Catching shows I missed the first time around

There's like nothing on TV over the summer, so I've been using the past couple months to catch up on some shows I missed when they premiered. I tend to do that every year; last summer was when I started watching 'Battlestar Galactica' and now it's one of my favorite shows.

This summer, I've gotten through the first few seasons of Doctor Who; the first season of Torchwood; and I'm working on Greek. Plan to start Mad Men soon.

Doctor Who is my favorite of the new bunch. It's so completely up my alley I can't believe I wasn't watching it before. I'm such a sci fi geek, and one of my coworkers had been telling me for a while that I should check it out. Glad I finally listened.

Torchwood, a Doctor Who spinoff, is a fun show. It's much more 'adult' than its parent but still fun. What I miss though is the time travel in Doctor Who.

I've only seen the first few episodes of Greek but I really like it. I imagine there's lots of high school students who can't wait to go to college so they can join a fraternity or sorority. I'm glad that even though the show is on ABC Family, the producers realize that college students -- especially the popular, beautiful ones who participate in the Greek system -- drink and have sex.

I'm having a lot of fun watching these shows, but I'm still looking forward to my summer regulars, especially Eureka. And Project Runway starts again next week - yippee!

Posted by stupidflounders, 07/13/2008 3:25pm 0 Comments

Snow in Georgia!

It's snowing in Georgia today. It next to never snows here, so it's neat to see all the flakes falling, and starting to stick a little. My Irish setter Jake wasn't quite as excited though. I grew up in the mountains, and it snowed regularly there, so it's a nostalgic thing. But when I was a kid, snow meant occasionally staying home from school. Now it just means trying to make my way to work, dodging the drivers who have never been north of Chattanooga and freak out at the sight of a snowflake.

Posted by stupidflounders, 01/16/2008 3:09pm 0 Comments

Only 23 years late

So I watched "The Terminator" for the first time last night. The husband insisted I had to see it before watching "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was a kid when it first came out, and my parents knew better than to let a 6-year-old watch a movie about a murderous cyborg. And the eye thing would have given me nightmares for sure. But even after 23 years, that movie was pretty darn good. Great story, interesting characters, a little predictable, but still fun. We're planning to watch the second one tonight, which I'm really looking forward to (LOVE Robert Patrick!).

Posted by stupidflounders, 01/13/2008 12:17pm 0 Comments

Blasphemy

I've been reading a book by Christopher Moore called "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." It got me thinking about blasphemy and who decides what's blasphemy and what's not.

There's a very trite way to open an essay, which is by giving the definition of a word. But here I think it may be worthwhile to note that blasphemy is defined thusly: expressing disrespect for God or for something sacred. That's a pretty broad definition. Who's to say what's disrespectful, or even what's sacred?

Two of my all-time favorite things would probably be considered blasphemous by religious types. "Dogma," a great movie by Kevin Smith, takes on the Catholic church but treats God with love. "Good Omens," a book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, is a humorous look at the apocalypse. Having been raised in a very Christian household, I enjoy reading or watching stories that tweak religion.

"Lamb" is pretty funny so far, and though I'm agnostic, I do know that if there was a Jesus, he didn't spontaneously turn from a 12 year old kid into a 33 year old man. There was a good 20 years in between that is not recorded. "Lamb" imagines what life as the son of God would be like for an adolescent.

My mom thinks the song "What if God Was One of Us" is blasphemy. Seriously. I think it's just a nice little tune about treating others with care and respect.

I guess I don't really have a point other than that I wish people could be allowed to decide for themselves what's sacred. If God exists, I don't think he's such a wuss that he would get his feelings hurt over a book, a movie or a song.

Or, hopefully, a blog entry.

Category: Religion
Posted by stupidflounders, 09/14/2007 3:35pm 1 Comments

My Recent Reviews

8.6 Great

Psych
Avg Score: 9.13 Total Ratings: 4418 Total Reviews: 185
Users who disagree: 1

There are several shows I watch simply because they're on and I've always watched them. "Psych" used to be like that for me. I watch all of the other USA series, so I watched this too, even though I didn't think it was very good.

However, "Psych" has really found itself over the past couple seasons. Each character has finally found his or her own place in the show, and the cast has built a great chemistry. Of course, sometimes the psychic element is shoe-horned in a bit, like it's just tacked on when they remembered the premise of the show. And though I LOVE Corbin Bernsen, his appearances should be limited to scenes that actually make sense to the plot.

Overall though, this is a really fun show. And with little else showing new episodes because of the writer's strike, it's worth checking out.

Report Abuse Posted Jan 13, 2008

9.0 Superb

David Boreanaz
Avg Score: 9.65 Total Ratings: 1219 Total Reviews: 79
Users who agree: 1

David Boreanaz, whose first big role as a supporting player on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" flourished into a starring role on "Angel," is a standout in a cast of great actors on "Bones."

Though he spent years playing a brooding, dark character, he is a talented comedic actor. Even in the often-depressing story arcs on "Angel," he often managed to make us laugh. Thankfully, he gets many opportunities on "Bones" to show off his comedic chops.

But his ability to get laughs doesn't overpower his serious acting abilities. In a scene where he gets to show raw emotion, he can be heartbreaking.

Which brings me to the trait that is most quickly apparent: those amazing good looks. He's definitely a heartbreaker.

Report Abuse Posted Sep 11, 2007

9.8 Superb

Eureka
Avg Score: 9.08 Total Ratings: 5275 Total Reviews: 131
Users who agree: 1

"Eureka" -- a show about a town of incredibly brilliant scientists -- has a fun concept, but it's the cast that makes it sparkle.

The charming heart of the show is Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Carter. As a guy of just average intelligence, he's a fish out of water in a town like Eureka. He's amusingly befuddled by the technology the town's residents employ, but his common sense has saved the town many times over.

There's a gentle wit to the show, which doesn't make viewers work too hard by trying to explain the science. It's just a lighthearted, fast-paced hour of TV that should appeal to sci-fi and comedy fans alike.

And it doesn't hurt that nearly everyone in the cast is exceptionally good-looking.

Report Abuse Posted Sep 9, 2007

8.9 Great

Degrassi: The Next Generation
Avg Score: 9.07 Total Ratings: 3739 Total Reviews: 532

"Degrassi: The Next Generation" is incredibly popular with tweens and teens. But I'm pushing 30, and I don't miss an episode. Kevin Smith is the reason I started watching "Degrassi." I'm a little too young to have watched the original, but I'll check out nearly anything Smith has a hand in. So I tuned in to the episodes on which he was a guest star.

Of course I was hooked. I set the Tivo for a season pass and got caught up on all the old episodes. There's a character for every personality in high school, which is probably why so many kids love it. If you're a wannabe rocker, you may identify with Craig. Or, if you're a girl with problems at home and a cutting problem, you'll see eye to eye with Ellie. There's the gay student, the class clown, the brainy leader, the environmentalist, the girl with the bad reputation, etc.

"Degrassi's" tag line is "It goes there." It's admirable to see a show intended for teens that deals with actual teen problems - bullying, unwanted pregnancies, the "Mean Girls" syndrome. The problem is that almost every single episode now feels like a "very special episode": MySpace predators, anorexia, gambling addictions. Really, though, I doubt its core demographic cares. Nor should it. When you're an adolescent, you just want to know if you're normal. And there are thousands of kids dealing with Myspace predators, anorexia and gambling addictions.

Sometimes a TV show's biggest service can be in just letting you know you're not alone.

It also helps when it's damn entertaining, too.

Report Abuse Posted Sep 9, 2007