then getting the duo to bed and then working on Lost. Uh... wait, is there TV I'm supposed to be watching??

Heroes is on RIGHT NOW and I'm working on the Lost book. Argh. Here's hoping I can watch it soon. I'm behind on Gossip Girl, but last week's ep TOTALLY rocked. Loved it. I love Chuck Bass as much as I hated Edward in Twilight, and yet they're both jerks. Maybe it's because Chuck doesn't hide the fact he's a dick, and Edward's dickishness is something we're not supposed to notice.

I've seen the first episode of The Shield, and it's brilliant. (K, you must watch so we can discuss!) LOVE this show.

The Emmys were last night, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a new guard stepping up. 30 Rock won best comedy, which is great, Mad Men won best drama... I just finished season 1 and am beginning season 2, and I really love it. Connor Peter is a bit of a caricature, but that's what makes him funny. I still love how enamoured he was of the chip and dip in season one -- "The chips go here and in the middle it's this sour cream concoction with little dried onion bits, and you DIP the chip in!" I said to my husband that I MUST find a chip dip holder that is that horrific-looking. I can't imagine a world where chip dip didn't exist. Good god.

I'm actually pretty happy with most of the awards last night, with the exception of one MAJOR one. Gabriel Byrne did not win for In Treatment. The man carried -- CARRIED -- 43 half-hours of a show in a single season, and was in virtually every scene. And he's absolutely brilliant in every scene. He ran the gamut of emotions in this show and I don't think I've ever seen a performance like his in a single season. If he HAD to lose, I would have accepted Michael C. Hall for Dexter, but he didn't win, either. It went to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad. I haven't seen it, and now I need to check it out because that better be one helluva groundbreaking performance to take down those two men. It just seems impossible.

Michael Emerson didn't win it for Lost, which sucks, but it went to Zeljko Ivanek for Damages, and I must admit, he's pretty freakin' amazing in that. (And hey, he's Juliet's bastard husband, and the guy's a character actor legend, so I'll let him have it without bitching too much.)

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times let Aaron Sorkin take over her column today and imagine a meeting between Barack Obama and Jed Bartlet. The result is pretty funny, even for the way over the top writing of Aaron Sorkin:

OBAMA They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

OBAMA You’re saying race doesn’t have anything to do with it?

BARTLET I wouldn’t go that far. Brains made me look arrogant but they make you look uppity. Plus, if you had a black daughter —

OBAMA I have two.

BARTLET — who was 17 and pregnant and unmarried and the father was a teenager hoping to launch a rap career with “Thug Life” inked across his chest, you’d come in fifth behind Bob Barr, Ralph Nader and a ficus.

OBAMA You’re not cheering me up.

BARTLET Is that what you came here for?

OBAMA No, but it wouldn’t kill you.

BARTLET Have you tried doing a two-hour special or a really good Christmas show?

OBAMA Sir —

BARTLET Hang on. Home run. Right here. Is there any chance you could get Michelle pregnant before the fall sweeps?

OBAMA The problem is we can’t appear angry. Bush called us the angry left. Did you see anyone in Denver who was angry?

BARTLET Well ... let me think. ...We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know ... I’m a little angry.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

OBAMA Good to get that off your chest?

It's REALLY funny stuff. Read the entire thing here. (Thanks to CJ for the link!)

Speaking of the election, if you've seen the Sarah Palin interview on ABC that sparked Tina Fey's impression of her, you'll love this straight parody of the interview (even better, watch the Palin interview right before it and you'll see that they're playing the parody really close and not making much up).



I read with my jaw sort of on the floor today the news that Jamie-Lynn Spears' baby daddy took pictures of her with the new baby, and in one pic she's breastfeeding it and you can see part of her left breast. When the guy took the pics to Wal-Mart to get them developed, an employee looked through them, saw the pic of the boobie, and immediately tried to sell it to the papers. It's gone missing, and an investigation is underway saying if that is published it's tantamount to child porn because of Jamie-Lynn's age (I am SO not making this up). Which led me to this thought: What's worse, the fact a low-life photo developer tried to pawn off pictures of a new mother while she was simply trying to feed her baby, or the fact that Mr. Jamie-Lynn Spears TOOK HIS PICTURES TO WAL-MART to get them developed???

Dude: GET A DIGITAL CAMERA.

UPDATE: I'm being told it was a memory card that he took to Wal-Mart, which actually doesn't change my shock at his stupidity. Did he really need to save money on processing those photos? Couldn't he have found a more discreet retailer, a photo developer to the stars or something? You can't tell me Jennifer Garner is taking her baby pics to Wal-Mart for developing.

Some Notes from Comic-Con

Various blogs and news outlets have been posting information from Comic-Con, currently happening in San Diego (and I am NOT there... not fair). Today was the panel for Dollhouse, with Joss, Tahmoh Penikett, and Eliza Dushku. Here's a rundown of everything they talked about.

Dollhouse is influenced by A.I., The World Can Never Let Me Go, and Collateral because Whedon thinks it's a great L.A. movie. He says, "This will be feistier than I'm used to. I go a little Ang Lee, but the way I'm filming it, it will be more visceral, a frenetic ride. That part is challenging."

He revealed there will be webisodes, and they all talked about how filming has begun and what it's been like.

In other Buffyverse news, here is David Boreanaz talking to EW at Comic-Con. She asks him what the difference is between Bones fans and Buffy/Angel fans in Part 2.

For me, the panel that's killing me that I missed was the annual Darlton pow-wow, talking about the previous season of Lost and dropping tidbits about the upcoming one. E! has several videos you can watch where they discuss things like filming The Constant, the writer's strike, and whether they have a clue about where the show is going. My personal fave is this one, where they discuss the time travel issue. "We'll tell you yesterday."



In non-Comic-Con news, Robert on Jericho has been cast in the upcoming "Prisoner" remake.

And read an interview with Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere (man, those are tough names to type) about the upcoming season of Heroes.

NBC Announces: The Office Spinoff!!

