Sweetpea Manor Musings

Why is it I've seen two great interviews of the country leaders, King Abdullah of Jordan and PM David Cameron of the UK...and they were both on "frivolous" shows: The Daily Show and Late Night with David Letterman.

News programs are either full of fluff or are propaganda machines that are full of commentary. They have to generate ratings so there is no way they'd give a minimum of 15 minutes to a world leader. Yet comedy/variety shows can. Isn't that interesting?

Other round up:
Castle, Yay!
H5O, okaaay....
NCIS, Ducky's back. Yay!
Criminal Minds, had to finish it the next day as I couldn't stay awake. That's sad.
BBT, YAY!
POI, YAY, YAY!
Elementary, totally underwhelmed. I'll give it a few more eps.

Impressed with:

Last week's Glee, Grilled Cheesus :( Read more... )

SPN's Weekend at Bobby's:( Read more... )

The Mentalist, Red Carpet Treatment:( Read more... )

Bill Maher really surprised me on the last latest show. During his new rules, he had this weirdly reasoned out premise that started with Brett Favre and his sexting scandal. How an entitled white dude is the only one that would think anyone else would want to see a picture of his penis. But in the past, our culture was owned by white men and they are going a little crazy now that they are seeing their position eroding with a black President, a woman Secretary of State, and this year for the first time the birth of white babies is in the minority column. This is why they think the country needs 'restoring.' That white men are the only ones solidly in support of candidates like Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell (women and minorities don't like 'em.) He called them MILF's and said white men liked them because they represent something they miss dearly -- the traditional idiot housewife. It's certainly an interesting point of view.

Enjoying:
House--a lot more than I thought I would. ( Read more... )

Castle still delights. It's the first show I catch up on.

The Good Wife also continues to surprise me. It is so well written. I find myself quite liking the campaign manager. And Colinda is deliciously mysterious.

Top Gear always makes me chuckle. I can't imagine how the Reliant Robin wasn't recalled immediately. I think the boys are getting along better this year; last year I felt there was tension, like they had been together too long and were getting irritated with each other.

Criminal Minds has been stressed by the casting change. I hear there will be more Reid this year. I think that's a good plan. We've had more of his backstory than anyone else's but it's been ignored now for a few years. It's time to revisit it.

Still on trial: Undercovers, Hawaii Five-O. Both are pretty to look at but really need less polish and more heart. I like all the actors on Five-0 but find all the !ACTION! annoying. The stuff with Dano and his daughter is very nice though.


Gave up on or haven't even watched: Nikita, Defenders, Blue Bloods (no interest, no interest, not enough free time to try it.)


And then there's SG:U. ( Read more... )

ETA: Merlin! How could I forget that? I've been loving it. ( Read more... )

Eureka: ( Read more... )

White Collar ( Read more... )

Being Human ( Read more... )

Merlin ( Read more... )

...can be found here:

http://www.tvsquad.com/fall-tv-schedule/

I think I'll be recording way too much TV for a while until shows take themselves out of the running.

Monday is House, The Event, Castle and Hawaii Five-0. Five-0 has lots of familiar faces and the ads look good (possible buddy show maybe?) James Marsters is a bad guy who I *think* I might have heard was recurring. The Event, well, it's got a mystery that is SF-ish, but honestly if they tease for too long, I'm gone. Lost has ruined me--I just don't like the constant tease. Castle is one of my Top Five shows. House is uneven but I'm still keeping up with for now.

Tuesday is NCIS, Glee, The Good Wife and NCIS: LA but only if my flist is all "oooh! Did you see last night's episode!!" The Good Wife I've really enjoyed but I was flummoxed by Alicia even considering to leave her husband right in the middle of an important event without a head's up and for her womanizing co-worker that she's in lust with? She's been so smart and that is just so dumb. As for NCIS, I like Gibbs and I'm not real happy with some of the choices he's made though the years. Good thing I like Abby and Ducky so much.... Oh, I almost forgot SG:U. With no temptation of Shanks, I feel less likely to make the effort. I hear McKay will be showing up though I know not for how long. I can't imagine McKay in that loser environment. I have to say that Jack and Daniel didn't mix well there--just being in their plot line kinda soiled their characters. White Collar (Top Five) and Covert Affairs are just ending their run.

Wednesday is Criminal Minds (which really had the dole drums last year and I wince at the changes this year but I hope this Top Five show can keep it together.) Undercovers looks fun and has Gerald McRaney in a supporting role. The Defenders...well, I picked that cause it takes place in Vegas and that might be fun. I'm still watching Chasing Mummies. I like seeing all the Egyptian stuff in a behind the scenes way.

Thursday is Bones (again with the changes and we'll see how that is managed.) CSI cause it's a habit. Nikita because I liked La Femme Nikita (and isn't that a lame reason?) and The Mentalist (a Top Five.) I almost never watch sitcoms but will give that Shatner show a chance and also Big Bang Theory (which I have seen one ep but I just wasn't impressed, but all my friends keep gushing about it.)

Friday, SPN (again with the changes!) Eureka and Haven are finishing up. Will give Body of Proof a chances (Dana Delany and Jerri Ryan--who is hated by all, but :::shrug:::)

Saturday is download day for Merlin (Top Five.) Being Human is finishing up this week I think.

