The New "Dallas"

Every Monday night, Richie and I have a standing date to watch "Heroes". Really, it's only one of two shows that he and I really agree to watch. The other is "Top Chef", because he would never watch "Project Runway" or "Ugly Betty" on his own, just as I would never watch the "Ultimate Fighting Championships" or "Ghost Hunters". It's all about the give and take in marriage, you know.

As a child, my mother never missed an episode of the television show "Dallas". My sister and I were never allowed to watch with her and Daddy, but we sure could hum the theme song. After high school, I took a year off to work before heading to college. That's when I got into it; watching the reruns on the now defunct Nashville Network. I don't think I missed an episode, either. I can still hum the theme song. Ok, fine. Y'all know that I can't just hum. I will "bom-bom-bom" it out loud, like I'm in a parade marching to a John Phillip Sousa theme.

It hit me at three in the morning, as I was lying there awake in bed, thinking about the episode of "Heroes" that Richie and I had just seen, how much the two shows reminded me of each other. Think about it--both are centered around powerful families in a central area. The Ewings had Dallas, and the Petrellis have Manhattan. In both shows, there is scheming, lying, and manipulating, as well as someone trying to stop it. There are power struggles within the family, as well as surprise half-brothers and illegitimate children popping up. The Petrelli patriarch's name was Arthur "Dallas" Petrelli. They even have family in Texas.

I began to think then, at three in the morning, if "Heroes" is the new "Dallas", then who is who? The cast of "Heroes", much like the cast of "Dallas" is quite huge. For that reason, I've stuck to the Petrelli clan and those immediately related.

Angela Petrelli= JR Ewing. The ruthless, diabolical silver-tongued schemer who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. This matriarch is no steel magnolia with a heart of gold like Miss Ellie. You mess with Miss Ellie's family, you get a good talking to. Maybe you get pushed into the Southfork pool. You mess with the Petrellis, Angela will have you killed, or will use you until you wish you were dead.

Nathan Petrelli= Gary Ewing. A season or two ago, I would have said he was the JR Ewing of this group. However, it's become more apparent that his strings are being pulled by his mother and by Linderman. I've chosen the seldom seen Ewing brother because Nathan truly seems to want to do the right thing, and he is increasingly moving away from the infamous Petrelli ways. Besides, Gary and Valene were married three times, and that just may be close to how many times Nathan has had a run-in with Jessica/Niki Sanders, er, Tracy Strauss.

Peter Petrelli=Bobby Ewing. The matriarch's clear favorite, always trying to do the right thing. But was Bobby this emo about saving the Ewing name as Peter is about saving the world? Sheesh, dude.

Gabriel/Sylar= Ray Krebbs. The fringe character has now become a full-fledged member of the Petrelli clan. Jock Ewing was Ray's daddy, but as of yet, we don't know the name of Gabriel's father.

Noah Bennett= Cliff Barnes, the thorn in JR's side, but not necessarily a good guy, either. Like Cliff, Noah has his own ways of getting things done, and it's not always the straightforward, legal way. Also like Cliff, Noah's main interest is his family's interest, and he will stop at nothing to protect it.

Sandra Bennett= Sue Ellen Ewing. Sue Ellen was a former Miss Texas and Sandra has Mr. Muggles, a show dog. Also like Sue Ellen, she has no control over her husband's comings and goings, and merely has to stand by and watch. This caused Sue Ellen to become an alcoholic. I wonder what will happen to Sandra?

Claire Bennett= part Pamela Barnes Ewing, part Lucy Ewing. The Pam parts: Deeply devoted to her biological and adoptive families. Just as Cliff, Pam's brother, was JR's worst enemy, Noah, Claire's adoptive father, is Angela's. The Lucy parts: Texas high-school student with a spotty attendance record. Not mature enough to realize the responsibilities of her station in life. Biological father lives in another part of the country, spotty relationship with live-in father figure as her independence increases.

So there you go. The Petrelli/Bennetts as the Ewing/Barnes families. Gives you a little something to think about, doesn't it?

Toodles!

Obsession Wednesday

Reading: Wicked, by Gregory Maquire. It's the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. It's fascinating, once you get past the strange language. It can get a little long in parts, but you're too afraid that if you skip a passage, you'll miss something important. It reminds me of watching Buffy--little things can mean a lot later on down the road. I've become so obsessed with the story that I had to purchase the sequel, Son of the Witch, plus I have acquired the Broadway musical soundtrack, as well as the book that goes along with the musical. If that's not obsession, I don't know what is!

