Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Dancing Around The Tube

I don't really watch much television, I sort of pick and choose my shows. What are your favorite TV shows? Must see? See if you are home but don't sit around waiting for it?

My favorite drama is the must see Friday Nigh Lights. The most well-acted show on Television. That is my only non-reality show must see. It is about so much more than football.

I seem to fall into the reality show trap. Because the other shows I like seem to be reality shows. I like watching people going outside of their comfort zone. I also like to see people competing against each other and bonding with their opposition.

Of course Top Chef is on my list. I don't know if it is the food or the competition. It is just fun to watch people create dishes in a preset often unrealistic time frame.

Then there is the Amazing Race. My favorite team, the flight attendants - one from Oregon - got eliminated. They finished last the week before and as punishment for not being eliminated they had to do an extra task that really left them no chance to catch up. What I like about the Amazing Race is watching how the teams work together to solve problems, the beautiful scenery in the places they travel, the teams doing things completely outside of their comfort zone, and how the teams navigate when there is a language barrier.

I've never watched The Apprenctice before and I just caught it a couple of time this year. I'm not sure I will continue to watch it because it just frustrates me. The wrong person is sent packing most of the time. A doofus like Dennis Rodman that contributes nothing to the show or his team is kept on when other people go.

Which leads to my favorite reality show Dancing With The Stars when this week a billionaire that is embarassing himself on the dance floor was kept on the show and an improving Denise Richards was sent packing. Here is how I rated the dancers this week:

1. Tony and Mellissa's Fox Trot - I love the elegant dances more than the Latin Dances

2. Shawn Johnson and Mark's Fox Trot - Although I'm not a fan of Mark's this was a beautiful dance.

3. Kym Johnson/David Alan Grier - I rated them higher than the judges did. The very Broadway Fox Trot pleased me to no end.

4. Gilles/Cheryl's Samba.

5. The most improving Chuck and his girl friend Julianne did a marvelous Fox Trot.

6. Another Fox Trot - see the pattern? I loved how Ty Murray has improved from the first week and he and Chelsea performed better than anyone could expect after seeing him in week one.

7. L'il Kim and Derrick's Samba was good as Samba's go.

8. Lawrence Taylor and the Body, Edyta, did an OK Samba.

9. Denise Richards and Max's Samba was better than the judges scored. She deserved to be on for a couple of more weeks.

10. Holly Madison, from Astoria, Oregon, and Dimitri also rated higher with me than the judges scored them.

11. Stevie O and Lacey deserved to be in the bottom two. They deserved to be one of the two couples in the dance off.

12. Billionaire the Woz and Katrina should have saved the audience from the misery of watching them dance and volunteered to go home.

What is on your TV platter this week? Do you watch TV from your easier chair? Does TV watching also mean snack city for you? Tell me your favorite shows.

May your Dance plesantly through the rest of the week!

10 comments:

Bev Sykes said...

I'm kind of weaning off some reality shows, I think. I'm not watching American Idol or Dancing with the Stars this time around. I grew to detest Donald Trump so much I gave up on Apprentice a few seasons back.

But Amazing Race is still in my top 10, I think. My favorite team is still in the running--Mel White and his son. My friend Steve knows Mel, who used to be a speech writer for Jerry Falwell before he (Mel) came out as a gay man. Steve went with Mel (who is head of a group called "Soulforce," which is dedicated to setting up meaningful dialog between fundamentalist Christians and the gay community) on a crusade to converse with Falwell's congregation. So anyway, I'm rooting for Mel and was VERY impressed at how the old geezer is performing, especially in that task with the camels!

The other reality show I'm watching right now is "Biggest Loser," and am very emotionally involved in it, though I won't watch it again--it just takes too much out of you!

I also like NCIS, Big Love, Top Chef, Grey's Anatomy, and enjoy all of the variations of "Law and Order," though don't cry if I miss one. I've also started watching The Mentalist this season and like it.

Basically, I'm a TV junkie and my very favorite program is The Daily Show.

Pat said...

