NBC Fall Lineup

I give NBC lots of credit for a good job of promoting its new shows during its regular programming.  However, NBC is a giant failure for promotions on its website.  Go to www.nbc.com and as of two days of one of its newest shows’ premiers, you still get s a re-hash of its already-existing shows.  Not what you want to do when you’re number four and need to gain viewers.  Also, it’s pretty stupid to inject commercials (not one, but multiple commercials) into your online fall preview show.  Seriously, who does your marketing??  I have a group of students that could use a project, or jobs, I think they could help.

After two Google searches, I finally found the fall previews.  Here are my picks and pans by night and time.

The Sing Off (Monday at 7)—OK, NBC, it’s time to catch the hint that there is only so much room for reality star-maker shows.  America’s Got Talent, The Voice, Last Comic Standing….shall I go on?  You’re still the number four network, and these shows haven’t catapulted you forward, so maybe it’s time for something different…but I see nothing different about this show.  It’s America’s Got Talent, The Voice, American Idol and The X Factor all rolled into one with a new title and different judges. Fail.

Playboy Club (Monday at 9)—Ever since The Girls Next Door, I have been strangely interested in the Playboy brand in general.  No, I don’t read the magazine, even for the articles, but I am fascinated by Hugh Hefner and his climb from a simple idea to a huge empire and brand.  Seriously, a naked girl magazine inspired a night club, and then an entire occupation (Playboy Bunny), a chain of hotels and casinos (but they shut down), a television channel, clothing line, and several spin-off t.v. shows (Girls Next Door, Kendra, Holly’s World, etc), and now a t.v. show about the club and the bunny.  I’m not totally positive this show will work out, but I want to see what it’s all about.  Three episode trial run. 

Up All Night  (Wednesday at 7)—Were the writers of this show bugging our living room??  Less than 30 seconds into the preview, there were two conversations that Scott and I have had—cleaning up our language around the baby, and who got more sleep.  And we haven’t even had our baby yet.  I love Christina Applegate, and this show is about exactly what we are about to experience in our life.  I’m sold. One caveat:  this show may freak us out pre-baby and we may decide that we don't want to watch it.

 Free Agents (Wednesday at 7:30 )—It’s a little show about a public relations agency.  It stars Hank Azaria and Katheryn Hahn, and I like both of them.  I used to work in PR, and we teach PR to our students…I think I should watch it.  It’s for educational purposes.

Whitney (Thursday at 8:30)—I’ve been watching Whitney Cummings for a while now on Chelsea Lately.  I’ve never been much of a fan of hers.  I don’t think she’s all that funny.  However, after watching her show previews, I think her prime time show might actually be funny.  Maybe.  She gets a three episode trial period.

  

Prime Suspect (Thursday at )—Anyone remember Chase on NBC from last season?  Probably not, because it got cancelled.  This show looks like the same thing, different characters, different city.  It does have a Law & Order feel to it, which has been successful since I was in high school, so maybe it will work out. I doubt it.

Grimm (Friday at 8)—What in the world???  Detective sees zombies?  NBC spent all of 30 seconds on this preview; therefore, I have no idea what this show is about.  I like weird, supernatural shows and all, but not this one.  Maybe if the network would have spent a little more time on the preview to entice me I would pick it, but as it stands, no.

Smash (Midseason)—Deborah Messing is back! It’s musical, it’s inspirational, it’s about Broadway, it’s getting a prominent place in the DVR.  I’m excited about this one.  It co-stars Anjeica Houston and Jack Davenport (remember him from FlashForward before ABC cancelled it right in the middle of a story line?) and American Idol’s Katherine McPhee.

Four shows make the cut with one more coming after the first of the year.  For such a horrible job of promotions, I must say NBC could be on the upswing.  Here are our NBC shows:

Monday—Playboy Club

Tuesday—Nothing

Wednesday—Up All Night, Free Agents

Thursday—The Office, Whitney

Friday—Nothing  

FOX Fall Lineup

I have never been much of a Fox fan.  Ever since they killed off Marissa on The OC, I just haven’t found the room in my heart to forgive them.  American Idol lost its luster for me once Carrie Underwood won, and though The Simpsons continue to amuse me, it’s one of those shows that I’ll watch if it’s on, but it doesn’t make the DVR cut.  Had DVRs been invented in high school, maybe, but it’s a good thing we didn’t have DVRs when I was in high school, otherwise I would not have made it into college….or out of college for that matter.

