Music & TV bits

So how about those American Music Awards on Sunday night?

I would have been a little upset if Michael Jackson won the Artist of the Year award. I mean, I love MJ and all; he's a legend. But, seriously, what did the guy do this year besides die an untimely death – ok, and star in a pretty swell documentary? ... Taylor Swift was far more deserving of the award, and I was glad she got it, even if it meant watching her gush, "Thank you sooooo much!" one more time.

The performances? … eh.

Janet Jackson’s opener was good – but it was just a run-of-the-mill medley of her hits … The Black Eyed Peas were good – but we’ve been watching them perform the same songs on every thing from Oprah to Saturday Night Live for months …

I couldn’t care less about Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Shakira. And I wasn’t even paying attention when Jennifer Lopez fell.

My favorite performance – easily – was Alicia Keys and Jay-Z doing “Empire State of Mind.”



Oh yeah. And then there was that Adam Lambert performance everybody’s talking about …

I watched the act from bed, and regret that his performance was the last image I saw before going to sleep. Ugh. … I thought Lambert’s singing – more accurately it was screaming – was awful, and it lowered my desire to get his debut disc even farther.

The other stuff Lambert did … All I could think was Wow. How are they able to show this on TV?

Some other reads ...
a Best & Worst: American Music Awards 2009
a The audacity of hype
a Television: Two standards, or too racy?

* * *

Here, Jason Segal of "How I Met Your Mother" teams up with The Swell Season ... Pretty sweet.

* * *

The TV season is in full swing now, and at the close of November sweeps we’ve landed just about where I predicted …

“Hank,” “FlashForward,” and “The Middle” are have all been demoted from our DVR.

“Cougar Town” is losing its luster.

“Accidentally on Purpose,” “Modern Family” and “Glee” have become the mainstays for new shows … Right next to the rest of CBS’s Monday night lineup, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Grey’s Anatomy” – and come January, “Lost” and (gulp) “American Idol.”

And, surprisingly, “NCIS: Los Angeles.” … Traditionally, I can’t stand to watch any television shows having to do with crime. “CSI,” “Law & Order,” “The Mentalist” – they make me crazy … But I’ve got an old friend on NCIS this season: Adam Jamal Craig. To see him doing his thing on network television and working with such a talented cast has become one of the highlights of my Tuesday nights.

Go Adam.

* * *

This American Express commercial is one of the most beautiful things I've seen ...

Sunday reading

Here's two weeks of reads I found to be interesting ...

Baseball ...
a 'Good citizen's' spot in Cubs' lore secure ... When the Cubs got rid of Kerry Wood last week, I was a little susprised given the strong season he'd had. Then again, the Cubs should've gotten rid of him years ago. But even through all of the injuries, he was a good personality to have around.

Politics ... from the day after the election ...
a A new morning in America
a America turns the page
a Shift in tone will bring a watershed for nation
a Nation crosses hopeful bridge
a Now, Promises to Keep, and Divides to Be Bridged
a Obama and America
a No Time for Laurels; Now the Hard Part
a For Many Abroad, an Ideal Renewed

More politics ...
a Light in November ... I became a fan of Kathleen Parker a couple years ago, but her stuff during this election cycle has been wonderfully entertaining.
a A Moment for the Ages, Many Years in the Making
a Finally, a Thin President
a Sitting on top of the world
a Thinking of Good Vibrations
a 'Renegade' joins 'Twinkle,' 'Rawhide,' 'Lancer' on list of Secret Service code names
a Obamas just like us except ...
a 10 most viral videos of the campaign
a What's up with Obama's Sox hat?
a For Obama and Family, a Personal Transition
a The Election Lives! ... This is a good one about the yet-to-be-decided Senate election in Minnesota.
a Tolerance fails T-shirt test ... Astonishing is one word to describe this one.

