So this popped up on the interwebs today ...
It's awesome -- though I would have enjoyed it more if the cast were in character as the former staff members of the Bartlet administration -- and, man, it makes me miss "The West Wing."
Enjoy.
Showing posts with label West Wing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Wing. Show all posts
5.15.2006
The big finishes
Oooooooooo-kay ...?
... After Sunday night's big Part I of the Grey's Anatomy finale, I mostly was left thinking, 'Good Lord, I think they over did it a little bit here. ... Denny should've been dead weeks ago. I was sick of him and Izzy's little fairy tale after the first night ...and now Izzy's gone psycho!!!! ...
... And then Burke gets shot. Didn't see that coming.
... Now we're nearing the end of the big Part II tonight ... and I'm not sure I've been more furious with a Grey's Anatomy episode ...
... Izzy was CRA-zy -- and delusional, and her insistance to compromise Denny's status to 'steal' a heart -- which, of course, led to the whole Burke getting shot fiasco -- was downright ugly ... and it made me even more upset that her intern gang went along with her.
... they all deserved everything they got from Bailey. Although she could've slapped 'em all upside the head, and I would've said they all deserved that too.
... And still you have to admire (a little) the way they hung together, and talked around Chief. But I'll never look at Izzy the same again ...
... and now she's done. So it appears.
... if there was anything to like about the whole three-hour drag-a-thon, (aside from the facts that Burke will survive and McDreamy and Meredith -- ok, a slight yawn -- apparently are over that whole 'whore thing' ... sucks for poor Addison ...) it's that George scored major gentleman points (even while he's already soaring far above the other men on the show) for his apology to Meredith for their little escapade earlier in the season and then his explanation to Callie about why he couldn't say whether he loves her ...
... and just when I wanna go on about how odd of a character Callie is, she's trying so hard to keep up with George and being cool -- like making sure Meredith's dress is tied after -- well, you know, with McDreamy ...
... Oh Meredith, what have you done ... again!?!?!
* * *
Before the whole Grey's Anatomy shebang, Kates and I fondly took in and reflected on West Wing ...
For me, the final episode was well-done, although not near as memorable as other recent series finales. The comedic lines, quirks and subtle reflections of past episodes were all there, but the flow of the episode felt as though the writers had tried to cram a little too much in to it ...
... seeing the pilot, aired before the final episode, offered up some neat moments too, although I really would've enjoyed seeing the 'look back' NBC had advertised several weeks ago ... but apparently the cast suddenly thought they were too good for doing something like that ...
... Hard to believe it was six years ago that 'West Wing' was becoming a sensation and (yes, it's storytime) I was in New York City for a conference. On a rainy Thursday night during the spring of 2000, near the end of the show's first season, I sat with about a hundred other fellow college journalists and our advisers and screened a 'West Wing' episode. It was the first one I'd ever seen, and I was hooked immediately ...
... then Aaron Sorkin, Alison Janney, Dule Hill and Martin Sheen were brought into the room for a brief press conference to talk about the show. Three friends and I stayed for the conference as long as we could, before we had to get over to the Nederlander Theatre for 'Rent' ...
... I got to live out a dream by seeing 'Rent' on Broadway ... but I'll never forget the friends of mine who did stay and later waved in my face pictures of their shoulder-to-shoulder encounters with each of the above-named cast members ...
sigh.
... 'West Wing' is gone and now another tie to another era is severed.
a City Says Goodbye to 'West Wing,' Its Chattier Self -- a neat story from the Washington Post, with a sidebar about the cast members, about how Washington, D.C. said good-bye to West Wing.
a An interesting 'West Wing' fan site
... After Sunday night's big Part I of the Grey's Anatomy finale, I mostly was left thinking, 'Good Lord, I think they over did it a little bit here. ... Denny should've been dead weeks ago. I was sick of him and Izzy's little fairy tale after the first night ...and now Izzy's gone psycho!!!! ...
... And then Burke gets shot. Didn't see that coming.
