The Real "Drama" of Orange County

One thing is for sure, I love me some Real Housewives of any given city/geographical area. They are so ridiculously outrageous it's pure entertainment. Andy Cohen and Bravo hit a gold mine when they came up with this series. No, really.

The latest installment playing on Bravo are the "original first ladies of Bravo", the Housewives of Orange County, California. I started watching the series a few seasons back, but I started with the New York wives. Once I was hooked I wanted to see the ladies that started it all. I just have to say that when I first watched Orange County, I hated Vicki. She drove me right up the wall. I thought she was a mean, self-centered, pushy, crazy old bat. But this season I have started to like her. Maybe it is because there is a lack of better options or maybe she has toned it down a bit. She is still a little pushy, still a little self-centered, but for some reason I just find myself liking her. And this past episode. I felt bad for her. I found myself even siding with her.

This episode was focused around a girls trip or rather a couples trip as it turned out. You see, Vicki planned a nice little getaway to Ft. Lauderdale (ok, who are we kidding, Bravo planned the excursion) for all of the women, but well some of the husbands had a problem with that. Tamra and the new girl, Alexis, have um how do I say this? Oh yes, controlling husbands. Alexis and Jim have never spent one night without each other and Simon feels the same way with Tamra. Why should the little woman get to travel without the manly husband? Vicki was not happy about this. She is an independent woman that doesn't need her husband at every turn in life. She wasn't happy, but she put up with it. They still got to have their girl time, but anytime the men were coming to hang out, Vicki didn't want anything to do with it because she felt like the third wheel and rightfully so. No one wants to be the one hanging out with a bunch of couples. That's not fun. Especially when the whole premise of the outing was to get out without the men! At this point, I should point out that Lynn's husband wasn't there and she still hung out with them once, but Lynn seemed pretty hopped up on pain killers from her surgery that I'm not even sure she knew where she was.

Anyway, Gretchen, Tamra and Alexis all are hanging out with their mates and basically bashing Vicki because she was "throwing fit". Honestly, I don't think she was throwing a fit. She felt left out of her own trip and rightfully so. The most interesting part of the show was when Vicki opted out of the boat trip because she didn't want to be a third and Tamra promised it wouldn't be like that. Vicki still refuses and the boat trip does turn out to be Lynn sitting by herself while each couple has some couple time. How depressing! That does not make a girls trip! Props to Vicki for standing up for herself and not going.

I think this episode really highlighted the relationships of Tamra and Alexis and their husbands. Honestly, if my husband talked to me the way their husbands talk to them, I would laugh in his face. Not because I don't respect him, but because I am my own person. Just because he is my husband doesn't mean he gets to tell me what to do and vice versa. It kind of makes me sad to see these women in these relationships. If you want to go on a girls trip, you should be able to. I just found the whole dynamic to be interesting. You have one woman who is very independent (Vicki) and these two woman who can't go to the bathroom without their husbands having a say about it. At one point Tamra's husband is talking about her relationship with Vicki and how he doesn't like it. He says he has seen a change in her and he doesn't like it. I'm sure it's because Tamra has started to have her own opinion, stand up for herself and got herself a job. Oh no! I honestly half expected him to say these things! I am just dumbfounded that people would be in relationships like this. I guess maybe it has to do with money. I hate to say it, but...

Overall, two thumbs up for Vicki. Two thumbs down for woman bringing their mates one a girls only trip.

A Saturn, for a Mars in Neptune

With many of my fav shows on hiatus for the Christmas break (or on season hiatus, Top Chef) I thought that now would be a good time to write about one of the most underrated TV shows of our generation - Veronica Mars. If you haven't heard of it, I'm not surprised. It originally ran on the UPN network and then was moved to the CW when the WB and UPN merged. It only lasted one season on the CW though before it was unceremoniously axed in its third season. A true tragedy if you ask this blogger.

Ok, ok, I will admit, I never watched the show when it originally aired. I don't think that I had a UPN channel (and clearly if I did, I didn't know about it) so I didn't have the chance to watch any of the first two seasons. Then when it was the CW, it was on after my beloved Gilmore Girls, but seeing as how I was in college at the time, I normally had to break to do other things like sorority events or I don't know, homework. I do remember catching about five minutes of one episode, but then get distracted by something else and well that was the end of that... or so I thought.

