Hey everyone. Long time no writing. Because so much has happened. At least to me. I have now become a shin splint sufferer.
Shin Splint: Shin splints are pains in the front of the lower legs caused by exercise
Cause: Tibial shin splints are very common and affect both recreational and trained athletes. Runners are often affected
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov Medline Plus.
So there you have it -No running for the last 6-8 weeks. Instead many physician visits even more melt downs and lots of self-medicating. A huge burden for me and the people surrounding me. I know that worse happens to people all the time but for me not being able to run is pretty pretty bad. It’s so frustrating since I’ve always followed all the rules and was self-disciplined in every aspect and still something like this happens. Anyway yesterday I tried to shoot tiny electric currents through my leg with some device. One time my hand slipped and I accidentally turned the voltage very high. My leg is still hurting - I probably destroyed some important blood vessels. But otherwise electro therapy seems to be quite helpful.
Watched the season premiere of Entourage on HBO yesterday. It has really been a long time since the last episode (exactly one year as just checked on www.tv.com ) so I was really excited to see Ari and the gang back in action and I really wanted and still want to fly to that place in Mexico where Vinnie and Turtle hung out over the last months. That really was a “Fantasy Island”. I didn’t totally get the story behind that script and why it was all a set up in the end. I will rewatch tonight and then hopefully get it. I loved the episode and to quote “the TV addict” “the show was over way too fast” Can’t wait until “Unlike a Virgin” next Sunday. So I have just rewatched the episode (it is now one day later) and I understood that Vinnie was used to negotiate a better deal with that other actor Emilio something. The episode didn’t get any less entertaining the second time I watched it. I love that Drama has a Girlfriend who’s hot and in France and totally gets him.
The next show I have to comment on is “Gossip Girl” Just how fabulous has it become? It also seems like the actors are actually learning to act and the show’s funny and the chemistry between the acters is noticable and it seems like the show has made a considerable leap into the right direction. The most remarkable scene in the season premiere was when Blair and Chuck were standing outside of the party while the Lord (what was his name?) was getting the car and there was so much tension and chemistry between the two that I was longing for Chuck to say those 3 words Blair was asking him to say out loud. But of course he didn’t because that would be boring and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the twists and the drama and the constellations revealed during Blair’s party in episode two of this season. Let’s see if I got it: Blair is dating the Lord (really forgot his name) who’s mother is dating Nate (Nate is getting hotter by the episode don’t you think?) who is Blair’s ex. Chuck has sold his Night Club and given the money to Nate’s mom - Mrs Archibald because she is knee deep in financial trouble due to the departure of Mr Archibald. Nate is upset about this so he accepts the offer of Catherine - the Duchess and the Lord’s stepmother to pitch in with a little of her money. What’s wrong with Nate that he rejects financial help from his best friend but accepts money from his affair. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. Well anyway, Blair interrupts Catherine and Nate while making out and makes a deal with Catherine that she will keep quiet if she (the Duchess) accepts Blair’s relationship with the Lord. While all this happens Serena can’t keep her mind off Dan not to speak of her hands. I would be surprised if they’re not officially together be the next episode. The only one who seems to miss out is Vanessa but let’s save that storyline for when it has actually evolved into a real storyline.
What show really disappointed me to the point that I turned off the tv ( this hardly ever happens….ever) was 90210 2.0. The highlight during the first two episodes was the title music that reminded me of the original show in a way but that was about it. At least in other shows they try to compensate the lack of acting and storyline by finding hot and beautiful actors to do the job or there’s at least good music playing while you’re waiting for the show to turn good (Hidden Palms comes to mind - I would love to watch Hidden Palms again) But none of that was to be found during BH 90210 2.0. Luckily my friend and I had fries, pizza, springrolls and brownies (yes in that order and yes -all of it) to get over our disappointment so we were able to handle it.
Speaking of the CW and its shows about rich and spoiled Teenagers lets move on to the next show called “Privileged” which I had the chance to watch earlier today. I wasn’t expecting anything big but was pleasantly surprised. A young Yale graduate writer called Megan Smith (Joanna Garcia) is offered the job to tutor the two rich grandkids of Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer) with the goal to get them into Duke University. The two girls Sage (Ashley Newbrough) and Rose (Lucy Kate Hale) have lost their parents in an accident and are living in this huge estate in Palm Beach. At least Sage isn’t too eager with Megan’s studying plans and it’ll not be such an easy mission to get both of them into studying mode. Of course there are potential love interests such as Charlie Hogan played by Michael Cassidy (you might remember him playing Zach in The O.C. or Cliff in above mentioned Hidden Palms and Will Philips (Brian Hallisay) as well as Megan’s family issues such as a sister she has had a difficult past with and a father who was overwhelmed with his single parent role - both of them also residing in Palm Beach. The music is good and the location is beautiful so with all the above factors the foundation for a good show has been laid. Let’s wait and see how it evolves and let’s hope for the best. Nowadays in a post-Gilmore Girls post-Veronica Mars post-O.C. post-Men in Trees age I have lowered my expectations while accepting that we just have to make the best of what we get and that fabulous shows just don’t come around every day.
