Tuesday This n That

The arrival of Memorial Day usually signals the beginning of summer (knowing Mother Nature, that won't come for another two months!). It also means it’s that in-between time. The time where the fall/winter tv season has been completed and the summer tv season is getting ready to kick in. That gives us time to both look back and ahead.

Let’s start with the ending of the fall/winter season first.

NCIS ended with the big vendetta/investigation against NCIS (specifically Gibbs); Gibbs talking to/seeing the ghost of Mike Franks;  Mc Tiva (that’d be McGee, Tony & Ziva for those that don’t get the portmanteau) turning in their badges in defiance. Then Gibbs going on a secret mission to shoot…Fornell? Really? I don’t buy it. We know with Gibbs’ abilities as a sniper that he can shoot him somewhere that won’t kill him. I’m guessing the beginning of next season will have Fornell supposedly dead, but actually laying low to flush out whomever they’re targeting.

Then there’s Chicago Fire. It was nice that they combined the birth of Kenny Hermann with the news of Renee coming back pregnant, along with Shay’s IVF not taking. I liked the part where it became firefighters vs the prisoners. This is much more preferable to the whole firefighters vs Chicago PD and Voight. Speaking of…now that Voight and Anthony Dawson will be on their own show (Chicago PD) this fall, maybe we can finally get them out of this show and focus more on the firefighters/paramedics than on the PD and dirty cops.

Revolution is coming down to the ending of the season, with the finale next Monday. I loved the episode where Nora was tortured (in a dress, no less) and held out for several weeks until she could handle the drugs no more.

CSI had their finale a week ago, but I still haven’t watched it…and not sure I ever will – especially since Jorja wasn’t in it. It’s interesting how just a few changes can make me stop being interested in a show that I had watched for over a decade.

Yes, in my tv viewing world, it’s the actors who determine whether I like a show or not.  I started watching CSI because of Marg. Then I grew to love Jorja, Louise and Eric because of their characters. I mainly lost interest in the show during the Laurence Fishburne/Ray Langston era. Yes, it was just one new character, but it was a character who seemed to take over the entire show. That’s not what the show had been about.

On the opposite side of the coin, there are shows like Chicago Fire and Defiance (one of my new faves). They are both shows that I really didn’t know any of the actors to begin with, but immediately grew to love not just one, but many different characters (and actors as well).

Turning to the summer shows –

Rizzoli and Isles returns June 25^th. I’m so glad they pushed it back from the original starting date. With this new date, I might actually be home to watch it. I love the promos for the new season, especially the ones in handcuffs.

 

I’ve done some research and actually found out just what the two ladies are hiding under that tablecloth.

Now I know why they were hiding the body – because looking at J&M is much more appealing than looking at that guy. They should have just put Giovanni under the blanket instead.

Other returning shows include Longmire, which aired yesterday, but I haven't watched it yet.

Necessary Roughness 6/12, Continuum 6/7 on Syfy, and also Burn Notice will be starting up.

New shows include Motive on ABC. This is a Canadian show that's already been airing there, and now will start in the U.S. I had the chance to watch the episode (1x13?) that featured Amanda Tapping, and loved it. It helps that the show features a few actors that I like.

Another new show that looks really cool is CBS’ Under the Dome. The previews remind me of the Sanctuary episode, Caranten, where Helen & Will were trapped in the time dilation field and couldn’t leave the bubble.

On a slightly different topic, the China Beach full dvd set is available now. I went to amazon to check it out. It’s $400? Seriously? I guess those music rights were worth more than all of the gold in the world – or maybe worth more than all of the Kardashians put together. Seriously? $400? I think I’ll wait for a while before getting that.  Maybe a long while.

Speaking of tv show dvds, I’m still waiting for season 6 of Facts of Life to be released. Why in the heck does it take so long to get more seasons of shows released? I’ve got the first five already, bring me more. Bring. Me. MORE!  Dammit! I saw this short article with Lisa & Mindy in the latest issue of People magazine.

On the music front – I saw the other day that Sheryl Crow tweeted that her new album will be coming out September 10^th. Really? Still another 3 ½ months? Sheesh. All good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait, I guess.

Speaking of music, for the past two weeks I’ve had Tegan & Sara’s “I was a fool” running through my head. I love the song dearly, but it’s driving me nuts that it’s been stuck in my head for so long. 

Friday This N That

It’s been a while since there’s been a This n That update. I guess there really hasn’t been much to gab about this summer, even though it’s been quite busy.

