My Fall TV List

All the networks have been announcing their Fall TV Schedules & I am overall really happy!! There are a few shows that I'm sad have been canceled (Hellcats, Off the Map, Mr. Sunshine), but there are also a bunch of new shows I can't wait to watch! 

First, let's talk about what I'm excited is returning! (In no particular order)

House

Fox, Mondays at 9pm

I can't believe that Cuddy isn't coming back, but I do feel like House is still giving us crazy storylines that have me completely on the edge of my seat. One main example: House's absolutely insane & disturbing surgery on himself in this week's episode. OMG.

Glee

Fox, Tuesdays at 8pm

Of course, this is just amazing and it makes me really happy and I want it to keep coming back year after year. And I'm ready for Finn & Rachel to be back together. And definitely for Puck to stir up some trouble next season. I feel like he wasn't enough of a troublemaker this season.

Raising Hope

Fox, Tuesdays at 9:30pm

While this isn't one of my absolute favorites, it does make me laugh regularly & I think that's all you can ask for.

Bones

Fox, Thursdays at 9pm

I absolutely cannot wait for the finale tonight to find out if Booth & Bones did it! LOL. I will keep watching this one even though they completely  make me angry regularly with there back & forth kind of junk between the two of them. It's been way too long. Just let them get together already!

Parenthood

NBC, Tuesdays at 10pm

If you are a parent or you have parents or you have siblings (which I should've covered everyone by now), you should be watching this show. It's beautiful and challenging and funny and just a really lovely family show.

The Office

NBC, Thursdays at 9pm

So curious about next season without Steve Carell!

Castle

ABC, Mondays at 10pm

Eh, it'll remain on my DVR, but depending on how the beginning of next season goes, this one could be off after a few episodes.

Modern Family

ABC, Wednesdays at 9pm

Hilarious. Keep 'em coming.

Happy Endings

ABC, Wednesdays at 9:30pm

This was a midseason pickup this year & I have been so surprised by how much I LOVE it! It's just hilarious! The combo of those 6 characters is really great! It's right up there with the Friends or How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory combo of characters for me. I hope it has a great second season!

Grey's Anatomy

ABC, Thursdays at 9pm

I just never get tired of this show.

Private Practice

ABC, Thursdays at 10pm

Okay, this is one I just started watching a couple months ago & I'm within half a season of being caught up. Thank you, Hulu Plus, for having the whole fourth season available to me! I love this!

90210

CW, Tuesdays at 8pm

Loving this one still, too! Is Naomi really pregnant?? Because I feel like she's lying to get the nerd to stick around.

Big Bang Theory

CBS, Thursdays at 8pm

This is just one of the best shows on tv. If it didn't come back, I would freak out.

Cougar Town

ABC, Wednesdays at 9pm (midseason)

Coming back mid-season - really?? This show is awesome!!!!!

Gossip Girl

CW, Mondays at 8pm

Love this! I really wanted Chuck & Blair to get together again, but I kinda get it. Maybe she'll really get to be a princess! And I now need to read The Beautiful and Damned this summer.

How I Met Your Mother

CBS, Mondays at 8pm

Barney is getting married?!? When do we get to meet the mother???

The Vampire Diaries

CW, Thursdays at 8pm

This is my favorite show on TV right now. I am so curious about everything coming up next season! Cannot believe Jenna is dead. Kinda ready for Elena & Damon to get together for a while. Cannot believe Stefan is bad again!!!

Saturday Night Live

NBC, Saturdays at 11:30pm

I mean, really, it's just a TV legend. It must continue.

Project Runway All-Stars

Lifetime

Excited about this - don't know when it comes on, though!

Now, the one I'm not in favor of returning...

One Tree Hill

CW, Tuesdays (midseason)

Yes, I have been a One Tree Hill fan for a really long time now. I have been in support of it returning every year that it's been on. But this season, they ended it perfectly. Everyone is happy. Everyone has a baby or someone who loves them or has somehow made amends or whatever. It's just all wrapped up. What else is there to do? Especially in only 13 episodes of a mid-season pickup? I feel like it will just be creating drama for no reason. I wish they had just left this one alone. The finale this season was a perfect ending to the show & I just don't know if I'll continue watching it next season. I wish they would go out strong & positive. I mean, Jamie running across the bridge with the basketball & the Keith Scott motors sweatshirt?? How much more perfect of an ending do you need??