... Now we're nearing the end of the big Part II tonight ... and I'm not sure I've been more furious with a Grey's Anatomy episode ...
... Izzy was CRA-zy -- and delusional, and her insistance to compromise Denny's status to 'steal' a heart -- which, of course, led to the whole Burke getting shot fiasco -- was downright ugly ... and it made me even more upset that her intern gang went along with her.
... they all deserved everything they got from Bailey. Although she could've slapped 'em all upside the head, and I would've said they all deserved that too.
... And still you have to admire (a little) the way they hung together, and talked around Chief. But I'll never look at Izzy the same again ...
... and now she's done. So it appears.
... if there was anything to like about the whole three-hour drag-a-thon, (aside from the facts that Burke will survive and McDreamy and Meredith -- ok, a slight yawn -- apparently are over that whole 'whore thing' ... sucks for poor Addison ...) it's that George scored major gentleman points (even while he's already soaring far above the other men on the show) for his apology to Meredith for their little escapade earlier in the season and then his explanation to Callie about why he couldn't say whether he loves her ...
... and just when I wanna go on about how odd of a character Callie is, she's trying so hard to keep up with George and being cool -- like making sure Meredith's dress is tied after -- well, you know, with McDreamy ...
... Oh Meredith, what have you done ... again!?!?!
* * *
Before the whole Grey's Anatomy shebang, Kates and I fondly took in and reflected on West Wing ...
For me, the final episode was well-done, although not near as memorable as other recent series finales. The comedic lines, quirks and subtle reflections of past episodes were all there, but the flow of the episode felt as though the writers had tried to cram a little too much in to it ...
... seeing the pilot, aired before the final episode, offered up some neat moments too, although I really would've enjoyed seeing the 'look back' NBC had advertised several weeks ago ... but apparently the cast suddenly thought they were too good for doing something like that ...
... Hard to believe it was six years ago that 'West Wing' was becoming a sensation and (yes, it's storytime) I was in New York City for a conference. On a rainy Thursday night during the spring of 2000, near the end of the show's first season, I sat with about a hundred other fellow college journalists and our advisers and screened a 'West Wing' episode. It was the first one I'd ever seen, and I was hooked immediately ...
... then Aaron Sorkin, Alison Janney, Dule Hill and Martin Sheen were brought into the room for a brief press conference to talk about the show. Three friends and I stayed for the conference as long as we could, before we had to get over to the Nederlander Theatre for 'Rent' ...
... I got to live out a dream by seeing 'Rent' on Broadway ... but I'll never forget the friends of mine who did stay and later waved in my face pictures of their shoulder-to-shoulder encounters with each of the above-named cast members ...
sigh.
... 'West Wing' is gone and now another tie to another era is severed.
a City Says Goodbye to 'West Wing,' Its Chattier Self -- a neat story from the Washington Post, with a sidebar about the cast members, about how Washington, D.C. said good-bye to West Wing.
a An interesting 'West Wing' fan site
5.14.2006
Sunday reads
a Rolling Stone celebrates 1,000 issues
a As His Rock Magazine Hits 1,000 Issues, Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner Is Still High on the Concept
Baseball reads ...
a Sox say they'd be tickled pink to use bats
a Leyland's passion sparks turnaround for Tigers
a Column: Bonds back in friendlier confines
a Ballparks throughout the country getting makeovers - big and small
Life in general ...
a The swelling McMansion backlash
a Early Dreams Often Lead to Lifetime Choices
a Color in goods is beetle "juiced"
a Years after crash, some families find measure of solace
a Dare to Decide
Television reads ...
a ‘Will & Grace’ ends on a high note
a A fond farewell to 'The West Wing'
a Taking wing
a 'ER' Puts Darfur Tragedy in Spotlight
a Ad Shatters A TV Taboo Head-On
Music reads ...
a Latinos give new life to Diamond's `America'
a New Jewel album is a return to her roots
a As His Rock Magazine Hits 1,000 Issues, Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner Is Still High on the Concept
Baseball reads ...
