Check in Thursdays: Week 25

Mira:
Watching... ABC Family -- Jane By Design, Pretty Little Liars, Bunheads.
Listening... So I've become a little obsessed with the ease of buying music on Amazon.com and having it go straight to the Cloud Player.  This week I bought the Grouplove album, Never Trust a Happy Song, because I really like the song "Tongue Tied."  I also bought the Walk the Moon album, Walk the Moon, because I really like "Anna Sun."
Reading... Finished The Glassblower of Murano and enjoyed it enough that I really want to blog about it. We'll see if I ever actually get around to doing so. Then read the summer trilogy by Jenny Han (young adult fiction, of course) and really enjoyed it: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and We'll Always Have Summer.  Easy reads and I really enjoyed them. (So much so that I read all 3 in one evening on Monday!)

Jennifer:
Watching... Caught with the rest of the first season of Girls, which was interesting, to say the least. Maybe one of these days I'll write a more complete post about it.
Listening... Just started a new audiobook, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Third in this super cute children's book series.
Reading... Finished both The Help, which was a quick, fun read (I can finally watch the movie now!) and Born to Run, which was actually really fascinating. Next up is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, which seems crazy, and Habibi by Craig Thompson (a graphic novel).

Bunheads: First Impressions

A show on ABC Family by Amy Sherman-Palladino (of Gilmore Girls) about dancing?? Yeah, of course I need to watch Bunheads! Kelly Bishop (from Gilmore Girls) is in it and fantastic, per usual. Additionally, I'm amused by the fact that Kelly Bishop's character is named Fanny and think it's fitting she's playing this character as she was a trained American Ballet Theatre dancer. (Fanny owns and runs a ballet studio.)

There's a lot going for the show to make it a perfect Mira-formula show: the dialogue is quick (typical Amy S-P), the characters are quirky (typical Amy S-P), and the show is set in a quaint town (à la Gilmore Girls)... Bunheads is a show about a former trained ballet dancer, Michelle (played by Sutton Foster, of Broadway fame). Michelle is a Vegas showgirl who feels her life has hit a dead end and impulsively decides to accept a marriage proposal by an ardent admirer, played by Alan Ruck, and moves to Paradise, Oregon. Landing in a sleepy town with no movie theater, she learns that her new husband still lives with his mother, Fanny, who is conveniently the owner and teacher of the town's ballet studio. She quickly establishes a rapport with the girls in the advanced level ballet class, starts to build a relationship with a mother-in-law who had no warning of her arrival, and well, becomes a widow.

For the three reasons highlighted earlier (dialogue, quirky characters, quaint town), I will probably continue to watch the show. Two things that disappoint me about the show right off the bat, though: 1) I really was prepared to like Alan Ruck's character, Hubbell, and am really sad that he was killed off like that! 2) I'm not fully sold on Sutton Foster. There's something about her that's very stilted to me and not natural, maybe it's the Broadway thing. And when she dances (and so far it's been non-ballet), she's just so skinny and gangly that it really doesn't look like good dancing... The moves she had the girls doing looked so awkward and dorky, and actually looked way better when the high school girls were dancing it!

Regardless, I'll watch Bunheads, cuz, well, I'll watch almost anything on ABC Family. I just hope that Sutton Foster grows on me because she is the main character and all.  

Check in Thursdays: Week 24

Jennifer:
Watching... Bunheads on ABCFamily. Also Thorne on Encore, of all places. I'm not into American crime dramas at all but set them in the UK and suddenly I'm all about them...
Listening... Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built from their new album. Peppy, upbeat stuff.
Reading... Same as last week. Born to Run and The Help.

Mira: 
Watching... ABC Family is back -- Pretty Little Liars and Jane by Design! Oh and I watched The Choice and now have a major crush on Jeremy Bloom.
Listening... The Foster the People concert was good. I especially liked a song by one of the openers, The Kooks: "She Moves in her Own Way." The other opener was weird but interesting, Kimbra; apparently a Kiwi who is the female voice part in Gotye's "Somebody I Used to Know."
Reading... Read three of Mary Higgins Clarks' latest novels last weekend; I hadn't realized she was still writing! Am currently reading The Glassblower of Murano, which so far is a really interesting and fun read. It's especially cool because it is set in Venice, where I visited a few years ago, so some places sound familiar and I find myself racking my brain to see if I can visualize the geographic landmarks mentioned. We wanted to go to Murano during that visit but unfortunately did not get the opportunity.

