My inbox currently contains 216 messages, all of which require some sort of attention and response. Some date back as far as early March. This has been weighing on me for weeks, and today is the day I go through and clean the inbox up.
So while I know I promised a mailbag this week, I'm going to put it off just a bit longer and hopefully come across a few lost inquiries along the way today. (As opposed to inquiries about "Lost.")
In the meantime, some links and some TV discussion to keep you busy this afternoon...
-- The Senator offers a fantastic example of why you shouldn't take preseason polls too seriously.
-- UGA Blog wants fans to get behind the Bulldogs' lone legitimate option at QB.
-- Chip Towers writes that Logan Gray's decision to stay at Georgia likely means the Dawgs won't be signing another QB this year.
The obvious question some fans might ask is -- if Logan isn't going to play QB, why not still sign another? The answer, I think, is that the caliber of QB Mark Richt might land in the same class as Christian LeMay won't be as good as what he might get in 2012, and while Logan won't be practicing at QB, he'll at least be on the roster.
-- Of course, as Dawgs Online points out, Georgia's still not in the best position with QBs regardless.
-- A handful of soon-to-be Bulldogs didn't perform particularly well at the track-and-field state meet.
-- Dawgs Opinion came up with what seems like a reasonable evaluation standard for the 2011 recruiting classes so far and has Georgia ranked third in the SEC -- ahead of Florida.
-- If you're planning to head out to Boulder this season, Georgia Sports Blog reminds you that Colorado season tickets are now on sale.
-- Bulldog in Exile, at long last, reveals the winner of his WTF moment of the decade.
-- The Georgia softball team was upset by Tennessee in the SEC tournament.
-- Mile High Report looks at the challenge facing Knowshon Moreno in Denver this season.
-- If you're looking for some summer reading material, I'm going to highly endorse (before even reading) "Cardboard Gods." I read the Cardboard Gods blog routinely and it is fantastic. Essentially, it's a blog that revels in the mysteries of life through old baseball cards. Genius isn't a strong enough word.
-- Here's an interesting read if you've been watching "Treme"... It's a blog about the music of the show written by Davis Rogan, who Steve Zahn's character is based upon.
-- The original members of Big Star are reuniting this weekend along with several other musicians including R.E.M.'s Mike Mills for a concert honoring the late Alex Chilton.
-- "Top Chef" has announced its next cast of contestants for the upcoming DC edition.
-- Great news for "Chuck" fans... the show will be back for at least one more season. Thank God NBC is so bad at creating new shows or we'd have lost "Chuck" and "Friday Night Lights" a long time ago.
In other TV news, "V" got a second season, while "Flash Forward" was axed. I can't say that I've really loved "V" but it has at least been semi-watchable. I completely gave up on "Flash Forward" a while ago.
And with all that in mind, how about ending the week with my TV awards for the Fall 09 through Spring 2010 season...
Biggest Disappointment: "Flash Forward". Figured we'd start here. This show was "The Candidate" to replace "Lost," but proved to be about as useful and Nikki and Paulo. Terrible casting, poor writing, no action. I dumped it after about six episodes.
Runner up: I'm tempted to say "Lost" but, while I'm not entirely sold on the wrap-up, taken as an individual season, this year has been decent. Instead, I'll say "30 Rock" which has been continuing a downward trend all season.
Biggest Surprise: "Parks and Recreation". The first season of the show bordered on terrible, and I considered dropping it from my DVR schedule this year. But since I was recording the rest of the Thursday comedies on NBC, I gave the show a reprieve, and I'm glad I did. It's been a complete 180 from Season 1, mostly by making the lead character far less irritating and giving the suburb supporting cast more face time.
Runner up: "Survivor". I wasn't expecting much from an all-star season, but the heroes vs villains episodes have been great, bolstered by the immense stupidity of most of the contestants. Why is stupid so much fun to watch on TV and so intolerable in real life?
Best episode: "Modern Warfare" on "Community". If you didn't watch last week's episode about a paint ball war on campus, do yourself a favor and watch it now. Absolute perfection. (And followed closely by another episode a few weeks earlier spoofing "Goodfellas.")
Runner up: "The Son" on "Friday Night Lights". I don't want to give away any spoilers because the episode hasn't aired on NBC yet, but this episode is the epitome of what has made FNL great.