And with these words enough of TV - will go for a swim now and enjoy the last days of summer because winter is waiting to happen and that’s something I’m not exactly looking forward to.
(Picture Source The CW www.cwtv.com)
Tags: Gossip Girl, Shin splint, entourage, entourage hbo, Fantasy island, Vincent chase, jeremy Piven, Blair Chuck, Blake lively, Serena van der woodsen, Blair waldorf, Leighton Meester, Nate Archibald, Chase Crawford, Chuck Bass, Ed Westwick, BH 90210, The Cw, Privileged the cw, BH 90210 the cw, jennie garth, Shannon doherty, tori spelling
TV Shows, life, Entourage, Gossip Girl, 90210 2.0, Privileged | September 11th, 2008 by admin | No Comments
I watched the first three episodes of “Monk” season 7 the other day. I think it’s comforting to know that you can always depend on this show being entertaining. It’s really sad and I hadn’t heard until then that Stanley Kamel playing Dr. Charles Kroger had died of a heart attack in April of this year. They dedicated the season’s premiere episode to him. Actually I wondered afterwards that they must have started filming the new episodes before April and that when Kamel passed they had to re-shoot the sequences when Monk’s in therapy. Dr Bell played by Hector Elizondo (Hotel Manager in Pretty Woman) was introduced and I think he is an excellent successor to Kamel. I guess they just changed the setting of his office and sat him in the chair and replaced the scenes. Well, they had no choice did they? Other interesting factor in “Mr Monk buys a House” was the guest appearance of Brad Garrett (Robert Barone in Everybody loves Raymond) as Jake Phillips a.k.a. Honest Jake who turns out to be “The Guy”. I mentioned recently that I was rewatching the whole ELR series so it was a surprise seeing “Robert” as the murderer. But it was fun to watch nevertheless. The following two episodes were great as well especially the one with the check player who kills his wife (Mr Monk and the Genius) and always seems to be one step ahead of Mr Monk but of course in the end Mr Monk gets him.
I love this time of the year. Finally the weather is so great that you can go to the beach and sit outside late into the evening, have barbecues and not have to wear 800 coats before you leave the house. What makes everything even better is that one after one the first shows are coming back on the air. For me Monk and Weeds were the shows that kicked of my TV season 2008/2009. It’s all very exciting and at this point I do appreciate every new episode just a little bit more than during mid season but really we’re just talking about a little bit here.
Last week was a good week. I celebrated my birthday and had some friends over. Apart from the getting older part the weekend was a blast and I love when all your friends come together. I also spent the first night ever in a camper. For someone like me a big deal. Usually when I travel I prefer not to share my bathroom with fellow travellers and I do not mean to sound spoiled but I really do like hotels and hotel restaurants for that matter. I was prepared for the worst though and I was coming along voluntarily so I intended to live like a real camper and not to complain..out loud… for that matter. I think it might have been different had it rained those couple of days but we were blessed with the best summer weather and after a while I really enjoyed it (the nature). Then on the other hand after two and a half days I was glad I was to see my own bathroom again and refrigerated food but while we were “out there” I was totally in the spirit of things. I must say though that the bathroom concept on those campers needs work. I definitely can’t befriend the idea that you have to dispose of what is in the toilet at the end of the trip. I think pipes are a wonderful invention. I therefore preferred to just follow the call of nature outside which wasn’t that easy given the fact that we were parked on the parking lot of a well-frequented sports club. But what’s life without the risk of being discovered while peeing?! It is also strange how loud trees can be at night when there’s a little wind blowing and you’re so close by i.e. no real walls separating you from the wildness. It can actually keep you from sleeping at least during your first night in a camper…Anyway when I was exclaiming that I was pretty proud I was holding up so well and in fact had hardly complained the whole stay my sister informed me that what we were doing was hardly camping but some luxurious version of camping. The real camping does not include a camper but a tent and there isn’t even a toilet but it can get as bad as that you have to do your business into a urin container. And can you believe it camping isn’t even that inexpensive. Well I draw the line at having to pee in a container… and I need a bed… and a door…
The first spoilers for the fall tv season are coming out and it’s really hard to elude oneselve from all the information. I’m really excited about a lot of established shows and where the producers will take them this season. For one there’s Desperate Housewives. I think the leap in time was a smart move and probably the next season will spend most of it’s time demonstrating to the viewers on how the characters landed were they did in last season’s finale. Greys Anatomy should also become interesting with the relationship between Callie and Hahn as well as Izzie and Alex. I hope that all these rumors about Katherine Heigl leaving the show will finally come to an end. I swear that her leaving the show would seriously damage it. She belongs to the key characters and you can’t just cut them out one by one. And apart from some annoying scenes last season I do like her character and consider her a vital cast member. I hope that they get rid of Ava or Rebecca or whatever her name is. She’s been in the show long enough and she’s starting to really annoy me. Of course I can’t wait for Brothers & Sisters. All this gossip about Balthazar Getty and Sienna Miller just reminded me of how much I really miss the show. I hope the story won’t repeat itself too much and the plot evolving around the mysterious sibling “Ryan” will be something new and not the “Rebecca” story all over again. “Entourage” is scheduled for some time this fall and I must say: it’s about time. It’ll be almost a year since we last saw Vince and his entourage in Cannes. Oh yes and I can’t wait to see Ari (Jeremy Piven) again. Will cross thumbs for the Emmys.
