Super Bowl 2012 [commercials and half-time]

While I do watch the Super Bowl for the actual game play [whoot Giants!], I also enjoy watching the commercials and the half-time show.

In regards to commercials... I was a bit disappointed. While I did miss the first quarter commercials, I saw most of the others. There were the usually distasteful GoDaddy.com commercials [thankfully I only really see them on during the Super Bowl].

I was especially disappointed that there were not many funny commercials this year. And by funny, I mean actually amusing and not just trying to be amusing.

I did think that VW did a pretty good job with this year's commercial. Last year's Darth Vader kid was going to be hard to follow, so I like that they kind of did a follow up on it.

It was certainly a different approach than most of the other vehicle competitors, who decided to pull out heavy hitters for their ads.


There was Matthew Broderick for the Honda CR-V in a Ferris Bueller-esque style

Acura got not one but two big names: Jerry Seinfeld and... Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who has yet to see it.

And my personal favorite, Chrysler with Mr. Clint Eastwood. While it was a bit sappy, Mr. Eastwood has that way of speaking that makes you pay attention.

Chevy took a very different approach to their commercial this year. You've probably seen glimpses of the commercial here and there. Honestly, the best part of this commercial is the music used [and if you check the US iTunes charts, it is currently #1]. The stunts are really awesome but the song really brings it all together. For those interested, it is called "We Are Young [feat. Janelle Monáe]" by Fun. And yes, I purchased the song. For those interested, Glee did a cover of this song this season [Hold on to Sixteen]

Outside of David Beckham's ad for underwear, nothing else really seemed to stand out. And either way, it's not like that isn't something we haven't seen before [not that we mind].

---

As for the half-time show... It was definitely better than previous years. Black Eyed Peas was kind of awful and confusing for most people. And while the following artists are very good, they are not very relate-able for/known to younger generations: The Who, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney.

But that doesn't mean this year's show was amazing by any means.

I loved that Madonna involved so many different acts in her show. Outside of LMFAO, I felt like all the acts were used well and incorporated in a way that did not seem so awkward as it could have been.

What I can't get over is Madonna's new song "Gimme All Your Luvin'." That would be an ok song... for a twenty something. The song is very pop-like and her enter movement on stage during this segment just doesn't seem to fit right. The whole concept from the dance moves to the musicality of it seemed forced. It also felt like a move back to her old style instead of a move to evolve her music beyond her past.

Also, it's sad when an artist feels the need to pull off a stunt to become relevant, aka M.I.A. It may have helped that I knew who she was before, but pulling off the middle finger did not interest me in her at all. Her part in the song is insignificant, which is a shame because she is an ok performer. I'm not really into rap/hip hop but I have heard her song "Paper Planes." The fact that she did flip the bird to the cameras shows that she is relying on the publicity of the stunt to sell new music instead of letting the music speak for itself. This just shows me she lacks true integrity as an artist. Appearing next to Madonna during the Super Bowl half-time show should have been enough to get people interested.

Outside of LMFAO and the entirety of "Gimme All Your Luvin'," it was a very good performance. I loved all the older songs and most of the guests that appeared with Madonna on stage. Hopefully this performance is the first step back into having [mostly] quality half-time shows in the Super Bowl.

The Borgias

It's the most wonderful time of the year... For watching TV. Because Showtime OnDemand is free for this weekend courtesy of Comcast. Basically, it is a "let's watch what we can in one weekend" in my house. So my younger brother and I have decided to try out The Borgias. I really want to watch this because I have been watching two people on YouTube playing Assassin's Creed games and Borgias is thrown about quite a bit.

I also love historical fiction[ish?] type shows. I call it historical fiction if only for the fact that the show does take some liberties with history. The writers add their own flair to the story that is already there and fill in any gaps that need to be fillled. If you've seen The Tudors, it is very similar to that show... Well, the guys could be better looking, but the story is interesting enough. I wasn't too familiar with the history of the Borgias family. I recall hearing of them in history class but it was in passing.

Either way, I would say this is certainly a worthwhile show to check out.

Finally!

