TV Roster update

Summer 2009 - y'all know I've been busy watching summer movies, but I didn't neglect TV (are you wondering where I have the time for all this? Psssstt.... its a secret.)

Anyways, due to the sad, certainly untimely demise of a few shows I was watching this time last year, I've been left with some open spots on my list and it's been quite fun filling those up...

R.I.P:

• Eli Stone - nice finale I thought, with Eli finally getting some closure about his dad
  
  
• Samantha Who? - now this makes me S.A.D. Given, not the funniest show on TV today, but it was still very good... I'm ok with where the characters ended up. Sad its over, but ok
  
  
• Dirty Sexy Money - I'm all caught up now, I guess only a couple more (or maybe just one) ep(s) to go...

And here's what I've started watching now:

• Leverage - why didn't anyone tell me about this show? Lovin it! Its like an endless Ocean's 11. Well written, elaborate modern day Robinhood plots. And I'm totally geeked out watching Hardison with all that sweet gadgetry. This is on my must-list now. Definitely.
  
  
• How I Met Your Mother - I was gonna use the summer hiatus to get all caught up and I did - NPH - you're totally awesome. Totally.
  
  
• Friday Night Lights - Ok so I watched the first 2 seasons back to back on NetFlix instant. The cast is very natural & quite talented. I didn't expect to like a show centered around football so much...
  
  
• Sanctuary - ok before you say anything, you should know I was a big fan of Angel, Buffy , the X-Files etc. So this show fit right in. Some of the story lines were bit of a stretch, but the season finale with Nikola Tesla, James Watson, John Druitt, Magnus and Griffin's grand-daughter (in other words, the vampire, the 160 yr old inventor of Radio, Jack the Ripper, Magnus (what is her power anyway, apart from the fact that she's a 157?) and the Invisible man's grand-daughter), was simply cool. I mean, how many show can boast of story lines bringing these 5 historical characters together? And Dr. Z (Robin Dunne) still has that charming, wide-eyed I-can't-believe-this-is-so-real thing going on. Nice.
  
  
• Warehouse 13 - I said it before and I will say it again, the 'chemistry' between the lead characters feels like a pale imitation of Brennan & Booth's chemistry on Bones - and I'm really not a fan of the shove-it-in-your-face-so-you-notice forced banter. But Saul Rubinek & the purple goo (Ghostbusters anyone?) will keep me watching for a bit. Until Bones returns anyway ;)
  
  
• The IT Crowd - 'Have ya tried turning it off and on?' gets me everytime :D :D & thus my love of Brit comedy has been completely revived with this show. Geeks rule the world! There are talks about a Christmas special & a new season. Can hardly wait. I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time - it felt great... (Don't let the title mislead you, this show's funny enough to earn a couple of BAFTA & Emmy nominations...)
  

On a side note, I tried to start watching Party Down, but it didn't hook me right away, like Leverage did. Now these last 3 shows started just in 2008-2009 and I can't say this enough, but Leverage is good. All hail NetFlix instant/Hulu!

You know what I did this summer...

Well, it wasn't exactly a state secret now, was it? Me and my summer movie plans? I'm a bit disappointed though, I don't mind saying... Anyhoo, I'm done with my must list and here's what I thought of these movies, in order of worst to best:

**DISCLAIMER**: What follows is my personal opinion, purely for entertainment-value (now isn't that ironic) - and is not meant to hurt box-office returns of these movies in any way whatsoever. Take it all in with a pinch of salt, and maybe a mint-lime cooler. Or two.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Unless you are a 10 yr old or get a serious kick out of things that go BANG (yes, that's in caps), you won't enjoy this. In short, the movie was too big, too loud and too long. And no, this isn't because I am not-so-young or am a female. The "too"s in the above sentence really deserve a lot more o's in em... Seriously. Towards the end, I didn't even know or care who was shooting at whom. It was just bang, bang, boom, boom and blood. 'Nuff said.


Ice Age (3): Dawn of the Dinosaurs: It was good & I liked it , but sorry, it was still a bit of a let down. Given, very few sequels manage to keep the excitement alive past the second movie... The historical inaccuracy (dinosaurs and mammoths co-exist?) probably was a bit of a turn-off for me (yes, I know I am borderline a*** on stuff like that, probably) - the introduction of Buck, while amusing, wasn't as enaging as the characters introduced to us in the first movie, or even the second. That being said, its a nice movie to while away the hot summer - couple of scenes with Scrat and Scratte were gorgeous - the 'tango' scene - the lighting was awesome! and the very first scene in the movie with Scratte batting those eyelashes :D



I guess this movie also follows in the tradition of Shrek, down the domesticity track - there we had the ogre honeymoon/end of 'honeymoon period' and here too, we fast forward *SPOILER ALERT* to a pregnant Ellie and eventually, a to-die-for Peaches. Believe you me, I am going to look for a stuffed toy version of Peaches *END OF SPOILER*... I went 'awwwww' out aloud in the theatre, as did many other folks... such cuteness.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: I have to say, that this movie premiered in Tempe, a whole 3 days before the national premiere - Tempe folks won that contest about where the premiere should be held and yes, we were in fact graced by Messrs. Jackman & Reynolds in person, for the premiere. Also, this being the first summer movie to be released really, I guess I was expecting a lot.



