Three Quick Things Re: 1) HIMYM, 2) Glee, 3) LOST

Each of these items isn't substantial enough to deserve an entire post, but here are three quick thoughts for today:



1) ***SPOILER ALERT*** If you didn't watch Monday's HIMYM then skip ahead.
For those of you who saw it - THANK GOD they put an end to Barney and Robin!!! "Barnman and Robin"....haha. Look, I love Barney. I love Robin. I predicted them together awhileeee ago...but it just didn't work. I'm not giving up on them in the long run (as in, maybe they can get back together in the final episode of the show), but nobody actually wants to SEE them together as a couple. Certainly not as 'disgusting' Barney and Robin. Look, fat Barney was pretty hilarious, but Robin was just gross. I just couldn't stop looking at her greasy hair...blech. Anyways, halleluljah to the end of that!! And now Barney can go out and seek her Canadian Variety show which is sure to be brilliance.

2) Glee tonight - WOOO a new episode, FINALLY, after two weeks of hiatus due to Fox's hosting the World Series!! Not only do we get Glee back, but we have the additional treat of finally seeing the song that I've been waiting all season for: Defying Gravity. Holy Crap ya'll, can anyone deny how excited they are to see the mini-Idina Menzel (Lea Michele) perform this?! Ok, I'm assuming she's the one that performs it, but if it's someone else that's fine too. I'm just EXCITEDDDD!!

3) LOST - If you haven't already seen this fan video, YOU NEED TO. It's a parody on The Lonely Island's We Like Sports, but seriously, I think it's even better. The number of LOST references they manage to squeeze in there is AMAZING. Like truly brilliant. In "We Like Sports" the two dudes are Guy 1 and Guy 2, but in "We Like LOST" its Guy 4, and Guy 8. AS IN THE NUMBERS. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. AMAZING. Anyways. Watch and enjoy (and find these two dudes for me because they need to be my friends).

Thoughts on last night's TV (Glee, Top Chef, Modern Family, Cougar Town) and tonight's DVR overload

Wow - my Wednesday night TV schedule is filling up quickly! Wednesday has traditionally been my television night devoted to LOST, but until LOST returns in 2010, I'm happy to say that I have plenty of other Wednesday night goodness to look forward to.

First and foremost, Glee. I loved the pilot so much that I really feared I was setting myself up for disappointment when it came back on the air. But week after week I have been blown away by how consistently good this show is! Last night's episode focused on Kurt's struggles with coming out and his new role as kicker of the football team. The use of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' was fantastic (and props to the folks over at FOX for getting the rights to use all of these awesome songs on the show!!) and it was really nice to see some of the peripheral characters (Kurt, Tina, Puck) get much more face time. Now if only I can get an episode with lots of love for Artie! My biggest complaint about last night's episode was the lack of big singing numbers - but the preview for next week showed double treats: Kristen Chenoweth and Queen's 'Somebody to Love'. Another minor complaint from last night is the ridiculousness of the, now, two pregnancy storylines. I am all for taking dramatic and creative liberties with reality but I find it hard to believe that Will and Finn are stupid enough to be strung along by their leading ladies for much longer. Also, did anyone else feel some serious Friday Night Lights undertones (head cheerleader cheats on football QB boyfriend with rebel best friend receiver)? Not that I'm complaining!

As for last night's Top Chef - Let me just say these two things: 1) Kevin is the only person I find myself rooting for on a consistent basis. Everyone else just annoys me or is terrible. 2) I thought we were past the show being Top Scallops, but apparently not?

And who saw Modern Family!? - Alert the Presses, because we've got a real winner on our hands!! I don't think I've laughed out loud that much during a 30 minute comedy in awhile! The pilot of this new ABC comedy was witty, light-hearted and well-written but still gave the (many) characters depth. I'm really excited to see how this show moves forward, but for now it's definitely on my Wednesday night list.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Cougar Town. It was definitely amusing at times, and it was nice to see Courtney Cox back on broadcast tv in a humorous role, but there were just too many 'icky' moments for me. Her relationship with her son is sweet, but I worry that there will be too many more 'icky' moments with him walking in on her, and I'm just not sure I can handle that. Whether this remains on my Wednesday night list is TBD.