The Internet & media ...
a Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul
a Election’s Over, So What’s Next for the Cable News Channels?
a Freaky hologram on CNN recalls 'Star Wars' ... Who wasn't saying this after the election?!
a In Era of Blog Sniping, Companies Shoot First
a Remember Me? The One With the 'O' Button?
a The Monitor embraces its future - a digital one
a Rejected Tribune Front Pages ... My friend Liz tipped me off to this one. My favorite is definitely the WHOOPS. page.
a We are not bemused. Or are we? A word's dueling meanings

Music ...
a Elvis mystery solved! ... and how the Tribune solved it.
a Shawn Colvin: Wild Child, Now 52, Finds Fun In Her Music
a Van Morrison discusses 'Astral Weeks,' which he'll perform at the Hollywood Bowl

TV ...
a Flagging ‘Heroes’ Attempts Self-Rescue
a In Its Final Season, 'ER' Is Embracing Its Roots
a 'How I Met Your Mother' fans await big reveal day
a Talking Obamas, Huxtables with Bill Cosby

Entertainment ...
a Fanning is a big girl and a big star now

Life & other stuff ...
a Toy Hall of Fame points to new addition: the stick
a Massive waves a mystery at Maine harbor ... This is fascinating.

Sunday reading

A collection of good reads that caught my eyes during the last week ...

Baseball ...
a Cubs against Rays: The Series to die for ... A fantasy of what could have been. Great stuff that had me laughing out loud.
a Building the Rays
a Moyer a pitcher for the ages
a An Energetic Presence on Hand for Every Phillies Pennant
a Demolition Takes Shea Stadium Piece by Piece
a If Brenly leaves Cubs' booth, intrigue will follow ... I'll really miss Bob if he leaves the Cubs' booth, but if the Brewers hire him I'll stand up and clap. After the reports that came out of New York, I'll take anyone over Willie Randolph to manage the Brewers.
a After his grating escape to Los Angeles, Ramirez will strike it rich again

TV ...
a Pamela Fryman is the set mom on 'How I Met Your Mother'
a How 'SNL' Got Sarah Palin
a After playin' Palin, Tina Fey returns in '30 Rock'
a Fall season fails to capture viewers so far ... Kates and I didn't have any interest in watching any of the new shows this season -- except for "Worst Week," which was getting high praise coming in. But after watching Sam fumble beyond belief each week, it got unbearable after a couple weeks.
a 'Heroes': Five Ways to Fix a Series In Crisis ... I don't think "Heroes" is as bad this season as some of the critics have been saying. But I could get on board with several of these suggestions ...

Music ...
a Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' experiment pays off with 3 million sales ... It's a great album.
a Music site to sell songs for a dime

Politics ...
a Barack Obama for President ... From The New York Times.
a Many reasons still for Obama to worry, and McCain to hope ... It's not over until it's over.
a It's Time to Retire the Shuttle
a Perfect role for Palin: Good sport ... A reaction that pretty well sums it up about Palin's appearance on last weekend's SNL.
a $150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image
a Look Is the Same; the Labels Have Changed
a Campaign curtains closing, and I don't want to leave
a The aura of Mr. Smooth
a Obama, McCain cried when...
a Confessions of a Phone Solicitor ... This is a great read on multiple levels. It's amusing -- and quite funny to me -- the lengths the McCain campaign and its supporters are going to try tarnishing Obama. ... And few things test my patience more than telemarketers.
a I needed to know: can Obama pick a fantasy team? So I asked him ... This is a fun read from my friend Tom.
a The vast left-wing fantasy ... An editorial setting the record straight on ACORN.

Media & the Internet ...
a Safety in Numbers? Poll-Driven Press Goes Out on a Limb
a How the board came to endorse Obama
a Popularity or Income? Two Sites Fight It Out
a Campbell Brown's CNN Role: A Matter Of Opinion
a YouTube tosses 10-minute limit to show full TV episodes
a Facebook in a Crowd ... An excellent perspective about the fake-ness lurking on Facebook.

Life & other stuff ...
a As Yard Sales Boom, Sentiment First Thing to Go
a The incredible, flexible, movable house

Ready or not, here it comes

Here it is, that time of year when the new TV season rushes over us like a wave ... We get drenched whether we're ready or not.

