sweeps month: sunday edition

this couch potato series of blogs is about to be over, with the final posting of my television-viewing schedule.


amazing race
CBS 8/7c

gary and i love to travel. i want to visit every continent in my lifetime, and as many countries as humanly (and financially) possible. so, the amazing race is definitely a household favorite of ours. on this reality show, teams of two race around the world, completing various missions in countries throughout the world. all of the tasks that teams must complete are related to the culture or traditions of the country or city they are in. it's very fascinating and interesting to see these places - it's also a great way to discover new places for future travel!



desperate housewives
ABC 8/7c

this is a total guilty pleasure of mine. how can you not enjoy the campy-ness of the ladies on wisteria lane?! the best thing the writers of this show did was to fast-forward the show 5 years at the beginning of last season. while some of the storylines may get boring or old, there's always some new drama about to unfurl!

sweeps month: saturday edition

i love my big ten network.



as a life-long, die-hard Hoosier fan, i grew up watching each and every IU basketball game. attending college in bloomington only intensified my school spirit and love for all things IU. so, imagine my disappointment when i moved to charlotte to discover ACC athletics took precedence, rarely getting a glimpse of my Hoosiers.

unfortunately, things weren't a whole lot better when i moved to chicago - no thanks to northwestern and the illini. in order to see most IU games, i would have to go to a bar to see them via satellite tv. that is, until the the greatness that is the big ten network came to be.

once the big ten network aired, nearly every single IU game was televised. if it wasn't on the BTN, it was on another cable channel. in order to get the BTN, i had to initially switch cable providers and go with one that carried the channel (and it was even included in the channel line-up free!). since then, i have rarely missed my IU Hoosiers! whether a saturday football game or an evening basketball game, my big ten network never fails me!

GO HOOSIERS!

sweeps month: friday edition

i remember the days when friday night was full of great family sitcoms. i used to watch full house and family matters every friday night. it seems since those shows ended, friday night has been somewhat of a dud night for good tv. recently, one of my favorite shows was moved to friday night.


ugly betty
ABC 9/8c

ugly betty is an enjoyable and humorous com-dram about an innocent, somewhat attractive girl, who works for a fashion magazine in new york city. betty definitely has her own sense of fashion!

i thought that ugly betty had always received good ratings, but during its third season, it was in jeopardy of being canceled and, in fact, took a brief hiatus mid-season. thankfully, due to petitions to the network, ugly betty was renewed for a forth season, yet moved to friday nights - the television death slot. hopefully is will be revived and continue on for many more seasons!

sweeps month: thursday edition

thursday night is a full night of television! i have 3+ hours of programming that i enjoy watching. thursday night has always been a chill, tv night for me! so here it goes - gotta make it quick! ...i have shows to watch!!



survivor
CBS 8/7c

this is a total guilty pleasure of mine. it seems as if this "original" reality show has been on forever. while i have not seen every season, i have watched a majority of each survivor destination. yes, this is a the show where "castaways" are dropped off in some remote part of the world and are required to survive - all for a million dollars.

a few seasons ago, i got gary hooked on this show. ever since that point, we don't miss an episode! it does require to do exactly what the motto of the show is: outwit, outplay, and outlast.



grey's anatomy
ABC 9/8c

it's not just another 'ER'. okay, well maybe it is just a newer version of the other medical drama. what i love and hate about this show is the characters on the show. some are sarcastic, bitchy, and funny while others are whiney, over-emotional, or just plain annoying. i'll admit that last year i was ready to "quit it". i said i would give it just one more week to wrap-up the ridiculous story line before i completely stopped watching the show. thankfully, it was rectified.



private practice
ABC 10/9c

this is a spin-off of grey's anatomy. in fact, there have been a couple "cross-over" episodes where the two shows are intertwined. yet, on its own, 'private practice' is a great show about doctors in various fields work at an upscale medical practice in LA. i truly enjoy all of the characters on this show. each one brings a unique quality to the show. (and how can you not enjoy watching taye diggs, who has appeared shirtless on a few occasions!)

now if you'll excuse me, i have some tv to watch!

sweeps month: wednesday edition

wednesday is by far my favorite night of television this season!!!


glee
FOX 9/8c

the highlight of my week is the new show, glee! glee is a comedy-drama show about a high school show choir. the pilot episode aired last year after the season finale of 'american idol' and from that moment, i was hooked! it's cheesy! it's funny! it's sarcastic! it's amazing!

in the show, you have your stereotypical characters: the jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders, the minority students. the creators of this show do a fantastic job of intermingling all these stereotypes and bringing them together to create a dysfunctional, yet talented, show choir.

the musical arranger for the show is amazing. i have found myself going to iTunes many times to download the songs that i saw/heard on the show!

my only complaint with the show is the obvious lip syncing that occurs. however, i have done my research and can assure you that it is, in fact, the actual actors who are singing each song (with the occasional additional background singers, not shown on-screen).

here's the season promo:






modern family
abc 9/8c

this is a hilarious, new sitcom on abc this fall. it's the story of three families (who are all related) and their unrivaled differences. there's the older father who is married to the younger woman with her cultural-centric son; the husband (who tries to be cool) and wife with their three very different children; and the gay couple with their newly adopted asian baby. seriously, it's hysterical. perhaps it's so funny because everyone can relate to it on some level!

here's one of my favorite clips from this season. excuse the advertisement at the beginning.

sweeps month: tuesday edition

biggest loser
8/7c

to me, this is one of the most inspirational reality shows on television. for those who have never seen 'the biggest loser', people who are obese (sometimes relatives, couples, friends, or complete strangers) are invited to the biggest loser ranch where they will fight for their lives to get healthy and fit, with the help of two trainers, bob and jillian.

each week, the contestants work hard in the gym, pool, or hiking trails and are then weighed at the end of the week. the goal is to be the biggest loser, those who lose the smallest percentage face being eliminated. while this is still a "game" and there are surprises along the way, nearly all the contestants continue their fight once they return home. at the end of the season, all the constants return for one last weigh-in. the contestants who were sent home compete to be the biggest "at-home" loser, and those three remaining at the end strive to earn the title of "biggest loser". here are a couple before/after shots of former contestants.




aside from the stigma of being a reality program, the show is educational and inspirational to those who are overweight and want to be healthy. each segment goes to commercial with a trainer tip (often food tips or exercise suggestions). a few seasons ago, i was greatly inspired by the show and lost nearly 40lbs through diet and exercise.

sweeps month: monday edition

big bang theory
CBS 9:30/8:30c

this show was introduced to me a couple seasons ago by teresa. it is a hilarious sitcom about two geniuses (sheldon & leonard) who work as an experimental physicist and a theoretical physicist at caltech. they have two friends, raj and howard, who are also just as geeky. sheldon and leonard live across the hall from penny, an aspiring actress who works at the cheesecake factory.

this show extremely funny and sheldon's constant use of dry humor (yet quite serious for him) is what makes this show such a hit. i love the return of the 30-min sitcom, where people of all generations can watch the program together.

here's a short clip of sheldon, leonard, and penny:





intervention
A&E 9/8c

i could be totally inappropriate and talk about how this show is like watching a train wreck...or that i will sometimes have a glass of wine while watching this program. however, this show is a positive force in so many people's lives. in this reality program, the crew follows around an addict (often hardcore drugs or alcohol) for a period of time, where they agree to be part of a documentary. what they don't know, is that they will eventually face an intervention by their friends and family. as the episode reaches its climax, the addict often agrees (sometimes quite hesitantly) to attend rehab. while there are some relapses, many of these addicts are able to maintain sobriety and get healthy.