Whine & Cheese

Customer "Service"

Just some random "pet peeve" bitching for today...

Over the weekend I attended the last AZ Diamondbacks game of the season. We have season tickets and with that have certainly had plenty of experiences sharing our "air space" with obnoxious fans of the opposing team. But on Sunday, a particular St. Louis Cardinals fan just pretty much threw me over the edge. His constant supportive yells or disses/jeers had me continually jumping out of my seat. I don't think I could possibly raise my voice to those levels even if I was trapped in a room with Bill O'Reilly *AND* Ann Coulter. One time, I even felt a "whoosh" of fist pump air breeze past the little hair I am still fortunate to have on my head.

I know that I am asking WAY too much for people to actually be polite/respectful at a sporting event. The guy had the right to cheer on his team as much as anyone else in the ballpark. But did he have the right to make everyone around him miserable? But then again, maybe it was just over-sensitive me. I seemed to be fairly alone in sending off my own negative non-verbal volleys -- so maybe I just need to bring an extra dose of patience or buy a beer (or two) next season.
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Kudos to my most recent dental hygienist. She was able to use both her hands during my latest cleaning! For about a year's time, I seemed to have hygienists who would leave the suction tube dangling from the side of my mouth for what seemed like hours. I know it is difficult to efficiently work with two hands (I certainly could not do it), but I really hope that this would be a skill that is looked highly up in dental school.
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What do you think is the primary reason someone walks into a Super Cuts hair place? Yesterday, I walked in and was eventually asked "Can I help you?" I responded with the hopefully the standard reply "I'd like to get a haircut." This was greeted with a somewhat blank stare... as if I asked the poor girl that I wanted her to rotate my tires. We eventually settled that I just wanted your basic/no-frills 8.5-minute chop and began what was a thankfully chit-chat-free quickie cut.

Thursday Night TV

Not all that much to say from last night's television - watched Friends and Will & Grace on TiVo delay, and Survivor [gasp!] live (for you TiVo owners, you understand the sacrifice!).

Simply put, NBC's Thursday line-up is no longer "must see TV" -- for most folks I think it is purely habit/brainwashing at this point. The super-sized (read: please don't switch to CBS) season premieres of both shows were "eeeh" ... a few good laughs from the usual suspects (Phoebe & Karen) but pretty much the same old stuff. On a side note, if W&G are going to put Debra Messing in a plunging top, there should have been at least one good boob (or lack thereof) joke. Coupling is still on the "to be watched" list, but I am really prepared to be disappointed by that one.

I know that I am going against the majority here, but not quite feeling the Rupert "love" on Survivor. When he was snapping tree trunks with his bare hands over the loss of the fishing spear, I truly became a little frightened about him mentally snapping. While not near the Norman Bates quality of The Amazon's Matthew, I don't know about his ability to really hold it together. I do not even want to imagine what will happen if the Morgan tribe ever "pirates" that spear away... granted this may be a long shot since Morgan may yet be the sorriest Survivor tribe ever. Osten... give me a break? I wish my body was breaking down like that... since one of his biceps probably weighs more than my entire body.

The Big Brother 4 finale

The Big Brother 4 finale last night was quite a drag. It had to be the least "fun" conclusion to a reality series that I have ever seen. There was plenty of tension in the air, but none of it had to do with the outcome (Jun's landslide "victory" over Alison). A few changes in BB this season are to blame. Taking a page out of the Survivor book, this year BB sequestered the 7-member jury and forced them to vote based only on their own experiences with the final 2 (or the influence of what other jury members may have told them). Of course, the jury took their typical "holier than thou" attitude during the grilling of Jun and Alison - taking them to task for many of the same things they did over and over again while in the house. After voting for a winner, the producers allowed them to watch all 3 months worth of name-calling and back-stabbing and then threw them all in the same room within a 24-hour period. But to call the atmosphere for the finale verrrrry uncomfortable is a serious understatement. Unlike the Survivor contestants who have months to "get over it" there was still many an exposed nerve in Big Brother-land last night. There were no congratulations exchanged between the jury and the final 2, no smiles or shrieks of happiness from the winner... just a lot of glares and silence...and pretty uncomfortable to watch. The producers of BB tend to tinker with the format quite a bit from year to year, so it will be interesting to see if they come up with something new to avoid this kind of "wet blanket" finish for the already green-lighted BB5.
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Kudos to The West Wing for coming up with a season premiere that was worthy of a show that won Best Drama Emmy over the weekend (though I agree with the critical mass that last season was not quite up to par). It was a episode fraught with heavy drama and too many earth-shaking plotlines to list. While his trademark snappy dialogue was absent, given the subject matter any kind of Sorkin banter would have been out-of-place in this first episode. But overall I think it was a pretty smooth "artistic" transition after the well-publicized behind-the-scenes departures. (Though still wondering about what is really going on with the principals... i.e. Martin Sheen MIA during the Best Drama Actor roll-call but magically waltzing down the aisle when Sorkin picked up the Best Drama Emmy statuette).