Second runner up: Couldn't leave this one out... "The Table Read" on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Probably the most I've laughed during any half-hour all year, and revisiting so many of the old "Seinfeld" characters was absolutely awesome. The finale didn't exactly live up to my hopes, but the penultimate episode of the year was perhaps the best in the show's history.
Best character: Ron Swanson on "Parks and Rec". Experience. Leadership. Mustache.
Runner up: Trinity on "Dexter". I was getting a little bored with "Dexter" after Season 3, but John Lithgow injected so much into this recent season with his serial killer character that I'm 100 percent back on board.
Worst character: Shaw on "Chuck". Brandon Routh might be the single worst actor to continue to get screen time since Keanu Reeves. Just an utter miscast by a show that usually is exceptional in that department. I wanted to love this season of "Chuck," and for the most part I did, but Routh was just terrible.
Runner up: Nancy on "30 Rock". I've almost stopped watching the show because I just don't think I can tolerate any more of Julianne Moore's awful Boston accent. How can Maude Lebowski make me this angry?
Most Overrated: Betty White on "SNL". Call it blasphemy if you must, but I thought the Betty White episode fell far below what it could have been. The CSI: Sarasota sketch was good, but aside from that, the entire episode was essentially about an 88-year-old woman making lesbian jokes. I have to believe that Betty White is better than that, and it's one more example of how lazy the writing at "SNL" has become.
Runner up: "How I Met Your Mother". I hate to say it, but most of this season has been more misses than hits. I'm still excited to watch it each week, and there have been a few highlights -- last week's robots vs. wrestlers was pretty solid -- but for the most part this show reminds me of the comedy version of Season 2 of "Lost" -- just dragging out worthless storylines to avoid getting to an ending.
Happiest Drop from my DVR: "Family Guy." This show is absolutely worthless now. It's essentially an animated version of a pop-culture mad libs, with its plot points only derived to anger the easily offended and offer zero entertainment value. In other words, it's TV's version of Skip Bayless.
Runner up: "Glee". Watching this show is almost exactly like attending a bad karaoke bar and not being able to get drunk. Perhaps next time I'll learn not to get suckered in by one Journey song.
Sad to say goodbye: Conan. I didn't love the new "Tonight Show" but Conan's ouster was the perfect example of why, in a ratings-driving culture, appealing to the lowest common denominator will always win out over actual talent. Screw you, Jay Leno.
Runner up: "Scrubs". The new incarnation of the show wasn't terrible, but it was likely doomed from the start. In the end, it was a shell of its former self, but I'm still a bit sad at the prospect of a future without Dr. Cox, Turk and JD.
Best comedy: "Community". After a great start last fall, the middle of the season dragged a bit, but when the show returned in January it found its voice and has been pitch perfect since. Hands down the comedy highlight of my week. (And bonus points for their continued jabs at "Glee"...)
Runner up: "Parks and Rec". As I said, it's been great this year, although if I'd been smart and started watching "Modern Family" I probably would have that show here. But I promise... I'll get the DVDs and catch up for next season.
Best drama: "Friday Night Lights". I haven't even finished watching the season -- only about six episodes so far -- but I'm sold. This is easily the best season since the first, and possibly better.
Runner up: "The Pacific". I'm still working my way through some episodes of this, too, but so far it has come very close to living up to the lofty standard set by "Band of Brothers."
Show I wish I was watching but didn't: "Breaking Bad." I was going to watch this season but then decided I needed to go back and start with Season 1. So now I have a project...
Runner up: "Modern Family". I know. I'm dumb.
Looking forward to the most: "Eastbound and Down" Season 2. Let's see... take already awesome show about redneck former baseball player and set Season 2 in Mexico. I cannot wait...
Runner up: "Treme". Kind of a cop out, but I've really enjoyed the first few episodes, but I'm still not quite sure where all of it is going. I think it's an odd show because while "The Wire" had the obvious cops vs criminals dynamic, this show really is just about normal characters trying to do normal things in a very abnormal situation.
How about you guys? Any favorites for the year? Or are you just angry that I didn't write more about football this week?
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23 comments:
Dave,
Breaking Bad is as good as any drama has ever been.
You should catch up on Sons of Anarchy over the summer before the start of the third season in September.
David,
I think you missed one link: A great ploy EDSBS is pulling off:
http://tiny.cc/fqvd5
I actually posted it on Twitter yesterday and so many others had linked to it since that I didn't link again today. Still... War Damn Bieber!
