Amazing Race Season 21 and Team Chippendales

Though I haven't posted anything Amazing Race-related in probably a year, I just needed to talk about the latest season which just had its finale a little less than an hour ago. Mostly I wanted to shine a light on the delightful team made out of Chippendale dancers Jaymes and James. Now I am sad to say that I judged them wrongly off the bat. I immediately thought they would be those annoyingly aggressive and entitled alpha male teams that would tear through the race making enemies left and right. And really from the get go, they proved me wrong time and time again. They were probably the nicest team this season, not only to the other teams, but to each other. Despite their slow starts, they never got angry at one another or displayed a "woe is me" attitude. They approached the entire experience with wonder and glee that was frankly infectious and it helped that they were definitely eye candy (see their picture above). With all of that said, it's no surprise then that by tonight's finale I was rooting for them 200%. More on tonight's finale including spoilers on final outcome...

The Emmys: The Winners

I wouldn't exactly call these Emmy Awards the worse in recent history, but it was tough to get through early on with some winners that were at best boring (Modern Family) and at worst utterly disappointing (Jon Cryer?!). Most of that was relegated to the comedy categories which were subpar to begin with, but it set the tone for a night filled with many repeat winners and thus very little surprises. It also didn't help that towards the middle and end of the ceremony, the producers started getting really serious about keeping the show on time cutting off many of the major winners' speeches. Of course they still felt the need to insert in as many inane skits as they could like making fun of the In Memoriam segment or a initiating a social media prank about Tracy Morgan fainting. Jimmy Kimmel was actually pretty game for most of the night, with his opening sketch and monologue making the highlights.

As for the actual winners, as I said above, repeat winners were the big winners as 8 of the 12 acting awards given out tonight went to actors who have won an Emmy previously. Three of those first time winners came in the TV Movie/Miniseries categories with Kevin Costner and Tom Berenger winning for their performances in Hatfields & McCoys and Julianne Moore taking home Best Actress for playing Sarah Palin in Game Change. Speaking of Game Change, it also took home Director, Writing, and Best TV Movie/Miniseries. Its writer, I have to point out, is Danny Strong who is an alum of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and also guest starred on Mad Men, which technically means at least one actor from that show has now won an Emmy. But it really was a night to forget for Mad Men.

Of course, Mad Men was the slight favorite to win Best Drama tonight and many had hoped someone from its main cast would finally win as well. Unfortunately, not only did they lose out on all of that, but they also got an unprecedented 0 out of 17 nominations this year. Homeland broke the winning streak of Mad Men this year winning Best Drama Series and three other awards including double Actor/Actress wins for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes. Aaron Paul and Maggie Smith picked up Supporting awards, which made me happy despite my heart wanting to give it to Giancarlo Esposito and Christina Hendricks respectively.

Modern Family won a handful of awards tonight as they have done the past three years winning Series, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Directing. I like the show, but their Emmy dominance harbors real resentment. More depressingly, Cryer picked up Actor while Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for Actress, which was one of the more pleasant comedy wins tonight even if Amy Poehler should've won instead. Poehler, by the way, saves the Emmy Awards yet again by seemingly swapping acceptance speeches with Louis-Dreyfus to expected hilarious results. Louis C.K. winning Writing was also pretty cool, but I really wanted Community's "Remedial Chaos Theory" to win.

Here is a complete list of winners from tonight...

DRAMA
SERIES: Homeland (SHO)
ACTOR: Damian Lewis, Homeland (SHO)
ACTRESS: Claire Danes, Homeland (SHO)
SUPP. ACTOR: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
DIRECTING: Tim Van Patten, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
WRITING: Alez Ganza, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff, Homeland (SHO)
GUEST ACTOR: Jeremy Davis, Justified (FX)
GUEST ACTRESS: Martha Plimpton, The Good Wife (CBS)

COMEDY
SERIES: Modern Family (ABC)
ACTOR: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
ACTRESS: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
SUPP. ACTOR: Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
DIRECTING: Steve Levitan, Modern Family (ABC)
WRITING: Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
GUEST ACTOR: Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
GUEST ACTRESS: Kathy Bates, Two and a Half Men (FOX)

MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIALS
MINISERIES OR MOVIE: Game Change (HBO)
ACTOR: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys (HISTORY)
ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Game Change (HBO)
SUPP. ACTOR: Tom Berenger, Hatfields & McCoys (HISTORY)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story (FX)
DIRECTING: Jay Roach, Game Change (HBO)
WRITING: Danny Strong, Game Change (HBO)

VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
SERIES: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
DIRECTING: Saturday Night Live (NBC)
WRITING: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

REALITY
COMPETITION PROGRAM: The Amazing Race (CBS)
PROGRAM: Undercover Boss (CBS)
HOST: Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)

Prediction-wise, I did only slightly better than last year getting 9 out of 19, but still pretty damn dreadful. I pretty much nailed the drama categories, but was woefully wrong on the comedy ones.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2011 TV Shows, Part 1

Certainly took me long enough, but I'm finally posting my Favorite 2011 TV Shows. I did a rough count today and figured out that I have seen more than 870 television episodes last year. I knew I watched a lot of TV, but I was still shocked to see that kind of number. With that big of a sample size, it was tough for me to narrow it down to my Top 30 TV shows, but I tried below. I'm saving my Top 10 for tomorrow, but here are the other shows on my list...

30. Ringer - There were many new shows fighting for this last spot, but I eventually went with a show headlined by my childhood hero Sarah Michelle Gellar aka Buffy Summers. The show itself has lots of potential especially if they take themselves a lot less seriously. In retrospect, I probably should've included Suburgatory instead of this or another show on my list.

29. Once Upon A Time - Upon further reflection, it's odd this show made it in my list, but not Grimm whose initial episodes and tone appealed to me more. Some of it has been my laziness to catch up on the latter show, but I am also starting to get caught into this show's spell. Some of the acting is still pretty cartoonish, but I think the show has its heart in the right place.

28. Greek - I was sad to see this group of college buddies say goodbye, but I definitely enjoyed the journey they took me on. The final episode was a great highlight featuring every character and various relationships of the show. RIP KT House.

27. United States of Tara - The highlights this season were Toni Collette really going off the deep end and Eddie Izzard's brief supporting role. Other characters had solid emotional beats to play and for the most part they were all left in a good place during the series finale, though a bit bruised and battered.

26. So You Think You Can Dance - A pretty entertaining season capped with an all-girl final between two amazing dancers not to mention the final two boys being Asian! Love that Melanie ended up winning, but I would've been happy with any of the top 4.


25. The Walking Dead - Did we really need to spend most of the season looking for Sofia or being stuck in that farm? Probably not, but it certainly made that last scene all the more spine-chilling. Plus I'm okay with the slower paced episodes, but I wished more (believable) character development happened other than Darryl.

