Happiness is...

Getting caught up on your TiVo viewing so you can welcome the new week in with all new shows!

The only thing left to catch up on is Dexter from last week.

Huzzah!

Scenes From a TiVo

The programming gods finally have timed things right for us and our TiVo viewing this fall. With House on hiatus while they figure out who will win the World Series, and the World Series of Poker having been won for this year; Tuesday nights are catch-up night in our house for our TiVo.

We are grateful for this, because things tend to get a bit backlogged on the old TiVo, and we start seeing that little hourglass that is all hurry up and watch these shows, or I'll start deleting them... and we hate that.

So, let's move on to Tuesday and Wednesday viewing, shall we? We'll pretend that House is not on hiatus for this exercise.

Tuesday:

• House (8pm, FOX). Hugh Laurie rocks my socks. If you get a chance to hear him speak with his normal British accent, you quickly realize just how good he is at playing Dr. Gregory House. I wasn't thrilled with the House/Stacy storyline; I just didn't really see a whole lot of chemistry there, even though they had a past together. I do see chemistry with Dr. Cuddy though, and would like to see that story evolve further.
  
  
• Boston Legal (10pm, ABC). I have to admit, I couldn't watch this show when it first aired. I'm not a big fan of William Shatner (Sorry, Bill!). I guess it's from my childhood, when my mom watched the original Star Trek and he chewed up the scenery and spit it out each week (see David Caruso: CSI Miami). But I wanted to watch this show, because I have always harbored a secret crush on James Spader. When Candice Bergen joined the cast, I decided to give it a try, because she makes any show she's in better. Trust me, she does. This is a great show. Spader and Shatner play off each other so well, I can tolerate Shatner for longer periods of time. The rest of the ensemble is hit or miss though, while I love Mark Valley (who was amazing in Keen Eddie) I'm not really sure what his purpose is on this show besides being lovely to look at. Julie Bowen can definitely act (see LOST for proof) but this is not her best effort. Rene Auberjonois, who I was glad to see back on a show because he was so amazing in Benson as the butler has had a small storyline that has just fizzled out this season. Constance Zimmer is a breath of fresh air this season, and as a parent of a child who has Asperger's Syndrome, I'm thrilled to see a show delve deeper with an adult character who is trying to work with the syndrome and some of the repercussions and quirks of it.
  
  
• House Hunters International (1:30am, HGTV). We tape this later than when it airs on Monday night because out TiVo is busy at 10pm. Who doesn't like to see houses in places far-off?
  

See? I told you Tuesday is a light TiVo day. Thank you programming people!

Wednesday creates overload for my TiVo. This is a busy day for us, so let's get to it!

• Criminal Minds (9pm, CBS). I'll admit, at first I wasn't thrilled about seeing Thomas Gibson in a drama role. He'll forever be remembered as Greg, as in Dharma and Greg. But Shemar Moore (swoon!) and Mandy Patankin? Sign me up for that! Out of all the crime shows out there, this one stands head and shoulders above them all. This is the only one that each week my husband has difficulty figuring it out, and usually he can tell you whodunit in the first 10 minutes of a show. When you can stump my husband, that's a winner in our house.
  
  
• LOST (9pm, ABC) Duh. I was a fan from the get-go. Even when it got to be a bit tedious (season two, anyone?) I still hung in there. I even played the online game during the summer break. I read spoilers, and chatted in forums about theories. Then I decided to stop reading and just be surprised each week. So far this season I have enjoyed the show more because of it. I am concerned with the plethora of shows now out there taking a page from the LOST playbook, because I don't want every show to be like this one, but it does keep me tuned in, so I guess they are doing something right. SO far the only show to do the LOST playbook steal and get it right is Heroes. Not to mention, I loves me some Sayid.
  
  
• The Nine (10pm, ABC). I'm trying to like this, but already I'm not really into this show. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the lead-in show is already taxing my brain, and I can't concentrate on this show. This show might be better of on Tuesday, without LOST in front of it. I'm just sayin'.
  
  
• Project Runway/Top Chef (10pm; BRAVO). Tonight is the season finale of Project Runway3, but does Bravo rest on it's laurels? No way! This slot will be filled with Top Chef, and this time they actually got a chef to be the host instead of Billy Joel's current wife. I'm sure Katie Lee Joel is very nice, but Padma Lakshmi (I'm hoping!) will be a much better fit for this task. I will miss PR though, this season has been the best yet. Uli should win in my opinion, but I think Jeffrey will take top prize.
  

