FOX's Midseason Schedule

After a fairly dismal fall pilot season (this is hopefully the last time I'll rail against the disastrous writers' strike--I'm letting it go, I promise), winter is upon and and the new year is just around the corner. And we all know what that means. Christmas? Celebrations? New Year's resolutions? Yeah, not so much.

Midseason replacements!

It's that most glorious time of year after the shock and pain of watching some of your favorite shows get the axe has been tempered and you're ready to open your heart to some new hopefuls. Due to the delay in pilot season, this midseason is more crowded than most. Henceforth, for the sake of time and sanity, most of the descriptions and reviews below are not my own. I'll be doing this for each of the major networks and the same principles apply. I've scoured the web and compiled as much decent information as I can on these shows, but didn't have the motivation to rewrite anything into any sort of cohesive review. I have offered my two cents here and there, but for the most part, these next few posts will be gleaned from all over the place and the views and opinions expressed are not necessarily reflective of myself, my network, or my parent companies.

With that out of the way, here's what the Fox network has to offer for midseason. Besides nauseating amounts of American Idol.

DOLLHOUSE:

I've already lauded Dollhouse's creative team and concept numerous times, so I'll keep this short. I've been hearing some concerning and rather dismaying reviews of the show, but I'm keeping the faith (heh, no pun intended). Other articles that I've read have bolstered my confidence, but I plan on remaining cautiously optimistic. No matter what I come across, I'll be there with bells on when Dollhouse premieres on Friday (yeah, I know), February 13th.

In case you're out of the loop, here is the network's summary of the show:

• Joss Whedon, creator of groundbreaking cult favorites "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly," returns to television and reunites with fellow "Buffy" alumna Eliza Dushku for a thrilling new drama, DOLLHOUSE.
  
  ECHO (Dushku) is an "Active," a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman, "Neighbours") and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj, "The Unit") carry out engagements assigned by ADELLE (Olivia Williams, "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Rushmore"), one of the Dollhouse leaders. The engagements cater to the wealthy, powerful and connected, and require the Actives to immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios - romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional "pro bono" good deed.
  
  After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler BOYD (Harry Lennix, "Commander in Chief," 24), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings and experiences are erased by TOPHER (Fran Kranz, "Welcome to the Captain"), the Dollhouse's genius programmer. Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before. Or does she?
  
  As the series progresses, FBI Agent PAUL SMITH (Tahmoh Penikett, "Battlestar Galactica") pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting, her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past.

LIE TO ME:

Well, what can I say? Here we have yet another procedural where the main character's seemingly preternatural abilities solve crimes in unconventional ways. Yeah, this one looks a whole lot like The Mentalist, but with less Simon Baker... Tim Roth is a pretty incredible actor, however, and this show has significantly less Robin Tunney, so it really does have a lot going for it. Geez, if they could just go back in time and recast Robin Tunney's role, that show would be so much better. Awh, hindsight. Oh wait, no, she's been dead weight in everything she ever been in. Seems like the brass at CBS probably should have noticed that.

Anyway, here's the official description:

• From writer Samuel Baum ("The Evidence") and the executive producers of "24" and "Arrested Development" comes LIE TO ME, a drama series inspired by a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body, and voice to expose the truth in criminal investigations.

  When you scratch your chin, wring your hands, wrinkle your nose, or swallow too much, DR. CAL LIGHTMAN knows you're lying. He doesn't just think so, he knows so, because he's taken his exceptional skills of observation to become the foremost deception expert in the country. Being a human lie detector, Cal can uncover the deepest secrets and crack the hardest cases. More accurate than any polygraph test, he knows when those in front of him are being less than forthcoming, be they family, friends, or complete strangers.

  Cal heads up a private agency contracted by the FBI, local police, law firms, corporations, and private individuals when they hit roadblocks in their searches for the truth. Joining him are a variety of experts in the field of behavioral evaluation: DR. GILLIAN FOSTER is a gifted psychologist and Cal's professional partner, a woman whose guidance Cal needs, whether he knows it or not; WILL LOKER is Cal's lead researcher, and he's so aware of the human tendency to lie that he's decided to uncomplicate matters and practice what he terms "radical honesty": he says everything on his mind at all times. RIA TORRES, the newest member of the team, arrives at the truth differently by acting more on instinct and using her natural, less-studied ability to read body language and catch certain clues that Cal's other pledges may miss.

  Brian Grazer, David Nevins, and Samuel Baum serve as executive producers in conjunction with 20th Century Fox Television on this intriguing character drama based on the science of emotion. The show will tell stories that are not simply about the search for an elusive criminal, but also about the search for something even more difficult to pin down: fundamental human truth.

  LIE TO ME probes how people can deceive themselves just as easily as they deceive others, and explores the idea that there's nothing more revealing than when we choose to tell the truth and when we decide to lie.

SIT DOWN, SHUT UP:

I honestly haven't heard much about this one. It's a half-hour animated comedy from the team that brought us Arrested Development and features the voice talents of Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, so I'll be giving it a shot. Of course, it also features a writer who worked on Two and a Half Men, so I'll only be giving it one shot. And the fact that it's a remake of an Australian show doesn't exactly bode well for the show (Kath and Kim, anyone?), but this genuinely does seem a lot more promising (insanely low bar duly noted).

Here's the official write-up:

• From Emmy Award-winning writer Mitchell Hurwitz ("Arrested Development") and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum ("Two and a Half Men") comes SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, an animated comedy that focuses on the lives of eight staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town (Go Baiters!) who never lose sight of the fact that the children must ALWAYS come second. We watch them grapple with their own egos, needs and personal agendas, their petty insecurities and prejudices, unrequited loves, and ruthless battles for power - and that's just at the staff meeting.
  
