A Slight Surprise

Grey's Anatomy

I didn't know what to expect from Grey's this year. It just seemed like a weird ending last season. One intern not graduating, an entire new set of interns, Burke "leaving" (which...just for the record, I find his firing COMPLETELY ridiculous!, but this is a blog about TV so I won't get into how I think America is getting way too sensitive for it's briches and people just need to chill the F out!), and Meredith and Derrek on the rocks...again. I think I was afraid that the characters we've all fallen in love with were going to disappear. I'm glad I was wrong. I thought it was a great set-up for the season and I'm glad. Although...I could have done without the deer healing storyline. Seriously?! I started out thinking Lexi was completely annoying. I mean, who breaks the news to someone that you're their sister in the middle of an emergency? But I ended up thinking she was "ok" when she supported George through accepting that repeating his intern year wasn't a death sentence. I thought Derrek's Meredith-protection speach was great to McSteamy. But I think it's lame that Derrek and Meredith are even attempting to break up. That only means there will be some great "break-up sex" story lines in the next few weeks...and you can't beat that! But the best part of the epsiode? George finally admiting to Izzie that he loves her too! (***Now...some of you might not know this. I have heard from various friends that their DVRs cut off and didn't record the last couple minutes. So, of course, they came running to me. Another CLEAR example how TiVo blow DVR out of the water. You can easily set your Season Passes to always stop recording 2 minutes (or more, or less) later than it should. That way...you won't miss the best parts of your shows AND the scenes. And EVERYONE loves next week's scenes!) So it's going to be great seeing how our favorite ex-interns are all going to be "growing up" this year. It'll be drama as usual and I love every minute of it!

Ugly Betty Takes a Turn

No...she hasn't gotten hot...yet. But I mean seriously...how long do people need to wear braces these days! Anywho...Ugly Betty took a turn by getting pretty serious. Usually I'm laughing at all the craziness of the show, but this week, I felt SO horrible for Hilda. At first I was confused, I thought her man was gone. And until I realized what was going on, I was so excited that he "made" it. But then it caught up with me. All of Hilda's happiness was just a dream. It was an interesting break from the typical Ugly Betty hijinx of the show. I definitely don't mind bits of reality thrown in there.

I'll tell you who my favorite character is though...Justin! And I hope we see more of him this season! He's adorable, hilarious and has great fashion sense! And how about Alexis thinking she's Alex again? And what does that mean exactly? Do all transgender people just need to get hit in the head really hard?! But it should be classic when he realizes he did a little chop-chop! The only real gripe I had from this season opener was Betty. Her running around like crazy and stressing out like a mad woman actually stresses ME out! Call down woman! Take a Xanax and laugh at yourselves...because the whole show deserves it!

Bionic Woman

At first glance, I was dazzled by the special effects and the fact that it looks even better with my HD TiVo. At second glance, I wasn't quite sure. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt with having to properly set up the entire series, but the "original" bionic woman, Sarah Corvus, played by Katee Sackhoff, isn't as cool as I was hoping her to be. Michelle Ryan, playing Jaime Sommers turned out to be a bit more impressive than I thought from the first 15 min. of the show. But who doesn't like women kicking some ass anyway?! Watching Jaime and Sarah tee off a bit more will obviously still be fun to watch. I must say though, if I suddenly had all these abilities, I'm not sure I would be out jumping buildings on my first go. I'm excited to see her abilities develop and watching her really learn how to use them. I think the key to watching this show is to forget about the 1970's version. I definitely loved the original, but already, these two are very different. At this point, I'm just looking forward to the next 2-3 episodes to see how these characters, and story lines, really start to develop.

