"Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential or something to be casually ignored. The church is God's agenda for the world. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The church is indestructable and will exist for eternity. It will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it."
- Rick Warren
Monday, October 23, 2006
Es verdad.
Okay, first of all, I think "The Office" on NBC is the most brilliant thing on television right now. This season maintains the intelligence and the charm and the hilarity of the previous seasons, and for all the limitations of a (basically) one-setting sitcom, this current season is better than any of the hour-long dramas on right now, including "Lost."
Last week's episode of "My Name is Earl" was the best of the season so far (Giovanni Ribisi is always genius), but I think season overall has not been as good as the last. Jaime Pressley is always hilarious, though.
We're sticking with "Jericho." I know most folks are losing interest, and for the most part, I even agree with their complaints. There are plenty of laughable or otherwise eyeroll-worthy moments in the execution of the action. And the soapy relational plotlines can be a turnoff, but they are there by design. I just still like the concept. And with moments like the brief Chinese(?) broadcast, the brick-wall Internet, the "call out" by the Dept. of Homeland Security, the brief televised shot of the Presidential podium, and -- at the end of last week -- the haunting sight of missiles launching into the night sky, this show has enough "whoa" moments to keep me coming back.
"Studio 60" -- Anybody still watching this? What I found intriguing and engaging in the first couple of episodes I am beginning to find a bit grating now. The writing is very smart, and the actors are good and funny. The only thing that's not funny is the sketch show within the show. This is the stuff that's supposedly brilliant? Sarah Paulson's character, who is allegedly some kind of contemporary comic genius, has yet to authenticate said genius.
That is really the fatal problem of stories about "great stories." If you're going to write a novel, for instance, about a novelist who writes the greatest novel ever written, as the author of the book outside the fictional book, you've suddenly created the dilemma of having to write the greatest novel ever written. Or at least some excerpts from it. And if "Studio 60" really wants us to think its fictional "Friday Night" show is the groundbreaking, controversial, hilarious pinnacle of contemporary pop culture, they're gonna have to do better than "Pimp My Trike" and lame ripoffs of Saturday Night Live's staple gameshow parodies.
We are watching "What About Brian" on ABC. It is an excruciating show . . . in a good way. Sorta. Every episode I'm watching, I'm thinking to myself, "How do any of these people live these lives without Jesus?" As far as I can tell, this is the only show dealing regularly with the hard stuff of real lives (that doesn't have a British nanny coming in to "fix it" at the end). This is also the only time I've ever rooted for the sympathetic male lead NOT to get the girl he's pining for.
This season of "The Amazing Race" is entertaining and therefore watchable. But it lacks a breakout team to root for. We sort of like the Cho brothers. The annoying teams keep getting eliminated, so there's no real tension, although I'm sure CBS will employ some clever editing to scrounge some up. But even the Beauty Queens and the stereotypical Arguing Couple aren't all that irritating this time around.
If you watch, did you not love the Kentucky coalminer's wife talking about wanting to be in a Steven Seagal movie? Oh my goodness. That line ranks right up there with "My ox is broken."
NBC's Sunday Night Football did not air here last night. We were mightily ticked. I wonder if it was just a local thing, or if it just didn't air.
Anybody?
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Comments on "Me Encanta a Mirar el Television":
2. Philip
- 10/23/2006 9:36 am CDT
My shows:
The Office- It's awesome. I agree. I'm ready for Jim to come home though. Ryan's a decent foil for Dwight, but he's not Jim. And what was up with last week's episode about Michael? Was the point that he actually makes big sales, even though he goofs off all day? It turned out that the person he was calling and doing the Cosby impressions with was a big client? I guess that explains why that dude hasn't been fired yet. And Dwight...Ryan said that he was the top salesman in the company. What? Hello?!? Say it aint so. How can that be?
Lost- still awesome.
Smith- What's up with that show? They aired like 3 episodes after Lost, and now the Nine is in the same slot? I think ABC is putting different shows in the slot behind Lost, hoping to drum up support before moving them. (They haven't brought "Invasion" back yet.) Back to Smith...I like Heist movies, and this is a well-executed show. The tough part is not having any likeable protaganist. They're all bad guys!
The Nine- Not as compelling as Lost or exciting as Smith, but at least it has interesting Characters, so we are watching it for now.... we'll see if it holds our interest.
The Unit - Awesome show. Just awesome.
Smallville- Saw Pilot several seasons ago and that was it. I taped last week's episode because I saw that it had "Green Arrow" in it. I'm halfway through the episode now...and how disappointing. Judging from the first 30 minutes...it's too much of a soap. It feels so much like a WB drama it's creepy. It's like watching Dawson's Creek, only the main characters happen to have the same names as DC comics characters.
