SquawkRadio Comments

Personally, I’m a a “Medical Drama” watcher.  House, ER, Grey’s Anatomy...it all just fascinates me.  I turn my face during the “icky” parts, but other than that, I just LOVE it.  As far as reality TV, I used to be a junkie for it but now I pretty much only watch American Idol and once that’s over I probably won’t get into anything else.  I do love watching Lost and Desperate Housewives (at least I KNOW Lost will end in three years with a conclusion and answers to all the questions).  I don’t really watch sitcom television because most of the time, for me, that half-hour is not really fulfilling.  I end up feeling like I sat through a half hour of fluff.

hi!  I’m a procedural show watcher...I love CSI, NCIS, Bones, Law and Order: SVU & CI, The Closer, and House.  I like it because of what I can learn (they make science interesting for me) and for the characters.  I think the appeal for it is over the shows like Lost and 24 is that you get a mystery, but it doesn’t take a whole Season or Series to find out the answer so there’s that wonderful bit of instant gratification.  At least, that’s how it is for me.

I believe that the serialized shows stem from people wanting more bang for their buck as they invest their time in a certain character(s) and storyline.

la femme Nikita!  Love that show. It is definitely one of the top ten best written TV series. Loved the layers, the twisted plots, and oh, my, Michael’s love for Nikita…

I have the whole series and watch them often.

The Office is brilliant. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, which is probably why I like it so much. It takes a certain off-kilter sense of humor to enjoy it. Did you see Jim dressing like and imitating Dwight in the epsiode week before last? He spent $11 to recreate Dwight’s total outfit. Then Dwight dressed like Jim at the end of the show.

Reality shows - yikes. I agree that it is frighteningly easy to get sucked into them. I avoided American Idol until this season. Everyone else in my house likes it and they drew me in. But I vow not to ever watch another season!!!!  Now, Dancing with the Stars that’s another story...lol. What can be more entertaining than Billy Ray Cyrus accidently ripping off a woman’s wig while attempting to dance the samba?

Shauna,
I totally agree with your DVD theory.  Some of my most satisfying viewing experiences have been catching up with 24 and LOST on DVD. 

I recently watched the 2nd season of LOST while my husband was out of town on a business trip and I watched the entire 3rd season of 24 when I had the flu a few weeks ago. 

There’s just something magical about being able to totally immerse yourself in a TV show.  To me, it makes it much more like reading a novel. 

I plan to catch up with shows like HEROES and VERONICA MARS in the future.

And as for my TIVO, you can take away my dishwasher and my microwave but don’t touch my TIVO!!!

I try to avoid reality shows...too easy to get sucked in, and I also tend to get really annoyed at the people--women in The Bachelor shows give me high blood pressure.

I like police procedurals, but that might stem from the fact that I almost went that route in college.  I love the science and the way evidence forms a puzzle that needs to be put together.

Like you, I’m starting to become overwhelmed by the serial shows like Lost.  I stopped watching Jericho and Heroes, but I’m still hanging on (barely) to Lost.  I’m getting tired of being strung along with no real answers.  In fact, I remember you saying something about that in regards to one of our Syd subplots...and I didn’t quite get it until you asked, “Do you watch Lost?” Once you said that, what you were saying totally clicked!

No sitcoms for me--not since Friends ended!

I think you’re right about movies. Just not much out there that’s great these days. Best movie I’ve seen recently is The Departed. Best characterization I’ve seen in years, and not much I’ve seen after that can stand up to it. We actually gave up the premium channels on our satellite a few months back because we simply weren’t watching them. Now I pick and choose on Netflix.

I love Grey’s Anatomy and CSI, gave up on Lost about a year ago, am waiting for Men in Trees to come back and am a huge fan of American Idol. Other than that, I watch a lot of the stuff on Court TV. Forensics are fascinating plus I get some great reality tv that way.

This summer will be Battlestar Galactica for my house. Missed part of the first season so need to get started on catching up. Can’t wait!

Hi, Shauna.  My post is out of sync with today’s topic.  Unfortunately, I posted too late on Monday to receive a response.  Would you mind answering a few questions?  Here’s my earlier post…

1) How would you describe your philosophy/role in the editor/author relationship?

2) Do you, as an editor, discourage your authors from writing in a different subgenre (may not be quite the right word)?  To clarify, if Mary Balogh wished to write a Scottish medieval, would you encourage her or caution her?
> I find myself interested in writing across historical lines, and wondered if this is considered taboo.

