Summer Endings, New Beginnings

I feel guilty for ignoring my blog for the entire month of July. I just haven't made time for it. I've been sleeping/working/traveling/actually watching television, but not writing. I will be back in full force, though, because a lot of my shows are about to kick off their new seasons. I've already made a calendar of premiere dates! (Really. I do that kind of thing.)

When I'm at school, I watch most of my tv alone. I hope that doesn't sound like a pity party because it's not! I like having that time to myself. I've always got a few projects going with some of my friends, as well as weekly tv dates to watch Chuck or The Office or whatever. But I spend more time watching by myself, whether it be old favorite episodes or new stuff for my own television education (Learning is a lifelong process. I wonder if I will ever make it through my "Shows to Watch" list...?)

This summer, however, I have been less self-indulgent. I'm still not finished with Six Feet Under because I wasn't willing to watch even an episode every day. Almost all of what I've watched has been time spent with my family and friends.

So that's it for the explanation part of this post. Here's what I've been watching. But first! My Emmy dream ballot, as previously promised. I didn't choose 6 for each category because I know there are deserving shows out there that I have yet to see (Breaking Bad, In Treatment, etc.), so I leave slots open for them. A star indicates a place where the dream was a reality on the nominations list.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Battlestar Galactica

*Lost

*Mad Men

True Blood

*Dexter

BEST COMEDY SERIES

*The Office

*How I Met Your Mother

Chuck

*Flight of the Conchords

The Big Bang Theory

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights

Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice

*Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Edward James Olmos, Battlestar Galactica

*Jon Hamm, Mad Men

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

*Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men

Anna Paquin, True Blood

*Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

*Steve Carell, The Office

Zachary Levi, Chuck

*Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Ken Marino, Party Down

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies

Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck

*Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

*Michael Emerson, Lost

Josh Holloway, Lost

*John Slattery, Mad Men

Michael Hogan, Battlestar Galactica

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica

Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

*Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

*Rainn Wilson, The Office

John Krasinski, The Office

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies

Adam Baldwin, Chuck

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Jenna Fischer, The Office

Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother

Jane Lynch, Party Down

*Kristen Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

A few notes:

-It is truly pathetic that the Academy cannot bring itself to nominate genre shows like Battlestar Galactica. They are closing themselves off to some of the greatest work in television.

-I will probably end up watching the awards ceremony, if only to see Neil Patrick Harris as the host. With Jeremy Piven out of the running, I feel pretty confident that he will finally win for his portrayal of Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. Also, I like Michael Emerson's chances. Ben is a badass.

-As long as Two and a Half Men is still getting nominated for anything, the Emmys lacks all credibility as a serious merit system.

-I realize that 30 Rock is better than I give it credit for- and I hope that one day I change my mind- but I just don't like it. So that's why I don't include it.

-The most criminal omissions on this list- Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin. Connie Britton as Tami Taylor. Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke. Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse. Where is the love for these stunning actresses?

So You Think You Can Dance- This was a special time for me, my mom, and my sister every week. We watched certain dances over and over ("Calle Ocho"! "Hush, Hush"! "Mad"!), voting hundreds of times for our favorites: Ade, Brandon, Janette, Jeanine, and Kayla. By the Top 8, we were all united behind one dancer- Jeanine. And she won!! Very fun and exciting. And now we don't have to wait until next summer to see more entertainment provided by those rockin' judges/choreographers/dancers/towering British hosts

named Cat Deeley. Season 6 premieres at the beginning of September. From what Adam Shankman has been tweeting about the auditions, it seems like we will be seeing insane amounts of talent.

