8 posts tagged “television shows”
My husband discovered this series on NetFlix, and I have to tell you that I'm really enjoying it. I'm currently watching the second episode (not including the pilot), and I'm really enjoying it. The characters are likeable, the writing is hilarious, and it's just really enjoyable.
I'll have to write more about it when I get through more of this first season. But for now, this is just really enjoyable.
The Boy is watching the "Eat" episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! and just did the Puppet Master dancey-dance.
Okay, he didn't get the timing right and didn't do the arm movements, but he raised his knees and his feet when Elijah Wood told him to, and walked in a circle when told, too.
Too much fun!
Most forms of entertainment require a degree of this. After all, can we really believe that people randomly break out in song to explain an important detail?
Anyway, my cousin was filling me in last week on the details of the new 90210. I have a confession: I religiously watched the original 90210, but I lost interest once Shannen Doherty left. (After all, before she was Brenda Walsh, she was Heather Duke.) And then when they left the zip code to go to college, well, I really stopped watching.
So, back to the new 90210. Instead of twins, the main parents have a daughter and an adopted son (who happens to be black - they adopted him while he was a foster child in their home). They're moving to So Cal from Kansas instead of Minnesota. And the adopted son? He's a star la crosse player... from Kansas.
Would one of my neighbors from the Mid West please clarify this for me? Do schools even have la crosse teams in Kansas?
The dad of the parents is some guy who used to be on Melrose Place, and if I'm not mistaken, I think his character died. I also think Kelly Tayor (Jenni Garth's character) either slept with him or had a crush on him, but I could also be thinking of someone else. (So many people in Kelly's life to keep track of, you see.) Anyway, he's supposed to be a West Beverly alum, and is coming back to SoCal to take care of his ailing mother and assume the role of school principal at West Beverly - where Kelly teaches (or is a guidance counselor - I really wasn't paying attention).
He gave me a rundown on the other characters and their backstories, too, but each one seemed more far-fetched the the previous. I think the jury's still out on whether I'll give this show a chance. I honestly haven't decided. I think if Brenda came back to West Beverly instead of Kelly, I'd be more apt to watch. But I don't know.
All I know is that if I decide to watch it, I'll have to suspend disbelief for an awfully long time...
At least this one will end fairly soon. Or, at least, I know there's a definite end on the horizon.
Chris brought home the first disc of Freaks and Geeks a few weeks ago. How in the world did I miss this show? It's smart, it's funny, it stars people who remind me of people from my own high school days...
Okay, I really like this series. I even tried not to because, well, it's been a while since I've been a fan of period shows set in high school. (American Dreams, anyone?) Plus, it's set in 1980! That was just an awkward time for everyone. (Especially me - I was in kindergarten in Miss Winger's class, and, well, I just really didn't like her.) But somewhere along the line, I got sucked in. We're halfway through it, and I was so bummed that the next installment wouldn't arrive for another day or so.
If you aren't familiar with the show, do yourself a favor and watch it. Jason Segel and Seth Rogen are both in it, and the rest of the cast rocks. It's just a really cute show. I won't say what happened in the last episode we watched last night, but suffice it to say that I was sufficiently bummed for Lindsay (Linda Cardellini's role and the main character). I could explain what I mean by that, but it's a little complicated.
Oh, and the soundtrack is awesome. Go figure - it's set in 1980. But seriously. I think Styx and Journey and Rush should be featured in more television shows. I'm just saying.
A couple of months ago, my husband brought in the first disk from the first season of Weeds. I really didn't watch the first episode; I listened while he watched in the living room and I washed dishes in the kitchen. (This is actually how I "watch" a lot of TV.)
The episodes were nice and short - just a half hour each - and the characters were engaging. The premise was also pretty interesting. After all, I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and, well, grew up with kids who lived in little houses made of ticky tack. Who am I trying to kid? My house was made of ticky tack, too.
Anyway, somewhere during the second or third episode, I was interested in the show. By the end of the first season's DVDs, I was definitely hooked. And then there was the end of Season 2... If ever I wanted to sign up for Showtime, it was after seeing that season finale.
Not to worry, though - Season 3 was coming out in just a few weeks, and we'd be able to watch it then.
