The Royals

The Royals is a new show on the E! Channel. It's about the royal family of England - King, Queen and kids - except it's a fictional family. I've been watching it since it started a month or so ago. I think the acting is good, the cast appealing and the setting gorgeous. I like it and will continue to watch

But (and it's a big BUT), every time I'm watching it, I find myself questioning if any of it is possible in real life. It's like the bastard child if 'Biography' married 'Girls/Guys Gone Wild'. Below are questions I find myself pondering while watching (if you haven't seen - Spoiler Alert).

Could the Prince (and next in line to the throne) just jet off for the weekend with only one bodyguard? Aren't royal itineraries pretty full and stringent? Could the princess really be a drugged up, drunk party-girl all the time? Would the royal children and cousins really be this self-destructive in their liberal use of drugs, alcohol and sex?

Could the queen (played by a gorgeous Elizabeth Hurley) really have a lover on the side and be fooling around with him in the palace without getting caught? Not to mention the freedom of their personal body guards to sleep with guardees (namely the queen and princess). Could the king really sneak out to go on walks through London without a body guard and no one recognizing him?

Could the king's brother really use sex and sexual intimidation to bribe/blackmail/bully men, women, servants and other nobles, etc...? He's like a modern day Marquis de Sade. And he has two daughters (who bear a vague resemblance to Prince Edwards daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie) except they are idiots (seriously... just dumb as a box of rocks) as well as drugged up like their cousins, the princess (and less so, the prince).

It's all just so tabloid, outlandish and self-loathing that it's hard to imagine the real royal family like this. Maybe I'm naive. I dunno. But I would hate to think of Prince William or Harry ever behaving this badly. But if I suspend my rational brain and just dive in  to it as a soap opera set in the palace, then it's interesting (not sure that's the right word). Maybe enjoyable in a very window-peeping, voyeuristic way. I'm interested in others' thought here.

More DWTS update and Into the Woods

So, last night I watched the second night of Dancing with the Stars and wow, wow, wow. I am totally crushing on Robert Herjavec, Michael Sam and Noah Galloway. And maybe a little on Riker Lynch. AND I was uber - UBER - disappointed that RedFoo is gone. I like him so much and wanted to see him continue. So, that sucked. Everyone was dancing great, btw.

But, and this is a big but, I felt real bad for Charlotte McKinney. I do not understand why people have to be so damn cruel - like others don't have feelings. She received loads of cyber-bullying hate-crap on various social media sites which I think is just shit. She's a sweet girl who can not help that she has the body she has and does not deserve that kind of abuse. It takes so little to be nice, so why do people think that it's ok to act like that, to treat others like that? I just don't get it. I know I'm preaching to the choir, cuz I'm certain that my peeps are not like that at all. :)

Now, on to Into the Woods. It was released yesterday and I couldn't wait to rush out and buy it. And then I was hard pressed to not watch it that afternoon and instead wait till my guy got home to watch with him, but somehow I had that restraint (applause please). And then I watched it and OMG!!! So good. So very, very good.

No spoilers, so don't fret if you haven't seen it yet.

First off, it actually made me cry at one point toward the end (it involves Emily Blunt) - you'll know the scene when you see it. I hate crying, but any movie that can sneak up on me and get me to tears is pretty damn good. Just saying. I'm not that kind of gooey. My nearest and dearest can attest to that.

Second, Chris Pine as Prince Charming? Oh thank you movie gods that made that match in heaven. He is so totally delicious, it's criminal. Best line ever, "I was raised to be charming, not sincere." Seriously, best line ever! A vapid prince - I love it.

My only regret is that there isn't more of Johnny Depp as the Wolf.

The music, the cast (incredible cast - too many to name), the story, the incredible weaving together of classic story tales. It was all so amazing. I will be watching this several more times in the very near future. Several more times. Very, very near future. Just saying.

An update on DWTS

Now that the season premier has happened and I've 'met' the stars, I'll update my thoughts.

Surprise standout was the millionaire Shark Tank guy, Robert Herjavek!  What a cutie - he was charming, fun, entertaining and a good dancer. Rooting for him to go far... maybe Kym can get that car.

Another surprise was Riker Lynch. Allison described him as 'rough around the edges' and that is for sure. But he's also a good dancer and charming in his own youthful way.

Noah Galloway was amazeballs! Strong (mentally and physically), wicked cute, and just wow - inspirational. Rooting for him in a big way.

Patti LaBelle was grace personified in both her personality and her dancing.

Nastia Luikin was as expected. She'll be good. Not sure if she's someone I want to root for yet though. No warm fuzzies for her, yet - except that she's with Derek.

Charlotte McKinney - I hope her dancing improves because she seems like a real sweetheart.

RedFoo - Love him!  He is infectious with personality and will enjoy watching him for a long while.

Michael Sam was another really good dancer. I'm thrilled he's on the show and I'll be watching for him come September too!  Can we say a big hell yeah for equality for all, please and thank you!!

Willow Shields surprised me. She was very mature for her age and a pretty good dancer to boot. So, go Willow.