Ok am suddenly too tired to continue writing. Will rest and be back.
(Picture Source www.welt.de)
Tags: Mr Monk, Monk USA, Mr Monk buys a House, Mr Monk and the genius, camping, Brad garrett, Hector elizondo, Stanley Kamel, Katherine Heigl, Grey Anatomy, Greys anatomy Season 5, Brothers &sisters, Balthazar Getty, sienna miller, Getty miller, entourage hbo, entourage, desperate housewives, Izzie Alex, Callie Hahn, Pretty, Woman, Jeremy Piven, Ari Gold, Emmys, weeds showtime
Greys Anatomy, TV Shows, life, Brothers & Sisters, Monk, Entourage, weeds | August 3rd, 2008 by admin | No Comments
I really wish I could make a living with my running. At least I’d have a deeper reason to spend so much time in my running shoes. I’ve been thinking about becoming a running pro but people keep telling me I’m too old for that. Well what do they know. I could do it! I just need to work out a way to speed things up a little. On the other hand I think that running is like the sport with the lowest prize money. For example you just have to manage to get through the first few rounds in a tennis tournament and you’ll already receive some good money. In a Marathon or a Half Marathon you have to be one of the first 3 or 5 finishers and then the prize money still can’t be compared to what a tennis player or even a football player gets. I’m not unrealistic - I know it’s going to be quite hard to be faster than all those young pros. Yeah maybe I should think of something else. Like cooking! I can do that. Enough of me and my silly dreams. I hate the summer hiatus because it makes me yearn for fall which comes before winter - which is the season I hate most. And there you have it.
I love what we’ve seen of Weeds on Showtime so far this season. It seems as if the move to - were exactly did Nancy move her entourage to? Let’s say somewhere near the Mexican border was exactly what the show needed. And I like that Nancy is less whiny. The whole setup is more fun and her “cooperation” with Guillermo has given the whole show a new much needed substance. Oh and the new storyline with the mayor is actually fun to watch. I also think that the non-family characters such as Celia were introduced into the new setup very smoothly. Let’s see what happens next but after a relatively slow last season I must admit that I was positively surprised with what the producers have done with the show.
What else is new. I think milk makes me fat. I stopped drinking it in the beginning of this year and started again a few months ago - ever since I’ve been gaining weight probably not recognisable to anyone but myself but still…Ok I know this is probably the most boring stuff I have ever written on my blog. I blame it all on the hiatus and my very unsatisfying job. I could write a lot on that end but common sense tells me I shouldn’t. The problem is that I love what you can do with milk. The whole variety - baking, cereal, cocoa and shakes! First I thought I was lactose intolerant but it now seems that my body is tolerating milk very well and on the contrary knows exactly how to process it. Right into my hips. Enough of me and the milk. In my next post I will share my chocolate fountain experience with the world. Yeah right - it comes right after the fries vending machine I reported about last year whereas if you load enough chocolate into the fountain and have the right accessories such as fruits and marshmellows the chocolate fountain experience can last way longer than the fry vending machine experience does. Unless of course you have enough cash to buy many portions of fries. But more about that later.
I must say if it weren’t for the occasional references about me running quite a bit readers of this blog could possibly get the impression that I indeed love my food and my TV and that I probably look that way. Well thank God I run!
How’s everybody feeling about the much talked about Beverly Hills 2.0? I say as long as you don’t try to see it as a sequel to the original series I think you’re good. I was just thinking about when my friends and I used to religiously watch BH90210 every week and watching the show was a vital part of the day. It was always followed by Melrose Place. I guess everyone used to watch those two shows. I think that mainly our target group - the mid twenties to mid thirties - will compare the show with its origin, especially now that parts of the original cast are said to return. Yey Brenda!!! The target audience for BH 2.0 will probably be the same that Gossip Girl is focusing on - the teens and perhaps early twenties. As far as I know these kids never watched the original shows unless they bought them on DVD or watched reruns. But why should they? - there have been enough newer and more talked about shows for them to watch. So for this younger audience Beverly Hills 90210 2.0 or whatever they are going to call it will be just another show focusing on young, rich and spoiled teens. Well at least the CW has both the East Side and the West Side covered with a Teen show now. But far be it from me to complain - I will accept my fate and look forward to September when both shows kick off on the CW. Really got a little excited there when I first heard the new but still familiar soundtrack of BH 2.0 on the CW website. Yey!!!
