Monday Morning Musings

• Let’s face, Monday mornings are a drag. The only good thing about Monday mornings is that they can only possibly occur once a week. Well, that and they lead to Monday nights, when we can watch How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. Those are two of the the very few television programs we regularly watch; a list that has grown shorter with ABC’s cancellation of Pushing Daisies. I know it’s an expensive show to produce, but it’s just much much more interesting than any cheap, reality show that they can replace it with. I’m sorely disappointed with the execs at ABC for this.
• I know that I’m in the minority here, but I’m going to miss George W. as our President, and this isn’t just my Republicanism speaking. He think that history will probably be a better judge of his administration than today’s media-motivated populace. Have I agreed with all of his decisions? Hardly, but I believe that executed his position in the manner he felt best.
• I had a nice day Friday antiquing with my mom, believe it or not. She’s been far less Mom-ish lately. I don’t know if she realized exactly how critical she was of everything last time she was at my house or what, but I really enjoyed her visit this time. I hope (futilely, I’m sure) that this lasts. I also picked up a couple more cameras.
• I did not watch The Golden Globe Awards last night. I highly doubt I watch the Oscars either. I definitely didn’t watch the People’s Choice Awards, nor will I watch the SAG Awards, nor any other awards show. I’m rather sick of Hollywood forcing us to watch them pat themselves on the back for making mostly sub-par, if not quite mediocre entertainment.   The older I get, the more I’m convinced that the near-worship of celebrities is yet another reason our society and culture is ultimately doomed to fail.  Our heroes are no longer people of real worth and / or heroism, but fake people with fake smiles and fake body parts who are largely, greatly uneducated yet they still think they should tell us how to live, think, feel, worship, and vote.
• It’s almost noon, and I’m still having difficulty waking up.  That’s probably because I felt the need to take some Benadryl before leaving the house this morning though.  I don’t want to say that I’m allergic to work, because that sounds stupid, but I believe that I’m allergic to my place of work, just as many others here are.

Things to look forward to…

Mondays are always a bit of a trial for me. It always depresses me to no end knowing that the work week is just beginning. So, I’m compiling a list of things that I look forward to in the next few weeks.

1. My office Christmas Party is Thursday night. Although we never stay too long at one of these events, it’s always good for a fun blooper reel.
2. Only two work-weeks until I take my final four vacation days Christmas week.
3. 24 hours of “A Christmas Story.”
4. Giving the girls their Wii for Christmas.
5. My mom’s scalloped potatoes.
6. “Every time a bell rings, and angel gets it’s wings.”
7. Finally, eventually seeing “Australia.”
8. Fudge. I want some fudge – without nuts.
9. Church Services.
10. My fifth wedding anniversary, even though we’re going to be at my brother-in-law’s graduation and commissioning.
11. The BCS National Championship Game. I know my Sooners are considered the underdogs, that we can no longer win bowl games, and that there’s no way we can compete with the SEC, but I’m still excited. The last time we were the underdogs in a National Championship Game, we went home with a trophy.

Disappointing Adaptations

Let me start this post by stating that I’m neither a fan nor a critic of the “Twilight” series of books. I’ve never read any of them, and don’t really intend to because I tend to enjoy historical fiction and older Classics rather than contemporary works, especially those about vampires. That’s a subject of literature that hasn’t interested me in well over a decade. I have nothing against the throngs of teenage girls and other women who’ve become such devoted fans of the “Twilight” books, though. I’m thrilled every time I hear of young people reading books of almost any sort, it’s such a rare occurrence these days. I feel for the many who are going to be filling theaters this weekend and in the coming weeks to watch the “Twilight” movie though. According to the MySpace status one of my fifteen-year-old cousin Charity, who loves the series of books so much that she, her sister, and some friends made sure to see the movie right at Midnight this morning when it opened,

“Don’t waste your money to go see Twilight! It SUCKED!!!! I am seriously going to cry, I’m just that disappointed!”

