I'm Getting Nervous Now

Two things made me a little queasy last night:

1. Drinking about a pitcher of beer followed by vodka on the rocks.
2. How 3 out of 8 remaining hours of Alias have passed, and how much they have left to resolve.

So now we know for a fact that it was Sydney and Jack hiding Vaughn... however, the scene just breezed by without much thought. We saw the Prophet 5 dozen - but were we supposed to have recognized any of them? I didn't see anyone familiar, so I don't care that we "saw" these random actors. Sloan got his cure for Nadia - but obviously that storyline is just getting started. And now Anna is a Sydney clone? (I hope the story isn't a clone of the season 3 finale where Lauren wore the Sydney mask and infiltrated the CIA offices.) The only thing I'll predict is that we saw the colored splotches again on the DNA Analyzer Machine (?), so whatever it is Sydney has, its likely the baby has it too.

But there a million more questions! There is no time for more questions - we need answers like every minute in the show now, if we are going to come to a satisfactory ending!!! Last night was great - Alias at its best - but there's just not enough time for that. Let's hope hour 4 brings us closer to resolution.

Answer Key

The Beautiful People season finale had some twists! If you took the quiz below, here are the answers:

1. b (The twist: Although Karen leaves her seemingly-player boyfriend for the photographer, in the last minute of the season, Karen finds out that she lost the modeling contest BECAUSE of the gruff photographer, so she's runs away. Will he win her back in Season 3?)

2. b (The twist: Lynn confronts her business partner, Maddie, about stealing and using again and tells her not to come back until she gets help, otherwise Lynn will turn her in for embezzlement. But in the second to last scene, Maddie tells Lynn that the whole business is in Maddie's name, so if Lynn turns her in, Lynn will lose everything! Will Lynn regain control of her business in season 3?)

3. a (The twist: The baby wasn't Chris'! (It was his brother's - who's in jail for armed robbery.) Although Sophie and Chris get together, Lynn forbids Sophie from dating him because of his shady past. Sophie openly disobeys Lynn, but at the same time wonders if it's all worth it. Will Sophie & Chris stay together in Season 3? If so, will Lynn accept their relationship?)

4. a (The twist: Although K does have too much time on her hands, M is very jealous. And also annoyed that she can't number from 1 to 5.)

5. ? (Don't know if the show has been renewed or not. Let us hold hands and pray for not. )

Audrey Sucks

Watched this week's 24 last night. The whole time, all I was thinking was: Shut the hell up Audrey! It was bad acting - but to be fair, she didn't have much to work with. What were the writers thinking? That scene dragged on much too long, and it just annoyed me.

The Lost Experience

ABC and the Producers of Lost have announced "The Lost Experience" - a.k.a. something to keep us busy over the summer so the online community stops whining about re-runs. Supposedly the game allows players to follow a series of clues from various advertising outlets (i.e. emails, phone calls, billboards) which will help us "win" the game. Win what? A fabulous trip to Hawaii? An autographed coconut from the set? No, something "better"... more answers to the mystery of the island! Clues will start during the next new episode of Lost, which is May 3rd. And (surprise, surprise), the producers say its important to not TiVo through the commercials.

Is this a shameless play for more advertising dollars? Uh-huh. Will I definitely be playing? You betcha.

Check out these articles for more info:

eOnline Article
NY Times Article

Tricky ABC

For those of you who don’t have one, the TiVo has a setting that allows itself to only record first run shows. That means, if the show is a re-run, the TiVo won’t pick it up. Clearly, I use this setting for most shows.

With this being said, last night I sat down to watch (what I thought were) my new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy. Were they new? NO. They were clip shows designed to help a new audience “catch up” on the season (which incidentally, has already been done before, earlier this season.) Now, unlike some others in the online fan communities, I don’t mind the re-runs now and then – it’s a necessity of network television. HOWEVER, I don’t like it when re-runs masquerade themselves as new shows, and raise my hopes for a nice little feel-good marathon. It just makes me mad. Furthermore – I hate, hate, hate clip shows, and it doesn’t even stop there! Lost this week is a clip show for Season 2 (again, the second time this season). ABC is really on a roll with me.

