Grab the guns. I'll make pancakes.

There's a line you don't hear every day. Get ready for the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Let's hope it's as interesting as this trailer.

Bring on January 6th

So I've already given up on Crowned. I don't mind campy reality but that show was just plain BAD. So now I'm waiting for the premiere of Cashmere Mafia. Here's a peek...



Thoughts?

Is it January, yet?

I'm on a Stargate Atlantis kick these days. The second half of their best season yet kicks off in January. Check out these back to back promos... especially the second half if you're a fan of a certain Scottish doc on the show.



Can't wait.

InFanity

Behind the scenes footage from Stargate Atlantis courtesy of TV Guide. Enjoy.

This Mortal Coil

So Stargate Atlantis had it's fall finale Friday night on Sci-Fi. Interesting way to leave us hanging. It wasn't a major cliffhanger. No one was in immediate danger for a change. Perhaps the episode would have left us more in a lurch if the series wasn't returning in January. Fans of Stargate know that's a pretty big deal to have such a short amount of time between halves of the season. Usually Sci-Fi makes us wait months.

The major plot point for this episode is, of course, what happened to Elizabeth Weir. I like Atlantis much better this season with Colonel Carter at the helm, but there is something about Weir that I've always liked. Hearing that she was supposedly dead didn't sit well with me and since the actress is scheduled for one more episode this season I'm not giving up hope that the character will somehow return.

Overall the episode was quite engaging, obviously setting up several arcs for the remainder of the season. There were also a lot of nice character moments, especially the scene between Rodney and Zelenka at the end where they talk about the loss of Weir and Carson Beckett. Intentional or not, the scene felt like an acknowledgement to the fans that miss those characters.

The scene between the Replicator Keller and the Duplicate Weir was also well done. The two actresses played this scene well together.

My only complaint? Where was Sam? I know why she wasn't in the duplicate Atlantis but it did feel strange that she wasn't even mentioned in this episode. With any luck Amanda Tapping will sign on for a full season and the writers won't be faced with the dilemma of being so selective with their Carter episodes.

Finally... the end scene where the dots representing Replicator ships popped up all over the screen... loved the fade to black followed by more beeps and Rodney's, "Oh Crap." Nice.

To Drag and to Hold

Someone please tell me why ABC hasn't officially picked up Women's Murder Club for a whole season. I know, I know... writers' strike, blah, blah, blah. That will end - someday. ABC would be just plain dumb to let a cast that gels this well get away.

This week Lindsey (Angie Harmon) had to deal with her ex-husband getting remarried while trying to find the killer of a drag queen. The look on her face when she heard her ex over the phone reciting his vows was some nice acting. I'm also loving how Cindy and Lindsey are growing their friendship. They're complete opposites but put the two of them in the same scene and you get genuine warmth and often some really funny lines.

This week's episode was made extra special by a guest appearance at the end of the show. Joe Flannigan!!! If that names means nothing to you then you obviously don't watch Stargate Atlantis. I'm hoping we'll be seeing a lot more of him but with the strike and Atlantis set to return to production on season 5 in February I'm not sure that will happen.

If you haven't gotten hooked on the Women's Murder Club here is your chance to get in on the action from the beginning. ABC reruns the pilot tonight and we're looking at a few repeats now on Thursdays.

You Kill Me

I finally got around to watching this episode of CSI. Yeah, I know. I'm a little late on this one. I just have to say it was one of the most enjoyable episodes of the series ever. Watching the actors acting all out of character was a riot - especially Catherine. For some reason I found her especially funny.

Can the producers please make Liz Vassey a series regular? She's my favorite character on the show right now. Her reactions and snarky comments made this episode. I especially loved her response to finding out she was the latest victim in Hodges little murder game. "That's a little passive aggressive, don't you think?" When Wendy mentioned she was considering taking the CSI field test I felt a surge of hope that the producers were finally getting wise to the potential they have with the character. Here's hoping we'll see her in the credits soon.

Now I just need to catch up with this week's episode which I'm hearing is something to behold - visually at least.

Crowned

The CW rolled out an impressively long promo for their new reality series "Crowned" last night. OMG. I can't stand watching beauty pageants but I'm going to have to check out the first episode of this train wreck. This might just be my new guilty - very guilty - pleasure.

The Bones Kiss!

So if you saw last week's episode of Bones you know Booth and Brennan finally, finally kissed. However the moment seemed rather tame. Well check out this behind the scenes footage. You'll see the tameness was a product of editing.

Leftovers

So the family was in for a whole week for Thanksgiving. That means I saw absolutely zero TV - for a week. A whole week. Do you know how hard it is to avoid being spoilt on your favorite shows for a week? Makes me tired just thinking about it.

I'm giving my effusive praise for Women's Murder Club a rest this post. Not because I didn't think it was good. You have the local ABC affiliate's freaking "Circle of Lights" special to thank for screwing up my DVR on that one. Bastards.

Catching up has been a slow process. I have checked out the latest episodes of Law & Order SVU, CSI: NY, Grey's Anatomy, Bionic Woman and Life. Apparently most of the networks were saving their best episodes of sweeps until last.