We're finally into 2012 and I'm just excited for my shows to finally come back! Just going to post the TV watching schedule of my household:

Monday, Jan 2
2 Broke Girls [8:30pm]
Two and a Half Men [9:00pm]

Tuesday, Jan 3
NCIS [8:00pm]
NCIS: LA [9:00pm]
Parenthood [10:00 - OnDemand]

Wednesday, Jan 4
Modern Family [9:00pm]
Revenge [10:00pm]

Thursday, Jan 5
Vampire Diaries [8:00pm]
Grey's Anatomy [9:00pm]
Private Practice [10:00 - OnDemand]

Friday, Jan 6
A Gifted Man [8:00pm]
Merlin [10:00pm]

Sunday, Jan 8
Once Upon A Time [8:00pm]
Pan Am [10:00pm]

Monday, Jan 9
Castle [10:00pm]

Thursday, Jan 12
Bones [8:00pm]
The Finder [9:00pm]

Friday, Jan 13
Grimm [9:00pm]
Person of Interest [9:00pm - OnDemand]

Monday, Jan 16
Being Human [9:00pm]

Tuesday, Jan 17
Glee [8:00pm]
New Girl [9:00pm]
Raising Hope [9:30pm]
White Collar [10:00pm]

Wednesday, Jan 18
American Idol [8:00pm]

All items that are italicized are shows that someone other than myself will be watching [read as: Mom]. All the shows that have OnDemand next to them will be watched the following day or when available OnDemand and not at the initial air time.

Top 5 Shows I'm excited for, in this order:

1. Once Upon A Time
2. Vampire Diaries
3. New Girl
4. The Finder
5. White Collar

I used the TVLine.com January Calender to make my list - Items in bold are season/series premieres.

Once Upon a Time [mid-season finale]

Spoilers! The following post does contain spoilers for the Once Upon a Time episode The Heart is a Lonely Hunter [episode 7]. Do not read if you have not seen the episode and do not want it spoiled for you.

Bones [SPOILERS]

I've been on and off with this show for a few years now. I usually catch old episodes on TNT [though I think I've seen most of them by this point]. I've never been committed to watching it once a week even though I really like Bones.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the Bones/Booth couple with a bun in the oven. It just seems kind of strange after so long for them to finally be together.

Even still, Brennan and Booth are two very different people. Tonight's new episode ["The Memories in the Shallow Grave"] seems to be showing us a lot of the obstacles that they are going to face not only as a couple, but a couple with a child on the way.

Brennan is very factual and scientific. Her way of thinking has not changed much since the first season give or take a smidgen. She has no belief in a God and has never really had a functioning family or anyone else to depend on.

Booth is a very emotional and bases his decisions on gut instinct. He is as open to ideas as he can be. Family and friends have always been #1 in his life and he is a bit more in touch with people than Brennan. And while he didn't grow up with the conventional family [his grandfather raised him], he still understands the functions of a family.

We can already tell that the following topics will need to be discussed/resolved this season:
- Finding a new place
- Religious upbringing
- Brennan working far into her pregnancy [because I can't imagine she'll be able to sit or whatever]
- Picking a name [which I think will be hilarious]
  ~ In relation, deciding on the child's last name
- Dealing with Parker [Hopefully this will be addressed because I feel like Booth's son is so easy to forget]
- Brennan's hormones [which I'm sure will come up the entire season]
- Money [which will probably come up more than once]

I'm sure there are more but those are what are coming to mind right at the moment. Any other ideas are welcomed.

First episode back was pretty good. We got to see Brennan have a few awkward moments and the kissing between Booth and Brennan were cute as oppose to weird.

The murder was so strange that it was kind of boring. I was more interested in the relationship aspect then the murder aspect. It is usually the other way around with me. I'm excited for what is to come and I'm going to try and keep up with the show, which will probably be difficult once Vampire Diaries goes on hiatus.

Once Upon a Time

I know, this is a little late but whatever...

I cannot express how excited I was for Once Upon A Time. Of course, I've kind of been excited for all the fairy tale story line shows that are coming out [Grimm] but this one especially. It is just such a new and different take on the tales. I've always been a lover of the fairy tales, whether Grimm or Disney.