Well, hopefully I can get back to watching *new* TV for the rest of the week. Here’s my prediction for “show of the night”:

Monday (TiVo’d but not yet watched): 24 (Runner Up: How I Met Your Mother)
Tuesday: Scrubs (Runner Up: The Unit)
Wednesday: Alias (Runner Up: Invasion)
Thursday: Smallville (Runner Up: Commander In Chief)
Friday: Las Vegas (Runner Up: uh... ?)

Beats the Earth, Wind & Fire Musical

I re-watched High School High, the Disney Channel musical, this weekend. Okay – I actually re-watched it about three times. I’ve decided that it not just a guilty pleasure – it’s actually a really good musical! Catchy music, on screen chemistry between the actors and a fast-moving script make this movie musical fun and easy to watch. Like this CNN article says: its Grease meets Romeo and Juliet, (although with the a little bit of a mousekateer feel.)

Although the whole time I hoping that Gabrielle, the mega-genius new student, and Troy, the cutie captain of the basketball team, get together and score the leads of the high school music, I still felt sad for Ryan and Sharpe, the established drama-club brother and sister team, whose world is turning upside down.

After the first time through, my favorite song hands down was “Get Your Head In The Game” (which had the cool basketball choreography), this time around, I just can’t get “Something I’ve Been Looking For” out of my head (and yes, they're both officially iPoded.) If you’re too far from (or like me, can’t afford to go to) Broadway, then I highly recommend you try this out.

If you secretly enjoyed movies like The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted (and I know some of you out there did!) then definitely watch this movie.

Beautiful People Season Finale Tonight

Yes, behind the scenes, I've been continuing to watch ABC Family's Beautiful People. The season finale is tonight, and we are left with a few questions. To prove how bad this show is, I will administer a quiz for you non-watchers (i.e. all of America), and I'd put good money that anyone in the world will be able to predict what happens tonight.

1. Who will Karan choose?
a. Rich, smooth-talking boyfriend with gelled back hair
b. Gruff photographer she's worked with all season, but really has a heart of gold

2. Who's pilfering money from the new business?
a. Dependable Lynn Kerr (main character)
b. Lynn's ex-coke addict business partner who's been shifty lately

3. Will Chris, the new studly scholoarship student with a secret past, and Sophie get together, despite the fact that it turns out that Chris is a teenage father?
a. Yes
b. No

Okay, do your best, and I'll let you know the answers after tonight's season finale. Let's just pray that the answer to Question 5 is (a)....

5. Will this show ever leave me alone and just die???
a. Yes, there is hope for M, and this show will be cancelled.
b. No, this is payback for enjoying that episode of According to Jim, and there are at least three more seasons left.

What About Boring

Okay - I've really tried to like JJ's new show, What About Brian, (ABC, Mondays @ 10pm). But there's just not really anything to like about it. The characters? Shallow and unlikeable. For example, Brian, the title character, slept with two roommates in a 24 hour timespan, and we, the primarily twenty-something female audience, are supposed to be sympathizing with him? Or how about Adam, Brian's best friend, that is engaged to the woman that Brian is inlove with - are we to believe that despite his slimy vibes he will turn into the perfect fiance overnight? And finally we have the married couple, with the wicked wife who wants an open marriage and the spineless husband who won't say no.

Then we have the storyline - generic and limited. How many times have we seen this storyline (guy inlove with a girl he can't have) in prime time? Ross & Rachel. Billy & Ally McBeal. Noel & Felicity. And from these shows, we know that we are in for a few months of "will they or won't they", followed by a seemingly infinite flip-flopping of on-again/off-again.

At best this show could be a mediocre daytime soap. At worst, this show is boring. Quite frankly, I don't care about Brian, and I'm sure ABC will agree with me by May.

Agent Kane

So in my re-discovery of my Alias obsession, I found this on Wikipedia...

For the fifth season, another credit sequence was designed... Also, the flashing of the letters when ALIAS is spelled out is actually in morse code. The flashing translates to AGENT KANE.

WHAT???? How have I missed this major clue? Well, that's a stupid question, I know why, and its two part: a) I hate the introduction now - I was hoping they'd go back to classic b&w intro and b) I actually have a life and would never think to decipher morse code from the opening credits of my (admittedly) favorite show.