3) From your roster of authors, I sense you haven’t limited yourself to a particular style of voice (i.e., romantic comedy).  I know voice is somewhat elusive to explain, but are you able to tell me what caught your notice on authors such as:  Madeline Hunter, Gaelen Foley and Mary Balogh?

Okay, I’m done drilling you now! 
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions.  I hope I’m fortunate enough to meet you at Nationals.

Take care…

I’m a girl who needs a plan and the procedural shows give me that.  I know how each episode is set up and it follows a certain order.  I know most television shows do have a certain order, but if you look at things like Law and Order and CSI, each 30 minute segment is divided a certain way. 

I do love House, but I’m such a Hugh Laurie fan he could be singing Gilbert and Sullivan dressed as a sumo wrestler and I’d still watch him.

I don’t think I’ve ever watched a drama during it’s first season.  I ALWAYS waited until it was a hit.  A long time ago, a friend of mine told me how wonderful Buffy was and I scoffed – how good could a show be about a ridiculous movie.  I got one word for you – ANGEL.  I am currently reliving (through Netflix) the wonderfulness of Buffy. 

My other shows that I watch that I hope won’t be canceled just because they are fantastic are Bones, House (it’s not about the medical stuff – it’s about the characters), Deadliest Catch (am I the only one that think the Hansen brothers are sexy?), Mythbusters, and Dirty Jobs (there’s something about that Mike Rowe).  Oh yeah, I can’t forgot Lost.  It’s just one weird show, but it sucks you in and makes you watch it.

Reality TV:  You’ve hit the nail on the head.  I really don’t watch reality shows (except Deadliest Catch), but if you just start watching on (Amazing Race, for example), you are hooked and I mean hooked.

As far as the summer goes, I’ll be watching the rest of Buffy, probably some Angel, and you’re right, there’s nothing as satisfying as watching almost an entire series of X-Files.  I’ve got season 1 – 8.  I refuse to count 9 as a real season.

I just have to say that I adore Friday Night Lights as well. Such a raw, realistic show and very moving in its sheer simplicity. It’s in a league of its own.

The action shows like 24 and Lost just don’t interest me. I don’t want to feel stressed and anxious when I’m trying to relax after a day of work!

Project Runway is the best reality show on t.v. hands down. Creative, intelligent, and compelling. And the judges are actual experts in thir field!

So many questions!  Oh, and I didn’t comment yesterday, but your blog was great and very helpful!

I don’t know if quality movies have gone downhill.  I think the price has just gone up so much that movies are not worth seeing anymore. 

I don’t watch serialized shows.  I’m told I’m really missing out on Heroes, but I don’t have time to make that kind of commitment. 

I don’t like procedurals, but I definitely like House (incidentally, (or is it coincidentally?  i never know) house61 is my little code at the bottom).  I guess House and The Closer are good way for people who don’t enjoy CSI and the like to get a little taste for them. 

(cont.)

(cont. from above)

I love sitcoms mostly because the story is usually different from week to week, so I don’t have to watch every episode to follow it.  Even non-must-watch-in-order hour long shows like Buffy still have certain plot elements that run through the season.  But sitcoms you can just tune in whenever you feel like it, and you’ll still be able to get what’s going on.

I like Reality TV where the contestants have to accomplish something (Project Runway, Shear Genius, America’s Next Top Model) rather than just be filmed.  I did get sucked into Workout and The Hills.  But I won’t touch stuff like Real World/Road Rules or whatever.

This summer I will probably be watching Heroes.  And definitely The Office (over and over again).  I just started watching The Office this season, but now I’m obsessed with it.  One weekend I went out and spent $100 to buy the first two seasons and a DVD player just so I could watch the rest of it.  I definitely spent the entire weekend in my dorm room catching up on all the hilarity/JimPam goodness.

Ahh television: the wonderful box that raised me.  One of hte worst parts of living overseas is missing out on first run television.  Needless to say that i adore DVDs and always and, even if i am a year behind the Real World, enjoy keeping up to date with my faves like Gilmore Girls, Lost, and soon Heroes.  (A show about mutants with cool powers?!  This show was put on TV soley to make me happy.)

Shauna, you asked about Joan of Arcadia.  According to TVshowsonDVD, the DVD of season two came out in late November of last year.

I don’t watch much television. But I do watch CSI. I just love watching Grissom and I also watch Friday Night Lights. Great show. More realistic.

I didn’t read the comments, but just an FYI:  Season 2 of Joan of Arcadia was released on DVD last year right before Christmas.  My husband was a HUGE fan.  The actress who played Grace was on Grey’s Anatomy last week, and he only called her Grace the entire show.

