TV Week

This is a post I've sort of been dreading writing – not because I don’t want to write it, but because it means summer is officially over and the onslaught of a new TV season is upon us ... It’s been such an enjoyable, free summer away from the pull of the TV set.

Then, why do you let it pull you back in? you ask. … Wish I had a better answer. Other than that some stuff on TV is just so darn entertaining (See below: Glee). And fascinating. And eye-opening.

Ah, but the fall TV season is upon us ...

So let’s get’s started.

* * *

After much thought, I'm giving up on "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters."

Sad I know. They've been our Sunday night mainstays for as long as both have been on the air. In fact, we haven't missed an episode of either show.

Kates insists she’s sticking with “Brothers & Sisters,” but I'm taking a hard line on my drama intake this year. I just can't take it anymore. I'm desperate for lighter, funnier fare. Stuff that leaves me happy and giddy when I go to bed at night and prepare to face another day of my somewhat dramatic work in this crazy tough world we live.

I'm facing it. "Desperate Housewives" will never be as fresh and bold and riveting and colorful as it was in that mind-boggling first season.

And "Brothers and Sisters" has become too predictable; I'm tired of watching the Walker clan spill each other's secrets and the inevitable blowup during another one of the family's classic dinners. It’s a formula for every episode, it seems.

And yet, I’m hanging on to “Grey’s Anatomy,” which like its former Sunday night ABC counterpart will never be as fresh and dreamy as it was that first season of love. But I can’t yet bare to break up with it.

* * *

Speaking of fresh, colorful shows ...

"Glee" is back!

Kates and I had to put it off an extra night because we committed Wednesday night to watching President Obama's healthcare speech (which was wonderful, we thought).

Like just about every one else in America who caught last spring's pilot episode, we've been anxiously awaiting it's return this fall ... And, despite some reviews that suggested otherwise, we thought the new episode was even funnier and entertaining than the pilot. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

It's punchy, snarky humor about a high school glee club -- without the sugar and sweetness of "High School Musical." Wednesday night's episode was loaded with one-liners.

I looooove Emma and the way she stutters and stumbles in the presence of Will. ... I, too, enjoy watching Terri and Quinn, even though they're supposed to be the villains. Quinn's performance of "I Say A Little Prayer" and its visually cool choreography was arguably my favorite musical number of the night.

Remembering Jessalyn Gilsig and Jayma Mays as their more serious characters on "Heroes" also made it fun to see them in comedic roles.

Yes, the show could not have cast a better person for Sue Sylvester than Jane Lynch. And yes, I too was shocked at how raunchy the "Push It" performance was for a network primetime show -- but it was all in the name of comedy.

* * *

Ellen Degeneres as the fourth “American Idol” judge …?

Wha … ?

Hmm.

I’m not sure what to think of this one.

I’m a huge fan of the good ‘ol sunny, bubbly Ellen. (See Jenna Bush’s phone call to her dad.)

But as a judge on “American Idol?” Not seeing it.

My initial reaction was that – while it will be entertaining to see how she contrasts with Simon Cowell – she’s not a music person (A music lover, yes. But she’s not a music industry person). She’s a comedian. And thus the show becomes less about music and more centered on its judges and their distinct personalities and slams on one another.

My initial reaction was that I didn’t like the idea one bit.

Then again, especially since the news of Paula Abdul’s departure, I’ve been on the fence of whether to return to Idol for its ninth season.

With Ellen in the “Idol” house, I’m thinking I’m going to have to return, which proves the powers-that-be are creating a new buzz about the show and they just might know what they’re doing after all.

* * *

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned Kates and I are getting into “Mad Men” …

I’m still saying it’s really too bad it took us three years, and now we’re playing catch-up.

But Sunday night’s episode I thought was the best we’ve seen yet … Between Peggy’s search for a roommate and the death of Grandpa Draper – which I totally did not see coming this soon. Then, there was poor Sally Draper, whose emotions EW summed up swimmingly in its review of the episode …

Can someone please give Kiernan Shipka an ice cream sundae The young actress, who plays tortured Sally Draper, certainly earned a special treat with that performance on the front stoop (''no! no! no!'') and later in the kitchen amongst the adults. It was an episode about family, and the fraught tether that binds its members. Parents demand too little or too much, inevitably disappointing in small and large ways. Children crave recognition and approval, even when they're breaking free of legacy. And nobody dealt with their familial pain and longing better than little Sally, who seemed to experience all seven stages of grief in the one hour.

