An Up and Down Football Season Ends in Disappointment

I am an unabashed Penn State and New York Giant fan. Penn State ends its season on Friday afternoon against LSU in the Capital One Bowl. Win or lose it has been a very uneven season for Penn State. They lost to the only two really good teams they played, both at home. Their defense was great except for the few times it really needed a turnover or a stop. Their offense was below average all year.

The Giants started out the year like it was one of the three or four best teams in football, going 5-0. In going 3-7 since, the Giants defense became one of the worst in football. Blame it on injuries, blame it on the new defensive coordinator, blame it on the D-line falling apart...all valid reasons...but I blame it on the Yankees winning the World series. It must be come kind of balancing of karma or something, because that is the feeling I get when I think back on the Giants season. I just don't see any other reason for the team falling apart so completely on defense, not to mention the fact that the Giants went from one of the best running

Fantasy wise, my team made the finals in both leagues I was in, which is a first for me. I have never won a fantasy football league so this was a great year for me. That being said, I lost both championship matchups on the Minnesota Monday Night game. @#$&ing Favre!

So it is on to basketball and Spring Training is just around the corner. The jury (aka my opinion) is still out on the Yankees offseason moves.

Losing my job and loving Lost

All of a sudden I have a little extra spare time on my hands. I lost my job last week. Sad, I know, but after the initial shock wore off I realized I have a lot of time freed up to watch more TV... and write about it.

I will also still be posting at northstationsports.com about all things basketball.

First up on TV, I am getting revved up for the final season of Lost (starting February 2nd) by re-watching the first five seasons with my equally devoted wife. We re-watched the pilot episode tonight and the excitement and tension are still fresh. The opening shot, of Jack's eye being shot to life. His pupil dilates. He blinks. He realizes he is in a jungle, turns his head, and spots Vincent the dog. He staggers to his feet, wanders onto the beach, the camera pans to the left and the adventure begins. It is a beautiful thing, a well made piece of entertainment. This show is not perfect and I have my complaints too. Season two was poorly paced and the first half of season 3 dragged even worse. Then there was the Nikki and Pablo ordeal. But what Lost does so well is push the envelope. It tries things. It makes you think and that is such a rare and cool thing. Appreciate it while you can.

Side note:

And if you are buying or renting the show this Christmas season, do yourself a favor and get the Blu-Ray. This is the best and highest use of Blu-Ray I have encountered. The Hawaiian backdrop really pops.

Sesame Street gets political?

I love Sesame Street. It was the first TV show, along with the Muppet Show, that I really watched. Well the folks over at the Children's Workshop are taking some heat for having Oscar play the role of pundit on a fake news show. Check out the story here.

Celebrate the holidays with Mythbusters

I love a good marathon, and it only gets better if it is a holiday marathon. Discover is going to provide a nice chunk of marathon that you can flip in and out of without a care. My favorite Dicover show, Mythbusters, has a marathon on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Click here for the full Discover run down.

I am sure there will be other marathons, and to sit back and flip between them is heavenly. It also helps when you know you don't have to worry about watching Penn State, who won't be playing on New Years Day...maybe Christmas Day. What a dog performance that was against Ohio State.

Anyway, Mythbusters is a good time and a great marathon show.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Black Swans and Broadway Cops

Tedious work projects are now behind me. I feel reborn. I want to talk about the last two Curbs to start off round two here on the Navigator.

Best two episodes of the season hands down. The show is really building to a crescendo with the reunion episodes. A couple of thoughts:

- In the Swan, it was nice to see Larry getting eyeballed instead of doing the eyeballing.
- Marty Funkhauser grows on me more and more every time he is on screen.
- Has Jeff always been such a hound? He and his wife were always splitting up, but I don't remember the affairs like this season. They previously split up over Oscar the dog.
- There are only two ways to hurt your neck reminded me of when Larry had the hair caught in his throat for about 4 episodes. Hilarious.


The 3 big questions for the last two episodes are...Will Larry get Cheryl back? Will the reunion episodes be funny? How awkward will Michael Richards be?

It's the new anthem for NYC

The Yanks pulled out a huge win last night thanks to AJ Burnett and Mo Rivera. I think it is a legitimate question to ask if Rivera is the best pitcher in the clutch ever, starter or closer. Tonight is an off night and I hope to catch up on a few of the shows. Always Sunny and the Office will be tops on the must watch list.

Jay Z and Alicia Keyes performed what Derek Jeter calls the new anthem of NYC before the game. Click here to watch the performace. The new Ronan Tynan?

A couple of quick hits as I have been woefully neglectful in this space.

- I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed Grey's Anatomy this year. I thought it was over for me with this show, but it has been very good. Ditto Parks and Recreation.
- My two fanboy shows, Smallville and Heroes, have been better than I anticipated. Heroes will never be what it could have been, but it is not horrible. Smallville isn't what it used to be but this Smallville 2.0 is pretty good.
- Fringe is phenomenal. And the promos they are running are great.
- I have every Flash Forward on my DVR unwatched.
- Cougar Town is secretly my favorite new show. Modern Family is great. Community is eh. Accidently of Purpose is a little less than eh.

I am writing often at Northstationsports.com. Please check it out.

I am building a Navigator nation

Do you believe how much TV our nation's kids watch? Well, actually, I do. I love kids shows. Noggin is a good time. Click here to see how many hours per week?

And we're back

Sports Sports Sports

Penn State looked nasty crushing Michigan in the Big House. It was nice to get that monkey off our backs...speaking of monkeys...

There will be no rally monkey this year as the Yankees finished off the Angels yesterday. This is a dream match up for me as there is nothing better than crushing the spirit of a Philadelphia sports fan. This is must see, appointment TV of the highest order.

I promise a return to normal posting as soon as I catch up on it all.

What to Watch tonight - 10/22/09

Tonight is a very busy night of TV. There is 4 and 1/2 hours of TV shows that I follow. And I will probably not watch any of it. The YANKS-ANGELS Game 5 is on Fox at 8pm. If you are crazy enough not to watch, watch this instead...

• 30 Rock - NBC @ 9:30/8:30c
• Community - NBC @ 8/7c
• Flash Forward - ABC @ 8/7c
• Grey’s Anatomy - ABC @ 9/8c
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - FX @ 10/9c
• Parks & Recreation - NBC @ 8:30/7:30c
• The Office - NBC @ 9/8c

JoePa is the man.

Watch the Penn State football game this weekend. They play Michigan in Ann Arbor this Saturday at 3:30PM. Michigan owns Penn State almost as much as Iowa does. And SI did a long and pretty good profile of the legend. Check it out. It is a must read.

Steve Phillips's crazy affair

In other sports news, former Mets GM and ESPN talking head Steve Phillips was laying down a 22 year old Production Assistant. And she went crazy. Never promise crazy a baby. (That's a line from Arrested Development).

Must read.

Yankees and Phillies - Very different 2-1 leads

How good have the baseball playoffs been? Wow! I am hanging on the edge of my seat for hours on end. As a Yankee fan and a Joe Torre fan, it was rough night for me last night.

This is baseball at its best. This is why I love sports. It is killing my TV watching though.

If you have a TV, watch the Yankees tonight at 8 on Fox. Let's Go Yankees.

Side note on Girardi: CC on 3 days rest is the right move. In fact the only move I question is taking out Robertson because he looked really good in getting the 1st two outs. But Girardi has been very active and using the whole pen all year so I am not gonna kill him for it here. The Yankees really have a hard time winning in Anaheim.

Side note on Phillies: I love the middle of the order for the Phillies. They are relentless. I would love to see the Yankees and Phillies in the Series for so many reasons. I just hope the Dodgers can send it back to LA. Rack up those miles.

Update: 5:07 PM: Forget to mention, the TBS crew is the worst booth ever. And Craig Sager is ridiculous. They make McCarver and Buck look like rock stars.

Mad Men - All Eyes on Don

Anyone else creeped out by the afflicted brother of the teacher? He has "fits". It is wild that "fits" is what we boiled epilepsy down to in the 60's. I don't know if everyone caught this but Betty mentioned Thanksgiving plans and being that we are in 1963 it looks as though we are heading straight for Nov. 22, 1963.

Peggy continued to amaze and the scenes with Roger were awesome, but the focus was on Don. Betty is freaking over the whole Don/Dick thing. I wonder if she put it together or just thinks he was previously married?

I love that the show turned away from Hilton. He was getting far too much play. Three episodes left. Western Union...it's been in my family for generations. I liked Peggy's idea better anyway. Do telegraphs still exist, as a novelty?

Curb - Denise Handicapped

Last week I talked about how easy it is to lose interest in any non-Seinfeld reunion episode. I feel myself getting impatient. But this week's episode was so funny that it made me (almost) forget about the Seinfeld reunion. Larry attempting to make a move on the Denise in the wheelchair was ridiculous and hilarious. It was equaled by Larry finding himself attracted to the benefits of dating the handicapped. It is classic Larry, isn't it? You get all the benefits without any of the hardships.

Did you bring it, Larry?

The best NBA teams of all time.

My buddy Nick and I posted our arguments for the best NBA teams of all time. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Hint: 1996 Bulls were overrated.

Mia Michaels is out on SYTYCD?!?

Mia Michaels, the free spirit who always makes people (not me) cry on SYTYCD, has twittered what appears to be a goodbye to the show. While I know nothing about who's good or not at dancing or choreographing, the people on the show couldn't make a bigger deal out of her.

Click here for the link to E!'s story.

Bird and Magic have an HBO doc!

HBO is making a documentary about the rivalry and unlikely friendship of Magic and Bird. I love the HBO documentary crew and can't wait to watch this. The Bird-Magic rivalry is the ultimate in sports rivalry in the last 30 years. The doc is set to debut in March.

Click here for more details.

Gilmore Girls creator gets a new gig on HBO

Amy Sherman-Palladino has a new series on HBO. As a huge fan of Gilmore Girls and a devotee to every show on HBO this side of Carnivale, I will be on this show like white on rice. Click here to read the release.