Watching: Nothing. There is nothing on television right now that I have to watch. The writer's strike is driving me mad. The last Ugly Betty aired this past Thursday, and there hasn't been a new Heroes since December. how will I ever find out if Nathan Petrelli survived? Yeah, I know it's American Idol season. But I'm just not as into it. Maybe Season 6 has jaded me, but I'm finding these auditions just as boring as last season, if more humane. Maybe it's that I'm really enjoying the time Cathryn and I spend together at bedtime. I love reading her stories and talking about the day with her.

Doing: Reworking this blog! I really want it to reflect the real Josie. I'm still working on it, and I'm afraid that I'm still missing some links. If you see that the blog is missing something, tell me in the comments.

Disappointment rears its ugly head.

I really should have seen it coming. I mean, it was going too well, and I was just way too excited about the spring musical.

One of my girls told me that she didn't want a speaking part, and she didn't want to sing a solo, either. And neither did her brother. It broke my heart, because I was so sure she wanted to be a part of it. She seemed so excited at rehearsal on Wednesday, and she was always one I could count on to sing and participate during Christmas play rehearsals. Her brother, well, I halfway expected it, because typically, boys just aren't that interested in plays. I don't know what happened. Did someone say something to her at school, making fun of her for being in a church play? I wish kids knew--the way adults know--that kids say cruel things because they're jealous or insecure.

I was really despondent throughout the entire Sunday night service, blaming myself for getting too excited about the play, thinking maybe I assigned roles too early, accusing myself of choosing a play that was too difficult for the kids to learn.

But as soon as service was over, two little rays of sunshine peeked through. Another of my students wanted to talk to me about her part, and I had the opportunity to tell her why she had gotten such a big part. Once I was able to talk to her about her part, we both felt better, and at least she was back on track. But then, my boy student that had wanted to quit earlier rushed up to me and informed me that he needed another script, because he had lost his. I talked to him, and he confirmed to me twice that yes, he really did want his part. So it turns out that I only have a little bit of shuffling to do.

I keep learning, play by play, and week by week. I'm thinking of holding auditions for the Christmas play, a few weeks after they've had a chance to listen to it. That way, the kids that really want parts will get them.

In other news, no headaches. Plus, it's almost a relief to have the writer's strike still on, because I would be watching way too much television if Heroes, Ugly Betty, and The Office were still on, especially now that Project Runway is in full swing, and American Idol will be premiering in two days. One thing I've learned--there is such a thing as too much television.

Heroes, 11/12/2007

Wow...so we finally had a great episode of Heroes after two lackluster episodes. Well, let's be honest, shall we? This whole season has gotten off to a very slow start, and I think in part it's due to the lack of Petrelli brother interaction, and for me, Nathan and Peter Petrelli are really the heart of this show. The end of last season really drove that point home to me, when Nathan told a glowing Peter, "You saved the cheerleader so we could save the world."

So finally, we get to see what happened all those months ago, with Nathan flying Peter into space, and them arguing even then about Nathan dropping Peter so Nathan would survive. (Is there even sound in space? I seem to remember an episode of Swan's Crossing back when I was in middle school where one of the characters was a musician, and he was giving an interview or something and the question was asked, "Would you rather live in space or underwater?" and the character answered that he would rather live underwater because there is no sound in space. What? Like you don't remember stuff from middle school?) Anyway, Peter totally drops a burning Nathan into the atmosphere, burning him up even more, then Peter EXPLODES, regenerates (thanks, ClaireBear!) and then flies back to catch Nathan. He carries Extra-Crispy Nathan to the hospital, and then goes invisible so the cops can't question him. When he becomes visible again, though, Bob from The Company shows up and Veronica Mars (now known as Elle, and really, there couldn't be a better name for her character, what with the being blonde and perky and wearing the cutest outfits ever!) gives Peter the shock of his life, taking him back to The Company and explaining that they can help him. He meets Adam (who is totally Takezo Kensei, Hiro's hero who can regenerate, just like Claire, and no one can tell me different.), who basically tells him not to drink the Kool-Aid, or take the pills Elle offers. Peter's all Major Emo on him, and Adam and I both want to slap him, but we can't because Adam can't walk through walls, and well, Peter is just a TV character and it would be strange if I walked up to Milo and slapped him for Peter's stupidity. Adam FINALLY convinces Peter that The Company is not a clinic, as they would have him believe, but rather a prison. Peter stops taking his meds, and he and Adam escape to the local hospital where Adam gives Nathan his blood, and Ma Petrelli returns to find Original-Recipe Nathan, standing all perfectly normal in his hospital room. WHEW! Those Petrelli boys had quite the storyline this week, didn't they? And wait--there's more! Turns out that Elle and The Haitian tracked Peter and Adam down, and while Adam escaped, Peter gets captured by The Haitian, who doesn't really capture him at all, but handcuffs him in a storage pod and wipes his brain so he can have a new life. Sorry, Haitian Sensation, Peter is still as emo as ever.

