I'm excited for the last season. Here's hoping the ending is better then Lost (which for the record I liked but can understand the hatred for it.)
Kitchen Nightmares
It's really very similar to his other shows but I like seeing his dumbfounded face when someone does something stupid or watch him go off on people when he gets angry.
Watch Later
Person of Interest
I enjoyed what I have seen of the show but it needs some serious character development and I still need to catch up on watching the rest of season 1.
Mob Doctor
I think I would enjoy this show but since it is on Fox I will not watch it until it is announced for a second season. Fox has double crossed me too many times (I mean did they really need to cancel Reunion. It only needed one season to tell a story. You couldn't bury it on Fridays and let the whole story be told) and I'm not ready to trust that they'll give the show a fair chance.
Suburgatory
Happy Endings
I enjoyed both comedies but I'm just not in love with either of them and can wait to watch them during the less hectic TV times of the year.
Easily my favorite comedy on TV. Not as funny as it once was but still a good sitcom.
Grey's Anatomy
An aging show that really should end soon but it's entertaining for the most part so I'll keep watching until it ends. I see no point on giving up on it after eight seasons cause it can't get worse then it has been in the past (like that ghost sex and the George/Izzie relationship)
New Shows
Last Resort
I'm excited for this show. Hopefully people watch it. It has an interesting premise and I think with good acting and story lines it can be a successful show.
Beauty and The Beast
I think it can have a similar feel as what Smallville had. I'm not convinced it will be a good show but I think it is worth watching to see what happens. It could end up being this years Secret Circle.
Nessa's Shows
Glee
Every once in a while the show draws me back in but most of the time I just watch for the musical numbers. There are new cast members so I might need to give it a try but they already had a huge cast so with everyone returning they might be stretched too far.
The shows been on what feels like forever but I still enjoy watching the way the cast makes strategies and alliances. I also like complaining when they do something that I feel is stupid. Plus the challenges should be good since they are returning to water challenges.
New Shows
Arrow
Personally I think this will be the best new show on TV this year. The trailer for the show makes it look really good and there are so many directions they can take the show.
Guys With Kids
Originally Nessa said she wanted to try this and after watching the promos for the show I decided I'd give it a try as well.
Nashville
This one can go either way. I really like Connie Britton as an actress which is why I want to give it a chance to see how it does.
I'm not convinced this show will make it to season three but I've decided to just enjoy it while it lasts because it's a fun show.
New Girl
Originally I didn't care for the show but luckily I went back and watched it over the summer and fall in love with the characters, It's actually strange that Jess is one of my least favorite characters on the show.
Don't Trust The B* in Apt 23
I love that Busy Philipps is guesting in the premiere and hopefully the show keeps using Dawson because he made the show playing himself.
New Shows
Emily Owens MD
I like the choice of cast but I'm not convinced this show will work on the CW. It looks like a quirkier Grey's Anatomy which will hopefully succeed.
Nessa's Shows
Sons of Anarchy
Nessa got hooked to it this summer. It's on my list of shows I will eventually get to watching.
At this point I couldn't stop watching the show even if I wanted to. I need to know who the mother is and I need to know that Barney and Robin end up together. Getting to see Lily and Marshall be parents is an added bonus.
The Voice
They need to change it up a bit which I think they may do this season but I always lose some interest once they reach the Live Shows because they get rid of people so quickly.
New Shows
Partners
I will mostly watch because I think Sophia Bush is awesome and there's no more One Tree Hill. We'll see if it lasts the season for me.
Revolution
It's kind of a high concept show that I usually enjoy but ends up getting cancelled. The ratings will decide whether I let myself get hooked to the show or not. Kind of like Terra Nova last year.
Nessa's Shows
Bones
I'm still a few seasons behind so Nessa watches on her own but at some point I will catch up because it is a good show.
2 Broke Girls
Didn't really care for the show but Nessa liked it when she watched it over the summer.
The other day Nessa got me to sit with her and go through the Billboard Hot 100 so she could find some new songs to listen to on her phone. I pulled up a chair expecting to see a lot of pop songs by Carly Rae Jepson, Rihanna, and Katy Perry.
I was surprised with how much country music was actually on the list but I guess with most country music sounding more poppy these days it makes sense.
As we got to the end of the Hot 100 we found a band called Imagine Dragon and their song "It's time." I hadn't heard of Imagine Dragons but I was surprised with how much I liked their music.
After listening to the song we both felt like we heard the beat used on another song and after doing some Google searches we found Matt & Kim. Their song "Daylight" has a very similar beat through the song.
Since finding the two bands I've listened to anything I've been able to find by them. I'm leaning toward Imagine Dragons as the band I prefer. Here's a few more songs by each I have enjoyed.