(Picture Source: www.thetvaddict.com)
Tags: Weeds Showtime, Marie Louise Parker, weeds tv, 90210 The CW, The CW, BH 90210, BH 2.0, Shannon Doherty, Gossip Girl, Chase crawford, Jenny Garth, Jason Priestley, Tori Spelling, running marathon, marathon, training marathon, ausiello files
TV Shows, life, weeds, 90210 2.0 | July 23rd, 2008 by admin | 3 Comments
With anticipation I checked the Emmy nominations a few days ago and I must say that I was quite disappointed. It seems as if the jury merely has the time to watch 5 to 6 shows since the same names keep showing up in almost every category. Don’t get me wrong - I love many of the shows that are nominated this year and I think it is absolutely justified that Tony Shalhoub and Hugh Laurie are yet again nominated for “Best actor” but can’t they just nominate some other shows for a change ? I watched the first few episodes of “Samantha Who” last season and while I generally enjoy Christina Applegate in her movies I quickly grew bored and stopped tuning in. On the other hand “Men in Trees” - which has been wrongfully cancelled - hasn’t been mentioned once. There was much more depth and character there than I could observe in SW. Shows I really hope will be successful in their categories are ”Friday Night Lights” “Brothers & Sisters” and “The Tudors”. I found this clip on www.ew.com - from the Ausiello Files. Adrianne Palicki and Connie Britton are so fantastic - I can’t wait for the show to go on the air. I enjoyed “Damages” but I wasn’t sad when the season ended so can’t understand all the nominations on that end. But maybe I’m wrong and the shows that appear on the nomination lists every year - the ones I haven’t seen - really are that good. Maybe I should check some of them out and then continue with this discussion (with myself). What surprised me a little was the amount of nominations “30 Rock” received. I love both Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin and I watch the show every week but 17 nominations? Even I must admit that this might be a bit too much. And how fabulous must “Pushing Daisies” be with a total of 12 nominations? That is definately a show I will take a look at and report back. Ok, stopping now with the Emmy talk.
Very recently I have started to rewatch all “Everybody loves Raymond” seasons. What shall I say- it’s been a rainy summer so far. Even watching the episodes for the second or third time is still hilarious. I would even say that this show is one of the funniest shows that have ever aired. And it’s not as exhausting as “Curb your Enthusiasm” which I also very much enjoy. I regularly need a break from Larry David’s “Faux pas” and can’t watch too many epis in a row whereas I can definately manage to watch a whole season of ELR in one day. During the weekend of course. Ok, maybe in two days. I love the whole cast and am very thrilled to see Ray Romano in “Men of a certain Age” on TNT this fall. I really can’t wait and hope that the show is going to be as successful as ELR was. There are so many excellent episodes of “Everybody loves Raymond”. Last night I very much enjoyed the one where Robert’s date eats a fly and Raymond watches her. I really laughed hard there. Romano is just the funniest man out there!
Ok, there’s so much more very important stuff I want to talk about here but the urge to go home and eat is momentarily stronger and I will therefore be back as soon as I’m saturated.
(Picture source: www.ew.com )
Tags: Emmys 2008, emmys, Men In Trees, Samantha Who, Christina Applegate, The Tudors, Damages, Friday Night Lights, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Men of a certain age, Ray romano, Connie britton, Adrianne Palicki
TV Shows, 30 Rock, Movies, House, Brothers & Sisters, Monk, Friday Night Lights, Entourage, Men in Trees | July 22nd, 2008 by admin | No Comments
Hello my friends. It has been a long time since I’ve posted and many things have happened:
1. I have bought the most beautiful and most comfortable little car. It’s blue and has seat heating and air condition and a cup holder - yes the cup holder is vital! I’m very proud and just a tiny bit hysterical about it. I’m one of those people who stands next to her car when somebody tries to park next to it just to watch whether he or she might accidentally damage it. Yesterday we were down by the river and a car came towards me - 4 senior citizens sitting in it and the very confident and at the same time very old driver had to swerve to the right to pass my car. He did do that and came dangerously close to my car and I naturally started to yell and made wild hand gestures but he just smiled and passed my car with perhaps 1 inch in between. The old man made me feel like a stupid beginner (which I’m not) and I sware he couldn’t have known his car so well that he knew that there was still one inch. Yes I know. This is not really an exciting story…
2. More exciting is the fact that I mastered my first Marathon and am still alive! yey! It was the most exciting thing I have ever done. It was so hot that day and for the majority of the runners the first warm day of the season. Except for the travellers amongst us nobody had had the chance to train under these temperatures. Even before I crossed the start line I experienced side pains which accompanied me until kilometre 18 or so. Therefore I said good-bye to my time goals and replaced them with one goal - to arrive in time before they closed the finishing line. What went on in my head during km 27-32 or so is hardly describable. It is a battle between your mind and your body and your mind again. My mind kept telling me to stop, to lie down to rest and against all my ambitions to abort the race. Then another voice started speaking up and it felt as if two voices in my head (no, I am not crazy and yes other runners are experiencing the same) fought over what I was supposed to do. In the end I kept running and the elation I felt during the last few kilometres can not be compared to anything else I have ever experienced. I think finishing a marathon will always be a very special and extremely satisfying feeling but running into the home stretch and crossing the finishing line for the very first time in your life will be something that you will never forget. I just decided to buy two photos they shot of me during the final minutes. These companies must make a fortune since the pictures are totally overpriced but what are you going to do. Gotta have those pictures so that I can admire them forever.