24. Amazing Race - Not the best two installments of the show, but they were still better than most anything on TV. Race-wise I enjoyed the earlier All-Stars season with Kisha/Jen winning versus the later season with Ernie/Cindy winning.

23. True Blood - I was pleasantly surprised this season perhaps because I actually liked most of the storylines plus or minus Jason's werepanther adventures or Sookie and Eric's sexy times. A lot of the actors stepped up this season and the witch vs. vampire big arc was really interesting.

22. The Hour - Many people call this the British Mad Men and I'm pretty sure it's meant to be complimentary. I really ended up liking this even though some of the stories were a bit too twisty for me to unknot. I was most impressed by Whishaw and Garai and their relationship.

21. Wilfred - Caught up on this show over the long Labor Day weekend and highly enjoyed it mostly due to the fun chemistry between its two lead characters. Props to Gann for really getting the essence of being a man in a dog suit acting like a dog. Kudos to Wood for acting along side him!

20. Modern Family - This has plummeted in my list, less because of its quality which is still top-notch along with its amazing ensemble, and more because there are just more sitcoms I've found I love more than this one.

19. Misfits - Did I miss Nathan? Maybe a little bit, but Kelly kicking ass and her relationship with cutie Seth more than made up for his absence. Their new powers were pretty unexciting, true, but solid episodes throughout. The finale was especially engrossing especially that tragic end for a couple of characters.

18. Big Bang Theory - The girls are why I tune in now, which is not to say that Parsons and the rest of the guys aren't good. It's just that I consistently enjoy the girls more and most of that is the chemistry between Penny and Amy.

17. Castle - I never know why I always end up ranking this show relatively low compared to my feelings regarding its awesome cast and fantastic episodes. Perhaps it's the procedural aspect of the show which screams "BEEN THERE DONE THAT!" That said, I have much love for this show and hope they can keep it up.

16. Friday Night Lights - This is probably as high as it is, because I actually saw every episode of this series this year though of course only a handful of episodes actually aired this year. Even so, it was a pretty good ending for a series that could've ended far sooner. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.


15. Cougar Town - It has felt like more than a year since we got a new episode of this great show, but alas its low ratings and awkward title has done its damage. But no matter since this cul de sac crew has wormed its way into my heart and forever they will remain.

14. How I Met Your Mother - This is such a complicated show to rank since it's one of the shows I look forward to each week and while they more often than not do great episodes, there have been more than a few clunkers. In the end, it's all about how excited I am every week for it and in spite of itself sometimes, I'm always excited!

13. Shameless - I was pretty much ready to write this show off as another useless American remake of a British show, but then I caught it and immediately fell in love with the Gallagher clan. I was most impressed with Emmy Rossum caustic portrayal as the head of the chaotic household. Can't wait to see them back on TV.

12. Revenge - This show was probably the biggest surprise for me this fall season. I expected this to crash and burn, but not only did it deliver one of the strongest pilots of the new season, but it somehow kept its juicy mixture of trashy guilty pleasures with strong characterizations and acting.

11. Happy Endings - I once described this show as a piñata filled with candy and crack and it's so very apt. It's continuously weird and endlessly funny. The characters are a big part of it as there's no weak link (yes, even Alex and Dave).

Any shows here that surprised you? Anything shocks you at being missing? Perhaps they'll show up tomorrow when I post my top 10 list. Or perhaps they just missed the cut.

Quick TV Thoughts

No rankings this week since only about a handful of shows were actually on, so just a few quick reactions to each.

The Amazing Race - Didn't blog about this past season at all, but the team that I randomly picked to root for in the first episode ended up winning. Cindy/Ernie may not have been the most lovable team or even the most exciting and Cindy at times had a painfully holier-than-thou attitude, but they ran a good and consistent race and made all the right decisions in the final leg to win. I was especially glad they beat out Jeremy/Sandy who I couldn't believe actually made it that far. Props to Marcus/Amani for making it to the final three as well. Not the most exciting season. The casting was a bit bland and I've already forgotten what happened, but it's a show I will only stop watching when they stop airing it.

The Good Wife - This was the perfect episode to leave us until the show comes back in January. So many juicy things transpired and storylines I'm dying to get back to. First there's the beginnings of the thawing of the Great Cold War between Kalinda and Alicia after Alicia finally learned how Kalinda found Grace. The episode also gave us an "angry Alicia" scene, which I always love, when she threatened to sue Cary in some civil action suit if he didn't release Kalinda (arrested for harassing jurors). Speaking of angry, this was the first time I was impressed with Chris Noth's portrayal of Peter. The way he turned on the charm at the beginning only to delve back into his darker side towards the end was bone chilling. Finally, I loved the bombshell twist Wendy Scott Carr delivered Will. I already miss this show!

Once Upon A Time - I'm not exactly sure what I thought of this episode. It was a great showcase for Jamie Dornan of course, but the writers didn't really do anything new and exciting with the Hunstman story. First of all, my friends and I predicted he'd be the Hunstman from the first episode and were just a bit disappointed at how obvious it was. In any case, Graham remembering his fairy tale past after kissing Emma (just have her kiss the whole town!) was intriguing, but did they really have to kill him off? Is he really dead? I wished I cared more.

Terra Nova - When I saw this week's episode, I thought it was the season finale and when it ended I was ready to tear down the show for not only giving us a relatively disappointing season, but also for providing us with the worst/weakest finale ever. So when I saw the promo for next week's action-packed two-hour finale, I had to re-evaluate my feelings for the episode which in this new context wasn't terrible, but still a bit anti-climactic. From Skye's exposure as the mole to Taylor/Lucas' big reunion, it all felt rushed and a bit inconsequential. Despite my negative/neutral reviews this whole season, I am still rooting for this show. Hope it can end on a high note then have some time to tweak itself if it comes back.

Glee - Not the worst episode this season, because wow that bar has been set below sea level, and it actually helped that there really was no discernible plot marking this episode almost as a one-off. If you approached the episode as some weird gay Christmas dream that you can forget about the next day, it becomes tolerable. A few of the numbers were cute and I did miss the whole gang together again after the faux drama of splitting everyone up this season. The black-and-white show was cheesiness to the max that was equal parts cringe-worthy and fabulous. I'm also enjoying Sam's new-found levelheadedness and maturity which I'll just hope would be contagious in the new year for everyone else. I'm looking at you, Sue.

New Girl - I think the episode was good? I honestly wasn't paying attention, but it really wasn't the show's fault since I find myself multitasking with some of these shows I'm not fully invested in. Nick being involved with Jess and Paul's break-up was pretty funny, but I found Schmidt's sexy Santa thing only mildly amusing. Winston bonding with the boy, and also having scenes with Schmidt's boss, has potential. The end was supposed to be cute, I think, but I just found it forced and a bit annoying. Hm, I just described this show in one sentence didn't I?