Yes, the action sequences were good, some even great - that scene with all the mutants 'visiting' that diamond mine - where we met Reynolds' Wade Wilson (I lurved the swashbuckling blade action to deflect those bullets, or the one between Wolverine and Taylor Kitsch's Gambit) - but all said and done, the story just didn't cut it for me. Wolverine goes through all that crap and at the end *SPOILER ALERT* loses his entire memory *END OF SPOILER*- that just sucks and maybe thats what makes him who he is, but it still was a damp squib.

Angels & Demons: When this book came out, I finished it overnight - so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to the movie (despite the disaster that was Da Vinci Code - the movie, of course). It was a good take on the book, the pace much better, the screenplay much tighter - and yes, there were some changes which I didn't agree with, but hey, that's what screen adaptations are all about right?



The casting was just perfect and the Vatican & rest of Rome have been lovingly showcased - there were so many frames that were painting-like - I loved it. The on-screen character I felt had strayed most from the book was Vittoria's - in the movie, you don't really understand why she's so invested in recovering the *SPOILER ALERT* anti-matter cannister *END OF SPOILER*. Maxmillian Koehler's character is next on my gripe list - the book does a fantastic job of the bait and switch with regards to his character but the movie didn't, in my opinion. But yes, loved Tom Hanks' new do. Slick.

Star Trek (2009): This was the second summer movie I saw and J.J. Abrams, you da man. A fantastic new take on the whole franchise. Although I've seen the 60's TV series, I didn't have inappropriate crushes on Kirk & Spock. But I do now! Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto are revelations - the rest of the cast was rockin too - Karl Urban as Bones (I'll be the first to admit - it was weird hearing someone other than Brennan addressed as Bones, by someone other than Booth :D), Simon Pegg (who also incidentally voiced Buck in Ice Age 3) as Scotty and John Cho as Sulu. Anton Yelchin as Chekov was a breath of fresh air - you'd mistake him as the comic relief in the beginning but he's as capable as they come!And Zoe Saldana as Uhura - thank god they got rid of that silly cut-away do from the TV series & her chemistry with Spock. Wowza. Mr.Quinto does a first-rate job of portraying such conflicting emotions with such ease - his calm, even cold exterior belies the emotion turmoil beneath. Very Iceland-like - cool to the touch but underneath it all, a volcano.



Now to the biggies - Eric Bana kicked ass. Unquestionably. More than he has ever done in any of his other movies. As the snarling Nero, out for blood - you'd never know it was him - the makeup was beyond awesome. And, Winona Ryder as Spock's mum? Sorry honey. And the big daddy of 'em all - Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime. Wow. Calm, wise and succinct as always. I loved that they've established such a solid base for the friendship between Kirk and Spock. Live long and prosper. Indeed.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Ok so its a tie between HP6 and Star Trek in terms of entertainment value. But I am going to lean a lil towards HP6, simply because even after 5 movies, this one rocked. And how. This is no longer a kiddie franchise people, believe you me. This movie was quite stylized, and visually striking. Not that the previous movies weren't, but this one had a certain stillness to it, in certain moments, that felt quite appropriate & was such a lovely device to capture those moments of quiet reflection for more than one of the characters.



I've always held the Potter cast in high esteem - what with all those British heavyweights and I suppose I've always loved Brit humor more - its smart, quick and dry as a bone. As always, I heart Alan Rickman, even more now - after that costume in the scene where he makes the Unbreakeable vow as Snape - well, there's another inappropriate crush! I love that Snape's character is so well fleshed-out - down. to the way. he slices. his. sennnntencces. (Say it with me in a Snape-like snarl). And yes, I do hate him for doing away with a significant character - who am I kidding, everyone knows this now, Dumbledore, he is second in his villainy probably only next to Voldemort and certainly strides ahead than that rat Lucious Malfoy.