In a bit of a surprise press release this week, NBC announced their fall lineup, some new series they'll be picking up (including one with Christian Slater, who will always be Hard Harry to me), and what shows will be relaunched.

Heroes will be smaller than I anticipated. I know a lot of my readers think I've given up on the show because I didn't blog on the last three episodes of season 2, but that actually had nothing to do with giving up, and everything to do with an infant who wasn't sleeping at the time if I had the TV on, so by the time I saw those episodes, they were three weeks old and I didn't think anyone would be interested in what I had to say. :) I'm still very excited about what is upcoming, and can't wait for season 3. Season 2 had its disappointments, for sure (ok, the majority of the season was a disappointment) but Tim Kring admitted his problems, and said he would do better, and how many executives have the nerve to issue a mea culpa like that? If the guy can admit he was wrong, rather than say, "Look, the show was good, and you people suck if you didn't like it" (which is more along the lines of what he said in season 1 when people didn't like the finale) then I have high hopes for a new direction. I thought season 2 ended on a high note.

So, my love of Heroes re-established, on to the news: season 3 has been reduced to 20 episodes, with 10 running in the fall (kicked off by a 2-hour beginning) and 10 running straight in the spring, beginning in February. Heroes: Origins has been scrapped, sadly. There was SO much hype surrounding this spinoff idea, and I thought it was awesome, and now, because of the writer's strike, it's gone.

Of course, many of you may have heard there's a possible actor's strike pending, and if that happens, I think we can probably say goodbye to a lot of shows, including Heroes. But let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

The Office was the big announcement: Starting in spring 2009, there will be a new spinoff. Which character, you might ask? Will we see the adventures of Dwight and Mose on their beet farm in a Newhart-like setting? Will Jim and Pam leave Dunder-Mifflin and engage in wacky adventures as they travel around Europe? Will Phyllis and Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration become the Lucy and Ricky of Scranton? Will Stanley become the 21st century Archie Bunker?

Sadly... I have no idea. And neither does NBC. For, they have this grand idea that there will be a spinoff, but haven't yet decided WHO will be spinning off. Time for your vote: who do you think will be spinning off, and what will the show be about? On the one hand, this is a good thing, but on the other, a spinoff always means that character will no longer be on The Office. And I can't imagine losing ANY of these people. So I'm still not sure I'm happy about this news.

As mentioned, Friday Night Lights will be appearing on NBC in spring 2009, but will air in fall 2008 on DirectTV (I see major fall downloads of this show in the future). Chuck will be back, and will actually be paired up with Heroes on the schedule. Journeyman is definitely gone (WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH) as is Bionic Woman (.....). However, Life, which many thought would be cancelled, has been renewed.

There will be a new version of Knight Rider. Val Kilmer will be KITT. The Hoff will not be on it. 30 Rock has been picked up for another full season (YES!)

One of the new shows is Crusoe, based on Robinson Crusoe. Hmm... apparently Lost hasn't pushed enough boundaries with a group of people on a possessed and mysterious island, so NBC is going back to the idea of one guy on an island. With no smoke monster, Ben Linus, or polar bears.

Heroes: Cautionary Tales
Yes, I'm making up for not posting all week. And yes, I agree that this photo is a spoiler, but if you haven't watched this week's Heroes yet, you're slower than I am, which is pretty darn slow.

This week's episode of Heroes was a good one. However, because we had so many bad weeks I'm finding that my husband is rolling his eyes at every little thing that happens, even if the things were moments we'd have been watching with intrigue a year ago. I have to admit that I've become more questioning of things. So first, things I liked:

-Hiro seeing little Hiro.
-the scene between Matt and Angela, and Matt forcing her to talk and her begging him to stop. Every scene between these two has been fantastic, a bright light in an otherwise dreary season.
-Matt telling his boss that Angela and co. were involved in some organization back in the 70s, and the guy, without changing his serious face, saying, "Like a disco?" Ha!
-Noah cracking Moronder in the nose. Awesome. Maybe if he managed to wedge a piece of cartilage into his brain, Mo would actually learn to THINK.
-Elle stuck in the chair with her feet in the water. Kristen Bell has a great scream.
-The freeze-frame effect of Adam and Kaito hanging in the air
-The recreation of Bennet's death from the painting. The layout was exactly the same, from the angle of his head to the way his arm dangled. Loved it.
-The ending, which mirrored the season 1 episode ending where Claire woke up with her ribcage open, and said, "Oh sh--". Bennet says the same thing.

Things I didn't like:
-when Hiro saw little Hiro, Kaito was standing right behind them and little Hiro didn't notice that was his dad? He looks the same!
-Molly offering to help Matt... don't you think the kid would be a little more traumatized? (I forgot to mention last week that fb must have been FURIOUS that Molly didn't die! haha)
-Elle being so skanky with everyone. Is it because of her zappiness that she hasn't been able to get close to a lot of people, and it's made her a little... needy, shall we say?
-the effects when Flyboy takes HRG up in the sky. As crappy as the freeze-frame was cool.
-Bennet NOT shooting Moronder. A year ago I wanted the cute guy to stay. Now I CANNOT STAND HIM.

What is WRONG with Mohinder? Why do the writers consistently make him the most confused person on television? "Guess what, Noah? I'm IN! We are inside The Company and we can finally take them down after months and months of research... oh just a second, I have a call on the other line... Hello? Bob. How are you? What?! Noah's evil? Um... OK, we were actually infiltrating The Company from the outside, I'm sorry. Let me help you take Noah down. Just a second, I have a call on the other line... Noah? Hey... oh right, The Company is bad. I hate to tell you this, but I've been working for The Company, and they're going to kill you. Yes, I will help you. OK, talk to you later.... Bob? Sorry, had to get rid of that call. OK, yes, you got me, it was Noah. Oh, you're right. He's evil. Yes, let's kill him."

It would be one thing if he were a double agent like Sydney Bristow, but he's not actually playing both sides against one another, he's switching sides due to his own stupid gullibility. This guy is too much.

