Must See DVD Sets

Guys, this topic of the week (movies and TV) is for me. I'm obsessed with television. In order to control my list of must-sees, I'm going to go with 3 DVD sets that you can buy and watch in their entirety. Because marathons are THE BEST.

1. My So-Called Life. Seriously amazing. I mean, just watch this scene and you will need to see every episode of the sadly short-lived series:



2. The Wire. (My favorite season is season 4; here's that opening). Warning: Scary! Also: Language!:



3. Friday Night Lights. This theme song gives me chills. Trust me, just watch the dang show.

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Can't Miss TV

When I was growing up, September was cause for much rejoicing, rejoicing along the lines of: Yippee! It's the new TV season! Of course, times have changed. Now we get the launch of various TV shows scattered throughout the year. There are even new shows launched during the summer now, where summer used to be the dead zone of reruns or third-rate variety shows. Still, despite its downgrade in uniqueness, there's something special about the fall season. Maybe it's that there's still more new shows that launch then than at any other time of the year? Maybe it's just habit? Whatever the case, here's five fall shows I'm really looking forward to:

5. Pan Am. It'll be like Mad Men but without advertising and in the skies! OK, maybe it won't really be like that. Maybe it'll just be nostalgic fun for me since I'm old enough to remember when even little boys and girls put on full suits and ties before getting on a plane.

4. Terra Nova. I'm pretty sure there are supposed to be dinosaurs in this one. When have dinosaurs ever worked in any show filmed for the small screen? But, you know, Steven Spielberg. Plus, small screens are much bigger now!

3. The X Factor. Because I need another entertainment/competition reality show in my life!

2. The New Girl. Zooey Deschenel. Zooey Deschanel. Zooey Deschanel. It's just so much fun to say Zooey Deschanel! The first episode was available On Demand even though it hasn't aired yet on network TV - how quaint! I just said "network TV"! We saw it and all gave it thumbs-up. It was really cute. Plus, you know, Zooey Deschanel.

1. Luther, Season 2. I know, I know, I'm cheating and this isn't a new-new show. It's the second season of a BBC show that's already aired over in England but who cares??? I just found out that my favorite new-to-me show of last year - Luther! Luther!! Luther!!! - has ts U.S. premier on September 28. Could I be any more excited? I could not.

So how about you? What upcoming new shows or returns of old favorites have you champing at the bit?

Be well. Don't forget to write.

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Lauren's Top 3 New-to-Her Shows

You all know I'm a TV head, right? Well, here are the three new-to-me things I've most enjoyed in recent months.

1. Luther, a British six-part miniseries about a brilliant but volatile murder detective who reluctantly enlists the aid of a psychopath in solving cases. Easily the best new thing I saw this year.


2. Being Human, the American version of a British series about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who decide to cohabitate so they can enjoy something resembling normal lives. It's a fabulous comedy-horror hybrid.

3. Off the Map, about six young and youngish doctors in a remote South American village, that looks an awful lot like Hawaii, taking on your typical remote-village problems like a nature photographer being too closely embraced by a green anaconda. The best thing about it is that it has Zach Gilford, who formerly played earnest and beloved QB Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, as a much sleazier character closer to his own age. Not that there's anything great about sleazy. It's just nice seeing actors not get pigeonholed.

Oh, but why did I have to think QB? Because now I'm thinking about my Jets losing yesterday in the AFC Championship game. Ah, well. Next year!

And from three things I'm loving on TV to one thing I'm really not:

What the writers have done to the Elizabeth Webber character on "General Hospital." I love stopping work every day from 3-4pm to watch, but what they've done to Elizabeth over the past year is nothing short of character assassination. First they had her sleeping with Nikolas, her fiance-at-the-time Lucky's half-brother aka the Greek prince. Then they had her acting like a jealous shrew anytime any woman comes near either Nikolas or Lucky. And now that they've made the character totally unbearable, the show has announced that they're giving the actress the heave-ho come spring. Like it's her fault? And what are they going to do with those three-kids-by-three-different-fathers of hers?

So it's your turn: What new-to-you shows are you loving on these days and/or what on TV is making you absolutely nuts?

Be well. Don't forget to write.

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TV vs. books... the great debate!

Elizabeth's note got me thinking about my own TV viewing habits. For a long time, I was an American Idol fan. Granted, I only watched from Hollywood week on because I think there was so much negativity in the early auditions that it was a big turn-off for me. But I was thinking the other day that the last season I watched in its entirety was the David Cook/David Archuleta year. I watched on and off the year Kris Allen won. Since then? I'm not even sure I know who won.