The Year With Katie Couric - Basically it was two hours of Katie recapping what transpired during the year. It was on the background as I did other stuff. It was pretty much lots of people protesting, lots of people being obsessed with the Kardashians, lots of people affected by disasters, lots of people breaking through and loving Ryan Gosling or Adele or being obsessed with the royal wedding, and people like Liz Taylor and Amy Winehouse leaving us. Bring it 2012.

The Emmys: The Winners

What a weird night. That's pretty much all I can say about the Emmy Awards tonight. It felt like there was no overwhelming theme. Jane Lynch did an okay job hosting, but some of the technical aspects and skits of the show fell flat or were too clunky. The awards themselves went to a mix of expected and shocking winners, mostly deserved.

The big winner of the night has got to be Friday Night Lights which won two surprise awards in Writing and for its lead actor Kyle Chandler in its farewell season. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose indeed! Julianna Margulies, Margo Martindale, and Peter Dinklage took home the other Drama acting awards. All four winners made me smile. The supposed front-runners, Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men, had to settle for Directing (Martin Scorcese!) and Drama Series respectively.

In the Comedy side, Modern Family ruled with five wins including book-ending the show with two acting awards for TV married couple Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen at the beginning of the show and Comedy Series for the final award. Jim Parsons and Melissa McCarthy won in an upset in their lead categories with Steve Carell and Laura Linney largely expected to win. In one of the best moments of the show though Amy Poehler (who should've won) led McCarthy, Linney, and the other lead actress nominees on stage when their names were called up. Brilliant! The other winners are...

DRAMA
SERIES: Mad Men (AMC)
ACTOR: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights (NBC)
ACTRESS: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
SUPP. ACTOR: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HCO)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Margo Martindale, Justified (FX)
DIRECTING: Martin Scorcese, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
WRITING: Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights (Direct TV)
GUEST ACTOR: Paul McCrane, Harry's Law (NBC)
GUEST ACTRESS: Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

COMEDY
SERIES: Modern Family (ABC)
ACTOR: Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory (CBS)
ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
SUPP. ACTOR: Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
DIRECTING: Michael Spiller, Modern Family (ABC)
WRITING: Steve Levitan & Jeffrey Richmond, Modern Family (ABC)
GUEST ACTOR: Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
GUEST ACTRESS: Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee (FOX)

In the other side of things, Downton Abbey ruled with four wins including Best Miniseries over Mildred Pierce, which still saw two of its actor win in Guy Pearce and Kate Winslet. Winslet is now a Tony Award away from full EGOT status. The Amazing Race and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart also walked away with Emmy trophies once again.

MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIALS
MINISERIES OR MOVIE: Downton Abbey (PBS)
ACTOR: Barry Pepper, The Kennedys (Starz)
ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce (HBO)
SUPP. ACTOR: Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce (HBO)
SUPP. ACTRESS: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
DIRECTING: Brian Percival, Downton Abbey (PBS)
WRITING: Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey (PBS)

VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
SERIES: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
DIRECTING: Saturday Night Live (NBC)
WRITING: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

REALITY
COMPETITION PROGRAM: The Amazing Race (CBS)
PROGRAM: Deadliest Catch (Discovery)
HOST: Jeff Probst, Survivor (CBS)

In terms of my predictions, I went a dismal 7 for 19. And really the less said about that bit of statistic, the better.

TCA Awards Nominations

Earlier this week, the Television Critics Association (TCA) picked their nominations singling out the best of TV during the past year. This is not to be confused by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association who came out with their nominations just a week ago. The TCA's nominees are below...

Program of the Year
Boardwalk Empire
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
Justified
Parks and Recreation

I don't watch Boardwalk Empire or Justified so who knows if they deserve to be here, but I'm definitely rooting for Parks & Rec. Now, I like Friday Night Lights, but its final season was a bit hit and miss for me. And Game of Thrones is good, but "program of the year" good? Personally I'd put The Good Wife or Fringe up instead. Speaking of the latter, Fringe was snubbed in all categories which means the TCA do not want enough TV.

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
Justified
Mad Men
The Good Wife

Still no Fringe which is just really frustrating, especially since it's not going to be nominated for an Emmy anytime soon, so throw the show a bone here! But really the shows they've picked aren't terrible at all. They did include Mad Men and The Good Wife so that's something. I'll be rooting for the latter to win.

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Community
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Raising Hope

It's a bit sad that Glee couldn't even muster a showing here, but I definitely agree that it did NOT deserve it this year, so I'm good. I don't watch Louie, but I've heard good stuff and I'd only be tempted to replace it with How I Met Your Mother, which didn't have a great season. Parks & Rec for the win!

Individual Achievement in Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Happy to see Hamm and Marguilies expectantly make it in though I feel for Elisabeth Moss or Alan Cumming in their respective shows since they totally deserve to be nominated as well. Great showing for Peter Dinklage being singled out from his huge ensemble. Again, I'm pissed off at the Fringe snubs since John Noble and Anna Torv were truly MVPs this season. I also expected Michelle Forbes from The Killing to make it. Dinklage winning would be awesome.

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Louis C.K., Louis
Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Danny Pudi, Community
Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

I pretty much agree with the picks. I'm especially tickled with Offerman and Pudi's very well-deserved nominations. You could've nominated every single person in Modern Family (and Parks & Rec), so it's sad not more were able to be recognized. A bit shocked not to see Martha Plimpton here for Raising Hope especially since her show was nominated. I also thought that Chris Colfer or Jim Parsons might make it in. My pick to win would either be Burrell or Poehler.

Outstanding New Program
Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
Terriers
The Killing
Walking Dead

All of these show aren't on broadcast TV! HOW SHOCKED AM I? Not at all really since all of the great new shows premiered on cable or premium TV this year. Such a sad state of affairs for broadcast TV. Boardwalk Empire or Game of Thrones will win. I'm not really rooting for any show here.

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise
Restrepo
60 Minutes
The Rachel Maddow Show
30 for 30

Go Rachel Maddow! Though I heard good stuff regarding Restrepo and 30 for 30.

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming
Amazing Race
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Survivor
The Voice
Top Chef: All Stars

Where's Jersey Shore?! I demand a recount. Just kidding, I've never actually seen an episode of the dreck. I only watch one show here and so I'm rooting for Amazing Race to win. Though I'm sure it's been nominated and won before. Oh well.

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
A Children’s Garden of Poetry
iCarly
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour
Sesame Street
Yo Gabba Gabba

Surprisingly, I have no comment. Except to muse how upset Dora and Spongebob are. They're both probably knocking back a few to drown out the disappointment.