  SUE SEZNO (Kenan Thompson, "Saturday Night Live"), a woman who frequently says "no," is the acting principal of the school (the actual principal is recovering from a series of unfortunate accidents that might be seen as escape attempts). Then there's Vice Principal STUART PROZACKIAN (Will Forte, "Saturday Night Live") who has a terrifically positive and upbeat attitude...possibly from the performance-enhancing medication he's been secretly put on by the other teachers. There is one educator who feels the focus should be on academics, but despite the old adage, at this school, those who can teach, teach gym - and that's where LARRY SLIMP (Jason Bateman, "Juno," "Arrested Development") has been exiled to. Immensely frustrated, Larry nurses a crush on science teacher MIRACLE GROHE (Maria Bamford, "Stuart Little 2"), a woman whose superficial grasp on science is balanced by her superficial grasp on spirituality. Rounding out the staff is the aging German teacher WILLARD DEUTSCHEBOG (Henry Winkler, "Arrested Development," "Happy Days"), a deeply defeated man whose yearbook quotation reads "If I believed in reincarnation, I'd kill myself tonight." Uptight HELEN KLENCH (Cheri Oteri, "Saturday Night Live"), a librarian whose life's work in research and archiving can now be surpassed by the average Google search from the average cell phone. Proud ANDREW SAPIEN (Nick Kroll, "Best Week Ever," "Cavemen") is the flamboyant drama teacher. And finally there's HAPPY (Tom Kenny, "SpongeBob SquarePants"), the plotting secretive custodian who's assumed to be Hispanic despite the fact that his real name is Muhannad Sabeeh Fa'ach Nuaba.

  With a distinctive new look - a combination of animation against a live-action backdrop - SIT DOWN, SHUT UP is a series for the young and old at heart. It lampoons modern society while exposing the dreams, flaws and struggling humanity of our first and most formative authority figures: teachers.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW:

Yeah, I've got nothin' to offer on this one. This is the first I've heard of it. It's another half-hour animated comedy from Fox, so that already comes with certain expectations. This one isn't really sounding like my cup of tea, so, yeah...

Here's the description:

• Many years ago, CLEVELAND BROWN (voiced by Mike Henry) was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named DONNA. Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he'd be there when she called.

  Well, this man done her wrong.

  Donna's husband skipped town with another woman, leaving Donna with a daughter and a baby. Now she's come to Cleveland and offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously accepts and he and CLEVELAND JR. move to Stoolbend, VA, to join their new family.

  Once in Stoolbend, Cleveland has a few surprises in store for him, including a flirtatious new stepdaughter, a 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies, as well as a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck couple, a British family seemingly stuck in the Victorian era and a family of bears living at the end of the block.

  FAMILY GUY was only the beginning. Get ready for THE CLEVELAND SHOW (working title)!

OUTNUMBERED:

This looks completely awful. And it's yet another remake of a foreign show (this time it's the British who get to cringe at us). I'll be passing on this one. Wow. Fortunately, I didn't come across any premiere date for this little gem, so hopefully it was scrapped before it ever made it on to the schedule.

If you're feeling masochistic, here's what you can expect:

• OUTNUMBERED takes a fresh and hilarious approach to the staid family sitcom. The show offers "Curb Your Enthusiasm"-style improvised dialogue with a "Malcolm in the Middle"-like premise about the triumphs and travails of parenting. The adult actors are scripted, while the children's dialogue is improvised and off-the-cuff.

  No one ever said parenting was easy. You make the rules up as you go, and some days dealing with your bundles of joy leaves you at your wits' end. For GREG (Ken Marino, "Veronica Mars") and JENNA EMBRY (Brooke Bloom, "CSI: Miami"), whose 6-year-old LILY (Alina Foley, "Days of Our Lives") has the diva act down pat, 7-year-old JACK (Aidan Potter, "Opposite Day") lies with the dexterity of a con-artist and pre-teen KYLE (Ridge Canipe, "Walk The Line") is...well, a pre-teen, it's three against two and they're OUTNUMBERED. Rounding out the madness in Greg and Jenna's lives are TANYA (Beth Dover, "Criminal Minds"), Jenna's slightly off-balance spiritual-healing sister, and EDDIE (Bill English, "Cavemen"), Greg's wheeling-and-dealing, fast-talking salesman brother. These two end up being more of a liability than an asset to the family.

  Based on the hit British series, OUTNUMBERED is written and executive-produced by Larry Levin ("Dr. Doolittle").

COURTROOM K:

If you're not in the mood for yet another crime procedural, how about yet another courtroom drama to whet your palate? I enjoy the occasional courtroom drama, and as I don't currently have one in my rotation, I'll likely give this one a shot. Plus, Alfred Molina is excellent (and I'm not sure why he's doing TV, but I'll take it), so it has some potential. I couldn't find a premiere date for this one either, so it might have already bit the dust, but if not, enjoy the litigiousness.

Here's the official description:

• From executive producer Paul Attanasio (HOUSE, "Homicide: Life on the Street") comes COURTROOM K, a darkly comedic look at the life of a courthouse in a Midwestern city.

  An American courtroom is the last bastion of absolute feudal power, and upon this throne sits dictatorial JUDGE HAROLD ROBAR (Alfred Molina, "Spider-Man 2," "The Da Vinci Code"), a former trial lawyer who is completely convinced he can do both the prosecutor's and the defense lawyer's jobs better than either can do it themselves. Gruff, sarcastic and lovable JUDGE ROBAR does not suffer fools gladly, but he will gladly make fools suffer.

  COURTROOM K centers on a group of public servants who cope daily with the basic fact that no one gets in legal trouble for a smart reason. This cast of characters includes District Attorney KENT PUCKER (Michael Landes, "Final Destination 2"), a self-deluded Midwestern booster with a joyful disregard for his own insensitivity; Public Defender MARIJANE DIEHL (Megan Dodds, "Not Going Out"), whose grace under pressure is tested by the insanity of the system; and Diehl's boss, DANIEL JUNE (Jonathan Sadowski, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES), a clever, boyish bureaucrat 10 years younger than her. Filling out this family are court reporter ROSE MARIE CHEEKS (Noureen DeWulf, "Ocean's Thirteen") and ORTHA SCHUNK (Diana Maria Riva, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), Judge Robar's court clerk who knows him so well, she could be considered his "work wife."

World peace? Nah, more TV.

