I interrupt the program to say --- I'm a Doggie Grandma!

Witnessed the amazing birth of these pups yesterday afternoon. I've had so many dogs growing up. But this is really the first time I was actually there when the dam gave birth (from conception, to pregnancy, to labor to after-labor).

They are the kids of our Jack Russells, Daphne & Eddie. And they will turn our world around for the next three months (after which, the family will decide if we keep them all or dispose....)

Being the TV fans that my husband and I are, these dogs are named after characters from Frasier: Daphne (Mom), Eddie (Dad) + Roz (the only girl), Niles, Frasier, Marty and Bob (Bulldog Brisco).

Join me in welcoming them to the world!

My Most Unwanted List

I asked folks at Team Carnival about People You Want To See Less On TV and I've got six bloggers with their choices:

• Mara thinks there's a blurring line between politicians and showbiz and those that ride both fences. Those are the "breed" of people she doesn't want to see on TV anymore.
• McLaren lists down six people (seven if you count the pair) she doesn't want to see on television because they give her "more stress than she could stand".
• Em has eight people on her list, mostly from local TV. She hardly watches this, being based abroad. But when her parents' friends are over their house, they would always tune to The Filipino Channel and she would "watch with the whole clique".
• Lornadahl unleashes TV stress by listing down her favorite programs first, before coming up with her diss-list. She names five very prominent figures she wants to avoid seeing in local TV.
• Rose puts four people on her list of un-wanteds. She dislikes these celebrities' personalities on the small screen as well as the endless issues hounding them.
• Lelila picked two people she dislikes seeing on TV and I agree with her choices so much.

As for my own choices... it's so easy to pick from our local channel, isn't it? We really do have a lot of annoying ones on local T. Some of these people are actually on the lists I've just read from these bloggers. (Kris and Willie top mine for local celebrities, too!)

There was a time when I got so tired of seeing the Fab 5, those queer guys from that queer lifestyle show.  They haven't been on TV in years but I just saw one of them recently in another program. It has not made any difference.

I don't like seeing Katherine Heigl on TV, or anywhere. Izzy Stevens (Grey's Anatomy) is someone I'm not fond of. It's a good thing she did leave television last year. I'm no longer subjected to seeing her face when cable TV's run their promos of the show.

Kara DioGuardi from American Idol? There's something about her that's unlikeable to me and my girlfriends. Maybe we're just too jealous of her confidence (or over confidence? haha!).  I've also developed a tiny (but growing) dislike for Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson. Maybe not entirely their fault, but from my watching too much of that popularity-singing contest. Which is why, I've stopped watching it last year.

The women of Desperate Housewives, collectively. Individually, they're fine (I love Felicity Huffman), but together? I change the channel pretty quickly. Or tune out when there's a news about their show.

Can you add more to the list? Holler in the comments below!

HBO's Boardwalk Empire: Like The Sopranos But Set in 1920s

Based on the book by Nelson Johnson, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, HBO's upcoming program, Boardwalk Empire is a period drama about how gangsters operate in the 1920s. This show already has a few people sitting up and waiting.

The cable network is not holding back. Perhaps eager to repeat the success they had with The Sopranos, the pilot episode (as you will see the teaser below) is directed by none other than, Martin Scorsese. Steve Buscemi leads the cast.



I know I'm going to watch out for this one! The series is expected to air with 12 episodes beginning September.

BBC's Sherlock TV Teaser

Well, TV's been buzzing at the other side of the world after Comic-Con last week. There were a lot of juicy tidbits and anecdotes from some of the shows I follow. Some of these news and updates are still coming out as I write this (Can I just whine and say --- enough about Glee please!!!). But I've skipped reading through most of 'em and I'm just looking out for the headlines.

I am trying to remain spoiler free this year, with any TV program I'm planning to watch. It's not always easy coz I've got a gazillion feeds from online sites coming into my reader.  But yeah, this time around,  I wouldn't like to know all the inside info and behind the scenes until later; whereas I use to read EVERYTHING I could find about any show that interests me faster than you can say Spoiler Alert!. I surmise, it makes my TV viewing a lot more enjoyable this way...with the "not knowing much". My point of view and expectation is untarnished and isn't influenced.

Anyway.....

I spent the weekend catching up on more programs. Watching the usual summer fares (White Collar, Good Guys, Rizzoli & Isles, etc. etc...), I was also finally able to finish the second season of Castle and the final episodes of The Good Wife. I think I'm gonna catch up on Chuck Season 3 this weekend.

I've also gotten into a few Lifestyle programs such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Cupcake Wars and Work of Art, which is like Project Runway, only with Artists. It's a Sarah Jessica Parker produced show.

Also found something new to watch this week...because you know, I don't watch enough anymore hahaha. :P It's this BBC series created by Steven Moffat (who I adore for creating Coupling, the British's How I Met Your Mother/Friends). It's an updated version of Sherlock Holmes, called, well, Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (whoot!). The series is only a three-parter, would you believe? British people do love their TV programs short.

