"He flipped his lid when she tried to contain him."

This has been a great week in TV Land. I'm almost ashamed to admit that since my last post, I've watched far more television than the average human being ever should.

Tuesday 9/21: Glee. The season opener was pretty hilarious, especially the introduction of new football coach, Coach Beiste (it's French). The opening "Empire State of Mind" number was outstanding, it was the kind of moment that really makes me kick myself for not having DVR. We also met some New Directions hopefuls, including 18 year old prodigy Charice who blew the roof off of McKinley High's auditorium with her rendition of "Listen".

Wednesday 9/22: Modern Family. Season premier of this Emmy winning show did not disappoint. The Dunphy's prepared to sell their old station wagon, while Mitch and Cam worked to build Lily a princess castle. My favorite line of the night was said by Phil in reference to a parade at a college football game that he and Clair attended: "Angela Lansbury was the grand marshal. Good times she wrote."

Thursday 9/23: Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock and The Office. Firstly, Big Bang Theory included Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler's first date (with Penny as the third wheel) and Wolowitz getting his member caught in the grasp of a robot arm that he created for NASA. I don't think I need to say anything more on that matter. The highlight of 30 Rock was the 2 quick shots of Pete and his wife...in the act. It was so hilariously wrong that it needed to be showed twice. As for The Office, the cold opening was amazing as the entire office danced and sang to Nobody But Me by Human Beinz. This episode was the jumping off point for Steve Carell's last season and I didn't think it disappointed at all. Pam giggling at Jim's key prank on Dwight and her spending the entire episode making it up to him and getting Dwight locked in the elevator? Good stuff.

Sunday 9/26: The Amazing Race. I've watched episodes in the past, but I've never watched an entire season. AR is definitely one of my favorite reality shows, I love watching couples self destruct while trying to do outlandish challenges and still trying to make their 10 pm flight. This season started off from Gloucester and had the contestants fly to London. There are some hilarious couples, including the couple that came in last (we called them the BFF/Lovers?) and a tattoo-ed motorcycle couple who had never heard of Stonehenge and thought that they were in the country of London.

Monday 9/27: How I Met Your Mother. Last week's premiere gave the audience a little taste of a wedding that could possibly be Barney and Robin's. All we know is that Ted is the best man and we saw Lily, Marshall and Ted all dressed up and ready to get their wedding party on. Also, we learned that Rachel Bilson's character (aka the mom's roommate) turns out to be a lesbian! This week, we got a little more insight into Barney's past as the crew helped clean out Barney's childhood home. We got to hang out with Barney's brother from another father, James, and saw some amazing flash backs of Barney's lie-driven childhood. We also got to meet James' real father (and indulged in a little sing-a-long where Barney displayed the best use of auto-tune other than The Bed Intruder song). I also watched 3/4 of Dancing with the Stars, although I really don't want to admit it. I'm rooting for a showdown between Mrs. Brady and the Situation.

Tuesday 9/28: Glee. THE MUCH ANTICIPATED BRITNEY SPEARS EPISODE. I personally thought it was hilarious (Britney Spears/Brittany S. Pears) and loved the way they incorporated Uncle Jesse, I mean Carl the dentist. The hallucinations at the dentist are what fueled the episode, so while people are scrutinizing it for copying Britney videos instead of incorporating original ideas, I think that it makes total sense. The fantasies of Rachel, Brittany and Santana are based on what they saw and admired as children, so why wouldn't they want to be in the exact videos that they grew up with? Anyway, spot on performances by Sue Silvester (the entire post-Toxic riot was outrageous), and we finally got to see a human side of the Beiste when she let Finn AND Arty onto the football team.

Wednesday 9/29: Survivor and Modern Family. I don't normally watch Survivor, I've never seen an entire season and actually don't like it very much (they spend WAY too much time sitting there talking about each other and Jeff Probst is such a freaking instigator), but there's a Gloucestonian on this season so I figured I'd watch. The one thing that I do like about it is that the vote is instant, there isn't two nights of shows like American Idol and DWTS where you have to wait to find out who gets the boot. Modern Family was amazing, as always, as they dealt head on with the issue of the Mitch/Cam will they/wont they kiss. I like how they turned it around and made it more about Mitch and Jay and how he doesn't like PDA because he really didn't get much affection as a kid (his dad hadn't kissed him since he was 12). The Alex story line was great, I'm happy she finally got some screen time where she wasn't being a bossy know it all. The shot to her tevas after her sister called her a lesbian was legen(wait for it)dary. My two favorite lines of the night were again from Phil, the first being the title of this entry: "He flipped his lid when she tried to contain him" (in reference to tupperware), and second the continuation of his technology songs from last season: "The computer and the printer must talk, talk, talk/ Command P makes the picture walk, walk, walk."

Tonight will be spent with the boys of Big Bang, the crew of TGS, and the employees over at Dunder Mifflin.

Switching gears, I found this on a friend's blog. Type these words into your iTunes library and name the first song that appears:

Happy: Happy Hour Hero by moe.
Sad: Sadie by Joanna Newsom
Love: Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga) by The Decemberists
Hate: Hate On Me by the cast of Glee
Light: Slave To The Traffic Light by Phish
Dark: I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
Good: Good Riddance by Green Day
Bad: No News Is Bad News by Dashboard Confessional
Smile: Smile by Tony Bennett
Cry: Cry Me A River by Michael Buble
Girl: Girlfriend Is Better by Talking Heads
Boy: Boy With A Coin by Iron & Wine

I've also had a busy week book-wise.

