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. 

Thursday This N That

Where, oh where does the time go? In my part of the universe, time seems to be forgotten as it’s nearing the end of April and Mother Nature still has not brought us spring. As I’ve learned from Sam Carter and Stargate SG-1, time is relative. Funny how I never really learned that in my high school science classes back in the day, but when it’s said by Sam, I seem to remember things easier. Go figure.

I’ve been pretty much spending my time lately with Twitter, which is usually much easier to ramble in 140 characters or less than typing up sensible blog posts (are any of them really ‘sensible’ to begin with anyway?). 

Anyway…back to the topic at hand – which would be tv shows.

Many of the fall/winter shows will be wrapping up their seasons shortly.

That includes NCIS, and from what I’ve seen, it sounds like probably a cliffhanger (which I absolutely hate!), but at least we’re going to get a bit of Tiva goodness in the eps leading up to the finale. I know they won’t give us much, but I’m grateful for the bits & pieces that we’ve gotten over the years.

I watched the NCIS:Red pilots that were part of the NCIS:LA episodes, and they were pretty good. I actually liked them until they brought in John Corbett as an antagonist/ex-lover for Kim Raver’s character. Why do the main characters usually have to be spurned lovers with a history? Oy! I liked the premise of an NCIS ‘mobile’ team that wasn’t stuck in one place for too long.

Chicago Fire has only a few more episodes to go. Unfortunately, it seems that bad-cop Voight is out of jail again and will be in the thick of the plot to end the season. That is SO annoying. I’m also not too thrilled with the Mills/Dawson/Casey love triangle thing. Hopefully with the return of Hallie, things might cool off with that. (doubtful) I also don’t like how they’re using every lesbian cliché they can think of when it comes to Shay. So annoying. All they need to do is bring me episodes with a bunch of call-outs and emergency rescues and I’ll be happy.

Revolution is into its second half of the season now. I’m not too pleased with some of the storylines, and I really could use more Nora. Since they’ve got Daniella Alonso on the show, which means she can’t get back on Rizzoli and Isles any time soon, they’d better give the woman some more damn screen time to make it worth my while. After all, she’s the only reason I’m watching this show.

Speaking of R&I, I saw the new promo pic for season 4 with Jane and Maura handcuffed together, and both in bright red outfits.

Nope. There’s nothing remotely lesbian about that pic, right? Didn’t think so. Haha. I have to wonder, though, why they have June 16^th as the premiere date, when 1) that’s a Sunday, not a Tuesday 2) the premiere date is actually June 25^th. Somebody in the PR department needs to be arrested by Jane and charged with ‘false advertisement’.  I do love that season 4 will bring us through Paddy Doyle’s trial, and of course, Hope will be there too. Now, if we could only get Constance to come back, and it would be nice to see the elusive Mr Isles. Whatever they do, there had better be no Jane/Maura angst this season like the beginning of last season. I don’t think my heart can handle that again.

A few new shows are getting underway now.

I watched the first couple episodes of Bates Motel (based on the movie, Psycho), but it was a bit too dull for my tastes. I’ll probably catch an episode here or there down the road when I remember that it’s on. I struggled through the premiere of Hannibal a couple weeks ago. I liked the visualization of Will Graham being ‘in the moment’ at the scenes and the way they shot them. However, the presence of Laurence Fishburne killed any enthusiasm I had of making this a regularly watched show. He’s just way too dull. All I could think about is that it’s Ray Langston incarnate, and that made me remember the bad-old-days of CSI. The show about Hannibal Lecter also made me yearn for a Jodie Foster appearance – or at least someone named Clarice Starling. This Lecter seemed much slimier than the highly-intelligent Doctor that Anthony Hopkins played.

One series premiere that I greatly enjoyed was Defiance, shown earlier this week.

 
I instantly fell in love with Doc Yewll. It may have been because of her witty sarcasm & one-liners – “good human,” and “if you rush me, we all go boom. If you yell at me, we all go boom. Now you know how I’m doing up here.” And how can you not love a new show that basically starts out with two main characters singing along with Johnny & June on “Jackson”?! That made me smile from ear to ear. One thing that kind of annoys me is that they occasionally talk in a different language. However, there’s one Castithan word that will easily stick with me: Shtako (translation = the 4-letter “S” word, crap, poo, doo doo, etc). Why are the curse words always the easiest to remember? LOL

There will be a few more shows starting soon, including Warehouse 13 Season 4.5 returning April 29^th on Syfy. 

Pi Day This n That

It’s 3-14, and you know what that means. Yep, it’s Pi Day! Pi, as in 3.14159. It’s strange, the things I remember from tv shows that I could never remember in science class back in the day. I remember Pi because it was used as a riddle in an episode of Stargate SG-1. There are many other scientific stuff that I’ve learned from Stargate, CSI, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles, and more. Oh, the power of television. 

Apparently, it's also National Potato Chip Day today as well. So that means a celebration with both pie and potato chips - and for me, that's the sour cream & onion variety.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

So, we’ve already had the time jump to Daylight Saving time, and we’re in the middle of March Madness, so the only thing I’m waiting for right now is…spring. Has anyone seen it? It sure hasn’t come to the Upper Midwest yet. Mother Nature really needs a new battery in her weather calendar.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about This n That on television, so let’s play catch-up.

* March Madness (aka the NCAA basketball tournaments) are here. All I will say on that is…Go Lady Vols!! Other than that, I really don’t pay much attention to it. The only thing it really does is screw up the tv viewing schedule for my regular shows – many of which are coming down to their season finales shortly.

