Lopez Blogs

Ugh. I've done nothing but sleep and lounge around for the best part of 3 days thanks to an increasingly bad cough, sore throat, blocked nose, headache, temperature, aching limbs, etc. Utterly ghastly. I've had no energy whatsoever and still feel as weak as a kitten. So i've missed out on lots of great things this weekend (don't ask, it's too disappointing to discuss!) but apart from the very lovely Dr Dazpanteloons looking after me, I've had a couple of things to cheer me up - firstly being an advance(ish) copy of Terry Ronald's debut novel "Becoming Nancy". I've tittered through chapter one so far and am already delighted at being reminded of Debbie Harry lyrics i'd forgotten as well as the main character having neighbours called Bette and Joan! Amazing. Full review when i've finished. The other thing that got me through was several watchings of below...

I adored Grey's Anatomy when it first started. Pick Me. Choose Me. Love Me. What's not to like? It started to lose me a little bit with Denny's ghost, but the stunning & shocking season 6 finale pulled me back and most of this year has been a delight. I was a bit apprehensive when i heard about the musical episode but it actually turned out really well. They managed to make it work within the Grey's Anatomy universe and while it wasn't better than Buffy - Once More With Feeling, it was way better than the disappointing Bitter Suite that Xena botched together some years back. Sure, I could have done without ANOTHER playing from the show of Chasing Cars, but the rest was all quite lovely. There were two definite highlights - firstly, the magnificent and funky Running On Sunshine (with the whole cast celebrating their often unconventional love lives). It gave a much needed ray of optimism to the episode and was delightfully entertaining to watch. The other highlight and perhaps one of the best acting/singing performances anywhere on television this season (yes even surpassing my beloved Darren Criss on Glee) was the surely emmy worthy Sara Rameriz taking on Phil Hanseroth's The Story. Sara (as Callie) put enough passion, nuance, emotion and pure vocal beauty into the song that she instantly made it her won and i've had it on repeat during my many lemon and honey drinks. Entirely heartbreaking, utterly captivating, totally award winning. SMITTEN.

Top 21 songs of the week:

21 ~ James Blunt, If Time Is All I Have (NE)
20 ~ Take That, Kidz
19 ~ Maroon 5, Never Gonna Leave This Bed
18 ~ Danny, In The Club
17 ~ Julian Velard, Love Again For The First Time
16 ~ le Kid, Oh My God
15 ~ Lady Gaga, Born This Way
14 ~ Rochella Danishei, Never Been Kissed
13 ~ Andreas Johnson, One Man Army
12 ~ The Moniker, Oh My God
11 ~ Take That, Happy Now
10 ~ JLS, Eyes Wide Shut
09 ~ Tove Styrke, High & Low
08 ~ Sanna Nielsen, I'm In Love
07 ~ The Wanted, Gold Forever
06 ~ Love Generation, I Dance Alone
05 ~ Same Difference, Best Mistake
04 ~ Andrea Lewis, She
03 ~ Eric Saade, Popular
02 ~ Kylie, Put Your Hands Up
01 ~ The Feeling, Set My World On Fire (1 week)

Coming tomorrow (health permitting!): Elouise, Maroon 5, Dalton Warblers...

I have fallen and fallen hard for ace BBC sitcom Miranda. I don't know why it has taken me so long to find out about it (shame on me), but i've whizzed through two series and am now investigating the radio version that started it all. Basically for those not in the know, it's essentially a better, UK version of Ellen (the comedy, not the chat show or that The Ellen Show debacle that aired several years ago) set in the kitchen set of Absolutely Fabulous and involving many madcap antics of the 6ft1 Miranda and her zany bunch of mad cap friends (which includes the perfectly delicious Tom Ellis as Gary, the love interest). Basically the mad cap friends are very much like my ace gang with their own sayings (they have "tremendulent", we have "brillopants" and "smasherooney ding dong"); Miranda has an insane mother (see examples below for my dear old mam) and has many many moments of social mortification. Not in that slyly observed socially awkward way, more of a make a total pillock of yourself sort of way. I've always identified with Pam from Gavin & Stacey as my sitcom double (she has a ridiculous flair for the dramatic, as do I) but Miranda definitely mirrors my ability to take a normal social situation and come out of it with egg on my face. Sometimes absolutely literally. SUCH FUN!

• Miranda's crazy mom may be my crazy mom ~ case in point: My mom called the other day "Paul, the gays are growing!" (insert stunned bemused silence from me here) "Yes, I read a report about it. They are everywhere." me ~ "Oh that's lovely mom. What do you mean growing?" Her (completely ignoring my question which both her and my dad tend to do, as if diverting from their conversational flow will completely ruin their life) ~ "My hairdresser is one you know. Do you know him?" Me (a bit aghast) ~ "Oh yes, we all hunt in packs. Perfectly manicured, well groomed packs..." Christ alive.
• Moments of social ineptitude ~ I was once waiting to see History Boys outside a theatre near my house. It was incredibly windy and I was waiting for my bon ami ace ganger Kirsty to arrive. Just as she came dashing up, a huge gust of wind blew a huge bin bag (garbage sack, mes americanos) into my face, which preceded to wrap around my head. Cue me flailing around like a loon on loon tablets at a loon convention. Not good...
• Moments of social ineptitude ~ just last week on the train, i somehow managed to sit on a half eaten cadbury's creme egg. Not mine either. What was worse was I didn't notice the melted brown egg bottom and gooey centre stuck to my bottomosity until I got home, having walked through Birmingham city centre at rush hour looking like i'd messed myself. For God's sake!!!
• More moments of social ineptitude ~ Miranda often gets called Sir. As do I actually. But I often get called other stuff too. I was hurridly trotting to the train station one morning (Miranda gallops, but i find a trot more elegant or a canter if i'm really in a hurry), when some white van fellas (one quite dishy) shouted out alpha male styl-ee "oi Bruno" and guffawed loudly to themselves. I was so taken aback at their comment, that I lost my rhythm, tripped on the kerb and went flying onto the pavement. My book I was reading at the time (with a fetching pink cover) went skidding out of my man bag and sailing across the street. Bruno indeed :(
• Getting the cosmic horn ~ Miranda clearly has the horn for Tom Ellis' character Gary. I do too. He is the only person apart from possibly Donal Skehan who makes chef whites look quite foxy. I too would fall off a stool if he came up to me with a batch of creamy meringues. The horn makes you do bizarre things. Early on in my courtship of Darren, I was asked "Is darren coming over tonight?" Lost in my dreamworld of dreamy dream boat ness, I absently mindedly replied "I'd rather him cum on my face"... FORGETTING IT WAS MY DAD I WAS WITH. Swallow me now (darren) hole in ground!!
• Knowing looks to the camera ~ while I didn't invent this, neither did Miranda. See video below!!

It's week two of Don't Stop Believing and it's paused on the DVR - partly to cut out all the adverts that pay for shows like these (in your face Argos!) and partly because I have a large slice of toffee cheesecake on one knee, which makes it difficult to write at the same time. If you missed week one, then you will want to click here for all the (non) essential information that will bring you up to speed for week two. WHICH BEGINS NOW!!

The intro:

Last week apparently began with a bang. A whimper of a bang of viewer voting sentimentality madness, granted, but a bang nevertheless. Poor Dice. But week two is allegedly even bigger! Even though it is exactly the same. I quite like the groups number opening the show with the Prayer theme. It's better than I Gotta Feeling last week and puts me in a much better mood for the show. But by god there are a lot of people who spent a lot of money on teeth whitening products on that stage...

Emma, who used to be in some pop group (:P) introduces the judges. Chucky is growing on me. A lot. But no time to develop a crush, the first act is up...