Book 48: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (3.5) This book reminded me a lot of book 17, The Song is You by Arthur Phillips. It is a social commentary on the mania of fan-dom; the crazy things that people do, say, think, write, and assume in reference to their favorite celebrities. Juliet, Naked tells the story of the very un-couple like couple, Duncan and Annie. Duncan is a self proclaimed Crowologist, specializing in the life and career of musician Tucker Crowe. In the 80's Tucker was in the height of his fame, touring after the release of his masterpiece Juliet (a CD chronicling his brief love affair with a famous model), when he goes to the bathroom during a gig and then disappears, never to be heard from again. Duncan believes that he knows more about Crowe's work than anyone, including Crowe himself. When Annie and Duncan separate after 15 years of living more as roommates than lovers, Annie finds herself in contact with Crowe after she writes a review of his newly released acoustic CD of Juliet (Juliet, Naked). The book was entertaining and fun, although the mystery of Crowe's demise was more pathetic than dramatic. The reader wants to empathize with Annie, but she makes it incredibly difficult. The entire novel she is defending herself as being a fan simply because Duncan dragged her into it, while in reality she's just as hopelessly devoted to Crowology as the next blogger fanatic. I wanted to love it, but Annie was crazy creepy, Crowe disappointingly defeated, and Duncan agonizingly aggravating.

Book 49: Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger (4) This was a great, fast-paced thriller that I bought on my Kindle for $2.99. It features Ridley Jones, a freelance writer whose life seems to crumble after she saves a young boy and receives a wave of media attention. She gets an envelope in the mail with a picture of a man, woman and child and a letter asking "Are you my daughter?". After confronting her father, a pediatrician, and mother, she still is not convinced that the letter and picture are mere coincidence. Due to her inquisitive nature and some coaxing from her dangerously handsome new neighbor, she embarks on a journey to find the truth about her family and her past. The plot was actually really well crafted, and as terrifying as the idea of kidnapping children and selling them is, Unger did a great job of making it realistic and believable.

Book 50: Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (4) Yay! Everyone loves a good chick lit novel now and again, and I have been a devoted Becky Bloomwood fan for several years now. The newest novel by Kinsella was released the other day, and I devoured it in no time. I've been by Becky's side through so much: credit card catastrophes, traveling to New York, arranging 2 weddings, finding her long lost half sister, pregnancy, and now raising her daughter Minnie during a devastating down-turn in the economy. While at times Mini Shopaholic was a little much, I don't know why I ever doubted it. Becky may be a ridiculously compulsive liar and actually physically and mentally addicted to shopping, but she has the biggest heart and watching her overcome her more selfish tendencies really is a triumph. The ending is so heartwarming and sincere, it instantly made me want to do something selfless for someone that I love.

Book 51: Easily Amused by Karen McQuestion (3.5) This was another bargain Kindle book that turned out to be rather enjoyable. The book begins by introducing us to Lola Watson, a 29-year-old magazine editor who has recently been left her great aunt's house. Lola is pretty much a loner, and aside from her high school friends Piper and Hubert, and her sister Mindy (the names in this book are really ridiculous), she really doesn't have anyone in her life. She is constantly annoyed by the homemade pies and pickles that seem to trickle in daily from her neighbors, and avoids small talk with them by putting out the trash at midnight. When Mindy announces that she's getting married on Lola's 30th birthday (just another item on a lifelong list of evil plots to steal the spotlight), Piper comes up with a plan for Lola to gain revenge. She suggests that Lola use Mindy's wedding to announce her own (fake) engagement, and after meeting a handsome, successful man at her husband's financial office, she sets Lola up with Mike, a hottie with a Jaguar who just happens to live directly across the street from her. Meanwhile, Lola's friend Hubert moves in after his outrageously messy breakup with his girlfriend. A fake fiance, a vile sister, and a more than friends new roommate are just the tip of the iceberg for poor Lola. It is a great story of finding friends, family and enemies where you least expect them.

I am currently on book 52: Favorite by Karen McQuestion

We are on week 39/52. Not only does this mean that I am 13 books ahead of schedule, but it also means that once I finish my current book that I've completed my new year's resolution! I am so ecstatic that I've been able to stick to my promise and refrain from re-reading books. Ever since I was a kid, I tried to do a book report on Charlotte's Web at least once a year. I've always been a home-body, especially when it comes to books. I consider characters to be personal friends, and settings to be second homes.

I've been so bummed that I won't be able to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the first part of the movie is released in November, but it will be interesting to see how I react to the film without having re-read the book immediately before the premier. I've always re-devoured the entire series before watching a new movie, and I've always felt a bit disappointed by the artistic liberties that the director and screen writer take with the plot. Entire characters forgotten, chapters and chapters of important plot left piled in a trash can somewhere. Maybe not re-reading HP7 will allow me to appreciate the movie as a separate entity and wont leave me wanting (at least that's what I'm telling myself so I don't throw 9 months of self control down the drain in a fit of Harry Potter fueled passion).

I guess that's all I've got for today, but I suppose the above mix of television, music, and books should be adequate. Auf Wiedersehen!