So yeah, I've been seeing post after post on blog after blog about Christmas and I've been feeling some serious pressure to reply in kind. But, given that this blog is almost entirely devoted to TV, I really haven't been able to come up with much. Seriously, I don't even have label for a post about Christmas. I keep staring at the empty space next to the "Labels for this post:" title and I gots nothin'... Although it totally just made me laugh that the list of examples blogger gives next to the labels designation includes "scooters." My god, if I had a nickel for every blog entry I post about scooters! Seriously? Scooters? I have to seriously question the life choices of anyone who has enough scooter-related activity in their lives that they need a label for it. Wow. And the thought that anyone would need a quick means of accessing all the thrilling scooter posts is just as sad... And that's coming from a person who has three labels that have "TV" in their titles. Sad.

But then again, I just blathered on and on about scooters for no apparent reason, so what does that say about me?

Oh well, in the spirit of the season, and in sad, pathetic conjunction with core interests in life, here is my Christmas wish list.

My TV Christmas wish list, that is... Here's what I'd like to see:

1) I'd like to see Grey's Anatomy return to its former glory. I'm not sure that's even possible at this point, but killing off Izzie would be step #1, Shonda. I haven't watched the past few episodes (we broke up a while back), but I hear Izzie and Denny are having a secret affair. Didn't Denny die a few seasons back, you ask? Why yes, yes he did. But, after having slept with all the other doctors, 3/4 of the patients, and at least half of the greater Seattle area, what's a girl to do? Hook up with your dead ex-fiance, that what. How sad is it that this relationship is somehow less disturbing than her relationship with George? Wow.

2) I'd also like to see Heroes return to its former glory. The latest episode is still sitting in my DVR list, untouched, and completely untempting. I seriously just re-watched all of Gossip Girl season 1, made my way through all the holiday classics that were on hand, and started knitting a hat rather than watch a new episode of Heroes. I'm no TV producer, but that's more than likely a bad sign. Quick fix? As with GA (Grey's Anatomy, as opposed to Georgia), I'm not sure this one is salvageable. Bryan Fuller's return will hopefully help things along, but I'm not holding my breath. I'd start by killing off Peter, Mohinder, Maya, Tracy, Claire (who seems to be wearing a wig for some reason... so ugly), Father Patrelli, the annoying speedy runner girl, Matt, and, well, after that many deaths, you may as well just spin the show off into a Sylar-based show where Elle is still alive and HRG is the only other character from the original show who made the jump. When the prescription calls for killing off the entire cast, you've got even bigger problems than GA, and that's a really high bar.

3) I'd like House to regain its footing. While still a solid show that I thoroughly enjoy, the revamp did more harm than good as far as I'm concerned. I was never too fond of the former ducklings (Chase, Cameron, and Foreman), but the new crop of underlings actually makes me nostalgic for Cameron's holier-than-thou rants. The newbies are dull and just don't seem to get any interesting-er. The hostage episode was supposed to showcase 13 as a real character with real depth and personality, but all it did was give me false hope that she'd get shot in the head or medicated to death. Way to dangle a carrot and then just take it away, Show. That's just mean.

4) The only way to make Gossip Girl any better would be the inception (which suddenly doesn't look like a word, for some reason) of a 52 week season. Oh, and the dismissal of Vanessa and Aaron. Oh, well lookie there, ask and ye shall receive. Well, ye shall receive at least half. The greasy, unwashed, scraggly half. Yay! :)

5) The resurrection of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money. Hmm... maybe I should wait till Easter for that request... (I'm always a little uneasy about making religious jokes because I just don't have the background to make them accurate all the time. Not that Moroni 11:17 isn't a very important passage or anything, but Ann seems to think it doesn't exist...)

6) I'd really like to have something, anything, to watch on Sundays. It used to be such a good night for TV and now it's got a whole lot of nothin'. Bah!

7) I'm really wishing that the new slate of midseason replacements will have some winners. I'll be posting about what's to come in the next couple of weeks. So far, there are definitely a couple I'll be keeping my eye one, but there's also a whole lot of crap to be avoided.

8) Scooters.

9) I miss that wonderful, joyous feeling I used to get by watching The Office and want it back. I still love the show, but I defy anyone to tell you that the current season can really stack up against past seasons. I know, I know, it's blasphemous to say such things (and believe me, I've gotten more than enough heat for uttering such unutterables), but it's true. Just accept it.

10) I'd really like to see American Idol die a swift, yet agonizingly painful death. With the national embarrassment that is American Idol comes a ridiculous viewing schedule that leaves some shows off the schedule until February and forces other into time slots that make me want to impale the brass at Fox even more than usual (there's a good chance that House will now be on opposite Chuck and Gossip Girl--seriously?!). Die American Idol, die! [Oh, no, that's not a threat, it's just written in German. "The American Idol, the!" "Well, no one who speaks German could be evil!"]

There are a lot of other things I'd like to see happen with my shows, but I have accepted that good things will never happen, so I should just give up now. Words to live by.

Happy Holidays!!!

Oooh, just missed him...

Ha! This is one of the best clips I've come across in a good long while. I watched it like 35 times last night. If the guy hadn't yelled at our doofus-in-chief just prior to hurtling his shoes, he would have hit our lame duck square in the face. I'm pretty sure that would have been the only way to make this clip better. :) Oh, how I wish he'd have actually hit him. Awesome.



As you can see, it's not for lack of effort. He really threw those suckers as hard as he could. But unfortunately, I'm guessing Bush has been hunting with Cheney enough times to be rather skilled at ducking...

Better luck next time, intrepid journalist. And how about throwing daggers or a grenade instead of shoes? :)

Best Shows(?) Ever

Ever since Gossip Girl premiered last year, there have been rumors and speculations that a spin-off could be possible if the show were successful. Well, as GG has become quite the cultural phenomenon and has proven to be the CW's flagship series, talk of a spin-off has become more and more palpable of late.

Initial rumors stemmed from the Gossip Girl books from which a Little J-centered spin-off was spawned called The It Girl series. I have never read any of the books from either series (like I read books, honestly), so I'm not exactly the oracle here, but from what I hear, Little J's spinoff centered around her and had little interaction with characters from the original series.

Of course, I also hear that in the books, Chuck traveled around with a monkey that would ride on his shoulder, so saints be praised that not all aspects of the book have been translated to the screen. So let it be with Jenny (ooh, 10 points for whoever knows to which classic work that line was alluding). Word on the street is that the CW does NOT plan to spin Jenny off, but rather plans to branch out a different character, although I haven't heard anything on which character that might be.