The most heartbreaking storyline this week was Niki's. I was very upset at the beginning of this season when we realized that DL was, in fact, dead. He was one of my favorite characters, not only for his power (who doesn't wish they could walk through walls?), but because he reminded me of Richie. DL was a good man, and all he wanted was to be a good husband to his majorly whacked-out wife and a good father to his child. So, yeah, maybe I over-identified just a little. Their storyline opened up with Niki and Micah waiting in the same hospital where the Petrelli brothers ended up, with the doctor telling them that DL was going to make it, which immediately sent my sensors into overdrive, thinking, "Oh, what did Niki do to get DL killed?" Turns out she met Bob from The Company, who offered his services. She smartly declined, so instead of taking her in, he prescribed medication--which turned out to be helpful, if they made her emotionless. On Micah's birthday, DL and Micah leave Niki alone, and the girl flushes her meds down the sink. I kept thinking at the television, "Girl, you are going to kill DL. It's going to be your fault that Micah is fatherless!" Turns out I was totally right. Her personality splits again, this time turning into Gina, the party-girl side of Niki's personality. Gina traps Niki in the mirror, then ditches her job and runs off to party in Los Angeles. DL, the good man that he is, tracks crazy Niki/Gina down, un-crazies her by reminding her that she has a family, then gets shot by some drug-addled clubber who thought DL was trying to take his woman. Niki decides then to turn herself over to The Company, and DL's mother offers to do anything she can to help. We also get to meet Muscle Mimic Monica, and Micah's thug cousin.

Hiro, Claire, Mohinder and Parkman are left out of this episode, because we know what happened to them four months ago. Hiro got packed off to Feudal Japan, Claire got packed off to Southern California, and Mohinder and Parkman decided to shack up so that they could take care of Molly. Just in case y'all forgot. Instead, they give us backstory on Maya and Alejandro, and it's really not backstory at all. It's just a flashback to Alejandro's wedding, where Maya finds out that her brother's new wife is a cheating skank, and when Maya threatens to tell, instead of clawing that hussy's eyes out, she is attacked by the skank's boyfriend, and her eyes go black and runny, blah blah, she kills the whole wedding party except for Alejandro and decides to be a nun so that she can pray the evil out of her. Alejandro tries to give her over to the police, but when he discovers that he can stop her attacks, they escape to take the longest drive ever across Mexico. It was the only part of this episode that was disappointing, because it still doesn't tell us what that stuff is running out of her eyes, or why it kills everyone around her.

Also, there was no creepy Sylar backstory, telling us who brought him to the middle of the South American jungle, which disappointed me greatly. It's just not a Heroes' episode if I haven't been creeped out.

Otherwise, this was the best episode all season.

Toodles!

Heroes: October 22, 2007

Apparently there's a blonde girl on orders from her daddy to hunt down Peter Petrelli. Oh, wait. Daddy found out that Blondie, who definitely is NOT emo about her special skill and therefore MUST be Major Emo's arch-nemesis, killed a dude with her AWESOME electricity powers (Who wouldn't want electricity as a power? Sure, taking showers might get complicated, but Blondie looked well-maintained, so there's got to be a way to stay clean without killing yourself. Imagine where you didn't have to worry about cars taking out light poles or freak thunderstorms attacking a transformer!), and took her off the case, much to her chagrin. I'm sure there will be lots of pouting on the flight back, and maybe a hissy fit when she gets home. I'm sorry they won't film it.

