Parking Wars is a docu-reality series that may be hidden in the plethora of channels available these days, but it's worth the search. Featuring the cities of Philadelphia (PPA) and Detroit, Parking Wars tells the story of the ticket givers, booters, and the PPA branch where people come to pay their tickets and get their imprisoned cars out.
In Detroit, booters Courtney and Sonjia hit the streets of Detroit in the early morning, which according to them is the prime time to boot cars. Using their high-tech laptop, which scans licenses as they pass cars, they get a hit outside a residential home. And this is where the show goes so right. Out comes conspiracy theorist and daughter-in-law of the car's owner to spout her opinion on this outrageous situation. In her words, "they [Detroit] got a lot of nerve to come over her and boot us over some bad tickets." She goes on to comment that for centuries people have been making up laws because they could, and all we can do is follow them. Wow. Of course the car's owner has to come by and throw cold water on the situation, saying," It's not worth the anger." Party pooper.
But not everyone can be so cool headed. Again in Detroit, there is a very special Parking Violation Officer who goes by the name of Ponytail. And yes it is because he has a glorious ponytail flowing behind him. His ponytail is only slightly outdone by his humbling and humorous manner of dealing with his "fame." In an earlier episode he gave a thirty dollar ticket stating because his signature is on that ticket, it would be worth thirty thousand dollars in a few years. God love him. This episode he is met with citizens who can't read signs. One unfortunate owner gets a No Standing ticket and even though there is a sign clearly in front of where she parked, she remained firm in the belief that she didn’t violate any laws. Also disgusted by the fine, she countered with "maybe I can send it to Obama and get a stimulus plan." Great. Another thing Obama has to fix.
But irate citizens are par for the course. This was the case, when Detroit Parking Officer Robert came upon a commercial trailer that was illegally parked on a residential street (which,by the way, carries a hefty $100 fine). Robert had finished with ticket, when this gem of a man came up and started an endless stream of expletives. Just like a person in a traffic jam who honks his horn to move a line of cars; this tactic didn't solve anything at all. But, Robert dealt with the owner very calmly and eventually he stomped off and promised he would call the county to dispute this unrighteous ticket.
At the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) a lesson was learned. That lesson: don't let other people drive your car. Case in point: A father drove his son's car without a license, got pulled over and subsequently the car was impounded. With a family like this who needs enemies. But the family was quite entertaining, finding humor in the situation ("don't leave you're keys on the dining room table"). At the end, the son got stuck with many charges. Tags: $85. Traffic court: $75. Parking: $5. Three unpaid parking tickets: $237. Spending five hours trying to get your car out of lock-up and realizing you know better than your father: Priceless.
So, have I enticed you into watching this series? I assure you, the confrontations only get better with each episode. Parking Wars truly makes you feel sorry for the ticket givers who are only doing their jobs. Of course, the next time I get a parking ticket, it's totally their fault!
Watch back-to-back episodes of Parking Wars Tuesdays starting at 10 pm on A&E.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Biggest Loser Play by Play
In last night's Biggest Loser, the teams of two became teams of six. Host Alison Sweeney informed the partners that they would now become the Black Team and the Blue Team. But wait, there's more. In keeping with the show's game format, they would have a chance to play a temptation game that would give one of them power to divide up the teams and choose the team trainer. And with this we get the reemergence, or rather continuance of Tracy as the Campus Villain.
Challenges: Every season there are temptation challenges. These can range from money prizes to having power on how the game is played. Last night the temptation was to have power in dividing the teams up. Everyone decided to participate except for one. The temptation game was set up like a wheel of fortune with silver platters. A player could land on a one thousand dollar prize, a delicious but dangerous cut of chocolate cake or the coveted power play ticket. Now, watching the first few contestants get the junk food platters was difficult. I would have gladly eaten those delectable treats for them, until Alison had to go and reveal their calories. One thousand calories for the cake smothered in chocolate icing?! Yikes. Anyway, after the first few people went it was time for Tracy to spin the wheel. If you haven't watched the show before, Tracy has been given the power once before and not only burned bridges, but torched them. So everyone was holding their collective breaths while the wheel is spinning. Is it wrong that I hoped Tracy would get the power play ticket? The drama would be better than a soap opera. Tracy, by the way did get the ticket, much to everyone's chagrin. I really don't understand the contestants this season. Do they not realize they are on a reality show? Tracy's choices in the past may not be popular or even ethical, but at least she's playing the game.