Rumer Willis was a stellar dancer and I think she'll go a long ways (she may be this season's Alfonso Ribeiro). It was way cool seeing her mom, dad and siblings in the audience.

Suzanne Somers was another that is so sweet I hope her dancing improves so she can stay a while. And holy moly does she look good. Sixty-eight?  I think sexy-eight is more like it.

Chris Soules was a charmer. I don't watch the Bachelor/ette shows so I didn't know him from Adam, but he seems like a nice guy. And his dancing was pretty good. I'm enjoying his presence.

That's all of them...So far, no one is irritating me and that always makes for a nicer season. My favs at the moment for the finale are Robert Herjavec, Michael Sam and Rumer Willis. We'll see how my predictions do.

The Odd Couple & The Last Man on Earth

The Last Man on Earth. I'm not sure about this one.

I think Will Forte is perfect for the last man on earth cuz he has enough endearingness to him personally to make me like him despite some unattractive traits he has. On one hand, I'm with him - stop signs and parking spaces mean nothing if you're the only vehicle around. On the other hand - if you don't take the time (and all you have is time) to take care of yourself on a basic level, like personal grooming and some modicum of cleanliness to your living space, then yes, you will become despondent and depressed. So, there are definitely things I like and don't like about Phil as a character.

Let's talk about Carol. Carol is the last woman on earth and though Kristen Schaal is good in the role, she is also playing a bad stereotype of a hen-pecking, anal-retentive, control freak of a wife-type. Not flattering, but not the actresses fault (this would be on the writers). I agree a woman would probably bother to stay more clean, personally and with her surroundings, than Phil is managing. And yes, it is kind of funny that she chooses to be a grammar-cop, but that she feels the need to 'fix' Phil and act as though she is in charge and the last word in what is right or wrong is less funny and more bad stereo-typing. It just sort of hit a wrong note with me.

I'll probably give it couple more episodes before I decide yay or nay.

Now, The Odd Couple I really liked, Mathew Perry is a perfect sports slob Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon could not be more perfect as the over-the-top annoying clean freak, Felix Unger. I always loved this show - the old TV show with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and the movies with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. It's just a brilliant concept that Neil Simon gave us in his original play that spurred on these renditions.

Matthew Perry has played both sides of this if you think back to the neurotic Chandler Bing from Friends. I like him as a thoughtless, shallow slob hiding his heart of gold. And Thomas Lennon... OMG... he is priceless as Felix. So funny and sweet and vulnerable and irritating and ... well you get the idea. Perfect casting.

The supporting cast with Dave Foley, Wendell Pierce, Yvette Nicole Brown, Leslie Bibb, and Lindsay Sloane is a perfect blend of funny.

Anyway - I think this is a good modern version of a timeless story and it will only get better as everyone settles into their groove.

CSI: Cyber

Next up, CSI: Cyber. I've had this one on my radar for months and months. It was announced with the CBS's Fall line-up (I think) and then we had to wait forever for it to start. But I'm glad it's arrived finally. It was worth the wait.

I realize that none of the CSI, NCIS, or alphabet soup shows are factual in the time and attention they give cases, but I love them anyway. Let's just get that out of the way. They entertain me and I love the science of what they are doing.

This newest installment to the CSI franchise is about cyber crimes, so anything that involves electronics, basically. Not only do we get cool crimes and awesome science, we get hackers! Love, L-O-V-E, love me some geeky hackers (think Hackers, War Games, Live Free or Die Hard, Sneakers, or TRON just to name a few... there are so many. Just gave myself  some geeky warm fuzzies thinking about them all.). So, yeah.... , we have hackers and crime solving goodness all rolled up in one.

Patricia Arquette. Under-rated and under-appreciated to my mind. She did just win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, which is awesome,but I'm thrilled I'm going to see her more regularly. Can I just say, I love her teeth and mouth. I'm not sure what it is about them, but it's sexy. And her eyes. Mesmerizing. And she's great. She really is. She's got a crazy awesome talented family and she is truly a fine actress. In this show, she leads a hacker team who save the day. I love that. And that's how Garcia came to work for the BAU in Criminal Minds. It's just a great concept.

Though I may not know loads about techy stuff, I love watching people who do.

The supporting cast is also great. They have Peter MacNicol, James Van Der Beek, and some people were going to get to know well - Charley Koontz, Hayley Kioko and Shad Moss.

Enjoying the ride. Thank you, CBS.

Battle Creek

This is going to be a TV week. Four new shows.

First up, Battle Creek. I've been jazzed to watch Battle Creek for a couple months. CBS has been pimping it for quite a while and I'm glad cuz maybe that will mean they'll keep it around for a while. Why, you ask? Let me tell you. :)

The cast. Josh Duhamel has been around for a while now and what's not to love. He's tall and handsome and a good actor and yummy and he kicked ass all over the Decepticons in the Transformer movies and he was completely endearing as a RomCom lead in Life as We Know It. All around good stuff.

And then there's Dean Winters. Who else completely loved - LOVED - him as Mayhem in the Allstate commercials? Brilliant! He's got a long list of roles, more in TV than movies, but still, I'm thrilled the man is finally getting some well-deserved focus as a lead (besides Mayhem) and not just as one in an ensemble cast or in secondary and tertiary roles. He's yummy too... actually even more yummy than the delicious Josh Duhamel, but I like rougher than prettier. Just saying. And there is a character in the show, Holly (played by Aubrey Dollar), who agrees with me.