Private Practice

So PP had it's first real show last week. And I must say, I wasn't extremely impressed. Did I expect to be? Not really...spin-offs always seem to struggle. But, I still liked it enough to continue watching. The first thing I noticed was that Merrin Dungey made a better Naomi in the pilot than Audra McDonald in this first episode. At least initially I thought that. I warmed up to her as she really took the reins towards the end of the show. I'm not sure about the entire cast's chemistry. I sort of feel like Amy Brenneman is out of place as Violet, the phsyciatrist, but I'll give her a chance. Taye Diggs is hot, so he can play whatever he wants and I'll agree. And I'm already annoyed with the Alternative Medicine guy Peter. He's another one of those guys that thinks he's "God's give to men" and I hope he firmly gets put in his place sooner rather than later. The #1 thing I learned from this show is that I will never go to some hippy center to have a baby. You better believe I'll be around a full set of drugs and sterile environments in case anything goes wrong. I definitely don't believe some hippy Dr. can cut off all pain by a couple pricks of a needle. Total BS in my book! But all in all, as another drama to watch with a few characters I already know I like, I'll definitely be watching a few more episodes before making my final verdict. And even then, knowing me, I'll still keep watching. Looking forward to some steamy encouters at least! Overall, a good first start.

The Bachelor = Dumbass Beoches

A bit delayed, but here I go! What is WRONG with these women?! I must say, I have watched every year of this show and it is a complete guilty pleasure for me. There is just something about watching ridiculous desperate women that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And if that's wrong...I don't care! Seriously, do you really need to show your webbed feet to a guy on a 1st meeting? Do you really have to get so drunk that you sound like a blubbering idiot? Not to mention the influx of fake boobs each year kills me! There are more and more appearing all the time! So far, the only girl I think is "real" is the girl from GA. The Greek girl. I did find her Greek speak in their initial meeting really lame, but hey, she made it right? The girl he gave the first impression rose is a bit annoying. And for being a professional dancer...I could totally take her. She was horrible! So it's looking to be another good season of drama and bitchiness. I love it! Can't wait to see who embarasses themselves first!

Chuck doesn't suck

Another great show this season. Typically this isn't my type of show, but after the great reviews, I had to at least TiVo it and try it out. I'm glad I did! I love it when a show can make me laugh out loud and this show did it to me quite a few times. Chuck, the cute nerd that he is, accidentally downloads all of the CIA, FBI and NSA's secrets into his brain when his Stanford college roommate, a high powered spy, sends him a riddled email. Now that the government has found out how valuable he is, and needs their full protection, they have now weaseled their way into his life. The rest of the season we'll see how this nerd gets by in the real world. He'll help the government with his knowledge while he continues his normal life with his good friend Morgan by his side. And really, he's more of a geek, not a nerd. Let's face it...no nerd can pull off the witty banter he had with Sarah on a first date like he did. He's clearly a geek...but I digress. Can't wait to see who he saves next week and what embarrassing things happen to him along the way.

Dance woman!

Dancing with the Stars kicked off last night like a firecracker! And that firecracker's name is Sabrina Bryan! I have NO clue who this chick is...but she was a dancing fool! Even though I agree with the judges, hip-hop really has no place in a Cha-cha, her spunk definitely pulled it off! You can definitely tell she is 22. Compare her craziness next to Jane Seymour's smooth and simple moves and you can tell which one is 56. Although, I must say, Jane Seymour looks ridiculously good for someone her age! Hell...I'd like to like that myself! Dayum! A slight disappointment was my girl Kelly Taylor...er...Jennie Garth. I'm of course cheering for her since I have been obsessed with 90210 since the beginning, but she should definitely stick to acting. Who knew she was that uncoordinated?! I don't really know what I was expecting, but I guess she was the #1 pick in my head. But you never know...she could really pull through and learn a lot! I definitely think she has potential...so I will keep cheering for my girl Kelly...um...Jennie! Yes...that will happen the entire season. Everyone else....eh...I have my picks and I'm stickin' to 'em!

I need a Hero!

I think Heroes is one of the most unique and ingenious shows out there these days. I mean seriously...how many crime dramas or hospital dramas to we really need??? Heroes is just brilliant! Last night was a great starter to the season. We see Suresh and Bennett teaming up, Parkman turning into a father...but not for his real child, Claire still struggling to "fit in", Nathan has fallen from his position of power while his mother and Hiro's father were "marked" by receiving a picture of themselves with the Helix written over their heads in red. We also said "bye bye" to Hiro's dad last night. Hiro changed the past without realizing it and Peter finally showed up, but not remembering who he really is. Tons and tons of questions. Exactly how a season is supposed to start! We didn't even see Nikki, D.L., Micah or Sylar...but you know Sylar is out there for sure. I'm so excited to see where this season will lead!