Curious George on PBS - one of the best shows on television. :) Every morning at 7am, we're there, right before breakfast.
3. jen
- 10/23/2006 9:40 am CDT
The Office is absolutely brilliant. I was all set to hate Jim's new office, but I am liking that office, too. Especially since they play Call of Duty so seriously.
The Amazing Race is still good. I still need to watch last night's episode.
The new show I'm enjoying the most so far is Shark.
5. Scott
- 10/23/2006 9:57 am CDT
Oh Shark is awesome! Anything with the beloved Mr. Woods has my vote out of the box. And all the folks on L&O were just so likable it's nice having a jerk to root for (isn't that weird?). Sure it may be the legal equivalent of House in that respect but that's okay by me.
6. De
- 10/23/2006 9:58 am CDT
Man you guys watch a lot of television ;-)
I don't keep up with the Office in realtime, but I tend to pick and choose certain shows from past seasons to buy on iTunes. Last night I downloaded "The Dundees" from last season (that is one HILARIOUS ep!) - I think we'll watch it tonight.
I've also seen the sexual harrassment and office olympics eps from last season. And the one where Dwight and Michael spar in a karate dojo. Haven't caught any others though.
Funny show.
7. stroke
- 10/23/2006 10:51 am CDT
weird, some of your comments seem to echo an EW article i read recently. some others echo my own...
-i also thought ribisi was AMAZING! but i don't remember his accent being that heavy when his character appeared last season.
-i'm rooting for the cho brothers, and i loved it when she pondered segal calling her to be in his movie
-"did you check... your butt?"
-i'm still watching 60, i think it's great, and harriet's impressions are hilarious. i guess i never assumed the show within the show sketches would be that great.
i've picked up 30 Rock, too, and i'm hooked on heroes.
9. Jared
- 10/23/2006 11:39 am CDT
I don't guess the sketches have to be great, but it would seem like they should be almost great to lend any credence to the idea that Matthew Perry's character is a brilliant writer. Right now, though, I'd just settle for them being funny. I haven't laughed at any of them. (Contrast that with the "outer" show itself, which is frequently funny.) Maybe Aaron Sorkin ought to actually give up the writing reigns a bit and have some ex-SNL writers or something pitch in on the sketch bits.
Paulson's impressions are very good. Holly Hunter was great. I've never seen the real Nancy Grace, but I assume she does a good Nancy too.
But in terms of her being this incredible comedienne, I just don't see it.
I knew somebody would find a flaw in my Spanish, which is roughly equivalent to a Spanish-speaking first-grader.
I figured it would have been Thor, though.
Anybody seen Thor since Y2K?
10. Alan
- 10/23/2006 12:33 pm CDT
I figured it would be piling insult on injury to point out any flaws in your Spanish, considering the kind of Tex-Mex eateries you Houstonians avail yourselves of.
Or maybe comments like that are piling insult upon injury.
12. byevad
- 10/24/2006 1:42 am CDT
Jared,
After a long day on Sunday (and no football watching to boot), I sat down to watch Sunday Night Football. I didn't care who was playing or where... I just wanted a football fix. When I couldn't find the game, I ran to my trusty internet connection only to find out that there was no Sunday Night Football game this past week. Something to do with a thing called the World Series I think. Baseball's season is WAAAAAAAAYYYYY too long and now it's interfering with my football watching! Yikes!
Someone call the commissioner! Someone write a petition! Someone right this injustice!
Oh, in our house, we watch: The Unit (love the show), all flavors of L&O, Criminal Minds, CSI (LV & Miami), and Without a Trace. Yeah, we're suckers for the dramas. The little ones are hooked on Nickelodian, PBS Sprout, and the Animal Planet.
13. Jared
- 10/24/2006 2:32 am CDT
Alan, maybe me no speaky Spanny so good, but as long as my Grandma's still Mexican (and I haven't seen her in a while, but last I checked she still was), I only laugh at your mentiroso attempts at being insulting. Silly gringo.
Also, I am taking all the good jobs. Don't forget about the jobs.
14. Jon
- 10/24/2006 7:46 am CDT
no hablo... but...
Agree with Leonard: Heroes, Lost, Jericho top three.
I'm with Jared on What About Brian, and mirror his feelings when I watch my other guilty pleasure show, nip/tuck.
Still loving Grey's and my feelings on DH are reaching mehsville.
Survivor still has me, and I look forward to House after the World Series.
