Day 02 – A Show That You Wish More People Were Watching

I like to believe that I have pretty standard taste in TV shows, but it's constantly proven to me that I don't.  This is especially true when it comes to sitcoms.  While I can find comfort in a show that uses the same tropes since Ozzie and Harriet graced the screen, I usually find that sort of thing to be boring and unfunny.  Show me something new, TV show.  Don't go for the obvious joke.  Earn my laughter.

There's been one show over the past few years that has done all of these things and more, and it always on the verge of falling into the nothingness.  That's why my show that I wish more people were watching IS:

Community.

I will admit that something's been a little off since it returned in February (which, incidentally, was also October 19th), but those first three seasons... well, that was a sitcom like they had never been done before.  It poked and pointed at the genre to find what makes it tick, and then it made fun of it.  The kicker for me is that it airs against The Big Bang Theory, which always kills in ratings and which I don't find to be funny in the least.  I've watched multiple episodes, and I just don't enjoy it.  They go for the easy joke while Community goes for "Remedial Chaos Theory."

If you haven't already, watch some Community.  At least watch "Remedial Chaos Theory."  If you don't laugh during the timeline when Troy gets the pizza... well, I don't know if we're allowed to be friends.

from thebrittaoftimelines.tumblr.com

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

...if you have an addiction to television.  That's right, it's not just any old Thursday.  It's Emmy Nomination Thursday!  Woooooooo!  Can you dig it?

Alright, I'm not posting my guesses for who will win yet (I'll do that once we get closer to the event on August 29), but I'll give you my quick, knee-jerk reactions to the nomination list.  Here goes.
*GLEE!  Lots of noms for Glee, but the ones that make me happiest are Lea Michele, Jane Lynch [obvi], Mike O'Malley, and Chris Colfer.  Oh oh, Chris Colfer.  Love him in a way that's not even right.  I knew he was getting a nod when this happened.  Holy crap, it's amazing.  He just OWNS it, makes it his own, makes you forget about Ethel Merman, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters.  LOVE IT.  I also love the Mike O'Malley nod because I think his role on Glee is one that is so important in times like these.  This man, while obviously uncomfortable with his son's homosexuality, could not love his son any more than he does.  He FIGHTS for Kurt, shows his love as well as says it.  The great American public needs to see that there is nothing wrong with acceptance, even when you don't have understanding.

*I am so OVER Tony Shaloub, it ain't even funny anymore.  Thank Zombie Jesus there's no more Monk so hopefully he can STOP being in this category and taking away perfectly good nominations for people like Joel McHale.  And, while we're on the subject...

*Where's the love for Community???  Nothing?  NOTHING?  Have these people been watching the same show I have?  Did they NOT see the Paintball??  I mean... wow.  Just... speechless with passing anger.  And... it's passing...

*Okay, so.  I'm also excited that, while HIMYM irritated me this year, NPH got another Supporting Actor shot as well as an Outstanding Guest Actor nod for his Bryan Ryan role on Glee.  I listened to him singing "Dream On" in the car this morning, and while I don't think that's particularly Emmy-worthy, he wails on those high notes.  Like, wails.  [Sorry, couldn't resist...]

*CONAN!  Heeeeeeee.  I am really, really, REALLY anti-Leno.  I still refuse to watch it.  I always change the channel when he comes on, and I have since his stupid 10 pm travesty was on before he came back like a little whiny McWhiner.  I won't even watch it if my favorite stars would be on there.  I don't care if the guests are John Cusack and Lauren Graham and Paul Rudd and the musical guests are The Beatles from the 1960's who arrived via DeLorean.  DON'T CARE.  NOT WATCHING.  Conan's team was nominated not just for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, but ALSO in the Outstanding Writing category.  I usually root for the Daily Show to win the Writing category because we met one of the writers a few years back and it's fun to see him on TV, but sorry buddy.  I'm all Team Coco this year.

*I'm also glad that 30 Rock didn't get a million zillion nominations this year.  I know that people find the show to be high-larious, and I myself have been compared to Tina Fey more times than I can shake a stick at [God forbid a woman with straight brown hair wear glasses, but it beats the previous Lisa Loeb reference], but I've never really been entertained by 30 Rock.  I feel like it was made for people like me too, people who watch a lot of TV and see it as art and know its ins and outs and therefore can make fun of it.

