Fall TV

Lots of new shows start this week. This is what I'll be watching:

Most anticipated new show for me: "This is Us" on NBC Tuesdays. It's by the same writers and producers as "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights." 

"The Good Place" on Mondays on NBC -- Kristen Bell plays a bad person who accidentally gets into heaven and Ted Dansen is the architect for the neighborhood. Looks funny.  

"Speechless" on ABC Wednesdays -- a mom who has a kid with cerebral palsy and has to advocate for him in a new town. 

"Designated Survivor" on NBC Mondays. This is least likely to last more than a couple episodes for me, but you never know. 

"Pitch" on FOX Thursdays about The first female pro baseball player.  

"No Tomorrow" on The CW about some people checking things off their bucket list before the world supposedly ends. 

New on Netflix: "The Crown" about the British Royal family, each season covers one decade from the 1940s until modern times. Will it fill the void "Downton Abbey" left? We'll see. 

Also new, two shows on FX that already started two weeks ago. "Atlanta" about a 20 something kid who is trying to promote his cousin's rap career (starting and created by Donald Glover from "Community")and "Better Things" about a single mom raising three girls. Makes me want to apologize to my own mom, who raised four of us. 

Returning shows:

-- "Mindy Project" (last season was very disappointing, but I watched until the end and will likely continue because I'm dumb like that.)

-- "New Girl"(also a disappointing last season. We will see what happens with this one.  It may be my last.)

-- "The Walking Dead" can't wait!!!!! 

-- "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" love this one so much. If you missed season one, go back and watch it. 

I think that's pretty much it! What are you watching? 

Fall TV

Fall TV has started.  I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but there's not much that I'm excited about this year.  In fact, when I read through the TV preview, I couldn't think of one new show that I wanted to watch, and I wasn't even very interested in any of the old shows, either.  The only show I'm super excited about is the Mindy Project, but that isn't even on network TV anymore, and I guess I'm looking forward to The Walking Dead, although I thought last season's ending wasn't great. 

But I decided I'd give a few new shows a shot.  So, here we go...

Quantico -- It's a show about some FBI recruits and their training and one of them is really a terrorist and we have the season to find out who it is.  Although it's getting a lot of buzz, my expectations were pretty low.  But the first episode was okay, so we'll see.

The Muppets --  A favorite old show with a new take.  So far, so good, although I don't love it. 

Supergirl -- I have almost zero interest in superhero movies or shows anymore, but this one is getting some decent buzz.  I have a feeling it is going to sit in my DVR queue and then be deleted but you never know. 

The Grinder -- a comedy about an actor who plays a lawyer on TV and then decides to go to his hometown and become a real lawyer, with his lawyer brother.  And it takes place in Idaho, of all places!  And it has Rob Lowe, so....

My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend -- Even though I don't like the title or the idea that all ex-girlfriends are crazy, I have heard some good things about this show.  Mostly from my new favorite podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Returning shows

Last Man on Earth -- I don't know if anyone watches this show, but I think it's hilarious.  This was a mid-season replacement from last year. I caught most of season one On Demand because I think they were dumping several episodes at a time and I didn't even know what day it was on.  Season two just started on Sunday, which has become known as the day to put the most popular shows, so someone must like it. 

The Walking Dead -- last season started out SO GOOD but I don't think it held up til the end.  I wasn't super excited about the group landing in Alexandria.  Mostly it was probably a set up for what comes next.  And over the summer, they did a spin-off called Fear the Walking Dead, which I quite liked. 

Nashville -- last season had some good plotlines and some good music. 

And of course, The Mindy Project which is now on Hulu, which happens to be the one thing I don't subscribe to.  There have been three episodes released already, and I haven't watched them.  I probably will, though. 

My favorite 22 minutes of each day, The Daily Show, has a new host.  I watched the first episode Tuesday and I think it might just hold up.  Fingers crossed!!