How many times have we read a book that we loved and just couldn’t wait for the movie to be made, but when it premiered it didn’t live up to our expectations? For me, it has occurred countless times. Sometimes the movie is still good enough that we’re able to overlook the differences between book and movie, like “To Kill a Mockingbird.” There are some obvious differences between the two, because of missing characters and scenes in the movie. However, the heart of the story remains throughout the movie.

Another example is “Gone With the Wind.” I personally love the movie “Gone With the Wind.” It is and always will be a cinematic masterpiece. However, it wasn’t until I was eighteen years old that I decided to read the book. I realized that Scarlett had a child with each of her husbands, Wade Hampton Hamilton and Ella Lorena Kennedy. While Ella’s part in GWTW is quite small, I’ve always found it amazing that the character of Wade was cut from the movie. Wade is Scarlett’s excuse for going to Atlanta to stay at Aunt Pitty’s. Though she didn’t know how to love or mother him, Wade’s existence and her need to provide for him throughout the war is part of her drive and motivation. One of the best scenes in the book is when the Yankees are at Tara (they were there twice after Scarlett returned in the book) and they try to take Charles’s sword that was given to Wade, and they almost kill him. It was a shame to not have that scene.

Sometimes a movie or television adaptation of a book is little more than a complete bastardization of beloved Literature, I’m talking about “Back to Green Gables,” the Kevin Sullivan trash that was released this year, supposedly in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the publishing of “Anne of Green Gables” that, along with the 2000 tv-movie, “Anne of Green Gables, the Continuing Story” completely rewrites the entire story of “Anne of Green Gables.” I’m sickened by all of it. That’s my favorite series of books, and though I loved the original Sullivan mini-series of “Anne of Green Gables” and could tolerate “Anne of Green Gables the Sequel,” I couldn’t finish watching the continuing story and I refuse to even consider watching “Back to Green Gables.” They’ve tried to destroy the character of Anne Shirley-Blythe, and it’s abominable!

I don’t know what was wrong with the “Twilight” movie, but all I can say to anyone who was disappointed with it after reading the books, don’t stop reading the books. The cinema of our own minds and imaginations is always a far better theater than that on celluloid or in the form of digitized bits. Keep reading the books, and continue to watch the movies if for no other reason than to compare and contrast the two. Hollywood isn’t the perfect place it wants us to think that it is, and it’s obvious by their imperfect adaptations.

A Plea to ABC for Pushing Daisies

To Whom It May Concern at the American Broadcasting Company:

Please do not cancel Pushing Daisies.  Please order the back nine episodes of the second season of this wonderful, original, different, and highly entertaining television show.  Please give it a chance.  You haven’t done that.  You’re not doing it now, and now the future of such a great show hangs in the balance.

If Pushing Daisies is faltering in the ratings, it’s your own fault.  What can you expect will happen when you debut a new show and then stop airing it completely for ten months due to a writers’ strike?  Of course it lost viewers, you haven’t done anything to invite viewers to really watch it.  Why didn’t you rerun the original nine episodes during the summer so viewers would be caught up when Season 2 started?

I somewhat understand why so many shows just chose to not return after the strike until the new season, but (and this goes for all shows this happened to and all the networks)  it seems that you’re wanting these shows to fail so you can place crappy, cheap reality shows instead.

Aren’t most shows that didn’t return after the strike faltering in ratings?  Then that’s your fault, and you should give each of these a chance.  There is some quality programming out there for the first time in years, and there’s a huge chance it will all be taken off the air because you, network executives, haven’t the intelligence nor the cojones to just let these shows grow and build their audiences back.

Of course, you’re not really giving your Wednesday night shows a chance at all to gain ratings.  For two weeks in the crucial Sweeps month of November you’ve pre-empted normal programming for Dancing With the Stars and tonight’s hillbilly fest Country Music Awards.

Again, how is a show supposed to gain an audience when you don’t air it?  Seriously.  I may have to stop watching all ABC shows and buying them on iTunes if you’re really that stupid.

Grow a pair, save Pushing Daisies.

