Season/Series finales are upon us and as I looked through all these reviews on AV Club, I started to notice the sheer volume of “fandoms” I’m a part of. I’m not quite sure how it got to this, but damn. I watch a LOT of TV. This is the list of television shows that I have watched this past 2011-2012 season:

1. 2 Broke Girls
2. Alcatraz
3. Community
4. Criminal Minds
5. CSI
6. Don’t Trust That Bitch in Apartment 23
7. Fringe
8. Game Of Thrones
9. GCB
10. Glee
11. Grimm
12. Happy Endings
13. Hawaii Five-0
14. Homeland
15. How I Met Your Mother
16. Leverage
17. Modern Family
18. New Girl
19. Once Upon A Time
20. Pan Am
21. Parenthood
22. Project Runway
23. Revenge
24. Smash
25. Suits
26. So You Think You Can Dance
27. Terra Nova
28. The Big Bang Theory
29. The Sing-Off
30. The Voice
31. The Walking Dead
32. Touch
33. Up All Night
34. White Collar

Wow. How do I keep up with all of them?!

I’m really quite surprised, to be honest. I mean, I do go out. I have friends. I have a job. I blog often. I sleep. And I still get to watch all these shows? Perhaps 24 hours in a day really is more than enough…

Still, wow.

. . . . .

Song of the Day

A Promise I Make, by Dakota Moon

That last episode of Community has me incredibly conflicted.

(What? You, like so many other people in this world are not watching Community? You’re not going to understand this post, then.)

I like that the characters are developing, that they’re really coming into their own. But I have always found comfort in the antics that Troy and Abed get in to. For me, it is their immaturity and innocence that has laid the foundation for all the meta-humour on the show. Because we see Greendale through their eyes, we are able to accept the reality of this universe, even though we know plenty of it is highly unlikely in the real world.

We always knew one of them would grow up faster than the other. And we always knew it was going to be Troy. I just didn’t expect to have to pick a side.

Yet, this set-up seems to be heading in the direction of something really good. For that, I’m excited. I’m excited to see how this friendship is going to be tested. I’m excited to see how it will pan out. While I’m confident it will all be okay in the end (I’m sure Community fans wouldn’t have it otherwise), I’m also afraid that the underlying issues will be addressed too abruptly and that everything will be solved by the next episode. I need the tension to play out a bit longer, because this friendship deserves that. Also, it would make the reunion a lot sweeter.

For now, I’m totally on Team Troy.

Also, please watch Community?

. . . . .

Song of the Day

1000 Oceans, by Tori Amos

Seriously. If only someone would pay me to watch TV for a living. I reckon I’d do a really good job analysing story lines, characterisations, filtering the hits from the misses. It’s no easy feat y’know? Some shows can be excruciatingly painful.

But let’s just pretend that watching TV is my job, okay? That will completely justify this post.

Two new shows that you need to watch this season:

Smash gives us an insight into the production of a new Broadway musical, and some of the key people behind it. With an effort to bring the story of Marilyn Monroe to the stage, we’re made to choose sides as two aspiring actresses (Karen, the ingenue with the voice, and Ivy, the more experienced supporting act who yearns to finally be the headliner) vie for the lead role, and our hearts. It’s still a little early, so I’ve yet to pick a team. The other characters have their own issues (of course they do), and I like these actors (Debra Messing & Jack Davenport) enough to care. It was also a nice surprise to see people from SYTYCD (Spencer Liff! Alex Wong!) having bit roles, doing what they do best. So is it better than Glee? It certainly has the potential to be.

Alcatraz BLEW MY MIND. I can’t even begin to explain how crazy/good this show is. It’s classic JJ Abrams with Mysteries! Twists! Time travel! An island! Jorge Garcia! I know, I know… Sounds a lot like Lost. And goodness knows how much I miss that show! I still feel sad whenever I think about that finale. *sniffs* Alcatraz doesn’t seem set up to be as character-driven as Lost, but the story is certainly intriguing enough to keep viewers around for awhile. And because I’ve remained completely spoiler-free, I caught myself dropping my jaw at least three times in each of the first two episodes. Definitely a good sign of things to come? And might I mention again – Jorge Garcia. It’d almost seem wrong for any Lost fan to not watch this show.