My main shows at the moment include:

- NCIS … in which we’ll get to finally meet McGee’s father (an Admiral, no less). We’ve gotten a bit of closure on the death of Jackie Vance with Leon coming back to work, but have they already forgotten that Ziva lost her father as well? (or did she?) I’d like to see some continuation on that subject. Will she really go back to business-as-usual with no change in demeanor after something of that magnitude?

- Chicago Fire … are they really going to continue with this Shay/baby thing? Really? Please end that soon. Ugh! Such a cliched story line. I kind of like the Milson hookup (Peter/Gabriela), but please let them stay professional at work. The kiss in the middle of the hallway was SO not who those two are. I’m not really crazy about the whole mess that was brought up at the end of the last episode, with the whole Chief Boden/Mills Family saga, and now having Gabriela seemingly in the middle of it. The biggest question I have is – are we ever going to get story lines for Capp & Hadley? We see them on the fire runs & rescues, but they rarely get speaking parts, let alone actual story lines. I’ll admit that having Pouch the pooch is a nice addition. I just hope they don’t do what Rizzoli & Isles did with Bass & Jo Friday, where the pets become AWOL for a long time. (more on R&I in a little bit)

- SVU … a couple weeks ago, I watched what I consider to be one of the greatest episodes of the show. It centered on Amanda and her conniving sister, Kim, who set her up to be arrested for a murder. It was a great episode for Kelli Giddish, as well as the woman who played her sister. My only complaint of that episode is why it had to be Amaro who is the one to eventually ‘save the day.’ Seriously. Why not Liv? Why not Finn? Why is it always my least-favorite character on a show that always ends up being the hero? (think: CSI/Langston or Nick) It’s annoying.

- speaking of CSI … I need to give big kudos to Jorja Fox for bringing us a great episode a few weeks ago. It was an episode where Sara was framed for murder by Ronald Basderic (a suspect in a previous episode earlier this season). Sara gets to show her BAMF side (in confronting him & proving her innocence); her vulnerable side (celebrating her birthday alone at a restaurant & talking about her personal life with her co-workers); and her loving daughter side (as we finally get to meet her mother). Oh, and did I mention the revelation that Grissom/Sara (GSR) are separated? Hallelujah! (I know it’s too good to be true in the long run, but I’ll celebrate for the moment anyway) However, the episode made me miss the presence of Catherine, considering the subject of failed relationships and being a target.

* Since I mentioned Catherine, let’s talk about new opportunities for a couple of CSI alumni. Details continue to be released (almost daily, it seems) for upcoming pilots (new shows) to be shot.

- Marg has been cast in the CBS drama, Intelligence, which also features Josh Holloway. The logline states that the show “Centers of US Cyber Command, a unit that has been created around one agent with a very special gift: a microchip that has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.” While I was trying to make sense of what that actually means, it made me wonder if that’s like the character, Gary, on the Syfy show, Being Human, where he could visualize audio & visual signals.  I can only hope that Marg isn’t relegated to “second fiddle” status like she was on the later seasons of CSI.

- Marg’s former CSI co-star, Louise Lombard, has also been tabbed for a new show. It’s a drama for CW titled, The Selection. The logline states: “Set 300 years in the future, the drama is an epic romance centering on a working-class young woman chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women for the Royal Prince’s hand to become the nations’ next queen. Balancing her loyalty to family, true love and the kingdom, she must attempt to remain true to herself as she navigates the cutthroat competition and palace intrigue, all while a budding rebellion threatens to topple the crown.” I saw that Louise garnered the role of the current queen.

- I saw the new trailer for the upcoming show, Hannibal, which stars another former CSI alum, Laurence Fishburne. I’d love to watch a series that features Hannibal Lecter, however, in watching the trailer, I came to the conclusion that there will be way too much of Laurence in this show for my tastes. It brought back memories of what I call the “bad years” of CSI – the ones that featured Ray Langston (aka Fishburne). So, I guess I won’t be glued to my seat for this new series.

- another movie-to-tv series (beginning shortly) is Bates Motel on A&E (based loosely on the movie, Psycho). I’ve seen some of the previews, and I guess it looked a bit boring, but we’ll see.

- NBC is trying its luck at resurrecting an old classic (which means it’s sure to be a flop), with a remake of Ironside – the crime/drama that featured Raymond Burr as a detective in a wheelchair. The updated version features Blair Underwood in that role. Why do they do this to the old classics? WHY? Ugh!

- NBC is also bringing to life a present-day version of Hatfields & McCoys. I guess that means another Dallas-esque show about backstabbing, jealousy, and greed.

- CBS is doing its usual “since-it-ain’t-broke, add-another-spinoff” theory to the NCIS franchise. Yes, a third series, NCIS: Red, will be coming your way, with a ‘back-door pilot’ to air as an episode of NCIS:LA this spring. Thankfully, this one is a bit different as it follows a mobile team of agents as they solve crimes all across the country, thus they’re not stuck in a particular town/setting, which I think is the only way a third series could survive – by being more original. (remember what having a third CSI show with the same concept did to the franchise? Adios, Miami!)

- in looking at some of the names attached to a few other pilots, I’m intrigued by a small handful of them, including:

Killer women (Tricia Helfer), Murder in Manhattan (Annie Potts), Anatomy of Violence (Skeet Ulrich), The Crazy Ones (Robin Williams),Westside (Jennifer Beals, Dean Winters), Boomerang (Felicity Huffman, Anthony LaPaglia), as well as looking at the loglines for The Wild Blue (a mix of ER, The West Wing & Top Gun – about those working on a US Aircraft Carrier), and Sleepy Hollow (yes, as in “the legend of…”), as well as The Sixth Gun (a supernatural Western).

* moving on to my current favorite show, Rizzoli & Isles, which is currently filming season 4, I’m excited to see that they’ve got both Paddy Doyle and Hope Martin (Maura’s bio dad & mom) as the trial against Paddy gets underway, and even the return of Bass & Jo Friday (I call them, “the kids”). 

