Well, the writers’ strike is still going on and tvguide.com is continually updating the countdown until our favorite television shows go off-air.
From what I’ve gathered from the articles I’ve read, I am inclined to side with the writers in this one. It may be that they’re asking for too much in royalties, but for the areas that they’re not receiving any royalties, come on, suits! The entertainment industry is scrambling to make laws to stop music piracy, but they’re pirating the work of their employees themselves. It’s kind of unbelievable.

So here we are then–writing a blog about television which, in a couple weeks, won’t be new and exciting.
Producers and other crew on the picket lines were quoted as saying, “this is like losing a best friend.” The sadness of not bringing your planned season to fruition is heartbreaking. They spend so many hours planning each episode and keeping the show on this specific track, but many shows were forced to create quickie season finales in the wake of the strike.

I think the saddest story of all has to be that of Scrubs. It’s a show that people get most fanatical about, but the network has never been kind. This was supposed to be the final season and, although the first 4 or 5 episodes were not impressive to me, the creators and writers had been planning this end for 7 years now. Viewers are so invested in the Elliot/JD relationship and they need closure–but sufficient closure. As big a part as the show was in viewer’s lives in the last 7 years, the actors, crew and creators have invested their entire lives to these characters and to each other. I read an interview with the creator, Bill Lawrence, and it was truly sad to read how he has to struggle with the networks to allow his show to have a proper ending. I hope it gets one–that cast deserves to have one heck of an end.

I’ll point you to tvguide.com’s Strike Chart where they outline how many episodes are left for most of the popular television shows. Most of my favorites have one or two episodes left and it makes me think I might have a chance of focusing on schoolwork this next semester!

But, rather than having this entire post be about the sadness and bleak outlook for the strike, I’ll segue into a discussion of my newest obsession: How I Met Your Mother.
How has this show been overlooked for so long?? I don’t think it’s as underappreciated as Scrubs, but pretty close! A great friend of mine recommended the show, then lent me the first 2 seasons on DVD. In one week, I’ve watched every episode of the show out there and I am enamored.
The show’s writing is priceless; Barney’s character (played by Neil Patrick Harris–Doogie Howser, MD–grown up and hilarious) is so unforgettable. I now quote him at least twice a day because the writing is so relevant and applicable. That’s a mark of a good comedy.
Ted (played by Josh Radnor) is a great character too…he’s flawed and so fragile, but so funny at the same time. You just want to be his best friend. His struggle with loving Robin (Cobie Smulders), yet knowing that she is completely wrong for him is so relatable for every single viewer.
Then there’s Marshall and Lily (Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan). Perfectly casted, Marshall is a goof that will do anything for his only love, Lily-pad. Lily’s this cute, fun girl that has this tom-boy side that makes her loved by girls and guys.
It’s a lovable cast with near-perfect writing: the perfect ingredients for one delicious show. It’s like Friends, but smarter.

As an example of the hilarity of this show, I’ll put a clip from the thanksgiving episode ‘Slapsgiving’ that aired the Monday before Thanksgiving. To set up the clip: In the 9th episode of season 2, Marshall and Barney entered a ’slap bet’ that Barney then lost. Barney then could choose between 10 slaps in a row right then (and these are full wind-up, hard slaps as you’ll see in the video) or 5 slaps doled out whenever Marshall felt like it. Barney chose the 5 slaps, but now lives in fear of a slap at any moment. By the 9th episode of this current season, season 3, Marshall has given 2 slaps and then set up slapbetcountdown.com in order to scare Barney about the last slap. Their thanksgiving then turns into Slapsgiving as the countdown is to run out after the dinner. In this clip you’ll see how the dinner plays out and ends with an absolutely genius scene. Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel deserve Tonys.

So, I guess I’ll leave you with an encouragement to check out some shows you didn’t have a chance to see in these next dry months. They’ll be playing reruns like crazy, so catch up! Especially with How I Met Your Mother. You won’t be sorry!