a Sox say they'd be tickled pink to use bats
a Leyland's passion sparks turnaround for Tigers
a Column: Bonds back in friendlier confines
a Ballparks throughout the country getting makeovers - big and small
Life in general ...
a The swelling McMansion backlash
a Early Dreams Often Lead to Lifetime Choices
a Color in goods is beetle "juiced"
a Years after crash, some families find measure of solace
a Dare to Decide
Television reads ...
a ‘Will & Grace’ ends on a high note
a A fond farewell to 'The West Wing'
a Taking wing
a 'ER' Puts Darfur Tragedy in Spotlight
a Ad Shatters A TV Taboo Head-On
Music reads ...
a Latinos give new life to Diamond's `America'
a New Jewel album is a return to her roots
4.30.2006
As good as it gets
... On 'West Wing,' the Santos Administration is moving in and Arnold Vinnick could be the next chief of staff ...
... On 'Desperate Housewives,' Gabby just lost her baby (hello, Eva Longoria!! ...for once, she turned in a performance that was convincing dramatic and, dare I say, Emmy-worthy...) and Lynette is talking dirty to her boss's wife (HA-larious ...)...
... and on Grey's Anatomy, well ... it's simply the best all-around show on TV...
... Oh, the days when Thursday nights (and NBC) ruled TV land. ...that is no more.
... Television has never got the week off to a better start ...
PS: Dear ABC, Sure 'West Wing' won't be around next year -- heck, it's not even your show to worry about -- but don't even think about fiddling with your Sunday night lineup ...
... On 'Desperate Housewives,' Gabby just lost her baby (hello, Eva Longoria!! ...for once, she turned in a performance that was convincing dramatic and, dare I say, Emmy-worthy...) and Lynette is talking dirty to her boss's wife (HA-larious ...)...
... and on Grey's Anatomy, well ... it's simply the best all-around show on TV...
... Oh, the days when Thursday nights (and NBC) ruled TV land. ...that is no more.
... Television has never got the week off to a better start ...
PS: Dear ABC, Sure 'West Wing' won't be around next year -- heck, it's not even your show to worry about -- but don't even think about fiddling with your Sunday night lineup ...
3.12.2006
Sunday afternoon
... Forget the NCAA Tournament! ... How 'bout the World Baseball Classic!! What a finish by the USA today versus Japan!
* * *
We're not watching our usual Sunday night lineup of TV as I'm enthralled with the Baseball Classic on ESPN and Kates is upstairs working on school work ... But God bless the DVR and 'West Wing' which begins its finale countdown tonight ... can't wait to watch it all unfold!
* * *
Baseball reads
a Clemens reportedly will retire ... for now
a Derrek Lee headed for big payday
a Jim Leyland wants to prove himself again in Detroit
... and in other news
a Salukis' cheerleader expected to make full recovery ... I'm not sure if I cringed more at the sight of her falling to the court or her doing cheers as medical staff carted her away on a stretcher. Call me insensitive, but I found the whole thing -- not to mention all the attention she's garnered this past week -- incredibly cheesy ...
a Bradshaw Bares All for His Latest Film ... looking forward to it -- the film, that is.
* * *
We're not watching our usual Sunday night lineup of TV as I'm enthralled with the Baseball Classic on ESPN and Kates is upstairs working on school work ... But God bless the DVR and 'West Wing' which begins its finale countdown tonight ... can't wait to watch it all unfold!
* * *
Baseball reads
a Clemens reportedly will retire ... for now
a Derrek Lee headed for big payday
a Jim Leyland wants to prove himself again in Detroit
... and in other news
a Salukis' cheerleader expected to make full recovery ... I'm not sure if I cringed more at the sight of her falling to the court or her doing cheers as medical staff carted her away on a stretcher. Call me insensitive, but I found the whole thing -- not to mention all the attention she's garnered this past week -- incredibly cheesy ...
a Bradshaw Bares All for His Latest Film ... looking forward to it -- the film, that is.