As unenthused as I would be by a Little J spinoff, her character really is the best suited to take on a new series. Oh, no, not because she's a solid actress who could anchor a show (certainly not), but because she is younger than the other characters, won't be going to college next year with the rest of them, and has her little fashion empire to build. Logically, a show centered around Jenny could quite easily spin her off into some fashion house with a new cast of characters and it wouldn't affect the original series in any substantive way.

But alas, several of the reports I've come across have said that Jenny isn't going anywhere. I'm guessing this is because the network, like myself, doesn't think she can anchor a show. And they'd be correct. Not that I wouldn't tune in or anything, but I doubt it would be very successful.

Anyway, the tentative plan is to introduce the idea of a new show using a backdoor pilot. For those who aren't quite as pathetically familiar with TV terms as I am, a backdoor pilot is one in which a current show has an episode (often an extended episode) which could serve as the premiere for a new series. This is a rather effective means of starting off a new show because it: 1) capitalizes on the established audience for the current show, 2) is able to gauge viewer response for a spin-off before it is actually spun off, and 3) is a much cheaper way to produce a pilot, in that most of the funds that are used have already been allocated to the current series. This is how Private Practice was unleashed on the world. You remember that episode of Grey's Anatomy where Addison went to LA and spent the whole episode with those new people and that talking elevator? That was the backdoor pilot.

Here's hoping a GG spin-off will be much less crappy. But what does a possible spin-off mean for Gossip Girl proper, you ask? Other than the exit of a current character, probably not much. It all kind of depends on who they spin off. And no, I can't imagine it would be Chuck or Blair, so I think we're safe on that end. According to a source for Gossip Girl Insider, "Chuck and Blair aren't just the Gossip Girl couple of the moment. They are the core Gossip Girl couple of the series. So you definitely will see much, much more of them in the days to come. The dance has just begun." So yeah, the primary reason I watch the show will stay intact. Yay!

Well, what do we think? Is a spin-off a good idea? Who do you think might be spun-off? Anyone you'd like to see spun-off? Premise ideas?

Maybe the new show could be an island where the characters I don't like get marooned... You know, Vanessa and Aaron can start a new society together. An incredibly annoying society where tights can be worn as pants and the unwashed, unshaved look lands you a hot blonde socialite...

What about George Michael?

Ever since Arrested Development was cancelled a couple of years ago, rumors have abounded that a movie was in the works. While most of the rumors were, well, rumors, more and more concrete developments are coming to light.

Here's the latest...

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

• The "Arrested Development" feature has moved closer to reality, with Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard reportedly closing deals for the long-gestating project from Imagine and Fox Searchlight.
  
  The possible migration of the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox series to the big screen has been a hot topic among fans for the past year. Speculation has been fueled by cast members of the show, including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor, who have been frequently quoted in interviews that a feature adaptation is in the works.
  
  Hurwitz, who created and exec produced the Emmy-winning series, is on board to write the film as well as direct with help from Howard. The series, from Imagine TV and 20th TV, was a pet project of Howard, who had a lot to do with its distinct visual style. In the final episode, Howard, playing himself, heard the Bluth TV family's pitch of their story and liked it for a movie.

Per Kristin from E! Online:

• ...Sources tell me exclusively that the major motion picture is budgeted at $15 million. (Translation: It will be awesome.)
  
  "Yes, it's a go," an Arrested castmember who asked not to be named tells me. "We're all very excited. And it will happen with or without the holdout."
  
  Wait a minute...The holdout? Yes, I'm also told exclusively by multiple sources that one of the show's original castmembers has not signed on to the movie...
  
  "Yeah, [he or she] might not do it," an actor says of this costar. "However, I do know that we will do the project with or without [him or her]."
  
  The good news is that aside from this actor (who, sorry, cannot be named), I'm told that all of the other main castmembers have committed to be a part of the big-screen project. And, yes, the show will go on.

Well, they might not be revealing names, but my money is on Michael Cera (aka George Michael Bluth). He kinda, sorta exploded onto the Hollywood scene between the time the show was cancelled and now and I'm guessing he either has too many irons in the fire to commit or he's just too important now for such things...

I really hope he signs on. Arrested Development was one of the very few shows out there on which every single character was indispensible.

No matter what happens, I'm excited. Yay!

Prop 8--The Musical

For those of you out there who were as dismayed and disappointed that Prop 8 (or as I call it, "Prop Hate") passed as I was, please enjoy the clip below. It doesn't erase the bigotry, but it helps ease the pain.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

My only other consolation is that I fully expect this will be a non-issue in 10 years and people will look back with incredulity that society was ever so backwards. I look at the moral outrage over miscegenation a few decades ago and it's hard to even fathom. Today, it's unbelievable that interracial marriage was ever a controversial issue and I'm holding out some optimism that gay marriage will follow suit. I'm very hopeful that in the coming years the prejudice and bigotry will be overcome and that reason and equality will prevail.

I believe in equal rights and privileges for all people of all backgrounds and the thought that people are still trying to subjugate others to a station that is lesser than their own makes me physically ill. Here's hoping for better things to come.

Well that's discouraging...

When I posted the cancellations of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money, the word on the street was tenuous, but optimistic. Now that ABC has released their mid-season schedule (which I'll report on more in a future post), however, things are looking a little bleak...

With many thanks to TV Guide's Mickey and Matt, here's the latest:

When will the last episode of Pushing Daisies air? Will it seem like a "final episode" or will we be left hanging? — Bri

Mickey: The facts are these: ABC isn't talking, and Daisies doesn't appear on the network's midseason schedule at all, but if it does return in January, I'd ballpark the last episode to fall somewhere around the end of February. I'm hearing that by then at least one of the show's big mysteries will be solved, which will be a big relief for one Mr. Emerson Cod. In the meantime, look for Olive Snook to sing a Bangles song I embarrassingly once used as the seductive soundtrack to a fumbling, though ultimately successful high school assignation. Don't tell anyone though, OK?

Can you find out if Dirty Sexy Money plans on airing "The Facts," the episode that was scheduled for Nov. 26? — Darla

Matt: Not likely, especially since that episode (bumped by Barbara and Obama) was in some ways merely a "clip show" — albeit one featuring unaired Season 1 footage, including some old Samaire Armstrong/Juliet scenes cobbled together to look like "new." I do offer some good-ish news, though: Sources tell me that DSM's final episode will resolve the mystery of who killed Nick's father, Dutch. It's all just a matter of when (mid-2009?), where (ABC.com?) and how (not until DVD?) we'll get that closure.

