Fall TV viewing starts early!

So my friend Jump The Snark tells me that his TiVo (GAWD, I love TiVo) has some of the NBC Fall Preview shows.

So for grins, I wanted to see if my old DVR would have the same and it did!!! (YAY!)

We saw the original pilot at Comic-Con and I wanted to see how this would differ. They recast the actress who originally played the sister. But for the most part, the pilot pretty much stays in tact.

If you've seen the commerical, you've pretty much seen the first episode. The special effects are better than what we saw at Comic-Con. It still has some flaws (no spoilers just in case you wanted to watch for yourself) but I think I'm adding it to my Wednesday night routine.

I have to say, I loved the nod to "Superman" when Jamie escapes to go back to her old life. And everyone please STOP using this song to convey emotion? Because every since we heard the song on this show, it's been freaking EVERYWHERE!

The "Bionic Woman" goes online Sept. 26th.

Chuck

The next show I watched was "Chuck." I couldn't get into the Comic-Con panel but I really, really liked this show. The premise: Chuck works at a Best Buy ripoff (I wonder if they are suing?) and he gets an e-mail from an old classmate which contains all of the government's secrets. It sounds pretty dumb but it's executed pretty smartly. This makes it tough for me because now I have to choose on Monday nights: Prison Break or Chuck?

Scared straight (well not literally)..

Tonight I watched the season premiere of "The Biggest Loser" from my couch and felt so guilty. These people are seriously kicking butt! I felt so bad for them but I knew that they were taking steps towards improving their lives.

I think the thing that got me was the table they showed with all the food these people consumed. I guess, no I know I'm guilty of mindless eating. It's easy you grab food, eat on the couch and then start eating.

Then this year, they added a twist of adding another team with Jillian aka Scary Demon. It's going to be an interesting season and I know for me, I'm going to try to work out more so that I can lose along with these people.

Two weeks until fall TV and counting...

Tomorrow Tyra has her fall premiere and her talk show's gone through some big changes. First, she's moved the talk show to N.Y.C.

And not to be outdone, lady O also has her premiere tomorrow from NYC as well.

The "Biggest Loser" kicks off its season on Tuesday with a lady from San Diego among the contestants.

And then the week of Sept. 24, it when the rest of the shows roll back. I cannot wait!

The new TV season begins tomorrow (sorta)

Was scanning the old DVR tonight desperately looking for something to watch when I came across "The Biggest Loser" reunion special.

Believe it or not, this unofficially kicks off the TV season. That along with Whoopi Goldberg taking her seat at "The View" in the morning. And then over the course of the next few weeks a bunch of shows take a bow.

It looks like it's shaping up to be a good TV season, but since my time is going to be more limited than ever, I'm going to have to take a pass on some shows or be very careful about what shows I'm going to watch and what shows can wait until the weekends.

Here's my non-negotiable list for the fall


Mondays:
"Prison Break," "Heroes," "24" "Chuck"
Tuesdays
"The Biggest Loser," "Law & Order "SVU"
Wednesdays
"The Bionic Woman"
Thursdays
"Survivor", "Ugly Betty"


Unfortunately, there's nothing to watch on Fridays and Saturdays (Hello Netflix) and Sundays is looking iffy too. I heard they were thinking of holding "The Amazing Race" until January and "Desperate Housewives" has lost its hold on me but I might read the recaps or wander through every now and then.

So, what's on YOUR must-watch list?

The saga of "Anchorwoman'

Last Wednesday, Fox debuted a new reality show called "Anchorwoman" where a former swimsuit model, Lauren Jones, worked as an anchorwoman at a CBS affiliate in Tyler, Texas.

Months before the show hit the air, it was getting poor reviews and even "Good Morning America" got in on the act. Note how snooty, Diane and Robin are.

Well I watched it, and it wasn't half bad. Lauren is actually endearing and you could tell she really wanted to learn. Some of her co-workers had big sips of the hater-aide and wanted no part of it. The rest of the episodes are going to be aired on Fox on Demand so be prepared to watch.

I think Fox made a big mistake and hopefully it'll get picked up on another network. Or you could go to those deep dark places on the Internet where the episodes are.

Is it fall yet?

