(from BtVS 7:4)

I definitely knew I was in my post-visiting girlfriend blahs when I cried during my doctor's appointment today (although I do feel it was a positive and productive appointment). But instead of detailing more of my lameness, I am trying to channel how good I felt in yoga and point you to a couple of things that made me happy:

This interview with Wilson Cruz (Rickie on My So-Called Life). God, I absolutely loved that show. It was definitely the first TV show I felt passionately about before BtVS. Reading the interview made me teary which possibly may just be my mood. BUT the interviewer notes how MSCL influenced BtVS and Cruz talks about his own coming out experiences paralleling those of Rickie and also how he sees MSCL's influence on Friday Night Lights. Such a great interview and it makes me want to run home and rewatch some MSCL, which I may do (as well as the new Friday Night Lights of course!).

Buffy #1 Butt-Kicking Babe. When Entertainment Weekly initially posted this list, I was quite surprised that Buffy wasn't included. I'd been expecting her to be #1 (which she is now), and this wasn't a crazy expectation considering how EW has always championed BtVS. So I was one of the hundreds of people who commented appalled that Buffy was omitted. It's actually kinda cool that they responded and corrected the list. This makes me oddly happy, although this possibly just indicates my ridiculous love for EW.

I realized I haven't talked a lot about my current television viewing lately. So I shall try to rectify that. *g* ( Here's the TV shows I'm watching and some brief reactions/comments about each one )

Whew! And now you see why I haven't written about my TV watching... I'm having a hard time watching it all!

On my birthday I received a wealth of gift certificates to buy TV shows on DVD and I totally splurged. I am now the proud owner of The Office S3 (I already have S1 & S2), 30 Rock S1, Friday Night Lights S1, Joan of Arcadia S2 (I already own S1) and Pride & Prejudice (A&E Miniseries). [Aside to carmen_sandiego, the A&E version is still the first in my heart. *g*] So of course it was kinda crazy to buy that many DVDs all at once although the plan was that it would distract me when my laptop was sent in to be repaired... but then they broke it and gave me a new one so now I'm trying not to get distracted by my new toy while focusing on all the DVD watching before the new season of TV begins.

I've been relatively successful so far, and have already watched and fallen in love - again! - with FNL. Seriously, if you haven't seen this show, please check it out - it's the best drama on TV. If you're turned off by the football aspect, don't be, if you're not into football, you'll love it because it's about the people - and the acting, writing and directing are all fantastic! The first season is on sale and is very reasonably priced, and of course you can rent it or netflixx it. /promoting the awesome FNL

I'm currently in the midst of The Office mania because I had already been watching S2 (a recent pre-birthday purchase) so I've been mainlining the last couple of seasons. Another fantastic show! Both these shows got me thinking about the previous television season, so I bring you....

( My Eleven Favourite Moments from the 2006-2007 Television Season (no spoilers) )

Well, those are some of my favourite moments from the last TV season. Did I miss any of your favourites? *g*

... if I have to kill every single person on the face of the earth to do it." "Yay?" (btvs 3:20)

It's February, which let's face it isn't often the best month so I decided it would be fun to make a list of the things that are making me happy right now! fyi: Things are going okay for me, it's just a busy, stressful time at work. Now, onto the good things:

( My happy list )

So, tell me what's making you happy right now!! *g*

It’s icy and snowy outside (thankfully not the loss of power and crazy ice storm conditions other people have been experiencing – although it has been freezing rain today), so I’ve been enjoying my day off by snuggling under a blanket and catching up on my TV watching.

It feels like ages since I did a TV post, so I’m excited to share some brief thoughts on some of the TV I’ve been watching. So guess which show is making me very happy right now?!! If you guessed Ugly Betty you’re right!

( Ugly Betty – First Five episodes )

( Grey’s Anatomy – ‘Six Days Part One’ (3:11) )

( 24 – Day 6: 6am-7am & 7am-8am )

( The Office – ‘Back from Vacation’ and ‘Traveling Salesmen’ (3:12 & 3:13) )

( 30 Rock – Random season 1 thoughts )

( SPN – ‘Hunted’ (2:10) )


Oh! And if you’re interested, I did a post at buffyversetop5 of my choices for the Top 5 Spike/Xander fics of 2006. There’s so many other fabulous rec posts there, I definitely recommend spending some time browsing around there.