* news from another of my favorite shows – Downton Abbey – is not as pleasant, however, as I heard that Siobhan Finneran (Ms. O’Brien) did not renew her contract for season 4. So, along with the losses of Sybil and Matthew, we’re also going to lose O’Brien. Oy.

* speaking of departures – this one is of the very sad variety. Earlier this week, I watched the episode of Dallas, which featured J.R.’s funeral (precipitated by the death of Larry Hagman). While it was great to see some of the Knots Landing characters back to pay their respects, the most heartwarming (or maybe I should say heartbreaking) part of the episode was Sue Ellen’s speech – first saying that J.R. was the reason she drank, then admitting she was still a bit drunk as she was talking, reading J.R.’s letter to her about wanting to make amends and get together for dinner, and finally sobbing her reply, “YES.” I had to chuckle, though, at how they’re continuing the saga of “who shot J.R.?”  If they had to re-use a story line from the original, at least they went with that instead of Bobby-in-the-shower/it’s-all-a-dream.  LOL

* Earlier this week, I got the new issue of TV Guide, which included a list of the 60 Sexiest Couples Of All Time.

1.        Doug & Carol (ER) – I watched that one a little bit, I guess.

2.        Rob & Laura (The Dick Van Dyke Show) – my mom watched that one.

3.        Angel & Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) – didn’t watch it.

4.        Eric & Tami (Friday Night Lights) – didn’t watch it.

5.        Ross & Rachel (Friends) – that show was ANNOYING!

6.        Mulder & Scully (The X Files) – now there we go! Awesome couple.

7.        Sam & Diane (Cheers) – they were okay, but would get annoying.

8.        Mr Big & Carrie (Sex & the City) – didn’t watch it.

9.        David & Maggie (Moonlighting) – funny, hilarious, and almost slapstick-like.

10.     J.R. & Sue Ellen (Dallas) – backstabbing & manipulation … from both sides. What could be better?

The other 50 were listed by show & not numbered. Here are a few of my favorites:

-          Gomez & Morticia (The Addams Family) – so sweet.

-          Darrin & Samantha (Bewitched) – I loved the 1^st Darrin better.

-          Matthew & Mary (Downton Abbey) – did they really have to kill him off? Couldn’t they have him away somewhere, doing something? Ugh.

-          Tony & Jeannie (I dream of Jeannie) – loved these two. They were much like Darrin & Samantha from Bewitched.

-          Ricky & Lucy (I Love Lucy) – I think Lucy/Ethel were a better couple than Ricky/Lucy. Lucy/Ethel remind me of Jane/Maura on Rizzoli & Isles. But, I guess the criteria is “sexiest” couple, so…I still don’t see Ricky/Lucy on that list.

-          Greg & Paige (Knots Landing) – really? If you’re going to have a “sexiest” couple from Knots, how does it not include Abby? Seriously.  In comparison, Nicolette Sheridan was a bonfire, but Donna Mills was an inferno.

-          Shane & Carmen (The L Word) – Absolutely. I loved those two.

-          Tony & Ziva (NCIS) – TIVA rules! I love how Ziva can kick Tony’s ass at any given time…and he knows it.

-          Bobby & Diane (NYPD Blue) – loved these two. I also loved how they tried their best to be so professional at work, but still kept it hot & spicy. I’ll also say that Andy/Sylvia were pretty hot as well. The pairing I never did understand was Andy/Connie.

-          Beecher & Keller (Oz) – I’m so glad they included these two. Any couple that includes Chris Meloni is tops in my book. I just wish they would have found a way to include Elliot/Liv from SVU – even though they weren’t ‘technically’ a couple, they were still sexy & hot as partners.

-          Remington & Laura (Remington Steele) – yeah, that was a hot couple from back in the day.

-          Castle & Beckett (Castle) – only watch the show occasionally. They’re okay, I guess.

-          Booth & Bones (Bones) – I’ve only seen a couple shows. Didn’t see enough spark to make them ‘sexy’.

Couples that should have been included:

-          Michael & Nikita (La Femme Nikita) – a deadly (and sexy) combination. Roy Dupuis & Peta Wilson were HOT together!

-          Jonathan & Jennifer Hart (Hart to Hart) sexy, with class

-          K.C. & Boonie (China Beach) – hello! Sparks flying.

-          Bo & Hope (Days of our Lives) – I haven’t watched the show in almost 20 years, but I remember seeing the sparks fly even back then.

-          Sam & Jack (Stargate SG-1) – okay, so they technically weren’t a couple (at least until season 9, and then it was offscreen), but the eye-sex those two had for all of those years could burn holes hotter than a Goa’uld staff weapon.

-          Doug & Karen (ER) – George Clooney + Marg Helgenberger, anyone? That totally blew Doug/Carol out of the water.

-          Helen & John (Sanctuary) – Dr Helen Magnus + Jack-the-ripper. Perfect.

-          Matt & Kitty (Gunsmoke) – don’t tell me they didn’t ever hook up.

-          Olivia & Elliot (SVU) – as I mentioned previously, totally sexy & hot together as partners

-          Jane & Maura (Rizzoli & Isles) – Don’t say it. This is my world here, and these two are totally together. 

This n That

Wow! Where does the time go? Who’s in charge of that stopwatch? We need to hit the ‘pause’ button a little more often. Can you believe that we’ve gone through 1/24th of 2013 already?

Where to begin in the game of ‘tv catch-up’?

