Sopranos, Christine & Delinda: More TV Confessions

I guess I’m just a sucker for Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Her career-defining role as the fetching Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld” elevated her to superstar status. However, I first noticed her during her stint on “Saturday Night Live.” I may have been the only viewer in America who watched the TV series “Day by Day,” in which she played the uptight, Type-A neighbor of the family central to the sitcom’s plot. Her name was Eileen Swift, and she would pop in on the couple which had given up their careers to open an in-home daycare center.
Her first post-Seinfeld series, “Watching Ellie” didn’t catch on; but the first two episodes of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” are promising. My wife saw the first episode, and I saw the pilot. We had them on TiVo, so we sat and watched them together. Both of us laughed out loud several times. I think Julia may have found her comedic stride again. If you watch her work, you can see just enough of Elaine in Christine to help viewers feel familiar. The character, however, is completely different and there are circumstances that allow men and women alike to enjoy the show’s premise. I think CBS has a hit on its hands.
This means Monday is big for the Big Eye. “Two and a Half Men” and “How I Met Your Mother” are legitimate successes and are laugh-out-loud funny, as well. I never watch them together, though. These are shows I save on TiVo. When I need thirty minutes of down time, they’re good company.
Has anybody figured out the sushi storyline on the season premiere of “The Sopranos?” I know all the talk is about suicide and shooting, but I just don’t get the sushi thing. I think the episode was over hyped a little, but it was still awfully good.
I saw in a magazine that one of the top ten DVD sales in America is season one of “Grey’s Anatomy.” I believe it. It’s the show everybody seems to be talking about. My family didn’t start watching it until this year. Is it because it’s on Sunday now? Where was it before? Anyway, it would be nice to know a lot of the back stories. I have to admit, I’m tempted to buy that DVD set, myself. The only thing that’s stopping me is a lack of time to sit down and watch them.
I just can’t believe that “Battlestar Galactica” is gone until October. I know Sopranos fans waited longer than that between seasons, and the anticipation continued to build. Maybe the long layoff will do BG fans some good. I hear fans complaining about the one-year time leap in the season finale, but it worked for me. I’m very pleased with the show overall, and I’ll miss it over the next several months. October. That’s ridiculous.
American idol remains a mystery to me. I guess Melissa was punished for forgetting her lyrics, but it seemed to me the judges tried to save her. Kevin needs to go. This is ridiculous. Don’t you wish that, maybe once, the producers would ask America to vote someone off instead of voting for the singer you’d like to keep? I’d vote Kevin off in a heartbeat, and Bucky would be next. I’m big on Lisa, but I don’t think she’ll win. Paris can sing, but she annoys me. Katherine is the cream of the female crop. Kellie has that “little minx” thing going that will help her stick around for a while. Chris and Taylor stand out for me among the guys. I think Ace has been exposed as a pretty boy.
I tried again with “The Office” at the urging of the Daddy D masses, but it just doesn’t work for me. I’ve thought about this. The humor has a mean-spirited tone. I didn’t enjoy “Everybody Loves Raymond” for the same reason. I’m still TiVoing it, though. I’m not ready to give up on it yet.
The race for my affection between Vanessa Marcil and Molly Sims has taken a surprising turn. They are Sam and Delinda on “Las Vegas.” I always liked my Sam. In fact, it wasn’t even close for me. However, after seeing Molly Sims in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, there’s a new front runner. By the way, does that show have a storyline? Does anybody care? It fits better on Friday night.
Finally, what can I say about Boston Legal? It never disappoints. It’s clever, sometimes hysterical, controversial and consistently entertaining. As an added bonus, at this moment I still think (with a nod to Molly Sims) that Julie Bowen is the best looking woman on television.

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