Also, I love it when we get unconventional settings. Anyone can do New York or Los Angeles, but Battle Creek, Michigan? Yes! That's what I'm talking about.

It's a cop-buddy show. Love cop shows and buddy journeys. These two have a grudging respect for each other despite the vast differences between their styles. It's almost Oscar and Felix with badges.

The supporting cast has Kal Penn, Grapevine and Liza Lapira and more.... I like the entire cast.

Anywho, I really like the show and am looking forward to more.

Dancing with the Stars

The new season of Dancing with the Stars starts in a week on March 16th. Woohoo!!

In anticipation, I am re-watching the last season. See, I save all the shows on my DVR a season at a time and then re-watch before the new season starts and delete them then. But, I always have at least some DWTS on my DVR so I never have to be without. Smart, huh? When I'm re-watching, I don't watch the whole show, since I've seen it all, I just re-watch the dances.

Tangent - I really wish they would just sell the seasons on disc so I could buy them all. But no. For whatever reason that I am not privy to, DWTS and So You Think You Can Dance, do not put the shows on DVD or Blue-ray or whatever. This makes me exceptionally sad as there are so many dances I could just watch over and over. Anywho, the point is I save a season and watch the dances again just before the next season starts which is where I am at now.

The pros. Always happy when Derek is dancing. He's my hands down favorite and I think he is just the most creative choreographer (although Mark Ballas's Mario Brother's freestyle was incredible). Other pro's I like a lot that will be dancing this season  include... well,  all of them except I'm still trying to warm up to Allison and Keo.

The Stars (or at least the ones I have feelings about).
Noah Calloway (soldier). Love soldiers, what they represent, the service they've done for our country - just everything. And JR Martinez (soldier) won when he was on and Noah is dealing with an amputee challenge, but Amy Purdy showed just how little that slowed her down cuz she came in 2nd for her season.

Patti LaBelle (singer) - I suspect she will be gracious and lovely to watch as her spirit comes across that way.

Nastia Luikin (gymnast) - the last time a gymnast, Shawn Johnson, partnered with Derek Hough, they won. So, she has some potential from the starting gate.

RedFoo - I am super jazzed to watch him. He's guest judged before and I love LMFAO. I think Emma Slater should have a good time with him.

Michael Sam (NFL player) and first openly gay NFL player. So yay for him. Coming out for anyone is hard enough and when it's in the public eye and in a sport like football - uber not easy. So, for courage and living authentic, I'll be rooting for this guy!

Willow Shields (actress) - I like the Hunger Game movies as much as the next person, but I always found Prim, Katniss's little sister, a bit annoying, but that is not Willow's fault. So, I'm keeping an open mind.

Suzanne Somers (actress) - another one like Patti LaBelle for me.

Rumer Willis (actress) - We shall see. I liked her in The House Bunny, so keeping an open mind.

Overall, just excited for a new season of cool ass dancing.

Game of Thrones

So, I was watching Game of Thrones on disc thru Netflix last year and it was slow going and the continuity was a challenge at times but I was hooked none the less. Then, for Christmas that was the only thing on my list. That's it. All of Game of Thrones. 

Season Four should arrive in my mailbox any day now (it released yesterday on Feb 17) so I'm trying to pace myself. But, I'm working my way thru them a tad too fast I'm thinking cuz I'm going to run out of episodes in March and the new season doesn't start until mid April, I think. Did I mention that I just added HBO to my DirecTV for the sole reason of being able to watch Season Five as it rolls out?

I think I may have a bit of addiction going on here. Not that I have a problem with that since I am a self-confessed junkie for TV and movies, but others in my household may be raising their eyebrows at me. Other others are right there with me!

I'm catching so much more this time around. There were whole scenes and episodes I have no memory of at all. This show is so well done that I think I'll catch something new every time I watch it. But, that could be me rationalizing why to watch it more than a few times. I dunno.

Spoiler Alert! There are some comments below that if you aren't caught up, may give you more than you want to know at this point. Beware...

I haven't even seen Season Four - at all.  I can't wait!  I know Joffrey dies. Looking forward to that. I knew about the Red Wedding before I watched Season Three and it didn't slow me down one iota when it actually happened. Anywho. I only learned Joffrey was dead because I was at the SLC Comic Fan Xperience and saw Lena Headey (Cersei) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime), the infamous, incestuous Lannister twins, and there was a question about them having sex right after Joffrey dies (and in the same room with his body?). Anyway... I learned Joffrey dies and I'm good with that. He's an evil little shit. This is why incest is good for no one.

Can I just say how very, very pretty Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is! I mean - wow. And Lena Headey is so pretty and nothing like Cersei. I can imagine it's fun to play someone so mean and calculating though. She said she's a fan of the show and watches it as it's playing so when she gets a script, she first checks to see if she gets killed off and then only reads her parts so she can enjoy seeing the plot unfold with the audience. I thought that was cool.

