TV Love

Oh dear. I'm afraid this is how I look when in the grips of my favorite TV show. Except I usually wear pants. . .
Fun Monday topic for August 31 is TV viewing. Our hostess with the mostess is Janis over at Life According to Jan and Jer . Janis asks us to share a bit about our tastes in television programming. Since September is TV premier season, what shows do we look forward to--either old favorites or a new possibility? Well, as you'd guess from my "double" photo, I love television. Usually don't turn the TV on until evening, but there's something almost every night that I don't want to miss. In fact, my buddy S still complains about having to stay in our hotel room on vacation to watch Dancing with the Stars and America's Next Top Model when the rest of our group went out on the town for dinner after a hard day's walking.

So, when dark falls on Summit Court I crawl in one corner of our brown leather sofa and Willie takes the other corner. We make no pretense at multi-tasking to justify time in front of the TV, like reading, flipping through a magazine or folding laundry. Heck, most of the time we don't even have a light on. Our sole purpose is entertainment. Here are the favorites by category:

News/Current Events
BBC America World News--preferred evening news because you get one hour of national news in context with what's going on in the world, good in-depth interviews from unexpected sources.
Meet the Press -- best Sunday AM news show, admire David Gregory as moderator because he's fair and balanced and have no hint of his politics--good thing for a host.

Crime/Police Shows
The Closer -- Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, lately of Atlanta, takes on a male chauvinist L.A. police department and earns their respect when she turns into a confession-getting ninja disguised as a dumb southern belle.
Lie to Me and The Mentalist -- very smart observations of behavior, psychological profiling to identify the criminal. And Simon Baker, aka Sweet Baby Jane, is just irresistible in The Mentalist.

Travel
Globe Trekker -- smart young guides help us tour some of the world's most out of the way places, on the cheap. Especially love scruffy Ian Wright and the way he's game for any local fracas. Doubt that he brushes his teeth the whole tour. . .
The Amazing Race --great concept of couples flying off to all corners of the world where they complete physical and mental challenges that demand that they work together in a strange culture. Being a closet travel snob, I also like to say, "I've been there, done that." :-)

Fashion
Project Runway -- ten young fashion designers compete weekly for the Top Designer title of the season. Heidi Klum, Seal's wifie, is the runway host, Tim Gunn is the designers' mentor, and judges are Michael Kors and Nina Garcia (Elle Magazine)
Tim Gunn's Guide to Style -- spin off from Project Runway. Tim takes on individual clients who need wardrobe rescues in the real world and teaches them how to select and wear clothes that are fashionable and right for them. Tim's fashion mantra is: Ten basic wardrobe pieces selected for silhouette, proportion and fit. . .

Food
Top Chef --on Bravo, ten aspiring chefs already working in their own or other well-known restaurants compete in various challenges--catering a movie premier buffet for 200 ppl, for example--for the title of Top Chef
Next Food Network Iron Chef -- established chefs compete to become a member of the select Iron Chef's club. Totally agreed with Michael Simon's being selected last year.

Viewing Gifts from BBC
Masterpiece Theater -- 9 pm Sunday night--be there be square for the best English drama from Jane Austen's Persuasion to Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit.
Masterpiece Mystery -- Foyle's War set on the coast of England in midst of WW II, Inspector Lynley Mysteries pair blue blood and blue collar for an unbeatable crime solving team with a good measure of romantic tension thrown in, Wallander set in a sleepy Swedish town--local detective battles increasingly violent crime and personal demons.
MI-5 or Spooks --working from Thames House in London, a small group of intelligence officers (spies) work to protect the UK from international terrorism, and other threats to the peace. Richard Armitage just joined the Grid in Season 7 as Lucas North, a MI-5 operative who has been held in a Russian prison for the past 7 years. Also, my lesson in patience since we won't be able to see it, except for snatches on YouTube, until early 2010.
Robin Hood -- Richard Armitage as the evil Guy of Gisborne battles Robin Hood for control of Nottingham and Maid Marian's heart--plenty of swashbuckling, horse riding, sword fights, brotherhood, thievery,and intrigue to satisfy the whole family. Season 3 starts on September 6 on BBC America.

Entertainment, Simple and Not So Pure
Dancing with the Stars --Gilles Marini, of Sex in the City fame, dances the tango with Cheryl Burke. 'Nuf said.
American Idol -- please don't embarrass my hometown by telling the audition judges that your hobby is shooting rats at the local dump on Saturday night.
Survivor -- will the real sleaze please step forward? And is there a clause in the contract that says you must show your butt or boob in every challenge?
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette --I should be required to do community service for watching this trash, but still I do even though it's wrong on so many levels. (Jillian, I warned you that Ed was a jerk, but you had to hear it from US Weekly before believing it, didn't you?)

Now I fear that I've vastly overestimated your interest in TV viewing at this house. Don't spend too much time here. Instead, be sure to check out other Fun Monday TV obsessions--it may make you feel less guilty about how you waste your time! :-)