Fall TV -- winners and losers

So I posted my annual list in September, and now it's time to do a follow up.  This has been a pretty disappointing fall for TV, with a few exceptions.

The Mindy Project is so good this year.  This is the one show that I will watch live and sit through the commercials.  And then I watch again later so I can get my quote of the week.  Every time Danny wears those red reading glasses, I crack up.  And I love Danny's and Mindy's chemistry.  I made KB watch a couple episodes and told him he needs to learn to dance like Danny, but he said No.

The Walking Dead is the other show I look forward to each week.  Wow!  This has been a good season.  I was so bummed that they did the "fall finale" in November and I have to wait a while for it to come back.  Sundays are pretty boring without the Walkers!

The Newsroom took the place of Walking Dead on Sunday nights starting in December.   The season and the series ended last Sunday, but it was a great little show.  (Maybe I'll start West Wing over again!)

Parenthood has been so disappointing this year.  They have been spending more and more time showing Max and his issues, and I could not care less.  I hate the whole plot of Christina and Adam starting that school, and... big surprise, Adam's other business is failing?  Hmmm.... maybe starting two businesses in three years is a mistake?  Ugh.  Then all the stuff with Hank's daughter is so blah.  Turns out the only storyline I care about this season is Julia and Joel, and they were the ones I cared about the least before.  And I like Crosby, but not much is happening with him this season.

A lot of people were getting sick of New Girl, and by a lot of people, I mean Jill and Chris and the editors of Entertainment Weekly.  But I still loved it... until now.  There are still lots of things to like about it, but it's lost it's footing.

Marry Me was supposed to be the one great new comedy, but it's pretty stupid and not that funny.  I don't care about any of the supporting characters and the main couple isn't much better.  Quite disappointing.  The only thing I find kind of clever are Annie's two dads, the Kevins.  For example, the episode when one Kevin and Annie are competing about the things they want in their weddings.  But they aren't in it enough to make up for the rest of what the show is lacking.

And that's pretty much all the shows I watch!  Any of the other new shows that I said I might watch, I didn't.
What am I missing?

Mindy project quote of the week -- 9/30

You asked for it, you got it. Mindy quotes!  I'll go back and do quotes from episodes 1&2 but for now... 

Danny:  Your kisses are for three things: your ma, your girl, and your wrestling coach after you win regionals. 

Danny: You better start thinking about ways to make it up to me. 

Mindy: Rizzo?! You want me to dress up like Rizzo from Grease? 

Fall TV

There are a few new shows I'm looking forward to, but mostly I'm looking forward to my faves coming back.




Sunday -- The Comeback is coming back to HBO.  This is a show that had one season previously and it was one of those shows that a few people loved but most people hadn't heard of.  I watched it on Netlfix and I thought it was okay.  There were definitely lots of funny parts, but I don't remember loving it.  Now it's coming back 9 years later with season 2.  Just that alone piques my interest enough to give it a shot.  (November 9)


The Newsroom is back for season 3 on HBO.  I have to catch up on season 2 before the new season starts on November 9.  This may or may not happen. 


The Walking Dead is also on Sunday nights.  I started this show, after years of saying I wasn't interested in shows about zombies, because KB loves it and he wanted me to watch while he was here in the summer.  So we got through season 1 and part of season 2, and then I finished the rest of what's available on Netflix after he left.  All the way through seasons 1&2, I kept saying "I don't get it."  But season 3 finally hooked me and now I'd like to find a way to watch season 4 (not available on Netflix yet) before season 5 starts October 12.  Doesn't seem likely, though.  I'm still not interested in zombies, for the record.


At some point in the coming TV season, Mad Men will return for it's final episodes, and I couldn't be more excited for that. 


Also on Sunday nights is Last Week Tonight, which is HBOs version of The Daily Show.  It's hilarious and smart.


Monday -- I'm slightly interested in Gotham on FOX.  In general, I'm more than over superhero shows and movies, but this one is getting some attention.  I might end up recording it and then never watching, which is what happened with Arrow.  This one started already on September 22.