I don't know about the rest of you, but these last few weeks have been pretty busy for me. But I'm back.
The summer TV season has been D-U-L-L. I thought I'd like "Big Brother 8" but it's not been as entertaining as I thought.

I've dumped "Saving Grace," and said goodbye to "Rescue Me." I've been letting my Netflix work for me for now. But I've caught up with some great shows that I've missed over the past season.

Right now, I'm into "Weeds" but I'm a season behind because I can't afford Showtime. It's OK because it's better to watch it on Netflix because you can whiz through the episodes pretty quickly.

Today, I got my hands on "Ugly Betty" season one, the "Bettyfied" edition. I cannot WAIT until this show comes back.

CBS also unveiled the new constants for "Survivor: China". Can you believe this is the 15th edition of this show already??

Well, I'm off to another crappy night of TV viewing....

It's not me, it's you. Breaking up is hard to do...

With the fall season fast approaching, I've decided for the sake of my DVR I'm going to break up with a few shows to make room for some shows I have high hopes for.

So here's my list of shows that are purged from my DVR.

1) "Rescue Me": While two seasons ago, the show was funny, gritty, fresh and innovative, it's not that way anymore. I just don't like these guys. They don't touch my heart anymore and I find myself rooting for these firefighters to bite the big one. Plus the rape of Janet by Tommy was the moment that drove me over the age.

2) "Desperate Housewives": It used to be campy fun, now it's just a cliched mess.

3) "Survivor": It's on probation. I need to check out the first few episodes to see if I care.

4) "Deal or No Deal," and "1 vs. 100" I don't need to see every episode. I can just check in now and then.

And here's what I'm excited about.

1) "Nip/Tuck": Now that Christian and Sean have moved to L.A. I can't wait to see what adventures these two get into.

2) "Chuck": Nerd gets all the government's secrets downloaded into his brain. Premise sounds interesting.

3) "Bionic Woman" Saw preview at Comic-Con. With some retooling, this could work.

4) "Ugly Betty": Just bring Justin and his fabulousness back.

5) "Heroes": Can't wait to see what Chapter Two is all about.

6) "Prison Break": How's Michael going to get out of this??????

7) "24": Let's just pretend last season didn't happen.



3) "Bionic Woman":

The Secrets of Isis

Last week, I bought a DVD for my birthday which brought back lots of good childhood memories. But then when you watching thing through adult eyes, it tends to be funny.


After a horrible Comic-Con experience, I took a few episodes of "Isis" and called it a day. The show is hysterically bad but I still love it. it takes me back to when I was an 8 year old and shouting out "Oh zephyr winds which blow on high, lift me now, so I can fly". Nothing ever happened although my sister and I conjured up a breeze once, that's about it.

The things I noticed about the show: To save money, they used the same scenes of Andrea changing into Isis over and over again. In episode, they obviously used an actor to portray a gorilla. Why? Because you could see his eyes through the mask. Sometimes Isis needed to do her chant to fly, other times, she just took off. Miss Thomas seemed to have two skirts (blue jean and khaki) and one pair of brown shoes. The kids never seemed to have parents because Cindy Lee was always at school and would sometimes even call the teachers by their first names. I also never seemed to be clear on what Isis and her powers were. She could stop time, had super strength and could run really fast. Othertimes she could control the forces of nature. Whatever she did, it was blast going down memory lane.

Comic-Con preview

In a few weeks, I'll be going to the biggest Pop Culture event of the year. Comic-Con!!! It's one of the reasons I moved to San Diego (well, that and the sun and cute guys) and I've only missed one in all the years I've lived here.

In my secret identity, I work for a media company so I actually have to earn money for my mortgage but here aret two things I'm looking forward to seeing:

1) The new Bionic Woman. This show will be appointment TV for me. Just based on the preview alone. I'm praying that they will show the pilot at Comic-Con. I remember the magic when they showed the pilot of this show. and how spellbound I was. Although it wasn't the actual show that was aired, it was enough to keep me hooked for a whole season.

2) Supergirl. I'm such a big fan of this character so I can't wait to see what "Smallville" does with this character. I pray they don't make her a sexy, vampy sort of character.

