And It's TV Time!
After the madness and nonstop action of RWA, it’s veg out time for me! Good thing a few of my favorite TV series (and guilty pleasures) are providing some excellent fodder for down time!
Could there have been a better time for Toddlers & Tiaras to make a reappearance? Surely not, sister. I love pursing my lips over those toxic moms. And my man Tony Bourdain? Thanks, fella, for kicking it back in with terrific episodes – one of which takes place in none other than nearby Charm City. I love his laconic charm. His smart ass humor. His smarts without the ass. His ass without the smarts. And, gosh darn it, his all around magnificent Tony-ness!
And, of course, there are the myriad pleasures of True Blood which are pretty damn myriad at the moment. You’ve got your pagan orgies! And Sam with his shirt off! And Eric – my god, Eric! With tantalizing hints out there that there just may be a nude scene in his future, my cup (and his, I am certain – ha, ha) runneth over. I am also currently enjoying a extra large side of crow because one of my favorite things about this season is dim bulb Jason and his adventures with the Fellowship of the Sun psycho bitch from hell Sarah Newlin. It takes talent to portray a character with absolutely nothing going on his brain and Ryan Kwanten has totally won me over now that I don’t have to look at his ass every episode. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) As for Sarah, the actress – and the character – are magnificently over the top. Perky + Crazy Ass Psycho Tendencies = Big Time Winner!
And there are new episodes of Ghost Hunters coming on August 19th! And current episodes of the paler, lamer, but still entertaining Ghost Hunters International to enjoy in the meantime until the real boys (and Kris Williams – loved her in person, BTW) come back!
And Gene Simmons! And the jewels of his family! (Glad Nick finally acted like an irresponsible kid in last week’s episode when he moved out. I was starting to get a little worried for him on the don’t-get-too-mature-before-you-have-to front.)
But, on a w-a-a-a-a-y more serious note, the season three debut of Mad Men on August 16th creeps ever closer. I’ll be getting cool stuff from the show’s publicist and I plan to share everything here on a weekly basis. (Honestly, I’m going to write every week. Really! When I end almost every sentence with an exclamation point, that means I really mean it! Really! I promise, BTW, to be completely over my newfound and heretofore unexplored exclamation point addiction by then because something tells me that ze Don Draper, he spits on my exclamation points.) (!)
Do you, unlike me, have a life this summer? If you, like me, are in the occasionally lifeless category, what TV shows are you chilling out to? What shows are you missing during the summer break? And, as a special bonus question, just how annoying are my exclamations points?!
-Sandy AAR
Additionally, add about 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup dried quinoa when cooking.
Lynn, I’ve watched every single Prime Suspect multiple times. Helen Mirren is an amazing actress and a very cool woman, too!
LG, I think you’re onto something with your beach reads theory. You guys turned me on to Real Housewives of New Jersey (the first Real Housewives I’ve watched) and that was the equivalent of settling down on a lazy beach with a Nora Roberts. (Nora seems perfect beach reading to me.)
Karen W, for some reason I’ve never gotten into the cooking shows. Hey, I know why — because I DON’T cook. And I promise this blog will be a steady source of the latest and greatest Mad Men news.
Lynn M, I tried to watch Royal Pains — watched the first two episodes, I think — and it just seemed kind of lackluster to me. Liked Mark F and the setting was perfect for a summer series, but then a whole bunch of my episodes stacked up on my TiVo and when that happens I know I’ll never get around to watching them. Deleted them a few days ago. As for True Blood, you KNOW you want to.
CindyS, re: Toddlers and Tiaras: You KNOW you want to.
Yay!! A TV post!
I’m afraid to watch Toddlers and Tiaras but I think I’m going to get lured in to the OMG NO factor!
And do you guys have new episode of my Tony? Right now I’m watching repeats and I love ’em.
True Blood – I’m enjoying this second season much more and you are right about the brother – not nearly as irritating as last season. And darn, I thought Sam had found a soul mate. And I think Jessica is too cute with her love of a human – hope it stays cute. And after watching Eric at the hotel sucking on a woman’s neck – well, I’m ready to see the man fall head over heals with someone! (I’ve never read the books so I’m flying blind and loving it again ;))
I’m also enjoying Ghost Hunters and GHI international but I don’t think Mad Men will debut here at the same time as you guys.
My latest:
Deadliest Catch – it’s the Opeilio season and wow, these guys are always tugging on my heart strings – last week one of the young sailor’s sister passed away while he was fishing. The sense of family on the boat was beautiful to watch and yeah, I cried like a baby because I know it’s all real. The best part was the next episode the crew refused to take on another man to help while the youngun was gone and you see the tough guy look in the camera and say ‘I miss ya, ______’. He was already passing out of the frame as if, yeah, he had to say it but it was tough. Heart strings were definitely tugged!
Real Housewives of New York / Orange County – Talk about eye opening extravagence and lack of knowledge on how the world works with their kids. Yikes. Bad Cindy for watching and thinking ‘well, that kid is going to suck those people dry!’
And I just picked up Weeds season 4 (?) to watch – it’s a silly show but it passes time.
CindyS
I’m a “Burn Notice” gal, so I’ve been enjoying my favorite hero Michael Westin for the last eight weeks. Sadly, the summer finale is next week. I’ve also been tuning in to the new “Royal Pains”, which is hit or miss for me – love Michael Feuerstein as Dr. Hank, but he has zero chemistry with the love interest they’ve paired him with. There’s far better romance to be had between his brother, Evan, and his P.A. Diviya. I tried “Mad Men” for a season and just couldn’t manage to get into it. Maybe it was all of the smoking. I’ve been hearing such great things about “True Blood” I’m thinking of hunting down Season 1 on DVD to see if I get hooked.
My guilty pleasure (and embarrassed to admit it) – my daughter and I discovered “Dance Your Ass Off” and it’s surprisingly entertaining and inspirational. A cross between “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Biggest Loser”.
I’m excited about “Mad Men” coming out too, and I’ll look forward to your sharing. :)
I also love “True Blood” and got hooked on “Family Jewels” a couple years ago.
I’m enjoying the new Lifetime series “Drop Dead Diva,” as well as “Merlin,” “Leverage,” and the new season of “Hell’s Kitchen.”
I’ve watched a few of Tony Bourdain’s shows, and do enjoy him…just not addicted as yet. He’s also been lots of fun as a guest judge a few seasons on Top Chef.
Do you think these shows are the equivalent of the traditional “beach reads” for summer? Definitely no beach time for me this summer, so I’m getting the same enjoyment from some tv shows (SYTYCD definitely at the top of my list).
Since I only have basic cable, I miss out on Mad Men and some of these other shows. Lately, I’ve just been watching The Soup and the Daily Show, and DVDs of Prime Suspect. Helen Mirren is fabulous on that show.