Tuesday -- Marry Me is a  new show on NBC that I'm most excited for this new season.  Casey Wilson played my second favorite character from Happy Endings, which was a great show that ended too soon.  Next to her is Ken Marino, who is so great in everything he does.  This is the story of the engagement of the "levelheaded" man and "excitable" woman after a botched proposal, according to the description in EW.  It looks like it has tons of potential.  (October 12)


Manhattan Love Story would probably be on this list but I HATE the actress, Analeigh Tipton, who was a contestant on ANTM years ago.  She totally ruined the otherwise good movie "Crazy, Stupid, Love" a few years ago as an overacter.  But her character was also so stupid, it may not have been her fault.  Anyway, I doubt I'll watch as I already have a few Tuesday shows.  This one is on ABC starting September 30.


The Mindy Project already started two weeks ago and it started off with a bang.  I love this show so much.  I am contemplating resurrecting my quotes of the week with this show.  Stay tuned for that.  Maybe. 


New Girl is also back on Tuesdays and still my favorite 22 minutes of the day.  I know not everyone loves this show as they once did, but I still think it's hilarious.  I will never buy that Jess and Nick are just friends with no weirdness after breaking up, but this is TV, and anything is possible on TV. 


Another show I started to watch because KB loves it is Sons of Anarchy.  This one started already on September 9 on FX.  I watched seasons 1-5 on Netflix and I liked it okay, but Jill hit the nail on the head when she said that every episode could be titled "The one where Jax tries to take the club in a new direction."  Also, there are so many gangs and sometimes they are allies with the Sons, and sometimes they're enemies, and sometimes they're enemies fighting a common enemy, and I can't keep it all straight so I find myself tuning out at lot of the time.  But Jax is still hot and I like a lot of the other characters.  Season 6 still isn't on Netflix, but KB told me what happened and I decided to just go ahead and skip that one and watch season 7 live. 


Wednesday -- I'm not exactly excited about this one, but Red Band Society is being called the new "teen melodrama" which is enough for me to give it a chance.  Plus it has a the cute guy from Brothers and Sisters.  It started September 17 on FOX, but I haven't watched yet. 


I'm somewhat interested in the concept behind black-ish which already started September 24 on ABC.  I've given up other ABC comedies, so we'll see if this one holds my interest. 


Nashville started September 24 on ABC and I am hoping it stays as good as season 2 was.


Thursday -- Gracepoint is a murder mystery.  Not usually up my alley, but I might try this one.  (FOX October 2)  This is probably a good one for you, Mom. 


And of course... Parenthood returns for it's final season.  It started September 25 on NBC and even though it starts with Kristina opening her charter school that she decided to create just for her (annoying) son Max, because doesn't everyone want to start their own school, I am good at ignoring the things that bug me and focusing on the things that I like.  Which is pretty much everything else about this show.


Also on Thursdays on NBC is A to Z.  I don't know much about it, other than it appears to be a romantic comedy, it has the "Mother" from How I Met your Mother and there are billboards for it around the city, but it might be worth checking out. 


Okay, obviously this is too many shows.  If New Girl, Mindy and Parenthood keep me happy, then this will be a good season for me. 


And Marry Me. 


And Mad Men. 


Okay, that's really it. 

A cover I can get behind

My favorite human being talking about my favorite show

Years ago, I read an interview with John Mayer where he said something like this: If you watch "The Bachelor" you should slap a blind person across the face, because you are wasting your eyesight.

At the time, I totally agreed with him. But as the years have gone by, I have succumbed to the appeal of "The Bachelor" and have become a bit obsessed with it, at times. I admit there was a teeny tiny part of me that felt ashamed that if JM ever knew, he'd be disappointed. (I know that it's insane that I think this way, but I can't help it.)

I was so happy to stumble across this video of JM talking about how he now gets it.