Now - I'm going to say something that may rile a few people, but stay with me and I'll explain. I have not read the books. I'm not sure I will ever read the books. Calm down, purists. I  love the show so much and I know they are different beasts and diverging some (or more and more) as time goes on. The books' fans may have issues when the show changes things and I'm thinking I may have issues with the books since I'm entrenched in the show. Also, I think I'd rather read the books (if I read them) when I can read them all back to back. I would get frustrated waiting while George R.R. Martin finishes writing the series.

Okay... favorite characters and villains:

The Hound - he's got a great mix of complexity that has good and bad layers. Overall I think he is a great anti-hero, cuz his goodness comes out in very un-heroic ways at times.

Tyrion Lannister - Not just because I think Peter Dinklage is the bomb (and a sexy one at that), but because Tyrion is smart (nothing is sexier than smart) and he's another layered good anti-hero and he's funny too. Like every time he smacks Joffrey down and puts him in his place, I laugh myself silly. He's got heart and depth. And a perfect dose of irreverence.

Brienne of Tarth - What's not to love about a 6'3" Amazonian warrior who is tough as nails and loyal to a fault. Seriously, she is awesome. So awesome in fact that she wins over her prisoner, Jaime, and they form a wary sort of friendship.

Arya Stark - I would have been her as a kid. She's smart, tough, skilled, loyal and honest. She's just all out there and confused by the politics and maneuvering of everyone else. I get her. I like her. I hope her and Gendry hook up. Just saying. ( I like Gendry a lot too.)

Daenerys Targaryen - She's gonna get the gold ring eventually - that's my prognosis. And worthy of it too. Like Jorah says, she's tough and smart but also soft and caring about her people. She'll win the Iron Throne because she's the only one of all the wanna-be kings/queens that would really do the job credit. And she has dragons. Harder to lose with dragons. And wasn't her brother just a weasel-dick? I was so happy when Khal Drogo poured gold on his petulant, dumbass head.

Khal Drogo - I wanted to cry when Khal Drogo died. Not only only was he just the yummiest, sexiest guy on the show but he adored Daenerys and any guy that refers to his lady as 'The Moon of his life' is worth mooning over (haha ... see what I did there... with moon and mooning...lol). And he gets bonus points and gold stars for killing her brother. I laughed out loud when he gave him a gold crown. Really I did.

Lord Varys - He's another one of these great complicated good/bad guys. Not too much of either the good or the bad and totally self-serving (aren't we all, really?) but I do believe him when he says he is on the side of the realm.

I love hating Cersei. I just hate Joffrey. I like Jaime and think he's improved a lot since hanging with Brienne. Sansa is winning me over slowly. Tywin is strong and I respect him. Theon Greyjoy is dickless little crud and I don't feel bad about anything that happens to him. Sam is a cutie-pie. Shae is feisty and a good match for Tyrion.

There's a host of other characters that weren't around long enough for me, but there you are. Anyone ya'll love or love to hate?

Backstrom

Backstrom is a new TV show starring Rainn Wilson. I love this!!!

It's based on a character from a series of books in Sweden by author, Leif GW Persson.  Since I haven't read these books, I will address the Americanized television show that I am crazy about (but that inspires me to find said books and read immediately).

We're only three episodes in but I think Everett Backstrom is a great character, He's an equal opportunity-insulter of everyone. He is overweight, drinks too much, sleeps too little, is crass, offensive, slovenly, and crude. Basically your run-of-the-mill genius jackass who happens to also be a cop... and a really good one at that. He's quirky and Rainn Wilson is so perfect for the role I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't read one of the books and say, "I want to play him!" And then go out and make that happen.

All of the side characters are great too but some standouts for me are his gay roommate who 'gets' Backstrom more than anyone else and sometimes facilitates between Backstrom and the world at large. And his Indian doctor, Dr. Deb, who is a grounding force in Backstrom's life. By being able to pass or not pass Backstrom's medical clearance, Dr Deb has leverage to force Backstrom into working towards being healthier than not. He prescribes that Backstrom get a friend or journal every lie he tells. It's so cool. Totally makes me laugh.

And Backstrom says and does the funniest shit. I find myself just laughing out loud throughout the show. I will pray to whatever TV gods I need to in order to keep this show going.  If irreverent dark humor is your thing, join me in loving this show.

I'm back - here's summary

I can't believe I blew off all of July - but medical issues and some depression thrown in for good measure will do that for you. I'm back and feeling better - thanks for asking!

And Now For Something Completely.... Summarized.
New Movies:
Larry Crowne - I really liked it. I thought Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts were honest and it was a nice story about life.

Fast Five - I love the Fast and The Furious franchise, so I loved this. And it has the best car chase action scene ever! Seriously - downtown Rio, two fast cars, a giant vault and a ton of cops... need I say more? And Vin Diesel... still makes my heart go pitty-pat (sigh).

Horrible Bosses - OMG - this is so fucking funny. Great cast and funny, funny, funny script. Jennifer Aniston is great as an evil sexpot dentist. Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrel are great villains too. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day are hilarious as the poor shmoes dealing with their terrible bosses.