Monday night … I skipped out on the two-hour “Heroes” premiere so Kates and I could get our laughs with the CBS shows. Monday night’s comedy lineup: Highly recommended! “The Big Bang Theory,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Two and a Half Men” each returned strong. And “Worst Week,” the only new show that garnered any interest from me, had Kates and I laughing non-stop. We loved it!

… It was Thursday evening before I finally got around to watching “Heroes” …

Not bad. I’ve resigned to the fact it’s never going to be as fresh and gripping as its first season, but I remain a huge fan of the show. And like “Lost,” I’m sticking with it in hopes all the questions will be answered in the end …Now, it looks like we’ve got a whole new set of villains to watch. But Sylar could be, arguably, one of the creepiest characters on television; I’m not sure he’s done.

As for the premiere … I never guessed Peter being Nathan’s assassin at the press conference (Did they reveal that at the end of last season? If they did, I missed it.) … I didn’t like the way Claire allowed herself to be so vulnerable against Sylar in her house -- really, what was she doing hiding in the closet!? … And I really didn’t like suddenly-stoked-up-on-steroids-man Dr. Suresh. And the steamy scene with Maya? C’mon.

On the bright side, I’m gonna love that new speed demon chick.

Later Thursday night, Kates and I managed to split time between “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office” -- which seemed to take a little of the hilarity out of “The Office,” on top of the sketchy signal for our NBC affiliate. Ahh! ... We caught the first half of “Grey’s” on our DVR, then went back to watch “Office,” before catching the second half of “Grey’s.”

But, “Grey’s Anatomy?” I totally called the whole dream thing with Meredith watching Derek die on the surgical table. Blah, blah, blah. … And why the heck was it snowing?!

Aside from those developments, I thought the first 45 minutes or so of the episode were uncharacteristically low-key for “Grey’s,” especially for one of their two-hour escapades … Then Christina went and got stabbed by a falling icicle. Ah yes, that’s the over-the-top “Grey’s” we’re used to. Meredith whines about her love life until tragedy strikes in front of them, they spend an eternity watching the icicle fall without making any attempt to avoid it and then waste the next 10 minutes figuring out what to do about it …

About the second half of the episode? Christina and Big Tough Soldier Guy are so hooking up. Not digging the whole Izzie-Karev vibe. Lexie and George are going to end up just being cute friends … Callie and Hahn, on the other hand, are so hooking up. I think that’s cool ... Bernadette Peters, Mariette Hartley and Kathy Baker were welcome guests to the episode, too. (Read EW's best and worst of Season Four)

On “The Office,” the whole weight-loss contest was pretty funny. Kelly nearly starving herself to death was hilarious … Jim’s proposal to Pam in the rain was pretty sweet … But perhaps the best kick I got out of the premiere was watching Angela dial Dwight every time Andy tried to pitch to her a wedding idea … (Read EW's Season Four recap)

Coming up, we'll be all over the premieres of "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters" on Sunday night. And we're looking forward to the long-awaited return of "Pushing Daisies" on Wednesday.

Notes from the week

... Trying to catch up a little on the last seven days, though they've been such a whirlwind, there's no chance I'll be able to remember everything I wanted to write about ...

* * *

Sunday was Mother's Day. Besides being our first one, it was pretty low-key. We dressed Phoebe in her "strawberry shortcake" outfit, as we call it. And Kates got cards from both Phoebe and I -- plus a bonus card from both of us that read:

Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day to the wonderful, proud new mom!

(open it up)

Keep this card. You can read it again at about 2 a.m.

 

Pheebs made her debut at church on Mother's Day ... We were running late -- as usual -- which meant we arrived just as the service was starting. But it worked out for the better because we got to carry Phoebe down the aisle and draw oohs and ahhs from the congregation as people got their first looks at her ... Phoebe was quiet and well-behaved for the entire service. Although, Kates had to take her out for a feeding toward the end, which left me stranded at the end of the service with an empty car seat as people were coming over with hopes of meeting Phoebe ...

The afternoon was spent sharing dinner with Kates' family and watching baseball games -- something I'm sad I haven't had a whole lot of time to do yet this spring.

