January, 2010
January 1st, 2010, 10:31 p.m. - Now I want to read that new book about Sesame Street
1. The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)
Up next: Stitches (David Small)
January 3rd, 2010, 3:43 p.m. - Don't hurt me, but...
2. Stitches (David Small)
Up next: Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
January 7th, 2010, 8:19 p.m. - I'm such a slacker
The combination of no TV and no recaps has resulted in few posts lately, but that will change next week when a bunch of shows have new episodes and Idol comes back. Until then, read my other blog.
January 9th, 2010, 7:44 p.m. - Two down, two to go
3. Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
Up next: Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
January 12th, 2010, 10:33 p.m. - 'Bye, sanity! See you in May!
January 16th, 2010, 2:49 p.m. - Pants on the ground on Idol, pants on the models on Project Runway
Desperate Housewives - "You Gotta Get a Gimmick": As I told a friend right after this episode aired, I would totally watch The Carlos/Juanita/Tom/Lee/Ms. McCluskey Show. Gaby can drop by every once in a while, if she wants. In the cases of Juanita, Lee, and Ms. McCluskey, they may not get much screen time, but they fill every minute they get with interesting, entertaining moments. That's the mark of a good TV character. And it's the mark of a good (or at least enjoyable) TV show if there are multiple good TV characters. I especially appreciate that there are multiple plots, so if I find one boring (hello, Bree and Orson!), I just have to wait a few minutes for an interesting one to come along. Rating: 3 bills for Susan's g-string
House - "The Down Low": This felt like the most authentic House episode so far this season. There was a medical mystery with a twist, House/Wilson wackiness, and a minor B plot involving the other characters. I've missed this structure to the show. Rating: 5 A Chorus Line posters
How I Met Your Mother - "Girls vs. Suits": I have to say that I enjoyed how House ended with Wilson singing "One," a song traditionally performed with a kick line, and How I Met Your Mother then featured that kick line. Loved the Barney stuff, tolerated the Ted/Cindy stuff (wow, she was annoying), and thought the Lily/Marshall stuff fell flat, which is disappointing, because they're usually the most consistently entertaining to me. But hearing Neil Patrick Harris sing made up for a lot of this episode's flaws. Rating: 4 suits
American Idol - Boston and Atlanta auditions: Talk about not fixing what's not broken. Every single season, we get the same things in the opening episodes: some good auditions, a lot of bad ones, and more names than we can ever hope to remember. The singers I'll be rooting for are Bryan (the cop), Katie (teen with the Portuguese grandma with Alzheimer's), Mike (works on Codzilla), and Keia (Miss Congeniality). Three out of the four of them will probably not make the top 12. Rating: 3 guitar costumes
Grey's Anatomy - "Blink": That final scene between Cristina and Teddy was like watching a car skid on a patch of ice and careen toward another car. You see it coming, and there's plenty of time to shout out a warning, but you can't stop it. I also predicted Alex and Lexie winding up in bed together - when she broke up with Mark, I thought, "I bet she'll wind up sleeping with Alex." I'm really interested to see where those two plots go. Rating: 5 copies of Atlantic Monthly
Project Runway - "Back to New York": This may be the first season where I liked all of the portfolios the designers showed when they were introducing themselves. That's a great group of talent there. And it showed when the judges only really disliked Christiane's design on the runway - Jesus was in the bottom two, but they still appreciated what he did. And I think this is also the first season where the designer of my favorite dress of the first challenge won said challenge. Maybe this season will make us forget all about last season's disasters. Rating: 4 red zippers
January 17th, 2010, 7:23 p.m. - If you're afraid of flying, read this book
4. Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
Up next: The 13th Hour (Richard Doetsch)
January 19th, 2010, 10:23 p.m. - The return of my favorite Idol hopeful who shares a name with a character on The Office
January 22nd, 2010, 6:22 p.m. - Jet and Cord will now be known as Jetcord (because you know I'll never be able to tell them apart
January 23rd, 2010, 3:07 p.m. - Way to be lazy, The Office