Among other shows that I used to be a big fan of and now rarely watch: Dancing with the Stars, Life Unexpected, and even... (gasp)... Glee.

What happened? There's nothing wrong with the shows. It's just that life got in the way. We got DVR several years ago so we could DVR things like Idol and not have to rearrange our lives around our TV viewing habits. But I think that made us kind of lazy about our favorite shows. If we can watch an episode anytime, what's the incentive to watch it right now?

And so weeks go by (I still haven't watched the Britney episode of Glee yet) and you know what? I'm finding I don't actually miss any of them. They're still DVRing so I could watch them if I wanted to. And maybe I will. Someday. But you know what I've been finding time to do instead?

Read.

For someone who is forever wanting to read more, I'm pretty excited about this revelation! Reading is a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, it's my job to read books because I'm an author and I need to keep current with what's out there. Not to mention the fact that everyone deserves to enjoy their favorite hobby, right? On the other hand, there's always that guilt factor of "If I have time to be reading, I have time to be writing."

But without the TV intrusion, I've been able to read some great books lately without the usual guilt. Some of the goodies include: CRUNCH by Leslie Connor, MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess, THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg, and THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger. And those are just off the top of my head. I wouldn't have been able to read them if I'd been keeping up with my former favorite shows because, the truth is, there just isn't enough time to do everything.

So reading it is. :-)

What about you? Would you rather be reading or watching TV?

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TV Head

I know some readers and writers who disdain TV as an inferior form of entertainment. They say, rather snootily, "I don't watch TV," as though this puts them in the same socio-cultural stratosphere as Michelangelo or the guy who first performed open-heart surgery.

Me, I'm a TV head. Does that make me a moron? I don't know. I may be a moron, but not because I watch TV. In fact, I read more books than anyone I know and write three to four books a year. (OK, now I'm starting to sound like a socio-cultural status snoot. Sorry about that.) My point is that it doesn't have to be either/or. You can be a person like me who spends most of her hours staring at words that either I or other people have produced and still enjoy kicking back with a good show.

So what do I like to watch these days?

As aired on TV:

House
So You Think You Can Dance
Glee
Mad Men

Currently in progress on DVD:

Smallville
Battlestar Galactica
I Love Lucy
I Dream of Jeannie
Bewitched
Leave it to Beaver
The Addams Family
Doc Martin

Daytime TV:

Morning Joe (for politics fix while exercising)
The View (while answering email)
General Hospital (because I have to)

Late-night TV:

Jon Stewart
Stephen Colbert
David Letterman

Honestly, it's amazing I get any writing or reading done at all! But yes, I really do write three to four books a year and read upwards of 250 books a year. Oh, and somewhere in there I even manage to do a few other things!

So how about you?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT IS (ARE) YOUR FAVORITE SHOW(S)? AND/OR WHAT IS (ARE) YOUR FAVORITE EPISODE(S) OF ANY OF THE SHOWS I NAMED?

I'd like to stick around but I've got to get back to Morning Joe.

Be well. Don't forget to write.

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Survivor girls and TV finales

It's season finale season on TV this month. Last night--Survivor and Brothers & Sisters said goodbye for the season.

Pause.

Did anyone else watch Survivor this season? The women (woo hoo!) completely killed the boys. Killed 'em. They played the same tricks over and over again and the guys kept falling for it. There were four women in the final four and it was like a girl power celebration. :)

Parvati (who played the most visible, tough, masterful game) won the $1,000,000 while Amanda (who played a quieter, less in your face game) got second. The jury obvious rewarded Parvati for playing the game hard and executing some of the most exciting moves in Survivor history. So, we had the first female Biggest Loser this year and now a female final four? Niiice. :)

And now back on track.

So, yeah, it's almost the end of scripted TV season. But the finales do lead to something good...fun summer reality TV! I can't wait for So You Think You Can Dance? on May 22 and The Mole on June 2. I was a huge Mole fan when it was on (what, at least 3-4 years ago?) and am excited that it's back. It's definitely a guilty pleasure show kind of like Big Brother which happens to be coming back in July. A little too soon? Yeah, I think so. Especially since I couldn't find anyone to really root for in the last BB season.

What summer shows are you excited to see? What's your take on last night's Survivor finale?

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