I made this video of my twin nieces in about 2 minutes on Animoto. You upload your pictures and either pick a song from their library or upload any .mp3 you already have. And it puts this amazing short together!
My nieces birthday is this weekend, so I made this as a little thing they can watch. They were just adopted about 8 months ago, so this is their first birthday with their new, and permanent, family!

i’ve been remiss in posting! all the seasons of the shows i love–and the new ones i’ve grown to love–have begun and really started to develop. with the advancement of online full-episode viewing, i’m able to almost double the amount of shows i’m watching without the grades taking a hit. haha!
this will make for a long post, but the best way i can see to fulfill this blog’s purpose is to go through the shows i’m watching briefly. so sit back, and let’s take a tour through this season’s hit shows:

Prison Break (FOX): i didn’t know how this show could keep surviving–they achieved the show’s title. they broke out of prison. then comes season 3 with a new twist where michael is inside and lincoln’s trying to get him out. sarah’s been murdered which will make michael vengeful and determined which only leads to great television. some weeks are slow, like in any drama, but for the most-part, i think this is a truly strong season.

Chuck (NBC): this is a new show that i’m really liking. it’s about a nerd (and not the typical “nerd” portrayed on television–an actual nerd like those you have as friends…just a geek…not over the top). he gets a hold of top secret information and now has to work alongside government agencies, but he’s so nerdy and fragile–he can’t handle a lot of the “missions”…i use quotes because the show has this over-the-top quality to its action sequences that overwhelms the senses and makes them seem almost fake–but i think that’s intentional so you’re seeing it like chuck is–overwhelming. it’s definitely worth a watch!

Heroes (NBC): i’ll be honest, i’m watching this show, but not closely. i need to catch up on a couple episodes, but in the first 2 that i have watched, i haven’t been impressed. it’s a lot of building plot, so not a lot has really happened. it’s heroes, so it’s sure to deliver, i’m just waiting for the return to the first season hooks that grabbed viewers.

House (FOX): house is just a sad creature. we’ve always known it, but as you watch him try to narrow down applicants in order to find new employees, you see him hit new lows. but we love him for those lows. the shallow, demeaning nature of greg house is just spellbounding. you hate him, but you love him for that. this show can really do no wrong in my eyes. it’s still not a stellar show–i really only watch it for hugh laurie’s brilliant acting as house–the medical plot lines don’t really hook me and the ongoing character relationships aren’t really interesting…yet. this season is sure to be good. it’s house.

Law & Order: SVU (NBC): despite being one of my favorite shows for years, this is the first time i’ve watched episodes every week. i’m usually catching the marathons on USA or TNT instead of seeing new episodes. so far the new season is interesting–there aren’t a lot of personal stories being exploited on the force, though. i’m liking the addition of adam beach as detective chester lake–he’s a really unique actor. plus, he helps draw attention away from detective tutuolla played by ice-t. what a joke. the only fault i can find in the show is ice-t as a main character. otherwise, the cases are thrilling and unexpected.

Private Practice (ABC): i wish i could give raving reviews to this love child of the grey’s anatomy creators, but i can’t! the acting is way off, the stories are pathetic, and kate walsh forgot that despite changing set locations and show titles, she’s still dr. addison forbes montgomery shepherd. she’s treating this like a whole new character–a flighty one that i can’t admire like i admired the addison of grey’s anatomy. paul adelstein is good comic relief, but amy brennemen (of ‘judging amy’ fame) as the psychiatrist is dreadful. and i cannot complain enough about the switch from merrin dungey to audra mcdonald. i don’t know why they switched actresses from pilot to season 1, but the casting was way off. i keep watching and hoping for some grey’s-like emotion and plot development, but it hasn’t shown itself yet.

Life (NBC): new show. i don’t know what it is, but there’s something about this show that makes me want to keep watching. damian lewis plays a police officer that was wrongly accused of murder, so he is released, given a lot of money and per request, put back on the force as a detective. so you have this semi-wounded spirit who loves fruit (i guess prison lacked good fruit), and has an uncanny ability to read people. he’s had 12 years to study himself and the people around him–he’s gotten good. i’m not impressed by his partner, played by sarah shahi–her character outline isn’t compelling and she’s kind of uninteresting to watch, but damian lewis makes up for it. his zen-obsessed outlook on life is humorous, but it also contributes to the show’s depth as he struggles with finding who framed him and deciding whether or not to pursue his zen-forbidden revenge.

