February, 2009
February 1st, 2009, 3:48 p.m. - Sakey reads Chekhov
4. Good People (Marcus Sakey)
Up next: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (Tiffany Baker)
February 3rd, 2009, 9:56 p.m. - Bring me the head of Bikini Girl
February 5th, 2009, 11:17 p.m. - Too soon for a Hurricane Katrina joke?
The Office - "Stress Relief": Probably the best episode of the season. Loved it. Except for the Jack Black/Cloris Leachman stuff. That was creepy. Rating: 5 canes
House - "The Greater Good": Thirteen is an idiot. Why is she protecting the guy who MADE HER GO BLIND? Can we institute an equal-time policy, so that for every minute Thirteen is on screen, the other characters have to have the same amount of time? I miss Taub. Rating: 3 coffee mugs
How I Met Your Mother - "The Possimpible": Thank God they didn't go down the route of having Robin marry someone to stay in the States. A lesser comedy would have done that, but this one has too much class. They accomplished the same end (keeping Robin in the country) in a much more creative and entertaining way. Also, how cute is pregnant Alyson Hannigan? Rating: 4 hot dogs
American Idol - Hollywood week: I understand and appreciate the need for drama, but can we institute an equal-time policy here, too, where for every minute of drama, we see just as many minutes of talent? I can't remember half of the singers' names. I'm supposed to be voting for these people in two weeks, right? How am I supposed to do that when the only people I remember are freaking Tatiana and Bikini Girl? Rating: 3 high heels that gave me back pain because I have scoliosis
Lost - "The Little Prince": Jin's alive! Yay! Though I hope he's able to avoid the killing rampage Rousseau's going to go on when the people she's with get sick. One of the many things I love about this show is the way that you can never guess where it's going to go. There are so many possible paths it can take, and any one of them would bring compelling stories. It's not like one of those shows where a bunch of crazy stuff happens, but at the end of the hour or half hour, things are still fundamentally the same because you can't mess with the basic nature of the series. They could kill off half the cast and the show would still be great. Not that I want them to kill off half the cast, of course. Actually, at this point, there isn't one person I actually want to see killed. That may be a first. Rating: 5 boxes of chocolate with guns hidden in them
Top Chef - "Le Bernardin": I liked Leah at the beginning of the season, but now she's really annoying. I can't believe she's still in over Jamie. If the final four isn't Carla, Hosea, Stefan, and Fabio, I'm going to be ticked. Leah practically screams "not putting forth full effort," and Jamie's the one who gets the shaft. How dumb. Rating: 3 eels
The Office - "Lecture Circuit": Coming just after the excellent Stress Relief, this was kind of dull, but not too bad. I did like Pam and Karen's interaction, as I always like it when TV characters with reasons to hate each other don't actually hate each other - it's a nice unexpected development. And I liked Pam encouraging Michael to go to Nashua and get closure with Holly. Especially since it means MORE HOLLY! Rating: 4 $3 bills
Grey's Anatomy - "Beat Your Heart Out": Awww, how adorable are Cristina and Hunt? She was never that happy with Burke. You guys, I want good things to happen to fictional people! What's wrong with me? Oh, and I love how they called this a crossover event when we didn't see anyone from Private Practice. Nice try, ABC promo department. I will never believe anything you say ever again. Rating: 4 Beadazzlers
February 10th, 2009, 11:20 p.m. - Watch Jerry go out first
Survivor: Tocantins roundtable
February 11th, 2009, 11:28 p.m. - Not too many surprises here
"The Chair of Doooooom 2 - The Doomening"
February 12th, 2009, 11:16 p.m. - "I have a chainsaw!"
American Idol - Hollywood week, part 2: I'm so annoyed with Tatiana's insanity, Joanna's disqualification, and the fact that I had to recap that ridiculously overlong Wednesday episode that I can't even think about anything else. Rating: 3 rings from Paula's jewelry line (seriously, who knew she had a jewelry line?)
