If only I could get paid for recruiting people to television fandoms, I would be rich!! In 2005 I successfully introduced lots of friends, family and co-workers to some of my favourite tv shows.

Veronica Mars

When I first watched VM none of my friends got UPN or had seen the show before, so I quickly set about changing that. This became my most successful mission because I succeeded in converting most of my friends who are Buffy fans as well as BtVS fandom co-workers into fans of VM.

One friend and I would watch an increasing amount of season one episodes each week until we'd caught him up for season two, and now we watch the new episodes together. Another friend and I had a mini-marathon when we were up at her parent's place in Muskoka, and she also watches the new episodes with me. There's actually about 4 of us that get together for new VM. Two co-workers are so hooked (but don't have UPN) that they borrow my tapes with the new episodes on them. Other co-workers have started downloading the season two episodes.

ha ha ha (imagine evil laughter) my plan is falling into place!!!

My Name is Earl

I've very proud of who I got hooked on My Name is Earl: my mom!! At the beginning of the season I recommended the show to her and she kept trying to watch it but would be interrupted. So, over the holidays we had a mini-marathon and watched EVERY SINGLE EPISODE THAT'S AIRED THIS SEASON!! My mom normally doesn't have the patience to watch things for long periods of time and we watched 9 episodes in one sitting - that's 8 more than she'll normally watch. We even re-watched episodes my mom had already seen, which also isn't usually her thing. As well, we got my dad interested in the show! I've started showing her The Office, perhaps I can make my mom into a tv addict fan!

I'd love to claim that I got some friends hooked on My Name is Earl but they'd already found the love. However there is one friend and co-worker who I believe I've converted (I like to think this is helped by me re-enacting various scenes such as Randy trying to eat poisoned cookies TWICE!!).

My Name is Earl is such a neat show because it appeals to everyone (ie. moms and friends love it!), so it's not surprising that it's the highest rated new comedy on tv.

Everwood

I have endlessly tried to get my friends into Everwood, and have finally succeeded with one of my friends!!! I lent her my tapes with Smallville episodes on them so she could see James Marsters, however there were Everwood episodes on them as well! I mentioned to her that she should check them out, and she did!! I've decided to take credit for the sneakiness of this technique even though it was not intentionally sneaky (I tape Smallville and Everwood on the same tape because they air back-to-back on Thursday nights). The important thing is that she's now a fan thanks to me (although I suspect that the cuteness of Hannah and Bright really helped)!!

Another friend is also now a big fan of the show, although I was less an active agent in this development. I am giving myself some credit since I have talked at length about the fabulousness of Everwood to her.

Prison Break

I recommended that my brother check out Prison Break even though he likes procedurals like CSI or watching hockey, and he's totally hooked! hee hee Maybe instead of a career recruiting people to television fandoms, I should start a business where I match people with their complimentary tv shows. It'd be like doing someone's colours but I'd "do their tv shows" instead.

Doctor Who

I think I've converted my dad!!! I invited him to watch the amazingly fabulous "Christmas Invasion" with me on Boxing Day (with the strict instructions that he wasn't to talk during the show, but he could ask questions during the commercials) and he really enjoyed it! He was asking me about the first season and when the second season will air. I'm now trying to figure out how to hook him up with episodes (he'd never figure out how to download).


I now have my fingers crossed that none of these shows get canceled because I don't want to disappoint friends again (like when Joan of Arcadia was canceled). I'm already dreading telling my new Everwood-fan-friend that it's going on hiatus for a few months. Here's hoping that 2006 is an even better year for tv fans than 2005!!


I've now seen Brokeback Mountain a second time and loved it just as much. For some - very silly - reason I didn't think I would cry again (I was a total wreck my first complete viewing), so of course I was proved wrong when the tears started streaming down my face again. I LOVE Ang Lee so much, he's such an amazing director!!! I'm still so overwhelmed by the impressiveness of the film that I'm finding it hard to be articulate about its brilliance.