I love this new icon I'm using by apreludetoanend (it's her most recent post) - how awesome is it?!!!

We're all concerned about how gross you look. (btvs 2:18)

So yeah, I’ve been sick. Not feel-like-I’m-dying sick, just annoying-head-cold-that-sticks-around sick. And it’s made me cranky and whiny and low on energy. Fortunately I didn’t have to travel anywhere for Christmas because my family (mom, dad, brother and brother’s girlfriend) converged at my apartment for Christmas. I don’t have the biggest apartment ever but we all fit comfortably (fyi: they slept at a hotel – it wasn’t that cozy). And my mom – who’s very awesome – prepared the meal so basically I just had to show up in my own apartment and try not to sneeze on anyone. I feel very spoiled by the lovely Christmas and all the fabulous gifts I received (of fannish interest: I got a Puppet Angel, the Vamp!Xander action figure and the Scruffy Wesley action figure).

I’m finally feeling mostly better today (*fingers crossed*) – which is good because on Sunday I’m heading out to visit the fabulous girlfriend! I’m so excited about visiting with Camisha – we’ll have just over a week together. Of course, I would be more excited if I wasn’t flying through Denver. I’ve spoken to my airline and apparently it’s possible that things should be cleared up by then and it should be alright when I fly through there. But I’ll have to keep calling and checking that the flight’s still confirmed, because if not, they will re-route me … but that could mean I won’t arrive for New Year’s Eve which had been my original plan.

So in an effort to not stress out, I thought I’d tell you my top 10 list of TV shows for 2006 (ie. the shows I enjoyed the most this past year). Oh! I am planning to do my fic wrap-up but I probably won’t have that ready to post till the new year.

( My Top 10 TV Shows of 2006 – spoiler free! )

So that’s it for me for now. I hope you all have been having a wonderful holiday season and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

It’s been a rough last few days for me, so I figured what better distraction than to talk about TV?! I haven’t really had the energy to do thoughtful critiques or even simple reactions like “I loved it” or “blah”, so I thought I’d give you a run down of what I’ve been enjoying, what I haven’t and what I haven’t even watched yet. There’s very minimal spoilers in my comments.

( Shows I’ve Been Loving )

( Shows I’m Enjoying )

( Shows That I’m Not All About )

( Shows on my PVR that I Haven’t Seen Yet (or have only seen 1 episode of) )

I must say that overall I’m underwhelmed by a lot of the TV shows this season. (This could be more a reflection of how I'm feeling.) There better be some exciting things in November! I’m most excited about Heroes right now. *hearts* Hiro.

OMG I just discovered that CTV (a MAJOR Canadian TV network) aired the WRONG Grey's Anatomy episode!!!!!! It turns out that they aired the SECOND episode of the new season instead of the season premiere!

I am SO VERY RELIEVED that I didn't post any comments about it yet, because I would have unknowingly spoiled people. *wipes brow* Okay, I will stop wearing out my caps lock key.

When I saw the episode I thought that they'd just jumped ahead in time a bit. And there were a couple of scenes in the previously ons that I didn't remember, but I just thought it was because of my very bad memory. I won't say anything spoilery, just that it was an excellent episode. So good that I haven't deleted it from my PVR yet so I can rewatch it (this will now be helpful for me so I can watch them in order).

CTV is going to air the season premiere this coming Thursday at 8pm instead of reairing the second episode again. Or if you're fast and have time shifting you can catch the repeat on ABC (at 11pm EST).

So to CTV I say: "Because you DON'T screw me over the way ABC does and annoyingly run the shows a few minutes over so that my PVR cuts off the last bit of an episode, I'm going to forgive you for this mix-up. But, CTV YOU'RE ON NOTICE!" (Yeah, I'm using the caps lock again and blatantly ripping off Stephen Colbert.) ETA: After reading the article more carefully, I see that it was a human error in California where the feed is sent from so it wasn't really CTV's mistake.