And now the bridges are ashes. Tracy did what every good villain/game player would do. She broke up teammates who had formed a real bond over the past five weeks to suit her own needs. Most notably Liz and Danny and Dina and Rudy.
The second challenge of the night had a prize attached to it. Whoever won would get video messages from their loved ones back home. Game on! I don't know who makes up the challenges, but this person must have some affinity for the Egyptian era. One of the contestants had to lay on a platform, while the remaining four flanked them on either side, carrying the contestant heavy platform across rocky terrain and mud pits. I was sweating just watching it. Through it all, the stronger Blue Team (with no help from Tracy, who was sidelined from a continuing injury) won.
Drama-Rama: This show wouldn't be a ratings juggernaut if not for the drama that takes place outside the challenges. When Tracy separated Liz from partner Danny, she set loose a conniving spirit that would not be quailed lightly. Liz decided that Tracy must go, so she made herself an asset by exercising like a mad woman. Of course, karma doesn't look too kindly on this, as she fell while running on the treadmill. Jillian responded to this by saying, "what happens when a southern woman gets mad?" Liz threw back, "she gets even." Alright then. It's nice to see that the competitive fire has finally been lite under these contestants.
Dina struggled with her own drama,as she faced her greatest threat...a stool. She must jump on it, which doesn't seem like a big deal. Just jump right? Apparently it's not as easy as it looks. So, the stool became a metaphor for believing in yourself, achieving something, and destroying fear.By the end of the show she still hasn't beaten the stool, but she's getting closer.
Weigh-in : It's all a numbers game now. Pounds lost count, but it's the percent of weight loss that really matters. The Blue Team was first: Tracy lost 7lbs (silence from the usually clap enthusiastic crowd), Allen and Rebecca also lost 7lbs each, Rudy dropped 8lbs, and Liz dropped 8lbs. With 2.56 percent of weight loss, the Black Team needed to lose more than 45lbs. First up Abby who lost a respectable 5lbs, Dina and Amanda both lost 6lbs each, Danny lost 10lbs, and Daniel dropped 11lbs. Then there was Shay. She has never had big numbers, but this week she dropped a whopping 16lbs, winning it for the Black Team. It was thrilling to watch the underdogs take the win.
The deliberation process was next. Who from the Blue Team will say goodbye? Okay, so the most logical answer would be to vote of Tracy, right? No one likes any of the decisions she's made, there's too many knifes in backs, etc, etc. But, then Coach Mo fell on the proverbial sword, telling his teammates he's the weaker player and therefore should be voted off. And the other teammates kept to his wishes. He was voted off, but we see in an update that at home he has lost a total of 76lbs! Can't beat a happy outcome.
The Aww moments: Although I said this is a game, there is a heart to this show, and that heart is the generosity that the contestants (save Tracy) show each other. When the Blue Team won the videos from home challenge, Rebecca decided to give Dina (Black Team) her tape. Even when Dina gave back the tape, saying she wants to win it herself, I couldn't help but feel touched at the unselfishness Rebecca showed. And then the waterworks really started flowing when Liz brought Danny down to watch the video with her, but instead it was his family tape. Take a note Tracy: playing the game doesn't always mean you have to be evil.
Biggest Loser airs Tuesday at 8 pm on NBC.