OK, back to the point....

With my personal bias in mind, here are my reviews for Fox’s new shows.  Since they only have two hours of programming a night, they only have four new options.  However, they have some mid-season shows on the horizon that might be of interest.  I’ll follow up on those in a future blog (maybe.  I still haven’t finished blogging about our Belize trip, and that was back in March. Blogging doesn’t get me tenure, so it’s kind of low on my priority list).

Allen Gregory (Sunday at 7:30)—Although The Simpsons and King of the Hill hold a special place in my heart, I’m really not a big fan of animated series.  With that said, this one looks like it could be funny, but I don’t picture it being successful.  The show is about a seven-year-old that acts like an adult, drinks wine with his school lunch, and calls his teacher by her first name.  For those that like animated series, give this one a chance, but it’s just not for me.

Terra Nova (Monday at 8)—An ordinary family finds a portal to go back in time and try to restore civilization.  I think this one might appeal to Lost fans, but I’m not feeling it.  In addition, the previews are super lame and don’t give me much insight into what the series is really about.  I had to read the reviews to be able to describe a show.  READING—about t.v.!! The nerve.  Not the right thing to do when you’re trying to attract TELEVISION viewers, Fox.

New Girl (Tuesday at 8)—We have a winner!  This show looks freaking hilarious.  Zooey Deschanel gets dumped and has to find a new place to live.  She moves in with three guys who attempt to help her back on her feet.  Zooey seems a little clumsy, both physically and socially, and I can relate. Plus, I used to live with two guys, so some of the situations remind me of that time in my life.  Give it a shot. It comes on right after Glee, which makes me a little disappointed that Raising Hope is getting pushed back half an hour.

I Hate my Teenage Daughter (Wednesday at 8:30)—Jamie Pressly stars as one of two moms that are dealing with very spoiled teenage daughters. I don’t have a teenage daughter, and I’m not a teenager anymore (although I can picture myself acting like the girls in this show years ago), so this show doesn’t appeal to me. 

We’re just not big FOX watchers, but it has our hearts on Tuesday night!

Monday—Nothing

Tuesday—Glee, New Girl, Raising Hope. All shows premier September 20.

Wednesday—Nothing

Thursday—Nothing

Friday—Nothing

Saturday—Nothing 

Fox has always bragged that it appeals to a younger audience, so what does this list say about us??

CBS Fall Lineup

Once again, CBS’s lineup is so solid that only six new shows are offered for the fall.  This is a testament to the programming geniuses at CBS.  Case and point—three shows survived last year:  Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-0, and Blue Bloods. This is really good, considering they didn’t offer very many new shows last year, either.

So here are my pics from CBS.  Only one doesn’t make the cut.

2 Broke Girls (Monday at 7:30)—Hmmm. Not terribly excited about this one.  It seems to have its mildly funny moments, but I kind of think it’s a little over-acted.  Not feeling it.

Unforgettable (Tuesday at 9)—I’m in.  This looks really different and really good.  The main character remembers everything. She can recall every day, every conversation, and nearly every detail.  As someone who is frequently accused of having a freakish memory, I can’t wait to see this show.  PLUS the male lead is none other than Dr. Shawn McNamara from Nip/Tuck (Dylan Walsh).  I missed the good doctor.

How to be a Gentleman (Thursday at 8:30)—This show seems kind of silly, but the previews cracked me up. Something about it is endearing.  It’s not really my kind of show, but I’m giving it a three episode trial period to see.  Essentially, the show is about a nerdy guy that needs help being cool, so he enlists the help of a former high school classmate that is now a personal trainer.  We shall see about this one…

Person of Interest (Thursday at 8)—I must admit, I can’t really figure out what this show is about. CBS didn’t offer very detailed previews for this one.  But, it’s just creepy and mysterious enough to pique my interest.  Michael Emerson plays a super nerd that invented software that can identify people that are about to be involved in violent crimes; Jim Caviezel plays an ex-CIA agent that has to find and prevent these crimes. So it’s kind of like a non-cape, non-Batmobile, super power-free, modern day Batman and Robin. 