Am I being too hard on Moronder? What do you think? Is Heroes getting better? Did the first few bad episodes ruin the rest of it for you or are you willing to give it a chance?

TV Roundup: The Week So Far
I still have a lot sitting on my PVR, but here are my thoughts for the week so far:

Heroes:
I finally got around to watching it last night, and I must say it was the best episode of the season. Of course, I still had nitpicks (for example, Elle says she caused a blackout in 4 states when she was 8, then was put into a room attached to a lithium drip when she was 9 while psychiatrists tried to figure out what to do with her, and then The Company stepped in, and she's spent the last 16 years of her life with them. Then she says she's 24... she'd be 26 if the writers could actually add). But going back 4 months just felt right. Unfortunately, there should have been 2, maybe 3 episodes before it, rather than making us wait almost 2 months for some answers. And apparently it's not important what happened to Parkman, Mohinder, Molly, Claire, Noah, Hiro, and Ando, although... when you think about it, their stories are pretty much self-explanatory. Regardless, I thought it was really well done. I hope next week's is more of the same. I might just be persuaded to go back to doing full posts on it. :)

Dexter:
ROCKED. Dexter stepped up his game this week, and actually brought his life as a serial killer into the office to help him get rid of his arch-nemesis. The scene with him and Doakes alone in the room, with Dexter whispering, "I own you" and what followed, is possibly my favourite of the series. Everyone on staff thinks Dex is this quiet meek little man. They have no idea who they're in the company of, and that's what's so much fun about this show.

Ugly Betty:
I forgot to mention last week that playing the show out to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" -- despite it being one of my all-time favourite songs ever (especially as covered by him) -- was SO 2002. And so overdone. Every other show on television used that song years ago, and now Ugly Betty has to get on that train late. That said, this week's was great. The final reunion of Claire and Bradford; Betty and Mark saying, "The Secret Sex Room" and then pointing at each other in shock; Wil telling Mark that she's worried Bradford will leave his money to charity, and Mark saying, "Then we need to hunt this Charity down and kill her" (HA!); and the final scene with Alexis and Daniel sitting by an empty space. Loved it. I think it's even better this season than last. Oh, and Mo'nique was BRILLIANT.

The Office:
This week's, like last, was kind of meh. It had its moments, but it was actually far more interesting to watch it as a drama than a comedy. Steve Carell is amazing in the scenes with the lawyers, as he goes from goofily compliant to stupid to upset to hurt to furious to vengeful. He's put his loyalties in the wrong place, as usual. It was actually a little disappointing to have it end with him and Jan casually talking about what to eat for dinner. The drama was so important, and then deflated in the end. I think the scene of Dwight and Mose playing ping-pong was the highlight of the episode (though I did LOVE Kelly's distinction between trash talk and smack).

America's Next Top Model:
You know, I've kinda been with Bianca on Heather for a long time... she's beautiful, yes, and she seems to take a great picture and handles Jay's suggestions perfectly. But critique her and she falls apart like a house of cards. She just does not have the tough skin required for the business, and if she wins, it could destroy her.

Kitchen Nightmares:
Boring. I actually have the second half of it still running in the other room as I type this, and stopped watching. Yawn. That said, if you want to see Gordon Ramsay in a HILARIOUS scene with Ricky Gervais, check it out:



Pushing Daisies:
LOVE LOVE LOVE. See post from yesterday.

Gossip Girl:
I still like this show, and its soapy goodness. I'm glad Nate didn't go through with what his parents wanted, because he's right: I saw Blair all excited on the bed thinking they're going to get back together, and all I could see her was as a socialite years from now, alone while her husband is off with another woman. So I'm glad he saw the error of his ways early. Why am I talking about this show so seriously? It's campy awesome. :)

Dirty Sexy Money:
Haven't seen this week's yet, but last week was just too tied up in the whole quest for Nick's father's killer. I hate that storyline, and just want to focus on the Darlings.

The Next Great American Band:
OK, I've been wanting to post on this show FOREVER now. No one is talking about this show, for some reason, like it's the poor man's American Idol, but I am SO completely hooked. This show is where bands perform for the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls, Sheila E. (!) and some judge from Australian Idol named Dicko. (Seriously.) Unlike Simon Cowell, who just says stuff to be funny, this guy is good. Every time a band performs my husband and I are critiquing them for one thing or another, and 80% of the time Dicko says exactly what we'd just said. He's always got good advice, even when the stupid audience is booing. Speaking of which, whenever they boo dude from the Goo Goo Dolls he gets SERIOUSLY pissed and upset and begins complaining about it like a big whiner. It's worth it just for that. :) My favourite band in the competition right now is Sixwire, a country band. Yeah, I said it. A COUNTRY band. I HATE HATE HATE country music. HATE IT. (The other day I'm in a store and over the sound system comes this line: "I want to kiss you out in the sticks/ I want to check you for ticks." I stopped what I was doing, thought, I couldn't have possibly just heard what I think I heard. And then I did. Came home, googled it, and it's apparently some huge hit for Brad Paisley. What the hell is WRONG with country music fans???? Anyway.) But Sixwire has a lead singer that looks like a slightly heftier version of Josh Holloway (if you don't believe me, tune in) and they are brilliant. There's a retro 60s band called Tres Bien, who were fun in the beginning and now are kind of boring. Last week this screechy grrl band called Rocket got booted (thankfully) but we are still subjected to the horrors of this tiny hardcore metal band called Light of Doom, where all of the members are between the ages of 9 and 11. Seriously. They were awesome in the beginning, now creepy and weird (especially since all of their moms are in the audience screaming for them and drooling... ew...) My other fave is The Clark Brothers, a sort of gospel band (yeah, I said it... oh forget it) who are unbelievable. The thing about this show is, typically the band I'd be listening to would be more along the lines of one called Dot Dot Dot, a guy who wants to be the lead singer of The Killers but appears to be too coked out to even focus on the judge's critiques, but when you're watching this show, you don't care about the STYLE of music being played, it's how good they are. And the country band is stellar, as is The Clark Brothers (and the lead singer of the Clark Brothers is seriously hot.) Franklin Bridge is another wicked band, and they play sort of a funk/rock thing, kinda Jimi Hendrix. It's on tonight: TUNE IN. I love this show... it's seriously addictive. Unlike the trumped-up karaoke night that is American Idol. The best part? You don't have to suffer through an annoying results show. Instead, they make everyone prepare a song for the following week, and then one by one they announce the bands who made it, and they come out and perform. At the end there are 2 bands left in the green room (which is, literally, green), and they're booted. Bwaaaahahahahaha. Awesome. I have a feeling this week we'll be saying goodbye to Denver and his Mile-High Orchestra. Awesome name, but not very good.