* * *

TV columnist Tom Shales had a good read the other day about the challenge “Saturday Night Live” faces this year after last year’s dynamite season.

I couldn’t agree more with the notion that it’s not looking good.

Kates and I were equally shocked to learn of Michaela Watkins’ dismissal from the show. After her funny turn on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” we were thrilled to see her cast on SNL, where her Hoda Kotb and a number of other characters were instant goodness. … But I can side with Lorne Michaels’ reported opinion that Watkins deserves her own show. It’s just too bad he thought she deserved it after just one season on SNL.

On the other hand, I won’t be missing Casey Wilson who was also dismissed from SNL. I just didn't think she was funny.

* * *

Here’s some of the new shows Kates and I are eyeing up and looking to try this fall … The keyword is try. If it's anything like previous years, we'll end up holding on to one or two of these ...

a Accidentally on Purpose
a Jay Leno
a Hank
a The Middle
a Modern Family
a Cougar Town
a FlashForward
a Community

Fun and games

I read this passage yesterday on a music blog that was talking about the sorry state of our world and challenging, for a lack of a better description, the little people to do what they can to make things better ...

dream big, you f**kers -- start with an idea, think it through, make it happen

I’m making it my mantra for 2008.

* * *

It's been bitterly cold here the last couple days ... Bring back the 60-degree tornado weather.

* * *

Kates and I have officially started work on the baby’s room. We’re re-doing what once was Kates’ office …

The room is already orange, which we decided to keep because there are bits of orange in some of the décor we’ve picked out …

We also thought it would be a great idea to paint the ceiling yellow -- also taken from bits of our décor.

But when the yellow went on the ceiling Sunday night, Kates hated it … And for the record, I wasn’t exactly keen on it at first, either. But the more I studied it, the more I liked it -- it gave the room sort of a cool, whimsical feel, I thought.

Still, after 24 hours, Kates wasn’t bending …

So guess what I was doing last night?

That’s right -- painting the ceiling back to its former wedding cake white.

* * *

I’m still enjoying the respite from trying to keep up with a constant flow of TV shows. Sorry, Writer’s Guild.

Two weeks ago “Desperate Housewives” signed off with the cap on its tornado saga. (How interesting was that -- and then we had an actual tornado the next day!?)

Thursday we watched the final “Grey's Anatomy” -- which, for all my whining about how bad it’s become, actually shaped up decently in its last few episodes.

And Sunday night we caught the final “Brothers & Sisters.” Love it. Wonderful, human drama.

But for all the crying about reality shows taking over the primetime airwaves, so far the networks are doing a decent job of filling some of the slots …

Kates and I do like the new “Cashmere Mafia,” … though reviews have been less than favorable.

And we’re welcoming back “According to Jim,” “Old Christine” and “Lost” -- Lost!! -- with open arms …

That, and bring on the Jayhawk basketball. I watched Saturday’s win at Nebraska and last night’s blowout of Oklahoma with glee (good to see George Brett at the game!) … But I shutter every time an analyst calls them the best team in the nation, because that only sets us up for another choke …

* * *

Time for some Internet fun.

I got this Frank Sinatra spoof from a friend who suggested this be played at all airports ...

I also received this video from a friend. The video apparently is of a phone call placed by a boy to a Houston radio station ...

Talking TV

So I haven’t been much for talking about TV this fall. Sorry.

I blame it partly on getting so wrapped up in the postseason baseball. Then, I was racing to catch up with so many shows on the DVR that I hardly had time to soak up a lot of them. And now Hollywood is in a writer’s strike that’s halting our favorite shows and there's no signs of them resuming.

I also blame it on the fact I haven’t exactly been blown away by anything I’ve been watching this fall -- at least not the way I was always blown away by the hilarity of Friends, Fraiser, Raymond or Will & Grace. Or the soaring drama, action and charm of West Wing, or the early episodes of Lost and Heroes… Which is sort of surprising because it’s a rarity I don’t really like at least a handful of the new shows ...

This year has been a rarity … I was turned off by Caveman and Carpoolers in just five minutes. We stayed with Samantha Who for two episodes before cutting that one loose. And Reaper hung around on our DVR for about three or four episodes before we dismissed that one too …

Oh, and Private Practice? Yeah. Still boycotting it.

