Freedom!

I am officially DONE with this semester - emailed my last paper to the professor last night. Which means I'm free... for a whole two weeks, and then the summer session starts. Oh well.

Anyway, it's that time of year, so if you're curious whether your favorite shows will be back next year, here's the chart for you. I'm happy to see that only two of my shows are "on the bubble" - Chuck, as ever (eat more Subway!), and Life Unexpected, which was cute, but I probably won't miss it. Getting the axe are 24, which I knew about and am ready for the end, and Dollhouse, which was canceled in the spectacular chaos of "let's cram five seasons worth of plot into the last six episodes" six months ago, so I'm not sure why it's even worth mentioning.

New computer!! And 24

After a week of angsting about it, I went out this weekend and bought myself a new computer. I've hated the Dell since I bought it (two and a half years ago), and although I very much dislike change, I think I'm going to be happy with my Samsung R480.

Also, I've been a few hours behind for a few weeks now, but I finally managed to catch up and... wow. I know 24 is even more merciless than a Joss Whedon show when it comes to killing characters, but two silent clocks in a row? Damn.

Hassan's death was rather well done, I thought. I have to give them credit, they've gone to the "terrorists use a live internet feed and a hostage" well many times before, but the pre-recorded thing was clever, and seeing Hassan with his throat slit while the recording was still playing? Jesus. I felt as bad as Jack did.

Renee, on the other hand, was sad but predictable - as soon as she and Jack kissed, I thought, "Well, she's dead." (Thank you, Joss Whedon, for ruining that for me forever.) I admit, I didn't feel like their relationship was very well established. The development was okay over the course of the season, but I definitely felt like there was a big leap forward in intimacy between last season and this one, which we didn't get to see and was very conspicuous in its absence. But the other thing is, when she and Jack first kissed, it struck me as odd (but, um, still kind of hot) to see Jack kissing someone, and I realized that for a male action star, Jack hardly ever gets any, y'know, action. And then Renee got shot and I remembered why Jack never gets any. Because anyone he loves always gets kidnapped or killed or both. The man is like relationship kryptonite, seriously. (Has anyone checked on Kim lately?)

Anyway, there is one cool thing that's come out of the last episode. I've never really thought much of the way 24 portrays women - even having a female President, I don't know what it is about her, but I can't stand President Taylor. And don't even get me started on the travesty that is Dana Walsh. But then Dalia Hassan stepped up to the plate, and she just rocks my world, man. I kind of am in love with the idea of her taking her husband's place and seeing his vision through, especially in a Muslim country where hard-liners just assassinated the president for daring to negotiate with the West. Apparently, martyrs' wives taking up leadership is a kink I never knew I had. (Unfortunately, her daughter really kind of sucks. Her lines sound like they were written for a five-year-old character, and they're delivered by a truly terrible actress.)

Ugh, Charles Logan. That guy is so slimy, and I'm tired of him popping up all the time. But OMG when the camera panned over and Reed Diamond was standing there, I literally pumped both fists in the air and said, "Dominiiiiiic!!!" Granted, all he did was get kicked out of a room without saying a word, but it made me grin like an idiot to see him again. Even if he is working for a slimeball.

Stuff...

I will spare you my f-bomb and capslock laden rant about last week's Bones and just advise you that you won't be hearing more from me about that bullshit show.

I still haven't caught up on Fringe or FlashForward since they've been back. I am more likely to watch Fringe, but neither one seems to have been missed. I'm also at least 3 hours behind on 24. I'll be happy when this semester is over.

And in funnier things, this.

TV Stuffs

I've been catching up on all the TV I missed while I was on vacation, so expect some reaction posts a bit later. For now, I bring you a David Boreanaz interview (Bones returns this week after a looong hiatus - but with the NBC comedies being so AWESOME on Thursday night, I haven't missed it at all).

Also, it really, really, for serious is the end of 24. Except for the movie, of course.

The end of 24

Sounds like this really will be the final season of 24. I can't really say I'm disappointed. The show definitely bounced back after the dismal sixth season, but nothing in 7 or what I've seen of 8 has captured my attention the way the earlier seasons did. We've gotten to the point where everything's recycled, and I'm only tuning in to see how Jack's gonna be awesome this week. (Although, I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the junior terrorist who got himself blown up this week. It's a fairly predictable plot, but the acting was well done.)

But seriously. Any show that makes me dislike Katee Sackhoff is Doing It Wrong. I'm almost appallingly fascinated at how they've managed to take someone who played one of the most kick-ass female characters on modern television, and given her one of the most unempowering plot lines I've ever seen.

I bet the movie'll be cool, though.

Snowpocalypse

So, if you don't live in the DC area, we got about 2 feet of snow this weekend. I had off Friday - my boss (a bit prematurely, as it turned out) decided on Thursday night that we wouldn't open the office on Friday, since they were predicting snow to start around 10 am. Which it did, but it didn't start to accumulate for another six hours, so... oops? But I got a day off, so I'm not complaining. And I'm off again today, because there's no above ground Metro service, which means I can't get into the city.