Peter still hasn't opened that box that supposedly holds information about his life, because he's too busy playing kissy-face with Caitlin. Dude, I would want to at least know my last name. I don't think I could go on being all, "Peter. Just Peter. I shoot blue sparks from my hands and can control things with my mind, but I'm not too stoked about it." Gah. When she finally decides to let him stop sleeping at the pub, we discover that she likes to paint (Oh, how convenient!), and decides to finally open that box. Inside is a couple of dollars, a plane ticket to Montreal, and a picture of Peter and Nathan all tuxed-out. Basically, it tells him nothing, but then, he begins to see flashes on a convenient nearby conveniently blank canvas and starts to paint like a madman, with his eyes going all milky-white while Caitlin stands by helplessly, thinking "Wow! I am sure am glad I had this blank canvas here. What would have happened if I was currently working on a painting?" Peter's Convenient Picture shows he and Caitlin standing in front of a door with French street signs nearby. Gee, should they go to Montreal?

(Matt) Parkman and (Nathan) Petrelli (man, that's a buddy-cop show waiting to happen!) show up at Parkman's dad's apartment, and Matt gets a case of cold feet. While he and Nathan discuss said cold feet, Nathan just ups and knocks on the door. Finally, somebody on this show besides Claire Bennett-Butler does something instead of just talks about it! At least we know which parent gave ClaireBear her "do-something" gene. Matt's dad doesn't answer the door, so he breaks it down, and finds himself on the business end of a shotgun being held by none other than his own Daddy. Awww, what a sweet family reunion. Matt is able to overpower his father, and Nathan gets a hold of the shotgun. Man, I would never give a Petrelli a gun. There's too much pent-up hostility and well-bred angst built up inside them. Somehow, the elder Parkman is able to weasel his way out of handcuffs by appealing to Parkman's desire to know about his power, and ends up trapping Matt and Nathan inside their own nightmares, with Matt in jail with his ex-wife and her lover's baby and Nathan on the only rooftop in Manhattan, where he sees that the city has been destroyed, and his alter-ego with a HUGE disfigured head shows up to do battle. Matt is able to use his mind-reading ability to wake up from the nightmare and stop Nathan from choking him to death.

Mohinder is very worried about Molly still being in a feverish coma, so he takes her to The Company against the advice of Noah. Will Mohinder never listen to what more seasoned people tell him? I'm tiring quickly of Mohinder's bull-headedness. Just as Bob The Company Boss hands Mohinder a taser and sends him on his next assignment, Niki comes tearing through the building, and jacks Bob up on the wall. Y'all, I can't tell you how awesome that scene was. If I had a DVR, I would replay it over and over. I think I have a soft spot for blondes who can so irreparable damage to others. We can thank Buffy for that. ANYWAY, Mohinder tasers Niki (boo!) and then they handcuff her to a hospital bed. Mohinder tries to free her, but she tells him that she wants to be cured of her special ability. Not me, Niki. NOT ME.

Monica shows a hint of emo, but Micah slaps it out of her. Just kidding. He reveals to her what her power is--a copycat. Thanks, Captain Obvious. He tells Monica that he has a power, too, and that they can put it to good use. So what does he do? Goes to the local recreation center and she decides to double-dutch. Now, I am not being racist when I say this, but when I was in elementary school, every little black girl in school new how to double-dutch. It was an awe-inspiring feat to witness, especially for those of us who could barely walk without tripping. I think it must have been in the actress's contract that she show off her mad jump rope skills. Later, though, when they're back home, Monica watches a martial arts movie, and can immediately mimic what she's seen. She sends Micah off to bed, and goes to answer the door. And who is standing at her door? None other than Mohinder, come to take her to The Company. Run, Monica, run!

Finally, we have a tiny subplot about Ando, who is trying to read the scrolls that Hiro has sent him from the past. It's basically a recap of everything we already know about Hiro's adventures in Feudal Japan, but now they're also on their way to fight the hilariously named "White Beard". When they reach the top of the hill, they decide to attack, but see the thousands upon thousands of warriors camped out in the valley. Of course, with Hiro's ability to stop time, taking down this crew will not be a problem at all.

Try not to be too emo about not having another new episode until Monday.

Heroes Recap, October 15, 2007

Last night, on Heroes:

Is it really a power when you can instantly create something you saw on television? I think that's just being really observant, no matter what the writers are trying to tell us about Micah's cousin Monica. I can only see that being handy in very specific situations, like if you watched Pay-Per-View wrestling that your techy-genius cousin wrigged up and then you were attacked by a robber in the fast-food restaurant where you work. Because is there anything really useful on television? I mean, we could go all meta and argue that maybe if we watched Heroes and already possessed this power, we could fly and walk through walls and be all emo about our newly acquired powers. Except the awesome thing about Monica is that she isn't emo at all. She's surprised, sure, as we all would be, but I think she's going to be like Micah and definitely use her new power to her advantage.