Challenges: Every season there are temptation challenges. These can range from money prizes to having power on how the game is played. Last night the temptation was to have power in dividing the teams up. Everyone decided to participate except for one. The temptation game was set up like a wheel of fortune with silver platters. A player could land on a one thousand dollar prize, a delicious but dangerous cut of chocolate cake or the coveted power play ticket. Now, watching the first few contestants get the junk food platters was difficult. I would have gladly eaten those delectable treats for them, until Alison had to go and reveal their calories. One thousand calories for the cake smothered in chocolate icing?! Yikes. Anyway, after the first few people went it was time for Tracy to spin the wheel. If you haven't watched the show before, Tracy has been given the power once before and not only burned bridges, but torched them. So everyone was holding their collective breaths while the wheel is spinning. Is it wrong that I hoped Tracy would get the power play ticket? The drama would be better than a soap opera. Tracy, by the way did get the ticket, much to everyone's chagrin. I really don't understand the contestants this season. Do they not realize they are on a reality show? Tracy's choices in the past may not be popular or even ethical, but at least she's playing the game.
And now the bridges are ashes. Tracy did what every good villain/game player would do. She broke up teammates who had formed a real bond over the past five weeks to suit her own needs. Most notably Liz and Danny and Dina and Rudy.
The second challenge of the night had a prize attached to it. Whoever won would get video messages from their loved ones back home. Game on! I don't know who makes up the challenges, but this person must have some affinity for the Egyptian era. One of the contestants had to lay on a platform, while the remaining four flanked them on either side, carrying the contestant heavy platform across rocky terrain and mud pits. I was sweating just watching it. Through it all, the stronger Blue Team (with no help from Tracy, who was sidelined from a continuing injury) won.
Drama-Rama: This show wouldn't be a ratings juggernaut if not for the drama that takes place outside the challenges. When Tracy separated Liz from partner Danny, she set loose a conniving spirit that would not be quailed lightly. Liz decided that Tracy must go, so she made herself an asset by exercising like a mad woman. Of course, karma doesn't look too kindly on this, as she fell while running on the treadmill. Jillian responded to this by saying, "what happens when a southern woman gets mad?" Liz threw back, "she gets even." Alright then. It's nice to see that the competitive fire has finally been lite under these contestants.
Dina struggled with her own drama,as she faced her greatest threat...a stool. She must jump on it, which doesn't seem like a big deal. Just jump right? Apparently it's not as easy as it looks. So, the stool became a metaphor for believing in yourself, achieving something, and destroying fear.By the end of the show she still hasn't beaten the stool, but she's getting closer.
Weigh-in : It's all a numbers game now. Pounds lost count, but it's the percent of weight loss that really matters. The Blue Team was first: Tracy lost 7lbs (silence from the usually clap enthusiastic crowd), Allen and Rebecca also lost 7lbs each, Rudy dropped 8lbs, and Liz dropped 8lbs. With 2.56 percent of weight loss, the Black Team needed to lose more than 45lbs. First up Abby who lost a respectable 5lbs, Dina and Amanda both lost 6lbs each, Danny lost 10lbs, and Daniel dropped 11lbs. Then there was Shay. She has never had big numbers, but this week she dropped a whopping 16lbs, winning it for the Black Team. It was thrilling to watch the underdogs take the win.
The deliberation process was next. Who from the Blue Team will say goodbye? Okay, so the most logical answer would be to vote of Tracy, right? No one likes any of the decisions she's made, there's too many knifes in backs, etc, etc. But, then Coach Mo fell on the proverbial sword, telling his teammates he's the weaker player and therefore should be voted off. And the other teammates kept to his wishes. He was voted off, but we see in an update that at home he has lost a total of 76lbs! Can't beat a happy outcome.
The Aww moments: Although I said this is a game, there is a heart to this show, and that heart is the generosity that the contestants (save Tracy) show each other. When the Blue Team won the videos from home challenge, Rebecca decided to give Dina (Black Team) her tape. Even when Dina gave back the tape, saying she wants to win it herself, I couldn't help but feel touched at the unselfishness Rebecca showed. And then the waterworks really started flowing when Liz brought Danny down to watch the video with her, but instead it was his family tape. Take a note Tracy: playing the game doesn't always mean you have to be evil.