A Gifted Man (Friday at 10)—A driven doctor is visited by his recently deceased ex-wife, who needs him to carry on her work.  It may sound strange to some, but I’m the girl that never missed an episode of The Ghost Whisperer.  Paranormal shows really appeal to me.  It stars Patrick Wilson, and I’m not really a big fan of his.  Something about him creeps me out and I can’t figure out why. 

So here’s a look at our CBS shows, listed by night and time: 

Sunday:  The Good Wife. (New night and time).  Scott still watches The Amazing Race, but I grew tired of it.

Monday:  How I met Your Mother and Hawaii Five-0. (Although it was good, I wasn’t crazy enough about Mike & Molly to keep it in the que. All the fat jokes made the pregnant lady self conscious.)

Tuesday:  Unforgettable

Wednesday:  Nothing for me, but Scott is a Survivor loyal.

Thursday:  The Big Bang Theory, How to Be a Gentleman, Person of Interest

Friday:   A Gifted Man

ABC Fall Lineup 2011

It’s that time of year when I procrastinate writing my syllabi and long for the cooler days that offer cooler stuff to watch on television.  Yet again, here are my picks and pans for the new season of t.v. shows.

By tradition, I go in alphabetical order of network. ABC is up first.  I must say, this is the most disappointed I have been in quite some time about ABC’s lineup of shows. I am only deeming a handful of shows DVR-worthy, but I’m not terribly excited about any of them.

Two new shows sandwich in my Sunday night staple, Desperate Housewives, they are Once Upon a Time and Pan Am.

Once Upon a Time (Sunday at 7).  Huh?  Fairy tales transported to now. What? I don’t get it. It’s a no.

Pan Am (Sunday at 9). This one makes the cut, mostly because I’m curious. I really like Christina Ricci and I’m excited to see how she does in this role. I’m not completely sure about this show, but I’ll give it a four week trial period.

Nothing new on Mondays.

Last Man Standing (Tuesday at 7). If I were a middle aged dad of teenage girls, this show might be funny to me. Honestly, the previews that ABC posted to its website were pretty funny, but I’m just not the target audience. Tim Allen returns to ABC for this new comedy.  Best wishes, Buzz Lightyear.

Man Up (Tuesday at 7:30). Although I did give a laugh or two at the previews, I am really not excited about another show about three guys that hate their lives because their wives are so uncool. They wonder why they aren’t as awesome as they once were simply because they’re married with kids.  This has been done before. Not my type of show.

Suburgatory (Wednesday at 7:30). This one looks pretty funny. It’s about a family that moves from Manhattan to the suburbs. They’re in a major culture shock at the soccer moms and cougars prowling about town. This comes right between The Middle and Modern Family, so it works well into my Wednesday evening. I’ll give it a shot.

Revenge (Wednesday at 9). I’m kind of interested in this one. It’s dark and errie, kind of creepy…looks like a show I would like.

Charlie’s Angels (Thursday at 7). I know that I was excited about Hawaii 5-0 making a comeback, and it’s one of my favorite shows, AND I usually like a good chick show, but this one is just not going to make the cut. I don’t know why. I watched two different previews, and neither appealed to me. 

And that’s it. ABC does have some new mid-season shows. I’ll try to review them at another time. I will say that two of the info pages on the mid season shows were not working—not good for business, ABC! I might have gotten really excited about something if only your links were working.

By night and time, here are my ABC shows:

Sunday:  Desperate Housewives  and  Pan Am

Monday: Nothing

Tuesday: Nothing

Wednesday:  The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, Revenge

Thursday:  Grey’s Anatomy

Friday: 20/20

Belize Day 3--Placenciaaaaaahhhhhh

Our third day in Belize was all about enjoying the beach at Placencia. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the beach and these chairs, I wanted to move here.

Placencia is on a peninsula and is absolutely gorgeous!  Evin and Tony live a short 10 minute boat ride from here, and Tony's brother owns the best bar on the beach, the Tipsy Tuna.

We had seen a lot of really cool stuff in the previous days, so we wanted to take this day to just chill out and enjoy the beach.