Here is a link to the ABC website where you can watch the first episode of Once Upon A Time. If you don't want to be spoiled to the first episode, don't keep reading... You've been warned.

Sherlock

So, I've always been a Sherlock Holmes fan myself. I love the stories and have seen 2-3 of the adaptations. And this has got to be the most brilliant one!

Sherlock has taken the old school tales and given them a modern twist. And it is completely fabulous and I want the next series to come out. 

Basically, we start off with Dr. John Watson, who has just returned from Afghanistan and has had a rather traumatic experience. He visits a therapist and has a psychosomatic limp [which means trauma causes the limp]. Either way, he runs into a friend whom he says that he doesn't know who would be able to live with him... And it turns out that this friend is also friends with Sherlock Holmes. Who is also looking for a roommate and also wondered who would be able to live with him.

And so our dynamic duo is formed. And they are absolutely fantastic together. Sherlock is exactly what he calls himself in the show: "high functioning sociopath."  He has little regard for other people, doesn't seem to have too much in the way of feelings, and lives for the thrill of the chase. You could also say he is a little needy/dependent. He constantly has Watson do little things such as text someone or fetch his phone.

Watson is pretty level headed and a good counterpart to Holmes. He does cater to some of Sherlock's craziness and does a lot of listening. He is as close to a "friend" as Holmes could ever had.

Either way, this show is fantastic! I love Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock... And he comes off as strangely attractive. Which is weird for me because I usually don't care for the curly hair look at all. Maybe it's the impartial-ness of the character. Or maybe it's because it's freaking Sherlock Holmes... I don't really know or care to explain it.

Unfortunately, there are only three 90-minute episodes, which is incredibly depressing. Supposedly there are going to be three new 90-minute episodes early next year. Hopefully it will be done through PBS again so I can actually watch it when it comes out.

New Girl

I have a few shows this season that I'm interested in watching but I've always been bad about watching the first episode.


Hence, why I only just watched New Girl today.
Turns out it's a comcast ondemand thing. The show doesn't really premiere until Tuesday... So if you have Comcast ondemand, go check it out New Girl now!

And it was pretty awesome and I already have reminders plugged into my phone. I was kind of excited for this show just from the previews.

Jess Day [Zooey Deschanel] just found out her model boyfriend is cheating on her [the wikipedia page calls in a "surprise breakup"] and she needs to find a new place to live. She happens upon a craigslist ad [craigslist killer anyone?] for a place with 3 guys... And we see just how quirky Jess really is. That isn't to say that the guys are completely normal.

What to know about Jess:

1. She likes to sing... this includes occasionally making up songs as well
2. She is friends with models
3. She is quirky... Veeeeery quirky
4. She doesn't understand some social interacts... Especially when it comes to guys

And there are her 3 roommates: Nick, Schmidt, and Coach.

What to know about Nick:

1. I don't know if this will be reemerging but he's kind of obsess with his ex-girlfriend. This is kind of resolved in the episode but who knows
2. Bartender
3. When he is drunk, he calls his ex-girlfriend and speaks in an Australian accent [again, don't know if this will continue in the series]

What to know about Schmidt:

1. He's definitely Jersey Shore like [save for the tanning]
2. He has his own swear-word-esque jars. Except he puts money in whenever the other roommates decide he is being douchey. It is called the Douchebag Jar
3. He is the reason Jess is living with the guys. He was interested in her model friends.
4. He takes off his shirt even if everyone wants him to keep it on.

What to know about Coach

1. No interaction skills with the ladies [he yells a little too much]
2. Personal trainer
3. He's gone after the pilot due to Damon Wayans, Jr.'s obligations to Happy Endings
4. His character will be replaced with Winston [who we don't meet until the 2nd episode]. Apparently he was only subletting the apartment.

We also meet Cece, who is one of Jess' model friends. I can't really say much outside of the fact that she is a very loyal friend to Jess. And she appears to be fairly intelligent. But I can't make much more of her than that yet. Hopefully we'll see more of her in the future.

Either way, I'm definitely excited about this show. 