Biggest Loser airs Tuesday at 8 pm on NBC.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Lauren Graham Returns to Television!
Made official last week, Lauren Graham is returning to television in the NBC series, Parenthood. The role was previously held by Maura Tierney, but she had to drop out due to ongoing breast cancer treatment.
Lauren Graham is most known as fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore on the WB/CW series Gilmore Girls, a role that made her a household name. This time around, Graham will be playing single mother,Sarah Braverman, who has a less than impressive ex-husband, and two children who are not thriving in their current environment. Strapped for any real solutions to her problems, Sarah travels back home moving in with her parents at the age of thirty-eight.
Parenthood is a series inspired by the movie of the same name. Ron Howard, who directed the original movie and Brian Grazer, who produced it, are serving as executive producers on the t.v series adaptation. The ensemble cast includes Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Erika Christensen, and Peter Krause.
The only reason I was interested in this series was because I have such fond memories of it as a kid (of course I had no idea the object I thought was a candle was really a vibrator and the whole kid shooting from a clock tower went way over my head). But now I have even more reason to add this show on my Tivo season pass with the hiring of Lauren Graham. I'm sure fans of Lorelai Gilmore will definitely tune into this midseason show.
Lauren Graham is most known as fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore on the WB/CW series Gilmore Girls, a role that made her a household name. This time around, Graham will be playing single mother,Sarah Braverman, who has a less than impressive ex-husband, and two children who are not thriving in their current environment. Strapped for any real solutions to her problems, Sarah travels back home moving in with her parents at the age of thirty-eight.
Parenthood is a series inspired by the movie of the same name. Ron Howard, who directed the original movie and Brian Grazer, who produced it, are serving as executive producers on the t.v series adaptation. The ensemble cast includes Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Erika Christensen, and Peter Krause.
The only reason I was interested in this series was because I have such fond memories of it as a kid (of course I had no idea the object I thought was a candle was really a vibrator and the whole kid shooting from a clock tower went way over my head). But now I have even more reason to add this show on my Tivo season pass with the hiring of Lauren Graham. I'm sure fans of Lorelai Gilmore will definitely tune into this midseason show.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Glee: A show even non-musical people can get behind
In past posts, I've made my love of Glee well known. But this week's episode was truly amazing. I found myself in the beginning actually slapping my knee at the remarks Sue Sylvester (cheerleading coach extraordinaire) made throughout the entire show, especially when witnessing Will and Emma's lunch break conversation ("I'm trying desperately to ignore the treacly sweet inanity of your asinine conversation, but I've got bile in my mouth and will hold my tongue no longer"). Jane Lynch better be up on the Emmy award announcement screen next year, or I will cry foul.
This week Sue's schemes to bring down the Glee club were taking to a new level, as she switched tactics. Instead of bringing the club down from the inside, she would take down the man himself. Noticing the connection between Emma and Will, she heads over to Will's apartment and informs Will's wife Terri of her observation. The plan is this: get Terri a job as school nurse so that she can keep an eye out on her husband, resulting in a awkward situation for all parties involved. Here we get to see Terri in her true desperation, and it was glorious. Now, I'm not exactly a Terri fan (team Emma all the way!) but to see her playing into Sue's plans, unaware of the puppet strings, couldn’t help but feel a tad sorry for her. But that all ended when her misguided suggestion of giving the kids pseudoephedrine was reveled (more on that later).
Let's face it, nobody likes a homewrecker. But obsessive compulsive Emma is so lovable compared to desperate and self-centered Terri (who's pretending to be pregnant and taking Quinn's baby to claim as her own); it's hard not to pick Emma. And let me tell you, the sexual tension between Will and Emma was in great form last night. In the teachers' lounge, as Will is trying to figure out how to get the kids motivated, Emma discovers Will has mustard on his "cute Kirk Douglas chin dimple." Prompted by Will, she takes her plastic lunch lady gloved hand and wipes the mustard away. So cute! Their unrequited love takes a turn when Terri convinces Ken, Emma's boyfriend (and I say that in the loosest meaning of the word), to propose to her. In the end Emma accepts his proposal, which is so sad. I really wish she would stop being so soft-spoken and stand up for herself. Take charge, girl!
