Whine & Cheese

Fall Viewing

Inspired by Judgment Call, I decided it's probably time to start figuring out the fall schedule and deciding how it's all going to shake out... and Todd (insert mild sarcasm) always appreciates this annual post to see what he'll be (potentially) watching.

Having had a very manageable summer's worth of television, I am making a concerted effort to be selective so we don't have to "tame" the TiVo as much this upcoming television season.  I used this 2006 Fall TV Grid from "the futon critic" as my guide. 

MONDAY
New:  Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
On The Fence: Prison Break, Vanished
Tempted: The Class, How I Met Your Mother, Old Christine

The only thing I am fairly excited about is Studio 60... the return of Aaron Sorkin, Matthew Perry, and Bradley Whitford (well he never quite left).  As mentioned feeling iffy about Fox, we still have last week's Prison and Vanished on our TiVo, but unwatched... it is very tempting to shed 2 hours right off the bat.  If that happens, perhaps would be interested in picking up those CBS sitcoms... The Class is new and looks to have some cuties (as well as the enjoyable Andrea Anders, formerly Alex on Joey)... and I have heard good things about Mother and Christine... and besides half-hour sitcoms are much easier to fit in.  Of course, 24 returns for Day 6 in January.

TUESDAY
Returning: Dancing With The Stars

That's it... woo hoo!  But filled back in come January with American Idol.

WEDNESDAY
Returning: Dancing Results Show, Lost
New: 30 Rock

Again a pretty light night... plus Lost is going to go away with its "no repeat"/split season strategy... the Tina Fey sitcom 30 Rock will be sent to the secondary TiVo as it is up against the DWTS results show.

THURSDAY
Returning: Survivor, My Name Is Earl, The Office

Still doing good... though they are up against each other... so the NBC sitcoms will likely be watched at a later time as it is harder to avoid those next-day spoilers on Survivor.  Good buzz about Ugly Betty, but given its time slot, not willing to give up any of the above.

FRIDAY
On The Fence: Las Vegas
Maybe: Battlestar Galatica

I seriously can not believe that Vegas is starting its 4th season... it is mindless fluff and just an excuse to drool at Josh Duhamel for an hour... this is up against our political shows (Bill Maher on HBO and PBS's McLaughlin Group) so I really don't know... last season TNT had current season episodes a week after the aired on NBC, so maybe will just pick it up there.  And friends as well as the rest of the blogging world have been yelling about BG... so maybe... maybe!

SATURDAY
As usual.... nothing... remember the days when all the good stuff was on Saturday nights?!

SUNDAY
New: Brothers & Sisters
Returning: The Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives

B&S is the only new addition here... though things look shaky already with a lot of backstage drama... tempermental stars, a major re-cast (Sally Field replacing Betty Buckley) and the only show not yet screened for critics... but basically I just want to see Six Feet Under's Brenda, Rachel Griffiths, again.  Otherwise, a big no-brainer for TAR... which I think will fit in nicely on Sundays... and hopes for the promised resurgent season of DH.

So I think this all looks pretty manageable... granted it does not include cable shows (i.e. Showtime's Weeds continues on into October) and Scrubs is coming back at some point... so we shall see!

Melissa

Still recovering from last night's concert...

... as we joined the lesbian community of the Greater Phoenix Metro area... of Tucson... of Arizona... of New Mexico... of the entire Southwestern region of the United States to see...

Melissa Etheridge in concert!

Boy, there were a lot of lesbians!  Ok, I know what your thinking... what the heck did you expect?  That's like saying, boy there were a lot of heterosexual males at the football or hockey game.  But the sheer proportion was staggering.  It was some bizarro world where, for a few hours, there were more gay folk in the world than straight... that said, the gay boys didn't represent all that well last night.  We were literally surrounded... two lesbian couples in front of us, a couple next to us, 3 single gay gals on the other side, and a very eardrum-bleeding screaming couple behind us.

As always (and expected)... Melissa was AMAZING!   She wasted no time... refreshingly kicking the show off a mere 5 minutes after the ticketed start time of 8pm... and rocked on for nearly 3 hours!   Without a new album to support, her last release was a greatest hits collection, the show was pretty much all her hits, all the time... none of that unfamiliar "new" stuff that so often bogs down concerts.

