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.