Last night a friend and I watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, and it was another excellent re-watching experience. I love those movies so much!! When it finished I was dying to watch The Two Towers immediately but it was late and I needed to get home before the subway stopped. So, we talked about setting a day aside to get together with some friends and watch the whole trilogy in one sitting (something I've never done).


I hope that everyone has an fun and safe New Year's!!! All the best for 2006!!!

This is so cool. I'm watching tv and writing in my livejournal at the same time - all thanks to my new wireless internet connection! This set up totally appeals to my love for multitasking.

Besides waiting for the cable/internet guy to come and figuring out how to set everything up correctly, I've caught up on Prison Break and Smallville today.

Smallville

I'm finally done watching the last season ... just in time for the new television season. I wish that Smallville would always be as exciting as the season finales. Despite the excitement - and "to be continued" conclusion - I have to admit that my biggest questions are:

Will Lois return next season? I want to see more of her and Clark's fun banter.

How long do I have to wait to see James Marsters on television again? I've just checked and he'll be on the season premiere airing September 29th (according to the imdb).

Prison Break

I recommended this show to my brother who mostly watches hockey and CSI, and he got hooked (he said he'll definitely watch it again). Now this is impressive considering my brother can get up and leave the room in the last 5 climatic minutes of movie.

I'm with my brother about this show - it's good stuff. Although I went into Prison Break expecting I would like it, I was still pleasantly surprised to find the show gripping, edgy, moving and compelling. I've read some criticisms about aspects of believability on the show (ie. how could Michael be sure he'd get into the same prison as his brother?) but I've been satisfied with the solutions to these issues. I don't mind accepting a few general contrivances in fiction as long as there's verisimilitude in details, storyline and characters.

What I'm liking about Prison Break:

1. Wentworth Miller is fantastic - sexy, scary, threatening, vulnerable, cunning, scared, etc. etc. etc. His performance as Michael Scofield makes the show work.

2. It's Oz for network television. I really liked Oz, except I had difficulty watching more than an episode a month because I'd need time to recover from the brutally violent events depicted. Prison Break doesn't glamourize prison life (I'm guessing here since I've never actually been in prison, and I imagine a tour of Alcatraz doesn't count), and there's certainly brutally violent stuff happening (ie. there's a scene involving toes and pruning shears) but because it's on network tv it can't be as graphic as Oz was on HBO. This is a good thing - there's still scary stuff but it doesn't take away from the rest of the show.

3. The brief moments of humour, like Michael's comment to John Abruzzi:

"Like I said, you're a mercurial man."

I'm also entertained that Abruzzi is after a guy called Fibonacci, as it reminds me of the Fibonacci sequence, the mathematical sequence of numbers, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,..., in which each successive number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers (I got the definition from dictionary.com). I suspect that the name Fibonacci is meant to evoke (for geeks like me) the idea of the show: as Michael's plan unfolds more factors are added on which exponentially increase the complexity of his original idea and further complicates the prison break. Of course it could just be a name but what's the fun in that?!

4. As much as I love when Wentworth Miller's Michael is all tough and stoic, it's great to see him freaked out (and actually cry). I love his moment of vulnerability with Dr. Sara:

"Don't make me lie to you ... please."

God that "please" is so gut-wrenching.

5. I enjoyed that there's sappiness mixed in:

"In the end the only thing that matters is love, family."

6. Wentworth Miller. He must be mentioned again but I'm loving how hot he is. Shallow I know, but I'm convinced that part of that hotness results from his intense performance.

After watching the first 3 episodes, I do have a question:

Did I miss when they explained why brothers Michael and Lincoln have different last names?

Joss-a-thon on Space

All day today Space has been airing Buffy, Firefly, Angel episodes, and Serenity ads. I've just been leaving my tv on Space so that something I love is playing in the background. I would love to have watched all the Firefly episodes today but I really wanted to get caught up on Smallville and Prison Break particularly since there's more shows premiering this week (The O.C. and Reunion).