Hoppin' Around

It's a busy time for bunnies - Easter's around the corner, and somehow people expect bunnies to hide eggs everywhere. What is up with that? Anyway, apologies for the belated post.

*Boardwalk Empire (Season 1) - One of those shows that made me pine for cable when it was on, this show did not disappoint. The actor who played Omar in the Wire returns as the leader of the black community. The addition of movie stars and directors doesn't hurt, either. And then, basing the story on the appalling corruption during prohibition times, gives the plot an amazing depth.

*30 Rock - I am enjoying the comedian playing the new page, who I recognize from the Daily Show, Bob's Burgers, and Flight of the Conchords. The Grandmentor episode was especially funny.

*Project Runway All Stars - The finale was as anticlimactic as the rest of the season. Meh.

*Colbert Report - It's interesting when the Supreme Court has a case like the one this week where people really pay attention to the oddity that is court proceedings (a hypothetical involving broccoli comes to mind). Really, easy targets for comedians. His recent coverage of the conservative response to the Trayvon Martin murder, while funny, also showed me some Fox News coverage that I might have been happier not knowing about. But I also loved "The Word" that he did on gun control was especially great.

*Bob's Burgers - I love how wacky this show is! With the Simpsons in reruns, it's nice to have an animated series to enjoy.

*Better off Ted (Seasons 1-2) - I read somewhere that this was a good show to check out on Netflix Instant. It was worth a couple chuckles, but mostly fell pretty flat. Maybe the idea of corporations as evil was a more novel idea when this came out.

*Brothers & Sisters (Season 5) - The only thing I can say in my defense is, after hearing an interview with Rachel Griffith on the radio, I wanted more after watching "Muriel's Wedding" one Saturday night. That and I finished a lot of knitting between this and Better off Ted.

I did not get to much reading this month outside of nearly finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I guess I am just not a mystery reader, but I really did not enjoy it and do not understand its appeal. I was going to watch the movie, but now I am not sure I even want to see that. It's certainly no Hunger Games!

Burrowing Out

The Groundhog bunny came out and didn't see his shadow (unlike that liar in Punxsutawney), so we're welcoming spring in February this year. Then again, those Oscar releases are making me want to hop back into my dark theater hole.

*Project Runway All-Stars - I miss Heidi and Tim. And I'm sick of those polka dots from Kenley. But who can say no to Austin?

*Simpsons - The 500th episode aired and was awesome. It almost made me forget the crappy episodes before it. That means I have spent at least 250 hours of my life watching the Simpsons (not counting reruns). Definitely time well spent.

*Downton Abbey - I rewatched the first season and realized that Elizabeth McGovern's character is supposed to be American. Well, her voice is still annoying and I saw her on the "making of documentary," and I think she's faking an American trying to do a British accent. But at least we're all finally caught up and I can reveal my knowledge of Matthew [SPOILER ALERT!] walking just in time for Lavinia to die. What a shocker I have had to keep secret this whole time from my fellow Americans. It's sad the season's over. I hope they make another one. In the meantime, we can enjoy figuring out which Downton Abbey character you are (not surprisingly, I am Sybil).

*The Interrupters - Frontline aired this documentary, which I had unfortunately not gotten a chance to see in the theater, about a violence prevention program in Chicago (which I believe has also been replicated here in Baltimore). It covered a lot of familiar territory for me about the complex causes of violence and why it is such an intractable problem in inner cities. Last month, Frontline's Nuclear Aftershocks was a really interesting look at the issues around nuclear power. After visiting a nuclear-free country this fall, I find that debate fascinating.

*30 Rock - had a great episode recently about the frustration of being someone who follows the rules in the insanity of a big city.

*Up All Night - I gave the show another try recently, but it's just ridiculous. There's something stupid and not funny about this whole "I'm a parent and I'm trying to still be cool" thing. It makes bad non-mini-van school commuter car commercials, too.

*Parks & Recreation - I am skeptical of this newest love subplot, and the latest episode seemed to be relying too much on old jokes, but it's still funnier than the newer episodes of the Office.

*Skins (Vol. 4) - This one got a little overly dramatic near the end. I kept watching thinking, "really?" it felt like the last season or two of Six Feet Under and The Wire - still a great show, but going a little overboard to keep its edge. There's still one more series to go, so we'll see what the new kids have in store.

*Colbert Report - Colbert poked fun at the contraception controversy like only Catholics can.

I read Arkansas, John Brandon's first book, this month. I've never been to Arkansas, so it's hard to know if the atmosphere is as accurate as Citrus County, his second book. It felt a little less polished than Citrus County, but still a good read. It's a smart, messy story about criminal drug running that doesn't fall into the tropes of most crime novels. I started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I'm 150 pages in and it's not really capturing my imagination, so I may just curl up with my crocheting and watch the Swedish version of the movie on Netflix instant instead.

