Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution

The first episode of this show was very promising. What's not to love about a hot guy with a sexy British accent that is passionate about improving the lives of children? I liked the pilot so much I watched it again later with my mom (BTW-she enjoyed it too). But the show has gotten progressively worse with every episode, and now I can't watch it.

I still want to like Food Revolution, but this show has a lot of problems that I can't ignore. I'm most aggravated by the obviously produced resentment Jaime encounters from the locals. Jaime must battle the school board, the lunch ladies, and most of all the local radio DJ in an attempt to get people to be aware of what they are eating. Oh please! I can't even name one local radio DJ, and I would never allow their beliefs to effect my judgement. This show is produced by Ryan Seacrest, a radio DJ, so maybe that's why he's trying to portray the local radio DJ as a relevant voice of the community. The problem is it's not.

Jaime often bumps head with the elementary school's lunch ladies. Even though the kids are tumbling into the cafeteria hungry for their breakfast pizza, we're supposed to believe that these West Virginians are so resistant to change that they would rather their kids die a slow death than heed the warnings of a foreigner. The nay sayers are ofter heard saying "we just don't trust his motives". What's could Jaimie's ulterior motives be? What sinister secret could he possible be plotting that requires healthy kids? I'm insulted that the producers think the viewers are simple enough to believe that manufactured plot.

Also Food Revolution has way to much filler material. The producers come up with the stupidest segments just to fill time. In one episode Jaime created a flash mob that danced and sang about food. What? That is not interesting. It's cony and flash mobs are so played out. Note to all reality shows: When you don't have enough relevant material to fill the time slot, try harder.

Food Revolution tries to push a David vs Goliath sub-plot that has gotten away from them. There are genuine obstacles to improving school lunches; budget, time, and the biggest hurdle of all, kids prefer crappy food. These are the issues the show should focus on. Not can Jaime get 1,000 people to attend free cooking classes when the voice on the radio says don't waste your time?

Brandy & Ray J: Family Business

Here's why I will never EVER watch this show.
I can't stand Brandy or Ray J. Neither one of them is talented or sexy. Ray J literally makes my skin crawl. He is disgusting and slimy. Brandy is ghetto. She is trying to walk the line between commercial and hood. She looks like the kind of person that would smoke menthol cigarettes and have a bad weave. Oh wait she does have a bad wig/weave/hair piece/extra large forehead.

Look I know I sound like a straight up hater. That's because I am. I seriously can not stand to see or hear either of them. And now their parents want some camera time too. Sorry not interested. There are already too many reality shows following attention starved people that would do anything for a TMZ mention. I am sick of it. How about these media whores do something worth my time? Ray J in the studio looking and sounding like every tired guy on the corner isn't it. Watching Brandy try and circumvent the bitterness she feels because she's not a famous as Britney or even Jessica Simpson for that matter is lame and transparent. And their sad sad sad parents trying to prove to the Kardashians they can have a successful show too is... well... sad and extremely misguided.

To make TV better lets cancel this show and while we're at it For The Love Of Ray J too and forget they ever existed. Yuck!!!

Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal is one of my favorite television shows of all time. It ran for 5 seasons airing from 1997 to 2002. I remember sitting on the floor of my dorm room freshman year and watching the pilot episode. I instantly fell in love with characters. This show is written and cast perfectly (disregard final season).

I miss the "Fishisms". And how amazing was Lucy Lu? John Cage was my favorite with his remote toilet flusher because he liked a fresh bowl.

Why aren't they airing reruns or putting episodes on Hulu.com? I demand they put Ally McBeal on Hulu!!!

Being Erica

Why am I the only person I know that's watching Being Erica? Ok, so it is a Canadian show that airs on SOAPnet, but still... it's a good show.

Being Erica is about Erica Strange, a Canadian woman in her early 30s. She's a failure in both career and love. Although Erica is well educated, she repeatedly either quits or get fired from various dead end jobs. The same goes for her love life. She either dumps or gets dumped by her boyfriends. After being fired from a customer service position, she opens a door and is transported to Dr, Tom's office for "therapy". During Erica's therapy sessions she goes back in time to fix a regret.

Being Erica is currently airing its second season. I have never seen a commercial for it (but then again I don't watch SOAPnet), and no one is really talking about it. I discovered this gem one night when I was bored. I did an intense search on Hulu.com to find something I could watch. After peeling through 60 plus pages of shows I found Being Erica. The complete first season was available and I was instantly hooked. I stayed up all night to watch.

Being Erica is not for everyone. It's a total a chick show. Men aren't going to be interested in Erica's career and love troubles. The show isn't about Erica going back in time and reliving situations so her present day life is better. It's about her learning and then using that knowledge to make her present day life better...chick stuff. I also like that when Erica goes back in time the show stays true to the music and fashion of that year. I know this isn't new. They do the same thing in Cold Case, but I like that kind of attention to detail.

Anyway I like this show. And I like Erica's wavy red hair, her dresses, and her friends/family. So if you need something to watch on Wednesday night (or whenever you feel like...thanks Hulu.com) tune into Being Erica. I recommend it.

The Wendy Williams Show

I was totally surprised when it was announced that Wendy Williams would be getting her own television talk show based on her radio show. I knew if it was as weak and frantic as her radio broadcast it was going to be short lived. She would become just another slightly famous person that mistakenly though they were interesting enough for TV.