I was sad to have The Mob Doctor come to an end, but I was glad that they brought the storylines do a definite conclusion – with Grace’s mom getting killed, having Grace find out that she’s actually Constantine’s daughter, Grace killing Constantine and fleeing to Mexico with Franco. I liked how Dr White basically knew Grace had connections to Constantine and knew what she had been doing for him, but still giving her the leeway to operate as she did. I really liked the show overall, but didn’t think there would be enough in the way of varied storylines to keep it interesting for future seasons. I did love Wendy Makkena as Grace’s mom. Of course, I know her best as shy Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act.” And can’t forget her recurring role on NCIS as Kate’s sister, Dr Rachel Cranston.

Chicago Fire is a show that has really grown on me. This week, NBC replayed the pilot episode and I was reminded of just how far the show has come since then. However, I don’t like them portraying Dawson as the station slut. Gabriela Dawson is my favorite character. I love her scenes with Shay (that’s the Shawson ‘ship), both while on ambulance calls as well as just watching out for each other off duty. I wasn’t so crazy about Dawson & Casey (Cason), mainly because he was going through the breakup with Haillie, and has all of the other family baggage weighing on him. I do really like Dawson & Mills (Millson), but just wish they had hooked up before she got involved with Casey.  I still find the Shay/Severide relationship to be the strangest, yet most endearing. They’re like sister/brother, but Kelly needs to realize there need to be boundaries set where he doesn’t even think about sleeping with women that she's interested in. Totally not cool, buddy. Another of my favorites is Hermann. The poor guy just can’t catch a break, and now kid #5 is on the way.

And then there’s NCIS. This show has been so steady, and so, so good, but now it’s killing me. I mean, the stupid writers now seem to be killing off all of their great recurring guest stars – which is what made the show so good to begin with. They killed off Jenny Shepherd. Then they kill off Mike Franks. Now they kill off Eli David (Michael Nouri) as well as Jackie Vance (Paula Newsome). This is one time where I wouldn’t mind having them do the “Dallas/Bobby Ewing thing” – you know, “it’s all just a dream”. Or maybe they’ve actually faked Eli’s death so he can live in peace back in Israel. I hate that Jackie’s gone, though. It was great to have Paula on my tv screen occasionally. I miss her & the other girls from Women’s Murder Club. Paula, Laura & Aubrey need to rejoin with Angie on Rizzoli and Isles soon. I just saw a promo pic with Abby as a BINGO caller. It’s about time that we’d finally get to see a few things that Abby does when she’s not at work. Back to the topic of Eli’s death, I was hoping for Ziva to go into kick-ass vengeful mode in the last episode, but we saw nothing but a sorrowful, grieving daughter. I guess they were trying to show us how much she’s grown since her arrival at NCIS. I did love the sweet Tiva moments as well – especially the hug.

Yes, I still haven’t given up totally on CSI, but only occasionally watch. Strangely enough, it’s gotten back to being pretty good again. But of course, the stupid writers have to mess that all up with the icky GSR (Gil/Sara) marriage angst these days now. Gil phones, Sara ignores it. Gil phones, Sara stares at the phone longingly, then ignores it. Gil phones, Sara is encouraged by her co-worker to answer, she ignores it. Gil phones, Sara is encouraged by her co-worker to answer, and she finally does. Really? Did we really need those stupid reminders of all of the years of crappy storylines of Sara and her ‘daddy complex’ fixation on her boss, and then the ‘oh surprise, they’re actually together’/ ‘hideous Hawaiian shirt on the bed’ reveal?  Can we just get to the divorce already? Or, how about a phone call from Catherine to one of the guys? I wouldn’t mind a Catherine mention sometime soon. I believe next week’s episode is the tennis-themed one with Chris Evert. I’m kind of looking forward to that one. And then there’s supposed to be the big Sara’s mother arc. I can only hope that doesn’t turn into a GSR-fest again as well.  Then again, the CSI writers always do the opposite of what I want anyway. Why should it be any different now?

Season 3 of Downton Abbey has started here now in the US. I’ve already had a chance to see the episodes when they aired in the UK. Watching the season from the beginning again has reminded me of how well the season started off – with the addition of Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother, and how everything went downhill from there – especially with killing off some of the favorite characters.  I’m not amused.

I had the chance to watch Chris Vance in his series, Transporter: The Series. Yes, it’s basically the movie in a weekly version. As nice as it is to see Chris getting the recognition and screen time, the series gets kind of boring after a few episodes as it’s basically just a recurring cycle of pick up the package, have a car chase, avoid bad guys, deliver package, and start again. It’s kind of the same problem I had with Mob Doctor, where there’s really not much room to branch out from the ‘same old’ every time.

Bunheads has started back up again on ABC Family. It’s great to have my fill of Michelle & Fanny snarkasm again.

Amanda Tapping is still appearing in episodes of Supernatural. She was in a few scenes of the episode this week. I don’t watch the series. I tried. The first week that Amanda was on the show, I actually watched the full show. Sorry to say, that is the most bored I’ve been with a show in a long time. As you have probably guessed, my tv viewing normally gravitates to shows that have a strong female presence. This show definitely does not. It didn’t help that Amanda’s appearance was in the very last scene of the episode. Since then, I’ve relied on the kindness of those who watch the show and clip off Amanda’s scenes for us to view. Thank you, kind people.

That brings me to what’s upcoming.

Amanda’s former Stargate co-star, Ben Browder, will be on next week’s episode of Arrow.

Next week also brings us the return of Necessary Roughness on USA. I’m not a real big fan of the show, but occasionally catch an episode or two – especially if Liz Vassey makes an appearance.

Season 2 of Dallas will begin on Monday, January 28th on TNT. It’ll be quite a different show, especially with the emotions that will be shown as they incorporate Larry Hagman’s death into the storyline and have a funeral for J.R.