Although the screenplay was captivating- never a dull moment, I did feel, quite acutely, the meagre effort that went into establishing Voldemort's back story - his origins, and how he came to be such a feared dark wizard. Just 2 scenes - one as the little boy that Dumbledore recruited (played by Ralph Fiennes' nephew Hero Fiennes-Tiffin) and then as the manipulative teenager who weasels the information out of Jim Broadbent's Prof. Slughorn. I mean come on, that's realy what the sixth installment is all about.

And how come it is that the kids have all suddenly become so adept at silent spells? That scene in the field just before the Burrow burns down, I mean really - we all know Ginny was good with spells & shields, but that good?

Oh and one last gripe - Tonks calling Lupin 'sweetheart' - are ya kiddin me? Why now? There's no basis, that's to come only later - jumping the shark. Hmph.

Moving on from the complain-train, I loved the effects - esp. those black swirling vortexes of smoke that become Death-Eaters. Flashy in the first few scenes, but chilling in the scene in the field where Fenir Greyback & the heinous Bellatrix LeStrange (played by the chilling Helena Bonham-Carter). When she runs away singing "I killed Sirius Black, I killed Sirius Black" in that sing-song voice, I so wanted to just strangle her - dunno if that is a sign of pitch-perfect casting. I hated her in OOTP and I still hate her after this movie. The character I mean.

On a more cheery note, I loved the Quidditch scenes (Felix Felicis anyone?) and every single scene where Potter, Granger & Weasley were together - it truly felt like they were just hanging out and wanted to be around each other - unlike previous movies where it felt like they were stuck together more out of circumstances than out of choice.

Did I mention the dead (and I mean really, dead, pin-drop, graveyard-like) silence in the theater when Dumbledore died? Followed by quite a few sniffles, including mine. I've never seen such a uniform reaction to a movie - you know the absence of usual jerks who laugh when everyone else cries. Now that's definitely something.

Its a looooooong wait till Part 1 of Deathly Hallows - I hear its out only in Nov 2010, but we'll gladly take what we can. After that abrupt post-ponement of this movie from Nov last year to this summer, the wait was totally worth it. And then some. I'd give it something between an Exceeds Expectations and an Outstanding.

Get your geek on...

I'm back from what felt like the Twilight Zone...

My love for The Big Bang Theory may have given me away already but I do consider myself atleast slightly geeky - but only slightly. Still, it tickled me when I came across this article on Wired - so here's the link (100 Essential Skills for Geeks)... geek away!

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/07/100-basic-geek-skills-for-geeks/

And no, don't ask me how many of these I can do (remember I'm only slight geeky.)

Oh and please leave any easter eggs you wish to share in the comments section below... ciao!

2 candles on my cake....

Yep, my blog's 2 yrs old today - it's been a blast... Here's a shout out to everyone who has ever stopped by - thank you!, from this annoyingly verbose (don't you deny it :D), yet mostly inconsistent blogger...

Now if you'll raise your glasses... here's to (hopefully) many more posts & many more years...

Please feel free to leave digital chocolate cakes and/or donuts in the comments section! Ciao!

Pop-culture blind spot?

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think my pop-culture IQ is at the very least well above average, if not bordering on good. And that is something I definitely take pride in (all those hours spent on TV , movies and mags has gotta count for something, right?)

Buuut, I've recently it seems I am not exactly in step with the rest of pop-culture. Here's the evidence (feel free to gasp as many times as you need):

• I don't Tweet (although that lil idea's been running around in the back of my mind)
  
  
• I haven't watched a single episode of Lost (gasp, yes, I know) - so I have no idea why everyone's jaw dropped after the recent Lost finale or what the hoopla is about the statue's identity
  
  
• I don't watch Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill/The Hills - honestly, they all seem the same to me and I couldn't care less
  
  
• 24 is just a number to me - yeah, I know Keifer Sutherland is in it and all that. Beyond that, nothing. Zilch.
  
  
• I don't watch Desperate Housewives/ The Real Housewives of New Jersey (or whatever) - don't know, don't care. Although I was a touch offended when the creators of Desperate Housewives launched that lil show called Big Shots - course it got canceled and all, still. The guys in Big Shots were as messed up, if not more, than the women in Desperate...so there.
  
  
• Haven't watched Friday Night Lights - so my memory of Kyle Chandler from Early Edition is intact :)
  
  
• Haven't watched HIMYM (I know, shocking!) - but I am going to make up for it this summer - go NetFlix! Neil Patrick Harris has always been Doogie to me, but I'm sure that'll change soon
  
  
• I only catch random eps of SNL - but I heard JT rocks as the host
  
  
• Rescue Me, In Treatment, The Shield, Numb3rs, Chuck, Dexter, The Mentalist and Prison Break are strangers to me - I missed the train on these
  
  
• I haven't read a single Twilight book and I don't plan to. Ditto for the Twilight movies. Don't ask me why.
  