3.05.2006
Sunday reading
Nothing like a lazy afternoon watching spring training baseball and 'Baseball Tonight' ...
... while it snows outside my window.
Once again, the interesting reads that caught my eyes this past week:
... in baseball news ...
a Clemens' son: Dad's 'stuff is pretty nasty'
a Request to force Angels' name change rejected ... darn. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (and the marketing scheme behind it) is one of the most pathetic things in all of sports these days.
a Schilling: Move WBC To July ... I'm kinda thinking the same thing.
a St. Louis stadium work still frenzied with just over a month to go ... can't wait to see it.
a Fans - and Congress - outraged over Buck O'Neil's exclusion from Hall of Fame ... Count me among those.
... in music news ...
a Queen is Recharged and Ready to Rock You ... ah, Queen. Great music.
... in TV news ...
a Edgy dramas, inventive sitcoms and even inventors are sprouting up on the networks this spring ... I cannot WAIT to get a look at ABC's 'Sons & Daughters' ... Ok, the reviews for it haven't been that good, but it looks to be HA-larious at least for a couple episodes.
a 'West Wing' alums to return as show winds down ... I couldn't imagine the Bartlett administration winding down any other way. Can't wait!!
... in pop culture/political/comic news ...
a ‘Boondocks’ comic strip taking 6-month hiatus ... And let's hope it returns in six months. It's one of the edgiest and coolest -- not to mention funniest -- comic strips in American newspapers right now.
... and from somewhere out there ...
a So Speedy, So Exclusive, So Expensive, So Totaled
... while it snows outside my window.
Once again, the interesting reads that caught my eyes this past week:
... in baseball news ...
a Clemens' son: Dad's 'stuff is pretty nasty'
a Request to force Angels' name change rejected ... darn. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (and the marketing scheme behind it) is one of the most pathetic things in all of sports these days.
a Schilling: Move WBC To July ... I'm kinda thinking the same thing.
a St. Louis stadium work still frenzied with just over a month to go ... can't wait to see it.
a Fans - and Congress - outraged over Buck O'Neil's exclusion from Hall of Fame ... Count me among those.
... in music news ...
a Queen is Recharged and Ready to Rock You ... ah, Queen. Great music.
... in TV news ...
a Edgy dramas, inventive sitcoms and even inventors are sprouting up on the networks this spring ... I cannot WAIT to get a look at ABC's 'Sons & Daughters' ... Ok, the reviews for it haven't been that good, but it looks to be HA-larious at least for a couple episodes.
a 'West Wing' alums to return as show winds down ... I couldn't imagine the Bartlett administration winding down any other way. Can't wait!!
... in pop culture/political/comic news ...
a ‘Boondocks’ comic strip taking 6-month hiatus ... And let's hope it returns in six months. It's one of the edgiest and coolest -- not to mention funniest -- comic strips in American newspapers right now.
... and from somewhere out there ...
a So Speedy, So Exclusive, So Expensive, So Totaled
2.05.2006
Sunday Reads ...
Some of the TV-related stories I found most fun and interesting to read this week ...
a Comedy Central orders up a 'Pale' male with a twist ... Kates and I finally got around to watching a copy of Gaffigan's show, which we had recorded on the 'ol DVR. Just as 'devastating' as his commentary from a female watching the show was his bit about 'Hot Pockets.'
a Term-limited 'West Wing' ending in style ... It certainly was a good one. Admittedly, it's time for it to go, but the finale is sure to be memorable.
a 'Mother' gets extra attention from CBS ... Ya think? It's a great show that -- thankfully -- is keeping the barely-breathing sitcom genre alive right now ...
a The iPod helps turn the fortunes for "The Office," which is becoming a hit for NBC ... another no-brainer. We've been faithful watchers since the beginning and thanked God every Tuesday night -- and now Thursday nights! -- that NBC didn't pull the plug on it ... (ahem ... Pull the plug on 'Earl.' Seriously.)
a Elfman plays against type on ‘Courting Alex’ ... another catchy new sitcom. Hey, we might have something going here ...