I love Friday Night Lights.  It’s right up there with Homefront as one of the best shows EVER (also with Kyle Chandler).

I agree with someone about Medical Investigation as well.  We also liked Related which was on the WB last year, but it was a rough one to get an audience.

Oh, and Showtime has a show called Dead Like Me that is fantastic and ended after 2 seasons. 

We watch A TON of tv.  The boy watches more sitcoms than I, but we love How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs.  Bones is quickly becoming our favorite show as well.  He loves anything with a good, clever alpha male.  Strange because he watches most of his tv based on the male character.

Oh and I AM a sitcom lover, have been ever since I was a child, but the pickins are pretty lean right now.  The only 2 I watch regularly are THE KING OF QUEENS and TWO AND A HALF MEN.  (And of course the obligatory SEINFELD, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND and ARE YOU BEING SERVED repeats.)

I find nothing more relaxing than sitting down to laugh at a 30 minute sitcom at the end of the day.  I really miss their heyday!

We share show-taste, Shauna. Except the Friday Night Lights. Not so much into small town angst.

I missed the first couple episodes of LOST this year and that was it for me. i knew i need only wait until summer and a miserable wet weekend at the cabin to get caught up. i suspect a lot of people are doing the same and that’s why the numbers drop so on the series shows.

I do like sit-coms. SCRUBS is one of he household favorites. My DH is a MD and I was with him through med scool and residency and SCRUBS is more true to personalities than any of the medical dramas.

I also luuuuv 30 ROCK, same reasons.

Reality shows that are must sees around here are
PROJECT RUNWAY ( Doodah got me hooked into that when she was home from college a couple years ago)
and TOP CHEF. I’m all atwitter to see what this season will bring.

24 is starting to really lose me.

I’d have to say that the hands down star of the new season for me is HEROES.

The best older series, filled with escalating everything, torrid sexual tension and whooping huge character arcs? FARSCAPE

There are 3 must see shows for me:

Ugly Betty - funny, phenomenal and twisted.  It blends a comedy with a soap opera-y feel to it.  The characters are all “out there” and they suck you in.

How I Met Your Mother - What a show.  IMO, it’s better than friends.  It’s edgy, funny, and smart.  It also keeps you guessing on “who will the mother be?”

Two and a Half Men - This show pushes the envelope of the sensors.  It is adult humor at its finest.  It is smart and fast.  The comedic timing is perfect and I LOVE the intro song.

Deb

Sadly, I’m lost to television. It doesn’t hit for me much anymore, and I grieve about that. I love good TV. Loved Buffy, Angel, Friends ...

I never watch a serialized show right away, so I lose the start of the series and then the project of watching them on DVD is too huge.

After all the praise of House here, I grabbed the first season when it came out and watched the first five, and the problem is that it’s easy to see the pattern of a show (dramatic collapse, easy diagnosis, almost death, puzzling and list of diseases it could be, further bad procedures, patient’s steady decline, House is brillant, patient is cured/diagnosed.) I liked House, but it’s one that should be watched once a week.

I have watched CSI, etc, but because my husband enjoys them and I like to give his stuff a try. I finally refused to watch right before I go to bed because they give me nightmares.

I love sitcoms for probably the same reasons I like HqP. They give me a fast, fun fix. What can I say? I’m shallow. Unfortunately it’s a low pt for sitcoms.

And I don’t watch reality tv. I truly don’t enjoy seeing how stupid people can be.

I watch Buffy re-reuns. ::sob::

Movies—still love ‘em but am a lot more selective. What I don’t see in the theater I put on my Netflix list. Price and quality are neck and neck - they seem to be targeting a younger audience and charging way too much for too many remakes and poor adaptations.

All this is complicated by my need for an ending that makes me feel better about the universe (note I did not say Happy Ending) and so few movies do that. My idea for a website: MovieSpoiler.com—it tells you how a movie ends so all of us “end readers” can decide if we want to see it.

TypO and April--THANK YOU!!  Joan of Arcadia Season 2!!  And it was driving me crazy last week when I watched the Grey’s 2 hour (which was very hit and miss for me, by the by)--where have I seen that pregnant girl before?  Yes, Grace on Joan.

What is better than a bunch of people talking about tv?  Can I tell you how happy I was this morning when I logged and there was a picture of my FNL.  Love it. 

Connie, I couldn’t be more with you on 24.  It gets a C+ at best this season.  Last year they kept saying “we don’t know where we’re going” and I didn’t believe them.  This season, I totally believe them.  It’s just lame and I don’t care, though I’ll finish it out. 