Teaser

I was teased. Teased that Sunday night was the real season premiere of Brothers & Sisters and Desperate Housewives. But really, it was just a re-cap of all the story lines to date. Both were well done, and I really liked the Brothers & Sisters re-cap. They had interviews with all the cast-mates and writers, so it was interesting hear their takes. Still...I was ready for the season to start! Next week is the real beginning of the season and I can't wait. It sounds like some good drama this year for both shows. Desperate Housewives has cancer, pregnant teens, conspiracy marriage and adultery. Brothers & Sisters has a brother in Iraq, a race for presidency, dealing with the death of a child and a shady bastard sister. How juicy! Can't wait for these great shows to start!

Conflict

In previewing the brand new TV schedule for next week, since that is the 1st full week of brand new TV, I noticed a conflict. It's certainly not anything I can't work through, but it still sucks. Private Practice, Gossip Girl and Bionic Woman are all on Wednesday night at 9:00pm! Now, because I have more than one TiVo (3, but who's counting), and the new TiVo HD records two channels (even HD channels) at the same time, I really don't have too much of an issue. But, the my two original TiVo's are both standard definition TiVo's, so I can't record all three shows in HD! How will I choose who will be left in the standard digital cable dust?! I think Bionic Woman is a shoe in for HD recording...the effects in just the previews look amazing! So that leaves me with a choice between Gossip Girl and Private Practice. I'm expecting a bit more sexy heat from Private Practice so that would be great in HD, but all the Bling Bling in Gossip Girl is definitely HD worthy. I just don't know! And it's just too hard to switch weeks back and forth, so there's no compromising with that. Decisions, decisions. I guess I'll just have to make a last minute decision and see what makes me the happiest! Wow...life is SO rough!

***There is a glimmer of hope though...so far they are showing repeats every Sunday night...if they continue with that it'll be HD all the way!!! Woo hoo!!!

The Official Start

For, the real official start was with The Biggest Loser. But honestly, I fast forward through that show so fast, if you blink you might miss it. So let's move on.

Gossip Girl premiered last night and it ROCKS! Now typically, I give it at LEAST two shows to give my true opinion, but this show is juicy and fabulous! It's a great cross between 90210 and The OC with a sprinkle of Cruel Intentions. Love it! It has the classic story line of best friend sleeps with best friend's boyfriend and best friend's boyfriend is still infatuated with the other best friend. There's a reason why that story line is classic. It works! Drama drama drama! Plus, adding in the fact that they are all just a bunch of spoiled bratty rich kids, it's a perfect combination for a TV hit! So tune in folks...it's a winner...mark my words! (I believe there is a repeat of the pilot on Sunday at 8:00pm if you missed it!)

All Things New

For the NEW fall season, I have purchased the NEW TiVo HD. I am once again, in heaven. Nothing can compare to TiVo, so I'm so happy to have it back. My TV watching can now resume normalcy. Of course, there's nothing normal about my TV watching habits! But that's an entirely separate issue! The only problem with this TiVo, I really need at least a 500GB hard drive. 180 hours may sound like a lot, but when you become addicted to watching everything possible in HD...that sucks up your hours fast! It will be interesting to see how I can manage my addiction this year!

Time Out

Although I have promised to keep my blog up-to-date this time around, I'm at least notifying everyone that I'm already taking a "time out." Surprisingly, I actually do other things other than watch TiVo. I know, shocking! I'm off to Honduras to dive for a week and will continue to blog when I get back on the 10th. And...after watching Shark Week a couple weeks ago, I'm fully ready for whatever comes my way! So wish me luck! Luckily...I'll be back just in time for the season premiere of Oprah!

Obession Complete

Well...I threatened to do it and I did. I have purchased another TiVo. This time, it's TiVo HD. I've absolutely had it with the Comcast DVR. What a piece of crap. Nothing can compare to TiVo, simple as that. For those of you out there that have never owned a TiVo and only had a DVR, I'm sure you don't "get it". Thinking, "Hey! It records stuff for me to watch!" But let me tell you, you are getting the TRUE TV experience without a TiVo. There is a reason for my obsession!