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
Cineme Verite
Downton Abbey: Masterpiece
Mildred Pierce
Sherlock: Masterpiece
Too Big to Fail

I've only seen three and I'm probably slightly rooting for Sherlock over Downtown Abbey, but either one would be a worthy winner. The other film I saw was Mildred Pierce and actually I didn't finish watching it.

Career Achievement Award
Steven Bochco
Dick Ebersol
Cloris Leachman
David Letterman
William Shatner
Oprah Winfrey

Is there really a scenario in which Oprah Winfrey doesn't win this award? I mean really now.

Heritage Award
All in the Family
Freaks and Geeks
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Twin Peaks

What an interesting mixture of shows! I have no idea who would be the frontrunner in such a list, but they all damn deserve it. I'm slightly hoping for Freaks and Geeks to win for obvious reasons (aka I grew up with it), but it's probably the one that's least likely to, right?

Amazing Race 18: Unfinished Business

Subtitled "Unfinished Business," my favorite reality TV show is back and this year its cast are teams from recent seasons who, for one reason or another, just didn't quite win. It's actually a bit refreshing already knowing all of the teams making it easier for me to know who to root for or against.

The premiere was full of twists and turns from the get-go as the teams had to find something for Phil before he could give them their very first clue. The last team got an automatic U-Turn penalty, but those who got the clue first were unlucky to get the plane that got detoured due to a medical emergency. Once they all landed in their first destination (Sydney, Australia), they had to swim with sharks, solve a nautical puzzle, and ride a skiff. Seemed many people had trouble with the puzzle and most resorted to forming alliances and/or outright cheating. Unfortunately, one team was still hard at work with it while the others checked-in with Phil. Fortunately for them, the leg wasn't over as Phil sent the rest of the teams on their way.

Now my quick thoughts/impressions on the 11 teams from this season in the order of their check-in:

Gary & Mallory (Father/Daughter) - They came from the most recent season and my love for them hasn't faded. They're adorable together and with this strong first showing, they mean business.

Amanda & Kris (Engaged) - They're one of two teams that I barely have any recollections of. Pretty sure I didn't like them, but they weren't even memorably evil or anything. I'm personally hoping their U-Turn trips them up early.

Kisha & Jen (Sisters) - I think I was a bit neutral to them. I think personality-wise I liked them, but they ran such an uninspired race. Let's see if they can improve.

Zev & Justin (Best Friends) - Zev's Asperger's and their genial relationship made them fan-favorites and I'm one of them. They were eliminated their season due to a lost passport. I expect big things from this team.

Flight Time & Big Easy (Harlem Globetrotters) - Personality-wise, they are a hoot and a half and should bring lots of fun this season, but they're not one of the teams I'm rooting for (or against!).

Jaime & Cara (NFL Cheerleaders) - Didn't like them last time they raced and I liked them less now if that's even possible. Can't believe they were asked back.

Margie & Luke (Mother/Son) - I dreaded the inevitability of them being asked back, but I'm going to bear it. Just don't ask me to like it. Really just didn't like this team at all.

Ron & Christina (Father/Daughter) - Their relationship reminds me so much of my own relationship with my parents and so with that said, I wish her all the luck in the world.

Mel & Mike (Father/Son) - This team was one of my favorites, but they really didn't run an enjoyable race and their age is going to work against them.

Kent & Vyxsin (Dating Goths) - My feelings for them fluctuated wildly episode to episode, but a part of me is secretly rooting for them? To be determined.

Jet & Cord (Cowboy Brothers) - This is the team I'll be rooting for until they get eliminated which could be as early as next week if they don't get it together quickly! Love them too much.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2010 TV Shows

Couple of days ago, I talked about my favorite actors/performances. Now it's time to focus on the TV shows in 2010 that entertained me. First though quick honorable mention to Dollhouse which had its last few episodes at the beginning of the year, ending, IMO, on a high.

With that said, I present my Top 30 Shows of 2010...

30. Greek - Still fun and entertaining as ever. Totally enjoyed what the writers did to the Cappie/Casey/Evan triangle. Looking forward to its final season next year.

29. United States of Tara - Toni Collette is still superb, but most of the storylines not relating to Marshall dealing with his identity fell a bit flat to me.

28. Supernatural - Really good episodes here and there, but last season's finale was anti-climactic and the limited use of Castiel's character this season was a wasted opportunity.

27. Chuck - Show seems to be struggling with what sort of direction to go in, but for the most part, I'm still enjoying it. A little less Buy More and a bit more Ellie/Awesome in the future PLEASE.

26. The Walking Dead - Good, strong start for this new hit on AMC. Love the slow, deliberate pace they seem to be taking and I'm most definitely intrigued for what's to come.

25. True Blood - I applaud them for upping THE GAY this season as well as forcing all of their male cast to be half-naked most of the time. Plot-wise, I couldn't tell you what happened on the show though.

24. 24 - I'm being cute ranking this #24, but whatever! The show was quite consistent (minus anything to do with Freddie Prince Jr. and Katee Sackhoff). Thrillingly intense last few hours with the end making me cry. Going to miss it.

23. So You Think You Can Dance - Weird, but ultimately successful season. The All-Stars were a bit unnecessary until they weren't when all the girls got kicked off early. Plus THUMBS UP for the slew of guy-guy performances!

22. Party Down - Missed Jane Lynch, but Megan Mullally found her footing as the season progressed. Loved a few of the episodes and will miss this gang a bunch. R.I.P. show.

21. Ugly Betty - Unfortunately the show was canceled. Fortunately they had time to craft some of their strongest episodes in years letting the show end on top. Props to the accelerated, but nicely handled Justin coming out storyline.

20. V - My love for Morena Baccarin and Elizabeth Mitchell got me through some rough spots, but I really am loving the show by itself now. Lisa slowing developing human feelings, Joshua kicking ass... it all makes me happy.

19. White Collar - Matthew Bomer is ridiculously pretty. But the show works with or without the lead's unnatural beauty. Love the easy way the ensemble works with one another without making it all hokey.

18. Dexter - Not sure they could've followed up last season's amazing-ness, but they definitely tried! All of the Lumen/Jordan stuff were aces and really enjoyable. I could take or leave everything else, though Michael C. Hall delivers yet again as the title character. Now what?

17. Glee - Consistency and subtlety are not words you'll ever find someone use to describe this show. But when it hit its highs, it's one of the more amazing things on TV these days. Props to Colfer re: bullying storyline as well as the Emmy-winning Joss Whedon/NPH episode!

16. Big Bang Theory - Parsons is as wonderful as ever and the influx of female characters really upped my enjoyment of the show. Kaley Cuoco is still the glue that holds the show together IMO.

