My Favorite Stuff On TV.

We haven’t had cable for probably 10-ish or so years.  I would rather drop $100 at Target a month than to pay for cable, it’s just not our thing.  I do miss HGTV and the Food Network though.  We have Netflix through the wii and we just got Hulu Plus as well.  The rest we just watch network shows when they are actually on.  {You can get Roku if you want to digitally stream your shows, but I’ve never had a problem just watching when they are on.}  Luckily, each local station has a ‘weather’ type channel, PBS offers Create TV which is a good mix of HGTV and Food Network, and PBS also has a dedicated Kids channel.  Honestly, it has been so long that we don’t even miss it… plus, we avoid crap like Honey Boo Boo.  I’d call that a win.

Without further ado… here are some of my favorites.

Castle:  Famous, rich, mystery writer has connections and gets put on a homicide team to model his next book series on the female detective he’s assigned to.  Murder solving has never been so hilarious.

New Girl:  Quirky girl moves into a loft with three guys.  Hilariousness and sexual tension ensues.  This show makes Dave and I laugh out loud every single week.  Schmidt, one of the roommates, is ridiculous.

Mindy Project:  Doctor Mindy has a practice with two other guys… more about Mindy’s life and dating mis-adventures than the practice.

Scandal:  Political fixer Olivia Pope has her own problems since she’s been having an affair with the very married President of the United States.  There is all kinds of intrigue and mystery involved in her daily work and her past.

Honorable Mentions:  The Good Wife, Happy Endings, Nashville, and the Big Bang Theory

Currently.

I’m currently watching The Kennedys miniseries on Netflix.  And Big Brother 13.  It’s amazing how they’re pretty much polar opposites, and yet both are centered on a house and a bunch of crazy people.

I’m currently listening to Ingrid Michaelson on Pandora.  Gorgeous voice.  Check her out.

I’m currently reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  It has been on my ‘must read’ list for years, ever since I did this gift series in 2009.  I finally picked it up for myself and it’s been worth the wait.

Your turn!  What are you watching, listening to, and reading right now?

What are you doing? Watching TV. How 'bout you?

PEOPLE, THERE MAY BE SPOILERS FOR THE GREY'S ANATOMY SEASON FINALE IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST. 

{Because dude, I can't be all... You can't say that!  George, Izzy, & Meredith haven't watched it yet!  They have fancy DVR machines!  They're on the west coast!} 

THERE ARE NO SPOILERS IN THE BODY OF THIS POST.  

{But, I am totally not going to ruin it for them especially since two of them aren't even on the show anymore.}

For your reading pleasure, I give you the lazy ass bloggers excuse for a post.

Oh, I know you're all excited.  You're saying to yourself, that lazy ass Michelle sure is going to make my day with her useless drivel because she is too wrapped up in watching season finales to come up with something clever.

But did you SEE Grey's Anatomy??  Holy mother.

Wait, I have to confess something first.  I don't watch Grey's.  Well, I used to, but then my refusal to get cable + my love affair with Michael Scott conflicted with McSteamy {because dude, he's way hotter than McDreamy} and I had to make a Sophie's Choice type decision.

So, I picked the Office.  And really, I had intended on watching Grey's online, but it just didn't happen.

But I do watch the last hour and a half of the season finale every year.  Come on...  You and I both know that it's the best episode of the season anyway.  I do that because I'm weird and then I text/call/message my friends and beg them to fill me in on what has happened all season long WHILE the show is on and they are on the edges of their seats. 

Thankfully they love me or that would be annoying or something.



Because OH EM GEE that was good.  And made me almost pee my pants because I was hopping around and switching back and forth to the Marriage Ref when it got too freaky.  Which was pretty much all of it.

Celebrity Apprentice 2010 is HILARIOUS.

Oh man. 