For more Dirty Sexy scoop, head on over to TV Guide for an interview with Patrick and Jeremy.

Anyway, like I said, things aren't looking so good. When (read: If) I hear any news on when and where and how the remaining episodes of these shows will air, I will definitely let you know. Oy.

Oh, Ann

Thanks to my dear friend Ann, items such as cookies and lattes have been forever altered (read: given a theme song). I guess it's my penance for completely goofifying words for her like "turkey" and "bus." With the holidays in full swing, cookies are even more prevalent at my house than usual (which is saying something, because really, my mom kind of sets the bar--which I believe is a Clark Bar). Every time I see or smell cookies in the house, I now have the following go through my head:

It's adorable, and bizarre, and funny. And if it's even possible, it's even more adorable and bizarre when Ann sings it...



That little gem entered my lexicon at Disneyworld while we were waiting for fireworks by Cinderella's Castle. Ann was waxing delicious about cookies and got that damn cucumber stuck in our heads for the rest of the night. It was totally worth it, however, because in pure Milana-esque serendipity, Jack arrived with cookies mere minutes afterward. Hot chocolate too. It truly is the most magical place on earth...

Oh, and yes, Ann knows every word. The way she sings, "'Cause I've got cookies! Three yummy cookies!" and "Be-cause it's Christmas" is hilarious. And she totally puts the lisp into the "Oh, Thanta" too... Solid gold.

Even before the word "cookie" had taken on its own enthusiastic theme song, the word "latte" was delight-ified when Ann played the following for me en route to dinner with the girls (you know, her old friends Annie and Kati... whom she was meeting for the first time).

This is also a shout out to my darling Olive from Pushing Daisies. You will be missed.



I love Kristin Chenoweth. :) But yeah, I was walking through Bed Bath & Beyond the other day and they had a latte machine that elicited some unwarranted giggles as a result of this song.

"Who 'da thought love could be so caffeinated?" Awesome. So long, Olive. I hope you find another gig that allows for singing the way Pushing Daisies did.

The Bubble Hath Burst...

The unfortunate (and sadly, probably inevitable) deaths of a couple of my favorite shows have finally been made official (well, mostly). Although news of the untimely demises of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money (and Eli Stone, not that I care) came down from on high nearly a week ago, I am only now posting anything in this regard because I've been doing some investigating.

Because the weasely, non-committal ABC network has opted to "not pick up" these shows rather than "cancel" them, there was room for confusion that I wanted to avoid. Here's the deal:

• PUSHING DAISIES: My dear, darling, ratings-challenged Pushing Daisies... You never stood a chance. When PD premiered last fall, its ratings were solid, the hype was in full-tilt, and audiences took notice and tuned in. Then the writers' strike swept in, and PD (as with so many other series) found itself in a near 10 month hiatus. If that weren't enough to quash interest in the show by the casual viewer, ABC's shameless handling of the show proved the final nail in the coffin. After so many months off the air, ABC promised a splashy relaunch of the series. Said splashy relaunch apparently included such fantastic and awe-inspiring tactics as airing very little (if any) promotional spots, not re-airing the previous season (not even on ABC Family (because that would have been so tough and all, what with all the made-for-TV movies about broken homes and teen pregnancy that need to air)), and having the sophomore series anchor Wednesday night, in one of the busiest time-slots on the air. Brilliant!
  
  In the past, ABC held fairly high regard in my book (to the extent that regard for demonic TV networks is possible). But, given the handling of PD (and all the other returning sophomore series), my faith is shaken. When crap like Private Practice is allowed to live, but, well, any other show on the network gets the axe, it's hard to put any stock in ABC anymore.
  
  To be fair, this season of Pushing Daisies started off slow, and after such a long hiatus, some of the magic had worn off, even for stalwart fans such as myself. The creative team behind the show is still strong, but several directional decisions have made the show shine a little less brightly for me. Which, oddly, comes as a result of the show being a bit less dark and snarky... The sugar always had an edge that made me smile and the edge seems to have ebbed a bit... (On another note, is the background music driving anyone else crazy? It's too loud and for a show with this kind of intricate dialogue, you really can't afford to miss a single sentence. The background music in the first season was perfect, but this season it's distracting and kind of obnoxious...) In spite of the difficulty I've had getting back into full-swing, the past couple of episodes have really set things into motion and I'm beyond bummed that it won't be continuing. In spite of fears that the base concept for the show was unsustainable over time, the writers have done well to keep it going and I was always intrigued to see how they'd handle the concept's limitations in the future. Now it seems we may never know how it all plays out...
  
  Bottom Line: Although ABC won't man-up and admit that it's been "canceled," it has. The actors have been released from their contracts and production has stopped. The 13 initial episodes that were ordered by the network have been completed and as far as I have found, the remaining 6 episodes will air as usual. Bryan Fuller (the executive producer) and company did not film an alternate ending that could serve as a series finale, so the final episode will be just like any other episode, and will even end in a cliff-hanger. Everything that is up in the air will remain up in the air and loose ends will continue to be loose (you know, sleeping around and drinking and whatnot). I have heard rumor that Bryan Fuller plans to continue the story in the form of a comic book adaptation of the show, but not word yet on when that might come down the pike.
  
  I'm personally holding out hope that Ned could just touch the show (and Dirty Sexy Money) and let two others die in their places. You know, like Knight Rider and Private Practice... Just making suggestions...
  
  Farewell, show. You will be missed. Especially Olive.
  
  
• DIRTY SEXY MONEY: Another of my favorite shows that was screwed over by the writers' strike, the ABC network, and the retooling. Much the same as PD, this show was not relaunched properly and anyone who was jumping in for the first time would have a hell of a time getting caught up in it all. The show's writers made an active decision to make the show soapier, and as a result, the show was imbued with a very different tone and less successful results.
  
