Media Summary: April 2011

(Click on the links for more encyclopedic information about the show and/or the actors.)

Movies= 13

Anything For Her - The Next Three Days: I watched both the original and the remake back-to-back. (Would have watched the former sooner but it was hell getting decent subtitles, and by the time I did the latter was already available online.)  Acting-wise Elisabeth Banks does not hold a candle to Diane Kruger.  While both films are thriller-based, once again the European version places emphasis on drama and the American version uses suspense (and a distracting cameo by Liam Neeson).  And maybe it's due to my ignorance on French security but the escape by Julien and Lisa in Anything for Her seemed more believable.  With The Next Three Days John and Lara had to deal w/ a paranoid (but inept) Dept. of Homeland Security and an overzealous TSA, but only justified his success by his use of instructional videos found on YouTube.

Carlos:  I watched the 165-minute UK theatrical release version, as I'm not that much of a film purist to demand seeing the full 330-minute version.  And I suspect the 50% of the film I didn't see would just show more of the same: that most of Carlos "The Jackal's" reputation as being a feared terrorist was unfounded.  His sense of initiative was seen as insuborination and incompetence by his superiors.  He big plans never got off the ground.  Hell, he wasn't even referred to as "The Jackal" in the film.  Those movies about him starring Bruce Willis and Aidan Quinn now seem farcical.

Djinns:  I got this along w/ another film that featured mythical creature --Troll Hunter--, but I ended up deleting the latter and waited for a better copy to come along.  Thinking back I probably should've have deleted Djinns instead.  It didn't feature malelovent genies FUBAR-ing soldiers, but just desert sprits guilting soldiers to death. Not guillotine.  GUILT.



Get Low: Another disappointment.  As much as I love seeing Bill Murry do dramatic roles, Wes Anderson seems to be the only one that's able to get the most out of him to make the film enojoyable to watch.  This sleeper drama seemed to place more emphasis on the "sleep" part.  See, Robert Duvall is a recluse who wanted to attend his own funeral so he hires Bill Murray's charcter to hellwithit, skip to the next film.

Inside Job: There are documentaries that touch you and those that make you laugh.  This one (or at least the subject matter) just ticks me off.  I am ticked off by how the people responsible for the global financial crisis are still working in government and not in jail.  I'm pissed that the cycle of greed is still going on and the "bad guys" are winning.  It's movies like this and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room that make glad that I'm not a greedy-@$ American.

  

Mesrine: Killer Instinct & Mesrine: Public Enemy: When I first saw Vincent Cassel in Ocean's Twelve my first thought was "typical scrawny Frenchman."  That is far from the case in the Mesrine films, where he plays Jacques Mesrine, a bad-ass master criminal (and successful restaurant manager!) that, unlike Carlos the Jackoff, lived up to his reputation.  If you're wondering why the second poster looks like he's doubling for Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ, it's because that supposedly how the French police left his bullet ridden body for the press after a Dillinger-style execution and JFK-style turkey shoot. (It was a lot of bullets.)

The Cell: I had first seen Tarsem Singh's follow-up movie The Fall before The Cell, so I was curious to see if it also had the lush, colorful look on a high-def screen.  It was definitely more style than substance, but justifiably so.  Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn seem miscast here, but not Vincent D'onofrio.  If someone told you Singh directed nothing but commercials and music videos before this you'd believe it.



The King's Speech: I think this is the only Academy Award-winning picture I have on this list. Anyway, from the trailer alone you know "Oscar" was the one word Colin Firth won't screw up in saying.  It's also great how his role in portraying King George IV and telling this untold part in history wasn't overshadowed by what was talked about during the time: King Edward VIII's affair w/ American Wallis Simpson and his abdication from the throne.

Time Of Eve: This movie sold the idea of artificial intelligence to me better than Steven Spielberg's' A.I..  It also had bit of Cherry 2000 and Surrogates, but like the latter it's hard to tell the humans and androids apart if the androids don't turn on their "status rings." Think of it as an extended metaphor on the idea of falling in love w/ someone online, i.e. what they present may not be who they really are. 