The glee kids are in an epic battle of the sexes singing competition this episode. They had to create a mash-up of songs and the winner got to pick the song for sectionals. The boys performed an excellent version of Bon Jovi's "It's my life" and Ushers "My Confession," while the girls sang Beyonce's "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine." Both great performances, but unfortunately they were enhanced by Terri's vitamin regiment. These "vitamins" were actually the aforementioned pseudoephedrine pills that Terri thought were safe because their "over the counter...right next to the candy." Oh,Lord. Anyway, in the end the principal finds out and Will's leadership is called into question. Will must now have a co-chair and I bet you can't guess who it is. Well, if you guessed Sue Sylvester, you get a gold star!
If this episode is any indication of what the rest of the series will be, I'm all in. It's refreshing to see such talented writers and actors on network television.
Just because I love Sue's isms so much here are other gems:
Commenting on motivating children, "they need to be terrified. It's like mother's milk to them."
And, writing in her journal about her morning, she states, "tried to make a smoothie out of beef bones, breaking my blender."
This week Sue's schemes to bring down the Glee club were taking to a new level, as she switched tactics. Instead of bringing the club down from the inside, she would take down the man himself. Noticing the connection between Emma and Will, she heads over to Will's apartment and informs Will's wife Terri of her observation. The plan is this: get Terri a job as school nurse so that she can keep an eye out on her husband, resulting in a awkward situation for all parties involved. Here we get to see Terri in her true desperation, and it was glorious. Now, I'm not exactly a Terri fan (team Emma all the way!) but to see her playing into Sue's plans, unaware of the puppet strings, couldn’t help but feel a tad sorry for her. But that all ended when her misguided suggestion of giving the kids pseudoephedrine was reveled (more on that later).
Let's face it, nobody likes a homewrecker. But obsessive compulsive Emma is so lovable compared to desperate and self-centered Terri (who's pretending to be pregnant and taking Quinn's baby to claim as her own); it's hard not to pick Emma. And let me tell you, the sexual tension between Will and Emma was in great form last night. In the teachers' lounge, as Will is trying to figure out how to get the kids motivated, Emma discovers Will has mustard on his "cute Kirk Douglas chin dimple." Prompted by Will, she takes her plastic lunch lady gloved hand and wipes the mustard away. So cute! Their unrequited love takes a turn when Terri convinces Ken, Emma's boyfriend (and I say that in the loosest meaning of the word), to propose to her. In the end Emma accepts his proposal, which is so sad. I really wish she would stop being so soft-spoken and stand up for herself. Take charge, girl!
The glee kids are in an epic battle of the sexes singing competition this episode. They had to create a mash-up of songs and the winner got to pick the song for sectionals. The boys performed an excellent version of Bon Jovi's "It's my life" and Ushers "My Confession," while the girls sang Beyonce's "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine." Both great performances, but unfortunately they were enhanced by Terri's vitamin regiment. These "vitamins" were actually the aforementioned pseudoephedrine pills that Terri thought were safe because their "over the counter...right next to the candy." Oh,Lord. Anyway, in the end the principal finds out and Will's leadership is called into question. Will must now have a co-chair and I bet you can't guess who it is. Well, if you guessed Sue Sylvester, you get a gold star!
If this episode is any indication of what the rest of the series will be, I'm all in. It's refreshing to see such talented writers and actors on network television.
Just because I love Sue's isms so much here are other gems:
Commenting on motivating children, "they need to be terrified. It's like mother's milk to them."
And, writing in her journal about her morning, she states, "tried to make a smoothie out of beef bones, breaking my blender."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Fall Season Reviewed
Now that most of the new shows have premiered, it's time for a progress report. Last month I picked the top five new series that I felt were worth your time, now I'll tell you if I was wrong or not...