I don't post much about tv.  We don't have cable so that limits my knowledge of the batshit crazy shows like Real Housewives, Flavor of Love, Jon & Kate Plus Eight.  Shows like Entourage, Big Love, & Gossip Girl I watch on dvd {usually one after another like the lunatic that I am} or we watch online.  People like Speidi don't usually hit my radar unless they do something assinine.  Ignorance Cablelessness is bliss. 

Y'all.  Celebrity Apprentice belongs on cable.  And my addiction after 2 hours is reason enough for me never to get cable.

This show is hilarious and a train wreck all in one.

I'm not going to give you a recap of the first episode because someone else can do that better.  I'm going to tell you why I'm watching this season, aside from trying to figure out the Donald's hair.

• Sharon Osbourne & Cyndi Lauper both say anything that pops into their brain.  Cyndi has already called the Donald fat and brought up the 4 month Rosie fight.  Sharon said the diner was like the Star Wars Bar with all of the stuff going on, she also called herself a bitch and said to watch out.
• Rob Blagojevich.  The trainiest train wreck of the whole show.  How an entire state elected this man Governor is beyond me.  I will say, he has balls of steel to be as self deprecating as he was.  He and the Donald are going to be forming their own hair club for men after this, I can just see it.
• Bret Michaels.  Dude, they named the guys company ROCK SOLID at his prompting and then he told them that was his t-shirt line.  He's wearing eyeliner and has the hair and Carol Leifer already called him a man whore for his stint on Rock of Love.
• Sinbad is really funny.  Really really funny.
• Curtis Stone can cook for me anytime.  Yummy.
• The first 10 minutes of the show The Donald made mention that he was going to fire all their asses.  And let's face it, I can't wait to see who is next.  "Those beyotches are going to be soooorry."

Are you watching this season?

NBC might be the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.

{Artist Mike Mitchell ROCKS} 

{Oh and he wants peeps to use and post his Conan image.  Do it if you're so inclined.}

I'm reading the following as I'm watching my boy.

The Consumerist

NYT

You know I'm not a Twit{terer} but I'm Team Conan.

So, NBC pull your head out of your asses or I'm boycotting and I'm guessing that since you have only about 3 viewers right now, maybe you might want to hold onto the ones you've got.

And supporting my boy Works for Me.  I had an actual post about something helpful tonight, but it was preempted by Leno.  If you want to see some actual helpful tips, head on over to We Are THAT Family.

I have a problem. Clearly.

It's not the first time.  There was West Wing.  And Sex in the City.  The Gillmore Girls don't really count because I've only watched Season One, the same with Weeds.  But Big Love does, oh those polygamists.  Those enchanting fictictionalized polygamists.  And Entourage, sweet sweet Entourage, those boys are beyond.  Beyond what?  Just beyond.  Sigh.

When you don't have cable, you don't know about things like Big Love or Entourage until they come out on dvd.  And sometimes not until they're off the air {The Sopranos are still on my list} so you don't miss it while it's on live tv because you don't know about it AND you have the added benefit of watching one after another, no commercials, and bonus features.  Bonus features people.  We will literally spend a week watching show after show because it's so dang good and we have to see what's next!

Which brings me to my current addiction problem. You know about my secret love of the Gossip Girl books right?  But the series.  The seeeeeries, dear sweet narcissistic delicious series.  I bought Season One on Black Friday for super cheap at Tar-jay and I haven't had a minute really to watch until now.  Oh, and what I mean to say is that I watched all five disks this past week.  It's totally different from the books, but still SO fun to watch. 

I'm Chuck Bass jonesing for Blair Waldorf.  Oh yes, yes I am.

So, what are your delicious addictions?

Kiddie crack. Er... um educational TV watching for kids.

Finn doesn't watch a whole lot of tv other than the programming on PBS Kids, which I love.  Partly because I don't have to worry about a bunch of advertising crap being pushed down his throat, partly because it's nice to know I can turn it on and not worry that he's going to see anything too violent, sexual {unless you count Mama getting hot watching John Legend on Sesame Street}, or otherwise give him ideas that he has to be anything other than a little kid.  I also like that all of his favorites are shows that teach him something and yet are entertaining.  So there you have my great big push for the awesomeness that is PBS Kids, and if it isn't something you 've ever checked out, I highly encourage you to do so.