On another note, Connie, I have a friend who writes for Scrubs, so I got to go to the live taping a couple of years ago when JD pictures life as a sitcom.  And she also wrote the musical episode this year.

Can we discuss Idol last night for a minute?  What is up with Barry Gibb’s teeth?  Are they just really bad caps?  And who would have thought that Bon Jovi night would go so much better than Bee Gees night?  And who do you think is going home tonight?

*wiggle*

I’m so excited that you’re an Idol fan. I’m going to be talking to you about this all the time now *g*

I think it’s going to be Blake or Lakeesha going home tonight. Of course that could be because I love Jordin and Melinda and don’t want either of them to leave.

What do you think?

Tracey,
Back to your publishing questions. My philosophy of the editor/author relationship is working together to bring out the author’s vision of what a book/series should be in the best possible way.  I love the creative part, talking through what is working, what isn’t, what the author is trying to get across.

Writing across genres.  Madeline Hunter is an example of an author who has done that very well.  There have been times when I’ve tried to steer an author towards a more mainstream setting or time period, but I’m always willing to be convinced if it’s what an author really wants to write.

Voice. I’m really not good at pinpointing this.  Like I said yesterday, I just know it when I read it.  It really is a magical sort of thing.

Oh and thank you! I thought I was the only one who noticed Barry Gibb’s teeth. It was like he had cotton stuffed against his front teeth or something. I thought maybe he’d just had dental work, or had bad dentures. Yikes!

I love Charmed.  It’s the only TV series show I have watched in as long as I can remember.  Phoebe and Cole were such an awesome couple, I hate that the writers messed them all up!

I love reality tv.  I must be really nosy, because I love watching real people getting makeovers, telling about their weddings, bringing babies into the world...just whatever!  Even Survivor, though I haven’t watched the last couple episodes.

Sitcoms are great, imo.  I love to laugh.  If I spent 30 minutes watching TV and was laughing throughout that time, I consider it time well spent.

It’s sad that so many of us agree that movies have gone downhill in recent years (in general).  Although a good movie on TV is a real pleasure, there’s something particularly wonderful about being in a theatre full of people, all of whom are laughing/cringing/ participating in the same experience.

But TV shows on DVD?  Rock on!  Last year I saw Seasons 1 and 2 of Lois & Clark, without commercials.  Bliss!

hello I too am a procedural show watcher I love CSI, CSI: Miami, Bones, Criminal Minds, NCIS etc...I couldn’t tell you exactly why. I started watching the CSI shows and Criminal Minds from the get go. The others I started later..When I am not watching those shows I am reading. Movies are not as great as they once were. Seems to me they are making a lot of remakes of old movies and putting them in this centuries time frame. But I will continue to watch tv and see movies (especially on DVD because the cost of a movie for a family of 5 is outrageous) because that is what this generation does. If were a few generations back there wouldn’t be movies and tv it would be chores...lol I will take movies and tv over the chores anyday

Pirates of the Caribbean!  I love the two that I’ve seen and I can’t wait until May 25th to see the third one.  Of course, this may partially stem from my extreme fondness of Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp, but I still think the movies are just plain good!

I think a small part of why movies aren’t as good has to do with the paparazzi.  Celebs have their personal lives plastered all over the place and it’s a little harder to think of them in their roles.  It’s like, no, that’s not Maggie Peyton (Herbie, Fully Loaded), that’s Lindsay Lohan.  Eww.  Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are like that to me, now.  I’d be watching them thinking “How’s the baby?” Same with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt…

Good Topic, and Welcome Shauna, I did not comment yesterday.

We’re not huge fans of television, but we do watch a few shows.  Criminal Minds, NCIS, Cold Case, Crossing Jordan (sometimes). I used to be a CSI devotee, but they are grasping for plot material and the stories have turned so bizarre that I stopped watching.

I watch no reality shows, they’re not reality, they’re staged for drama. I have no patience for that.

I have never watched daytime TV, but I was resting on the couch the other day and turned on Ellen.  She had Nathan Lane on as a guest, and I swear he was so funny, I almost burst my stitches.  That kind of stuff, I could watch.

In summer, the tv barely gets turned on, but we do rent DVD’s.

Let’s see...Grey’s, Men in Trees, Big Love, Deadwood (sniffle), My Boys...loved the first 6 episodes of October Road...was liking Six Degrees, but the network didn’t give it enough time and kept moving it around, which is part of the problem in hooking a new audience, I think. 

For the most part I’ve always loved the hour-long shows (Moonlighting, Thirty Something, I’ll Fly Away, Home Front, etc. There was another one on in the late 80s/early 90s about a family in Seattle, I think it was?).