30 Rock: there’s not much to say about the show other than it’s brilliant. kenneth is the funniest character on television right now, no questions asked. tina fey is just such a great writer with comedic genius–although that’s not news. previews have advertised the slew of guest appearances in the coming weeks; they’ve already had jerry seinfeld (great return to primetime tv!) and will arnett (“that whispery guy”), and they’re soon to have david schwimmer (friends’ ross), carrie fisher (star wars), and others. this season is going to be great!

The Office (NBC): everyone last year, including me, was complaining about how the office was only a half-hour show and it should be an hour long because it’s so funny. our wishes were granted and for the first 4 episodes of this season, the office is an hour long. which was fun the first week, but then i started to get a little bored with an entire hour and began to see why a friend referred to hour long comedies as “contrived.” they just seem forced and drawn out. however! that’s not to say it’s not still hilarious and having jim and pam together again is a prank-lovers dream. they’re back pulling pranks and making us laugh yet again. i just finished this last episode online and i wasn’t laughing as hard as i have in the past, but it’ll be back to hilarious soon enough, i’m sure! best moment of the season so far: creed attempting to be young with the dyed and spiked hair.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): my favorite! this season is happy. it had been projected to be a much lighter and happier season than season 3 and it is. season 3 held all the changes for the characters that were necessary to give all the characters depth and gravity. now, the writers are able to take our better knowledge of the characters to a higher level, but through lighter material. we’re seeing the previous interns with their own interns now–they still have to prove themselves, but not nearly as much. george is stuck back repeating his intern year, but that was a brilliant writing move. it keeps our attention with the new interns and makes us like them, too. the principle cast is growing to epic proportions and plots are getting mangled and twisted, but that’s what we love about grey’s anatomy, no? plus, i’ve discovered a new artist out of this season already: meiko. very earthly, acoustic sounds…great voice. i’m loving the struggle between meredith and derek and the interactions between cristina and meredith in an odd friendship.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC): this show is taking the cake for emotional dramas. grey’s is great this season, but it’s not producing the heart-wrenching storylines that it once did. the storylines with justin coming back wounded from iraq and sarah struggling to keep her marriage alive tear your heart out, but they make you think and empathize and contemplate. it’s so good! nora is the most obnoxious mom, but then i think that just shows how much she loves her children and wants everyone to be happy, despite that being impossible. kitty and robert’s relationship is fun to watch and the political dynamic is always lighthearted and fairly balanced. the show is just really amazing–and not getting the praise it deserves!!

(sigh of relief) wow. that was exhausting and exhaustive. those are the shows that i’m really getting into this season, but over break, i’m hoping to also tack on ‘pushing daisies.’

last night was the emmy awards. the stars were out on the red carpet looking great and everyone was talking up the starts of their new seasons. it got me so excited!
the grey’s anatomy season 3 dvd was just released last week along with its new soundtrack complete with peter, bjorn and john; mat kearney, ingrid michaelson, feist, and others. it’s fantastic! i’ll be buying the dvd sometime this week and i’ll be sure to review all of the extras and extended cuts.
i said that if a song from a show really stood out to me, i’d publish that along with my analysis and i must say, mat kearney’s brand new “breathe in, breathe out” (original version) from the grey’s anatomy season 3 soundtrack has taken me aback. i am stunned.
it wasn’t in a season 3 episode since it was only written a few weeks ago and recorded about 2 weeks ago. anyway, i’ll post the lyrics here to read–mat kearney is one of the best songwriters out there and i’ll do my best to promote that fact whenever it is blatantly obvious…like now:

Breathe In, Breathe Out
by Mat Kearney

breathe in, breathe out
tell me all of your doubt
everybody bleeds this way just the same
breathe in, breathe out
move on and break down
if everyone goes away, i will stay

we push and pull
and i fall down sometimes
i’m not letting go
you hold the other line
’cause there is a light in your eyes
in your eyes

hold on, hold tight
if i’m out of your sight
and everything keeps moving on, moving on
hold on, hold tight
make it through another night
with every day there comes a song with the dawn

breathe in and breathe out
look left, look right
to the moon in the night
everything under the stars is in your arms

wooooah. when he sings “in your eyes, in your eyes” the repeated phrase gets me every single time. the way he goes so high on ”eyes” just rips out the heart strings. i guess it just pulls on the notion of being still. it recalls some biblical themes as he talks about “breathe in, breathe out” almost like the “be still and know that I am God.” mat has a lot of religious themes running throughout his songs. this may just be about a relationship, as most of his songs are, but it never ceases to amaze me his ability to make them so ambiguous and applicable in both arenas. it suggests the human quality of God (that sounds horrible but…) in that he can be a best friend that you struggle with just as you would a friend, but he’ll be there continuously. it may be a stretch, but i think it’s awesome that i can even start to think of this song that way. i love the idea of just being still and processing life as it has come and blown winds of change; all the while clinging to those people that have never failed you.