Tron: Legacy: Ultimately disappointing, and I wasn't sure what the big deal was w/ the soundtrack by Daft Punk (who turns out to 2 French musicians and not a techno DJ).  I wonder if Jeff Bridges' CGI clone CLU was what Hollywood had in mind in how to keep their stars staying young forever onscreen: w/ realistic skin but dead, soulless eyes.

Waiting for Superman: Investigative reporter John Stossel once talked about the problem of powerful teachers' unions, and how some tenured teachers just laze about w/o fear of being fired but do get paid while doing nothing.  And that's just the tip of this problematic academic iceberg.  American students thinking they did well in their studies w/o actually doing so. (Americans usually rank No. 1 in the confidence quotient, w/c explains all those Jack@$$-type stunts they perpetuate on Youtube.) Quality education so prized that it has to be raffled off.

TV= 31 Shows, 91 Episodes

America's Most Hated Family in Crisis: It was from Louis Theroux's first feature about them that I learned of the existence of the Westboro Baptist Church.  If nothing else these weirdos are consistent, waving their GOD HATES FAGS protest signs at anything that offends them.  In this follow-up report Louis finds that at least one of their flock has joined the rest of the Sane community and left them.

Chaos: The misfits of the CIA?  The underdogs, perhaps?  Actually, I couldn't care less.  The pilot episode was confusing I don't even remember finishing it.

Game of Thrones: The fantasy series that got some of my friends into some heavy reading.  Initially I thought the first episode was dragging, but after we see the Lannister siblings boinking and the kid pushed out the window I went, "Finally!  Something interesting."  It took another 3 episodes before the characters' names started to stick.  And we were introduced to a new word: Sexposition; or the act of talking out some plot points during sex acts. Ten episodes of blood, sex, gore, armor, arrows, barbarians and eventually... dragons.

Happy Endings: Initially gave it a pass because I felt it was trying too hard to be like 30 Rock or even 1 cast member off from being another Friends clone.  But it's back for a second season and so far the new crop of sitcoms aren't that great, so back to dloading Season 1.

Martina Cole's The Runaway: Never heard of Martina Cole.  The title was confusing.  Wanted to give another British show a shot.  Saw it, felt it was a too melodramatic.  Passed.

 

Shameless (US): The British version of Shameless has been going on for 8 years now.  Lord knows I don't have time to catch up on that many episodes, so luckily Showtime made their own version, and w/ decidedly more attractive actors to play social deviants.  Bless.

Thailand: Tourism and the Truth- Stacey Dooley Investigates:  Stacy Dooley's perky cute looks almost makes it seem naive if not egotistic her efforts of wanting fair labor practices or --god forbid-- humane treatment for the locals who work in Thailand's 5-star resorts that cater to the hedonistic whims of rich Caucasians who seek beer, booze and babes for cheap.  It's doubtful she'd change the ways of Thai Tourism in an hour's time.  Even the Tulfo Brothers know to dole out social justice in small doses, and those guys look like a-holes.

Talking Funny: This was Ricky Gervais exercising his comedy clout to basically gather comedy friends and peers to what is essentially a night of chatting in his apartment in New York... if that apartment was a studio and the evening's chat only went on for an hour.  It's still entertaining as hell as you get insights as to how Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Louie CK view What Is Funny.

The Borgias: I stopped watching this 16th-Century Catholic Church's answer to The Sopranos, but should probably get back to it at some point.  It's actually paced faster than most HBO dramas.  Religion as a tool for corruption? You don't say...

The Kennedys: Speaking of crooked families, I let myself believe the media hype surrounding claims by the Kennedy estate that the series in heavily fictionalized, so I stopped watching after the pilot.  Then I thought perhaps that was just their heavy-handed way of not wanting their dirty laundry aired.  But then again the ruthlessness of Joe Kennedy is already well documented, and John Kennedy's womanizing isn't exactly a well-kept secret. And of course dramatic license is taken. Why bother getting Katie Holmes if you won't make her exaggerate some things?