  The first season was surprisingly awesome. When it premiered last fall, I hadn't the faintest notion that I would enjoy it, and never dreamed it would find itself in my top tier. But, I was very pleasantly proven wrong (that's one of the perks of being a pessimist... you're always either proven right, or delighted to be wrong). The show was a hell of a lot of fun, but also had solid writing, excellent acting, and an emotional core that had viewers completely enamored. The current season, heralded as soapier, dirtier, sexier, and, uh, money-er, is still a delight, but in a very different, and less successful way. For what it is, I still totally enjoy it and will miss it when it's gone, but I'm not as invested as I once was and miss the tone and timing of last season. Juliet's untimely exit (thanks a lot, Samaire Armstrong--I hope rehab has been fun), some of the interpersonal dynamic was lost, and additions like Lucy Liu have far from filled the void. In spite of its newfound shortcomings, I sitll love the show. I know I love the show because the time goes by so quickly. I'm always suprised when it's time for another commercial break and can hardly believe the show is actually an hour long. The time just flies by, and unlike so many of my shows this season, has never felt like a chore to watch.
  
  Bottom Line: This is the only show of the trio that the network did not immediately let the actors out of their contracts. From what I've heard, production will continue through episode 13 (as planned), and if some sort of ratings miracle happens, ABC would still have the option to pick the show back up. I have little hope that this will happen, but it is a distinction. There are 7 episodes that have yet to air, and from what I've heard, they will all broadcast as usual.
  
  I'm going to miss the Darlings and company. Brian, Karen, and Jeremy, I'll miss you most of all.
  
  
• ELI STONE: Was also not picked up. I gave this one a shot last year, but it couldn't hold my attention. From what I hear of this season, the visions and the musical numbers have been majorly toned down and made more infrequent. As I recall, those were the only reasons anyone watched the show...
  
  There is no bottom line on this one. I enjoy Johnny Lee Miller and Spydaddy Jack Bristow as much as anyone, but this show really won't be missed.

These three cancellations are unfortunate (yes, even Eli Stone) for more reasons than my viewing schedule woes. They signal the problems with tracking viewers via the Neilsen's ratings system and the slow death of any show that isn't a nitty-gritty crime procedural on CBS. I understand that ABC didn't feel they could keep them, what with the low ratings and rather high production costs, but it still hurts, and I still blame ABC to the fullest. ABC and the economy. And the Bush administration... I'm not sure why, but it makes me feel better.

In other canceled news:

• Lipstick Jungle
• My Own Worst Enemy
  
• MADtv

In happier, they've been picked up news:

• Life
• Life on Mars (has been picked up for 4 more episodes, bringing the total to 17)
• Sanctuary
• Privileged (picked up for a total of 18)
• Oh, and Scrubs is coming back. It'll start airing on ABC starting January 6. Same cast, new episodes. Enjoy.

The other reason for a lot of these shows being canned is that, due to the writers' strike, very few new series premiered in the fall, so a whole lot of shows will be premiering for the mid-season. I'll begin compiling a list of things to come and let you know.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

With the economy going down the tubes over the past few months, I think I'd have to say the thing I'm most thankful for is...

job security.

While other places of work are barely hanging on, slowly going under, or imploding completely, my workplace is busier than ever. And, thanks to untold many state and federal government mandates, we have to exist, no matter how many people wish otherwise. We are constantly accused of withholding cancer treatment from small children, making desperate patients walk to the clinic uphill both ways in the snow, and showing no compassion at all. In actuality, we're just following a bunch of crazy rules that we sincerely wish we didn't have to enforce either, so feel free to bite us. If you want compassion, call the IRS.

Anyway, vicious barbs and slanderous jabs aside, we aren't going anywhere, and I'm seriously thankful for that.

The employees of the following establishments are likely not so lucky...

Below is the current list of stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009.

• Circuit City stores... most recently announced, unknown how many stores will be closing
• Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be closed (but where will I get my pink cashmere twin sets and matching pearl necklaces now?!)
• Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
• Eddie Bauer to close 27 stores and more after January
• Cache will close all stores
• Talbots closing down all stores (and where will I get my granny-style business casual wear?!)
• J. Jill will be closing all stores
• GAP will be closing 85 stores
• Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
• Wickes Furniture closing down (and, uh, my credenzas?)
• Levitz closing down remaining stores (I'm not sure what they sell, but I'm guessing it won't be missed)
• Bombay closing remaining stores
• Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January (where will I get my blood diamonds?! And where will all the fellas out there fulfill their industry-induced obligation to get huge, tacky, gaudy rings?!)
• Whitehall closing all stores
• Piercing Pagoda closing all stores (and my piercings! And my pagodas!)
• Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January (somehow, I think the Disney corporation will muddle through)
• Home Depot closing 15 stores
• Macys to close 9 stores after January
• Linens-n-Things closing all stores
• Movie Galley Closing all stores (those movie-lovin' pirates must be crushed)
• Pacific Sunware closing stores
• Pep Boys closing 33 stores
• Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores (but who will obnoxiously jump out at me in the mall like some sort of mugger/theme park carnie and try to sell me a bunch of crap I don't want?! I think I'll miss that most of all...)
• JC Penny closing a number of stores after January
• Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores
• Wilson Leather closing down all stores (and the cows rejoiced)
• Sharper Image closing down all stores
• K B Toys closing 356 stores
• Lowe's to close down some stores
• Dillard's to close some stores
• Mervyn's is already as good as dead--they're having a huge sale, but unfortunately, even at 90% off, their crap isn't worth buying

The moral of the story is, don't buy people gift cards this Christmas! For one, they're insanely tacky. And two, well, the store might just not be there when the giftee goes to cash in.

The crumbling economy hereby claims another innocent victim: lazy gift givers who can't be bothered to actually think of something unique/something they might actually like/good to give someone.

Oh, the humanity!

Guess who!

Depending on who's reading this, the answer may come as quickly as the title of the band, but others might have to actually watch. Even if you're immediately familiar with the person in question, I'm guessing you've never seen him perform. Have fun!







He's considerably more British and much less impecably groomed than usual, but therein lies the fun. :)

Chuck Bass, we love you.

The Fox Network can bite me & other news

As you can tell from the previous post on this blog, I'm a wee bit excited for Dollhouse to premiere on Fox early next year. I have been hopeful that Fox wouldn't screw the show over (and the poor viewers as well) again as they have so many times in the past, but I was wrong.