3. Our shows are back - at least some of them. I really enjoy Desperate Housewives and especially the evolving relationship between Bree and Katherine as well as Gossip Girl. The show has developed its own special dynamic and really is entertaining to watch. Also Greys Anatamy is back and is it only me or have they increased the level of how much bowels and loose scalp we get to see? I hope they’re not doing that to up the quotes. Really, that’s not the reason I’m tuning in. Apart from that the storyline was fine and it was nice to see all the characters back in all their glory.
OK, will hopefully be back soon with more on Brothers & Sisters, Men in Trees etc.
Tags: Marathon 2008, Marathon, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, Greys anatomy
Greys Anatomy, TV Shows, life, Gossip Girl | May 2nd, 2008 by admin | No Comments
An early Happy Easter to everyone. Just planted some Trees to save my beloved show Men in Trees on ABC and to give it the third season it deserves. This brilliant idea came from the the community of the Men in Trees Message board on www.ABC.go.com. Details on how to support the show and the same time to help children in need can be found here. I followed Sally’s call and so should everybody who enjoys watching this fabulous and heart-warming show. I’ve always complained about how underrated shows get cancelled and I’ve mourned the loss but I’ve never done anything about it. I think it’s great that fans are actually getting up and fighting for their shows to stay on the air and thinking about great initiatives to to get their messages to the studios. And by planting trees you’re not only trying to save the show but are also helping children in need in Third World countries. I really hope that all the efforts are worth it. I must say as a person who watches a considerable amount of tv that there are quite a few shows on TV that are not able to hold a candle to Men in Trees but have a better and more permanent air spot, get way more elaborate advertising and all in all more attention from the studios. It is my opinion that Men in Trees deserves at least the same treatment. I hope that all the initiatives will help to open the studio executive’s eyes and to make them give the show another chance. I found a really good article on the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago and made a note to myself that I would post the link on my blog. Click here to read it. It especially gives those of you who aren’t watching yet a good insight on the show.
Apart from planting trees there’s nothing really exciting going on around the Easter Holidays but since I was rather sick the last days I found the idea of going on a “Friends” Marathon quite appealing. At least some marathon activities going on in my life this week - I wasn’t even able to walk a few steps mid illness. My brother is on a “Sex and the City” Marathon. He’s so lucky - I know all the episodes by heart and will not rewatch them before the big SATC movie in May. Oh before I forget it: Saw the season finale of “Lipstick Jungle” on NBC today and must say that in contrast to what I said abut the show in an earlier post it has managed to create some depth in the relationships of the main characters. Some of the storylines are really quite interesting and the emotions that are displayed are increasingly convincing. Let’s see whether the show gets a second season. I haven’t followed the news on it and am not sure whether anything has been released just yet.
Ok will continue to watch “Friends” now. Wouldn’t want to get behind! Take care and plant some trees!!!
M.
(Picture Source: http://abc.go.com)
Tags: Men in Trees, Save men in trees, Anne heche, James tupper, Jenny bicks, ABC Men in trees, trees for life, Emily bergl, Read between the minds, lipstick jungle nbc, sex and the city the movie, sex and the city
TV Shows, Men in Trees | March 22nd, 2008 by admin | 1 Comment
Tell me one thing. Why do so many men feel threatened by strong women? I ask myself this question every day. I consider myself a strong women - I stand up for myself, I know what I want and when I’m treated badly I deal with it openly and I confront people. This applies to my everyday life - be it at work or in private. I think that in order to develop a strong character it takes a lot of strength, courage and determination. I think that for a women to become so strong she must have gone through some tough times. But this is only my view. The problem is while strong women admire each other for these traits men feel threatened and often attacked. I’m confronted with these situations on a regular basis. Especially insecure men behave very generously when it comes to critizising their opponent. They can’t stop dishing out and afterwards they feel much better about themselves. But shame on you should you dare to reciprocate. Then you’re considered an unstable and hysterical bitch. The ironical thing is that these kind of men take themselves way too serious since they think that we really want to spend our time dealing with them. No, we don’t - I can just talk for myself here. We’re just smarter than to let them boost their self confidence on our account. I would like to quote Mr Adrian Monk here: “It’s a gift and a curse.” Once you’ve stood up for yourselve you can’t back off the next time you get attacked and let me tell you my friends, it’s pretty tough sometimes. Alright, just had to get that off my chest before the weekend.