The Killing: Based on the Danish (not Dutch, yeah yeah) series Forbrydelsen (or "The Crime"), each episode follows one day during the course of the investigation into the murder of a teenage girl.

Twenty Twelve: As much as I wanted to finish the series about the team tasked to prepare London for the 2012 Olympics, the role of David Tennant as the narrator was starting to feel redundant, as he kept repeating information about the characters and scenes, almost as if the writers think the audience has Alzheimer's.  Too much telling to go w/ the showing, so to speak.  And nothing ruins a joke like explaining it after dragging it out for too long.

United States of Tara: After 3 seasons of glamorizing dissociative identity disorder I could not believe Showtime cancelled this show but kept the unfunny "comedy" Nurse Jackie going. (I lost count of the number of circles Toni Colette can act around Edie Falco.)  This is one of those few dramedies that feature a family whose kids are actually interesting and not annoying to watch (hint, hint, The Good Wife).  That said, Shirley Mason, aka  the original DID (aka Multiple Personality Disorder) lady Sybil admitted it was all fake, w/c sadly makes me question the foundation the mental condition this show was standing on.

X-Men Anime: aka エックスメン or "Ekkusu Men," follows the Astonishing X-Men team to Japan.  I gave up on the Iron Man (アイアンマン "Aian Man") Wolverine (ウルヴァリン "Uruvarin") and Blade (ブレイド "Bureido") animes but stuck to this one because I read the story concept was cooked up by Warren Ellis.  Long story short: Season 1 brought Emma Frost into the fold, and Dark Phoenix is back.

10 O'Clock Live * 30 Rock * Archer * Batman: The Brave and The Bold * Bob's Burgers * Breakout Kings * Come Fly w/ Me * Community * Fringe * How TV Ruined Your Life * Justified * Modern Family * Parks & Recreation * SNL * The Chicago Code * The Good Wife * The Ricky Gervais Show

Media Summary: March 2011

(Click on the links for more encyclopedic information about the show and/or the actors.)

Movies= 6

All Star Superman: I thought DC missed out when they cast Christina Hendricks to voice Lois Lane but not Jon Hamm for Clark Kent in this adaptation of the Grant Morrison-Frank Quietly maxi-series.  (Seriously? Mike the plumber from Desperate Housewives?) Hell, had they also gotten John Slattery instead of Anthony LaPaglia for Lex Luthor it would've been Mad-Men-ly perfect!

Jackass 3D:  I've said it never so I'll say it now: poop viewings should stay in the toilet.  Funny in some parts, disgusting in the rest.  Johnny Knoxville is the Bear Grylls of comedy.

Justice League: Crisis on 2 Earths: This movie gave us what Grant Morrison's JLA: Earth 2 did not, namely an all-out slugfest between the Justice League and the Crime Syndicate.  We're also treated to a nihilistic Owlman and Mr. Big as Lex Luthor.  Speaking of voice actors, I wish people would stop complaining whenever Kevin Conroy isn't cast as Batman in these animated movies.  He may be the best, but variety is good so as not to have us get sick of hearing him all the time.  It's not like Bruce Greenwood, Jeremy Sisto or Billy Baldwin did a terrible job doing the raspy voice.  If anything it was Christian Bale that gave Batman a lisp!

Let Me In: I had a long online chat w/ my "purist" film friend who preferred the original Swedish Let the Right One In over my favoring this faster-paced American version.  While I agreed that the atmosphere and mood set the Swedish one perfectly, Let Me In concentrated more on the suspense angle, and just as well it did.  Vampires should be scary again, not glamorous.

L'illusioniste: Leisurely-paced French cartoon w/ nary a spoken word.  Beautifully animated, but it was more a like stroll in the park than a day at Disneyworld.