Tomorrow is Thursday and Friday's offerings, and if your house is like my house, the programming gods made me cry when they moved Grey's Anatomy to go up against CSI. Thanks to trusty TiVo, these are both viewed commercial free!

What a wonderful world we live in.

Tuesday Morning TiVobacking

So I'm all caught up from those other shows, and now have more to watch. Such is the life of a TiVoist.

Let's discuss some of the shows I think are the best on television, better known as the shows I TiVo each week. Today's installment is Sunday and Monday.

Starting with Sunday Night:

• America's Funniest Home Videos (7pm, ABC). Tom Bergeron is, bar none, the best host for this show that has been on practically forever. Bob Saget should be jealous. America, keep sending the videos in, please.
  
  
• The Amazing Race 10 (8pm, CBS). We made the mistake of applying for that ill-fated Family season, and the Weaver Family was picked to represent Central Florida. I'm embarrassed, but not deterred. The only problem is my husband and I are really normal and we travel well, so of course we will never get picked. We don't make good TV.
  
  
• Desperate Housewives
(9pm, ABC). Yes, I'm still TiVoing this. It allows me to fast forward through all the Teri Hatcher parts and get to all the other stuff I actually do enjoy. When I do that, it cuts this show into a thirty minute show that is much more palatable; at least for me.


• Brothers and Sisters (10pm, ABC)/Footballers Wives:Overtime (1opm, BBCAmerica)/Mile High (10:30pm, BBCAmerica). This is where my TiVo comes in handy. I'm trying out this new show Brothers and Sisters. So far, so good. I could live without Calista Flockhart's character, or maybe it's just her; I'm not sure. I'm not a big fan. I'm sure she's very nice in real life, but she plays such wooden characters that I have a hard time enjoying her character. It's not you, Calista, it's me.
  
  Footballers Wives:Overtime is purely fluff television, and no offence, but the Brits have this down pat. On TiVo, this is the best waste of 15 minutes of television, once you edit out the KABOOM! commercials. This is Jackie Collins television, plain and simple.
  
  Mile High is also on BBCAmerica, and this show I found by happy accident. Since then, the show has gotten more airplay and more visibility on the channel. It's set on a ficticious airline, Fresh, and centers around the airline crew and their exploits. Very funny, and very good. Catch it while BBCAmerica shows it, for I think it is off the air in Britain.
  
  
• Dexter (10pm, Showtime). Showtime does it again. This show is so good. The character of Dexter is marvelously played by Michael C. Hall, the brother in Six Feet Under. He's deliciously creepy as Dexter, a blood spatter specialist by day, a serial killer by night. Like The Sopranos, you find yourself liking Dexter even though he does things that may not fit your moral code. Between this and Weeds, Showtime is the new HBO.

Moving on to Monday:

• How I Met Your Mother (8pm; CBS). Welcome back, Neil Patrick Harris. I missed you. Seeing as I'm such a fan, I just want you to know that you make this show. For added laughs, check out Barney's Blog on the CBS website. It's hilarious. Suit Up!
  
  
• Two and a Half Men (9pm; CBS)/Heroes (9pm; NBC).
  Two and a Half Men is a show I started watching after several episodes were under way. I was surprised at how much I like it, and credit the wonderful comedic timing of Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen. Plus, both of these men figured prominently in my teenage years, in Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off respectively.
  
  Heroes is the best show on television. This is the type of show that LOST was in the beginning; the kind that you talk about all week and can't wait for the next episode to air. You read the graphic novel on the website for clues. You find yourself thinking about the characters and what will happen next. Great story, great characters. A must TiVo show.
  
  
• CSI:Miami (10pm; CBS). Yeah, still watching this. I can't tell who's more annoying, Horatio or his sidekick, Mr. Wolfe. Both try to outdo each other chewing up the scenery. I don't know why I watch this anymore, except the colors of the show look awesome in High Definition on a big screen TV. Other than that, not much here to keep me interested, but it is good for a laugh when the Hubby watches with me.
  
  
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (10pm; NBC). I wasn't a West Wing fan, but I loved Sports Night, so Aaron Sorkin is alright by me. Great show, great casting, and Matthew Perry can finally put Chandler Bing to rest. This is the role he should be remembered for in television history.
  
  
• Weeds (10pm; Showtime). Already in it's second season, this show rocks my socks. This is an ensemble cast at it's finest. Everyone, no matter what the role, plays an integral part of this story. The brother of Nancy Botwin makes the show hilarious. View his explanation about how to pleasure oneself to Nancy's 12 year old son and try not to laugh. It's impossible. I tried.


