Bored

I am really bored! Bought a jacket from the Gap today. w00t for that. Through the boredom, though, I do have some thoughts on TV finale season.

TV

On Monday, we had the Bones finale, and boy did it have a lead in from last week. Booth? Shot? Say it ain't so! Well, all was right in Brennen and Booth world, but Gormagon needed to be stopped...or at least revealed before the season finale. If the writers' strike had one lasting reprecussion, it is that it ruined any of the overarcing storylines that some shows center a season around, like Bones. Now, granted, the show doesn't need it. But, they spent two months worth of episodes setting it up and then had to wrap it up a little too quickly.

The best part is that it worked beatufully. I totally bought Zack as the apprentice, as long as you fill in some parts. 1) He was mentally wounded after coming back from Iraq. The timing was weird, but, remember he came back a little off. He got back to normal, but it took some time. Something changed while he was there and then changed back...most likely after Gormagon got a hold of him. 2) He was ALWAYS the impressionable one! Totally the poster child for joining a cult, minus the lack of logic thing. But, sometimes, an abundance of logic isn't a good thing.

Good way to end the season. I was thinking about this the other day. There are three types of season endings.

1. The Cliffhanger. This is where a certain event puts things into jeopardy. Notable recent examples are Edie hanging herself in Desperate Housewives and Sara almost dying on CSI.

2. The Character-Changer. This is where something happens that, even though earth-shattering, will change things in more of a long-term perspective. There's no immediacy connected to it. Look at most Grey's season finales, also House and NCIS, which we'll talk about in a sec.

3. Business as usual. Rare anymore, but this is were nothing matters for next season. It's just like another day.

So, while Zack leaving the team (and, I would assume, the other young squint who testified against Zack's evidence in Brennan's dad's trial might sub in) is HUGE, the real ending is wondering for a few months what will happen to the rest of the team emotionally.

More later...oddly tired.

I'm watching the draft for the 2008 season of the Championship Gaming Series. I need a life.

So, I didn't post yesterday.

Because I have an Xbox now.

GTA.

Nuff said.

I Have Been Remiss in my Blogging Responsibilities

This is for forgetting to post at least ONE American Gladiators pic from last night's post. I mean, with amazingness like that, how could I not put up a photo? BTW, FCITA(ITW)RN #3-6, Crush, Jet, Venom and Phoenix.

It's raining like a son of a bitch over here in A-Town. Not really a ton going on. Hopefully, more to post tomorrow.

Why am I so tired?

It was kind of a day of nothingness. I trekked back up to Lafayette to drop off some Beijing stuff and hung out with Krystle for a bit.

TV

Tonight was the start of a new season of American Gladiators. I freaking love this show. It's probably one of the stupidest things on TV right now, but I can't help but love it. They HAVE addressed some things from last season and added/changed some shit.

• New gladiators. Obviously we have last years winners, Monica and Evan. Monica is now known as Jet and Evan is Gabby McFaggyPants. Oh wait, that's just my name for him. He's Rocket now. But, as the season progresses, we are going to see more new Gladiators, like Phoenix who we saw tonight. It was cool, but pretty random. I mean, all of a sudden a kinda gothy hottie with these fake black wings comes soaring through the air.
• New games. One new game we saw tonight was something called Vertigo, where a contestant races a Gladiator on these bendy, platform thingies. It's interesting, but it's hard to get a gauge on it because Phoenix seemed like the event was made for her and blew both contenders out of the water. But, it's new and will take a couple viewings to get a true sense of. We also saw a game called Rocketball. And, while it may sound like a shitty Roger Corman flick, it's actually a very cool, if not physically challenging game. Basically, it's Powerball but, instead of running on the ground and trying to score, they hit a button and get launched in the air, having to make a basket while dodging a Gladiator. This game looks like a lot of fun, but isn't really a tough one. It's not about muscles as much as it is about timing and strategy. Literally, if you went like you were pushing the button and could convince the Gladiator you were so they could get the timing off, you are GOLDEN! It looks, though, that more events are to come including something where they roll around on the ceiling and...dare I say it...ATLASPHERE! Can't wait for that.
• Changes to old games. Most games got expanded, if nothing else. You could tell NBC gave them more money and space to work with, so they made things like Hang Tough and Powerball larger. They also added things to the Eliminator and took some of the stuff away that was pointless, like the barrel roll. Plus, if you fall off the hand bike, you fall into a Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit, something a little harder and not as much of an incentive to just give up.