Lost - "This Place is Death": I love this show. What more can I say? Some of those scenes were downright creepy; the smoke monster grabbing that annoying French guy reminded me of The Ruins, which is hands-down the scariest book I've ever read. I find it really interesting that in terms of relationships, we've moved from the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle to Desmond and Penny to Jin and Sun. It makes me think that at least a few characters are going to have happy endings. Rating: 5 music boxes
Top Chef - "The Last Supper": It's official: I love Carla. I tried to fight it, but I can't anymore. Also, Fabio is awesome. He might actually be able to topple the mighty Stefan. This was a great challenge, and I'm impressed that the people planning the challenges are still able to come up with creative ones that don't seem ridiculous. I also really like this final four. I don't think Carla can win, but we've had wildcards in the finals before who wound up doing better than expected. These four are very enjoyable (yes, even Stefan, to a certain extent) and I think they've all earned their spots. That's a satisfying feeling after investing in the season. Rating: 5 scrumptious peas
Survivor - "Let's Get Rid of the Weak Players Before We Even Start": Ha, almost everyone who participated in the RNO roundtable predicted that Carolina would be one of the first people out. Awesome. I'm still at the stage where I can barely remember anyone else's name, so there's not much more to say. Oh, except shut up, Probst. Rating: 4 steps
The Office - "Lecture Circuit, Part 2": Awwww. I mean, awwwww. I've never felt so bad for Michael. And then Pam, of course. Some of those scenes were downright uncomfortable, possibly the most uncomfortable out of any episode. Once again, I loved the B plot more than the A plot. I love it when Jim and Dwight are forced to work together. And Kelly cracks me up every time. "I'm too excited to sleep!" Rating: 4 sweater sleeves
Grey's Anatomy - "Before and After": Finally, an episode where Izzie didn't bug me! I found her really enjoyable this week. Also enjoyable? TAYE DIGGS. Can he stay? Forever? Please? I mean, we just got rid of Sadie (worst write-out ever, by the way), so there's room. I would address the grossness of the worms in what's-his-face's brain (like I'm going to bother learning his name - I couldn't care less about Private Practice), but I read Katrina Firlik's Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, and she describes a patient with a condition that's much worse. Much, much worse. So worms aren't actually the worst thing I can imagine being in someone's brain. Rating: 4 doomsday suckers
February 15th, 2009, 1:34 p.m. - Nice try, though
5. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County (Tiffany Baker)
Up next: Little Bee (Chris Cleave)
9:38 p.m. - Man, there were a lot of "cheese" references to choose from
February 18th, 2009, 5:39 p.m. - Alexis Grace FTW!
February 19th, 2009, 10:06 p.m. - He doesn't look a thing like Jesus...oh, wait, actually, he looks exactly like Jesus
The Amazing Race - "Don't Let a Cheese Hit Me": The annoying couple is out first! What more do we need? This season is looking up after only one episode. Now let's get rid of the slow people. Rating: 4 wheels of cheese
House - "Unfaithful": Wow, what a surprise - a priest who's lost his faith! Because this show has never dealt with irony before! This season has been really underwhelming. Wake me when they get rid of 13. Rating: 3 hours of Hugh Laurie playing piano
American Idol - Semifinal performances and results, part 1: There was a surprising lack of crazy this week. I think Tatiana stumbled on the Xanax I threatened to force-feed her. I have no idea how Michael made the top 12 over her - do that many people really like subpar country singing? I guess so. I'm thrilled that Alexis made it through. She really earned that spot. 21 and rocking Aretha? Heck, yeah! Rating: 4 awkward moments Anne Marie created
Lost - "316": I've decided to stop overthinking the show and embrace the uncertainty. It makes watching that much more interesting. I would like to know where Aaron is, but I'm afraid Kate will cut me if I ask. And how did Hurley get out of jail so quickly? Wait, wait, I told myself I wasn't going to ask questions anymore. I have to just go with it. Rating: 5 Dharma buses
Top Chef - "Finale, Part 1": I'm sad to see Fabio fall just short of the finale, but I'm so happy Carla's still around. I really don't think she's going to win, though we've seen the dark horse pull ahead before. This is Stefan's competition to lose, of course. Still, I think Hosea has a chance. This is a good, strong top three with a lot of room for originality and surprises. I would be okay with any one of the three winning, which I don't think I've said in two seasons. Rating: 4 strings of beads
Survivor - "The Poison Apple Needs to Go": I still can't remember anyone's name. I know I like Jerry and Taj (which is good, since they were two of my picks for the finals), but that's about it. I'll have more of an opinion on the season once I start to put more names to faces. Like, did you know there's a Debbie on this show? I didn't. Rating: 3 urns
Grey's Anatomy - "An Honest Mistake": Forget what I said about Bailey leaving the hospital at the end of the season - I'm starting to think Derek will instead. Which might be nice, since he's been pretty annoying all season. Isn't Meredith the one who should be worried about her sister sleeping with a man whore? Shut up, Derek. I also kind of want to tell the chief to shut up. Did he seriously tell Cristina to stop bugging him about a doctor who caused a serious complication when she performed surgery? Has he learned nothing? He should be thankful Cristina's telling him anything, after the secrets she's kept from him in the past. If only Izzie would talk like Cristina instead of keeping quiet. I can't believe I want Izzie to talk more. Something's wrong with me. Rating: 3 letters of recommendation
February 22nd, 2009, 10:15 p.m. - This means Jodi and Christie have to be out next time, right?