We’ve kept up with Big Bang Theory (I do really enjoy Sheldon …) and Back To You, but those are starting to wear too … Even How I Met Your Mother and The Office seem to have lost their edge (Although I must admit the first couple episodes of this season's Office, despite being an hour long, were pretty stellar -- Angela to Dwight, referring to her cats: “I don‘t want Garbage! I want Sprinkles!” And later during their breakup: “I will leave your toothbrush on your tire.”) ... That said, 30 Rock may be the sitcom I've most enjoyed watching this fall -- and that's something I never thought I'd be saying last fall ...

If a show has any premise remotely about crime and cops, or even smells of sleaze, I'm not getting near it. I don’t care how well it’s written or produced -- I get enough of that in my every day work …

There have been some signs of TV life lately, though … mostly in Daisies, a tornado and a favorite from last season that couldn’t have returned at more appropriate time.

Yeah. So how about that tornado on Wisteria Lane last night!? Captivating at times (Lynette's scream at the end), funny at others (Edie vs Gabby; Victor vs Carlos -- I saw Victor getting pinned with that fence post a mile away), and sometimes just dumb -- No one predicts a tornado hours before it's going to hit and then prepares for it. McClusky driving up in her car and yelling to the neighbors (who were standing under a sunny sky) at 9 in the morning that a tornado had hit Mt. Pleasant and they'd better get under cover for the 4 o'clock tornado was the worst. And c'mon, aside from the Scavo clan, why was nobody worried about Julie and the rest of the kiddos!? ... If you ask me, the Halloween episode was the best so far of a season that's almost reached First Season levels. Danielle playing Bree might have been the funniest thing I've ever seen on Housewives… Still, more recent Sundays have been like watching “a very special episode” of Desperate Housewives. Between Lynette’s cancer battle, Mike’s drug user/abusive husband persona and now Andrew moving out ... Seriously.

Keeping with the Sunday night lineup, Brothers & Sisters quietly endures as the new age thirtysomething … Sally Field. Rob Lowe. Calista Flockhart. A large, beautiful California family. Wonderful plots. A good wedding. I love the dynamic Rebecca adds to the family ... If B&S lost any points with me this season, it happened when they brought in that creepy Leena to sleep with idiot Tommy ...

On to Monday nights ... Heroes didn’t start out so hot, and I was beginning to doubt my draw to the show I fell so deeply in love with last year … Ah, but the last few weeks have turned almost as stellar as the high points of last season’s fight to save the world … With every new episode, new character and new power revealed -- it’s like one giant game of rock, paper, scissors! Seriously. It's like regeneration beats electricity, which beats flight and -- you get the idea … I'm comfortably on board again. Except, now it's over for a few weeks. (Who assassinated Nathan!?!)

As for Greys Anatomy, however, I've resigned to the notion it's never going to be as good as the pre-Super-Bowl bomb-era Grey's. … Our fearless, gonna-save-the-world interns are growing up; they're not so innocent anymore. They're more cynical and mean now. And these days they appear to be more concerned with who can have the most closet sex than they are with being chummy at the cafeteria table. I miss those days ... At least Bailey finally got to be a chief.

And that leaves me with the colorful and dazzling Pushing Daisies ... Why the buzz on this show is so subdued baffles me. (Kates was slow to warm to it too, but I finally got her hooked after a couple episodes) Did I mention how colorful it is? I love the straight-on camera angles of the characters during their conversations. I love the narration. I love the idea that Ned and Chuck are so deep into each other but it's impossible for them to touch, and the way your heart sinks for them every time they get close. And I love that each episode is a 40-minute fantasa-magical who-dun-it adventure with four people I'd love to spend my days with ...


Oh, and that show that couldn't have returned at a more appropriate time? I'm talking about Notes From the Underbelly, baby! The critics can and will say what they want about it. Yeah, so it's not the greatest premise ever, but it's darn fun and cute for a young couple that's sharing the same experiences -- and I'll watch anything with Rachael Harris ...

Not ready for primetime

It can’t start. I’m not ready yet.

For the fall TV season that is.

There’s still too much good baseball left, dang it.