Here, check out Sherlock's trailer ---



Have always loved Sherlock Holmes' books when I was younger, so this is something I'm really looking forward to.

So, what have you been watching the past week?

Lather, rinse, repeat....as needed!

Recycled TV Shows...they are rampant and everywhere. So much so that if recycling these shows would do a lot for the Earth's carbon footprint, then we would have efficiently solved our eco-woes.

I could not help but chuckle while reading through this piece from NY Mag on stories in movies and TV  which have become so "high concept" it's the only formula being followed:

Can you imagine how many Friends, Lost & Sex and The City copycats are on TV now?

These are just random titles. I'm pretty sure other people can add plenty more to this one. And they didn't even list down cops, lawyers & doctor shows. That list would have been longer.

Some of these shows have yet to premiere this Fall.

CBS Season Premieres

CBS kicks off Fall TV Season in Sept. 15th. Here's the schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 15
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA (21st Edition Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 20
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (6th Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (5th Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN (8th Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & MOLLY (Series Debut)
10:00-11:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0 (Series Debut)

Tuesday, Sept. 21
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (8th Season Premiere)
9:00-11:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (2nd Season Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 22
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS (6th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM THE DEFENDERS (Series Debut)

Thursday, Sept. 23
8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (4th Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM $#*! MY DAD SAYS (Series Debut)
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (11th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (3rd Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 24
8:00-9:00 PM MEDIUM (2nd Season Premiere on CBS)
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: NY (7th Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS (Series Debut)

Saturday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY (Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 26
7:30-8:30 PM 60 MINUTES (43rd Season Premiere)
8:30-10:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE (17th Edition Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM UNDERCOVER BOSS (2nd Season Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 28
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (2nd Season Premiere)

Sunday, Oct. 3
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM UNDERCOVER BOSS (Time Period Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI (9th Season Premiere)

Take Two for Covert Affairs/Download The Theme Song Here!

Covert Affairs 

Watched the second episode of Covert Affairs last night.

It's so easy to really love this show. Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), a CIA junior, is never assigned to cover dangerous tasks, which makes this series light and easy to follow. Then again, there's always danger when you are a CIA agent, so there's always that expected mix of action and excitement here, even if Annie's only supposed to "babysit" (alright...protect!) a mother and her son.

I am liking the buddy relationship between Auggie (Christopher Gorham) and Annie. Auggie, the tech guy inside the CIA operative, is kind of a dork.  Yet he's also cute, charming and very helpful towards Annie. He may be the one person Annie can truly trust (because in the CIA, you can't even trust your own co-worker, right?). I don't hope they would cross that line and become romantically involved, however. I think their dynamics work the way it is.

I was having a bit of a problem believing Christopher Gorham is blind, watching him the first time  (his character, Auggie, became blind while in the line of duty). He pulled it off better in the second episode.

Mohinder from Heroes (Sendhil Ramamurthy) joins the show now. His character works for the 7th floor, but was asked to be in Annie's department....to watch over Annie. Not so thrilled about this though...I have my....Mohinder issues haha.

Posted on my Twitter

The second episode also featured the show's opening credits for the first time. And you know what it reminded me of? The opening credits to Chuck! Watch this:



It's goofy and it's a jab at a typical James Bond theme, don't you think?

The song for the opening credits is by this band named Apple Trees & Tangerines, entitled "Can You Save Me". You can download the complete song here. And you can check out the band's music and profile here.

Some Crazy Shit Is Going On Around Here

Toni Collette playing T, one of her six or seven
alter-egos in United States of Tara

Last night, I finished my United States of Tara marathon, which has about two seasons out already. The series is written by Diablo Cody, who got her biggest break doing the film Juno.

You know that song from Alanis Morissette which goes --- ♬ I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...♬?? This applies so much to what is going through Tara's head. Being a lunatic can't even begin to describe how her thought process goes.

Tara has DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder, otherwise known as MPD or Multiple-Personality Disorder. She has, so far, exhibited seven personalities, including her real self ---

• T - is her 16 year old alter, a rebellious, sexually starved, pot-smoking, potty-mouthed personality. We find out later, T, has been the name everyone used to call Tara at boarding school.
• Buck - is her beer-loving alter, who believes he used to be a war veteran as much as he believes he has a penis.
• Alice - is her Stepford-wife alter. We find out later that Tara has patterned this after a "foster parent". Why she and her sister had to live in foster care for a while had something to do with why all these personalities appear in her head.
• Gimme - is her freakiest alter. Tara herself describes it as an "evil, rabid squirrel" and seems to come out only when Tara's super frustrated and her emotions cannot handle it.
• Shoshana - appeared in the middle of the second season as this psychedelic therapist. I'd like to think that of all of Tara's personalities, this is the one that truly understands what is going on in her head. 
• Chicken - came out during the last two episodes of Season 2 and is Tara's very cute 5 year old alter-ego.