So that is what we have on out TiVo right now. I guess I should get caught up so I can tell you what we watch on Tuesday and Wednesday tomorrow!

Catching Up On My Fave Shows

Can't blog. Too many backlogged shows to watch on TiVo before they disappear.

Currently Watching:

• CSI (from last Thursday)
• Footballers Wives: Overtime (from Sunday)
• Mile High (from Sunday and this morning)
• Numb3rs (from the last two Friday nights)
• Heroes (from Monday)
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (did you know USA replayed the pilot last night? My TiVo did!)
• CSI: Miami (from Monday)
• Weeds
• Dexter
• and whatever I have TiVo-ed on Tuesdays, my brian is fried.

I have a post in the hopper, and will get in up as soon as I make a dent in this list. Ciao!

Why Smith Sucks and Shark Rules

So, as you know, we watch a LOT of television. Generally not on the days the shows originally air. (See, life kind of gets in the way. That and video games.) So we waited to watch the first episodes of Smith and Shark over the weekend after they first aired. The reasoning was simple, we needed sleep, and my in-laws wanted to watch Smith, and they tried to tape it and it didn't work. (I know, they're TiVo-less. We might fix that later this year.) So when we all got together for dinner, we sat down to watch these two shows, one after the other.

Smith showed so much promise, The Hubby and I couldn't wait until it aired. We liked Ray Liotta in Goodfellas, but the rest of his movies had (for us) been a bit erratic. Not that he should have continued forever in the mob type of movie, but it was good, and we like good performances.

Ray gives a good perfomance in Smith. It's the rest of the show that falls apart around him. The premise shows promise, kind of like a traveling Ocean's Eleven crew. (not 12, dear LORD, not 12; and I bought the DVD too...) That sounded good to us. But something must have gotten lost in the translation. Because, for us, after the first episode, we were done. Took it off the TiVo recordings list. Much of it didn't make sense. Not in the this-is-totally-unplausible kind of way, but in the how-could-the-wife-not-have SOME-idea way, and the why-didn't-you-tell-him-what-happened-with-the-girl-in-the-alley way.


...you know what? never mind. CBS put me out of my misery and cancelled Smith. Thank goodness.

CSI:Miami Viewing Made Easier

Because it's Monday, I'm reposting this here for you. Enjoy.

Because I'm a public service kinda gal, and I have personally had issues watching this show as of late; (how many scenes can David Caruso chew up? Shouldn't there be a limit? A moratorium on this?)

It's pretty bad, when you see one of your favorite actors, Gary Sinise, start affecting the mannerisms of one Horatio Caine on his own spin-off show, CSI:NY. So, since this has become a full-blown epidemic with no signs of slowing, I give you this handy technique to help the viewing of this show go down that much easier.

Besides, if you have to suppress the gag reflex, shouldn't it be for a better cause?

I found this thanks to weaker-vessel, whom I hope to meet one day. Thank you!

Also, thanks to LAist for the "research".

The David Caruso Drinking Game

Get your favorite beer* ready. (We thought about playing this with hard liquor, but that would be begging for alcohol poisoning before the first commercial break, so beer is the drink of choice for the Caruso.)

1. Drink a sip every time someone calls him "H" not "Horatio"

2. Take one swig every time H places his arms akimbo (on his hips).

3. Take two swigs when Horatio takes his sunglasses off for dramatic effect.

4. Likewise, take two swigs when Horatio puts his sunglasses on for dramatic effect.

5. Take three gulps when H wears a dark blazer in the middle of an investigation. (Hello, pastels...this is hot and humid Miami, Crockett and Tubbs land, remember).

6. Drink for four counts when he addresses Jonathan Togo's character as "“Mr. Wolfe."”

7. Drink for five counts when he'’s talking and his head is tilted at a 45-degree angle. (Don'’t forget to add another count if he has his arms akimbo at the same time.)

8. Drink for six counts when the camera films him entering the scene from a low angle for dramatic effect. Some games refer to this as the "Horatio-as-Christ" shot. (Is this because he's short? IMDB lists him as 5'11".)

9. Drink for seven if you ever see him smile. (This is extremely rare, but it does happen on occasion.)

10. Guzzle the entire can/bottle/glass when an incredibly hot babe hits on Horatio. Because, really, she must have the beer goggles on. Or we should put them on in order to buy it.

If you aren'’t a fan of CSI: Miami, trust us, you will be after one round of Caruso playing. Oh yeah, and it really helps if you don't have to be anywhere early on Tuesday morning. Bottoms up!

Feel free to add your own rules...

* Wine can be substituted for beer, but beer is the better option.