Starting with SVU. My DVR always cuts off the promos for this show so I had no idea Olivia and Kathy were going to be in a car accident. You could kind of feel it coming but it was still jarring. I'm a shipper when it comes to Liv and Elliott so I'm not thrilled with the whole baby story, but I was glad it didn't end tragically. That would have been too over the top. And the hug at the end... about time. I was about to yell at my TV when Elliott started past Liv. I mean she saved his wife and child for crying out loud. At least give her a hug! Glad he did. ;-) SVU logged in a much improved episode over last week's episode with virtually no Stabler and absolutely no Olivia. I know the actors need a break, but I'm just not digging the new guy. I want Fin and Munch back.

Grey's was back to the soapy episodes of old... and that's a good thing. The paramedics were just gut wrenching. I remember a similar storyline on China Beach where they knew the soldier was going to bleed out. The main difference was that the soldier knew it was going to happen. And Meredith realizing the impact she'd had on the paramedic's wife was some nice writing. And God love Bailey. I hear she's going to take over the voice over narration for an up coming episode. You know the reason behind it won't be good, but you can bet Chandra Wilson's acting will be. One last note... can Izzie and George just be over already?

Life continues to surprise me. When I first started writing this blog I didn't give it much of a chance. I thought it was quirky and had appealing characters but I really didn't think it would last. Shows what I know. It just got a full season pickup along with Chuck. The moment when the suspect swallowed the evidence was the best. The look on Danni's face was priceless. Also a nice touch having Danni give Crues back his knife. These two are very layered characters and the actors are playing those layers beautifully. I'm also really digging their captain. I hope she doesn't turn out to be one of the bad guys, but I'm loving the ambiguity they're writing for the character.

CSI: NY was probably the best episode of the series I've seen. Starting the show with the majority of the cast being sealed in a runaway subway is certainly a way to get my attention. They tied up a bunch of threads that had been spooling out over the entire season. It was nicely done and everyone had something to do. I'm wondering if we're going to see more of Detective Brennan (?), however. I've just got a feeling we haven't seen the last of Erin Daniels in that role.

As for Bionic Woman... I really don't know what to say. The episode was not awful. Not at all. It's just that I keep waiting for it to rise up to something resembling the level of Battlestar. That's probably not fair. Truthfully, I hope the show does get picked up and has a chance to find it's legs. Michelle Ryan deserves a chance to get some decent dialogue for her character. They've really started playing up the bionics, even giving us a neat little noise in a recent episode. That sound made the whole episode for me and I missed it this week. Yeah, I'm a child of the 70s... had both bionic dolls. The bionic "sound" is a must in my book.

So now I need to catch up on Bones, Stargate Atlantis, CSI, Samantha Who, and Chuck among others. And Heroes if I can find the energy to care about watching it.

Later.

Loving the "Club"...

I was drawn to Women's Murder Club for the same reason I had to check out Bones when it premiered. I read the books both series are based on. Unlike Bones, however, Women's Murder Club is far more faithful to the novels. There was a very big plot point regarding the character of Lindsey Boxer in the first book in the series and I couldn't help but wonder when, and if, we'd see it crop up on the show. I apparently got my answer Friday night.

Don't read any further unless I might inadvertently spoil an upcoming plot or two...

You were warned.

In Friday's episode Lindsey was under the weather. She and Claire worried she might be pregnant. The test turned up negative by the end of the episode. Plot resolved, right? Maybe not. In the first book, Lindsey discovers that she's very ill. As I recall (it's been awhile since I read it) she has some sort of blood disease - perhaps it was even cancer. I thought when the series launched that this would be an interesting story to explore. If Friday's fatigue was a sign of Lindsey's onset of symptoms then get ready to watch the Women's Murder Club come together in a whole new way. And I suspect Cindy will have to make Lindsey laugh a lot because the chips will most certainly be down.

I have to admit this show is in my top three now. There is nothing I like better than good dialogue and great chemistry and this show has both in spades. Last week we got not one but TWO new episodes which felt like a nice early Christmas gift from ABC. The show even held it's own against ER Thursday night. Not bad for a newbie.

Like Bones and Grey's Anatomy there is a simple pleasure to be had watching a cast work so well together. I'm loving Claire. Her reaction to hearing Lindsey might be pregnant made me laugh out loud. And when she casually asked if there were any other tests she should run while the club was examining some evidence was a hoot. Most of the laughs come courtesy of Cindy and Lindsey's budding friendship, however. You can tell Cindy idolizes Lindsey and Lindsey obviously finds Cindy to be like a little sister - a sister she likes to tease unmercifully. When Lindsey starts drilling the reporter on the whereabouts of a suspect, Cindy gets the best line of the night... "A girl gets a little flustered and you start whipping out the charges!"

Thursday's nice tip of the hat to Harmon's marriage to football player Jason Seahorn (sp?) was pretty cute. "Why can't I go out on a blind date with him?" she whines. "He's married," her partner informs her. Lucky girl...