Ringer

First, I absolutely need to start this post with "Welcome Back Sarah Michelle Gellar!" She has pretty much been off the screen for the most part since Buffy the Vampire Slayer with spots here and there.

Anyway, we meet Sarah Michelle Gellar [SMG] #1 [if you don't know the premise of the show, you'll understand better after a bit], who is a recovering alcoholic Bridget and apparently tangled in some serious business... AKA, she is a witness that is suppose to speak against some big baddie. Also, she's kind of entangled with her AA sponsor. Oh, and Richard is there... He's everywhere and pops up at random moments when you least expect it [Also see: LOST].

However, she doesn't seem to want to really deal with any of it and runs away from it all to visit her sister for the first time in 6 years... Who is Sarah Michelle Gellar #2, Siobhan. So to the Hamptons we go!

And we find out that SMG #2 is super successful and has lots of moneys. Side note that SMG #1 pretty much has nothing to her name. Anyway, they go on a super fun boat ride... And SMG #1 takes a nap... And SMG #2 disappears... Supposedly by committing suicide [insert skepticism here and thoughts of when SMG #2 will reemerge].

And then suddenly "Siobhan" is walking back into her NYC home. But it's really Bridget dressed up as "Siobhan." Because Bridget decided to take her sister's identity. So we follow her attempting to live her sister's life. And we find out her sister was way more complicated than she seemed. Let me list the ways:

1. Siobhan and her husband have a kind of cold relationship
2. Siobhan has been having an affair with her best friend's husband
3. Turns out Siobhan was 4-weeks pregnant
4. Oh, and Siobhan is still alive and someone is trying to kill her and she knows someone was trying to kill her...

Yeah, craziness. I'll keep watching though. Cause it's Sarah Michelle Gellar and this show seems like it's gonna be good. And I'm definitely interested in seeing where it goes.

The Secret Circle

So, after semi-watching a what-could-have-been a fabulous episode of The Vampire Diaries [I'll explain at the end], I decided to stick around the CW and watch The Secret Circle.

Now, my luck with CW shows are hits and misses... Mostly misses to be honest. And this show is, as of this moment, hanging on the miss side as well.

The story is basically about this girl [Cassie] who moves back to the town that was once her parents' hometown. Her mom just died and her dad has been dead since she was an infant. She's come to live with her grandma. Sounds pretty normal-ish, right? Yeah, well what she doesn't know is that she is a witch... And part of this "secret circle." Her parents were also a part of a "secret circle." And something with this circle is the reason that 1) her father is dead and 2) her mother never told her about the "secret circle."

So basically, there are a bunch of kids of the people who were in [a] secret circle with Cassie's parents [?]. And kind of throw all this information at Cassie... Who has decided to reject it all. And who can blame her? As if having to grow up with only her mother's support and then to have her ripped away, this is kind of much. And of course she can't just talk to anyone about all of this. Remember the "secret" part.

And of course, because it is an CW show, there is lots of normal teenager drama.

I'll probably watch this show, if only for the fact that it is after The Vampire Diaries until at least November 3rd [which is when my friend pointed out that Bones comes back that night]. But on the topic of TVD, the reason I missed a good half hour of the beginning is because brother #3 called to wish me a happy birthday and to talk a bit. I'll hopefully be able to watch it online soon.

Robin Hood [A la BBC America]

I love TV shows that are based on older stories. They bring to life the old stories and share them with newer generations... If they are done well, of course.

So I've been watching the BBC America version of Robin Hood. It aired from 2006-2009 and is currently available via my Amazon Prime account. I'm most of the way through the first season and it's... interesting.

I'll be honest, I don't know the original tale of Robin Hood. So there is nothing to complain about in the ways of accuracy like in shows such as Merlin. I'm also not a history buff and don't know much about some of the historical accuracy [if the show is even aiming for that]. Though I'm sure the story has been embellished quite a bit [Marian is a secret fighter against the Sheriff? What what?], it is.... Ok.

There isn't really much to say. The guy playing Robin Hood is quite dashing and attractive. And looks pretty darn good with a bow and arrow. Robin is naturally charming and charismatic. Maybe a little too perfect at times but then again, the male characters back in the day were always perfect.