That's all I got for now.  When I get to August, you'll get some predictions.  Also, on Saturday, I'll be heading out of town to visit my friend in St. Louis! Woo!  So I might not post next week, or they'll be short.  Yay!

Ventin' & Plannin' (the original Wishin' & Hopin')

Having another one of those frustrated days.  Every time I feel like I have a hold on this feeling, I have a day like this that thrusts me right back into the pit.  It's such a pain.  I'm just so... burnt out.  I'm so irritated and frustrated.  The worst part to me is that I'm irritated and frustrated about a topic that I can't discuss on the interwebs, but this is my best way of expressing myself and dealing with things, which then makes me more frustrated, and there was an old woman who swallowed the fly.  Blah blah.  I could write it down, but I'm nervous to write it down because THAT'S how I make crazy discoveries about myself, and I really don't want to have one of those epiphanies that backfires.  I don't know why she swallowed the fly.

This isn't helping.

I just feel like I have a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, more than I'm used to dealing with.  It feels like it's starting to cave in, though it's probably not.  The stress and anger and issues of the past few years seem to have just piled up, and I feel unable to stop it.  It's like a self-inflating balloon... which I don't know if that even exists... maybe a better metaphor is one of those inflating punching things.  You know, the ones with the weighted bottoms so where you can just punch it and punch it and no matter how hard you hit it, it keeps popping up and mocking you with its stupid clowny face?  Ugh, THAT is what it feels like.  Like I'm punching this crap as hard as I can to make it GO AWAY, and yet it KEEPS COMING BACK.  When will this feeling end?  When will I feel like I'm finally on some kind of track?  I don't care about my instinctual feeling that everything will turn out right; I want to know WHEN it will.  Errrrrrrrrrgh.

Surprisingly, that DID help.

Lots of TV tonight, and I'm loving my DVR because of it.  If I didn't have it, I'd be dooooooomed.  It's a delicate process, and this two hour Grey's has really thrown a wrench in the usual clockwork of Thursdays (I originially typed "wench" instead of "wrench" and now I can't stop laughing).  So, at 8, it's live watching Bones and taping Community, at 9 I would LIKE it to be live watching Grey's and taping The Office, and then I'd like to watch the taped stuff tomorrow.  HOWEVER, I'm fairly certain I'm gonna lose that battle, and we're gonna live watch The Office at 9 followed by the recorded Community, and I'm gonna end up staying up later than I want to finish this crazy Grey's. From the 7 minute clip I saw on Hulu, it looks VERY similar to the plot of ER where Carter and Lucy got stabbed, which is like my favorite ERs ever, so... I'm pretty much stoked.  That might sound a little disturbing, but I don't much care.  I'm so excited.  I'm so... scared.

Thank you, Popwatch.

I read this in Popwatch this morning (one of the EW.com blogs that I frequent), and it captured my favorite line from last night's Community while also suggesting something brilliante.

"Shirley can't believe Jeff is agnostic. 'You think religion is stupid?' she asked Jeff, who responded with this extended metaphor: 'To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal, and I would never take it away from anyone. But I would also never stand in line for it.' All right, let's start the campaign for Paul Rudd guest starring as a religion professor now."

I l-o-v-e the Rudd. I think he has the best career ever, with the perfect amount of indie cred and mass mainstream appeal. I mean, even my PARENTS love the Rudd. But still, that's an amazing comparison, and that would be amazing to see him on Community, one of my new favorite shows. It didn't make me laugh until I cried last night like Bones ("where's your chest hair?") or Sunny (the infamous poisoned relish-mayonnaise-shampoo convo), but still, solid.

On the knitting front, which I haven't actually talked about lately, I've been trying to do some small projects to pass out as Christmas gifts this year. I had the great idea of knitting a washcloth for my cousin who loves NC State. I had what I thought was enough red yarn in my stash. Turns out, washcloths take a CRAP-TON of yarn for their size. So instead I'm using this other, bulkier yarn to do it, and now it's like the NC State placemat. Eh, whatever, it'll do. Hopefully, I'll be able to complete a few more smaller projects (more washcloths, perhaps a hat and earwarmer or two), and everyone I know will appreciate them.

Reunion tomorrow. I'll try to update soon after with a play-by-play of its randomness.