The Classic Dames Test

Your result for The Classic Dames Test…

Rosalind Russell

You scored 14% grit, 62% wit, 14% flair, and 19% class!

You are one wise-cracking lady, always quick with a clever remark and easily able to keep up with the quips and puns that come along with the nutty situations you find yourself in. You’re usually able to talk your way out of any jam, and even if you can’t, you at least make it more interesting with your biting wit. You can match the smartest guy around line for line, and you’ve got an open mind that allows you to get what you want, even if you don’t recognize it at first. Your leading men include Cary Grant and Clark Gable, men who can keep up with you.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you’d make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

Take The Classic Dames Test at HelloQuizzy

Monday Nothings

The older I get, the less I like people as a whole. I know it’s wrong to bunch everyone in one category, but it seems to me that the bad, the rude, and stupid, and the absolutley asinine form a much larger group than those who are none of the above at least 75 percent of the time. We all have our days, but when you see and hear more from the negative side, that begins to form your opinion.

It’s sort of like how the media loves to paint the picture of utter doom and despair all the time. Nothing is good, everything is horrible, and apparently “the messiah,” Obama must be the cure to all of the evils of the world. Thankfully a growing majority of people are learning that the mainstream media basically feeds us a plate full of crap multiple times a day. Their recent school-girl like crush on the man has revealed their utter stupidity.

What do we know of this man, running for President? Nothing really. Every time someone asks him a difficult question he cries that it’s not fair to ask such questions, or that it’s racially motivated. I suppose what really bothers me about society is this belief that things will be better with him as President. How will things be better? Because he plans to bring “change” and “hope.” What change? I imagine after he taxes the hell out of all of us, tries to make us live in the stone age regarding energy and pollution, and skews us further from democracy to communism, he’ll make all of us hope a great deal. We’ll hope that all of his changes can be reversed, if we’re not invaded and defeated due to his Neville Chamberlain-like attitude toward appeasement.

Lucy’s Television Debut

Last night, Lucy made her TV debut on the KNWA 10 O’Clock News, during Dan Skoff’s Weather.

Also, here’s a video from that night of her bobbing for ice cubes. She’s the only dog I’ve ever seen just lie down in a pool.

I Love Stories Like This

The Network Upfronts: My Take on It All

Sometimes you can read the summary of a new television series and tell right away if it will bomb. Sometimes we’re all mistaken (i.e. I thought Heroes would bomb last year and that Studio 60 would be a hit). Last week the five network s unveiled their fall lineups, and I’ve decided to give my opinion of the new series that are premiering on all of the networks sans the CW. My cable provider doesn’t offer The CW, and since the cancellation of Gilmore Girls, my all-time favorite television series, I could care less what the fledgling net has to offer. Shows in green font are the ones that I think will do well. Shows in red font I think will bomb. The Shows in blue font are up in the air. My commentary will be in black.

ABC

Dramas
Big Shots (Thursdays at 10) – A story about four male friends who are kings of their lives… until the women get involved. Starring Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Michael Vartan, and Joshua Malina. Personally, I think that this will be the network tv version of Entourage, and I’m not all that interested. However, it may find a core audience and soar.

Cashmere Mafia (will replace either The Bachelor or Dancing) – Four female friends try to balance their busy corporate careers with their social lives. They’ve created their own little “girls club” to help each other out in their efforts to crash through the glass ceiling. Starring Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor, Bonnie Sommerville, and Miranda Otto. Darren Star (Sex and the City) and Kevin Wade are among the executive producers. This is the first mention of two series created by someone who worked on Sex and the City. They both seem very similar, but I think that with ABC’s more female-centric built-in audience, this show has the upper hand.

Dirty Sexy Money (Wednesdays at 10) – An idealistic lawyer gets drawn in by the temptations and dangers of wealth when he takes over as the personal lawyer to an old-moneyed wealthy family. Stars Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, and William Baldwin. I believe this show will do well just because it seems a little seedy. I do have my reservations about it though. It doesn’t seem on formula with the shows that ABC has done well with in recent years.