I can only wonder why ABC hasn't given this one the full season pickup, yet. Hopefully we'll get that as an early turkey day gift.

The U-Verse...

No. That's not a typo. I'm talking about AT&T's U-verse DVR. You can record up to four shows on it at once. Awesome right?

Yeah. When it actually records. Or when it records and actually lets you watch what it recorded. Even better when the audio isn't completely mangled.

So Tuesday night the damn thing worked (mostly). Wednesday morning... not so much. I couldn't even watch TV AT ALL. All I got was a blue screen that said U-Verse guide... and nothing else. All my recorded programs were MIA. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.

I tried everything to get it working to no avail. Thursday morning I unplugged the whole contraption which killed my internet as well. I had painters coming in to do the living room and had to move the entertainment center. After they left last night I plugged it back in. For no reason the freaking thing was working again! I even had my recorded programs back. The stupid thing actually recorded additional shows while it sat in blue screen limbo. Go figure.

So I'm behind on my TV viewing again (thanks AT&T). I do have to weigh in on last Friday's Women's Murder Club and Stargate Atlantis. Both were fun hours of TV. Atlantis featured the best show I'd seen all season. If you liked the movie Memento you would have loved this episode. It rocked. I especially loved watching the three smartest people running around the city together - not knowing that they were the three smartest people in the city. Or that they were even smart for that matter. Women's Murder Club continues to be a blast. This show has one of the best casts on TV when it comes to chemistry. The four leads gel nicely and are believable as friends. I hope this one gets a full season pick up soon.

I haven't seen CSI: Miami in 2 weeks. You can thank AT&T for that one, too. I feel like CSI: NY is having their best season, yet. I haven't watched the crossover with CSI and Without a Trace so don't spoil it for me. That's on tap for the weekend. I have to say that the bit about Wendy being in a slasher flick in last week's episode was cute. I especially like Hodges comment when she mentioned that she had medium sized breasts. "They're perfect," he chimed in. "ly adequate," he finished when everyone stared at him.

I'm also behind on Grey's Anatomy. Last week's episode was a nice return to form, however. I even liked the bit with George and Izzie at the end. "Did you only shave on leg?" I hate these two as a couple but Katherine Heigel really is an awesome actress. Sister show Private Practice continues to improve as well. I think there is hope for both of them.

I'm thinking Bionic Woman is in serious trouble with me. I've wanted to like this show. I've tried to like this show. Honestly, though, I could care less about watching Wednesday's episode. That's not a good sign.

All for now. I'll try to be a more timely poster over the next few weeks. Of course if the writer strike continues we'll be out of new shows before too much longer. Make sure you surf the web to see why these folks are on strike. You would be too if you were in their shoes.

The laugh of the day

http://www.jobkite.com/catsinacdstore.htm

Click on the link to check out some crazy, musically inclined cats...

One more thing...

A fun website for all you liberals out there. See what kind of liberal you are with this test. Turns out I'm a "New Left Hipster." I will say that I love the Daily Show but hate MoveOn.org - just for the record...
http://www.fightconservatives.com/Inside-the-Book/What-Breed-of-Liberal-Are-You.html

Not a one...

Not a single trick-or-treater darkened my door tonight. How sad is that? And after I went to all the trouble of stopping off at CVS Pharmacy to pick up a bag of candy or three. Oh well, more Tootsie Pops for me, I guess. Hmph.

I was so pumped to see the episode of Bones last night that I watched it live (trust me, this is a rarity for any show). All I can say is what a bummer. The costumes were a kick but the story was just lame. Brennan as Wonder Woman, however... that was a sight. And Hodgins made a rather dashing Titanic captain. I normally don't go for bearded guys but I'd make an exception for him. I think it's those pretty, big blue eyes of his.

My U-Verse DVR has been acting up so I haven't seen much lately. It fouled up the signal so badly on SVU last week I couldn't watch it. This week it was CSI: Miami. So far it hasn't wrecked anything I just had to see, but if it does... there will be hell to pay. And probably an expensive service bill from AT&T. Bastards.

And how annoying is it that all the networks are screwing with the actual length of their programs? It seems like all of them are running over by anywhere from thirty seconds to three or four minutes. I have yet to actually see the last shot on Heroes for the last several weeks. And forget about previews to anything.

Okay so I had to take a bit of break from writing tonight's entry. Four fire trucks and an ambulance pulled up right in front of my house. In fact, the ambulance backed into my driveway! I heard the sirens but they didn't sound like they were upfront until I wandered toward my kitchen and saw it lit up like some kind of disco hell. I guess I'll discover what all the fuss was about tomorrow. They stayed about 15 minutes then split without ever even knocking on my door. Weird.

So back to talking about Heroes. Monday's episode was another big yawn. I must confess to praising Jesus, however, when the wonder twins finally got across the freaking border!

Just for laughs...

Nothing is more fun than animal videos. Here's a few fun ones if you're looking for something to do other than anything useful...

