I watch a lot of tv. While I would love to be one of those who retires to a chaise lounge with a glass of iced tea in one hand and A New Earth (is there anyone in the world not reading this book besides me?) in the other after the wee tot is in bed for the evening, the sad fact of the matter is that I'm often too exhausted to do so much as turn a page. Granted, I do read everyday, for at least a half hour before going to bed, but the majority of my evenings (when I'm not on a deadline) are spent zoning out in front of the tube.
It's an exciting life. I know.
In the summer, however, all my favorite shows are on hiatus, and it's awful. No Grey's Anatomy. No Amazing Race or Survivor or American Idol. Worst of all, no Lost. (Which isn't even coming back until January!)
Now the hubs and I must fill our plates with sub-standard fare, because if we didn't, we'd actually have to talk to eachother and what married couple wants to do that at the end of a long day? We're watching reruns of The Deadliest Catch. We're watching The Mole. We're watching American Gladiators. We're even watching The Baby Borrowers, people. It doesn't get much worse than that.
But amidst the crap tv, there are three shows I'm watching this summer that I simply adore to an embarrassing degree.
The second season of Say Yes To The Dress just started on TLC. The show follows brides with vast amounts of disposable income in their search for the perfect wedding dress at Kleinfeld, a NYC bridal store that's apparently the biggest and most famous bridal store in the free world. I find the show fascinating because my own wedding gown was a bargain. I loved it to pieces, but my mother's dress for my wedding cost more than mine did. To watch the women on this show drop upwards of $8K on their wedding gown is oddly alluring. I wouldn't have spent that much on my dress even if I had that kind of money (hello? $8K will buy you one kick-ass European honeymoon!), but I love watching them agonize over their ability to dance in a dress with a mermaid silhouette and weigh the pros and cons of choosing a dress with a see-through corset style bodice. Plus, it kind of makes me want to plan my wedding all over again.
Also on TLC is the new show Rock The Reception. You've all seen this, right? The video of the wedding couple who start off their first dance all sweet and nice and "Unchained Melody" and then all of a sudden launch into a hysterical dance routine to "Baby Got Back"? Well, the reality geniuses at TLC have turned the premise into a tv show. Two professional dance instructors visit engaged couples days before their weddings and teach them a routine to spring on their unsuspecting guests at their reception. I've only seen one episode so far, but it's hysterical. Really. No, I swear. It is!
And finally, I'm watching that bastion of guilty summer pleasure television, Big Brother. There is just something about this human train wreck of a show that I could not live without. Most of the "houseguests" are certifiably insane, their behavior on national tv can only be described as questionable on a good day and abhorrent on a bad one, and I.Love.Every.Last.Minute.Of.It. The hubs reads the spoiler pages online and tries to ruin the show for me by telling me who's nominated, which houseguest took a whipped cream bath with which other houseguest, who is having sex with whom, but most of the time, I like to remain surprised until the show airs every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Why, oh why, can't this show be on every day of the week?
Okay, I can't be the only one mired in crap summer television. What are you watching?
Summer TV is the pits! We've been watching Baby Borrowers too, and it is so awful I feel like we're watching the proverbial train wreck. We've been watching Next Food Network Star, Next Design Star and Next Nashville Star. Hmmm. I see a pattern here. Most of them aren't great, but at least we record them and fast forward through the stinky parts (like Billy Ray Cyrus). The only problem is, they're over in a couple of weeks, and then what? I need more chick lit!
Hmmm... I have been watching Hopkins, Tivoing Oprah and I even watched Wife Swap and Nanny 911 (is that even the name?) and ENJOYED them. Gasp. Yep, summer TV bites the big one.
Totally, totally, totally into So You Think You Can Dance!
LOVE IT! The entire family watches - LOL!
But I also love reruns of How I Met Your Mother and NCIS.
OMG Mike and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Big Brother! Before Baby we even got showtime and watched the after hour shows. It was so bad that we used to come in early on our HONEYMOON to watch it, and then go back out! Pathetic. We are addicted.
p.s. waiting for you to answer my questions. ;)
I'm not much of a TV watcher. I did see the Baby Borrowers show once -- I'll call it amusing.
Ah Summer TV...not a fan. I will say that we are big watchers of Showtime programs these days since it is all.that.is.on. So we watch Weeds (which has gone downhill) and Diary of a Call Girl (which, probably couldn't go more downhill.) We also watch re-runs.
Oh well. I recommend to you Netflix or Blockbuster online. We recently tore through Freaks and Geeks.
I'm obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance...basically American Idol for dancing, which I prefer to singing. Oddly enough, Napoleon and Tabitha, the choreographers on Rock the Reception, are also choreographers on SYTYCD.
Project Runway just started this week. They rerun it constantly; you should watch it!!
I've watched ever season of Big Brother. I wasn't impressed with the season they did earlier this year. I'm not sure if it just didn't feel right b/c I normally think of it as a summer show or what, but I think I'm going to like this season better.
Hmmmm. Am a reality tv junkie myself. My favs being So YTYC Dance and Project Runway. Neither of which are on at the moment! We are stuck with Smarted that a 5th grader (HATE IT) and Housewives of Orange County. (ok)
I do love Brothers and Sisters though. And Amazing Race. Both those are running in SA at the moment.
Hehehe. We have not been watching much TV lately ... but I've been enjoying the new show Molly Ringwald's in, The Secret Life of the American teenager. What else have we been watching? I always watch What Not to Wear. We used to watch Psyched and Burn Notice ... and Stargate Atlantis is on again. We love that. Not too long 'til Fall TV.
I'm with Jesser... lots of cool shows on... Monk and Psych just started up this past friday and also on USA is Burn Notice and In Plain Sight all on USA... then there is Eureka and Stargate on Sci-Fi... and then there is the Closer... ohh and new Project Run way... lot of freaks on it lol... I don't do big brother lol... but I did watch the baby borrowers... I would love to stick Lore on some of those kids... that would be great birthcontrol mahahahaha!
On demand from Comcast has been saving my boring summer with Madmen -- I hadn't watched it at all until two days ago!
and MTV search for the next Elle for Legally Blonde.
I'm all about So You Think You Can Dance, and was bummed that Kherington had to go last week.
Have you always been a Big Brother fan? I graduated high school with a guy that was on Big Brother 5 I think. Maybe it was 6.
I'm all about the PVR and I'm kind of a geek, so my summer TV isn't that much different than my normal TV.
I'm currently recording (and watching) Star Trek Voyager, Good Eats and French Food at Home. Occassionally I'll watch So You Think You Can Dance, but haven't been able to get into it this season.
And oh, I also am not readin A New Earth. I refuse to. Don't get me started.