Maya and Alejandro are escaping Mexico (still!) with the dude that stole Claire's Nissan Rogue, when they almost drive over a dude laying in the road. And who would our near-dead friend be? Why, none other than Sylar, fresh from the jungle. How did he heal so quickly? If they know what's good for them, they should have left him for dead. But no, the Wonder Twins are too full of compassion and love to leave well enough alone. Alejandro is slightly suspicious, but Maya's all "ooh....he can help us!" and taken with him. How anyone can be taken with someone that looks THAT creepy, with his crazy serial killer eyes, I will never know. It's probably going to get them killed, this being trusting... Speaking of killing, Sylar totally does the car thief in when Car Thief wants to turn the Wonder Twins into the authorities. The Wonder Twins can't go to jail! They're Sylar's brain food! HE wants to kill people by bleeding from his eyes!

Ma Petrelli confessed to killing Hiro's dad, even though Parkman's not buying it. She tells Parkman it's to keep other people from finding out about the people with powers. When Nathan arrives, he recognizes the picture with the drawing over them, and takes Parkman back to Casa Petrelli to show him the original picture, and points out all the dead folks, when Parkman sees a face that he recognizes--his dad, who skipped out on him when he was 13. In the picture, I recognize Bob from The Company. I just know he's the one killing everyone off this season.

Claire, in true teenage fashion, completely disregards her parents' wishes and begins dating West behind their back. He takes her to the Hollywood sign, and just like any good boyfriend, dares her to jump off since she can regenerate. When she stupidly does it, instead of telling him where he can get off and she doesn't need to prove anything to him, he catches her and they kiss, all Superman and Lois Lane in the air. Ugh, I'm going to be sick just thinking about it.

Disappointingly, there was no Niki, or Hiro, or Peter.

Toodles!

October 1-5 TV Wrapup

Instead of recapping each show at length, I've decided to do one post a week covering all the shows I (we?) watch. To "borrow" a term from Television Without Pity, we'll call them "weecaps".

Heroes: Mohinder gets sent on a mission to cure a man in Port-Au-Prince (I wanna catch a glimpse.... sorry, I can't say names of islands without singing "Kokomo".) who turns out to be The Haitian! Also, I'm super glad that Mohinder is not anemic, because if his blood is the only cure for this virus, well, he's in trouble. And don't think for a minute that Sylar won't slice him up if he happens to catch that virus! Parkman meets Ando at the crime scene, but there's only one body! Later, he pulls in Ma Petrelli for questioning, where she tells Parkman to get out of her head and gets herself all cut up by some unseen force. In other Petrelli news, Peter finds some clothes, some powers, and his name. My guess? There's nothing in that box. IT's just a ruse to get Peter to go along with the robbery. Maya and Alejandro are still on the run, and I still can't tell what Maya's power is, other than bleeding from her eyes. How that's a power, I don't know. Hiro sets out to set history right by becoming Kinsei himself, and Claire sets out to set herself apart, discovering that she can regrow limbs (can you really count a pinkie toe as a limb?) and that West might, just might, be a stalker. Or at least crazy. And finally? The Haitian meets up with his old friend, Noah (Bennett) Butler. And Mr. Muggles is missing his life as a show dog. Poor Mr. Muggles.

Dancing With The Stars: Jennie Garth falls, Wayne Newton fails, and Albert Reed dedicates his dance to his grandfather. Any guesses for who got escorted off the dance floor? If you said the passable performance by an unknown model, you're right!

Top Chef: Well, Casey fell apart didn't she? I can't say I'm not disappointed that Hung won, because I was really hoping for a Casey or Dale win. However, I will say that Hung's final meal did look outstanding, and I would have tried everything on that table he served. What I really, really wanted to try, though, was Dale's Colorado lamb. Dude, that plate looked awesome! I really have to say that out of the last three seasons, Season Three has really been my favorite. Not only were all the cooks incredibly talented, but they also seemed to really admire and get along with one another. Sure, there were a few hurt feelings over the course of the season, but why wouldn't there when there are so many chefs in one kitchen?