Now to the important things: A belated congratulations to Hillary Clinton for winning Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. She so much deserved to win after this horrible last month. I admired her on Saturday Night Life doing that scene with Amy Poehler and also laughed at her humor in the Daily Show on Monday when Jon Stewart asked her what she was doing going on an interview with him on the evening before the primaries. Her response “It’s pathetic” was just hilarious. I admire her strength and really hope that she can turn the dynamic of the race to her favour. It seems like it won’t go without the delegates of Michigan and Florida though so lets see with what kind of a solution the Democratic National Committee comes up with. Bill Clinton said something during a speech he held at the University of Wyoming yesterday and it corresponds well with with what I’ve been writing about in this post: “There is an indefinable quality you also need in a president, it goes beyond the ability to speak, to inspire, to think, to be smart, to come up with the right policies. You need somebody that you know is rock solid. (NY Times, Julie Bosman, 03.07.2008)”
Yes! Just read on www.tv.com that Friday Night Lights is saved - at least for now and will get its third season. Apparently the satellite-television provider DirecTV will support the show and add it to its game plan. I’m not sure whether this information is confirmed by either NBC or DirecTV but I do hope so. It gives me hope that for a change studios do care about their shows and make an effort to save them even if their ratings suck and nobody seems to watch them. People do have to start watching them though. Same goes for Men in Trees on ABC. There’s still no news on the renewal of the show for a third season and instead of getting slightly panicky I command everyone out there to watch the last two episodes of the show! I have watched every episode at least twice. I had nothing else to watch and Men in Trees is one of the few shows you can easily rewatch and still be entertained. Especially in the last episode I felt very involved: I cried when Marin did and I wanted to toss things when she did, I was overcome with joy when she saw Jack walking down the peer and I would have also wanted to have sex with him in that pickup truck. He’s just so gorgeous. Men in Trees is one of those shows where you become attached to every single character and where the town itself counts as a character as well. It reminds me of Twin Peaks where I wanted to move to during and after having seen the show and also of Gilmore Girls. I think every Gilmore Girls fan wanted to move to Stars Hollow and live with the Gilmores at least once. One of my favorite episodes was where Marin and Jane were visited by a bear and Jack had to rescue them (so sexy!) There’s just no annoying factor in Men in Trees so far. Not even Lynn disturbed me that much. I mean I was glad when we got to see her leave the town but while she was still there the episodes were written in a way that the viewers didn’t have to hate her. Not like Oliver in The O.C. man was he awful. And so far I must say David Rosenthal whom I found listed in the shows credits is doing a much better job here than he had done in Gilmore Girls. To his defence - stepping into the Palladino’s shoes was a “Mission Impossible” to begin with.
Later M.
(Picture Source www.a.abcnews.com)
Tags: Hillary clinton, Wyoming, Bill clinton, Friday night lights, Save friday night lights, NBC Directv, NY times, Yes she will, Men in trees, men in trees abc, jon stewart, daily show, Saturday night life, amy poehler
TV Shows, life, Monk, Friday Night Lights, Men in Trees, Politics | March 7th, 2008 by admin | No Comments
So the strike is over and the returning dates of most of the shows have been announced as you can see in the TV Guide’s Strike update by Michael Ausiello. But since most of the shows won’t return until April/May 2008 the waiting doesn’t stop just yet. While I’m very much hoping that Men in Trees will be renewed by ABC I have picked up “Lipstick Jungle” which airs Thursday nights on NBC. After having watched the first four episodes I haven’t quite made up my mind whether I’ll continue to watch it once the other shows return. The show describes the ups and downs in the lives of three of New York’s most powerful women. They are played by Brooke Shields (Wendy), Kim Raver (Nico) and Lindsay Price (Victory). I’m not really a fan of any of these actresses and the show hasn’t turned me into one so far. The storyline isn’t very innovative but keeps you just interested enough to tune in for the next episode. Viewers who expect to find witty dialogues, demonstrations of deep friendship or true interpersonal drama that occurs when one must balance career and private life will have to keep looking - for now. I think the whole concept has potential and the writers are definitely exploring the right issues but for now they are merely scratching on the surface and the plots seem somewhat superficial. Each character is facing very individual problems and emotions but somehow I can’t feel it. I absolutely couldn’t relate to Victory and her relationship with the billionaire. Is she so impressed by his money that she has to put up with his attitude? He doesn’t want to be a part of her life enough to be interested in her friends but merely wants alone time with her. His romantic gestures are almost always of materialistic nature like flying her around in his jet and showering her with gifts that used to belong to famous designers. It seems to me like a healthy und longlasting relationship… I’ll stop criticizing for now. It has only been four episodes-Let’s give the show a real chance to take off before we crush it-
What else is new? I had the most exhausting run ever on Sunday with my Marathon training group. It’s one thing to brag about running the marathon and another to actually follow through and prepare for it. There was a storm hovering over my city, airplanes nearly crashed while landing (not kidding!), people where asked to stay inside of their houses during the weekend and what did we do? We went running throught the woods. Like crazy people. For almost 3 hours through the mud up and down the hills. Mid-run I got these bad stitches in my side which emerged right after I hid behind a tree to follow nature’s call and the remainder of the run I really had to bite my teeth together in order to get rid of them. I at least made it through the run - something I wouldn’t have managed if it weren’t for my friend who motivated me through the painful period and stayed by my side until we caught up with the group.