Flash Forward: Let's face it; this show was almost a shoe-in. It has so many things going for it; most notably it has a great cast. Joseph Fiennes, a theater and movie star, seems as though the small screen is where he should have been all along. If you haven't seen the show yet, the premise is basically this: For two minutes and seventeen seconds, everyone in the world blackout. During these blackouts, most people saw six months into their future. Joseph Fiennes, plays Mark Benford, an agent who leads a team in what their calling the Mosaic project. Their basically trying to compile what everyone saw during the blackout in order to figure out why this event happened. It's a show that has been likened to Lost, in that it's a serial show and not a procedural. Bottomline: I was right! It garnered 12 million viewers the first week out, and the second episode only fell to 10 million. Also it is doing very well in the much sought after 18-49 demo.
Glee: An off-beat comedy about a high school glee club was a chancy call for Fox, especially since predecessor Arrested Development didn't far very well in the long run, but Fox has taken a giant leap and renewed Glee for a full season! The great musical numbers, nearly all revamps of classic modern songs, is surely a big reason this show has seen such great numbers. Last week(9/30) it picked up 7.32 million viewers. And according to tvbythenumbers.com, its 18-49 demo went up a couple notches, also. Bottomline: This is a series that I hope will be much loved for many seasons to come. Also, they will be coming out with a soundtrack of all the musical numbers performed on the show, sometime next year I'm guessing. Can't wait!
Modern Family: This is definitely a comedy for people who love the Office and even Parks and Recreations. It's a mockumentry, that follows three families who are dealing with daily struggles and what being a modern parent is. I didn't really love this show. It's very clever, but sometimes that doesn't always translate to tons of laughs. I like to laugh out loud, that's why I love the show that follows it, Cougartown. It's about a woman (Courtney Cox-Arquette) who gets divorce and has to go through the dating scene all over again. Bottomline: Modern Family is definitely not going away. It has 9.9 million viewers following it and it's one that I'm positive will be on the awards docket next year.
Lie to me/ Dollhouse: These two shows were midseason replacements last year, but with only half a season shown, I thought that they should have some consideration in this new fall season. Lie to me is still a great drama about a man who is a human lie detector and unorthodox to boot. It's sort of like House, but he's not quite the misanthrope House is. And it's getting okay numbers. Its audience actually grew from last weeks numbers (7.7 million) to 8.12 million viewers. Dollhouse on the other hand is doing terrible in the numbers. It had only 2.1 million viewers last week(10/2). Compare that with a show in the same time slot, like Medium, which garnered 7.7 million viewers, and it doesn't look to good for the Joss Whedon helmed series. Bottomline: Lie to me's future looks promising, while Dollhouse looks like a goner. It's unfortunate and I can't put my finger on why it's doing so poorly.
Eastwick: There's nothing so decadent like a good guilty pleasure. Eastwick provides viewers with an escape from reality they sorely need these days. Viewers get an hour to put aside their troubles and just enjoy a primetime soap opera. The series features Rebecca Romaijn, Lindsey Price and Jamie Ray Newman, as three different women who discover magical talents, friendship and along the way unexpected danger. Even in the rough 10 O'clock spot, it seems to be keeping up good numbers. Of course it's only up against CSI: NY and Jay Leno. Last week (9/30) it had 6.62 million viewers, which doesn't seem like great numbers compared to CSI:NY's 12 million, but it doesn't have the CSI franchise backing it either. Bottomline: I'm glad I put this on my top five list, because it's turning out to be a really fun show to watch. Its lasting power is still up to the powers that be, but I hope it stays around for awhile.
