$#*! My Dad Says

As a fan of Justin Halpern's Twitter, I was pretty stoked about CBS's creation of $#!* my dad says.  But with all of the competition in the fall line up, I just this week got around to DVR'ing it.  My Review?  Pretty Freaking Lame.  It's unfortunate because the concept is brilliant.

First off, I really imagined someone a little older and more crotchety than William Shatner for the part of Ed.  But, he is the least of this show's problems, and actually delivers the lines well.

The real FAIL of the show was casting Jonathan Sadowski as Henry.  What a panty-waist this kid is!  I was so distracted by this purse-carrying-girly-man, that I couldn't focus on the SHIT his dad was actually saying.  It's hard to believe that he could be so girly with such a strong, macho male figure as a father...and no mom.  I'm not anti-girly-man, but it just doesn't jive in this sitcom.

Also, aren't we past the laugh track?  I felt like I was sitting in my parents living room in 1984 watching this show.  I'm all for the survival of the sitcom, but there has to be a better way than spoon-feeding laugh cues down our throats.

One of the upsides is the character, Bonnie, who is played by the uber talented, Nicole Sullivan.  She is hilarious and has more balls than the whole of the remaining male cast members.  I absolutely loved her on MADtv, and feel sorry that she has landed herself in this mess.

All in all, the show has potential, but there are way too many flaws to fix it now.  It should be scratched from the lineup to make room for something that CBS has actually been good at producing, yet another reality show.  Don't waste the space on your DVR, people.  You can get more satisfaction from reading the hysterical one-liners in the book, "Sh*t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern.  Or, better yet, friend the fucker on Facebook.

Jersey Shore Finale

Ahhh, the end of an era.  Miami can breathe again with the departure of the fist-pumping Guidos and Guidettes.  Although, this show has actually created a culture, so I wouldn't be surprised if the cast left their mark on the Miami shore by influencing locals to act just as lame.  Fist-Pumpers, UNITE!, or untie?

So, the Finale.  Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten my expectations up so high, but I did.  The finale was pretty disappointing.  The best part though was watching the cast board an air boat in the Everglades.  As a native Floridian, it's always entertaining to watch northerners enter the swamp for the first time.  Picture it:  Fist-pumping, uber tan, super make-up clad, ed-hardy-t-shirt-wearing idiots floating around the Glades.  MVP+Ronnie were terrified of the alligators, and the bugs.  Meanwhile, after eating Frog Legs at a local dive bar, JWow and The Situation were left puking.  Priceless.  Somewhere in the Everglades, there is an air boat covered in glitter & herpes.

So, where's the disappointment, you ask?  Well, it was pretty anticlimactic.  Save for a lame, Snookie-induced fight at the end, it was just blah.  Either way, we will miss watching the countless hours of idiocy and hilarity that is The Jersey Shore.  What "shore" will they land on next?

Dinner: Quick & Easy Nachos

Tonight I wasn't feeling very well, so I whipped up some Quick & Easy Nachos for dinner.  SUPER easy supper!  Meatless too.  Sorry I didn't take a picture.  I'm still getting used to the idea of having this blog.  Anyway, here's the Nacho Recipe:

QUICK & EASY NACHOS


1 Bag of Tostitos Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (aslo good with the Lime Tortilla Chips)
1 Bag of Mexican Blend Shredded cheese
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 bag of shredded lettuce
dollop of salsa
dollop of sour cream
Banana Peppers

Turn on Broiler to 500°F
Empty the bag of Chips onto a pizza pan, or cookie sheet.
Top with entire bag of shredded cheese
Put in the oven and keep an eye on it until cheese is melted.  Just a few minutes.
Take the chips out of the oven and divvy onto a plate or serving dish.
Top with remaining ingredients and serve.  DELISH!

Young & the Restless

The Young and the Restless is a permanent fixture on my DVR list.  Often, I watch it before delving into the countless other shows that have been recorded for the day.  I know people who have major historical ties to soap operas.  My girlfriend, for example, has been watching The Young and the Restless since she was a child some thirty years ago.  The Soap genre is fascinating to me.  They are the longest running, most dramatic, and intricately written programs - with the largest, most loyal following of fans.  And yet, you rarely see the stars of Soaps anywhere.  Do paparazzi even know who they are?  It's like an underground TV series.  One I never imagined myself being a slave to . .  . Alas, I am a soap-freak.

Now, there aren't enough pages on the internet for me to provide background for the current goings on in Genoa City.  But there are a few key things that have me reeling.  First, the dirty blonde herself, Diane is back in town - running a muck, as per usual.  Phyllis is back with good ol' Jack - and decided to "handle" the situation by posting a "gotchya" article about Diane on the Restless Style website.  Jack is pissed at Phyllis.  But, it may be worth Phyllis' while when Tucker rescinds his job offer to Diane.  We are left with a cliffhanger of Diane storming into Restless Style to give Phyllis a piece of her mind.  My prediction is that Jack & Diane will get back together.  We shall see.