Hillary Clinton visited this weekend’s Saturday Night Life as well as yesterday’s Daily Show but I haven’t seen the shows yet. Will catch up on them tonight.
So long!
(Picture Source: www.ew.com)
Tags: Hillary for president, Obama clinton, Lipstick jungle, lipstick jungle nbc, michael ausiello, men in trees, anne heche, brook shields, lindsay price, kim raver, marathon, the daily show, jon stewart, saturday night life, SNL amy poehler, poehler clinton
TV Shows, life, Men in Trees | March 4th, 2008 by admin | No Comments
Recently I have come to the conclusion that there’s nothing more frustrating than running against the wind. At least in my life which I guess means that my life doesn’t suck too much. With the marathon only 2 months away and training units increasing by the week I have lately been in a constant state of euphoric exhaustion… provided that such a condition actually exists. Despite being tired most of the time it doesn’t keep me from feeling excited everytime I put my running shoes back on and the feeling of elation during and after the run makes all the effort totally worth it. It just seems that I have been born into the windiest city ever and no matter what route I choose I keep running against the wind… Icy wind that pushes you back and deprives you of your well-portioned energy. I just hope that the harder the training is the easier the actual marathon will be. Yes I know I’m living in fantasy land. My parents keep asking me why I don’t just take the car but running has become like a drug to me. I can’t live without it. The perfect day in my life must always include a run, some excellent shows (we will get to that in a second) and good food. The rest is more or less optional. The weather forecast just gave a storm warning. Guess I’ll be having one of those fun runs tomorrow morning.
I’ve been reading a lot about the effects of the writer’s strike especially on new shows which are in their first or even second season. Initially I had the opinion that the strike would harm new shows that haven’t quite established their fan base yet and are still struggeling with low ratings. I thought that these shows wouldn’t make it through and after the strike and would face cancellation. But it seems that I wasn’t quite right. Bill Carter wrote in the NY Times back in November that shows like my beloved “Men in Trees” and “Friday Night Lights” would benefit from the fact that networks would begin running low on original scripts as the strike progresses. He claims that executives won’t waste episodes they’ve already paid for and will definitely air them. Now after the strike most of the established shows are in a hiatus while the studios are working 24/7 to produce as many episodes as they can for the remainder of the season. Shows like Men in Trees still have some episodes left like tonight by the way and hopefully will attract more viewers - viewers that might have had enough of the reality shows filling the gaps our favorite shows have left behind. Therefore the marginal shows as they call them might benefit from the weakened competition. Also the lineup for new fall shows might turn out very differently this year. Since less pilots could be produced executives might turn to shows that otherwise might have been cancelled and renew them. I personally hope that Men in Trees and FNL will be amongst these shows. At least hopes are up for FNL since NBC is considering sharing broadcasting duties of the show with networks like The CW or TNT. This solution might be FNL’s only chance to get a third season and so I embrace the idea and appload the efforts made by the NBC execs.
My brother recently brought ABC’s Men in Trees to my attention and what can I say, after a few episodes I was hooked and intrigued. And I know everyone could see the 
whole Jack/Marin romance coming in the series pilot but I nevertheless find the whole story convincing and sweet. People who know me will confirm that I’m not much of a romantic person these days and when I say I was practically melting away during Jack’s confession on Marin’s voicemail when she was in NY (First season) this really means something. When he chose Lynn over Marin I was ready to rip him into pieces. I love the whole Alaska setting and the other characters in Elmo and I’m so addicted to the show right now that I’m backing up Michael Ausiello on today’s “Ask Ausiello” and urge all of you out there to turn on your tv tonight and to watch ABC’s Men in Trees!!!
I can’t stop writing this post without quoting my favorite comedian/brilliant actress/producer Tina Fey who said in last Saturday Night Life that “Bitch is the new Black” when she tried to convince viewers to rethink their choice of voting for Obama and instead to vote for Clinton. Last Saturday’s SNL showed a parody of journalists promoting and pampering Obama while being overly tough on Clinton. Yesterday’s Cleveland debate between the two candidates looked very similar to that parody and SNL was even referred to by Clinton when she asked whether “Obama was feeling comfortable or if he’d like a pillow”. Alessandra Stanley brings it to the point in today’s NY Times article 20th Debate: Reality Show or a Spinoff? The direction the media coverage takes can very much affect how the the audience perceives a presidential candidate - or better said anyone and anything in the public eye. The favoritism surrounding Obama does not stop when it comes to the press. While Obama is often displayed from his graceful and calm side Clinton is being portrayed as a panicked and unsteady candidate who has no clear direction and has practically lost the race - therefore giving people the impression that she has and therefore changing their voting intentions from voting for Clinton to voting for Obama. I for myself must say that I tend to ignore the media’s attempts to influence the electorial behaviour and will base my decision solely on the hard facts: qualifications, experience etc. Of course media coverage that supports Clinton’s campaign is fine by me.