The Tourist: As I briefly mentioned in the January post, this is the inferior remake of Anthony Zimmer.  You won't even hear the name Anthony Zimmer in this version, just "Frank Tupelo." I think I'll just dload director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's (gesundheit) previous film The Lives of Others, instead.

TV= 21 Shows, 48 Episodes

1000 Ways to Die: Described on Wikipedia as a "docufiction anthology television series." I call it an easy and fun way to kill (no pun intended) 22 minutes.  This is where all of William Shatner's failed Rescue 911 calls go.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The latest incarnation of the Batman animated series, this time going for a retro-look but w/ modern and tongue-in-cheek comedic sensibilities. Diedrich Bader's (The Drew Carey Show) take on Batman is a perfect, straight-laced, no-nonsense crimefighter who's virtually indestructible and always on the job.  He's always surrounded by louder, crazier and funnier partners-in-crimefighting.

Breakout Kings: A spinoff of Prison Break, w/c already showed signs of breakage (pun intended) when The Unit's Nicole Steinwedell disappeared after the pilot episode to be replaced w/ the creepily eye-browed Serinda Swan.  Cancelled after 13 episodes.

Mad Dogs: Four men are invited to a private island paradise by their long-lost friend, every one of them (including the host) hiding a secret.  Never mind that the banner above makes them look like an over-aged boy band.  Hmm, I never went past watching the 1st half of episode 2, but now as I type this I'm tempted to dload the last episode just to see how it ended.

Outcasts: The year is 2040, and Man now lives on another planet like Earth, but eerily looks like South Africa.  What first enticed me to watch this was the presence of Battlestar Galactica actors like Jamie Bamber and Michael Trucco, but by the 3rd episode I got bored.

10 O'Clock Live
Archer
Bob's Burgers
Californication
Community
Fringe
How TV Ruined Your Life
Justified
Mitsudomoe
ONN
SNL
The Chicago Code
The Good Wife
The Office
The Ricky Gervais Show
Upstairs Downstairs

Media Summary: Feb 2011

(Click on the links for more encyclopedic information about the show and/or the actors.)


Movies = 6

A Simple Noodle Story: Also known as A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop, Zhang Yimou's vividly colorful and darkly comic Chinese remake of Blood Simple makes wish this was the original film.  Well worth the dload

Broadcast News: The first of my 2 revisits to classic films that either I never finished or fully appreciated.  (This is the former.)  As a kid I caught a TV movie starring Albert Finney (probably my first introduction to Brits playing American characters) and it made me want to be a news anchor (not to be confused w/ wanting to be a news reporter).  Broadcast News made me want to work in the news media.  Reality made me disdain both career paths.

Casino Jack: I first watched the documentary about Jack Abromoff-- Casino Jack and the United States of Money-- before seeing this semi-fictionalized account w/ Kevin Spacey playing Abromoff.  While this film was an acting (and impersonating) tour-de-force for Spacey, the documentary was ironically more entertaining and informative.

The Others: The second of my classic film revisits, dloaded mainly because I wanted to see if it was creepier in Hi-Def.  One of the better plot-twisted horror movies out there.

Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie: Documentaries like this taught me that while seeing mushroom clouds onscreen set to classical music can be both beautiful and haunting, I will stick to action movie explosions to fulfill my entertainment desires.



Welcome to the Rileys: Another attempt by James Gandolfini to get out from under Tony Soprano's large shadow by taking a role that doesn't require speaking w/ a Jersey accent. Also, another attempt by Kristen Stewart to just act, period. Kidding aside it's not a bad film.

TV= 22 Weekly shows, 62 episodes

Eagleheart: Usually shows produced by Conan O'Brien get me w/ their quirky humor, but this Walker: Texas Ranger homage was the exception to that otherwise flexible rule.  Maybe it's because I've yet to like any live action show from Adult Swim, or Chris Elliot just annoys me whenever I see him onscreen.  That said I thought he was ok as the voice of Dogbert on the Dilbert cartoon.