Ugly Betty: Miraculously, Hilda is out of bed and presumably getting on with her life, making Justin peanut butter sandwiches and going through Santos' things. All of which are hideously tacky, and Hilda loves each and every piece. Justin begins his internship at Mode, putting all the adult interns to shame. Betty is stupid, telling Henry that she and he could be "buddies" instead of telling him the TRUTH, which is that Charlie cheated on him, and that she's pregnant with another's man child! But, leave it to awesome Irish Christina the seamstress to set poor Henry straight, who goes right out and gets drunk on a wine cooler. Man, this show is so great. In other news, Wilhelmina is still trying to run Mode, so she blackmails Betty by telling her that she'll make sure that her father the senator pushes Betty's dad's Visa to the top of the stack IF she doesn't go to Daniel about the changes. But Wili gets her comeuppance, with Bradford wanting to postpone the wedding until he feels that Alexis/Alex (who now loves the fact that he's a woman!) is ready to hear that they are getting married. Shew! A lot sure happens in one hour! Oh! I forgot! Amanda inherit's her dead birth mother's dog, Halston, who happens to be the ugliest and sickliest dog on the planet. Ok, I promise that nothing else happened.

The Office: Well, it's out in Dunder-Mifflin--Jim and Pam are together, and mostly everyone is pretty psyched about it, with the exception of Toby (who has a crush on Pam), and Phyllis (who has quite a bristly interior underneath that calm, quiet exterior). Dwight tried to replace Angela's cat Sprinkles, which led to her breaking up with him. I actually felt sorry for Dwight for the first time in a long time. Ryan comes by to train the Scranton branch (and treat Kelly badly, and hit on Pam) with a new way of doing business, which scared the older members of the office, especially Micheal, who set out to prove that old-fashioned gift baskets can accomplish more than the new Dunder-Mifflin website. Boy was he wrong! All the former clients were only interested in the new website. I was all "Go Team Technology!" until Michael listened to literally to his car's GPS and landed in a lake. I will be so happy when this show goes back to it's original 30 minutes. One hour is just too long.


Toodles!

Fall TV, 2007 Edition

With all that's been going on lately, I forgot to tell y'all what I was watching this season! Let's break it down by day, shall we?

Sunday: Let me tell you about my schedule on Sundays. Church, lunch, Praise Team practice, Church. You tell me where there's time to breathe, much less watch television. Still, getting up on that stage is completely worth it.

Monday: My least favorite of work days, my most favorite of television days. Yes, friends, this is the night of Heroes. Last week's episode left us with lots of questions, like "Why are Parkman and Mohinder sharing an apartment? Don't they, like hate one another?" and "Could Noah Bennett--excuse me, Butler--be more awesome?" It really takes something to take a man down by the pinkie finger. There's also the burning questions of "Why is Nathan Petrelli growing out that gross beard?" and the all-important "What happened to Peter's great hair?" Richie says that he likes the hair this way, but it's going to take me a while to get used to this new look.

Also on Mondays (and Tuesdays and Wednesdays), before Heroes, is Dancing With The Stars. I know, I know! I said it was too cheesy, even for me, and that's really saying something. But let me tell you what happened, OK? I was putting Cathryn to bed, and when I walked down the hall after she had fallen asleep, well, I caught Richie watching it. It's like a trainwreck, honestly--I sat down on the couch and my morbid curiosity would not allow me to avert my eyes. You watch Wayne Newton try to dance, or Marie Osmond attempt to recapture her youth by being cute to the judges, and see if you can tear your eyes from the screen. Besides, what else are Richie and I going to watch while waiting to see if Hiro Nakamura will ever get Tanaka Kinsei to change from rakish layabout to actual Japanese hero?

Tuesday: Dancing With The Stars, baby. Dancing With The Stars. Hmm... I hope it's off before American Idol kicks off, because we all know where my loyalties lie.

Wednesday: Dancing With The Stars results show. At ten, though, Richie totally had me hooked on Top Chef. I can't cook a lick, but those guys and girls sure make me want to try! This Wednesday is the finale, and I'm really hoping for a woman to win this season. Go Team Casey!

On November 14, Project Runway returns, and I'm pretty close to counting the days. The contestants on Top Chef can be pretty cruel to one another, but you haven't seen anything until you see the hair pulling and eye scratching by a bunch of self-righteous fashionistas. And those are just the judges.

Thursday: Ah, Thursday. You make my week so complicated. Ugly Betty at 8--when I'm putting Cathryn to bed. Grey's Anatomy AND The Office at nine. How am I to choose? I chose The Office-- because I can download episodes of Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy from the ABC website. The only conflict I don't have is at ten, when I watch Tim Gunn's Guide To Style. Let's recap, shall we?