Classic

Like JJ said - Alias is meant to be a family drama taking place in a world of espionage. Over the seasons, most of the questions floating around in my head have to do with Jack and Irena and their devotion to Sydney. This episode was classic in the way it made you question and re-question Irena's loyalty. After Sovogda, we were left with warm fuzzy feelings for her. Then at the end of Horizon, we were stunned, but still were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Finally, throughout SOS and Maternal Instinct we asked one more time to consider Irena's true loyalties - herself? Sydney? Prophet 5? Some other greater Order? How many times can Irena turn before we (& Sydney!) decide enough is enough? I guess we have six (and a half?) hours left to see.

In the mean time, check out my top 3 lists for the return....

Ready? Here we go...

Top 3 WTF?!?! Moments:
1. "Peter" Grace?
2. Jack trusted Irena??
3. The colored, flashing patches on Sydney's sonogram???
*Note: I did not think the return on Vaughn qualified to be on this list since we all knew he was alive and returning.

Top 3 Made-Me-Grin-Ear-to-Ear Moments:
1. The SpyFam working together again
2. Dependable, loyal Weiss coming to the rescue
3. Sydney holding her new baby

Top 3 *New* Mysteries Posed:
1. Who are Thomas/Peter Grace & the Cardinal?
2. Who is the second APO mole?
3. Who was in charge of hiding Vaughn?

Top 3 *Continuing* Mysteries Re-Posed:
1. What is the Horizon?
2. What is the goal of Prophet 5?
3. What is so special about Sydney's offspring?

If I Could Only Have 3 Questions Answered:
1. What was Rambaldi's intended endgame?
2. Is Irena good or evil?
3. Who are the "order of Rambaldi"?

And finally... a special question posed by my sister K (who I whole-heartedly agree with)... What was up with Dixon's hair? The micro-dreds don't really seem to fit in with the ultra-slick spy world.

Count Down: 8 1/2 Hours

ALIAS RETURNS TONIGHT ON ABC, 8PM EST.

"It all started with a question...."

So who, in fact, does Sydney Bristow work for? The answer may surprise us yet. Let us not be quick to forget Lauren's prophetic last words - "We're both pawns in the same game. The difference between us is: I know who controls me."

There are just so many things to look forward to in the upcoming weeks: secrets revealed, deaths galore, conspiracies unraveled, Rambaldi's end game, Sloan's end game, EVERYBODY'S ENDGAME. My mind is literally exploding right now in anticipation. And since the show is cancelled, the writers should be able to do whatever the hell they want - I hope they take full advantage of that! Well, I've gone and tuckered myself out with excitement... join me and take your naps now so your brains will be fully rested for the spring premier tonight. Does it get any better than this?

Viva Espana

So I'm heading to Barcelona for a week, so won't be able to make any updates (except maybe for the few telenovelas I'll be checking out!) Quick recaps before I go, to tide you over for the week!

Lost
All of a sudden, this show has regained its momemtum! Between Sun getting pregnant, Henry Gale not being Henry Gale, the Jack & Sawyer Poker Showdown, the secret map... my mind is literally exploding! Of course about an hour after this week's show ended, there were about a billion interpretations of the map up on the web - just google it and you'll be sure to find it. The translations are pretty interestesting...

And BTW - did you all catch that fantastic Alias promo during the show? I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

Battlestar Galactica
I'm towards the second half of Season 1. All women out there should be watching this show. Starbuck is my new hero. I just finished watching the episode where she tortures the cylon - the look on her face the whole time is fantastic. I know T will harshly critisize me for the following statement, but that torture scene was more captivating than any 24 torture scene ever. This show is just amazing, I can't believe that I didn't know about it until recently. I implore you all to give it a try - forget that its on the SciFi Network, forget that it involves sexy killer robots, forget that it takes place in outer space (and in most of the scenes, you get more of a "submarine" feel anyway!) This is truly a well thought out, well written, well acted show. Give the 3 hour mini-series a try, and I promise you'll be hooked from there!

