30 Days of TV: Day 5

A Show You Hate

I used to absolutely LOVE the show that I now hate.  For many seasons it brought joy and happiness, music and laughter into my life.  Then things started to change.  People left the show, and others were brought in to "fill their shoes".  It just didn't work anymore; the magic was gone.

The show I now hate is:

The first few seasons were fun.  I didn't start watching until season 2 when it was between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.  I was STUNNED when Clay didn't win, because let's face it; he is better than Ruben.




I continued watching.  Carrie Underwood was fabulous and I finally was happy with a win.  The last season I actually remember watching was season 8, when Adam Lambert came into the world of American Idol.  Holy cow, this guy can sing, and it was so fun to watch him evolve as a performer each week.  I didn't care about the black nail polish, and mascara, it was Adam.




And then, once again, America let us down; Adam didn't win.  The world, and the judges, were stunned, and I have NO IDEA who did win.  I kept watching because Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson were so much fun together.

When Simon and Paula left, I was done.  I'll get this wrong, but I know that Jennifer Lopez came on to judge, as did Steven Tyler.  They left, and Mariah Carey, some weird singer named Niki something came on, along with Keith Urban.  B-O-R-I-N-G!!  The magic was gone, the show became all about the judges and their drama, and I completely lost interest.

When you have a show where you leave America to judge, they will get it wrong almost every single time!  Here's a little Adam Lambert for you!

30 Days of TV: Day 4

Your Favorite Show Ever

This day was so easy, that it almost wasn't fair.  If you know me in any way at all; whether it's through Facebook, my blog, or in person, then you can answer this one for me.  My favorite show ever is......

For those of you who've never seen this show, here's basic premise:

The title refers to the burn notices issued by intelligence agencies to discredit or announce the dismissal of agents or sources who are considered to have become unreliable.  When spies are burned, they are left without access to cash, and basically no identity.  The series is about Michael Westen's attempts to get back into the good graces of the agency, because all of the things he was blamed for doing were actually done by someone else.

He enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend, Fiona, and old friend Sam Axe, and later Jesse Porter, and they become problem solvers for ordinary citizens.  The series juggles two main ideas:  dealing with why Michael was burned, and individual episodes focusing on the cases he works for clients.

When the 100th episode premiered during the final season, this was posted on Facebook by USA's official Burn Notice page:

Many fans said they turned it into a drinking game.  Let's just say that if I was an alcoholic drinker, I would've been out within minutes.  The appeal of this show is summed up in this Facebook post.

I love this show because they are helping out people, they blow stuff up ALL THE TIME, the chases are AMAZING, and it's just a lot of fun.

And below is by far the BEST Burn Notice video that I have ever seen.   My favorite parts:  at :44 when Michael jumps out of the helicopter; 2:07 when his loft blows up....Jeffrey Donovan (Michael Westen) actually made that jump; and 4:36 when the Charger blew up....I almost had a heart attack when that happened in the season 4 finale!!




If you've never watched this show, it is currently on Netflix.  The final season just posted Saturday.  Give it a try, it is A.MAZ.ING!!!!

30 Days of TV: Day 3

Your Favorite New Show (Aired This Season)

I don't have cable.  All of my TV viewing comes from either Netflix or the few internet channels that allow viewership of complete TV episodes.  Unfortunately network cable channels are now making it more difficult to watch shows unless you are a cable subscriber.  USA did it first with the final season of Burn Notice.  You could only watch it if you put in your TV account number.  Why would I watch it on the internet if I could watch it on cable?  They're just forcing people to subscribe to cable again.  ABC has also done it.   CBS is my "staple" network.  If the day ever comes where they block their internet channel, then there will be major issues!  Bottom line is that I haven't watched any new shows that aired this season.  That being said, my favorite new show (which is currently on Netflix!) is:

Sherlock is a British television drama that is a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories.  Sherlock is a "consulting detective" and assists in solving crimes. Dr. John Watson was just returned from Afghanistan and helps him.  

My sister told me about this show, and I was hooked within the first 5 minutes.  I teach literature in 5th grade, and one of the core knowledge books we read is Sherlock Holmes.  To be perfectly honest, I DID NOT like the book at all.  This show however, is IN.CRED.I.BLE!!!!!  Watching Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), and Martin Freeman (Watson) play off of each other is so fun.  The stories are brilliantly written, and the way they show how Sherlock's mind works is amazing.

I just finished watching the show last night.  Holy cow, simply amazing.  Season 1 & 2 are on Netflix.  Season 3 in on PBS Masterpiece only until March 4th.  There may only be 9 episodes to this show, but they are 90 minutes long each, so it's like watching a full length movie.  That also helps explain the almost 2 years that fans have to wait between each season....major bummer.

A lot of the words to this next video are perfect, however, please realize that these two are not in a romantic relationship!  Their friendship makes each of them whole.  It's more of a 'bromance'!

30 Days of TV: Day 2

 A Show That Should Never Have Been Cancelled

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Set behind the scenes at an ailing late-night television sketch show, Studio 60 follows a genius writer-producer team (Perry and Bradley Whitford, West Wing's Josh Lyman), who are shipped in to return the show to its glory days. Amanda Peet plays the enlightened new network head who believes that 'the people who watch TV are no dumber than the people who make it'. This trio set about revitalising Studio 60 as the sharp, bold cultural totem it once was. 

The first few episodes of Studio 60 are as complete a piece of television entertainment as you could wish for. The dialogue, one of Sorkin's trademarks, fizzes with one-liners, and the performances have an instant depth.

For some reason, the ratings for this show plummeted quickly.  I thought this was a great cast, and with Aaron Sorkin (write of The West Wing) at the head, it should have been a home run.  But NBC only gave it 1 season and then pulled the plug.

30 Days of TV: Day 1

I've missed blogging.  Life has been busy, and I haven't had the time, but I've wanted to get back into it.  When I first started a few years back, I did the 30 Day of Me challenge, and I really enjoyed it.  I was looking around the internet a few days ago, and found a 30 days of TV challenge.  I liked the topics, so I thought I'd give it a try.  So, without further ado, here we go.

Day 1:  Saddest death of an actor

I actually changed this from what Day 1 on the list really was.  Yesterday, the man who played Gibbs' father on NCIS, Ralph Waite, passed away at the age of 85.  Many know him as the patriarch on the TV show The Walton's, but that was a little before my time.  I am a HUGE fan of NCIS; as you will come to know throughout these 30 days.  Cast as Gibbs' father in 2008, these two actors played off each other PERFECTLY!  Right out of the gate he was given a great storyline and I fell in love with this actor, and the character of Jackson Gibbs.

When I read this morning that he had passed away, I shed a tear.  I hope that NCIS gives him a proper send off.  This is a character that can't be recast...the chemistry between Ralph Waite and Mark Harmon was just fantastic.  Waite MADE this character.  Here are some clips that show their relationship.










The Johnny Cash song in the background really annoys me, but this video is great.  Oh, and the actor playing Gibbs' as a teenager is actually Mark Harmon's son....so cool!

Ralph Waite, you will be missed.