Since I'm talking about TV, I must say how much I loved Bones and the Office this week!!!!!! Yay for the Office being back! My Name is Earl was pretty good, but not as fab as other episodes have been. And Jericho? Totally cracked out. Not even comparable with Battlestar Galactica's complex portrayal of a post-apocalyptic scenario, and not as cracktastic as 24. The music was good though. And if the best thing I can say about the show is that the music is good? Not a good sign.

In previous years I've held out hope that my favourite shows and actors would get Emmy nominations. And I've always been disappointed when it seems like being on HBO guarantees a nomination, the same shows get nominated year after year, and mediocre actors like Charlie Sheen and Patricia Arquette get nominated (and win!). So, last year after gazing at the awards and declaring It's like these people don't actually watch television! I decided that (other than the industry prestige and glitzy parties) the Emmys are silly and meaningless, and if I made up my own nominations to celebrate my favourite shows, actors and writers it is way more meaningful. Why more meaningful, you ask? Because I love television!! And I'm sure I watch way more tv than the average Emmy voter.

So, if you want to see who the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences nominated click here. ETA: There are NO spoilers behind the cut. And if you want to know why I nominated something or why I didn't, please ask - I didn't have the energy for lengthy explanations (thus, why no spoilers). Now, onto the real nominations: ( The Second Annual Nominations for the Cordelianne Emmys )


I'm sure you're wondering how the winners will be determined. I will be making that decision and announcing it on (or close to) Emmy night. I will likely do a poll to determine the people's choice around that date, but I will ultimately have to pick one from my favourites in each category (which will be a challenge!!).

I'd wanted to do more categories (ie. writing and directing) but am exhausted from all my preparations for visiting savoytruffle (I leave on Monday!!! eeeeee!!!) and for Writercon!!! The excitement levels are VERY HIGH here!!! I'm pretty much ready although there's a couple of last minute things I need to do tomorrow and Monday (eg. I still need to get American money. I remembered to set aside my Veronica Mars dvds but not get cash. *headdesk*).

*squishes you all* *collapses*

Michael Ausiello (TV Guide) reports that Veronica Mars has been renewed!!! The sad news is that Everwood won't be. Here's what you'll find at the link:

Straight from the horse's mouth, Rob Thomas just e-mailed me to confirm that Veronica Mars has been renewed for a third season. The show got a 22-episode order that, depending on ratings, can be reduced to 13. Very reliable sources, meanwhile, are also telling me that One Tree Hill will be back and that Everwood is, in fact, dead. Talk about injustice.

So I'm trying to focus on the positive that my beloved Veronica Mars will be back. I'm a little worried because this is similar to what happened to Arrested Development and we know how that turned out.

I've been lucky because Everwood is the only one of my shows so far to be officially not renewed. (I am incredibly sad about this, because it's one of the best shows on television.) Here's what's been renewed so far:

- My Name is Earl: Moves to Thursdays 8pm, NBC
- The Office: Moves to Thursdays 8:30pm, NBC
- Scrubs: It won't be airing until mid-season, like this year. NBC
- What About Brian: Mondays 10pm, ABC (I haven't decided if I'll keep watching.)
- Lost: Wednesdays 9pm, ABC (I'm considering not watching next season because I haven't been loving this season and I need to cut down on the amount of shows I watch)
- Grey's Anatomy: Moves to Thursday 9pm, ABC
ETA: - I believe that Gilmore Girls has already been picked up by the CW (probably for Tuesdays 8pm).
ETA#2: - Because the official schedules haven't been announced I forgot that Bones and How I Met Your Mother have already been renewed.

I haven't been following the new shows too closely because I find so much can change between now and September. And I'm trying to reduce the amount of tv shows I watch, not increase them.

I’ve haven’t watched all my weekly tv shows yet, but so far it’s been a very entertaining and good week for tv!!

The Golden Globes

I don’t think I ever want to watch another award show live again. I watched the Golden Globes on Tuesday night and fast-forwarded through commercials, blah speeches and the boring miniseries section.

Favourite moments:
- Hugh Laurie and Steve Carrel’s hilarious acceptance speeches for best actor in a tv drama and comedy respectively. It was also awesome when Lost won later (for best tv drama) and they also thanked Steve Carrel’s wife.
- Joaquin Phoenix winning for best actor in a comedy or musical, and then revealing that he’d bet against himself! Could I love him even more than I already do?!!
- Brokeback Mountain winning (and deserving) lots of awards.
- Ang Lee calling Clint Eastwood “the man” – so adorable!!