The Mean Kitty Song
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo


His musical choices leave something to be desired but this bird knows how to get down.. Make sure you watch the end when he really gets with it. :-)

Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7IZmRnAo6s

And who doesn't like talking cats???
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GVzJj9Bio5g

And if animals aren't your thing, how about a laughing baby??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY

Get quippy and you die.

That's my favorite quote of the week. I'll be using that one. Chalk up another great comeback for Lindsey Boxer on Women's Murder Club. If you're not watching this show you're totally missing out. The chemistry among the four leads is outstanding, but it's the dialogue I love. And the look on Lindsey's face in this week's episode when she ran up the stairs expecting to find a woman in mortal peril and instead discovers a dental hygienist in full bondage gear... priceless. I rewound that one a few times it was so funny. Her comment on the whole situation? "And people wonder why I don't date."

Heroes finally improved with the addition of Kristen Bell. She brings that certain something to her role and it's going to be fun watching Veronica Mars play the bad girl for a change. We're already speculating at the office who her daddy is going to be. At least we're talking about the show again. For the first several weeks we didn't have anything nice to say so we weren't saying anything at all.

Bionic Woman continues to frustrate the hell out of me. There is so much flipping potential for this show and it keeps falling way short. I have no issues with Michelle Ryan as the lead. It isn't her that's the problem. It's the crappy dialogue and the lame ass plots. I sincerely hope this show gets its groove sometime soon before it's too late. Of all my friends I'm the only one still watching it. The rest have thrown in the towel. I'll give it through November but that's it.

Private Practice is growing on me. It's still not Grey's Anatomy (which has been back in form the past two episodes) but it's probably not fair for me to compare the two. Unlike Bionic Woman I think this show is finally finding it's tone. My only quibble is that I miss the Addison I grew to love on Grey's. It's like the character moved to LA and got a brain transplant...

As for other shows... I have to say that all three CSIs seem to be going through a rebirth this season. Especially Vegas. All of them are considerably improved. I still fast forward through the lab montages - which cuts the show down to a more manageable half hour. I was never crazy about the Sara Sidle character but I'm quite curious to see how they write her out. I'll give credit to Jojora Fox. She's doing the best acting I've ever her seen her do on the show.

Stargate Atlantis finally had an off episode this season. Not a bad one, mind you, it just didn't live up to the first four which were all quite good. Jill Waggoner as Larrin finally grew on me but not until almost the end of the episode. I've never been a fan of episodes that largely revolve around a single character. Team focused episodes feel better paced. And I missed Carter and Keller who are forming a neat little friendship as the newbies on Atlantis. Next week's episode looks like fun, though. And it should be visually awesome as well. At least that's what Joseph Mallozzi told me in his blog after I commented on the lush look of the shooting style this season. I have to admit to a fangirl moment. It's pretty darn cool when the showrunner of one of your favorite programs takes a moment to answer a comment or a question you've asked. Check out his blog here (www.josephmallozzi.blogspot.com) if you like the show. And he's got the cutest damn dogs you've ever seen.

Finally I have to mention Murder in Suburbia again. I watched the last episode of season 1 yesterday and laughed my head off. There is a scene near the beginning of the episode where the two leads are getting scolded by their captain. He mentions that a suspect has accused them of using improper and insulting language during her arrest. Both inspectors look baffled for a moment. He adds, "She says you used the 'C' word." Ash clarifies everything when she explains that Scribbs said, "You can't, as in you can't do that." Now imagine how the British say the word 'can't' and you'll get the joke. Scribbs follows up with, "Hence the phonetic misunderstanding." Come to think of it, there's another line worth adding to my arsenal. :-)

October 20, 2007

Shows are dropping right and left. No, not from the network schedules - from my DVR. I'm working on reclaiming a little of my life so I'm making some hard decisions about what I'm watching right now.

Gossip Girl, House, and Reaper have had their season passes purged. I've picked up Women's Murder Club which was just as enjoyable in its second outing as it was in its first. I wouldn't have picked this show to be my new favorite of the fall TV season but it's proving to be quite entertaining. I'm on the fence right now about Heroes. If it doesn't start picking up the pace pronto I'll wait for the freaking DVD release. The thing I always like about Heroes was that they didn't drag things out like some other shows (yes, Lost, I'm talking to you) but this season has been painfully slow. For the love of God, could the wonder twins please cross the flipping border???? And I am not digging the flying teenager. He's annoying the crap out of me. Right now the only story interesting me is Mica's family in New Orleans. Gotta love his cousin's power. Imagine being able to do anything you saw on television. Then you'd have a great excuse for watching as much of it as you wanted!

As for why Gossip Girl is going... I think I'd simply rather watch it all without the wait. Reaper isn't holding my interest like I thought it would, unlike its similar counterpart Chuck. I'm liking Chuck more and more each week. Other than the devil and the sidekick, however, Reaper isn't showing me much. I'm a little bummed about that because I so looked forward to this series.

Then there is House. I've watched House from the beginning. As I write this entry I'm even wearing a House t-shirt someone gave me (What? It's comfy!). I don't even think there is anything wrong with the episodes I've seen this season. I think I'm simply over the show. The formula just doesn't hold my interest anymore. As fascinating as some of the cases may be, they aren't enough to get me to tune in.