Ugly Betty: Hilda's fiance Santos is dead. The plot with them being in her room together? Totally Hilda's imagination. It's like Dallas, but in reverse. Man, I miss Dallas. That was a great show. No one was evil the way JR was evil. No, not even Sylar, because JR didn't have to eat your brains to make your life miserable. Oh, anyway--Daniel has finally kicked his drug habit (we hope!), but Betty hasn't kicked her Henry habit. Wilhelmina and Claire have a total Dynasty moment, with Wilhelmina calling Claire a "gin-soaked hag" (I totally want to incorporate that into my everyday life!), and Claire taking a swig of liquor and decking Wilhelmina across the face. Yes! Her botoxed-injected face! Classy Claire, you gin-soaked hag! In other Ugly Betty news? Alexis has amnesia and forgot that she had an operation that changed her from an Alex to an Alexis. Maybe I should reconsider that while Dallas diatribe I went on earlier.

I haven't seen last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. I know, my bad. But I only have so many hours, people!

I did watch The Office, and boy was I not disappointed. Michael hits Meredith with his car, and then organizes a "fun run" because they found out she might have rabies. Oh, and there was something about Jim and Pam finally being a couple. FINALLY!

Friday and Saturday: I take those nights off, usually because I'm at Pirateland, or going to Hartsville to visit Trey, or spending time with Richie and Cathryn. Maybe I can work some time in there to see my mother.

Toodles!

Heroes

So who's watching Heroes? We had another great installment last night, and the plot keeps getting thicker and thicker. Anyone want to speculate on "Save the cheerleader, Save the world?" Obviously, I'm getting some major Buffy vibes from all of this, but I won't subject you to any of it.

Mind-reading cop Matt Parker had my knees quivering, because honestly, who doesn't want a husband who can anticipate your every need and want? I felt really bad for him, though, in the convenience store when he was so brave and heroic and then suddenly he's getting the brain freeze and everyone starts turning on him.

Help me out here--who's playing Stripper Niki's husband? Where have I seen him before? It really bugged me last night? And what's up with Micah? That kid's beginning to creep me out, big time. Also, I'm kind of becoming a Niki/Nathan 'shipper. They have kind of a nice chemistry together, don't they? However, the more I see her on screen, the more questions I have. Niki's storyline is the only one that does that.

Did we see Simone last night? I don't think we did, which makes me happy, cause I kind of don't like her. I'm really feeling bad for Isaac, cause he's going through all kinds of withdrawals and it also looks like his electricity has been turned off. Not cool in New York, man. It gets cold up there. I originally tuned into this show for Milo Vente-something--you know, Jess from Gilmore Girls. But he kinda went extra emo on me last night, and the last bit with his eyes glazing over and finishing Isaac's painting was really dumb. Well, maybe not dumb, but badly acted.

I know Claire's dad is the bad guy and all, but how super awesome was he for taking care of business with Brody last night? Just like any good Southern Daddy worth his salt. Except, my redneck Daddy wouldn't have just had Brody's memories cleared out. My Daddy would have literally cleaned him out, much like gutting and scaling a fish. And you people wonder why I'm such high-maintenance. Hasn't it been clear all this time that I'm Daddy's Southern Princess? Ha, ha!

And lastly, our favorite buddy-couple Hiro and Ando have their first real fight. Didn't you just want to hug Hiro when he realized he couldn't drive the Nissan Versa? And isn't a Nissan a Japanese car? Maybe Hiro can't drive at all. Hiro was especially precious when he met Nathan and saw that he could fly.

What are your thoughts?

Josie

We Can Be Heroes!

Ok, so. I was cleaning the bedroom while watching this episode, so I may have missed a few things, and will probably have to employ the NBC rewind and rewatch the episode. Also? I may have to rewatch them ALL and start recapping. That's how much I love this show.

First off, and really needs to be said--Claire? EWWWWWWW. I totally got sick at the end. I literally had to avert my eyes to keep from gagging. But now it raises a question--does everyone think that Claire is dead? And if so, does that make her a loose cannon now? 'Cause I so want her to get her revenge on date-rape boy. Too bad she doesn't have super strength so she can snap him in half. Additionally, I guess this solidifies Claire's invincibility. If she's truly indestructible, literally nothing nor no one (not even Sylar?) can stop her, and this will be a true test to her character. Will she go all emo on us like Peter whats-his-name-I-was-Jess-on-Gilmore-Girls-now-I'm-a-depressed-hospice-worker and mope around because she was all popular and now no one knows that she's alive? Or will she freaking lose it and go completely bad?

