Weekend Rant – Limping out of the starting gate

The new season has launched but it was an awkward stumble out of the gate with the return of Melrose Place and the complete dashing of my hopes to find a juicy soap to fill an emptiness that has been there since the heyday of soaps like Dynasty and the original Melrose Place. There really hasn’t been anything on that scale, nor anything with some decent star power, on the schedule for quite awhile now, and I was really, really hoping to FINALLY have something fun and over the top to watch. But alas, the first episode bit the big one and was more cheesy and angst ridden than anything else. Besides, what the hell are they doing bringing back a character that was deader than dead, only to kill her off again. Blah blah I know all the Lost flashback stuff already and didn’t really find any of the characters that appealing… so it looks like 90210 territory and banished to teen-angst land. Blah. The only way they could get me to watch this would be for Heather Locklear to join (won’t happen, I am pretty sure about that), or for Marcia Cross to come back as crazy,crazy Kimberly. I don’t see either of those things coming true, so it’s Off the Watch List.

The CW did get Supernatural right though and it was a brilliant season opener, following the cliff hanger from this Spring and jumping into the fire with both feet. I loved how the boys had their lighter times before the terrible break up at the end of the episode, and how complex the story is with Sam seemingly back to normal after being used by other forces to free Lucifer, and Dean learning that he was brought back to be the Sword of the Arch Angel Michael. It’s all very biblical and over the top Armageddon and Resurrection and very well written. Those Winchester boys seem to get hotter each season and the subtle humour and friendly jabs between the boys and that hilarious tension that their Number One Fan brought was too much. I like the guys when they are on missions and saving the innocent a bit more than when we are in end of the world mode. There is not much time for joking at this time but I am looking forward to some more tongue in cheek humour. It's all about balance.

So you think you can Dance Canada? is still pulling out all the stops and the dancers are so great that it is really hard to decide on who should leave. Cody and Melanie are definitely the cutest couple (and youngest it appears), but it is Jayme Rae & Daniel and that are the hottest. I am really impressed with their quality of dance (and smoking hot bods) and the way that they live each dance. After this week my opinion has changed concerning Natalie & Danny as well as Kim & Emanuel. They all danced incredibly well (Natalie was very surprising) and Blake McGrath put together a killer Jazz number that was hot sexy magic. It was a shame that Jenna Lynn and Nicolas were eliminated this week, but I am a tad disappointed with the viewers from Québec that didn’t vote adequately to make sure Nicolas was safe. I’ll miss the cute little B-Boy with the big smile. The Judges really have a tough job with eliminating 2 dancers each week as each of them brings so much to the show. France & Jean Marc choreographed and interesting Afro-Brazilian number that was almost as hot and fiery as France’s hair. Still, it is nice to see our Judges strut their stuff and show their dancing chops.

The American version kicked off this week, so while we are culling the herd down to 10, our friends down south at So you think you can Dance? are in the audition process and started off this week.Fox seems a tad more low key this time around and it was only one night for one hour, as they roll out their Fall schedule. It was a great start and it’s always a trip to have Mary Murphy on the panel, she really does bring a special energy.

Glee burst out of the starting gate with a fantastic first episode, more fun music and insight into the lives of our characters. So far so good, and I can hardly wait for more music numbers and special guest stars. I hope the ratings hang in there so we can see a full season, I have already started to worship Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. That is one funny character, and I love her no nonsense lesbian sensibilities. The characters are all fascinating, and it is such a motley crew that you can’t but help falling in love with the quirkiness of it all and the great music. I love how things are ultra competitive between Glee Club and the Cheerios, and all the back stabbing and espionage with the hope that Cheer will triumph. The storyline is great, and it is such a pleasure to have a musical comedy as a regular series.If you haven’t seen any of it, surf over to FOX and check it out, it’s my Number 1 at this time.

This week I will be getting all pumped up about the return of Bones (one of my favourite shows), the return of Jean-René Dufort as Infoman ( a scathing look at politics and popular culture in Québec and Canada) and the premiere of this edition of Survivor, this time in Samoa. Survivor is still the original (and best) reality show that started the trend and I love this peek into society and how we interact with each other. The best editions are always on Islands, and I can hardly wait to see how this one develops.