The basic story is that Robin, Lord of Locksley Manor and Earl of Huntingd,on has returned from the Crusades [He was fighting to protect King Richard] with his trusty side-kick and now former servant Much. But what he comes back to is not the home he left. His estate has been run by Sir Guy of Gisborne and there is a new sheriff in town, Vaisey. And we follow the story where Robin eventually becomes an outlaw and meets up with a bunch of other outlaws. And thus the merry band of men is formed [with a non-white woman to join in the future].

And then there is of course Maid Lady Marian, the daughter of the former sheriff and former flame of Robin's. Like I said before... She secretly fights the Sheriff on the side as the Night Watchman [a title she insists she did not chose]. And naturally, Sir Guy/Gisborne is kind of obsessed with her...

And each episode is basically about how the Sheriff tries to out-trick Robin and capture him. And his subsequent failing at doing so. And yeah... That's kind of the gist of the show. It's fun episode to episode but I'm not terribly interested in the arc as a whole. But I'll keep watching... Mostly because I've already started it and it's something to fall asleep to at night.

Be on the lookout though! I'm considering doing a Harry Potter movie marathon [dunno if I'll include DH pt 2] and will probably do right ups on each movie.

So...

So I just finished watching all of Torchwood... AND IT DIDN'T GET ANY BETTER!!! Ok, it got a teenie tiny bit better but not much. Spoilers under the link.


I should also note that even after watching all of Torchwood that I could, I still don't like Gwen.

I don't know if I'll ever see Torchwood: Miracle Day considering it is on Starz here in the States and I'll probably never want to pay to see it.

So now I'm looking through Amazon Prime for some new shows and movies to watch.

Current going list for tv shows:
Pushing Daisies
Robin Hood
The Tudors [though I have seen seasons 1 & 2]
Primeval
Doctor Who [old school version]
Numb3rs
Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century [because anything involving Holmes should be interesting]

I haven't gone through the movies yet but I'm sure I will. Always open to recommendations as well.

Torchwood

As any good Whovian knows, the secret title of the reboot of Doctor Who was called Torchwood [anagram of Doctor Who]. And thus a spinoff was born...

And I'm not incredibly impressed. While I do love me some Captain Jack Harkness, the show doesn't seem to hold the same pizazz that Dr. Who does. Of course, I've only seen 2-3 episodes [because I use them to fall asleep at night] so I don't know if I've really given it a fair shot. And naturally, I will probably watch it to the end anyway because a) it's only 3 seasons and b) it's in my nature.

It could also be that the characters haven't developed much yet. I like character depth sometimes more than story. That isn't to say that the story should be trash but I think you get what I mean. I really have no attachment to any of the characters at this point [I don't really count the Captain cause I was attached before the show] which is odd because I usually find at least one after an episode or two.

It's probably because the show is a little focused on Gwen Cooper, the newbie to Torchwood. And honestly, she doesn't interest me in the slightest. In fact, she kind of annoys me. She's kind of making rookie mistakes that a now former cop shouldn't be making. She kind of has traits I don't appreciate in humanity. A little too naive, not remotely cautious and doesn't seem to take her job all that seriously. It's like she is just stepping into a smoke filled room knowing nothing of what is inside. Which makes her all the easier to develop as a character. -sigh- Which is kind of dull at this point I guess.

It's interesting because the show has had 2 [made-for-tv?] movies and I'll probably want to see those too at some point. I guess I was kind of hoping for more to start off with. We'll see if my interest stays or if it wanes and I go back to shows that are airing now.

Doctor Who: Series 4

So, I caved. I paid for an Amazon Prime account so I could stream Doctor Who episodes. I can't help it. And it was cheaper than buying on the shows on Amazon OnDemand. And sooooo worth it.

I'll admit, overall, the shows offered on the streaming are limited and mostly British. But I only paid $39 for the Prime and I'll also get free 2 day shipping, which I love. I should probably check out all the potential of this account but for now, this will suffice.