Last summer I found a wonderful gem of a website TheWB. They of course play shows that are affiliated with Warner Brothers. The show One Tree Hill, the OC, Friends, Gilmore Girls... check out the site for a list of more shows. Anyway, I stumbled across this site I noticed that they were showing the first season of Veronica Mars. I had remembered reading something about the show one time and decided that since I could watch a whole season online for free... well why the heck not? Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

At first glance, the premise of the show is, well, a little silly. A teenage girl, Veronica, lives in a wealthy community (fictional Neptune, CA) is shunned by her peers when her best friend is murdered and her sheriff father goes after the father of Veronica's friend who happens to be a prominent figure in the community. Veronica's father is ousted as Sheriff and is now a Private Investigator, while Veronica aides him in the Office and solves small crimes in her spare time. Riiiiiight. But from the word go, I was hooked. 100% hooked.

The show followed somewhat of a formula in which there was one BIG mystery (season one, Lilly's murder) and in each episode there are "mini" mysteries which are solved in the one hour episode. The big mystery of course is solved at the end of the season. While each episode solved a mini mystery, they each give a few clues to the big mystery. This give a little each time, keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you coming back for more. You just HAVE to know who killed Lilly. It's like, who shot J.R.??? You just have to know.

It's not just the suspense of the mystery that kept me coming back. The writing is smart and witty. While there is high drama involved (this is a high school show after all) there are plenty of pop culture references and funny moments that make you say, "Now that was clever." Then there is the character of Veronica. Veronica's wit and sarcasm is bar none. You just can't help but like her, neigh, love her. The witty Veronica is played by Kristen Bell, who is another reason to keep on coming back. Who doesn't love Kristen Bell? To not love her is unAmerican in my opinion. Seriously just watch a few episodes and you will understand. She makes Veronica relateable and loveable. Then there is the relationship between Veronica and her father. It is a close relationship and it's the type of relationship that I think all girls wish they could have with their fathers. They share everything with each other and listen and understand each other. You really believe them as a father/daughter team.

Despite receiving rave reviews from critics, the show lasted only three seasons and was cancelled after it's third season. Seriously, it's a damn shame in my opinion. There were so many more mysteries to be solved and drama to be had, but alas it was not meant to be. There has been some talk of a Veronica Mars movie, but I haven't heard any confirmation that the movie has been green lit. We can only hope and pray.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get hooked on Veronica!

Please Pack Your Knives...

...and go. The Top Chef season finale was this past Wednesday and I not really surprised who the winner was, but I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed. This season was chock full of talented chefs, even more so than in prior seasons. I can't remember a season in which it was so clear cut who the finalists would be. Not far into the season, my husband and I both knew the final four would be the brothers Voltaggio, Kevin and Jennifer. There really was no question about it. From there though it got a little unclear as they were all so strong, that is until Jennifer starting sabotaging herself by not trying and getting into her head. She was a good chef and she should have done much better than she did. So after the top four were chosen, it was clear Jennifer would be the next one gone and the final would be between the brother Voltaggio and Kevin. And lo and behold we had the face off we had been waiting for weeks to see.



Early on, my husband and I staked our claims on who we liked. He instantly liked Kevin and even though she lacked a, oh I don't know, personality, I found myself liking Jennifer. I liked how strong of a chef she was and I loved seeing her beat the brothers Voltaggio. If you can't tell by now, I am NOT a fan of the either of the brothers. They were rude, nasty, egocentric, bossy, cocky, self-important and just not nice people. Now, I will concede, they are amazing chefs (I speak as if I have tasted their food, which clearly I have not), but if the judges enjoy the food then it must be pretty good right? Anyway, their behavior, especially the one who always wore the hat, was just uncalled for. You are good, everyone knows it, you don't have to be a jacka** 24/7. I didn't care for them so much, that I didn't even bother to learn their names to differentiate between the two. I know that their names are Michael and Brian, but honestly, I have no idea which is which. And, really? Who cares?



