Hiatus

So, this whole blogging thing hasn't worked out quite like I planned. I've lost all but 1 of the original team members, and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. Additionally, what happened after I began my career in the music industry has repeated itself here -- blogging about TV has actually made me enjoy TV less. I will be taking a brief hiatus in order to regroup and think about what I want to achieve with this blog, then will (hopefully) come back stronger, and with a redesign. In the meantime, however, Hans Blix has expressed interest in continuing to write about Lost. So stay tuned, and thanks for sticking with us.

Also, after last night's Fringe I've decided that Astrid is bad news.

And maybe Charlie is too.

Sad News

And a couple days late: Kim Manners has passed away.

DTV

While I have no doubt that SDYW readers are well-informed, I thought I'd post this news item from the Washington Post:

Obama Urges Delay In Digital TV Switch

Personally I hope that it is delayed, as I still have not decided which TV to buy. I'm paralyzed by choice, and by conflicting recommendations. Grrrr.

On Hiatus

Sorry for the super-lazy lack of posting, but we were on vacation, and now everything is off-air until January. Please stand by -- we will be back in full force come 2009!

P.S., I'm a genius.

To find out why, click here. But be warned, spoilers for a recently-canceled show that I used to blog about lie ahead.

Thanks to Lainey for the info!

News & Stuff

I have been ridiculously uninterested in blogging the past couple of days, all because of the election. Monday I fretted all night, unable to sleep, and yesterday I spent the day feeling nauseous. Until 8 p.m. PST, that is, when the announcement was made. Obama! Hallelujah! Regular posting will resume tomorrow.

SDYWAWOL

This summer I have been totally lackadaisical about this blog, and I feel bad about it. Not that bad, but still. However, now that the fall season is starting up, expect to see a lot more going on here at SDYW. Here are the shows on our radar this season:

90210
ANTM Cycle 11
Dollhouse
Do Not Disturb
Friday Night Lights
Fringe
Gossip Girl
How I Met Your Mother
Kath & Kim
Life On Mars
Reaper
Supernatural
The Ex List
The Office

Since I still have no TiVo, this will be interesting...

Upfronts & Whatnot

Here's a list of what has caught our eye so far here at SDYW...

FOX
Dollhouse (Joss Whedon, eeeeek!)
Fringe (J.J. Abrams + Joshua Jackson)
Do Not Disturb (Jerry O'Connell + Niecy Nash, hmmm)
Class Dismissed (various Arrested Development alumni, name changed from Sit Down Shut Up)

CBS
Swingtown
The Ex List

CW
90210

ABC
Life On Mars

And we will continue to remain loyal to How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural, The Office, Gossip Girl (hopefully), Friday Night Lights, and (perhaps) Reaper.

How about you?

Sorry for the lack of updates!

Sorry for the severe lack of updates, but I have been totally waylaid by a pinched nerve in my neck. Being immobile sucks. But I'm back!

ANTM Cycle 10: Only One Can Win Edition

America’s Next Top Model – And the Winner Is…
As the 10th season concludes, the three remaining models shoot a cosmetics commercial and pose for a print ad. The judges then send one lady packing, and the final two contestants take part in a runway challenge to determine the winner.

The girls do a Cover Girl TV commercial and print ad for Lash Blast mascara. The print ad will run nationally including a billboard in Times Square. The pressure finally gets to Anya, and breaks down in tears right in the middle of getting her hair & makeup done.

During the commercial:
Fatima is first. She memorized the lines well but she speaks monotone, running all the lines together. Jay says she is robotic and seems inhuman.

Whitney is second. She is determined. She forgets her lines. But she takes pauses at the right times, has great energy, and smiles a lot.

Anya is incredibly nervous. She cannot get through a single take, but she has great energy and an innocence that displays well on camera. She looks amazing.

During the photo shoot:
Fatima doesn’t give a lot of variety.
Whitney is great.
Anya models from her toes up.

During panel:
Fatima’s commercial is not good. Nigel says it’s more like a toothpaste ad. Her photo is stunning but not perfect. She’s looking up too high, "as if she saw God.” She doesn’t smile with her eyes.

Whitney is directable, but her commercial reminded Paulina of the Miss America competition. Her photo is stellar.

Anya’s commercial, taken all together, was a train wreck. However, she did the best because it was totally her. Unfortunately, her photo has no personality. Paulina says she looks stupid.

In private deliberation:
Fatima makes a wonderful print model but lacks confidence.
Whitney’s photo is her first flash of brilliance, but her size is a problem.
Anya did not do her best, which at this point is a problem. She can do better.

Fatima is booted off.

Whitney and Anya both do a Seventeen cover shoot with Nigel, and both do really well. Their final challenge is to participate in Versace runway show. It’s kind of anticlimactic -- certainly no “crazed gothic bride” show like CarriDee and Melrose had to do in Cycle 7. Whitney is a bit too bouncy and Anya’s face is blank except when she looks like she’s going to fall down.

During the final judging:
Anya didn’t bring it as strong as she should have, but she was stunning.
Whitney hit it, bam! It was a little too much was it was great.

During private deliberation:
Whitney was amazing. She has presence. Miss J says her “juicy booty did a damn good job.”
Anya didn’t have any fire. She fell apart.

And…



Whitney wins! And already people are asking, “Do she think she won because she’s plus-sized?”

Is Hans Blix Lost?

Hi folks. Many of you have asked/written about our recent lack of Lost posts. As much as it pains us to admit it, we think we have lost our Lost blogger. Hans has a lot going on these days, and hasn't had the time to entertain us with his fabulously witty posts. We will attempt to woo him back , or we will hire a new Lost blogger. The show must go on! Anyway, here's the un-fun, quick & dirty version of what's happened in the past two weeks...