Friday Night Lights:
The show I will miss the most (equally with Pushing Daisies) during the writer's strike. Last week Landry's dad found out what was going on, and what he decided to do as a result was nothing short of shocking. Would any of us do it for our children? Probably. That's why I love this show. Good parents teach their children it's wrong to murder. Special parents help their children cover up that murder. Awesome. Did anyone else think that Jason was going to be killed off the show two weeks ago, by the way? Whoa...

Aliens in America:
This show just cracks me up to no end. It exposes the subtle racisms that we seem to all accept, and makes them look ridiculous. This week the mom -- who talks like Margie in Fargo -- runs into the breakfast room and says, "This is my running partner I told ya about... ya know, the one with the black husband?" Last week Raja got a job working for an Indian boss in a convenience store (causing the sister to say, "What are you, a total stereotype?") and the boss kept muttering under his breath that he was a dirty dog eater. I always thought the actor who plays Raja was over the top and not particularly good, just funny for sitcom's sake, but this week when they showed him screaming in nicotine withdrawal, I thought it was some of the funniest stuff this show's ever had.

Reaper:
I think I'm behind on this one, too, but last week with Leon trapped in the snow globe was particularly hilarious. I loved the actor who played Leon, especially when you just heard his voice calling them douchebags.

Chuck:
Still one of the best new shows on TV. If you're not watching this show and they rerun it during the strike, tune in. It's SO hilarious. I love Casey, who's so hardcore and wanting to kill everyone in sight... Chuck is great, his friend Morgan is funny, Tang is awful (as bad as he is on Dexter), and the premise just doesn't get old. I love this show.

30 Rock:
Haven't watched last night's yet, but last week's was brilliant as usual. I'm so glad Alec Baldwin stuck with the show. A couple of weeks ago he was pretending to be Tracy's father and I was doubled over. Baldwin is a comic genius.

Journeyman:
A couple of weeks behind on this one too (man, all the shows I watch with my husband I'm behind on!) but while it started out strong and then faded a bit, it's definitely back on track and I think it's great. Another one to check out if you haven't yet. Now that his son also knows what is going on, it's definitely stepped up things. It's only a matter of time before they have to let the brother know what's up.

I think that's everything. I'm sure I've missed something. :) Oh, I've dropped Everybody Hates Chris. It was just getting too samey. And, you know, that extra half hour was TOTALLY eating into my week. Har.

Random Things for a Tuesday
For anyone who doesn't watch Heroes, scroll down for pictures of supercute kids instead. :)

Ok, so last week I said Heroes was a little better than the week before, and got beat up on the comments board, but I'm going to say it again. It was better this week, and actually ended with a very intriguing cliffhanger! Could Takezo's entire story have been set up by Adam just to change history?? Hiro was more charming in the one-minute scene with Ando than he's been all season.


However, it's still not anywhere NEAR what it was the first season, and every week is exposing the inadequacies of the show more and more. In the past week I've been thinking about the show a lot (and have decided, for now, I'm not sure if it's worth devoting an entire blog post to it anymore). We're supposed to assume that the action we see week to week is happening simultaneously, right? So how is it that Peter meets his Oirish Garl in Cork, gets to know her, falls in lust, sees her brother get killed, travels to Montreal, and time travels.... and in that same time the Dunder Twins travel 50 feet to the Mexican border? Maybe we're not supposed to see it as simultaneous.... hm.


Anyway, this week had too much Niki, and the momentary return of DL (no, GOD NO, not MORE of that family, we're supposed to be killing them off one by one) but happily, no Monica or Micah. Whew. But no Sylar, either, and he's been awesome this season, unlike everyone else.


Hiro's back, so FINALLY no more Japan, which is a blessing. Moronder looks like more of an idiot than usual, and now spills his master plan to Bob. (Sigh.) The Flying Doofus finds out his girl is the daughter of his nemesiseses when HRG shows up, and HRG blows his top when he discovers Claire's been dating a guy and using her powers for stupidity.


I was a little disappointed with the Matt storyline. It seems like in one week Kring's decided to suddenly jump the story forward, despite plodding it along for weeks, and Matt takes down Daddy and saves Molly a wee bit too easily for me.


And where the hell is Elle? Was Kristen Bell (whoa... check out my ell rhymes there) just dangled in front of our faces to make us think Veronica was coming back? I want more Elle.


So I know it's a week past Halloween, but I want to post pics of my little kiddies in their costumes anyway. I rarely post pics of my kids on here, but they're just too cute for words, so here they are:
























That's my daughter Sydney as the cutest chicken ever, and Liam as a superhero. I'm not sure what his powers are, but they've got to be more interesting than any of the ones this season on Heroes.



I didn't get a chance to post on Pushing Daisies last week, but it SO rocked. Emerson and Olivia are the greatest characters on TV right now. LOVE THEM. There were so many moments where I was howling. I wish I had time to list them all.




My brother showed me this last week and I thought it was hilarious. It's funny the first time you watch it, funnier the second, and hysterical the third time. This is a British comedy duo called Mitchell and Webb, and I could watch this all day. Dundundundundundundun-Dundundundundundun-Dundada-da-da!!

I think my pal CK will like that one. Speaking of her, another thing that's made me howl recently was posted on her site. She and I are big fans of finding crazy Bollywood musical clips on YouTube, and she's found the mother of all of them. Go to her site and check it out there. It's priceless (even if you don't like Bollywood musicals, you'll find this funny). Enjoy!