Wendy Williams is an amazon. She's tall and thick (not fat but curvy). She wears large over the top wigs and tight dresses. Everything about her is big; her hair, her jewelry, her personality. If not handled properly all that is a disaster on camera. So she was going to need a skilled and competent production team. The talk show had a short test run to see if their was an audience for this kind of show. There must have been because it's broadcast all over the country and then reairs on BET at night.

Ok let me get to it. The Wendy Williams Show is actually good. Wendy is entertaining and I like listening to her deliver celebrity gossip. Her celebrity interviews, however, are hit or miss. I mean she's not Oprah so her guests aren't A-list celebs. She tends to have D-listers and reality TV personalities, but hey that's not necessarily a bad thing. She also has an "Ask Wendy" segment where the audience gets to ask her for personal advice. My only criticism of this part is the questions always seem fake or the person is trying way too hard to appear interesting and...well they're not. Producers get the participants in line. They are extras and should act accordingly.

Just like on her radio show, Wendy likes to eat and drink while broadcasting. She frequently has to pause and gather herself because she has food in her mouth. This would normally drive me up a wall, but somehow, and I'm not sure why, it comes across just like when I'm talking/having coffee with my friends.

Now my biggest problem with The Wendy Williams Show is the commercial breaks. During the "Ask Wendy" segments she often doesn't have time to talk with the participant, because she has to toss to commercial. I tend to flip through the channels while I'm watching this show. Every time I do a channel loop and get back to Wendy's show she's tossing to commercial again. They need to space the commercial breaks out better so they don't interrupt the show's flow.

So to my surprise The Wendy Williams Show is a success. It fills the niche left open by the end of The Ricki Lake Show. Just work on the commercial thing.

The Price of Beauty with Jessica Simpson

I should come out of the gate saying I am completely indifferent to Jessica Simpson. I know a lot of people find her annoying and a lot of people think she's spunky. I am not a fan of any one playing dumb to get laughs or attention, but Jessica is not one of the celebrities on my do not hire list.

The Price of Beauty is a new reality show on VH1 staring Jessica Simpson and her two friends, Ken Paves and CaCee Cobb. Jessica went to every talk show and magazine to promote the series. The first episode sent the three friends to Thailand to explore the cultures views on beauty and what length people will go to to achieve the ideal look. Jessica, CaCee, and Ken had massages, went to a temple and visited the Karen Hill Tribe to witness a young girl getting her first neck ring. The rings that will permanently elongate the girls neck. The number of rings signifies wealth and beauty.

The Price of Beauty is shot beautifully, and the subject matter is fascinating. So why are the ratings for this show so low? Because Jessica and Ken aren't at all interesting. Like when they were privy to meditate with a monk Jessica laughs throughout the session. Not cool or cute. Just when I thought Jessica was giving up her dizzy persona, I find that is not the case.

CaCee gets the least about of screen time, but is the only interesting cast member. She tends to look like she's paying attention to the local contributors as they speak, while Jessica looks bored and Ken just looks uncomfortable.

I LOVE the idea of this series but find it boring to watch. Price of Beauty should be about the various concepts of beauty the world over. But instead it's lets watch Jessica Simpson try to experience the beauty regimes of the locals with Ken and CaCee as back up singers. The viewer is supposed to find Jessica Simpson charming, funny, and relatable. And that is where they fail. I don't know if she can carry an entire show by herself, but I think the producers should consider fazing Jessica and Ken out and bringing CaCee forward.

Ultimately this show isn't horrible it's just not good. And that's disappointing because it has so much potential... and well... I would love to be a part of what The Price of Beauty could be.

NBC's Parks and Recreation

When i was a little kid I could tell you what TV shows were on at any given time of the day. I was a human TV Guide. But now that I have a DVR I have no idea at what time even my most favorite shows are on. However thanks to NBC, Thursday night is never a problem.

I have been a regular viewer of this "must see TV" for decades. I'm talking about shows such as The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, ER, A Different World, Family Ties, Will & Grace, Cheers, The Office, 30 Rock, etc. Whether it's comedy to drama NBC brings its A-game on Thursday (except when the Olympics are on).

April 9, 2009 Parks & Recreation aired as a new addition to NBC's Thursday night line up. Parks & Recreation is a mockumentary style comedy about the Parks and Recreation department of a small town's local government. The series stars Amy Poehler. I adore Amy Poehler. She is one of my favorite SNL actors. She is hilarious and smart and quick and charming and...She is a star. When I heard about this show I was thrilled.

Cut to me watching the pilot episode. Frown face. It was so bad. In a sentence, The show just wasn't funny. I was so disappointed. After one viewing I deleted P&R from my DVR and just knew it would soon be cancelled. Well I was wrong. To my surprise P&R was not cancelled but picked up for another season.

A few months ago I couldn't sleep. I signed on to Hulu (my favorite site) and P&R was one of the most watched series. I decided to give it another chance. I am so happy did. The show is, in a word, funny. The Park Safety episode is so good I had to write a blog praising it. This episode in particular was above and beyond. The writing was witty and the comedic timing was precise.

So if you have the time go to Hulu.com and catch a few episodes of my new favorite show.

TV is amazing. Now lets make it better.

I love watching television. It is my favorite things to do. I consider my TV and remote to be part of the family. I spend countless hours tuning in to everything from half hour sitcoms to made for TV movies to prime time dramas. A few nights ago I caught myself glued to the Home Shopping Network as Iman hawked her new line of leggings. It is this (borderline unhealthy) compulsion with the small screen that is why I have zero tolerance for crappy acting and mediocre writing. This blog is dedicated to discussing popular shows, actors, and networks; applauding TV at its best and pointing out ways a program can improve.