I rarely do this, because…

1. I hate commercials and am spoiled by fast-forward
2. It’s not as exciting to read if it’s not actually posted ‘live’ in real time; I’m sure you’re reading this days later

However, given that my usual Thursday evenings are devoted entirely to Lost, I find myself with more time on my hands. So here we are and here we go.

[sidenote: I also avoid spoilers for favorite shows at all costs. it is far more enjoyable watching  everything unfold and reacting to it accordingly.]

Seriously?! Lindsday Lohan, and in the first scene? There’s sweeps and stunt casting, and then there’s this. What happened to the talented young actress who ruled Mean Girls? I don’t know..this reeks of rehabbing her image (pun intended). The real question is – did she ask to be on the show or was she asked?

Ok, I love Freddy Rodriguez. Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows of all time, but it’s nice to see him in a more expressive role.  And frankly, I find him to be a far better character match for Betty than Henry was.

And then there’s Judith Light. Yes, I watched Who’s the Boss back in the day, and she’s still fabulous. I like that they’ve expanded her character to more than occasional appearances.

Eddie Cibrian – good casting and chemistry with Hilda. I’m also a fan of the new and improved Hilda. Between the two of them, that is a hell of lot of dimples.

As for Eric Mabius…I loathed how his character transitioned into a class-A tool on The L Word, so it took me a long time to adjust to him as Daniel on Ugly Betty. But he plays the not-too-sharp straight man pretty convincingly on this show.

Mark and Amanda are like the new Jack and Karen (from Will & Grace), except more flamboyant every single time. I love listening to Michael Urie and Becky Newton’s podcast/vodcast on iTunes. Those two are hysterical. Go check it out for yourselves.

America Ferrera is fearless.  Such a cute girl, such a terrible wardrobe.

Are they already edging Rebecca Romijn out? She’s barely had any scenes lately, and now just seems to appear in scenes without much to say. She’s another brave one…not many actresses (let alone supermodels) would have the guts to play a transgendered character. She more than pulled it off.

Bribery via softball. Now that’s a new one.

Vanessa Williams is the queen of camp. She truly enjoys this role and vamps it up with every ounce of her being.

Do you shorten words too? Natch for naturally, tots for totally. I admit, sometimes I do. As an anal retentive Lit major who always bitches about the desecration of the English language, I should hang my head in shame.

How old is Gio supposed to be?

Doesn’t he know that he’s the rebound guy? Rome, huh?

Oh jeez, Daniel has a son. Shocker. Yawn. He’s a man-whore, what do you expect? Will the little French kid now be on the show next season? DNA test, Daniel. It’s not rocket science.

It’s like on Lost, when Walt’s mom died. He was then stuck with dad Michael. Or not.

There you go, big boy. A blood test. What a surprise, they said the results would return in a few weeks…which is true.

Could they have picked a boy who looked less like Daniel?

It’s nice to see that even after Justin grew up, he hasn’t changed a bit. Not his passions, not his love for fashion, not his mannerisms. Refreshing. But I do NOT like skinny jeans on anyone, especially men.

Henry completes the triangle. Reappears conveniently. With a ring. Um…don’t do it Betty. Obviously she won’t. The show is moving to NY, not Tucson. And don’t forget about his psycho baby mama.

Let’s see, marry the nerdy hot accountant and relocate to Arizona, or start anew with a man who adores you in the city where you work and live with your family. WWBD? What will Betty do?

LOL. Little Orphan Danny.

Um, Judith Light resembles Tweety Bird in that outfit.

You go, Hilda.

Betty is like a Greek chorus; always speaking the truth, even when unsolicited.

Do we know why Gio is going to Rome?

If I did wear dresses, I’d totally be drawn to the ones with pockets.

Are we even going to see Christina tonight, or find out about her husband’s health?

Here we go…Coach has a bombshell. Lame!  That’s a shame of a storyline.

I smell a Mets or Yankees game in that kid’s future.

There is such a strong sense of family at the core of this show. It’s not subtle but it’s not preachy either. Kind of sweet, actually.

Oh here we go, the softball game. Cue the Naomi Campbell cameo.

Mark’s shorts…oh my.

No one looks good in those uniforms. Just like professional baseball players, ditch the white pants and tucked in jerseys.