The acts:

• DAWSON'S CREEK (not really): Before they even start, they say they are performing a mash up. This had better be an accurate description. They are singing I Want You Back (Jackson 5) with literally one line of Take That's Back For Good. SO NOT A MASH UP THEN!! They are dressed in rebellious school uniform attire - I would never have gotten away with such wanton dress sense at school in my day (that's a nice story grandpa!) They remind me a bit of S Club 8 just before the amazingly pop second album - energetic dancing, decent singing, but not quite there yet. Still, not a bad opening tune. PS, Tamsin looks bloody gorgeous this week...
• ROULETTE: Oh! Adorable! From S Club 8 to Hear'Say! I love that they are rehearsing in a back alley while a real life version of Jack and Vera Duckworth are looking on, all sorts of speechless! They do a futuristic looking visual matched to Take On Me/Starry Eyed. Whoever the lead singer girl is, is a spitting image of Alison Goldfrapp! I do quite like their look and the song works well enough (more of a mash up than the NOT A MASH UP predecessor) - quite entertaining overall. There is something I really like about them, despite not being the best ever...
• SING LIVE: Good god, there are millions of them. The producers concentrate on the Artie from Glee character to show that everyone can be in a choir (just in case Glee hasn't proven this enough already). They are wearing the cheapest costumes ever for a Queen medley (NOT A MASH UP). Their efforts at dancing are questionable, other than a bit of half hearted fisting here and there. "Wow, that was incredible" effuses Emma at the end, in television's most insincere moment this year. Chucky basically says that they did the minimum amout required and makes it sound like a compliment. He is getting more brilliant by the second...

• REDROOFIANS: Theatre school! Jazz hands! Splits! Sob story! It's for charity - they may as well go and join last week's winners in the "sadness factor final" in a few weeks time. They sing We Are Golden and it is utterly utterly dreadful. It's shouty, some of the solo voices make my ears literally (not literally, but figuratively at the very least) bleed and it's all over the shop - much like their colour palette. The judges are clearly watching a different performance because they rave about it. I have to take 2 valium before I can even carry on...
• BLOK: I'm aghast at the spelling. And they are cheerleaders, so they have to match the dizzying heights set by Paula Abdul vocally (though Vibeology remains an unappreciated classic). They certainly are putting more energy into Something Kinda Ooh than Girls Aloud ever did and their harmonies give it a certain something to make it seem a bit different. The dancing is ace, the song is not entirely awful, not entirely magnif, but they are my second favourite of the night. BTW, Emma Bunton can sound so patronising when she talks to these acts...
• THREE SPIRES: OMG, etc. They are from Coventry, which is where I work! I don't know whether this will make me like them more or less. I will try to remain impartial :P Someone describes them as chuffing brilliant. Oh. My. Days. They turn Total Eclipse Of The Heart into some sort of disco number, which would be considered avant garde had Nikki French and a Westlife Soundfactory edit not done it first... The bloke singer's voice sounds incredibly strained, and the girl just sounds shouty. Of course the judges think they are amazing. I'm honestly not sure what to make of them...

The supergroup:

What the chuffing nora is going on here? There are 5 new members! This is more confusing than Big Brother 11. They allegedly scoured the country for the new 5, but from memory the audition pod was only visiting two cities. Hmmm. Here it comes! My god there are ten! This is not So Solid. They are taking "super" to all new literal translations. Last week's performance was much more inventive, though this week has better dancing. Will there be 15 next week? Oh there will! Jesus Christ on a cross!

The results:

In the 15 minutes the phone lines were open, I'm sure millions of Britons made an informed choice on vocal/dance talent and not sentimentality like last week. Don't get me wrong, I sob along with a sob story like the rest of you, but this is a talent competition and that sometimes gets lost in the ethers of sniffy noses. Blok and Sing Live (the latter of whom can only have possibly got through because so many of their families were voting) are in the sing/dance (well sing in Sing Live's case) off for the wild card show. It's obvious that Three Spires have won because the camera focuses on their director before it's announced. Yup, they've won. So another week where I could give two hoots about the winner. Darn. There is always weeks 3-5. The judges put Sing Live through to wild card, because they are clearly insane. Boooo. I'll still be back next week though, in the hopes of someone good getting through to the final!!

Coming this week: Steve Anderson presents 2; The new Olly video deconstructed; fizzypop chronicles...

Reality tv really does hook me in when it shouldn't. Usually, I'm just done watching something quite good by now (like The Apprentice - banished this year for a Junior version)then lose myself in something completely tacky (usually Big Brother) until X Factor returns and rules my life. This year, however, Big Brother has me ridiculously hooked all thanks to the will they won't they romance/not-romance/bad-romance of John James & Josie. Sigh. It takes me back to the days of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman when it was silly goodness and L&C were flirting the shit out of each other and I would be glued to the tv waiting for them to get together (which ironically killed the show. How Moonlighting - so maybe JJ&J are wise to play the tease game!!) But something else has come along and will pass the weeks until a proper music reality show is back (yes, X-Factor). It's channel 5's (think CW, American readers) Don't Stop Believing.

The concept:

It's one of those common things in tv that seems like a good idea, but is often rushed and poorly executed. Take a genuine pop cultural phenomenon like Glee and mix it with something you know works (The X Factor) and you have Don't Stop Believing. Or Don't Stop Glee-lieving as it should have been called. What should have happened is a couple of weeks of "hilariously" bad audition from choirs around the country, followed by 8-10 acts doing a live number each week, with one being voted off at the end of each show. That way you get to connect with the acts, see who can handle a variety of different styles and start to build some excitement towards who wins. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong. What you get is 6 new acts each week (over 5 weeks), with one being crowned the ultimate victor based on the public vote (which lasted about 12 minutes. Literally - i'm not really sure how many people can have voted, but it's not the greatest time frame allowed is it?) Then there is this confusing mess where the acts in 2nd and 3rd place get to sing the same song again, and the judges (more on them shortly) then pick one to go through to the wild card round. I think this essentially means there will be 5 acts battling for the last place in the final, despite not being good enough first time round.

Then there is this really odd thing where there is a "supergroup". Now, to me the definition of a supergroup is people from existing famous groups coming together to form a new group. This is five nobodies (apart from someone who made Popstars: The Rivals final ten, quit and gave the world Nicola Girls Aloud. So essentially she created history) singing together. Even more baffling is the fact that more people just from the general public will be added next week. It's bizarro tv at it's best...

The Judges:

There is Anastacia. She has sometimes had some good pop records. There is Duncan "still from Blue". He also had some good pop records, just not on his own. There is Tamsin Outhwaite. She was incredibly annoying in Eastenders, but incredibly brilliant in Sweet Charity. Then there is the guy who choreographed High School Musical and worked on the Michael Jackson nearly-tour. He has an interesting jacket on. The whole shebang is presented by Emma Bunton who is not the world's best presenter, but at least tries to look enthusiastic about the show.

Week One:

I didn't decide to blog this show until it had nearly finished. With the x factor, I am a complete blogging nerd and make notes as the show goes on the air, screaming like a banshee at anyone who dares interrupt my allegedly witty train of thought. This will all be done from a vague hazy memory. So will not be as good. Which will really make you want to read on, won't it, but try and persevere. I shall probably make scathing notes next week...