Veronica Mars
OK, I'm so ticked that the CW replaced tonight's episode with a rerun of freakin' "Beauty and the Geek!!!" Why?!!!! You've already cancelled the show, could we watch the last few episodes in peace???!!

Big Brother

My Sunday and Thursday nights are saved!
"Big Brother" is da bomb. Where else can you watch a woman cry for 10 minutes over her photo! It was hysterical. And then then to see the group doused in butter!!!

I'm rooting for Jameka and Joe because they seem to bring the most life in the House.

Do you like to watch?

I do.
This summer, "Big Brother 8" has gotten my attention in a big way.

This year they've added people's enemies to the house guest roster. I'm keeping my eyes on Dustin and Joe.

Why? Because they're ex boyfriends and two bitchy queens. Joe blurted out that Dustin gave him the clap (I'm so not kidding).

The other set of enemies are Daniele and her dad Evil Dick and high school rivals Jessica and Carol.

Also, we learned that America has their own player: href="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother8/bio_soft/eric.shtml">Eric.

We'll see how interesting it gets.

Hey Paula!

You know a show is BAD when a Web site that likes to recap stops after the FIRST night.
It's a really bad trainwreck this show. Like "Being Bobby Brown" bad! We learned that a sleepy Paula is a loopy Paula. We also learn that she's not so nice to her assistants either.

The Paris Hilton interview

Tonight on CNN! Paris! Paris! And more Paris!!

Larry King "interviewed" Paris tonight and it was one of the worst interviews ever. Did we learn anything new? NO!

Paris looked uncomfortable at times and Larry tried to nail her to the cross but she ducked and weaved and kept givings answers such as

"I've matured." "I'm on a journey" and of course my favorite "I did my time."
I'm a wimp and I freely admit it but I think I could hang three weeks in the pokey especially if I weren't threatened by some big man named Bubba.
What was odd was there were no phone in calls. And only one outside question by a "fan" of hers.

And if this wasn't enough, "Anderson Cooper 360" continued with the coverage. Anderson brought up good points about her sex tape and the other tape with her using the "N-word."

You could just tell that Anderson was just itching to have done the interview. He points out that while Paris said she read the Bible every day yet couldn't produce her favorite when asked.

I'm betting that Oprah will do a better job.

A hot mess but I LOVE it!!!!!!

Are you watching "Age of Love" on NBC?

If not, you should be. Oh, where to be begin? The show's about a hot tennis star who's 30 years old. He thinks he's on a regular "Bachelor type" dating show. I bet you anything, that when he was pitched this show that they used that phrase. But here's the twist, the ladies he initially meets are all 40+ with the exception of one lady who's 39 but I think she's fudging her age.

The look on his face when he saw the women was just beyond priceless! The women think they are all competing against each other and THEN a helicopter comes with Pussycat Doll wannabes and they now are in the competition too.

They got the skankiest girls possible (one even hula-hoops in high heels and a bikini!).

If you missed this, they are going to rebroadcast this Monday (June 25) at 8 p.m. and then go into the new show that night. Don't miss it!

How do you laugh through pain?

Last night, comedian Kathy Griffin faced a problem that a lot of us know first-hand: the death of a loved one.

Kathy's dad died back in February and this show handled his unexpected death with dignity.

I lost both of my parents within the last five years and let me tell you, I wish I could have handled it with class like she did. When they announced that Kathy's dad died, I cried like he was a member of my own family.

You can catch the best of John Griffin with the first season of Kathy's reality show that is now on sale.

I normally don't link to blogs of people I don't know but...

I found this to be hysterical!

Counting down the Veronica's best

With news of "Veronica Mars' being gone officially now, I'm still NOT ready to move on.


Here are my Top 10 episodes of my favorite detective.

1) "Pilot": If you haven't watched this show, then this is the place to start. It had EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink: Murder, mayhem, intrigue and mystery. Plus the main character had her OWN baggage including a date rape and being hated by most of the school. One thing's for sure, this ain't "Nancy Drew." Plus, this begins one of the BEST friendships EVER! on a TV show.


2) "Normal Is the Watchword": After solving the "Who Killed Lilly Kane?" case, Veronica tries to be normal again, but a bus crash and a new murder mystery complicates things.