Now there is a show that I might add to my list of season passes - Samantha Who? I don't watch comedies as a rule. Love funny movies but rarely do I take in comedies on TV. Just a weird quirk of mine I guess. But Samantha could make me change my ways if she continues to be as entertaining as she was in the premiere. And the identity of the bellman at the hotel was driving me nuts. I knew I'd seen him somewhere before. Then it hit me. Tuvok! He's Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager. Did I just solidify my geek cred or what?

Finally, I've picked up episodes of a British series called Murder in Suburbia. There are only 12 episodes in all (2 seasons worth across the pond). The murder cases aren't much but the two leads are a blast. Posh, uptight Inspector Kate "Ash" Ashurst and her working-class partner Detective Emma "Scribbs" Scribbins solve... you guessed it... murders in suburbia. Both women are single and often commiserate about their love lives, or lack their of. One funny scene has Ash making a fool of herself in front of her boss (whom she secretly fancies). Her partner helpfully points out that if they carried guns she'd be able to shoot her. Ash responds: "If we carried guns I'd shoot myself." The show is a lot of fun. Too bad it only lasted for two seasons.

And no, I haven't watched Pushing Daises. Got them all recorded, though. My hopes for this series are so high that I haven't watched for fear they'll be crushed. I'll try to brave the pilot sometime in the near future.

I'll pencil you in ten minutes past a woman is dead!

Well after a fairly disappointing new television season I got my first nice surprise. Women's Murder Club, based on the James Patterson novels, debuted last night. Now I confess to having a girl crush on Angie Harmon. I want to be that tall, that gorgeous, and have a voice that sexy. Unfortunately, I'm blond, 5'5, and I think my voice usually sounds congested...

I'm really surprised ABC banished this one to Fridays. The cast has great chemistry, especially Harmon and Paula Newsome who plays the coroner. The only weak spot for me is Rob Estes as Tom, Lindsey's ex turned boss. It's not that the plot point is bad, I'm just not buying the relationship between them, yet.

There were some great one liners in here - most notably the one that titles today's entry. Harmon has some great comedic chops that she certainly never got to display with any regularity on Law & Order. Every now and then Abby Carmichael got to let loose with zinger or two but Det. Lindsey Boxer has more zippy comebacks and comments in one episode than Carmichael had in whole seasons. Harmon seems to be relishing her role and who can blame her. Lindsay is an actor's dream. I'm especially curious to see if the character will ever go through what she did in the first book. I won't spoil it here but if the show includes it this season it will be huge, and give Harmon even more meat to chew on in this role.

I also give the show props for surprising me several times. I certainly didn't see what happened in the first season coming.

I'm still a hardcore Stargate fan on Friday nights but this show has moved up to the top 5 on my must-see list for next week. Impressive after only one airing. Hope the ratings for the show are good news come Monday.

Stop or I'll kick you in the testicles!

So I have a friend that is an even bigger TV nut than I am, but she has this very odd rule about the shows she watches - no medical shows and no cop shows. Think about all the programs that automatically excludes. None of the CSIs. No Grey's Anatomy, House, ER... It's pretty long freaking list. Maybe that's why she checked out Caveman. Hmm...

So I was chatting with this friend today about last night's... um... interesting episode of Bones. The program had the best line I've heard this fall season. "Stop or I'll kick you in the testicles!" That's one way to get a fleeing suspect to pull up short for sure. As Bones said when Booth made fun of for saying it, "It worked." But my friend decided that Bones fell into the "cop" category of shows she won't watch. Then she mentioned a distinction. FBI agents or okay. Then I informed her that Booth was a fed not a police officer. I've got her now. She is so going to watch this show and love it. Ha!

NCIS bounced back a bit for me last night so I'll give it another week.

Law & Order: SVU rebounded some as well. Although when did Olivia's hair grow back out? I'm wondering if the first three episodes were shot out of order. Weird. This episode still felt a little Stabler and Benson light but the scene where Novak assaults that smarmy center guy was priceless. I liked the scene after it between Benson and Novak as well. Those two work well together, but we rarely get to see them in scenes like this. Casey pulling Olivia off a suspect isn't surprising... the other way around was a nice twist on their dynamic.

What's weighing most on my mind at the moment is the potential writers' strike. Oddly enough, I'm almost hoping it happens. I've heard rumors that the networks could fill their time with British dramas such as MI5 and Wire in the Blood. I've never seen either but I've heard great things. I'd be very curious to watch some of the programs Hollywood will inevitably ripoff later and do poor imitations of them at that.

On that snarky note... off to watch Bionic Woman...

Bones Night!

So tonight is Bones night. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest adventures of Brennan, Booth, and the rest of the gang. I'm enjoying the 3rd season but that's not something I can say for some other shows...