Tracy Morgan drops F bomb on SNL castmates

Check out this link to an excerpt of Tracy Morgan dropping the F bomb on Mango and the female cheerleader. He loves Will Farrell though.

Who's dying on Heroes?

Kristen from E! is reporting that a major male lead will be killed off in the next couple episodes in hopes to stir some water cooler buzz.

So who is it going to be?

The most positive buzz would come from killing Hiro. His character went from being the most important and powerful, where we see future Hiro as a super-samurai, to a clown with an 800 number.

Nathan would have the least impact. His character has died in every season already and he is already dead technically.

That leaves Peter, HRG, Sylar, or Parkman. Sylar is the best character but was the worst current story line. HRG is the last non-hero on the show but he is a shell of his former self. Come to think of it, every character on the show is worse than when it started. Smaller. Think about it. And don't even get me started on plot holes and character arcs abandoned.

This show is like a girl you fall for right away. There is a lot of flash and sizzle, but she cheats on you (season 1 finale). You then spend the next two years trying to forget while the relationship slowly deteriorates. If we just took a step back and got a little perspective, we would realize the show will never be what we wanted it to be. It is ruined.

This is what I want to be when I grow up.

Alan Sepinwal is a phenomenal TV writer. His blog, What's Alan Watching?, is fabulous. I encourage everyone to check it out. He has been blogging for a couple years, but more than that he has been a TV critic for a long time. He is currently at the Star Ledger.

He has a wicked episode by episode Wire recap.

How I Met Your Mother - Cat Funeral

HIMYM can throw some lame episodes out there. The show can fall into a rut. But the show can also have some amazing home run episodes that have you seriously cracking up. It can be funny and original. Last night was an A+ home run episode.

Marshall's song/photo montages alone require you laugh. Click here to see the best night ever song.

Ted is an after-thought and no one cared who the mother was. This was about the two couples dating each other and it was awesome. The cat sitting/cat funeral song is required listening. It was...dare I say...legen...wait for it...

Glee Tour?!?

I have to admit that Glee is starting to wear on me. It is feeling a little to plastic and I am finding myself waiting for the songs to be over. But I am in the minority as the show and the songs on it are huge.

Due to the success of the songs on iTunes and the expected sales of the upcoming soundtrack, it looks as though a Glee Tour is in the works.

Click here for more details.

Smallville - The Best Podcast out there

The guys over at Starkville's House of El run the absolute best Smallville podcast. I have been with Derek and Steve since an episode or two before Steve joined the show. I liked it so much I listened to some old episodes as well.

If you watch Smallville, this should be on your iPod.

Also, the best Smallville spoiler site out there is Kryptonsite, if you are into that sort of thing.

Curb - Eh, where was Seinfeld?

The problem with all the hype about the Seinfeld reunion business is that the episodes without it. They better be top notch, otherwise viewers may become anxious. This episode was good but felt a little flat, like the osso bucco from last night's episode.

On the other hand, Mary, Ted, and Bookman are great and LD shutting down the horrible singing of a little girl is hilarious.

The Office Wedding - Maid of the Mist

What a great hour of TV. I feel like the Office never intended this to be the show but it evolved into wanting to tug at your heartstrings as much as make you laugh. The Jim and Pam scenes were so great. I love to see that Michael is rubbing off on Jim like Dwight has rubbed off on Pam in previous seasons (secret number 2). I loved the montage of the wedding dance and the actual wedding, aboard the Maid of the Mist (Side note: I have done that ride twice, one of which was on my honeymoon!).

If you are one the dozen or so people who haven't seen the you tube video that the wedding dance was based on, click here.

The rest of the gang had a themselves a time.

Michael slept in the ice machine/vending room. But I do think he is going to bed Pam's mom.

Dwight is a playa! And his toothpaste is a butter and hay mixture.

Andy suffered a scrotum injury but moved ever closer to the new receptionist.

Finally, Kevin had shoe (and hair) issues, but managed to pull off the appearance of being Oscar's man.

What to Watch tonight - Office Wedding!

Tonight is another big night of TV. The DVR is going to be smoking tonight.

For the network TV fan...
Community (special time) - 8pm on NBC
Parks & Rec - 830 on NBC
Flash Forward - 8pm on ABC
Fringe - 9pm on Fox
Grey's Anatomy - 9pm on ABC

For everyone...The Office (1 hour) - 9pm on NBC

For those with a sense of humor...Always Sunny - 10pm on FX

For the sports fan...
Cardinals at Dodgers - 6pm on TBS
Red Sox at Angels - 10pm on TBS
Nebraska at Missouri - 9pm on ESPN

WOW! Is it time to set up a 2nd TV? Can I watch 2 shows at once? I have done the 2 TV's to play video games and watch TV at the same time but never 2 TV shows at once. The biggest event is the Office wedding in Niagara Falls. The Gang gives Frank an intervention on Always Sunny. Olivia breaks on through to the other side? Parks and Rec keeps getting better and better.

I wasn't speeding was I weaving?

New Line Cinema is looking to do another Vacation sequel, sort of. This one will feature Rusty taking his family on vacation. Chevy Chase and Bev DeAngelo may appear as the grandparents, although no deals have been struck. Who should play Rusty? Will they go to Wally World?

Click here for the story.

Ahh, playoff baseball with the Yankees.

I became a Yankee fan around 1984, when Don Mattingly was in his heyday. It was anything but a heyday for the Yankees as a team. They didn't make the playoffs between 1981 and 1995. I was a fan in the worst of times. In 1994, the Yanks actually were one of the best teams in baseball and would have made the playoffs, but the strike preempted the postseason.

In 1995, the Yanks were the first ever AL wild card team. That was my first taste of playoff baseball as a fan of the team. I remember the magical moments of the playoffs before then. Kirk Gibson's homer stands out. But from 1995 until now, the Yankees have missed the playoffs only once.

Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neil, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada. Legends. The games go on forever and I could care less. The colder the better too. LET'S GO YANKEES!!!!!

8:19 pm - Jeter and Matsui have homered and it is 6-2 Yanks. How good is Jeter? The guy will never win an MVP but he is in the Hall of Fame within the Hall of Fame.

8:21 pm - If you aren't into the Yankees, you should get into them. If you are hopeless, then watch SYTYCD. They are at Vegas week, which is the equivalent of Hollywood week on Idol. There is also a new Old Christine, Cougar Town, Modern Family, Top Chef, and Mythbusters.

Gossip Girl - This is why I watch this show...

Gossip is going for it this year. Check out this.

TOP TEN - Shows I Want To Re-Watch

This week's Top Ten list is a very common topic in my head. I have an almost constant craving to re-live the drama or comedy of my favorite shows. It is very mood oriented and changes constantly. The rules are that it has to be a show I have seen. More important, it can be just a season or partial series. Oh, and the list is 15.

15. NYPD Blue - Season 1 and 2 only. Maybe season 3. Times watched: 2. Caruso is the man. This show was so much more than a procedural murder per week show. It was so raw and original. The writing and acting were top notch.

14. Six Feet Under - Seasons 1-3. Times watched: 2. Season 3 is the peak for me. This show had moments where it was gut wrenching and tragic and morbid and terrifying and plain sad. But to me those moments only served to set up the show's true core of family, comedy, overcoming adversity, and genius. The scenes where the kids talk to their dad and the dead bodies are so brilliant they are reason enough to watch again.

13. Smallville - Seasons 1-6. Times watched: 2. Martha and Jonathon. Lex and Lionel. Lana before she was terrible. This show was once about Clark as a high school student. He had parents and a curfew and Lex wasn't evil yet. The show was about Clark becoming Superman and Lex becoming an evil master mind. Skip some of the freak of the weeks and 70% of the loft scenes and this is a SuperShow.

12. Northern Exposure - All but the last season. Times watched: 2. This show is so quirky. It is Picket Fences without the crazy. The characters make the normal people seem like the weirdos. The central love story between Maggie and Joel is legit. So are Adam and Eve.

11. ER - Season 1-5. Times watched: 1. The Clooney Years. This show was so energetic and chaotic and stressful. It was revolutionary. And the best part was the docs had lives and flaws and moments. And no one did sweeps like ER. The tragedy episode was never better.

10. Gilmore Girls - Seasons 1-6. Times watched: 3. The all time fast talking feel good show. How can you not love Stars Hallow and the crazy folks that run around. The ultimate show to watch with spouse. It is a "her" show but one a guy can get into as well. Skip the last season. It was terrible.

9. West Wing - Seasons 1-4. Times watched: 3. I love that this show is about the smartest people in the world running the country. And they are trying their hardest to do their best and to do the right thing. So naive. Sam leaves at the end of season 4 and the show is never the same. As I think about it, I did like the last couple seasons, but for re-watching I will stick to the prime cuts.

8. Cheers - All seasons. Times watched: 3. This show is home. It is funny in the kind of way where the episodes feel like memories. Like I was there. And there are so many episodes. You can really get to know everyone's name. (Nailed that play on the theme song, right?)

7. X-Files - Mulder seasons. Times watched: 5. I have previously professed my love for this show. I have nothing against the Doggett episodes, but they are such an after thought in my mind. I would probably only re-watch the Mulder years. The Erlenmeyer Flask is the first episode that comes to mind. And Colony/End Game. Alien Bounty Hunter.

6. Scrubs - JD seasons. Times watched: 3. This show was such a surprise to me. I had no expectations. My brother-in-law had the DVDs and I took a shot and watched them. I was shocked with how smart and sincere the show can be along with being hilarious. As with a lot of these shows, I love people who can have a sense of humor in a high stress environment.

5. Arrested Development - All seasons. Times watched: 5. This show demands being watched over and over again for three reasons: 1. There are only about 53 episodes, so it isn't a huge commitment; 2. There are so many insider jokes you will find new layers of funny every time. It is one of the best written comedies ever; 3. It is ridiculously hilarious.

4. The Wire - All seasons. Times watched: 3. The sheer number of characters and depth of the story demands multiple viewings. It is only 60 episodes and all but a handful are riveting and fascinating.