Burn Notice- The first half of Season 3 concluded with an intense episode for Fiona. After fighting for several weeks with Michael over his dogged efforts to clear his burn notice and get back into the intelligence community, Fiona decided that she couldn't stay in Miami anymore. But an enemy from her past in Ireland came to hunt her down. Michael realized what was most important to him when Fiona's life was in danger. There were many touching moments between the two of them, without them explicitly stating their feelings (which would, of course, change the very nature of their relationship). So this does not imply that Michael is no longer trying to be a spy, but I think he will not be willing to do so "whatever the cost," as his attitude has been up to this point. This season has contained some of the best episodes of the entire show, although I don't think it has overall been as good as Season 2 and the Management/Carla storyline. The Detective Paxson investigation into Michael's activities never posed an effective threat and, as a result, was not a real source of conflict for him. After that situation went away, the rest of the episodes contained only small elements of forward plot movement, with Michael trying to find contacts in the spy business who could help him get back in. The cliffhanger involved the death of his main contact, so that should provide some momentum when Season 3 resumes in January.

The Closer- Episodes so far have been consistent but not extraordinary. I'm not unhappy with them, I just haven't found any standouts. Brenda's grieving over her cat lasted too long. From there, things have shifted to a new houseguest for Brenda and Fritz: her teenage niece, Charlie, who had become too difficult for her parents and grandparents to deal with. Played by Kyra Sedgwick's own daughter, Sosie Bacon, Charlie is bringing out Brenda's maternal instincts. She needs to have a baby already!! Fritz would be such a good daddy. I'm looking forward to an episode that touches my heart. One always comes. Maybe it will be the one that brings back creepy lawyer rapist. I've never seen Brenda as terrified of someone as she is of him, even crazy woman burner, Billy Kroelig.

Nurse Jackie- With only 1 episode remaining in Season 1 (actually, 2 have yet to air, but for some reason, Showtime OnDemand puts up the next week's episode), I officially like this show. Moral ambiguity fascinates me (see: Dexter) because it explores people's complex motivations. Jackie Peyton is a nurse who cares for her patients. After all her years at that job, she still gets emotionally invested. She will do anything necessary to work the system to help her patients. At times, this means doing something illegal. Jackie is deeply concerned for her family. She is also deeply concerned for her boyfriend, Eddie. And for her drug habit. My absolute favorite aspect of this show, and what sets it apart from any other hospital show I have seen, is that it always manages to find the humor in a very serious world. Hospitals are centers of pain, tragedy, and misfortune. But these people do not allow themselves to be darkened by it. They work within it and maintain their optimism. Nurse Jackie is a drama. Yet, I am constantly laughing. Like when Dr. O'Hara steals Zoe's stethoscope and finds great amusement in watching the timid nursing student try to get it back. Like when Jackie's adorable daughter Fiona (played by Daisy Tahan) says ANYTHING. Like when the sweet and oblivious Zoe tries to hug Jackie. Like when bureaucratic administrator Ms. Akalitus grows attached to an abandoned baby and then pretends that the baby is dead when the irresponsible parents try to reclaim their child. Like when Peter Facinelli's Dr. Cooper acts like a little boy (which is all the time). Good show. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do a season finale next week.

True Blood- Saving the best for last! An awesome development: I have started writing for the True Blood fansite, www.truebloodnet.com, as a contributor of news articles related to the show and the people involved with it. The show itself is 8 episodes in to Season 2, and it just keeps getting crazier and better with each week. Sookie and Bill traveled to Dallas at Eric's behest to find out what happened to the Sheriff of Area 9, Godric.

There they met with the Dallas vampire-cowboys, who were convinced that the Fellowship of the Sun Church was responsible. Stan, the leader of the nest in Godric's absence, wanted to go into the church, guns a-blazin'. (Isabel: "Vampire-hating church annihilated. Wonder who did it? Brilliant.") Sookie offered to go to the FOTS posing as someone interested in joining their congregation. She would listen in on people's thoughts and discover the truth about Godric. Isabel knew how worried Bill was about Sookie's safety, so she sent her own human, Hugo, to accompany Sookie on her undercover mission. Problem was-