I also saw just recently that ABC has pushed the season premiere of Body of Proof back to February 19th instead of February 5th. It’s a good move, because the State of the Union address is on February 12th, which means that BoP would be pre-empted anyway. So it would have had the premiere, gone for a week, then back for episode 2. With the revised schedule, the show can air on consecutive weeks without skipping.

Arctic Air has begun season 2 in Canada. I’ve got the first two episodes, but haven’t had a chance to watch them yet.

I also had a chance to see the preview trailer for the movie, RED2, with Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren & Mary Louise Parker. I loved the original movie, and can’t wait to see Helen Mirren play with the big guns again.

There are some new shows that will be starting up in February, but I’ll get to them later.

Monday This N That

After a week of vacation, sitting at home doing basically nothing, I’ve realized that…I really LIKE doing nothing!

However, vacations must end and it’s time to return to that 4-letter “W” word. (please, don’t make me say it.)

For the tv viewing schedule, this week seems to be kind of “messed up.”

First of all, tonight brings the mid-season finale of Revolution. I will admit that this show has grown on me more each week. I attribute that to the increased screen time of Daniella Alonso as “Nora.” She brought a female toughness to the show when all of the other females seemed to be whiny, timid, and scared.

Daniella’s “other” show returns tomorrow night. Yes, I know that Daniella was only a recurring character, Riley, on Rizzoli and Isles, but it was because of seeing her on this show that made me want to keep watching Revolution. And the Angie Harmon ‘kiss of life’ syndrome continues as well. Donnie Wahlberg, Billy Burke, Chris Vance, and now Daniella Alonso all hooking on to other shows after being on R&I. Hopefully, since R&I is actually a “summer” show, maybe we’ll still get to see Riley in a few episodes. I know she’ll be in at least one of the upcoming 5 “winter episodes.”

I had re-watched Sasha in “The Last Lullaby” and “Coming and Going” again last week. I keep enjoying her performances a bit more every time I see them. However, no matter how many times I re-watch her NCIS episodes, I still don’t like her as Kate. For some reason, I see Kate as too whiny, bumbling, and nowhere near an equal to any of the guys. I didn’t like that.

Speaking of NCIS, I saw this lovely list for Sasha’s ‘replacement’, Cote de Pablo.

The other day, I ordered an NCIS Bert the Farting Hippo keychain. It should arrive in the next couple days. It would be cute to have a big one like Abby, but this small one should suffice. 

Let’s not forget about the guys now. ‘People’ had their list of ‘hot guys’ in a recent issue, and it included Michael Weatherly, along with Michael Ealy (did they really have to cancel Common Law? Damn!) and Eric C Olsen. However, I have a big issue concerning their ‘graying’ list. Seriously, no Mark Harmon, or even Bruce McGill? Really?

Speaking of Bruce – I heard that he was on the latest episode of “The Good Wife.” I’m not a regular watcher of the show (legal shows bore me to death) but I’ve gotta track down that episode to see him. I still wish that CSI would have revisited the storyline of Bruce as Catherine’s mentor, Jimmy Tadero, in the later seasons. Although, I guess at least they mentioned him in her final episode.

On the subject of CSI, even though I’m not a faithful watcher of the show anymore, I do somewhat enjoy Elisabeth Shue’s character, which I categorize as a mix of early Cath & Sara – fiery, spirited, outgoing, and confident. Two of my favorite EShue movies are “Adventures in Babysitting” and “Cocktail.”

On a sad note, I heard that Larry Hagman passed away on Friday. He was such a wonderful actor. I remember him from his comedy days as Major Nelson on “I Dream of Jeannie” with Barbara Eden. Of course, he will forever be known to all as the ruthless J.R. Ewing on “Dallas.” The catch phrase “Who shot J.R.?” will probably make the Top 10 list for an entire millenium.

 

Thursday This n That

Premiere Week for many of my shows has arrived in full force with swords, arrows, guns, explosions, mobsters, deaths, weak copies and overblown soap operas.

Yes, all that in just three days of tv watching.

Monday started off on a lighter note with the return of 2 Broke Girls as Max & Caroline visit Caroline’s father (the wonderful Steven Weber) in prison (a low-class country club?)

Then we turn to the semi-dark side with The Mob Doctor, as Grace ends up telling her brother about her involvement with the mob and what she’s had to do in order to keep her family safe. Now her brother has decided to join their ranks? Is that really on the up-and-up or is he trying to infiltrate them to bring them down? Hmmm the plot thickens. I just wish there was a show that had mobsters who were as cool as Paddy Doyle from Rizzoli & Isles. All the others seem to pale in comparison to Paddy.

Monday also brought episode 2 of Revolution, in which I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than the pilot episode. Usually episodes 2, 3 & 4 are the most crucial for me and many times I tend to lose interest rapidly. So this must be a good sign that I might actually enjoy the show throughout its full run. My enjoyment of this episode may have a lot to do with the fact that we got to see Daniella Alonso as Nora. Rizzoli and Isles fans will know Daniella as Det Riley Cooper, who was introduced this past season on the show.

My Monday gripe – why the heck did CBS have to move 2BG up 1/2 hour so it now clashes with Mob Doc? Seriously, can’t they leave well enough alone? I liked it at 7:30, damn it.

Tuesday’s viewing schedule is a nightmare.

Thankfully, NCIS is sitting alone in its 7pm timeslot. It was a good season opener, coming back from the aftermath of the bombing of NCIS headquarters. My only complaint is that there was no *boom* to blow up Dearing. I mean, seriously? After all of the bombing & killing that he’s done over the last few episodes, you’d expect to have him go away in a big bang. I guess the writers’ thinking was that it was more appropriate for Dearing to die at Gibbs’ hands with Jethro’s weapon of choice (a knife) instead of playing Dearing’s game and using a bomb. But it made the whole over-hyped serial killer story feel like it ended with a whimper. Overall, we get Tiva flirting in an elevator, Ducky showing his mettle by staying strong, even when his body wasn’t up to par. Jimmy Palmer stepping up to the plate and accepting more responsibility.