“Relationship” shows are my cup of tea.  I like Numbers, but I find myself feeling left out of the rest of the characters’ lives - all these people in their 30s and 40s and nobody has a spouse, kids, etc?  I wanna see it, so I can care more about them.

I think I like those shows because they give me the feeling of sinking into their world, getting to really know the characters -very much like reading a novel.  I can “visit” with them once a week for an hour over an extended period of time.  It is hard to get that invested in movie characters when you only have two hours, unless the film is really, really good.  It takes a little while for all the flavors to marinate.

I don’t watch a lot of tv since we only get about 8 channels on our tv.  I’m a movie person and I work at a video rental store so I get to watch all the movies I want for free.  And let me tell you, I really put the free movies to use.  I love it!

Anyways, I hate shows you have to watch in order.  I can never be one to pick a certain time to sit down and watch shows (I don’t have a tivo).  I do love to watch reruns of Friends, Will & Grace, Andy Griffith, Simpsons, etc.  But of course it is hard to catch them on tv. 

Right now I’m collecting all of the Buffy seasons and then I’ll start on Angel.  Those are 2 shows I absolutely loved and actually reserved time for every week.  I wish they would make something like this again.

I agree that movies have gone downhill in the past few years.  Seems all they do is remake or a sequel.  Most of the remakes haven’t done well, imho.  I like a GOOD sequel, but sometimes a movie just doesn’t need a sequel!! 

I’m not a huge fan of the small screen.  There are a few shows I like.  I am really looking forward to THE CLOSER.  I love the interaction between all of the characters in that one.  And I do try to keep up on the clues, but sometimes.....I get lost.  Kyra Sedgwick though, I think she does a superb job! 

I usually watch channels like, The History Channel, A&E, History International, BBCAmerica, Discovery. 

My dvr is the best thing coming and going.  I love it.  I have to watch that I don’t run out of room on it though.  lol

--dorothy

I just have a few I’m totally attached to - THE OFFICE, MY NAME IS EARL, THE DAILY SHOW, HEROES, AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS.  Well, maybe more than just a few.  I also like ER and BOSTON LEGAL a lot.  And the news.  We watch lots and lots of news. 

I like to crochet or do crossword puzzles while I watch TV.  It keeps me from eating.

Barry Gibb’s teeth were interesting.  I was a big fan way back in the day, though, and I don’t think they were ever totally unobtrusive.  I think it’s Latisha’s last week, even though I do think she is very good.  The other two women have just been more consistently great and Blake is still hanging in there.

Hi girls,

I only watch two shows.  The first one is Monk.  I think it is hilarious and I love the character, he is sweet, deep and realistic.

I also love Desperate Housewives. (I so identify with Lynette!)

I truly have not watched some of the other shows that have come highly recommended because I love to read. (At least 2 books a week)

As far as movies go, anything with Johnny Depp is going to be worth its ticket price (and then some) (oh ya)

I too loved Pirates I and II, and am looking forward to number III which comes out on May 25.

I do agree with Shauna when she says movies are going downhill.  It’s difficult to find one both husband and wife (not to mention kids) will enjoy.

By the way, because I am not so technologically inclined, I wonder if someone could tell me how to put a picture on my posting.  (I’d love to share one of Captain Jack with you ladies!)

Shauna said “I watch 3 times as much TV as I used to..” That is why I don’t get TIVO! I’m sorry, it’s a brain sucker, and I have little to spare! Besides sports, for the DH, and NASCAR, I’m through with it! I used to tape the late night anime Adult Swim, and watch that, but not now.
I love my Netflix. There are movies that never get within 100 miles of here, and I love to go browse. I have over 100 in my queue. I think the movies that interest me, just don’t get released around here.

When are good book adaptations going to be the source for better movies again?

I’m with ya, Prudence and Christina..

I’m legend in my family for not seeing movies. I think I’ve seen 2-3 in theaters in the past three years - and most of those were LOTR, which I now own on DVD.

I do love television. The first tier is crime shows, which is a no-brainer for me. My favorite reading since I was 7 years old has been mysteries (romance a tight second!). My academic area is criminal justice. It’s a pattern. I watch CSI, Law & Order, Numb3rs, etc. But not the ones that are more like soap operas. Not my scene. I watch a lot of cable channel shows - Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, FBI Files, etc. It crushes me that my cable system does NOT have Court TV. I have complained! I also watch the British mysteries on PBS and BBC.