Things I love about this clip:
(1) air quotes around "Brad's season,"
(2) his impression of Ben saying "Courtney,"
(3) picturing a producer telling Ben to stand shirtless on the balcony.

Enough already

Last week's cover of EW

This week's cover of EW

Are you ready?

Best of 2011

It's the end of February, but with the Oscars coming up on Sunday, it's a perfect time to post my Best Of list for the previous year.
Uff! What a bad year for movies. I complain about this a lot, but truly, this year was not good. I can't even decide which to put at the top, so I'm just going to make a list in no particular order.

• Beginners


• Win Win


• Crazy Stupid Love (minus all the parts with the stupid babysitter and ridiculous teen-age son)


• The Artist


• Moneyball


• Tree of Life


• The Help


• Bridesmaids


• Martha Marcy May Marlene

Biggest disappointment: The Descendants (I know I'm alone in this, and I'm okay with it.)Another disappointment, but not a big one: The Muppets (I so wanted to love this movie, but it was just okay.)

Biggest surprise: The Artist (see previous post)

Best Actor: the guy from A Better Life.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Iron Lady)

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginnings) / Ryan Gosling (Stupid Crazy Love)

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain (nominated for The Help but I liked her better in Tree of Life)

Best Director: Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

Best Original Screenplay: Bridesmaids
Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball

Worst accents ever in a movie: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best scenery in a movie: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hey, I'm Swedish, what can I say?)

______________________________

The good news is that Television had a great year

Best drama: Parenthood

Best comedy: 30 Rock

Best new discovery: Louie (also fits in best drama and best comedy categories )

Best return of a character: Mr. Cyr to Parenthood

Worst return of a character: Seth, off the wagon, to Parenthood

Best character on an increasingly disappointing show: Blaine on Glee

Bummer: No Mad Men in 2011

Best mini-series: Downton Abbey (love it, love it, love it!)

Most improved: Parks and Recreation

New shows to love: Suburgatory, Happy Endings, New Girl

Still the best 22 minutes of each day, Monday-Thursday: The Daily Show

________________________
As usual, I'm pretty much in the dark about new and/or popular music. But...

Adele, 21 -- totally jumped on the bandwagon with this one.
The only other CDs I got this year were Foo Fighters (thumbs up) and Beastie Boys (thumbs down -- no offense Estee)
Best concert -- Foo Fighters at Meadowlands & Prudential Center (Newark NJ)
Concerts to recapture my youth -- RUSH at MSG, Duran Duran at MSG
the only other concerts I saw -- Maroon 5 at Jones Beach and Bon Jovi at MSG

_____________________________
Theater
The Book of Mormon -- yes, I saw it. yes, I loved it. I wish I could link a video to this song, but there is only the song.



Best Books I read this year
(two memoirs, but very different): Say Her Name-- Francisco Goldman
Bossypants -- Tina Fey
Fiction: The Ghost Writer ( I know I'm not supposed to like Philip Roth, but I so do)

Best Personal

• My tour of Scandinavia. So many wonderful memories of Norway and I am now able to forget all the bad stuff. I loved seeing Sweden, the land of my peeps, and Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the coolest cities. I hope to return soon (the plan is 2013).


• Also, I hate to say it, but I'm a convert. My iPhone has changed my life. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I love it.


• Discovering podcasts.


• Having two wonderful sisters help me through the hardest thing I've done in my life.


• Reunions with mission friends. 1) my two favorite comps, Anne Lise & Sara in San Diego and 2) Jeremy, Pete, et al. in Utah. 3) Bowcutt in Bergen.

We've all been here, am I right?

... and if so, please tell me which show in the comments section.

Fall TV -- winners and losers

So, to follow up on my previous post about fall TV, here are the shows that I am still watching.
Up All Night -- as expected, Will Arnet is funny and I like the relationship between Regan and Chris. Maya Rudolf is also really great.