Justified: "Urban Western" on its 2nd season.  I like how this show delves into the characterization of the antagonists more than the protagonists.  Bad guys are always more interesting, and how they're dealt with by Timothy Olyphant's character Marshall Raylan Givens is as Wild West as it can get: shoot first, period.  I'm amazed you can get 2 season's worth of episodes from a short story by Elmore Leonard.

Mister Sunshine: As much as this show seemed like a chance to have Matthew Perry play the same passive-aggresive, sarcastic, wide-eyed straight man again, I was right not to stick w/ this so-so funny show, w/c was cancelled after 9 episodes.

The Chicago Code: Shawn Ryan, the man who gave us The Unit, comes back w/ a cop drama about good guys fighting bad guys in power.  I didn't expect Jennifer Beals' character, Superintendent of Police Teresa Colvin, to bring down Alderman Ronan Gibbons (played by Delroy Lindo) in the 1st Season, but since the show was cancelled she didn't really have choice.  By Episode 13 it was all wrapped up in a neat little (DVD) package.

Untouchable: After trying out anime shows, I was taking advantage of a (then) fast internet connection to try out other Asian programs I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with.  After going through the first, second, third and jumping to the ninth (and last) episode, I realized that I really shouldn't have bothered.

10 O'Clock Live
30 Rock
Archer
Californication
Community
Flashpoint
Fringe
How TV Ruined Your Life
Mitsudomoe
Modern Family
ONN
Parks & Recreation
SNL
The Good Wife
The Office
The Ricky Gervais Show
White Collar

Media Summary: January 2011

I keep lists of things sometimes.  Not for any sort of "life audit" later on, but more for some odd reading material in the future.  This is what Rain Man would do if he watched a lot of downloaded (or "dloaded") TV and movies.  And made snap judgments.

(Click on the links for more encyclopedic information about the show and/or the actors.)

Movies = 15

        

1. And Soon the Darkness: The book savvy might associate the title w/ Joseph Conrad's book, while moviephiles would know this to be a remake of a 1970 British thriller.  I just recognized the girl from Cloverfield and McCoy from JJ Abram's Star Trek.
2. Anthony Zimmer: 2005 French film that inspired the inferior remake The Tourist 5 years later.  I'm guessing they settled for that title because "Frank Tupelo" (the name of Johnny Depp's character) wouldn't have sold as well.
3. Dinner for Schmucks: Another remake of a French comedy.  Excellent, just found a torrent link for it.
4. Easy A: Self-aware comedic version of The Scarlet Letter.  Emma Stone is a comedy find.
5. King of Thorns: Forgettable anime sci-fi "thriller" from the director of The Big O and Appleseed.
6. Love in A Puff: Cute HK rom-com that embraces the sexiness smoking brings to actors, and brings that escapist romanticism that reminds me that this $#!+ doesn't happen in real life to me.
7. Mystery Team: Check out Donald Glover in his non-Community-related comedy work.  I'm probably not alone in thinking his co-star D.C. Pierson looked like Napolen Dynamite w/ a bowl cut.
8. Never Let Me Go: Starring Carey Mulligan, future Spider-Man Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley.  Downer.
9. Red: Grim Warren Ellis comic turned action comedy.  Hurray for Hollywood.
10. Red Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974: Speaking of downers, this film also convinced me that star Andrew Garfield might be too old to play Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man.
11. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980: Movies highlighting police corruption just piss me off (probably because betrayal of the public trust hits too close to home), so after this film I couldn't take any more and just fast-forwarded the last film in this trilogy.
12. The Other Guys: I had no idea where this film was gonna take me because the trailer seemed to by-the-book, comedy-wise.  Adam McKay's work is anything but predictable.
13. The Social Network: This film made me wish I was a computer geek w/ hot Asian groupies, minus the insanely jealous girlfriend.  Also completed my Andrew Garfield film playlist for January.
14. The Special Relationship: Unofficial third part of the Micheal-Sheen-as-Tony-Blair Trilogy. First saw The Queen (second part), haven't seen The Deal (first part).  If you're well informed in political history you can't help but feel sorry for Tony Blair in this film, as he let his ambition and moral rectitude get the best of him in wanting to work w/ George W. Bush.