15. Parks & Recreation - Pretty much saw EVERY EPISODE of this show this past month. I really didn't know what I was missing. Hilarious characters put into hilarious situations. What else can you ask for?

14. Cougar Town - What I said for Parks & Rec, pretty much the same for this show except its ensemble is a tad more well-rounded and the show itself is a bit more cartoony, which I actually like.

13. Castle - The end of last season provided such a creative high for the show and the beginning of this season just continued that momentum with barely a clunker of an episode to speak of.

12. How I Met Your Mother - A few might say the show has seen better days, but while it's not creatively at its peak now, I've gotten to the level of comfort with these characters that I can't bear the thought of not watching them. And when the episodes are good, they are DAMN GOOD. Yay for their 100th episode milestone!

11. The Amazing Race - Another year and not one, but two wonderful seasons of this show. Both seasons saw worthy strategic winners, a fun/audience-favorite runner-up, and a viled team come in third place. Also WOO Nat/Kat for finally being the first all-female team to win the show!

And now here is my top ten list...

10. Misfits - This show, a mix between Skins and Heroes, was pretty much love-in-first-sight for me. It's not perfect and in fact is rather quite crude and irreverent, but those are parts of its charm. Those and the really talented ensemble just ground the more fantastical elements of this hidden gem. I'm so glad I checked this out.

9. Modern Family - My favorite comedy of last year continued its amazing run at consistently delivering wonderful episodes featuring its immensely talented ensemble this year. For me, there's just no weak link here even if other actors are more consistent week in, week out.

8. Sherlock - Even though it was only three episodes, those three episodes were as brilliant and epic as you can get. Written by storyteller extraordinaire, Steven Moffat, this show seamlessly adapted the character of Sherlock Holmes for our time in no small part thanks as well to the magnificent work by Benedict Cumberbatch. This is a must-watch for everyone.

7. Mad Men - A lot of things happened this season, but nothing as great as seeing Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss holding a master class in acting in almost every single episode. The show itself was reinvigorated by the big changes that happened at the end of last season, but man, who could've predicted such a strong season?

6. Being Human - I fell head over heels with this show last year and this year, in its second season, it somehow topped itself delivering darker stories and really putting the characters through an emotional and psychological wringer that was heaven to watch on screen. The finale was unforgettable as was the last shot. I'm dying to see what they do next. Though I'm a bit more wary about the planned American version.

5. The Good Wife - It already won my best ensemble award so it definitely has a strong cast. But the show succeeds, because that cast is playing such interesting and highly developed characters. Unlike most lawyer shows, this show is not just a case-of-the-week. The personal stuff gets just as much screen time and focus than the lawyering stuff, in fact probably even more so. All of that and a lead actress as engaging as Julianna Marguilies and you have a winning formula.

4. Doctor Who - When David Tennant's reign ended, I was apprehensive, but open-minded especially since new show-runner Steven Moffat is a damn genius. I shouldn't have wondered. The fifth season blew my expectations out of the water as well as new Doctor played by Matt Smith. While Smith is younger than Tennant, he sometimes comes across as older. His chemistry with new companion Karen Gillan is palpable and can I get an AMEN for finally having a regular male companion (RORY!!!). I also really loved the plot arc with the Silence, the Crack, the Pandorica, River, etc. Moffat and co. also delivered a high quality timey wimey Christmas episode. What can't they do?

3. Community - It was in the spring this past year when I realized how addicted I had become to this show. After laughing my ass off watching a new episode, I immediately wanted to see next week's episode and during the summer months, it was the one show I was aching to come back. And really, why not? The cast has incredible chemistry with one another and are up for whatever crazy thing the show asks of them. And it asks a lot since the show is never afraid to experiment and tinker weekly. One needn't look further than the most recent Christmas episode where the whole episode was done in stop-motion.

2. Fringe - Last year when I realized I loved the show when it was less about the freak-of-the-week and more about the big arc with the alternate universe, etc. So when the show became ALL ABOUT THE ARC this show suddenly was must-see-TV for me. Not only that, but it enabled most of the actors to stretch themselves playing two versions of their characters and no other actor took advantage of this than Anna Torv whose work this past year I CANNOT stop praising. With this arc coming to a close, however, I'm a bit worried where the show is going to go now, but hopefully the creative high they've experienced will continue.

1. Lost - I already consider this show my favorite of the decade, so it was a no-brainer for me to claim it the best of 2010 with its heartbreaking, wonderful, and lovely final season. Unlike a few people, I was quite satisfied with the series finale even if it under-served the island mythology. I've said from the first season, it's ALL ABOUT the characters for me and holy crap did we get that and then some this season. The flash sideways were both maddening and enjoyable nicely highlighting some of the series' best moments/relationships. I could probably say more, but just... I love it, okay? Do you need anything else?

Final Note: It's insane that there are four British shows in my top 10. I knew I was an Anglophile, but damn. My top 30 shows came from 13 different networks including PBS which aired Sherlock, but excluding Misfits which hasn't had an American premiere yet. ABC was on top with 6 shows, followed by FOX and CBS tieing with 4 shows. It's also worth noting that no new show offered by the big four networks made it into my list. That's... sad.

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Here are the rest of the shows that I watched and somewhat enjoyed, but didn't rank: Raising Hope, The Event, Hawaii Five-0, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, Skins, Weeds, Covert Affairs, Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, Brothers & Sisters

Shows I've stopped watching for one reason or another: Caprica, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Gossip Girl, Stargate: Universe, No Ordinary Family, Project Runway

Just a few dishonorable mentions: Running Wilde, Undercovers, Outsourced, My Generation, Happy Town, Big Brother, the viewers of Lone Star and The Whole Truth

TV Report: 12/6 - 12/12

Busy, busy week meant not a lot of time to talk about TV. So before a whole new week of TV begins, here's what I thought about some of last week's offerings:

How I Met Your Mother - Did not like this episode at all. Future Ted's messed up story was played out before we got the cool payoff. Ted's travails with Zoe's husband was dull. And finally the whole Robin/Marshall plotline makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER.

Castle - Nothing special about the episode unless they actually use the new pub Castle buys as a new hangout. Plus as much as I love this show/cast, the singing in the end that was supposed to be cute, felt a little forced to me.

Glee - Enjoyed it more than I thought, but maybe it's because I really needed to get into a Christmas spirit. The show itself is still severely uneven, but with Blaine/Kurt, Artie's magical legs, and Beiste being amazing, I'll keep my negatives for another post.

Modern Family - Maybe I had a bad week, because I didn't click with this episode. A few parts were funny, but it all never came together for me. Definitely a low episode for me this season.