Heroes
I was a huge advocate of the show last season. I was a pest, really, when it came to hounding friends to watch it. Now I'm feeling like maybe I should have kept my yap shut. The first three episodes haven't been bad... they've just been, well, boring. What I liked so much about Heroes over Lost was how quickly they moved the story. We didn't have to wait years for a payoff. Right now there are too many stories being crammed into 44 minutes of the show and as a result I don't give a rat's ass about any of them.

NCIS
I came into this show early last season after only catching pieces of episodes here and there. I loved the team dynamic and banter. The show is far from Shakespeare but it's fun. This season I'm just finding it tedious. I guess the bloom is off the rose for me. I'll give the show tonight to lure me back from the brink, but I'm thinking this one is about to lose its season pass on my DVR.

Law & Order: SVU
Oh how I hate to write that I'm not loving the season so far. The first episode (which I discussed in another entry) was fine. Loving the return of Olivia's short hair. But after last week's episode that's all I'm loving. I don't care for the new detective. All I kept thinking was, "Great. Another detective to work with Benson or Stabler - so long as we don't have to watch Benson and Stabler working together!" The episodes of this series that I love are the ones with Olivia and Elliott at its core. Fin and Munch are fine, and I enjoy Novak and the captain as well - but seriously, the show is getting a little too crowded. I'd like to see a return to basics. We're still pretty early in the season (only two eps but I see a pattern emerging here) so hopefully they'll surprise me and turn things around.

Moving on to other matters... namely some additional pilots I've checked out this season. I finally watched Gossip Girl. I never expected to actually (gasp) enjoy it. I was never a fan of Melrose Place, 90210, The O.C., or any other prime time soap, but I could see myself getting addicted to Gossip Girl. Why do I feel so dirty saying that?

Dirty Sexy Money was interesting. The cast is stellar but I'm not totally sold, yet. But it was good enough to get me to give it a few more tries - which is something I can't say for CBS' Moonlight...

And no, I didn't watch Cavemen or Carpoolers. A girl has to have some standards. I'm mean, c'mon.

I also checked out Reaper at long last. Very, very similar to Chuck. I think I'll only have room for one of these on my schedule. They've got three episodes a piece to help me make my choice.

And finally, I have to say the second episode of Stargate Atlantis was better than the first this season... and that's saying a lot. The show has gone much darker this season - both in look and in tone, and it is way better for it. If you haven't watched drop by on Friday nights at 10 EST on SciFI.

Stargate Atlantis began it's 4th season with a pretty big bang. I made a point to watch it live (although I recorded it as well) which is something I rarely do anymore. Appointment TV is a thing of the past for me since the invention of the DVR but this was a premiere I was really looking forward to. The show did not disappoint.

I'm most impressed with the direction the writers are taking to write Elizabeth Weir out of the show. Hopefully the arc won't end with her dying because the situation they've created with her just seems ripe with possibilities for additional stories in season 5 (which hopefully the show will get). I'm also a big fan of Carter so I'm thrilled to see her crossing over to Atlantis. I can't wait till next week when she'll have more to do.

The sequence that impressed me most was the jump Sheppard and Zelenka had to take. The 360 the camera did as they crossed the chasm was some of the best CGI I've seen on TV in a long time. I also enjoyed the Asteroids bit and the chance to see some of the background characters getting their moment in the sun.

The episode was an absolute blast. Regardless of whether or not you like sci-fi... the show offered up moral and ethical dilemmas and huge action sequences. There was plenty of drama and lots of touching moments. The episode had something for everyone.

I also had the chance to catch Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and the premiere of Numbers last night. Ghost Whisperer continues to be an hour of enjoyable television but it's not something I kick myself over if I miss. Numbers was fun with motion picture director Tony Scott at the helm. You could tell the show was faster paced than usual and Val Kilmer was a nice touch as the baddie. Moonlight, however... yikes. I wanted to like this show. Really I did. But the opening sequence was inane. The voice over drove me nuts and I cared nothing for the female lead. There were a few moments of promise but not enough to get me to record this one again. Maybe once the behind the scene stuff evens out so will the show - if it lives that long.

I also caught up with Grey's Anatomy and CSI. Both were pretty good first eppies for the season but CSI gets the edge. They really put the Sara Sidle character through the ringer. Harrowing stuff. I'm mildly claustrophobic so the scene with Sara trapped under the car with a flash flood raging around her gave me the willies. I hope Jojora Fox got paid well for that. Not to mention that the character got tasered, jumped out of a moving car, and wandered through 110 degree heat in the desert after managing to free herself from the car. I'll remember all that the next time I have a bad day. Kinda puts things in perspective... On a side note - I was surprised at how much I hated to see Louise Lombard's character reduced to recurring. I guess I liked her more than I thought. I know she had a pilot over at ABC but I don't think it got picked up. Maybe she'll be back to opening credit status before the season's over.

In contrast, the lighter touch seemed to be back on Grey's after last season's heavy and often depressing episodes. I do, however, want to smack Meredith for ignoring her sister. I thought I was going to hate the Lexi character but I wound up really liking her. I think she will be fun to watch. Especially in her scenes with George. I was also worried about all the new interns coming in but I found them to be refreshing for the most part.