The boring parts:
- I don’t remember because I fast-forwarded through them!


Skating with Celebrities

Totally fun fluff, although I was disappointed that no “celebrities” got hurt during the episode. (I know, I’m evil.) It was funny to hear Kristy Swanson described as a “movie star”, hee! Also I loved when Lloyd Eisler (Canadian Figure Skating champion) who undeservedly lost multiple times said: “You all know that I don’t like judges.”


Smallville

Good job Smallville writers for going at least 4 episodes without a kryonite enhanced villain. Also, I’m impressed that the episode wasn’t a complete Panic Room rip off. I’m less impressed that Lana continues to live.

Did anyone else notice that when Lex was trying to tell Lana he loved her, that he was distracted by thoughts about Clark? I was giggling when he started rambling about how nice Clark’s hair is. The Clark/Lex relationship is practically canon on Smallville now.

So next week is the big character death (for the 100th episode). I just hope it’s not Clark’s dog, in typical Smallville “we always back down from doing anything daring” fashion. From what I’ve heard it actually will be one of the characters in the main credits that will die, although I don’t know who it will be. Fingers crossed that it’s Lana, although my friend’s prediction (based on comic book canon) is that it’ll be Jonathan Kent.


My Name is Earl

This is definitely one of my favourite Earl episodes so far!!

Favourite moments:
- Earl calling Kenny his “homosexual friend” (it sounds very endearing the way Earl says it).
- Earl putting the picture of him, Joy, Darnell and the kids at Joy & Darnell’s wedding on his desk.
- The “old gang” doing the slo-mo type power walk to the office.
- Randy in a boardroom talking and pointing to a pie chart (with his 4 empty beer cans on the ground).
- Joy not telling Darnell and the kids about the toe because she was worried their reactions wouldn’t be real enough. Joy’s completely fake horror.
- Darnell’s continued horror when they’re getting the cheque for the toe incident.


The Office

Despite the high cringe factor, this show has wormed it’s way into my heart. Oh Michael, you are the worst secret keeper ever! I am so rooting for Jim and Pam; they may be my favourite couple on tv right now. They’re so adorable. I loved Dwight in surveillance mode and his complete obliviousness to Oscar’s gayness.


24

( Such big spoilers that I’m using a spoiler cut!! )


Battlestar Galatica 2.12

( More huge huge spoilers for everything up to episode 2.12!!! )
What I love best about BSG is that it always explores the complexities of a situation and never portrays anything as all good or all evil. It reminds me of Everwood in the way it can maneuver the viewer through a variety of perspectives all of which could potentially be “right”. I’m so glad that I didn’t discover BSG until 2006 because otherwise my Best TV Shows of 2005 list would have expanded to 12 shows, since BSG is definitely one of the best shows on tv right now.

I have so much love for my tv shows right now!!!

I had this very stressful and busy week, which meant that I didn't watch any of my tv until the weekend (this produced a VERY cranky and anti-social cordelianne). I thought it would be a fun experiment to see if I could keep my reactions about shows to a couple of lines each.

Sunday January 8

The Simpsons – It's funny again!!

Family Guy – Hee. Sychronized swimming and lesbians!

American Dad – I giggled and giggled during the climactic sequence (monkeys!), and I also loved Roger imagining he was in a sitcom (I never do that!).

Charmed – Probably the most original Charmed episode ever ... in a bizarro world where no one realizes this was just a cheap rip-off of a dumb summer movie starring Brangelina.

Grey’s Anatomy – You thought this would be a new episode? Ah ha ha. Welcome to the hell of yet another ABC “recap” episode (I did not watch).

Monday January 9

The Critics Choice Awards – Yay! I’m very happy about the love for Brokeback Mountain!! In other reactions, Dennis Miller as host bored me. Also, I’m beginning to think that Dakota Fanning is a robot; she gives better acceptance speeches than most adults. Maybe Tom Cruise, who – incidentally - she praised in her speech, hypnotized her.