With the end of August comes the new TV Season starting in September. It's not as bad as it use to be since there is a lot of great shows that air during the summer these days that keep us entertained year around.
Regardless my Fall TV Schedule is packed. Whoever invented the DVR is a genius since with Time Shifting I can easily catch all the shows I am interested in watching.
I'll start this off with Sunday shows for the fall. Somehow between Nessa and I Sunday has become the busiest night of the week replacing Thursdays which are actually pretty lite night of TV this year.
Returning Shows
Heartland
I started this show at the end of season four when the series was added to Netflix and it quickly became one of my favorite shows. I also like the fact that it is made in Canada because I can make fun of the American fans that I get to see it first for once rather then the other way around.
Once Upon A Time
During the first season I last interest in the show because I found it moved to slowly but over the summer I watched the full season within two days and watching it in succession kept it interesting since I didn't have to wait. The show got better in the second half of the season. I'm going to try watching it weekly again but I may decide to download it later when I can watch multiple episodes all at once rather then watch on a weekly basis.
Amazing Race
This show is all about the cast. With a good cast it can be a good season but if the season has a lack of teams to root for or root against I can easily drop the show for the season.
New Shows
666 Park Avenue
One of the new shows that interested me the most. It has a great cast and the premise is very intriguing. If it can get good ratings I think I'll enjoy it but I'll also save myself the trouble of getting hooked if the show flounders. I don't think it will since it is on Sundays with Once Upon A Time and Revenge which were two of the top new shows last year.
Nessa's Shows
Dexter
I never got hooked to Dexter like everyone else did but we have it on DVD so at some point I'll give it a second try.
Revenge
I enjoyed the series for the first few episodes but it quickly got too soapy for me. It's a show I may go back to later and watch the episodes all together but not really motivated to watch it. I think Nessa got hooked to a few of the characters and that kept her watching.
The Simpsons And Family Guy
Two shows I'll watch if Nessa happens to be watching and I'm not on my way to work or doing something else. I plan on watching Family Guy when we get around to buying the DVDs but lost interest in The Simpsons while ago.
Charlie was such a hard character to read. It wasn't that I didn't like the character because I thought he was well written. It was that I saw parts of myself in Charlie and it was scary. I've never really read a book where I connected with the character that much.
I'm lucky enough to never have been committed or dealt with the situation he had as a child but I do know how it feels to feel like there is something wrong with you but not know what that something was. To feel like there is something missing and if you could just find that piece everything would be crystal clear for you and life would be great.
It's not that my life is bad. I'm married to the love of my life. I'm happy with where I am. It's not perfect but it is close and is anything ever really perfect? When I look back on my life, I can say that I made the right choices for me. I am who I'm supposed to be. I'm where I'm supposed to be. But there are days when I am sad because I feel like that piece that is missing makes me less of a husband. Or less of a friend. Or less of a son or a brother or an uncle. It's a sadness I keep to myself mostly so I listen to some music and it reminds me that my wife loves me and my dog is happy I am here.....and the cats eat the food I give them.
Some days I'll write a poem because it's something I can share without giving away my secrets. Poetry is something that has a different meaning to each person who reads it. Regardless of what my high school English teacher tried to teach; every person reads a poem differently.
Today I'm writing a blog which is as good as a poem but harder to hide secrets. That's ok because barely anyone actually reads my blog posts ... unless it is about Board Games which lots of people read especially around major holidays.
There is a quote in the book that kind of defines who I am:
“please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not,
they will be soon enough. And i will always believe the same about
you.”
It's a weird quote to use but it is who I am. When I get mad it's not for long. I get over sadness quickly even if it comes back. Maybe that's why I over think everything. I want to make sure the people around me are happy because most of the time I am happy. There's really nothing I would change, although there are people that I've lost touch with that I wish I kept up with. Even if we are Facebook friends it's really nothing more then a few random posts and annoying game updates.
I guess I shouldn't worry so much. My life is good. I'm happy. I'm in love and she loves me back. I have a roof over my head and food in the fridge. I have TV to watch, movies to see, books to read, and music to discover and listen to.
I started writing the above as a review and it kind of took on a life of it's own. I did promise in the title that I would post a few songs that jumped to mind while reading so here they are.
I'm going to start with two songs that were mentioned in the book but I kept going to while reading.
The Smiths - Asleep
Sing to me
Sing to me
I don't want to wake up
On my own anymore
The Beatles - Something
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
This next song I actually heard for the first time the morning before I started reading. Nessa and I had looked up new music on the Billboard charts and we instantly both liked a band called Imagine Dragons. I spent the next morning downloading their songs and got addicted to their song "Demons" which was appropriate as it fit in well with the theme of the book.
Imagine Dragons - Demons
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
The rest of the songs just really fit in with how I was felling while reading the book. It really was a great book and I would recommend it to any one.
