Weekend Rant – New Season Sensory Overload

The New TV season (and some killer work commitments) have kept the Couch Potato very, very busy over the past couple of weeks, but the new season is now in full swing and it’s been a huge juggling act trying to watch all of it. I am still catching up on a few new things and trying to re connect with some series of last year, it seems like they all started the same day this season!

If you sneak a peek at the Watch List, you might notice that some days have up to 9 different shows listed, which means that I have to record a ton of shows and catch up on them at different times. There are a few shows that I have been watching “live” for that thrill of seeing it happen the same time as everyone else, but the majority of shows are watched off the grid, and I save time by jumping the commercials. Technology has it’s advantages.

I can’t really complain, there is a ton of Dance related stuff airing at the moment, and I am like a kid in candy story watching the incredible Crews on America’s Best Dance Crew. I am really pulling for We are Heroes to win the big prize and be the first female Crew to do it. They have impressed the heck out of me over the past few weeks and I am looking forward to seeing the big Finale this week and see if they beat Afroborike. It’s cool that the finalists are from different genres this year and it won’t be a BBoy group winning. The numbers have been incredible and the show is such fun to watch.

Dancing with the Stars came back with a vengeance and a huge list of “Stars” that were challenged with 2 dances ( one latin and the other ballroom). It was no surprise that the very bland Ashly Hamilton was bumped (they should have taken Dean McDermott instead of this idiot, he would have gone farther), but I was surprised that it was Macy Gray that got the boot instead of Kathy Ireland. Macy had a cool presence and innocence that was way more interesting than our bland supermodel. The competition looks great and I am pulling for Lacey & Mark and absolutely love Mya & Dmitry. Some of the Stars have incredible potential, such as Donny Osmond and Joanna. Others like Debi (who I love) are finding it a bit harder and may fall to the side before catching their feet. Things have just started, and even if our Judges seem a tad cranky, I am pumped for another season.

So you think you can Dance Canada has finished up with sorting our dancers out and we are now in Top Ten territory. The final cuts of Daniel and Corryne were the hardest of them all, and I would have preferred to have seen Cody get cut instead of Daniel, but I voted and that is all that I could do.The Judges realized how popular Cody is with all the tweeners. The quality of dance is still incredible, and the show is really coming into it’s own with introducing a few styles that not appeared on other SYTYCD stages as well as being a tad more adult than the American version. Our censors seem more open to content such as crotch grabs and that can make all the difference in the world for some the numbers (mild sarcasm) but setting the choreographers creativity free turns out some astounding numbers and it’s is incredible to see how most of the dancers are thriving and expanding their vocabulary. It’s turning into a much better season than the first, and I am even finding it a tad more balanced with our hyperactive head Judge Jean-Marc. I do hate that he keeps wanting to put the dancers on his V.I.D List (very important dancer) but it just comes out wrong and you think that they all have some sort of sexually transmitted disease. I know that Jean-Marc means well but his translations don’t always come out as he would like them to, and they really need to have some one tell him that his whole V.I.D idea is stoopid. It was great that Mya was by again to help out with the Judging, and I am hoping to see her choreograph something for the show.

Our American friends are continuing with auditions for this season of So you think you can Dance? and there has been some phenomenal talent so far, but I am looking forward to getting into the Top 20.

Not that all the TV has been dance, but there has also been my new favourite show Glee, that pulled out a great Beyonce inspired – Kurt Centric episode that dared to do the unthinkable and pull our fabulous boy out of the closet and onto the football field. Not only did we get a ton of Put a Ring on it, but some great pregnancy storylines, more of über-Sue and dissension in the ranks and Rachel leaving. With a guest appearance by Kristin Chenoweth (last seen as Olive from Pushing Daisies) just around the corner this show is only getting better. At least it has already been picked up for a whole season so we will get a chance to see how the story will develop. If you haven’t checked this show out I highly recommend it.