Invasion
Is on a hiatus to give The Evidence a try... I TiVo'd an episode, but couldn't get into it. Invasion will be back after the mid-season premier of Alias, on April 19th.

The OC
Uh... I guess Summer & Seth are still together, and Ryan & Marissa have quickly moved on. And Julie Cooper is marrying Summer's dad. Nothing great going on here.

Smallville
Returned this week - but I have to pack for Spain, so I don't have time to watch it! I'm excited for the Lex-Lana thing, as well as the return of Brainiac!

Related
Had myself a little Related marathon and watched the final three episodes of the season (and possibly series!) I actually ended up crying - the last scene of the season (the montage of the sisters getting together/breaking up with their respective boys) was so sad. I really want Ginnie & Bob to get back together! They better have another season so that I can see this reunion!!

Commander In Chief
Returning in April 18 (Tuesday)... looks like things are going to get tricky again between Mac and the sneaky Speaker, Templeton. The producer that joined the show mid-season (and tried to ruin it by making Mac & Templeton friends, and making Rod part of the presidential staff) has left, and they are trying out yet a third producer... apparently, they are going to go back to the original concept of the show, instead of trying to creating a West Wing/Homicide mixed bag. Hopefully, it will return to the great show that premiered last fall!

Beautiful People
YES, I am still watching this god-awful show. Although, I have no clue where they are taking it. The last episode I watched (and I try to refrain from watching as much as possible, but damn it, I'm an addict, I can't help myself!) both Mother and daughter broke up with their boyfriends (who happened to be father and son). I have no clue where they can go with this now. With the Fisks out of the way, I don't see any good storyline for Sophie (I guess she's going get together with the new bad boy in town - the other scholarship student/co-worker at the coffee shop - that's not cliche or anything.) And god help you if you don't see where the Karen/smooth talking guy/grouchy photographer storyline is going... um... can I take any bets that Karen will manage to smooth out those rough edges on the photographer? Give me a break. This show sucks.

The Unit
Still watching this show - definitely not as good as my faves (Alias, Lost, BSG, Invasion)... there doesn't seem to be any ongoing plot - more Desperate Housewives-y than anything else. Even the boys seem to talk about their feelings. But its a nice show to catch every once in a while. And Scott Foley is always nice to look at!

Top Chef
I still get a "want to stab him" feeling every time I see Stephen. And T brought up a good point about Tiffani: a few episodes ago she said she was featured in an article about queer chefs, and then last night she talked about making a bread pudding with her boyfriend. Which is it - boys or girls? She is such a sham. I hope Tiffani and Stephen get trapped in the kitchen and an oven explodes. I miss Heidi (sniff).

Alias
Saved the best for last... only 19 days left, and I am so psyched!!

Well, hasta luego all, and have a great TV week!

Polygamy Loves Company

Saw Episode 2 of Big Love... can't decide if I'm on board yet or not. This episode dealt a lot with how the wives "share" their husband - the schedules, the politics, the games... it just all seems so... hard. I'm still waiting for them to explain why people make the decision of polygamy in the first place; this family doesn't even seem religious - they aren't Mourmons and they don't seem to believe in the cult they came from, Juniper Creek! I guess I'll give it until episode 5, where the critics all claim it gets "good", but not sure if its going to keep beating out Grey's as the program to watch on Sunday nights.

24 last night was... okay. They didn't really make as big of a deal out of Tony's death as they seem to be doing about Edgar's... and the whole "Wet List" subplot just seemed to make another country (Germany) mad at Jack; let's not forget that China still assumes he's dead, and they won't be happy when they find out he's not! Rumors are that next season 24 will be in London with a whole new main character... the way that Jack is pissing people off, I won't be surprised if he's the final death this season!! The best part about last night was last few minutes, when it was revealed that Audrey might be the mole... that could explain a lot from last season, especially when Jack tortured Audrey's e-husband because he might have been involved with the whole terror plot - it turned out, he wasn't (and he died saving Jack)... was Audrey really pissed because her ex-husband died in vain, or because he died when really, *she* was the one involved all along, and *she* deserved to die? Chew on that one for a week!