Eli Stone (midseason) – From Greg Berlanti (the guy ABC brought in to save Brothers & Sisters) and Mark Guggenheim (also of B&S). A procedural about a lawyer who starts seeing visions because of an inoperable brain tumor. He tries to deal with the visions and find deeper meaning in his life while trying to stay in the real world. Starring Johnny Lee Miller, Victor Garber, Natasha Henstridge. This one screams of Ghost Whisperer and I, but is from a solid team.

Private Practice (Wednesdays at 9) – Kate Walsh as Addison Montgomery. Taye Diggs. Tim Daly. Amy Brenneman. Lots of sex. Shonda Rhimes and her Grey’s team (Betsy Beers, Marti Noxon, et al) are involved. Not everyone was wowed by the pilot episode of this show, but I feel that it has a great deal of promise and potential. It also has a built-in audience of McFans.

Pushing Daisies (Wednesdays at – A show about a guy who brings things briefly back to life with one touch?‘ All of the critical reviews that I’ve read say that this will be one of the best shows of the new season. Though it too seems like Medium and other shows, I think it sounds interesting, and I plan to give it a look.

Women’s Murder Club (Fridays at 9) – A detective, a DA, a medical examiner, and a reporter — band together to solve crimes. Stars Angie Harmon and Laura Harris. Is this a middle-aged version of Nancy Drew and friends? I give it two episodes. It already has a horrible time-slot.

Comedies
Carpoolers (Tuesday at 8:30) – Four people in a carpool. Hilarity ensues. From writer/EP Bruce McCulloch (SNL, Kids in the Hall) to the stars, which include our old buddy Fred Goss (Sons & Daughters), Faith Ford, and Jerry O’Connell. It could do well, but I see this going the way of Big Day.

Cavemen (Tuesdays at – Meet Joel, his younger brother Jamie, and his best friend Nick, three cavemen living in modern-day . These cavemen continually find themselves at odds with contemporary society as they struggle to overcome their physical appearance and the accompanying stereotypes. It is based on the Geico caveman ads. The commercials are moderately funny, but to try and base a half-hour sitcom on them is stupid. I think we’re beyond the days of the outlandish sitcom such as Third Rock from the Sun, Alf, Honey, I’m Home, and Dinosaurs.

Miss/Guided (midseason) – Created by Ashton Kutcher. Judy Greer (Love Monkey) plays a formerly awkward teenager who returns to her high school as a guidance counselor, thinking her gawky years were behind her. But she finds out every day is high school, no matter where you are. I think this has a chance to be pretty edgy and fun with Ashton Kutcher behind it. It could be the How I Met Your Mother of the Alphabet Network.

Sam I Am (Mondays at ) – Christina Applegate is a woman who wakes up from a coma with amnesia, and finds that the person she was before her accident wasn’t a very good one. Also stars Jennifer Esposito, Melissa McCarthy, Jean Smart, Tim Russ, and Barry Watson. I want this show to do well because I like Christina Applegate, and I love Melissa McCarthy (always Sookie in my heart), Jean Smart (Charlene), and Time Russ (Tuvok). Also, the premise sounds appealing.

Other
Oprah’s Big Give (midseason) – The big O’s first prime time series, it involves a bunch of people who compete to get a whole bunch of money in order to make a difference in people’s lives. This show will do well because people love feel-good shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and there are many members of the Church of Oprah.

CBS

Dramas
Swingtown: An ensemble period drama set during the sexual liberation of the 1970s. Look to see open marriages, key parties, and a time slot. Grant Show (Melrose Place), Jack Davenport (Coupling, the good one from the ), Josh Hopkins (Brothers & Sisters), Lana Parrilla (Windfall), Miriam Shor (Big Day), and Molly Parker (Deadwood) star. This just screams early cancellation, possibly because it can be controversial.