UPDATE: I realized that link no longer works, so try this one.

Heroes: The Line

A wee bit better, but one thing is for certain: in a season that's nowhere near as good as the first, Zachary Quinto's Sylar stands out above everyone else on the show. The scenes with him are terrifying and as good as anything in season 1. It was nice to see HRG all badass again.

Peter: He and his girlo head to Moan-tree-al, as Americans pronounce it, where they find a note from Monroe, the guy Bob has warned Mohinder about. Then they teleport to an apocalyptic NY in June 2008, in one of the most fake uses of a green screen I've ever seen. It was SO clear they were standing on a soundstage with a photoshopped picture of Times Square in the background, right down to the echo of their voices. Now both Peter and Nathan have seen this.

Claire: Last season we were led to believe that when times get tough, certain humans evolve to become heroes. This season we've learned that superpowers have been given to certain people so that they'll either totally rock in double-dutch, or they can play practical jokes on the bitchy cheerleading captains. While the trick was kind of funny, last season it seemed these heroes had a purpose, something their powers were given to them for, and this season they're just horsing around with them. I think that's the main reason why this season just isn't working with fans. Is Tim Kring a one-trick pony? Did he look beyond season 1 at all? Is there a second act?? At least on Lost, CC and DL had a vision. I don't think Kring knows what the heck is going on anymore, because this season doesn't seem to be leading up to anything.

Moronder: He finally grows a pair and refuses to inject Monica with the new virus, and instead storms into the room where Bob is standing and hurls a syringe against the wall, no doubt sending that live virus flying all over the room. Let's hope it wasn't airborne. Where the heck did this guy go to school?!

HRG and Haitian: They go to see Ivan, HRG's old "friend," who knows where the paintings are hidden, and these scenes were particularly compelling. The Haitian removes all traces of the memory of the early years with his wife, including their marriage and honeymoon, and the guy finally spills all when HRG threatens to remove the memories of his deceased daughter. And then he shoots the guy anyway. Wow... These scenes also reminded me of season 1, especially when he nonchalantly stops in the middle of the torture session to answer a phone call from Claire Bear.

Nikki and Paulo The Wonder Twins The Whiny Twins Alejandro and Maya: Alejandro, i.e. the non-stupido, says he doesn't trust good ol' Gabe, and he's right. Sylar sucks up Maya's power, or at least tries to, while she kills several rednecks hanging out on the U.S. border trying to keep those dang Mexicans outta their country. Then, in the best scene in the episode, he tells Alejandro he's going to kill him and his sister as soon as he's done sucking up their powers... but he does so in English, a language Alejandro can't speak.

Hiro: He finally steps on that cockroach in the past and alters the future, kissing the girl and pissing off Kensei, who turns them all over to the dogs. One question: if guns had been outlawed in Japan, how did her father know how to make them?

Monica: Bob leaves her be (yeah, right), with a file of phone numbers to call in case of emergency, and an iPod with every skill she might ever need on it. I'm sure The Company will totally leave her alone now. (Actually, if they do, then this show really HAS lost it.) Cheesiest line: "Look around: it seems this town could really use some amazing."

Nikessica: Says she's Moronder's new partner (great... Dumb and Dumber are reunited). And she's clearly not Niki, despite Doofus thinking she is.

The paintings: Looks like Niki pounding on a door, Hiro and Kensei fighting, a crazed Nathan holding a gun, a hand holding a vial of the virus, presumably... what DOES it mean?

So what do the paintings mean? Who is Adam Monroe and why did he know Peter could get there? Next week's preview shows a bunch of more interesting characters coming back, and Bob saying Peter is the line... ooh. Looks like it might actually be a really good one (and for Canadians, it's at a different time, so just check the PVRs for that).

Heroes: Fight or Flight
Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to posting this. While I don't think Kristen Bell has saved Heroes, I think last night's episode was by far the best of the season. I was so happy to enjoy so much of it. There has been FAR too much exposition and lead-up in recent episodes, and finally there's intrigue and some revelations.

Not to mention... ding dong, the leprechaun's dead! RIP, boyo.

Elle: We don't know too much about her... she might be Bob's daughter, or the daughter of someone else, but she's someone's daughter. She shoots electricity from her fingertips (OOH, never seen THAT power before!) Ahem. Looking forward to more Veronica coolness in upcoming eps.

Peter: He knows his name but is upset that his little box doesn't reveal much more, until he goes all white-eyed and begins painting. It was great to have the throwback to Isaac from last season, and to get a hint of things to come, even if it's not clear what's up. I don't see the chemistry between him and the Oirish girl, though, so that's a little much. Apparently Montreal is in his future. Go, Canada!

Hiro/Ando: Interesting that Ando takes the strips to a forensics person to try to read them more easily, but will that give anything away? (I thought the forensics guy was hilarious... "Does Hiro survive?!" "How would I know?" haha!) Hiro is more and more in love with the girl, but if there's one person who will set aside his own needs for the greater good, it's Hiro. Can he do this? And how exactly will they take on such a giant army?

Monica: So it's not just TV, but she can copycat anything. Think of the possibilities of this one! She didn't really intrigue me last week, but this week she was more interesting. She can be a pro wrestler, or Glenn Gould. Though killer piano skills probably won't help her much in the next Kirby Plaza showdown...

Micah: Dull, dull, dull. He says to Monica that she must miss her mother, who is dead, and then says "I miss my mom, too." Um... what about your DAD, who is dead? I realize DL hasn't really been in Micah's life lately, but you'd think the kid would miss him just a wee bit and be a little down about it, but he acts like it never happened. Weird.