Back to the post.  All that being said, there has to be shows that are entertaining and awesome and educational on other networks too... right?  Ones that we've been missing that we might be able to find on dvd and/or get {we don't mind paying!} online?  We have decided that for our trip we're going to get an external hard drive and take the netbook instead of attempting the ipod touch right now.  That way it will serve more than one function while we're gone.  {Meaning, I can still enjoy my crack the internet in addition to Finn watching movies.} So help me fill it up!

His favorites right now are {in no particular order}

1. Super Why
2. Sesame Street
3. Word World
4. Sid the Science Kid
5. Martha Speaks
6. He also loves Dr Seuss anything and watches the old school animated versions of Green Eggs & Ham, The Zax, and The Sneeches on a regular basis.

So let me have it... what else can I introduce to him to keep him entertained on our trips?  And double bonus points to anyone who can recommend shows that aren't going to make me want to gauge my eyes out {Barney} with a spork.

Free Movies WFMW

There is a chill in the air around here, fall is upon us in this area of the country.  We're on the go a lot in the summer, but in the fall and winter we like to slow down and do more around the house.  That means catching up on the new fall shows, hosting game nights, and watching movies & tv shows that we don't get because we're a cable-free house.  {Another thing that Ash, my bloggy BFF and I have in common!}

Just a little aside because I get asked lots of questions about going cable free... Yes, it was a little difficult to give up cable when I first did it about 9 years ago.  No, we don't miss it.  Yes, Finn watches TV, PBS Kids has amazing programming.  We have all of the major stations NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS.  Each of those has 3 digital signals apiece, usually a "weather" station, old programming {similar to TBS}, and their regular programming.  PBS has their regular station, Create {with programming similar to HGTV}, and PBS Kids, so that is what we watch most.

So back to my WFMW tip!  Here is the big secret to FREE movies... the local library!  That's right, the library!  They carry most movies, tv shows, etc. that are released.  We have borrowed everything from entire seasons of Entourage {LOVE} to Elmo's World to our current obsession, The Tudors.  FOR FREE! 

Not many people realize, unless they are regular library users, that you can get more than just documentaries and old stuff at the library.  Take advantage of this community provided service and keep some cash in your pocket!  Check with your local library on their rules, but ours allows you to keep new releases for two weeks, older movies can even be renewed online and you can hang on to them for a month.

This post is a part of Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.  Head over there to link up and/or check out the best hints, tips, and ideas on the web. 

Happy reading & happy Wednesday!

Um fall TV is back. I would be clever, but now I don't have to think.

If I were a better blogger, I would come up with a witty clever post to tantalize your Friday morning, but really, I spent my Thursday night watching tv.  I should preface this with the fact that I don't have cable or a dvr, so I have to watch things live, on the major networks, just as God intended.  So instead of a great post, I bring you a collection of random thoughts that came to me brilliantly incoherently while watching the goodness that is Thursday night tv. 