See ya!
(Picture Source www.etonline.com)
Tags: Obama Clinton cleveland debate, Men in trees, Marin jack, ABC Men In Trees, Friday Night Lights, Friday night lights CW, michael ausiello, ask ausiello, Tina fey, Saturday night life, Bitch is the black, bill carter NY times, Alessandra Stanley
TV Shows, life, Friday Night Lights, Men in Trees | February 27th, 2008 by admin | No Comments
Hey to all of you who haven’t watched the greys two-parter yet: you are for once excused from having to read my blog. 
Was last week’s Greys “Crash Into Me (2)” the best episode of this season so far or what?? While the first part was a good average the second part left me stunned and in my opinion it was the best episode of this season so far (I might be repeating myself!). The episode left off right where part one ended. Lexie had her hands full with saving Nick’s (Seth Green) life, his blood splashing all over her and the hospital. This kept her distracted from the fact that Ava or Rebecca had returned and claimed Alex as her boyfriend or whatever they define their relationship. I don’t like the character of Rebecca and the game she’s playing. I think its stupid that she calls herself Eva when she’s around Alex and for all the others she remains Rebecca.
Meredith and the Chief were doing their best to save Ray’s life (Ray was the one who got stuck in the ambulance). I love the scene where Meredith, while stabilizing Ray - tells Hahn to shut up. I love how Hahn reacted. (later more on Hahn) While saving Ray’s life and convincing Jacob’s wife to stay in the hospital and wait for Ray to recover from surgery Meredith had the epiphany that no matter how painful it might be she would rather stay with someone - this someone being Derek - than end up alone.
Derek on the other hand was getting busy with Nurse…. I forgot her name.. “I am an imperfect person” that’s what she described herself. Thanks to 3 semesters computer sciences at Santa Cruz University she was able to restart the Neuronavigational system on the computer in the OR and therefore helped to save a patient’s life. She was rewarded for this with a kiss and very politely thanked Derek afterwards. A few minutes later Meredith chose to inform him about her wish that he was to longer meet with other women and before he was able to respond she hushed him and jumped away.
In my opinion the writers (should they ever write again) could write an entire episode around Dr Erica Hahn, Sloan and perhaps also Callie. Seeing them together in the OR and later in the resident lounge was just perfect. This dialogue which I found on www.tv.com was one of my favorites:
Erica: This is gonna sound bizarre. I realize at this point that this is gonna sound bizarre, but… Any chance you people want to get a drink with me?
Sloan: Why would we want to do that?
Callie: (To Sloan) She’s saying she needs a friend.
Sloan: Okay.Fine.Let’s drink.
Erica: You won’t hit on me?
Sloan: I can’t promise that.
Erica: If I say please?
Callie: (To Erica) He still can’t promise that.
Erica: (After a pause to think) Fine.
And finally there’s Bailey struggling to balance her personal life and her job. George became the messenger when Bailey who was late for a date with her husband asked him to ask her husband to wait so that she could save the life of this nazi guy. Her husband - obviously used to being kept waiting - was less understanding than she’d hoped and after telling George that he was done waiting - left the hospital. George whose friendship with Bailey has grown over the last months had to inform her about this - mid surgery. Memorable was George when he told the nazi guy that would it have been him alone in the OR, the guy would probably be dead by now. I must confess that I’m not the biggest fan of T.R. Knight but his acting in this episode was indeed remarkable.
Oh I forgot Christina. She remained upset that Bailey had pulled her off Hahn’s case and confonted her at the end of the day for using her because of her skin color. I liked her speech although I think it was a little dramatic of Christina. Anyway you just had to love her when she comforted Lexie who had just lost her patient and brought her home to Meredith. When Meredith (who had obviously expected Derek) looked at Lexie suprised Christina just said “She has no one” and the expression on her face was just priceless. And then they all danced including George and Izzie who realized that evening that due to timing and not chemistry (yeah right) they would not make it as a couple - at least for now.
All in all a perfect episode!
(Picture Source www.greys-anatomy.com)
Tags: Crash into me part 2, crash into me greys anatomy, greys anatomy, ellen pompeo, T R Knight, Seth green, ABC Greys Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey, Chyler Leigh, Sanrda Oh, Justin Chambers, Brooke Smith, chandra wilson
Greys Anatomy, TV Shows | December 11th, 2007 by admin | No Comments