I've spent much of my time cooking (I'm getting pretty good!), reading for class, and catching up on TV from last week. Here's a few thoughts:

24: I don't actually try to make sense of the plots anymore; I just turn my brain off and watch Jack be awesome. This season is pretty rockin' with the new cast members - pleeeeeeease let Katee Sackhoff and Callum Keith Rennie have a scene together at some point. Not just for the BSG reunion, but also to save Starbuck from her idiotic subplot. (Cougar came early this season, apparently. It's only episode six.) Also? David Anders! Love him. I stopped watching Heroes because they killed him off (and also because the show spiraled into nonsensical drivel). I love him most when he's suited up and being menacing, so it works out well that he's one of the bad guys.

Bones: Holy product placement, Batman. Are they perhaps trying to highlight the voice-activated GPS in Brennan's car? You know, I'm not opposed to product placement - in fact, I am all for Subway sponsorship of Chuck if it'll keep the show on the air - as long as they don't smack you in the face with it. If it's distractingly out of place, it pulls you out of the story. Also, they don't actually call mental institutions "sanitariums" anymore, do they? Seriously? And continuing the familiar guest stars theme, in this ep we have Joshua Malina, alumnus of everything Aaron Sorkin's ever done.

One final observation - is it just me, or do they repeat the same B-plot every time the Muslim intern is on? It seems like every time that guy shows up, the case has something to do with religion, he makes some comment about it, which Cam or someone else misinterprets, only to realize later that they've horribly stereotyped him. If they don't have anything to do with him except say "hey, he's Muslim, but he doesn't hate Americans," then can we please move on to other, more interesting interns, like Wendell or the British trivia-spouting guy?

Something different for a change

Good news - we're getting six more episodes of Chuck, and the season may start sooner than previously expected (March), due to all of NBC's new shows completely tanking.

And a trailer for the new (and final) season of 24.

Let's use some of those tags I've got there...

Remember when I used to post TV news here? Well, it's been a long, slow summer, but we're starting to get more interesting things to talk about again.

First up, HIMYM tidbits for next season. Two words: musical episode.

Also, David Anders will be on next season's 24. He is, like, my second favorite blond, immortal misunderstood TV villain with a fake British accent. (On Heroes, anyway. No word on whether he'll be doing the accent on 24.)

And finally, in honor of the season premiere Sunday night (omg I love this show), Which Mad Man are you? I'm apparently Salvatore, which cracks me all up.

Oh, and for those of you who might be jealous, Megan and I will be in New Jersey this weekend, as James Marsters has decided to come visit our Garden State again. :)

Zack Attack!

If you missed it, Mark-Paul Gosselaar appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show - as Zack Morris! Best. Interview. Ever.

I loved Saved By the Bell when I was a kid, and OMG I nearly died when he said, "Well, I was raised in Indiana, but I moved out west with my two friends and my high school principal."

In other news, the full cast and vague description of season 8 of 24.

Pop culturey things

First, there's a Monsters Inc. sequel in the works. Megan, clear your calendar for 2013, you're my Pixar-movie watching buddy.

BSG's Katee Sackhoff will be on the next season of 24. My fangirl head might explode.

And Kal Penn still hasn't started his job at the White House. You know, if he doesn't want it, I'm sure I could find someone to take it (like me).

Random stuff

I'm having difficulty accepting this - Freddie Prinze Jr. on 24? Does. Not. Compute.

Unrelated, see what we're doing in education these days.

This is Awesome

Remember yesterday I told you about the Subway Save Chuck campaign? Well, here's a hilarious video of Zachary Levi leading hundreds of fans to Subway at a convention yesterday. Then he got behind the counter and helped make the sandwiches. Aww.

As for the finale itself, I am preparing to burn my living room. How about you? We should be hearing about renewal next week... In the meantime, interview with Chris Fedak about the finale and the possible season 3 (well, okay, he mostly dodges those questions).

Also regarding last night's TV, it seems Kiefer had to pull out a little Jack Bauer in order to get to work with Jon Voight: "If you don't let me work with him, I'll kill you."

Ouchie

I hate my dentist. All I wanted was one teeth cleaning, and it's spiraled into 5 appointments! First, they wouldn't clean my teeth until I came in for a consultation, so there's two appointments right there. Then, I had cavities, which necessitated two more appointments, since apparently, they can't do fillings on both sides of my mouth on the same day. Whatever. So I went for the first filling appointment on Tuesday, and for the past two days, the filling has been cutting the inside of my mouth with its sharp edge. Which means I am going back AGAIN today to have it fixed. Plus, I've still got my second filling appointment a month from now. *is bitter*

Anyway, Joss apparently can't make up his mind on Dollhouse - first, he said a second season pick-up was unlikely, then changed his mind and said he was optimistic at the Paley Festival's Dollhouse event.