3. Deadwood - All seasons. Times watched: 1. I have been wanting to re-watch this show for a long time. The number one reason why? This show was an acting clinic, especially Al Swearengen.

2. Sopranos - Seasons 1-3. Times watched: 3. It has been so long since I have watched an episode of this show that I feel like I am starting to forget it. Seasons 4-6 were a gradual decline so I would start with the first three and go from there. Junior as a player. The mom. Tony as an (almost) likable character. Some of the best TV I ever saw.

1. BSG - All seasons. Times watched: 1. I watched this show for the first time ever last year, right before the final episodes aired. I had heard it was a fanboy must. This show is one of the rare things in life that deliver on unbelievable expectations. I can't wait to through the ride of this show again. This show is so under watched by the masses that to have watched it is like being a member of a very exclusive club of smart TV watchers. The only thing that stopped me from doing so yet is that I don't own the show. I will have to add it to the queue or break my self imposed moratorium on buying TV show DVDs. I have a bit of an addiction.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 - How far can it go?

Let's call a spade a spade. Jon and Kate are the show. The kids are cute and all, but the show is the crazy drama between Jon and Kate.

Jon has forbidden TLC from filming at the house. Hilarious.

Now, Kate is reporting that Jon has stolen $230K from a joint checking account, leaving Kat high and dry.

The show, whether it is called J&K+8 or K+8-J, is such an after thought. The real reality show is taking place on the Today Show, Twitter, the View, in court docs, and in the clubs where Jon is pimpin.

Check out this site!

My friend Nick is the creator of North Station Sports, an NBA blog with a Celtics bias. Nick is a big reason I started this blog and want everyone to check out his site. If you need any more reason, I have written two pieces and have a third on the way. www.northstationsports.com

Nick and I have a section called One On One, where we argue like the good old booze soaked days in the back of a bar. It has been a ton of fun doing this with Nick. I have written about how Michael Jordan is overrated, college hoops are a better spectator sport than the NBA, and next I will be defending Allen Iverson.

24 HOUR WEEKEND - A Live Blog

I am attempting to watch 24 hours of TV over the weekend. I am going to mix in TV from the DVR and the DVD, a couple movies, and a lot of football.

FRIDAY
8:50 pm - And we are off with the season premiere of Fringe. I have been looking forward to this show for months.

9:22 pm - Walter loves custard but hates flan while eating licorice with bloody hands. I know Charlie is going to die but I don't know how and the not knowing is killing me.

9:26 pm - Why can't Olivia load her gun?

9:28 pm - The robo-armed girl goes with Lt. Daniels?

9:32 pm - Woah, the shape shifter can take a bullet and leap out a window, but couldn't choke out Olivia in less than 10 seconds? I was just wondering if he had the strength of the guy or of the girl.

9:34 pm - And Charlie's dead. That sucks. I like Charlie. The reason I like him reminds me of why the Star Wars prequels didn't live up to expectations.

9:37 pm - So the shape shifter is stuck looking like Charlie. And the new agent is correlating the season 1 cases with Bible verses? Cool.

9:52 pm - A 15 minute break to take the dog out and to re-fill my gin and club (w/lime). I am not counting this time. The stopwatch is off if you will.

10:02 pm - Starting episode 2 of Fringe. Found the stopwatch app on my blackberry. I am counting the first Fringe as 45 minutes. I blue hand just pulled a construction worker underground.

10:11 pm - I wonder what the other versions of me are up to?

10:26 pm - That guy is such a fake Jon Voight.

10:30 pm - It was a big mistake to move this show to Thursday. I really hope Fox is patient. The little boy dug out of his grave...

10:38 pm - The sheriff in the episode is named Golytely, which is also a colonoscopy prep. Nice.

10:48 pm - Olivia is with the bowling alley guy and fake Charlie is using the cosmic email machine. Cool show.

10:50 pm - Switching things up, I am watching Cougar Town episode 2.

10:58 pm - Emergency work underwear. 10 date rule. Defense. Phoosh Phoosh Phoosh. Monster! This show is my underdog show of the year.

11:02 pm - Just watched the montage of a night out. Hilarious. This is definitely my show of the year. I hate hangovers and regretting the night before.

11:12 pm - I remember being able to party on consecutive nights. Then I did it for 5 consecutive years. Now my liver is a shadow of its former self. And I get tired. And lazy. It just isn't worth it anymore. Do I miss it? Yes. 1000% yes. But I did it right and everything turned out great for me so I have no regrets. And as they said in the show, I can still muster up the strength to hang once a week. And I enjoy the crap out of a Friday night in front of the TV with friends and family.

11:18 pm - 2 hours and 2 minutes of TV so far. I am switching to Big Bang season 2 DVD. I am on the XMas one.

11:24 pm - On a checking fantasy baseball break. I really could use 6 innings out of Randy Wolf right now.

11:26 pm - I am in 2 fantasy baseball head to head leagues (snake draft with keepers), 1 baseball roto league w auction draft, 2 fantasy football leagues (snake and auction), and a NFL pick em league. Yes I am a freak.

Saturday

1:08 pm - Last night on Big Bang, I watched the Christmas episode and the one where Penny ripped Howard and the killer robot battle. What a great show. Today I am starting with SYTYCD from Tuesday. Boogie Lynx's salsa was guacamole. I am at 3 hours and 2 minutes right now.

1:13 pm - Little C is my favorite 3rd judge. Dude is cool.

1:24 pm - I am flipping between football and the second half of the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. It is disappointing that this show is crushing Fringe in the ratings. I don't hate Grey's. I still sort of like it. But it is feeling a little full of itself. The mom who can't quit and who doesn't sleep reminded me of Battlestar Galactica. I miss that show. Top 10 alltime for sure.

1:42 pm - Pumped for 30 for 30 to start. The first one is directed by Peter Berg of FNL fame and is about the trade of Wayne Gretzky.

1:52 pm - Big 10 football blows...the Slow 10.

2:00 pm - Needing a break from bad football, I am turning to the season premiere of Smallville. I am hearin good things about the first two episodes.

2:31 pm - Was kind of ho hum until Zod appeared. Clark's training has been coming for five years so that doesn't move the needle for me. 4 hours 24 minutes.

2:34 pm - Brian Austin Green is a great addition. He was the best thing about the Terminator TV show.

2:51 pm - Oliver as a cage fighter is so lame. This show puts some great storylines along side some really lame and weak ones.

3:07 pm - Decent premiere for Smallville. I am digging Metallo and the Zod army. Michigan and Mich St are heading to OT and Minnesota is trying to go the length of the field with 2 minutes left needing a FG to tie. Big Ten making a comeback. Michigan is an exciting and dangerous team. They really haven't played anyone yet but they are going to be interesting to watch.

3:10 pm - Minnesota throws up-for-grabs type bombs on 1st and 2nd down.

3:11 pm - Nice move by the wideout on 3rd down. Wisconsin brings the heat on 1st and 2nd down and Minnesota is running out of time and downs.

3:14 pm - Forcier makes a bad throw that is tipped and picked. It isn't beyond Mich St. to blow this opportunity.

3:23 pm - Nice win for the Spartans. Time for PSU. A championship caliber team bounces back with a vengeance. 31-7 PSU.

4:56 pm - Penn State looks so inept on offense. I don't know if they don't have the talent or it is the playcalling. The defense is stout. The play conservative and sound. They tackle and they can make the big play. That being said, I don't care if they ever win a game again as long as JoePa is there. He is the classiest guy going. He is Penn State. And I believe he is still a hell of a coach. I will revise my prediction to 24-10 PSU.

5:03 pm - I like Jesse "the Bachelor" Palmer. He is working out really well in the studio on Saturday afternoons.

5:05 pm - 6 hours and 56 minutes of TV down, 17 and change to go.

5:10 pm - Taking the dog for a walk. Speaking of dogs, the LSU-Georgia game is a dog of a game. They are at least as boring as PSU.

6:48 pm - Beat down in the 2nd half. Penn State took it to Illinois and ran the ball all over Illinois. I am going to catch the end of the Georgia-LSU game. Horrible execution and these teams are both terrible. Also, ND-Wash is winding down and the Irish look like they are going down.

8:37 pm - I am back after making pumpkin ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce for dinner. It was very labor intensive and I even took the short cut of using wonton wrappers. Watching SYTYCD from Wednesday with the wife-y. We are in New Orleans without Nigel.

9:00 pm - The bounce guy was great. Ain't nuthin changed since tha hurricane.

9:07 pm - 8 hours 59 minutes

9:21 pm - Flipped to the football game (Miami - Oklahoma) while my wife cleans the kitchen. I love big time college football. I think Oklahoma is the real deal and pulls away in this one.

10:12 pm - Miami is flying around like the good old "U", the team everyone loves to hate. The more teams I get a look at the more I like PSU.

10:24 pm - This game looks over right now. 21-10 Da U. I am going back to Dance. The wife is ready.

10:50 pm - Back to football. Just saw Clayton Kershaw has 7 K through 3 innings. That 21 year old can really pitch. He is almost impossible to hit.

11:05 pm - Watching Big Bang...the episode where Sheldon is trying to scientifically make friends. He is so amusing.

11:47 pm - Video game break at 11 hours 39 minutes

SUNDAY
1:16 am - And back to Big Bang. It is the episode where Leonard's mother comes to town. This promises to be hilarious.

7:04 am - The three of us, my wife, my puppy, and I, all fell asleep on the couch last night. I am at 12 hours 10 minutes. I just put Sicko, the Michael Moore movie, on. I have never seen it.

9:37 am - Just finished the movie. I am not going to use this space to be political so my thoughts will be kept largely to myself and those I force to listen to my various rants. I will say that it worth watching given that the current debate consuming DC right now. I am off to do some chores...run and get some toys for Bruiser, cut the grass, and start a pork roast.

9:40 am - 14 hours 8 minutes BTW.