TV= 26 weekly shows, 70 episodes

10 O'Clock Live: The UK's weekly answer to The Daily Show.  Ran for 15 weeks.  I can honestly say had it not been for this show and The Dailymail online I'd have no idea what the hell goes on in the British Isles, or that they can be as screwed up as America.

 

30 Rock: Season 5 of what I call a "hyper-reality" sitcom, w/c a basically set in a world where everything they do is funny, but I wouldn't want to live or work w/ these people.  Also check out Tina Fey's book Bossypants (w/c gave me the only rules I know about doing improvisational comedy) when you get the chance.  I'd recommend Tracy Morgan's biography but I got bored by it halfway through.

Archer: Season 2 premiere of one the smartest, slickest, sexiest and funniest animated shows out there.  I'm sometimes bewildered at how Sterling Archer can be both a top-notch secret agent but clueless dunderhead at the same time.  He's like a jerkier version of Maxwell Smart.

Bob's Burgers: The second animated series to feature H. Jon "Archer" Benjamin's unique, raspy voice, as well as other male comedies playing 2 female roles.  When I see who did the guest voices at the end credits I'm convinced this just-ok comedy only exists to hire standup comedians (and Kevin Kline) to do guest voices because the main cast also consists of standup comedians.

Breaking Bad: When I first saw the pilot episode it didn't wow me. I thought it was going to be like Weeds, but with (or rather on) heroin.  Passed on downloading the show.  Fast forward 2 years and my cousin John was raving about it.  Decided to give it another try, and I'm glad I did.  Not only is this show nothing like Weeds (for one thing it's a hour-long drama), but it's by Vince Gilligan, the guy who wrote some of my favorite episodes of The X-Files.  Finished the first 2 seasons lickety-split, and now slowly-but-steadily dloading Season 3.

Californication: After this season Hank Moody's antics starting to wear on me, because there's only so many times you can see him fuck up his life and yet still wonder how manages to seduce so many women, aside from the fact that he looks like David Duchovny.  Speaking of w/c, the series is starting to look more like a vanity project for him.  Aside from getting all the best lines, he also gets to do the "hot" sex scenes while poor Evan Handler, who plays his agent Charlie Runkle, has become a kind of comedic sex-foil, as in everything than can go wrong during sex will happen to Charlie.

Come Fly with Me: I remember Matt Lucas from Krod Mandoon, and David Walliams for having a last name like Walliams.  While sometimes I can see the jokes coming a mile away, the way the humor is played reminds me the Ricky Gervais comedy style of being awkwardly funny.  Also, racist depictions aside I'm impressed w/ how these two managed to multitask over a dozen characters between them for 6 episodes. 

Episodes: The jokes were practically being telegraphed but took it's time in being told.  In short: typical British sitcom comedy pacing.  Gave up after the pilot.

Fairly Legal: While I like me some Sarah Shahi (real name Aahoo Jahansouz...good call, whoever thought of her stage name), the USA Network again went for a light dramedy that is ok to watch but not all that compelling to dload (see Burn Notice).  And believe in or not Shahi was funnier in her previous series Life.

Flashpoint: As with House, this show about a S.W.A.T.-like team based in Toronto was once a favorite, but soon became formulaic and repetitive.  The thriller-like pacing now just makes me go "meh," almost like how I'd treat anything coming from Canada.

Fringe: I keep telling friends who want to start watching Fringe to be like me and start w/ Season 2 because they hadn't worked out all the storytelling kinks in Season 1.  And as a superhero comics fan I can better appreciate the concept of a parallel universe.  Hell, the Observer characters are derivative of The Watchers from Marvel Comics.