• All of this week's choirs/gleeks open the show with that bloody I Gotta Feeling, which is still the most annoying cacophonous mess I've ever heard. Would it have killed them to open with All The Lovers?!
• The judges are introduced and when Emma is talking about dance moves, she pronounces precision as "pre-sizz-on", which strikes me as a bit odd. I suspect her lips were dry from the nerves. Or perhaps she couldn't read the autocue - her eye makeup was so heavily caked on, she would have had to tip her head forcibly back to get her lids to open. Like a baby doll.
• First up is Dice (above). They are very good. They sing a rather good, theatrical version of a song I don't know (but sounds very familiar). It's a bit cabaret, it's very entertaining and they interact as a group rather well. The judges love them and find it impossible to say anything bad about them. Emma reminds the audience for the second time that High School Musical/MJ Not-Tour has won an emmy.
• Next is The Clas-Six. Do you see what they did with their name? This is the crazy world of show choir kids. They sang Video Killed The Radio Star and it was weird. Just bizarre. But the judges thought it was wonderful. Again. This would never happen on the X Factor. The judges are contractually not allowed to give praise to two acts in a row.
• Step Up make me happy. They are dressed like they are S Club Juniors and prance around like they are in Hairspray. They do a medley (NOT A MASH UP) of Sign, Sealed, Delivered and Freedom. It's very infectious, happy making and glorious. Duncan Still From Blue reminds the world that he once was in the charts, indeed with this song. About 8 years ago. And this version is better.
• Manchester Show Choir don't really have the most innovative name, do they? And while they do a nice medley (sometimes mash up but essentially NOT A MASH UP) of Bad Romance-Poker Face, there is far too much going on and it sounds quite shouty. However, there is a bit of a sob story VT (which is actually quite sad, so I won't go on about it too much but it's typically manipulative tv on the part of the producers). Actually the more I revisit this track, the less appealing it gets!! Of course Emma patronisingly goes to Malcolm (the sob story VT dude)...
• There are more sad backgrounds with Singer Station. And again, genuinely a little bit sad, but just cloying sentimentalism that often wrecks the X Factor. They do a pleasant enough version of True Colours, and the bit with the paint is quite novel - it's all a bit sickly sweet. They are kids though so the judges find ways of saying pleasant things without actually saying they were phenomenal or phenomenally bad. They were neither. They just were.
• Finally, there is EsChoir. Oh ho ho ho again with the witty names. I quite liked this group. Partly because they are all men and well, you know. And partly because they did bring something slightly new to Sex On Fire. UNBELIEVABLY, Duncan says the performance made him uncomfortable because it was homoerotic. Someone needs to get this man a dictionary stat. Homoeroticism makes him uncomfortable. I am quite literally agog.
• Then there is the bizarre supergroup thing. They actually do a nice job of of singing lots of different songs over the instrumental to Don't Stop Believing. The blonde guy with too tight trousers on (How Olly Murs) is quite cute and sings She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 so is instantly a-ok with me. Later on, while waiting to wave himself off, he looks like a cross between a deer caught in the headlines and a deer caught doing something else (I'm not sure what, but something a bit naughty)... It's not that they were bad. They weren't. I just don't get what they are doing there. Or why more people will be added. And they are excited about this! I would be all "bitch, get out of my supergroup now, we are fine as five!"...
• Then, Britain lets me down once again, because Singer Star win. WIN! As in through to the final. This is frankly bollocks. They were no way the best act on stage. But they are kids and have had tough lives and deserve a break, so Britain voted them through. When I put it like that, I sound a right bastard. I'm just bitter it wasn't Step Up (who could've introduced Britain to Darin's Step Up in a moment of post modern brilliance).
• More bollocks voting as shouty Manchester Show Choir get thru to the sing off. But so do Dice and it's literally a foregone conclusion. God knows what next week will bring.
• It's brilliantly awful and awfully hilarious. I'm hooked...

It was the year when NBC royally screwed up their ten o'clock spot (and Bro-Sis rip off Parenthood hasn't done much to fix it). It was the year when lots of shows finished after four seasons (Ugly Betty; Heroes - both joining the ranks of four season wonders such as Felicity, Lois & Clark, Early Edition, Everwood, The 4400, et al). It was the year new favourites fizzled into nothing (damn you ABC for cancelling Flash Forward and the promising Eastwick). And of course it was the year when Glee began and Lost ended. But more on that later. For now, here are my top ten favourite shows on network (and a couple of sneaky basic cable) tv between September 2009 and May 2010...

Bubbling under - the stalwarts: Oh there are just some shows I sort of half watch almost out of habit hoping that indeed, at some point they will retain their former glories. Desperate Housewives is a shadow of it's former self, chugging along with the same old tired one season mystery again (though the revelation of the actual strangler was quite a surprise) and even the season finale failed to reignite my passion for the show (tho to be honest it was quite nice to see John Barrowman gag that annoying whiney teenage kid from Nu Joy-see)... Smallville should have just ended years ago, it's now shitting on Superman mythology left right and centre (Clark is working at the daily planet, still not superman and NO GLASSES!!) yet i stick with it because i've invested so much blooming time. Private Practice is usually worth watching for a decent season premiere and finale, but not much inbetween. Gossip Girl is insane as ever, almost a modern day Dynasty, but it's not as thrilling as it used to be to hear Melismatic/Veronica Mars' voice on television in any format. And of course the animation block on fox continued to be a bit hit and miss, though at least one of the shows each week would be funny...

10 = Supernatural: With a mythology so dense and elaborate by season five, it was almost impossible for new viewers to tune in and have any clue what was going on (see also Lost). The epic good vs evil battle ramped it's way up all season with a fine mixture of horror, humour and drama. Yet in the end it all came down to the characters and their interaction with each other (see also Lost). A fitting series finale, if you stop watching about 5 seconds before the actual ending...
10 = Community: I wasn't expecting to like this at all, but Joel McHale turned out to be a fine comic actor who worked well in a likeable ensemble cast. Some genuinely hilarious moments were interspersed into each episode and even the supporting characters became essential to the show (the creepy PC dean, the hateful spanish teacher). Love love loved the cliffhanger love-square that put Felicity-Noel_ben triangle to shame...
10 = The Office: It just continues to veer perfectly between beautifully observed comedy (Pam & Jim continue to reign as one of tv's most perfect couples - their wedding and baby birth were two of the highlights of this year's run) and riotous office nonsense, mostly highly entertaining to watch. Just imagine if Holly DOES return next year... Sigh :)
09 - Grey's Anatomy: Though I was a bit miffed with the return then non-return of ungrateful Katherine Heigl, and the whole integration of Mercy West wasn't exactly brilliant, the old regulars continued to shine and i've adapted well to a new happy Meredith Grey. The finale showed what GA can achieve when it puts it's mind to it - it was brutal and genuinely shocking, plus occasionally devastating. Bring on season 7...
08 ~ Flash Forward: Sob. Surely this could have come back to partner V for a an uninterrupted run of spring time episodes a la Lost?! But no - it seems there will be no Flash Forward for Flash Forward next year. True, the main appeal was seeing Joseph Fiennes look all dishevelled in a suit, but it was strangely intruiging at times and I'm hoping they explain that bloody kangaroo...
07 ~ 10 Things I Hate About You: Just 20 episodes and cancelled? Bah I say bah! It quickly evolved from annoying teen comedy into charming little show with some genuinely witty banter, sly view on high school life and a male character that actually said "amazeballs". Thank you Chris Zwyck. Ended on a ridiculously unfulfilling cliffhanger, deserved at least 10 more episodes a la Greek. But that's the way the tv exec cookie crumbles :(

06 ~ Modern Family: Could have been an utter disaster, but actually was very funny and lovely indeed. Each of the couples within the family tree were engaging and delightful in their own screwed up ways and it never failed to get me laughing out loud (I refuse to "lol"). More canoodling from la gays though please. Also, hope season 2 evolves into a more continuous storyline rather than separate vignettes of episodes, but otherwise heaven.
05 ~ Glee: That I forgot about this when I was composing the list in my head on the way to work says a lot. It was my number one show of the year in 2009, and the first thirteen episodes were corking. I don't know if it's overkill or the fact that everyone and his mom loves it now or the fact that it's just trying to hard too hard now, but the shine has gone off it. I mean it's still quite good overall, but when they do drama it's far too mawkish and cloying rather than subtley played. Much like Popular. Which this makes me want to watch again. Particularly the original Vogue and the amazing Dirty Ho.
04 ~ Life Unexpected: Thank god this got a second season otherwise I may have broken down in a puddle of my own goo. This is essentially vintage old school WB type family drama - think Everwood meets Gilmore Girls; not quite as good as either of those (particularly the genius of the latter) but with oodles of potential and totally charming in it's very own way. And how amusing to see the teen stars of Roswell and Dawson's Creek now be the parents of a teen star drama. That makes me feel very old indeed...
03 ~ Brothers and Sisters: The search for Lake Narrow turned out to be vaguely intruiging as the season went on, and this year benefitted from no more of William's bastard offspring popping up with a grudge to settle. Again just some lovely family drama and some recession based storylines that weren't too ott, but quite affecting in their own sweetly-sad way. The final 15 minutes of the show was blooming brilliant and showed how things can change extremely quickly on tv without feeling like a plot shoe horned in for finale night or a deus et machina... Season 5 promises to be just dandy.
02 ~ Greek: Though those blooming Cyprus Rhodes kids may never actually bloody graduate college, it's easy to ignore the slightly dodgy timeline because this show just gets more enchanting the more I watch it. Funnier than a lot of comedies on television and with some great relationship drama that is more refined and polished than the OTT nature of, say, Glee, it sparkles in it's third year and a further ten episodes are promised next year which may well round it off. I'm happy for them to stay enrolled for a long time yet though :)

01 ~ Lost: As it's much anticipated final season drew to a close, it dawned on me that not only is Lost by far the most superior tv show of the season, but one of the greatest tv shows of all time. Sure it was a head scratching, mind looping, time tripping head fuck, but in the end all that mattered were the fate of the characters. The story of the island was over. It didn't matter to me that some of the stuff wasn't answered - we don't always get answers in life anyway. What mattered were those gorgeous little awakenings of memory where characters flashed back to their happiest most romantic times together, and that heavenly (perhaps literally) final few moments. Quite simply, effortlessly charming. I shall miss it terrible.