Then I watched a bunch of DVD's and movies on Cable - Whip It was a good story about coming of age and trying to be who you are. My Future Boyfriend was a nice made for TV rom-com that pleased me immensely because happiness (for me) is a cheesy romantic comedy. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend actually got me on a couple levels - the first being a made for TV rom-com, the second being it's about a writer struggling to find emotion in his work (I can relate) and the third being Christopher Gorham who is smoking hot in a sexy geeky way. Alyssa Milano is so pretty too. Dear John worked for me as I had some ups and downs and all ended as I wanted. A Good Woman was a quintessential Oscar Wilde re-do with hidden identities, mistaken motives and enough brilliant one liners to quote for a lifetime.

TV:
Well, I got caught up on my TV shows. The second season of Justified was great - gotta love Timothy Olyphant. White Collar kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what Neil was going to do and how Mozzy and Peter would react. All good. I like the new guy on Warehouse 13 and can I add how much I love Allison Scagliotti and the character she plays. The dancing this season on So You Think You Can Dance has been stellar. Some new shows got on my radar - Suits, Franklin & Bash, and Alphas are all good cast, good shows - I'll keep watching. Falling Skies was a disappointment, sadly.

And I think that catches us up. Have a nice day!

TV shows and my DVR - a romance

Can I just say how much I could not live without my DVR? With TV seasons doing strange things like running all four seasons of the year and occasionally taking weeks off between new shows, I would be a basket case if I had to try and follow this stuff on my own.

I am old enough to remember when we had a small finite number of channels and the seasons all began and ended at the same time. Maybe you remember this distant time. The shows you watched were on without fail from roughly September to May. Simple. The summers were for reruns and that's it. I might have had six or seven shows I followed faithfully and I had to stay home to watch them. I knew what channel and night they were on and you can bet my schedule worked around them because if I missed it - I MISSED IT.

Now, we have an almost endless supply of channels and shows and they start and stop willy nilly throughout the year. My DVR will track 50 series for me and I have it maxed out. I almost need a second one to accommodate my voracious appetite. It's sad - really - I know this, but the thought really does cross my mind.

Now, life is different. I frequently don't know what channel or night anything comes on. I know that my DVR will grab and hold onto it for me. I LOVE THIS. If I do somehow miss a show - odds are I can soon watch it online as well. I don't have to worry about whether my show skipped a few weeks, or whether the new season has started, or whether I was out that night - it's all programmed safe and sound in my most beloved DVR.

Truly, this is the great love of my life - much better than men (most of the time). :)

TV

It's been a different week. On the sad side, I went to my friend's memorial service. His family was awesome. On the productive side, I'm making great progress with my book and sent out some partials. On the NFL side, the Superbowl has been saved because the Green Bay Packers made it. When three of the last four teams playing for a slot were teams I dislike, I was seriously worried the Superbowl would be a total write off. Gratefully, the Packers won and I have a team I like playing.

So, lets talk some TV show frivolity here.
I haven't had a new episode of Supernatural in way too long, but there should be a new one this week. I miss my J's (Jared and Jensen) YAY
I think I only have one more week of Lie to Me before it's the end the season. I loooove Tim Roth, loooove the show, loooove all the characters. Okay, less than love the cop chick.
Human Target is taking its sweet time in giving me some new hunky man action (I count all three guys here), but it's so worth the wait, I forgive. I like the young chick - Ames, but not a fan of Ms. Pucci.
Finally got to see Castle and Beckett kiss on Castle. Yummy! And how delicious is it that Esposito and the M.E. are involved?

On Chase, I love seeing Cole Hauser as a good guy. Seems like he's played his fair share of questionable types in the past. And the gal, Kelli Giddish... big fan. She's hot, gonzo, fearless and whenever the cute bounty hunter dude is around, she's so adorable. I'm holding off on my latest episode since it's a two-parter and I want to watch both back to back.
Enjoying the new NCIS and NCIS:LA episodes. Seriously, what's to say ...they rock.
Soon, the new season of Justified and Memphis Beat will start, something to look forward to: Timothy Olyphant and Jason Lee, respectively.
And the new season of White Collar recently began.

The evenings between me and my DVR and DVDs is what keeps me sane from the intensive mental workout I get writing during the day... Don't judge. : )

Three TV Shows: "Supernatural", "Haven", and "The Glades"

Again - sorry for the long break between posts. Life goes to fast.

So, there are a couple of new TV shows I'm watching. First, Supernatural. Where the heck have I been since 2005 when this show started? I just started watching it and am seeing episodes from 2007. Love it! And the dudes - oh, girls - you must watch. Jared Padalecki (who plays Sam) and Jensen Ackles (who plays Dean) are NOT to be missed - don't let the perspective throw you either, Jared is 6'4" and Jensen is 6"1". I absolutely love Dean's irreverence for the demons they chase/destroy, his appetite, his sense of humor, his way with the ladies and his affinity for his car (the sound of the engine alone is hot, as in H-O-T, hot! I'll admit that). Sammy, sweet Sammy - he has so much intensity for what they do and is so sweet and well-meaning. The two brothers are heart breakers. If you like anything paranormal - it's just good fun, too. I am still stunned I could have been watching this for years and only now found it. Glad it's still around and there's plenty for me to catch up on. This one plays on TNT channel.