And the new shows I will be trying out in the fall are...

New Girl

Fox, Tuesdays at 9pm

Zooey Deschanel is coming to TV! Of course I will be watching. I don't even know what the show is about, but I'm there.

Suburgatory

ABC, Wednesdays at 8:30pm

I was not really interested in this one, but then I watched the preview. It looks funny! And it's a dad/daughter show & I'm always up for giving those a shot.

Once Upon a Time

ABC, Sundays at 8pm

Jennifer Morrison & Ginnifer Goodwin star in this show about a city where fairy tales are coming true. Cheesy? Maybe. Interesting to me? Definitely. I'll give it a shot.

Secret Circle

CW, Thursdays at 9pm

This is starring Brit Robertson, who I loved in Life Unexpected. It's based on more books by LJ Smith, who wrote The Vampire Diaries. I'll be reading the books this summer & adding this to my DVR this fall! I'm definitely interested!

Hart of Dixie

CW, Mondays at 9pm

Rachel Bilson is returning to TV. I think she's adorable & I've liked pretty much everything else she's been in. Plus it's on the CW & I tend to like most things on the CW, so I'm in to give it a shot!

Ringer

CW, Tuesdays at 9pm

Sarah Michelle Gellar. On the CW. As a monumental Buffy fan, I feel like I need to offer no other explanation.

What are you looking forward to in Fall TV??

Return to My So-Called Life

I finished Season 1 aka the entire series of  My So-Called Life last night. I've been watching it on DVD for the last couple of weeks. It is so strange how something that so perfectly hit home for me in middle school and high school can somehow be completely off base and completely perfect still at the exact same time when I re-watch it at 26 years old. It was an interesting journey, following along this time.

My initial thoughts were as follows:

Why did I like this so much?

Wow Jordan Catalano is still all that.

How do shows from the 90's get me saying things like "all that" again?

This 90's music is fabulous.I had totally forgotten about Toad the Wet Sprocket!

Why is he always leaning? Oh right, because he's high!

(I just like how he's always leaning. Against stuff. He leans great. - Angela)

Good looks are just not enough to overlook illiteracy.

Claire Danes is a fabulous actress.

This reminds me so much of how I felt in high school!
(Huge events take place on this earth every day. Earthquakes, hurricanes…even glaciers move. So why couldn't he just...look at me? - Angela)

Some of this reminds me so much of how I feel now!
(This life has been a test. If it had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do. - Angela)

I love Rayanne Graff.

Wow I remember why I liked this so much.
(Sometimes it seems like we're all living in some kind of prison, and the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up once in a while, and admit the truth -- that when you really look closely, people are so strange and so complicated that they're actually...beautiful. Possibly even me. - Angela)

Why in the world did this get canceled???
(People always say how you should be yourself. Like yourself is this definite thing, like a toaster or something. Like you know what it is, even. But every so often, I'll have, like, a moment when just being myself, and my life, like, right where I am, is, like, enough. - Angela)

As you can see, many of these thoughts were related to Jordan Catalano - as I'm sure most girl's thoughts are when they watch it. (Remember when Jared Leto looked like that & not like he does now!) The rest of them are just all the reasons why people loved this show! It hits home to people. I remember that feeling of not knowing who I was and not knowing exactly how to find out. I remember the feeling of not wanting to be like your parents, not exactly trying to rebel, but trying to find some way to identify where you become separate from them. I remember feeling awkward & uncomfortable with my looks, my body, the way my life - physically and emotionally was just changing. It's a rough time and some part of that continues throughout your adult life because life continues to change and move on. We have to adapt, discover a new version of ourselves that works for this stage.

There are so many quotes from the show that leave you thinking "um heck yes that is exactly what I'm thinking!" Even now - at 26. I'm no longer a teenager. I'm no longer interested in the "Jordan Catalanos" of the world. (It's always tempting to lose yourself with someone who's maybe lost themselves. But eventually, you want reality. - Patty) But I'm still struggling to discover who I am, where I fit, what parenting strategy fits me and my family - what insecurities can I overcome today - what decisions are best for me, for my husband, for my daughter. The show is about people. It's about life. And call me too introspective or over-identifying with it, but I think it has something to offer anyone who has ever felt that struggle, that need to find your place in the world.