Survivor has chosen an huge bunch of Type A personalities for this round in Samoa, and I have been laughing my ass watching the antics of our biggest villain (so far) Russell has been torturing his tribe and making life difficult for as many of them as possible. I am not quite sure that I follow his strategy as his team has been losing like crazy, but it makes for good TV and I have been rolling my eyes as he plays his game. I was in hysterics when Yasmin visited their camp and got everyone riled up, this show is great for showing a cross section of society and things are pretty scary so far. No idea who will win, but it will probably be one of the dirtiest rounds we have seen so far.

The Amazing Race kicked things off with a doozy of a 2 hour opener and the first elimination at the starting gate. I liked the new twist, and was not surprised that it was our 2 very cocky teams that were hung up before our radical Yoga teachers got Philiminated. They certainly didn’t have that Zen vibe that you look for in Yoga teams, and our Poker Players might have their bluff already exposed after only one episode. The gay brothers are just too adorable for words and I hope they do well. The locales and challenges are as fascinating as ever and I love the world view feel of this show, it’s no surprise that it keeps winning the Emmy for best Reality show year after year.

Supernatural is still kicking butt but getting a tad repetitive with our boys falling in and out of sync with each other. It now appears that Dean is the vessel for Michael the Archangel, and poor Sam looks to be the target of Lucifer, which means another big good vs. evil show off between our brothers. I am not sure if they are trying to pull some Cain and Abel references in to the show but the story is great and not missing a beat.

Smallville came back with Clark being all dark and brooding and the rest of the gang reeling from Jimmy’s death. It will be interesting to see who they develop this season, but I am already loving Lois (as usual) and hope to see more of our heroes back and in action. I still don’t get why they insist on calling it Smallville when most of the action is in Metropolis, and am praying the ratings pick up or it may be a short final season.

I love the first episodes of Cougartown and Modern Family, and hope to see them around for a while as well, I love a well constructed comedy and both have some great elements and characters. I love seeing a modern gay couple with their adopted baby and all the strife with their surrounding family.

The new season is off and running and I am trying to keep up!

Weekend Rant – Limping out of the starting gate

The new season has launched but it was an awkward stumble out of the gate with the return of Melrose Place and the complete dashing of my hopes to find a juicy soap to fill an emptiness that has been there since the heyday of soaps like Dynasty and the original Melrose Place. There really hasn’t been anything on that scale, nor anything with some decent star power, on the schedule for quite awhile now, and I was really, really hoping to FINALLY have something fun and over the top to watch. But alas, the first episode bit the big one and was more cheesy and angst ridden than anything else. Besides, what the hell are they doing bringing back a character that was deader than dead, only to kill her off again. Blah blah I know all the Lost flashback stuff already and didn’t really find any of the characters that appealing… so it looks like 90210 territory and banished to teen-angst land. Blah. The only way they could get me to watch this would be for Heather Locklear to join (won’t happen, I am pretty sure about that), or for Marcia Cross to come back as crazy,crazy Kimberly. I don’t see either of those things coming true, so it’s Off the Watch List.

The CW did get Supernatural right though and it was a brilliant season opener, following the cliff hanger from this Spring and jumping into the fire with both feet. I loved how the boys had their lighter times before the terrible break up at the end of the episode, and how complex the story is with Sam seemingly back to normal after being used by other forces to free Lucifer, and Dean learning that he was brought back to be the Sword of the Arch Angel Michael. It’s all very biblical and over the top Armageddon and Resurrection and very well written. Those Winchester boys seem to get hotter each season and the subtle humour and friendly jabs between the boys and that hilarious tension that their Number One Fan brought was too much. I like the guys when they are on missions and saving the innocent a bit more than when we are in end of the world mode. There is not much time for joking at this time but I am looking forward to some more tongue in cheek humour. It's all about balance.