February 24th, 2009, 10:31 p.m. - I want my own Batman!
6. Little Bee (Chris Cleave)
Up next: Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese)
February 25th, 2009, 5:52 p.m. - Apparently someone at the Post reads my website
Washington Post review of Little Bee
11:51 p.m. - And that's how you make an impression. Signed, Allison Iraheta
"Nick and Normund's Infinite Playlist"
February 26th, 2009, 9:34 p.m. - Locke learns once again, it's hard out here for a gimp
The Amazing Race - "Your Target is Your Partner's Face": I'm really liking this season already. Almost everyone is likable and seems to actually be able to do the tasks, like maybe they've seen the show before and know what to expect. As long as we keep losing the weaker racers early on, we could be left with one of the strongest group of competitors ever. Rating: 5 pies
House - "The Softer Side": Boooooring. Though I can't argue with Thirteen repeatedly being wrong. Rating: 3 energy drinks
American Idol - Semifinal performances and results, part 2: How happy am I that Nick is gone? So happy! I'm very pleased with all three of the top singers this week, especially Allison, who was a terrific surprise. I'm concerned with the level of talent of the others who have made the top 36, though. I feel like a lot of people were cut who deserve to be there. I hope everyone who makes the top 12 gives consistently good performances. Rating: 4 horrible song choices
Lost - "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham": Have I mentioned recently how much I love this show? I could sit and watch Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson interact all day. Throw Lance Reddick in there, too. It's the mark of a great episode when you know what happens and you're still captivated by all of the events leading up to it. Whatever the writers have done the past two seasons to rejuvenate the show, they'd better keep doing it. Rating: 5 extension cords
Top Chef - "Finale, Part 2": A lot of people are really ticked that Hosea won. I just can't muster up that much energy to care about it. I mean, at least it wasn't Ilan again. Carla choked, but she'll be okay. And who cares about Stefan? Rating: 3 alligator tails
Survivor - "Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This": How anticlimactic. And how disappointing! I picked Jerry to win! I think I'm, like, 1 for 6 or something in picking winners. I can't believe these people would keep Coach around over Jerry. They deserve whatever they get. Rating: 3 crates
February 27th, 2009, 8:53 a.m. - I subbed for Survivor and all I got was this lousy episode
From the reviews I've read, critics seem to think Sakey is the second coming. Not exactly. There's some good stuff here, but not much that separates it from other thrillers. Also, the gun introduced in the first act literally goes off in the third. And I knew it was going to. Nice try, Sakey.
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I just got so tired of Baker's overwrought metaphors. As it went on, I got more and more frustrated with the characters. I think Baker is a good writer, she just needs more practice. This was ambitious for a first novel, and I admire its good parts, but overall, it just wasn't great.
Every so often I come across a book that I've heard nothing about and decide to try it just on a whim, hoping it'll be good. Little Bee was one of those books, and the gamble paid off. The whole thing was terrific. The characters are written beautifully, with distinct voices and realistic actions. Charlie is probably the most realistic child character I've ever read. I hope this book gets more exposure because I think it could be really popular, especially with book groups.