Check in Thursdays: Week 23

Jennifer:
Watching... New season of Love in the Wild! I'm not thrilled that Jenny McCarthy is the new host, but this was such a fun surprise last summer and the top two couples from the first season were so cute and are still together!
Listening... So You Think You Can Dance continues to be a surprisingly good place to discover new music. This remix of The Naked and Famous - Young Blood was used in one of the auditions. SO GOOD.
Reading... Still pretty engrossed with both Born to Run and The Help.

Mira: I REMEMBERED THURSDAY! :)
Watching... Love in the Wild as well. And I HATE Jenny McCarthy.  Plus there is no couple or person as likable as Samantha and Mike (last year's winners).  I seriously hate Jenny McCarthy. She overenunciates everything and everything she says sounds cheesy/goofy. UGH!
Listening... Foster the People CD, since I'm going to the concert this coming weekend.
Reading... Just finished book one of "The Immortals" series, Evermore, and would have to say that it's somehow a really bad Twilight. And Twilight doesn't even rank as being particularly good, so yeah, it's just really bad. Bad enough that I'm not going to bother reading more.  Currently reading Divergent by Veronica Roth, another young adult book set in a dystopian society.  Many might compare it to Hunger Games, but I'd say it's much more reminiscent of The Giver and so good that it might merit its own post. If I get around to it... :) Gotta finish it first!

Upfronts - What's coming this Fall 2012

I know, I know, upfronts were a few weeks ago and this post is late. But it's still super early if we're talking about planning for fall TV! Here's what I found notable coming out of this year's upfronts. Overall, nothing I'm super excited about, but there are always surprises. One of my favorite new sitcoms of this past season was Suburgatory which I didn't even mention in last year's upfronts roundup and the dramas I was most looking forward to? Ringer (awful, and cancelled), Awake (cancelled), and The Secret Circle (cancelled). Go figure.

CBS:

• Elementary - Modern-day Sherlock Holmes set in NYC. Suspicious timing so soon after the British Sherlock (which I love)....but Jonny Lee Miller is in it so I might have to check it out. I don't know about Lucy Liu as Watson though. There's inevitably going to be sexual tension and I feel like that just doesn't...fit.
• Ummm nothing else. Interestingly CBS has decided to partner up The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men on Thursday nights and is not using them to launch any new sitcoms. I guess they have that luxury...

ABC:

• 666 Park Avenue - Something about supernatural occurrences in a NYC apartment building. Interesting cast, including Terry O'Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Dave Annable, Robert Buckley...but sounds kinda dumb. 
• Nashville - Normally would not be interested in a show about country music, but Connie Britton is in it. Mrs. Coach!
• The Neighbors - Suburban family discovers that their neighbors are really aliens. Oh geez...
• Last Resort - I don't know get what this is about exactly...something about the military and an island or something. But it's from Shawn Ryan, who has a good track record (though I've never watched any of his shows) and has a great cast including Andre Braugher, Autumn Reeser, Robert Patrick, and Scott Speedman (Ben from Felicity!).
• Don't Trust the B* in Apartment 23 was renewed. I do want to catch up with that...

FOX:

• The Mob Doctor - Pretty much exactly what the title says it is. Sounds kind of terrible but I do like Jordana Spiro and Zach Gilford is in it too (Matt Saracen!!).
• The Mindy Project - I stopped watching The Office awhile ago but I always knew that Mindy Kaling (Kelly) was going places. First look seems funny, hopefully will live up to expectations.
• The Goodwin Games (midseason) - Kind of reminds me of one of my favorite children's books, The Westing Game. Scott Foley and Becki Newton are two of three siblings put through an elaborate game to win their late father's inheritance. 

NBC:

• Community renewed but banished to Fridays. And creator/executive producer Dan Harmon basically fired. Not sure what this all means...
• Parenthood renewed!
• Revolution - I'm not quite so turned off by J.J. Abrams anymore, but I'm wary of this one. Takes place 15 years after all electronics basically stop working and focuses on a family that might have the answer to what happened. 
• Four new sitcoms, all look kind of dreadful.
• Infamous (midseason) - A detective returns to the home where she grew up as the maid's daughter to investigate the death of her childhood best friend. Sounds soapy and fun, and Victor Garber is in it! 

