ad hoc.

I said I was over it, but thanks to Hulu, I’ve caught up on all of season 4 of The Office. You all know I was against this show from the start, but then it won me over, and now I know there is a reason that the British version stopped after 2 seasons: to go out while it was still good. I think this version has gone past all the good it could do and is teetering on the edge of going downhill.

-Jim and Pam: I hate to use the cliche, but it’s Ross and Rachel syndrome; yes it was good to see the tension with the attraction, but now that they are together there’s something not quite there for me. Kudos to the writers for not making them all lovey dovey all the time and talking about their relationship in the office, but it really doesn’t do it for me. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Karen was the better choice! Now in this last season they had to introduce the idea that there is going to be an engagement. WHAT THE FUCK. That just turned it into Grey’s Ananatomy for me. Why does everything have to be wedding-as-happy-ending centered?

-At the beginning Dwight was the most cliched, annoying character, but Rainn Wilson has done a good job with the character and over the seasons I have found Dwight to be actually quite endearing (I need to support a fellow Battlestar Galactica fan). I actually liked him and Angela together and I actually do feel for him over the breakup. I would totally stay at his beet farm getaway.

-Andy has been surprisingly subdued this season. Maybe scaling him back had to do with viewer response? I do miss his bursting into song from his Here Comes Treble days.

-I always thought the Michael Scott character was way over the top, but it has become beyond ridiculous and really hard to watch. Yes, it’s a fictional show, but I can’t get over the fact that he has not been fired yet for all the bullshit that goes on. Sure, the staff hate him, but how have they not rioted against him yet? That business with the Utica branch? Yeesh. That was hard to watch. The dinner party episode was very unwatchable for me (trying to hard, writers). And when did Jan go from a respected business woman to a shrill crazy psycho bitch? Thanks for committing to strong female characters there.

-Ryan as the boss? Hmmmm, not sure where this is going, but we shall see.

Watched The Paper again tonight and think Amanda is fantastic and has great eyeware. The rest of the staff are ungrateful brats who sit around gossiping about her when she is trying to do a good job. Good, let them be miserable. I’ll bet Amanda will be an RA when she gets to college.

Wow. Just wow. Maybe this season is going for sensationalist storylines, but it has me hooked.

Yay for Callie for actually gaining some character development and maybe even a spine. Thank you for recognizing the fact you married Tyrol after he broke your jaw. Still can’t tell if Tyrol really did love her and why he even did marry her. Sad to see her go, especially by the hands of Tori….which brings me to…

Tori was kind of one of the only kickass female characters who actually used her brain. Since becoming a cylon, she’s become a seductress machine using sexual tactics to get what she wants. What the fuck? Is that a result of cylon programming or just bad writing?

I really want to see more of the Demetrius mission. I am surprised all those key players went with Starbuck- I thought she was going alone - what if there is an attack? Are there any vipor pilots left on Galactica? And enough with the I-love-you/I-hate-you drama with Anders and Starbuck. Their borderline rape scenarios are starting to bug me. The relationship drama on this show reall gets in the way of the good stuff.

I can’t figure out Lee’s character sometimes. One second he is in support of someone and then he is trying to shred their character. First it’s back and forth with defying his father’s orders and now it’s taking down the president? Make up your mind, daddy’s boy.

Besides this stuff I fucking love this show and I am going to have to take a day or mourning after the season finale.

The Paper is the best show MTV has put out in a long time. Oh the drama!

Jezebel has been making LOLlosts, which have also made my day.

I can’t help but be perterbed. I think Gawker got a scoop from my blog about a posted item. Ok, that’s cool, but maybe give me a little credit? I posted this the other day, and some of the reader discussion identified who the actress was, and then this pops up on Gawker. Coincidence? Maybe. But I don’t think this was huge news going all around the internet. Thankfully someone posted a link in the comments to The DB, which helped my stats. I shouldn’t be grumpy about it, I keep telling myself that I write the DB for me, but I would jump at the chance to have it linked from somewhere like Gawker to get more readership. Because that is what keeps me motivated to keep writing it, if I know lots are reading. Grumble grumble.