Lost – Something Nice Back Home
Jack’s health is seriously compromised (appendicitis), forcing Kate and Juliet to work together to save him. Meanwhile, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, and Miles continue their trek from Locke’s camp to the beach.

Lost – Cabin Fever
Locke discovers the location of Jacob’s cabin, and life aboard the freighter becomes increasingly perilous.

If you'd like to give a better recap or discuss what you think is happening with the island, please feel free to do so in the comments! Who knows, maybe YOU could be our new Lost blogger!

Site News

So, nothing is on next week. At least nothing we here at SDYW watch. Sadness. But the one shining light is the return of The Office, and hopefully it will be good. Other than that, I've been watching The Pretender on DVD and I'm enjoying it. Much like Lost, the show gives you just enough pieces of the puzzle to keep you interested, particularly in Miss Parker's case, but the storytelling formula in each episode is exactly the same. Jarod pretends to be [fill in the blank], Miss Parker and Sydney track him down, Jarod stymies the bad guy, Miss Parker and Sydney show up and chase him, he escapes. The end. Please, someone, tell me this doesn't continue for four entire seasons. I don't think I can take it.

Changing the Upfronts

There was an interesting piece on Marketplace last night about the way that NBC is attempting to change the upfront process and what affect it could have on the future of TV. Check it out here.

Two great tastes that taste great together!

Eeeeeeeee!

Site News

Posts will likely be spotty for the rest of the week. Our office is moving to a brand-new location and trying to pack and work at the same time is wreaking havoc on our mental state. We will for sure post on ANTM and Lost, but everything else is up in the air.

FNL Saved! (Perhaps)

Hooray!

Highlight of the Oscars

If you love Jennifer Garner -- and really, who doesn't -- you must watch this wonderful clip of Gary Busey kissing her on the red carpet. It has been a source of much workplace laughter today. He has since apologized, and it's really not that big a deal. Personally, I always like to see that actresses I like are cute and funny in person as well as onscreen.

Poll Time!

I'm always tempted, and I always decide against it.
Should I watch One Tree Hill?
Help me, readers -- vote in our poll!

Party of Five Season 3 on DVD!

Sorry if this is old news, but I was looking through a catalog at work today and they're finally releasing Party of Five Season 3 on DVD!!! You can preorder it on Amazon. This gives me hope that someday I will be able to relive the entire series.

Guest Bloggers, Ahoy!

Whew -- two posts in one day! Recently I realized that since I make all guest bloggers fill out a little introductory questionnaire, I should do one myself. So here is a little glimpse of the current SDYW staff...

Name: Boots
Location: Portland
Occupation: Music Industry
Current TV: Reaper, The Office, Supernatural, Friday Night Lights
All-Time TV: The West Wing, Buffy, Arrested Development, The Office (UK), Rescue Me
Movies: To Catch a Thief, A Fairy Tale, Pi, Eternal Sunshine
Music: Patsy Cline, Jawbreaker, Death Cab, Stars, Squeeze
Books: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Virgin Suicides, The Secret History, The Time Traveler's Wife, Absalom Absalom, Geek Love, anything by Flannery O'Connor
Websites: WWTD, TiFaux, Washington Post Crosswords, Aquarium Drunkard, Whole Health MD

Which TV character would you like to have...
a friendship with: Jen Lindley, Tyra Collette, Rickie Vasquez
a relationship with: Pacey Witter, Josh Lyman, Jason Street, Will Tippin, Charles Gunn
in your bed: Dean Winchester

Name: Alligator
Location: Seattle
Occupation: Artist
Current TV: Gossip Girl, Flight of the Conchords, The Hills
All-Time TV: The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Sex and the City, Antiques Roadshow, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Murder She Wrote
Movies: Annie Hall, Gone with the Wind, North By Northwest, To Kill a Mockingbird
Music: Joanna Newsom, Melanie, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones
Books: On Beauty, Air Guitar, The Americans
Websites: Fred Flare, The Sartorialist, NY Times, The Stranger

Which TV character would you like to have...
a friendship with: Larry David (does that count?)
a relationship with: Aidan (Sex in the City), Brett (Flight of the Conchords)
in your bed: Michael Vaughn (Alias)

And our newest guest bloggers!
Name: Hans Blix
Location: Portland, Or.
Occupation: Office bitch
Current TV: Lost, Friday Night Lights, Family Guy, The Deadliest Catch
All-Time TV: Lost, Freaks and Geeks, M*A*S*H, Friends
Movies: Amelie, City of Lost Children, Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Strangelove
Music: Beirut, Death Cab, LCD Soundsystem, Okkervil River, Stars
Books: Camus-The Plague, anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Hemingway
Websites: Pitchfork, PerezHilton, BlueOregon, Truehoop

Which TV character would you most like to have...
a friendship with: Hurley from Lost
a relationship with: Rachel Green from Friends
in your bed: Sarah Walker from Chuck

Name: Sexy Bacon
Location: Seattle
Occupation: YA Librarian
Current TV: Don't watch any current TV— mm, I guess the two I do watch are pretty good, Lost and Big Love (but I can't speak for this season)
All-Time TV: Six Feet Under, My So-Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Movies: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Dead Poets Society, Beautiful Thing
Music: Iron & Wine, Neko Case, The Smiths, Antony and the Johnsons
Books: Norwegian Wood, God of Small Things, Interpreter of Maladies, The Book Thief, Goodnight Moon
Websites: A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Fuse #8 (now under School Library Journal)

Which TV character would you most like to have...
a friendship with: the blond chick from Freaks and Geeks, Christina from Grey's Anatomy, Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
a relationship with: McDreamy (post divorce)
in your bed: Vaughn from Alias, Nate from Six Feet Under, Franco from Rescue Me, Jordan Catalano