3)"Rat Saw God": The mystery of the bus crash haunts Veronica and the victims themselves seem to be reaching out to her.

4) Betty and Veronica: The school Mascot is missing and Wallace might have to miss a game in the school basketball championship. Plus, we solve the mystery of who's leaving Wallace Snickerdoodles in his locker!

5)"Like a Virgin": A purity test has all the school up in arms. This episode introduces us to the wonders of Cindy "Mac" Reynolds and furthers the "Who Killed Lilly Kane?" case.

6)"A Trip to the Dentist": Veronica solves the mystery of who raped her and trust me when I say, it ain't pretty. Plus we find out why Duncan mysteriously dumped Veronica.

7) "One Angry Veronica" : Veronica serves jury duty and is caught between the '09ers and the PCHers.

8) "Versatile Toppings": Veronica helps the gay students fend themselves off someone who's threating to out them. Despite some bad guest casting, it's one of the better episodes.

9) "Not Pictured" Veronica solves the mystery of who caused the bus crash!

10) "Spit and Eggs" Veronica solves the rape mystery.

OK, fans, I've listed mine: Now show me yours.

Rescue Me

A couple of summers ago, I fell in love with a smart, funny and raunchy show called "Rescue Me." It deals with the sad lives of firemen in NYC and is lead by the impressive and smart Denis Leary.

Plus the storylines were to die for. And then last summer, came a storyline so controversial that posters on message boards were outraged.

Depending on how you viewed the episode, Denis Leary's character "raped" his ex-wife and then left and smirked about it. I was so angry, so disgusted that I just didn't want to give this show my energy anymore and I stopped watching.

The creator if you click the link above describes the scene and how they feel about what happened. Me, I still don't buy it.

Tonight,the show returns and I'm on the fence about whether I want to watch or not.

Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List"

If you're not watching this little reality gem, you probably should. It is hysterical! Kathy Griffin is a celebrity/fame whore and will do anything to be recognized, even dropping by fans' houses just to say "Hi."

With her hopes dashed to replace Rosie on "The View" this might be the last time we see Kathy for a while. Or then again, maybe not. Because this IS the National Enquirer saying this and so pardon me if I'll just wait for the announcement.

Why do good shows get cancelled?

OK, today I was in mourning. All freaking day. This announcement made me sad beyond words.

Maybe America isn't ready for a smart, funny and clever show? Is that it? I dunno but some fans have banded together (although too late) to try to send a message to Dawn Ostroff of the CW.

Now the irony of this situation? The CW is promoing "Veronica" do death and they are showing this season FROM THE BEGINNING and uninterrupted.

I wish I could say I'm officially done with the CW but I love "Top Model" and Tyra needs me.

What is going on with "Dateline"?

When did "Dateline" morph into Mystery of the Week? I know NBC is facing tough times these days but it wasn't that long ago that we could count on "Dateline" to provide good investigative reports.

Now, it seems that since we're in summer, we keep seeing reruns of Mysteries of the Week. It usually goes down like this: Someone is killed. The police investigate. Something doesn't seem right. Commerical break. Ann Curry comes back to recap what we've seen and then we rejoin the story. More details revealed, then the case is taken to court and the outcome is pretty much what we expected. The end.

YAWN!

I know tonight folks are probably glued to their sets to see the ending of "The Sopranos" but that's one show I never really could get into. I don't know why because the few episodes I did see, I thought I might like. Could someone let me know how it ends for pop culture purposes?

Paris is Free! No, wait.....

Am I a sick person taking glee that Paris is back in jail? What disturbs me more is that the apparently there is NO OTHER NEWS today because ALL of the TV broadcast is devoting much time to this story.

If you missed it, Isaiah Washington got booted from "Grey's" because of the controversy.

Some friends of mine say that this is a travesty because he has made amends. While I appreciate the fact he's a good actor and adds much to the show, his remaining there creates a "hostile work environment" for T.R. Knight. Would you want to work with someone who's shown an open disdain for you? Probably not.

My friends argue that he's one of the few African-American faces on a major network show. That may be true but now it's up to Shonda Rimes who's African-American to step up and find another actor who can be equally as great if not better. Hopefully, someone who's NOT a homophobe.