. . . . .

Song of the Day

Michigan, by The Milk Carton Kids

I’ve always been in awe of A Cappella groups. It’s really not easy harmonizing with other singers and filling in for all the instruments; how they are able to make such a tight sound using nothing but their voices never fails to Blow. My. Mind.

Thanks to The Sing-Off, this genre is finally getting the recognition it deserves. And this season, one group really stood out for me.

In all the three seasons that have aired, no other group has been more smart about their arrangements than Pentatonix. Listening to them, you wouldn’t think there’s only five people, but because they have a sick, sick bass, a CRAMAZING beatboxer and three vocalists who are so tight together, Pentatonix has been able to work around everyone’s strengths and KILL almost every performance.

Here are my top 5 performances thus far:

5. Your Love Is My Drug (Ke$ha)

4. Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles)

3. Stuck Like Glue (Sugarland)

2. Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye)

1. Love Lockdown (Kanye West)

The Sing-Off will crown the Season 3 winner in a couple of weeks (which I get to watch, live on TV, IN NYC!) but I’ll go so far as to say that this competition is totally theirs to lose.

My favourite singing competition is baaaaack!

(Previous posts about The Sing-Off are here and here.)

Let’s talk about this performance for a minute. I don’t usually like female groups so I didn’t expect much from Delilah, and even groaned when I found out they were performing Grenade (like the song, but it’s overplayed). But this performance is crazy, crazy, AMAZING:

Right? I totally got the chills too.

This one came along next. Rap + A Cappella = SICK.

The last performance was so fun and put a silly, silly smile on my face.

I love that Sara Bareilles has taken over Nicole Scherzinger. She’s so much better, mostly because GIRL KNOWS HER SHIT.

The talent on The Sing-Off is undeniable. So why aren’t there more people watching this show?

You can listen to the rest of the performances here.

It’s summer TV programming in the US now which means… So You Think You Can Dance is back! Yay! :D

I never watched Season 1, and only sporadically watched Seasons 2 and 3… although my few viewings were enough for me to develop plenty of love and admiration for wonderful dancers like Travis Wall, Allison Holker, Neil Haskell and Hok Konishi. But Season 4 sealed my love affair for SYTYCD and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Seeing these people dance, I am constantly in awe of the way the human body can move to music; so much that I wish I had taken dance lessons when I was younger. :( Not only that, the show has also introduced me to a whole plethora of music I’d never heard before. Aaaannnd, more superficially importantly, it started a little trend of what I call my SYTYCD boyfriends.

It all started in Season 4, where Mark Kanemura danced this number with his partner, Chelsie Hightower:

Then he did this with Courtney Galiano and I was reduced to a puddle of goo:

Season 5 came along and I got a bit greedy, declaring Jason Glover and Kupono Aweau to be my SYTYCD boyfriends. Because seriously? How do you expect me to pick one when they did these two incredible routines?

With Season 6, I found my ultimate SYTYCD boyfriend who was clear right from the start. It was always gonna be you, Jonathan “Legacy” Perez. People, just look at this B-Boy doing Contemporary, yo!

And I dare you to tell me he was not hot doing the Paso Doble:

Here, he shows off his b-boy moves in this Jazz number:

Finally, there’s this siiiick and intense routine with my favourite girl from the season, Ellenore Scott:

Then last season, I couldn’t stop gushing over the very handsome Robert Roldan who not only looked ridiculously good, but could also dance really, really well (alas, video embedding was disallowed):

Link 1 – Contemporary with Allison Holker
Link 2 – Contemporary with Kathryn McCormick
Link 3 – Contemporary with Lauren Froderman

In this new season, even though there’s only been one live episode so far, I have declared Marko Germar as my Season 8 SYTYCD boyfriend. Here’s why:

Breathtaking, isn’t it? But my Season 7 SYTYCD boyfriend wouldn’t leave me alone because he came back to fill in for an injured contestant and I started swooning over his handsomeness all over again:

Isn’t he absolutely beautiful to watch? ;)

. . . . .

