What I Am Watching

As Premiere Season comes to a close I decided it was time to go through my weekly line-up.

Monday- 8:00-8:30pm How I Met Your Mother CBS - Still far and away the best comedy on tv.
8:00-9:00pm Chuck NBC - As much as I have enjoyed the first few episodes, I think I am going to get tired of this. It may not make it beyond a season.
9:00-10:00pm Heroes NBC - I have picked this up this season after trying it out when it premiered last year and being bored by the slow movement of the plot. The pace is quicker now and I can't wait for Kristen Bell to finally appear.
9:30-10:00pm Samantha Who ABC- Premiere wasn't too bad.
10:00-11:00pm The Bachelor ABC
10:00-11:00pm Journeyman NBC- Yes, I am still trying to like this show.

Tuesday-
This is my let down day of the week. Since the CW cut Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars last year there is nothing great to fill the void, just some average (that may be pushing it) shows that are fairly forgettable. However, this last week I stumbled onto Carpoolers and I may have to change that statement (for at least half an hour) if the show continues to be as funny as last week's was.
8:30-9:00pm Carpoolers ABC
9:00 - 10:00pm House Fox

Wednesday
Wednesday fills the void left by Tuesday with two of the best new shows.
8:00-9:00pm Pushing Daisies ABC - Without a doubt the runaway winner of this year's premieres. If you haven't read my post on consistency yet, I hold by all statements made as I watched the second show. I was also thrilled to see the writers/ director are making full use of the talent they have in Kristin Chenowith. If Private Practice catches on to the talents of Audra McDonald this might just become "Broadway Wednesday".
9:00-10:00pm Private Practice ABC - I am still a bit disappointed in this show. I am hoping Dr. Pete's development pushes the show along. Addison is portrayed too often with juvenile inclinations towards social behavior and control of emotion. She is a beautiful, accomplished, intelligent woman who has to keep telling people this because her actions and words make her seem less than she is. Why can't she have those qualities and be portrayed as a strong woman?
9:00-10:00pm Gossip Girl CW - I have realized that part of the reason this show appeals to me is my favorite movie of all time is Pretty in Pink. This show is all about the haves and have nots of high school. What it is lacking is a good male cross-over character from haves to have-nots and the fact that Chuck Bass does not hold a finger to the James Spader Steff. I found myself fast forwarding past the "Party of Indulgence" this past week because I didn't want to watch Chuck buying women in the absence of being at all appealing to any unpaid member of the female population. The real find in this show is Penn Badgley who perfectly plays the have not Dan trying to impress a have girl without crossing into a world that he doesn't agree with.
9:00-10:00pm Bionic Woman NBC - OK, I cheated. I don't actually watch the NBC telecast of Bionic Woman. I hop over to SciFi and DVR it when it shows there so I can get all three shows in for this time slot. Since Bionic Woman is my least favorite of the three, this works out perfectly. The dialogue is sophomoric and even the fight scenes are getting to be so too. Yes, there needs to be a learning curve to Jaime's abilities, but she also has enough strength to be able to pummel whomever comes after her that doesn't have bionic abilities, right?!?
10:00 - 11:00pm Life NBC - A refreshing take on a man done wrong. I would tune in just to see the fruit of the week.
10:00-11:00pm Dirty Sexy Money ABC

Thursday
My must watch night of the week
8:00-9:00pm Ugly Betty ABC
8:00-9:00pm Survivor: China CBS
9:00-10:00pm Grey's Anatomy ABC
9:00-10:00pm CSI CBS
10:00-11:00pm Without a Trace CBS

Friday
9:00-10:00pm Women's Murder Club ABC Nowhere near as dark as the promos led me to believe. I enjoy seeing an empowering woman show.
10:00-11:00pm Men in Trees ABC

Saturday
Catch-up time. There is never anything good on Saturdays

Sunday
8:00-9:00pm Viva Laughlin CBS The premiere was interesting enough to give this one a shot for a few weeks. I hope that future shows will have the cast members singing the songs without the original vocals at the same time.
9:00-10:00pm Desperate Housewives ABC This show is finally making its way back.
9:00-10:00pm Cold Case CBS
10:00-11:00pm Brothers & Sisters ABC
10:00-11:00pm Shark CBS

My Advice to Reality TV "Stars" Before The Taping

I am writing to all of you who have hopes to one day be on a reality tv show. After watching premieres for Survivor: China and The Bachelor this week I realized there are some simple rules that some people actually need outlined for them. So, here is my advice:

1) Just because alcohol is offered in mass quantities does not mean you need to drink it in mass quantities. That goes out to Melissa, cut night one of The Bachelor. When you drink so much that you can't speak coherently, you really need to cut yourself off. Were you there for the open bar or the guy?

2) Dress appropriately for the game. This goes out Jaime the bra-less contestant on Survivor:China, all the other contestants of Survivor:China who showed up in heels, dresses, fishnet tights etc... ready for a photo op. rather than a survival game. This also goes out once again to Melissa of The Bachelor. If your chicken cutlets (fake breasts) don't stay on/in, then there are proper ways (like in a bathroom) to take them out, and if you can't feel that you are missing one then you once again are too drunk to be in the game.

3) Watch the show ahead of time. If you are going on a reality tv show and claim you have never seen an episode then you are obviously not in it to win, so bow out gracefully before you go on. Again this can be targeted at the inappropriately dressed Survivor cast members who for some reason didn't realize in past seasons they didn't get to bring their bright pink could fit my 4-year old daughter in it with all of her princess attire suitcases with them. (Disclaimer- I have never actually attempted to put my daughter in a suitcase, if she has tried on her own that is completely without the help of her mother and/or father).

4) Do not attempt to "show-off" using tricks that are only seen in circus sideshows. This goes out to the human pretzel and the web-toed wonder from The Bachelor. My suggestion is that you try out your trick for random people in the middle of a supermarket. If they are impressed and ask further questions, you are probably safe, if they are speechless, shocked, horrified, run away screaming, instantly fall into hysterical laughter- cut it. It is better to not be memorable than to be memorable for the wrong reasons.

5) It is a competition. Whether you are there to find love, money, or possibly both, you need to come in with your A game. Know what you are going to say when you come out of the limo or get your first one-on-one time. Have a game strategy and an idea of who you want to present yourself as. I have to hand it to Leslie and Jean-Robert from the Survivor: China cast for this. Leslie immediately claimed she "wasn't religious", though she "has a relationship with Jesus Christ" when she walked out of the temple. The woman is a Christian Talk Show Host. Either it was brilliant strategy to try not to be pegged as the crazy religious one, or she just happened into it with a misstatement. Either way, she came out playing the game. She also made a fantastic connection with a strong player who didn't have the social skills to connect with others himself, nicely played. Jean-Robert instead of trying to fly under the radar immediately made use of his poker playing skills to target and call out his adversaries. He let him tribemate know day 1 that he was in this, aware and ready to play. Deanna on The Bachelor also did a great job with this coming out with something unique and well-prepared when she left the limo, an introduction in Greek that she then translated.

So there are a few hints to begin with. I am not saying you will win the game by following these hints, but hopefully you won't be eliminated Day 1 or embarrass yourself so much that you won't be able to face your family ever again. Remember all of these episodes eventually end up on DVD and they will come back to haunt you if you don't follow the rules.