Anyway, I've plowed my way through series [seasons to all of us in the U.S.] 2, 3 and now most of 4. And I have to admit, while series 5 holds a special place in my heart as the one I started watching Doctor Who, I love series 4.

Why? Because I love Donna Noble. She is... simply amazing. She is my absolute favorite companion. Let me count the ways:

1. She is funny. While some people could just say that's because of the writing... Yeah, that's not true. Only Catherine Tate could truly pull off such an amusing character
2. She's strong. She has proven that she doesn't always need the Doctor to get something done. "Turn Left" shows that [even though she got help from a certain other companion].
3. She's human. She doesn't come off as perfect, even pretends that she is perfect. She cares what others think of her. She is scared when a normal person would be scared. She's happy when a normal person would be happy. Which is why...
4. I think I connect with her the best out of all the previous companions that I've seen. Rose made me think "What a teenager thing to do." She also disregarded the feelings of everyone else save for her own. Her actions didn't always make sense and made me wonder if maybe she should have been an alien instead. Martha was all about how "in love" with the Doctor she was. I just... Didn't see any depth to her. I feel like I never got to know Martha as a character. Though you do see glimpses of who she really is after she is no longer the Doctor's companion. Donna is stubborn and will argue till her face turns purple. But at the end of the day, she still cares. And she was the first to turn the Doctor away. She didn't jump right into the adventure and knew that it wasn't the right time. I never got the feeling that Rose or Martha would just know something like that.

I think part of the reason I like Donna so much is because she is older than previous companions. That isn't to say she is any more or less confused about what will happen after the Doctor or where her life was going before the Doctor... Which is a trait I notice all companions have. That the companion's life is currently at a crossroads or a standstill and then the Doctor comes. And the hard decisions... Well, they don't go away so much as get put off.

Which leads me back to Donna I guess. Cause at first, she didn't take the easy road. She could have forgotten about her ruined wedding, the loss of her husband/fiance/whatever, and her joblessness and gone with the Doctor. But she didn't. And I think even though she sought the Doctor, she managed to get through what happened. Dealt with it the best she could have and moved on.

[/gushing]

EDIT

Just finished series 4. Needless to say that even though I've seen parts of it before, I teared up for Donna and the Doctor. 

The Nine Lives of Chloe King

I started watching this show the other day [via my new outlet, Hulu]. Honestly, I had no inclination to watch this show. The teaser trailers were of no interest to me and nothing about what I had seen lured me into the show. But I had run out of things to watch and since there are no more Doctor Who episodes to watch, I decided to give The Nine Lives of Chloe King a shot... And I'm going to be honest, after watching the first episode, I don't know if I want to continue watching this show.

Maybe it's because it is about a 16 year old girl. Maybe because it reminds me of the slightly ridiculous shows of my youth where the world was completely the same... Save for one thing.

SPOILERS : Read any further and well, that's you're own damn fault for not reading the bold print.

True Blood: Season 2

My parents never had premium shows. It costs extra money and usually don't have anything worth spending the extra money for another channel. So I watched the first season of True Blood two summers ago when I was dog sitting for my friend. And needless to say... It wasn't really much of anything beyond smut. Soft core porn at best. We were just getting to know the world and the characters we'll be following for however long the series runs.

One thing I love about this show is the opening song "Bad Things" by Jace Everett. It's bluesy and country and even to this day, I still like it.

Anyway... I'm going to watch the second season now. Hopefully it will come with a little refresher because I don't really remember much from the show. I'll write the refreshers as I see them. Hopefully the first two episodes will be enough for this recapping.

Things I'm reminded of:

• Sookie can read minds
• This show takes place in the South... And everyone has pretty southern accents...
• Sookie's friend, Tara, had an exorcism by the victim [who was killed last season but her body has only been found now]
• Bill is southern and now has a new vampire under his wing [Jessica]
• Sookie has a brother [Jason]. He was a horny bastard last season but looks like he is making an about face on that...
• The police office [Andy] is a dumbass
• Tara's mother is 1 part crazy, 2 parts alcoholic [who is recovering supposedly]
• Sam owns Merlot. He's attractive.
• Sookie has a dead grandmother who owned the house before she passed away
• Hoyt is controlled by his mother
• Tara has a gay cousin [Lafayette] who is trapped somewhere... He use to cook at Merlot.
• Sex includes biting most of the time in this show
• Eric owns that vampire club thing [Fangtasia?]. He's kind of attractive too. But different from Sam attractive.