( … and it’s not looking good for the Brewers right now, folks. Stayed up and watched ‘em blow an extra innings affair against the Astros on Wednesday night. Then Kates and I hooped and hollered watching the come-from-behind thriller on Friday night. And we endured the heartbreaker yesterday during which they came from behind once again and went up in the top of the 10th on a Corey Hart home run, only to see the Braves tie it up again in the bottom of the 10th on a Scott Thorman home run, and then we watched the Brewers lose it in the bottom of the 11th …All the while, the Cubs have kept on winning, and as of this evening, the Cubs are 3.5 games up with six left to play … Ah well. The Red Sox are in. The Angels are in. And at least all is well in Packer country … )

On Wednesday night, Kates and I caught the premiere of “Back to You.” ... Not bad. It is a change from Fox’s usual style of programming, and Patricia Heaton's and Kelsey Grammer's and Fred Willard's comedic chops will be enough to keep me watching for awhile … Though I’m not betting on this one. Frankly, it reminds me too much of “Good Morning, Miami.” And we all know how long that one lasted ... On the other hand (and I'm disagreeing on this one with my cohorts who also watched the show) there could be some strong possibilities with Kelly Carr's daughter Gracie and the idea that Chuck Darling is her father. It could be fun to watch how Darling adapts to the news, which Carr broke to him at the end of the premiere, and then how the parents raise her while serving as co-anchors of the Pittsburgh news station.

Then on Thursday night, only because we couldn’t find anything else to watch for the time, Kates and I ran through the DVR and watched the “Grey’s Anatomy” Addison Montgomery lovefest that originally aired on Wednesday night … Seriously. That thing featured everyone on the People Magazine staff, including the janitor, (and probably paid them handsomely) gushing about how strong and smart and vulnerable and dignified Addison is …. And blah, blah blah … bleh!

Whatever. I’m boycotting “Private Practice.” (see why here.) I wish I could predict that it will barely last a season, but the reality is that Grey's has such a strong fan base and PP has such a cast of TV stars that it will probably stick around. And before we know it Grey's is going to be ABC's version of "CSI" ... bleh!

Still, the premiere of "Survivor" remains on our DVR, unwatched. And tonight “Desperate Housewives” and “Brothers & Sisters” come back.

I’m not ready yet.

But here’s what I do plan to watch during what looks like an otherwise disappointing year for new shows …

a Pushing Daisies ... This reviewer, and the fact it has Kristin Chenoweth was enough to pique my interest ...

"... Chenoweth calls this show "fantasmagorical," and when you see it, you’ll know precisely what she means. Pushing Daisies is bizarre and strange and wonderful and vivid and has all the makings of a great new TV love affair."

a Samantha Who? ... Same reviewer.

a Cavemen ... which I'll bet doesn't make it past a third or fourth week. But, hey, the commercials make me laugh ...

Good TV reads ...
a CBS aims to be the talk of the Web
a The joke's on sitcoms as dramas get the laughs

Sunday reading

Some of the headlines and stories that caught my eyes last week ...

Baseball ...
a Turbulent Heir: Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder may look like a chunk off the old block, but he's determined to prove that any resemblance to his father, Cecil, ends with his prodigious home runs
a Milwaukee's Other Masher: After an injury-shortened 2006, a healthy J.J. Hardy is the surprise NL leader in home runs
a Something's Brewin': Fast-starting Milwaukee has history on its side
a The man with the details: Ex-clubhouse attendant may 'blow lid off' steroid saga
a Bud's big dilemma: Watch Barry or not

TV ...
a Jack Coleman shows the power to survive on 'Heroes'
a Salvation through changing the past
a In 'Flashpoint,' CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier recounts the aftermath of the Baghdad bombing that injured her and killed 4 others
a American Idol: A night full of good feelings, but for Jordin, this is her now
a For 'Brothers & Sisters,' politics isn't off limits
a 'Bionic Woman' gets a makeover

Life & other stuff ...
a Coming back from a big loss: Eight years after a deadly attack, former Gardena football star clings to the memory of a fallen friend and understands that satisfaction in life often comes from the simple things.
a High-tech TV upgrades will create low-tech trash
a Hollywood's problem with addiction
a On the Hill, a Heap of Trouble
a Wild Generalization X: In Details, a Hilarious Screed on Turning 40 and Not Loving It

TV talk

Ah, spring.