Now onto older pop-culture misses for me (in no particular order):

• Haven't watched a single LOTR movie in its entireity - don't blame me, the LOTR book found its way home too late.
  
  
• Apart from the original Star Wars and one of the sequels (whichever one it was that had Jar-Jar Binks introduced), haven't watched the others
  
  
• The only things I know about ER are that John Stamos is in the later seasons and George Clooney (insert mandatory swoon here) used to be on in earlier seasons
  
  
• I haven't watched Seinfeld - at max, a couple of random scenes. So I don't know why 'Yada, yada, yada" is the No. 1 funniest phrase in that list of 50 funniest phrases from TV sitcoms
  
  
• ET is a movie I have not yet watched - but I love the phrase 'ET phone home' :)
  
  
• Sharks scare me - Jaws (and only the first movie) is the only one I have watched even 10 mins of. None of the sequels. Sorry.
  
  
• I haven't watched any of the Godfather movies - but small consolation, I have read the first book
  
  
• Haven't watched Pulp Fiction or Scarface or any of the Kill Bill series - sorry, not one for excessive violence/gore

Now here's some TV I did watch growing up - I'll try not to make this list too snakin' long (and no, snickering is not allowed):

• Friends
• The Wonder Years
• Remington Steele
• Now and again
• the very first Survivor
• the very first Amazing Race
  
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Angel
• Mutant X
• JAG
  
• Dark Angel
• Will & Grace
• the 60's Star Trek on TV
• Lost in Space (the TV series, although I did watch the movie too, but only for Matt LeBlanc)
• Doogie Howser M.D
• Moonlighting
• Charles in Charge
• Who's the boss?
• Diff'rent Strokes
• Silver Spoons
• Early Edition
• Charmed
• Dawson's Creek
• Mind your language
  
• I Dream of Jeannie (the technicolor one, not the old, B/W one)

Now come on guys, enough with the snickering...

My movie list is waaaaaay longer - if anyone's interested, let me know and I will find a way to have you spend a nice, lazy afternoon going through my movie list...

Bored yet? No? Ok great - cos in spite of my apparent ignorance of all things in nowadays, I do watch my fair share of current TV and movies - proof is here and here. But seriously, has anyone of you out there watched all of this? If so, then do share - which ones are a must-watch? Something that would deserve a place on my 'before I die' list? Anything legendary? :D

More TV News...

It's Upfronts week and yes, its action-packed (so to speak)... As I'd mentioned in my Season finales post last week, my TV appetite is ginormous & is definitely being fed this week...

Shows that I watch that have been renewed:

> Bones - for TWO seasons, baby! yeah! (btw - for those of you interested, the whole amnesia thing in the finale - well, it doesn't seem to be amnesia anymore - I found this after days of trolling spoiler blogs & other sites - Hart Hanson has tweeted that "everything was done for a reason" - it better be good sir!)

> Fringe - whooohoo
> Grey's Anatomy - anybody doubt this?
> Castle - surprise, surprise - yes.
> Private Practice - thank god, I can't stand not knowing what happens to Violet
> The Big Bang Theory - also for two seasons. Live long and prosper.

Shows that I used to watch and are now canceled:

> Life - sad.
> Eli Stone - old news, still.
> Dirty Sexy Money - old news, still.
> Pushing Daisies - old news.
> Samantha Who? - what the frak?! I loved this show.

Shows that I used to watch that are now renewed:

> Brothers & Sisters
> Ugly Betty
> Scrubs
> House
> Smallville
> Heroes

Popular shows that I don't watch that are renewed/cancelled:

> How I met your mother (HIMYM) - I missed the train on this one, but will watch it at some point of time - thank god for NetFlix - renewed.
> Lost - renewed - only 13 episodes left, it's back in Jan 2010.
> Prison Break - canceled
> Sarah Connor - canceled
> The Office - missed the train on this one too - renewed
> Friday Night Lights - renewed
> Gossip Girl - renewed
> One Tree Hill - renewed

Ausiello keep his Fall TV Cheat Sheet continually updated - click here. You can also follow Ausiello on Twitter - in his own words "If you can't wait for the page to refresh, you can stalk me on Twitter."

It's funny how I remember the PR for a lot of the newer shows - Kings, Kath & Kim, The Unusuals etc. And now they're canceled - talk about 15 mins of fame!

I'm gonna miss Samantha Who? - really. It was hilarious. But the rest of my TV schedule for fall seems safe now. Fox is pairing Bones & Fringe on Thursday nights - talk about a double whammy. Also, given the fact that Grey's and Private Practice are also on ABC on Thursday nights during the same time slot - the competition is fierce!