And that's kind of it for the remembering. Hope that was interesting enough.

Tabatha's Salon Takeover

It's that one really guilty pleasure show that I think I have that I watch again and again. I love this show and I never hesitate to put it on when I see it on the TV guide.

For those who don't know, this is a show where Tabatha Coffey [Shear Genius and appearances on Make Me  A Supermodel, The Tyra Banks show and The Biggest Loser] goes to failing salons and works her magic. She is very outspoken and blunt with what she has to say. And with the people she helps, it's needed.

And it isn't just about the product provided to the clients, like the hair cuts and the color. It's also about the business portion of running a salon. Tabatha is a mix of business saavy owner and edgy stylist. That can be a hard thing to accomplish but she pulls it off flawlessly. That isn't to mean that she is perfect. She loses her temper like anyone else does or would.

But I love watching her work. She isn't afraid to point out when someone is doing something poorly and her answer for stylists who don't work up to par isn't fire them. She knows when there is a potential and when there is none. And not everyone takes her advice to the t and it still works out. And sometimes they don't take her advice and it doesn't always work out.

Definitely recommend this show [it's on Bravo for those in the US who are wondering]

The Voice

Yeah, that show with that chick who used to compete against Britney Spears [Christina Aguilera] and the dude from Maroon 5 [Adam Lavine], the dude with the song that had to modified because children listen to the radio [Ceelo Green] and the country dude [Blake Shelton].

Gotta be honest, like it way better than American Idol. For once, I know who the judges are [for the most part] and they don't really have any time to say anything irrelevant.

Oh, and the concept is pretty cool. For those of you who don't know, the judges [the people I listed above] are facing the audience. They do not see the person singing and can only judge him/her/them based on his/her/their voice[s]. If they really like the voice, the hit the button in front of them and the chair spins around. If only one person hits the button when the song is through, the singer will be mentored by that judge.

Then here comes the tricky part... "But what if more than one judge turns around?" you may ask... And it's simple... The singer has the power at this point. He/she/them get to decide who they want to be their mentor. Of course, the judges have a little bit of time to plead his/her case. Essentially, this gives control to the artist.

Pretty phenomenal if I do say so myself. There is a draw back to this of course. All the people who perform for the judges are pre-screened. Don't know how that works but basically you don't have too many bad singers in the bunch. Of course, that can depend on your tastes in music too.

Either way, I think I'm going to try and keep up with this show. If only to see Adam Levine's facial expressions. Because they are f-ing amusing.

Breaking In

So, I just found out that I can watch tv shows on the comcast website. WTF? How did I not know this before?! Having this feature is certainly nice since my mother insisted I bring home my TV two weeks before moving out of my apartment.

Anyway... that's how I found this show. I had remember seeing some commercials but I'm a really hard person to pull into a show sometimes... Mostly because I forget when the show is on.

And I'll admit, it isn't the best show but it's still pretty good for a half hour. I've only watched 4 episodes so far and I'll probably keep going while it keeps my attention.

Essentially, it is about this hacker [Cam] who is conned convinced to join Contra Security. It is a company that tests out the security of it's customers and finds any flaws. The cast is made up of a bunch of nutters interesting people.

We have our main guy, Cam. He was attending Loyola Technical School [and had been for 7 years] before they hired Contra. This is when we Oz, the boss of Contra Security. He finds out about Cam's little "full-ride scholarship" and forces convinces Cam to join his team. Oz is quite quirky and seems to know everything about everyone. It's quite scary sometimes. He's also 10 steps ahead of your next planned step. Crazy funny to boot.

And we have the rest of the team. There is Cash, who is the ultimate fanboy and techie. His particular fandom of choice that we've seen so far is Star Wars focused. He is also the resident prankster and of course he tends to take it way to far sometimes.