Best of cable tv: Dexter (that cliffhanger ending! OH MY!); The Tudors (another fourth season finisher this year); Big Love (gay mormons! Who knew?! :P); True Blood (more please of this essentially soft porn drama)
What I'm looking forward to next tv season: Hellcats, Nikita (The CW); My Generation, No Ordinary Family, Mr Sunshine (ABC); Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family); The Cape, The Event (hmmm, both tentatively, both NBC)

Honourable mentions: Desperate Housewives; Gossip Girl; Reaper; Supernatural; Heroes; Smallville; Dollhouse; The Office; Community; The Tudors; Big Love; Cleveland Show; Benidorm; Big Love...


Honourable mentions 2: The Dr Who universe ~ as I type this, the Christmas specials signalling the end of David Tennant (sob) haven't aired yet, and I won't see them til I'm back from Vegas anyway. Despite only airing for a few episodes in 2009, the Doctor has had a significant impact on my tv watching. Yes, the bus in the desert special wasn't particularly amazing, though fairly solid (if only for the ominous portents). However, the Waters of Mars was amazing and I'm hoping that you'll be commenting on how perfect the final two episodes were (and explain what in the name of good God the Master is up to there - cos he looks more Servant than Master!) Add to that the excellent Torchwood mini series (rest in peace oddly sexy Ianto) and me catching up on all 3 series of the immensely enjoyable Sarah Jane Adventures and it was still a ripper year for the Doctor and his friends, past and present. Bring on 2010...


10 ~ FlashForward: It seemed that this was designed to fill the gap that will be left by Lost and by and large, it seems to have done the job pretty much. The mystery seems very confined at the moment though (with the flashforward date approaching rapidly) and the kangaroo is far less riveting (for example) than Lost's polar bear. Still Joseph Fiennes in a suit keeps me watching even when the storyline wavers somewhat :P
09 ~ Modern Family: Oh I rarely get invested in US sitcoms because I have no faith that they will make a second season and by then, I rarely have the time to get caught up on them. This one made me chuckle in the ads though so I gave it a go and i've been hooked ever since. I love to watch dysfunctional families. It makes me feel much much better about my own.
08 ~ True Blood: Sure season 2 was a barely disguised porn video but it was very engrossing, shocking, soap operatic and full of dudes taking their tops off at random moments. And really what more can one ask for (ok, so that's also just described Dante's Cove, so I guess there is some decent story telling in True Blood and Sookie Stackhouse remains the best vampire linked heroine since buffy. In your face moody Bella)!!
07 ~ Grey's Anatomy: The last half of season 5 was actually very decent and the 007 on Meredith's hand on that year's finale was just an example of how heartstopping the show could be, when it wasn't trying to be too clever for it's own good. Year six hasn't been quite as amazing, but certainly back on track after the fiasco of Denny's Ghost. Plus it's nice to see Meredith happy for a change...
06 ~ Brothers and Sisters: It's actually Scottie that is the glue in the BroSis family circle and one of the ongoing reasons for watching. Well that and now whatsisname Getty is gone. Phew. This latest season has been incredibly difficult viewing as they are tackling the cancer storyline (see also Party of Five year 4), but doing it with gritty realism, grace and oscar winning performances. Question though - did Calista Flockhart really shave her head for this?!


05 ~ Lost: Oh how year five made my brain hurt. I felt I needed a notebook like Daniel Faradays just to keep up with things. However, it was increasingly evident that the writers knew what they were doing, where they were going and taking the responsibility of wrapping up the show satisfactorily very seriously. If year six pulls this off, then this may be one of the greatest tv shows of all time and a possible number one this time next year.
04 ~ Dexter: I think Dexter could have been absolutely crap this year and I would have featured it very high on the list just for the amazing final minute of year four. I'm very swayed by how good a season finale is! Luckily year four was uniformly excellent throughout as Dexter found himself a repugnant role model for balancing job, social, family and killing. Unfortunately it all went horribly wrong and year five has the potential to be it's best yet...
03 ~ Greek: It's the sort of show that doesn't quite get all the raves it absolutely deserves and yet is easily the most quotable and delightful dramedy this side of Glee. Excellent cast, funny yet touching storylines, brilliant pop culture references - it's like Felicity with a sense of humour. Back for the second half of season 3 in the new year, long may they pledge!
02 ~ Gavin and Stacey: sob. It's all over (at least if you watched the dvds it is)... series 3 of the wonderfully warm yet hilarious sitcom bought the characters full circle and left me feeling a bit bereft that they won't be in my life any longer (Christmas specials pending). The final episode was a near masterpiece particularly the lovely Nessa-Gwen moment, a genuinely teary Gavin and Stace happy development and the dramatic conclusion to the Nessa-Smithy-DaveCoaches non love triangle. Oh what's occuring? More please - at least one offs in the future :/


01 ~ Glee: Taking over from the much lamented (by me anyway - where's the comic>!) Pushing Daisies, Glee was the most talked about show of the year. And quite rightly so. It was smart, engaging, funny, witty and sing a along all at the same time. There's not much I can say about it other than pick some of my favourite musical moments (in no particular order) from the first 13 eps of season one...

• Sweet Caroline - sure it's horribly overused by bad bar singers and karoake wannabes but Mark Salling was sweet and hot all at the same time when singing this because God wanted him to get into the hot jewish girls pants...:P
• Single Ladies - in a year of single ladies parodies, this was one of the most enjoyable. And of course the football team would put themselves through that :P Who cares? it totally made me smile...
• My Life Would Suck Without You - one of the years best songs soundtracked one of the years best cliffhangers. The tv version is much better than the soundtrack one with acapella intro and a sweetly harmonised second verse. Add the visuals of slow motion running and that kiss and you got a total winner...
• Proud Mary - it may have got stolen for sectionals, but take one of my fave songs and give it a wickedly inventive dance routine and there's nothing critical you can say about this. It rocks!
• Somebody To Love - like a big bombastic Queen number wasn't gonna get these kids rocking in the aisles!! Mercedes absolutely nails it at the end too. Get this girl a solo deal stat!
• Don't Stop Believing - ah the tune that launched a thousand shows, or at least set the standard for the next 13. Joe may have sucked the joy out of it on the x factor, but return to Glee and you'll see why this has become the surprise hit of the Christmas season. Ace ace ace.
• The video below. Just because!

TOP SHOWS BORN IN THE '00s (alphabetical order):

• At Home With The Braithwaites
• Brothers and Sisters
• Desperate Housewives
• Dexter
• Doctor Who
• Everwood
• Gavin and Stacey
• Gilmore Girls
• Greek
• Grey's Anatomy
• Lost
• Nip Tuck
• Pushing Daisies
• The Tudors
• Veronica Mars

Often I am as baffled by the state of UK tv as I am by the mind boggling antics of US tv networks (don't get me started on the recent Dollhouse axing!). To be fair, most UK tv shows are far shorter runs (anywhere between 6 and 13 episodes) which means they are already written and filmed before they even hit the air. There is far less likelihood a show will be cancelled midway through it's run (though not unheard of, and of course it can be shifted around the timeslots to bury it if a total flop). However, this causes problems in terms of never knowing when a show will air. Unless it's a national treasure (like Dr. Who), it's unlikely to air at the exact same time each year and may not be on the same channel (shows have switched from BBC3 to BBBC1 or ITV to ITV2). Still, it works well enough and there are 3 big returns for the autumnal season that all come back in the very near future. Excitement he wrote...