a 'ER' finds its pulse ... it was indeed a good episode. Too bad you missed it ...
a Found money in 'Lost' ... Great! As if it's not exhausting enough now to keep up with all the clues and plot twists! ... But I love the concept of having more than just TV to advance the story!
a Perry, 'West Wing' Creator to Team Up ... intriguing.
a 'Saturday Night Live' is not dead ... and it may never die.
a Comedy Central orders up a 'Pale' male with a twist ... Kates and I finally got around to watching a copy of Gaffigan's show, which we had recorded on the 'ol DVR. Just as 'devastating' as his commentary from a female watching the show was his bit about 'Hot Pockets.'
a Term-limited 'West Wing' ending in style ... It certainly was a good one. Admittedly, it's time for it to go, but the finale is sure to be memorable.
a 'Mother' gets extra attention from CBS ... Ya think? It's a great show that -- thankfully -- is keeping the barely-breathing sitcom genre alive right now ...
a The iPod helps turn the fortunes for "The Office," which is becoming a hit for NBC ... another no-brainer. We've been faithful watchers since the beginning and thanked God every Tuesday night -- and now Thursday nights! -- that NBC didn't pull the plug on it ... (ahem ... Pull the plug on 'Earl.' Seriously.)
a Elfman plays against type on ‘Courting Alex’ ... another catchy new sitcom. Hey, we might have something going here ...
a 'ER' finds its pulse ... it was indeed a good episode. Too bad you missed it ...
a Found money in 'Lost' ... Great! As if it's not exhausting enough now to keep up with all the clues and plot twists! ... But I love the concept of having more than just TV to advance the story!
a Perry, 'West Wing' Creator to Team Up ... intriguing.
a 'Saturday Night Live' is not dead ... and it may never die.
1.22.2006
Sunday reads ...
Ok folks. Admittedly some of these stories are dated. But with the holiday hangover and the chaos of the last couple weeks -- that's the way it goes. I've been meaning to share these for weeks and I can hardly stand them cluttering up my desktop anymore ...
First of all. This is just wrong and sad for all that is America ...
First of all. This is just wrong and sad for all that is America ...
Moving on ...
a Revving Up an Old Relationship ... this story is getting a lot of play. If you haven't seen or heard about it, it's truly a classic ...
a A party place grows up: On the lake with two names, a boom brings many changes ... A story I dug up while searching the Internet archives for a related topic. But a good history-laden read about one of our neighboring cities nonetheless.
From Mark Patinkin ... a Providence Journal columnist I got hooked on when my newsgroup start running him. He's got life.
a At 53, the bills are higher, but you appreciate things more ... I can only imagine.
a Google growing on us ... I Google myself all the time too.
From baseball ...
a There's a Central theme within the NL ... Uh, yeah. I especially laughed out loud when Ringolsby referenced Jim Hendry dumping "Sammy Sosa's contract on Baltimore, and the Orioles so welcomed the distraction last year that this time the Cubs unloaded center fielder Corey Patterson on them." And we're all rejoicing because of it in Chi-town!
a Epstein rejoining Red Sox full-time
a It's the Red Sox who see the light ... and they're all rejoicing in Boston too!
a Vintage cards found in dead man's home
And in music...
a Looking forward to her love angel music baby ...Congrats Gwen.
a Soulful Blunt stirs listeners with ‘Beautiful’ ...And it truly is. I was hooked on James Blunt the moment I finished downloading one of his songs on iTunes last fall ...
In other entertainment...
a 'Housewives' Bree Even Shocks Marcia Cross
a Current season will be final one for ‘West Wing’ ... It was fun while it lasted, but I don't think any of us that still watch the show are surprised. For me, the long good-bye started when Rob Lowe left the show ...
a ABC defends head-spinning cancellation of Heather Graham's comedy ... Seriously!? The trailers were bad enough to make me not tune in and the two people that did watch the show confirmed it was one of the worst shows in the history of television.
a 'Why We Fight' ... and why I'd like to see it...
And finally ...