Kitchen Confidential: The Lost Episodes

In the words of Janice: "Oh. My. God."

In my discovery of torrents, I've found the two episodes of Kitchen Confidential that taped but never aired: "You Lose I Win" and "Rabbit Test." This is amazing. In a few short hours, I can remember all the anger I felt when they cancelled this show the first time. OH YEAH.

Judging Women

In the spirit of the NCAA Tournament and passing judgement, I must put up a link to one of my favorite annual traditions... its interesting that T's and my "Final 4" are never even close... sometimes I wonder how we're married!

Mueller Tourney

My cartoon winner was Poison Ivy... haven't done the 2006 invitational yet!

I Hope They All Lose

Watched episode two of Top Chef last night, and realized that there is not one likeable character on that show. In my previous post, I said that they got rid of their Santino... I was wrong... turns out Santino is reincarnated as Tiffani, the red-headed female chef. Last night she wouldn't let Lee Ann use an extra minute to take her tart shells out of the oven because it was "against the rules" (yes, she is *that* person). Clearly, he cooking talent will not help her win the title, so she needs to handicap the others contestants (who actually possess culinary skill) in any way she can. Yes, I get it, it is a GAME, and you have to play to win - but the only way I can explain it is that she is one who calls personal fouls in a pickup game of basketball. I hate those people. Play the game, but for god's sake, stop crying because somebody was in the paint for 4 seconds instead of 3. The other untolerable one is Stephen, the Sommelier (probably the most pretentious job possible in the history of the universe.) What a smarmy bastard. Yeah, his presentation is good, but does anyone else want to just smack him in the face anytime he comes on the screen? I really don't like anyone on the show so far - I hope they all lose.

Playing Catch Up

Here's the low down on the shows I've been watching, but have been treating like a middle child:

Project Runway
Chloe Won! Santino Lost! Well - in all honesty, Daniel V really should have won the season. And (as much as I hate to defend him) the judges really screwed Santino - he listened to everything they said (better finishing, less eyesores, generally class it up) and they came back and told him he was too "calm", which was definitely unfair. I love Chloe, and although her collection was the most complete and tied together, I thought in overall beauty, Santino actually pulled through and showed the talent he has been bragging about and hiding all season. Oh well - I guess I wouldn't have been happy whoever won!

The Sopranos
I'm surprised that T has not blogged about this yet, as I'm not the die-hard Sopranos fan he is... not because I don't think the show is fantastic, but more because it always aired opposite Alias until Desperate Housewives stole its spot, and clearly, I would watch Alias above anything else. However, I sat and watched the season premier with T - WOW. In one hour, we find out about snitches, witness somebody get hit by a car, Tony is shot, some guy hangs himself in a very gritty and realistic scene, Uncle Junior is senile, tough guys are asking for hot water with a slice of lemon, Daniel V from Project Runway is marrying Meadow, dead Adrianna cameos... and so much more. The show is just so good! It didn't even matter that I've only seen Season 1 and bits and pieces here and there. I'll definitely be watching this season, and maybe I'll catch up with the DVDs over the summer.

Big Love
Watched the series premier, and while interesting, the only thing I could think was "what a terrible idea!" The wives are all played against one another and are in constant battle to be the "best" wife, the husband has to change houses every night and support 3 huge families, and above all of this, they have to pay taxes to the crazy cult they all came from! I've heard that this show gets better after a few episodes, but for starters, there is no good understanding of why these people chose this lifestyle... actually, from the first episode, you get the feeling that the "boss" wife's character would never really consent to such a thing! I have to say that the acting is great (you're supposed to feel creeped out) and there is plenty of places for the plot to go, but I doubt this will be a high priority for me. Especially since it runs opposite Grey's Anatomy. Speaking of which...

Grey's Anatomy
Just finished up Season 1 on DVD - just as everyone says - it *is* really good. But I just don't get the thunderbolt in love feeling from it that I get from shows like Alias, Battlestar, Lost...etc. I am to the point where I look forward to the episodes, but I rarely watch them on Sundays, or even Mondays.... maybe around Thursday or Saturday morning or something, when nothing else is on. But when I watch it, I really do like it! I guess a lot of people hate Meredith's character - I don't - I think she makes very realistic decisions, which are almost always not the best ones. I guess I want to see her and McDreamy hook up, but not in any way that I would be totally upset if they didn't in the end.