Dr. Who - The Specials:
Ah the Doc. One must credit David Tennant (mostly RAR!) and writer Russell T Davies for making the latest incarnation of Dr Who so darned entertaining and frankly brilliant. This year has been somewhat of a year off and affectionately known as "the specials". The traditional Christmas special aired in 2008 which wasn't too bad at all, while the Easter special was a not very budget busting bus in a desert exercise with some nice moments and a lovely bit of foreshadowing about the 10th doctor's demise (coming this Christmas to a screen near you!) The first of the final three specials ("The Waters of Mars") airs this very Sunday! I'm sure there is lots to be excited about, but the fact that it has Shane in it from Neighbours (remember stripper Daphne? That was so cutting edge back then. Nowadays no body blinks an eye at that sort of thing in soaps. Heck, even Leanne in Corrie was a prozzie!) is very exciting indeed. There'll be some exclusive trailer on next Friday's Children in need of the 2 Christmas specials, and if you need more Doctor then make sure you attend the wedding of Sarah Jane. For much more comprehensive coverage, you will no doubt need to visit the excellent Dr fan, Dan Project 76. That is all...

Beautiful People - Series 2:
I've just had a bit of a marathon session rewatching the first series of this rather endearing show. It's sometimes laugh out loud funny, sometimes gently amusing and sometimes incredibly touching which was an entirely winning combination for me. Yes, it's about a young lad who grows up to be gay, but it's more about that universal feeling of just seeming like you are different to everyone else when you are a teenager. The first series was littered with some wonderful scenes, but two of my favourites have to be...

• A very lovely scene where Simon's parents (Andy and Debbie) discuss their son being different in bed, and Andy becoming quite adamant that he will not force his son into being something he's not. Very reminiscent of my parents, and what a super place the world would be with more people like that in it...
• Later that very episode, Simon discovers a love for football (well Posh Spice had just hooked up with David Beckham) and is rather good at it, scores a winning goal and gets a Posh Spice doll from the school bully. All set rather movingly to the Kylie/Dannii duet, Winner Takes It all :)

And talking of music, the series is packed with wonderful choices. Whether it's dramatic fare like I've Never Been To Me, Don't Cry Out Loud (best key change ever) or PSB doing Somewhere, or newer tunes like the two theme tune songs from Dan Gillespie Sells or an update of Jolene by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, it all fits rather well into the atmosphere the show has created (and let's not forget it introduced the wistful voice of Sammy Taylor who must be close to be being big soon, surely?) Series 2 starts this Friday on BBC2 (featuring Dannii Minogue and Dana International!!) and I am as excited about it's return as I am about it's soundtrack (overseen by the aces Ian Masterson). Hurrah!
(Note: Apparently the PSB track Beautiful People was originally meant to accompany the series!)

Gavin and Stacey - Series 3:
I can't rave enough about this show. I just find it utterly adorable and hilarious. And I seem to have been waiting forever for a resolution to that devastating Smithy-Nessa moment at the end of last year's festive special. Series 3 FINALLY starts on 26th November 2009 and is likely to be the last we see of the show apart from the odd special here or there. I will be sad to lose these characters (particularly Pamela, Gavlar's mom) and their quirky little in-jokes (like singing the rappy bit to World in Motion), but I would rather they go out on a massive high (like Royle Family or Vicar of Dibley) than run itself into the ground. Sigh - the 26th can't come quickly enough!!

QUICK RETRO BITS:

• Having devoured the latest Adrian Mole book (The Prostrate Years - marvy read; highly recommend it!), I've gone back to the start and am just about to re-watch the tv version of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole for the first time in yonks. I also have the second series (Growing Pains) from 1987 (where Lulu replaced Julie Walters as the mom) and the Cappucino years (Cold Feet for nerds) from 2001. Can't wait :)
• Talking of old shows I must watch soon, one can't ignore the festive pull of the amazing Box of Delights tv adaptation. Sure it's aged worse than Madonna's arms, but there is still an innocent magic, an air of danger and something compelling about this classic old show. if you haven't seen it, at least go out and get the novel version - it will definitely tide you over until sexy Ben Barnes does the next Narnia movie!
• Finally, I'm pretty sure it's only me, but did anyone catch Jon Lee (former S Clubber) in the remake of the Famous Five last year?!

Back tomorrow with weekly catch up post; Sunday with all the X Factor news!

US network television has always baffled me to a certain extent - by and large their programming runs from September to May and they only show 22 weeks worth of shows during this time (often leaving long gaps between new episodes). If shows aren't performing well, they are unceremoniously yanked, leaving fans wondering if they will ever return (9 times out of 10 they won't). This means that many shows over the years have been left with unresolved storylines - where did that baby come from on Lois and Clark? Did Brooke survive getting mowed down by Nicole on the wonderful Popular? Did the malevolent Bob go wild once he possessed Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks?!

All of this means I'm always a bit wary of watching new tv shows until they are at least picked up for a season, but each year I'm drawn into a few shows just to see what they are like. I've become quite enamoured with 5 new shows this year so here they are and why they are wonderful :)

5 ~ Community (NBC): I had no interest in this Joel McHale fronted show (his Talk Soup show irritates me no end) until I watched the laugh out loud pilot episode. It manages to mix together snarky humour with a quite charming view of friendship as the cliched bunch of misfits manages to be both amusing and endearing. Key dialogue: “Oh, sorry, I was raised on TV, and I was conditioned to believe that every black woman over 50 is a cosmic mentor.”

4 ~ Eastwick (ABC): Despite the fact that it's Charmed for a major network, this adaptation of The Witches of Eastwick won me over for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's setting - often a quirky village can make a show - look at the insular townfolk of Everwood or the mysterious trappings of Twin Peaks. Eastwick is a slightly less whimsical version of the always marvelous Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) with a supernatural twist. Secondly, the characters of Joanna (one of the non-titular witches) and her pal Penny are ace - full of pithy pop culture references ranging from Like A Virgin to Nancy Drew. Plus who wouldn't have a crush on Will the photographer?! Key dialogue: "Oh, and by the way, you also have terrible bacne, a mild case of halitosis, and miniscule man-berries."

3 ~ Modern Family (ABC): I'm often incredibly wary of the "family sitcom". On the one hand it could really be as amazing as Blossom. On the other you may end up with a festering turd on a scale of Two and a Half Men. It's a bit hit and miss isn't it? Modern Family however has totally managed to make the family sitcom entertaining and funny again. Whether it be the cool "lets be buds" dad figure, the grandad with his new younger bride (and her hilarious son) or the jewel in the show Mitchell and his partner Cameron, there is something everyone can relate to here - all done in a complex, intruiging, smart yet ultimately heartwarming way. As Nick Alien Hits pointed out, it can turn from sweet to cringing in mere seconds and still be everso engaging. Long may they reign. Key dialogue: "There's a fish in nature that swims around with its babies in its mouth. That fish would look at Mitchell's relationship with his mother and say, 'That's messed up.'"

2~ Flash Forward (ABC): You know, I wasn't really looking for another sprawling arc-ridden sci-fi esque drama in my life (I'm still committed to Heroes, Supernatural and Lost) but the rather good "What Did You See?" campaign drew me in and the rather yum Joseph Fiennes convinced me to stay. Of course it is all utter bonkersosity at the moment and nothing will make sense for a while but it's all quite compelling and seems to have been well thought out. Love that the FBI thought a website would be a good way of compiling all the flashforwards - can you imagine the meltdown twitter and blogosphere would have gone into if this had actually happened? Key dialogue: "Six months from now I see myself and I'm like this invincible, fearless black guy... like Shaft or Bryant Gumbel."