Last night’s episode of Saving Hope had me blubbering like a baby as Alex & Dawn fought over the decision to take Charlie off life support, as he had signed a DNR. I’m going to take a guess and say that Charlie will continue to breathe without the life support – at least he’d better, because if there’s no Charlie, there’s no reason for me to watch the show. The only reason I started watching was because of Michael Shanks. Without him and the character’s ‘ghostly spirit’ watching over things in the hospital, the show would be just another “ER.” Maybe they’ll have Charlie wake up and still be able to see/talk to the ghostly spirits. I loved seeing Brian Markinson on last night’s episode as well. (Remember him from Sanctuary, The L Word, and more) He just has just a wonderful screen presence in everything he does.

Michael just tweeted yesterday that he’s going to play hockey great, Gordie Howe, in an upcoming CBC tele-movie. It was cute how his former Stargate SG-1 co-star Amanda Tapping tweeted him to say that she had played Colleen Howe earlier in her career. Wouldn’t Michael & Amanda make a wonderful couple? I saw the trailer for Amanda’s new tv movie, Taken Back, that will be on Lifetime on August 11th. Be sure to check it out here. She really needs to be on a new series again, because I really miss her weekly on my tv screen.

Speaking of Amanda – I finally got the Season 4 dvd set of Sanctuary yesterday. It’s such a downer to remember that this wonderful series has ended. I’m glad they gave us over 1 1/2 hours of “extras”, however, I really would have liked more audio commentaries from Amanda. “Nice over-the-boob shot, Martin.” LOL and when she talks about her dad being on set & bringing her tea. That’s always the best part. I really did enjoy the commentary from writer Gillian Horvath on “the depths.” It was fun to learn that the Stargate action figures were there on Henry’s desk as he was testing his F.O.S.S.S. vest. So cute. I loved that they included all of the deleted scenes, especially a drunk Tesla. How could they not keep drunk Tesla in the original episode? And the “New York, 1901” scene really should have been left in, because that gave us a mention of the “Peruvian deep water cave” that was a gateway to Hollow Earth. That would have been a nice clue to the ending revelation of the brand new Sanctuary.


I caught most of “Silence of the Lambs” last night on Syfy. I hadn’t watched that in a long time. It made me remember what a great (but very strange) “relationship” that Hannibal Lecter & Clarice Starling had. It was strangely romantic.

On that note, I heard yesterday that they’ve cast Laurence Fishburne in the upcoming “Hannibal” tv series as Jack Crawford. I can now cross that show off my list of ones to watch. Seriously, Fish? He’s the one who really turned me off CSI, and even Marg couldn’t muster up much chemistry with him – which is quite unusual, because she could even find a way to have a bit of chemistry with David Caruso and Michael Beihn. Maybe the overly dark subject matter of “Hannibal” will be a better fit for Fish. I can’t imagine that I’m going to watch more than the pilot.

One show that I really have enjoyed, even though I’ve missed a few episodes is Longmire. Why does the show have to be on a weekend? Many times, I don’t even turn on my tv on weekends. Thank goodness for A&E’s numerous reruns of this show.


Another show caught in the “weekend” syndrome is Falling Skies. I only caught a few minutes of the season 2 premiere so far this season. I really need to get more into this show, because I love Colin Cunningham and I love Noah Wyle.


One show I never miss, is Rizzoli and Isles. Angie & Sasha are just so great together (even when they’re not together) and I’ve fallen in love with the rest of the cast as well. Now, if they could quit putting their good guest stars as “baddies” so we could have them on the show again. I guess that’s called the “CSI syndrome” as many of my favorites who guested on the show were either dead bodies or baddies, so they couldn’t come back in a recurring role.


My only beef with the show is that they’re not airing a new episode on August 7th, but having the summer finale air on the 14th. Unfortunately, I won’t be home that night, and probably won’t get to watch it until days later (unless I can catch the re-run at the hotel later that night on TNT.)


One show I can’t wait to return is Downton Abbey. I’m so pleased to see that it finally gets the Emmy recognition that it deserves. I think we need a season 3 slogan of “FREE BATES” because I really want to see Bates & Anna together on a regular basis, not with bars between them.


One thing I really don’t understand is promoting a series that doesn’t start until the next year. They did that last year with the reboot of Dallas. Now it seems they’re doing it with “Defiance.” Is it really that bad of a show that you need to promote it that far in advance? Sheesh.


On a final note for this edition of This N That –

I was so sad to hear of the passing of Sherman Hemsley earlier this week. He was a tv icon as George Jefferson, so much so that he never really got over that stereotype. Most of his other characters were just like that, including Deacon Frye on “Amen.” I also saw him in an 80s ‘campy’ movie, “Stewardess School.” He was one of a kind. Rest in peace, Sherman. It’s time to “Move on up to the East side, to that deluxe apartment in the sky” with Weezy.