Melissa conversed with the crowd often... and in a very non-robotic way... no sense of that canned chit-chat thrown out on each and every stop (I'm looking at your Madge, Celine, and Cher!).  The show was pretty well-structured... a lot of it had to do with love... finding love, getting love, losing love, reeling from bad love, and embracing good love.  Also, a particularly striking section had her pairing "Silent Legacy" with tributes to Matthew Shepard ("Scarecrow") and 9/11 Flight 93's Mark Bingham ("Tuesday Morning")... and her own battle with breast cancer... "This Is Not Goodbye" and the goose-bump inducing anthem "I Run For Life."

One of my favorites was her latest release... one she was asked to write by Al Gore for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth... "I Need To Wake Up"...  highly recommended for download (maybe I can coerce Scott to nominate it as the "Boogie Boogie" song of the week!).  Just a wonderful song that not only speaks to the impending planetary issues... but also can apply to one's own life (global warming or not!).  And Melissa is not just talking the talk, she revealed that her tour buses are all fueled by bio-diesel.

Though she writes most of her stuff, one of the highlights was her cover version of Janet Joplin's "Piece of My Heart."  Vocal comparisons aside, this has become one of her signature songs... thanks to giving one one of the most memorable Grammy performances in recent years... performing bald and still weakened from chemotherapy.

Before I wrap this up, I do have to give a shout-out to one of Melissa's bandmates... guitarist Philip Sayce... AMAZING!   

I am no guitar aficionado... but I have seen my fair share of concerts... along with some greats like Eric Clapton... and Sayce is simply one of the most incredible guitarist I have ever seen.  And yes, he wasn't too bad on the eyes either (he had a bit more hair last night, this pic was taken from an early stop on the tour).

So just a wonderful concert... passionate and inspiring!  With last night's show, Melissa also enters some rarefied air... in the "seen most times in concert" department, Melissa joins Bruce Springsteen and Cher as folks I have seen 3 times (she is Todd's first three-timer).

Shockingly enough, it appears Melissa changes up the set list every night... a rare thing these days!  Granted it is 80% the same each night, but it is still nice to see an artist who likes to do something at least a little different each night... you can check out the set lists on Melissa's official website.

tags:  melissa etheridge

Tears of the Giraffe

A much delayed book review... finished this one sometime last week...

As you can see the latest read is Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith... the 2nd book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.  Besides being a very breezy read, this brought back some good memories as I read the first book on vacation in Hawaii... a bit odd that I think of a tropical island when I am reading a book that takes place in Botswana!

Anyhow, the action picks right up with our heroine Mma Precious Ramotswe back on the mystery trail and dealing with the marriage proposal she received from Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.  MMa Ramotswe's over-qualified secretary, Mma Makutsi also gets a bigger role with a promotion to assistant detective.

Truthfully, I find myself at a loss for words when it comes to "reviewing" these books.  There is nothing "deep" going on... though certainly a lot of "words of wisdom" along the way.  They are just light and entertaining reads... and addictive!  Yes, perhaps the literary equivalent to potato chips... I almost wanted to get right in and read the next installment.  But with 7 books currently in the series... I really have to start pacing myself!  I can't start buying hardcover editions when I can literally read the entire book in a handful of sittings.

With all the set-up out of the way, I have to say I enjoyed Tears even more than the first book.  I will probably say it over and over again, but the characters are just so charming... and the story is filled with a lot of humor... and also quite a few touching moments along the way.

So I am onto my next book... Arundhati Ray's The God of Small Things... which is pretty much the polar opposite of McCall Smith... pretty complex and a bit of a challenge thus far.  Due to social obligations and other stuff (like the Emmys and US Open), also experiencing a bit of a momentum speed-bump... which isn't a good thing with a book like this!  So it may be awhile before you see the next W&C book review post!

tags:  tears of the giraffe, alexander mccall smith

Wicked Weekend

It was quite the whirlwind weekend here... we had a full house with Todd's sister, parents, and canine sibling visit for the weekend.   His sister and mom headed off to see the country blockbuster duo of Tim McGraw & Faith Hill on Saturday night... and we headed off on Friday night...