Well, the first disk arrived last week. As soon as I plopped down on the couch to watch it - never mind that it was late on a Saturday night and we had just said "Good night" to our friends - I wanted to keep watching until I finished that disk. The second disk arrived yesterday, and after dinner, Chris and I sat down to watch that one, too. At 9:30, we only had two episodes left on the disk, and I insisted we finish it so he could send the disk back to NetFlix right away. (And because I wanted to sit and watch TV, I had to scramble this morning to wash last night's dinner dishes! Bad, bad Eileen.)
Tonight, since the third disk is already at our house, that's what we're going to watch tonight after The Boy goes to bed. Thankfully, we don't have anything more exciting than hair appointments tomorrow morning, but I'm eagerly anticipating tonight's showing nonetheless.
If you haven't watched Weeds, I really do recommend you watch the first few episodes. It's smart, funny, and just this side of edgy. And the characters are very well developed - you actually care about all of these people.
Has it made me want to light up? No. But I'm still very close to wanting a Showtime subscription!
I've discovered two things that are guaranteed to make my little boy happy: good food and balloons. I've written quite a bit about food, but I don't think I've written much about his newest fascination with balloons.
My friend Bekki was the instigator in all of this. I hold her fully responsible, anyway, even though my husband was really the one to introduce The Boy to balloons.
Bekki brought him a Mylar balloon for his birthday, in addition to other toys. (I tell Bekki she's The Boy's Auntie Mame, and then I have to remind her that's a good thing.) The balloon was a hit! Sure, he loved all the Little People he received, too, and he enjoyed his cake tremendously, but the balloon was the gift that kept giving... until the helium started running out, anyway.
Now, whenever Chris takes him to Publix, The Boy points at and screams for all the balloons in the store. I don't witness this personally, but I can totally picture it. He also seems to find every balloon on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, spotting them long before Chris or I see them. Oddly, though, he doesn't care about the red balloon in Goodnight Moon. But I digress.
Earlier this week, there was a Yo Gabba Gabba! episode called "Love", and the first part of the show featured balloons. Let me back up a moment and say that putting Yo Gabba Gabba! on TV is a sure-fire way to get this child to stay still for 10 to 15 minutes. I know it's terrible to let your child watch television, especially one as young as The Boy, but if you could just see how fixated he is with the show - and how much he enjoys the music - you would relent, too.
So back to the "Love" episode. Like I said, the first part of the show featured balloons. There was even a song about balloons during the Super Music Friend Show segment. The Boy was transfixed. He was so mesmerized, in fact, that I changed his diaper, changed his clothing, put on his socks and shoes, and clipped his nails - and he didn't fuss one bit. It was like he was watching the best episode of the best show ever and couldn't be bothered to be annoyed with me!
If a fascination with balloons is hereditary, he gets it from me. I absolutely love balloons, though I don't know exactly why. In fact, I prefer balloons to flowers, and I always have. Weird, isn't it?
I've been trying to keep The Boy from watching TV. It's not so hard to do when it's just the two of us, but the TV helps my husband unwind, and I'm certainly not going to ban my husband from watching TV.
As I'm sure a number of parents out there can attest, keeping your kidlets from the brain-sucker in the living room is not an easy task. And this weekend, I discovered that The Boy really enjoys watching Yo Gabba Gabba.
I really can't complain. There are, after all, far worse things for him to watch. Yo Gabba Gabba is, after all, somewhat educational, and he likes the music. His favorite song? "There's a Party in My Tummy", of course. We discovered this Saturday afternoon when Chris was trying to coax him out of the kitchen where I was making hummus. Apparently, there was a Banana Song on a previous episode, and he was trying to find it on TiVo for me. The song happened to come on, and The Boy immediately dropped to the floor and crawled as fast as he could to the coffee table, where he pulled himself to standing and began to dance.
So now this song is stuck in my head. I actually sang it to myself as I was having a snack: "Cheese! Yeah, party party in my tummy! Yeah! Party party! Jello! Yeah, party party in my tummy! Yeah! Party party!"
Someone please commit me. I've officially lost my mind.
What television show stands the test of time?
For one thing, it had the highest rated finale in television history.
For another, the show lasted longer than the war in which it was set.