Dollhouse will premiere in its regular slot on FRIDAY, February 13TH.

Friday?!?! Seriously?!? The worst possible timeslot ever?! Ooooof course. I can just see the programming executives in the meeting, "Now let's see, we have a highly anticipated new series on a network that only has about 3 decent shows, so we could take this opportunity to add to our meager total, but... Nah. We'll put Dollhouse in the Friday night death slot and then blame it all on Joss when the show fails. Brilliant!"

What it really boils down to is the fact that the god-awful, inexplicably popular, crap-fest that is American Idol has taken over the network.

Not only is Dollhouse getting screwed over due to American Idol, but the only other scripted shows on the network are also getting shuffled around:

Starting Jan. 19, House will be airing Mondays at 8, leading into 24. Bones, too, is getting a new home: Thursdays at 8, as of Jan. 15. Because what casual viewer doesn't just love having to track down their shows week-to-week. I'm no casual viewer, so I'll be fine, but the shows themselves always seem to suffer.

Oh yes, and the powers that be at Fox figured, "Hey, as long as we're going to destroy Dollhouse, we may as well decimate Terminator as well. I know, we put it on Friday as well! Double brilliant!"

Poor, struggling Terminator is going to be Dollhouse's lead in. Not that it doesn't make for a decent pairing, but Terminator is having a hard time in the ratings these days, and putting on Friday is pretty much the last nail in the coffin... a nail which has decided to make a name for itself in the world, and will try to take Dollhouse down as well. And knowing the Fox Network, will likely succeed. Bah!

In other news, here are the latest pick-ups and drops:

FULL SEASON PICK-UPS:

• American Dad: Never seen it...


• Samantha Who?: Well, it has been picked up to a total of 20 episodes (which, for the record, is two shy of a full order). The brass at ABC said that the way the schedule worked out, they would only need 20, or something like that...


• Kath and Kim: In case further evidence that NBC is in a seriously craptacular state was called for (the pick-up of Knight Rider being one of the first harbingers of the network's demise), Kath and Kim, the positively embarrassing American remake of an Australian hit show has been picked up. It's painful, peeps. Oh, NBC. When did you start defying Bart Simpson's laws of physics by both sucking and blowing? In related news, my reserved box seats in hell are frozen solid. (That picture alone should be enough to convince you that it's terrible (read: don't waste your time giving it a shot--you'll want to gouge your eyes out.))
  

CANCELLED:

• Valentine: What can one say? Everyone was so thrilled when Dexter stabbed Lila through the heart that seeing her vampiric self emerge on another show was just too damned disturbing to endure. Here's hoping she receives a similar send off.


• Easy Money: It's not easy being on the CW. There's no money in it.


• The Ex-List: Don't believe me about the Friday night death slot? Enter The Ex-List. I never saw it, but by most accounts, it was a good show in a terrible position. Also, the concept didn't really lend itself to more than one season, so I'm guessing it was pretty easy for the network to drop the axe. (Also, anyone appearing in Twilight probably deserves this, so it's all Elizabeth Reaser's fault.)


• King of the Hill: It hasn't so much been cancelled as retired. After 13 years (good lord, really?), King of the Hill will end its run. Or will it... Word on the street is that ABC is courting the long-running show... I doubt anything will come of that, but the possibility is out there.

Dollhouse Revisited

So, as probably none of you knows (except for Jack, of course), Joss Whedon's new series, Dollhouse, has undergone some big changes of late. First we heard that production had been shut down, then there's word that shut downs aren't always a bad sign, and then we heard the most disturbing news of all, that the original pilot had been all but completely scrapped. In spite of assurances that all is well (for the most part) from Joss, I'm still concerned...

I was quite excited about the show when I saw the original trailer (in spite of Eliza Dushku's shameful (REALLY shameful) Spanish (I mean, seriously, did she even practice that? It's not like it was Swahili or something...):



It struck me as having Joss' usual action and excitement but also the levity and charm of past series. While it's hard to assess the need for improvements based solely on a trailer, apparently there were a lot of changes that needed to be made (a decision that I'm guessing had more to do with the Fox network than Joss, but I've been hearing a lot of mixed reports). Joss asserts that this is a good thing, but I can't help seeing it as a bad sign. I mean geez, they basically re-shot the whole pilot!

As you can see from the new trailer below, a lot of changes have been made. Even the scenes that are basically the same on paper have been reshot (and I'm not sure why...) I guess they wanted to spruce up the set? All in all, it's a good trailer, and I'm still very excited for the show, but I was a lot more excited after the first trailer came out.

This new offering just seems less fun and a lot more heavy-handed and serious. Joss doesn't do the straight-forward drama ever, really, so this trailer is a bit perplexing. It's as though they sapped the the funniness and playfulness right out of the series (or at least that's how they have chosen to present it to viewers). I didn't watch this trailer and think, "Hey, that's a Joss Whedon production!" as I had with the first one. It just didn't strike me as quite so quintessentially Joss as the previous one, and in my universe, that's not a good thing...

Here's hoping it all comes together. Still excited, still a good trailer, just not as Joss-y as one would hope...

TV, I love you, but you're bringing me down...

I love TV. I love having a ridiculously full slate of shows each night and giddily waiting for the fun to begin. Even the summer, once bastion of reruns and god-awful reality shows, has slowly been filled with delightful scripted programming.

However...

The writers' strike put a definite crimp in the fall schedule, leading a paltry, pathetic, pittance of new programming (and appears to be inversely correlated to the alarming amount of alliteration in the world). Anyway, that started the season off on the wrong foot, forcing me to rely more heavily on my tried and true returning shows. At first this seemed like a viable plan, but the current state of affairs regarding a few of my regulars is leading to some conflicted melancholy... I'll begin with one of the primary offenders:

Dear Grey's Anatomy,

Our affair began as so many do--love at first sight (well, almost). When I first heard about you, I was hardly intrigued at all. But the first couple of times I truly laid eyes on you, after a fairly insignificant tryst with The Practice, I believe, I was completely enamored.

Could it be? Could a mid-season replacement with a hackneyed premise really have swept me off my feet so effortlessly? It's true. It's all true. The first season was a diabolically guilty pleasure that filled a void in my viewing schedu--I, uh, mean heart... The second season was likewise engaging, catapulting the show into my top tier.