This post brought to you by President's Day (how is it this is the first year I noticed that it's not celebrated in the South?).

Winter Watches

*Dexter (Season 5) - In the dark winter months, I welcomed the return of my dark passenger. Unfortunately, he came along with guest star Julia Stiles as a dewy-eyed survivor/vigilante. My only hope was knowing that every season arc ends with these side-kicks getting the boot.

*Portlandia (Season 1) - It seems like it should be funny, but it just misses the mark too much. A few memorable lines, but mostly bad jokes repeated until I wanted to run for the remote. Painful, painful Portlandia. Other people love it, though, so maybe I'm missing something.

*Simpsons (Season 23) - A near-perfect political parody to ring in the new year! Homer dons a gravy boat of freedom and whips up a tea-party-like frenzy before realizing he's gone too far and doesn't make any sense. A fabulous FOX News satire on FOX! And then, followed by a great critique of social media in their take off of the Social Network.

*Downton Abbey (Season 2) - Elizabeth McGovern's fake accent drives me nuts, and I wish I hadn't watched the spoiler episode overseas. I know too much! But otherwise I'm enjoying the return of this period drama with its new element of dark war scenes and their scars reaching into the never quite pristine world of the upper crust.

And back by popular demand, I read a book this month - Annabel by Canadian author Kathleen Winter. It's an exquisitely drawn, poignant portrait of a couple in a remote part of the country who give birth to a mixed-gender child. Raised male, the book follows his and his family's struggle to come to terms with not quite being able to check one box or the other. The book hits at some much deeper questions along the way about nature, relationships, secrets, community, and identity.

Back from the Books

I returned only a few weeks ago from being overseas, so some of my notes this month will be about books (the TVs of your imagination) because I mostly read books on my vacation.

*Parks & Recreation (Season 4) -Still laugh-out-loud funny.

*Nurse Jackie (Season 3) - A treat of the international flights, I watched half of the episodes on the way there and half on the way back. I did not see how it would move forward after last season's ending, but they pulled it through and Edie Falco's so amazing!

*Hung (Season 2) - Another one that I thought would wear thin, but it's still pretty funny.

*Downton Abbey (Season 2) - I got more than a preview while overseas (one time in which the Brits get something before Hollywood!). Hurry up, January 8th!

*2 Broke Girls - Caught the first episode on the plane, and it turns out one of the characters was a wealthy heiress with a horse who lost her trust fund in a scandal. It's worth a chuckle when I can catch it.

Books:

-The Canal (Lee Rourke) - a meditation on being bored. I enjoyed the philosophical aspects, but not much else.

-The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) - A clever book with each chapter from a different perspective, all relating to an English language paper in Italy and how their work and lives intersect. A fun, fast read - like a newspaper.

-The Corrections (Jonathan Frazen) - I think this book did not age well. I can't understand why so many people loved this book, and I think it must have been written at a time where writing something sad about people who should be happy was novel.

-Citrus County (John Brandon) - A pitch-perfect, disturbing look at a couple of Floridian adolescents and their middle school teacher. It's tough to write a tale about that age and place that works so well.

Roll'in' the Hay

*The Simpsons Season 23 - A great Treehouse of Horrors episode featuring a whole segment involving fart-communication, followed by an unfortunate guest star episode that went nowhere.

*Seinfeld Seasons 8 and 9 - They go way over the top in the last couple seasons, and some episodes are really amazing - the Little Kicks, the Merv Griffin Show, Serenity Now, and the Strike.

*Project Runway Season 9 - Super disappointing - you started to get the feeling that even the judges were unhappy with their final 4 - they gave them extra money at the last minute in the hopes it could come together. Too bad it didn't, they didn't even manage to pick a winner who could make some sleeves.

*Parks & Recreation - Season 4 - I enjoyed the spoof on the scouts, and Ron's flutes for the end of the world were pretty fun, too. I've given up on the Office for now.

*Hung - First disc of Season 2 - I worried the gimmicky plot would start to wear thin in the second season, but it's still pretty good.

*Northern Exposure - Season 1 - A friend recommended I visit this quirky little town in Alaska with a dedicated cult following. It's enjoyable, if a tad dated.

*The Good Wife - I usually avoid lawyer shows, but people kept recommending this show to me, and it's more intricate and interesting than I expected.

*New Girl - I gave this show a short whirl just to see what everyone's favorite former vegan is up to. Zooey Deschanel plays a heartbroken, nutty science teacher who moves in with a bunch of weak-actor guys. Zooey's character is a less believable version of Tina Fey in 30 Rock (when is that coming back, anyway? soon?) - it's just too hard to believe that Zooey's an unattractive dork who can't get laid.