1 ~ Glee (Fox): What is there to say about Glee that hasn't already been said (the EW cover above sums it up perfectly)? Remember how obsessed I was with Pushing Daisies? Since that died (I'm still mourning, let's no dwell, the pain is still raw) the hole in my heart has mercifully been filled by this show which has become a pop culture phenomenon - almost the (choke) Lady Gaga of tv. It's everywhere - 2 soundtracks before Christmas, a Wicked themed episode next week (hurrah! My fave musical meets my new fave show), a Christmas single (a cover of Last Christmas by Wham!!) and the dvd box set of the first 13 episodes just in time for my trip to Las Vegas. None of which tells you how amazing the show is - but you are either already in love with it or need to try it shortly (get back to me when you do). Key dialogue:

• "I, for one, think intimacy has no place in a marriage. Walked in on my parents once and it was like seeing two walruses wrestling." (Sue)
• "It was a message from God: Rachel was a hot Jew and the good lord wanted me to get into her pants." (the delicious Puck)
• "Every time I try to destroy that club, it comes back strong than some sexually ambiguous horror movie villain" (Sue)
• "Being a boy band did wonders for my love life... we started doing it once a week." (Will)
• "Oh, HELL to the no! Look, I'm not down with this background singin' nonsense. I'm Beyoncé, I ain't no Kelly Rowland." (Mercedes)

Best of the rest:

• Honourable mention: Cougar Town, Cleveland Show
• Looking forward to: V
• Returning champions: Greek, Gossip Girl, Brothers and Sisters, Dollhouse
• Much improved: Heroes, Grey's Anatomy
• Not as good as last year: Desperate Housewives, Family Guy
• Tried and trusted stalwarts: Supernatural, Smallville, Nip Tuck, Dexter, The Simpsons
• Stockpiling for a rainy day: Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Vampire Diaries
• Wished I watched but never did: Fringe, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock
• Need new seasons now!: Lost, True Blood, Big Love, The Tudors

And ace UK TV returning soon! Oh! What's occuring? Gavin & Stacey is back this Sunday! The wonderful Beautiful People is back (with an ace new soundtrack no doubt) on Nov 13th and Dr Who will return shortly and most definitely on Christmas Day.

What are you watching??

Hello everyone. Time for the mid week update special - purely because the US tv "season" has come to a close, and seeing as I watch so much of it I should probably do some sort of wrap up! As I do this, I am of course listening to Hotel Rival's Second Best To None (a-freaking-gain) purely because it is almost a pilot for a tv show itself. And if not then it is probably the ideal x factor finalists charity single for November (and so much better than a cover of Hero, n'est pas?). Anyway, as I so often do, I digress. So what of this tv "season"? Well at least it was more consistent than the strike-ridden last season, which I still hold responsible for killing (or at least gravely wounding) one of my favourite shows. So here is a brief run down of what shone, what stunk and everything in between...

SPECIAL MENTION:

Of course I have to mention my fave tv movie this season - Spectacular. Entirely enjoyable from start to finish and completely responsible for my current obsession of youtubing show choir versions of pop songs. And of course it featured Simon Curtis singing away in gold lame. What's not to love?! And while I (im)patiently wait for Spec2, there was quite an amusing episode of Hannah Montana this week featuring Simon. Now, despite loving See You Again and 7 Things, I've never taken the time to watch anything HanMontan, but for Simon i made an exception - I was surprised by actually how amusing (in a Saved By The Bell sort of way) the show is. The main scene that features Miley lusting after Simon is quite delightfully OTT, particularly when things start reminding Simon's character of his ex. Jenny! Artichoke Dip!! Check it out if you can :)

Shows that have lost their shine ~ I'm almost done with some of my old favourites. It's lucky that Prison Break finished this year (although a 2 hour wrap up movie has it's world premiere on Sky tv next week!) - i mean it was always a bit bonkers and illogical, but the third and fourth season really just took the piss. Ace for high octane thrills, rubbish if you wanted anything to make sense. And by god but Heroes and Ugly Betty became virtually unwatchable this year. Heroes may have won me back with the re-addition of Bryan "Pushing Daisies" Fuller and an interesting finale, but i think I'm dunzo with Betty. She has fast become the most unlikeable character on tv since righteous Krystle Carrington :(

Shows I might have left too late to get into ~ on behalf of my many friends who watch it and keep trying to convince me to watch it, thanks NBC for renewing Chuck. Yet it's one of those shows I keep meaning to watch but still haven't gotten around to. Also in that "interests me conceptually" category are 30 Rock (Adam Levine was in the freaking finale. ADAM LEVINE!), Friday Night Lights (with secret crush Kyle Chandler) and How I Met Your Mother (with Deb Gibson gal pal Dougie Howser!). If you were to recommend the dvds of just one, which would you go for?!

Shows I will be watching this summer ~ I do not trust US tv executives. Clearly most of them are stupid. In Britain (where admittedly we have shorter series runs), a show is rarely cut off midway through it's proposed run. The folks at Fox, CBS, NBC, CW and ABC just can't wait to throw the axe. So sometimes I am attracted to the idea of a show, but get this sense that it may not be long for this world. And as I am still mourning classic tv like Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Jack and Bobby et al I am cautious with my choices and often wait til a renewal notice comes through - that way I can either watch knowing a second season is a-coming, or at least be pre-warned I'm in it for only a set number of episodes. This year I totally didn't trust Fox to renew Dollhouse, but they totally did so I will be bugging DanUK and Adem with my opinions on it this summer. Ditto as I catch up on the Veronica Mars filled Party Down and mad as a box of frogs United States of Tara. And of course I am very excited about finally getting into Fringe :) I'm unconvinced by megasmash The Mentalist though - not sure I'm a CBS guy :P

Shows that totally have my attention for next season ~ Flash Forward, V, Eastwick, the amazing Glee (which aired after AI last night and was insanely and very "me") and possibly Day One and Happy Town (which sounds a bit Eureka doesn't it?)...


TOP TEN USA TV SHOWS OF THE 2008-2009 SEASON

10 ~ True Blood (HBO): Based on the actually very charming Sookie Stackhouse books, this HBO was everything Twilight should have been - sexy, funny, scary, dramatic and kinda romantic without ramming it down your throat. I'm suffering a Twilight backlash, so this nighttime soap is the perfect antidote. Bring on season 2...
09 ~ The Office (NBC): Oh, it's all (and always has been) about Jim and Pam. They are just too darn adorable together. Plus it continues to be one of the funniest observational shows on television on what used to be Must See Thursday...
08 ~ The Tudors (Showtime): Clearly getting more historically inaccurate by the day (Henry isn't getting fat, he just has a gammy leg) but a decent dramatic portrayal of my favourite era of history ever is always enhanced by the presence of Henry Cavill (yummers) who this season is all tormented by his king-ordered murderous deeds. Meanwhile, Henry is romping through wives and is already entertaining a fourth - the brilliantly cast unlikeable Joss Stone who plays the unlikeable Anne of Cleves. Ace. Final year though next year :(
07 ~ Grey's Anatomy (ABC): Once my favourite show, it then got all mired in the homophobia and tiresome Katherine Heigl moaning about wanting to be a movie star. Oh and bad writing. The Denny's ghost storyline, though explained, was still extremely unnecessary. But when it delivers it delivers, and the final batch of episodes were just brillo. Meredith having 007 written on her hand was just jaw dropping. And the whole show is still infinitely better than it's spin off (despite that having a killer cliffhanger...)
06 ~ Reaper (The CW): By this time tomorrow, Reaper may be in hell. It's not looking good with Sock having defected to a comedy. On FOX! I mean for crying out god's sake, how long do they usually last?! Smartly written, funny, well acted and always enjoyable, this was always the little show that could on The CW and while 90210 got all the media attention this year, this little gem is what people should have been watching :( I'll be tres sad if it goes...
05 ~ Greek (ABC Family): Greek sort of crept up on me and took me unawares. While Felicity and Undeclared remain the greatest college tv shows of all time, this is not far behind. Seeing as we don't have fraternities and sororities in the UK, i'm always fascinated by them and this show continues to be hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time. Jesse McCartney was a decent cast addition but it's Max and Casey that have my heart. PS, this show sneaks in some of the funniest one liners - comedy writers could do a lot worse than to learn from these guys :P
04 ~ Brothers and Sisters (ABC): It can veer towards the sudsy side of soap on occasions but generally it's brilliantly written and wonderfully acted. Holly has to be the most understated villain on tv (a stark contrast to the hyper Wilhemena on Ugly Betty) and it's easy to see why Tommy wanted rid. The addition of Ryan as the latest bastard to join the clan has been intruiging and frankly who wouldn't want to boff Park Guy after how moody Rob Lowe has been lately? Funniest moment? Kevin and Scotty getting all passionate at the thought of a threesome :)
03 ~ Lost (ABC): If it pulls off it's final season next year with the same skill it has year five, then Lost may well end up not only as one of the best shows of the millenium, but one of the best shows on tv ever. While I constantly feel like I need to be taking notes, it's rich and textured story telling is full of easter eggs and hints that are now starting to pay off. The finale had some strange character interactions but ultimately bought on a bit of a game changer for the islanders before they soprano'd our asses with that white screen fade out. 2010 seems SO far away!!
02 ~ Gossip Girl (The CW): Six-seven years ago, this list would have been full of WB shows including Everwood, Felicity, Gilmore Girls and Buffy. Either i've grown up or the quality on that network has gone right down hill. Luckily Gossip Girl is more than which guy you would like to spaffle on (current winner: slutty Nate) and is a veritable melting pot of teen hormones, switching partners, unfeasible dilemmas, hot DILFS (hello Rufus) and the lovely voice of Veronica Mars. Yes it's all a bit bonkers and yes it's for teenage girl but I care not. I'm entirely hooked. OMFGG!
01 ~ Pushing Daisies (ABC): Sob. It came. It saw. It sadly didn't conquer. What it did do was bring a whimsical fairy story to life in a beautifully colourful and vivid way. Not only was the entire cast top notch, but the story telling whisked you away from the worries of life on a weekly basis (at least til ABC yanked it and the poor americans are still waiting for the final 3 eps that the UK aired in April). Seeing Ned and Charlotte find inventive ways to touch, smooch and hold each other was a delight. Hated the bodged together ending, would have preferred an open ended cliffhanger over that! Still, any show that has all of the above, plus a fascination with plurals (Darling Mermaid Darlings, C'ouer de C'oeurs, Boutique Travel Boutique) and Kristin singing Eternal Flame is a-ok with me. Am I mad at ABC for cancelling it - not really, i'm just pleased they allowed 22 episodes of quirky goodness into my life! Now bring on the zombie filled comics :)
Honourable mentions: Desperate Housewives; Dexter; Kyle XY; Supernatural; Smallville

