Insert Witty Journal Title Here

"The Cape" is not nearly so bad as I expected it to be. It manages to be different and interesting and not always do what I think it's going to do. However, the cape itself is.. pret-ty darned silly.

"Harry's Law" is something I've so far only watched the pilot of. But it was also different and has this weird humor to it. Not enough shows starring a female lead, and that this female lead isn't known primarily for having big knockers is a plus. Also, she's not psychic in any way. Not that we really needed another law show, but.

"FaceOff" is SyFy's reality competition about makeup artists. Also interesting and a bit different. Although similar in format to Work of Art (which was also really good and I hope it comes back soon).

I've also been watching Auction Kings, Pawn Stars, Oddities, and American Pickers. And Hollywood something or other. These are all similar and all interesting in slightly different ways. Oddities is great if you like weird things in jars. Pawn Stars leans towards guns and cars/bikes. American Pickers leans towards cars/bikes and signs. Auction Kings seems to have a lot bigger mix.

"Gold Rush: Alaska" is like watching a train wreck. Over and over again.

"Biggest Loser" started again.

"Medium" ended. I watched the last episode without realizing it was the last episode until I got to the end and I'm like.. whaaaa. Who ends a show in the middle of January?

"Being Human" the US remake started on SyFy. I haven't watched it yet. Not sure if I should. I preferred the one-off to the subsequent series that got made. But at least the UK version has a certain dorky/geeky charm to the vampire and the werewolf that on first glance (shouldn't judge by appearances, shouldn't judge by appearances) seems to be lacking from the US version.

SyFy is also starting a Quantum Kitchen show soon. Hopefully also they'll be showing other shows I'd been hearing about for awhile. All reality-type ones.

I'd been trying to watch all of Star Trek: Voyager in order, but Spike screwed me by skipping a bunch and then stopping altogether.

So I thought I'd try watching all of Star Trek: Enterprise in order, but SyFy is even more screwy in all senses of the word.

"Brad Meltzer's Decoded" is interesting in that the host/head guy/Bosley dude is an author. And they cover some interesting conspiracy theory type things. Though they never conclude much.

"Stan Lee's Superhumans" on the other hand is boring as heck. Even though I'm a fan of Stan Lee from his superhero reality show on SyFy.

I know I've probably left some stuff out, but this will give you a general idea of what I'm watching, or not watching anymore.

What have I taken to watching this new Fall season? I'm so glad you asked.

The Event

The first episode was playing around with time with so many flashbacks that I gave up on it first go-round and had to come back and try again. After the annoyance of Persons Unknown (can you believe they decided to just not air an episode? And didn't tell me?) and the still-recent what-the-frell of Lost, I wasn't sure I was willing to put up with a show that was going to make me think too much and try to be all mysterious.

Right now there are 2 episodes on the Tivo, one half-watched, the other not watched at all. Car chases, people running around with guns, semi-mysterious this, uninteresting character that. I think I'm about ready to give up.

But here's my prediction for how it turns out. Sorry if this turns out to be a spoiler later. It's just I'm totally awesome and psychic, that's all. But the 'aliens' turn out to be evolved humans from the future. (Naturally or by human genetic manipulation, you decide.)

Outlaw

If you like lawyer shows, you could certainly do worse. Jimmy Smits is kind of fun to watch. The cases are fairly interesting.

But K says it's been canceled already. So :P

Still, I can't get too worked up about it.

Undercovers

I do like this show. It's different. The main characters are a youngish married couple (I think they've been married 5 years or so) who also happen to be black, and former CIA agents. This is by J. J. Abrams, who I should totally hate for Lost, but who I kinda like for Star Trek. I like the couple's relationship. I like the dorky guy who helps them out. The actual plots are kinda dull.

I'd be a little sad to see this get canceled.

No Ordinary Family

Family of four turns superhero. It made me laugh in the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it failed to do that.. well, ever again, I think. I do like the Dad, which is unusual for most TV Dads. They're usually ineffectual in some fashion. But they've yet to do anything truly interesting with the concept.

And the Tivo grabs something else in its time slot, so I have to make more an effort to watch this. So.. I probably won't keep going much longer. (Missed last week's, for example.)

Survivor: Nicaragua

Yea, okay, so I've totally been watching this. Why? I don't know! I preferred the concept of Survivor. Back when we all thought maybe they'd actually be trying to survive. Now they just show up, don't know how to make fire, slap a shelter together, and wait for a fish to flop its way to camp, or for the producers to give them some rice so they won't sue for malnutrition. And then they scheme.

