Ramblefest Returns

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear right off the bat: I have nothing much to say really…I just need to get a lot of stuff off my chest and I figured this was the eaisest route to take. So, without further ado, let’s just start rambling on about everything that’s been going on in my life lately.

First off…I’m finally preparing to quit my job so that I can return to studying full-time. At least for a little while. Honestly this not only terrifies me to a great extent (mostly because I’m afraid that I won’t be able to handle studying again and I’ll actually miss the job!) but also makes me uneasy about life in general right now. It’s gotten to the point where I’m unsure of almost everything and second-guess even the most mundane decisions. Just imagine taking more than 5 minutes to decide what kind of shampoo to buy and you get a fair idea of my thought processes these days.

One of my most beloved cats — Icey — died of cancer two days ago. I actually took it a lot harder than I thought I would. No, that doesn’t mean weeping or whatnot…just an intense feeling of sadness and a need to be alone for a while. Of course the latter bit isn’t even THAT big a problem. Thanks to the insane timing of the job and my worrying need to sleep for longer and longer periods of time, I have little or no social life anymore anyway. And with said habits, I have very little to talk about as it is so I prefer to keep to myself as I hate to be a bore. (Yeah, yeah…I’m boring you with the violin music right now…deal with it! My blog, my rules!) Unfortunately that seems to lead to more troubles as the few people I did talk to seem to think I’m ignoring them on purpose and well…it’s a vicious cycle.

I just finished Mad Men Season 2. (I know…I’m jumping through topics faster than Palin trying to convince the world of her sincerity to Roe v Wade) Excellent series and I adore each and every single character. I mean, who saw the Pete-Peggy revelation coming? I thought that considering a whole season’s worth of storylines, that would just be swept under…but it really stood out. Very well done. Of course, that’s nothing compared to what happened an episode earlier with Joan. (I’m purposely being vague here…don’t wanna give away any spoilers) That scene was heart-breaking. Especially considering that it happened to someone with the strength and resolve of Joan. Scenes like that keep me coming back to this show…truly brilliant writing and cinematography. Kind of worried that Reiner will leave the show…I think he’s vital to the series brilliance…but we’ll see.

I have just gotten into Boyce Avenue. Now the band’s original stuff is bland, Lifehouse-lite crap. But their acoustic covers are excellent. Especially worth hearing are their covers of Rihanna’s Disturbia and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. Excellent stuff and don’t be turned off by the poppy origins. Very, very good. Available on both itunes and youtube, btw.

I am, as of today, exactly 2 months behind on my comics reading. Kind of sad, I know. But hopefully I will catch up in the coming weeks. I’ve just been so busy with books and old trades/singles that I’ve had no time to read the new stuff. Hell…I just finished Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2 last night so you can well imagine how long it could take for me to catch up at this point. But I’m working on it. Although, honestly, I’m sorely tempted to go trade-only. I’ve dropped a large number of books I used to read so I think I can manage it now. (Cost was always the concern previously).

Btw…as much as the allusions to a divine power annoy me…I am loving the new season of Eli Stone. Very well-written, funny and keeps me on my toes. Good stuff…definitely recommended.

That’s it for now…expect more rambles shortly. This is the mode I have shifted to for now since its more comfortable. Oh…and fret not…Butt-Shots will return soon. Not in the same format…but they will. Instead of weekly books…now I shall focus on random comics I read and happen to find Butt-Shots in. I think that shall make it much more interesting, don’t you?

Veronica Mars – The Bitch Is Back

 Damn…this is why I hate pictures that don’t take up the whole width of the page…now I have to come up some form of an intro before I start the spoiler-heavy actual review. Very annoying. So, uh…interesting how this blog started out as a place for me to vent on, evolved into a comic blog, became a music/personal angst thing, then back to comics, and now apparently we’re going through a TV phase. I don’t expect to completely leave comics behind (as is obvious from yesterday’s Cassie Sandsmark post) but I think this is more in keeping with my current free-time. I am probably going to start more books soon though (the best thing about summer? Very little TV to watch) and then I wouldn’t be surprised if this blog starts to evolve into a book review place…not to mention I’m reading Chariot of the Gods? right now and it has really made me renew my deeply buried belief in aliens manipulating humanity during its infancy. So…maybe something on that soon? Anyway, yay…on to the review…

Lost – Through The Looking Glass

 

Uh…wow?

Heroes – How To Stop An Exploding Man

Awful. Awful finale. Conclusive ending my $#!@. I would say the worst one this year…but well…no one can beat out Grey’s on that one.

Scrubs – My Point of No Return

Awww…that was probably the sweetest and least contrived season finale we’ll see this year. But did it work? Damn right it did…

Ugly Betty – East Side Story

In the battle of the season finales, Ugly Betty is definitely beating Grey’s Anatomy right now. Does that mean I have changed my mind and actually want to see the next season now? Maybe…

Grey’s Anatomy – Didn’t We Almost Have It All?

Well…that was underwhelming and oh so predictable.

The CW Upfronts 2007

I cannot believe Veronica Mars is cancelled (Toldja I would be saying that a lot this week…) Ok…let’s see which shows The CW is bringing in to replace VMars.