Finally - I tried to watch the pilot for K-Ville and just couldn't do it. I was pretty bored from the get go. I do applaud them for shooting on location in New Orleans. The backdrop of the city is intriguing enough but once you toss in the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina you should have a recipe for awesome drama. I'm just not feeling the love, though. I'll wish this one the best, however - for the city's sake.

Premiere Week!

Premiere week has finally arrived and given me many shows to chat about. It's now Thursday and I'm counting down to the premieres of CSI and Grey's Anatomy tonight, but the week has afforded me plenty of tasty TV... and a few bitter morsels to chew as well.

First the good. It may seem a silly thing to dwell on but I am so glad Olivia has her cool hair back on Law & Order: SVU. The long thing just wasn't working for me. And the first episode back wasn't half bad. I am feeling a little short changed, however. When we left our friends at the SVU squad almost everyone's job was in jeopardy. Now everyone is back as if nothing happened. Hopefully we'll get some additional insight into the missing time between the finale and the premiere as the season progresses. Cynthia Nixon's performance was suitably creepy - especially in the scene at Stabler's house. I wonder if we'll see Sam Waterston crossing over as the new DA anytime soon...

The premiere of Bones rocked. I especially loved Hodgin's reaction to seeing a picture of Angela's husband... "His hands are the size of shovels..." Angela is my favorite character and seeing her at the FBI giving Booth a hand was a kick. I've always loved the team episodes of the series and this was a good one. I only had one quibble but I'll get into that later.

I am so onboard with America's Next Top Model this season. This is the one reality show I watch. Too much campy fun and you just can't wait until the bitchy/crazy ones get what's coming to them. I've already got a few favorites. I have to root for Heather if only because so many of the other girls are as shallow as a wading pool when it comes to her disability. As for Bianca... she'd be very pretty if that personality didn't keep getting in her way.

Now the mediocre. CSI: NY and CSI: Miami didn't wow me. Although I will give props to the casting department on the latter. That kid really does look like he could be David Caruso's son.

House was okay. The janitor bit was somewhat humorous. I called the switched identities twist almost from the start. By the time we got to the big reveal I was so over this episode. Hopefully getting in a new team will improve things but I'm already missing Cameron, Chase, and Foreman. And I never even liked Chase...

Private Practice was also just okay - but that might be a good thing. I love Grey's Anatomy and the character of Addison but I thought the initial pilot was just plain awful. This episode was an improvement on that. However, Addison seems to be turning into someone else and I'm not sure I like who that is. I'm willing to give the show a few more episodes before I give it a season pass... or pass on it altogether.

Finally the bad... Um, Hello? Can we have the cool opening to CSI: NY back please? The one with the better graphics? I don't mind an update with the talent shots but even the logo looked cheesy. And speaking of cheesy... what in the hell was up with that horrible green screen shot on the premiere of Bones? It completely took me out of the scene and it should have been a really cute scene. But I couldn't get past how freaking obvious it was that they were sitting in front of a green screen. Someone should have lost their job over that lousy shot. At the very least the producers need to find themselves a new effects house.

So that's my thoughts so far. What are yours?

The fall season... so far

Well thanks to Amazon.com's Unbox I've watched NBC's offerings for the fall. I've caught the pilots for Bionic Woman, Chuck, Life, and Journeyman. Of all of them I'm surprised at the one I like the most.

I was very psyched about Bionic Woman since I'm a child of the seventies and a fan of what David Eick (sp?) did with his re-imaging of Battlestar Galatica. So I was more than a little disappointed that the show didn't live up to the hype. Michelle Ryan is fine. My quibbles with the show aren't with the actors. The SFX were horrid in parts - especially when Jamie was running through the woods. I'd rather see Lindsey Wagner run in slo-mo than watch an effect that bad. Ick. The episode seriously dragged until the point where Jamie left the facility where she'd been held since being "upgraded." Then it picked up enough to where I'll give the show another shot. Katee Sackoff is obviously relishing her bad bionic girl roll but they need to give her some better dialogue. I have expected the girl to grow a handlebar moustache to twirl. And was it just me or was she hitting on Jamie in the bar scene? Let me know what you think.

Chuck was just plain cute. The chemistry between all the leads was a nice surprise. And I laughed out loud several times - something most comedy shows fail to make me do. I had little or no expectations going in to Chuck but I'll be programming the DVR for it. I think it's a very nice fit with Heroes, which I can't wait till Monday's premiere by the way.

Life. I'm not sure about this one. It wasn't bad by any means but I wouldn't be surprised to see this one slide from the schedule in a hurry. I like the partner the most but this paring is lacking the chemistry that made Chuck so endearing. The concept behind the show is intriguing. I'll be interested to see if audiences take to this one.

Which brings me to my favorite of the new NBC crop - Journeyman. There is a twist about half way through the pilot episode that was expertly executed. My mouth dropped open in surprise because I totally did not see it coming. I love the lead so much that I need to go rent Rome to see more of him. Again this is a show that took some time with casting and got a cast that works well together. A lot of friends keep saying that Journeyman is a ripoff of Quantum Leap. Watch Monday and get back to me on that. I'll bet you'll be more intrigued by this version of a time traveling man...