Las Vegas

Thanks to the wonders of TiVo (have you purchased one yet?), just caught the Monday night premiere of NBC's Las Vegas.    The show was a fast-paced hour of pure fluff -- though with character names like Nessa, Delinda and Jillian I should have known that this was not going to be a casino "drama" of the West Wing or CSI ilk.    At this point, I give it a 50-50 chance of survival at best considering its competition -- Monday Night Football and Raymond and, come October, Fox's Skin, which is generating some decent buzz.

It is a fun show, but I am not sure if that is good enough.    It is certainly not a realistic/believable view of the lives behind the omnipresent casino security cameras.    Not sure why James Caan signed up for this one (easy paycheck, movie work drying up?) and Cheryl Ladd (playing Caan's wife) looked pretty darn old... hopefully it was just "aging" make-up (though heck, maybe it is just my own denial that Charlie's Angels aired over 25 years ago).    So the verdict is ... Las Vegas will stay on my season pass list as a purely mindless break.
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Speaking of Las Vegas, if you want some real drama just book try booking a room in one of the major hotels.    Not unlike airline tickets, the price of rooms in LV apparently change by the minute.   Since I regularly lose money (the exception being a stunning $700 win on a multi-line video poker nickel machine) and have a player's card at Harrah's Ak-Chin Indian Casino here in AZ, I decided to book a 3-night weekend stay at the Harrah's-owned  Rio in Vegas.    With my card, I received a "preferred" rate of $425 for the 3 nights (approximately a $125 savings). 

This week, I got an offer in the mail for 2 free nights at the LV Harrah's properties for Sun-Thurs nights.   Since my trip included a Sunday night, I figured it was worth a call to see if I could finagle a free night.    "It's a lucky day here at Harrah's" my customer service rep informed me.    I explained my situation and the free Sunday night quickly became a reality.   Then without any nudging from me, she said the room rates had dropped since my original booking!    My new total (including the free night) was $180... that's right $245 less than my rate I had booked less than a month ago!    With disbelief I returned her cheerfulness by thanking her and hanging up the phone.    Perhaps it was my lucky day, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Harrah's/Rio will still do fine when all is said and done.

Survivor & Carnivale

Guess it is time to add my two cents about Survivor: Pearl Islands. Not bad so far, I have to hand it to the producers for continuing to "shake up" the game. The "(wo)man overboard" start and forcing the contestants to buy/barter for supplies was pretty inspired. Other than that I do not really have any major thoughts. As with the opening stages of most reality shows, there are just too many people floating about to begin forming any real opinions. It does amaze me that even after six previous shows the amount of tactical errors already being made by some folks.

Just a couple of questions... what ever happened to the shoes that Rupert "pirated" from the other tribe? While the incident was quite a hoot, we never got the payoff scene of the Morgan tribe discovering that their footwear was MIA. Also, do not totally get the whole Three Musketeer-ism ("all for one, one for all") with the Morgan men dropping trou. Heck, it's Osten's problem if he is wearing shorts w/out a waistband ... and this was not exactly a friendly game of naked volleyball! But ala The Amazon's Jenna and Skeletor Heidi, gratituitous nudity or any "blurred out" activity is certainly the dream scenario for the producer of any reality show.
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Think I have my first "victim" of the fall TV schedule. While it appears to be a well-done show, HBO's Carnivale will probably be coming off my TiVo Season Pass list. With the supply of TV programming far outweighing the demand at the moment, I think I am going to be pretty picky with any new show. So even though I do not mind the challenge of a Twin Peaks-ish type of show, I just do not feel like I have the mindset to "figure it all out" with Carnivale. Episode 2 is still lurking in my "Now Playing" list, so we will see if I get to it.