Of course, a lot of fall premieres too - Peter Krause, Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Courtney Cox all have new shows coming out - we'll just have to wait and see...

Oh and also, soon Hulu will have content from ABC too - maybe that will help pass the summer...

Any shows on your must-list that you think I should watch? Sound off below! Later then, ta!

About those season finales...

This week was a big one - well, TV-wise - lotsa season finales. For the uninitiated, my appetite for TV is ginormous (fodder for another post, another time) - and this week saw a lot of seasons come to a close.

Now I'm only gonna harp about the shows I follow closely - there are a lot of popular shows out there that I don't watch - either 'cause I missed the train on those or because of excessive hype around them (a big turn off for me).

Having said that, here are the finales I'm gonna vent about: Bones, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, Castle, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (even though this finale was a couple of weeks back). For the uninterested, feel free to wander off at this point - have a drink on me.. and c ya!

*SPOILER LINE: DO NOT CROSS. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN PERIL*

The phrase that comes to mind, about these finales (in both a good & bad way) is - 'What the frak?!?' I'm not one for profanity - but yeah, those are my sentiments. Here's why --

Bones: This was my reaction to the last 3 mins or so of the S4 finale (repeat said phrase atleast 3 times at the top of your voice or through gritted teeth) With the Zack thing in the Season 3 finale - HH shot my puppy. And now this? Amnesia? Really? Really? First thing that came to mind was, man, this is a bad fanfic played out. HH, dude, this was so not a 'love letter' to the fans. Na-ah. Please don't plan any such gimmicks for Season 5 finale. Please. And do try, very very hard, to recover gracefully at the beginning of S5 - carefully tread these waters now. We've gone two steps back with the last 3 mins of this finale. Recover. Well.

Now that I got that out of my system - I actually loved the rest of the finale - except for the last 3 mins that is...

After I calmed down and re-watched the ep again, I came to the conclusion that I dont hate all of it - just the last few minutes... So, here we go...

The rotating interns - well, all of 'em where there - Wendell as the bouncer was my fave - totally cracked me up. Mr. Nigel Murray came a pretty close second as the 'pasty' err.. too lovely to be in jail, Brit DJ. Other surprises included Arastu Vaziri as the relentless businessman who wanted to buy 'The Lab' - I'm so glad he lost the 'accent' and Grayson Barasa as C-Sync's (Clark's) gangsta bro :) and of course Fisher & Daisy with their thing that wasnt a thing and last but never the least - Zack. Zacko. Our fave Vulcan robot - with unfortunately little screen time. Loved it all.

Sweets, Caroline, Max, Jared & Cam rounded up the rest of the cast for the finale - if only Gordon Gordon had been there - that would've been the icing on the cake.

Yeah, it was nice to see Booth & Bren together, as in together - albeit in an AU. All this was fine - I was along for the ride. Till the last danged minute of the finale. And then they pulled the amnesia stunt! Not gonna let go of that one for a while.

One thing I will give credit to the writers for, was the fact that everyone was pretty much in character, even though they were someone else (occupationally, that is). Sweets with his, "I'm the bartender here - practically a psychologist" and Cam playing the cop she's deep down inside anyway. Angela still running to Bren before anyone else. Caroline Julian - gosh I love it when she's around - that dry humor gets me every time :D. Bren being the pragmatic and rational one, even as one of the owners of the nightclub and 'Mr.B' - Booth - in all his protective, funny, makin-eyes-at-Bren glory. I'll say it again - Loved it. Except for the amnesia thing.

Fringe: (happily chant said phrase any number of times) Now that's packing a one-two. J.J.Abrams - you're da man! ok and Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman too. Season 1 (that's right!) went out with a bang. Highlights: the 'special' gravestone (my face went :-O for a few mins), John Noble (I wanted to give his Walter Bishop a big hug at the end) - in front of said gravestone and finally, ladies & gentlemen - Leonard Nimoy as William Bell - there's a casting coup if there ever was one.

I almost did the Vulcan hand gesture when he introduced himself to Dunham - tee hee. And yes, like I said in the Summer Movie Mania post - I did catch the latest Star Trek last weekend. So, a good week for Mr. Nemoy - definitely. And for a change, I am actually more invested in the whole ZFT mythology than the 'chemistry' (I am beginning to hate that word after the Bones S4 finale fiasco - see above. Yes, Bitter - party of one.) between the lead characters. Not that Joshua Jackson isn't easy on the eyes :)

And strangely enough, both during the finale and the Star Trek movie, I kept thinking - how Sheldon would react to a double dose of Spock (I heart Jim Parsons, in case I haven't said that before). Can't wait for Season 2. And I haven't said that about any new show so far.