State quarter's extra leaf grew out of lunch break ... Great. And I just took a cannister to the bank full of like $60 worth in quarters ...
12.21.2005
Good reads
Still haven't seen 'King Kong' ... and now I'm back to being not sure I want to. Friends and colleagues who saw it over the weekend all moaned about how long it was ... But, hey, with The Washinton Post's tips, I might be able to get through it ...
* * *
It's been an exciting and depressing baseball offseason all in one. But at least not all the talk this year is focused on steroids ...
Still I cringed when the rumors started flying after the season ended that Johnny Damon was interested in going to play for the Yankees and held my breath that he would come to his senses ...
Then it happened today. Ugh.
And from Sports Illustrated's Morning call:
* * *
Talk about a shocker this week when John Spencer died. As if 'West Wing' wasn't suffering enough ... should be interesting to see how it all plays out ...
* * *
It's been an exciting and depressing baseball offseason all in one. But at least not all the talk this year is focused on steroids ...
Still I cringed when the rumors started flying after the season ended that Johnny Damon was interested in going to play for the Yankees and held my breath that he would come to his senses ...
Then it happened today. Ugh.
And from Sports Illustrated's Morning call:
Aw, who cares about the Red Sox and the Yankees anymore. I'm a lot more excited to watch the action unfolding in Detroit with Jim Leyland and in Los Angeles with Nomar and the rebuilt Dodgers ...The Cold War between the Yankees and Red Sox went nuclear last night. Acting boldly as the hour approached midnight, the Yankees agreed with centerfielder Johnny Damon on a four-year, $52-million contract. Damon needed only to pass his physical to consecrate the deal. The move is perhaps the fiercest yet in what many consider baseball's best rivalry. Damon had become a bearded cult figure in Boston. His grand slam against New York in the second inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series--his first of two homers in the
game--solidified the greatest comeback in playoff history. Now he will suit up, clean-shaven, for what many in Boston consider the evil empire. (His first game back at Fenway Park would be May 1.) Damon hit .316 in 2005 with 10 home runs and 75 RBIs. He has scored at least 100 runs in each of his eight seasons. "A good leadoff hitter is tough to find," Damon told WBZ-TV in Boston last night, "and I think that New York just found the best leadoff hitter in the game." The signing is a double blow for the Red Sox. Losing Damon is one thing. Losing him to hated New York, which needed a centerfielder and a leadoff man, may be something the Red Sox cannot overcome. (More ...)
* * *
Talk about a shocker this week when John Spencer died. As if 'West Wing' wasn't suffering enough ... should be interesting to see how it all plays out ...
11.07.2005
The 'West Wing' debate ...
It's interesting to note the atmosphere in our household last night during the 'gripping, but not really' live 'West Wing' debate last night ... Kates and I had it on, paying only mild attention to it as she did school work and I typed around on my computer -- pretty much like any other presidential debate.And afterward, the two of us agreed that Vinick seemed to have won -- not based on anything he said, of course. He just seemed to be the more outspoken, yet grounded and dynamic candidate. Because what do we know about politics?
a TV Review: 'West Wing' debate lively in second half
aWho won "West Wing" live debate? That's for viewers to decide
a 'West Wing' goes live
10.24.2005
Sunday night tubin'
Don’t mind me. Just babbling about Sunday night TV …
‘West Wing’ … let the demise (and changeover) of the Bartlett administration begin. I never saw it coming that Toby was the leaker. And, geez, I figured the President would’ve had A COUPLE good words to say about Toby’s service. Guess not… Here's more.
‘Desperate Housewives’ … I tend to agree with most fans dissatisfaction about the beginning to the sophomore season thus far. But that aside, Felicity Huffman has been more fun to watch than ever. Call it her Emmy win opening my eyes or the writers just giving her scenes to shine. Either way she’s been pretty darn good … Oh yeah, and we know now who's in the basement.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ … Yep. Still the best show on TV right now … and Go George!