In Season 1, it was believed Tara had developed DID after getting raped in boarding school. But as it turns out, her mental problems were deeply rooted.

Season 2 explored a lot more of these secrets as Tara keeps getting all these dreams and flashbacks from her childhood. Tara has blocked a lot of the trauma from her memory. But in order to cure herself, saving her family and her marriage, she has to find the answers.

This finally happened when, in a very emotional season 2 finale, her mother revealed that Tara's disorder was a defense mechanism against an abusive half-brother (Bryce) who had come to live them for a while. Tara and her sister, Charmaine, were 5 and 4 year old kids, respectively that time. When Tara told her parents what Bryce had been doing to her, and fearing that Charmaine would be subjected to the same abuse, the two girls had been sent to foster care.

It is so poignant to think that with all the crazy shit going on in Tara's family --- like her son's sexual experiments as a gay guy or her daughter's misguided direction into adulthood ---  the craziest characters in this series aren't Tara and her alters, or even her sister, Charmaine, who also exhibits a lot of emotional scars. The craziest characters, to me, are actually Tara's parents!  What kind of people would hide this fact from their very distraught daughter, all these years?  And as Tara so strongly conveyed to her mom, angered upon knowing that they knew all along why she had gone mental --- "A mother has to protect her daughter!" --- Her mother didn't.

It would be interesting to see what's going to happen in the third season. Bryce's existence has yet to be fully explored. Is he alive? Is he well or miserable? Is he remorseful or not sorry at all? Will he continue to be a threat if he ever sees Tara and Charmaine again? Will his re-appearance trigger another alter to come out? Will one of Tara's alters eventually kill him? Or will Max, Tara's husband, do that for her?

Ahhh, Max, Tara's husband. At the end of the second season, and putting up with a lot of the mess that went on, Tara had to ask --- how did he get to be so perfect???

I was watching Tara with my own husband and at one point I had to ask him whether he would stick up for a wife this crazy. The realistic reply would be that --- no husband can't. But then again, this is make-believe TV and Max, the "perfect" husband that he is, stayed married to this woman for eighteen years (and still counting!), not knowing sometimes if he would wake up next to his wife or one of her alters. Tara admits to cheating on Max about 33-35 times, when her alters take over her body. Max, however, doesn't come without flaws. He's no saint and he does break apart and gets frustrated with Tara, too. But at the end of the day, he stays married to all of Tara. It takes a real man to put up with that kind of shit.

United States of Tara also stars John Corbett as Max (husband), Rosemarie Dewitt as Charmaine (sister), Brie Larson as Kate (daughter) and Kiel Gilchrist as Marshall (son).

Toni Collette has won an Emmy for Best Actress for this show last year. She is once again nominated for the same award this year.  If she would win come August, it should be no surprise.

  

Today's Hottest Topic and why I'd have to 'stealth blog' it....

Posted this on my Facebook and then posting a screen cap of it.

Let's call this stealth blogging. :P

I have something I want to say. But I can't really say it because there's Google Alert. The minute I write down names of popular people and a popular TV show, on the internet, a beacon lights up for these rabid fans. They tend to react without thought. And I don't want to attract that kind of...species.

So let me just say what I have to say and we leave each other alone. Fine?

Here's what I think about one of today's hottest topic online ----

Just thinking out loud....

Please Get Off The Television!

I'm hosting a topic for Team Carnival this week and I'm asking its bloggers to write about the people they would like to see less on TV.

A smart-ass might say that turning off the television would be the best solution. But where's the fun in that?   :P

You can write about anybody --- a celebrity, a fame whore, a politician, an annoying commercial model --- someone you've had enough of seeing and yet can't help but do see them since the media constantly shoves their faces into that small box in your living room.

The blog task runs for a week. If you aren't part of Team Carnival, you still can tell me all about it by hitting the comments section below. =)

Steal this, scum!

I interrupt the program for another non-TV related post...

It may seem as though I've been obsessing about it. But I've been finding a way to stop this thief from stealing my blog content for a month or so now. I've had a few favorable results, thank you very much! There are some good, helpful people on the internet.

But I am now praying for a complete action. And I know that to get that from the-powers-that-be may take awhile. So I'm doing all I can, on my end, to stop  a site from harvesting my content.

Yesterday, I tinkered with my feed reader. I tried doing that the first time I found out, but a feature that I wanted seemed to be missing then. It's there now and yep, I did get the result I want.

Now, anyone who tries to steal my content off my feeds will only get 150 characters out of it. Plus, there's a redirection to my site with a disclaimer (which I had already placed before). *150-characters* is the operative phrase. In a Google-bot's world...that means shit. Although I understand those following my blog via a reader will probably find this an inconvenience, because of the redirection, but it's something I must do.

So, take that thief! And thank you for the free blog promotion! =)

This is a screen cap of the site that has been stealing my content.

Now, back to regular programming...

Feed Test

This is a test post.