12:59 pm - Back in front of the TV in time for kickoff of the Giants game. Ten hours of TV to go and a full slate of NFL games and Sunday night TV in front of me. No problem. I also managed to cut the grass, steam clean the rugs of the living room and dining room, ran to the store, and got the herbed pork roast in the crock pot.

1:10 pm - Poor Chiefs fumble the kickoff and the GMen cash in on a Manning to Steve Smith connection. I can't say enough about Eli Manning watching him week after week. He has cut down on the terrible mistakes and bad picks. He is money in the clutch. He is a class act. He is a top 10 QB no doubt, bordering on top 5.

1:19 pm - JINX! Eli fumbles...forced by PSU alum Tamba Hali. Here come the Chiefs.

1:23 pm - Chiefs held to a FG and a girl on a horse rides onto the field. Fair enough.

1:36 pm - Eli picked as that Michigan kid keeps dropping balls. Chiefs do nothing and go 3 and out. I really like the way Eli went over and put his armj over Manningham. Meanwhile, I flipped to the Pat-Ravens band saw a weak roughing the passer on Brady. You can't touch the QB. I guess it is good, keep guys healthy and increase scores.

1:45 pm - Chiefs flagged on another weak hit around the head call. This was a classic safety hit on a post. It seemed to be shoulder on shoulder but the fact that the DB was so much bigger than the WR made it seem like hit to the head.

1:55 pm - Whenever JB gives a gamebreak and throws it back to the booth, he says, "back you Kenny, Goose, and Moose". Very annoying. Meanwhile Flacco is taking a beating and the Pats have had the ball most of the game putting a lot of pressure on Ray Lou and Co.

2:06 pm - Hey Family Guy is doing a Jew-based episode. I think this is the 13th time Peter turns Jewish.

2:49 pm - A failed onside kick and a 4th down conversion to start the 2nd half. This one is the Giants' and the issue is the cover.

3:04 pm - The Giants have a really nice, long, controlled dominating drive and then miss a FG. Standard GMen. And Boss looks hurt. He would be a real loss because her has been a reliable receiver and an above average blocker. I wanted the TD there so I could switch full time to the Ravens-Pats.

3:21 pm - Nice play by Nicks. The Giants really can draft. They needed WRs and they got some good ones. But the big deal is Eli. It is the one injury that would be devastating to the season. The Mannings' never get hurt. Ever. Payton and Eli have never missed a start.

5:03 pm - Taking a football break and going to the third and latest episode of Fringe. I am really finding these episodes riveting. This show is really really good.

6:05 pm - Redzone pick for Romo. Wah Wah...I am turning to another Big Bang to keep the laughs rolling. I love the smell of paintballs in the morning. Penny just shot Sheldon's seat. Ut oh.

7:42 pm - Caught a little Football Night in America...some highlights from Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann. These guys were legends on SportsCenter and now they seem somehow dated. Less than. Not that SportsCenter got any better or funnier either... it kind of sucks now. There is something not right about it.

8:01 pm - Watching this week's Glee. Kristen Chenoweth is guest starring. I have reached the point where the songs are my least favorite part.

8:04 pm - 2 1/2 hours to go.

9:40 pm - Watched a little of the Steelers, the Simpsons, and am now starting Curb. Classic Flanders: "A Cran Bran for the Flan Man". Classic Simpson's Family Quote: "The Simpsons never give up until they try at least one easy thing".

9:53 pm - I have had a couple glasses of red wine and now I want a bowl of cereal. Milk and red wine? This could get ugly.

10:49 pm - And I am done...final tally...

3 Fringe
2 SYTYCD
1 Cougar Town
1 Glee
1 Curb
1 Smallville
1 Simpsons
1 Grey's Anatomy
6 Big Bang Theory
1 Movie (Sicko)
College Football (at least parts of the following games)
- PSU v. Ill
- ND v. Wash
- Mich v. Mich St.
- LSU v. UGA
- Miami v. OU
NFL (at least parts of the following games)
- Giants v. Chiefs
- Patriots v. Ravens
- Cowboys v. Broncos
- Steelers v. Chargers
Assorted ESPN/NBC/CBS/Fox sports highlight programs

Goodnight. I am beginning to see the matrix.

24 hours of TV - A Live Blogging (and Bruiser) Weekend

I am home bound this weekend to train a puppy and do some house cleaning. So I get to thinking that between my backlogged DVR, the football games, and throw in some movies, I am going to be watching a hell of a lot of TV this weekend.

I think the over/under is 24 hours of TV this weekend. I don't think I can do 24 hours straight. I have to come into work tomorrow morning and I don't want to ruin Sunday. But I think I can cram 24 hours in from 8pm tonight to midnight Sunday.

I will keep a log of my progress here on the blog and you can openly mock me if you like. I would if I were you.

What to Watch this weekend

Here are the football games to watch this weekend.

SATURDAY
LSU v Georgia 330pm

Oklahoma v Miami 8pm

PSU v. Illinois 330pm (homer pick)

Michigan v. Mich St 12pm

SUNDAY
Ravens v. Patriots 1pm

Giants v. Chiefs 1pm (super homer pick)

Jets v. Saints 4pm

Chargers v. Steelers 8pm

State of Sports - October

October is a funny month in that it is the cross roads of virtually every major sport. You have Baseball playoffs, NCAA and pro football hit their stride, the NBA and NHL tipoff and drop the puck on new seasons, and you even have the President's Cup for golf fans. Here is my recap and predictions.

MLB playoffs -

In the AL - Yankees in 4 over the Tigers, Red Sox in 5 over the Angels, Yankees in 7 over the Red Sox

This seems to be the Yankees year. They will have to beat Verlander/Jackson at least once, but the Yanks have the superior pen and CC is ready to roll. The Red Sox own the Angels but this seems to be a bit of reversal this year with the Sox being banged up and the Angels putting it together. But I need to predict Yanks-Sox in 7 games. It needs to happen.

In the NL - The matchups are TBD by the Dodgers and Rockies series this weekend. Bottom line is this...the AL is winning the World Series as long as the Tigers don't make it. The Phils have no closer. The Dodgers have been treading water for months. The Rockies don't have AL caliber pitching. The Cardinals will make it interesting because they have the two horses and Pujols. But Holliday was junk in the AL and I don't just don't see them holding up against the mighty Yanks.

Prediction - Yanks over Cards in 6.

NCAA football - A month in and nobody is good. It seems to be a down year overall. I like Oklahoma to rebound. I like Florida to hold off LSU and Bama. I still think we are looking at a Oklahoma - Florida championship game. I don't want to say another word about PSU because 8-5 is more likely than 12-1.

NFL - A month into the season, the top three in the NFC are the Giants, Eagles, and Vikings. In the AFC, the Ravens, Colts, and the Jets have been the standouts thus far.

NBA - As the season starts, I find myself being able to get into a storyline here or a game there. I am very curious to see how the Celtics will come out of the gates. I think the Lakers take a step back. Artest is a clown. LeBron v. Boston in the East and Lakers v. Spurs in the West. I am kind of rooting for LeBron.

NHL - I am not a hockey hater, but I find myself grossly negligent in my knowledge of the sport. I followed the 1999 season and watched the playoffs when they were on ESPN, but I have watched one hockey game in the past 5 years. So my prediction is worthless...but it is Detroit and Pittsburgh for the 3rd time in a row.

The Office - Two Bosses equal no bosses

It was a great Office last night. I really liked the Jim and Michael dynamic. At the beginning of the episode Jim was very formulaic and believed his decisions would be respected by the non-sales masses. Michael sensed, nay rooted, for disaster. He didn't want to cede any power to Jim until he realized that it was nice to have someone understand what it was like to be him. The two end up bonding over some gin and a humorous mug while the peasants gathered their pitchforks...speaking of which...

Dwight was stirring up chaos in the hopes of inciting a riot and possibly a revolution. He loathes having to answer to Jim to hilarious results. His revolutionary speech invoked memories of Dwight doing his Nazi speech at the sales conference a couple years ago.

The wedding is next week and you can be sure Dwight will be humiliated and Michael will embarrass everyone while still being sweet. How drunk will Meredith get?

What to Watch tonight - 10/01/09

I can't believe we are into October. Is it me or does time speed up the older you get. I think it has something to do with the amount of perspective you have to look back on and how repetitious our lives get. To wit, here are the Thursday night shows to watch.

Flash Forward (ABC at 8pm)
SNL news (NBC at 8)
Parks & Rec (NBC at 830)
Fringe (Fox at 9)
Grey's (ABC at 9)
The Office (NBC at 9)
Community (NBC at 9)
Always Sunny (FX at 10)

Still haven't seen the first episode of FF but I hear it is pretty good...SNL news has about 8 minutes of funny in a 30 minute show...Parks & Rec has been a very pleasant surprise thus far...I haven't watched any Fringe yet and that shames me...I am about halfway through the premiere and it is very ehh...I can't wait to see how Dwight takes Jim's promotion as the Office is leading up to the wedding...Community has me to the point that I really want it to work and all it has to do is not suck and I am in...Always Sunny is a classic night cap to a great night of TV. There is a shanty town being set up outside the bar.

Gossip Girl - Hits and Misses

I caught up on the previous two Gossip Girls last night and I find it to be very uneven so far. There are story lines I think are funny and I can get into and there are others that I just don't care about at all.

I enjoy the college stuff. Georgina and Blair and Dan...I am OK with all of it. It is funny and a little interesting. I want to see how they adjust to college and interact with regular students.

I also like Blair and Chuck. I was a little uneasy with the idea of them as a couple, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

More on the blah side is Serena's story so far this year. I don't yet care about her dad and Carter. Maybe the story will pick up but for now it is easily glossed over.

Worse yet is Nate's storyline so far. Why should I care about this relationship? Something to do with family politics again...yawn.

Then there is Rufus, Serena's mom, and little J. Uh, anyone know where these people are and what the point of their existence is right now?

I think last season was uneven as well but it finished strong. The show has shown an ability to shrug off bad story lines.

Curb Ep 2 - Road Head, GPS, and cancer breakups

All Hail Larry David!!!