Oh, I also realized that every episode of South Park ever can be watched for free off the official site.  I’m never leaving my house again. Also, matt Stone is my new husband.

because he is supposed to have aged only 2 months, but in reality he’s aged 4 years and is probably 7 feet tall. Lost isn’t really doing it for me anymore. Maybe it’s just a slump. Each week is kind of a whodunit. And Whidmore planting the plane and the bodies in the ocean? Kind of a cool idea but also kind of dumb. I don’t mean to seem like a warrior for morality, but there seems to be more and more just flat out killing each other on Lost. I mean, a series can be intriguing if people were more likely to out-manipulate each other rather than just kill them.

Ooooo, nice one you pulled on my emotions, with the Jin flashback/Sun flashforward. For a split second, I thought the baby was Hurley’s. Michael looks like shit. That’s what being away for a season does to ya. Also, what was with Sam suddenly solving everything with a little boy’s fishing trip? I want to hear more about how Mr. Whidmore staged the crash. Enough of these filler episodes.

Even more ridiculous is that on ABC.com, you can get a nickname from Sawyer. Good lord. And by that I mean I totally did it, and Sawter’s pet name for me is Imelda. Okay. great.

Ok, I am not sure if I like the way Lost is going…I think their are sci fic elements of the show that is cool, but the time travel business makes it a bit ridiculous. The writers are genius in that they have so many stories going and so many theories that tie it together that it makes you keep watching! And after three seasons, there are still so many questions. What the FUCK is the black smoke monster? What is the Dharma Initiative really? What do those people want with Ben? How does he get off the island unoticed? How the hell did John Locke’s father get on the island? Will we ever read the log of the Black Rock? Is it just merely a coincidence he was the same one that conned Sawyer’s parents? And that Claire and Jack are siblings? Why was there a cover up by Oceanic? DAMN YOU JJ ABRAMS! I’M HOOKED!

Notice: Kate’s cleavage, Sayid’s pecs, and Sawyers dimples.

Today at Comic Con was a little bit mellower than yesterday. Oh, um except or the that fact that I MET MISS BEADLE FROM LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Why the hell was she even there? She was at the sad autograph booths, which was akward when no one was at someone’s table. I kind of felt bad for them. She was sitting next to the red power ranger. I actually went over and chatted with her, and she was just as nice as Miss Beadle would have been!!!

They were also running movie trailers on a loop for hours which is my idea of heaven. No movies, just trailers.

Oh, ok I GUESS I’ll watch the Oscars tonight. Although I am not excited, I am not really feeling any of the stuff nominated.

OctavianYou are 30% Emotional (versus Logical), 73% Principled (versus Selfish), and 78% Scheming (versus Innocent)!

Logical, principled, and scheming, you, like Octavian, probably learned philosophy from the Greeks and manipulation from your mother. Cold and efficient, you are willing to do anything to make the world a better place. Of course, you also think that the world would be a better place if you ruled over it. Remember, though, that your family and friends are people, too, and not just pawns in your grand schemes. Otherwise you may lose them forever.

This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people’s:

	Higher than 99% on Emotion
	Higher than 99% on Principles
	Higher than 99% on Scheming

Wow! Someone else is also bothered that Bad Brains are doing promos on MTV. Okay, it’s not just me. None of the kids watching even gets the relevance or the awesomeness…but then again, no one FORCED Band Brains to do it. Yes, maybe they need the paycheck to be able to start making music again, but isn’t being on MTV against absolutely everything they stand for?

Thank god the writer’s strike is over! It looks like Battlestar will have a complete season. Seriously, thank god. I know I make fun of all those other fans of cancelled shows that send the producers all sorts of crap in the mail, but if this season did not get a proper run, you’d see me REALLY lose it. Oh, and the glorious third season (my favorite so far) is on dvd March 18.

My Little Pony is 25! There’s some sort of display going on in NYC. Hint hint for anyone that lives there to go and take pics for me. I read an article recently that claimed that the early ponies looked like ponies, and the more recent ones look like underage porn stars. You be the judge:

THEN:

NOW:

I can’t believe I found these songs somewhere.

only-me-and-the-music.mp3

twilight-in-paris.mp3

shes-got-the-power.mp3

get the Debbie Gibson reference? I like this future evil Sayid. Future evil Sayid also likes flat irons.