* * *

... When I came home at one point earlier this week, Kates gleefully announced she was getting Phoebe into a routine! ... Which is something I had wanted to do in the very beginning, before an unexpected return to the hospital threw off those plans. But I could tell Kates was excited about whatever words-of-wisdom baby book she had read, and I didn't say anything ...

We're still amazed at how well Phoebe sleeps during the night ... Needless to say, getting her to take naps during the day this week has been a little tougher.

Ah, but we've quickly discovered she loves Enya. Before she was born, I built a playlist of good baby-type Enya songs, thinking we could put them to use. Sure enough, put a little Afer Ventus on and it's put her to sleep every time ... On the downside, I'm not sure how many more nights Kates and I are going to be able take before that angelic music gets grating ...

* * *

... So there's a gigantic kids festival coming to town in July. "The Ultimate Kids Fest," they're calling it. Raven-Symoné and other big kids stars are going to be there ...

My office is playing a role in it and selling the tickets. And I wrote a piece about the festival ...

So on the day before the tickets were available, my phone was ringing with parents desperate to spoil their children. "What am I supposed to do when those tickets go on sale tomorrow morning and I need to get my daughter tickets!? I need to know what I'm supposed to do!" one irate mother screamed at me.

... All the while I'm thinking, sooner than I know it Phoebe's going to be wanting tickets to the show of some heartthrob, too.

And then it it really hits me. I'm a father ... of a girl.

* * *

Speaking of heartthrobs ...

The New Kids on the Block have reunited ...

And Kates and I watched our DVR recording giddily tonight of their performance on the Today show.

The phrase "blast from the past" doesn't even describe it. Seeing and hearing the adult crowd screaming like it was 1989, I laughed and said "This is like our parents seeing the Beatles reunite ... "

Hardly. But it was the best I could come up with ... and The New Kids still sound good. Here's some clips ...

* * *

There's been some good TV this week too ...

On "How I Met Your Mother," Britney's return was forgettable (when are the TV execs gonna learn ... A good thing never works twice ...), but watching Marshall and Lily sell their stuff was fun. And oh yeah -- guyforceshiswifetodressinagarbagebagforthenextthreeyears.com is an actual Web site ... nice!

Grey's Anatomy is as good as it's been in a long time ... Though I'm loathing the idea of two-hour season finale next week. Grey's has never done those well ...

Lost is getting really good ... And my mouth is watering over that season finale ... (I'm contending these flash-forwards we've been seeing aren't necessarily things that happen around the end of the series. In other words, these flash-forwards could be the foundation for some plot lines before an eventual return to the island to reunite or rescue the rest of the passengers ...)

And last night's "Office" ... was pretty darn good, too. Amy Ryan was perfect as the new HR girl; here's hoping she stays ...

Sunday reading ...

Some of the reads that caught my eyes last week ...

Baseball ...
a Kosuke Fukudome Tastes Good
a Mark Cuban takes closer look at Cubs
a Reporters on scene recall Elia's meltdown ... This was a new story of Cubs lore to me. You can hear the rant here.
a Message to Bonds: It's over

Entertainment ...
a Kristen Bell: Sassy Is the New Cute
a Spears reprises guest role on CBS' 'Mother'
a TV crew members still feeling effects of writers strike
a Tom Petty returns to his roots with Mudcrutch
a Leibovitz defends Miley photo ... OK. Is it just me or was this story way overblown this week. Miley exposes her back -- her back! -- for a prominent and respected magazine and suddenly her career is in danger? I'm not getting it. She could've done much, much worse.

Media & the Internet ...
a Friends Indeed? As We Click With More Pals Online, The Idea of Friendship Multiplies
a When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web

Life & other stuff ...
a Another Chicago business icon gets swallowed
a IDOT fails to see humor in Oak Lawn's quirky stop-sign campaign
a Between Medieval And Folk, Two Mass Audiences
a Moe: Fame didn't change humble Pollard ... A good story about a famed local artist whom I'm pleased to say I once interviewed.
a How much about your teenage transgressions should you tell your kids?

And finally ...