Summer Rant – Hot Stuff

In the heat of summer nights, things have been burning up the screen with the past couple of episodes of So you think you can Dance? and the Final Four. I am still surprised that Janette was let go the other week and then Melissa last week as I thought both of them were some of the strongest dancers, but it’s hard not to like all of the dancers as all of them have been incredible this season. I have to agree with the Judges that this is the BEST season ever, the most talented and some of the most incredible choreography.

It’s a shame that Kat’s stylist is so hit and miss this season as she seems to look fabulous one night and then like a mermaid threw up on her another night. Seriously, I  can not get over how fugly some of those frocks are – that green animosity from Thursday night has scarred me for life.

Things were very busy last week and I didn’t have time to rant, but I have to say a couple of things about last week’s 100 episode celebration. First, Ellen was hilarious as a guest Judge and brought some very funny moments to the show. The whole Katie Holmes fiasco is another story. Her so called “Performance of a life time” was all lip sync and no substance, I think her real performance of a life time is her “marriage” with Tom Cruise or whatever those Scientologists call mating ceremonies. Enough said.. yeesh!

I am not at all surprised that Brandon was chosen for the Final Four – he looks like a winner to me and seems to have won over even his most fervent critics. The guy is stunning to watch (and of course it really doesn’t hurt that he is modest and loves to dance almost completely naked) and has one of the most perfect physiques that you have ever seen. Pure talent through and through and he reminds me of Will (guest dancing on the Results show and sporting some new facial hair) from last season.Although a tad self indulgent, the performances of all of the Emmy nominated pieces were as stunning as ever. I bow in gratitude at Mia and Wade for blowing my mind with their outstanding work, but I am pretty sure that our local girl Stacey Tookey will be getting some nods for her great numbers this season. I can hardly wait until SYTYCD Canada starts on August 11th, just after this round of the American competition.

So we have Brandon, Jeanine, Evan, and Kayla as our Final Four, and while I am a tad surprised to see Evan there, I know it’s because of his cute puppy eyes and his glowing personality.Ade was a tough competitor but didn’t bring more than Brandon, who I am pretty sure will be the last guy standing and the ultimate winner this season, but the one surprise may be Kayla, who has been shining since Day 1 and is a very talented dancer. As much as I love Jeanine and admire her talent, I am still surprised that she was there to to the Final Four and it will be a huge surprise if she wins. I always thought that either Melissa or Janette would have been there at the end instead of her.

I was peeved that The Superstars skipped last week and I have to wait for the Finale, I have been getting used to my jock fix each week with Maks and when this ends will have to wait until the next season of Dancing with the Stars. Some things you can never get enough of.

There are things that I have been trying to see if I like ‘em and unfortunately as interesting as the concept of Hung was, the actually performance has been kind of limp and it will be Off the Watch List. New shows and concepts are always hit and miss and it’s a question of whether or not the actor can suck you in. I was not getting the big performance that I wanted, and that may be because the show was too hetero-centric and didn’t speak to me.

Kathy Griffin’s guest are being more interesting than her and not in an endearing kind of way. Her bomb at the Apollo was just ridiculous as she should really know the audience and limits before shooting off her mouth. Getting banned from everywhere is no way to build a career and the more the gays get neglected the more bitchy we get. There is the D List and then the STUPID List. I wish that Margaret Cho’s show had been picked up again but alas, that seems to be another victim of alternative programming. This has not been the best year for for gay characters or icons on TV.

Triple Sensation was incredible (and short unless you saw some of the extra episodes on Bold) and I am was happy to see Leah win the big prize. It was fascinating to see the performers work with all the big names and get such intensive training. The concept and execution of the show was great, the contestants all incredibly talented and I hope to see more. I was surprised that it was mostly girls at the end, but encouraged to see the talent in these young performers. It’s a shame that there are not enough opportunities for Performing Arts in Canada and that there is always the allure of Broadway to call our performers away.