Love how there are still random survivors that we’ve never seen before.

Kate, stop flirting and pay attention on how you are going to get the fuck off the island.

Can we get some female characters with some dignity and strength? Even in this new rescue team, the gal is the one who gets trapped and it is totally helpless.

Okay, Ben. We get it you’re creepy. You can stop talking like that.

Why does everyone want to stay on the island? It is pretty, but is everyone forgetting there is a MURDEROUS SMOKE MONSTER on the loose?

It really sucks watching it week to week instead of three seasons in one week. It seems like nothing really happens.

I started watching Torchwood, and I am torn. Think Queer as Folk meets the X-Files. Some episodes are really profound, others make my literally cringe from the awkwardness of the staging and dialogue. After about six episodes, I’ve totally detected a formula used in every episode.

*Gwen fucks something up reeased n alien and they have to scramble around to fix it

*Two or more of the characters experience sexual tension

*They travel to a busy bar/club/marketplace to apprehend said alien

*Captain Jack flashes his pearly whites and delivers a catchphrase

*They realize that things are not what they seem

*Gwen disobeys orders to investigate something that she feels in her gut, despite the others scoffing at it

*The crew is trapped by alien of the week, and death is absokultey certain; Captain Jack shakes his fist in the air and curses humanity

*Some impossible twist of fate or coincidence occurs to get them out of the situation

*one of the crew is deeply affected by the turn of events and Captain Jack comforts them at a location that overlooks the city

Oh, Reno 911!. Sometimes crosses over from satire to just mean, but not too often thank god. I’ll overlook the whole arresting-Dangle-and-his-husband- thing because of course, Terri and his “girfriend” Christina Applegate are my new favorite couple.

For kicks, I am watching Little House Season 4, and omg! The drama! Charles goes to Chicago for a conference and he meets a friend who tries to buy him a prostitute! Mary visits her boyf at college in Chicago but he is cheating on her with a debutante! A crazy lady moves to Walnut Grove and sets up camp outside the schoolhouse and the Olsens rally to kick her out of town! The Ingalls hire a handyman to help with renovations and he and Caroline almost get it on! This is crazy.

Just finished Season 3 of Lost, so I am all caught up! Although I do feel emotionally raped. I know it is suspense, but how many times are they going to use the old, trust this person but at the end of the episode we find out they are really not to be trusted. No one is who they seem! We get it! I also wish no guns were involved in the plot, because every episode someone is brutally gunned down and then there is about 30 seconds of the character showing remorse. Kids who play Grand Theft Auto supposedly get desensitized to the violence, but after watching this I wouldn’t blink next time I hear a gunshot (which is actually not uncommon in the parking lot outside my window).

I’m over the Kate/Sawyer/Jack love triangle. I never saw anything transpire between Jack and Kate in the mere two months that convinced me that they really had a connection or whatever. They need to spend more time thinking about how to get the hell off the island, instead of leaving poor Bernard to do it himself. That infuriated me, btw. Ben is fucking crazy and I love it. Is it wrong that I was glad Mr. Eko bought it? I was tired of his condescending religious speeches.

I know more characters from the freighter will be introduced in Season Four, and I think that will be good. I liked the intro of the survivors from the tail-end of the plane, although they all ended up dead. And can we actually see Hurley as not a butt of all jokes and as a pathetic fat person? That’s tired. Can we get a woman besides Kate to actually step up and take charge? When one does, they get crucified as a beotch and then shot (Ana Lucia) or put back in their rightful subordinate place (Sun). The gender dynamics are messed up.

As far as all the survivors of the crash being connected in some way, either meeting up or being siblings, I hope that is not just coincidence, and that there is some larger plot twist where they all were put on the plane for a reason. Because that would be dumb. Then again, the black smoke monster and Desmond’s fortune telling already teeters on the edge of cheesy sci fi explanations.

I think the glimpses into the future are the way to go instead of the flashbacks. It be good to see the survivors dealing being back in civilization while the last few seasons explain some sort of rescue.

For now, I’m perusing Lostpedia.

I just rented the So NoTORIous dvds just for Zachary Quinto.