Steve Newlin knew exactly who Sookie was when she got there, so he locked her in the basement. And Bill sensed that she was in danger. But he couldn't get to her because stupid Eric summoned Bill's Maker, Lorena, to keep him occupied so that he could save Sookie himself. Just as she was about to be attacked by one of Newlin's goons, Godric stepped in to protect her. Then Eric came to Godric (his Maker, from the Viking period), who instructed him to get Sookie out. Newlin was arming his people for a war, which very nearly happened when Bill finally got away from Lorena and made it to the church, followed closely by Stan and the other Dallas vampires. But Godric kept the peace. They all returned to Godric's lair, where Lorena confronted Sookie (Cat fight! It made me very happy to see Sookie get so defensive about her man. Go Team Bill!), Jason apologized to Bill and Sookie for being such an idiot, and Luke from the FOTS brought in a bomb of silver chains and tiny wooden stakes...To be continued after the next episode.

Meanwhile, Jessica made a love connection ever with Hoyt Fortenberry. Too

cute for words!

Maryann has been exercising a powerful control over the citizens of Bon Temps. Wild parties that turn into drunken orgies with demonic black eyes and lots of violence. She is cra-azy. Tara and Eggs are unable to resist her influence, even though they both feel suspicious about the circumstances in which they find themselves. Wake up, morons!

Maryann has a strange fixation on Sam. Like, she wants to eat his heart. She used shapeshifter Daphne to seduce him and then killed her when she was unable to deliver her prey. Sam is definitely going to start fighting back soon! And so is Sookie, when she gets back from her trip and learns what has been going on in her town.

In other True Blood news, Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin are engaged! I am so excited and happy for them. Sookie and Bill 4-eva, no matter what Eric does! I'm not ready for them to break up on the show, even though I know that's where things are headed because stupid Charlaine Harris made Bill a stupid jerk in the books and made Sookie start jumping from man to man like a big stupid ho. I'm speaking out of anger... I love this show.

My television schedule for the fall:

SUNDAY- Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Brothers & Sisters, Dexter

MONDAY- House, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Castle

TUESDAY- Sons of Anarchy

WEDNESDAY- So You Think You Can Dance

THURSDAY- Bones, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, So You Think You Can Dance results show

FRIDAY- Dollhouse

New shows I will be checking out:

Flash Forward on ABC, Community on NBC, Glee on Fox

Summer Musings

After moving into our new house, Charter decided to make my life wonderful by adding HBO, Showtime, and the other premium movie channels to our cable subscription. This has meant that: a) I can watch True Blood when it originally airs instead of on Surf the Channel a day later, and b) I have access to On-Demand. I have definitely been using this newfound power of mine. In the past week, I watched all the episodes of the new Edie Falco drama, Nurse Jackie; the entire first season of Dexter; and random episodes of Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Party Down. No commercials, just quality television at the press of a button. Magic.

This summer is project time for me.

1) Mom, Claire, and I are halfway through Season 2 of Bones. We girls love us some Seeley Booth.

2) Claire and I are a couple of episodes in to Season 2 of Dexter. She resisted it at first, but now she can't deny that she is intrigued by the show. This is only my second time to watch all the episodes, and I am constantly blown away by Michael C. Hall and how he makes Dexter grow from beginning of S1 to end of S3.

3) My friend Camille and I are working our way through LOST. We started at about episode 2.18 because she had watched those last year but never finished. I think it's a good idea for me to return to the earlier episodes because I see details that I haven't thought about in a while. It gives some perspective to the events of Seasons 4 and 5.

4) And for my own television project, I have started watching Six Feet Under with my friend Will. It is so good- hauntingly beautiful and morbidly funny. The characters are seriously messed up. Frances Conroy is possibly one of my top 5 favorite actresses now. And Alan Ball has definitely joined the pantheon of my television gods.

In addition, I've been keeping up with my regular summer programming, plus a couple extras.