Cougar Town - I knew they were going to do Travis/Laurie sometime this season and this episode laid the groundwork. Loved the Grayson/Ellie secret-off. Also loved more introspective character stuff for Bobby.

Big Bang Theory - The boys storyline (superhero/sidekick) was lame. Loving Amy especially in her interactions with Sheldon and Penny. Her horniness was funnier than I expected.

Community - Stop-motion animation for the win. I can write forever about how amazing I thought this episode was, but I won't. But seriously, Abed going to this winter fantasy to deal with his mom was just the sort of emotional center this episode needed and the whole cast did superb in this new medium. More!

30 Rock - Is it bad that the ONLY thing I remember about this episode was the hilarious couples costume worn by Paul and Jenna aka the Black Swan(n)s? I seriously LOL'd like I haven't in forever for this show.

The Office - Don't watch this show regularly, but I try to catch their holiday episodes and this one was very good. Holly is back, but I love that her reunion with Michael was the opposite of smooth. The Jim/Dwight stuff was pretty epic. And it was just a good, melancholy, breezy episode.

Fringe - The performances from Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson (but mostly Torv) broke my heart. This show... I can't even say how good it has gotten. And now we have a few weeks before it returns on a new night. Sigh, at least the Observer is back! Woo!

Supernatural - Glad to have Death back, but I'm admittedly tired of this whole storyline already. Guess I SHOULD be happy that for now Sam's soul is back, but they need to get me more interested in the plot.

Amazing Race - Finally an all-female team wins! And I'm so happy it's Nat/Kat who I championed from the very beginning. Also happy that Brooke/Claire came in second. Probably my second favorite team, so a fitting end. Finally, it was hilarious how screwed up Jill/Thomas got. All they needed was the internet! Still unsuspenseful finale, but OH SO VERY satisfying.

TV Report: Quick Catch-Up

Haven't talked about TV for a few days which puts me severely behind. So just a few very quick thoughts.

Community - Loved this episode. Wished it lasted an hour. Couldn't even tell you my favorite part, but kudos to Alison Brie and Don Glover especially. Oh and Abed ignoring the gay flirtation to talk about a sci-fi show is basically MY LIFE.

30 Rock - I shouldn't have liked the episode, but for some reason I did. Usually hate Kenneth, but his pig-daddy story was oddly hilarious, and Alec Baldwin saved the mess that could've been Tracy's storyline.

Grey's Anatomy - Kind of wish Christina would just get over it already. But she cried so that's a step! No comment on Lexie/Mark, but Arizona is back! Yay! Callie why did you close the door on her? ARGH! You are usually amazing, but not at that moment!

Fringe - Great episode! The Olivia's are back to the universes they belong in. The only thing it cost was Alt-Broyles' life (RIP) and a lot of angst from the Bishop men. Walter gets kudos for coining the term VAGENDA and Peter... oh Peter, next week is going to be brutal for him.

Supernatural - Castiel was on-form and awesome. Let me list the ways: bones on fire, pizza guy, angel boner, and demon make-out session. Perfect. RIP to Crowley, but glad they're moving the plot forward. But what to make of Sam's soul being Lucifer's chew toy? Intriguing!

Brothers & Sisters - Appreciate the appearance of Ryan Devlin. He's everywhere on ABC! Kevin on drugs was a bit slapstick-y and the whole episode itself wasn't that great to begin with. Oh well.

Amazing Race - Final three was decided last week with Nick/Vicki majorly screwed up. If they caught the same flight out, MAYBE they could've caught up, but doubtful. Two of the three final teams are all-female teams. I will be rooting for one of them to win!

TV Report Catching Up

Just a couple of quick thoughts on a bunch of shows. And I swear I'll start posting stuff other than my "quick thoughts on TV" in the next few days.

Thursday, 11/11

Community - If I said it was perfect, you probably would think I was overselling it, but whatever, I thought it was brilliant. Started worrying about the show the past few weeks (not including the great zombie episode), but this was like back to S1 brilliance. This show is so very good when the talented ensemble bounce lines from each other and reflect on their messed-up relationship/connections and this "bottle episode" was all of that. I've seen it THREE times already. Definitely my favorite episode of the season so far.

Fringe - The fact that no one is watching this show pains me, but only because they are just missing out on a really damn good sci-fi storyline. Can't say enough how much I'm loving this season and its back-and-forth on the two universes and the wonder that is Anna Torv. Also props to the costume/makeup department as well for making the two characters different enough that we, the audience, can see the differences while at the same the other characters don't.

Grey's Anatomy - Kind of glad Calllie's mourning period seemd to have lasted a day. I don't think I can handle Callie being all downtrodden AGAIN because of a relationship (George, Hahn, now Arizona). Plus she totally got a bitchin' haircut. Still not sure what they're doing with Cristina, but interesting that she's dealing with it with Derek and not with Meredith or her husband. I hope they don't follow the same storyline with Alex/new peds attending as they did with Cristina/Hahn. Though I'm totally looking fwd to seeing the awkwardness that will be Alex/April/Avery (wow that's a lot of A-names) after the events of this week's episode.

30 Rock - Nearly forgot what the episode was about, but then John Slattery popped into my head and it all came flooding back. Not sure how I felt about it. The pants/politics storyline was a little heavy handed and not particularly hilarious. And in a bit of switcheroo, I actually found the Tracy/Jenna antics much funnier this week. Not sure if that's good or bad, but let's just put that in the plus column and call it a day.

Big Bang Theory - It was the return of Evil Will Wheaton, but to be honest I could've done without the guy portion of the episode and would've probably just preferred a full episode on just those three girls in their slumber party. They were hilarious and it's so nice the show has some fresh blood now and a nice bit of estrogen to boot!

Friday, 11/12

Supernatural - Castiel-less episode and y'all know how I feel about that. But if I thought last week was anti-climactic, well then this episode wouldn't have fared better. It was pretty much a freak-of-the-week episode except this time Crowley is directly telling them to go after it. The story itself was nothing to write home about and the only "redeeming" quality about the episode was the scene at the very end when Sam basically tells Dean he didn't care about him. Ouch. Also, WHERE ARE THEY GOING WITH THIS?

Sunday, 11/14

The Amazing Race - Ugh. In terms of location, challenges, and all of that the show is still aces, but WORST EPISODE EVER since all of the teams I love ended up in the back while teams I hate/don't care about made it to the top three. What's worst is that my most hated team Chad/Stephanie pretty much OWNED the episode. First they showed up TWO HOURS late to the pit star, which I've never EVER seen before, and when you thought this would mean the end of this obnoxious team they quickly recover and pretty much lead the entire episode. But oh wait, what's this? Chad is proposing to her? GAG GAG KILL ME. They get first place and it's all honeymoon and lollipops. UGH. The race for elimination was brutal since it was between two teams I love. Nat/Kat overtook Dan/Mallory and thus the cute father/daughter team is no more. Damn.