And then the third season came lumbering along... As with any affair, things get old after a while, and that I could deal with! But this... The pain, the agony, the Gizzie of it all! Make it stop! The fourth season tried to recapture what we had lost, but the love was all but gone. I remained loyal merely out of habit, not of true infatuation.

And so my loyalty limped into the current season. An improvement over last, and a VAAAAAAST improvement over the woefully eye-gouging season 3, but I think the magic is lost. I'm starting to feel like I'm stuck in an abusive relationship. I'm loyal and loving and I just keep getting mentally and emotionally smacked around. Meredith's whining is unbearable, George's brooding is completely out of character and unbecoming, Alex's rage is overdone, and Izzie's, well, presence, is nigh suicide-inducing.

As it turns out, Christina is the only reason I stick around anymore. She was one of many reasons I began watching you in the first place and now she's the only reason I hang on. And now I'm just not sure it's enough... There are other characters I like, but now it appears that the powers that be are hell-bent on taking them from me. Dr. Erica Hahn's last episode will be Thursday. And, while not my favorite character in the whole wide world, she was really the only character who struck me as someone who could be a real doctor. She wasn't all bunnies and cookies and she didn't constantly bitch and moan about her relationships (I'm looking at you, Meredith... Oh, hell, I'm looking at you ENTIRE REST OF THE CAST) and that's what made her great. Thanks a lot, Grey's. Way to kill off our relationship even quicker.

Anyway, abrupt and unanticipated departures aside, the show has gotten so much better... but I think it's beyond saving. Our relationship is dwindling and I haven't the strength to carry on. In the spirit of honesty, I have to say that I've even cheated on you a few times. And with a much older show... CSI just swooped in while you were letting me down. What can I say? I appreciate a show that kills off characters that totally deserve it, and you don't. Although if it came down to Warrick or Izzie, I'd rather Warrick had lived, taken over CSI, and brooding, tortured, bad boy-ed all day every day.

Long story short? I think we're over. Maybe if Izzie gets mauled by a bear while falling down an elevator shaft onto a pile of jagged rocks that were previously exposed to uranium leading to her horrible, terrible, fabulous death, then we could talk... (Come on, you'd be giving us a second chance AND doing the world a tremendous favor... Promise you'll think about it... I've included some pictures to help you visualize. It would be so easy. All the cool kids are doing it...)

Until then, my affections have waned, and your storylines just don't matter to me anymore... I can't believe I've wasted the best years on my life with you!

So long...

Sucka...

Yours conflictedly,

Me

P.S. Don't feel too bad. You just wait till I "dear John" Heroes. There will be blood. Tootles!

[And in case the title of this post sounds vaguely familiar, well, you're probably a Gossip Girl fan. Now there's a love that never lets me down.]

Old People are No Good at EVERYTHING

So I finally got around to voting yesterday. Oy. It was yet another sobering reminder that old people can't be trusted to do anything quickly or effectively. My mother and I stopped by the Centerville Library (which can I just say? For a new library, it's pretty pathetic) for the much lauded "early voting" initiative only to find a line winding its way clear back to the periodicals. Such a line was off-putting to say the least, but I promised Milana I would vote (in spite of the fact that my vote doesn't, never has, and never will actually matter).

The fact that said line was teeming with old people didn't bolster my confidence. The fact that old people were running the whole operation was even less encouraging. If people under 30 were running the joint, I'd have been out of there in 5 minutes. With the barrage of shawls, walkers, canes, and dementia present, however, we were there for over 45 minutes. I kid you not, it took nearly an hour to complete a task that could completed in your sleep (and I think for some of the old folks in attendance, probably was).

If there's one thing old people are really good at, it's figuring out new technology. Yeah, not so much... Seriously, when I finally got the voting area, I took my key card, fired up the terminal, and was done voting in about a minute. Even my mother (whom you may remember from such events as: dragging the mouse to the bottom of the mousepad and then not knowing what to do; trying to access her email account by typing her password into the address line of her browser; asking questions like, "So wait, how are there folders inside the camera?" and "What's a hulu?") managed to figure it out, and as you can clearly see, she has a pretty shady track record with technology. It was really that easy.

Or so I thought.

I'm pretty sure these are the people who were running the operation or at very least, the children of the people in line. I know, I know, they look like veritable paragons of speed and efficiency.


The reasons it took forever and a day to get through the line were fully illuminated in a matter of minutes. Some old guy next to me fumbled around trying to insert the access card into every nook and cranny of the terminal until he finally asked the lady for help, another guy basically strong-armed the proctor lady into voting for him, and some old woman may as well have hosted a knitting seminar in the time it took her to cast a ballot. Oy.

Anyway, I finally voted. The only two resolutions that I cared about (the zoo and the aviary) apparently don't apply to my district, so I didn't even get to vote on those. My vote for president doesn't actually matter in this state (thank you ridiculous electoral college), but at least I can cancel out the vote of some gun-toting, Hummer-driving conservative, so that's a plus. :)

Good luck with your own voting endeavors. I recommend you spend some time (read: several excruciating hours) at the senior center in preparation for your trip. BYOD (Bring your own defibrillator).

Google Image Search Tag

I saw this tag on someone else's blog and it actually looked kind of fun. Henceforth, here I go. The rules are, Google (image) each of the following items, pick your favorite photo from the first two pages of results:

1. First Name (Guy Fawkes is welcome to endorse me any day.)

2. Last Name
3. Bad Habit

4. What I did over the weekend... (god, how I wish this were an accurate representation...)

5. Grandmother's Name


6. Past Pet
7. First Job (you'd think it was "leathery fisherman," but shockingly, it wasn't...)

8. Dream Job (which is apparently chimney sweep... who knew?)
9. Age
10. Where you grew up… (it's, uh, lovely this time of year...)
10. Past Love (I likes 'em old and swarthy...)
11. Best Friend’s Nickname
12. Favorite place to be...

13. If I went back to school, I’d become…
14. I love to visit…

15. Favorite color

16. Favorite food 17. Your hero (heh, this is a still from the Crossfire episode--awesome)Oh yeah, I'm supposed to tag people... Umm, all those who are bored at work or are currently unemployed, have at...