So you think you can Dance Canada? is still pulling out all the stops and the dancers are so great that it is really hard to decide on who should leave. Cody and Melanie are definitely the cutest couple (and youngest it appears), but it is Jayme Rae & Daniel and that are the hottest. I am really impressed with their quality of dance (and smoking hot bods) and the way that they live each dance. After this week my opinion has changed concerning Natalie & Danny as well as Kim & Emanuel. They all danced incredibly well (Natalie was very surprising) and Blake McGrath put together a killer Jazz number that was hot sexy magic. It was a shame that Jenna Lynn and Nicolas were eliminated this week, but I am a tad disappointed with the viewers from Québec that didn’t vote adequately to make sure Nicolas was safe. I’ll miss the cute little B-Boy with the big smile. The Judges really have a tough job with eliminating 2 dancers each week as each of them brings so much to the show. France & Jean Marc choreographed and interesting Afro-Brazilian number that was almost as hot and fiery as France’s hair. Still, it is nice to see our Judges strut their stuff and show their dancing chops.

The American version kicked off this week, so while we are culling the herd down to 10, our friends down south at So you think you can Dance? are in the audition process and started off this week.Fox seems a tad more low key this time around and it was only one night for one hour, as they roll out their Fall schedule. It was a great start and it’s always a trip to have Mary Murphy on the panel, she really does bring a special energy.

Glee burst out of the starting gate with a fantastic first episode, more fun music and insight into the lives of our characters. So far so good, and I can hardly wait for more music numbers and special guest stars. I hope the ratings hang in there so we can see a full season, I have already started to worship Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. That is one funny character, and I love her no nonsense lesbian sensibilities. The characters are all fascinating, and it is such a motley crew that you can’t but help falling in love with the quirkiness of it all and the great music. I love how things are ultra competitive between Glee Club and the Cheerios, and all the back stabbing and espionage with the hope that Cheer will triumph. The storyline is great, and it is such a pleasure to have a musical comedy as a regular series.If you haven’t seen any of it, surf over to FOX and check it out, it’s my Number 1 at this time.

This week I will be getting all pumped up about the return of Bones (one of my favourite shows), the return of Jean-René Dufort as Infoman ( a scathing look at politics and popular culture in Québec and Canada) and the premiere of this edition of Survivor, this time in Samoa. Survivor is still the original (and best) reality show that started the trend and I love this peek into society and how we interact with each other. The best editions are always on Islands, and I can hardly wait to see how this one develops.

Weekend Rant – Jumping into the New Season

The New Fall season jumpstarted over the past week with the debut of Wipeout Québec, the airing of a lightly extended version of the Glee pilot episode that aired earlier this year, and The Best of So you think you can Dance featuring 15 of Nigel’s favourite performances.

The Québécois version of Wipeout is a tad different than the American version that I am accustomed to watch, but featuring local folks and tons of weird (and sometimes questionable) scene takes give it a flavour all it’s own. Like the original, it features everyday people trying to win the pitiful Jackpot of $5,000. Yup, it’s dirt cheap as far as prizes go, but they try to milk the show for all it’s worth and it’s spread out as 3 half hour shows airing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The format is interesting, but I prefer seeing the whole competition from beginning to end and some of the filler is terrible. The show is new and I am sure they will fine tune things as they sort things out over there on the new station V (formerly TQS now Canal V for Vidanges –inside joke). The thing I like about the Hosts is their very retro 1970’s influenced Polyester suits and HUGE headsets, but not as much into their shtick (one of them down right annoys me), but am willing to give it a chance. It’s local redneck television.

I am so pumped for Glee, I loved the pilot and am really looking forward to seeing hot things develop with the series.It’s been awhile since there was a musical TV series, and I am crossing my fingers on this one that it attracts that High School Musical crowd (not to mention all of us who love Musical Theatre), and gets good ratings to stick around and be a success. I read that one of my favourites from Pushing Daisies (one of those Brilliant yet cancelled shows), Kristen Chenoweth aka Olive, is booked for a multi-episode arc and I can hardly wait to hear her belt out a few tunes.

So you think you can Dance Canada? is continuing the ritual culling of the herd and this week we lost Anthony and Melanie B. Things will be rough each week as all of the dancers are pulling out some amazing performances and really pushing themselves.