Man fight?! Let’s hope so. Bring it, boys. [aside: favorite onscreen man fights have included: Aidan v. Big on Sex & the City and Hugh Grant v. Colin Firth in Bridget Jones' Diary]

Perfect. They’re playing a new Madonna song during Naomi Campbell’s appearance.

LOL. They all ducked when she pulled out her cell phone. Way to be self-deprecating, NC. Another image makeover? Check.

Is anyone going to watch The Mole when it returns this summer? Not me.

Tell me this scene is a dream. Regarding Henry? Eh.

Ok good. Dream sequence.

When in Rome, Betty…

Love the stock footage backdrops in both scenes. Cheap yet effective.

More Madonna.

Geez, hasn’t Hilda been through enough? Why prolong her happiness?

I see…Rebecca Romijn’s character will be pushed out by mommy.

Will this be like the series finale of Felicity, where we see Betty get into a cab but we aren’t sure whether she’s headed toward Henry or Gio? I hope not. p.s. I was always on Team Noel.

Indeed it is. Oh well.

I enjoyed this episode, but it wasn’t exactly suspenseful. I think I prefer dramatic season finales much better.
—
I was going to live-blog the Grey’s Anatomy finale as well, but I’d rather pay more attention to the show.

Good night!

Read More

Oh stop, I’m not talking about porn.

I’m referring to shows which have never earned a TiVO Season Pass in our house, or those which do not interest my better half.

Some used to be must-see series, others are guilty pleasures and the rest are shows that I catch up on long after they’ve aired. FYI, I watch them all online.

• Cashmere Mafia (canceled)
• Desperate Housewives (abc.com)
  
• Dirt (hulu)
  
• Hell’s Kitchen (hulu)
  
• Jericho (canceled)
• Kitchen Confidential (canceled)
  
• My Name is Earl (nbc.com)
  
• Nip/Tuck (hulu)
  
• The Riches (hulu)
  
• Samantha Who (abc.com)
  
• Scrubs (nbc.com)
  
• Survivor (cbs.com)
  

After enduring the strike-shortened season, I have to say that from this list, only Samantha Who was impressive and entertaining enough to officially merit a spot in my crowded fall lineup.

There must be certain shows that you don’t admit to watching either. Come on, ‘fess up…

Read More

One of my favorite online television columnists, Michael Ausiello from TVguide.com, has posted his first ‘Dream Emmy Ballot‘  of the season. Today he covered Comedy and tomorrow is Drama, so bookmark his page to view the rest of his wish list this week for the Emmy’s, as well as daily TV scoop and gossip.

Of course, Ausiello gets paid to watch almost every series that airs, and I only wish I did, so my nominees tend to be from the limited number of shows I do watch.

Although this wasn’t the strongest season of The Office, I was surprised to find that he shut out the show in all Comedy categories.

I love Ugly Betty, but I laugh out loud at 30 Rock, so my choice for Lead Actress is Tina Fey (and Lead Actor has to be Alec Baldwin).

My favorite duo from Pushing Daisies are sidekicks Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride, so I hope they pull off victories in the Supporting categories.

It will be very interesting to see how the Writers Strike and shortened seasons will affect Emmy nominations and votes this year.

Inevitably, I spend most of the Emmy’s yelling at the TV because the people who vote clearly don’t appreciate the amazing quality of and performances on many shows, but it’s fun nonetheless and I wouldn’t miss it.

Read More

There are two new shows which have just been given the green light, both of which immediately earn a TiVO season pass in my house.

FRINGE

You had me at ‘written and produced by J.J. Abrams.”

To me, this series seems to be the long overdue and successful heir apparent to The X-Files. The cast includes Lance Reddick from The Wire (who has been making mysterious appearances as Matthew Abbadon on Lost as well) and Joshua Jackson (who appears to have finally shed his Pacey image from Dawson’s Creek).

And although I’ve been openly critical of Transformers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who wrote the film and are writing the sequel) are now head writers on Fringe. They also scripted J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek movie, so I may have misjudged them, and will be eager to see their words come to life in this new series.

Click here to view the Fringe trailer (but fear not, Lost fans…though this particular scene takes place on an airplane, the show is not at all similar to the look, feel and characters of Lost). I also suggest bookmarking the excellent Fringe TV site as your go-to resource for the show from here on out. And make sure to check out the fantastic promo posters, like the one above. Love it.

DOLLHOUSE

Two words: Joss Whedon.

The writer, producer and director of fan favorite/cult classic series’ Serenity, Angel, Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer describes Dollhouse as “a suspense drama about a girl who can have any personality
except her own.” In the press, the show has been compared to everything from the film Total Recall to Alias, The Pretender and Quantum Leap.

Click here to view the trailer. And make sure to bookmark Dollverse and Whedonesque for all related show info.

Read More

Initial questions and thoughts about tonight’s new episode (part 1 of the season finale) are now posted here over on my other blog.

Good morning!

Read More

Before I begin…a polite request.

Just as I choose to click away rather than respond when I strongly disagree with someone’s written opinion, I hope you do the same. If you leave an offensive comment or personal attack, I will not approve or post it. That is my prerogative as the owner of this site. There are plenty of other venues for you to share those sentiments, but not in my house. 

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming.

I am:

• A woman
• A daughter
• A sister
• An aunt
• A homeowner
• A taxpayer
• A co-worker
• A college graduate
• A pet owner
• A bad cook
• A blogger

I also happen to be a lesbian in an 11 year relationship, but that fact is certainly not the most important or interesting thing about me. My orientation has nothing to do with the content of my blogs, but today’s historical CA Supreme Court ruling affects me and I am compelled to write about the significance.

My
partner is my family; my life and my wife (in every fathomable way
except for the certificate). We are so normal, we’re almost boring.
There is tremendous mutual love and respect, which I believe are two
of the most essential tenets to a successful and healthy marriage. We are very fortunate that all that we are lacking in life is an official piece of paper.

But let’s start with the obvious question, and one that was asked of me all day long via IM, email, text messages and phone calls. No, we will not be running to City Hall or an altar of any kind. Four years ago, when there was a brief window of opportunity to get hitched in San Francisco, we declined to do so as well. We are thrilled that the ban was lifted today, but our reasons for not getting married remain personal.

For every supportive friend and family member, there are thousands of naysayers out there who would rather see me dead than married. It is archaic and outrageous, but not surprising. I forced myself to stop reading comments on various news sites and blogs because the level of vitriol out there is very alarming and discouraging.

I am not naive; I realize that we live in a relatively safe social bubble here in Northern California. I’m very aware of that fact whenever and wherever I travel, especially to visit family in Georgia, South America and even the central coast of this very state. I also happen to live and work in a fairly red county, but frankly, my sexuality is immaterial no matter where I am. 

We are not politically active or out there, and we’re also not interested in public displays of affection. Yet I find myself being cautious and cognizant not to draw unwanted attention just about anywhere outside of the Bay Area; that I have to worry about my personal safety just because of who I am or perceived to be is frustrating yet necessary. At least for now.

Am
I confident that this new ruling will stick? Not entirely. This issue
will once again fall into the hands of voters come November, and the
track record isn’t exactly stellar. That the Terminator is upholding
and respects the court’s decision is a pleasant surprise. And I’ve
always been a fan of Mayor Newsom. This will forever be associated with
his political career, and he continues to be a refreshing, bold
politician without fear of stigma; he is now the face of equality, a forerunner in the ongoing battle for basic human rights.

A surprising number of my regular readers and blog friends are conservative and/or Republican men. I have found that to be because we speak the same pop culture language; we share a love of sci-fi and superheroes, technology, action/adventure movies and sports. And for the most part, our voting proclivities are a non-issue. If anything, I feel that some are less apt to post negative gay statements and use stereotypes because they know and respect me. I frequent blogs with similar content, and have only taken offense to ignorant comments left by strangers on their sites. Again, I try to take the high road by not responding to those inflammatory remarks (especially when they’re not posted on mine).

I hope that at some point in my lifetime, the nation will look back upon the ridiculous defense of marriage with the same shame and outrage that we do now when we think about segregation. In the meantime, I will continue to live my very normal life, but with a spring in my step fueled by new optimism for an improved social climate.
—
I apologize for the rambling nature of this post. Sometimes I need to just write from the heart, and do so without filter or concern for structure.

Thanks for reading. I will return to covering a much more comfortable subject later tonight: Lost.

Have a good evening.

- Jo

Read More

“Things Never Happen the Same Way Twice.”
- Aslan

I was given the opportunity to
see a special screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and
Jo asked if I would like to post a review. With next-to-zero history in blogging
(apart from comments), I obviously accepted.

My plan is to keep the review
spoiler-free, but give a complete review nonetheless. I’ll leave out the
synopsis since those can be found online if you are so inclined to search them
out. I also find that anything that is not in the trailer should be left as a
new experience when you watch the film for the first time. So here we go…

I remember repeatedly watching
the 1979 animated version of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe as a kid
and was excited when the live-action version came out by Disney in 2005. Never
having read the books by C.S. Lewis, the follow-up film was an unexpected
journey for me since I had no idea where the fantasy-adventure went post-The Lion, The Witch, and the
Wardrobe. 

I found the film very engaging
a la Disney style and was repeatedly caught up in the tale as it unfolded. The
cheesy Disney dialogue poked it’s head up every once and awhile, but if you take
it with a grain of salt and realize that the film is geared more towards the
younger audience, it is understandable and pleasant in a light-hearted way.

Moments in this film share the excitement and anticipation of the open-field
battles in Braveheart and head-to-head titan clashes in Gladiator, but of
course in a PG fashion without the excessive blood and gruesome death scenes.
Remember that the Kings and Queens of Narnia are portrayed by young actors and
actresses, so the fighting scenes lack the punch (pun totally intended) that you
may be used to from other fantasy films. 

There are also wonderful
performances by Peter Dinklage (of The Station Agent; highly recommended) and
Eddie Izzard, who lends his unmistakable voice talent to a swashbuckling Chief
Mouse. Recent Oscar winner Tilda Swinton also reprises her role as the infamous
White Witch, and you obviously can’t have dwarfs in a movie without the
legendary Warwick Davis brilliantly playing one. The Spanish influenced
Telmarines (unfavorable humans that occupy Narnia) offer a sharp contrast to the
English influenced Pevensie Family (Kings & Queens): Peter, Susan, Edmund
and Lucy (which itself offers a subtext that is probably too long to get into,
but I had to mention it). Even though both sides deliver acting performances
that are less than Oscar-worthy, it does not detract from the effectiveness or
enjoyment of the film.



All in all, I had a great time
watching it. The special effects were wonderful and I would recommend the movie
to kids and adults the same. The first film adds context to the second, but is
not a viewing requirement. Is this where I’m supposed to give it a thumbs up,
or stars, or two shakes of a dogs tale with a biscuit?  If so, it has my stamp
of approval.

Additional thoughts for those that look deeper into
the film..

Often times the films (and originally the books) are referred
to as a Christian allegory, but I think that singling out the Christian
influence sells the effectiveness and longevity of the fantasy adventure short.
Let’s not forget it also incorporates Greek and Norse (or Scandinavian)
Mythology, English folk lore, and wherever you classify magic and fantasy. C.S
Lewis included influences from multiple legends to form an adventure that has
withstood the test of time and circled the world with great success.

This
formula has been used repeatedly – isn’t that part of the lure in LOST? We all
watch and eagerly analyze the influences week after week on Jo’s LOST blog –
from the Alice in Wonderland nods to Peter Pan’s Lost Boys. Let’s not forget how
over the head LOST is with character names (Christian Shephard: Christianity,
John Locke: Enlightenment Philosopher, etc). Since we praise LOST (or other
mediums) for doing so, the same should be true for The Chronicles of Narnia; for those of us that like to delve deeper than the surface, there is a plethora
of themes for us to enjoy. 

I think that is a wrap. Hopefully
I didn’t include anything that will take away from your appreciation of the film
and maybe added something positive to your future experience. I would appreciate
any feedback (positive/negative) from those that took the time to read this
since I am looking to start my own BLOG for runners in the near future. I’d also
like to thank Jo for giving me the official chance to be long-winded on her
forum.

—

Special thanks to Brian for his detailed preview! I didn’t have plans to see movie, but after reading his review, I am adding the first Narnia film to my Netflix queue and will do the same when this one hits DVD. Feel free to leave feedback about his thoughts or your own as comments below.
- Jo

Read More