Matt: After a domestic dispute with his new live-in partner, Mohinder, he heads off to find the Bogeyman, a.k.a. Daddio. This was definitely the best part of the episode, as he hooks up with Nathan (who looks like hell) to go to Dad's place, only to find out he's as much of a swindler now as he ever was. He's not a mindreader: he's Freddy Kreuger, apparently. He puts Nathan and Matt into their own worst nightmares, and then walks away, leaving them there (did anyone else notice when Matt pushes Nathan off him, he clocks Adrian Pasdar's face onto the door frame? OUCH.) It looks like Janice was actually the woman who gave birth to the 17-pound baby in Siberia, and they named it Gigantor (did you SEE the massive arm on that kid??) It sounds like Janice had the child, told Matt it wasn't his, but he knew deep down it was, and left her anyway. (She must have told him this before the baby was born; isn't all of this supposed to be just 4 months later? Janice wasn't even showing at the end of last season.)

Nathan: As I was told last week by an anonymous commenter on my blog, the burn victim is indeed Nathan, and he seems to be dogging him. It's like burn victim Nathan is an alternate universe Nathan, and in his nightmare, NY was blown up. Loved that scene. Nathan has a serious dark side.

Bob: Gonna die.

Niki/Jessica: Looks like The Company is running tests to bring Jessica out, but they can't corral her when she does.

Moronder: Takes Molly to The Company, knowing they're the bad guys. Great. Nice one. How could such a hot guy be so braindead? (Don't answer that.) And now he's on Monica's doorstep. Great.

Quick reminder about the Finding Lost book contest. Send in your entries now! I forgot to mention that I won't be collecting addresses for anything, so don't worry about that. I'll delete emails when the contest is over. Looking forward to reading more entries!

Heroes, Ep 4: The Kindness of Strangers

Okay, any minute now this show will become a little more interesting. Everyone dumped on the beginning of season 3 of Lost saying they hated it, it was boring, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with the show, and they were jumping ship to the far superior Heroes. I argued that you can't compare one show's first season to another's third, because the first season of a show is always the one that pulls us in; it's sustaining it that is the hard part. I said it'll be interesting to see if Heroes is still this good in its season 3. Now I'm reading everywhere that people are sick of Heroes and jumping ship and complaining that they wish Lost was on because it's the better show. Ah, the fickle fan. I'm still hanging in there... I have faith it's going to get better, because of that stellar first season (minus the finale). (And, just for the record, I really liked all of Lost's season 3...)

I finally got around to reading the EW cover story from a few weeks back (the issue that had Hiro on the cover) because I didn't want to see any spoilers. In it, Tim Kring actually says that he thought most people didn't like the finale last year because they clearly couldn't follow one long complicated arc over the season (so this season will be divided into two), and because the show had done so many great things in the year it put FAR too much pressure on the finale to live up to the season. So, he concluded, they learned their lesson. So... does that mean this year will be kinda sucky so we don't have any great expectations of the finale? Not the way to go there, Tim. The other thing I'm curious about is Bryan Fuller. Watching last week's Pushing Daisies again, I saw his name on it and realized he was one of the head writers on Heroes last year, so by leaving the show to go to this one, does that mean their creative force has left? Because Pushing Daisies ROCKS, and Heroes... does not.

Maya and Alejandro: So... I've been championing the Wonder Twins as the ones I'm most interested in simply because they're new, but... um... did anyone else feel like this week they'd suddenly turned into Nikki and Paulo? They're harboring a very dark secret; they're on the run from the law; they've committed murder; they're trying to get into the U.S. illegally... and with ALL of that going on, Maya goes and spills absolutely everything to Sylar moments after finding him on the side of the road. HUH? How stupid IS she? It'll be interesting to see if Sylar is able to eventually absorb both of their powers, thus allowing him to go black-eyed and plaguey, but able to control it with Alejandro's powers. I'm still curious to see what Alejandro's absorption of her black-eyedness is actually doing to him.

Monica: Whoa. Her power is... seeing something on TV and replicating it. Like no 12-year-old has ever seen a body slam on WWE and done it to his brother. (I once worked with someone who told me her son watched a wrestling move on TV and then did it to his brother, and she took the TV, unplugged it, and put it out by the curb for garbage pickup and they never had a TV in the house again. Um... yikes?) While I thought the spin around the pole and kicking the bad guy was pretty badass, let's hope she's not watching any creepy porn any time soon. Did I miss something, or did the manager seem way off-base in telling her that her "home situation" meant she couldn't get a different job, since she lives with her brother and guardian? Um... isn't that EVERY teenager?? I could see if the rude kid at her house was actually her SON that her home life would be taken into account.

Claire: Goes to the top of the Hollywood sign so she and West can chit chat and he can dare her to jump off, saying she has to lose her fears. Which makes perfect sense, since if HE jumped, he wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of bones sticking through his skin afterwards. He seems to realize that and Claire, showing she'll do anything for Loverboy, jumps, but he catches her and they float up in the air. Bah. I hate that guy. That said, Claire comes up with a pretty brilliant plan to get onto the cheerleading squad, arguing with her dad that she wants to be "normal." Because, as we know, the majority of girls in high school were cheerleaders.

Matt: Ooh, Daddy is the Bogeyman!! I didn't see THAT coming. I'm intrigued. Very intrigued. Since this season is called Generations, I wish they'd actually move to that theme, looking at the ancestors of each of the current-day heroes and dealing with those. I thought we'd go back in time and see Linderman discovering his powers and Granny Petrelli, etc. but instead they're just being offed one by one and that seems to be it (and Takezo Kensei seems to be some sort of ancestor of Claire's, and therefore Nathan's and Granny's, if his powers being the same as hers is any indication). How is Matt going to help Molly now that she seems to be lost in her own head? Does he have to kill his own daddy in order to bring her back?

Nathan: After trying to reconnect with his sons and being sent away, he shaves, and then goes to meet with his mom and she actually seems to have a heart for the first time ever. I want to see more of this storyline. I loved the scene of her talking in Matt's head.

Micah: Sorry, but the kid who plays Micah just has NO charisma for me. His character annoyed me last season, and now he's the little polite kid with the curly hair who's so meek and sweet you just want to hit him. That said, I wanted to slap his cousin into tomorrow, too, so it looks like that family is one of extremes. Either meek as hell or rude as hell.