I've changed my feed's settings to prevent that site that has been stealing my content, from.... well, stealing my content. (Yep, they're still at it! And they've been so clever fooling search engines....but not clever enough!)

I did a few changes. Will know in a few days how this will work. *crosses fingers*

Edited to add: 

Yep it's working the way I want it to work! Hooray for Feedburner! I've beaten the parasite!!!

More Tweets & Status Updates...

So sorry to be tweeting instead of blogging. It's been that kind of a week where I'd much rather watch and watch. I have been spewing some thoughts here and there, in 140 characters or less though ---

You can follow me on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/MindyTV

In another news...I posted this on my Facebook as a link a few minutes ago. I read on the news that a blog's going to become an HBO series. Reading up on one of her entries, I could not help but laugh and relate to it. It's something I'd want to watch!

You can check the blog here and read the news about it being developed into an HBO series here.

Okay then, I'm off to do more TV-watching...

Just Tweets

Tweeting about TV for now...

Follow me on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/MindyTV

If I had to 'status update' what I've been watching....

Couldn't come up with longer posts for these things I wanna say about some of the series I've been watching, so am gonna do this "status update" style ---

• I forgot to tell you about this the other week: Nikki Blonsky is awesome in Huge! 
• One reason to watch Rizzoli & Isles? Is to find out what chic & trendy outfit Isles' going to wear!
• Childrens' Hospital is sick, sick, sick!
• I have yet to find The Choir so I can actually watch it. I've been looking for a week! :( (Okay, technically, this is a series I've NOT been watching!)
• Finally finished Castle. They're really going there --- this dance, this courtship between characters obviously meant to be together. This will take what? Five seasons? Before they finally hook up?

NBC Season Premieres

NBC has announced the dates for their shows premiere in Fall 2010:

NBC Logo

Thursday, Sept. 9
8 p.m. NFL Kickoff - Minnesota at New Orleans

Sunday, Sept. 12
7 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:15 p.m. "Sunday Night Football" - Dallas at Washington

Monday, Sept. 20
8 p.m. "Chuck"
9 p.m. "The Event"
10 p.m. "Chase"

Tuesday, Sept. 21
8 p.m. "The Biggest Loser"
10 p.m. "Parenthood"

Wednesday, Sept. 22
8 p.m. "Undercovers"
9 p.m. "Law & Order: SVU" (new timeslot)
10 p.m. "Law & Order: Los Angeles"

Thursday, Sept. 23
8 p.m. "Community"
8:30 p.m. "30 Rock" (new timeslot)
9 p.m. "The Office"
9:30 p.m. "Outsourced"
10 p.m. "The Apprentice"

Friday, Sept. 24
8 p.m. "School Pride"
9 p.m. "Dateline"
10 p.m. "Outlaw"

Wasssup? I think I need to plug myself into a power source this weekend!

We were without power for almost 18 hours yesterday since a typhoon hit our country. I'm behind some shows this week. Real life got in the way. :P

However, I did manage to watch the pilot episode of Covert Affairs (coolness!), and have checked out succeeding episodes of Louie (I mentioned it in blurb here. It really is a show for the male audience. My male chip is so amused!), as well as Hot In Cleveland (surprisingly watchable as the weeks go, and is in fact, renewed for a second season already). Also was able to watch two TV documentaries, one on the real Glee Clubs in America (Youtube has it!) and the other was Mind Games, an ABC magazine talk show on psycho killers...I did not know why that was on my list, but it was there for me to watch, so I did!

Rizzoli & Isles  --- which I have yet to watch!

I'm about to watch a boatload this weekend, with regulars like Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, The Good Guys, So You Think You Can Dance  and a few others that I can't remember right now because I'm starting to get dizzy. I will also be checking out new shows like The Glades, and two that I've missed and know nothing about at all (again!), The Bridge and  TNT's Rizzolli & Isles.

On top of that, I have to make double-time with work, for the days that I've missed. And I have household chores to do, movie date nights and make-out sessions with the husband (haha, alright not really!), a son to supervise re: school work...... and dogs to watch over since one is almost about to burst with puppies (any day now *cross fingers*....any of the remaining 15 days now!)

And did I mention, I've been sick??

How on earth will I manage all these without plugging myself into a power source??

Is anyone willing to tell me why I should be watching Rookie Blue?

Rookie Blue

Sometimes, it's news like this that makes me doubt my taste in TV shows...

Rookie Blue, the show I dissed not long ago is getting a Season 2 order and is apparently the.....HIGHEST RATED SCRIPTED SHOW for this summer run. 

What in the world?! Was I mistaken? Is the show actually worth my time? Should I reconsider and watch it a second time around?

And then I realized....it's not so much the show, but how summer programming works. Networks usually keep it light and simple, since many couch potatoes are assumed to be off their asses and vacationing somewhere. Put this up in the Fall and I'm certain it will be yanked before anyone can diss it some more. Right?