Oh and did I mention the Twin Towers in Bell's AU? Sweet.

The Big Bang Theory: (smile gently and repeat said phrase a couple of times) 3 months in the North Pole? Nice. It was good to see Sheldon, Leonard, Raj & Walowitz actually be scientists out in the field. And Penny? sweetie? it's gonna be ok.

I was happy when CBS picked up BBT for two more seasons - I can't get enough of these guys. And frankly, I'm not afraid to get my geek on when I watch BBT - those references to String Theory & Schrodinger's Cat & Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle & Einstein (of course this list isn't exhaustive) - love it, love it, love it. Makes total sense to me and I love that science is such wonderful fuel for comedy. Someone buy me that Caffeine molecule t-shirt please? More nerdy shirts here.

Castle: (whisper said phrase once) Ok - so I started watching this show only cos I wanted to laugh off the comparison between Booth & Bren's chemistry in Bones and Castle's & Beckitt's chemistry in Castle. But I stayed. And continued to watch. Its a good filler on Monday nights.

So why did I say wtf at the finale? Cos Castle crossed a line and Beckitt should hang him dry for it. Only kiddin - I love Nathan Fillion too much to have him hung dry (Fillion, btw, is David Boreanaz's buddy supposedly). Castle did invade her privacy - her mom's murder case to be exact. The road to hell is paved with good intentions - right? And although the cast is not as good an ensemble as Bones, they're still entertaining - not interesting - just, watchable.

Grey's Anatomy: (hyperventilate and repeat said phrase about a 1000 times) Seriously?

Last week was a good run up to the finale and the 2 hr finale itself was solid - everyone - every single person of the cast got decent screentime - yes, even George. Solid story lines - from the Chief getting the Da Vinci to lure Bailey, to Mark & Lexie's little gender-role-bender, to finally the Mer Der wedding, to Christina & Owen's 'Yes' and of course the great Izzie saga.

Few scenes that stood out:

> When Bailey asks the Chief if there was still a spot open in General Surgery (Chandra Wilson was brilliant)

> When Mer and Christina 'hug' - it's lovely to see how far these characters have come. Mer is whole and healed (something that was apparent even last week) and Christina's being able to admit that she has feelings, intense ones at that for Hunt. I gotta say, this season, these Hunt & Christina are the couple that kept me coming back - more than Mer-Der. I think their romance was dealt with well - not in the roller-coaster fashion that the Mer-Der romance was.

> Bailey and Torres talking to the rest of the gang about the 'intervention' - there wasn't one bit of that scene that I could not pay attention to.

> Christina & Mer's 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' scene - Shonda is great at putting a twist on the conventional. Blue post-its and a grocery list - hilarious!

Now, Bones was supposed to have ended with a cliffhanger - ok I will say it - Booth has amnesia. But we all know how that has to end right? Booth has to come back or there is no Bones. But compared to what Shonda has done at the end of GA S5 - the Bones cliffhanger faded into insignificance. Its so far away, its a dot.

On the Grey's Writers blog - last week Shonda had posted that it would be the last post of the season (the post for the 100th ep). Now I know why. No way they could have posted about this and not ended up with an avalanche of wtf's. No way.

The real life tabloid rumors about T.R.Knight & Katherine Heigl continuing on the show, seem to have been written right into the story. The best part? We still don't know at the end of this finale if they'll be back. I thought this finale would put to rest all those rumors. But no siree. Ain't gonna happen. So there. You got me waitin for S6 - even if its just to find out what happened.

Private Practice: (say above phrase once. quietly) Ok so I started watching PP cos of Addison - as I suspect many ppl did. But the overall cast has really grown on me. All of 'em. And that stab-you-in-the-arm-to-make-you-unconscious-and-cut-out-your-baby thing - definitely - wtf!

Amy Brenneman wasn't kidding when she said the finale for her character was going to be like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Honest.

Although, as much as I like Josh Hopkins (he did come on Bones and Brothers & Sisters too - guest spots) - I am a little weary of that whole Addy-Noah storyline. Yeah, life is filled with shades of gray. Still.

*END OF SPOILER LINE*

Other finales I could have watched - cos I used to follow these shows at one point of time - Life, Brothers & Sisters and House. I started watching Cupid but dropped it like a hot potato, like I did with Life and Brothers & Sisters and (and its painful to say this) Heroes. Heroes S3 simply failed to make me care. The only saving grace - Sylar. I heart Zachary Quinto (esp after Star Trek).

In other news, Eli Stone and Dirty, Sexy Money are going to air their final episodes this June-July. In case you haven't heard, ABC officially canceled these shows. Why isn't Pushing Daisies in this list of things that I used to watch? Well I saw too little of it, to merit a mention - I did like it though, a lot. And DSM - for Peter Krause and of course Donald Sutherland - he played Trip Darling painfully well.