16. Jared
- 10/24/2006 8:41 am CDT
Yeah, I'm a white dude, no doubt. (Although the Little Geneva guys called me a half-breed one time.) I'm just sayin', if we gotta talk bona fides, I'd thinkg having some, you know, Mexican blood in you would rank slightly higher than which restaurant you eat at.
But that's my Latin temper talking, I'm sure. ;-)
17. De
- 10/24/2006 9:00 am CDT
Alan
Rod's latino street-cred is for real.
Plus, San Antonio tex-mex pales in comparison to Houston's. I say this as one who has lived both places.
18. Alan
- 10/24/2006 9:15 am CDT
Jared, that's where my last comment threw you off-- you took it for rhetorical effect instead of taking it literally. As bloodlines go, you are no more of a Mexican than I am.
And De, maybe you're right. But that assumes you're brave enough to go into the parts of San Antonio that have good Mexican food (and brave enough to enter the questionable-looking joints once you get there).
That aside, I'm not sure if any city can claim much priority in terms of quality Mexican food these days, what with immigrants spreading all over the country. My relatives in North Carolina now have Tex-Mex dives down the street.
19. Jared
- 10/24/2006 9:36 am CDT
you took it for rhetorical effect instead of taking it literally
Okay, now I'm really confused. I thought you were just joking around.
I took your comment literally, actually, not rhetorically. I mean, I don't consider myself really anything other than a white guy, but I do indeed have a Hispanic grandmother (my dad's mom). She grew up in Matamoros. And although she married a white Wilson man, my dad grew up speaking Spanish and English.
I guess that makes him the half-breed, actually, and me -- what? -- a quarter-breed? I don't know. But I do know that, as far as bloodlines go -- if you are really speaking literally and not rhetorically, and unless you do actually have Latin blood in you -- I am, technically speaking, more Mexican than you.
But, again, if you're still just joking around like I thought you were at the beginning . . . never mind. ;-)
20. Alan
- 10/24/2006 9:51 am CDT
Here's what I meant-- the usual meaning of "you're not any more than I am" is "I'm not, and neither are you." But literally, it means "your X is equal to or less than my Y." And I was talking about blood.
Not that it matters, of course-- it was just a little fun to throw you off track when you, ahem, "pulled the race card."
21. Shrode
- 10/24/2006 11:43 am CDT
OK, don't shoot the gringo for poking his head in a family squabble. (I'm talking about me ;)
Alan's mother is a Latina. Am I using the term correctly? I don't know. He grew up speaking spanish and english. So Jared, as you described your Dad, that fits Alan. So technically I guess he's got more blood. His grandparents are Americans of Mexican descent, big time. You haven't lived until you've had dinner at Alan's grandparents house. Now that's authentic Mexican food!
Oh, and Alan's ALWAYS joking! :)
I'm out now!
22. Jared
- 10/24/2006 11:51 am CDT
It suddenly make sense. :-)
I was beginning to wonder. That's why in my last post, I wrote "unless you do actually have Latin blood in you," which I was both suspecting and hoping would be his cue to say, "Yeah, I do."
I bow to your higher quality Mexicanship, sir.
A word of advice: Don't tell the Little Geneva folks. They will do a post about you. :-)
23. Alan
- 10/24/2006 11:58 am CDT
Actually, I was thinking of starting my own blog
www.genevachiquita.com
But I figured they were on our side, even though they can't spell. "Kinist" is short for "Mexicanist," right?
24. Ellen
- 10/24/2006 12:01 pm CDT
I didn't even read that because of the Spanish (I got my worst grade ever in Spanish)
;-)
25. Matt Self
- 10/24/2006 4:18 pm CDT
Heroes is heavy handed in the mythology, the characters are stuffy, and the premise is ... didn't M. Night do a movie about this once?
I'm still sucked in. I have no good reason, but it's captivated me. I guess I'll watch anything with superheroes in it.
Someone let me know when the Green Lantern or Flash movie comes out.
26. Rich
- 10/25/2006 10:29 am CDT
Love The Office. Late to climb on but love it.
Then, I'll pine for 24 until January.
Other than that, it's mainly sports for me - which are harder than ever to watch since we switched to the lowest form of basic cable. No ESPN. NO ESPN 2. No FoxSports. What's a guy to do?
27. salguod
- 10/25/2006 6:43 pm CDT
Love Lost & Heroes.
Like Amazing Race, Survivor & ER.
Tolerate Jericho.
The wife still likes it, so I'm still watching with her. There's just barely enough drama to keep me curious, but the sappy silliness and stupidity really irks me. Like in the newest, if the EMP came through 2 weeks ago killing all electronics, why is the cop still wearing his radio?
I'm all about Heroes. I know people are calling it a Lost ripoff, but since I never got o nthe Lost train I'm okay with that.