I know I wasn't watching it for that football dude. I don't even know who he is. Was I watching it because it was Old Versus Young? Well, it's not anymore. Considering I do have to download this, I don't know why I bother. But.. dangit, it's more interesting to watch than any of the shows I listed above. Somehow!

Amazing Race WhateverNumberThey'reOn

K and Jun and I have a bet going on AR and tend to watch it 'together' on Sundays. That's made it more interesting than it otherwise might be. This year we get bonus points if we've successfully guessed an animal used in a challenge. My bet's on chickens. But Jun might get points if they're eating a sheep's head this Sunday.

The Next Iron Chef

This summer I started watching more Food Network. I think the Tivo made it easier to grab the interesting shows and avoid the uninteresting or annoying (I'm looking at you, Bobby Flay.) And Next Iron Chef has Ming Tsai. As a competitor! Plus, like.. it's reality tv and a food network show, so.. score.

Sherlock

I already watched these, but they're coming to PBS this week, so you should ALL TOTALLY WATCH THEM THEY'RE AWESOME!

Sarah Jane Adventures

These just started back up. They'll sort of tide me over until new Dr. Who and Torchwood. Sort of. If I see one more Slitheen though, I'm going to wring someone's neck. Someone in Cardiff.

Merlin

Nearly typed Arthur there. Well, with so many eponymous shows and the two of them really being a double-act, the show really should've been Arthur and Merlin. But, anyhow, these also started back up. I even transferred the first ep to my new media player. Have not started watching. I really should. Better than any American show we've got going on with the exception of..

House

Still awesome. Still totally awesome. DON'T CANCEL IT PLEASE!!!

Bones

Did you knows Bones's car gets like good gas mileage and stuff? And it's a... well, no, I don't know what type of car it is! I know, I totally should, right? Since they cram it down our throats every other week, but I don't! So ha!

(Is it a Prius? Is it totally a Toyota Prius? Don't tell me if it is.)

Community

Still rocks, even though I have to download it every week. It totally rocks. You should all watch it. Frasier's going to be on it tonight.

Outsourced

Best new show! Dude's been sent to India to manage a call center for a novelty company. It's very funny and, dude, I think I'm actually totally learning things about India. Well, even though I couldn't point to a specific thing I didn't know before.. and even though you totally shouldn't try to learn about a country and its people from a sitcom. Still..

How I Met Your Mother

Still good.

Big Bang Theory

Still needs more girl geeks. But still good.

Shatner My Dad Says

Eh. Not so good. I wish Boston Legal was still on.

Grey's Anatomy

I know, right? Someone might think I'm a girl or something.

The Apprentice

I'm ashamed to admit this one. And Trump is even worse than I remembered from before I stopped watching this show. He shouts. And he's a sexist pig. And if he wasn't head of his company, he'd be fired so fast... And dude is totally running for President? Gah!

Daily Show/Colbert Report

It's still not too late for me to bum a ride down to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. But.. I'm afraid. And perhaps too sane for my own good.

Medium

It has its moments. But sometimes the episodes are crap. I do like the kids though.

Teach: Tony Danza

So Tony Danza is totally teaching English in this school in Philadelphia. Or trying to anyway. It's interesting. I will never, ever be a teacher. Not in HS anyway. And we don't pay teachers enough. But you knew that, right?

Undercover Boss

More interesting than the UK version. Honestly. The UK bosses never seem to screw up, somehow. Need more women CEOs though.

--

And.... I watch way too much television. That's not even all of it. No wonder I have 50 library books I haven't read yet.

I didn't really intend to wait until part 2 aired to watch part 1, but in the end, that's the way it worked out. I also didn't think I was particularly tired when I started watching it shortly after 10pm, but I fell asleep while watching part 1. I eventually woke up, got ready for bed, etc, and finished it. Then started part 2. But then I crashed about a third of the way through it.

Was it boring? Or was I tired? A bit of both, I think.

I don't think I'll say any spoilers. Just a comment in general.

While it would be great if the Doctor was a woman or a Time Lord of color one of these days, I'm thinking it might be better for that time to come when someone's in charge who can do it right. Perhaps not do it great, but do it well, with sparks of brilliance here and there.

Is it enough that it be done competently so that it's at least done? Perhaps.

But it definitely shouldn't be done if it's going to be full of fail.

If we learn nothing else from Sarah Jane and Merlin this week, we should always remember never to accept tokens of love in the form of red glowing jewelry.

Here's some commercials that stand out for me -- some recent, some older -- that really, really disturbed me to the extent that I was turned off to their product. Call them anti-advertising if you like.