There's quite a long list of shows I like and watch frequently. Of reality shows, I like Top Chef, Amazing Race, and if it ever comes back, the clothes designing one, of which I have temporarily forgotten the name. Oh, yes, Project Runway. I've been watching re-runs of Apprentice, and I agree that Rodman should go. He's mentally ill or just a drunk. Either way, he's no asset to any team. I'm only watching *at* DWTS this year, and forgot it completely last night, so I only saw who had to go when the news reported it. I'm sure you're right that it should have been Woz.

I love the new show Mentalist, because I'm very fond of Simon Baker. And I like Medium, even though I don't believe in anything supernatural. I mostly like the main character's home life. I watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Also House and Grey's Anatomy. Sometimes "procedurals" like CSI and Law & Order SVU. I haven't watched any of the CSI spinoffs more than once, and I don't like L&O Criminal Intent because I can't stand D'onofrio. With Jeff Goldblum, it may become interesting, so I'll give it another try. Your fave, Friday Night Lights, has gotten rave reviews but not many viewers. I'd try it, but I think I'm too late in the story arc to understand what's going on. And having made this list, I think I watch too much television anyway.

dona said...

I like comedy shows. There are a couple series during the week I like and I also like Medium and Fringe.
I think I am into the reality shows but am like Bev in thinking I need to wean my way off most of them. Some just get me too upset at how some of these people act. I love Amazing Race and think it is my fav. Survivor I watch but have not watched every season. I also love Top Chef, I think for the food. :) I liked Project Runway also but hear the last season that was taped may never hit the air. I think I like them just to see how these people react. I do like Apprentice, but think the Celebrity Apprentice sucks this year. Why they can keep someone on like Rodman is beyond me. I think I like the regular Apprentice more.
There are a couple of other Reality shows I watch regularly too, but I think after watching myself type this I am too much of a Reality TV junkie. I think I may need some help.

Lady DR said...

I'm really out of the running here, because I don't watch TV. Perhaps, if they gave me 45 minutes of programming and 15 of commercials, I might watch the CMAs and things like that, but I'd much rather read or knit or do crosswords or whatever than watch commercials for female products, hemmorhoid (sp?) treatments, beer and items I'll never want or use. I did, in the past week, watch Obama on Leno, Sixty Minutes and the press conference, which is probably more TV in a week than I've watched in the past year. Call me strange.

William J. said...

Hi Bev

Maybe I also should wean myself from reality shows. Alhtough I never watched American Idol. However, giving up watching DWTS would be a major life change.

I like Mel and his son. I also am rooting for the deaf kid and his mom now that my favorites have went by the way side. The old geezer does keep surprising everyone.

A lot of the shows you mentioned come on after my bed time.

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Pat

It was my understanding that Project Runway will no longer be on Bravo but will be on The Lifetime Channel. There was some kind of a lawsuit about it.

Woz scored a ten with his dance. And I thought that was to high.

Your the second one to mention the Mentalist.

I don't like D'onofrio either.

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Dona

I sometimes watch the Comedy Channel for standup routines.

Thank makes three of us that watch more reality than scripted TV. Amazing Race is my second favorite right after DWTS.

And that makes all of us wanting to get rid of Rodman.

If you need help so do I!

Bill

William J. said...

Hi DR

I hate the commercials also. But now even when you go to a movie you get commercials. It stinks.

I'd call you a lovely eccentric but never strange!

Bill

Pat said...

Gosh, even with that long list of tv shows I watch, I did forget two that are Do Not Miss shows for me: The Daily Show Mon - Thurs, and Bill Maher on HBO on Friday night.

As to commercials, I simply don't watch them. I channel surf over to the Food Network or CNN. I know that drives other people crazy, so I don't do it if anybody's watching with me, but usually I watch TV alone, so I'm free to be a Silver Surfer. Sometimes I tape a show and then I FF through the commercials.

William J. said...

Hi Pat

I love the Bill Maher show every time I watch I'm just asleep most of the times that it is on. I should make a point to stay up and watch it more often.

I'm also a channel surfer during commercials.

Bill