So the cop played by Grey Grunberg not only has work issues, his marriage is falling apart. Bless his heart--don't you just want to hug him? And who else thought that Sylar was going to totally make the FBI chick that was in "The Faculty" kill herself? He is one evolved supervillan. I wonder if the little girl that he was trying to kidnap has special powers, too, and Sylar's going to try to hunt them all down?

Niki the cyber-stripper's storyline is very confusing to me, and I just want someone to freaking explain to me how an image in a mirror can commit murder, then clean your garage like nothing happen, and conveniently rent you a snappy red convertible with the bloody corpses in the truck. *shakes head, racks brain*

I kind of want to choke the pretty girl with the artist boyfriend. Of course, I know that he's psychic, and she doesn't, but still. You can't deny that he's got amazing talent, and if you really love him, why aren't you supporting him? (Not his heroin habit, freak shows!) Also? How do you just stare blankly at even-more-emo-than-he-was-as-Jess-on-Gilmore-Girls when he professes his love for you? You don't love him? Tell him. You want him right there on the dinner table? Tell him. Don't just go all "Young and The Restless" on me and stare at him, waiting for the commercial break! ARGH!

So I saved the best for last. Hiro, who is totally MY hero, is the super-awesomest character on this show. He's funny, a good friend, and just as geeky as me (OK, without the Star Trek references), PLUS he saves little girls from runaway trash trucks! What's not to love?

The only thing that bothers me about this show is that everyone is so super-freaking hot. Is that another genetic anomaly? Not only do we have superpowers, we're all impossibly good-looking, too? The closest thing they have to 'not-hot' are the cops, and chick FBI agent from "The Faculty" is like a Goth Princess, so you know she's got big love out there from all the comic book geeks. And Greg Grunberg (psychic cop) is like a big teddy bear.

Thoughts, comments?

Toodles!

Fall television

OK, y'all....now that the new television season is under way, let me tell you all what I am watching.

What I am loving:
Heroes (Mondays @ 9, NBC)--It reminds me of why I loved Buffy and X-Men. If you missed out on the Buffy heyday, or if you just miss Buffy, please check this out. It even has a blonde cheerleader.

Project Runway (Wednesdays @ 10, Bravo)--Yes, I still have this on here, even though there are only two episodes left. But--that's how I got into it. During a marathon, I saw the last couple of shows and was enthralled. Sure my love for fashion has been well documented, but it's really the drama and the comedy of these talented people that keeps me coming back. And of course, if you have witnessed the unparalleled Tim Gunn, please check this out. He's fabulous.

The Office (Thursdays @ 8:30, NBC)--I loved the second season all summer, so I could hardly wait to get into the third season live. It's a hard show to explain, other than it's written to be like a reality show--only it's much much bettter. And funnier. Also? The guy that plays Jim is my TV boyfriend. (Just don't tell Chris Daughtry, OK?)

Grey's Anatomy (Thursdays @ 9, ABC)--My mom recently said that Grey's Anatomy is to our generation what Dallas was to hers. I really don't think I need to herald my love for the show here, since we already have so many fans. But if you haven't seen it--SHAME!!! Also, every guy on there is steaming hot. (OK, maybe not George. But he's like the little brother you always wanted. And maybe not the Chief, unless you're into that Daddy-complex thing. I am not.)

What I am wishing would get better:

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Mondays @ 10, NBC)--*sigh* I had such high hopes. I am really hoping that it gets better. From the getgo, I cared about the characters on The West Wing. Studio 60? Eh, not so much. The bright spots in the show are Matthew Perry (who has lost all traces of Chandler Bing, and for me, a HUGE Chandler Bing fan to say that, is HUGE.) and of course, Mr. Bradley Whitford, who makes me go "guuuuh" for reasons that I cannot explain. Although, watching him makes me REALLY miss The West Wing. Make me care, Aaron Sorkin! Make me care!

What I am wishing I could see but I have to put Cathryn to bed:

Ugly Betty (Thursdays @ 8, ABC)--I have heard so many good things about this, plus y'all know how much I love fashion magazines. And Television Without Pity totally loves this show. And they don't like a lot of shows. I did hear that they were going to rerun them on ABC Family, so I've got to go Google that and make sure it's for real.

What are y'all watching?

Josie