Second tier is decorating shows. I love HGTV! Third tier is history and science - cosmology, archaeology, history, etc. And I confess to being a big fan of Amazing Race and American Idol, but I have no interest in other reality shows.

(cont’d)

(cont’d - I had too much to say!)

As for movies, I just don’t think there are a lot I care to see, and even the ones I want to see, watching on DVD is fine. I have a hard time making the time to drive to a theater and sit doing nothing but watching a screen for two hours. At home, I’m doing needlework, I’m painting, I’m cleaning house, I’m online doing something. I can’t sit still . Unless it’s Lord of the Rings. I’d go to the theater and sit through all three movies straight through if I had the chance.

I do love DVDs. I’ve got five seasons of 24, I’m watching my way through X-Files and Millenium, I have sets of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. And a full set of Jane Austen movies, of course!

What I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see is the Squawker books made into movies. Can we get ya’ll to negotiate with Lifetime or some channel to make a series of historical romance movies? That would be must-see TV for me! I watched the ones they did of Nora Roberts’ books recently, and enjoyed them. A romance movie-of-the-week would be excellent.

I agree about SCRUBS, Connie!  I’ve always loved that show because it’s so absurd and whimsical that it’s more like real life than most straightforward shows. 

And HOUSE of course!  I adore HOUSE and Hugh Laurie.

I’m hooked on quite a few hour dramas like “Heroes,” “Lost,” “Jericho,” “Medium,” “Veronica Mars,” “Supernatural,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bones” and more, as well as some reality shows.  Makes it hard for me to keep up, especially since I work nights (mostly) and have to tape everything and catch up later!  Good thing summer re-run season is coming, especially because I’m still working through my “Buffy,” “Angel,” “Firefly” and “Beauty & The Beast” DVD’s.  The shows I miss the most… Sob…

Is baseball reality TV???  That’s about all we watch now.  He watches the Red Sox and I watch the Braves.
If I can’t get them then I watch HGTV, Court TV, Discovery, Discovery Health, A& E, TLC - Love those Mythbusters!-best comedy show on...remember the time they got drunk???

--Christina
I totally understand about the similar story arcs for House episodes. It does get repetitive. But did you manage to watch the end of season 1? After 3 seasons, the last 4ish episodes of House season 1 are still my favorites. You meet his ex and get an idea of what happened to his leg. Its a great little mini-arc.

I told my beloved the other day that I’m DYING for some good movies. 

Count me in the reality show camp. I’m a total junkie. Survivor, Amazing Race, Project Runway and Top Chef and WorkOut.  Not American Idol, tho.  No idea why. 

Favorite television in all the land is Sopranos, bar none.  Tony Soprano is one of the best characters ever created.

susanna in alabama...I’m so with you on the romance movie of the week!  I’d love to see Teresa’s “Once an Angel” on tv!!  I just finished that one a couple days ago and was so in love...and laughed until tears streamed down my face.

It’s official, I have to start watching Friday Night Lights.

I was captivated by Lost for the first two seasons. I thought the writing was fracking brilliant. The twists! The turns! Oh my! The way things suddenly connected was such a high. That’s the beauty of serialized shows, IMO. Heroes included. It’s more like reading a book. The chapters have to be in order to make sense, then the threads start to connect.

I love The Riches on FX. Wow. Great, great storytelling. And anything with Eddie Izzard, I’m so there. Love The Closer, too.

I recently bought the DVD set for The Vicar of Dibley, a UK sit-com. OMG. See this! Funny and clever. Might change your mind about sit-coms!

Something to touch on: The music on television shows. When it’s right, it’s sooo right. The Shins “Know Your Onion” and Sam Phillips’ “Where the Colors Don’t Go” from The Gilmore Girls. John Hiatt’s “Thirty Years of Tears” from the Crossing Jordan pilot.  And Grey’s Anatomy and ER have some great music, too. Movies get all the attention for soundtracks, but television has some mighty fine ones, too.

Current TV loves:

Ugly Betty: cannot get enough of this show
Gray’s: compelling--and I definitely would watch it more if I had a Tivo or DVR.  I’m never home when it’s on...so it’s harder for me to catch.
Men In Trees: I loved this show--where did it go anyway?
The Class: my new favorite sitcom--and it got jerked off the air and has not returned.
How I Met Your Mother: One Word--Barney. 
Medium:  Love their marriage on this show!

Current Obsession:

Robin Hood: The Series (BBC America) with Jonas Armstrong.  YUM.  Kinda hokey, kinda cool...and some nice eye candy to keep a girl focused.

