TV SHOW SERIES

I love to watch TV! I could spend hours and hours sitting mesmerized by sitcoms, reality shows and dramas, but lately I have been feeling like there’s more important things I should be doing with my time. So instead of tuning in every evening, I have found other ways to keep up with my favorite shows.

Instead of locking myself on the couch every night at primetime, I watch full seasons at a time on DIRECT TV, HULU.COM and on occasion ITUNES. Watching full seasons at a time with no commercial interruptions is FABULOUS!

DIRECT TV is the easiest option to catch up on shows. I just plug in 001 on my cable box and I’m taken directly to some of the best shows on TV (HBO and Showtime are FABULOUS)! One of my favorites is Showtime’s CALIFORNICATION. Not only is this dark comedy set right in my neighborhood, it is witty and smart. The cast is excellent, especially David Duchovny as Hank Moody, a writer in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

I’ve also gotten hooked on HBO’s BIG LOVE, a drama about a family in Utah who practice polygamy under a fictional fundamentalist Mormon sect. BIG LOVE stars Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny (who is awesome), Jeanne Tripplehorn (who’s such a great actress that she makes polygamy some how seem relatable), Ginnifer Goodwin (who is my favorite) and many more extremely talented actors. BIG LOVE is an edge of the seat drama that leaves you unsettled and uncomfortable at every turn, yet it is still totally addictive.

New to HBO and also on my list of shows is UNITED STATES OF TARA, created by Diablo Cody (writer of the movie JUNO). Starring Toni Collette as Tara, a wife and mother with dissociative identity disorder (DID) who decides to take a break from her medication to discover the cause of her disorder. Her alternate personalities (wild and flirty 16-year-old T, fifties housewife Alice, male, loud, beer-drinking Vietnam vet Buck) emerge through out the show creating an entertaining and touching, dark comedy.

Another FABULOUS way to catch up on shows is HULU.COM. HULU.COM is a website where you have access to clips and full-length episodes from more than 1,000 current primetime TV shows as well as movies. Watching is totally free and you don’t have to download any new software (and it’s legal)! With limited commercial interruptions, you can catch up on your computer (or if you have a lap top… on the go).

I watched the whole first season of THE STARTER WIFE on the plane to New York (you can NOW get the internet on some flights)! THE STARTER WIFE is a comedy about life after divorce. Debra Messing plays Molly Kagan, the ex-wife of a Hollywood entertainment mogul who finds a fabulous independent life after divorce. The mini-series was laugh out loud funny and though I didn’t love season 2 as much, it is still worth tuning in.

I also always catch up on HEROES (one of my favorite shows ever)! I am not usually a fan of science fiction, but HEROES hooked me in from the first season. HEROES intertwines stories of ordinary people who inexplicably develop superhuman abilities and then try to save the world. It reminds me somewhat of a comic book come to life.

Sometimes if I miss an episode of a show that I love and I can’t find it on DIRECT TV or HULU, I download it on ITUNES. I try not to do it too often because it can get expensive (each episode is between $1.99 and $2.99).

Recently, I was looking for SAMANTHA WHO? but I couldn’t find it anywhere so I downloaded the whole first season on ITUNES. I had heard good things about the show, which won an Emmy Award. The show centers around Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate), a vice president of a real estate firm who develops retrograde amnesia after a hit and run accident. When she wakes from her coma, she realizes that she had been selfish and unlikable before her accident, and then she sets out to become a better person. It’s a light and funny show and I have a huge crush on the actor Barry Watson!

Catching up on TV shows by the full season without commercial interruptions is FABULOUS! Which show should I watch next?

SKIING IN ASPEN

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!

TWILIGHT

I admit it! I’m hooked! TWILIGHT is FABULOUS!

I was initially hesitant to read TWILIGHT. Though I do love a good book, I’m not really a huge fan of vampire stories. Recently though, I was seeking a nice long book on tape for my drive to Aspen (I road trip with the dogs in tow). A book on tape can really make the time fly by and with 13 hours (each way) ahead of me, I needed something light, entertaining and loooooooooong.

After much contemplation, I decided on TWILIGHT. I downloaded it from itunes (Book two as well called New Moon) and burned the 20 some odd CDs (Boy, is that book long). I stuck them in the CD changer to check that they worked and I was instantly swept up into this dark romance.