Viva Laughlin: Lloyd Owen (Monarch of the Glen) stars as Ripley Holden. The show is a musical drama about Ripley and his family as they attempt to run a casino in . . Among the cast you will find Madchen Amick (Freddie), Patrick Fabian (Veronica Mars), Melanie Griffith (Twins), and Hugh Jackman, who also produces the show. Three words: Remember Cop Rock.

Moonlight: Formerly known as Twilight, this one centers on a private investigator/vampire. Alex O’Loughlin stars as the vampire investigator and the story will revolve around his struggles with immortality, feuds with adversaries in the vampire world, and a romance with a mortal. Along for the ride are Amber Valetta (Transporter 2), Rade Serbedzija (24), Lucio (The O.C.), and James Black (All Of Us). I think this show’s already on Lifetime, and it’s not cool to copy a Lifetime Original Series.

Cane: Jimmy Smits (West Wing) stars in this drama about a Cuban-American family that “explores the American dream, past, present, and future.” The story follows two rival families that have built an empire in the sugar and rum industries. Smits will be joined by Hector Elizondo (Chicago Hope) and Rita Moreno. It kind of makes me think of a Cuban-American Brothers and Sisters. Whether or not it will do well, I don’t know.

Comedies
Big Bang Theory: From Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, this one follows two theoretical physicists who meet a sexy new neighbor that teaches them about life from a new perspective. Johnny Galecki (Roseanne), Jim Parsons (Judging Amy), and Kelly Cuoco (Eight Simple Rules) star. Sounds raunchy and already boxed into a hole.

Other
Kid Nation: A reality show from the producers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. 40 kids, ages 8 to 15 were put in the abandoned town of . Over the course of 40 days the children build a society, electing leaders, passing laws, establishing an economy, etc. Oh boy! A live-action Lord of the Flies! Seriously, this sounds like it’s coming from the CBS I remember from High School. You know, the one that my grandmothers fell asleep to.

Power of 10: CBS isn’t immune to the new game show craze, and this is their entry. Hosted by Drew Carey, the show will have contestants guessing the results of public surveys for a chance to win up to $10 million. The show is set for a summer release. Welcome to CBS’s Deal or No Deal.

NBC

Dramas

Heroes: Origins will be six special episodes of the series, which will air during the show’s hiatus. This means the total episode count for the season will be 30. The Heroes fans seem to be really anticipating this one. I just have memories of the short-lived Ally McBeal spin-off, Ally, though.

The Bionic Woman: An updating of the classic ABC show from the 70s. It stars British actress Michelle Ryan. I think that sci-fi fans will love this.

Chuck is about a computer geek who becomes a spy (somehow). It’s produced by Josh Schwartz. What I’ve seen of this show, it could draw in even more Sci-Fi viewers in the Heroes crowd. Even though I’m not a fan of action-series, I may have to take a look at this one.

Journeyman sounds a lot like a 21st century version of Quantum Leap. It stars Kevin McKidd from and is produced by some of the people behind The West Wing. Since I work at an NBC affiliate, I have to say that everyone who has seen this pilot seemed taken with it. I think it will work well with the Heroes crowd too.

Life: A drama about a detective who spends years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and is given a second chance. It stars Damian Lewis from Band of Brothers. I think we’ve had too many detective series on air in recent years, but I love Damian Lewis. I hope this one does well.

Lipstick Jungle: from Candace Bushnell, who did Sex and the City, and sounds similar. It stars Brooke Shields and Kim Raver, from The Nine. Another series from someone behind the scenes at Sex and the City. This and Cashmere Mafia will compete for viewers. ABC has a bit of an upper-hand with female-friendly series such as Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and etc.

Comedies

The IT Crowd : A new comedy that focuses on the lives of tech people. If fans of The Office and 30 Rock like it, it’ll soar. However, it seems like a knock-off.

Other
The Singing Bee: The Singing Bee challenges contestants to accurately sing the lyrics to popular songs — when the band stops playing! Scored like a spelling bee, there is no middle ground for partially correct answers. Contestants must be perfect, or they’re out. As much as I don’t want to watch this, it will probably do well because it reeks of American Idol and America’s Got Talent.