The show is awesome. He makes being a total D&$# absolutely hilarious. Here are the highlights as I see it...in terms of cause and effect as it pertains to 4 road heads. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read it!

- Road Head #1 - Richard Lewis and his new girlfriend - Richard gets his RH on the way to dinner. He tells Jeff. Jeff tells Larry causing Larry to be comically awkward and rude to the new girlfriend. That causes Richard to confront Larry which causes Larry to come clean to the new girlfriend which caused the end of the new girlfriend.

- Road Head #2 - Cancer Doc and her silver fox - Larry sees a cancer doc on Doctor Phil say that her mission is to get cancer patients out of poisonous relationship. Since Larry wants out of his relationship, he talks up the new doc to the point where Loretta is teetering on the brink. Larry is driving her to a seminar when they catch the doc performing on her hubby. This ruins the doc for Loretta and seemingly ruins Larry's chances to get out of the relationship. This causes Larry to confront the doc and utter the greatest line in a long time..."eehhh, I think you blew him".

- Road Head #3 - Larry and Leon's girl - Leon asks Larry to call a friend because he loves Seinfeld. Larry mentions that Leon thinks his wife is beautiful. This causes the guy to think Leon is laying down his wife, which he is. This causes Leon to bring Larry into the deception. The husband shows up at the house when Leon has the wife over. Leon asks Larry to hide the wife in his car. This causes Loretta to think she sees Larry getting RH from the wife causing a great line about Larry loving chocolate. The end result is Larry gets the freedom from the Blacks, except Leon, that Larry needed to pursue Cheryl.

- Road Head #4 - Jeff and Susie - Let's just say that plastic wrappers are tough to get into without the proper tools. Also, RH is as dangerous as texting or drinking and driving.

...lastly, a fearless prediction - the argument about the broken glasses will come back to bite Larry at a future point in time.

This is a five star show in a four star world.

What to Watch tonight - 09/29/09

As today is my birthday, I will be celebrating with some TV and alcohol.

Tuesday is very light again. We have SYTYCD and The Forgotten, of which I still haven't seen the first one. I still have plenty to catch up on. I haven't watched Curb, Californication, Bored, Entourage, Heroes, and Fringe. The DVR is bursting at the seams with fun.

Mad Men - All about the Women

The key to this show for me is that through all the male chauvinism and bravado, it is the women of the show that shine brightest. They show true bravery, determination, grace, and intelligence. Their beauty blinds the men around them to these qualities (almost) all of the time. They take an OK show with some cool set and turn it into the best show on TV right now.

Peggy - She is best of the bunch. She is young, energetic, has a no nonsense attitude, but also is mature beyond her years and increasingly sexually assertive. She is extremely progressive in her mindset but also is a devout Catholic. She has overcome adversity, faced her demons, and risen from the ashes, but now she is faced with the possibility that she has peaked at Sterling Cooper. She has stood up to the men and likes the way she measures up, but now she is faced with the prospect of being alone and with never being an equal no matter how good she is. I find myself rooting for her very hard.

Mate Rater - While she can seem stiff and kind of a wet blanket, I imagine her as very good in bed. Her looks are underrated. 9 out of 10.

Betty - She is so repressed. Brutally so. She is also very passive aggressive. She has been trained to keep her mouth shut and obey. Be pretty and be quiet. In an age where the Peggy's of the world are coming out of their shells, she doesn't have the social skills and fears she is missing the boat. She is a very sub-par mother. Have you ever seen her in a tender moment or acting in any way nurturing? Don treats her like garbage and I think she is tremendously bored.

Mate Rater - She is adorable and gorgeous. But she is cold and I imagine her to be a bit of a dead fish. 5 out of 10.

Joan - This season I have seen Joan in a totally new light. She is almost like a wild horse who was broken by the office rape. She has proven to be a faithful wife-to-be, even in the face of his worsening career prospects. She played the accordion like a monkey in front of his high society friends. She was Peggy and now she wants to be Betty. She probably thought it would never happen once Roger chose another. Through it all, she showed tremendous class and composure under pressure. I feel like she is on the verge of either a meltdown or a comeback.

Mate Rater - Has to be a little gun shy since the office rape, right? Otherwise, she seemingly does it all. 8 out of 10.

What to Watch tonight - 09/28/09

Tonight is back to normal night at the Golden house...except we have a dog. I am still a little tired from the beating my body took this weekend. Here is the good work that will get done by my DVR...

Heroes - 8pm on NBC
House - 8pm on Fox
HIMYM - 8pm on CBS
AoP - 830pm on CBS
Gossip Girl - 9pm on CW
Trauma - 9pm on NBC
J&K+8 - 9pm on TLC
Big Bang - 930pm on CBS

That is a full slate. The good news is the football game promises to be boring for everyone who isn't a fan of the two teams. Carolina and Dallas are two of the biggest choking dog teams out there.

My DVR is near capacity after last night's TV action. I haven't seen Fringe, Top Chef, Simpsons, Family Guy, Mad Men, Curb, Californication, and I am sure there are more. I am hoping to get in a solid six hours tonight.

Soggy and miserable...and a dog.

I finally dried off from the horrible, wet, cold, and rainy 14 hour day in Happy Valley. I got sick. The game was terrible. I lost my voice. Oh, and I got a dog. I bought a toy Rat Terrier. His name is Bruiser and he weighs about 2 pounds.

I got back Sunday afternoon, watched some football, did dog and house stuff, and squeezed in a little TV.

I watched about 4 episodes of Big Bang. I am now about halfway through season 2 and Sheldon keeps getting better and better. I love how nerdy the crew is too. The episode where Penny gets strike 3 was great as was the one where Sheldon had a "girlfriend".

I watched the premiere of Cougar Town and Accidentally on Purpose back to back, which is funny because they are basically the same show. I think the two are both OK but if I had to pick a winner it would be Cougar Town b/c I am picking up on the serious Bill Lawrence vibe of the show. Very Scrubs-y. I am giving these shows a personal three episode extension. Let's see if either turns out to be something.

What to Watch this weekend

As I head north to State College for a football weekend, my DVR will be dutifully recording the season premieres of Dollhouse (Fox at 9) and Smallville (CW at 8)

Monk and Psych are both new on USA.

Football weekend...The PSU-Iowa is a revenge match from last year. Don't let PSU's ranking fool you. They have not looked like world beaters against vastly inferior teams. Were they just unable to get up for the weaker teams or are they not as good as advertised? We will find Saturday at 8PM.

Other college games of note...Kentucky-Florida, Oregon-Cal, LSU-Miss State, and Arkansas-Alabama are all upset potentials. Yes I learned my mistake from last weeks terrible prediction about USC. The VTech-Miami game is suddenly elevated by the sudden rise of the Hurricanes the past couple of weeks.

As far as the NFL, there is one matchup of 2-0 teams...San Fran at Minnesota. Brett Favre in the limelight where he is most comfortable.

Also, do not miss the PGA Tour Championship with $10 million on the line and Tiger in the hunt.

Work gets in the way...

I have been tied up getting a brief together and planning my trip to Happy Valley and have fallen behind a little here in navigator-land. Here is a snap shot of what I have watched...

Always Sunny (great)
The Office (eh)
Parks & Rec (good)
Community (good)
SYTYCD (eh)
Glee (eh)
Old Christine (good)

That leaves me with some catching up to do...with the blog and with my DVR. Just have to put the finishing touches on this work week...

Lost - Episode titles released

The titles for the first four episodes of the final season are out. Click here to see the article and Doc Jensen's analysis. Here are the titles -

6x01/6x02 - LA X
6x03 - What Kate Does (Kate-centric)
6x04 - The Substitute (Locke-centric)

Assuming Doc is right and the final season will mirror the first season thematically, what clue does that give us as to what will happen and how this will all unfold?

I need to spend some time coming up with my theory.

The machine knows...

This article makes me feel good in that I am not the only one but it also puts pressure on for me to keep up. 8 hours a day is some serious TV watching, America. Now wonder we are obese.

What to Watch tonight - 09/23/08

Tonight is a night to be optimistic about TV. There are actually some good shows out there. Here is what to watch.

8PM
SYTYCD on Fox
Old Christine (season premiere) on CBS

9PM
Glee on Fox
Modern Family (series premiere) on ABC
Cougar Town (series premiere) on ABC

10PM
Top Chef on Bravo

I am looking forward to the new shows. I am penciling in Cougar Town as this year's Sam Who, a show I will watch and few will join me but maybe the critics will like. Glee is always fun, and the reality shows are getting to the end of the preliminary phase where the ones who suck are weeded out and the actual competition can begin.

Sports Update - All is well right now and I don't want to jinx it. The Yankees have the best record in baseball, but I am worried about the depth of the rotation right now. The Giants are one of the five best teams in football again and just beat the Cowboys at the opening of their new stadium. Penn State is #5 and through the easy part of the schedule facing Iowa this weekend, where I will be in attendance. ESPN Gameday will also be there. 8PM game. White-Out. Revenge for last year. The only issue is the health of LBs Dean Lee and Navarro Bowman. I am feeling a PSU blowout.

TOP TEN - DRAMAS (hour long shows)

This weeks top ten list is the top ten dramas on TV. This is an especially thin list when you have my ground rules... 1. No reality and 2. No show I haven't seen yet. I am including Glee even though it is only three episodes in and is more musical comedy than drama. I am also including Mad Men even though the show is a month into the season. Finally, I am including Friday Night Lights even though most of us have to wait till summer to watch.

10. Heroes - I am a sucker. In the beginning I watched to see what happened and was disappointed. Then I watched to see if it could get better and was disappointed. Now I watched to see how bad it could get and it got boring. Disappointed again. I will take bad. Boring is unacceptable. There just isn't 10 good dramas on TV. Everything is freaking reality or the same crime show over and over.

9. Grey's - This show has been getting steadily worse every year since season 2. Since Denny. It just isn't quite as bad as Heroes.

8. Smallville - I have really enjoyed this show for many years. Through budget cuts, network changes, and replacement of nearly the entire cast...and for the most part it held up really well. I will follow this show till the bitter end.

