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Tough Decisions Will Be Made

22 Sep

It’s Wednesday, which means we’re halfway through one of my least favorite weeks of the year.

What? You thought I’d actually be happy about the start of the new TV season? Well, you’re wrong.

This is the time of year when there’s too much on, and my DVR gets an extra-good workout.

It’s the time when I have to make some really tough decisions about what to watch, what to commit to, and what not to bother with.

Most every year I post something here about which shows I’m going to try and watch, but it’s always with the expectation that I won’t stick to the plan. Which is fine, of course; there are movies, and sports, and, well, life to keep me busy otherwise.

So that’s why I generally have a two-strikes rule: If I fall two episodes behind, chances are good I won’t catch up on that show, so I don’t even bother.

Unfortunately, I’m already behind: I forgot to record Lone Star Monday night, so I’m hoping I can watch the pilot before episode two is on (thankfully, the pilot’s re-airing over the weekend).

What else am I planning to watch this fall? Here’s my week at a glance: Continue reading →

Welcome Home, Old Friend

5 Jun

The crowd was justifiably loud when Conan O’Brien took the stage Friday night at the start of his first Boston show on the Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.

This was the former Tonight Show host’s first paying gig in his hometown (he grew up in Brookline, if you didn’t know), and after more than three months off the air, we who love Coco were eager for some of his goofy Irish charm.

Conan brought that and more in a show that was eager to please, even if it maybe ran on a little too long. Continue reading →

Faith Rewarded

21 May

At the start of every new TV season, viewers like me have important questions to answer.

For example, which new shows will be good enough to invest our time, energy, emotion, and precious DVR space in?

Which will be worth watching after a good (or bad) pilot, and sticking with for the (hopefully many) years to come?

In some cases, it’s a difficult choice between two shows on at the same time.

In other cases, there’s not really a choice to make.

The latter was the case with Lost in the fall of 2004. Continue reading →

Everybody Loves Kristin

3 May

Kristin Chenoweth — the original Glinda in Wicked, the boozy April Rhodes on Glee, the Tony-winning star of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and an Emmy winner for her role on Pushing Daisies — is one of those actresses who everybody knows and everybody loves.

So when I got the chance to interview her recently for Continental magazine, it was definitely a thrill.

Chenoweth was just as sweet and nice and fun and bubbly as I’d expected her to be, and she gave me “good quote,” which I used in the article I wrote about her, which is now live. Continue reading →

An Entertaining Year

31 Dec

There was a lot to like this year, entertainment-wise. For example, it was inconsistent and frustrating at times, but when it was great, there were few shows I enjoyed as much as Glee. I didn’t read as many books as I have in years past, but I thought Steve Knopper’s Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age was very good. I picked the winner of American Idol as far back as February. Lily Allen, U2, Jamie Cullum, and John Mayer all released great albums. And of course, there were a bunch of impressive movies too.

As of this writing, I’ve seen 48 of the year’s releases (down from 53 a year ago), and if pressed to rank my favorites (not necessarily the best ones), here are the top 10:
1. Up in the Air
2. In the Loop
3. A Serious Man
4. Up
5. Star Trek
6. Precious
7. The Girlfriend Experience
8. Two Lovers
9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
10. Where the Wild Things Are

What were your favorite movies, albums, TV shows, books, etc.? I’d love to know.

The Night the Jews Control the Town

24 Dec

Every year, I’m asked what I do on Christmas. After all, despite my love for the season, I don’t officially celebrate the holiday. Invariably, my answer involves a movie and Chinese food, because that’s what most Jews do on Christmas (there aren’t that many other options available to us). So instead of giving the same answer again this year, and at the risk of repeating myself, let me share this classic Saturday Night Live clip with you to better explain what I and my fellow members of the Tribe will be doing after sunset this evening.
http://www.hulu.com/embed/PGn5kYL4FWyX3NSHWa1VVw
For all of you who do actually celebrate, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Singing Its Praises

14 Oct

It’s a couple weeks into the TV season, and I’m happy to report that I don’t watch as much TV as I thought I would.

For example, I fell two weeks behind on The Good Wife and Cougar Town, and decided not to catch up. Eastwick I never gave a chance. And Community I gave three episodes, and then decided to switch to Flash Forward.

Oh, and I never did work House into my viewing schedule.

It’s all good. I knew I’d never watch that much, and I never wanted to either.

That said, if there’s one new show I’ve fallen for and never miss, it’s Glee.

I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m scheduling my week around it, or refusing to go out because it’s on, but I don’t go to sleep on Wednesdays without watching that night’s episode.

And my iPhone is filled with the songs from the show.

And it’s topic number one at the office when I get to work on Thursday mornings.

And I share clips and articles on Facebook all the time.

And I’ve convinced other folks that they need to watch. Continue reading →

Time to Tune In Again

24 Sep

The cooler temperatures and return of college students means one thing: the new TV season is here.

Finally, I can stop wasting my evenings because I’ll have something to do again other than watch Red Sox games and go out (said with all due sarcasm).

I wonder if my couch and my Slanket have missed me.

Anyway, it’s become a quasi-tradition here, so just as I’ve done before, I thought I’d share what I plan to watch this season.

Here’s my weekly lineup: Continue reading →

Listen Up

23 Sep

Tuesday was one of those big multimedia purchase days that I have every so often.

The third season of 30 Rock was released on DVD, and David Gray, Mika, and Harry Connick Jr. all released new albums.

When I was at Costco, I noticed that A.J. Jacobs had a new book out, so I grabbed that, and because I hadn’t purchased it yet, I also picked up the third season of Brothers and Sisters on DVD.

A mixed bag of music for sure, and maybe not your tastes, but I always enjoy new stuff from artists I like. (The David Gray album is particularly good. I’ll let you know about the others when I hear more of them.) Continue reading →

On the Edge

2 Jul

The Ledge at the Sears Tower in Chicago officially opens today.

I totally want to go and check it out.

I mean, when you’ve gone skydiving and taken a trapeze lesson, how scary can it be to stand in a 1.5-inch–thick glass box that’s extended out 4.3 feet from the Sears Tower’s 103rd floor, 1,353 feet off the ground?

If I get to do it, I’ll let you know the answer to that question. In the meantime, here’s a clip about the Ledge from yesterday’s Today Show.

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