Aren't you watching The Starter Wife yet?

Switching from a mini-series to a full-fledged series seemed to do The Starter Wife a lot of good. It's slowly becoming one of the programs I look forward to watching every week. The casting changes (because they let go of the some of the original cast from the mini-series) isn't a bother at all. The writing remains sharp. And Molly (Debra Messing) is becoming more and more loose and zany and yet she still manages to stay classy. She's been a big shot Hollywood wife for years after all. It's so fun watching her.

This week Molly is working on a pitch. She's been approached by someone from the industry to write a movie... that eventually became a TV series...about an ex-Hollywood wife...who was a Private Investigator...but was re-characterized as a Bounty Hounter. Hah. Hey, it wasn't her original idea. She had something better but the "suits" wanted her to go differently.

Anyway, for this project, she had to interview a real private investigator at her house with her friend, Joan ---

PI: When people lie they look to the right. Never fails...
Molly: I had no idea (writes notes)...
Joan: Why did you become a PI anyway?
Molly: Joan, I told you you could come over if you let me do my work and that includes letting me ask the question.
Joan: Don't you wanna know why he became a PI?
Molly: Ye-esss --- (to the PI) Why did you become a PI?
PI: When I was a teenager, I came out of the theater and my parents were gunned down in front of me in cold blood and I vowed right then and there that I would hunt down the killer while helping others get justice at the same time...
Molly: That's horrible!
Joan: That's BATMAN!
PI: ... okay. Okay...I was a rouge cop...
Molly: (inaudible) You're eyes just shifted right!!!
PI: You're good!

Musings from watching The Starter Wife's Season 2 Premiere

When did The Starter Wife become Gossip Girl? Why is every show about the rich and the famous turning to this one now? By "this one" I mean, turning to gossip blogs. Gossip Girl was the first to do it on television. 90210 also has their own character writing her own gossip blog site. Privileged made allusions to the fact that someone from Sage & Rose's school keeps a hot gossip website. I don't watch The Secret Life of An American Teenager, but I guess it's safe to say, there's someone like that on that show, too (is there?).

Catching up on The Starter Wife, which premiered its second season last Friday, I find this:

One of the story lines they went with was have Molly's journal stolen; her secret thoughts now revealed online via a gossip site. Molly is played by Debra Messing (who is slowly earning my respect as an actress, she is so great here!) and she works as a writer who planned to pitch her handwritten journal's entries as a humor book to a publisher. It contained her thoughts on the Hollywood circle --- wives, girlfriends, relationships between Hollywood's rich and privileged. But the deal didn't push through and someone steals her notebook from her. Then she discovers it all online.

I'm not complaining. I actually like the episode and I have yet to continue watching Part 2 of the season premiere.

I'm just pausing to reflect on something --- in the way our social circles flow today. We do live in different times, don't we? We're so gossip-blog driven. Rumors travel a hundred times faster and nothing confirms this fact even more than to have not one, but at least four TV shows put this in their storylines! Art imitates life.

Technology's basic idea was to create for a simpler, more streamlined lifestyle.

But stuff like this? Knowing at any moment, you might find crap written about you on someone's blog?

The wonders of technology makes life seem so much more complicated.

Alright, musing done.

Will get back to watching TV now. :)

The Starter Wife

I watched this a year too late.

The Starter Wife ran as a mini-series last year. The other day, it's been confirmed that the show is getting a second season and will air this by October.


Based on a book by Gigi Levangie Grazer, The Starter Wife stars Debra Messing as the Hollywood wife who, after devoting years of her life to her movie-producer husband, finds out he's divorcing her for a 'Britney Spears'.

The Starter Wife is... "the wife a man starts out with, until he hits big time, cuts her out and replaces her with a much younger woman".

It's pretty much a lifestyle in Hollywood.

I didn't think I'd enjoy this series at all. I was in for a disappointment. But, unexpectedly, the show was quite decent, especially after I got over the idea that yes, crazy Grace Adler is playing this very polished but very grounded Hollywood wife. The real deal is --- Debra Messing did alright. There wasn't a trace of Grace Adler in her portrayal as Molly Kagan. (Trivia: in the book, the main character was actually named Gracie but they changed it to Molly for her.)

The supporting cast, lead by Judy Davis and Joe Montegna, did great as well. Regardless of the MANY and very tired stereotypes here, it's one talented casting coup. Portrayals weren't over the top nor forced. No wonder some of them were nominated for Emmy awards last year.

I thought the storylines were smart and better written than I've expected. Molly does cope with the divorce, it's her husband who is a mess. In the wackiest storylines I've seen in a while, Molly falls in love with a really good-looking...homeless person.

If I was reading the book instead of watching the series, this is what you'd call a "page-turner".

Reviews:
EW says it has clever writing
LA Times says its good mean-spirited fun, yet reflects sexism and classism
Boston Globe says we've seen this too many times before

Watchin' it or ditchin' it? For the second season --- I'm definitely going to be watchin' it.

Currently Watching - West Wing, Fallen, Will and Grace, Starters Wife and a couple of Fall TV Previews

This doesn't exactly mean I've got a lot of time on my hands right now, because let me tell you --- I have my hands full with work, the household, overseeing my son's school work, yadda, yadda, yadda. But I suddenly find myself able to squeeze in watching TV shows I have not previously seen in full before. How did that happen? Why is my afternoon a lot less chaotic? That I can sit around and drool at the screen for hours? This isn't a complaint. I'm just wondering where all these free hours spring from?

Okay. Maybe... I've got my schedule down to pat and so everything is a breeze, like clockwork... and so I can work at giving a lot of time for myself; or I AM actually forgetting something important, something I should be doing but didn't. And the consequence of this shall fall down on me hard later; I might not be able to recover immediately.

The second one sounds scarier. But whatever. Pfft. All this TV watching? My tiny little TV fried brain doesn't wanna bother analyzing anymore.

I'm watching and I'm happy! I'm a satisfied junkie.

So, there.

I'm currently enjoying a dose of:

• The West Wing - My first time to EVER take a peek at this show. This has been on my watch list since...forever. I followed Studio 60 last season (love!) and it always was referenced to West Wing. First impressions? I was dizzy from the camera work! That's all I can say so far, I've only seen a couple of it.
  
• Fallen - I was rather curious about this mini-series because of ads that were running in our local channel Studio 23. Fallen angels --- that's always been an interesting mythology to me. The show is a lot like Smallville. I'm glad it's just a short 6 episode series.
  
• Will and Grace - This was always on cable TV but truthfully? I think I've only seen less than 30 episodes out of a hundred plus plus. W & G was also on my watch list like forever...I'm finally going to know how this one ended. Well, I did Wiki(pedia) up and spoiled myself.
  
• The Starter Wife - It was something I started watching last summer, I'm just picking up where I left off. And what good timing too since the show, originally just meant as a mini-series, has been renewed for a second season.

I had also just seen the previews for two upcoming Fall shows --- Pretty/Handsome and Raising The Bar. I did not bother writing separate entries for them. I can tell your right here --- I'll pass on these.

Pretty/Handsome stars brilliant actors like Joseph Fiennes and Carrie Ann Moss and is from the creator of Nip/Tuck, I believe. It's a story about a married man and father who is coming out of the closet. He's not just going gay, he's a transsexual. I think it has all the right elements to becoming a very compelling drama series. I wouldn't be surprised if it receives critical acclaim. But it's not my kind of show, so I'll pass.

Raising The Bar is a story about lawyers from Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue). I think it has a good story, but none of the actors, with the exception of Jane Kaczmarek, will make me want to watch some more of it.

Hookey. Time to go back and watch some more.