Sure, there are people who never watched the show, never liked the show, even today would probably not identify with it. But I did. A lot. Again. At 26.
(Sometimes someone says something really small and it just fits right into this empty place in your heart. - Angela)

 

You know how sometimes the last sentence you said, like, echoes in your brain, and it just keeps sounding stupider? And you have to say something else just to make it stop? - Angela

The worst feeling is suddenly realizing that you don't measure up, and that, in the past, when you thought you did, you were a fool. - Angela

There are so many different ways to be connected to people. There are the people you feel this unspoken connection to, even though there's not even a word for it. There's the people who you've known forever who know you in this way that other people can't because they've seen you change. - Angela

You think you understand, but you don't! You just analyze everything until it barely exists. - Angela

Hunger Games Casting: Peeta & Gale

It was just announced that Josh Hutcherson has been cast as Peeta in the upcoming Hunger Games movie.

Liam Hemsworth was cast as Gale.

I can get on board with Liam, but I totally don't see Josh in that role. I'm hoping we don't have another Twilight situation on our hands. I still hate some of the casting in Twilight when I watch it.

I guess we'll see. I'm going to rent The Kids are All Right so I can get a better idea of what I think of Josh. You can see Liam in The Last Song.

American Idol Season 10 Picks #3

These are my favorites from last night!

Casey Abrams

He's still towards the top of my list. Smells Like Teen Spirit is not the greatest vocal performance, but he's got some guts to perform that & he totally pulled it off!! I loved when they used the word fearless to describe him!

Lauren Alaina

She had a much better song choice & did a much better job last night! I just think she's adorable!

Stefano Langone

He hasn't been my favorite really, but I thought he did really well last night & I love that song!

Pia Toscano

She can just sing. Dang. Every time I'm like "this girl is crazy amazing."

Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen

Jennifer Lawrence has officially been cast as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming movie version of The Hunger Games!! She wasn't my first choice, but I'm totally happy with this choice! I'm leaning towards Alex Pettyfer or Hunter Parrish as Peeta. I guess we'll know soon who they pick for that!!

What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen?

American Idol Season 10 Picks #2

Here's my Top 3 from last night:

Casey Abrams

James Durbin

Pia Toscano

Not necessarily in that order.

American Idol Season 10 Picks: Girls

 I thought the girls just really weren't as great as the guys last night. Oh well, here are the five I'd pick to go through, even though I wasn't totally obsessed with all five of them.

Lauren Alaina

Kendra Chantelle

Naima Adedapo

Pia Toscano

Thia Megia

Click here to see the full list of contestants.

American Idol Season 10 Picks

I'm actually loving this new season of American Idol!! While I adore Steven Tyler & I think Jennifer Lopez is beautiful, the judges aren't really what's doing it for me. What's really working for me is the fact that they finally have TALENT back on the show!!! Here are my top 5 guy picks from last night's episode:

Casey Abrams

Jacob Lusk

James Durbin

Paul McDonald

Scotty McCreery

The one I'm hoping gets picked on a wild card: Brett Loewenstern

Click here for the full list of contestants! I'm excited to see the girls tonight!!

Oscars 2011

Favorite Dress: Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

Honorable Mention: Michelle Williams in Chanel Haute Couture

Least Favorite Dress: Nicole Kidman in Christian Dior

It looks like a napkin or a table runner.

Oscar Picks 2011!

I'm preparing for my Annual Oscar Party!! It's low-key this year, but I'm still really excited! I think I'm most excited about James Franco & Anne Hathaway hosting! It's going to be a great show! Obviously some of these are just major guesses, but here are my Oscar picks this year:

Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3

Art Direction: Inception

Cinematography: Black Swan

Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland

Directing: The Social Network

Documentary (Feature): Inside Job

Documentary (Short Subject): Strangers No More

Film Editing: The Social Network

Foreign Language Film: Biutiful

Makeup: The Wolfman

Music (Original Score): Inception

Music (Original Song): "We Belong Together" (from Toy Story 3)

Best Picture: The Social Network

Short Film (Animated): The Gruffalo

Short Film (Live Action): Wish 143

Sound Editing: Inception

Sound Mixing: True Grit

Visual Effects: Alice in Wonderland

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Social Network

Writing (Original Screenplay): The Kids Are All Right

I Am Number Four

I really had very little interest in seeing this movie.