Next, the situation with Nikki is out of control.  I get really annoyed when the characters aren't self aware enough to see that they are getting completely screwed.  But then, if they didn't act like complete morons sometimes, there wouldn't be enough drama to last through the decades.  Anyway, I despise Meggie, but, and I think I just made this point, I despise Nikki even more for allowing Meggie to manipulate her into her current situation.  I will be happy when this storyline comes to fruition because, I have to say, it's tedious as hell.  Along with the Nikki storyline,  I will also be happy when everyone is out of the hospital - and is off their frickin deathbed.  I really feel like writers use the deathbed sequence as a crutch when they can't think of anything else to write.  Ugh.

More on Y&R later.

The Talk

I have been itching to write about THE TALK, since I heard about it months ago.  Although they are desperately trying to distance themselves from THE VIEW, there are some similarities.  Who can blame people for comparing the two shows, really?  Let's dissect.  THE TALK has five women (plus one extra who will be doing special assignments - and is not a permanent fixture at the coffee table).  Also, a mixture of women, who have different views on things.  Another similarity is that THE TALK's, Julie Chen, seems to serve as the Matriarch of the show - not unlike Baba Wawa.  Despite all of the similarities, I have been secretly hoping that this show will blow THE VIEW right off the air.

There are some differences.  Right off the bat, I feel like the group of women on THE TALK are more interesting, and more intelligent.  I love the concept of a woman's talk show.  Talk was invented by women, after all.  THE VIEW started as a good concept...and used to be interesting.  Nowadays, the show is a political platform for the women to shovel liberal bullshit down viewers' throats.  No matter what political party you align yourself with, you should expect a variety of viewpoints from a show entitled, THE VIEW.  Unfortunately, the show has become a one-dimensional production of garbage, who might be better suited with a name like, "ONLY OUR VIEW." 


THE TALK's concept was created by Sarah Gilbert, AKA Darlene Conner.  She wanted the show to resemble a Mommy Support Group.  A great idea for daytime TV, but with so many people out of work - the show has/had the opportunity to reach a broader audience than solely stay-at-home Moms.  The show's concept may actually turn some people off.  Excited about the show, I asked my mom if she had heard about it.  She responded, "No.  Wait, is that the show kind of like The View, only for Stay at home moms?!"  I thought, "exactly."  It's tough to pigeon hole yourself once (as a second-coming of The View), but to do it twice (as only a mom's show), is pretty sucktastic.

Still, I liked the idea of anything being competition for THE VIEW, so I DVR'ed the entire week - and prayed that politics wouldn't be the driving force.

My Review?  It's not bad.  OK, all of the women are pretty interesting, and offer something different to the show.  I have to say though, if Leah Remini were absent from the cast, I wouldn't be as enthralled.  Her personality is infectious - she is HILARIOUS, to say the least.  She is the reason I kept watching this week.
 
The show has been a bit slow to start, but I feel like things will progress.  I like the banter and the chemistry that they have.  And, OK, I don't love hippy, liberal, "I-had-my-baby-at-home-in-the-bathtub-with-a-doula-and-a-tea tree-oil-massage" kind of women.  And I was afraid that Sarah Gilbert would be an annoying, whiny mega-lesbo.  But, she is pleasantly sweet, funny, deep, and smart.  Is she a "doula-baby-in-the-bath-tub-girl?"  Yes.  However, she is also a human being, and decided at the last minute to go to the hospital and get some drugs.  I enjoyed her honesty.  She brings a lot of relevant points to the gab-sessions as well.  And, I'll be honest, I love a lesbian on the panel.  I am a lesbian, and definitely do wish there were more lesbians on Television.  :D

The best part of the show is when they are sharing *TRUE* and intimate stories about themselves and their families.  One of the best moments was watching video of Leah finding out she was pregnant.  I cried right along with her.  A show that can evoke emotion like that will be a success.

I left out a lot about the other women:  Julie, Sharon, Holly, and Marissa.  I'll get to them in future posts because this show will be around for awhile.

Dancing With The Stars

The Dancing with the Stars Results show is generally a yawner, filled with lame packages, and no-name performers.  Meanwhile, we wait an entire hour to find out who the castoff is.

The theme of the lame packages tonight was "Infomercial Parodies."  Some actually ended up to be pretty cute.  David Hasselhoff came back to play a lawyer named, "The Sledgehammer," who promised to get the dancers retribution for their time on DWTS.  

The Performers tonight were Jason Derulo and Shakira.  Not too impressed with Jason Darulo.  Buuut, 

Shakira rocks.  Somehow, she found 4 backup dancers who can do what she does.  I've never seen anyone dance like Shakira before.  Anyway, she sang "I'm Crazy, but you like it."  And she wore a bikini top and sparkly hammer pants.  Basically, she's hot.  She made the show tonight.  Her performance on last season's show was pretty amazing too.  Hard to pick a favorite.  Jason Darulo could barely catch his breath when performing, BTW.  

Anyway, after watching the Shakira portion of the show 500 times, and fast forwarding through Jason Darulo's ballad (made even more painful by the random dancers fast modern dancing to his singing.  WHY do they do that?!) I found out that the castoff was Florence Henderson.  I have to say that it was time for her to go.  Her dance routines were getting downright weird.  And if I had to listen to my girlfriend call her FLAR-ence one more time, I was going to throw the dinner at the TV.  

Bye, FLO!

TV Dinners

This blog is going to be a commentary on the countless hours of television I watch.  In addition, I love to cook tasty meals, so I will also be posting recipes and stories about cooking.  I'm the TV Dinner Girl.  Watch out blogosphere!