Brothers & Sisters - Pretty much a Luc episode with his mom issues so it was a snoozer. Kevin & Scotty seemed to be working through their issues, but other than that nothing much to report there. Norah is getting jiggy with it with Karl aka Jack's dead dad from Lost while Justin is getting jiggy with it with every other woman including Luc's mom (AWKWARD!). Overall, meh. WHY IS LUC A CHARACTER? WASTE OF SPACE!

Friday/Sunday TV Report

A few thoughts on Supernatural, The Amazing Race, and Brothers & Sisters...

So last week's Supernatural episode really did a lot in moving the story. We got a ton of answers about a lot of people's motivations and there were a couple of big reveals. So why did it all feel just a little bit anticlimactic? First we get to the answer of "what's wrong with Sam?" out of the way by Castiel confirming that Sam has no soul. As the audience, we start putting together the previous suspicious behaviors from Sam and it all fits. Next, we get Dean finding out about Samuel's mission to collect Alphas and the ensuing confrontation. We find out one of their cousins is actually a demon and oh yeah Crowley has been orchestrating this whole thing including making Samuel his bitch and getting Sam out of the cage sans his soul. His goal? To find purgatory. The why? Well, we don't know yet. So, all of that and while acted well, it just felt like one info-dump and thus lacked emotional resonant. Plus I'm kind of over the whole "Sam's a freak" storyline. Been there, done that.

Nick and Vicki were somehow saved from elimination last week on The Amazing Race, but they made up good time following third this week behind my two favorite teams. Both of them happen to be the two all-female teams and if both of them aren't in the final three, I will be sorely disappointed. A team I cheered on since the beginning were Michael/Kevin, but a couple of broken rules (read your clues!) cost them the game and sayonara. The rest of the teams, save for the adorable father-daughter team of Gary/Mallory, are kind of annoying and I'm hoping for their ousters in the weeks to come.

Finally, Brothers & Sisters was all right. As I said last week, I pretty much watch now out of habit and even then it's mostly to see what's going on with Kevin/Scotty. Thankfully they resolved their fight from last week by the end of the episode, but not before we get some top-notch acting from both Luke McFarlane and Matthew Rhys. Justin's story line with Holly/David and the new girl (name escapes me, but she's his real life wife) was actually interesting to me, but maybe that was only because I was so happy not to have a Luc storyline this week. Oh and how could I forget Sally Field flirting with Jack's dead dad from Lost? CREEPY! Also, kind of cute, if you're into old people flirting.

TV Report Catching Up

Because Halloween kind of delayed this a bit, here are my recent TV thoughts:

Thursday, 10/28

Community - I would just like to thank the cast and crew for forever fusing the music of ABBA and the zombie apocalypse together in my mind. Hilarious episode from beginning to end, from Dean Pelton eeriely appropriate Gaga get-up to Troy's sexy Dracula costume to the randomly flying cat to the George Takei's framing narration. Well done!

Big Bang Theory - It's clear, from Kaley Cuoco's absence, that this show needs her back. Sheldon is great, but it's really just not the same without him playing off of Penny. As funny as Sheldon's ordeal with avoiding meeting Amy's parents, him not going to Penny for advice was too big of an inconsistency to get over. Too bad. Though the end tag with Sheldon and Amy lying to her mom about their sex lives was a beautiful thing.

Grey's Anatomy - I loved this episode. There, I said it. The annoying parts of the characters were kept to a minimum because the documentary structure just couldn't entertain them. Plus it's such a good follow-up to last season's finale especially seeing Ryan Devlin and Mandy Moore as a young couple who very much went through the same ordeal these doctors did. The last 10 minutes were heartbreaking though. Damn you show!

Fringe was still way-laid by baseball (boo! hiss!) while 30 Rock took a breather for a Shrek-tastic Halloween special.

Friday, 10/29

Supernatural - Probably weird to complain about this aspect of the show since I know A LOT of people watch the show because of it, but DAMN I'm SOOOO tired of the drama between these two brothers. I cheered Lisa on when she finally told Dean what I was thinking i.e. his relationship with his brother ain't fucking healthy. Oh I get there's a bond and a history and yadda yadda but COME ON. Plus this whole "no soul" thing isn't exactly A-grade original in sci-fi/fantasy films so I'll reserve my thoughts on that "mind-blowing" plotline until next week. At least Castiel was back, if only for a few minutes.

Sunday, 10/31

The Amazing Race - What is it going to take to get rid of Nick/Vicki? When I heard the challenges for the Detour, I was ready to pack their bags for them. Unfortunately it was a non-elimination leg and they survive another day. At least this meant all my favorites are also still in the race. I especially appreciated how challenged they all were of the tasks they had to do in this leg. Frustrations breed entertainment!

Brothers & Sisters - It was just a bit painful to watch the drama unfold between Kevin & Scotty. I still don't really buy Scotty actually cheating on Kevin, but other than that contrived plot point, the two actors did a phoenomenal job. Oh other things happened to other characters, but as per usual it's so difficult to care.

TV Report Catching Up

Birthday festivities got in the way on my regular TV postings (and frankly) watching. Still catching up so here's a few quick thoughts on TV shows from 10/21 - 10/25

Thursday, 10/21

Community - So yet another comedy series does a religion episode. I rolled my eyes, but with this cast, they made it work. The non-religious end tag was frickin' hilarious.

30 Rock - Didn't think much about this episode. In fact I can barely remember what happened. Something about Liz being a prude and Jack on a hot streak. Suffice it to say, I just thought it was... whatever.

Big Bang Theory - It's sad knowing that Penny will be MIA for a few episode due to injury, but the cast (aka Sheldon) seem to be doing just fine picking up the slack. His relationship with Amy is still comedy gold.

Grey's Anatomy - I liked it. I find myself saying that more and more often about this show. That's good. I thought the Chief picked the right guy to "win" the $1 million (aka Owen) but Derek's plea re: Meredith's possible Alzheimer's future is intriguing. Wonder if the show has the balls to go there. Also Owen making Christina smile finally is one of the best moments of the season.

Fringe was not shown because of baseball. Damn you baseball.

Friday, 10/22

Supernatural - Even though Castiel was nowhere to be found, I actually enjoyed the episode. We don't get much in terms of new answers, but seeing Sam slyly smike as he looks on at his brother getting turned into a vampire was chilling. Also anything to mock Twilight is A-OK by me.

Saturday, 10/23

Saturday Night Live - Was hoping to get tickets for this on my birthday because I LOVE Emma Stone. I thought she did a great job for what she was asked to do... which unfortunately wasn't a lot. What is UP with SNL squandering perfectly great hosts with craptastic material this season?