The time when TV networks give in. They dole out their leftovers and cheaply-made, reject TV shows to fill the voids left by the shows that at first seemed oh so glamorous but we, the Average Joe, middle-class audience didn’t get 'em or like 'em …

With baseball, church activities, graduate classes and workplace responsibilities running us straight to bedtime on most weeknights lately, Kates and I have barely been keeping up …

Thank God for DVR. Now we spend most Friday and Saturday nights parked on the couch taking in all the TV we’ve missed during the week …

The usual favorites have remained steady and strong. Desperate Housewives (Mrs. McCluskey was keeping her husband in he freezer!!), Brothers & Sisters (We’ve believed in it even when it wasn’t doing well, and now it’s picking up steam. Woo hoo! … Last week: Best episode of the season; excellent writing. Ooooh Rebecca!), How I Met Your Mother (Best sitcom on TV!), Heroes (Ok, that’s my personal favorite) According To Jim, American Idol (Talk about addictive ...), Lost (uh, where the heck is this thing going!?), Survivor, The Office, Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy (Kates’ favorite … and more on that later…)

Now we’ve got October Road (actually, that’s just Kates’ show … I refused to let myself get into it), The Real Wedding Crashers (my show. Kates refuses to let herself get into that one …) Thank God You’re Here and Notes From The Underbelly …

... The latest candid camera show to hit TV, The Real Wedding Crashers gets my vote simply for being a zany, laugh-out-loud prankfest. Plus Ben, Gareth, Cat, Desi and Steve are five people I'd love to party with ...

... And Thank God You're Here is just as fun for it's never-know-what's-gonna-happen-next factor. It's fun to see people like Jason Alexander and Angela Kinsey doing something out of the norm, and the icing on the cake is watching the talented ensemble cast play with the guest stars -- Hello, Maribeth Monroe! -- Kates and I saw her perform on more than one occasion in Chicago, loved her!, and now she's all over TV!!

Meanwhile, Notes is good for its wry, sarcastic humor, spun on Andrew and Lauren's journey into parenthood. Or maybe it's just more interesting because Kates and I are inching closer to that chapter of our lives ... Either way, Andrew and Lauren are a totally cool, relatable couple. I'll watch anything that Rachael Harris is on. And Melanie Paxson has been a favorite of mine for a few years too ...

Then there's that whole Grey's matter ... Thursday's episode? Loved Christina's latest bout with Burke about the idea of a big wedding (the scene of the girls in the bridal shop was priceless), it was heart-warming to see Meredith and her dad getting along, and smiling, and the whole George-Izzie-Callie love triangle continues to pull on the heart strings too (I'm rooting for Izzie). It's a great show... when it's only an hour long...

So when ABC started advertising Thursday's special two-hour episode, my expectations were lowered considerably considering the show's lackluster other special episodes (the whole Izzie-Denny debacle and the Meredith-drowns-and-comes-back-from-the-dead escapade) ...

What I didn't love about Thursday night's episode? Addison going off to free herself, aka the pilot for her Grey's spinoff ...

It was as if the creators grabbed as many beautiful actors as they could find, stuck them in a glossy California treatment center, loaded up the characters were there own life issues and wah-lah, Addison has her spin-off ...

At least most of the beautiful actors in Grey's Anatomy were virtual unknowns. The spin-off -- Taye Diggs? Amy Brenneman? Timothy Daly? -- the star-power was too distracting ...

Sure, the show obviously has a ton of possibilities, but there's almost too many possibilities -- with little direction, no depth and too many gags. Seriously. The show could've done without the whole receptionist/surfer dude walking through the lobby shirtless. Having Pete drooling over Addison was way too predictable, and then having them makeout in the stairwell was just weird and creepy. And let's not forget the biggest gag of them all -- an elevator that Addison believed was talking to her. Yes, we learned at the end of the show that the voice in the elevator was a security woman, but seriously?

Good read: 'Grey's' secret weapon: Can ABC bank on breakout success with an "Anatomy" spinoff ?

Sunday reading

Admit it. You missed my post of junk I enjoyed reading last week. So here's an expanded edition of the stuff I enjoyed reading this past week and the stuff I enjoyed reading the week before that ...

Music
a Martina McBride calls the shots on new album
a Corinne Bailey Rae, ever contradictory
a King of Pop's Lots: Auction Planned of Jackson Family Memorabilia
a With a new band sporting an R.E.M. pedigree, the melodic British rocker adds a bit of light to his quirky panoramas
a Music in its place on 'American Idol'
a Remark renews old hip-hop debate

TV and entertainment
a Sprawl in The Family: In Walkers' Tribulations, Viewers Find a Family To Which They Relate
a Beaten to the Punch Line: The Odds Against Female Stand-Up Comedians Are No Laughing Matter
a Sanjaya: The Axis of 'Idol'
a 'Hoax' Film revives notoriety for author Irving
a The state of prime-time comedy may seem like a joke, but the punch line is that viewers are flocking to reruns and original cable sitcoms
a Networks go on the cheap
a 'King of Queens' flew high, but it still remained under the radar
a 'Idol' angels secret weapon behind show