David,
I think you watch way too much TV.
By the way, isn't Skip Bayless TV's version of Skip Bayless?
What? No mention of the upcoming seasons of Entourage and Big Love? For shame...
I love both Modern Family and Community. Last night's jab at Good Will Hunting was slightly hilarious...
Dave...do you get into Fringe or True Blood at all?
Do your self a favor and go to July to watch "Archer"
you will enjoy and think of yourself as a better person for it.
You won't actually be better , but you'll think it.
Modern Family is one of the best shows on television. I really can't get enough. And this is coming from someone who only watches trashy reality TV like Pretty Wild. It takes a lot for a sitcom to suck me in.
You sure do watch a lot of TV, though, David.
David,
I agree with you on almost everything you said. Friday Night Lights is the best show on TV, but I don't like the whole direct tv first and then NBC later. I have had so many viruses on my computer from trying to watch the new episodes on the internet. And you are missing out on Modern Family...pure gold! But, Community? Maybe someone can help me out, but I don't get it. I've watched three episodes with my wife, and we both think it's not worth being on TV. But that's just me.
David:
Have to disagree about The Pacific. Personally, Why Band of Brothers was so great was the Character development early in the series as well as continuing throughout the war. With Pacific, I have felt 0 loyalty to the characters and can hardly keep up with who is where. I think the issue is with Band, it was one Company that was together where Pacific is jumping around and the characters are all over. I was emotionally invested in the Band characters and when one died i felt sad. Not the case with the Pacific. I had very high hopes for this series.
There must be something wrong with me, because I still LOVE Family Guy. Granted, the episode with Brian and Stewie in the bank vault was horrendous, but I still take away something with the one-liners and quips. I think the writing is as good as ever. As far as being offensive, at least they are offensive to everyone.
Try to grab "Better off Ted" on Hulu or somewhere. It's already gotten the axe, but I put it right up there w/ Community & Modern Family this year.
Agreed about Eastbound and Down season 2! should be hilarious.
Agreed for the most part about How I met your mother. Still think the show has some life in it though if they can just find a way to rejuvenate it though. And the episode about Teds moms wedding was pretty good, i liked it atleast.
Definitely going to try to catch up on Breaking Bad over the summer and eagerly awaiting the Modern Family DVDs. I had watched a couple eps and DVRed a few more but when I moved, I had to switch from DirecTV to Charter and lost all my DVR stuff. Bummer.
I didn't watch Big Love last season but heard bad things. I've grown a bit bored with Entourage, but I hear this season could be the last, so I'll probably jump back on board.
I watched the first few episodes of Fringe but just couldn't stick with it. Never seen True Blood. I guess all the vampire stuff... I just didn't wanna get sucked into a whole Twilight-esque thing.
I like Better Off Ted -- but that show really never stood a chance with the network. Very Arrested Development-esque -- quality program but too much of a niche audience. Would have been better on cable.
If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Parenthood. With Ron Howard and two more executive producers from Friday Night Lights, the storytelling and character development are superb and similarities can be drawn between the two shows. Features a great cast and is a great, wholesome drama/comedy.
Modern Family is the best comedy on TV and it is not even close...writing and actiing are orders of magnitude better than anything else going right now. I also like the Ricky Gervais Show quite a lot, but it is a different type of show than Modern Family.
"Justified" is one of the few I watch. Most of the shows you mention are for metrosexuals.
I feel the same way about Pacific as Klesko. The overall narrative is all over the place. Still very entertaining to watch.
Rent the first two seasons of Breaking Bad and watch them now. I did it just before the start of this season. You won't regret it.
Does anyone watch Mad Men? I watched the first few episodes from season 1 this week. Zero plot just a lot of womanizing.
That's exactly how I felt about Mad Men, Meat. I would have kept watching but my girlfriend was not as much of a fan of the womanizing -- and my TV watching is limited by what she'll watch too.
What are you guys talking about ?
I have never heard of any of these.
I watch sports.
I started off watching Community and thought it was pretty funny, but Modern Family definitely took over as the funniest comedy.
Your crazy to diss 30 Rock. This is the best comedy on TV. The writing is "Moonlighting" esque.
The biggest disappointment this year is The Office. The writing has gone downhill quick and Michael's schtick is finally starting to wear thin.
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