Sunday, 10/24

Sherlock - This modern re-telling of Sherlock Holmes is just as brilliant as its title character. A few sentences can't possibly do this show justice, but I love the chemistry between Sherlock and Watson and adapting this old school tale to the modern world has never looked better.

The Amazing Race - Volleyball teammates Katie/Rachel just couldn't catch up from the previous leg while Nat/Kat took the fast forward and increased their lead. All my favorites are still around and the locations/challenges have been top-notch as per usual. LOVE this show.

Brothers & Sisters - I've decided I only really care about what's happening with Kevin/Scotty and so OF COURSE they begin the episode with Kevin neglecting Scotty only to end the episode with Scotty confessing about having an affair recently. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, 10/25

The Event - Finally some backstory for hottie Simon who is one of the more intriguing characters in this show for me. His scene with his long lost loved was heartbreaking. Looking forward to seeing the kind of division these aliens have within their ranks and WHY ARE THEY HERE?

How I Met Your Mother - Really enjoyed last night's episode with Marshall and Lily trying to deal with names and gender of their babies while we get a touch of Barney/Robin which is always ALWAYS welcome.

Chuck - Don't get me wrong, loved that we (and the characters) finally get to meet Chuck's mom, but it all felt inorganic to me. The Halloween bent was nice though especially with Freddy Krueger on their midst. Poor, poor Ellie.

Castle - Not Halloween-centric, but it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat and creeped me out sufficiently. The last ten minutes were harrowing as I actually thought they were going to kill Ryan. The whole case kept me guessing until the end as well. This show is just on fire.

Still have not caught up with last week's Hawaii Five-0 so had to skip last night's episode because I'm OCD like that.

Sunday TV Report

There are only two shows I watch on Sundays, not including those on cable which I usually try to catch during the following week. First up is The Amazing Race, which always gets delayed this time of year because of football. I've gotten so used to it, it doesn't even faze me anymore. Just know I have to keep an eye out.

Anyways, after four legs, the races have already traveled to England, Ghana, and, in last night's episode, Sweden! My thoughts on each team in the order they came in:

1. Nat & Kat - After two disappointing finishes, they finally get back on top this week. I already declared them my favorite team and I hope they keep this up since I really do want to see the first all-female team to win.

2. Gary & Mallory - They BARELY escaped elimination in the second episode, but I'm glad they did, because this father/daughter duo is such a delight. Their fun spirit is infectious.

3. Brook & Claire - This team is also a very gleeful team. Totally supportive of one another and other than their penchant to get a kiss in every leg, they're great. They certainly recovered from the freak watermelon incident.

4. Michael & Kevin - They came in last place last week, but it was luckily a non-elimination. Using some quick thinking, they were able to jump ahead this leg of the race and keep their hopes alive. Love this father/son team also, but they won't win due to Michael's health problems.

These first four teams were smart enough to get an earlier flight this episode and I'm very happy since these are coincidentally my four favorite teams. It's also cool that they seem to have developed alliances with one another (Nat/Kat & Brook Claire for the all-girl alliance with Gary/Mallory & Michael/Kevin for the father/child alliance).

5. Jill & Thomas - They get lost. A lot. Like a lot. They are very lucky they got the Express Pass from the first episode which enabled them to bypass the Detour. Now that that's gone, they both really need to step up their games.

6. Nick & Vicki - They snipe at one another, but usually because collectively, they are dumb as rocks. Again, they're likable enough so I don't root against them, but how they are still here surprise me. Though both ROCKED at the sledding part.

7. Chad & Stephanie - While both are better managing the race, I still don't really like this team. For a second there, I thought they'd be eliminated but alas no.

8. Katie & Rachel - It's kind of hilarious how little this team registers with me. I know who they are, but I just don't pay attention to them.

9. Connor & Jonathan - Team Glee is no more. Didn't find them annoying per se, but still a bit relieved their gone and the Race is again song-free.

Then we have Brothers & Sisters. Even though I knew about it a couple weeks back, I still wanted to see how exactly they were going to write off Rebecca's character from the show. Holly's failing mental health afforded an appropriate way for Rebecca to go to New York and start a new life there as well as reconnecting with Justin and both realizing that while both still loved each other, it just isn't the same anymore. This latter part, I only half-buy since I still would've liked to have seen Justin fight a bit harder. Why couldn't he have gone to New York with her? As for the rest of the episode, it was fine. Best part was probably Saul's apprehension in telling his "friend" Charlie his HIV status and Ron Rifkin's masterful acting in the scene where Charlie pretty much rejects him. Beautiful and heartbreaking. In other "who cares" tidbit, Kitty stroked some wood while Sarah kissed then kicked ass on a bunch of Mean Mommies.

Weekend TV

I saw the premiere of Supernatural on Friday with some hesitation since I'm definitely on the camp that think the show should've ended last year, when its original creators had wanted it to end. Instead they brought it back and sad to say it feels like a retread of previous plots. One of the brothers died, but has been resurrected? You don't say! There are bigger and mysterious forces at work? Wow, that is SO REFRESHING AND NEW. There's family tension? How groundbreaking! I jest, because I care. It also didn't help matters that my favorite character, Castiel, was nowhere to be found, which is just lame. A friend of mine says that the best way to go into this season is to have ZERO expectations. I think I'll do the same. Supernatural - B

After a long day outside, I managed to catch the premiere of Saturday Night Live with guest host Amy Poehler and company. I say "and company" because familiar faces like Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Dratch, and Maya Rudolph made skit appearances as well as Justin Timberlake and musical guest Katy Perry. Overall, it was just OKAY. Nothing to really write home about. The first show back after summer hiatus is always tough since they try their best to get in all of the newsworthy stuff from the past 3 months. Kudos on the Gay Marriage at the Ground Zero Mosque sketch as well as Weekend Update's rant on DADT. Saturday Night Live - B


Sunday night for me was the premiere of The Amazing Race (its 17th season! wow!). I more or less posted my thoughts on the first episode in a previous entry, but I just want to say again how delightful this show is with its almost always interesting cast and gorgeous locales. Then there's the super awkward, over-dramatic episode of Brothers & Sisters and I actually see those qualities as a good thing. They obviously needed to deal with the fallout from the big accident from last season finale which they did with the special help of a convenient one year jump. Though was it just me or did they totally ripped its viewers off by not showing us the obviously awesome funeral of Robert? Just think about the possible guest list: crazy Holly, Robert's reverend brother/Kevin's ex, angry Rebecca, cast away Tommy, Robert's ex-wife, etc. I want to see THAT episode, please. Amazing Race - A; Brothers & Sisters - B