7. House - This show is great. Some of the sharpest writing on TV. My only beef is it is a bit of a downer.

6. Glee - I may have only seen three episodes, but I really love the originality and cast so far. I have serious doubts that it can maintain this pace but I will remain optimistic for now.

5. Gossip Girl - I worry that the show has peaked. Most high school shows don't do well in college. It has been so much fun so far though. I am anxious to see where the show goes.

4. Dexter - I am through episode 4 of season 3 and I have to say that this show is money. The colors, the music, the dark humor...most dark shows are set in LA, in NY, or rural USA at night...dark grey cement and cemeteries or woods. Not Dexter. It is vibrant. It is as much about life as it is about death.

3. Fringe - It was the best new show of last year. It is a tad derivative but I really love the father son duo on the show. I hope the expanding mythology is as big and bold as the characters.

2. FNL - This show makes me want to move to Texas. I think the first three seasons have all been fabulous, with the exception of Landry murdering a guy. The Taylor's are the first family of TV. Riggins is the man. Sarazan is such a good kid. Smash, Jason, the music, the girls...all great. Most sports shows are weak in story and in the sports highlights. This show is the exception that proves the rule. It sucks that I have to wait till spring to watch.

1. Mad Men - I have said this before, but this show puts me in a trance. It is so cool to look at. It brings a flood of nostalgia for a time in which I wasn't even alive...hell my parents were infants. There is something to this show that strikes a chord. Maybe it is comforting knowing how the world turns out. Maybe we wish it still was a little more that way now.

Sorry this was a day late, but between the bad shows I have been watching and the sad state of this list, it took some time to get this together.

Bad TV Blues...

There is a lot of bad TV out there and I have been on a streak lately. For instance...

I got halfway through the Heroes premiere and went to the PS3 to play college football and Beatles Rock Band. I am this close to quitting that show for good.

I also only got halfway through The Watchmen. Three hours of sad superheroes. It could not have been slower.

I didn't even get halfway through The Beautiful Life. It was dreadful.

I was so down on TV that I didn't watch The Forgotten. I also still have Gossip Girl and Accidentally On Purpose on the DVR. And I have to finish season three of Dexter and season 2 of Big Bang. Plus, tonight's TV promises to be better than the dregs of yesterday's TV.

Bored, HIMYM, and the Emmys

Playing catch up last night I watched Mad Men, Bored to Death, the Emmy's (with heavy fast forwarding), and the HIMYM premiere.

The Emmys are great when boiled down to 40 minutes. Boring speech...blip blip blip (me FF'ing)...lame skit...blip blip blip...dead guy montage...you get the idea. NPH was OK. His likability makes you want to like him regardless of how good he actually is. It is such a hard job and almost all of it relies on how likable the host is. As far as the awards go, 30Rock and Mad Men are both awesome shows and deserve all the awards they got. The one award I am most happy with is Ben from Lost. Michael Emerson is Lost. He is the number one reason Lost is Lost and not Heroes.

Bored to Death was everything I wanted it to be. Awkward, kinda funny, very odd, very neurotic. I think I am really going to enjoy this show. Jason Schwartzman is the man and Ted Danson is freaking Sam Malone for crying out loud. A very bored and stoned Sam Malone, but still. I am sold on the show 100%.

The HIMYM premiere was better than expected. I have given up on Ted. He is a prop guy now. Give him a goat, a tattoo, an Indiana Jones getup and he is OK. Otherwise his storylines are FF-able. The key to this season is Barney and Robin. The characters are so great as their insecure alpha types that the danger is there of ruining it by turning them into couples. We don't need two more Teds. So far, so good. I am a little nervous about this show.

North Station Sports blog

I was off yesterday and away from a computer...but I did get out a guest post on my friend Nick's basketball blog...North Station Sports. The article is about the forgotten aspects of Michael Jordan's legacy and how horrible his acceptance speech was at the Hall of Fame.

10 hours of TV....a Live Blog

I am feeling good about TV today. So good I am going to spend the better part of 10 hours watching it today.

2:06pm - Watching the lame Eagles and I just saw the commercial for Zombieland. It looks like it is right up my alley. I like comedy that is almost mocking itself. And I like Woody Harrelson going back to his Woody Boyd days on Cheers.

2:12pm - Bloody Mary #1 is fantastic. I like em spicy. I just made an awesome Sunday brunch. Scrambled eggs with a garden tomato and American Cheese and homemade breakfast potatoes (from the garden) with garden green peppers, garden onions, garlic, and Italian spices...

2:30pm - The Saints offense is nasty. They have put up 250 yards on the Eagles in the 1st half. Trouble is their D doesn't seem very good. Kevin Kolb is marching up and down the field after Matthew Stafford did the same last week. They aren't going to get QBs making their first career start all year.

2:53pm - The Adrian Petterson-as-a-lizard commercial with the Lost music behind it is sufficiently creepy.

5:08pm - The Eagles game was a joke so I went to Hell Boy II. The most surprising final of the early games was the Jets over the Patriots. I loathe the Patriots.

5:19pm - The second bloody Mary went down like glass...on to beer. Saranac variety pack. Hell Boy just got into the troll market.

6:35pm - Finally got through Hell Boy II after being put into chore mode for a while. If I am free to watch the entire G-Men game, it will be worth it.

8:45pm - John Madden and George W. Bush?!?

9:16pm - Typical Giants. They will outplay just about every opponent all season but for some reason every game will be close. I made Orange Blossom honey glazed shrimp over polenta for dinner. It was pretty good. I would have liked it a little sweeter actually.

9:37pm - Jeff Feagles...single handedly keeping alive the coffin corner kick. He might as well be shooting free throws underhanded.

9:53pm - This better be a TD. I love when the Cowboys get screwed.

10:10pm - Halftime as the Giants play lousy D on the last drive and give up a FG. Gonna sneak in Curb right now. I can't wait.

10:21pm - I am a 68 degree guy myself. I even go lower at night. 65-ish.

10:47pm - I love having Curb back. I feel like it has been gone too long. Has there ever been a dinner party turn out well on TV, especially an HBO show? They are always disaster and always hilarious. Meanwhile, the Giants are going to blow this game.

10:52pm - TD Cowboys. Tuck was the victim of a cheap shot. The Giants can't run and are getting run on. It isn't looking good.

11:21pm - Does any team choke more than the Cowboys? Man, it is a decade of choking. The G-Men look to be in control...but 1 play and they blow it. All things being equal, 4 turnovers to zero should mean the GMen win every time. But why am I still nervous as they settle for a FG?

11:25pm - I have tried Saranac Octoberfest, IPA, Pumpkin Ale, and Caramel Porter. I would rank them like this...

1. Octoberfest - very smooth and not too heavy.
2. Pumpkin Ale - it is really very tasy and not in that way that beer ruins itself.
3. Caramel Porter - it tastes like candy. A little too much.
4. IPA - I don't like 99% of IPAs. This one is no exception.

Overall, very good for a smaller middle of the road micro. The local beers are so heavy and sweet. These feel right and deliver on flavor without bloating me out.

11:30pm - The Cowboys march right down the field...31-30. What did I say earlier? Eli, 3 and a half minutes left, down 1...

11:36pm - a bogus penalty puts them in a hole...but that is poor clock management not getting a play off before the 2 minute warning. This is now 4 down territory. With the way the Cowboys are running, it probably was anyway.

11:44pm - My two least favorite critters...snakes and spiders. They don't make a noise. They are right up on you before you know they are there.

11:46pm - How lame is the TO right before the FG? Sad. But Tynes makes it anyway as Eli marches right down the field. He may throw some ducks from time to time, but game on the line there are few better. On to Entourage finale...

Sundays In the Fall

Sundays in the fall have a feel to them. A smell. They kind of have a golden haze. There is the beginnings of a chill in the air. The leaves are just starting to change...and football all day and TV premieres at night. It is early enough in the season that just about every team thinks their team can make the playoffs. And just about every TV show looks good until it airs.

Today I am watching Eagles-Saints, Steelers-Bears, and Giants-Cowboys. There is also the premiere of Curb and Bored to Death. And the finale of Entourage. And Mad Men. And the Emmys.

Watch the football, DVR the Emmys, and watch the HBO shows on OnDemand.

I was wrong!

USC was upset by Washington. Figures. That's why I don't gamble.

College Football - Lame Saturday

There is one every year. A week where the matchups are so week that you make a big deal out of mismatches because there may be an upset. There is only game between ranked teams tomorrow...Nebraska-Virginia Tech...and that game doesn't do anything for me. USC-Washington could be an upset in the making. Letdown game for USC. Tough place to play. Same upset theory for Florida-Tennessee. I don't think either will happen.

I will take advantage of the lull to do some house work. I want to install a rain barrel and stain and paint the garage floor. More likely, I will watch season 2 of Big Bang Theory and play Beatles Rock Band. I was secretly hoping for bad weather but it will be perfect out.

I have to say that Beatles Rock Band is phenomenal. The opening sequence alone is worth renting it for. It is the coolest 2 minutes. The songs are kinda easy, but you know everyone and you enjoy the ride and return it. Worth renting.

Always Sunny - Vic Vinegar has a big house

Last night I watched the 4 NBC sitcoms and the ridiculously funny Always Sunny. It was comedy night. The NBC shows went like this.

SNL News - The opening skit was great. It was actually funny. The Madonna thing was lame. The Michael Steele debate was a C+. The news bits are really uneven. Some are OK, some miss awkwardly. But I will tell you this...they are better than the opening of Conan, Dave, an Jay. I find this show a legit waste of 20 minutes.

Parks & Rec - I think this was the funniest episode of the show ever. I actually laughed out loud a couple times. I still think of it as Office-lite, but this was a good start. I was on the verge of taking it off the season pass on the DVR but this episode bought it a couple more weeks.