Mary Murphy was back this week, and she brings such big energy to the show it’s hard not to love her. I am pretty sure that Luther will be deaf if this keeps up, but I love hearing Mary gush and ooh and ahhh over the quality of dance here in Canada and how damn good these kids are. I am not sure if the same rules apply here in Canada as in the USA, but my Cougar Alert Indicator was running off the scale with the way Mary was responding to our slightly more naughty dance numbers that make it past the censors here. We are quite a bit more liberal here in Canada and the choreographers seem to know that.

I still have a huge weakness for the Bollywood numbers, and the results show had a great group number choreographed by Longinus Fernandes, the choreographer know for that little Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. It was an incredible number and has peaked my interest in seeing more of the genre.

I did enjoy Nigel’s Top Fifteen So you think you can Dance? Performances, even if a couple of my favourites were not on his list, and it has wetted my appetite for even more dance even though I feel bad that Jeanine will not have the title as America’s Favourite Dancer for a very long time with the new competition starting next week.Still, I can’t complain having all this great dance on TV, it’s such a treat.

America’s Best Dance Crew is still a fierce competition, but unfortunately Vogue Revolution got eliminated this week (too much diva for the public me thinks) after a good but not great performance. We are Heroes is still rocking the house and the competition has been as hard hitting as last year. The challenges have been fun, and I love seeing all these whack group numbers that incorporate some of the sickest moves seen on TV. I am always humbled by seeing how some of these dancers move and the way that they float around the floor as if weightless.

Dance your ass off finished things up with Ruben taking home the big prize after losing the most weight and dancing his ass off. I was happy to see our big gay guy do so well, and I am honestly surprised how well the contestants danced considering their considerable size. My opinion of big people has drastically changed and albeit the shock of some of the competition (and the exploitation), I still find it was an over all inspiring experience and I have to really congratulate all of them that participated. Shayla looked damn hot in her last performances with that big curvy figure, and Pinky brought it hard as nails for someone who was in so much pain. Job well done!

Project Runway is all you can ask for in a reality show and I am so happy it is back and true to form. This week’s Team Challenge produced a first, both the winner and the loser came from the same team and the claws are out this time around. Our Surf Inspired Challenge had 2 elements, a more traditional ensemble and then it’s avant-garde counterpart. Some of the teams did some great work but others completely missed the ball and there were some scary outfits. Although not an Judge pleaser (although I am pretty sure it’s up to Heidi’s standards), I thought Qristal’s avant-garde look was fashion forward and pretty hot.Anyways it all hit the fan when Mitchell fessed up to doing nothing for the Challenge and getting dumped for lack of talent, even though he was on the winning team. It appears that the mantra of this season of Runway is that if your are crazy or lazy you will not be hanging around for long. I just think that it’s all such catty goodness and so happy that the show is back. Models of the Runway continues to be a disturbing peek into the lives of the models, some of who seem pretty whack to be on TV. I guess it takes crazy to wear some of that crazy fashion and the show is a nice companion piece to Runway, but not strong enough to hold it’s own.

Coming up this week, I am completely pumped for the premiere of Melrose Place and I am crossing my fingers it will be the juicy kind of soap that will fill that niche in my viewing schedule that has been empty for quite awhile now. The nice thing with some of the new shows starting early, is that you have a chance to check them out and see if you want to follow them. If not, it’s easy to drop and fill in that part of the viewing schedule with another choice. I know that it can be a programming nightmare at times with multiple shows playing at the same time. Even having the ability to record 2 shows at the same time is insufficient with the networks vying for all the same prime time.

Those bad boy Winchester brothers are back on Supernatural this week (bless you CW) and it will be time to catch up and see what the hell (literally) is going on and considering how things finished up at the end of last season with Lucifer being released from Hell and our brothers having a huge rift between them due to all that big old nasty web of deceit and betrayal. It’s the start of the new season and it’s great!