Watching TV Without Watching TV

Okay, so I realize with almost every household either have a TIVO, DVR, or VCR, missing a television show is becoming a harder and harder task. However, it still happens. Or maybe, you really want to know who is kicked off of Big Brother, without fast forwarding to the last 2 minutes of the show. Regardless of the reason, you definitly do not want to be the last person to know what happened on the most popular show amongst your friends. I have stumbled upon a website that I just had to mention. Television Without Pity is a website that has television, reviews, recaps, and even forums to discuss the shows you love. I have personally used it when I wanted to catch up on what happened while I was on vacation. (Speaking of which, vacation was great and I will probably be writing about it sometime soon.) But I understand if you do not want to spoil a television show, so they also have a link to Movies Without Pity, which you guessed it, discusses movies. So check out the website, and let me know what you think. :)

"Top Mom" Gets Reality Show

Not long ago, I wrote about Dina Lohan, Lindsay Lohan's mother, receiving an award for being "Top Mom" from a mother's group in Long Island, New York. Now Dina and her daughter Aliana (she goes by "Ali") have their own reality show called "Living Lohan." The show, which is on E! Entertainment Television fives an inside look at what it is like in the life Lohan house. I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the feud the Lohan clan has with Michael Lohan (their father). Michael is not part of the show, but OK! magazine has given Michael a part of his own: to blog about each episode. It is interesting to see that the Lohan family has decided to have this show, considering the dreaded impact that Hogan Knows Best had on the Hulk Hogan's family. (Speaking of which, do you hear that Brooke Hogan had an accident yesterday? Unlike her brother, Nick Hogan, who wasn't wearing his seat belt when he got into his accident, for which he was sentenced to eight months in jail, 500 hours of community service, and five years of probation, Brooke was wearing her seat belt and no one was injured. I should note that it appears that Brooke's accident was not her fault.)

It is interesting to note that Lindsay did not make an appearance during the premiere, but she was discussed by her mother and sister on a nonstop basis. Dina has stated that Lindsay would not be part of the show, much to the chagrin of the critics and the media. The reason that Dina provided is that Lindsay is "too good" for the show. If Lindsay participated in the show, then it would be taking a step back in her career, rather than advancing it. Since Lindsay was discussed, Michael needed to chime in and let the world know that Lindsay and Samantha Ronson are "engaged." According to Michael, they plan to have a commitment ceremony at Dolly Parton's Dollywood in Tennessee. Personally, I went to Dollywood when I was a kid and could never see it as a romantic place. Am I wrong? Does anyone have any different recollection of the place?

Criminal Minds Finale = Death And Suspense (Bravo!)

While most of America was watching David Cooke win American Idol 2008, Criminal Minds had it season finale. And like most of the season finales I have written about, someone dies. But the question is . . . who?

I have to give credit to the show's writers, because they have created the perfect cliffhanger ending. Throughout the show, the violence that the perpetrator or perpetrators are committing has escalated, however, the FBI experts of Criminal Minds do not appear to be getting closer to identifying them. So the FBI team members split up to try to cover more ground quicker. The last time you see each member, they are getting into their respective vehicles, which all look identical. Then, just before the show ends, one of the vehicles blows up. Who dies, who knows? But there was a death. So the theme continues. :)

Shark's Season Finale Proves It Shouldn't Be Renewed

Prior to watching the season and series finale of Shark last night, I would have said that what are they thinking. I was just getting into the show and now they are cancelling it. So with the heightened expectation of this being the end of the road for James Woods, who plays Sebastian Stark. The show, surprisingly, did not end with the death of Stark or any other character for that matter. It seemed to me, that the show was possibly the originally scripted season finale, before they found out that the show was being cancelled. It lacked the usual closing, whether it is "and they lived happily ever after" or the main character dying. Needless to say, I was disappointed. So I applaud the fact that Shark is now off the air.

So Long Farewell, Until I See You On Re-runs

So with the television season coming to an end, the networks have announced what shows will not be coming back. Looking over the list, some of them are surprising, while others are such a relief. Without further ado:

ABC: Big Shots, Caveman, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia, Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann, Here Come the Newlyweds, Just for Laughs, Men in Trees, Miss/Guided, Notes From the Underbelly, October Road, Oprah's Big Give, and Women's Murder Club.

Surprises: The biggest surprise has to be Oprah's Big Give. Initial reports were that ABC did not want to renew the show, but more recently, it is being reported that Oprah did not want to renew the show. Maybe that is because it did not draw in as many viewers as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which was in the same slot. Or, maybe it was the fact that she is busy working on her own cable network. Regardless, it is not coming back. Another interesting trend is the number of reality shows that are not coming back. Maybe scripted shows are making a comeback. Thank goodness!

CBS: Cane, Jericho, Kid Nation, Moonlight, Shark, Viva Laughlin, and Welcome to the Captain.

Surprises: I am surprised that Jericho is not returning because of its strong sci-fi fan base. However, I am even more surprised about Shark. I have started getting into the show, just in time for it to end. So, I will definitely will be watching the finale tonight.

CW: Aliens in America, Beauty and the Geek, Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, CW Now, Girlfriends, Life Is Wild, Online Nation, Pussycat Dolls Presents, and WWE Smackdown!

Surprises: Does anyone actually know about any of these shows. I have caught the Beauty and Geek show when nothing else is on, but all I have to say is wow. What happened ot the quality shows UPN used to have?

Fox: Anchorwoman, Back to You, Canterbury's Law, K-Ville, New Amsterdam, The Next Great American Band, The Return of Jezebel James, and Unhitched.

Surprises: I am not surprised by any of these, but am actually pleased that Back to You is not coming back. Many are saying it is because of the cost of each episode. My thought is actually, Kelsey Grammer is just not funny. To my understanding, Grammer is actually trying to get another network to pick up the series.

NBC: 1 vs. 100, Amne$ia, Bionic Woman, Clash of the Choirs, Journeyman, Las Vegas, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, Phenomenon, quarterlife, and The Singing Bee.

Surprises: This again proves my comment about reality television shows are starting to die off. Of the shows listed here, I enjoyed 1 vs. 100, but definitely saw the show not being renewed.

Season Finale = Someone Dies

Last night, was the House season finale and while some of it was predictable, it was still sad. For example, by the end of the show, James Wilson’s girlfriend, Amber Volakis (who is played by Anne Dudek) died. However, she died after House (played by Hugh Laurie) diagnosed her with amantadine poisoning. Amantadine is a normal drug that people take to fight the flu, so do not panic if you ever have to take it. Rather, because of a bus accident that caused Amber’s kidneys to fail, her system was unable to filter out the amantadine which in turn caused it to bond with her body’s proteins. Thereby, preventing dialysis from removing it from her system. I only say that this is predictable because in the end, now House and James Wilson (played by Robert Sean Leonard) are at odds, because she was only on that bus because House was too drunk to drive home. The relationship between them has been a roller coaster of emotions, so what better what to end a season then to leave it on the rocky side?

However, the show did not stop there. “Thirteen,” who is played by Olivia Wilde, had a family history of Huntington’s Disease. After a season full of poking and prodding by House, Thirteen finally decides to get tested for the disease that has no cure. In essence, Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disease, which causes the brain to degenerate, eventually leading to dementia, and for which there is no cure. Because of the ongoing chemistry between House and Thirteen, maybe next season would be about House’s efforts to find a cure to Huntington’s?

If you haven’t seen House, I highly encourage you to check out the episodes. I think Laurie is an amazing actor and the writing for the show is stellar. I just wish that one of these days, there would be a season finale that “feels good” and it is not the series finale.