Desperate Housewives - "How About a Friendly Shrink?": A lot more good in this episode than bad. Kyle McLachlan got to do some acting again, other than just being a pawn in other people's storylines; Tom and Lynette continue to be one of the better couples on the show; Gaby and Susan's plot was like a fun exaggeration of something realistic; and Lee continues to be one of my favorite characters. I also like that we're now going to see the aftermath of Katherine's situation not as the fallout of her actions so much as the fallout of her ruined relationships. Because ultimately, the show is about the housewives' friendships with each other. Rating: 4 feelings journals
How I Met Your Mother - "Jenkins": I'm not a huge Amanda Peet fan - I find her pretty generic and not much of a stand-out in Hollywood - but it was nice to see a guest star on a popular show who wasn't overhyped, playing a character who wasn't shoehorned in to spotlight the actress. I also liked all three plots this week. Not a classic episode, necessarily, but still really enjoyable. Rating: 5 shots
American Idol - Chicago and Orlando auditions: Memorable: Angela (of the multiple tragedies), John (studying music against his parents' wishes), Seth (of the autistic son), Jermaine (who must have been cut last season on a day when the judges were in a bad mood, because he was awesome), and Matt (the bank robber). Unmemorable: Pretty much everyone else. Rating: 3 pants-ripping splits
Grey's Anatomy - "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked": Bleh. Boring. Everyone was kind of annoying. I don't care if Izzie stays or goes. Honestly, I'd rather see Alex and Lexie try to make a go of it. At least they bring something new. Rating: 2 invocations of the Post-It
The Office - "The Banker": That was not an episode. That was a clip show. I don't care how funny some of the clips were, it was still a clip show. Unacceptable. Rating: 2 Segways
Project Runway - "The Fashion Farm": I'm with Heidi - this was a brilliant challenge. And other than Ping and Amy (the former because I don't think she understood the challenge, the latter because she meant to), everyone made the potato sacks look like fabric, which was amazing. I don't get how Pamela was deemed the worst, though. The judges said that her dress was well-made and they appreciated how she made her sacks look like denim. So how was she out over Jesus? Also, why is it okay for Jay's dress to expose his model's nipple (she had to be pixelated!) but not okay for Ping's model's butt to show? Whatever. Rating: 4 potatoes
January 24th, 2010, 7:12 p.m. - If you're afraid of flying, DON'T read this book
5. The 13th Hour (Richard Doetsch)
Up next: What the Dog Saw (Malcolm Gladwell)
January 26th, 2010, 11:14 p.m. - I love my title a little too much
"You Can't Spell 'Irrelevance' Without 'Avril'"
January 30th, 2010, 2:07 p.m. - Apparently you can cure psychopathy. Who knew?
House - "Remorse": Best patient ever. That actress was awesome. Can we trade Foreman and Thirteen for her? Rating: 4 bottles of nail-polish remover
American Idol - L.A. and Dallas auditions: The memorable: Andrew (parents were in a gang), Lloyd (dock worker with two little girls), Dave (Tourette's), and Maegan (annoying little brother). I want Erica as far away from me as possible. Rating: 3 whips
Project Runway - "The Hi's and Low's [sic, grrrr] of Fashion": Another good challenge, though this time the execution wasn't that great. I liked some of the "safe" designs better than the ones that wound up in the top two. And as surprised as I am to say it, I'm going to miss Ping's insanity. Especially since it means we're stuck with the annoying Jesse and Seth Aaron. Rating: 4 bucks I'm betting that Jesse LeNoir isn't his real name
I don't know why it took me so long to get into Gladwell, since I love psychology and am fascinated by social psychology. But now I'm excited to read his three other books as well. Gladwell's topics are really captivating to me. It's nice to start off the new year with a good read.
I think this was a little overrated.
Not as good as The Tipping Point, but still good. Now watch, I'm going to use the chapter on "listening with your eyes" when Idol starts back up.
You'll learn which countries are the safest to fly in. At least, that's the main thing I'm going to take away from the book.
The Fugitive meets Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban meets 24 meets Memento. Too bad it was edited by a drunk Labradoodle.