New TV Season

I have a number of shows that I watch -- rather faithfully -- as my schedule permits.  FRINGE is one of them and while I have missed a few episodes, I can usually catch up using the http://www.fox.com/ website to watch episodes.  That is a tremendous asset that Fox has made available.  Now that there are new shows on that will compete for your viewership, having shows available over the internet is a destinct benefit.  I know some shows have a way to factor that viewing public into their statistics -- so that helps as well.

FRINGE has always been a favorite of mine.  The acting is wonderful and the story line keeps me guessing all the time.  From the strange occurances that the team would investigate each week to the subplot of what did Walter do when Peter died and he went into the alternate universe to retrieve the other Peter.  There are always other stories swirling around as well. What was Massive Dynamics and where did they fit into the scheme of things.  To have Leonard Nimoy play Walter Bishop's former partner was marvelous casting.

The new season started off with a bang as well.  I don't want to spoil it for any who haven't seen it yet, but did everyone else enjoy it as much as I did?

Are there other shows that made it to your "favorites" listing this week?  How about Hawaii Five-O?  I have always liked Daniel Day Kim from Crusade and he is great in the role of Chin Ho Kelly (looks nothing like the original).  Grace Parks is good as Kono as well and everyone seems to be melding into a good team.

So drop a line, lend a comment.  Let us know what you think about the new shows.  More coming this week!

Movies You Should See

On Friday, I had a chance to watch INVICTUS, a movie with Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon, as a rugby captain.  It was a marvelous movie.  Made me wonder why anyone would play rugby though.  It seems a very violent sport, but I guess football and hockey aren't that much better.  Anyway, the movie was a wonderful study not only of South Africa following apartheid, it showed a nation torn along racial lines come together over a rugby team. 

This afternoon I went to see ROBIN HOOD.  I loved it.  Unlike other Robin Hood movies, this one was very unique.  The main character is not Robin of Lockley, but Robin Longstride, an archer who fought with King Richard in the Crusades.  I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, but I really did enjoy Russel Crowe in the title role.

Babylon Podcast

A couple of days ago, I got an invitation to participate in a special Babylon Podcast on B5 Beefcake.  The guys of the podcast had done a show on B5 Babes -- and this was to be a response to their effort.

Summer, Mike and Bret, regulars from the show joined Laura Martos of the League of Non-Aligned Knitters and I to talk about the humans and aliens on the show.  I think we all thought Marcus and Franklin
were among the hottest males on the show.  Whether it was the hair, accent or mannerisms, Marcus just struck a chord for many women watching Babylon 5.  Stephen Franklin  was built -- body and brains is a hard combination to beat.  On the alien side, it was a toss-up between Londo and Vir.  I think Vir had an anticipated edge for youth and stamina.  Everyone just loved G'Kar -- a mix of strength, honor and virality.

Anyway, it was a cool experience.  The show should air in a couple of weeks.  Be sure to visit http://www.babylonpodcast.com/ to hear all of the marvelous shows they have had to date.  Pick you favorite show and see how they reviewed it and what comments were made from other fans.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

With the rain this weekend, I decided it was a good time to watch some videos.  One I selected was the first season of Scarecrow & Mrs. King.  I loved this series when it was first on TV (I thought Bruce Boxleitner was SO cute)! 

The chemistry between Bruce and Kate Jackson was wonderful.  The supporting cast was also very good.  I know a lot of folks have been waiting for this DVD to come out for a very long time.  This set will provide a number of hours of enjoyment.

Fringe Renewed

Word came today that FRINGE had been renewed for its third season.  Yippee!!!!  This is one of the shows I have liked from the start.  It has some very serious story lines, but has a sense of humor showing through as well.  The relationship between father Walter and son Peter has been strained over the years, but now you see, peeking through, an admiration and concern, and perhaps, love, from Peter.  Walter obviously loves Peter and has gone to tremendous lengths keep Peter live and well.  We are discovering more of that truth as the story progresses.

New episodes will be coming soon. I can't wait to see what is in store for us.

Human Target

HUMAN TARGET has turned into one of my favorite shows this year.  I loved Mark Valley when he was on FRINGE the first season and was sad to see him go.  However, as Christopher Chance in HUMAN TARGET he is marvelous.  This show is done so well it makes me wonder why other shows can't have this kind of action and writing quality!   And this is on FOX!  Guess it goes to show that Fox is coming up in the world with great programming.

Mark Valley isn't the only one who stands out in this series.  Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero is marvelous and Chi McBridge as Winston is just the right mix of cop and maverick.  These three guys have awesome chemistry!

Winter in Washington

This winter is certainly one for the record books.  In the past few days, we have had two record snowfalls and the USG has been off for four days.  The road conditions around here have been terrible.  Road crews have seldom been faced with this much snow at one time.  Our first snow storm brought us about 16 inches; the second one brought about 8 -- but this one had the bonus of high winds so we have drifts to deal with in addition to the snow.  This morning the sun is out bright -- but the temperature is only in the low teens.  With the wind, that means a minus number of some kind.  I guess we'll wait to go tackle the snow.

With nothing but time on my hands this week, I have been watching the old Robin Hood series starring Richard Greene.  For those of you old enough to remember the series, spending hours watching the 143 episodes was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories.  The old series really did pack quite a lot into the 30-minute timeframe.  The writing was very good -- and some of the lines are classic.
Sandy

Washington in Winter

Every time it snows in Washington, I am reminded how beautiful this city is when covered with a pure white layer of snow.  Last night and early this morning, the snow fell and clung to all the trees and buildings.  It looked like frosting on a cake -- absolutely gorgeous.  And of course no camera in sight!  I'll have to work on that!

The roads were in very good shape this morning as I drove into the office, amidst the announcement of school closings and such.  I know that the main roads were good to go, but the neighborhood streets were a different story.  We had about 6 inches of the beautiful white stuff -- soft and billowy -- easy to sweep and a perfect texture for a snowman or snowball!  Too bad it was time to be off to work.

Sandy

Fringe

Are any of you following this series?  I think it is one of the best, most interesting series currently on the tube.  Take the last episode for instance.  It involves a scientist that developed a toxin to target only specific people with a certain genetic code.  It originated back during the Naxi era with Walter's father.  The toxin would attack the red blood cells so that the victim would die from the lack of oxygen in the blood. 

Now I know that there are some dramatic license taken with this series, but it has some really inventive story ideas.  Apart from the main story, the interaction between Walter Bishop and his son, Peter, is wonderful.  Each week it seems to get better -- and you learn more about the relationship  between father and son.  I also like the growing special relationship between Walter and Astrid, the person in the lab that assists him at every turn. 

I am happy to see Fringe growing in popularity.  Perhaps it is Fox finally marketing the series a bit more, that certainly can't hurt.  Going up against CSI isn't an easy task -- no matter how you look at it.

Sandy

TOP GEAR

I don't know how many of you have access to BBC America, but if you don't you can still catch TOP GEAR on DVD.  Season 11 and 12 are just coming out and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed watching these videos.  These three guys, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, talk cars, but also show you some of the most beautiful country in the world.  It is just FUN!

AVATAR

I went to see James Cameron's AVATAR yesterday.  I can't say enough about the movie.  It was a good story, but the graphics, animation, technology was unbelievable.  Sigourney Weaver was wonderful as Grace and Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldanda were magnificent.  I don't want to give any of the story away -- just would hate to spoil any moment for anyone of this marvelous movie.

I think this one is worth another viewing -- or two.  Like many really good movies, you don't see everything the first time through.