There is also the lock picker and safe cracker, Melanie. She's had a troubled past with her father being sent to jail and all. And she's the love interest only girl on the squad. According to Oz, she's that mad crazy chick you should not be involved with. Of course, that doesn't stop Cam from trying to pursue her.

But this is largely deterred since she has her boyfriend, Dutch. He is kind of loud and obnoxious but actually seems to know how to woo a girl. Strange. Anyway, he somehow ends up on the team of misfits security breakers by the third episode.

And there is Josh. He isn't a major part of the show but he is the master of disguise. Definitely worth a laugh or two. He is in a kind of pseudo fight with Cam to be on top... Not that Cam is really on top anyway...

Maybe I'll keep up with this show... Or maybe not. We'll see just how bored I get next week.

Dexter [season 5 - incomplete]

So... Yeah, still not back into the swing of more writing Doctor Who. I've kind of just been lurking on the television for the past few days. And naturally, I have Showtime for the weekend ... So I picked one of the shows and just went with it. And the lucky winner was Dexter.

For those who don't know the premise of the show, it's about this guy named Dexter Morgan. Yeah, he's a serial killer... Who kills other serial killer! *gasp shock* Basically, he saw his parents [?] murdered when he was a child and was essentially trained to follow some sort of moral code of killing given to him by his adoptive father [who spotted his sociopathic tendencies]. Before now, I had never watched one episode of this show [because of the Showtime status]. Naturally, I wiki-ed the show to get a summary of seasons 1-4.

Basically, Dexter seems to be well into his own serial killer phase at the start of the series, from what I gathered. He does blood spatter analysis for police or something. He was In order to appear normal, he dated a woman named Rita, who has 2 kids and previously had an abusive husband [who eventually was killed in jail]. At some point, Rita and Dexter get married and have a baby [Harrison]. In the 4th season, Dexter is after the Trinty Killer [Arthur], who he befriends at some point. Eventually, Dexter finds out that Arthur has been deceiving him and eventually kills Arthur. Unfortunately, it's too late for his wife Rita. She was killed in the Trinty Killer fashion supposedly by Arthur before he died. Dexter walks into the bathroom to find her bled to death in the tub while their son, Harrison, is crying in a pool of her blood.

This season, Dexter is trying to cope with his loss. But it seems like he doesn't realize what exactly has happened and how he should be feeling. His lack of emotion makes people suspect of him at first but eventually he is cleared. However, Astor [Rita's daughter] calls Dexter out on his lack of emotion. She hates that he doesn't seem to care that Rita is dead. But we find out that Dexter is human deep down inside but he takes it out in a different way. Instead of crying or screaming, he goes against his code and kills a man in a public restroom. It's an act of anger and emotion that makes him more human than he has ever been before.

Either way, Astor is not happy with Dexter and moves back with her grandparents. While Cody, Rita's son, wants to stay with Dexter, his pseudo-father tells him he should stick with his sister. Dexter used his relationship with his adoptive sister to tell Cody this. Again, it shows a slightly more human side to Dexter.

The show is interesting but probably not enough to make me want to buy the previous seasons. It's nice for a free Showtime weekend but definitely a little gruesome for me. I'm someone who cannot stand watching people get cut up, whether for killing or medical purposes. And that's kind of the way everyone seems to be killed on this show. Oh, or stabbing. That seems to be Dexter's favorite.

Another issue is that I don't really care for all the side stories. I don't care about Debra and her whole drama. I don't care about the people on the force and their drama. I really just like the Dexter focused stuff, which is good I guess... But again, I feel like that really isn't enough reason to get the whole series. It's just interesting enough to keep watching but not enough to buy.

Though I must admit, the baby in this show is adorable. And the way that Dexter handles his baby boy. It's just... Awkward but not quite. It's exactly how you would expect the man who is a serial killer of serial killers would act. You can see that he loves his son but he doesn't realize that is what he feels for Harrison. It's amazing the quality acting in these scenes, so props to Michael C. Hall for that.

This show is worth maybe renting but I can't speak for the first 4 seasons. The 5th one has drawn me in and is keeping me interested.

Promo poster for season 5