Then I found out Dianna Agron is in the movie. And I love Glee. Then I found out she's dating the dude in the movie. Then I saw him on Ellen. Then I saw this trailer with the Adele song "Rolling in the Deep."

Now I really want to see it! And I think my breaking point was the song in the trailer! That just shows you how much music does for me. I love that song.

The Hunger Games Fantasy Casting

If you haven't yet read The Hunger Games trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay), I highly recommend you step away from your computer, go buy them & start reading immediately. They are so awesome!! I like them as much as Twilight & they're not nearly as cheesy as Twilight, so I think they are appealing to a wider audience. Here's the plot description from the book website:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Lionsgate has acquired the rights to the movie adaptation of the books and they recently announced a release date of March 23, 2012! No casting decisions have been announced, so I decided to do my own fantasy casting. I've never done one of these before and I'm only doing the main characters because doing these things really stresses me out! I have such a hard time picking just one person for each role. I did Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Cinna, President Snow & Effie.

All character descriptions are taken from Wikipedia.

Katniss Everdeen: Katniss is sixteen years old and is described as having long, black hair, usually in a braid, gray eyes, and olive skin. She is small in stature and light for her age, being one of the smallest tributes in her games, but due to her outdoor life, she is strong for her size. Collins has described Katniss as being an independent survivalist, lethal, but good at thinking outside the box.

My pick: Emily Browning
Strangely enough, she was also my original pick for Bella in Twilight. She'll have to get a tan, but I think she could totally pull off the hardcore, but fairly naive thing.


Peeta Mellark: Peeta has blue eyes, and is described by Katniss as being "medium height, stocky build, blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead." Peeta thinks very well on his feet and has a very likable personality and a flair for showmanship.

My pick: Hunter Parrish
He was who I pictured through the whole book. I know he's not "stocky," but he could gain some weight. I love him in Weeds & I loved him being so cute in It's Complicated & I just think he'd do really great!


Gale Hawthorne: Gale has the common look in District 12: black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes. When he first met Katniss at the age of fourteen he was already over six feet tall. He is described as being very handsome and masculine. Gale is good at keeping things under control and does not get angry very often, though he often rants and mimicks the Capitol.Katniss describes him as "a rebel since birth".

My pick: Michael Trevino
He plays Tyler on Vampire Diaries & I love Vampire Diaries!! I just think he'd do good for this part, too. Seeing him be the werewolf on Vampire Diaries shows that he can be more strong & defiant, plus he could definitely be all angry at the Capitol. He's been pretty broody on the show.


Haymitch Abernathy: Haymitch is described as a "paunchy, middle-aged man." He is often not sober due to his drinking problem. Haymitch's most notable trait were his grey eyes, and black hair as almost every member of the Seam. Haymitch can sometimes be extremely rude when he is intoxicated. However, he displays much kindness and honesty toward Katniss, and often tells her exactly what might happen without worrying about scaring her. He is often used as a comic relief in a way with his sarcasm.

My pick: Joaquin Phoenix
Just read that description again & I feel like I need no further explanation as to why I see Joaquin for this part. He's perfect!


Cinna: Most people who live in the Capitol follow very absurd fashion trends. This is not the case for Cinna, who normally wore simple black clothing. His one strange fashion choice was gold eyeliner, which brings out the gold flecks in his green eyes. Other then that, Cinna looked very normal, with close cropped natural dark brown hair. Cinna is described as being a very sweet, lovely, enigmatic person who takes pride in his work. He is also a very caring person. (Description from The Hunger Games wiki)

My pick: James McAvoy
He is just different enough to be from the Capitol, but just normal enough to be as kind as they describe him. He's clearly intelligent & after Wanted, I think he definitely has that strong quality that Cinna shows in later books. I think he'd be really fun in this part!


President Snow: The main antagonist of the series, President Snow is the extremely evil ruler of the Capitol and all of Panem. Though laid back, he is full of sadistic thoughts. President Snow is described as having very puffy lips which was most likely from an appearance altering operation that is very popular in the Capitol. Katniss describes him as exuding a smell of blood and roses.

My pick: Tim Curry
He would completely creep me out in this role! He's got that fake nice thing going on - remember him in Home Alone 2 or Annie?? He's also totally creepy & he's got not super tiny lips like some of the other people I've seen suggested. He could pull this off in a wonderfully awful way!