Song of the Day

In This Shirt, by The Irrepressibles

Is it just me, or is this season of American Idol looking slightly abysmal?

I only watched a few audition episodes here and there, completely bypassed the Hollywood round, and started on the Top 24. I must say, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out at all. All the guys were forgettable, except the screamer who did a Judas Priest song. But I only remembered his screaming, not his singing, and the fact that he did a Judas Priest song. The other dudes? They were just… meh. The girls were better, but they all seemed to have rather weak vocals. There were a few who stood out a little more (Thia, Lauren A, and Pia), and I’m hoping that they’ll improve as the season goes along. Even so, none of them blew me away.

The horror of horrors happened when a contestant-who-shall-not-be-named completely butchered one of my all-time favourite songs. And I really do mean taking a cleaver and hacking the song into a million unrecognisable pieces and later putting it into a grinder and coming out like the ugliest bit of mush you can ever imagine. Did that get you sick enough? No? Well, then watch this:

This, my friends, is how the song is supposed to sound like:

Won’t you please join me now in hitting the contestant-who-shall-not-be-named.

I’m gonna give Idol one more chance. If I’m still not drawn to any of the contestants by next week, I’m gonna give this season a miss.

Don’t we all miss Simon (and to a small extent, even Paula)?

. . . . .

Song of the Day:

Jar of Hearts, by Christina Perri

Glee’s back! Glee’s back! Glee’s back!

That is all.

No, seriously, I don’t know what it is about this show but it makes me feel RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY (so true to its name, huh?) and then I’ll get into this groove where I’ll just keep singing to myself.

Indeed, it is a guilty pleasure. :p

In other news, the Super Bowl was on. I don’t care for it (mostly because we don’t get American football here) but I look forward to the commercials each year. Who can resist a good, witty ad? So here’s a really good one from Audi this year, which comes in two parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3snyXTNmFm8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXE6L2gUDKQ

I officially have newfound respect for Kenny G.

. . . . .

Song of the Day #1, because Glee did a really good cover, and I used to have this song on repeat:

Bills, Bills, Bills, by Destiny’s Child

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiF6-0UTqtc

Song of the Day #2, because their version somehow made me love the song a lot more than the original:

Need You Now, by Lea Michele and Mark Salling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkP2rcTnmps

Hello.

So I realised I haven’t blogged in a while. I could tell you I’ve been busy with work and that it’s been keeping me away from the Internet BUT I’D BE LYING. You see, friends, I’ve been spending all my free time watching Criminal Minds. A lot of Criminal Minds. How much? Well, I’ve watched every single episode ever produced – that’s 127 episodes – and all that, in about 24 days. Let’s now do the math, why don’t we? Yes, that’s about 5.3 episodes a day. Is this an indication that I’m obsessed? Are you judging me yet? Thought so.

But have you seen the actors on the show? I mean, there are some seriously beautiful people in there, so much so that I sometimes feel like a teenager all again swooning over them. *coughs*

Anyhoo. I was looking over my 30 before 30 list and realised that I haven’t been doing a whole lot to fulfil any of them (except #1 – I’m totally on track thus far) and decided I’d better get cracking. First one I’m gonna embark on? #19, send a package to my sponsored child. It’s the most do-able for now, but I need help. I have NO idea what to send! She’s 12 and is apparently quite a reserved child. Would she like stickers? Perhaps some colouring pencils and an accompanying book? Should I send her a photo of myself? Any thoughts?

Here’s my Song of the Day. Wish I had her voice.

If I Ain’t Got You, by Alicia Keys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8Hr50Ckwk

I should probably be blogging about my recent trip to Koh Samui but I’m too fresh off watching clips from The Sing-Off to post about the amazing resort we were staying at. So we’ll leave that till later, okay?

So please watch these 2 clips (before they’re taken off YouTube), then gush with me, why don’t you? :)

Use Somebody, by all the contestants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu8CidOHkS0

The remaining contestants (Committed’s Apologize was insanely good)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRvLYFiXiHU