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?

Best news ever!

When fandoms collide... James Marsters is guest starring in "Caprica," the BSG prequel series. Squee!

Can you tell my boss is on vacation?

I'm back to posting every day again, lol.

Anyway, interview with FNL's executive producer about the DirecTV deal and what the next two seasons have in store. Warning: If you're like me, and have been saving yourself for the NBC broadcast episodes, this article spoils episodes that haven't aired yet.

LOLs from The Onion: Obama depressed after BSG finale.

An interview with Tamara Taylor about Bones. Important note: Fox will be doubling up episodes (due to all the Obama pre-empting), and will be airing new eps on Wednesdays AND Thursdays for a couple weeks.

Politico thinks that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is really similar to West Wing character Josh Lyman. Well... duh. Josh was based on Emanuel when he worked in the Clinton administration. Any excuse for more Bradley Whitford, though.

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.

Remember me?

In an attempt to rehabilitate this blog, I thought it might be nice if I posted once in a while. Sorry I've been superbusy in work, but it doesn't really seem like it'll let up any time soon. I seriously, seriously need a vacation, but that's not going to happen when I'm trying to find a new job and move to DC.

Anyway, I watched Dollhouse last week. (If you'd like to read about it, Whedonesque has links to about eleventy billion interviews with Joss and/or Eliza.) I was not impressed. I really don't think Eliza can pull off this role, and I'm still iffy on the premise. I'll give it a few more weeks, but just the fact that it's Joss isn't enough to make me want to watch.

On the other hand, several of my favorite shows are coming to an end, either for good or for the season. We're up to the last five episodes of Battlestar Galactica (ever!) and I think my head might explode (in a good way). The Psych season finale is tomorrow (wow, that came up fast), and Leverage ends on Tuesday. I've really been a fan of Leverage (enough that I just gave it its own tag), so I recommend you all catch up during the break, as they've been renewed for a second season.

On the other-other hand, My Boys is coming back March 31st. Also, Kristen Bell is guest starring on Rob Thomas' Party Down, which means I'm wishing even harder than I got Starz.

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.

Just a quickie...

...before I go home for the weekend.

First of all, is it me, or did Bones kind of suck last night? Maybe it was the double-whammy of two lackluster episodes in a row, but man, that was unsatisfying. Also, I am getting very worried about this impending Booth/Bones coupling.

Links: More on BSG and the final Cylon, and an interview with Kevin from The Office, which I did not watch last night because I was watching the second Bones. Considering how much The Office rocked last week, I think I would've been better off with that one.

More stuff!

Took a time-out from work to watch the Inauguration ceremony, and now I'm back with a whole bunch of TV news (since I know that's what you really care about).

Interviews with both the final Cylon and the character who died in Friday's episode. (I'm not spoiling because I want you all to watch the show!!) Also, Tahmoh Penikett talks about BSG and Dollhouse.

Good news on the Mad Men front - Matt Weiner's contract issues have been resolved, so he'll be back at the helm for season 3.

Rob Thomas is writing the Veronica Mars movie!! Which puts them one step ahead of the Dr. Horrible sequel, which is still in the "everybody wants to do it, but Joss hasn't actually written it yet" stage.

And finally, more casting news: Ted is getting a new girlfriend, but she's probably not the Mother.

Happy Inauguration Day!

I'll be back with more stuff later on, but first I wanted to post a few links from Friday that I never got up.

Casting news: Scott Bakula will be playing Chuck's father, and Amy Ryan is coming back to The Office. Plus, an interview with Josh Radnor.

I think Battlestar Galactica fried my brain this week (in a good way). Between that and Friday Night Lights, it might be too much awesome for one night.

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.

Gah!

Such a headache. Hard to concentrate. Good thing it's Friday.

Bryan Fuller is apparently going to save Heroes . I'll believe it when I see it. Lauren Graham's getting a new show. And Joss says no talking about the final Cylon on the Dollhouse set.

I saw flurries!

Yep, it was snowing on my lunch break. Not enough to actually stick, but still, disturbing.

Anyway, just a couple linkety links today - an interview with John Noble (from Fringe) and in anticipation of the return of Battlestar Galactica in January, the eleventy billionth "Who's the Final Cylon?" post.

Also, the Democrats are gonna let Joe Lieberman stay at the cool kids' table.

Hump day!

We're halfway, guys! And Friday is Halloween - anyone have any good costumes? I haven't gotten dressed up since... freshman year of college? It always seems like too much effort.

Anyway, TV stuff - Joss makes a list of happy things, and Tahmoh Penikett talks about BSG and Dollhouse.

Also, another post-season 2 interview with Matthew Weiner, and also the WTF? news that he may NOT be the showrunner for season 3 of Mad Men. That's absolutely ridiculous. That'd be like Joss not doing Buffy or Aaron Sorkin leaving the West Wing (and we all know how that turned out...). Bad move, people! You don't want to lose Matt Weiner - he IS Mad Men. Work it out!

I'm just trying to acclimate you...

...to not having frequent updates, as I'll be away for much of the next three weeks.

But because I've been lazy the past week, I've got a shitload of pop culturey links for today. (See? I'm giving you a break from the politics.) Okay, I think lists are the way to go here.

Casting news: The Battlestar Galactica movie posts an updated cast list, including Admiral Adama and most of the Cylons, How I Met Your Mother's got a sister for Stella, and Chuck's Sarah is getting a dad played by Gary Cole (not to be confused with Gary Coleman, who just hit someone with his truck).

Shows that have been temporarily shut down and/or retooled: 24, Dirty Sexy Money, and Dollhouse, which might be causing some concern.

Interviews: John Slattery and Jon Hamm (both of Mad Men), as well as Amy Ryan and Paul Lieberstein on The Office.

And finally, a preview for 24: Exile and a review of Fringe, which I totally meant to watch on Tuesday except I was out drinking, but there's an encore on Sunday night, so I'll try to catch that.

My dorkdom shines through

So, who watched the Democratic National Convention last night? Just me? Okay. It's cool, the good stuff is still to come.

The exciting news is that Michigan and Florida will have their full delegate vote counted, now that it doesn't matter because Obama's going to win anyway. Yay?

Also, I want to recommend this blog by Alex Epstein. He's a screenwriter, and his blog is generally geared toward advising people who want to get into the business, but with all the election stuff going on, he's taken to analyzing political ads and messaging, which I think is really interesting and cool. Check it out.

And on a completely non-political note, a report from an Edward James Olmos con appearance that talks about the last episodes of BSG. Eeeeeee!! Is it 2009 yet?

Linky linky

Lots of links today.

First, New Clue disturbs me. Don't mess with my childhood!

Big (spoilery) developments on How I Met Your Mother. Plus, Regis Philbin guest stars. Also HIMYM-related, which NPH character would make the best VP for Barack Obama? I vote for Barney.

Friday Night Lights casting news: It'll be a rough year for Matt Saracen, since his estranged mother is apparently popping up, and there's a new hotshot quarterback in Dillon.

And finally, links to interviews with Tahmoh Penikett (where he talks about BSG and Dollhouse) and Aaron Sorkin (where he talks about why Studio 60 failed, and how much we all miss Sports Night).

My cat is actually useful!

So, we seem to have settled into a nice compromise in the mornings. Chelsea appears to have learned what the alarm clock means, and doesn't wake me up before it goes off. Once it does, though, she's a little pest until I get out of bed. Which is helpful on days like today, when I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep (and thus be late for work). The only trouble is that we haven't quite worked out the concept of the snooze button yet, so sometimes she pesters when I actually DO want to go back to sleep. We'll keep working on it.

Anyway, let's kick off with more Dr. Horrible stuff, since it's still my favorite thing ever. This blogger has ranked the singers in Dr. Horrible and Buffy's Once More With Feeling. Personally, I think Amber Benson deserves to be above Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion should probably be switched with Sarah Michelle Gellar (did no one notice how off-key she was in some songs?). Overall, though, not terribly surprising.

Here's the eleventy millionth interview with Joss, and an interview with Tahmoh Penikett about Dollhouse.

Speaking of Tahmoh, word on the streets is that the last half of the last season of Battlestar Galactica will be supersized, although the exact details are sketchy. I can't remember if I posted the Caprica promo yet, so here it is just in case. And finally, an interview with Tricia Helfer, who's now guest starring on Burn Notice. (Sidebar: she should've done the Sweet'n'Low trick JM recommends for bleaching her hair.)

Oh, and this was posted in the comments, but I'm moving it out here for everyone to check out: the animated Buffy series (or at least, the first four minutes of it). There's also an interview with Jane Espenson that hints it may be making a comeback.

Okay, back

Well, again, TV Squad has a crapload of panel reports, including Battlestar Galactica (you can also watch the video of the full panel), Chuck, and Fringe, which is probably the one new show other than Dollhouse that I'm interested in.

Also, Dr. Horrible is again streamable for free from Hulu. So now you have NO excuse.

This is so nice, I just might sleep with the same girl twice...

Yep, still using Dr. Horrible quotes for titles.

So, OMG. I had a pretty crappy weekend, but it was Comic-Con weekend in San Diego, which means I have a shitload of links. Let's try to keep this organized.

Okay, first of all, TV Squad has a report on just about every panel, including Dollhouse, Heroes, Bones, and Dr. Horrible. Most important announcement from the entire weekend: There will be more Dr. Horrible! (Which is very good, because I'm running out of quotes.) Also, Dr. Horrible's remote control thingy (which he used to operate the van to steal the Wonderflonium) is a website he pulled up on his iPhone.

The Watcher has another report from the Heroes panel, as well as Battlestar Galactica.

There's lots of stuff about Dollhouse, including these video clips of interviews with Eliza, Joss, and Tahmoh, and another visit to the set. EW also has an interview with them (in which Eliza sings), as well as a two-part interview with David Boreanaz.

Um, Mario Lopez is on Extra now? That's a shame. But he's talking about Dr. Horrible, so he still gets cool points.

The only doom that's looming is you loving me to death...

...so I'll give you a sec to catch your breath.

It's a really slow day in work today - my boss and I actually took an hour-long trip to Starbucks because we don't feel like doing anything. I'm spending most of my time sending angry emails to BMG because they sent me a CD I didn't order. I get that whole bullshit about how they send you an email and you have to decline or they send you the CD, but I NEVER GOT AN EMAIL. Not only that, I never got an email saying they'd charged my credit card (which was expired, I haven't updated my information on the site in years, but they charged it anyway), and I never got an email saying anything was being shipped to me. If I hadn't seen the charge on my checking account statement, I'd never even have known about it. (I also never got the package, because my shipping information was also outdated.)

Anyway, lots and lots of Dr. Horrible stuff today. An online chat with Neil Patrick Harris, an interview with Joss (he also talks about Dollhouse), and an "oral history," which I think means, "All the people involved talk about how much fun it was."

And also, sort of related (it's all in the Buffy family), an interview with Jane Espenson about her projects (BSG! Buffy comics!).