I prefer sitcoms to dramas--I love to laugh and the hour-long shows send to lend themselves more to being as dramatic as possible rather than funny.  I miss Friends.  Probably why I like The Class.  (Strangely I do not like The Office...nor Seinfeld.  Well, it’s strange to everyone else, not to me.)

HATE-LOATHE-AND-DESPISE Reality TV Shows.  They generally feature people I wouldn’t hang out with in real life, why would I want to pay attention to them an hour every week?

I actually like a variety of shows.  I like reality shows like Amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol (either Lakisha or Blake is going home tonite), and starting at the end of this month, So You Think You Can Dance, which my mother and I got hooked on last summer.  I also like serial shows like 24 and Heroes, although if they don’t quit having those durned hiatuses (what the heck is plural for hiatus?) which break the story flow, I won’t be sticking with Heroes next season.  It took a LONG time to get back after the last break, and my mother gave up altogether.

As for other shows, we watch the CSI’s, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Close To Home, Numb3rs, and my mother likes House, although I can take it or leave it.  As for sitcoms, I haven’t found one this season that doesn’t insult my intelligence or my personal beliefs, so pooh on them. 

Movies?  IMHO, Hollyweird has lost its collective creative mind.  Now everything is a remake of a bad original or a movie version of a TV sitcom or a movie of a theme park ride.  Give me something original to go see that keeps out politics, profanity, nudity, sex, and violence and I’ll go see it.

Thank you so much, susanna in alabama!  I’m so glad you enjoyed ONCE AN ANGEL.  Emily Claire has always been one of my favorite heroines because she got to do all of the wicked things I can only dream about doing

Ohhh, I’m a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica (BSG) Shauna New Zealand is a bit behind on BSG, but that’s not the case with all shows - TVNZ is currently screening American Idol and the Bon Jovi episode is tomorrow night). I can’t wait for the season 4…

Oh, and does anyone else hate it when a show is cancelled mid-season and there is no closure??????? I’m thinking of Firefly, Dark Angel and my all time pet peeve - THE PRETENDER! Did anyone else watch it? I so wanted to know what was going on, but even when it was cancelled and then revived as 4 telemovies, the network only made 2 telemovies that asked more questions I suppose I’ll never know.

orannia

PS I once had a Xmas on my own in the UK (which was bliss as I’d been working 12-hour days for months) so I treated myself to Season 1-3 of 24 and had a 24 marathon! I haven’t seen Season 5 yet though - is it not as good?

Connie I’m with ya - I LOOOOVE SCRUBS!!
I like sitcoms because they are short. The only ones I watch now are According to Jim and Scrubs.

I used to watch Friends, Seinfeld, Still Standing, Raymond.

Series I watch now: Medium, Studio 60 (until it got cancelled), Monk, The Closer, Bones (just started), Las Vegas.

Also, watch Daily Show and Best Week Ever.

I love watching T.V and movies but unfortunately my kids are watching Little Einstein or Magic School Bus or Richard Scary videos and after they go to bed I am often too tired to sit through a 1 hr show (even after skipping commercials. Yeah! Tivo)

Yeah, what is it with Barry Gibbs teeth? I though he had false ones in there and he was talking funny coz he had too many teeth.

I think its Blake or Lakisha’s turn to go.

Next to reading and beading, going to the movies and watching TV are right there in 3rd place. The main thing I love about going to a theater is the popcorn--take away the popcorn and I’m outta there. Then there are just some movies that you’ve got to see on a big screen (LOTR and Harry Potter).

AS for TV, I watch it all, reality, procedural, sitcoms, nature, court, gameshows, drama (this is when I do my beading).

For you Pirate fans have you seen the commercials about the pirate reality TV show that’s coming on this summer? of course I will be tuning in.

I just dream of the day when I will finally have Tivo so that I don’t have to rely on my old VCR any more that can only tape one program at a time.

Sarah, you couldn’t be more right about music on television shows.  Every year I put together a mix cd of my favorite music for friends as my Christmas card with liner notes about each song.  This year I realized how much music I pick up from tv--another reason to watch, as if I need it!

I tried with Robin Hood, but it was a little cheesey for me, and I was disappointed in that Richard Armitage.  Big recommendation--check out the dvd of North and South the BBC production of the Elizabeth Gaskill novel.  Oh, and the Jane Eyre from Masterpiece Theater--loved it!