Absent: Niki (THANK YOU!), Peter and his Irishmen, Hiro, Ando

Next week: Kristen Bell arrives. YAY, VERONICA!!!

Other Heroes news: Here's an interesting interview with Zachary Quinto in TV Guide. Here's Matt Roush complaining about this season of Heroes. Interview with Jack Coleman. EW pleads with viewers not to give up on Heroes. And finally, George comics:

Saving the World: A Guide to Heroes

'Tis Monday, the day where we all hope that this week's Heroes will be better than previous weeks this season, and then discuss it tomorrow when I finally get my act together and post something quick on it. (Gone are the days of my long posts... sigh... okay, don't scroll down and discover that's a total lie.)

So in the meantime, I wanted to mention a new book that's out in stores now called Saving the World. This is a sometimes-academic, sometimes episode guidey companion to the show, and it's great. Full disclosure: I worked on it and helped edit it, but I work on half a dozen books a year and I only mention books occasionally on my blog. Here's the cover:

I also want to mention proudly that I'm in this book as part of the "Finale Face-Off." My blog entry on that disastrous finale appears, followed by a rebuttal by author David Lavery, and then I get the final word. So if you liked the finale and hated my post on it (or if you totally agree with me that it could have been WAY better) then check out this book. There are also chapters comparing Heroes to Lost, on how Hiro follows the journey of a question hero, on the kaleidoscope of themes, on the comic book ties of the show, and lots of tables, episode guides, encyclopedic entries, etc. It's definitely the perfect companion going into the show, and I felt much better tackling season 2 after having read it. :)

WATCH PUSHING DAISIES...
And that's an order.

I just watched the second episode, and I am absolutely head over heels in love with this show. I feel like it was written just for me, with an Edward Gorey/Tim Burton feel to it that I adore. The second episode was fantastic: Olive broke into Olivia Newton John's "Hopelessly Devoted" in the middle of The Pie Hole (how much do I love the name of the restaurant, seriously...), but kept getting interrupted, which was hilarious; Ned and Chuck shared a kiss through body bags that was more romantic than any other kiss I've seen this season; Ned installed a protective guard in his car between the passenger seat and driver seat so Chuck could ride shotgun without dying... and he included a little glove so they could hold hands (squee!); Emerson is a knitter, and it actually gets them out of a tight fix... he was the highlight of the ep for me, knitting his little gun cozies, almost making a comment about Ned and Chuck being the real dummies but keeping it to himself, using his knitting needles to get them out of a tight fix, and giving the single most hilarious face in the episode when the car in front of them explodes and a fiery box of laxatives lands on their hood...

If you haven't watched the ep, this will all sound seriously insane, but this is my fave show that's on right now (and yes, I'm officially putting it ahead of a lacklustre Heroes this season...). I can't wait for next week.

News: Fisher Stevens -- i.e. that guy who was once engaged to Michelle Pfeiffer back in the 80s, and then... I dunno, did he do something since then? -- has been cast on Lost as the guy you heard talking on the sat phone at the end of the finale last year.

Bionic Woman, Cane, Journeyman, and Life have all gotten requests for more scripts. It doesn't meant they'll get full-season orders, but this is a good sign! Gossip Girl has been picked up for the full season, and is the first show to have gotten the order. Yay!

Other shows I'm watching:

Heroes: Did I mention lacklustre? I still love it, and enjoy it every week, but I need some new heroes, quick (Kristen Bell doesn't show up until week 5 so I have 2 more weeks to wait).

Cane: Is still great. I've seen the first two episodes, and Jimmy Smits' character has that same moral ambiguity of Angel or Spike, but without the camp. You do NOT mess with him, yet as the protagonist he gets us to cheer him on, even as he's doing terrible things to people. Please don't cancel this show...

Reaper: Still hilarious, but it might be one I drop, only because it's SO much like Chuck, as I've mentioned, that I'm starting to mix the two up in my head, and Chuck is far superior.

Chuck: In this week's episode, Chuck goes to a fancy ball with an art auction, and as he's drawn to the one painting, a woman comes up to him and asks what he thinks, to which he replies, in a fluster, "It has a certain... Bob Ross-ian quality to it." I nearly fell off the couch laughing. I'm sure I'm not the only person who's been on the couch on a Saturday afternoon channel-surfing, and stopping when I see a white guy with a giant afro standing on an entirely black stage with a single spotlight on him, painting and talking about inserting "a happy little tree." At least, now I know Chuck has also sat and watched this guy transform a white canvas into a painting of an outdoor landscape that I would see hanging in my grandparents' home. Best line of the week.

Gossip Girl: Still awesome, and I'm enjoying the ongoing tension between Serena and Blair. Does anyone else get the feeling that Dan is Gossip Girl? I know that's probably not the case, but I swear he's standing right there whenever you hear Gossip Girl's voiceover.

America's Next Top Model: Not awesome. Boring, in fact. I think I'm watching it out of habit at this point. This week was makeover week, traditionally a great ep, but they showed us the digital image of what each girl would look like, taking away the final result so it's not a surprise. Wah.

Dirty Sexy Money: In last week's ep, there's a quiet scene at the end of the episode where Nate Nick tells Tripp that he can't get his dad's briefcase open. Tripp, gazing out of the window, suggests he try 712, which is his wife's birthday. As Nick sets up the numbers and pushes the button, the loud click of the briefcase causes Tripp to close his eyes in pain. The moment he's dreaded for 40 years -- proof that his wife had been having an affair with his best friend -- has finally come. Sutherland is terrific in this scene, and this is coming from someone who's not a big fan of his. This week he's just as good, when he explains to Nick that he probably knew deep down about the affair, but didn't actually know know. Jeremy and Juliet continue to intrigue me (Jeremy's hot in a going-nowhere kind of way), though the scene at the end where Juliet finds out Jeremy bought expensive jewellery for her nemesis featured the worst acting I've seen on the show yet. I really like the scenes between Patrick and Carmelita (played by Candis Cayne, possibly the most beautiful and believable female impersonators I've ever seen). They could have gone the route of the outlandish with this plotline of Patrick -- the guy running for senator -- sleeping with a transsexual, but instead he's really in love with her, and she's pretty amazing.

