I will continue to share the submissions as they arrive. Thank you in advance!

By date….

August 26
Greek
ABC Family

September 1
Prison Break
FOX

September 1
Raising the Bar
TNT
Drama

September 1
One Tree Hill
CW

September 1
Gossip Girl
CW

September 2
The Shield
FX

September 2
90210
CW
Drama

September 3 *
Bones
FOX

September 3 *
Sons of Anarchy
FX
Drama
For the cast alone: Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Katey Sagal (Helen on Lost), Mitch Pileggi (AD Skinner on The X-Files), Drea De Matteo (Adrianna on The Sopranos), Sprague Grayden (Heather on Jericho), Dayton Callie (Charlie Utter on Deadwood)

September 7 *
True Blood
HBO
Drama
From Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball. Need I say more?

September 7 *
Entourage
HBO

September 8
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
FOX

September 9 *
Fringe
FOX
Drama
I saw a 90 minute unedited version of the pilot at Comic-Con and fell in love immediately. From the mind of J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost), featuring stellar new discovery Anna Torv and Lance Reddick (The Wire, Lost) and Joshua Jackson (whom you will no longer refer to as Pacey from Dawson’s Creek after episode 1).

September 9
Privileged
CW
Comedy Drama

September 10
Do Not Disturb
FOX
Comedy

September 10
‘Til Death
FOX

September 13
Saturday Night Live
NBC

September 16 *
House
FOX

September 18
Survivor: Gabon
CBS

September 18
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
FX

September 18
Smallville
CW

September 18
Supernatural
CW

September 22 *
Heroes
NBC

September 22
CSI: Miami
CBS

September 22
How I Met Your Mother
CBS

September 22
Boston Legal
ABC

September 22
The Big Bang Theory
CBS

September 22
Worst Week
CBS
Comedy

September 22
Two and a Half Men
CBS

September 23
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC

September 23
NCIS
CBS

September 23
Without a Trace
CBS

September 23
The Mentalist
CBS
Drama

September 24
Lipstick Jungle
NBC

September 24
Knight Rider
NBC
Drama

September 24
The New Adventures of Old Christine
CBS

September 24
CSI: NY
CBS

September 24
Criminal Minds
CBS

September 24
Gary Unmarried
CBS
Comedy

September 25 *
The Office
NBC

September 25 *
Ugly Betty
ABC

September 25 *
Grey’s Anatomy
ABC

September 25
My Name is Earl
NBC

September 25
ER
NBC

September 28
Desperate Housewives
ABC

September 28 *
Brothers & Sisters
ABC

September 28 *
Dexter
Showtime

September 28 *
Amazing Race
CBS

September 28
Californication
Showtime

September 28
Cold Case
CBS

September 28
The Unit
CBS

September 28
American Dad
FOX

September 28
The Simpsons
FOX

September 29
Chuck
NBC

October 1 *
Pushing Daisies
ABC

October 1 *
Dirty Sexy Money
ABC
I’ve seen the first two episodes and really like the direction and tone…

October 1 *
Private Practice
ABC

October 1
Friday Night Lights
DirecTV
Sadly, I will not be able to catch these new episodes until they air on NBC in the future

October 3 *
The Ex List
CBS
Comedy
Only because I love love love Elizabeth Reaser (Ava/Rebecca on Grey’s Anatomy), and it’s about time she got her own show

October 3 *
Life
NBC

October 3
Numb3rs
CBS

October 3
Everybody Hates Chris
CW

October 3
Ghost Whisperer
CBS

October 3
The Game
CW

October 6 *
Samantha Who
ABC

October 9
CSI
CBS

October 9
Kath and Kim
NBC
Comedy

October 9
Eleventh Hour
CBS
Drama

October 9
Life on Mars
ABC
Drama

October 10
The Starter Wife
USA

October 13
My Own Worst Enemy
NBC
Drama

October 14
Eli Stone
ABC

October 17
Crusoe
NBC
Drama

October 30 *
30 Rock
NBC

The first free minute we had, he sat on the stairs with his guitar and played an Indigo Girls song. We bonded, I was sold, and I can’t even begin to fathom where I’d be living or working right now, let alone what I’d be listening to, had we never met.  That being said, he would not necessarily agree with my top choices and favorite records.

When I wasn’t obsessing over U2′s Joshua Tree, the following albums were on shuffle in my 5-disc CD player during four years of research, reading and writing.

FRESHMAN YEAR: 1991-1992

      

   

SOPHOMORE YEAR: 1992-1993

If I may stroll down memory lane on a personal level for a moment, 1993 was a very momentous time in my life. Not only did I officially come out, I spent several months abroad in London. And this album, which remains a favorite of all time, basically held my hand as I went through that process and experienced the revelation:

JUNIOR YEAR: 1993-1994

SENIOR YEAR: 1994-1995

Up next, the ‘now,’ the post-college to contemporary choices which remain music to my ears and soul.

CSI. Law & Order: SVU. Touched by an Angel. NCIS. Crossing Jordan. Robot Chicken…and a little show called Lost.

What do those films and TV series’ have in common? They’ve all featured William Mapother, whom I was honored to interview over on my Lost blog.  He was nice enough to take the time out of his busy rehearsal schedule to answer a few questions; a very kind and fan-friendly actor!

Around the same time that I discovered hip hop and Run DMC was a permanent fixture in my portable boom box, this little teenage girl in Orange County also fell in love with the Beastie Boys. Licensed to Ill remains a personal favorite to this day.

Guns n Roses appealed to my deeply buried rebellious side, but I continued obsessing over the dark, lamenting lyrics from the likes of Depeche Mode and The Cure.

Next up: the college years, when I only partially delved into the world of grunge and flannel, had a very obvious Lilith Fair of my own, and escaped with a lifelong appreciation for real bands like REM and U2. Oh, and I met some guy named Matt who would forever alter my music perspective and life in general…

For a while now, I’ve been attempting to compile my Favorite Albums of All Time. Along the way, I’ve been listening to and rediscovering the ones which have influenced my life in a variety of ways.

So here is Part 1 in a series, a look at the music I grew up listening to. Most of these albums belonged to my dad and brother, and have obvious sentimental value. I seriously doubt that either of them realize the effect that music had on me; that I absorbed and memorized each song as they played them over and over when I was a baby/toddler/child/adolescent/pre-teen from the early 70′s to mid-80′s.

My brother is a drummer, and he was the one who first alerted me to the genius and beauty of individual instruments within a band (my focus at the time was Phil Collins on drums in Genesis and Sting on bass in The Police). He tried to convert me into a Rush and Pink Floyd fan, but to no avail. And thankfully I avoided his Iron Maiden phase like the plague.

I also enjoyed Journey, Foreigner, Toto and even Air Supply. But once I heard the Boss, I was sold. Springsteen remains atop my Must-See concert wish list.

But this is the album which signified a change; my very cassette tape, purchased with my allowance. And I bought it because I had become a breakdancer. Seriously. My name was Cannonball.  I was the only girl among the boys, strutting down the street in my Vans with my special cardboard. What? I was also a soccer player and gymnast.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Pimpin’ Pop Culture,” courtesy of Nick H:

Wow. My face hurts from laughing and smiling. Bonus points for the use of both Garden State and The X-Files in the montage.

Thoughts?