It will be interesting to see what is to come this season. I like the strategy of bringing new shit out gradually this season. The only thing that i question is new Gladiators. I mean, two weren't enough? I guess we'll see!

Wow...this has been a boring ass shift.

BOOKS

I did finish "Slam" today. It was good. Like I said in an earlier post, not Hornby's worst. It's kind of a cross, if you had to cross a few things, of "About a Boy" and "Juno. It's like "Juno" if Bleeker was a part of the pregnancy and talked to us throughout the flick...a la Marcus from "About a Boy" I will say that Hornby won me over with some of the supernatural stuff that just annoyed me in "How to Be Good" I mean, c'mon, the kid talks to a Tony Hawk poster that talks back and ends up "whizzing" him into the future. It was a good book that I reccommend.

I haven't decided which book I'm going to start now. I have two options.

1) Heroes: Saving Charlie This was released in December and tells an unseen part of the "Heroes" saga. Everyone familiar with the universe of "Heroes" knows that Hiro Nakamura has really had one true love...Charlie, the waitress from Texas. Well, too bad Silar wasn't a romantic-at-heart, because he decided to eat her brains out. But, with his command of time travel, can Hiro save Charlie? This book chronicles that journey. I'm looking forward to it, I really am. But, I just wonder if I need to be in more of a "Heroes" mindset first, like during Christmas Break when the season is halfway done.

2) Criminal Minds: Killer Profile This is the second in a series of the books based on the AMAZING TV show and written by Max Allan Collins, who really shines at expanding gritty stuff from the small screen (I say gritty because, even though it was fun, I think there's a reason we haven't seen another "Bones" book. Just didn't seem to fit him or the source material.) I love these books. I love this show. The book just came out on the 6th so it really took me by surprise and I just kinda wanna devour it right about now. So, I'll probably start with it, but I haven't really started either yet, so who knows.

TV

One thing can be said for these two dreadfully boring work shifts...I am caught up on Grey's Anatomy. It's sorta back. Characters are developing, things are getting to where they once were. I'm not a huge fan of this clinical trial storyline they have DerMer on, but if it gets them back together, I guess it works. And, I like bringing Eva/Rebecca/Jane Doe back, but, again, I'm not a huge fan of her lying to Alex and then Izzie (drool) having to lie about it. It works, and I'll take it as a huge band-aid that really does fix some of the problems the show was having, but it just seems like a means to an (hopefully awesome) end.

I will say the one thing that really stands out and what I think can be called responsible for the turnaround is Amy Madigan coming in as Meredith's psychiatrist. Anyone who's seen "The Laramie Project" from HBO knows Madigan is just awesome and she really pulls off the role so well. I mean, I understand it's essentially Dr. Melfi in a hospital, but it's different in subtle ways. I think that you also need to be a voice for what the audience is asking, screaming, thinking and wondering. I know that in an era of Web 2.0 that people question, sometimes with concern, the effect that blogs and message boards have on the content of movies and television. But, in a show where so many people feel so attached to the character, why not bring the fan into it, to a certain extent. Or, if nothing else, at least address what concerns them about the story. I think that that was a huge issue with the first half of the season...WE DIDN'T CARE!! We knew Mer's dad was a douchenozzle. Didn't need three episodes about it. We knew that Lexi and Meredith would never EVER truly get along. Why watch Lexi try and try and try? It was pointless. And, most people don't want to imagine a Seattle Grace without a MerDer. So, bring us in and we will put you on the right path.

PS Derek's speech about the champagne bottle and how they're going to open when...well...when they don't kill someone was brilliant. Brought me back to the wedding vows moment and the stairwell moment. Pretty well written indeed.

WELL KIDS, I should start to pack it in over here at Shreve before I set off for home...only to come back here again tomorrow at some point. Everyone have a good night.

VID TIME

This is a sketch from last night's SNL...it echoes my love for Kristin Wiig. If you've never seen Suze Orman, don't bother. This is dead on and way WAY funnier. And, yes, it IS Shia TheBeef.

Back at the Salt Mines

Here it is, another awesome day of working here at the Shreve Office. I'm earlier than normal because of RAs getting sick and people nearing the dreaded OVERTIME (dun dun duunnnn). So, I'm here a couple hours early with some Insomnia Cookies and a belly full of Sonic.

I've already helped a person today, so that's more than I've done already. I'm not going to live blog today, but I'll be making posts throughout the day because...well...I've got nothing else better to do.