And now my biggest gripe about this TV season - what's with the hallucination/dream state/alternate universe (AU) thing people? Did they all just have a single meeting together and decide, 'Seeing dead people and general hallucinations are the theme for this season'? Case in point - Bones, House and Grey's Anatomy. Tiring.

If you've made it this far - congrats - you are as crazy about tv as I am :D. And so begins the loooong summer hiatus. Off I go, back into my TV bubble... see ya later, alligator!

Summer Movie Mania!

It's that time of the year again - all my fave tv shows (Bones, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, Private Practice etc. etc. etc.) are wrapping up the seasons and as much as I look forward to the season finales tailored for May Sweeps, I will definitely miss them for the 3 long months until fall...

Sad, yes. But I'm really looking forward to this summer's movies - there are at least 2 movies in there that I've been waiting on for a while now - Angels & Demons & the latest installment in the Potter series (which, by the way, was supposed to released in Nov 08, but they felt it would be a big summer draw - which, it probably will be)...

Lotsa movies - as you may have noticed the 4 new lists to the right... the good, the bad and the ugly & well, anything that falls between these categories...

Last summer was pretty lean - I didn't catch too many movies - but hopefully, this time, things will be different...

Any movies you think I should move from one of the 4 lists to the other? Sound off in the comments section! Ta for now...

Riddle me this Batman (and Robin) ...

*WARNING* (added after I completed the post) - this is a longer than usual post - please make sure you have adequate refreshments by your side to prevent dehydration. Yeah I mean coke or something. Ok now - Up, up and away... (oops, that's a Superman quote isnt it?! Talk about a Freudian slip!)

Before I say anything else - I want to state for the record, that I love, ok lurv, the 2 latest installments in the Batman franchise - Batman Begins and The Dark Knight...

That being said, back to the quandary in the title... Why, oh why, did this movie get made? The 1997 installment I mean.. You'd think that the collective talent of George Clooney, Chris O Donnell, Uma Thurman, John Glover and even Alicia Silverstone - would help the movie float - atleast a little... But sadly... no. Na-ah.



Why did I watch this movie? I was bored. And it was available for instant viewing on NetFlix. By the way, this is the second time I watched this movie - yep, I can hear those eyes rolling - only, the last time was, I was a kid & cable was free.

The other reason I watched this movie - again - was I remembered how yummy George Clooney looked in a black turtleneck. Can you tell I heart him yet? No? Ok - he got me hook, line and sinker in One Fine Day. There I said it.

Ok now back to the movie, for those of you who haven't seen it yet - well done!

Mr. Joel Schumacher, I am willing to put this movie aside and leave your track record unchanged.

With Arnie as Mr. Freeze, (or was it Dr. Freeze?) and Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy - yeah, a 2 for 1 deal no less, the bite was still missing... the "action" sequences were laughable, which is something I rarely say of Hollywood movies. The villains were funny. Compared to Heath Ledger's Joker, they felt like villains from Sesame Street. Sorry kids!

Just goes to prove even truckloads of greenbacks can't help a bad screenplay.
Bad *cough*cheesy*cough* lines? Plenty! Sample this:

Poison Ivy: Hi there.
Robin: [walks over to Ivy] Is your thumb the only part of you that's green?
Poison Ivy: You will just *have* to find out!
Robin: I want us to be together but, I also wanna make sure your serious about turning over a new leaf...
Robin: [sits down beside her] I need a sign.
Poison Ivy: How about 'Slippery when Wet'?
Robin: Of trust. Tell me your plan.
Poison Ivy: Kiss me and I'll tell you.
Robin: Tell me and I'll kiss you.
Poison Ivy: Freeze has taken the new telescope and turned it into a giant freezing-gun. He's about to turn Gotham into an icecube.
Robin: [he turns to go] I've gotta stop him!
Poison Ivy: [pulls him back to face her] One kiss, my love... for luck.

Really? I mean, really?

Uma Thurman's (so-not) sexy slur was a turn-off - no man in his senses (Batsuit optional) would find that enticing. No way. No earthling in their senses, for that matter - not just men. It's almost like they couldn't decide if she had a Brit accent or an American accent.

Sarcasm aside, this movie made me realize how good the new Batman movies really are - Gotham, in both Batman Begins & The Dark Knight, is totally believable. "Gotham" was mostly Chicago and other locations, but the story could actually be set in Chicago and it still wouldn't take anything away from the plot.