Top Chef Masters has been astounding and has given me the appetite to pay more attention to the regular series, and makes me eager to see the Next Iron Chef series that will be rolling out on Food Network. It’s a shame that the Canadian version doesn’t air series the same time as the US one (some things I will never understand). I was thrilled to see our modest Chef Anita Lo pull out the win in round one and I am still surprised about how so over the top gay Opera’s personal Chef Art Smith is. Not that it’s a bad thing, it is actually nice to see one of those big old girlfriends from down South who is so out there that no one cares and is found charming instead of flaming.

Weekend Rant - Cold Comfort

Pushing Daisies had to be the biggest highlight of this past week, and Comfort Food , had even more tasty goodness than our last episode. The cold comfort is the impending demise of the show and the fact that the stories are getting better and better. The art direction is still astounding, and I loved the whole "Bake Off" atmosphere and odes to characters like Colonel Sanders (Colonel Likkin), the sheer insanity of the Waffle Nazi and the surprise appearance of Muffin Buffalo, another shout out to Wonderfalls and the whole zany universe that Bryan Fuller has created. My dream of a cross over featuring George from Dead like Me, Ned and Jaye from Wonderfalls may only be realized in a dream (or comic book).

We got treated to another song by Olive (as beautiful and brilliant as usual), and the more we learn about our main characters and their past, the more I get attached to this show. I know it's not every one's cup of tea, but it has so much depth and is so unusual that I can help but feel cheated that it will not get to realize it's potential. As usual there was tons of witty quips and a hilarious slow motion run to the finish. Chuck's story with her un-dead dad and the repercussions of lying to Ned to keep dad alive (and conveniently saving her and Ned's life at the cemetery) just got to the crux of the issue at the end of this episode, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next week. Cold comfort indeed.

The Amazing Race got closer to the finish line and will finish up this run tonight -- I was a bit in shock when Dallas forgot their bag with their money and passports and ended up eliminating him and mom during the penultimate leg, and even more shocked that the Frat boys actually kept it together enough to finish and be finalists this week. Andrew & Dan may have snuck into the Top 3 but they are so dysfunctional that I can't honestly see them winning and it would be the biggest upset in Race history if they do. I am still betting on Nick & Starr to win the big prize but Ken & Tina might beat them to the finish line. It will still be fun to watch tonight and I am happy to hear that the next round is already scheduled for February.

Heroes is pushing things a tad with their never ending eclipse that temporarily took away powers only to be things back to where there were before. The saving grace is our comic book nerds who are helping Hiro get back his memories that he no longer wants now that he has looked in on events in the 9th Wonders comic book. I just get tired of Hiro always reverting and going back to who he was before instead of becoming the kick ass warrior that we saw in season 1. Some of the story has been lost along the way but I was glad to see more of HRG in action like we know and love. The show needs to concentrate more on what works and to stop rebooting things non stop.

Survivor: Gabon is proving that out witting the other players is the way to win the game, and Bob has really been stepping his game up these past 2 weeks with some killer Individual Immunity performances and not one, but two fake Immunity Idols. I still think the biggest danger is Sugar, and she seems to some stay under every one's radar, even when she is being quite the bitch and not playing that nice. She still hasn't played her own Hidden Immunity Idol and doesn't seem to be in danger (and it appears the rest of them are so into their own game play that they have forgotten about it) and seems to be in the right direction to make it to the final four. It will be interesting to watch how things play out over the next couple of weeks.

On a side note: enough was enough and over the past few weeks I have dropped Stylista (what a snore fest) and can hardly wait until Stargate Atlantis finishes. I am just not liking the stories and everything feels terribly forced. It sucks when you have a great series that goes downhill ( I still blame all of it on the departure of Weir) and try as they might, they just can't get that chemistry back that was there a few seasons ago. It's a shame.... maybe the next series will resurrect the franchise.

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

The past week was one of those ups and downs one on the tube. A few things were great, there was some real crap and I even discovered a new show that has been picked up on the schedule.

The Amazing Race is starting to pick up steam and the challenges are as interesting as always, but I know I will be way more in to the competition once we get down to the final few teams. I like our travelling around this week to Cambodia and the temples were astounding and beautiful. I am not surprised that our long distance couple, Aja & Ty, didn't catch up, they just had too much of a time deficit and didn't have much of a chance. I am still routing for our brother and sister team of Nick & Starr and I hope they kick our frustrated divorcees off the Race soon. Kelly & Christy have to go. We don't get to see enough Dallas.

Heroes rocked my world this week with a fantastic episode. Lots of plot twists and turns and it's getting really hard to tell who is good and who is bad. Lots of grey area in this show, but I am really enjoying seeing more Elle, and loved the flight scene with Claire. The blonde squad is pretty damn tough.

Momma Petrelli is one dangerous lady (even in a coma) and her influence with Gabriel (Sylar) seems to be stretching further than things appear. Peter's miraculous survival after being thrown out the window a few stories up was just a tad too convenient. I am really digging the direction of the series this year and as some plot lines get tied up (Maya), others are being opened up and it's an intriguing story.

I can hardly wait to see what kind of Dream walk Hiro goes on and I have the distinct impression he is going to run into Mama Petrelli, she seems to be off in the dream realm and this better be the time when Hiro starts going bad ass superhero and being the Hiro we saw in season 1. Maybe I am just dreaming.. to could be that timeline and alternate Hiro no longer exists in the current time space continuum. The bad news is that we skip a week due to the election, and of course just when things were getting really interesting.

Dancing with the Stars made me happy and sad this week with Lance rising to number one position (yippee!) and my beloved Cloris being let go. Guest Judge Michael Flatley was quite the bore, and I wasn't sure if his appearance was only PR for his upcoming show (interesting and yes he is talented but there is still something smarmy about him I don't like). His scoring certainly threw the curve off this week. I thought Bruno was going to have a conniption.

Congrats to Lance & Lacey for their great Jive and dethroning Brooke from her pedestal. I thought that even though she was suffering, Brooke did an amazing job and that her Rumba was very hot. I still think that the "stick with boobs" (Susan Lucci) should go and Maurice & Cheryl are not far behind. It's a shame that Julianna is having surgery as it may affect Cody's performance, and he has really grown on me over the past couple of weeks. Warren is still a force to be reckoned with and at this rate should be Top 3 if Cody isn't. I will miss Cloris and her wacky antics, but we all knew that she was going to have to leave eventually and she lasted much longer than expected. She deserved all the standing ovations that she got and she certainly added an interesting element to the competition. I bet you she will be hanging around in the audience for the next few weeks and stirring up some trouble.

Top Design started the finale.. and thankfully little Mr Martha Stewart was eliminated and will not be in the last part of the finale. My pick is still Nathan to win, and I can hardly wait to see how these condos finish up. Hopefully Kelly Wearstler will be there for the final judgement, I am getting tired of Bravo sending Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis to fill in as nothing can replace Kelly and that wacky energy she brings. I think she has a real job elsewhere and is always busy, or just can't really give a damn like most of us who are just watching to see how it ends as a matter of principal rather than actual interest. It'll all be over this week.. finally.

Smallville flirted with the idea of Clark being a superhero and Jimmy almost discovering the big secret about our farm boy. Since we no longer have the same creative team as the previous seasons... are we finally going to see more of a transition and some actual flying, costume and Superman? I hope so... I am really digging the new beat, Lois and Jimmy, the Green Arrow and the whole Metropolis thing. Tessmacher is still boring me to pieces but Chloe-Brainiac is starting to amp things up and it may get very interesting. Time for Clark to man up and start being a hero.

Supernatural killed me last week with their Fright episode and Dean's killer air guitar to Eye of the Tiger at the end of the episode (damn that boy is sexy and funny), was the highlight of last week. This week's Halloween episode was damn scary, and between the razors in the candy, the risks of bobbing for apples and the very old traditions of Samhain there were several shudder moments. The presence of a couple of scary angels that aren't afraid to smite a town to save the world managed to up the anty even more and things were very tense between our boys. It's an interesting dynamic with having one of the brothers influenced by angels and the other demons and it has a very Cain & Abel feel to it. My hope is always that over the long haul the boys will win their fight against evil. Lilith is turning into quite the threat. This show is still the highlight of the week and I can hardly wait until the next episode.

CSI is still one of the best shows on TV and I am really digging the new CSI Riley Adams and like her character and the way she fits in with the team. I still remember Lauren Lee Smith from Mutant X and glad to see her still flexing her acting chops. She has my interest and the stories are as still gripping as ever. I still dread the idea of Grissom leaving and know that it will have a profound impact on the rest of the team.

I no longer have any interest in seeing if any of those vapid twits on Paris Hilton's My New BFF get to be in Paris' posse. All I can say is no Onch means no interest so TTYN Paris. Thankfully I came to my senses this week and have more tolerance or patience for such a bunch of dribble.

Stylista is still attracting enough of my attention to give it one more episode, but this week's episode and all the drama was too much. The only good thing was seeing the bitch fight between the Diva and Rich Spoiled Girl. Anxiety boy had to go (and after that meltdown do you really think that he had a hope in hell of being there for another week?) and Geeky Gay Guy is probably not far behind with his major frack up of the week. Big Girl got her TreSemmé moment but I don't expect to see her around for much longer. Maybe we can luck out and get a double elimination next week as this herd needs some serious culling. If there were not those few minutes of brilliance with Anne Slowey each episode it would already be dropped off the Watch List, the cast is so immature for a prize of this magnitude and I just wish they would grow up and prove themselves.

Finally, I was presently surprised with the 2 hour premiere of Legend of the Seeker. I miss the good old days of Hercules and Xena and this seems to fit in quite nicely with those kinds of shows. There is nothing like some good sword and sorcery stories and I like the hunky Seeker (Richard Cypher) and his friend Kahlan, who is of an ancient order of magical women known as Confessors and the wacky wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. The origin story had some nice special effects, a decent storyline and some fun magic. There has to be something said for the great costumes and it's nice to see a series being filmed in New Zealand again. I will definitely be checking it out for the next while to see where it goes.

Starting the New Season- More Hits & Misses

With the ton of shows coming back to the airwaves (and a few new ones that need to be checked out), there are already a few things falling off to the wayside and one of the first casualties of the season (after 90210) has been Fringe. The series just hasn't captured my attention and with all the other choices available I just haven't been interested in keeping up. It's time to clear up a bit of room on the PVR and if I hear some critical acclaim for the series it may be checked out later but I am not holding my breath.

Bravo is a hit or miss network for me, and for every show that I love there seems to be a few that just don't make the grade. The Rachel Zoe Project didn't live up to it's advertising, but if the Real Housewives of Atlanta is close to being as over the top as what I have seen so far it will be sneaking it's way on to the Watch List. I am slightly ashamed but I will admit that I will check out the first episode of Paris Hilton's BFF, but more for the shock and awe factor than interest in Parisite.

The Amazing Race kicked off it's 13th edition this week , and right after winning the Emmy for Best Reality Show (again), it blazed out of the gates with the teams leaving the US to Brazil .

The teams seem interesting and there is already some of that delicious tension between some of the teams and there are already a couple of them heading into meltdown mode after one leg. Watch out for Terence & Sarah, Terence is getting the award for most needy and best passive aggressive routine this episode, but Ken & Tina are close behind with the whole thing about his infidelity. Is this the right reality show to be airing this kind of dirty laundry? I was laughing my ass off at the Frat Boys (Andrew & Dan) who seemed to think that they had all the ins to airline travel and got proved otherwise. I think the big lesson in this episode is that you need to read the clues and follow the directions and look for the flag that indicates your particular choice. I am still always in awe when I see players that don't know the rules.

Unfortunately our hippy bee keepers were eliminated this week (too bad), once again proving that it is usually the old and the weak that are the first to go.... it's one of those basic laws of survival. It was another great start and I am hoping next season we can get an edition in HD. The locales and views are too stunning and this show really needs to be showcased in a better format.

Desperate Housewives returned, and after the small teaser at the end of last season that showed a 5 year jump in the storyline I was worried that we were getting into unfamiliar, or even worse, Jump the shark territory.

All I can say is wow... I loved the new developments, the return of Edie and all the different components of what is going on.The flashbacks that they are using to explain the 5 year gap are great, and I was in panic mode for the first part of the episode thinking that Mike was dead (and that would have been too cruel) only to learn that he is still alive and well and sharing custody with Susan and their son. The developments with Bree are heartbreaking (and it will be interesting to see how that develops) and I am so loving her ultra Martha Stewart mode that she is in. There are a lot of things that have not been touched on (such as where are some of the kids?) and I am looking forward to seeing some of the new reveals.

I love the new Gaby. It`s nice to see someone stretch their acting chops more and to see Eva be more than just a hot body and a pretty face. The new tension with Edie (the bitching that will be going on should be too fun and Edie got in some really bitchy comments this week) and her dealing with having a husky girl is funny and tragic at the same time, and it may show the true depth of Gaby, or more than likely her continual struggle with image and looks. It`s to be expected, she is a former model after all.

The jump forward was a gamble but it has garnered my attention... hopefully enough others have as well.

Reality Round Up - Endurance Training

This season of Project Runway is just leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and I am not sure if that is because Suede (please someone, just shoot him) is still on the show or if it is the non stop babbling and drama going on. I honestly lost interest this week and thought that pretty much everyone was bleh about the whole thing. More nattering like this and I will be pulling the plug. I knew things would get worse once Stella left and there is next to no one interesting left to watch.

Maybe my mood will improve next week.

Top Design was okay... but I think I was still in a bad mood from the hour preceding this episode and once I saw that it was a Window Display Challenge with an article of clothing designed by a former contestant on Project Runway I knew I was going to be for a crappy evening.

Aside from Sweet P and Andre (more on that later), the rest of the designers were none of my favorites. Santino is an ass, Jeffrey is just too unkempt (hello? that facial hair is real bad) and I have no fricking idea why the other one keeps showing but, but perennial contestant and reality show whore Daniel (sad excuse for a designer) was there. I honestly don't see why some of these designers are still around except for their ability to augment the drama quotient in the show.

I had forgotten what such a drama queen Andre is ( I still have the fond memories of the 'Where's Andre?" thing with Tim Gunn) and when he has his meltdown over the wicker accessories I was just so disappointed with the entire episode. It was all bad drama left and right and I was hoping it was another double elimination. Finally after it all hit the fan and the dust settled, Big Daddy (his choice of words and not mine) Kerry is sent home ( See you later, decorator!), His partner, Wisit, was quite lucky but it was more Kerry's lack of leadership and decision making that sunk his ship than anything else.

Mrs.Shroder is the one to watch out for, she is pure evil and as usual she came out smelling like roses again. She was most upset about being teamed up with cutie Preston and once again tagged along and did well. I hope she gets Shazia next time around and we can see a complete meltdown that will have to be bleeped to death.

Overall, I didn't really see anything that interesting that was produced... but the Judges were in fine form. I am just worried after seeing the preview for next week with Jeff and the gang from Flipping Out that this will turn into some terrible incestuous relationship with the other Bravo based reality shows. Sure I like a good cross over story, but constantly having guest stars from your other reality shows shows a bit of desperation does it not? It's not necessary to add some more volatile personalities to the mix... keep mixing up the Challenges and make the designers show their skills. That's the reason I watch the show (well maybe for the eye candy as well) and if I don't see relevant challenges then I lose interest pretty quick.

Seeing the casting ad for Make Me a SuperModel Season 2 made my heart jump -- I loved the first season (and Ronny) and hope that this one is as fun and interesting as the first round. Unfortunately my hope is running out for a second season of America's Most smartest Model. There has not been an official announcement from VH1 and it may be gone for good.

The Rachel Zoe Project hasn't been catching enough of my attention (and there is so much to watch) that it has fallen to the wayside and I could really care less. It was an interesting experiment but I would rather have some whacked out show with Paula Abdul instead.Off the Watch List for you Rachel... that's not very trend setting is it?

The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency had an extremely awkward episode this past week, and as usual I have to blame the editing. After all these months (years?) of whining about the editing, it looks like the voice over guy was off and the episode was worse than usual. Not only did it seem like it was forever before there was a commercial, but the dead air time was horrendous. Janice is still trying to play Den Mother and you know this is not going to work out well. I will still be following but I am not finding this season very interesting, it's just too much manufactured drama and it looks like they are having a problem deciding on who to focus on. Isn't some underwear company looking for new models? That usually gets things going.

Weekend Rant - First Casuality of the New Season

Things started off to a pretty luke warm start with the New 90210 this past week, and with the ton of new shows coming on air over the next while my Tuesday nights are starting to get filled up with better viewing options. I think I may know why there wasn't a preview of the show before airing ... the writing is pretty crappy and the none of the characters particularly memorable other than the alcoholic Grandmother.

So bye bye 90210 -- it was a short visit, but my 2 hours with you weren't that interesting and I was never really a fan of the original series. I did want to see what they were doing with Jenny Garth and Shannon Doherty, and if that was any reflection of their original characters, then I don't think I am missing much.

For every bad thing that hits the airwaves (Bionic Woman anyone?), there is almost always something good that comes around and after enduring 2 hours of 90210, karma paid me back with a very nice 2 hour season opener of Bones. Booth and Brennan may be in London, England, but we still had great follow up to the end of last season and all the team was there. I liked the mention of Zach at the beginning, and was laughing at seeing Clark filling in the spot covered by Zack. Clark doesn't take well to all the drama going on around the Jeffersonian,and he makes a great "straight man" character to offset the other wacky ones.

The issue of Zack working with Gormogon was mentioned, and I don't believe that storyline is finished with. There are still too many unanswered questions, and seeing Sweets and the brain (and his insistence to touch it and to prod it a few times) set off more alarms with me. I am still convinced that he is involved in all of this (and might even be the new Gormogon for all we know) and I'll be keeping my eye on him. His interaction with the Squints was priceless this week and I can hardly wait to see him more in action with Booth and Brennan again. Those 3 have some very funny chemistry between them.

Brennan and Booth in London was a hoot, I loved seeing their British counterparts (nicely swapped around gender wise) and the chemistry between Brennan and Professor Ian Wexler. It looks like Booth is a little jealous about the idea of Bones hooking up with our sexy professor and it makes for some nice tension between our characters. Sexy seemed to be a key word in the season opener with Angela's husband Grayson Barasa showing up and attracting every one's attention (Cam in particular, that very lucky girl) and putting some major sexual tension into the episode.

Bones hasn't lost it's beat at all, in fact the chemistry and zingers were hitting left and right last night and even the simple things like driving (Booth is less adaptive it seems to UK rules) and the whole freak out ugly American scene was a riot. The whole British slant on everything and seeing more about the upper crust was very eye opening. The whole "The Butler did it" bit was brilliant. It was a tad overkill to have to kill off the Professor as well, but the story lines were interesting and there was some nice development with pretty much everyone except for Angela and Hodges. I am not too happy with their apparent break up (especially after the most awesome kiss and the hundreds of bells scene) and hope this is just a bump in the road on their way to matrimony. Still... it's nice to have old friends come back home and it was a great season opener.

Reality Round Up - Overlooking Perfection

My favorite ("Squinty" as I like to call her), didn't take home the win last night in this season`s finale of the Next Food Network Star, but I am still really impressed with runner up Lisa Garza and think that she still has a chance to go far in her chosen career.

Lisa is such a perfectionist that she came with 3 complete concepts to the table when it was time to shoot a pilot for the final judging. I sure as hell didn't see the other 2 guys thinking that far ahead, and really think that they went more for personality than content. When she did her pilot promo and emphasized that her sauce was not intended to drown the fish but to accessorize it she had me completely sold. Not only does she know her stuff, but has a great way of getting it across in a fun way that combines fashion and food.. and I don't think you can go wrong with that. Here's hoping that someone wakes up and gives her a show.

I was still surprised that it was "Big Daddy" (Aaron) that won it all as I never really found his food sensibility that interesting and always looked at him as in last place. Adam had better personality and his concept was more interesting, but Judges are Judges and it appears that they know what they are doing, I just don't think that I will watch a show with Aaron hosting it.