Baseball
a Colangelo, Cuban could take Cubbies to promised land
a Cubs look to Piniella for title dreams
a MLB celebrates 60th anniversary of Robinson's debut
a JACKIE ROBINSON: 60 years later

Other stuff
a MySpace competition? The world is big enough
a Scout Soars Far Beyond Eagle
a Should parents worry amid Webkinz craze?
a Information Age Makes Hoaxes Easier But Speeds Their Demise
a Beth Horning: It's apparent who helps with the homework
a Photographer altered pictures, Ohio newspaper says

... and finally, for some good Sunday laughs ...

Christ Getting In Shape For Second Coming

HEAVEN—Since His birthday last Dec. 25, the Lamb of God has committed Himself to a demanding regimen of exercise and prophecy-fulfillment in preparation for the Second Coming.

U.S. Counter-Counterterrorism Unit Successfully Destroys Washington Monument

Sunday TV

Thanks to ABC showing reruns of "Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" tonight, I actually got to watch "You're The One That I Want" and "The Apprentice" in real time ...

... For my money, ballerina bombshell Ashley Spencer blows all the other wannabe Sandys away; I've liked her from the start and I'll take her to the end. And while I'm still not very keen on any of the Dannys, Chad's far out take on "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" pretty much sealed his status for me ...

So I voted for Ashley and Chad. That's my story and I'm sticking to it ...

As for The Apprentice, Marissa was as good as gone the third time she dialed Heidi to try once more on selling her crazy chickens-on-a-corner idea ...

Sunday reading

Some of the good reads I stumbled upon this week ...

Life stuff ...
a Awesome auto does 1,000,000 miles, retires ...awesome in deed.
a Don't be 404 about latest buzzwords
a When you reach the half-century mark, almost anything goes

Music ...
a Bye, bye, bye: Music scene no longer dominated by teens ... Thank goodness! ... Have I mentioned that I can't stand Rihanna?
a Ray LaMontagne, Finding His Place
a Going own ways brings Fleetwood Mac back ... Listening to Fleetwood today, I Googled the band and stumbled across this story from the jsonline. It's 3 years old and written prior to their Summerfest stop, but a worthy read nonetheless. I mean, c'mon, it's Fleetwood Mac! ...

The screens ...
a Animal house: Fanning navigates farm life in ‘Charlotte’s Web’
a 'Charlotte's Web' returns
a Need to sell? Hire a penguin
a Rx for Success: How 'St. Elsewhere' Influenced Today's Top Medical Dramas
a Teaching an old series new tricks ... I still don't get why people are so ga-ga over "Ugly Betty."
a Networks: Listen Up for New Year's resolutions ... I'm a strong supporter of "Brothers & Sisters" and "The Class." But I'm not buying the push for NBC's struggling shows ...
a On Wikipedia, Oblivion Looms for the Non-Notable
a Video Visionaries Meld Traditional TV and the Web

Baseball ...
a Who's the Evil Empire now?
a Incessant talk about money has him green around the gills ... me too.
a Spare the morality play: McGwire deserves induction ... Some good points here.

Sunday reading

A few interesting, intriguing, insightful reads from the past week and the world of entertainment ...

a Adrian Pasdar and Milo Ventimiglia play brothers in 'Heroes' ... save the cheerleader! save the world, baby! I can hardly wait for tomorrow night ...
a Finding a 'delicate balance' is 'frustrating' ... apparently Katie Couric is still trying to find her way on the nightly news desk. I wouldn't know ... I tuned out a long time ago ...
a Singer-songwriter Jewel returns with a more sophisticated take on self-reflection
a A Revealing Peep at the Dixie Chicks ... a fascinating look at the Dixie Chicks. I should see this movie ...
a 'Brothers & Sisters' works it out ... Kates and I have been faithful to 'Brothers & Sisters' since its debut. Yes, the storylines are a bit antiquated and sappy at times, but the acting is strong, and amen to the show's creators and writers for staying true to the family-based plot ...

Catching up ...

... It's been one of those weeks ...

... It's never a good thing when your boss starts it by saying he's heavily medicated. But give him credit, he had just returned from a cross-country trip and was going on two hours of sleep ...