Effie Trinket: Effie has bright pink hair, speculated to be a wig - as she gives speeches, she constantly has to get it under control. She is very strict about manners and is always punctual.

My pick: Meryl Streep
Think The Devil Wears Prada mixed with pink hair. I love it!


Here's my favorite site right now with some casting picks! I found some inspiration on there & chose others on my own. Several of them I just had in my mind throughout the books!

Who are your casting pics??

BIG LOVE!!!

Although I will be watching the Golden Globes tonight, I'm also DVRing the Big Love Season 5 premiere!!!! I'll be watching that with Lewis tomorrow night! We are big fans of Big Love! I'm excited and nervous about this last season!! I've heard they've got some major things in store for us loyal viewers!

At the end of Season 4, Bill won a position as a Utah state senator and then came out publicly with his wives as a polygamist!! Adaleen set fire to JJ's fertility clinic with JJ & his wife inside! We also know that she's pregnant with JJ's inbred eugenics-produced baby. 

Drama, drama, drama!

Will you be watching this season of Big Love??

Golden Globes 2011!

My DVR is set to record all the fabulous pre-show, red carpet & awards festivities! I am SUPER excited that Ricky Gervais is hosting again this year! I loved him last year! I think he's hilarious!

The strange thing about this year is that it's the first year in a long time that I've seen a very small number of the nominated films over all the categories. 

Click here for the full list of nominees.

Here are the movies I've seen: 

Inception

Love and Other Drugs

Easy A

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The Town

How to Train Your Dragon

That's not many considering there are a lot nominated for different things.

The shows I watch that are nominated are:

House

The Big Bang Theory

Glee

Modern Family

United States of Tara

The Office

That's it!! So obviously those are the movies and tv shows as well as actors involved that I am rooting for!

Who are you rooting for?

2011 Movies!!

I love movies!!! I've been very happy with my Blockbuster online subscription. We've got so many great movies waiting in our Queue! Here are a few I'm excited about seeing in 2011!

 

Water for Elephants

I read this book earlier this year and it was just fabulous. I thought their choices of Robert Pattinson & Christoph Waltz were perfect! Reese Witherspoon was the only one I didn't picture like that, but she's such a great actress, I think she can do anything!

Fast Five

Lewis and I love all the Fast & Furious movies! We would see this even if it looked awful - but thank goodness it doesn't!! I'm excited that everyone is back in this one!

Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal is one of my faves. This looks pretty good! It definitely seems different to me, although it reminded Lewis of Quantum Leap. I've never seen that.

Beastly

Kinda worried this one isn't gonna be good because the trailer has been out forever, but the movie isn't coming out until March 2011. I'm still gonna see it because I like Vanessa Hudgens & Mary-Kate Olsen.

Sucker Punch

I've mentioned this one before, but Lewis & I are both really pumped about it!! Girl power. LOL

Haircut?

I'm really considering doing this to my hair - cut & color.

Thoughts?

I heart Amazon

Anybody wanna buy me an early Christmas gift??

Most of the shows I want on DVD are on sale right now on Amazon!!!

Grey's Anatomy Season 6 is only $22.49!

Big Bang Theory Season 1 is only $15.99!

Big Bang Theory Season 2 is only $17.49!

Big Bang Theory Season 3 is only $28.99!

You could buy gifts for less than $30 & I'd think you spent $50! LOL

I'm only kidding, but those are still great deals on Amazon right now! Check them out!!

TV Update!!!!

Here's where I'm at right now in my shows:

I am definitely not on board with keeping couples apart in the TV shows. I'm really annoyed with it right now.

Grey's Anatomy - Seriously - Lexie & Sloan need to be together. Like yesterday.

Bones - There was a point where you should've finally gotten Bones & Booth together & that point was at the very latest sometime last season. Now you haven't done it & my husband will no longer watch your show with me. Jerks. I am holding on, but it's not really worth it.

90210 - Liam & Annie need to stop all this annoying back & forth "we like each other & then we don't" kind of junk.

Some things I'm happy with right now:

House & Cuddy are doing good. Relatively.

Elena & Stefan are staying strong in Vampire Diaries.

Meredith & Derek as well as Owen & Cristina are staying together.

Also, I love Mondo on Project Runway. He needs to win. Bad.

One thing I'm not okay with: political commercials. I have the weeks leading up to an election. Makes me want to throw things at the TV.