Potential Employee Uprising Quelled With Free Pizza

NEW YORK—Besides suppressing office acrimony, the pizza appeared to subdue frustrated employees on a physical level, leaving many full and slightly fatigued.

Sunday reading

It's so cold and dreary here today, the weather people are predicting snow tomorrow ...

My ball team played a practice game today. We won 3-1, but our team was so cold and miserable, we convinced the other team to stop it after six innings. Plus, I struck out twice ... The season starts in less than a month, and I'm nowhere near the shape I should be in ...

And Phoebe did not give us a good night of sleep. So far, she's been an excellent sleeper, but not last night ... We also learned on Friday she's a few ounces underweight and we were told to bulk her up this weekend with a lot of feedings ...

But hey, we'll keep going.

I know you've missed them. So here they are, several weeks worth of good reads ...

Baseball...
a Bill Buckner welcomed back by Red Sox
a Cedeno: Cubs 'thinking about' World Series after beating Mets
a For centenarian Cubs' fans, 'the first 99 years are the hardest'
a How in the world did this guy win 347 games? ... A good read from my friend Tom about Greg Maddux.
a Mr. Cub in Sosa's corner
a Reporters on scene recall Elia's meltdown ... listen to the meltdown here.
a Now is the time to appreciate Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas
a Touring New York's Yankee Stadium before the walls tumble
a Red Sox "curse" jersey fetches $175,100 in charity auction ... Now this is a great prank!
a Baseball needs to pick up where Canseco left off
a Heat Reaches a Boiling Point

TV ...
a Neil Patrick Harris: Say No to Britney!
a How They Get Each Other ... another good read about "Mother."
a 'The Office': Jim's Best Pranks!
a Rainn Wilson and the real officea Why 'Men in Trees' and 'Old Christine' should come back ... Never been a fan of "Men in Trees." But Kates and I do really enjoy "Old Christine."
a Where in the World Isn't Ryan Seacrest?
Music ...
a Mariah Carey has a winning formula with 'E=MC2'
a Mariah is a pop queen, but don't forget Elvis is still the King
a Come away with Wong Kar-wai: director persuades Norah Jones to try acting
a Sara Bareilles talks about her hit song, going commercial and writing

Politics ...a Chelsea Clinton Finds Her Voice
a Cheney's shades: A 'Naked Lady?'
a Why Obamamania? Because He Runs as The Great White Hope
a Obama picks up support and calories

Media ...
a At Sparkly Newseum, The Glory Of the Story Goes Above the Fold
a The Katie-Hillary Bond
a Tough Question For CBS: Who'll Follow Couric?

Life & other stuff ...
a Cops kill cougar on North Side

Holy Mother

... Another great episode of 'Mother' last night ...

Though not quite as good as its predecessor, it was sort of a sequel to the classic Robin Sparkles episode ...

And oh yeah, Robin and Barney are hooking up. Believe it.

(And yes, folks, that really was Tiffany.)

Doubt I will be watching this one as much as the first video -- it's pretty cheey -- but here you go ... "Sandcastles in the Sand"



For good measure, here's the first (and way cooler) single, "Let's Go To the Mall."

Classic!

... In case you saw 'How I Met Your Mother' tonight ...

Yes, there really is a Web site. Classic. (After the "Robin Sparkles" episode, I figured there had to be one ... )

Great episode ... The March Madness theme. The women Barney had to track down. The 'One Shining Moment' montage. And then the Doogie Howser spoof -- complete with theme music and Neil Patrick Harris, as Barney, writing a journal entry against a blue compluter screen ...

Classic.

Sunday reading

Here's some good reads that have caught my eyes the last couple weeks ...

Baseball ...
a A squeeze at Wrigley
a Multiple firms may be part of rights deal
a Steroids In America: The Godfather

Politics ...
a Pro-Clinton? ‘SNL’ Says You’re Joking
a Decriminalize prostitution

a Spitzer's Troubles Ready-Made for Jokes

TV ...

a Britney Spears meets Barney, plus much more on 'How I Met Your Mother'

Media & the Internet ...
a Facebook is doomed
a Virtual friends too much like work
a Wikipedia's tin-cup approach wears thin

a Signing Off at XM: Radio Innovator To Try His Hand At Tribune Co.
a Black TV Crew Attacked While Filming ... and in case you haven't seen it, here's the video.