Things have almost wrapped up on HGTV's Design Star, and if I hadn't made the commitment to see it through to the end I wouldn't be watching at this point. Matt has talent as a carpenter and designer, but he hasn't "wowed" me in weeks. The other finalist, Jennifer, hasn't impressed me on any level but keeps my attention (I am usually screaming at the TV -- NO! Don't do it!)by continually painting beautiful natural wood furniture glossy white. The competition has been dull to say the least and I would rather watch paint dry. At least we find out who wins next week ... I still feel things are being manipulated by the Judges and that Jennifer got the more likeable family to design for and that will make a difference in voting. I am more excited about seeing the new HGTV Summer Showdown series and seeing some better design work. I have to say that Bravo's Top Design was wayyyy more interesting than this last competition and am looking forward to seeing more of that before another run on this show.

High School Musical - Get in the Picture is in that phase of fishing for talent -- and Disney is so wholesome that I can't handle it and feel like I am drowning in niceness and although I might check it out once we get down to a Top 10 situation, it is more than likely my High School Musical experience will be kept limited to the films.

American Gladiators has continued being a great hit at home, and I love the fact that they have brought back most of the original games and added some great new ones. The pantheon of Gladiators is huge (I can't believe how HUGE the Beast is -- the guy is over 7 feet tall and weighs 310 pounds --yikes!) and I have never seen such a variety of Gladiators. Things are in the semi finals now and the competition is fierce, and the only way it can get better is to bring it back for more. Maybe some celebrity action could be fun too...

The Mole bored me so quick that it vanished off the Watch List in record time and I just realized that it is still on ... here's hoping they don't repeat that mistake again. Did anyone really understand what the competition was?

Smallville - Wrath of Lana

This week's episode was all about Lana getting infused with Clark's powers and going postal on pretty much everyone around her. It appears that power corrupts (I think the writers at Smallville forgot that little gem) and before going on a rampage, our girl has time to do the nasty in a very super way with Clark.. much to the chagrin of seismologists in Metropolis.

I still don't exactly understand how close Smallville and Metropolis are but people just zip back and forth like nothing, but hey this is Smallville and the regular rules of time and space don't really apply.

Besides the nookie and Lana wanting to destroy Lex, Lois got bashed around at the Daily Planet, ended up in the hospital in Smallville (huh?), there was some cute flirting with the impossibly young editor of the Daily Planet (who appears to be on the Luthor payroll as well) and Chloe finally got to put her foot down and actually wasn't the victim for an episode, instead showing Clark why she is such a good friend and being the voice of reason.

Despite all the drama, it appears that Brainiac is back and Clark and Lana have more issues to deal with.... will the angst ever end?

Off the Watch List

Several weeks into the "New" season and the new shows have been slowly eliminated off the list... bye bye Reaper.... no more Big Shots.. in fact there have only been a couple of new things that I have kept on the schedule.

I have kept Bionic Woman just to see how it crashes and burns.... and that in it's self is very sad as I was really hoping for it to work. Back to You I will catch if and when it strikes me, but even though it has been picked up for the season it doesn't have the appeal (or the laughs) that I get from Big Bang Theory or Samantha Who?

Thank god Pushing Daisies is around... along with Chuck it's one of the few new things I want to watch until the next wave of new shows..

Fall Cleaning

Barely a month into the new Fall season and have already decided to drop a few things.. they just aren't keeping my interest.

Off the watch list:

Dirty Sexy Money (yawn)

Flash Gordon ( nope, this remake didn't work-- and you cancelled SG1 for this crap?)

Moonlight ( sorry but have seen better moody vampires)

Reaper might be next, still not sure about that one.

Now we have to see if some those mid season replacements are with watching...

Prison Break (R.I.P.)

Well it's official boys & girls:

-- I will NOT be watching this season of Prison Break after seeing the first episode on Monday night.

Nope, nope, nope ain't gonna happen 'cause it's all the same crap as last year and enough gapping plot holes to sink the Titanic.

'Nuff said on that one and am looking forward to seeing Chuck ( Nerd Herd? seriously I am so hooked already), Dancing with the Stars (guilty pleasure) and to check out Big Bang Theory (again with the nerds!).

It was nice knowing you Wentworth... sniff sniff ....