Also, spoilers on who's gonna survive this season of 24, since they're coming back for season 8. (It's Ask Ausiello, which means there's spoilers for just about every show on TV, so be careful.)

New season, new city

24 is moving again - this time to NYC. I guess that kinda puts a damper on the speculation that next season would be the first to continue from where the previous season left off (i.e. the next day).

And more good news...

Alyson Hannigan gave birth to a baby girl, and in typical Hollywood fashion, gave her a goofy name.

And in kinda stupid news, 24 gets stuff wrong about DC. Yeah, because we all watch 24 for the realism.

I'm trying...

So, this weekend, I managed to catch up on TV (I was about two weeks behind), culminating in me crying like a baby at the Battlestar Galactica series finale. Get thee to a Blockbuster, because you need to watch this show. I may still be a little emotional, but I'm ready to call it the best show ever. Better than Buffy. Better than The West Wing. Better than Friday Night Lights (which also made me cry this week).

And now, for something we haven't done in a while - links! Kiefer talks about 24, and Parks & Recreation didn't do well with focus groups.

Everything in 3 seconds

I've got a horrendous project in work, plus the budget coming up next week, so don't expect to see a lot of me. Here's a three-second review of everything I've watched in the past week or so:

The Office: Hilary Swank is so not hot.
Friday Night Lights: OMG, Matt/Julie is the cutest thing ever! Tim/Lyla is... not.
Battlestar Galactica: Somebody's totally gonna get airlocked. Also, that ending? Kind of like walking in on your parents having sex.
Psych: Fire bad. Tree pretty.
24: I love Tony. "Okay, we'll just forget that happened" and goes on with the deal.

Whee!

Lots of interesting stuff today.

First, who's excited for Battlestar Galactica tomorrow?? Me!! Probably no one else will think this is funny, but I thought the BSG miniseries told as a series of Facebook applications was hilarious!

24 news - The 8th season may be its last, and Howard Gordon wants to kill Jack (and possibly blow up the world?) on the big screen.

Speaking of TV shows being made into movies, here's an unlikely one: Jericho. It's like the little show that could... It's been canceled twice already, but apparently, it's been rerunning on the CW (because they have nothing else to air), and if it does well, it could revive the show for more episodes or a movie.

David B. talks about directing an episode of Bones, and also discusses that stupid spoiler about "Booth and Brennan end up in bed together, but it's not what you think." Am I the only one who's really getting tired of this "it's not what you think" crap? I thought it was stupid when they did it with the kiss, and I think it's stupid now. I don't really want Booth and Brennan together, so this whole teasing, dragging it out thing isn't really making me happy. Just let 'em sleep together, realize it was a huge mistake, and then we can go on with our lives.

Some dude I've never heard of is going to be on The Office, and details are coming out about that "Office spinoff that's not really a spinoff" that Amy Poehler is doing. It sounds like it might be funny.

And finally, I caught up on last week's SNL (with NPH!). I thought it was mostly pretty funny, but my favorite was by far the Broadway sketch. Turns out Anthony Rapp (the original Mark from Rent) liked it, too.

TV stuff

Bones fans, we're being foiled by George W. one last time.

More info on the new Rob Thomas show, Party Down. It looks seriously fun, so it's a shame it's on a cable channel I don't get.

And the answer to the "where's Karen?" question. I'm not sure if I feel better or worse knowing that the executive producer of 24 didn't even remember where they left things with Bill and Karen. Better because it's nice to know it's not just me. Worse because... well, it's your show. Shouldn't you remember what happened? Bottom line: she's fine, but she's not coming back.

Also 24-related, a "24-Hour News Cycle" featuring Jack Bauer. I'll admit, the CNN blurb cracked me all up.

24 take 2

Well, hours 3 and 4 weren't as compelling as hours 1 and 2, but here's what we got out of it:

• Tony's actually undercover, but still sort of a bad guy. I have to admit, not a huge surprise. (My mother emailed me yesterday to tell me she thought he was undercover.)
  
• The twitchy guy got fingered (and cleared, for now) as the mole. His wife on the plane? Blah. Reminds me of all the CTU relatives I never cared about (Edgar's mother, Adam's sister, Michelle's brother... Kim Bauer)
  
• I also don't really care about the First Son suicide thing. I think it's hard to drum up interest in a character we saw for about 10 minutes in Redemption and was killed off-screen.
  
• Jack and Tony are now both undercover. I'm enjoying the buddy cop-ness of them.
  
• Agent Walker has completed her transition to "Jill Bauer" and is gleefully torturing suspects.
• Bill and Chloe are back!!

Okay, I... kinda need a refresher on that one. What happened to Bill last season? I have a vague recollection that someone got arrested, but I can't remember if it was him or Karen. And if it wasn't Karen, where is she? (Wikipedia tells me that Karen was arrested, but she received a pardon in exchange for Bill resigning. So again I ask - where is she? They were my second favorite CTU couple, after Tony and Michelle.)