*2 Broke Girls - A sassy cupcake maker/waitress along with her roommate/partner foil and a horse (I must have missed the episode where they explained that one) struggling to make ends meet in Brooklyn, makes for some pretty clever and funny t.v. These days, who couldn't use a chuckle at the expense of the recession?

*Terra Nova - I watched approximately 2 minutes of this Jurassic Park t.v. show. Someone went way over budget on the special effects and sappiness and forgot to hire actors and writers.

I'm off in a couple weeks to the "diet version of Australia, New Zealand" in the words of Stephen Colbert, so my next post may not be until the winter doldrums set in and after some adventures.

Takeoff

Finally, time for fall - hope springs eternal to try out some new series, though still relying on some good standbys.

*The Simpsons Season 23 - is off to its usual uneasy start. One good episode, one mediocre episode. It's still the highlight of my Sundays, and will continue to be for at least a couple more years.

*Seinfeld Seasons 6 and part of 7 - The characters develop more of a mean streak in these seasons, which I do not enjoy as much. "The Sponge" was always a standout. And who can forget the infamous "Soup Nazi"? In those innocent days back before every political commentator uses the comparison and means it about the other party....

*Mad Men Seasons 2-4 - Honestly, it got a little tedious near the end re-watching this, although I did pick up on a few interesting little things I hadn't noticed before - how Freddy Rumsfeld clues Don in on Peggy's talent and Dr. Miller's apt prediction that Don would marry within a year.

*Project Runway Season 9 - Finally starting to pick up a bit now that it's narrowed down a bit, after two too many 70s challenges. The "Rolling Stone" episode was particularly terrible.

*America's Next Top Model All Stars - I watched a little bit of the new season for old time's sake, but it was even worse than I remembered it, and I just can't even watch it to laugh at it anymore.

*The Office Season 8 - I want it to still be good, but it's just not anymore. They should have called it quits a couple seasons ago.

*Parks & Recreation Season 4 - Leslie and Ron still make me laugh, but Ann's subplots leave something to be desired.

*Whitney - This came on just after the Thursday night NBC line up, so I gave it a shot. It was kind of funny for a minute, and then fell a bit flat. Oh well.

*Up All Night - I loved Maya Rudolph in "Bridesmaids," so I wanted to love this, but I couldn't. The parenting thing kills it. Why are there so many shows with cute, hip young couples trying too hard to make their lives interesting?

*Eastbound & Down Season 2 - I laughed so hard at the first season of this ridiculously offensive show, but they took a wrong turn down in Mexico and really lost their way. Maybe it's the sort of thing that's only funny for about one season.

*Colbert Report - Another episode with my favorite guest, Trevor Potter, this time with a Delaware shell corporation ready to be formed into a 501(c)(4) for Colbert SuperPAC's anonymous donations.

*Prohibition Episode 1 - I am not a history buff, but Prohibition is one of those fascinating stories and Ken Burns does a great job telling it. There's early women leaders, moral imperialism, unintended consequences, strange bedfellows, fear of immigrants - and that's all in the first episode.

*Frontline - Hands down, the best 9/11 coverage I saw anywhere about top secret America. The Man Behind the Mosque was somewhat interesting as well.

*Coverage of Occupy Wall Street - I couldn't bring myself watch much more than Jon Stewart's mockery of the 24-hour news media. This is the sort of thing that's best watched spin-free, in-person first hand. If you can't make it out, the PBS NewsHour did a good job here and here. There's also lots of good streaming coverage online.

Going for a Walk

Out and about a lot this month, there was not much time to devote to T.V. I stuck to some comfortable favorites pre-fall season. But, by the end of the month, some new series and the new fall line-up could do a lot to avoid any more drab reality t.v.

*Seinfeld (Season 4 and 5) - Season 4 marks the moment when Seinfeld starts straying toward the absurd, and away from the ordinary. The Junior Mint, the Contest, and the Smelly Car are among the standouts. There's also the meta show-within-a-show in this season.

*Mad Men (Seasons 1 and part of 2) - Re-watching some of the early seasons reminds me of how it all started, before everything unravels. I almost enjoy the tension more than the post-success, plus it's good to see the little hints of things that come out in later seasons.

*Teen Mom 2 (Season 3) - Proving that teen parents are about as boring as all parents (sorry, folks), I feel like I should really give this one the boot. But will Farrah move to Florida? What will happen with Amber's domestic abuse charges? Will Catelyn and Tyler stick together? If only I could just fast-forward.

*Project Runway (Season 9) - Eh. Nothing exciting so far. Maybe once they narrow the pool it will get more interesting. The last episode posed an avant-garde challenge that really fell flat. I need less ready-to-wear, and more wacky to keep my attention.