So anyway, back to my point. When Jennifer was ousted in Napa (which, by the way that place is amazing) I sent my loyalties to Kevin. He has been a pretty strong chef himself and really seemed like the best match to take down the brothers Voltaggio. Then in true Top Chef finale fashion, it came time to pick the Suez Chefs that would help the contestants on their way to victory. And of course, the choices of Suez chefs were past contestants from the season. Only this time, instead of them just picking who they wanted, the had to draw knives with the names of the Suez chefs. Poor Kevin. Karma has just not on his side that day. He picks and his first pick is Preeti. She left in, oh I don't know, episode three or something ridiculous like that. Then the one Voltaggio brother picked and he picked Jennifer. Killer pull. Then the next brother pulled and picked Jesse, who I believe went home on a lark Quick Fire challenge. Then Kevin picked again and it was Ash. Ash lasted a bit longer than Preeti, but he still wasn't top quality. The first Voltaggio brother picked Ashley. Definitely not as strong as his first pick. And finally the last Voltaggio picked Eli. Eli was the one who was eliminated before they went to Napa, so he lasted quite a while. Another pretty strong pick of the Voltaggios. Meanwhile, Kevin's got Sucky and Crappy on his side. It was clear. Kevin was going to have a tough go of things. I'm not going to lie. I was hoping that one of the Voltaggio's would have picked Robin because, well, she is worthless and it would have been hysterical. I'm just saying.

Then there was some cooking (well most of the people cooked, Preeti did not), some eating, some criticizing and judges table. It's a good thing I DVRed the thing because I fast forwarded through the judges table. Its all so redundant. They just repeat the things they said while they were eating and then they repeat it all again when the discuss just between the judges. Then it came time to reveal the winner. Of course Kevin was the one who was told to pack his knives and go. I was sad. Kevin seems like he is a great chef and I really believe that he could have beaten the brothers Voltaggio. I think that he just let some things get into his head and he let that get the best of him. I've seen it a thousand times. Finally in surprising turn (not) the mean(er), cocky(ier), cranky(ier) Voltaggio won (again I can't even remember his name). Shocker.

Anyway, I am looking forward to the reunion when we find out who the fan favorite was. I am sure that the brothers Voltaggio will NOT win, and again I am pulling for Kevin because really? Everyone else on this season was kinda flat and a snoozer. Here's hoping next seasons chefs are a bit more likable.

Do You gLee?

I have a confession to make. I am a gLeeker. What's a gLeeker, you ask? A gLeeker is someone who loves the show gLee. All I have to say is are you watching this show? If not, you should be. That's all there is to it.

Now I know that the premise of the show sounds a little goofy. A show about a glee club? How is that even remotely interesting? Well, add some high school drama, a hysterical, crass cheerleading coach, romance, snappy writing and throw is a talented cast and you've got one hell of a show.

When I first heard of the show I was a bit skeptical. My husband and I have this thing where we find it uncomfortable and awkward to watch people just randomly burst into song which is going to happen on a show focused on performing. I even admit that I sometimes fast forward through the singing because, well, it's just silly to watch someone walking through the high school hallways singing because unless you go to the Cincinnati School for the Creative and Performing Arts, when does this happen? That's right, never. But when they are singing in performance arenas... all bets are off. I will totally watch that because, well, they are amazing. All the kids have singing backgrounds and while they lip sync on set that is really their voices you are hearing.

But it's not the singing that keeps this gLeeker coming back. No, it's the crass, cold, uncaring Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch. Sue is the coach of the cheerleading squad, the Cheerios and it's her sole mission in life to ruin the glee club as they are taking money from her Cheerios. Sue doesn't care what she says or who she says it to which makes me instantly love her. I can't tell you how many times I wish I could just say half the things that come to my mind like Sue does. She easily steals every scene that she's in. She just can't help it. Her one liners keep me laughing for days. Here is just a sampling of Sue's one liners...

"You think that was hard? Try auditioning for Baywatch and being told they are going in a different direction. That was hard."

"You'll be adding revenge to the long list of things you're no good at, right next to being married, running a high school glee club and finding a hairstyle that doesn't look like a lesbian."

"I, for one, think intimacy has no place in a marriage. Walked in on my parents once and it was like seeing two walruses wrestling."

"I'll often yell at homeless people: 'Hey, how is that homelessness working out for you? Try not being homeless for once.'"

Those are just a few of Sue's zingers, but I think it's pretty clear the writing is another reason to fall in love with the show. It is smart writing that keeps you wanting to come back. I can't stand watching a show that is poorly written. This is not just just slap stick comedy, it's smart comedy.

What I like most about the show though is that it is fresh. There is nothing else like it on TV (and don't throw that High School Musical crap in my face). The show is well written, funny and still has that sense of drama that every show centered around high school must have. The kids deal with situations that I believe many kids in high school face today. Teen pregnancy, learning to accept who they are vs. what they "should" be, their sexuality, etc. The show takes these issues and faces them head on without being preachy or stereotypical. It's hard to find quality programming like that these days.