The one thing I really love about NCIS is that, unlike other shows (hint: CSI) it doesn’t change the formula of the show and what made it a success to begin with. I do like the hint that we get to hear a little about Tony’s mother in an upcoming ep.


NCIS:LA followed with its season premiere. It’s always a good episode when Kensi & Deeks get to go undercover. The scene with the two in the bank was fun to watch, and then the humor turns into a shootout where they get rescued by Sam. In all, it was a great plan they had, with Hetty resigning, Callen getting taken, then traded back…all part of the plan. I must say that this show is actually growing on me. I think the show got better when it started to be more than just the Callen/Sam show. Bringing Kensi, Deeks, Nell and Eric more into the plotlines has brought more interest from me overall.

Then we move into that dreaded 9pm timeslot. Sons of Anarchy, Parenthood, Vegas, and even Rizzoli and Isles reruns on TNT. Good grief. Thankfully, FX reruns SoA later in the evening, so I’m usually able to catch that airing.

However, I’m starting to lose my interest in the show, especially when they make the strange storyline choices that they have lately. After this episode, all I can do is shake my head & say “why?” - why kill Opie? Why not Clay when the chance was there? And what have they actually turned Gemma into these days? Katey Sagal had brought to life a great character for the first couple seasons. Now, they seemed to have thrown away the parts that made her so great.

This week, I tuned in to catch the series premiere of Vegas on CBS. Sadly, I was quite unimpressed. Even a high-profile cast like Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis and Carrie-Anne Moss can’t seem to spice up the drabness that was prevalent in the pilot. IMO, the only bright spot was Carrie-Anne Moss. The show seemed very much like a poor-man’s Longmire. However, Longmire is a much more interesting series. Maybe I was expecting more from Vegas, but I can safely say that I will be crossing it off my weekly watching list.  At least that gets my down to a timeslot war between SoA and Parenthood.

Parenthood always seems to be the show in that timeslot that gets lost in the shuffle. Now, strangely enough, it might be the only one left on my weekly watching list. Now, if I could only get them to bring more screen time for Bonnie Bedelia. *sigh* I guess I can dream, right?


That brings us to Wednesday.

SVU returned with a 2-hour continuation of the storyline from last season that sent Captain Cragen to prison. I liked all of the twists & turns. My big beef with the story came from the very quick wrap-up to everything. All of a sudden, Foster has been discovered, Cragen is out of jail, and the news story voice-over of all these higher-ups who were arrested & charged. Talk about a rushed ending. However, on the bright side, I guess that meant we got more time with Liv in the squad room to talk to both Nick and Captain Harris before they left. I’m still not a fan of the Liv/Nick pairing. Why couldn’t they have Liv & Amanda partnered up more? Come on, where’s the girl power?! And what’s up with Liv kissing her former partner in the hospital bed like that? Okay, let me rephrase that…what’s up with Liv kissing her former partner (who isn’t Elliot) in the hospital bed like that? However, I do like Dean Winters as her former partner. Seeing him makes me want to get out my Oz dvds and rewatch that whole series. At least they didn’t kill him here, so he has a chance of coming back. I also liked Adam Baldwin in his role here. At least he wasn’t portraying a total hardass like he usually does. As I was watching, I was thinking that Dann Florek was probably having fun playing his character in a totally different way than normal (in prison garb instead of a suit). And of course, there was Brooke Smith as Delia. I don’t think I can ever see Brooke as anything but the ‘girl in the well’ in Silence of the Lambs. Peter Jacobson as Ganzel was cool too.

And then there’s CSI. God help me, but I still had to check out some of the season 13 premiere. I don’t understand why I still torture myself. Thankfully, I was able to watch the show early, and in ‘fast forward’ mode, so I could actually watch SVU on tv instead.

Where do I start?

Well, after all these years, Nick is finally starting to show his true colors. Drunk, belligerent, self-righteous… heck, over the past few seasons, the writers have given up any semblance of continuity from seasons 1-5 as to who these characters are, so why not change all of them into people they’ve never been. That’ll be sure to shake up the ratings, right? So, we’ve got Nick as belligerent and self-righteous, that means we’ve got to have Sara as meek & mild too. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when a meek Sara let DB walk all over her at the house when she was there to process. Do any of the current CSI writers even remember the ‘real’ Sara? Does anyone remember Nesting Dolls, After the Show or Lady Heather’s Box? How about even Too Tough to Die or No Humans Involved? What the hell has happened to the fierce, passionate, and geeky Sara Sidle? Seriously. I don’t remember Sara Sidle ever being quiet and meek at a crime scene – even when her boss is in the middle of a personal crisis.

And about that… what the hell, DB. Did you take lessons from Ray Langston? Is that where you got the “I’m the one in charge and I’m going to do whatever the hell I want, fuck the consequences, as long as I get what I want” attitude? Yes, I consider Ray to have been the one “in charge” back then, because even though Catherine was the supervisor, Ray did whatever the hell he wanted to anyway. And do y’all remember how Catherine handled cases when they were personal? In LHB, Sara tells her “you shouldn’t be handling evidence, you’re not on the case” and Catherine concedes, while occasionally giving her ‘two cents’ to Sara at times. When Catherine was drugged, the car crashed, and Lindsey was kidnapped, she let Nick & Warrick process the evidence, and eventually got Lindsey back. Yet, here we have DB, who’s very much in the middle of things personally, tell Sara to get in line or go to hell.