... to see our last Broadway show of the 2005-06 season, Wicked.

This was the "big" show of the season... it is so big, that it has an extra week's stay... and ticket sales have been through the roof... as the entire run sold-out in very quick fashion.  Despite it not quite being a critical darling, the show has clearly won over the masses.  And that was certainly on display on Friday night... with the audience erupting into thunderous applause many times during the show ... including the first on-stage appearance of The Wicked Witch of the West... an ovation usually reserved only when it is a well-known "name" actor taking the stage.

So what did I think?  Well, I thought it was a fun show and definitely impressive in its sets and costumes... but I was still taken slightly aback by the wildly enthusiastic response it received from the crowd.  I think most of the credit probably deserves to go to the original work... the novel by Gregory Maguire (which has been on my reading list radar years before it ever became a Broadway musical).  I really enjoyed the revisionist history of the story that most of us know all so well, The Wizard of Oz.  We meet Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch)...  "learn" that Elphaba was really just highly misunderstood and Glinda is not quite as good as she comes across.  In this prequel, we also find out the origins of the flying monkeys and the other soon-to-be famous Oz inhabitants just as a never-seen Dorothy arrives on the scene. 

While all this works on a pure entertainment level, as with the original work/movie, there is a lot of allegorical stuff going on.... Elphaba is a societal outcast just yearning to be accepted and to succeed in a non-green world ... so take that as any minority group you choose to it to be.   And regarding Oz and the infamous Wizard, there are certainly parallels to corrupt leader who bend the truth for their own purposes... hmmm.  So that kind of stuff I liked very much.

However, I didn't find the music to be all that inspiring... wasn't humming any of the songs as I walked out the theater.  Elphaba ends up being so "good" that, dare I say, she ends up being a tad vanilla... Glinda is by far the more interesting character... definitely the "sink your teeth into" role of the show, which was a bit of a surprise.  I would have loved to seen the original Broadway cast... Rent's Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.  Also, I think the show could use some cuts... including a 15-minute intermission it runs nearly 3 hours... including a whopping 90 minute first act. 

But more positive than negative for sure... it's definitely ambitious and I definitely give it credit.

Our "cultural" adventures continue tomorrow night... we're seeing a concert on tomorrow night... but I'll let you in on who we're seeing later in the week... that's if I recover from going out on a school night... not as young as I use to be!

tags:  wicked

Reality Recap

Well, I threw a lot at you yesterday with pix from the upcoming seasons of Survivor, Dancing With the Stars, and The Amazing Race 10... heck, I didn't even have much time to digest it all.

So here are some further thoughts...

Survivor
If the adage that there is "no such thing as bad publicity"... Survivor is already winning with initially splitting the tribes by race.  For a show to be in its 13th iteration, especially a reality show, the mere fact that there is so much press and buzz on the upcoming season is saying something.

A TV Guide online poll shows folks are pretty divided on the tribe divisions... 32% find it "shockingly offensive," 26% say "it might be interesting," and 41% chalk it up as a "typical reality show stunt."  As I said yesterday, I find it kind of interesting... but certainly lean to the belief that it is a smart "stunt."  The way I see it, given that there are only 5 members per tribe, there is going to be some kind of merge fairly early on... remember last season when the tribes were similarly split by age and gender.  So the "race vs. race" thing I see as a "hook" with a limited life span.

Now where things can get potentially ugly/uncomfortable is if the Caucasian team dominates and/or if racial stereotypes surface... i.e. African Americans "can't swim."  An interesting twist on this concept, I think would have been to have the contestants split across tribes... than see if at a merge or a team "shake-up" they are more loyal to their original tribe or to members of their race. 

Dancing With The Stars
Until I see the first episode, I won't make any predictions.... shockingly enough, my picks made the morning after the last season's premiere were pretty darn close.  I had the final 3 as Drew/Cheryl, Stacy/Tony... missing out only on Jerry/Anna with the 4th-placed Lisa/Louis. 