Sunday, Dexter. :) Dexter will have changes so it could squeeze it's way back into my Top Six if they do it right, or not.

So, that's eight new shows. Anybody want to pimp a show I've not noticed? Thanks!

Oh! Can't forget to mention The Colbert Report and The Daily Show! Those are musts!

ETA: Top Gear!! That's definitely a Top Five (which is now Top Six or Seven.)

Loved White Collar.
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Am intrigued by Eureka (again, SPOILERS!)
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Haven and The Gates are proving to be difficult to concentrate on. I'll continue for now.

Doctor Who is both better and worse.

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Persons Unknown was too irritating to continue with. Lost has totally ruined my tolerance for The Tease. I must watch some Twin Peaks as that was a mystery but I don't recall being so annoyed by that.

And season two of Being Human starts next week. I know that's old news to some of my flist, but it's new here. :)

When I was on vacation, I missed all my shows due to a glitch. The ABC shows I could watch on their website, but I had a harder time finding The Mentalist (I don't torrent.) I found a place and just watched the two show I missed. http://tvshack.net/ They have many different shows, though not all by any means.

I also watched SGU tonight. :::sigh:::: I like Rush more than any of the others and feel contempt towards Young. They can all succumb to their stupidity any time now.

Doctor Who. I know you've all heard this before..."well, I didn't hate it." But that does not mean that I liked it. Any new show needs to be give a break for at least six eps but currently it's at the bottom of my list to watch. After SGU.

My most enjoyed show this week was Top Gear's Bolivian adventure. I had now idea there was a place in the world where you could drive at an elevation of 17,000 feet! Holy crap! And James was a bit testy, wasn't he? I had the feeling we missed seeing lots of stuff and that show could have been a couple of hours longer.

I'm having to keep this brief as Brindle is sleeping in front of the monitor. He's decided to take back his human (this one at least.) He naps, then crawls into my arms for some intense biscuit making. Repeat. I think he's decided he's not Greta Garbo, and he doesn't want to be alone any more.

Had a tough loss at work this week. A perfect term baby that was failing from bacteria meningitis less than two days after birth. He had a massive brain bleed the next day, and he was taken off the ventilator after a relative arrived from overseas. It's the unexpected ones that leave you feeling gutted. The parents were such nice people, too.

Just a quick note before I run off to bed. The paper mentioned a new show with apparently very steaming sex scenes (and I know that would appeal to many of my flist--I'm just saying!)

Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It's on the Starz channel and is being run repeatedly. I haven't seen any ads, but this is the website:
http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus

It says:

Betrayed by the Romans. Forced into slavery. Reborn as a Gladiator. The classic tale of the Republic’s most infamous rebel comes alive in the graphic and visceral new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become a legend.

Starring Australian actor, Andy Whitfield (McLeod's Daughters) as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) as Lucretia, John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and A Funeral) as Batiatus and Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk) as Doctore, this unique mix of live action, graphic novel effects and brutal battle sequences is set to make "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" an epic television event."

It could be worth a look.

Finally got around to watching the new Wallace and Gromit DVD. I think I laughed only twice. And I didn't care for the fat jokes. I am disappointed. It seemed thin and a bit mean in parts. Oh well.

Criminal Minds was creepy. Reid was looking fine though. VERY interesting change to the team. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

SGU. ( Read more... )

But hey, Merlin was fun! Beauty and the Beast. ( Read more... )

And even though it's repetitive, I adore Castle. I love the writing and the writer's jokes. And the characters. It is such fun. :)

I gave the pilot to White Collar a try this weekend. It's on USA and is repeating a bunch this week. It's a buddy show, with two likable characters, one who is quite attractive and it has a nice dynamic. The FBI agent says to the con man/art forger that is paroled into his custody, "You're mine for the next four years. Is that a problem?" Heh heh heh. Have to see where it goes from here but it's worth checking out.

Well, I've got ten minutes left on the SGU ep and it will be finished. It really shouldn't be this much work to watch a tv show, right?

It's been interesting trying to figure out what Tivos are assigned to record which shows. I can record three things at once. Only on Thursdays at 8 is there four shows: Bones, Ugly Betty, Vampire Diaries and FastForward. Vampire Diaries drew the short straw for now.

Eureka:
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Being Human:
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Merlin--The Curse of Cornelius Sigan:
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Criminal Minds:
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Castle:
( Read more... )

The NCIS':
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Eastwick:
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I still haven't seen House or The Forgotten or the Good Wife. Wow. I'm gonna be swamped. I'm hoping for some duds actually.

I finally got around to watching the season three ender of Primeval. I take it there will be a season 4? ( Read more... )

Being Human. This one got off to a slow start and I'm aware of a few of my friends that gave up on it. I'm so glad I didn't. I've got one more ep to go and I'm finding it very exciting and fun. Will there be a season 2? ( Read more... )

Defying Gravity continues to be a real groaner. Why do I do this to myself?

Merlin ended. How do people feel about it that were watching it for the first time?

Oh, and I hear Colbert is going to address the next space shuttle as it is carrying up the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. for deployment. Should be entertaining. *g*