Bloc Party - Signs
At your funeral I was so upset, so upset,
in your life you were larger than this
statuesque
I see signs now all the time that your not dead your sleeping
I believe in anything that brings you back home to me The Cary Brothers - If You Were Here
If you were here
I could deceive you
And if you were here
You would believe
Something Corporate - Konstantine
And then you bring me home
Afraid to find out that you're alone, no
And I'm sleeping in your living room
But we don't have much room
To live
Strays Don't Sleep - For Blue Skies
It's been a long year since we last spoke
How's your halo
Just between you and I
You and me and the satelites
I never believed you
I only wanted to
Before all this what did I miss?
Do you ever get homesick?
Every so often on a Friday I'll be posting a blog post about things in Pop Culture I was wrong about. Whether it is something/someone I dismissed as a passing fad or something/someone I thought was about to be huge who failed to make it big and quietly disappeared. For the first entry I'll be focusing on Channing Tatum
I was reading an article today on ew.com about Channing Tatum's new movie called "10 Years" and realizing that it was a movie I wanted to see at some point when I realized that I had become a fan of Channing Tatum. I'm not sure when it happened or how but at some point I began looking forward to seeing any movie he was in. I have gone through this stage with other actors: Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks just to name a few but it's been awhile since I've had a go to actor for movies I would give a chance to no matter what. Currently it would be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Channing Tatum. I've been a fan of The Rock since his wrestling days but my enjoyment of Channing Tatum films snuck up on me.
It surprised me because when I saw him in Step Up I dismissed him as a up and coming actor. I actually enjoyed Step Up as a dance flick but couldn't picture him as a leading actor in blockbuster films. I envisioned him doing a few more Step Up sequels and then appearing on some reality show trying to get a second chance at a career.
I then saw him in She's The Man which I also really enjoyed and he did a good job. He also showed some of his comedy chops in the film
Instead he keeps his life relatively quiet compared to most celebrities and married his Step Up Co Star.
He was apparently in Battle in Seattle which I loved but don't remember him in it. I assume he just wasn't a big enough name at the time to care about and if I watched it now I'd be surprised to realize he was in the film.If you haven't seen the film I would recommend it especially if you remember the real events when they happened in 1999.
He followed this up with a few forgettable roles in forgettable movies like Stop-Loss (Which is remembered more for the film that may have ended the marriage between Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon), Fighting (Which I watched once with Al but fail to remember what happened in but I assume there was a lot of fighting), and Public Enermies (A film I enjoyed but never had a desire to watch again).
It was at this point that it started turning around. He did the surprising enjoyable but corny live action GI Joe film which made good money despite poor reviews (but in all seriousness how many summer blockbusters actually get good reviews) and follow it up by playing a surprisingly good romantic lead in Dear John.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sap for romantic films and while it is not on par with A Walk To Remember or The Notebook it was a very enjoyable film and he played a great male lead. The then played a supporting role and was the best part of a really bad film (The Dilemma).
While the rest of 2011 was a forgottable year he jumped up to true leading male status in 2012 with three hit movies and forcing the makers of the GI Joe sequel to push the movie to 2013 so they could include more of his character (A good idea based on his current marketability).
He started the year with The Vow breaking out in February (The studio was smart to release aroung Valentine's Day making it an "Event Movie" for the romantic holiday).
He then showed that he is a brilliant comedic actor with his role in 21 Jump Street which I loved but my wife hated. I mean I could have done without Jonah Hill's love story in the film but Tatum made this film so enjoyable.
The trailer doesn't do him justice to how funny he really was in the film. He played off Jonah Hill really well and I am looking forward to the sequel. The last major film this year is Magic Mike which I haven't seen yet but it can't be that bad. I'll watch it with Nessa when it eventually gets to On Demand. Not many people are lucky enough to have three hit movies in a single year but he pulled it off by playing three diverse movie roles.
*For the female readers and my wife*
I don't think 10 Years will be a hit movie like the previous three but I imagine it cost a lot of money to make. The fact I came to is that if anyone else was in this movie other then Channing Tatum I more then likely wouldn't even realize it was being released. I imagine at some point I would have watched it and I'd most likely really like the film since it kinda reminds me of films like St. Elmo's Fire. But I would probably stumble upon it when it hit On Demand or on Netflix rather then wanting to see it in theatres or as soon as it it DVD. The reason for this is due to it featuring Channing Tatum and including some other good actors and actress such as Chris Pratt, Scott Porter, Rosario Dawson, and Justin Long. Without Channing Tatum it would have been a film I had to talk myself into trying rather then wanting to see it.
For that I will saw I was wrong in thinking Channing Tatum would never be a Leading Man in Hollywood.