The series is about a teenage girl, Bella Swan who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen, when she moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father. TWILIGHT puts a twist on standard vampire stories by focusing on love (and who doesn’t love a good love story).

Aimed at young adults (who are most likely female), the writing is light and bit cheesy but definitely captivating and a fun read. I was drawn in and instantly a fan. I have already started book two and I watched the movie the minute I got home.

I was excited to see the movie adaptation. I knew what the actors that played Bella and Edward looked like, but it’s always cool to see how the other characters are represented in film and how they differ from the picture you created in your head while reading. I thought the movie remained very true to the novel, even though it seemed a bit squished and rushed at times and a little bit campy. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and look forward to the next installment.

I think it is best to read TWILIGHT before watching the film though because so much more goes on in the book and watching the story unfold in your head is much more thrilling.

I realize that I am a bit late to jump on the band wagon, but boy am I glad I decided to take the leap because TWILIGHT is FABULOUS!

WINE AND CHEESE

Thank heavens I’m not lactose intolerant because I love cheese! Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere and even a stinky cheese paired with a great wine is FABULOUS!

Often, my friends and I will get together for a WINE AND CHEESE night. It’s easy to make a FABULOUS WINE AND CHEESE platter at home! Get a variety of cheese from your local grocery store or cheese shop and pick up a sampling of wines. I like to go to Trader Joes and get a couple inexpensive bottles of both white (my favorite is Pinot Grigio) and red (my favorite is Pinot Noir). I like to get my cheeses from Whole Foods because they are fresh and the nice man behind the cheese counter can help you choose a good variety.

Here is some cheese choosing advice from my brother Evan (who loves cheese just as much as I do): Get at least one hard cheese, one mild soft cheese and one stinky cheese. Some of my favorites: Gruyere (a hard cheese from Switzerland), Gorgonzola (a stinky blue), aged Gouda (tastes like cheddar kinda but fancier) and cracked pepper Boursin (a box soft cheese that is always a good addition to a cheese plate). Don’t forget a baguette and some light, thin crackers. I have also recently been making bacon wrapped dates with pecans inside (bake at 350* till browned).

WINE AND CHEESE is fun at home, but it’s also fun to get a group of friends together and make a night of it. Here are some of my favorite places for WINE AND CHEESE in LA:

BOTTLE ROCK in Culver City
BOTTLE ROCK was voted “Best Wine Bar” in Los Angeles by Cityguide AOL and I understand why! BOTTLE ROCK is FABULOUS! Part wine bar / part retail shop, they have over 800 wine labels from around the world ranging from $5-$600. There is a great cheese and meat selection to pair with your wines as well. There are 14 cheeses to choose from (Choose any 3 for $12, 5 for $15, 7 for $20 or 10 for $25). Don’t miss the Epoisses, a cows milk cheese from Burgundy!
Check it out at: www.bottlerock.net

AOC in Los Angeles
One of the schnazziest WINE AND CHEESE bars in the world is AOC on 3rd street in Los Angeles. A sleek and sexy spot with a list of 50 wines by the glass or carafe and many more by the bottle. The wine list is complimented by a delicious cheese menu, meats by a special French charcuterie chef and many other small dishes and salads. I have only been here a couple times and each time was more FABULOUS than the last. Be warned though… this place ain’t cheap.
Check it out at: www.aocwinebar.com

BLD in Los Angeles
BLD (which stands for breakfast, lunch and dinner) is one of my favorite and most frequented spots for WINE AND CHEESE. It may be best known for it’s breakfast specialties like the blueberry ricotta pancakes and French toast, but the cheese plate is not to be missed! The epoisses, manchego, truffled goat, chorizo and salami served with toasted raisin walnut bread, baguette, quince paste, fresh fruit and spicy almonds, paired with a delicious white wine is my idea of a perfect evening!
Check it out at: www.bldrestaurant.com

I would like to give an honorable mention to one of my other FAVORITE alcohol and cheese combos! Queso, chips and a margarita are FABULOUS! Just the thought of it makes me want to run to the border (or maybe just Cabo Cantina)!

OOoooooooo…. I love Wine and Cheese!!

MY SHOE CLOSET