epiphany

While watching American Idol, I had the following thought:

David Cook on AI = Richard Blais on Top Chef.

Discuss.

real boring

Now that Biggest Loser is over, I am totally losing interest in reality TV, competitive division.

Idol is crazy boring right now, not horrible or awesome, just blah. I was really expecting Neil Diamond night to be a horrible trainwreck, but it was just kind of eh.

Top Model is all weird with Tyra doing the funny voices and the "models" all a big mush of "she can do one thing, but sucks at this other thing." I don't care about any of these girls, except to wonder what happened to Anya's eyebrows. The only bright spot is how awesome Paulina is as a judge.

Top Chef still has a few more chaff contestants before we're down to the "wheat" chefs. Also, Tom Colicchio needs to stop saying things are shocking. Bland food is not shocking. It's boring, which is the opposite of shocking.

Dammit shows, entertain me!

I feel like I'm forgetting another show, but I can't be bothered to think any harder about this.

ice ice baby

I am currently defrosting my freezer. This sounds like it would be a passive activity -- just setting the dial to defrost and walking away. But, when you have a refrigerator that is as old and crappy as the one that came with my apartment, it's an epic struggle.

I began yesterday after eating the last frozen lean cuisine and chucking all the other ice-encrusted foodstuffs. I set the dial to defrost and strategically placed pans to catch the run-off once the ice began to melt.

For the rest of the day, I would periodically go into the freezer section and scrape away with my plastic spatula. It's actually pretty cathartic and satisfying when big chunks of ice break free. Sort of like icebergs calving during the spring -- I am the hand of god to my freezer.

This morning the inside of my freezer was ice-free, but the block of ice surrounding it was still going strong and responsible for the water that was all over the bottom of the fridge and my kitchen floor.

I repositioned the pans inside the fridge and got to mopping. The pans seem to be doing a better job, but there's still a bit of water to be mopped up every time I go into the kitchen. I hope the rest will be melted by tomorrow, 48 hours after I started.

Wow, my life is glamoruous.

If I'm still unemployed, it must be April

So, a post every four months, huh? That's the level of commitment I bring to things.

This is the longest I've been unemployed since I started working in TV. Actually, I think it was the first time I finished a job and didn't have the next one lined up within a week. Which is a lesson painfully learned -- just because people have called in the past and offered me work regularly doesn't mean I should count on it.

I don't know if there's just not the much work out there, or I'm not hearing about it or what. For my mental health, I choose to believe that it's the market and not me. Hopefully, things will turn around soon and I'll be a working lady again. Fingers crossed.

resurrection

So, it's been a while. Here's what's happened since July:

Still living in the same apartment.

Still need to start working out.

Still need a maid.

Still hoping to win the lottery.

Have worked on a couple of more TV shows for Style Network.

You can see why I haven't been compelled to post.

But now, I'm unemployed, so I figured I could make an effort.

The only thing I have to report is that my cat was diagnosed with diabetes and it has taken up most of my obsession energy as I adjust her insulin dosage and monitor her behavior & litter box activity. Good times. I'm trying not to turn into Angela from The Office, but still. I am injecting the cat with insulin and giving her prescription food and steroids for her kitty IBS. (Yes, cats can have irritable bowel syndrome.)

The rest of my energy is devoted to Facebook, especially scrabulous.

So, I'm pretty much a crazy shut-in cat lady right now.

Summer TV

Remember the dark ages when Summer TV was all reruns and weird movies of the week that nobody really watched? Thank god we live in enlightened times. Here's what I'm watching this summer:

New Shows:

Burn Notice -- A clever show about spies, ex-spies and how they are smarter than regular bad guys.

On the Lot -- it's horrible, but I'm in too deep. Seriously, every decision they've made in the creation of the show is wrong. The idea is actually really interesting, but the execution is hideous.

Pirate Master -- this was only saved from being the worst competitive reality show on this summer by the existence of On the Lot. It's been cancelled, but I'll probably watch it online because...yeah, I don't have a reason.

Mad Men -- Okay, I've only seen the pilot, but I'm intrigued. The contrast of the super-slick production values, writing, etc. and the explicit anti-semitism and misogyny (appropriate for the times, but still unpleasant to hear/watch) is jarring, but I'm definitely going to watch more and see if they can sustain it.

Returning Favorites:

Psych -- The mystery is secondary. The dialogue between Shaun and Gus (aka West Wing Charlie) is what makes this show.

The Closer -- Again, the whodunit is not the point. The characters and their relationships are so well drawn. Everyone is so human and yet, they are still really likable. Well, except for the mostly silent cop who's entire role seems to be the only other woman in the squad besides Brenda.

So You Think You Can Dance -- I started watching this in the middle of last season, so it's been interesting to watch this from the beginning. For the most part, the talent is undeniable. That being said, I think Lauren is mediocre at best and doesn't deserve to be there.

Top Chef -- This is the first year I've watched Top Chef and really, it just makes me miss Project Runway. I know I read this somewhere else, but the fatal flaw of this show is that we viewers can't taste the food and, therefore, can't judge for ourselves like we can on Runway.

Big Brother -- Sure, why not.

The 4400 -- This is silly sci-fi, but it's a good "regular people having powers" hold-over until Heroes is back.


Sooo, what we've learned here is that I watch way too much TV, even in the summer.

101 update

I few more crossed off the list:

11. Visit my sister and her husband in DC. Completed 6/8/07. My nephew is the cutest boy in all the land.

20. Go to the midnight sing-along movie at the Nuart. Or is it at the Hollywood Bowl? Figure out where these movie sing-alongs take place and then go to one. completed 6/30/07. Went to the Sound of Music sing-a-long at the Bowl. I sang myself hoarse.

36. Get a ceiling fan installed in my bedroom. Completed 6/25/07. It's so awesome, I can't even tell you.

66. See more movies. I used to go every week but, now that I’m poor and they are so expensive, I’ve just stopped going. Maybe one movie a month is a good middle ground. I'm going to mark this completed since I've seen Knocked Up, Ratatouille and Harry Potter V in the last few months.