The Office - Being from the Scranton area, I will always love this show if for no other reason than the references to the area, almost all of which are real. Last night, the reference was to Tinks, which of course is a cheesy night club in downtown Scranton. The episode wasn't the funniest ever, but the Andy Bernard and the Kevin lies were funny. The show is like an old friend now and it is nice to have it back around.

Community - This pilot was actually funny. It was basically a Breakfast Club send up featuring community college misfit toys. I love Chevy Chase, the guy from Daily Show, and the guy from Talk Soup. This show has a lot of potential. I really hope it makes it. There are so few good new shows.

Then there was Always Sunny, which is so funny it almost had me in tears. The top moments for me, in no particular order, are -

- Charlie v. the lawyer... whether it was the duel or the bird law debate, this was awesome. Anything Charlie says is hilarious.

- the gang v. the squatters... we could crush your skull. Sure we could kill your kids and smear their blood on the walls...or we could just get the deed.

- Dee v. everyone... She has almost taken on Meg Griffin status as being hated by everyone. Is she the skinniest girl on TV or what? Was that a 6 pack or her ribs? Either way her sweet setup was ruined by the guys as usual.

- Vic Vinegar v. the prospective buyers - What's the matter, your wife used to small houses? You believe that he would have hit them. It is hilarious and disturbing. I love it.

Didn't get to Fringe. It is on the to-do list for the weekend.

What to Watch tonight - 09/17/09

Tonight marks the first truly huge night of TV of the Fall. Delete those Seinfeld reruns because here comes some of the god stuff.

Season premieres of SNL News/Parks & Rec/Office and the first ever episode of Community on NBC from 8-10. This is as good as it gets on NBC.

You also have the season premiere of Fringe on Fox at 9PM. They hung it all on the line with the alternative reality bit. Will be be Heroes all over again or will it be the next X-Files?

Finally, I will be watching the instant classic that will be the season premiere of Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The funniest show no one watches. You may be disturbed and repulsed but you will most definitely laugh.

I understand that Vampire Diaries may be good but I am Vampired out. Enough with the vampire shows already.

What I have been watching...

It has been a busy couple days at work and at home and I haven't had much blogging time. I thought I could give a couple quick blasts about the shows that have kept my attention while bandying about.

Hung - After a slow start, this show really picked up steam for me. The finale was only OK though. I really wanted him to go into that hotel room and reveal himself to his ex-wife. His kids give me the creeps. Next season I want Anne Heche's character to shine a little more.

Entourage - The stalker was only a sorority. Kind of a yawn of a season. I feel as frustrated as Lloyd. Very disappointing, especially when compared to...

Californication - I finished season 2. The season found the right note to end on. It was funny, a little sad and tragic, but yet still endearing and chalk full of awkward honesty. The birth scene and the cat fight scene were the highlights for me.

Dexter - I watched the first 2 episodes of season 3 and I am not yet hooked into the season. The first two had such great hooks. A killer was speaking to him and the Bay Harbor Butcher hunt were so tense they made for really gripping TV. Season 3 needs to bring me in quick. I am running out of time.

So You Think You Can Dance - Some are good, some are bad, some are funny. I mostly worked on rebuilding my itunes library (damn you itunes 9!).

Glee - I find myself getting into the show. It is funny and awkward. I don't know how long this can last though. Josh Groban was hilarious. The dad from Alias showed up. There was a middle aged boy band singing I Wanna Sex You Up. It was great. I fear that the song and dance routine will tire quickly but for now I will enjoy the ride. Even if it has a busted window.

Top Chef - This week was cowboy cooking. The quick fire had them making something out of cactus. I feel like it would taste like aloe smells. But it does make me want to bite into the one on the shelf (after I take out the thorns). Most of the dishes looked terrible. The elimination challenge provided some of the worst judge reactions I have seen on the show. There was a spit out, a comment of disgusting, a comparison to tasting like chlorine, and best of all a judge was still sick from the dish at judges table. Marteen was a terrible contestant. The next to go is the Haitian. He makes bad dish after bad dish. He seems likable so I am half rooting for him to make a comeback and show he worth a spot on the show. But the other half wants him gone now.

True Blood - Nail polish in the morning

I love the smell of nail polish in the morning. Classic Jason. I am going to miss this show. It was clearly the best show of the summer. That being said, it was a weird finale. They dispatched the MaryAnn storyline in the too early in the first half of the episode. It was very satisfying to see her impaled. The rest of the episode was spent waiting for the other shoe to drop. The tension was flat and a drawn out. And the episode lacked enough Eric again. With as good as the season was, it feels like nitpicking to put down the finale. I think overall the season was fabulous. I love the progression (or regression) of Jason, the love triangle of Sookie, Eric, and Bill, and the church's storyline. See you next summer.

Click here to see an interview with series creater Alan Ball.

Top 10 Tuesday - TV Characters I want to be

In honor of Gossip Girl starting and the awesomeness of Chuck Bass, today's top ten list is What 10 TV Characters would I like to be. Ground Rules - You get their life and in their time. Factors included quality of life, happiness, appeal with the ladies, money, friends, psychological issues, among others. Here is the list.

10. Jim Halpert (The Office) - Pros - Got the girl of his dreams, is the puppet master of the office, seems to have everything he wants; Cons - No money, no ambition, struggled for years to summon the courage to go after the girl, sits next to Dwight and takes orders from Michael Scott.

9. Sam Malone (Cheers) - Pros - Surrounded by friends all day, is his own boss, has a boat, classic ladies man, loves his life; Cons - loses the bar a couple times, always being punked by Gary's, can't drink, doesn't get the girl of his dreams (or does he).

8. Denny Crane (Boston Legal) -Pros - He's Denny Crane, rich, powerful, successful (never lost), honest, happy, loves the ladies, makes no apologies for who he is; Cons - on the downside of life, has Alzheimer's, firm taken by the Chinese.

7. Jack Donaghy (30 Rock) - Pros - Similar to Denny, rich, powerful, successful, loves the ladies; Cons - mother issues, big time father issues, constantly has to look over his shoulder.

6. Eric Taylor/Tim Riggins/Matt Saracen (Friday Night Lights) - Pros - OK I combined these three because they are here for similar reasons...extremely decent, loyal, family oriented, the kind of guys you want to go into battle with and/or for, they all are with the girls they belong with, they love their lives and what they do, and they love their town; Cons - the have no money and no prospect to make money, either just graduated or got fired and face huge unknowns in a bad economy with questionable skill sets.

5. Clark Kent (Smallville) - Pros - Uh, how about the power of flight? That do anything for ya? It's levitation homes. He is invincible, immortal, and full of fun party tricks, has the ability to throw enemies into space, and the ladies love him; Cons - Can't ever seem to get with Lois, can't have sex with humans, responsible for the safety of all of humanity, entire family is dead.

4. Vincent Chase (Entourage) - Pros - a single A-list actor (or at least B+), surrounded by his best friends, surrounded by the most beautiful women in the world who throw themselves at him, might have one of the coolest jobs in the world, loyal, a great friend; Cons - not sure if he any good at his job, how long can he get by on his looks, can't drive, totally dependant on others, kind of lonely.

3. Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl) - Pros - an 18 year old billionaire playboy, got the girl of his dreams, does what he wants when he wants, He's Chuck Bass; Cons - his parents are dead, dad was mean to him, no real friends, questionable outfits, very restless.

2. Don Draper (Mad Men) - Pros - the American dream personified at a time when it was attainable and worth it, king of the world, a man's man, wealthy, beautiful wife, boozes and smokes at work, great at his job, every women wants him and every man wants to be him; Cons - has a lot of demons, mother was a whore, father was cruel, constantly living a lie, in a love-less marriage.

1. Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Pros - Great job, great "friends", completely at ease with who he is and his place in the world, loves being himself, successful with the ladies and with creating a germ free environment; Cons - his friends are terrible friends and can't be relied on, relationships are doomed to failure, spent time in jail.


Honorable Mention:

Titus Pullo, Al Swearengen, Jack Shepard, Hank Moody, Michael Kelso, Zack Morris, John Dorian, Lenny Briscoe, Fox Mulder, Chris Stevens

Also considered - Sam Seaborn, Josiah Bartlet, Jack Bauer, JR Ewing, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Cliff Huxtable, Larry David, Lee Adama, Turtle, Ari Gold, Alex P. Keaton, Michael Seaver.

What to Watch tonight - 09/14/09

I watched True Blood and Hung last night, but with all the football I took in I didn't get to watch Entourage or Mad Men. So here are my top priorities of the night...

- Of course, the Gossip Girl premiere is tonight. (8pm on the CW) High School has never been more ridiculous. I mean every 16 year old bar hops, drinks martinis, and has a driver, right?

- Monday Night Football, specifically the early game Buffalo at New England. I am curious to see how Brady comes back from his knee injury and how T.O. handles his new team and their historically weak offense.

- I need to watch Mad Men. Entourage would be a bonus but that could be pushed back another day.

I will recap yesterday's football, True Blood, and Hung later on.

Guest Blogger - Sunday at the VMA's

A good friend of mine, MJH, has offered to guest blog from to time to time and offer his insight into pop culture and TV. Here is his inaugural contribution...