So now I have a leftover TiVo for just a regular TV. Maybe I'll be nice and offer it up to my new roommate since she would only have to pay $6.95/mo. with my multi-service discount. Why not right?!

I've ordered it to arrive after I get back from vacation. I have Comcast set for service a week later to leave me time to clear off my current DVR and prepare for the fall season of recording. Now I'm even more excited for all of my shows! Happy day! Happy day!

Favorite New Show (Summer)

Army Wives







I'm shocked that Lifetime put out a show this good, but I'm not surprised since the executive producer is Mark Gordon of Grey's Anatomy. I guess this guy knows a good thing when he sees it!

Having lived by the military and having many military friends over the years, not to mention our current situation in the world, this show really hits home. I also have friends that are military wives and it's really a hard life that they lead in times like these. This story, a great picture of women truly hold down the fort at home, is really written well. Was there some predictability? Sure. But that hold true for almost every drama out there, which is also what I think we all love.

The season finale for Army Wives was this week and it'll definitely be missed from my line-up. At least it has already been picked up for a second season! And I'd hope so with they way they left things! Some crazy jealous husband of a wife who had an affair and left him for her lover, walks into a bar with a bomb vest, while almost every character of the show is in there. Like I said predictable, but obviously they don't all die or we wouldn't have a 2 season now would we! Still, what a great story of how, once again, women rely on each other to get them through the hardest times. Cheers Lifetime!

Dumbest move EVER!

I'm a HUGE fan of Big Brother. I've been watching for 8 years now...and honestly, I should just apply to go on that show. One of the dumbest moves EVER happened last night. Eric, by winning the power of veto, had the best opportunity in the world to take out one of the best players on the show's history. Danielle. Even though she's also the most annoying player in history (lord! that voice!) and Jessica also "sees the light"...Eric is blinded by love or something right now! Doesn't he realized he just sealed Jessica's fate if they win HOH next week! Come on! Not to mention we have to listen to her whine for another week! You bastard!

I must give a shout out to CBS and Showtime this year. Not that I need anything else to feed my addiction...and I had done really well for 8 years and never subscribed to the live feed online...but the After Dark show is fabulous!!! So much drama! Yes, it's just watching the house for 3 hours each night (midnight-3am east coast, 9pm-midnight west coast), but it's the perfect drama filled 3 hours to just have playing while cleaning, reading my US Weekly, etc. during the week. We got to see ED harassing everyone like crazy, ED trying to burn Jen with his cigarette and her mental break down, scheming, sexual tension, etc.! I hope they keep this up for next year, it's the perfect thing to TiVo during the summer when there are only a few shows on to watch. So props on feeding my habit!

Finally...the list

Dancing with the Stars is one of my favorite shows. And the list of Stars has just been announced! I'm so excited!

And, they are:

• Melanie "Mel B" Brown, 32, Spice Girls ("Scary Spice") singer (pro partner: Maksim Chmerkovskiy);
• Sabrina Bryan, 22, actress/singer (The Cheetah Girls) (pro partner: Mark Ballas);
• Helio Castroneves, 32, racecar driver (pro partner: Julianne Hough);
• Mark Cuban, 48, businessman (owner of NBA's Dallas Mavericks) (pro partner: Kym Johnson);
• Jennie Garth, 35, actress (Beverly Hills, 90210) (pro partner: Derek Hough, older brother of Julianne Hough);
• Josie Maran, 29, supermodel (pro partner Alec Mazo);
• Cameron Mathison, 38, actor (All My Children) (pro partner: Edyta Sliwinska;
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr., 30, boxer (pro partner: Karina Smirnoff);
• Wayne Newton, 65, singer (pro partner: Cheryl Burke);
• Marie Osmond, 47, singer/doll designer (pro partner: Jonathan Roberts);
• Albert Reed, 22, supermodel (pro partner: Anna Trebunskaya; and
• Jane Seymour, 56, actress (pro partner: Tony Dovolani).

I think I'm most excited for Jennie Garth since I'm a huge 90210 fan. Scary Spice will also be another one to watch. So there are my top 2 picks, but only because I like them! We'll see who will really make it after the first couple shows.