But then again...I could be mistaken. I could be missing out on something....like I'm missing out on True Blood, which I didn't like at all and now it's on its third season, an Emmy nominated series and people are raving about it! (I have the first season DVD, gathering dust. Alright, alright! I'll get to it....next year. Or some time...)

So, is anyone out there watching Rookie Blue? Are you part of the 4.2Million viewers watching it? If you are....then, please tell me what makes this show watchable for you? I need more convincing.

  

New TV Show: Childrens' Hospital

Here's another one I've never heard of, but has premiered early tonight... (Man, I've got to get my nose on TV news!)

Childrens' Hospital

Childrens' Hospital originally started out as a webseries on TheWB and was later ordered into a series by Adult Swim (the Cartoon Network channel, right?). The series is created by comedian Rob Corddry, so I guess that pretty much tells you how sick this show is.

The hospital owner is named Dr. Childrens, by the way.

From its press release ---

Childrens Hospital is based on the Webby Award–winning digital series that debuted on TheWB.com in 2008 and quickly became a Web hit with its twisted take on network medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and House.

Childrens Hospital explores the emotional struggles and sexual politics of a group of doctors charged with healthy libidos. Their dedication to their personal lives is relentless, interrupted only by the occasional need to treat sick children.

Checking it out in a while. The episodes run really short, as in 5 minutes tops.

New TV Show: The Glades supposedly delivers a "Castle" vibe...

Still here. Wasn't in any mood to blog, so I was without any entry for three days.

But I have been watching Castle over the weekend, catching up on the rest of Season 2. And I now conclude ---- I love Stana. I love her character. I love the way she assumes her and delivers her lines. I love her expressions. I just love her. I also love her hairstyle and I've saved a screen cap of it to show to the guy who cuts my hair....but that's for another discussion in my other blog.

The Glades on A&E

Anyway, on TV early tonight, a new show, The Glades, premiered over A&E. First time I've heard of it. I don't think I paid any attention to its press releases earlier.

Now, am so eager to watch it because...other TV fans are saying it reminds them of Castle. So, I'm gonna watch this show later tonight or sometime this week and see if it's as good.

In the meantime, here's a teaser of The Glades. Not impressed, but we'll see. I wasn't so impressed with Castle the first time I watched and now, I'm loving it.



If you've checked out The Glades, holler below and let me know if it's any good, yes?

Kelsey Grammer + David Hyde Pierce = Rachel Barry's Two Gay Dads on Glee? Yes or No?

There's a lot of news about casting stunts on Glee. Every week, you hear [insert actor's name here] supposedly scoring a guest appearance. Names like Javier Bardem, Katie Holmes and Justin Timberlake have come out. Some of the rumors are so absurd that Cory Monteith had to twitter a denial of it.

It's no secret stunt casting sparks interest for any TV show. And inspired by all these crazy news, I thought I'd pitch for my own stunt cast rumor for Glee, too.

Who knows? This could actually happen.

Kelsey Grammer & David Hyde Pierce 

We've never seen Rachel's gay dads on the show, haven't we? And at some point, they will have to make an appearance. Who do you have in mind playing the roles?

Well, I have two and I think they would be perfect for it: Kelsey Grammer & David Hyde Pierce.

I can already imagine it. Together, they're going to be a riot. As gay dads of Rachel, they're going to cause a lot of ruckus. These two have an amazing working chemistry, having them back on TV playing a gay couple would actually be a stunt casting COUP!

And as a bonus? Kelsey and David are seasoned theater actors who CAN sing! If there's anyone who can relate to Rachel's character, it's them.

Watch these two on their hit show, Frasier, from a few years back, as they find themselves awkwardly inside.... a gay bar:



So, what about it, Ryan Murphy? Think this will work?

ABC's Fall Date Premieres: Love for Wednesday Nights!

ABC Network

ABC has announced the dates for when our favorites come back in September 2010:

Monday, September 20
8:00-10:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Castle”

Tuesday, September 21
8:00-10:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (special performance show night and time)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Detroit 1-8-7”

Wednesday, September 22
8:00-8:30 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Better With You” (formerly titled “Better Together”)
9:00-9:30 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30-10:00 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “The Whole Truth”

Thursday, September 23
8:00-9:00 p.m. “My Generation”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Private Practice”


Friday, September 24
10:00 p.m. "20/20"

Sunday, September 26
7:00-8:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

Tuesday, September 28
8:00-9:00 p.m. “No Ordinary Family”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show”

Emmy 2010: And the nominees are....