And I’ve recommitted to Lost (but am hating this season of 24).  I think they’re finally starting to get things going.  I feel like Heroes has really raised the bar in giving the viewer information that is useful, rather than info that is even more confusing, which is where Lost has been for too long…

Yes, poor Barry Gibb! His mouth was distracting. His lip looked fake, I am guessing because of his bad teeth. And when I heard it was Bee Gee night, I knew those poor contestants were in trouble. I mean, I tolerate disco as much as the next person, and the Bee Gees were among the best...BUT...those songs are difficult to sing live. So much of the sound was studio produced. And how many people can sing well in a falsetto?!?  It was setting them up for failure. A very odd choice. 

I agree that Blake will probably bite the dust tonight.  He has worn out his beat box welcome.

I’ve always been a TV fiend, but I hardly ever watch network TV anymore.  I tape a bunch of stuff on my DVR and watch at my leisure.

What’s always on my DVR?
CSI (only the original)
Survivor
Food Network
BBCAmerica
Sopranos (I fast forward the shootings)

What I have an odd addiction to?
Judge shows – People’s Court, Judge Mathis, Judge Alex (what a cutie).  My absolute favorite is Caso Cerrado on the Spanish language channel Telemundo.  Lots of emotion, passion and hysterics.  My life always looks much, much better after watching these shows.

Question at large – Is there a difference between Tivo and DVR?  Aren’t they the same thing?

I generally ignore reality shows, but the daughter of a friend of mine is one of the contestants on “The Bachelor”, so I’ve been glued to my set on Monday nights.  It’s painful because I know how smart, compassionate, adventurous, and overall great she is and none of that comes through on the show.  All you ever see is the girls talking about their relationship with Andy (the bachelor) and connection to him.  You don’t get to see any of the conversations or interactions that would build a true relationship and forge lasting connections.  Unreality is actually the name of the game here.

As for movies, I loved several recent films:  “Children of Men’, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “The Painted Veil”.  “Amazing Grace” and “Breach” were also good, and the former even had a love story embedded in it.

I have always been a huge TV fan.  Grew up on it.  My mother learned to speak English watching it, especially the soaps.

I’ve always been a huge sitcom fan but there are so few that are any good.  We love ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and will catch an occasional ‘George’.  But for me, I’ll stick to Nick at Night and TVLand for the oldies but goodies.  British comedies are always on Saturdays at our house.

We are big CSI fans and watch every flavor.  The same with Without a Trace, Numbers and Medium (my husband likes this one).

I am a big Food Network, HGTV and DIY.  I’m hoping one day they’ll come and pimp my house, design my landscape and give me such a killer kitchen that Emeril, Bobby Flay and Take Home Chef come with the package.  I don’t ask for much!

Ana Maria,
Not a huge difference between DVR and Tivo.  Ultimately, I like my Tivo better--it’s more intuitive and user friendly.  However, it doesn’t record two things at once, which has become a necessity.  And now Tivo has a dual tuner that will record two things as once, but their prices have gone up and they no longer offer a lifetime payment for the service on a box.  When my Tivo dies, I think I’ll be getting a DVR for the living room too.....

I just started watching La Femme Nikita (1st season) for the 2nd time.  Last year I got the whole series on dvd as a present and watched all of them in about 3 weeks.  I got the urge again last night and watched the 1st 2 eps last night.  Great minds think alike.

I agree with you Shauna.  BSG is the best thing ever on TV.  I love the show, especially the writing.  I think their storylines are so inventive and boundary stretching that every episode I go into gives me a sense of edge and anticipation because you never know what’s going to happen.  Of course it doesn’t hurt that there is some amaizng acting talent too.  I adore Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck, and Jamive Bamber is so nice to look at , as is Tahmoh Penikett who plays Helo, who I think is the ultimate romance hero ever protrayed on TV.

I see that I am late again.

I’m very selective about the movies I see at the theater. I whine about the matinee price of $5.50.

The last 4 times I rented a movie, I never watched it. I read a book instead.

On tv I watch Bones, Crossing Jordan and Blood Ties. I’ll watch The Closer when it starts again. I quit watching Gilmore Girls and CSI last season.

Shauna,
We all want to thank you SO much for visiting us here at Squawk Radio!  You’ve been absolutely amazing and we enjoyed your blogs and your comments so very much

Love, love, love Friday Night Lights.  Hands down the best show on TV that no one is watching.  And it is in serious jeopardy of being cancelled.

So all you go the nbc.com and start watching the episodes online so the network will realize they have a hit!  J

Oh, Teresa, Emily Claire was so naughty!  I just loved her.  I just LOVED the part where she took care of the tribe of cannibals.  LOVED it!!!!  I laughed until my kids thought I was crazy, tears streaming down my face...GREAT stuff.