Flash Forward: Let's face it; this show was almost a shoe-in. It has so many things going for it; most notably it has a great cast. Joseph Fiennes, a theater and movie star, seems as though the small screen is where he should have been all along. If you haven't seen the show yet, the premise is basically this: For two minutes and seventeen seconds, everyone in the world blackout. During these blackouts, most people saw six months into their future. Joseph Fiennes, plays Mark Benford, an agent who leads a team in what their calling the Mosaic project. Their basically trying to compile what everyone saw during the blackout in order to figure out why this event happened. It's a show that has been likened to Lost, in that it's a serial show and not a procedural. Bottomline: I was right! It garnered 12 million viewers the first week out, and the second episode only fell to 10 million. Also it is doing very well in the much sought after 18-49 demo.
Glee: An off-beat comedy about a high school glee club was a chancy call for Fox, especially since predecessor Arrested Development didn't far very well in the long run, but Fox has taken a giant leap and renewed Glee for a full season! The great musical numbers, nearly all revamps of classic modern songs, is surely a big reason this show has seen such great numbers. Last week(9/30) it picked up 7.32 million viewers. And according to tvbythenumbers.com, its 18-49 demo went up a couple notches, also. Bottomline: This is a series that I hope will be much loved for many seasons to come. Also, they will be coming out with a soundtrack of all the musical numbers performed on the show, sometime next year I'm guessing. Can't wait!
Modern Family: This is definitely a comedy for people who love the Office and even Parks and Recreations. It's a mockumentry, that follows three families who are dealing with daily struggles and what being a modern parent is. I didn't really love this show. It's very clever, but sometimes that doesn't always translate to tons of laughs. I like to laugh out loud, that's why I love the show that follows it, Cougartown. It's about a woman (Courtney Cox-Arquette) who gets divorce and has to go through the dating scene all over again. Bottomline: Modern Family is definitely not going away. It has 9.9 million viewers following it and it's one that I'm positive will be on the awards docket next year.
Lie to me/ Dollhouse: These two shows were midseason replacements last year, but with only half a season shown, I thought that they should have some consideration in this new fall season. Lie to me is still a great drama about a man who is a human lie detector and unorthodox to boot. It's sort of like House, but he's not quite the misanthrope House is. And it's getting okay numbers. Its audience actually grew from last weeks numbers (7.7 million) to 8.12 million viewers. Dollhouse on the other hand is doing terrible in the numbers. It had only 2.1 million viewers last week(10/2). Compare that with a show in the same time slot, like Medium, which garnered 7.7 million viewers, and it doesn't look to good for the Joss Whedon helmed series. Bottomline: Lie to me's future looks promising, while Dollhouse looks like a goner. It's unfortunate and I can't put my finger on why it's doing so poorly.
Eastwick: There's nothing so decadent like a good guilty pleasure. Eastwick provides viewers with an escape from reality they sorely need these days. Viewers get an hour to put aside their troubles and just enjoy a primetime soap opera. The series features Rebecca Romaijn, Lindsey Price and Jamie Ray Newman, as three different women who discover magical talents, friendship and along the way unexpected danger. Even in the rough 10 O'clock spot, it seems to be keeping up good numbers. Of course it's only up against CSI: NY and Jay Leno. Last week (9/30) it had 6.62 million viewers, which doesn't seem like great numbers compared to CSI:NY's 12 million, but it doesn't have the CSI franchise backing it either. Bottomline: I'm glad I put this on my top five list, because it's turning out to be a really fun show to watch. Its lasting power is still up to the powers that be, but I hope it stays around for awhile.
Monday, October 5, 2009
"Drop Dead Diva" in a Flash
Last night's episode of Drop Dead Diva was all about moving on and accepting that people change and that you yourself can change. The love triangle(square if you count new love interest Travis) of Kim, Grayson, and Jane changes structure and we get a little of the Deb Jane used to be with her new case.
A great television episode will always parallel the main characters drama with the cases they are handling. You see this in Grey's Anatomy, House, and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This week Diva paralleled Grayson's inability to move on from Deb with his pro-bono case. He's representing an older woman, whose house is about to be destroyed by a major corporation. Not wanting to part with the house that she shared with her soul mate, she has Grayson, and eventually Kim (who only joins the case to log some pro-bono hours in order to become partner) do anything to stop the razing of her beloved house. The parallel represented here is Grayson's reluctance to allow Kim to sleep-over at the home that he and Deb shared once. There's a sentimentality to the memories he shared with his soul mate that interferes with him moving on. Although this show can be a little silly at times, with this story we get to see the heart of the series, which is where to we go when everything we know changes? How do we move on and become another version of ourselves, one separate from our lost loves? In the end, Kim decides that Grayson isn't ready to move on,and their love comes to an end.
