What's your brain on TV?

Probably something fried. Potatoes, perhaps?

Hmmm... Not feeling the need to post about the kid today - not unless you want to hear about the Smackdown going on in the Shape Sorter: Circle vs. Square (Bring it ON!) or listen to an introspective discourse of the subtleties surrounding transportion: Walking vs. Crawling (Advantage: Crawling, for speed) or Alternative Solutions for Shape Puzzles (Answer: not many). No?

I will say this, when we are playing, I still snicker internally every time I say to Arun, “Look! BLUE ball!”. Also, I am ashamed to admit that I had NO clue as to the actual lyrics for the diddy “Do your ears hang low?”. Seriously, this is a REAL song? And a clean one, no less? I was shocked when I first heard the strains of that song come from one of Arun’s toys because I’d always heard the naughty version. Next, I’ll probably discover that the Diarrhea Song also has clean lyrics. Egads.

So, I finally caught up with my DVR over the weekend. The lovely thing about a dual-tuner DVR is that you can record everything but the downside is obvious. However, even with a dual-tuner I am still having a 7:00pm Thursday Dilemma - Survivor vs. Ugly Betty vs. The Office/My Name is Earl. I think Ugly Betty is probably going to get watched live on our bedroom TV, which YES, wil be hard to do because then I will have to PAY ATTENTION since dialogue spoken is Lost Forever when going DVR Commando..... sniff...... Spoiled much?

Okay, here is my recap of the first few weeks of 2006-2007 Fall Season TV. I am ashamed to admit I watched all of these shows and even more ashamed to admit that this list doesn’t even include other shows I watch such as the likes of the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, Bill Maher and various HGTV shows I am addicted to such as Househunter’s International or What You Get for the Money. Although, am I the only who can't just sit and WATCH? I have to be doing something - knitting, flipping through a magazine, something. Anyway........

SUNDAY
The Wire: Why are people not watching what is repeatedly referred to as “the Best Show on TV. Period”. Because IT IS the best show on TV. This season has blown me away so far. Amazing stuff. Which leads me to...........

The Amazing Race: I really like this season! There are lots of interesting teams this time around and last night, I was a little stressed because the stragglers were all ones that I was rooting for. The team that got eliminated wasn’t one of them, so whew! I have been in the mood for a good season of TAR, because DAMN, the last few were such collassal disappointments. And I’ll say it right now - I really like the Beauty Queens.

Brothers and Sisters: This is a show that was a no-brainer for me to decide on recording because they had me at “Rachel Griffiths”. She could be in an infomercial and I would be spellbound. Ron Rifkin, Sally Field, and Calista Flockhart? Double bonus. The basic premise of the show is that Calista Flockhart is a conservative talk show host thingie and is coming back home to LA. Sally Field is the mother and there is some tension between them. There are several other siblings (including Rachel Griffiths) and the interplay between them feels pretty real, not cheesy, nor contrived. Another storyline is that something fishy is going on in the family company that involves Ron Rifkin. All of this is coming to a head because apparently the father, Tom Skeritt is going to die/did die after a heart attack in last night’s pilot episode. Bonus Question: In which movie did Sally Field and Tom Skeritt also play a couple?


MONDAY
The Class : I really want to like this show but holy CRAP, they made it hard - the characters seemed forced, the jokes obvious and the romantic pairings contrived. I love Jason Ritter and think he has some potential, but perhaps he needs to rethink his agency for this choice. I will give it the usual 4 Episode Minimum, but a lot is going to have to happen for it to not get axed from the DVR.

How I Met Your Mother : Yeehaw! The gang is back! I like how things are going and it should be entertaining to watch Single Marshall pal around with Barney.

Old Christine : I laughed so hard that I was afraid of waking Arun. And there might have been some snorting. Maybe. Anyway, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss was made for this part - if you aren't watching one of the funniest sitcoms in years, WHY NOT? Oh, and her son’s HOT teacher? Great casting. And the 2 snotty mothers? More great casting. I just hope that New Christine isn’t out of the picture for good, because she was a great foil for both Old Christine and Richard.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip : This show is so delicious I want to eat it for dinner. I am new to the genius that is Aaron Sorkin so I was totally blown away by how awesome, compelling and interesting this show is. Rapid fire, witty dialogue? I’m there, baby! This may even qualify for Live Viewing Whilst Recording, the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon a show in this DVR Era that we live in now.


TUESDAY
Smith : I had a hard time getting into this and stopped/started the episode several times. However, the payoff was worth it. I thought it was going to be a formulaic series with a One Caper per Episode format but I was wrong (shocking, but true!) It appears this one caper is going to have reverberating effects over at least the next few episodes if not the entire season, so um, yeah - now I am HOOKED.


WEDNESDAY
Jericho: I liked this show, although it is a bit depressing due to its realistic touch. I am definitely hooked, though and need to know "how, why and where" to all the mysteries presented.


THURSDAY
My Name is Earl: This show is so awesome that even a weak episode like last week’s is STILL worth watching.

The Office: Jim must come back. That’s all I have to say about that.

Survivor: I am half-way through my 4 episode minimum and things better pick up quickly. I haven’t really found anyone to root for, although I do like Yul and I do hate Ozzy. Can they provide enough reason to keep watching?

CSI: Original Recipe: Not really caring for the Grissom/Sarah romance. It just seems wrong. Perhaps, because it IS. Also, Catherine getting attacked last week really bothered me. To the extent that I couldn’t even concentrate on the new case that Grissom was investigating. A new case which is super-creepy.


FRIDAY
Men In Trees: This show hits an odd spot for me. Like, I am hoping it actually gets canceled because then I won’t have to watch it anymore. It’s not a great show, but now I care about the characters and can’t stop watching because I will wonder what I am missing.