Assessing The Big Brother 11 Field

Okay, I have a confession you're going to have to get over: I'm semi-obsessed with the "classic" CBS reality show, "Big Brother." And this summer, since it's just so fascinating to me, I'm going to blog about the guilty pleasure on a weekly basis, probably. The season premiere was last night, and it was just as good as always. This sounds so pathetic, but at the end of the episode, I said to myself, "I'm going to be spending my summer with these people." Scary, huh? Well here are the houseguests:

Braden: "My names is Braden. Like "braidin'" hair, it's as easy as that." He's the surfer dude, part-time cocky bastard. I kind of already hate him. He was already showing off in the first competition (then was promptly eliminated) and has the aura that he thinks he's pretty great.

Casey: The Obligatory Old Guy, except he's only 40. I think he'll be a surprisingly good physical competitor and might be able to make friends, as he comes across sort of self-deprecating and likable. My pick to win it, as of now.

Chima: Annoying as hell, mostly because she laughs hysterically at everything she says. Otherwise, I see her slipping under the radar for a few weeks and maybe have an outburst during the season. That's to be expected.

Jeff: So far he's the heartthrob of the household. The heartthrobs always go the same way: hold up a showmance for a few weeks, have decent gameplay, are gone midway through and then forgotten.

Jordan: The Obligatory Fun-Lovin' Southern Belle. God, this season is predictable. Not much to say about her, really.

Kevin: The Obligatory Snarky Gay Guy. Holy shit. He was hilarious, though, and told it like it was. Maybe a bit too much. He'll inevitably make a ton of enemies, have a few tirades and get out after a few weeks. I know these things.

Laura: Huges ones. You know what I'm talking about. Let's just say Kevin called her "voluptuous." Look for her to hook up with Jeff.

Lydia: Tatooed, punkish girl. I'm already picking up on signs of her being insane. You have to look at the little details. Like when the houseguests were picking rooms she of course had "been shafted" and ended up "with the worst room." She's defensive, moody and angry. Should be interesting to watch.

Michele: She's already rubbing me the wrong way. After she blabbed about the fact that she's not going to tell the house about the fact that SHE HAS A PH.D. Also, she wants to "let loose" in the Big Brother house and not be the "nerdy lab girl" that she apparently is. Ergh.

Natalie: Simply diabolical. Like, seriously? You're already lying? You really think the house is going to suddenly think you don't know your elbow from your ass if you tell them you're four years younger than you actually are? Another insane one. What are we up to in the insanity tally?

Ronnie: Don't really know what to think of him. I'll probably end up hating him, which, you know, isn't a big deal in the Big Brother house. X-Factor: No one wants it more than he does. I can tell.

Russell: Jesse Version 2.0, except with a dash of humanity. Speak of the devil...

Jessie: Okay, I detest this guy, let me say that much. But, there is almost no player more interesting to watch. To get in his psyche and figure what he's actually thinking. Insecure, mad at the world, cocky, manipulative, and bordering on psychotic. The ideal Big Brother houseguest.

A Shock

The Top Sitcoms on TV

So I'm not a very big TV fan. I watch it casually, and tend to stay away from the really intense stuff like 24, Lost or the recently bowed-out Battlestar Gallactica. Really, the only drama I watch is House, and that's sort of inconsistent. I tried Mad Men. Eh. I really wanna see Breaking Bad but am a tad intimidated by jumping in so late in the game. Does American Idol or Top Chef fall under the drama category?

Yeah, I basically just watch reality TV and comedies. So many comedies, in fact, that I decided to list my favorites here. In no particular order...

• How I Met Your Mother - Has a rare one-two punch in combining good writing with good acting. Only a few shows really are consistent in both arenas. Jason Segal is great, along with Neil Patrick Harris, of course. The writing is creative, not totally chronological and almost reminiscent of Golden Age Scrubs with its unique and complex storytelling.

• The Office - Used to be the best show on TV, but now it's just good. The downfall has been in the characters. Dwight went from funny, to annoying. Andy is really aggravating. And the writing isn't focused squarely enough on Michael, who is far and away, the best on the show. Yet I still get a kick out of the mundaneness, and Carell is still on his game.

• The New Adventures of Old Christine - The Seinfeld curse has been broken, and that is a remarkable thing. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is all kinds of brilliant, comedically, on this show. The whole ensemble is utilized, and for good reason. Solid supporting work from Wanda Sykes and Clark Gregg, among others, gives the show some balance. The writing isn't perfect, but gets the job done.

• 30 Rock - Another case of great acting and great (GREAT) writing coming together and forming a damn good show. No wonder it's won so many Emmys. Fey could make Liz Lemon sort of one-note, but she never does. The writing gives the show a light, almost cartoonish feel, with a ton of strange situations. Possibly the most consistent show on TV.

• Arrested Development - Okay, it doesn't really count, because it's off TV. Yet I've caught a ton of re-runs and the show is pure brilliance...most of the time. It has a tendency to throw in a shitty episode occasionally, but when it's good it's REALLY good. Again, it comes down to writing. It's so weird and very politically incorrect, but that's why I love it. The whole cast brings something to the table. Very eclectic.
  

Quick Golden Globe Predix

UPDATE: So the Globes are over and done with. Maybe, later, I'll post a bit about what I thought about the show and some of my favorite moments.

But first, I must confront what all of you are eagerly waiting...how I did in my predictions! I went: 8/22, roughly 36 percent. Okay, so I shit the bed. Whatever.

(The correct predictions have an asterisk)

And the winners are...

Best Picture - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Actor - Drama
Sean Penn, Milk

*Best Actress - Drama
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy
Brenden Gleeson, In Bruges

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia

*Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Director
David Fincher, Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Screenplay
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Song
"Down to Earth", WALL-E

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*Best Animated Film
WALL-E

Best Foreign Language Film
Gomorra

*Best Television Series - Drama
Mad Men

*Best Television Series - Musical(?) or Comedy
30 Rock

(Going to skip all of the mini-series stuff...)

*Best Actor - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?

Best Actor- Drama
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Best Actress- Drama
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters

*Best Supporting Actor
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

Best Supporting Actress
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

Awesome Montage/Better Song

It just happens to be a montage of Jim and Pam on The Office, yet it's also plays one of my favorite songs at the moment:

The Bleeding Heart Show by The New Pornographers



You know what this reminds me of? The time when The Office was consistently great...

Random Hilarious SNL Clip of the Day, A Very NBC Couch-Sitting

Randomly, NBC played a repeat of that Presidential Bash 2008 episode they had on Monday (Election Eve) and luckily I caught half of it. Most of it I had seen (those Palin skits are starting to get really annoying), but before commercial they would show a quick clip of a past political sketch. This one is poking fun at the mentally-unstable James Stockdale, along with H. Ross Perot. It's pretty damn hilarious.



On another note...

I had 30 Rock and The Office on Tivo. 30 Rock had Oprah on. As always, the 30 Rock writers came up with a hilariously unexpected and goofy twist on Oprah's cameo. I especially loved the part where "Oprah" talked about her favorite things, which included saltwater toffee, sweater capes, high-heeled sandals, and calypso music.

And, The Office, well, it's not what it used to be. Like, two seasons ago, it was possibly my favorite show on the telly (I'm not British.) Now, though, the writers seem to veer off on an odd track. Like, I never laugh while watching it. Luckily, though, this week's episode was probably the best of the season, so far.