Life & other stuff ...
a Former president gave campus new identity ... This one was personal. A man who's legacy I really admired and the chance I had to interview him and his wife on Valentine's Day in 2001 was a big highlight for me ...
a Kansas woman sat on toilet for two years
a Parent-teacher talks can get heated
a We Really Need a Staycation

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 ...

TV talk

Ok. So I just finished cleaning off the DVR and watching the first round of premieres. This is a rare year for TV: I haven't been overly impressed or blow away with anything I've seen this time around; Or maybe I'm just becoming jaded and more picky in my old age ...

Here's a rundown of the few highlights ...

Reaper. I never would have imagined watching this one. I saw it on a what-not-to-watch list. It looked terribly cheesy. And it's on the CW. But my friend Liz said she wanted to watch it and suggested I might actually like it ... The plot revolves around Sam, a 20-something guy who works with his buds at a Home Depot-like improvement store. He discovers that his parents sold his soul to the devil after he was born and now must do the devil's work by capturing the bad guys ... It turned out, the more I watched the premiere, the more I got into it -- and the more I caught myself laughing out loud -- although I could've done without the blood and gore of the guy getting sucked up by the Zamboni. But the writing is smart, the character chemistry is charged and the hilarity of Sam having to use a Dirt Devil as his "vessel" to suck up the fire-throwing arsonist, and then having to go to the DMV /"Hell on Earth" /The Portal to turn in the vessel, was beyond comical. The icing on the cake is Tyler Labine as Sock; loved him in the dearly-departed Invasion and I think I'm gonna love him in Reaper ...

The Big Bang Theory. Also didn't expect to be watching this one, but I figured CBS put it in with their Monday night sitcoms -- there has to be something to it. So I watched -- and I liked it ... It's about a group of science geeks and their trials and travails in life and relationships. The episodes are way overloaded with nerd talk and science-geek references (We get it! They're nerds!) ... But the chemistry and banter among the characters is strong enough to keep me entertained. I found myself doing double-takes at Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons -- his character is reminiscent of David Hyde Pierce's Niles on Frasier, and I love it! And Kaley Cuoco as Penny, the girl across the hall, is surprisingly good, mature and fun to watch, far from the eldest daughter she played on 8 Simple Rules ...

Pushing Daisies. Talk about huuuuuge expectations ... I'm a sucker for anything that's as wildly colorful and whimsical as this show -- it reminds me of "Big Fish" ... More great character chemistry! Lots of potential! I'm in ...

Cavemen. Call me crazy, but I expected a little more out of this one ... It was awful. I stopped after the first commercial.

Private Practice. Ok, so I said I was boycotting it ... But I had to watch the first episode, just to be sure. Yep. I'm sure now. It's nonsene. And I'm not watching it ...

And the old favorites? ...

Survivor ... Eh. I'm not really digging the whole China thing, or this season's cast for that matter ...

Grey's Anatomy. I've settled on the notion that it's never going to be as good as the first season ... But I think Lexie's gonna grow on me ...

Heroes ... It's still mystifying, but the lust is wearing off this one too ... especially after that anti-climatic season finale last May ...

How I Met Your Mother ... still good. Mandy Moore in the premiere?! I'm set for another season ...

Two and a Half Men. Sorry guys. It's been fun ... but after watching the premiere, I have to say the jokes are wearing thin, and Jake has grown beyond them. Kates and I have removed it from our DVR ...

The Office ... Jim & Pam are dating! Dwight killed Angela's cat. And Michael hit Meredith with his car. Good stuff!

But my thing with The Office is this: As a whole, I don't think it's consistently funny. Rather, it's individual scenes that make it so good; they're instant classics. So in honor of the HA-larious-ness that is the The Office, I give you my three favorite Office scenes of all time ...

Enjoy.

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 ?