1. This post was supposed to be about pomegranates.
2. V is coming back.  What???  My sister and I were obsessed with this show as kids.  The green blood.  The alien baby!  I am thinking that they must have replayed it because I don't remember being seven watching it, but I do remember being scared shitless.  I thought it was junior high.  I just called her and she doesn't even remember it.  I am highly disappointed in her sisterly skills.  Sigh. 
3. I am pretty much hooked on Flash Forward after one episode.  Did you watch?
4. Did you know that Cleveland from Family Guy The Cleveland Show is a middle age white guy?  Really. 
5. The Office was so funny that it renewed my faith in humanity and created world peace.  It was that funny.  It was so funny that if I had incontinance issues, it would have made me pee a little.
6. Which brings me to... Do your Kegels!  That's my PSA for tonight.  If my little PSA didn't do it for you, perhaps the arrival of a 19 pound baby would?  I can't believe I am saying this, but makes my 10 pound 12 ounce baby seem like a peanut.  Oh yes, you read that right. 
7. Ok, my sister just called me back and she remembers some of it. She is still on notice, but is slightly forgiven because she remembered the jist.
8. I can't wait to see the Where the Wild Things Are Movie. But what if it's not as good as the book? 
9. I am concerned that I might have adult ADD.  Tonight's blog post pretty much solidifies it for me. 
10. Our 15 year reunion festivities start tomorrow.  Watch out class of '94... I'll be the drunk one laughing at with at with at my BFF and calling my mom husband for a ride home.  Oh, and I also don't have a clue what I'm going to wear.  Any ideas for me?  Friday night is a football game, then the bar.  Saturday is dinner.
11. I don't get pro football.  I can watch college football for evah and evah, but pro ball... pffft.  No thanks.  Go Bucks.  Seems like the paycheck takes the heart out of it for me.    
12. Aaaand my sister just texted me with a single word.  Jem.  She is now forgiven. 

Happy Friday to you!

GLEEEEE! Kind of like squeeeeee only more squeeeeeish.

Fox is doing something right.  And you won't hear me say that very often.  Not only do they have the awesomeness that is Hugh Laurie on HOUSE (incidentally only 5 days till it's back!) but their new show for this season, Glee is hilarious.  Let me repeat... HILARIOUS and chalk up a side of great music in there too.  We're talking Salt n' Pepa - Push It, Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up, and Journey - Don't Stop Believin'.  Incidentally, I actually attended a Color Me Badd concert with the Fun One.  Oh yes, yes, I did.  But enough about my poor concert choices and back to Glee...     

So, I was never in Rebelaires, our high school's version of Glee, but I knew people that were.  Some of the characters on here remind me so much of people in high school that I can not help but think the producers of this show MUST know them.  It cracks me up.  The characters are sometimes so geeky it's painful, but the show is fantastic.  And they focus as much time with the misfit bunch of teachers and staff as they do on the kids.  We all know teachers like that from high school, the bleeding heart new teachers, the overzealous coaches, the ones who are a touch OCD, they're all there in full force. 

Watch it.  I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

And because I can not sum it up any better than this, I leave you with my friend Steph's Facebook status...

"Glee actually makes me miss high school. WHAT??!?"

WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING ELSE SQUEEEEISH?  Rachel over at ONE PRETTY THING featured the DJS Party on her birthday round up!  Click RIGHT HERE to see it & check out her insane site for all things party & crafty.  It's a must visit.

Goodbye.

One of my most favorite shows is leaving us. Tonight is the series finale of Boston Legal. If you haven't watched before, I highly recommend renting the dvds and laughing your ass off.

Here are some memerable quotes from resident law god, Mad Cow suffering, Denny Crane:

• "You know what I'm going to do, Brian, just to show you there are no hard feelings? I'm going to sleep with your wife."
• ''We're carnivores. When the pilgrims landed, first thing they did was eat a few Indians.''
• ''Bored? How can I be bored? I'm Denny Crane. Even the sound of my name fascinates. More, Sydney. More about me.''
• ''You hear the one about the fella who died, went to the pearly gates? St. Peter lets him in. Sees a guy in a suit making a closing argument. Says 'Who's that?' St. Peter says, 'Oh, that's God. Thinks he's Denny Crane.''
• "Denny Crane never goes down, except as a lover, I'm a giver in bed. Was that relevant?"
• "Objection, badgering, oh wait, she's our badger."
• "I have an erection. That is a good sign. Let the trial begin."
• "The current president of the United States is George Walker Bush, son to George Herbert Walker Bush, whose father was the late United States Senator Prescott Bush, who, as an undergraduate at Yale, once wrestled my father in the nude. But that's a story for another day. Let's stick to the issues at hand. Denny Crane."
• "Oh, balls! Why does everyone wanna excuse me from the conversation? It's not like I'll remember it! Mad Cow, for God sakes!"