Chronologically:

Quizno's dead hamster commercials -- They were supposed to be cool and edgy and all internet video-y, but they had nothing to do with the product, and looked like.. dead rodents. Yea, I like to ponder dead rodents when I'm thinking about where to have lunch. And no, I don't think I ever have gone to a Quizno's since then.

Burger King's sexist meatist crap -- A whole slew of commercials, most of them featuring this King guy who disturbs me just looking at him. If they're not trying to tell you that men are carnivores and men like huge burgers full of meat and they should come to Burger King to eat them, they're telling you that sex sells burgers and a giant plastic creep will get lots of hot chicks and give you lots of hot chicks if you eat his meat. I will admit to having gone to BK since and still. DESPITE being a chick (some of the time anyway) and DESPITE being vegetarian. Because they serve freaking VEGGIE BURGERS. Of course I have other issues with their Icee machines never working or having the flavor I want, and their usual confusion that I might want a veggie patty in a Whopper, because the Whopper has different components than their Veggie Burger. But, seriously dudes, the commercials have got to go. And don't even get me started on the giant inflatable Spongebobs.

Go Daddy -- GoDaddy's logo, icon dude does not offend me. He looks like some hip, geeky dude, who may or may not be mixing chemicals in his garage. So what's up with this latest string of commercials? They're designed as pornos. Where you're supposed to expect the next step is bare breasts and two (or more) women making out. Is the next step indeed that? Or is it something that redeems the rest of the commercial? Well, we'll never know, because they want you to actually go online and find out the end. So, no redemption. I'll certainly take my business elsewhere next time I buy a new domain. Because, hey, clearly I'm not their target market.

Skittles Korean-Scots are a 'contradiction' -- What?! Well, sorry you've never seen a kid of Korean ancestry raise up his sword and shout in a Scottish accent, "There can be only one!" But, hey, I'm pretty sure they exist. Probably even one or two with swords. Just what is it contradicting again? Am I supposed to think Skittles taste like kimchee-stuffed haggis? I'm not a Skittles fan. Now I'm an anti-fan.

Tonight's Medium was particularly bad. Find out why behind the cut.

( Spoilers for Medium )

Is there a single show on television anymore where there isn't someone seeing dead people? What the heck is up with that?

It puts me in mind of the span of time when I was a kid when it seemed everyone was getting amnesia. Amnesia's still a popular plot, so we may be stuck with the hallucinating/psychic/poetic license dead people for quite some time.

I recently rewatched all of Red Dwarf. Most of the entire least series was new to me, so that was more watch than rewatch.

I just found out they're releasing a special on Easter. I'm sure I'll be comparing it with the Dr. Who special to see which was better. :)

I think the best Red Dwarf episodes were in the middle. The best combination of characters seemed to be Lister, Rimmer, Cat, and Kryten. Though I do prefer Holly as male. I didn't used to like Kochanski, but she did begin to grow on me by the time I got to the end of the series. She was fitting in more as part of the ensemble and not just the object of Lister's affection.

In the second to last series, Rimmer is gone. ICly gone. Yet somehow he appears in every episode except one, I think. Through various science fictional and televisional machinations. Which is good, because I'm not sure you have a show without Rimmer.

There's no question in my mind that the worst series is the last one. For the following reasons:

1. Rimmer is no longer a hologram. By itself this wouldn't be a problem, but it ties in with..

2. There are quite a number of episodes with little or no science fictional element whatsoever. There was one episode I was sitting through thinking.. this could happen on any sitcom anywhere. The whole plot revolves around secretly videoing people for fun and profit.

3. Too many penis jokes. There are entire plotlines, both A and B, revolving around penises. It's insane.

4. Sexist plots involving Kryten being labelled a woman because of a lack of a penis and his inability to understand how to interact with a woman. (Despite having served an all-female crew for like.. centuries. Conveniently they explain this by saying he wiped that info from his memory banks to free up space.)

5. The Captain of the ship is just bizarre. It was the same captain as before, but now he has such a larger role that I realized just how awful he is. I think he's supposed to be American. Possibly the actor is even American. But I swear he comes across as a Trekkie fan trying to play Starfleet Captain. (And I've seen better acting in Trek fanfilms.)

So I'm not sure I hold out much hope of this new Red Dwarf being fantastically good. But hey, it'll be something new to watch at any rate. And maybe it'll spawn some new comedic science fiction shows in the UK or US. We could certainly use some.

Since this post is about the episode of Desperate Housewives that just aired, I'm going to put it behind a cut tag for spoilers.

( The Best Thing That Ever Could've Happened )

In short, this episode really, really bugged me, in a 'microcosm of the whole series' sort of way.