How TV Ruined Your Life: As with 10 O'Clock Live, Charlie Booker shows us the evils of growing up whilst watching and absorbing British Television.  If you thought American TV programming is bad, British television can be worse, but they come off as "classy" because it's done w/ an English accent.

Lights Out: Brain-damaged boxer turned mob legbreaker, starring that troubled cop from CSI: Miami that killed himself behind Emily Procter's character.  Passed after seeing the pilot, cancelled after 13 episodes.

Strong sister, Stoic sister and Sinister sister

Mitsudomoe: After Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Code Geass I was looking for another anime series to get into.  I actually first checked out Mitsudomoe 2 and thought I was getting a Star Rangers/Bioman spoof, but that was only a storyline for the premiere episode.  Turns out these 3 sisters and their dad -- whose unfortunate running joke is to be mistaken for a pervert-- are the focus of the show, w/ often splits into 3 episodes per half-hour, like w/ Dexter's Lab or The Powerpuff Girls.  It's mostly nonsense and cheeky stuff, but funny, nonetheless.

Modern Family: The most user-friendly in my list top 3 favorite comedies (including 30 Rock and Community), in that I don't have to worry about explaining the jokes to my nephews/nieces when they watch it. 

Onion News Network: ONN is what The Daily Show would be had they gone less talk-show and more Not Necessarily the News, sans laugh track.  But I guess TDS got the balance right, because ONN plays it so straightforward that at one point my mom thought she was watching an actual newscast.  They've fooled me several times as well, and always when I read a shocking headline on digg.com before realizing the link was to theonion.com.

Parks and Recreation: As with Fringe (and Prison Break before that), I started watching this regularly starting w/ Season 2, and it went from being a show I'd watch after The Office to a show I'd rather watch instead of The Office.

Peep Show: Finished the lastest season (7) in one afternoon.  I wish David Mitchell has his own podcast, but so far this was all I found. 

Portlandia: I'm not familiar w/ Portland's culture and history, so I'm sure the skits that made me go "weh?" had local Portlandians taking it in stride or guffawing in glee.

Saturday Night Live: Stuck around for the Digital Shorts or Weekend Update, because overall their jokes make me long for when Tina Fey was the head writer.  While I'm sure Seth Myers is ok, I think he saves the best jokes for himself when he does the fake news.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.: The latest incarnation of the Scooby-Doo series, now w/ scarier intros, or at least not ones I'd show to my toddler nieces/nephews.  The big changes include having the main characters parents as supporting characters, Shaggy and Velma as a couple, and Scooby-Dee having an understandable speech pattern.

The Good Wife: My favorite non-typical legal drama, not to mention the only legal drama I'm watching right now.  (Will get to Garrow's Law and Silk, eventually.) When Eileen and I talk about the most recent episode I praise while she gushes about it.

The Office: Gave up on it earlier in the season, but out of curiosity if not closure, I dloaded the episode leading up to Michael Scott's resigning, his proposing to Holly, and the one where Will Ferrell first appears on the show. 

The Ricky Gervais Show: An edited cartoon version of their Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington's podcast w/c I've already listened to in mp3 format.  Lord knows why I bother getting this in 720p format, but I'm glad I do.

Upstairs Downstairs: Admittedly when this first came out I thought it was made to fill the void Downton Abbey left when that show's first season was over.  Turns out it's a remake of a series in the 70s that went on for 8 years.  This version only had 3 episodes for Season 1, but I'm a fan of Keeley Hawes and look forward to Season 2.

White Collar: Catch Me if You Can: The Series as it's not known as, also from The USA Network.  I like that Peter Burke (played by the likable Tim DeKay) is unlike most TV FBI agents in that he can actually catches wind of what his foil Neal Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) is up to and puts a stop his plans whenever possible, but the long-winded mystery of the music box eventually put me off the show.