Other fun fact: The Star Trek trailer will run before Cloverfield.

because someone is bringing Paradise Hotel back to tv. Don’t know it? Well, the whole scenario is “the singles will have to find a partner of the opposite sex to share a room with, and the contestant left without a roommate at the end of each pairing ceremony will have to leave the hotel.” You gotta respect it, because in reality this is the basis for every other reality tv show but at least PH just makes that the basis and doesn’t cover up any other bullshit. You’d think the producers would have been sued for forcing prostitution, but whatevs.

The complete series on dvd in a cute little sherpa bag!

Two interesting things written by actors: One is by David Cross, one of the people I worship (I should make a list) defending his decision to appear in Alvin and the Chipmunks. I was annoyed at first too, but then again, you gotta pay the bills, right? The other one is super-duper awesome, about some memos written by the late Robert Reed to the writers of the Brady Bunch explaining why they are so fucking terrible. It’s terribly condescending, but completely true.

Just finished Season 2…holy smokes. All I can say is that they know how to keep my attention, I’ve probably watched this whole season over the course of three days. I can’t imagine watching it week to week because they really drag out a story. Um, I’d probably go and join the Others because they get.shit.done. As compared to the main posse, who spends too much time on their high school drama. Kate is really useless and she better start growing some balls or I will start loathing her character. I love how Claire takes Charlie back only about a week after he….almost kills her baby. Is anyone going to talk about the weird black smoke monster thing? I think the writers forgot about that. I didn’t realize that Autralia has a population of 3 because people keep running into each other. I STILL can’t get around the believability that they are plane crash survivors. Where the hell does Kate keep getting her clothing changes? Everyday she pops up with a new tunic or a new American Apparel tank. And I’m just gonna say it because I keep thinking about it…I really hope someome found a whole crate of tampons…because that would really suck for the ladies. And WHO are these other 30 or so people camping on the beach? Do they get names? Are none of them fed up with Jack’s bullshit dicatatorship and try to do something? Oh, I guess they are not attractive enough. Are you telling me that not gay people were on this plane? The button in the hatch is bananas!! I also want to start a drinking game where you take shots when the following things happen: someone runs like the wind through the jungle, someone conveniently runs into someone else while traipsing through the jungle, someone has another clothing change, someone asks for a gun, etc., etc.

On to Season 3 tomorrow, although I do need a break. Apparently I misunderstood my supervisor because I thought I had off work this week but APPARENTLY I just found out about a meeting tomorrow that I am presenting at. WOOPS!

Yea, that and I also got Season 1 of The Tudors. I have already seen the first 2 eps, and I am not that impressed. Jonathan Rhys Myers and his bug eyes make my ovaries shrivell up.  But maybe I will stick with it for the man on man historial action.

Okay, finally got through Season One, although it dragged at the end there.

Season Two: HOLY CRAP. Now we’re getting somewhere. It’s like a whole new writing crew. The Dharma Initiative thing? Awesomeness. I am over Jack and his god complex and his need to control everyone. Also, everytime we see him sitting staring off into the distance and Kate plops herself next to him for a chat, I want to gouge my eyes out. Locke, who I didn’t like before, is pretty kick-ass. However, I wish the female characters were a bit more courageous and athletic. Kate just volunteers to do everything because she wants in Jack’s pants, Claire cried about her baby, and Shannon just changes clothes. Whenever there is a problem they run and get Sayid, and Locke always saves everyone. Were there all wimpy females on this plane? At least not in the front of the plane….At first I didn’t want there to be any mysical, scifi stuff and wanted everything to be based on reality, but that black smoke monster thing has me intrigued.

Bear with me here…the whole plot turn really reminds me of a Christopher Pike book. (He was a kickass teen horror writer in the late eighties/early nineties.) Something about the mix of science and deception and the strange black cloud thing in the jungle. His books would always reveal some weird sci-fi plot in the end having to do with some government experiment or weird altered reality. I can’t quite explain it, but maybe those of you that read his stuff can see it too.

Word on the street (and the geekboards) is that The 4400 has been canceled. Which is dumb because I’ve said it a million times already, Heroes IS A 4400 RIPOFF!