Breathe In, Breathe Out by Mat Kearney (Grey’s Season 3 Music video)

i watched the very end of the actual emmy awards show and i wasn’t impressed by the winners–james spader’s speech may have been funny, but boston legal has never impressed me. the sopranos deserved to win because it was the last time they could, but i guess up against some of my favorites, it was disappointing to see them lose. i’m happy for 30 rock winning best comedy series. that show is so underrated–i hope this season brings about more viewers so it can easily stay on air.

-mk-

Books are critiqued on their intellectual merits: their symbolism, their imagery, the extent to which they serve as a social commentary, etc. Films are even critiqued on these levels.

Television is an unrecognized art. Sit-coms are often funnier than comedic films, dramas often contain more complex and extended webs of relationships and tensions than dramatic films. Reality television offers a rare and exciting view into every day people and celebrities living life just like you and me. Game shows allow us to test our knowledge or luck, all the while we watch someone else be under the gun to win a prize.

Television has adapted so much in the last 20 or so years. If you look at older shows, their plot lines were so much simpler than now. Their casts were smaller. Many shows were episodic. Now, you see shows with 10 or 12 principle cast members with plots that span multiple seasons. Even in sit-coms it can be difficult to begin watching the show half-way through the season or series. Television allows the audience to watch characters develop each week. You know their past and their personalities as if you were their friend. It’s more personal than it’s ever been and critiquing television for its intellectual merits is becoming more and more feasible and appropriate.
I am a huge fan of television. I have at least one show per night that I watch on a weekly basis. I watch dramas, comedies, and reality shows. I don’t love the shows because ‘like, oh my gosh! the actor is sooooooooo cute! and like, he should totally get with her!’ I love the shows because the dramas are truly art. They invoke intense emotions and you feel like you’re standing with the people sharing in their pain, shock, joy, love, etc. Comedies are the same way. When you’ve watched the show for long enough, you feel like they are your friends and they jokes they make, you understand and you laugh harder because you know their whole story.

As the fall television season is about to begin, I thought it appropriate to start a blog about the various shows premiering seasons or series. I will summarize and critique shows from the night before. I also love music and television is using music in better and better ways. I’ll review songs that are used if I feel they are especially poignant. This blog is just a way to appreciate television for all the things its creators have intended it to be recognized for.

Premieres do not begin for another week or two, so for now I’ll go ahead and start the blog off with an evaluation of one of my favorite summer shows: So You Think You Can Dance.
It’s a reality show that is truly entertaining. Reality shows tend to be my least favorite category, but I’ve enjoyed this show for two and a half seasons so far.
This season was consistently great. My favorite dancer was Lacey–I thought her technique and personality were just perfect for the show. She was very lively and energetic and…I have to admit…I was curious as to whether or not she and Kameron were dating, so it kept me more interested. They danced too well together to not be dating.
The music they danced to throughout the season was top notch–featuring great tracks by Elisa, Timbaland, One Republic and many more. On the results show, they had numerous musicians perform that were really great to learn about and hear.
In the end, Sabra won. She wasn’t my favorite by far, but at least Danny came in second place. What a beautiful dancer. I will never forget the waltz he and Lacey did on the last performance show.
My favorite dance of the entire season, however, has to be the contemporary dance with Lacey and Kameron choreographed by, who else, Mia Michaels (Emmy nominated for her choreography on the previous season and there’s no doubt she will be nominated again for her work this season). I’ve placed the YouTube video below for your viewing pleasure. Notice how Lacey ends in the same position she began showing that the relationship they’re portraying is cyclical. There are ups and downs, but it always comes back to the same thing. The song is “Dancing” by Elisa and was my golden track of the summer. A truly moving song interpreted with a very moving dance. Enjoy!

So You Think You Can Dance
Lacey and Kameron dance to ‘Dancing’ by Elisa
choreographed by Mia Michaels

-mk-