... Our office also ushered in a new computer system and software this week. Oh, the madness ... I arrived in our office Tuesday morning to the sight of a gleaming new flat screen computer on my desk. But it was another three hours before the tech guys had all the proper drives installed and programs working properly -- something that was supposed to be completed overnight. Worse yet, I couldn't access my email. The tech guys told me the program was fixed before I left Tuesday evening -- only to discover the next morning they input the wrong password to my computer when they were changing over the system on Monday night ... and the problems with my machine were hardly as bad as some of my cohorts ...

* * *
... It's that time of year again. The first quarter is coming to a close, and Kates is stressing about filling out grade reports and dealing with crazy (... that's putting it nicely for some of them ...) parents.

... add to that the stress of her masters classes ...

... yeah.

Pray for her.

* * *

... With as cold as it's been around here this fall, we've been ready for snow any day now ...

... then on Monday, the leaves kept falling, the sun shined ... and the temperature rose ...

... despite being night falling earlier, it was freakishly warm as we arrived home from work. And I heard a weather report the next morning that said O'Hare's temperature guage read 62 degrees at midnight...

... in October!

* * *

I spent Thursday afternoon visiting the new Discovery World museum in Milwaukee ...

Another museum, I'd love to go back to on my own ... when it's finished.

It's truly a new world of fascination on Milwaukee's lakefront, sandwiched between the art museum and the Summerfest grounds ... But half the museum is still under construction. Walls are being painted, exhibits are being assembled and down the halls you can hear workers banging and drilling. The museum officials contend they wanted visitors to be able to see the museum grow and evolve, but I don't buy it. Sure about two-thirds of it is open and ready, but the lack of a finished product makes it look as though they ran out of money and had to open the big white box in hopes of attracting some visitors and raking in the money to finish it ...

... aside from the construction mess, the museum atrium alone is a sight to be seen with its wide-open views of Lake Michigan. And the interactive science and technology exhibits on the second floor are worth your time as well.

As expected, though, the aquatic room is by far the highlight. The tunnel underneath the aquarium of Carribean fish sucks you in and doesn't let go -- we stood inside the tunnel for several minutes just gazing at the fish passing over us... amazing. And then there's the parts of the floor where only a piece of glass seperates your feet and the fish-filled water that flows underneath you -- that sensation of walking on the water is sure to freak out nine of every 10 people who visit the museum ...

* * *

It was a good TV week ...

... Sunday night's Brothers & Sisters was entertaining and pulled on the heart strings, as usual. And this week's Desperate Housewives may have been my fave of the season. Seeing the girls get drunk on Lynette's porch was classic. And then Lynette finally gave it to Nora ... yes!

... Unfortunately, Lost isn't holding up as well. We didn't watch Wednesday night's episode until late Friday night because, well, we're not so interested anymore. And even then, I'd already heard enough to know that Eko was going to be killed off ... Here's hoping they let Ben die off, end the torture and the survivors band with the Others to figure out what's really happening on that island ...

( ... I totally disagree with the people who are suddenly coming out of the woodwork and saying Eko was one of the most entertaining characters ... but Tim Goodman's rant is a little entertaining ...)

... As for Thursday night, the Aitu tribe's good vibes and domination never ceases to excite me on Survivor. So long Flica: I'll miss ya, you were darn cool, but you were the weakest link ... The Office, as usual, was good for a chuckle here and there ... and Grey's Anatomy finally started making some sense again. Thank goodness ...

But ...

None of those comapare to Heroes. These days, there is no show I look forward to more each week than that exciting web of ordinary people discovering their crazy super-powers ...

* * *

... Still, with no more baseball to watch and several shows in reruns this week I spent much of my evenings this week laying back and -- as the lovely and talented Corrine Bailey Rae sings so beautifully -- put my records on ...

Talk about a great way to get away from it all ...

... I caught the Dixie Chicks on Storytellers last weekend ( ... amazing performance! Catch it if you can in reruns!! They rocked "Cowboy Take Me Away" ...) and that got me on a kick that started the week with "Wide Open Spaces."

... Monday night was truly dedicated to the records: Cat Stevens: Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac: Rumors, The Carpenters: A Song For You, Billy Joel: The Stranger, Elton John: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player ...

... On Thursday morning, I reached way back and pulled out Hootie's Fairweather Johnson ... underrated album.