Emmy Awards 2010

Lots of surprises and new names in this year's Emmy list of nominees. It's going to be a very interesting night! Here's the list:

Outstanding Comedy Series
GLEE
MODERN FAMILY
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
NURSE JACKIE
30 ROCK
THE OFFICE

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Lea Michele, GLEE
Julia-Louis Dreyfus, NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
Edie Falco, NURSE JACKIE
Amy Poehler, PARKS AND RECREATION
Tina Fey, TINA FEY
Toni Collette, UNITED STATES OF TARA

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Larry David, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
Matthew Morrison, GLEE
Tony Shalhoub, MONK
Steve Carell, THE OFFICE
Alec Baldwin, 30 ROCK

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Chris Colfer, GLEE
Neil Patrick Harris, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, MODERN FAMILY
Eric Stonestreet, MODERN FAMILY
Ty Burrell, MODERN FAMILY
Jon Cryer, TWO AND A HALF MEN

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Jane Lynch, CLEE
Julie Bowen, MODERN FAMILY
Sofia Vergara, MODERN FAMILY
Kristen Wigg, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Jane Krakowski, 30 ROCK
Holland Taylor, TWO AND A HALF MEN

Outstanding Drama Series
BREAKING BAD
DEXTER
THE GOOD WIFE
LOST
MAD MEN
TRUE BLOOD

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, BREAKING BAD
Michael C. Hall, DEXTER
Kyle Chandler, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Hugh Laurie, HOUSE
Matthew Fox, LOST
John Hamm, MAD MEN

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Julianna Marguilies, THE GOOD WIFE
Mariska Hargitay, LAW & ORDER: SVU
Glenn Close, DAMAGES
Kyra Sedgwick, THE CLOSER
January Jones, MAD MEN
Connie Britton, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, BREAKING BAD
Martin Short, DAMAGES
Terry O’Quinn, LOST
Michael Emerson, LOST
John Slattery, MAD MEN
Andre Braugher, MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Sharon Gless, BURN NOTICE
Rose Byrne, DAMAGES
Archie Panjabi, THE GOOD WIFE
Christine Baranski, THE GOOD WIFE
Christina Hendricks, MAD MEN
Elisabeth Moss, MAD MEN

Outstanding Reality Competition Series
THE AMAZING RACE
AMERICAN IDOL
DANCING WITH THE STARS
PROJECT RUNWAY
TOP CHEF

Outstanding Reality Competition Host
Phil Keoghan, THE AMAZING RACE
Ryan Seacrest, AMERICAN IDOL
Tom Bergeron, DANCING WITH THE STARS
Heidi Klum, PROJECT RUNWAY
Jeff Probst, SURVIVOR

Outstanding Late Night/Variety Show
COLBERT REPORT
DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O’BRIEN

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Beau Bridges, THE CLOSER
Ted Danson, DAMAGES
John Lithgow, DEXTER
Alan Cumming, THE GOOD WIFE
Dylan Baker, THE GOOD WIFE
Robert Morse, MAD MEN
Gregory Itzin, 24

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Mary Kay Place, BIG LOVE
Sissy Spacek, BIG LOVE
Shirley Jones, THE CLEANER
Lily Tomlin, DAMAGES
Ann-Margret, LAW & ORDER: SVU
Elizabeth Mitchell, LOST

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Mike O’Malley, GLEE
Neil Patrick Harris, GLEE
Fred Willard, MODERN FAMILY
Eli Wallach, NURSE JACKIE
Jon Hamm, 30 ROCK
Will Arnett, 30 ROCK

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Christine Baranski, THE BIG BANG THEORY
Kathryn Joosten, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Kristin Chenoweth, GLEE,
Tina Fey, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Betty White, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Elaine Stritch, 30 ROCK
Jane Lynch, TWO AND A HALF MEN

Outstanding Miniseries
THE PACIFIC, HBO
RETURN TO CRANFORD, PBS

The Emmy Awards will be broadcasted live on August 29, 2010 with host Jimmy Fallon.

Real-Life GLEE club, THE CHOIR, Premieres on BBC America

The Choir from BBC

Can't wait till Glee returns? This new program that's premiering tonight on BBC America could fill the space up, while waiting for September.

The series is called, The Choir, and it's a reality show where an actual music teacher, Gareth Malone, does his best to inspire high school kids to find their potentials as singers. Malone works in an underprivileged public school where there is no budget for a Glee club (sounds familiar right?) and he manages to organize one and turn them into this top-notch singing group that will probably give the actors and stars on Glee a run for their money.

"On all the projects I’ve done, we’re looking for places that need a lift, not necessarily the most difficult places in the world, but places that need something. So we were looking for areas that have some degree of social deprivation, some lack of money and lack of aspiration, really, and certainly NO choirs. There are loads of choirs in Britain, but in certain places people just feel it’s not for them.”

At first everyone at school was leery of this denizen among them. “There’s so much prejudice against choirs because people think it’s rather rarefied and a bit stuffy and old-fashioned,” he said. “But once they’ve done it they appreciate what you get from it and how difficult and how complicated it is. And they watch other choirs with more respect.”

Malone’s biggest difficulty was finding boys who were willing to trade soccer practice for chorus rehearsals.   ---- Read complete story here.

Watch and listen to Mr. Malone's kids:

Deym! Not cut-out to be a spy!