Astros-White Sox, Game 2 … Just when you think a White Sox opponent might finally overtake the boys in black, Chicago catches another break and wins it. Ah, but if there’s any player on the Sox I’ll cheer for, it’s Scotty Po. Give him some credit: He got a good pitch from Brad Lidge and slapped it over the wall. You go, Scotty Po. …
‘West Wing’ … let the demise (and changeover) of the Bartlett administration begin. I never saw it coming that Toby was the leaker. And, geez, I figured the President would’ve had A COUPLE good words to say about Toby’s service. Guess not… Here's more.
‘Desperate Housewives’ … I tend to agree with most fans dissatisfaction about the beginning to the sophomore season thus far. But that aside, Felicity Huffman has been more fun to watch than ever. Call it her Emmy win opening my eyes or the writers just giving her scenes to shine. Either way she’s been pretty darn good … Oh yeah, and we know now who's in the basement.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ … Yep. Still the best show on TV right now … and Go George!
Astros-White Sox, Game 2 … Just when you think a White Sox opponent might finally overtake the boys in black, Chicago catches another break and wins it. Ah, but if there’s any player on the Sox I’ll cheer for, it’s Scotty Po. Give him some credit: He got a good pitch from Brad Lidge and slapped it over the wall. You go, Scotty Po. …
10.10.2005
Catching up ...
There’s nothing like a relaxing weekend surrounded by good friends …On Friday night, Kates and I ventured into Chicagoland for a rendezvous with our friends Steve and Emily, and then Tad and Jen met us at O’Hare fresh off their flights into town for a weekend wedding. We went to a pizza joint, sharing in good conversation and pitchers of beer and, of course, pizza with baseball playoff games on a big screen TV in the background … On Sunday morning, we got a random call from Ray and Leah wanting to come up and watch the Packer game because our fair stations to the south only show a lesser team. We shared in good conversation over chips, salsa, Diet Cokes and chilli with the Packers finally giving us a good, old-fashioned Green Bay win …
But here we are, the more we get together, no matter how fast the last decade of knowing each other has passed, and yet how short of a time it seems, as full-fledged adults. No matter how much we still feel like kids.
Back then, we were driving across town to pick up the other friend, amid conversations about the hottest girl in school or the homework assignment that was frustrating us. This weekend, we were driving to the airport to pick up the friend who was flying cross country to meet us, amid talks about the journey of marriage, the plights of finances and mortgages …
And we looked through yearbooks, reminiscing about friends that still seem so close, although change has sent them so far away …
* * *
The Packer win was fun and all, but, darn, was I sorry I missed the Astros-Braves game. 18 innings!
18 INNINGS!
Ah, well. Braves fans stink anyway …
* * *
OK. Seriously now. I think I’m all caught up on the TV and ready to settle in for the fall. … and it’s kind of sad. Of all the new shows that I had such high hopes for, it seems like ‘Commander in Chief’ might be the only one I’ll stick with. …I’m not quite sold on ‘Invasion’ yet. And while I really do like ‘War At Home,’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ I won’t be canceling my plans on Sunday and Monday nights to watch them.
… I still say ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is the best show on TV right now, on a Sunday night that is loaded with ‘West Wing’ on NBC, ‘War at Home’ on Fox and ‘Desperate Housewives’ on ABC all showing before ‘Grey’s’…
It looks like I’m still sticking to CBS on Monday nights (but turning it off when CSI comes on -- don’t get me started on why I hate cops shows …), ABC on Wednesday nights and NBC on Thursday nights.
…And on the other nights, you can pretty much take your pick from whatever you’re in the mood for. On Tuesdays ABC has ‘According to Jim’ and ‘Commander in Chief,’ but NBC has ‘The Office’ and CBS has ’Amazing Race,’ even though the whole family thing is going to deter me from watching that for a few weeks (here's why) …Then on Friday nights, I’m usually so exhausted from the week, I’ll take just about anything that will make me laugh -- that means anything on the WB (‘Reba’ might be one of the most underrated comedies on TV), ABC (‘Hope & Faith ’ and ‘Hot Properties’) or a good marathon of ‘Friday Night Stand-Up’ on ‘Comedy Central.’