Second, a brand new show called Haven. It's based on a Stephen King story called The Colorado Kid. It's another paranormal, but since only the series premier has shown thus far (on SyFy Channel), we are not 100% certain what all the madcap mischief will be yet. We do have a chick who can effect the weather by her moods, and a hottie sheriff dude who has some disease or something that means he has no sense of pain (or maybe all touch), and an attractive heroine FBI agent who is visiting that has some strange connection to her doppelganger from the past. Since it's set in Maine, we have lots of supporting characters who are just that - characters. Fun and interesting characters. Loved it - can't wait for episode 2.

Third, another brand new show that premiered last night on A&E channel. It's called The Glades. It's a cop show set in Florida. Matt Passmore (who plays the main character Jim) is a doll. He's done a bunch of TV shows but no shows I've ever watched, so he's new to me and boy-o I'm glad he's in this one. Jim is a cop from Chicago who is now working in Florida because he doesn't play well with others. He probably doesn't here either, but he hasn't worn out his welcome here yet. He is a super smart, super excellent cop and he isn't afraid to let you know that he's smarter and better than you. But he is likable - don't think he isn't. He's the smart-ass, best-at-his-job, cute, funny, charming guy the guys want to be and the girls want to be with. He also has a friend Medical Examiner, Carlos, who is funny and cool (played by Carlos Gomez). And a sexy sweet nurse, Callie, that looks to be his romantic interest (played by Kiele Sanchez). Great show. Loving this one, too.

Brian Williams of NBC's Nightly News

So, when did network news broadcasters become sexy and cool? Because Brian Williams is both sexy and cool, really sexy and very cool. Don't believe me? Go watch Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show and you can see this for yourself or watch his news show, but that may not show his coolness. On a Jimmy Fallon episode sometime in the last few months, Williams was on the show and I was struck by his coolness and yes - his sexiness. On the Fallon show he and Jimmy did the news in a 'slow smooth' (I think that's what they called it) with The Roots Band. Then I saw him during the Olympics doing news updates. So, here I am catching up on my recordings of Jimmy's show, the episode shown on 3/29/10, (Yes- I have a little talk show addiction) and Brian isn't even a guest, but he shows up for the opening half of the show to do another news update in a slow smooth. That means The Roots play some soft blues-y music and Brian and Jimmy report the news in a sort of soft rap. Just cool!

Dancing With the Stars - new season

YAY! A new season just started and it looks to be a pretty good cast. I already have my favorite that I hope wins, and aside from two 'stars' I hope leave sooner than later, I like everyone competing. There are a few who are not really good dancers, but we'll see if they improve. Some of my favorites, thus far, are Evan Lysacek, Niecy Nash, Chad Ochocinco and Shannen Doherty.

My mom is watching for the first time because she's a fan of Niecy Nash. So, it's kinda fun sharing with her this season.

Does anyone else watch or have a favorite?

Hooray for Hollywood...and the Oscars!

I think for the first time in so many years I cannot remember, I watched the Oscars and did not have one single, "Are you kidding me?!" moment. Which is great because there have been years I've had so many of those, I was ready to give up watching the Oscars, my other favorite Sunday annual event (hint: The Super Bowl). It doesn't mean I agree with all awards given, it means I did not egregiously disagree with who won. So, lets look at some of the movies offered up last night....(I am not going to go into the Technical Awards - sorry)

The Hurt Locker - Remember awhile back when I told you about Jeremy Renner....he's in this one and was nominated for Best Actor but didn't win (sniff). The movie did however win big: Best Picture, Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow, 1st woman to win Director), Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Original Screenplay. Not too shabby for a little film that could.

The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. She is so funny, smart, talented and gorgeous.
Precious - Got Best Adapted Screenplay and Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress. She is one beautiful and gracious woman.
Crazy Heart - It got Best Original Song and Jeff Bridges took home Best Actor. He's so cute.
Avatar - Not the ones everyone was probably expecting but not bad... It won Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Art Direction.
Inglourious Basterds - Christoph Waltz snagged Best Supporting Actor and is such a completely adorable guy. Quentin Tarantino is brilliant -again.
Star Trek - They won Best Makeup, but it does seem like they should have won more awards to my Trekkie mind.
Up - Won Original Score and Animated Feature Film.
The Young Victoria - This period piece won Best Costume Design. Looks good - must see.

Now - I think the awards were spread around nicely, there were some surprises and some "I thought so" moments and , again, nothing I didn't think - "Fair Play." But, there was one movie I felt got snubbed and should totally have won something - anything - it was a fabulous movie that has stayed with me and made a brilliant statement. District 9. Yes, it was nominated for Best Picture which is great, but seriously it should have won something. It's the only movie I felt the loss of last night and kept waiting for and being disappointed. And its star, Sharlto Copley, I really felt deserved to be in the Best Actor nominations. So, even though this is the best Oscars I've seen in many, many a year (thank you Adam Shankman) I am sad that District 9 did not win any much deserved awards in my humble opinion. Award season is now over for another year - carry on...