Ugly Betty: Continues to make me laugh. Too bad Papi's back (I don't like him very much), but the scene this week of Henry telling off Marc and Amanda and Marc saying he can't remember ever being so turned on was a riot.

30 Rock: Last night's ep was as brilliant as the week before: Jenna deciding to "keep" her belly roll as if it's a baby; Liz eating the steak WAY too fast and saying with a straight face that a dog came into the room and took it from her; Jack taking a little too long to save Will Arnett from choking to death; Tracy sending Kenneth as a gift to his wife; Kenneth telling Angie that he's really good at the "sex stuff." I love this show.

The Office: Finally back to its original form. The scene where Meredith walks up to Jim and has him sign her pelvis cast had my husband laughing so hard we had to pause it (by the way, I'm positive he signs "John Krasinski" and not "Jim Halpert" in that scene... did anyone keep the episode so they could pause and look?). Dwight's computer becoming "self-aware" was pure prank classic (and it was sweet that Pam felt sorry for Dwight and was nice to him, but she said he "mercy-killed" Angela's cat, and there was really nothing merciful about what he did...); Kevin saying Alfredo's pizza is like eating a "hot circle of garbage" had me howling (now... why didn't Michael just send the kid away with his pizza and not pay for it, since he was going to order pizza from the other place anyway?); Phyllis trying to use psychology on Angela's bitchiness; Stanley grooving to the Infinity Web site music; Michael giving a speech and everyone in the office just watching the TV screensaver hoping it'll go straight into the corner slot (ok, I've TOTALLY done that with the computer windows screensavers); Andy getting his Barbershop quartet on the phone and doing ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" (HA!)... how could Angela not fall for that, even when the guy is Andy?; . This was a great episode.

Journeyman: I liked this week's ep more than the previous, but like I said last week, I want a little more tension in the present. Luckily, Katie discovered at the end that one thing Dan is doing in the past is seeing Livia, and if that doesn't cause serious tension, nothing will. I was talking to someone who knows the writer on this coming week's ep, and said it was going to be a high-concept episode. I'm intrigued.

Moonlight: Week 2 was a vast improvement over week 1. However, the writer was David Greenwalt (i.e. the guy who created the Angel character on Buffy, and helmed the show Angel in the first season it was a spinoff). What is he doing writing for this show? A) doesn't he recogize it's ripping off his baby? B) doesn't it kill him that all of the vampire tendencies/myths/belief systems have been thrown out the window to make the writing easier? What is he thinking?
Anyway, all that aside, I liked it a lot more, but by 3/4 of the way through, thought this was it, and I'm not tuning in beyond this. And then in the final 5 minutes, I changed my mind: when Beth walks into Mick's apartment and finds him greedily sucking back blood from blood bags and his eyes all white and the teeth showing, she discovers that he's a vampire. That's going to put things in a new direction. I'll give it one more week...

Aliens in America: HILARIOUS. If you're not watching this show, please do. There's a scene where Justin turns to his bitchy sister to find out how to distance himself from Raja (after Raja has stood up in class and announced that if he were trapped on a deserted island, the only thing he would want is Justin, prompting people to say they were a gay couple), and she says, "Just do what I do: I told everyone you were my brother, and we adopted you from a retarded family." He stares at her and says with a dead voice, "You had to make my WHOLE family retarded." I was in stitches. I love this show.

Everybody Hates Chris: Something's been lost with this show. The scenes at home are still funny, and there are still moments in Chris Rock's voiceover that make me laugh, but it just doesn't compete with The Office or Aliens in America. But I've been watching it for 2 years now, so...

Torchwood: I checked out this series last Friday when it premiered on CBC. It was intriguing, and had some interesting twists, but I don't think I'll stick with it. A little too Doctor Who, without the Daleks. Not that that's a bad thing, but it just didn't feel original.

The Tudors: Holy Henry Hotness! I've just watched the first ep of this show, and it was great. And Henry is one fine-looking dude. This is the pre-50-inch-waist years. Thank god.

Dexter: Still creepy as hell... this week's was hilarious and tragic, as Dexter tries to get his killin' mojo back. His voiceovers are still SO great, as they're usually ironic or sarcastic commentary on what is happening on the screen. He had to put his brother to rest, finally, though I felt it was done a little quickly (I was hoping his bro would dog him for the season, and maybe he will reappear, but the final scene seemed pretty... final). The scene of Dexter being pulled away from his brother when they're in that carton was heartbreaking... what kind of cop would take only one child and leave the other one in that horrid place?? It made me cry.

Friday Night Lights: Yay, it's back!! I was talking to a friend who was pretty disturbed by what happens with Landry and Tyra (she's not alone), but I actually found it pretty believable, and in keeping with how they might react to the situation. If you didn't like it, and thought it was contrived, Jason Katims has said in an interview that this week's episode will change that, and offer more explanation. I love love this show. And I'm still in love with Coach Carter...

Bionic Woman: Hmm... I wanted this show to be better... here's still hoping.

Kitchen Nightmares: Haven't seen this week's ep yet. See above.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: OK, this show was supposed to have been finished after last season, and that's what Larry David said, and then, like the Who, the show came back. But I'm so glad... it's the same horrid discomfort that the show's always done best, and I love it. Larry meets the "Black family," who happens to be black, and blurts out that it would be like his last name being "Jew." Larry is late getting home, and drives past the site of his best friend's mother's recent death, which is covered in flowers, and actually steals some flowers from it to take to his wife as an apology. Yeowch. Only Larry...

OK, I think that's it. Well, I'm also watching EastEnders (where Michelle Ryan is NOT bionic) and loving it, but it's too far behind (I think they're in November 2005 at this point) to comment on it.

I think I need to cut down on my TV. Thank goodness for long periods of feeding my newborn son on the couch. :)