September, 2012
September 1st, 2012, 12:34 p.m. - All good except...
31. The Dirty Secrets Club (Meg Gardiner)
Up next: White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
2:08 p.m. - Boo, America! Boooooooooo!
So You Think You Can Dance - Eight perform and two go home: Nooooooo, not Will! I hate you, America! Why did the episode with the season's best performances have to have such an awful ending? Rating 5 name cards to remind the guest judges who they're watching (as if Jesse Tyler Ferguson would forget)
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who Cries Home": Awww, Jessie. Not cool for her to get booted first. She was the most unique of all the girls. Now there are just a bunch of pretty people. Oh, and a crazy chick named Victoria. That girl is something else. Rating: 3 mounted heads (what the heck was up with that?)
September 8th, 2012, 2:31 p.m. - I find myself agreeing with Kelly Cutrone more than is healthy
So You Think You Can Dance - Six perform and two go home: I feel like the season is just now hitting its stride. I'm still disappointed that the format this season has screwed some people over. Basically, you can dance really well and get eliminated because people didn't like you the week before. But whatever, I'll actually be okay with any of the results in the finale. I've liked Eliana from the beginning, Cyrus is definitely likable (if not the most talented), Tiffany has proven herself every week, and Chehon...well, Chehon's not going to win, so that doesn't really matter. (No offense, Chehon. You're awesome! You're just not going to beat Cyrus.) Rating: 5 seconds I was struck speechless over how different Marko looks with his head shaved
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who Wants Out": Good riddance, Maria. I guess Harvard didn't teach you class. Despite her total over-the-topness with regard to her mother, Victoria's growing on me. I loved her spot-on take on Kiara and Darian's argument ("that's not an argument!"). I'm not necessarily rooting for her yet (I think Nastasia could take this), but I'm getting there. Rating: 4 times I said, "There's a Brittany on this show?" (I'll remember her from now on. She's pretty awesome)
4:52 p.m. - Of mice and men
32. White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
Up next: The Memory Collector (Meg Gardiner)
September 15th, 2012, 2:36 p.m. - "This is boring," or, Cassandra July is my spirit animal
So You Think You Can Dance - Four perform: I really don't know which girl will win. Both have been consistently great. Let's just call this a situation where everyone wins. Rating: 4 poles, which I think may have crossed a line
Glee - "The New Rachel": I was tentatively optimistic about how this season would go, but I think it's off to a terrific start. I like Marley, Kitty is appropriately awful, and I think going back and forth between Lima and New York is working well. Also, I've mostly only been neutral on Kate Hudson, but she was AWESOME in this episode. Rating: 5 fake J. Crew shirt labels
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who Does What Tyler Perry Says": This may have been my favorite challenge ever. I was impressed by how well some of the girls did. Who knew Victoria had it in her? Rating: 4 boxes of chicken (which Victoria had...why?)
September 16th, 2012, 12:53 p.m. - That dang monkey is back
33. The Memory Collector (Meg Gardiner)
Up next: The Liar's Lullaby (Meg Gardiner)
September 22nd, 2012, 12:24 p.m. - Thank you, Sophie, for the best ever "gorilla warfare" joke
34. The Liar's Lullaby (Meg Gardiner)
Up next: The Nightmare Thief (Meg Gardiner)
September 23rd, 2012, 3:37 p.m. - "She was my favorite girl" – no one cares, Bryanboy
So You Think You Can Dance - Finale: How in the world did the two people who were never in the bottom three all season not win? I mean, I'm not complaining, but...what the heck? Rating: 4...I'm too confused to think of something
Glee - "Britney 2.0": Heather Morris was definitely the star here. She played everything perfectly. I think there was too much jammed in here, though. They should have spread this out over two episodes and given more detail to some of it. A lot of it happened too fast. Rating: 4 Cheetos
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who Sings for Alicia Keys": Speaking of happening too fast, wow, Leila's downfall sure came out of nowhere. And I don't get how Laura could cry her way through the whole episode and still get called second. Apparently being emotionally unstable isn't a dealbreaker in the modeling world. Rating: 3 pompoms
September 25th, 2012, 10:36 p.m. - And now I'm never going hiking
35. The Nightmare Thief (Meg Gardiner)
This book required me to suspend my disbelief a little too much for my taste. But it was still full of great characters and a lot of action. Once I've whittled down my big stack o' books a little, I'll hunt up Gardiner's Evan Delaney series and plow through those, too.
Up next: Where'd You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)
September 29th, 2012, 12:55 p.m. - So...did anyone call Sloan? Or is she still dead in an arena somewhere?
How I Met Your Mother - "Farhampton": The next step is getting Quinn out of there, yes? Then let's get on that. (Though I didn't find her as annoying in this episode as I usually do.) I guess this season is going to be about getting Barney and Robin back together, and about Ted dating random women we all know won't be the mother. So...more of the same. Rating: 4 glasses of champagne Marshall probably wouldn't remember drinking even if he finally got some
Modern Family - "Bringing Up Baby": The season's off to a good start. I just have no idea where it's going. Rating: 4 giant stuffed elephants
The Big Bang Theory - "The Date Night Variable": I was mostly bored. I think Howard being in space for the next few weeks is going to be annoying. And Raj is depressing me. Rating: 3 lies from Howard
Glee - "Makeover": Remember when the show started and Brittany basically had nothing to do? I'm so glad that's changed. I like her friendship with Sam, too, though I can't help wondering if it's going to turn into something more. Speaking of turning into something more, Rachel absolutely needs to be with Brody. Their chemistry is ten times the chemistry she has with Finn. Rating: 4 proposed leather socks
Grey's Anatomy - "Going, Going, Gone": Aww, Mark. I knew it was coming, and it was still really sad. I also saw the "twist" with Arizona coming, and I don't know if I can take a Callie/Arizona battle. Haven't they been through enough already? Rating: 4 home movies
America's Next Top Model - "The Girl Who Gets Pwn'd": Yay, Brittany! Way to pull it together. Also, yay, America, for getting rid of Yvonne! Man, she was annoying. Rating: 4 owls
September 30th, 2012, 6:03 p.m. - Is the lack of a question mark driving anyone else crazy?
36. Where'd You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)
Up next: A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
Minus points for the monkey. I mean, come on!
Any lit class studying White Teeth would have dozens of themes to discuss: race, religion, fathers and sons, past as prologue, the immigrant experience, science and technology, and, strangely, dentistry. I liked most of it, at least until the Chalfens came in. Shut up, Chalfens.
It's hard to think of an author who paces a novel better than Gardiner. There's barely any time to breathe. And just try to find a good stopping point so you can do something productive.
I think this is my favorite of the Jo Beckett books (at least so far). And again, Gardiner is a master at pacing.
Dang, I read a lot this month.
I expected this book to be pretty funny, since Semple used to be a sitcom writer (she wrote for Arrested Development!), and though it did have some funny parts, it's also quite sad. Not in a bad way, though. I found myself wanting to read it when I was away from it. Minus a point for the unending references to the awesomeness of Seattle, though.