Tonight's jam-packed TV schedule includes the premieres of Grey's Anatomy and Flash Forward. Also on my DVR list are Survivor, The Office, Community, Parks and Rec, and Project Runway. Honestly, guys, I'm not sure I can keep that much TV up on Thursday nights (plus 30 Rock and Private Practice when they return)! Luckily, though, I have AT&T U-verse so I can record up to 4 shows at one. Still, that's an incredibly ambitious night so we'll see if all these shows make the cut past this week!

NEW Fall 2009 TV Shows - My Picks!

Every summer I spend a very brief amount of time looking through the list of new Fall premieres and make hasty decisions on what shows to watch and what shows to skip. My past hastiness has often led me to miss the premiere season of some INCREDIBLE shows (read: Lost, Veronica Mars, The Office), but I generally manage to catch up soon thereafter. This year, with SO many of last seasons shows cancelled (read: Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, Lipstick Jungle, Pushing Daisies), there is a plethora of new shows to pick from. I decided to invest a little more time in my decision-making so I don't miss out on anything amazing. Here are my picks for this fall:

source

1. GLEE - Fox, Wednesdays at 9/8 CT - If you haven't already seen Glee, you are absolutely missing out. Fox aired its Pilot back in May (and a few other times this summer), and last Wednesday (9/9) was the Season premiere with episode #2. Glee is hands down the most excited I've ever been about a new show based on one episode alone. The pilot is sheer brilliance and the second episode doesn't disappoint either. It's about a high school glee club (cheesy sounding, yes), but it's made by the creator of Nip/Tuck so there's an edgy-dark humor to it. The best part of the show is the singing - it stars Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison who are both broadway stars (and ADORABLE, to say in the least), as well as other humorous favorites like Jane Lynch (as the cheerleading coach), Iqbal Theba (as Principal Figgins) and Jayma Mays - of Heroes and Ugly Betty fame (as the neurotic Guidance Counselor). The ensemble cast is overall fantastic, the singing/song choice is amazing (see: Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing', Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab', Kanye's 'Gold Digger'), and it is definitely the hour of television (until LOST comes back) that I'm most looking forward to! If you haven't already seen it, the pilot (and I'm guessing ep. 2) are available on Hulu so catch up as fast as you can!!

***** and now for the rest in much much briefer form*****

2. Accidentally On Purpose - CBS, Mondays at 8:30/7:30 CT (premiering Sept. 21) - I don't put a lot of stock in CBS comedies (Two and a Half Men, that Julia Louis-Dreyfus show, exception being: How I Met Your Mother), but I'm willing to give this show a shot for one reason alone: Jenna Elfman. Dharma & Greg was a great show solely because of Jenna (and does anyone remember that awesome movie about her and the priest and the rabbi), so I'm going to give this one a try.

3. Community - NBC, Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 CT (premiering Sept. 17) - I worship the house of Thursday night NBC Comedy. The Office and 30 Rock are two of the greatest television gems of this decade and NBC in general makes incredibly-wise programming decisions so I'm obviously going to watch this. I've actually seen the Pilot already and it's good. There's character development that I'm excited to see, and Joel McHale and Chevy Chase are reason enough to watch.

4. Cougar Town - ABC, Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30 CT (premiering Sept. 23) - My reasons for watching this are similar to that of Accidentally on Purpose. The irony of hoping that ABC puts out a good comedy show is not lost on me, BUT I do love Courtney Cox and the premise of 40-year old cougars is mildly hilarious.

5. Flash Forward - ABC, Thursdays at 8/7 CT (premiering Sept. 24) - Dramas are something I DO trust ABC to do well. The premise is pretty cool - a bizarre event occurs that allows millions of people to briefly see flashes of the future - and I'm all about adding a new psuedo sci-fi-ish drama to my schedule since LOST ends this year *tear*. Plus I absolutely adore John Cho of American Pie and Harold & Kumar fame and will watch anything he's in.

6. Modern Family - ABC, Wednesdays at 9/8 CT (premiering Sept. 23) - Again, not sure I can trust ABC with 30 min comedies, but the cast looks pretty stellar so I'm going to try this one out. EW.com sent me an invitation to view the pilot ahead of time but I haven't gotten around to it so I'll post my thoughts if I end up doing that before the premiere.

Shows I will consider if there's enough good hype after a few episodes:
Melrose Place (so far, not looking good)
V (because I adore Elizabeth Mitchell)
The Vampire Diaries (because who doesn't need more vampires in their life)
The Good Wife (despite being a law student, I don't enjoy lawyer dramas so it'll take a lot for me to get on board with this)