My final Olympic feelings

The Olympics ended tonight and I am sad, but I can now look forward to Sochi, Russia in 2014! I want to say I thought Canada was a wonderful host country, the Opening and Closing ceremonies were amazing, and I cried way more than I like to do... ever.

Final Woo Hoos
The USA broke a record for its winter Olympic medal count and topped the board with 37 total, but Canada took it home with the most Gold medals (14) in these games and came in third for total medals with 26. Germany was second with 30 medals. All told, I think there were 87 countries participating and 24 of them took home at least one medal, so just one big Woo Hoo for the 21st Winter Olympics.

All Curler's everywhere - Woo Hoo! (An homage to my dad who curled once upon a time)
All the 50km Cross country skiers - Wow - just to ski that distance is really something

And of course the ice hockey... it did end up being Canada vs USA for the Gold and it was a cliffhanger of a game that went into overtime. Both of these teams wanted this one really bad but to paraphrase Bob Costas, Team USA wanted this but ALL of Canada needed it. And the Woo Hoo goes to....
Team Canada - The Gold

More Olympic Woo Hoo's

OK - more well earned Woo Hoo's for the world's athletes!

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (Canada) Ice Dancing - The Gold - Way to go for the home country.
Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) Alpine Skiing Events - 1 Gold / 1 Silver / 1 Bronze - So he added another two medals from the last woo hoo. Seriously- could his dad just be any cuter?
Ashleigh McIvor (Canada) Ladies' Ski Cross - The Gold - Ski Cross (and Snowboard Cross) are just really fun to watch.
Team USA Nordic Combined 4x5km - The Silver - Oh, AND Bill DeMong and Johnny Spillane of Team USA also took some individual medals: a Gold and a 2nd Individual Silver respectively. Now we have a whole bunch of medals in Nordic Combined where until this Olympic we had none. Yay us! (We still need to conquer that pesky Biathlon)
Erin Pac & Elana Meyers (USA) Women's Bobsleigh - The Bronze - Well done. And yay to Canada's teams who took Gold and Silver.
Alexei Grishin (Belarus) & Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (USA) Men's Aerials - The Gold and Silver respectively. Another very cool sport to watch.
Team Canada & Team USA Women's Hockey - Gold and Silver respectively - You know...hockey...Canada...need I say more? I think not. Also - we may see another Canada vs USA in Men's Hockey (we'll see...)
Yu-Na Kim (Korea) Ladies Figure Skating - The Gold - She is THE athlete for Korea and had so much pressure on her to win and she did - boy did she - by such a margin that it's amazing what this young lady can do - truly amazing - she's beautiful to watch.
Mao Asada (Japan) Ladies Figure Skating- Wow! She did two (count them, 1-2) Triple Axels (that's a jump - a difficult jump) in her Free Skate and one in her Short program. The first lady to land (perfectly, I might add) two, let alone three, in one competition.
Joannie Rochette (Canada) Ladies Figure Skating - This young woman fought back through some incredible pain to medal here. Three days before her short program skate her mom died very suddenly of a heart attack. Joannie and her mom were very close. As my dad died very suddenly last year, I can tell you - I was doing good to just be functional in the first few weeks after my dad died let alone phenomenal and win an Olympic medal just days after such a horrific event - so amazing, inspiring and strong. Very well done, Joannie.
Team USA "The Night Train" Four-Man Bobsleigh - The Gold - These are some way cool guys.

So there we go - only a few more events to go and we'll wrap this up. By the way, I did not say this yet, but I want to send out my best wishes and sympathy for the family, team, and country of the Georgian Luge athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died in a terrible accident during a training run on the opening day of the Vancouver Olympics.

I LOVE the Winter Olympics

The Olympics rock, but the Winter Olympics really really Rock! I love practically every event and watch almost every minute of it - the missing minutes being the really late show that doesn't start until almost midnight. And in the name of national pride I want to acknowledge that we are seriously leading the medal board (at this moment we have 24 medals with the next closest being Germany with 18). But in the name of international pride in all Olympic athletes I want to give out some big Woo Hoos for the following outstanding medal winners (needless to say ALL the Olympians - medal or not deserve a Woo Hoo for just being there). So here are some wins that had me on the edge of my seat! Sorry this is long BUT it is worth reading : )