... And as the weekend arrived, my stereo has performed multiple plays of the Rent movie soundtrack, KT Tunstall's Eye To The Telescope and, dare I say, Paris Hilton's Paris ... hey, it's a catchy album!

Fall TV

So I just finally got around to watching Wednesday night's premieres of 30 Rock and Twenty Good Years ... I doubt I'll be watching 30 Rock again, which is too bad for all the star power and talent involved. The premiere hardly made me laugh. The jokes were dumb. And Rachel Dratch's talents were wasted. The whole thing plays like Tina Fey said 'Hey, I wanna do a sitcom, I'm going to steal some people from SNL, we'll just mess around and see what we can do ..." ... Twenty Good Years, however, has some potential. Ok, so the jokes weren't much better. But the carpe diem plot is intriguing -- John Mason, the surgeon, is forced into semi-retirement, and judge Jeffrey Pyne is dealing with the death of his wife. And Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow seem to have the type of chemistry that could carry the show for awhile ...

And now my fall TV-watching schedule is a little bit clearer ...

... On Sunday nights, a lot has changed. Then again, not much has changed at all ... West Wing is gone. And three weeks in, I'm still trying to get used to the void that used to be the start-to-the-week-pick-me-up that was Grey's Anatomy (which is holding its own on Thursday nights ...) ... Kates and I still have Amazing Race. Love the ethnicity this season. And it wouldn't be Amazing Race without a trashy couple bickering in every show. The Beauty Queens, the Cheerleaders, Alabama -- they all drive me nuts at some point. And the coalminer and his wife -- well, it's all entertaining ... Glad to see Desperate Housewives has returned to its former self. Before the season started, I heard a radio interview with James Denton that had him talking about how messy and chaotic things were behind the scenes last year. Cast members were getting scripts handed to them as they were walking on the stage. Things were screwed up and the show suffered because of it. Denton explained how the writers and everyone involved knew the show had to be turned around. And they've delivered -- the quick wit is back. The deep mystery, the suspense, the tension -- all of it is back, mostly compliments of Orson, who gives me the creeps just looking at him ... Then you have Brothers & Sisters. Eh. The premiere was pretty decent, but ultimately it's probably going to be Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths and the interesting dynamic among the brothers and sisters that keeps us watching, plus the fact that it's on after Desperate Housewives ...

... Come Monday, Kates and are still attached to the CBS sitcoms ... The Class, a pleasant surprise, is charming and fun to watch with its cool and quirky ensemble of characters ...How I Met Your Mother -- Love it. As good as ever ... Two And A Half Men is still strong ... As for The New Adventures of Old Christine, I watched the first couple episodes last spring and barely watched much more. When it won an Emmy, I didn't understand 'Why?' But some of this season's episodes have had us laughing 'til we cry ... At 9 p.m., we're switching to NBC for Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. The cast is phenomenal and it's hard not to love Aaron Sorkin's racing, walking-the-halls dialogue ... But I think the best new show on television is, by far, Heroes! A sci-fi, comic book, X-men fan I am definitely not. But I've liked watching Hayden Panettiere since Remember The Titans and I was again drawn to the ensemble cast. I watched the first episode and I was hooked! I love the complex characters, although some a more than others (Hiro rocks!) and every twist and turn blows your mind more than one before ...

... on Tuesdays, there's nothing on. Whew! ... at least until According to Jim and Scrubs return mid-season ...

... Wednesday comes and we're all about Lost, dude. Kates and I had half my office over and hosted a Lost party to watch the premiere (... apparently I wasn't the only confused one...). It moves as slow as molasses, but it's a darn fascinating show. Classic story-telling. Fantastic character development ...

... Thursday night arrives ... Five years ago, Survivor didn't stand a chance of showing on my TV, then Friends went off the air, NBC tanked, the Survivor producers added some new twists, added the whole exile island and reeled me in last season. And here I'm back again for this season, even though the point of the racially-divided tribes was ... ? By merging the tribes, the producers rendered their little experience pointless. Either way, I've been rooting hard as heck each week for the Aitu tribe. Yul, Becky, Flica, Jonathan, Candice, Ozzy, Sundra -- what a likable group ... Then the marathon continues when we pickup The Office on the DVR at 8, followed by Grey's Anatomy and the ancient, but rarely dull ER ...

... And on Fridays ... we rest.

TV reads ...
10 fall tube tips
NBC Completely Revamps Fall TV Schedule
TV Commercials Move Beyond the Box
What’s new next fall? Shows to get your blood pumping