For it's premiere in a week's time, Covert Affairs has come out with interesting application that lets you know if you have what it takes to be a CIA Agent. I took the quiz....and got rejected. Deym!

Covert Affairs 

How about you? Do you think you can pass CIA's standards? You can take the 10 question quiz here.

Last Comic Standing 7: So far? Suckage. Except for that couple who got caught on camera kissing!

I google-searched for this first, thinking maybe someone else saw that there was a couple sitting at the back, in the audience, and they kissed while judge Greg Giraldo was giving his comments on Last Comic Standing.

Maybe I didn't search for the right keywords. Or maybe this just proves --- no one watches this show that much anymore. Because I found no mention of it online.

Here's the video. PDA on live, nationwide TV.  Check the couple to the back-right side of the judge.

Did they have an idea the camera caught them? I think the girl did (she seemed to have looked at a monitor afterwards!). I think this was a dare.

I also think --- how lame has Last Comic Standing become? Or how lame have I become? Because of the dozen or so comedians that had to do their set for this competition, the one moment I got really excited about? Was this moment!  And it wasn't even a passionate kiss!

The jokes on the other hand? The reason why this show is there? Totally un-funny!

The only reason I still watch LCS is the same reason why I still watch others, even if I whine about it all the time --- Out of habit. I still can't get if off my system. Wonder when will that be?

Are you still watching Last Comic Standing?

Or have you even heard of the show? (The hubs had someone watch this one time a few weeks ago, and he was surprised to learn there was this American Idol-ish competition for Comedians. He had not heard of LCS before.)

Catching Up on Castle & Beckett

Our internet access is craaawwwling...and I can't really do much with it. On the bright side, this time seems to be a better time for this to happen as there aren't a lot of new episodes to follow this week because everyone's on a holiday (July 4th revelry).

While waiting for our internet service to go back to normal, I've alternately watched old episodes of Friends and caught up with Castle's most recent season.

Rick Castle and Det. Kate Beckett

Did I ever tell you about Castle?

The series stars the wonderfully witty Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, this very successful whodunit novelist who shadows police detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic, as she is his source material for his next book. The book's already been published. In fact, you can get a copy of it at Amazon. Find an Amazon coupon here. It even comes with the fictional Richard Castle byline and the book has even ended up in the New York Times' Best Seller list! Real life mystery novelists Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson and Michael Connelly, sometimes appear on this series, too (as Castle's poker buddies).

The show, while formula procedural, is lighthearted but engaging and the budding romance (or un-budding romance?) between Castle and Beckett brings tension to the story. I like that Beckett doesn't back down to Castle's advances...though I don't really get Castle's advances. He's bold and yet, slightly idiotic about showing her how he feels.

If you have nothing else to watch this time, I highly recommend this.

*****

I was also able to watch the first episode of this British series, Rev. and this FX comedy series, Louie. Hadn't planned on watching. In fact, I think I deleted this from my pile but the hubs told me to check it out since he had watched it earlier and he finds both show odd yet interestingly funny.

Rev somehow feels like watching The Office, if The Office happened to be in the Church. And Louie's got a few sick jokes, that I think appeals to men such as the hubs, a lot. I don't 'not like' both shows, though, just not something I'd really sit around for, on a normal day. But with nothing much to do, since our broadband sucks, I'll really watch anything at this point.

Okay then. I'll be right back....when PLDT has fixed our lines well since this temporary wireless mobile internet doesn't allow me to do much, really.

The Winner of The Cougar Town DVD Give-Away Contest Is.....

Nobody told me that when you run a blog contest, you would feel bad that not everyone can win a prize. I wish I could give something for all those who've joined. I wish ABC Studios via Disney was a sponsor (hah!). Anyway, with limited resources (and the fact that I was only allowed to give away one set at a time by the DVD police :P), here is the winner of the Cougar Town DVD Giveaway contest (drumroll please!) ----

List drawn via Random.Org

Congratulations, Bing!!!!

Please email me your address and contact number so that once the DVD set is released, I could send it to you right away! Amazon has listed its release date for August 17th.

Thanks for joining!

I'm giving another TV prize by September, my birthday month! Yay!

Favorite FRIENDS Episode

For Team Carnival this week, Didi has asked us what our favorite Friends episode is.

This is a tough call for someone who has repeatedly watched the series, because we know most of it by heart. And to single out one? Isn't going to be fair to all the other episodes. Simply put, every one of it, all 236 episodes, is a favorite (All-Time fave, remember?) that it's very hard to round up five most memorable ones.

To make it easier for me, I think I'd have to put myself in the shoes of someone who hasn't seen the show ever. And if I have to convince someone who has never seen Friends to watch it? Then here are the Top 5's I'd choose to guarantee that person will love the show like I do, afterwards.

So, in no particular order ---

The One With The Embryos - Season 4.

What started out as harmless bet becomes a full-blown battle between the boys and the girls. It's not only the funnest and funniest episode, it's also a trivia episode, where viewers actually got to know a lot about the characters.