Sunday, for me, was both a good and very bad day of music television for me. Since my NFL team, the Bengals, doesn't get TV coverage on the east coast, I treated myself to flipping between the US Open Federer match (one of the best match's of the past few years IMO) and...get ready for it...Austin City Limits. ACL is one of those shows that I never know is on TV, but when it's on, I always watch it. Today I was treated to Drive by Truckers, an "alt-country" band a la Whiskeytown et. al. While the show originally aired last September, the music was still awesome. Watch some video and get the set list here:

I then treated myself to the aural waterboarding that is the MTV Video Music Awards. There's really too much to blog about this one, so here are some bullet points:

• MJ tribute was cool...Madonna says her kids are running around the house grabbing their crotches as inspired by MJ. I suspect he wasn't their inspiration.
• Janet Jackson is still hot, although she clearly smoked a pack of Pfunks before the show.
• Russell Brand is awful. Painfully unfunny really. While England is the home of Burberry, The Rolling Stones, and Jude Law, Mr. Brand makes me proud to be an Amurrican (that's my shout out to my tea party peeps...wait...I don't have tea party peeps).
• We should send Dane Cook to Europe to host the Europe VMA's in retaliation.
• Katy Perry sucks. I have nothing more to say about that.
• If you didn't think Kanye was a dick when he told America that GWB hated black people, you must agree that his stunt tonight with Taylor Swift was pretty redic. I expect him to appear on youtube kicking a puppy or shaking a baby for his next trick.
• Kanye makes me feel that Joe Wilson is kinda' hip-hop.
• The house band that's playing when they cut to commercial is pretty good. I'd prefer to hear them over most of the acts tonight.
• Lady Ga Ga is bloody. Revoke my gay card. I don't get it.
• Beyonce is superhuman. Her performance tonight was great, even if you don't like the music.
• Lady Ga Ga accepts her award wearing a lace body stocking that covers her face with a matching crown. Perez gives her a standing-O, America says WTF?
• Lady Ga Ga changes outfits and now is wearing a birds nest on her head...or maybe it's a costume from the Lion King.
• Beyonce gave Taylor Swift another opportunity to give an acceptance speech. Suck it Kanye.
• Jay-Z performs with Alecia Keys...suck it Kanye.

Overall, I learned the following from the VMA's:

• Madonna has had work done on her face
• There were only 3 music videos this year

In non-music-tv news:

• The Bengals are going to be shitty again. This is my lot in life.
• The Sunday morning pundits are starting to agree that there is no way Obama can keep all of his health care promises he made during his Wednesday speech.
• Joe Wilson maybe-kinda-sorta-a little bit-may have been right.
• Serena Williams is a beast. That line judge pissed herself.
• Roger Federer is a golden god.
• Thank you public television for giving us re-runs of Jacques Pepin and Julia Child culinary duet show.
• I can't wait for Glee this week.
  

Gus Johnson has a new one to add to the collection...

Gus Johnson is the best play by play guy in all of sports. His calls are so enthusiastic and emotional you can't help but get caught up in it. Click here to check out his call of today's best play (via the Big Lead).

I can't wait for March Madness. Long live Gus.

The Top 11 Returning Comedies this Fall

I did my fall preview. You can check it out right here. I have identified 40 shows I want to watch this fall. Am I sick? Yes. I know I am. You don't think I realize that. I relish in it. To relish in my sickness a little further, I love lists. I can't get enough of them. If I see an article or a website or a show that has a list or a countdown of anything, I have to watch. I must know what is number one. Did I see it? Was I there? Do I remember it? Are they completely wrong??? I am going to start a series of lists. I am thinking every Tuesday. Top Ten Tuesday. That my friends, is called alliteration.

But today is Saturday and this list has 11. As Bluto once said, why not? I couldn't narrow it down to 10 and I didn't want to wait till Tuesday. Here is my list of the best returning comedies this fall. Ground Rules - The shows have to be returning because I haven't watched any of the new ones yet. I will do a list of the top or most anticipated new shows in my mind. Also, it has to be airing new episodes this Fall. East Bound and Down, etc. will have to wait their turn. Let the countdown begin...

11. Parks & Recreation - This show is going into its second season and I am really hoping it picks up the pace a little. The awkward pause works for Steve Carrell but I am not in need of another slice of the same pie on the same night. If one of the new comedies is any good, this one is the clubhouse leader to fall out.

10. New Adventures of Old Christine - It is a nice show. It is somewhat funny, very familiar, and it has Elaine as a desperate MILF. But it lacks in originality. It is a little vanilla.

9. Family Guy / 8. The Simpsons - I may be a little low with these shows. Five years ago they would have been much higher. I think they may be becoming a little tired and old now. But more than that, I think I am taking them for granted. I am not surprised by them. They have been good for so long now that they can't do anything but disappoint. Has there ever been higher praise for a cartoon?

7. Big Bang Theory - Season 2 comes out on DVD on September 15. It is sitting on the top of my queue right now staring at me. Since I have only seen season 1, this ranking is subject to change.

6. How I Met Your Mother - Barney rules. This show rises and falls with Barney. The other characters don't suck, but Barney makes me set my DVR every week. The episode themes are great. The Crazy-Hot line is classic. Very Seinfeldian. The characters are also my age. I actually don't care who the mother is. Is that wrong of me?

5. Californication - I still have two episodes left in season 2. This show gets bumped up a couple slots solely because of Mulder. The show is also a little bit of a cry for help, isn't it? It is so unapologetically sexually impulsive you almost miss the fact that it is smart and sometimes has a heart.

4. The Office - Pam and Jim are the first TV relationship I care about in a sitcom since Sam and Rebecca on Cheers (I am a little too young for Diane). Maybe Kevin and Winnie are a better comparison. I mean who doesn't want them together? The comedy comes from Michael playing the role of a one man band, running around like a nut trying to get these workers to laugh, cry, love, or feel anything...while they try to keep a straight face and not be terribly insulted. Jim makes snide comments and goofy faces. Dwight says something crazy. Throw in a prank and you have the office. This show has the biggest heart in all of TV.

3. Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The trend, started by Seinfeld, is that it is funny when people are selfish, borderline evil, crazy, and/or mean to each other. Arrested Development took it farther, Family Guy a little more, and this show went way farther. It is like a live action Family Guy, but meaner. It has the interwoven story lines of Seinfeld too. The show is one of the very few shows that can actually surprise you and make you laugh out loud.

2. 30 Rock - This show was a total surprise to me. A revelation of the genius of Tina Fey. I am 100% sold on her. She plays self deprecating better than anyone right now. The show basically is Tina Fey having her spirit slowly crushed by the world, her poor choices, and most of all, by her co-workers. Alec Baldwin is epic as Jack Donaghy. And nobody plays crazy like Tracy Morgan. It is the best network comedy by a clear margin.

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm - I always described this show as Seinfeld with curses. EW described it as Seinfeld on steroids and downers. Larry is the opposite of Liz Lemon. Instead of fielding insults and trying to organize chaos, Larry dishes out the insults and brings a hurricane of chaos wherever he goes. The legend of the show is that it is mostly ad libbed. The storylines are laid out as an outline and the actors fill in the spaces. The celebrities that play themselves are almost always classic. The show is everything you want it to be. I can't wait to see how the Seinfeld reunion turns out.

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The Ballad of GI Joe

I posted this once, but it bears reposting. I have watched this about 10 times and it gets better each time. My favorite lines are :

Scarlett sits at night and wonders...

Night falls on the Cobra Terrordrome... and

Cobra Commander loves 70s boogie.

MUST WATCH THIS

Scarlett - Julianne Moore
Zartan - Billy Crudup
Snowjob - Zach Galifianakis
Baroness - Olivia Wilde
Lady Jaye - Alexis Bledel
Dr. Mindbender - Tony Hale
Duke - Henry Rollins
Gung-Ho - Chuck Liddell
Shipwreck - Alan Tudyk
Destro - Vinnie Jones
Doc - Laz Alonso
Tomax/Zamot - Joey Kern
and also featuring...
Sargent Slaughter as himself
Jamin Fite as Cobra Commander
Frankie Kang as Storm Shadow
Geoff Mann as Buzzer
Andreas Owald as Snake Eyes
Daniel Strange as Torch
Kevin Umbricht as Ripper

(* Props to Glen for the cast list.)

FALL PREVIEW - Sunday

8PM

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - ABC

Amazing Race - CBS

Sunday Night Football - NBC

Simpsons/Cleveland Show* - Fox

If you are between the ages of 25 and 40, you had to have watched the Simpsons. It is the kind of show where you can jump in and out, skip a year, watch a batch of repeats. It has been a Sunday staple for 15 years... The Cleveland Show is a spin off of Family Guy. I am slightly curious but it will probably be less than Family Guy. How can't it be?... Ty and the boys do good work but I don't want to see sad story after sad story every week... Amazing Race wins the Emmy for best reality show every year and I have never seen an episode... Football is game dependent but most Sunday Night games are good and deserve some measure of your attention.

Verdict - DVR Simpsons and Cleveland and watch football.

9PM

Desperate Housewives - ABC

Three Rivers* - CBS

Family Guy/American Dad - Fox

Next Iron Chef - Food Network

Curb Your Enthusiasm/Bored To Death* - HBO

Dexter - Showtime

I watched 2 1/2 seasons of Housewives. That was enough for me... Three Rivers is about transplant donors, donees, and doctors. Not interested... Family Guy was a hidden gem ala Arrested Development, ressurected after it was the original TV DVD phenom, became a huge success and was hilarious, got a little old and tired, and is now poised for a bounce back... I am over American Dad... I love Next Iron Chef if for no other reason than AB is the host... Curb is the hottest show on TV thanks to the Seinfeld reunion... I have a gut feeling Bored to Death is going to be the funniest new show on TV. It features Jason Schwartzman (of Wes Anderson fame), Zach Galifianakis (the bearded guy from The Hangover), and Ted Danson (uh, Sam Malone) in a modern noir detective comedy... Dexter is a killer show (pun on the house)

Verdict - Best hour of TV of the week. Curb and Bored are must watch. Family Guy will be DVR'd. Dexter will be watched On Demand, and Next Iron Chef will be on a bunch of times over the course of the week.

10PM

Brothers & Sisters - ABC

Cold Case - CBS

Mad Men (in progress) - AMC

**10:30** Entourage (in progress) - HBO

Californication - Showtime

It is all testosterone baby. Mad Men, Entourage, and Californication are all must see shows. Entourage is almost done, Mad Men is about half way though, and Californication is fresh in my mind.

Verdict - Man Shows.

Recap - The best night of TV and football make Sunday a day to stay in. It is there to soften the blow that is the realization that the work week is staring you in the face. Here is how to work the DVR...

8:00-9:15 - Football or Simpsons/Cleveland
9:15-9:40 - Curb
9:40-10:05 - Bored
10:05-10:30 - Californication
10:30-11:00 - Entourage
11:00-12:00 - Football/Dexter