That said, I will predict who some of the early exits will be.  Ok, I am not intending to be sexist here, but I think this show is more difficult for the male "stars"... for two reasons, a) they have to "lead" and b) men generally lack rhythm/can't dance.  So, no big surprise, that I see the two weakest links as Tucker Carlson and Jerry Springer.  And besides, honestly I am not terribly familiar with any of the female "stars."

But as far as studs for this upcoming season... Mario Lopez is still looking might fine, pro dancer Tony Dovolani will likely continue to retain my attention... but I am guessing first-timer pro Jesse DeSoto may steal some of Tony's spotlight.

The Amazing Race 10
Again, hard to predict success based on pictures alone... but it would not be going out on a limb at all to pencil in the alpha male team for an end run... so that would be modelicious Tyler & James.  Likewise, this year's inspiration team of Peter & Sarah appear primed for good run... and Vipul & Arti seem to what it takes to fill the married/parents slot.

For early exit predictions, I will go with the not terribly well-traveled David & Mary (Kentucky parents) and Team Lyn Squared, Lyn & Karlyn... the Alabama Moms.... and one of the girly-girl teams... Kellie/Jamie or Dustin/Kandice.  On the gay side, Tom & Terry don't strike me as the next Chip & Reichen... but they should best the first leg exit of TAR9's Scott & John.

tags:  survivor, survivor cook islands, dancing with the stars, amazing race, amazing race 10

Survivor Gets Race-y

Ok... to finish off the reality television trifecta today... this morning the cast for 13th (!!!) edition of Survivor was announced.  Here they are... and take note of the groupings...

The Survivor Cook Islands twist is that they will start with 4 tribes with 5 members each... separated by race.  The back row has the Hispanic and African American tribes, the front row the Caucasian and Asian American tribes.  Interesting or inflammatory?  You decide.

I am leaning more to the interesting side... and it probably won't last two long as the tribes will eventually merge.  Also, back this season is the "exile island" component... where at least one tribe member will be sent to solitary each week with the chance to find a hidden immunity idol.

Survivor premieres on Thursday, September 14th.

If you'd like to read more, check these links out:

Segregated 'Survivor'

New 'Survivor' divides groups by race

And some interesting inside stuff via Reality Blurred:

Jeff Probst says 85 percent of racially split Cook Islands cast was recruited

Survivor Cook Islands cast includes at least three actors, 13 people from California

tags:  survivor

Dancing With The Stars 3 - Team Pix

More team pix... this time for Dancing With The Stars 3!

To avoid confusion, I have bolded the "star" in each pairing... thanks to the popularity of this show, I think some of the professional dancers are likely more "famous" than their celebrity counterparts!

Karina Smirnoff & Mario Lopez
Monique Coleman & Louis Van Amstel
Sara Evans & Tony Dovolani
Cheryl Burke & Emmitt Smith
Vivica A. Fox & Nick Kosovich

Tucker Carlson & Elena Grinenko
Jesse DeSoto & Shanna Moakler
Harry Hamlin & Ashly Delgrosso
Joe "Not Joey and I'm bald!" Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska
Maxsim Chmerkovskiy & Willa Ford

And last but not least (well, okay maybe least)... Jerry Springer & Kym Johnson

The rest of the "cast" returns ... including host Tom Bergeron & Lisa Canning (DWTS2 contestant Lisa Rinna does not have an official role this season other than cheering on hubby Harry Hamlin)... and the judges... Len Berman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Innnaaaabah!   And let's not forget Harold Wheeler and the Dancing With The Stars orchestra!

DWTS3 premieres on Tuesday, September 12th with a two-hour episode!

Believe it or not... I'll have one more round of reality for you in a bit...

tags:  dancing with the stars

The Amazing Race 10 - Team Pix

If you have been watching CBS of late, you may have already seen some of these faces... but here are the official pix of the latest globetrotting crew for The Amazing Race 10.

Kellie (22) and Jamie (22)
Best friends and former co-captains of the University of South Carolina cheerleading squad.