First thing's first.  Breakfast.  Tony and Evin took us to eat at Da Thach.  It was a great little beach restaurant that served the best breakfast burrito I had ever tasted. Instead of a tortilla, they used flat bread. And as a side item, fry jacks, which are essentially sopapillas served with jelly or beans. Who would have thought...jelly on a sopapilla.  Well let me tell ya, I've been missing out!

Next on the agenda...sit around and do nothing. And that's all we did all the live long day.

The beach and sand are beautiful, and it was totally cool to sit there and enjoy the view, Tipsy Tuna food an beverages and the sound of the ocean. To read my review of the Tipsy Tuna on Trip Advisor, click here.

I paid enough for the pedicure, so I had to show it off.

Tony sliced us up a lovely bunch of coconuts.
We drank the coconut milk.

Reading on the beach

Awake from my nap. 

Following a day on the beach, we had to go experience the town. We enjoyed a great crab dinner with Tony's brother and sister in law, had some wonderful gellato, and then went to the Purple Space Monkey for karaoke. Evin and I paid homage to our motherland with a performance of Oklahoma. More importantly, Scott sang!  He did a lovely "Amarillo by Morning." Evin and Tony sang "Summer Lovin." How fitting.

Belize Day 2--Cave Tubing & Ruins

We woke up to a woodpecker beating on our shutters. I thought it was Evin, so I yelled at it. 

We had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. It’s been a while since I’ve had pancakes, and although these were not as good as Scott’s or McDonalds’, these were still mighty tasty.

Next we went to the Mayan ruin, Xunantunich.  According to the Internet, which is always reliable, it’s the second tallest Mayan structure in Belize and was used by the ancient Mayans as a ceremonial center.  It was allegedly abandoned after an earthquake.

To get to the ruin, we had to take a hand cranked ferry across the Mopan River. The man in charge of the ferry was more than happy to let a couple of dorky tourists run the ship.

Over the river and through the woods, followed by a pretty good uphill hike to get to the ruins, we saw an impressive ancient city. It was absolutely incredible. To think the ancient Mayans built that temple is so hard to belive! No cranes or bulldozers. Just man power. 

We climbed to the top of the Castillo, which was where archaeologists say was where the Mayan priests lived. There are replicas of reliefs on the sides of the building. The complex also included residences and a sports field.

The reliefs on the side of the Castillo are replicas.

The actual artwork is on display in a museum.

Looking straight down. Yikes!

Historians think these may have been the
residences within the Castillo.

The rest of the complex from the Castillo.

We climbed to the top of the ruin and could see the Guatemala border from there. 

Guatemala in the distance

It was quite a hike up to the top and we were amused to find no guardrails near the top. Scott and Evin were a bit more daring than me.

For someone that is as accident-prone as me, I stayed as far away from the edge as possible. I have to admit, it made me a bit nervous.

But I got a little more brave. After all, we were on a mission to find our 2011 Christmas card.

This one won't make it. I'm holding my head funny.

Probably won't use this one either.
It might make it into a frame.

In an attempt for a funny picture, I got a little more brave. I always wondered...if you climb on the ruin, does it ruin it?

Next on the agenda—cave tubing!  I LOVED it! Sadly we don’t have pictures. I made the mistake one time of taking a camera on a tubing trip down the Guadalupe River and was not about to sacrifice another camera to the river. I took a waterproof camera, but the pictures were too dark to post. Although we had to hike a long way with our tubes, we got to see some rainforest. The caves had stalactites, stalagmites, waterfalls, and other very interesting rock formations. Our guide took us back into some secret parts of the cave to see some ancient Mayan pottery. I highly recommend doing this.

On our way to Placencia, we drove through Belmopan, the capitol city of Belize. The capitol was in Belize City, but after a hurricane wiped out the city years ago, they decided it would be safer to have the capitol further inland. The photo below is of the Beliziean president's office. He doesn't live there, but does all of his work there.

Belieze's version of the White House.

Next we drove to Placencia and enjoyed a night at the Tipsy Tuna, Tony’s brother’s bar. It is right on the beach and is awesome. The place includes an indoor sports bar complete with sand floors; an outdoor beach bar with an outdoor dance floor; beach chairs, and a yummy grill. The place was so awesome that we returned the next day and sat by the beach all day long.