World Moves : A hip-hop competition, and is produced by American Idol’s Randy Jackson. I just don’t see this show working out. It makes me think more of You’re the One That I Want, and we know what a ratings grabber that wasn’t.

Fox

Dramas

K-Ville: A drama about cops working in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. I can see people tuning into this show for the first few episodes because it’s based in . However, I still think that we’re suffering from cop-show-fatigue. It does have a better chance on Fox than the other networks though.

New Amsterdam: A sci fi/drama about a homicide cop who is secretly hundreds of years old is tired of being alive. This has an interesting premise, but will still be a cop show.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Lena Headey stars as ‘Sarah Connor’, as in the character from the Terminator movies. The action/drama is about Connor’s attempts to prevent the Terminator robots from killing her son. More often than not, television shows based on movies bomb. The success of this show depends entirely on the cult factor. Can it sustain fans of the movie franchise?

Canterbury’s Law: Stars Julianna Margulies as an aggressive defense attorney who “is willing to bend the law in order to protect the wrongfully accused.” I can see this being aired with Bones. I think it stands a better shot of lasting than Justice did, but it will still be tricky to get around the plethora of lawyer-shows on the air.

Comedies

Back to You: A sitcom starring Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, and Fred Willard. Grammer and Heaton are reunited as anchors on a news desk. Put this show up next to Till Death and watch the former Everybody Loves Raymond stars and Kelsey Grammer shine.

Return of Jezebel James: A comedy about a woman who asks her estranged sister to carry her child. Stars Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose. This show comes from the creator of my favorite television series of all time, Gilmore Girls. This is a half-hour comedy with a laugh track, but it still has the snappy, witty writing that only Amy-Sherman Palladino can drum up.

Rules for Starting Over: The Farrelly Brothers’ comedy about a man who returns to the dating scene after a number of years in a relationship. Co-stars Rashida Jones, who plays ‘Karen’ on The Office. Fox promises a spring premiere, but currently does not have it on the schedule. I think this one will be picked up because it has a solid premise.

Other
Kitchen Nightmares: Gordon Ramsey returns, this time he’s not harassing wanna-be chefs, but he is trying to help failing restaurants survive. I think the day of the Reality Show is slowly reaching it’s sunset.

: Unscripted show about young people pursuing musical dreams in . From the producers of . Yawn. Didn’t ABC and MTV try this ten years ago with Making the Band?
The Search for the Next Great American Band: Same as American Idol, but with bands. As much as I loathe reality television, this will do well because people who like for music to be a little edgier than Idol ‘s pop will get into this one.

Musings on Soap Operas

People constantly tell me that I must have the best job on Earth because I can sit around and watch television.  That’s sort of true.  There is a television on over my desk all day, but it stays on our stations, and I usually turn off the sound because it annoys me.  When I am watching, it’s usually because we’ve had a technical complaint of some type, and I need to see if it is founded or not.  Only occasionally do I watch television at work for fun.

For instance, take right now.  Days of Our Lives is on the air.  I know that there are countless people who are devoted to this soap opera, but why?  It’s definitely not because of the riveting storylines.  It also not because of the exceptional acting.  Oh, and don’t get me started on the love scenes.  Every time Lucas and Sammy are on the screen I have to mute the audio because the smacking is SOOOO loud and annoying.

Do you know that the storylines are so bizarre and drawn-out that viewers don’t even know when we accidentally skip a day’s episode?  It’s true.  If it’s not on the air from 12:30 – 1:30 every weekday afternoon, the phone lines light up like a Christmas tree, but they’re black when we skip an episode.

Thankfully I have my lunch when Passions airs.  The writing and acting on that piece makes Days of Our Lives look almost tolerable.  I have no tolerance for nonsensical television.  That’s why I don’t watch reality shows.  My advice to anyone whose day is ruined when one of these shows is pre-empted is to pick up a good book, go outside, and learn what the rest of the real world is like.