WOO HOO
Bode Miller (USA) Alpine Skiing Events - 1 Gold / 1 Silver / 1 Bronze (and he's not done yet).
Michael Schmid (Switzerland) Men's Ski Cross - The Gold - Wowser was he fast.
Mark Tuitert (The Netherlands) Speed Skating Long Track - A Gold - He was so excited it makes me smile just thinking of it.
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating Long Track - 1 Gold / 1 Silver
Simon Ammahn (Switzerland) Adam Malysz (Poland) Gregor Schlierenzauer (Austria) - Ski Jumping Long & Normal Hills - 2 Golds / 2 Silvers / 2 Bronzes respectively - they are just THE ski jumping guys.
Lindsey Vonn (USA) Alpine Skiing Events - 1 Gold / 1 Bronze (and she's not done yet either)
Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway) Alpine Skiing Events - A Gold - this guy came back from a serious injury the year before and has an adorable dad behind him.
Evan Lysacek (USA) Men's Figure Skating - The Gold - He has just been beautiful this year
Evgeny Plushenko (Russia) Men's Figure Skating - The Silver - He retired for 3 years and returned just for the Olympics - the man is such an amazing and powerhouse skater.
Diasuke Takahashi (Japan) Men's Figure Skating - The Bronze - He is fabulous and theatrical - a joy to watch.
Torah Bright (Australia) Ladies Half pipe Snowboarding - The Gold - with an awesome trick - so worthy. And go USA for getting the Silver (Hannah Teeter) and Bronze (Kelly Clark) here.
Maria Riesch (Germany) Alpine Skiing Events - A Gold
Shaun White & Scott Lago (USA) Men's Half pipe Snowboarding - The Gold & The Bronze - of course.... helloooo....it's Shaun White!
Marit Bjoergen (Norway) Cross Country Skiing - 1 Gold / 1 Bronze- she ruled and it was an exciting finish for the Gold.
Petra Majdic (Slovenia) Cross Country Skiing - The Bronze - Serious props for this gal who skied way longer than anyone who has several broken ribs and a punctured lung should ski. I am going to forgo any opinion on the politics of the accident that caused the injuries. I will only say that it takes some serious mental and physical strength to finish the long skiing event let alone finish fast enough to medal.
Julie Mancuso (USA) Alpine Skiing Events - 2 Silvers (and she's not done yet either)
Hongbo Zhao & Xue Shen (China) Pairs Figure Skating - The Gold - Here's the deal - they have been skating together for 18 years, were recently married and have medaled at the Olympics before (they're 36 & 31) but never been able to grab the Gold, so they put their marriage on hold in order to train and try once more for a Gold medal and it paid off - they were phenomenal.
Seth Wescott (USA) Snowboard Cross - The Gold - this was a come from behind exciting win.
Alexandre Bilodeau (Canada) Men's Moguls - The Gold - Not only Canada's first Gold on home turf but an excellent story about Alex being motivated by his older brother, Frederick, who has Cerebal Palsy.
Hannah Kearney & Shannon Bahrke (USA) Ladies' Moguls - The gold and The Bronze respectively. Moguls are just cool.
Apolo Ohno (USA) Short Track Speed Skating - 1 Silver / 1 Bronze - he is now the most decorated Winter Olympian in USA History with 7 total Olympic medals over 3 Olympics.
JR Celski (USA) Short Track Speed Skating - A Bronze - this young man came back from a horrific life-threatening accident in the not too distant past.
Johnny Spillane (USA) Nordic Combined - A Silver - This was one of two winter events we had never medaled in...UNTIL now - yay us! (Now we just have to conquer the Biathlon)

Honorable Mentions
Chris DelBosco (Canada) Men's Ski Cross -He came in 4th but he was so close and it was heartbreaking when he crashed on the verge of getting a medal.
Nobunari Oda (Japan) Men's Figure Skating - He's a great skater. I expect he'll medal in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
Johnny Weir (USA) Men's Figure Skating - Johnny finished 6th but he skated clean and did two terrific programs. He can be proud of what he did in Vancouver.

On a final note - I am always in awe of these athletes who get seriously injured in the course of their sports and yet fight to come back and do it again - it takes some kinda courage to my mind!
And I'll stay on top of this so the next updates won't be so long : )

"The Dollhouse" done...I am sad : (

Let me start by saying, I am a Joss Whedon groupie. "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", "Firefly" - love'em all! "Buffy" had seven seasons, "Angel" five, and criminally, "Firefly" only had one but did get a movie to wrap it up. And now "The Dollhouse" is cut short too soon after only two seasons. And it was getting really good - really, really good.

"The Dollhouse" is about a company that takes people (mostly voluntarily), stores their personality, wipes their minds clear and then imprints them with other personalities (and skills) for the benefit of others - these people are called 'Dolls' and they live in a secret, protected environment called the Dollhouse. Typically, these others who benefit are rich people or corporations who have some bizarre or not quite legal need or fantasy. The dolls commit to six years of service at the end of which they will be richly compensated and will have no memory of all they did as dolls. Sounds good - right? Especially if you had something horrific happen to you which caused you to want to skip the grief of the next six years of your life anyway.

Well - be assured - it is not as good (?) as it sounds. The technology becomes a very bad thing that could lead to the end of mankind as we know us. And a few dolls, a few Dollhouse executives, and the genius that created the technology have to band together to save the world from becoming mindless drones.

As usual, Joss Whedon has created a brilliant show and uses many of his favorite actors from his previous shows (Eliza Dushku, Alan Tudyk, Summer Glau, Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof) to populate his world. Unfortunately, like "Firefly", "The Dollhouse" is being ended way to soon. Fan fervor brought about "Serenity", a movie based on "Firefly" - let us hope that fan fervor can resurrect "Dollhouse" in some way. As a fan of all things Whedon - I am SAD, Sad, sad about the end of "The Dollhouse" and will keep my fingers crossed. I will also anxiously await the next genius show out of Joss Whedon's genius mind.