New Girl -- I know some people think Zooey Deschannel is just a little too cute and quirky, which I get, but I think she's great. I like the relationship between her and the three roommates, and I think they are all great in their own way.

Whitney has been getting panned (at least by EW), but I kind of like it. I really only like Whitney and her boyfriend and enjoy their relationship, but find all of the supporting characters super boring. So I don't love it, but like it well enough.

I'm also watching Revenge and I like it. It's pretty silly, in a soapy kind of way, but since I was a big fan of "Dallas" in the 80s, I guess it's not surprising that there is something that appeals to me.

I didn't put Suburgatory in my original post, but this one has been a surprise. If you ever watched "Veronica Mars", it kind of reminds me of that show although it's a comedy instead of a mystery.

I gave up these new shows:

"Ringer"

"Terra Nova"

"Pan Am"

"Two Broke Girls"

Returning shows:

Loving "Parenthood" (except for the boring plotlines with Julia and the annoying Max).

Loving "Parks and Recreation"

Getting sort of sick of "The Office"

Also getting sick of "Glee", but still love Blaine and that keeps me tuned in for now.

This is a slight exaggeration, but just picture me as Bob, and you will have a vague idea what my job has been like for the past two years. The difference is that Reagan and Chris take this guy's advice and no one ever takes mine.



I wish they really did offer PhDs in Peekaboo or Masters in "where's your nose" because I would totally rock that!

New season so far

"Up All Night" is winning so far. I am not saying it's going to get a weekly spot, but it's up for nomination. Two quotes from this week:

1. "Don't shame spiral" featured in the scene where Will Forte is giving Will Arnet advice about how to keep his wife interested.

2. Reagan to Ava, after Ava finds out that her ex-boy band member ex-boyfriend is getting married. "Terrible people can get married, you know."

Because it's true, you know??

Fall TV

A couple of the new shows began last week (for example, "Up All Night" started on Wednesday, presumably to get some of audience carry-over after "America's Got Talent" finale), but this is premiere week for most shows, old and new. Clearly, it's about time to get my Fall TV post up here!
If you want to see the whole line up to make your own schedule, check this or to read about any of the new shows, check this.

Shows I'm most excited for:

Up All Night -- mostly because I have been a fan of Will Arnet since Arrested Development and his show from last fall tanked. I am also a big fan of Maya Rudolph and welcome the opportunity to see both of them each week in a regular show. However, to say that I'm excited for this show is an overstatement. It is potentially just another show about a buffoonish dad (possibly both parents) with a cute baby. I recorded it on Wednesday and haven't seen it yet, so we'll see. (Wednesdays @ 8:00 on NBC)

Terra Nova -- again, I guess it is an overstatement to say that I'm excited for this show. It has the potential to fill the gap that all of the networks have been trying to fill in their line-ups since LOST was so successful, and especially now that it's over. However, it appears that the main features of this show are dinosaurs and time travel, which may or may not play out so well on TV. Science fiction and fantasy are not really my things -- the reason that LOST resonated with people that are not into fantasy is because it was character driven. So if they can make this show look cool at the same time as presenting interesting characters, I think it has potential. (Mondays @ 8:00, FOX)

Pan Am -- Yes, it's clearly inspired by the success of Mad Men, and there is no way they are going to duplicate it, but it looks like it might have legs. (Sundays @ 10:00 on ABC)

New Girl -- I probably wouldn't even give this show another thought if it wasn't for Zooey Deschanel. It kind of looks like it's trying to be "Friends" or "Big Bang Theory" or a mix of the two, right? (Tuesdays @ 9:00 FOX)

Other shows I am going to try out:

2 Broke Girls -- EW gives this one an endorsement, but I feel like it's trying to be Paris Hilton's The Simple Life, but in a non-reality format. (Tuesdays @8:30 CBS)

Ringer -- described by Sarah Michelle Gellar as a cross between her characters from Cruel Intentions and Buffy. Neither of which I watched, but I'm going to give this one a shot anyway. (Tuesdays @ 9 The CW)