Hizzle Marizzle, I will be thinking of you & Al tonight!

It does NOT get any better than this.

The cast of the Office

VS.

American Gladiators

on CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD!

Ok, not only do I super puffy heart me some Office, but I think the Feud rocks. I know this makes me weird, but especially the bonus round. I think I would kick all kinds of ass on this show. I may see if any of the crazies are interested.

{All images courtesy of nbc.com}

Just another exciting Saturday night.

Watching British comedy on PBS is one of my very most guilty pleasures. I think it all started when I was in grade school and used to watch Are You Being Served when I probably should have been sleeping. From there it spread to shows like Ab Fab, Fawlty Towers, and who can forget (and I blame my uncle Jimmy for this one) Benny Hill?






I will watch complete crap if you slap a British accent on it. So now my Saturday nights are sometimes, ok, more often than not... spent watching As Time Goes By, The Vicar of Dibley, and ahem, Keeping Up Appearances. This last little entry is the guiltiest of all pleasures. And I would like you all to know, I am going to single handedly bring back the candlelight supper as an hommage to Hyacinth.






And so, it's almost 10 pm here and I must get my cup of tea in my Royal Doulton with hand-painted periwinkles. Cheerio my good readers.

I'm BIZ-A watching the Office.

Please share your most favorite Office episodes in the comments section.

And thank sweet Jesus that it is BACK next week. Oh Office, how I have missed thee. Lovely, hilarious Office, you make me pee a little every time I see you.

Oh, and Renee' you best get studying girlie.

So Wonderful, So Marvelous: Wholesome TV

Hi! I’m Jen, and I’m your guest blogger for Friday! I don’t have my own fun blog to link to, but I hope I can entertain you anyway.

When M asked me to blog for her, I thought, “WTF am I going to write about that is both wonderful and marvelous?” Then it hit me. I’ll write about a little Canadian TV show called Degrassi. Now, I know this show is aimed at ‘tweens, but it’s SO wonderful and marvelous that I can’t help but be addicted.

It started in 1987 when PBS showed the original Degrassi series. You might remember it. If you don’t, I’m sorry. You’ve missed out.

The original Degrassi followed a group of Canadian kids through junior high and into high school. They faced all sorts of after-school special issues. They had drugs. They had sex. They had alcohol. They had teen pregnancy. Abortion (oh, wait, that was edited out in the US). They even had a rock band. They had cute boys and girls. They conquered all of the issues while still being entertaining, not preachy.

That was the end of Degrassi…until recently. Remember that teen pregnancy? Little Emma is all grown up. She’s in junior high, and on the night of her single mom’s class reunion, she sneaks out to go to a hotel to meet a boy she met on the internet. While Spike’s out watching Joey get into a fight at the reunion with Caitlin’s bigshot fiancé, Emma is discovering internet predators. Thus begins Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Degrassi: TNG features some of the original cast. (Remember that cute kid Joey? Grownup Joey? Yum.) We’ve got the next generation, too, and they’re full of all of the issues the adults faced years ago and then some. We’ve even got more drama that's too controversial for US TV. How many people noticed that Manny was pregnant in one episode, then there were reruns for 3 weeks, and then she wasn’t pregnant anymore? Hmmm…

Where else can we find TV that’s not afraid to tackle rape, bullying, eating disorders, school shootings, abortion, adoption, cutting, testicular cancer, and Kevin Smith? And they do it in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you’re watching a message. Yeah, the chances are kind of slim that the same group of students at the same small school will have all of these problems – but what other show on TV tackles real issues?

So go grab your popcorn and find The N on TV. Tonight in “Hungry Eyes” Emma’s going to prove to Sean that she’s not the same girl he left behind. Next week in “Pass the Dutchie” Spinner takes comfort in weed, and Darcy needs some comforting, too. How can you go wrong with TV like this?

Don’t get The N? You can watch selected episodes on the-n.com, or you can get the DVDs through Netflix.