Of course, the show couldn't be all serious. At the end, it's reveled that the older woman doesn't want them to destroy her house, not because of sentimentality, but because she offed her husband twenty years back and buried him under the floor boards. But, she had a good reason;he was just getting on her nerves. We've all felt that way...right?
Continuing the comedy, Jane gets a case defending her idol, model Christie Talbot, who is charged with killing her millionaire husband. Here's another case where Jane's past as Deb gives her insight into a client. It's a credit to the show's writers;how well they have combined both Jane's new lawyer speak with Deb's personality. When she tells the prosecutor, "you're just harassing her because she's fabulous," Deb's personality shines through in the most wonderfully way.
We get another example of how fabulously silly this show can be, when Jane solves the case with a lipstick being the smoking gun. The model's deceased husband was sporting a lipstick kiss on his neck, but the lipstick didn't match up with what Christie would ever wear. A fashion don't that leads to being acquitted of all charges.
What's most enjoyable about this show is that it doesn't take its self too seriously. But don't misunderstand, underneath this guilty pleasure is a wonderfully written show about new beginnings.
Next week it's Drop Dead Diva's season finale. In the previews, Jane and Grayson share a kiss and Paula Abdul returns as a judge. Now, last time Jane and Grayson kissed it was in a dream, so I can't help but wondered if this kiss is also a fantasy.
A great television episode will always parallel the main characters drama with the cases they are handling. You see this in Grey's Anatomy, House, and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This week Diva paralleled Grayson's inability to move on from Deb with his pro-bono case. He's representing an older woman, whose house is about to be destroyed by a major corporation. Not wanting to part with the house that she shared with her soul mate, she has Grayson, and eventually Kim (who only joins the case to log some pro-bono hours in order to become partner) do anything to stop the razing of her beloved house. The parallel represented here is Grayson's reluctance to allow Kim to sleep-over at the home that he and Deb shared once. There's a sentimentality to the memories he shared with his soul mate that interferes with him moving on. Although this show can be a little silly at times, with this story we get to see the heart of the series, which is where to we go when everything we know changes? How do we move on and become another version of ourselves, one separate from our lost loves? In the end, Kim decides that Grayson isn't ready to move on,and their love comes to an end.
Of course, the show couldn't be all serious. At the end, it's reveled that the older woman doesn't want them to destroy her house, not because of sentimentality, but because she offed her husband twenty years back and buried him under the floor boards. But, she had a good reason;he was just getting on her nerves. We've all felt that way...right?
Continuing the comedy, Jane gets a case defending her idol, model Christie Talbot, who is charged with killing her millionaire husband. Here's another case where Jane's past as Deb gives her insight into a client. It's a credit to the show's writers;how well they have combined both Jane's new lawyer speak with Deb's personality. When she tells the prosecutor, "you're just harassing her because she's fabulous," Deb's personality shines through in the most wonderfully way.
We get another example of how fabulously silly this show can be, when Jane solves the case with a lipstick being the smoking gun. The model's deceased husband was sporting a lipstick kiss on his neck, but the lipstick didn't match up with what Christie would ever wear. A fashion don't that leads to being acquitted of all charges.
What's most enjoyable about this show is that it doesn't take its self too seriously. But don't misunderstand, underneath this guilty pleasure is a wonderfully written show about new beginnings.
Next week it's Drop Dead Diva's season finale. In the previews, Jane and Grayson share a kiss and Paula Abdul returns as a judge. Now, last time Jane and Grayson kissed it was in a dream, so I can't help but wondered if this kiss is also a fantasy.
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