Dustin (24) and Kandice (24)
Best friends and reigning Miss America contestants, Kandice is a Rockette. Kandice is "wild and impulsive" whiel Dustin is "religious and more conservative."

Tom (39) and Terry (45)
Feisty and fun-loving gay couple from New York City.

Tyler (29) & James (27)
Best friends from Los Angeles... and models... reconnected after meeting up in rehabr!

Vipul (29) & Arti (26)
Married, first "American-Indian" team... speak several languages and are well-traveled.

David (32) & Mary (31)
Married parents from Kentucky.  David is a coal miner.  They met while working at McDonalds 10 years ago.

Lyn (32) & Karlyn (32)
Best friends and moms from Alabama... have known each other since the 9th grade.

Bilal (37) & Sa'eed (39)
Browns-loving best friends from Cleveland and the first-ever Muslim team.

Duke (52) and Lauren (26)
Father and daughter, working on rebuilding their relationship since Lauren came out of the closet.

Peter (35) & Sarah (31)
Friends and Iron Man Triathlete competitors from California.  Sarah has a prosthetic leg!

Erwin (32) and Godwin (29)
Asian-American brothers from San Francisco.

Rob (31) & Kimberly (28)
Dating from Los Angeles... hopes the Race "will test the strength of their relationship and prove to them that they are meant to be together."  (Uh oh.)

Remember TAR moves to Sundays and will debut on September 17th at 8:30 EST/PST.

Check back later today for another round of reality pix...

tags:  amazing race, tar 10

Prison Break & Vanished

Egads!  I guess the new television season is already underway with last night's Prison Break and Vanished premieres on Fox. 

I don't know if I was just in a cranky mood... or just not ready for "new" television... but both shows left me a tad underwhelmed.

First off... it's Prison Break... or perhaps just Break as Fox River Penitentiary is a thing of the past.  But as was what was starting to happen towards the end of last season, there was not a whole lot that was "fresh" about the premiere.  We know the guys aren't going to be captured at gun point in someone's backyard... so that's not an exactly an "on the edge of your seat" moment... and we already know that Michael Scofield was probably the best Boy Scout ever... having planned for every imaginable (and unimaginable!) scenario that might crop up.  So it all just seems a bit of a broken record.  There was the one shocker at the end... but even that end result didn't really bother me (good riddance!)... all that kept me intrigued was the multi-dimensional Dr. Sara... somehow they have to figure out how to get her and Mikey back together... crackling chemistry.

Next, was the series premiere of Vanished.  I will admit the only reason I gave this a try was to Queer As Folk's Gale Harold back on my television screen... especially since this was the first summer in a while that we didn't have the boys of Liberty Avenue to keep us busy.   

But I digreess, though I guess it's not a great sign when halfway through the episode I wondered... when is he going to having sex with some guys?!   Yes, while there were crackles of him, Harold's character Graham Kelton is not quite the charismatic Brian Kinney.

So beyond that!   This show pretty much threw the proverbial kitchen sink at us... a lot going on!  It seems like a combo of 24... with its thriller-esque continuing storyline... and the mysteries and unanswered questions of Lost.  Unfortunately, it is not half as engaging as either of those shows.  Maybe it'll start straightening itself out in the next few episodes, but I have my doubts.  I think I know what it wants to be, I am not sure it can get there.  I guess the first step in the right direction would be caring about the characters or what happens next.

In the overnight ratings, both shows did well. Prison Break won its time period, with Vanished slipping to second (behind CBS sitcom repeats) but retaining the large majority of its lead-in.   But we'll see what happens, when the competition increases as other networks roll-out their new programming... heck I am even wondering that myself... our TiVo is going to be getting a good work-out in a few weeks time... so we'll see if these shows are able to stick around... or will "vanished" be an all too ominous descriptor.

tags:  prison break, vanished

Jim & Pam - Season 3

Stumbled across this You Tube Season 3 The Office teaser video featuring my sweethearts, Jim & Pam... it looks like it is officially from NBC... so good quality and "official."

Call me a wuss... but the video put a lump in my throat and gave me goosebumps...

... and officially makes me feel I am far too involved/invested about this fictional couple.

tags:  the office, jim and pam