Emmy Recap

Just a few thoughts on last night's Emmy Awards. I don't know why I really expect these awards shows to really go like I think they should, they never do. Disappointed to see one of my favorites, Six Feet Under get shut out despite receiving the most nominations.

Glad to see Debra Messing and Raymond end their winless streaks. Messing, who appeared genuinely surprised by her win, was the last of the W&G cast to take home a statue and while Raymond (which I really do not watch) finally took home the "big one" after seemingly winning everything else in the past few years.

That said -- big yawn over the usual Raymond suspects taking home the supporting Emmys. I guess the omnipresent Brad Garrett did not lose any points with his peers over his recent salary negotiations. I thought Peter Boyle might slip in and be the last Raymond cast member to have a trophy on the shelf. And while, Doris Roberts is deserving I was still pulling for Cynthia Nixon -- Miranda on Sex and the City is definitely one of the least "one-note" supporting players out there.

Predictable drama acting sweeps for The Sopranos (Gandolfini, Falco, and Joey Pants) leading of course to The West wing taking home Best Drama. I am a fan of both shows, but I think even the WW cast/crew knew this was not their finest season. With the exception of Sex taking home Best Comedy in 2001, I still think the Emmys prefer to reward acting over "the show" for cable series.

Finally, the happiest moment for me from last night's telecast -- The Amazing Race taking out behemoths Survivor and American Idol for Best Reality Series! With AR5 just recently green-lighted, let's hope that this critically-praised but ratings-challenged globetrotter gets the attention it deserves from both CBS and the viewing public in its next go-round.

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Oh one more non-Emmy note. Did Oprah Winfrey become a member of P-FLAG or something over the summer? In the first week of her new season, she has had shows with Madonna, her cute gay (and if not, seriously "metrosexual") designer guy Nate Berkus, and today she jumps on The Fab Five bandwagon.

Hurricane Alley

With coverage of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Isabel sort of winding down, I just have one question. Does taping up windows really help?? During the "battening down" segments on the news, you inevitably see shots of people taping big X's across their windows. Is there some magical quality to duct/masking tape that I do not know about? Will the tape's super-power strength prevent an assault from a tree limb, random mailbox, metal "hurricane evacuation" sign? Or is there some other step that occurs after the X is taped that never makes the cut on the news?

[Side questions: Are the routes to escape a hurricane tricky? Why do there need to be special signs? Isn't it just like: "Get away from the ocean...NOW!"]

I only ask since for most of my life I have lived in places relatively free of natural disasters. Here in Phoenix the only thing I really have to worry about is instantly bursting into flame upon walking out the door say every June or July afternoon.

Addicted to the Tube (And TiVo)

Okay, time to fess up to the true depths of my TV addiction. Thanks to the
recent addition of a TiVo, things have only become worse. If TV is nicotine, Tivo turns it into crack. Something will *have* to give on this lengthy list, which only includes shows on the major networks.

NEW SHOWS:
The Lyon's Den - Though he overstayed his welcome on The West Wing, I will give this Rob Lowe lawyer-drama-thriller ala Grisham a chance.
Las Vegas - Love all things Sin City, so maybe this will allow me to quench my thirst for an actual visit (probably not, already counting the days to my next trip up there in November)
Karen Sisco - Recently added to the list after reading good buzz...
Coupling - Just started catching the BBC version and it has been a bloody hoot, though I have reservations about an Americanized version.
Hope & Faith - Looks silly, silly, silly...but love Kelly Ripa.
Miss Match - Not on my initial list. Not a huge Alicia Silverstone fan and it definitely reeks "chick" show, but then again it is a Darren Star production (Sex and the City and Melrose Place).
Arrested Development - This Fox sitcom was totally off my radar, but have heard over and over again that it is the best new comedy of the season...though in the very next breath they say it probably won't be around too long.

