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.