CW:

• Gossip Girl renewed for a final season. Amazingly I have stuck with this...
• Emily Owens, MD. Lame title, but I like Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter). Nice match with Hart of Dixie.
• Beauty and the Beast - Didn't really dig into the details but I gather it's basically a procedural with the star-crossed romance somehow being an element.
• The Carrie Diaries (midseason) - Sex and the City prequel. I thought this had a lot of buzz but for some reason the CW is holding it for midseason. I like AnnaSophia Robb and there should be a lot of crazy 80s fashions so seems like it could be fun.

Check in Thursday: Week 22

Jennifer:
Watching... Summer shows are starting, and apparently this is going to be my summer of dance TV? Along with So You Think You Can Dance, there are two new dance shows I'm planning to check out: Breaking Pointe, a new CW reality series that follows dancers in Ballet West, a ballet company out of Salt Lake City, and Bunheads, a scripted ABC Family show from the creator of Gilmore Girls.
Listening... Radiohead show this Sunday! They are #1 on my live show bucket list so I'm super excited!
Reading... Pretty engrossed in The Help right now. Also starting Born to Run because I guess I'm a runner now and I'm interested in books about running...

Mira: Apparently Thursday was yesterday... I'll pretend Memorial Day threw me off and not my own inability to ever remember to post on Thursdays...
Watching... So You Think You Can Dance season. YAY!
Listening... Nothing new. But I have found myself with "Cough Syrup" stuck in my head quite regularly. (From week 11.)
Reading... Uh, I'm in a 4 book Nora Roberts series. Also not worth naming.  But I am reading like crazy cuz I'm getting books from the library. Not high literature at all, but fun, mindless summertime reading. :)

Check in Thursdays: Week 20

Jennifer:
Watching... Season finales. Well, of the shows that I'm caught up on anyway...
Listening... New songs from Passion Pit (Take a Walk) and Yeasayer (Henrietta).
Reading... Still on The Marriage Plot and Ready Player One.

Mira:
Watching... Season finales, too! Currently, Revenge.
Listening... Getting ready for the Lady Antebellum concert this Sunday!
Reading... magazines. Us Weekly and Real Simple to be precise. Yeah, not a book yet. Yet!

Check in Thursdays: Week 19

Jennifer:
Watching... Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery! Loved the first season and so happy that it's back for another! On a related note, apparently CBS is developing another modern-day Sherlock series called Elementary with Jonny Lee Miller (who I do love) and Lucy Liu, of all people, as Watson. I'm skeptical, especially because it's CBS. Oh, upfronts are next week!
Listening... Ben Folds Five - Do It Anyway. They're coming out with a new album? I used to be a big fan back in the day, more so than his solo stuff.
Reading... Still working on Emily, Alone and Ready Player One. Also re-obtained The Marriage Plot and optimistically, The Help from the library. Unlikely I'll get to it in the next three weeks before it's due though.

Mira: Per usual, my fault for the late post!
Watching... Caught up on How I Met Your Mother. Catching up on Hart of Dixie. Also just watched The Avengers (highly recommend) in theaters and Joyful Noise on the plane (don't recommend)!
Listening... Saw Ingrid Michaelson in concert at the 9:30 club on Wednesday night -- as always she is FANTASTIC.  Of course, this is the fourth time I've seen her live so obviously I'm an uber-fan.
Reading... Found a random series of books I purchased at some point on my Kindle.  There are a lot of bad sentences and a lack of transition (unless it's screwed up Kindle formatting). I really hope I didn't pay for it, but it's the Bootscootin' series by D.D. Scott.  Don't think I recommend it to anyone though. :)

What I'm watching...and what I'm not

It's been a crazy spring and I've fallen behind on nearly all my shows and completely cut off others. Here's where I am:

Caught up: (Notice these are mostly half-hour sitcoms...so much easier to keep on top of!)
The Amazing Race - The only reality show on my docket right now. It's been a pretty lackluster season, but the travel envy keeps me watching.
Community - They just keep coming up with crazy new concepts for episodes but are still doing a great job exploring the dynamics among the group.
Parks and Recreation - Possibly not as strong as it was last season but it still makes me laugh out loud probably more than any other show.
New Girl - I liked it from the start, but it's been really growing into its own. Even Winston has his moments!
Suburgatory - Somehow, despite a weak premise and awful title, this dark horse has become my new favorite sitcom of the season. Allie Grant as Lisa and Cheryl Hines as Dallas are standouts.
The Big Bang Theory - Been really enjoying the increased female presence on the show with Amy and Bernadette as regulars alongside Penny, but really, this show never changes much.
How I Met Your Mother - Apparently I'm sticking with this until the bitter end because it's just really not very good right now.

Behind:
Cougar Town - It's still super fun, though Jules can be a little too much in general. I am glad that Jules and Grayson are getting married though and they're not dragging it out.
Gossip Girl - I've been sort of intrigued by the idea of Blair and Dan together for awhile, but now that it's happening? I'm not so sure about it. Especially with all the ridiculousness of Blair actually going through the wedding with Louis and the ever-present Chuck drama and blah blah blah. I am sort of interested in what's going to happen with Ivy and Lola though, for some reason.
Smash - I gather that the intention of the show was to have us root for Karen and not Ivy, but interestingly I kind of don't really like either of them. I feel like they're kind of stretching it with the musical numbers but overall I think it's been pretty consistent. I'm way behind though, and man, Ellis SUCKS.
Girls - People are pretty mixed on this show but I've liked it. It's one of those uncomfortably real sitcoms, not exactly fun but funny because of its honesty.
Veep - I usually am not into political shows but this is really just a workplace comedy.
The Vampire Diaries - I've lost some of my enthusiasm for this show, even though it's been just as crazy and twisty as ever. I don't particularly like what they're doing with Alaric, and I'm not much of an Elena/Damon or Caroline/Tyler shipper.
Mad Men - I wonder if Betty was the reason I sort of dreaded watching this show in the past? It somehow seems a lot more watchable now that she's barely there. I've been liking what they're doing with Pete and Peggy and Joan this season, even as I'm beginning to see Don as kind of an irredeemably scary jerk.
Don't Trust the B* in Apartment 23 - This one kind of lives in the same world as Suburgatory - generally preposterous but a lot of fun.

Planning to catch up eventually:
Parenthood - A couple of dumb storylines this season kind of turned me off - Adam and the office assistant, Julia and Joel's adoption saga, Seth returning - but I do still care about the Bravermans.
Chuck - Haven't even started the final season!
Justified - Last season was fantastic so I was a little disappointed that the beginning of this season didn't grab me right away. But I still love Raylan and Boyd and co. so it's still all on my DVR.
Switched at Birth - Just fell behind because Hulu Plus expired the episodes. But they're back now so I'll get to it eventually.
Modern Family - Kind of the same old, same old. but still funny.
Game of Thrones - I have an HBO promotion, but I'm just not sure if I want to read the second book first or not.
Awake - I loved the premise for this show and the pilot, just need to find time to fit it in.
Doctor Who - I'm always behind on this...

Probably hopeless:
Once Upon a Time - Watched the first couple of episodes and found a lot of the characters annoying but I still like the premise.
Grimm - Does this have buzz?
Revenge - Watched the pilot and thought it was ok. People tell me it's this year's soapy, guilty pleasure though.
Hart of Dixie - It was a lot of fun but ultimately inconsequential...

Given up:
Nikita - I don't know, I actually got really into this show last season but never got around to picking up this new season and I now have no desire to.
The Secret Circle - Lost interest.
The Voice - Too much time commitment and didn't really have anyone I was rooting for.
2 Broke Girls - Just not funny.

Check in Thursdays: Week 18

Jennifer:
Watching... Will detail this in an upcoming mammoth wrap-up post!
Listening... New song by the Silversun Pickups - Blood Mary (Nerve Endings).
Reading... Still working on Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan. Also hoping to get back to Ready Player One which I started back in...February? Geez, it's been a crazy spring.

Mira:
Watching... Knicks vs. Heat playoff series. Go Knicks!
Listening... Need to get ready for my upcoming concerts -- first on the list: Ingrid Michaelson!
Reading... Nothing. Am now wasting my time playing silly games on sporcle...