The Closer- The first few episodes have been sad ones. Kitty died, and Brenda was very upset. It seems that marriage has awakened her more emotional side. Now, though, she needs to move past it and give Fritz something to do besides take the cat to the vet! Episode 3 gave Corey Reynolds time to shine when his character, Sgt. Gabriel, shot an unarmed kid while pursuing a murderer. As a result, he was being investigated by a police captain from another department, played by the magnificent Mary McDonnell. She and Brenda engaged in a tug-of-war cat fight for the entire episode that kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope to see more of McDonnell this season! What I need from this show now is a light-hearted episode that features more Lt. Provenza. I want to laugh.

Burn Notice- Michael Westen is no longer bound by chains to "The Management" that burned him, but that means he is also no longer protected by them. So this season began with Michael's arrest. He is being watched and scrutinized by an annoying and inconvenient detective played by Moon Bloodgood. Meanwhile, he is trying to get his spy life back because nothing is standing in his way. This causes some tension with Fi because she wants him to be content with the life they've made for themselves these past couple of years. The standout episode of the season so far was a Collateral-esque thriller that saw the return of clever arms dealer Brennen (played by Jay Karnes) who picked Michael up in a car and said, "Steal this stuff for me today or I will kill your brother, Nate." Michael always breaks out his smartest stuff when his friends and family are in danger, like the Cantenna that used a hanger, some metal washers, and a potato chip can to hack into the bluetooth of Brennen's cell phone.

So You Think You Can Dance- Such a fun show. I fell in love with it last summer, and I'm still enjoying it immensely this season. Granted, there is no "Joshua and Katee" couple that I was instantly attached to and voted for every week. But the format of this show is perfect. It's why I bend my no-reality-tv-shall-ever-pollute-my-brain rule. The choreographers, the dancers, the judges- they're all so entertaining. At this point, I'm rooting for Brandon/Janette and Ade/Melissa.

Nurse Jackie- I've only seen 4 episodes so far, which is too soon to make a solid judgment, but I will say that I instantly got a Mad Men vibe from this show, which bodes well for it. Just like Don Draper in the pilot episode when we got to see the enigmatic man spend a day at work, visit a woman in her NYC apartment, and then drive home to a wife and kids that we didn't see coming, Jackie did almost the exact same thing. She's a tough lady. Yet she has an addiction to pain killers. She is morally ambiguous. She turns a dead kid into an organ donor to save lives. She sleeps with her hospital boyfriend and

then goes home to her adorable daughters and loving husband. Hmmmm.... As for the supporting cast, they are funny and wonderful and pretty much unknowns to me, which I kinda like. The only one I'm familiar with is Peter Facinelli who plays Dr. Cooper. He's adorable.

True Blood- Ahhh, now on to my addiction. The season premiere, "Nothing but the Blood," jumped right back in where we left off. With a foot hanging out of Andy Bellefleur's car. We all feared it would be Lafayette. That's what happens in the book. But Alan Ball cast the entire season in surprise when the foot was revealed to belong to someone else (Miss Jeanette who performed Tara's exorcism). Lafayette is being held as a prisoner by Eric in the basement of Fangtasia because of what happened to Eddie. Bill and Sookie are adjusting to life with Jessica. Jason has joined the inner circle of the Fellowship of the Sun. And Tara is still living with Maryann, whose intentions are very suspect. I could go on and on, believe me, but for now I think I'll just list some of my favorite quotes so far:

"Is there blood in my hair? Pam's going to kill me." -Eric

"We also recycle in this house. TruBlood and other glass items go in the blue container, and paper products go in the white container." -Bill

"Make me a vampire. I'm already a person of poor moral character, so I can hit the ground running." -Lafayette

"I cannot, and I will not, lose you. For all the ways I have dismayed, aggrieved, or failed you, I swear, I will atone. But I am not sorry. I refuse to apologize for what you have awakened in me. You are my miracle, Sookie. For the first time in a hundred and forty years, I've felt something I thought had been lost to me forever. I love you. And for that I shall never feel sorry." -Bill

In my next post, I will take the ballot for the Emmys and make my dream nominations list. If the majority of my picks match with the actual nominations released next month, I might reconsider my boycott. Stay tuned.