What are your thoughts?!

There seems to be less and less blog posts in the week between these weekly catch ups. Oh well, it's quality not quantity isn't it? Or at the very least that i bother to post at all :P Life just seems to have gotten very busy - work, friends, family all of course take precedent. And honestly, thinking up witty facebook status updates is a full time job! My latest is of course in deliciously poor taste ("Paul is in shock - I was driving to visit relatives and saw a drunk girl stumble out a club flashing her long eyed front bum") - but really, my Sunday couldn't get worse after I sold my soul to the devil and bought the (whispers) Mail on Sunday for the free Pet Shop Boys cd! I have had to shower twice to get the stench of hate off my increasingly lean frame. Still, the new YES track on it is quite nice. (Apparently the PSB listening party was the place to be in London this weekend - get all the gossip at Phil's pad!)(How ace that Phil got to attend - Very. Jealous(y). Yes!) Now I'm going to go back to listening to Ace of Base's The Sign (original and 2009 mix) while I type up today's tv catch up!

TV TIMES:

So, yes. I finally got to see Spectacular in all it's glory this week. And mighty enjoyable it was too. Of course there were the inevitable comparisons to High School Musical in the press, but i thought it had more in common with Bring It On than the Disney vehicle. It's basically the story of two competing show choirs. Spectacular has lost it's lead vocalist (Simon Curtis' character, Royce) to rival group Ta-Da (love that name) so bring in renegade rock vocalist Nikko (who has an unconventionally adorably cute older brother played by Christopher Jacot) to sing for them. I won't give away the main plot for those who haven't seen it, but while it isn't particularly groundbreaking, it's delivered with such verve and fun and energy by the cast, that just like the saturday matinee musicals of years gone by it's a delight to watch. Yes, of course I got all proud and excited when Simon came on screen, but the whole cast are uniformly excellent. Here are some of my highlights:

- "I happen to like bowling"/"Well you are familiar with the gutter"
- Simon's character Royce trying to be tough to Nikko who then responds "that was the weirdest trash talking ever!"
- I liked the universal themes of not wanting to break the mould but being willing to follow your own path in life.
- Ace musical numbers at the end - Wings of A Dream and Something To Believe In both deserve to be pop hits
- At first, i was not a fan of Simon's pushed up jacket sleeves look, but someone on the set was ahead of the time - major fashion line at all the big department stores this spring/summer!
- If you're looking for an utterly enjoyable family flick that makes you feel good and gets your feet tapping, you could do A LOT worse than this. Bring on the sequel!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

• I caught up with Bro&Sis this weekend. The two hour special was rather good, bought together a lot of the lingering plot strands and moved them forward nicely. I'm liking the addition of Ryan, and looking forward to the Walkers pitted against evil Holly. Lovely use of Fix You as well in the hospital scenes.
• Kyle XY only has two episodes to go! I've always liked this sci-fi/fantasy drama, but felt it never quite reached it's potential - that extra something that made it great. I'm worried that it won't wrap up all the storylines by it's finale, but we'll see. Something that is reaching it's potential was the ace and fun return of Reaper. Half a season pick up is not enough for this skill show.
• Strangely disappointed with the Nip/Tuck finale. It didn't have the shock factor of some of the other end of year finales, but it will be interesting to see how this affects the characters in the shows final year.
• Lost is brilliant. Heroes is not.
• The final three episodes of Pushing Daisies will premiere in the UK at the beginning of April. Am very excited but of course sad at the same time. Brilliant show - too good for tv :(
• Farscape - which i freaking adored - is back! The webisodes start in April, but the first three issues of the comic miniseries, picking up where the epic PeaceKeeper Wars ended are available now. I am saving them for my hols in a few weeks...
• Finally, can anyone tell me whether Dollhouse, United States of Tara or 3rd series of Skins are worth watching? (Ditto Fringe!) I have the episodes ready to watch but something holds me back. That'll be the need to catch up on every episode of Battlestar Galactica then...

TOP 21 SONGS OF THE WEEK:

21 - The Killers, Spaceman
20 - Marit Larsen, The Chase
19 - Annie Lennox, Shining Light
18 - Same Difference, If You Can't Dance
17 - Alesha Dixon, Breathe Slow
16 - Lily Allen, The Fear
15 - Jason Mraz, Dynamo of Volition
14 - Lenka, Trouble Is A Friend (VID)
13 - Kevin Borg, Every Little Bit of Me
12 - The Saturdays, Just Can't Get Enough
11 - Mans Zelmerlow, Hope and Glory (NE)
10 - The Days, No Ties
09 - Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice, On The Wings of a Dream
08 - William Young, Let it Go
07 - Take That, Up All Night
06 - Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You
05 - McFly, The Last Song
04 - Sugababes, Every Heart Broken
03 - Taylor Swift, Love Story
02 - PSB, Love, Etc.
01 - BWO, You're Not Alone (1 week)
Previous number ones: PSB, Love, Etc. (1 week); Sugababes, Every Heart Broken (4 weeks); Simon Curtis, On The Wings of a Dream (4 weeks)

coming soon - very exciting news about my debut novel, another album i've loved, some single reviews, some new artists, best one album artists...

Oh for the love of all things holy. Valentine's Day weekend, and indeed the days prior to that have been quite worrisome indeed. Darren's infection has come roaring back with a vengence and is now quite ill and feversome with it all. And to top it off, he has the most incompetent doctor ever (you can almost hear him counting the days to his imminent retirement), and is having a very bad reaction to the antibiotics he is on. Magnificent! Still, VD was fairly cosy - we snuggled up on the sofa and watched a dvd-screener copy of a movie (can't say what as it was probably less than legal, but it was a curious little film and as cute as a button) and a special on Torvill and Dean's Bolero, which won gold at the olympics 25 years ago this week. Such an amazing moment in British sporting history, that I vividly remember watching with my parents while playing My Little Pony with my sisters. Aah, look at me talking about sport - i'm so Jock right now...

THINGS I WAS TOO BUSY TO BLOG ABOUT THIS WEEK:

Kudos to popjustice for reminding me of the brilliant Independent Love Song by Scarlet (above). It's one of those songs that I loved at the time, then forget about until I am sporadically reminded, like I was this week. I'm thinking that a nice cover version of this is due, perhaps in the same way that Leona Lewis covered Run. It might even make Alexandra interesting for 3 minutes if she did it. Or not. Anyway, it also made me want to listen to the amazing acoustic version of Stay by Shakespeare's Sister and bizarrely, Come In Out Of The Rain by Wendy Moten. Go figure!