9.26.2005
Keepin' up with the tube
The cable guy is coming Wednesday … He’s actually coming to upgrade us for digital cable, but I say Kates and I are sooooo getting a DVR.Because it’s happening. My worst fear is coming true …
At the start of summer I heaved a huge sigh of relief when the last season finale aired and I could turn off the tube set for the summer -- well, except for Cubs games and a few episodes of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time.’
Then.
Now.
We’re barely two weeks into the fall TV season and there’s gotta be like a record number of new -- and very good -- shows on TV. Forget baseball pennant races. I now find myself glued to the TV about two hours each night to watch the most talked about shows just so I can keep up with the talk. … I don’t even want to think about the VCR tape full of the hours of television I couldn’t watch last week because I was too busy watching other shows.
And yet I love every bit of it. I just hate that I can’t pull myself away and I’m becoming one of the people I hoped I’d never become …
Sunday nights are loaded. In a season of change, the opening scene of ‘West Wing’ couldn’t have been more clever -- a graying Jed Bartlet, cane in hand, walks into his presidential library three years into the future and happily greets CJ and Toby, although it’s no secret they’ve had some great disagreements. Although I would’ve liked to see Rob Lowe’s character in there too
… And then Josh suddenly scurries into tell Bartlet that ‘the president’ has arrived. But of course we only see ‘the president’ step from his vehicle and the opening credits begin before the camera can focus on his face. But the bigger question was, ‘what was Josh’s role!?’
Then you’ve got ‘Desperate Housewives’ returning over on ABC. Ooooh
yeah! … So we know for sure now that Rex died, but we saw no signs of Paul, although Mike said he didn’t shoot him, which Zack didn’t do to Mike. And Susan knows that Mike is Zack’s father. Got all that? It’s ok if you didn‘t, the best part of the show was watching Bree duke it out with Rex’s mother and then change Rex’s ugly orange tie DURING the funeral. I laughed hysterically.
And all I have to say about 'Grey’s Anatomy' is: Consider it the new ‘Friends.’ Yes? OK, there will never be another ‘Friends.’ But seriously. Is there a more likable and fun cast on TV right now? Meredith, Cristina, George and Alex are feisty but adorable, and vulnerable but strong-willed. Then you bring in “The Nazi,” Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Burke and Dr. Webber and you’ve got a completely new layer. …It’s funny. It’s dramatic. And it’s got a heckuva soundtrack. It’s smart television.
That’s Sunday.
But the week is just starting.
Monday nights on CBS are loaded. Forget Thursdays on NBC … ‘King of Queens’ and ‘Two and a Half Men’ are now tenured comedy acts and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ is smushed in between with all the makings of a smash. …Yeah, we’ve seen the storylines before (five 20-something buds trying to find themselves in New York City and gathering at the local eatery), but the storylines still seems fresh and real … I barely stopped laughing during tonight’s show.
I won’t waste my time talking about ‘Out of Practice’ though. CBS has got it at 8:30 p.m., but I’m thinking maybe they should put it on the shelf …
Back to Sunday and catching up on that VCR tape … Fox’s ‘War at Home’ is still pretty hilarious and I hope it stays and keeps its somewhat unusual format of breaking out of scenes to offer an exclusive on the character‘s exact thoughts. . . It’s too bad it’s got such tough competition.
And ’Head Cases’ … well, let’s just say we were barely halfway through watching our taped version of last week’s episode when I realized I was bored with it and muttered aloud, ’I think I’m done watching this.’ Then I discovered it’s already been canceled.
Oh, the burden of keeping up with the TV ...
Gotta go. Still gotta watch last week’s episodes of ‘Reunion’ and ‘Inconceivable,’ so I can be ready for this week’s showings of ’The Office,’ ’Amazing Race’ ’Lost’ (… by the way, did you see its ratings last week? Martha doesn’t stand a chance), ’Invasion’ and NBC Thursday.
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