Aliens in America is a show I don’t expect to survive for very long because a) it’s a single camera sitcom and b) it’s about a Pakistani Muslim living in Wisconsin. I guess it could work, but I’ll wait until it has atleast 13 eps in the can before I check it out. Gossip Girl is one of the two new Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) shows starting up this year. This one sounds kind of interesting and I’ll definitely check it out…plus it has Kristen Bell providing the voice-overs…can’t wait. Reaper is about Satan’s bounty hunter…and it sounds kind of like The Collector  which had a great premise but just didn’t deliver. I’m gonna have to hold off on hearing more about this before I decide if I wanna watch this. Life is Wild, Crowned, Online Nation, Farmer Takes a Wife and CW Now are all new reality shows so I don’t give a damn about any of them.

Next up, the returning shows: One Tree Hill is going to jumping forward 4 years and all the characters will have graduated college. Online blogs will reveal what happened during the ‘missing’ years and it actually sounds like a kind of interesting premise for a new season. Supernatural I really want to see this season…and if its good I will definitely be interested in the next season. Also returning are Everybody Hates Chris, America’s Next Top Model, The Game, Girlfriends, Smallville, Pussycat Dolls, and WWE Smackdown. Don’t really give a damn about any of these.

Finally, the *sigh* cancellations: All of Us, Runaway, Reba and Seventh Heaven. These are the ones I don’t give a damn about. Then there’s Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. Girls I used to love until around season 4, and have heard good things about this final season so will be checking it out on DVD this fall. Mars I will be missing for a long, long time and I just cannot convey in words how much I hate that this show is ending. I’m incredibly thankful that this got 3 seasons and it introduced me to so many new actors that I will always appreciate it for that. I hope Rob Thomas comes out with something else soon, and I expect to see Bell in a lot of movies. I hate, hate the fact that this show is ending…really.

Fox Upfronts 2007

Well…moving on from the worst cancellation possible. Let’s look at the Fox Upfronts (or as I like to see it…the list of shows that will not show more than 4 eps before they’re cancelled)

Let’s start with the cancelled shows: The O.C., I already said all I’m gonna say about this here. Drive, I still haven’t seen it because I expected it to get cancelled. Once the two unaired eps are shown, I’ll watch the six together. The Winner, Standoff, The War at Home, Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells and The Loop are also cancelled. But I watched none of them…so whatever.

Moving on to the new shows: K-Ville, is a show about cops in post-hurricane New Orleans. Not really interested. I don’t tend to like cop shows anyway. New Amsterdam is a show about a cop who is hundreds of years old and wants to die. I don’t see this lasting for very long for obvious reasons apart from Fox’s penchant for cancellations, and well…it sounds boring. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is probably the show with the most potential to last. I don’t think it sounds very interesting, but I’m willing to watch the first couple of eps just to see what happens. Back to You is a sitcom starring  Frasier and Deborah from Raymond. Don’t care and will not be watching. Return to Jezebel James I’m kind of inclined to watch for Amy Sherman-Palladino but it sounds incredibly boring and I just can’t seem to work up any enthusiasm about it…so I doubt I’ll be checking this out. Rules for Starting Over is another sitcom. Sounds boring and I don’t expect it to last. So…I will not be watching unless it actually exceeds one season. Canterbury’s Law is yet another lawyer show…and you’ve guessed it…I will not be bothering with it. Finally, Kitchen Nightmares and Nashville are new reality tv shows so I don’t even need to bother with them. So apparently I’ll only be checking out one new Fox show…the rest will be on a strictly wait-and-see approach.

Finally, the returning shows: Bones is a cool show and I enjoy watching it whenever I can get to it. Will probably watch season 2 during the summer. House I’m pretty much ready to give up on. It’s too much of the same old-same old and I’ve basically had enough. It’s good…but there’s too much repetition. Prison Break I dropped with the end of season 1 so unless I watch season 2 during the summer, I don’t plan on watching this. American Idol I shall probably be watching unless it’s even more boring than this year’s in which case…no. ‘Til Death, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America’s Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader and 24 are also returning but I’ve either given up on them or don’t watch them.

Coming soon, the CW upfronts. They’re late because well…I’m still not over Veronica Mars (you will be hearing that a lot in the coming week.)

Veronica Mars Is Cancelled

The Upfronts update will be a little late…sorry, but I’m still reeling over the fact that Veronica Mars is in fact cancelled. Once this season finishes up, the show will never return.

Now, everyone who watches VMars knows that it has always suffered from poor ratings. A show that is quite possibly one of the most original, most unique shows on tv today just hasn’t been embraced by audiences and it will be no more. To be honest, I’m still in a state of shock. I really thought the show would return for at least one more season in the FBI format that had been touted for a while. But, I guess it wasn’t to be. At this point, I’m only hoping that the season finale won’t end on a cliffhanger because I don’t want another Joan of Arcadia. The show had 3 excellent seasons and as long as there is some form of conclusive ending, I’ll be…satisfied I guess…although I will definitely not be happy.

Anyway, I’ll post on the Upfronts for Fox and CW soon. But it is truly a sad day when I don’t have more Veronica Mars to look forward to next year.