RETURNING FAVORITES:
24 - Just started watching this in Season 2, but was definitely hooked. Preposterous plot twists and stilted acting aside, it is the best roller-coaster ride on TV.
The West Wing - The best thing I like about this drama is its humor. Will be interesting to see what happens this season w/ the exit of both Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme (say that 3 times and not smile!). And heck, I think I subconsciously named my dog Toby after one of the characters on the show.
Survivor - Will initially hate it and then be hopelessly hooked by the middle of the season ... that's the pattern.
Friends - More habit than anything else, but kind of "over" it. Worth a good chuckle or two, but a definitely candidate for Might-See TV.
Scrubs - Now this IS the best comedy on TV today (Where are the Emmy nominations?? Hello, hello?!). Goofy, wildly sarcastic, and totally out there. Love it! Am really surprised NBC gave it the cushiest time-slot of the week since it really is not your typical sitcom. But NBC please keep this show on Thursdays -- this show is no where near the cr*p of other shows you have put on Thursday night (Yes, Good Morning Miami I am looking at you).
Will & Grace - Habit again. This show is no where near as good as it used to be. Still the true sparks of the show, Jack and Karen, are still worth a belly laugh. Latest news is that Will's newest love (yawn!) interest will be played by Dylan "Don't call me Dermot Mulroney" McDermott .

I Can See Clearly Now

For the first time in, well I really don't how long... I woke up and was able to see! No, I did not have LASIK surgery but decided to give Night and Day Contact Lenses a try. The whole idea of keeping contacts in overnight never appealed to me. But, at this point, I figured these types of contacts have been around long enough that they must not cause blindness or other such maladies so why not give them a try. I have to admit it was pretty difficult falling asleep last night. I have certainly fallen asleep with my lenses in, but that has either been a total accident or a nap that started out as "I'll just lay down for a couple of minutes" but turned into a couple of hours. The fact that I was consciously going to sleep with lenses in my eyes was just plain freaky.

So, this morning I woke up ... could see pretty well but still was troubled by mildly dried-out lenses (though not nearly as bad as daily wears). I popped some saline in my eyes and things have been pretty good this morning. So the jury is still out a bit, if I have to "wet" them every morning I really don't see the point. Having somewhat perfect vision between 11pm-6am is just not important to me.

Speaking of the split decisions, I caught the first episode of the new HBO series K Street last night. Really don't know what to think about. I found the mix of real life personalities and actors involved in staged and true (?) events to be really distracting. But perhaps this "blur" is what the show is really all about. I still think it would be a more effective if it was either a 100% reality/documentary show following the inherently watchable and entertaining political power couple of James Carville and Mary Matalin -- or a 100% fiction series exploring behind-the-scenes Washington DC. Is it really a good idea for real life politicians to be involved with this show? And more interestingly, why would they want to? Is it really smart for a presidential hopeful prepping for a debate with 2 Democratic gurus (Carville and Paul Begala) and a paid actor? I will keep watching for now. Remember this is not TV -- it's HBO.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog... whether I will have anything really new to add to the masses I really do not know -- but that's the point right?! To get an idea of who I am.. here are some of my "favorite things":

TiVo, HBO Sunday Night (Six Feet Under, Sex in the City, Sopranos), Tyler Florence & Rachael Ray (from the Food Channel). AZ Diamondbacks, dogs & cats (have a pair of each), Some Reality TV (Amazing Race, American Idol, Big Brother, Survivor), Tennis (Watching it), Scrubs on NBC, The Dixie Chicks, Vern Yip & Genevieve Gorder (from Trading Spaces), Spicy Mexican food, Democrats, Bruce Springsteen, Amazon.com, Las Vegas, VH-1 specials...

Okay... so make any assumptions you like based on that list! I am a pop culture junkie, so much of my time here will probably be commenting on TV and other irrelevant (or irreverent) issues happening in the world today.

So with that, onto the show... what were your thoughts on the summer finale of Sex and The City?

I do not know what all the fuss is about Carrie's latest man played by Mikhail Baryshnikov - in my opinion he is too old and there was little, if any, chemistry between him and SJP. I do not see myself getting invested in this somewhat creepy character who, like Carrie, I find hard to interpret. Alek-sander (with an "s" please!) is no where near the likes (or heights) of Big, Aidan, and even Berger.

While I am happy to see Miranda & Steve reunite, it seems a bit strange that they are doing it at the cost of their two seemingly happy current relationships. This is clearly a rush to the "desired" conclusion of the series come January. That said, quite the surprise over Charlotte's miscarriage. Again this seemed to be another obvious place to end with Charlotte, so kudos to the writers for giving us a surprise -- even though I would still be willing to place a bet that Charlotte will be baby-shopping come the spring. Finally, there is Samantha. What can we say about the silly storylines Kim Cattrall has had to endure over the years -- the grey hair issue was perhaps a new low (pun-definitely intended). The only good thing with her storyline this season would have to be the eye-candy that is Smith Jarrod!