Last week was a very eventful week out in the world. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(that's pronounced "I'm in a dinner jacket,"
thanks Katie Couric!) visited Columbia University. Bill O'Reilly made an
even bigger ass of himself than usual. Some truly
awful stuff went down in Myanmar/Burma.
And, oh yeah, Tyra Banks demonstrated the proper position to assume whilst receiving a bikini wax on national television--thus heralding the beginning of another Fall TV season.
I was a little bummed when it occurred to me that I wasn't particularly excited about any returning show. My beloved
Veronica Mars is gone, off to solve the mystery of why we should care that The CW even exists. I've declared this season of
Grey's Anatomy Dead On Arrival, and
Battlestar Galactica doesn't come back until the winter. For the first September in a long time, I was sans appointment television.
Then, I realized that this is really an opportunity for a fresh start. My Season Pass function is a blank canvas waiting to be filled. So I decided to treat the new television season as if it were all-you-can-eat night at the Schezwan Palace--that is to say, stuff myself with little bit of everything and then see what brings me back for seconds.
So here for your viewing pleasure is a quick run-down of the hits, misses and first impressions from the past week:
Heroes: Unlike the rest of America, I didn't really fall in love with Heroes last season. I'm giving it a second shot to suck me in, mainly because
Kristen Bell is joining the cast. The real battle this season will be to see who emerges as the most adorable, blond super-girl on the show. (My money says Veronica Mars kicks the cheerleader's ass).
Gossip Girl: I figured that if it was even half as fun as the first season of
The OC it would be worthwhile. So far it seems trite and over-the-top soapy...yet still better than seasons 2-4 of
The OC. I doubt I'll stick with it. Could it be that I've just gotten too old for teen dramas? (Nah....)
Chuck: The nerds have indeed inherited the earth. Or at least a bunch of national security secrets. The pilot was fun, we'll see how it goes.
30 Rock: The new season hasn't started yet, but I'm planning on bumping this up to Season Pass status. I adore Tina Fey. I kind of want to be her.
Dirty Sexy Money: I decided to check this one out because it starred Nate from
Six Feet Under. The money part is accurate, but I'm not really sold on the dirty and the sexy. (On a side note, Dakota Fanning's little sister is on the show. She looks so much like her older sibling that I'm really starting to think there's a factory somewhere in Hollywood that mass produces Fanning children.)
Moonlight: Watched this one because V.M. alum
Jason Dohring is in the cast. Instead of playing the bad-boy high school love interest, he now plays a bad-boy immortal vampire, which is like three steps up the bad-boy ladder. But still, a show about a vampire who fights crime in Los Angeles? It's already been done--and byJoss Whedon, which automatically means it's been done better.
How I Met Your Mother: I recently watched the first season on DVD after hearing some good things about it, and I was totally charmed. The show is sort of like
Friends' cooler, more down-to-earth cousin. And if his appearance in "Harold and Kumar" wasn't enough to renew your all-encompassing love of Neil Patrick Harris, his performance on HIMYM will. It might even be leg-en-dary.
That's all for now. If you have any suggestions or recommendations feel free to pass them along, although it looks like my plate is going to be pretty full. Also, sometimes I like to, you know, read stuff.