This is the episode where we all got to know Ms. Chanandler Bong :) and I know a lot of fans will agree, this is the show at their finest.



The One Where Ross Got High - Season 6.

The Friends are dreading to taste Rachel's Thanksgiving treat

Their Thanksgiving episodes are always so special and this is the one where they all unintentionally blurted secrets to Monica and Ross' parents. Lots of quotable quotes in here and as Mrs. Geller said --- "That’s a lot of information to get in thirty seconds!"

You can watch the video of this episode's best part here.

This is also the episode where Rachel attempted to do the dessert and got her recipe all mixed up. Everyone hated the way it tasted, except for Joey.

Favorite quotes:

"Ross married Rachel in Vegas and got divorced...again!!!" - Monica
"It tastes like feet!!!!" - Ross
"What’s not to like? Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Gooooood." - Joey

The One With The Video Tape  - Season 8.

"Few years ago, when I was backpacking across Western Europe. I was just outside of Barcelona, hiking on the foothills of the Mount Tibidabo. I was at the end of this path, and I came to a clearing, and there was a lake, very secluded, and there were tall trees all around. It was dead silence. Gorgeous! And across the lake, I saw a beautiful woman, bathing herself, but she was crying..."

Those magic words? The "magic story you use when you want to have sex"? Was the reason why Emma, Ross & Rachel's baby, was conceived. The funniest part was when the other four friends found out how it all happened and who came on to whom....and where this Mt. Tibidabo line actually came from. Loved their reaction!



The One Where Everybody Finds Out - Season 5

For awhile, Monica and Chandler kept their relationship a secret from their closest friends. It took a whole season for the others to find it out and on hindsight, I actually love that the writers took their time. It made Season 5 a lot interesting to watch.

Funniest part was when Phoebe tried to dance sexy for Chandler, in the hopes of making him admit he and Monica are actually lovers. The video for that is here.

Favorite quotes:

"Oh man, they think they are so slick messing with us! But see they don't know that we know that they know!" - Monica
"God, they thought they can mess with us! They're trying to mess with us?! They don't know that we know they know we know!" - Phoebe
"I'm sorry! But hey, it's over now, right? Because you can tell them that you know they know and I can go back to knowing absolutely nothing!" - Joey

The One with the Prom Video - Season 2

And thus, the Ross & Rachel cult was born. This video clip says it all:



There you have it... five of Friends best episodes. I never really get tired of watching this series over and over.

What's yours?

    

Michael Scott Send-off Wishlist: A happy ending, please!

Steve Carell has announced early this week that the seventh season of The Office, which will premiere this fall, is going to be his last. He has hinted of this a few months ago, and reiterated this while promoting his latest movie, Despicable Me, with the British press.

Whether the show goes beyond Season 7, it will go on without him since  Michael Scott will have to retire from Dunder-Mifflin/Sabre.

Fans of the show are quick to suggest possible replacements and names, like Jason Alexander, have crop up. There's no way to tell how The Office will fare after Michael Scott leaves in May 2011. But TV history has shown that when a very important character departs a successful series, such as in the case of Grissom on CSI or Zach Braff on Scrubs, there's little chance that its viewers would stick around, too.

On the other hand, The Office is an ensemble cast that can supposedly move forward, even without its main lead. Proof of that? For the last three summer hiatus, there have been webisodes released online, starring its accountants (Oscar, Kevin & Angela). The webisodes, which have earned numerous awards, have earned a humble following. Only, this comes from the show's most loyal fans and not mainstream, clicker-happy viewers. Also, these webisodes are three minutes long, compared to the regular 30, and sometimes 60, minute TV episodes. So, the dynamics is quite different.

As a fan of the show, and knowing most of the characters' quirks like the palm of my hand, having had to follow this show closely like everyday) when I used to write about it for two years in another site (now closed), I would have liked Michael Scott to leave when The Office finally bows its last.  The Office USA is not going to be The Office without Michael Scott. But, understandably, seven seasons is seven seasons. Michael Scott will always be on DVD, anyway.

What I would really like for Michael to have when he leaves? A beautiful, happy ending with his true love,  Holly.  And this may totally go against what Michael Scott represents --- a pitiful man-boy who's hard to respect, for one thing, but really wants nothing more but love and adoration from someone, anyone. And that is why I think Holly has to come back and give Michael a break.

Thanks for Joining My Cougar Town DVD Give-away!

Just want to say huge thanks to those who joined my Cougar Town DVD Give-away contest. I'm going to pick out the winner later this week, via Random.Org (please give me time, quite new with this, very rattled!) and then I will be announcing the lucky pick afterwards.

As mentioned in the contest mechanics, the DVD is yet to be released this month, so the winner will have to wait awhile before the set arrives. But it is coming and has been pre-ordered.

I'm gonna do another contest when I turn a year older in September...now, I just have to pick out prizes to give away for that.

Anyway, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to support this blog, in spite my recent absence.