The OC
Ryan and Marissa broke up? I guess... so what? I hate Marissa... she has no concept on how to be a girlfriend or even just a friend... first she cheated on Zach (was that his name?) for Ryan, then on Ryan with a ton of guys (short, dumpy guy who got obsessed with her, her lesbian relationship, Johnny, now Volcheck)... she just is whiny and can't make up her mind. Her mother, Julie Cooper-Nichol does the same thing - but somehow she makes it work! I like the Summer/Seth thing, (the whole SAT arc reminded me of the Jesse/Zach epis of Saved By the Bell!) but I'm glad they didn't pursue a love triangle with Taylor... speaking of whom, turns out that she's going to be a series regular next season (if there is one). I don't know how I feel about that... she's too much of a "character" to play a regular, ya know? So that's the OC.

Top Chef
Checked it out after Project Runway - their first cut was their "Santino", which means the show will get petty really fast; since there's not *one* contestant harrassing everyone, they will all turn on eachother. Could be interesting, but Iron Chef is so much better. in terms of a cooking competition. Will try a few more episodes, but somehow, they just don't have the magic of PR - plus, the host has none of the charm or charisma of Heidi.

Desperate Housewives
Somehow they have made Teri Hatcher less... Teri Hatcher, and it works for her! Bree has pretty much taken over the whole show... although the alcoholic thing is starting to get stale. So is the whole "her son is the spawn of satan" thing. Gabby's story of adopting could get interesting, bringing the original mystery full circle. (The reason Mary Alice killed herself was because she stole a baby... now Carlos & Gabby are looking into "alternative methods" of adoption... which could create emotional disaster for Gabby... leading her to...?) Don't really care about the Lynnette story - her husband is totally annoying to me. I GET IT! She's smart and her husband's not! And I guess the Applewhites are just plain written out - which is fine by me - their story didn't seem to be going anywhere anyway.

Invasion
Still AMAZING. I'll be honest though - I just want closure on the whole mystery. Whether it takes 1 season or 5, I want it to remain great (unlike the season 4 fiasco of Alias). There are lots of rumors that Invasion's going to pull a telenovela, and make the mystery 1 season long, and just end it. I wouldn't be that unhappy, as long as they answer the questions... but I have to say, they are *very* good at not leaving too many questions unanswered... just enough to grab you back every week. This show is really like a ballet - everything just seems to work together and it really is beautiful to watch (not that I watch that many ballets, but that's how I would describe it if I did!)

Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Earl, The Office
These are the only funny comedies on TV right now. Watch them, whether they are repeats or new ones. Especially the Office. But especially Scrubs. But *especially* the Office.

The Daily Show/The Colbert Report
These should be your only sources of news. If you are watching anything else (CNN or Fox News) you're just not getting the whole story.

Is that all? I'm clearly not watching enough TV.

Next Lost Death?

From the NY Times Article (March 14):

The killing isn't over, either: the casts of "The Shield," "Everwood," "ER"
and, again, "Lost" and "24," will be culled by the end of May.

Another Lost death?? And we know its not Ana Lucia because DL has officially stated she will not be dying this season... then who???

Jimmy Bond?

Casino Royale is coming up soon with new Bond Daniel Craig. This is supposed to be the 007 story that started it all... read this article for details.

Black & White intro? No License to Kill? Bond in love?? Will this be more Batman Begins (great), or Star Wars Episodes 1 - 3 (totally disappointing)? I'm intrigued by the concept that they are trying to go back, but by showing a movie this year (2006), does that mean there won't be a 007 movie in 2007, as originally planned? That would be a shame.

WSJ Explains All

There was an article in the WSJ this morning that explained why cell phones are currently banned from airplanes... they interfere with the plane's GPS and can give false readings...

If a little cell phone can do all that, then its possible that a modified cell-phone looking device could have veered Flight 815 off in the first place! We're told that we're missing some big clue from the Pilot... I wonder if we see anyone on a cell-phone in one of the opening scenes??