Goodnight Grammys!

My thoughts on tonight’s Grammy’s as the events unfolded … As usual, uncut and off the top of my head …

… Ah, The Police … man, did they sound (and look!) good!! It’s as if they never broke up!! … Their performance of “Roxanne” was A-mazing, but I would’ve much rather preferred a mind-blowing medley that opened with “Roxanne,” then a blend into “Message In A Bottle,” and from there “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and then end it a with a bang on “Every Breath You Take.”

… The first award: Best Pop Compilation -- “For Once In My Life” (Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder), “One” (Mary J. Blige & U2), “Always On Your Side” (Sheryl Crow & Sting), “Promiscuous” (Nelly Furtado & Timbaland), “Hips Don't Lie” (Shakira & Wyclef Jean) … Holy cow, this category is loaded!!! ….. All five of these are top-notch and deserving. But I was kind of rooting for the winner: Stevie Wonder & Tony Bennett …

… The Dixie Chicks!! What a performance!!!! … Holy cow, Natalie’s a brunette!! And she looks good!

… Hey, there’s Prince again. He’s been everywhere lately … Wasn’t he always a recluse??

… I’m so over Beyonce.

… I’ve even more over Justin Timberlake.

Ok, his performance was good -- except for that whole holding-a-camera-in-his-face thing… Was he really playing the piano??

… Stevie Wonder couldn’t have given a better introduction -- overjoyed!? I’ll say!! -- Corrine Bailey Rae/John Legend/John Mayer … wow. … Surely Corrine could’ve done the crowd better by performing “Put Your Records On” over “Like A Star.” … ooh, I like the Corrine’s and Mayer’s backing vocals to Legend’s lead … Seriously, Mayer?? “Gravity”?? … What’s with this slow stuff?? This is the Grammys!! Let’s have some excitement!! … I’m disappointed. But hey, Mayer can play that guitar!!

NICE!!!!!!! John Mayer just won for best Pop Album!!! … I thought for sure that one was going home with Justin Timberlake …

Seriously. Can Shakira do anything but shake her hips?? I’m so over her too …

It’s always good to see Burt Bacharach …

Yes. The Dixie Chicks won Song of the Year. I’m smiling from ear to ear. You go girls.

Hey! It’s Allyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders!! … They’re so great!!

… Ok. Not at all liking Gnarls Barkley’s mash-up Army march version of “Crazy.” … But hey, that’s a sweet set with the band and background singers.

… I don’t care who gets to sing with Justin. I’m not voting’ …

… Wow. Mary J. Blige just gave the performance of her life … that was good stuff.

… The Dixie Chicks just won for best country album … Natalie’s “Simpsons” quote was shrewd and so HA-larious. Yep, a whole bunch of people probably just rolled their eyes and turned off their TVs …

… Rascal Flatts -- nice take on “Hotel California” … But seriously. Do they ever perform any original material?

Here we go best new artist!!! … CARRIE UNDERWOOD!?!?!?! … “This is absolutely unbelievable,” she says … I’LL SAY!!!!!!! (can you hear me groaning !?!?)

Smokie and Lionel might be getting older, but they can still do some smooth singin’ …

Chris Brown. Christina Aguilera. Yawn ... I’m starting to lose interest here.

Mary J. is performing again?? … She was great the first time, but did we really need to see her anymore tonight … this show’s really dragging now …

James Blunt’s performance was nice …

This girl singing with Justin Timberlake isn’t bad. I had my doubts about this whole “My Grammy Moment” thing, but the girl is holding her own, and gosh darn it, she’s having fun …

The Dixie Chicks won again!! Record of the Year!! Man. Good for them.

... Here we go with Album of the Year ... (I can’t believe Scarlett Johanssen is recording an album…. Seriously!?!) … The Dixie Chicks AGAIN!! … Wow. You gotta love ’em.

Monday tubin'

Tonight's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" was the best ever!!!

Period.

The story of Robin Sparkles will go down as ... wait for it ... legendary!

It's gonna be all over YouTube in the morning ... There's even a freakin' MySpace page!!

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