In complete contrast are the ostentatious, giant statues right in the middle of Gotham in "Batman & Robin". I mean come on, in real life, that would be a logistic nightmare - the traffic, the sheer volume of pigeon-poop on the statues.. I could go on. Oh and the glow-in-the-dark goons and the "bike race"? Yawn.

This has been said before, but Christopher Nolan has definitely revived the Batman franchise, The Dark Knight has indubitably achieved cult status. "Why so serious?" Still gives me the creeps.

Now onto leading men - Christian Bale is no George Clooney & vice-versa. These Batmen (possible new word into the Oxford dictionary!) were written differently and it shows. Mr. Clooney breathes life into an otherwise 2-dimensional character. Chris O Donnell & Alicia Silverstone looked like they were fresh out of college. The only character that came close to giving me even half a goosebump was John Glover's mad scientist. Now he fit the part to a T.

Before I put my pen down - err, stop typing on this post, I'd like to highlight where I loved these actors separately:

George Clooney: As Jack Taylor in One Fine Day (I didn't need another movie to be won over) - that journalist thing was totally his element

Chris O Donnell: As Meredith's vet boyfriend Finn in Grey's Anatomy (now that's Chris aged to perfection)

Alicia Silverstone: in Clueless (extra points for Paul Rudd's presence)

John Glover: As Lionel Luthor in Smallville (the only Luthor who is even remotely believable)

Uma Thurman: in Gattaca, even The Avengers (I haven't seen the Kill Bill series yet - I'm a little queasy)

Hot bods, pretty faces & tight suits can't save a movie. This flick proves it.

Wish I could call dibs on a first day first show ticket to the next movie in Nolan's Batman trilogy - nevertheless, I'll be waiting...

Inspirational pancakes

What are those you ask? well, just some pancakes that inspired me to write this post (*ducks behind table*)... "Wakey Wakey, eggs & bakey", said Booth (in Bones) - only, I wasn't woken up with eggs or bacon (I'm a vegetarian, duh!) or by Booth (double duh!) - I was, in fact, woken up unceremoniously by my darling sis - by phone :-| (don't worry, I still love you hon)

anyways, this post-breakfast post is about pancakes & waffles & all things fluffy... In case someone is keeping track, my idea of a perfect breakfast would be Belgian Waffles with Strawberry Syrup, with OJ to wash it all down... sigh...... I miss iHop - wish there was one close to home...

Anyways, after iHop, Denny's pancakes are a fave of mine - being a vegetarian and all (didn't you read the above lines?) - pancakes & waffles are probably the only breakfast I can have without hesitation...

I just love the smell of 'em.. pancakes/waffles with warm maple/strawberry syrup drizzled on them ... mmmmmm ... Can you tell I am a foodie? (*blinks innocently*) :D

anyways, it was a nice start to my Sunday - I made buttermilk pancakes (surprisingly, my first instinct was to make 'em thin, like dosas) and had 'em with Maple syrup... and now, I shall return to my day...

Later! ta!

Almost blogging

It's pathetic - I know... almost blogging... one of my very good friends (yes, that's you my dear) persuaded me to brush off about 6 months worth of non-blogging dust from my keyboard and write this... well not this - just to write something...

I'll try not to sound all conceited when I say I've been asked to update my blog by several people (ok - you got me - exactly 2 people) - to be perfectly honest, I did almost write a few posts - about Delhi-6 (first day, first show), about Breakfast at Tiffany's (yet another unexpected arrival from my Netflix list), about my sudden return to roots on music (more on just this, a little later), about Dream for an Insomniac (this time, a deliberate bump to the top of my NetFlix list) and my new fave on TV - The Big Bang Theory.

But it took a nudge from this very talented friend of mine - alright alright, I am basking in her light here, but we're friends all the same :D, to write this post. You, my dear, have more talent in your little finger, than a lot of people have all over - so go out there and make it happen... Like I said, you have waaaaay too much talent to be left alone :)

About a week back, as usual, my ipod was playing away and landed on Alaipaayuthe Kanna from Alaipayuthe, of course, and let me just say here, for the record - this is one of those (classical- film-) songs that makes my heart soar every time I hear/sing it - others being Nila kaaygirathu from Indira, Kanda naal muthalaai from Kanda naal muthal etc.

Its been a while since I let music move me like that and I realize I quite miss that - oh and let me throw in a little geek here - listening to songs you like actually improves blood flow to the heart etc (cross my heart - this is from a BBC article) - so it literally is good for you...

So, go out there, plug in and listen to the stuff that makes you wanna break into song - even stuff like this - which, since I first saw it in December last, makes me sing along everytime...

Oh and in other news, I'm back to Jane Austen - this time, its Persuasion...

Till next time then... (wanders away humming... @ 1 AM no less!)