How I Met Your Mother – I LOVE this show! It perfectly captures what it’s like to be single in your late 20s.

Out of Practice – Fun sitcom.

House x 2 - Hmm, both House reruns starred actresses who’ve been on previous seasons of 24. Could Fox be getting us ready for 24’s return?

Tuesday January 10

Gilmore Girls – This season keeps getting better and better! I was highly amused by Rory’s breakdown – the kleenexs!! Also, Lorelei looked so happy & beautiful in her wedding dress – please don’t break our hearts Amy Sherman-Palladino (aka show creator/show runner)!!!

Supernatural – Plot? Who cares about the plot? I love the Winchester brothers and their angst!! I think they’re my favourite brothers on tv. Also, this show is still scaring me at least once an episode

House – I think my favourite moment of the episode was House taking the ball away from the kid. In terms of the romantic stuff, I think it’s going to end badly (Wow! What a shocking prediction!! Maybe I should become a psychic. Ha.)

Scrubs x 2 – These episodes were even better than last week’s. I LOVED the triathlon one and how slow J.D. was, and that Elliot kept catching up and carried him in the end. Also how great was the whole kung fu sequence?!

People’s Choice Awards – After watching this I had to reassure myself that I am indeed a person (I even reminded myself of the Heritage Moment about the Persons Case which proved women are people) because “the people” and I don’t agree on much. Star Wars as best movie?! shudder.

Wednesday January 11

Lost – Watch out Charlie! Now everyone likes Sawyer and no one likes you. Also, we got Eko’s back story which was pretty interesting, and sad.

Thursday January 12

Smallville – sigh. I want James Marsters to return. On the bright side, the villain wasn’t affected by Kryptonite in any way, she was just crazy (fortunately they’ve never had any crazy girls on the show before! Ha, see above re: bizarro world).

Four Kings – Why? Seth Green, why? I only watch this for you, and it’s painful, fingernails on a chalkboard painful.

My Name is Earl – Earl working in fast food! It reminded me of the Buffy “Doublemeat Palace” (6:12) episode (that's a good and funny thing in my book). Oh, I loved the hairnet over Earl’s moustache. hee!

The Office – This show is kicking my ass. I’ve now seen some of the British version and am even more impressed with the American version because it has really become it’s own excellent show. I loved that Michael BURNED HIS FOOT ON A GRILL!! Also, Dwight with concussion was adorable!

Crumbs – I didn’t love it, but it has some potential. It’s fun to see Fred Savage and Jane Curtin again!

Beauty and the Geek – I miss Everwood! Even amusing pop culture questions like “Which of these Jennifers was Ben Affleck not engaged to? (There were pictures of J.Lo, Garner and Aniston), and “Who is the father of Britney Spear’s baby?” could not appease my sadness about the loss of Everwood until March!

Friday January 13

Living with Fran – Fluffy fun.

Reba – Not the best Reba this season, but it was fun to see Reba and Brock get along.

Twins – More fluff.

Numb3rs – Wait, did I say the Winchesters are my favourite brothers? I’d forgotten about the adorable Epps boys. I think the casino in this episode was the one where Gunn and Angel almost lost their souls in Angel “Double or Nothing” (3:18).

The Book of Daniel – This show is a lesser version of Desperate Housewives, Joan of Arcadia and Six Feet Under (I'm not even into Desperate or Six Feet Under). Even the scene when Daniel thinks the 2 mob guys are a gay couple wasn’t as funny as it could be. Just another fluffy Friday night show, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll stick it out.


I've also FINALLY been watching last season of 24 (season 4) to get ready for season 5. Wow! Season 4 is an awesome season - definitely better than seasons 2 or 3. Air Force One gets shot down (see what happens when Harrison Ford isn't President?), there's a nuclear meltdown, torture and all the best characters return (yay President Palmer!!). Chloe kicks ass, or more precisely kills a terrorist. Michelle and Tony reconcile!! Jack experiences lots of angst and people continually doubting his abilities (why would anyone do this?). I just need to watch the 2 hour finale, but I'm already psyched for season 5!!!

Whew! I think I'm experiencing tv overload. Hopefully this week won't be so annoying and I'll be able to actually watch some of my shows!

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!!!