New Fall Shows

Chuck
Humor, action, government secrets, placed in an everyday setting. Chuck has a little bit of everything, and it works. The characters are likable. The plot, though a bit far-fetched (but c'mon, it's TV), is intriguing. This was as fun, exciting, entertaining, humorous a new show as I've seen in quite some time. This has the potential to be the best new show of the year, in my book.
- 2 thumbs up from Stephen

I liked Chuck because its action sequences reminded me of Alias in its glory days and also because the title character possesses a charm and likeability reminiscent of Adam Brody's turn as Dave on Gilmore Girls or Jim Halpert on The Office. Stephen's right in saying that Chuck has a bit of everything, and while sometimes that can make for a show with little cohesiveness, it works for this one. I'm looking forward to seeing how the season develops, and I hope the next episodes are as good as, or surpass, the first one.
-2 thumbs up from Erin

Back to You
There were some humorous moments of the show. It will be well-acted with Kelsey Grammer (Frazier), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), and Fred Williard. The concept and setting of it taking place on a news show setting is unique. I'm not sure how much drama they're going to try to include, but it seemed to be about half and half in the premiere. It appears to be back story driven, and I'm not sure I'm interested in that. I'm still undecided on if I'll be watching regularly. I'll give the 2nd episode a try and then decide.
- 1 thumb up from Stephen

Aside from the seemingly requisite side character who inserts raunchy oneliners into the dialogue, I didn't mind Back to You. I have to disagree about the setting being unique; Mary Tyler Moore also took place on a news set, as have other shows, but I do think that having Kelsey Grammer play an anchor who is returning to his first station after falling from his elite status is interesting. Heaton and Grammer have good rapport together, but I feel like the show is going to head in a rather predictable direction. While entertaining, the show probably won't be on my "must-see" list.
-1 thumb up from Erin

Journeyman
This just didn't work for me. It seemed choppy and confusing. I didn't relate to or sympathize with the main character. I'm a fan of time travel movies, books, shows, and I was hoping for something more along the lines of Quantum Leap. In the end, I just didn't care enough about the plot or any of characters to consider watching this again in the future.
- 0 thumbs up from Stephen

I think Journeyman is trying to revamp Quantum Leap, but I don't think it works so well. The plot had me a bit intrigued, but I was left with too many questions by the show's end, and I don't think I have the patience to endure one more show that thrives on raising questions in the minds of the viewers while rarely answering them (see LOST and Heroes and, for a brief time, The Nine). Having just taught a time-themed composition class last semester, I was curious to see how time would be dealt with in this show, but it often was hard to determine exactly what time the main character was in. Good in theory but poor in execution, Journeyman will likely not keep my interest.
-.5 thumbs up from Erin

What I've Been Reading and Hearing

What I've Been Reading:

I must first begin with the oddest new story I've read today: Skip work, make babies. Yes, you read that correctly. Russia's population is decreasing by the hundreds of thousands because the death rate outnumbers the birth rate, so the governor of one province devised a way to reverse this trend: offer prizes. Today, couples have been given the day off to procreate, and if a baby is born 9 months from today (on Russia's National Day), then the couple will receive prizes for the home, like a microwave or a TV or a refrigerator. Apparently, this year on June 12 3 times as many babies were born than in the previous year. The most disturbing sentence in the article? "The scheme is working. People want the prizes," he [Governor Sergei Morozov] said. People want the prizes?? Let's hope they want the babies, too! All I can hope is that this will simply encourage people who already desire children to attempt to have one, rather than sway those who simply want a way to obtain a free television.

I've also been reading a collection of poems by Billy Collins, Sailing Alone Around the Room. It's a compilation of poems from some of his earlier works, as well as a selection of newer poems. The poem "Forgetfulness" is in that volume. I really enjoy Collins' poems because they have a unique kind of whimsy to them, a tongue-in-cheek attitude, and sometimes they're just plain funny. I highly recommend his poems to anyone looking for some poems to read. (There need to be more people looking for poems to read, in my opinion.)

What I've Been Hearing:

I've gotten several new albums recently, and the one getting the most airtime in my car is Caedmon's Call's newest release, Overdressed. I was pleasantly surprised with this album, as I felt that their last two were a bit lackluster, but this one hearkens back to the sound that launched the group onto the Christian music scene. My favorites on the record: "Expectations," "Share the Blame," "Hold the Light," "10,000 Angels" (which I think is only on the special edition that I received for pre-ordering), and "Two Weeks in Africa," but there's something to love about all of the songs on the album. Definitely check them out.

What have you been hearing, watching, or reading?