Returning shows :

Parenthood -- I seriously love this show! But in the season premiere, Alex gets arrested. Really? Can't we move on from this cliche? And what the heck did Haddie do to her hair? But most importantly Jason Ritter is back as Sarah's love interest?!?! I could not be more excited! In fact, I may just watch the parts with him again today! (Tuesdays @ 10 NBC)

Glee -- an uneven season two, but I'm sticking with this show for season three. I did watch The Glee Project over the summer and I am interested to see how they use these new characters. (Tuesdays @ 8:00 FOX)

30 Rock -- beginning mid-season, I'm counting on it being as brilliant as always! (Thursdays NBC)


The Office -- last season was boring, for the most part. I'm very interested to see what James Spader is going to bring to it. His character in the season finale was HILARIOUS and strange so it sould be interesting. (Thursdays @ 9:00 NBC)

Parks and Recreation -- so funny! I almost gave up on this show after the first season, but it keeps getting better! (Thursdays @ 8:30 NBC)

Modern Family -- I like, but don't love, this show. I know that puts me in the minority, and I'm fine with that. Basically, I only really like Cameron & Mitchell (but mostly Cameron), and Luke & Phil (but mostly Luke).

Shows that the networks are promoting so much, I can't figure out if they are that good, or that bad:

Revenge -- I wasn't really considering this one, but it did get an endorsement from EW's Must List. I will give almost any show with Emily Van Camp a shot.

Whitney -- I can't believe this is going to be all that funny, but there has not been a commercial break on NBC or an issue of EW that has not had some mention of this show.

Shows I won't be watching:

American Horror Story -- this show has three things going for it. Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and co-creator Ryan Murphy. However, title says it all, and I can't do horror.

Two and a Half Men -- with or without Charlie Sheen, all I can say is Uff!!

I want to watch in theory, but probably won't :

Prime Suspect -- based on a British show, which I've heard about for years and is probably very good. But I'm just not that interested in detective shows anymore. (Thursdays @10:00 NBC)

A Gifted Man -- Seems a little too Ghost Whisperer or something. (Fridays @ 8:00 CBS)

The X Factor -- I watched American Idol for the first several seasons but got so sick of it, mostly because it was the same songs over and over, and it bugged me so much when bad singers stayed and good singers left. Apparently Simon Cowell thinks this is a different show, but I'm not so sure. I might be a tad curious. For a week or two, at least.

So.... I think that's it!! Am I missing anything? What are you excited to watch this season?

Living on a lighted stage

Now that I have fulfilled my adolescent dreams of seeing Bruce Springsteen perform several times, it's time to go back even further. When I was 10 years old, the album Moving Pictures by Rush was released. At that time, I decided that Rush was my favorite band. When you're 10, you can say things like that, even if you only know two of their songs.

Thirty years later, I began to appreciate them again... mostly because of Jason Segal. Exhibit A: Freaks and Geeks



Exhibit B: I Love You, Man



One of the things I was most looking forward to was experiencing the notoriously nerdy audience. When Shauna and I walked in to take our seats, two men sitting behind us said, "Are you Canadian?" We were initially confused by this question until they clarified that the only women that they know that like Rush are Canadian. The next question was, "Did your older brother get you into Rush?" Later, "What made you decide to come to this concert? Was it a 'bucket list' kind of thing?" I knew that we were going to be in the minority in the audience, but I didn't know we would actually blow people's minds in the process.

Anyway, it was a really fun show, and there was almost no line for the ladies' room. I'd definitely go again, if I had better seats. Here are some pics (I know these pictures are no good, but here they are anyway).

About a month ago I had an operation, so I've been on medical leave. Three things are awesome about this.
1) I still get a paycheck every two weeks, but haven't done any work for over a month.
2) After all of this time off, I still have over 600 sick hours accrued.
3) I get to stay home every day and not feel guilty about anything.