So the DVR is now set... Bones, Law & Order: SVU, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, all the CSIs... they're all back next week and not a moment too soon. Can't wait to check out my old favorites while finding a few new ones...

NBC. Is must see TV back?

NBC. It used to be my favorite network. The only network I watched on a regular basis. Now? I watch Heroes. That's it. Nothing else. But that seems about to change this fall...

Bionic Woman. Journey Man. Chuck. They all look intriguing. I'm especially psyched about the Bionic Woman. I am a child of the seventies and loved the original - campy though it was. Being a fan of Battlestar Galattica as well I feel like I'm getting the best of two worlds combined. The trailer looks interesting. The car wreck scene is amazing in a way I haven't seen since the passengers on board Oceanic flight 815 crashed on a mysterious island three years ago. Toss in some nifty special effects and Starbuck as a villain and I am so there on premiere night. I've heard some reviewers say the show is boring. I'm guessing they don't like Battlestar, either. Thought provoking drama isn't for everyone apparently. Otherwise ABC wouldn't think that Caveman show was a good idea. Ick.

Chuck usually wouldn't be my kind of show. We've seen the formula before in the short-lived Jake 2.0, but there is something very endearing about the title character. The humor in the previews has made me laugh and there appears to be some nice chemistry among the leads.

My curiosity about Journey Man has been a little slow to evolve but after the most recent round of previews there is enough there to get me to watch. Truthfully I'll record just about every new pilot this season but very few will make it on to my season pass list. I have my fingers crossed that this show will turn out to be a good companion to pair with Heroes.

One thing that I will say for this fall season overall is that sci-fi is back with a bang on all the networks. I can't wait.

By the way... if you aren't watching Sanctuary at www.sanctuaryforall.com you're missing out. They just had their season finale... and it kicked major a$$. The first several webisodes are free so there is no excuse not to watch... ;-)

Excuse me while I get on my soapbox...

Okay. So I wanted to talk about the new shows coming this fall in my next entry. Instead I'm feeling snarky about what I perceive to be a stupid move on the part of the Sci-Fi Channel. I've been a fan of Stargate SG-1 for sometime and recently became a member of the converted when it comes to Stargate Atlantis. Sci-Fi gave Atlantis the plumb 10pm Friday spot on their schedule - that was good. But since then they have done very, very little to promote the show on air or on-line. They did they same thing to SG-1 when they decided to phase out the show. And I know a thing or two about promos and promotion plans - I do that for a living.

So why would Sci-Fi screw over a show with the production quality and fan base that Atlantis has for shows like Flash Gordon and Who Wants to be a Superhero? Sci-Fi seems to have lost its way and its mission. Quality science fiction no longer seems to be in their plans. If it ain't cheap - and pretty cheap looking - Sci-Fi doesn't seem interested.

Now I know what you're thinking. What about Battlestar Galattica? That's quality and it certainly isn't cheap. Yes it is and no it certainly isn't it. But Battlestar will be a thing of the past after next season and Stargate not only launched Sci-Fi onto a new playing field it kept it there for years. It seems to me the network is less than grateful, however. You have a good quality show with a very firm and rabid fan base. A show that can continue to help launch other programs and sustain those around it. To essentially ignore the program promotionally is simply shooting yourself not only in the proverbial foot but in the very literal wallet. Dipsticks (a term I think show runner Joseph Mallozzi would appreciate).

Okay I'm setting my soapbox aside now...

Next time I really will talk about the fall TV season... promise.

And so it begins...

I started out with a blog about doing television promos. That's what I do for a living after all. But I noticed more and more that I was talking about TV instead of talking about making it. So TV Oracle was born.

So where did I get the name Oracle? The TV part is obvious. As for the latter... well I watched The Birds of Prey for an episode or two and thought the name was kind of cool. Very geeky of me, no? Perhaps I should just claim some sort of reference to the Oracle at Delphi. At least my mythology teacher in college will think I paid attention.

So my plan is to use this space... my little plot of land on the web... to chat up my favorite subject - television. You'll find my TV tastes aren't limited to a single, definable category. From The Avengers (the Emma Peel years, of course) to The X-Files and everything in between, TV is my hobby.

With the new fall season finally visible on the horizon, I'll be chatting about returning shows like Heroes, Stargate Atlantis, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order: SVU, Lost, and Bones. I'll also have plenty to talk about as Bionic Woman, Chuck, The Reaper, Pushing Daisies, Viva Laughlin (this one scares me a little), and Samantha Who? arrive on our airwaves. This TV season makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Hopefully I won't get too greedy and wind up like one of the brats in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory...

My new U-Verse DVR will get a work out, though. 4 shows at once? Bring on a four way tie for my evening's viewing habits... and kiss my social life goodbye...

Tune in tomorrow as the TV talk gets underway. I leave you with a snapshot from Sanctuary. A new online series you've got to check out if you're a fan of sci-fi...