The Bachelorette + So You Think You Can Dance

Oh, reality television- you are the one thing that can humble me from my occasional tv snobbery. Example: ME "I can't believe you watch that show. Why don't you get some standards?" MY SISTER "Hey, how was The Bachelorette last night?" ME "Point taken." But, for reals, without this stuff that has zero importance in my life and offers no valuable insights into anything except how INSANE people can be, I would be completely adrift with nothing to watch on a weekly basis. Waiting for stuff to return is hard. Especially when your summer shows don't start up until summer's almost over! (You know who you are, The Closer and Mad Men with your ridiculous premiere dates of July 14th and 27th.) What am I supposed to do for the entire month of June? Have a life that doesn't revolve around television?! That's a ludicrous suggestion...

I watched The Bachelorette these past 2 months because I was in the habit after the glory days that were The Bachelor: London Calling. I didn't know who DeAnna was because I hadn't watched Brad's season, but I did enjoy the Trista and Ryan season of The Bachelorette so I thought I'd give this one a try. I kinda wish I hadn't, though, because it resulted in disappointment and heartache for me on more than one occasion! For starters, I was very attached to Brian, the high school football coach from Texas. He was manly, which was a big plus, and he also seemed to be very kind and mature. I saw a lot of potential with him (for myself, but for DeAnna, too, if she had just given him a chance!). Then there was Graham... What is there to say? He was gorgeous. She had more chemistry with him than...something with a lot of chemistry. She let him go after the hometown dates with the last 4 guys. He gave her a letter when they said goodbye. I don't know what it said. I don't want to know what it said. Somehow, that would make everything that they went through mean less. Once it was down to Jason and Jesse, I hoped she would pick Jason, the single dad from Seattle. Instead, she accepted the proposal from the snowboarder who says "rad" way too often. The makings of a long-lasting, adult relationship, I'm sure... Honestly, I don't know how I survived DeAnna's constant crying and emotional outbreaks and repeated speeches about knowing what they went through and wanting them to open up and blah blah blah. I think it just got to the point where I had to watch it because I needed to know what happened to these people. In hindsight, neither DeAnna nor any of the guys filled the void in my life left by the charming Brit, Matt Grant. I think I can safely say that I have been cured of my fascination with this type of show and will never watch it again.

I can't say the same for So You Think You Can Dance because that show is great. I watched a little bit of Season 2 and thought Benji was the most amazing dancer I had ever seen. Season 4 has been equally as amazing and exciting. It's dancing in the purest form: all the contestants are so talented, and they just get better every week. The judges are interesting- granted, Mary Murphy is a hysterical crazy lady, but at least she knows what she's talking about. Nigel Lythgoe is the token British guy. He's harsh, but that just makes his praise worth more. And he does a great Michael Caine impression! The guest judges are choreographers, which makes them awesome. My favorite couple in the beginning was Kherington and Twitch because I loved their energy. They're not the best dancers in the group, but I have fun watching their routines. I still like them, but their spot as my number 1 couple has been taken by Katee and Joshua. Like, whoa. They are simply phenomenal. Their Hip Hop routine was deep and beautiful, their Broadway routine rocked my face off, their Samba was, like, the hottest thing I've ever seen, and their Mia Michaels-choreographed Contemporary routine was way cool. I mean, I didn't really understand it, but there were some freaking sweet moves in there!

SYTYCD is the one reality show that I am not ashamed to watch and will continue to enjoy for years to come.




Joshua & Katee- Samba


Joshua & Katee- Broadway


Joshua & Katee- Bollywood


Joshua- Solo