My life is a little bit like this old episode of 'Friends.' The only thing missing is my recliner chair.

Which is another thing I love about being home. I used to watch 'Friends' every day at 7 and 11. Now they have re-runs of stupid shows like 'Two and a Half Men' at those times, but I discovered that I can watch 'Friends' from 5-7 now. I realized that the show feels pretty dated... but I couldn't put my finger on why. Their hairstyles and clothes are actually very similar to what people still wear today. Then I realized... it's the stupid laugh track! None of the comedies I watch now have laugh tracks (i.e. 'The Office,' '30 Rock,' or 'Modern Family.' ) It makes such a difference.

This is the exciting stuff to blog about after a month of medical leave!

Best of 2010

Tomorrow is Hollywood's big night, which means I can get my "best of" list in just under the wire.


Once again, I don't have a top ten, and to be honest, don't really have super strong feelings about any movies this year. Probably the best reviewed movie of the year was The Social Network, which was just okay for me, despite my usual love of Aaron Sorkin scripts. The Kids are All Right was so overrated (although I did think Annette Benning was good, and Mark Ruffalo was adorable). Winter's Bone is the type of movie I normally adore, but I couldn't get into it. Maybe it was because I was on pain killers when I watched it. I could never sit through 127 Hours because the whole time I would be thinking "What an idiot!!" not to mention it would gross me out too much. I didn't have any interest in Black Swan either. Bad year for movies!


Anyway, so here's my list of the best movies of 2010
1. Blue Valentine (don't see it, mom!!)
2. The Town
3. The King's Speech
4. The Fighter
5. The Social Network
6. Inception

Best performances
Best Actor -- Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Supporting Actor -- Jeremy Renner, The Town
I don't even have a pick for Best Actress or Supporting Actress.


Best of TV
best comedy -- 30 Rock (still love it)
best drama -- Mad Men and Parenthood
best new show -- Parenthood
best episode -- Mad Men "The Suitcase" (Peggy's birthday episode)
amazing TV moment -- "Whip my hair" by Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen as himself in the 70's
favorite character -- Blaine, "Glee"
best performance on two different shows -- Michael B Jordan on Parenthood & FNL
best TV on DVD -- thirtysomething
kind of disappointing -- Friday Night Lights season 5

Best concerts
1. John Mayer in Seattle
2. John Mayer in NJ
3. John Mayer in MSG
Favorite song -- "Teenage Dreams" by Katy Perry (but really, by Blaine on "Glee")
Best album -- Bruce Springsteen "The Promise" (and I'm not saying that because I'm old. It's an awesome album!)

Best books I read
Non-fiction -- Half the Sky
Fiction -- One Day by David Nicholls

Portlandia

A new sketch comedy show on IFC. It's kind of hit or miss, but there have been some pretty funny skits...




I think this song is funny. I liked "all the hot girls wear glasses" but I don't get the clown school refernce. Oh well.

Here is a picture of me in the 90's wearing my glasses. Would I fit in in Portland?

HIMYM

Okay, this show is so clearly not filmed in NYC, but this episode did get some things right.



So, they say that you are not a true New Yorker unless you have 1) seen Woody Allen, 2) cried on the subway, 3) stolen a taxi from someone, 4) smashed a cockroach with your bare hand.

I'm going to agree with some of those, but really....? No one uses their bare hands to kill a cock roach. That's just gross. And people who hang out on the East side might see Woody Allen, but since I don't, I'm going to say that I can still be a real New Yorker despite not seeing him by being a snob about what neighborhoods I prefer (West side). Plus, I see famous people all the time that no one else even notices, so I'm taking a free pass on that one. I actually stole a cab very recently, but Jill and I really needed it so I can't imagine that the other person needed it more than us. And crying on the subway...? Several times, also very recently.

So, to all my peeps out there.... I would like to hear from you what you think makes you a real New Yorker! I always say the crying one, so Lily took mine, but I want to hear yours! Please post in the comments section.