Talking of popjustice, it was their campaigning for The Days to cover the aforementioned Scarlet song that finally reminded me to write about this upcoming spunky punky pop-rock group. Their debut single "No Ties" is out this week and has a serious chant a long chorus (not quite as graceful as Pet Shop Boys in Love, Etc., but delightful nonetheless) that totally earns them my "thinking mans boyband" tag (think McFly/Kaiser Chiefs/Ordinary Boys etc). The lovely lads have been all over the place promoting the single, including doing a brillo cover of Usher's Love in the Club (only available if you purchase the single here), a less brillo cover of BSB I Want It That Way over at Popjustice, and hanging cool with the delightful Dermot O'Leary and providing him with a nice acoustic set. I'm increasingly pleased by The Days and can't wait to see what they do next :) They are clearly the new Rooster, who i adored btw...(Check our Aaron's views and PopReviewsNow views here and here respectively!)

Is it just me or as Grey's Anatomy got worse this season, Private Practice got better? And that actually only the merging of the two shows in this week's GA episode has saved my formerly favourite show from being completely unwatchable (though getting rid of Denny's ghost has improved things somewhat!)Call it the Buffy/Angel syndrome - when Angel launched in Buffy's fourth year, the quality of Buffy went right down hill and it took a while (in my opinion) for Joss Whedon to find the right balance in running both shows. Hopefully Shondra Rhimes is now up to the task of steering Grey's back on course, while maintaining the current quality of Private Practice. Oh, the video above is the rather gorgeous cover of Angel Flying To Close To The Ground by Beth Rowley. It featured in PP a couple of episodes ago, and is quite, quite lovely.

As entertaining as that Cadburys advertisement is (with the two kids doing some bizarro eyebrow movements), far more entertaining are the parodies popping up on youtube on a nearly hourly basis. By far the best one comes from the entirely delicious Derbyshire duo, Syncsta. I've long been a fan of their zany insania youtube blogs (many of which have views in the hundreds of thousands! Lumme!) and this is one of their best to date (though PPG, you might have a liking for this one too!). Also check out the DJs for a local radio show here. Vair vair amused bouche in the extreme.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

• Mike Poptrashaddicts guides to Kylie b-sides. I'm a fan of the S/A/W ones and those kooky acoustic light years tracks...
• Scandi-pop's FANtastic interview with September. It's tres entertaining...
• Aaron has an ace guide to what is undiscovered Britney territory for me. The original mix of Overprotected is still my very fave Brit tune ever...
• Finally Philapolava reports that the Gaga is duetting with PSB at the Brits on Weds (which weirdly, as is my lot with awards shows, I have no interest in). It is very wrong indeed that the vocodered hussy gets to sing Dusty Springfield's gorgeous vocals of all things. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

TOP 21 TRACKS OF THE WEEK:

21 - Britannia High, Start of Something
20 - Little Boots, Meddle
19 - Leon Jackson, Creative
18 - Jason Mraz, Live High
17 - Danny, Radio (acoustic)
16 - The Saturdays, Just Can't Get Enough (NE)
15 - William Young, Let It Go (NE)
14 - Neo, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
13 - Girls Aloud, The Loving Kind
12 - Darin, See You At The Club
11 - Annie Lennox, Shining Light
10 - Same Difference, If You Can't Dance
09 - Lily Allen, The Fear
08 - Taylor Swift, Love Story
07 - Alesha Dixon, Breathe Slow
06 - The Killers, Spaceman
05 - Take That, Up All Night
04 - Kelly Clarkson, My Life Would Suck Without You
03 - Simon Curtis/Victoria Justice, On The Wings Of A Dream (VID - amazing rehearsal clip!)
02 - Pet Shop Boys, Love, Etc.
01 - Sugababes, Every Heart Broken (3 weeks)

Coming soon: New Acts update! Thezapping/fizzypop 3 years special - Simon Curtis edition! Thezapping/fizzypop 3 years special - true bloggywood story edition!

Oh. My. Effing. God. Gossip Girl was bound to end up on the front of my fave mag Entertainment Weekly (they were the cover stars of the Fall TV Preview issue) but the guys on the front of my second favourite magazine Details? Too much! Well it's not really too much, but a conker (horse chesnut) fell on my bonce today still encased in it's spikiness, so I think I am feeling a bit stabbed to be honest with you. Anyway, I've been waiting for the effortlessly giddy Pushing Daisies to return before I evaluated what's good on the box stateside, so here goes...

10: Prison Break, Season Four ~ Oh it's gone beyond ridiculousness now with beheaded people being re-headed (so there is hope for Anne Boleyn then in season 3 of The Tudors) but ignore the gaping plot holes and it's actually quite a lot of fun...
09: Heroes, Season Three ~ Hmmm, Heroes is on probation with me. That Japanese in the past storyline from year two was uber boring. Still, I am quite loving the unemployed (Eli Navarro) and overemployed (Veronica herself) VM cast; and that punky little blonde speedster is ace of base...
08: Brothers & Sisters, Season Three ~ First off, I seriously love it when children blackmail adults. Secondly the actor that plays Justin got a lot hotter over the summer. Thirdly, it is back to bickering and backstabbing wrapped up in love. Perfect. And Sally Fields rocks...
07: Ugly Betty, Season Three ~ Thank God the sandwich maker and the nerd have gone. Betty is still veering on being annoyingly righteous all the time, but an appearance from part time lesbian Lindsey Lohan and a hot new neighbour the show still has it's footing...
06: Greek, Season Two ~ Well didn't this show just sneak up on me and get all engrossing and fun? It's far superior to the dull pregnant show and that weird Middleman nonsense ABC Family foisted on us over the summer. And it has gays kissing. Marv.
05: Entourage, Season Five ~ It's nice to see Vince be persona non gratis in LA while little Eric and Johnny Drama become the successful ones. Best bit of the show is Ari Gold and Lloyd ~ when Ari convincingly bitchslaps a colleague, Lloyd squeals "ooo Ari you've got fists of fury!!" Brilliant!
04: Desperate Housewives, Season Five ~ It's five years in the future. How One Tree Hill/Veronica Mars (had it not been axed) of it. Edie is back with a secretive hubby. Gaby's daughter is brilliant. The gays are still underutilised. Carlos is still blind. Susan is still annoying. Bree is still amazing. Ergo, Desperate Housewives still rules.
03: Grey's Anatomy, Season Five ~ Considering my undying love for this show and McDreamy, I don't get why I am so ambivilent about Private Practice. Anyway, GA is back, DerMer are finally together, there is the best use of an icicle since it was used as a murder weapon in Bad Girls and finally the constant shagging around catches up with the quality of the hospital much to whatsisname's chagrin... Love love loved the 3 wives in a car accident storyline. Quite touching. I sniffled.
02: Gossip Girl, Season Two ~ Frankly this would be number two on quotability alone. This week's gem included the amazing Veronica Mars voiceover opining "What's fashion week without a fashion victim? Better watch out little J - there is a bullseye on your back" and Dan responding to Chuck asking if he was gay - "that's WAY outside my comfort zone". I really don't need to say anymore, except shame on them for using the Nelly Furtado Maneater clone Poker Face song in the opening scene. Whatever next? The Saturdays promoting Ugly Betty? Oh....
01: Pushing Daisies, Season Two ~ Chuck and Ned return! And thank god the producers realise that they are better taking on the world together rather than taking on each other. And thank god for inventive solutions to not touching each other. And thank god for it being as whimsical and magical as ever. And thank god for Chi McBride adding some much needed salty sass to the proceedings. It's the most fairytale show on tv and that suits me just fine. PS Lee Pace I love you ever such a little bit...


Still worth a peek: Smallville (despite the fact that the storyline is now so convoluted you need a degree to access it, it's the final season and seeing Clark push up his glasses in the credits is kind of a thrill); Supernatural (now with added Jesus!); Dirty Sexy Money (it's firmly on it's way to becoming Dynasty of the millenium) and Friday Night Lights (tv's best least watched drama!)

Ones I've yet to watch: Dexter Season Three; True Blood Season One; Fringe Season One;


Back tomorrow with a massive pop wrap up....