S: I know one thing, you shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a conflict of interest and the evidence will be challenged in court.
DB: yeah, I’m not really thinking about court right now, Sara. (his gun is showing on his belt) you wanna open up that kit or do you wanna just stand there?
Wow. What I wouldn’t give to have Sara start an in-your-face verbal sparring match. I mean, really? Sara taking one look at DB’s gun on his belt and it shuts her up? Is that really what these writers have turned her into? At least Brass had his balls and put DB in his place.

That wasn’t even mentioning Sara’s verbal sparring with Nick at the end about the definition of “quitting.” It seems that since Catherine left, no one can remember what intensity & passion for the job really means anymore.
I did have to “Awww” at Greg trying to be the peacemaker between Nick & Sara at the end.
G: sounds like the LVPD’s making a comeback. How about you, Nick?
N: what about me? … I don’t know, I haven’t talked to Russell yet.
G: this isn’t about Russell
S: words have consequences, you know. I mean, if you say you quit you need to mean it.
N: you quit.
S: yeah but, I didn’t say it out loud. I left a note at reception for Grissom and I walked right on out of here.
N: and you’re still here, so don’t preach to me about integrity. Okay?
S: wait a minute, I’m not preaching to you about integrity. I’m being supportive here.
N: yeah, you are, don’t you think?
S: I went away for a while and I got my head together.
N: you’ve got a lot of nerve to talk to me about quitting, you really do.
G: all right, all right, all right. This is not how family treats each other. … well, actually it is, but we are also a team. And that means that we have to trust that we have each other’s back no matter what, so… are you in, or are you out?

So, in all of that, I’ve concluded that:
1. Nick’s still an ass, and he has been since mid-season 7 (sorry Lynn)
2. of the original team, Greg’s become the adult of the bunch.
3. Sara was right – there’s a difference in the way she quit compared to Nick saying he was quitting – because she actually DID quit and was gone for a while.
4. it makes me realize that Sara & Catherine verbal sparring matches were something special in the first 5 seasons.
5. Catherine had been the heart & soul of the show, because the team has lost its feeling of ‘family’ (contrary to Greg’s comment) since her departure. Didn’t they say that with the addition of DB, they were going to concentrate on “family?” I don’t see much of one right now – other than maybe a reincarnation of The Bickersons.  Everyone seems to have lost their identity since Catherine left.

I can’t forget to give kudos to Brass for still having his balls.
B: Stokes, shut up. Yeah, that’s right. Gilmore was a material witness in an ongoing police corruption investigation, which by the way, you completely screwed up by going full cowboy on some scheme to extort money for ransom.
DB: listen to me, I’m talking about my granddaughter.
B: you don’t think I understand that?
DB: no, I don’t. you’re not behaving that way.
B: you know what? Look when you processed your own house, I didn’t say anything. When you went into McKeen’s cell by yourself, I didn’t stop you. You know why I didn’t tell you where Gilmore was? Because I knew it would end up exactly like this. Don’t you get it? McKeen knew he was going to get his money. The only thing he couldn’t get was Gilmore. He needed you to find him. So…DB, go home. Be with your family.

*applauds* thank you, Brass. At least there’s SOMEONE on this team that actually still has their balls intact. I’m glad it’s you who could knock DB and Nick off their high horses.

On a brighter note for CSI (well, maybe not) – it looks like I actually have to buy the season 12 dvd set since Marg does two audio commentaries – for her last two episodes, plus a featurette on saying goodbye to Marg. Unless someone can be really, really nice and upload them to the web for me. It just kind of sucks that for 11 seasons, she had only done 1 commentary (S5 Weeping Willows) and now she does two for only 1/2 season? Good grief. The one season where they actually have some decent extras on the dvd, and there’s only 1/2 season of Marg.

Yep, that’s my luck.

Anyway, I caught the premiere of The Neighbors last night. I’m not sure on this one yet. It’s kind of like an offshoot of 3rd Rock from the Sun. the wife’s name is Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the kids are Dick Butkus and Reggie Jackson. So funny. My only reason for watching in the 1st place is because of Jami Gertz. It’s funny that of all the people from The Facts of Life, Jami is the one who’s still appearing on prime-time tv (Lisa Whelchel’s stint on Survivor not withstanding) I’m bummed that she didn’t list “Boots” as one of her favorite characters to play.


Last, but not least – I’ve seen the first two episodes of Downton Abbey season 3. It’s strange to have it airing in the UK long before the US (but since it’s a UK show…) I can’t decide which relationship I love better – Anna & Bates or Mary & Matthew. Anna/Bates is usually so quiet & loving (considering he’s in prison) and Mary/Matthew at least has a bit of fire to it. However, after watching episode 2 of this new season, I might even start shipping Hughes/Patmore. It’s so sweet how the two of them are bonding during this tough time with Mrs Hughes health situation. I also find it funny how O’Brien used to be on Thomas’ side with all of his scheming and now, considering that she knows how he plays his games, it’s fun to see her on the other side and trying to outsmart him.

And what can I say about Maggie Smith vs Shirley MacLaine? Absolutely brilliant casting is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s nice (and so refreshing) to have Cora’s mother and mother-in-law squaring off.

So, tonight (Thursday) brings the premiere of Elementary, with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock & Watson. I saw the pilot a couple weeks ago and was quite impressed. I’ll be sure to catch the premiere on tv tonight as it airs. Tonight is also the premiere of Last Resort. This one I found kind of boring, until the end of the pilot, so maybe I’ll catch a few episodes before I cross it off my list.

Wednesday This N That

Am I really going to do this?

One half of my brain says “absolutely not.” The other half says… “maybe just a little bit.”