Unfortunately this last episode of gLee was the season finale so if you are thinking about picking up the show, try to catch it in re-runs and watch the second season which starts this spring. I promise you won't be disappointed! Even my husband who mocked me for watching the show is now a fan!

Because Really? Who Doesn't Love Guidos and Guidettes?

There appears to be a new fascination with the Garden State, New Jersey. There is the installment of the Real Housewives of New Jersey and now a show I was recently turned on to on MTV called Jersey Shore. I know, I know... MTV. I thought that I had outgrown my TRL, Real World, Road Rules days, but this - this is a show that you must stop and watch not matter how ridiculous you think MTV programming is these days. Because really? Who doesn't love Guidos and Guidettes?

At this point you may be asking what is a Guido/Guidette. Simply put its about half of the Jersey population. Picture this - a man of Italian descent, gold chains, tan (think more orange like an Oompa Loompa), spiky hair, roided out body and a crazy ridiculous accent. That is a Guido. And a Guidette? The female version except she's not roided out, but probably has some fake "bubbies" as the Housewives of New Jersey would call them. They also have this whole different language which I like to call Guidish. For example, instead of saying that they are attracted to someone they say they are "vibin'" on someone.

The show basically follows eight stranger Guidos/Guidettes who were picked to live in a house, have their lives taped, work together and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.... hey wait doesn't this sound familiar? True the geniuses at MTV, who in my opinion started the whole reality TV phenomenon, just put a new spin on an old fave the Real World. Why they didn't just do a Real World New Jersey is beyond this blogger, but I guess that's why I don't make the millions. Anyhow, the show follows these Guidos/Guidettes during their summer at the Jersey Shore or Seaside Heights. They live together and work for some t-shirt shop which apparently is a stressful job, who knew? They each have goofy nicknames such as "JWoww", "The Situation", "Sweetheart" and "Snooki" (or Schnookie, Snickers, etc. as her roommates can't quite remember something as difficult as Snooki).

As you can imagine the drama abounds. On the first night, Snooki (aka Snickers, Schnookie) becomes the house drunk trying to make out with all the Guidos in the house and eventually passes out before everyone else leaves for the night. The next morning she claims that she is not that type of person, she just acted that way because she wasn't used to not being the center of attention. She then feels left out and even almost quits the show before Sammi, or Sweetheart reaches out to her and says that she can tell that she's not really that type of person. (Really?! Because I am going to go with she is TOTALLY that type of person.)

The hook-ups are plentiful. You can just tell that they are all vibin' on each other and by the end of the show at least all of them will have had sex at least once on camera. That is a given. Mike, "The Situation" makes it known that he is vibin' on Sammi, and she even seems to be in to him, but then she randomly ends up with Ronnie, another housemate. You can imagine how hurt "The Situation's" ego is. All I can say is that I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of any of these Guido's roid rages so Sammi and Ronnie best watch it.

While this looks like just another Real World, the show promises to be nothing if 10x the drama than the Real World because apparently that is what happens at the Jersey Shore. What do you expect when you mix copious amounts of alcohol, roid rages, and bitchy girls? Sounds like a recipe for success to me.

It's All Right Cuz I'm Saved by the Bell

I am somewhat new to this blogging thing. I head several blogs on a daily basis but I have never really written on. What I have noticed about blogs is that everyone has a schtick - something they always write about: sports, fashion advice, reviewing things, etc. I have wanted to write but about what? No one cares about my daily life because, let's face it, it's not that exciting. Whackadoodle things don't happen to me and who wants to hear me bitch and moan? Certainly not I. I like clothes and fashion, but I am not that fashionable nor do I have the budget to be so. And sports.. ha! So what do I write about? I have always heard, what about what you know. So I may not know much about clothes or sports, but TV? TV, I know! So it's not the most deep topic, but what are you going to do?

I love TV. I really do. I have other hobbies. I read. I am not some couch potato content on never leaving the house in favor of watching the boob tube (on most days anyway), but I love my TV shows. Those shows that I look forward to watching every week and spend the next week quoting. So what you'll find here is a mix of reveiws and my views on the shows that I love, the shows that I hate, and the shows that I love to hate. I think you will quickly find that I like comedies, dramedies, reality shows and fresh new things. I HATE, hospital dramas, forensic shows (in the words of Emily Gilmore, "I don't find forensic work as fascinating as the rest of the country), and things that are truly uninspired and unoriginal.

So sit back and enjoy your lunch at the Max!