Can you believe that this internal head-butting dilemma is all because of a… *gasp* reality show?

Yes, in my world, that would make headline news because, seriously, I just don’t do reality shows. Ever.

Okay, that’s a lie. I did watch (and very much enjoyed) the “Police Women of…” series on TLC (PWO Broward County was my favorite), but that was really just a documentary or docu-drama and not a ‘reality’ series…right? (Please say ‘yes’!)

And there was that one time where I watched a small part of a show (I think it was Big Brother) just because Sheryl Crow was singing on it. But that doesn’t count because I wasn’t really watching the show itself, I was watching Sheryl…right?

So there, I don’t watch reality shows. I think reality shows have become the main reason for the downfall of morals & values in society. They’ve made us think that greed, backstabbing, whining and over-inflated egos are a suitable replacement for kindness, selflessness and charity.

So, why the internal ‘reality show’ dilemma?

Blame it on Lisa Whelchel.

Does the name ring a bell? If not, maybe I should say “Blair Warner” or “Facts of Life” or maybe just sing “you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the Facts of Life.”

Yes, THAT Lisa Whelchel. And Lisa Whelchel is going to be on the new season of “Survivor” which begins tonight.

So, the ever-present question: can I really force myself to watch? Maybe this is one time where my VCRs will come in very handy. Record the episode, and just clip off any parts that include her. I’m thinking that might be acceptable.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m actually going to be ‘watching’ a reality show…right?

Okay, enough about reality shows. I’m going to break out in hives just thinking about the ickiness of them. Let’s move on.

Speaking of forcing myself to watch shows because of certain actors…

It looks like I need to check out a few episodes of Supernatural during this upcoming season 8. The ever-wonderful Amanda Tapping will be making a few appearances. Damn that woman for being so charming & lovable that I’d watch anything she does. I even watched the independent film “Stuck” because of her. Usually a film that takes place entirely in an elevator wouldn’t be something I’d watch. I blame Amanda.

I also should make mention that I heard Leisha Hailey will be guesting on The New Normal in an upcoming episode as one half of a lesbian couple with Constance Zimmer. (typecasting much? Lol)

Anyway…

Next week, most of my shows are back in full force, starting with 2 Broke Girls on Monday. I’m looking forward to more of the wild & zany with Max & Caroline & their cupcakes.


But why, oh why, does CBS have to move 2BG back another 1/2 hour this season? Now it conflicts with one of my new shows, The Mob Doctor, which premiered this week. I enjoyed the show. It’s kind of like ER meets Goodfellas, or just Nurse Jackie seriously flipped on its ass. I wonder if Lorraine Bracco will make a guest appearance on the show. She’s been in every ‘mob’ movie or show ever made, right? Haha. Anyway, considering that most of the reviews I saw leading up to the premiere called it one of the worst shows of the season, I’m going to guess that my TV jinx is going to come back in full force this fall season, but I hope this show is able to keep a decent audience. It would be another ‘feather in the hat’ for a female-led show.



Tuesday brings the return of NCIS and the aftermath of last season’s explosive ending – Ducky’s heart attack on the beach, Gibbs covering Abby, Tiva in the elevator, McGee in the bullpen. I think I will enjoy seeing Jimmy Palmer a bit more in the spotlight.


Tuesday also has the premiere of the comedy, Ben & Kate. I watched the pilot for this show and realized that for some reason, I just can’t get into comedies, unless it’s something really special (or maybe snarky is the correct word) like 2 Broke Girls or Bunheads.


The new show, Vegas, premieres on Tuesday as well on CBS. I can only hope that it will live up to its hype, which is mainly due to the high-profiled cast – Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, etc. Wouldn’t it be cool if they’d incorporate Sam Braun (CSI) into the show? Now, this is why I would have loved to have had CSI leave Catherine with the exit line of going back to run the casinos instead of joining the FBI. Yes, I know the show is set in the ‘old’ days of Vegas, but Sam/Lily and young Catherine would be viable characters, right?


Speaking of Catherine… Marg, I miss your lovely face on my tv screen. Please find a guest-starring gig real soon. At least the mags haven’t forgotten her.


Moving up to Wednesday, CSI returns for season 13. Does anyone really care about this show anymore? If anyone knows when good Sara or Greg-centric episodes are coming up, please give me a heads-up so I can tune in. Otherwise, I think I’m done with the show. However, I was sad to hear of George’s loss of both his father as well as Maverick. The dog even made an appearance in the episode, “Burked” from season 2. I can’t believe the show has remembered the word “continuity.” That’s usually the one word the show never could remember. Bringing back the Warrick storyline is a good start.


Does anyone still make video clips of the Sara scenes?

SVU also returns on Wednesday with a 2-hour premiere. What’s up with that? Why the need for overkill to start the season?


Thursday of next week brings the premieres of two new shows – Elementary and Last Resort. I’ve watched the premieres for both of them, and give Elementary a hearty 2 thumbs-up (Jonny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu are great as Holmes & Watson), while just a so-so rating for Last Resort (it might get better once they stay off the sub and don’t make me feel claustrophobic).


Since it looks like the Friday tv viewing schedule is as dull as a board, I think I’ll try getting into Blue Bloods this season…maybe. Don’t hold your breath.

I saw this short story on Penny Marshall in the latest issue of People. I had to chuckle at her comment on how she’d like to direct a tv show now, because “The movie business is in the toilet. All they want is vampires & car chases.” ROFL that is so true.



Before I end for this time around, I need to make mention of Kathy Bates and how inspiring she is for everything that she’s gone through recently – the latest being her double mastectomy. I saw a quote where she said she missed being on Harry’s Law more than she missed her breasts. How can you not absolutely adore the lady for that?