nomadreader

Andy: "How can you be so blindly pro-Bush?" Doug: "I like his wife Laura; I used to buy weed from her at SMU."

I was initially a little hesitant to watch David Duchovny's return to television. The reviews were rather unspectacular and frequently referenced Duchovny's character, Hank, as a misogynist . While Hank could certainly be called an asshole, he hates himself far more than anyone, let alone an entire sex. I believe Hank's self hatred makes the opening scene where he receives a blow job from a nun humorous instead of offensive. One episode in, and I'm intrigued. I gasped in shock and laughed out loud. Raunchy, dark humor that doesn't offend this feminist is often hard to find. The wackiness balances the raunchiness and brings a more human element to it. Hank is a troubled man, but he still has some semblance of humor. Californication is a delicious union of low-brow deviant debauchery and high-brow intellectual dialogue. Bonus points: Fantastic soundtrack, without beating it into the ground Grey's Anatomy -style by ending each episode in a poignant montage ...

I am a longtime devotee of Go Fug Yourself , and I maintain it is some of the best pop culture writing. Jessica posted my favorite fug so far this week. I, too, cannot wait for Gossip Girl the television show. I have become borderline obsessed with the books this summer. I do manage to alternate Gossip Girl /not- Gossip Girl books, but I still will finish the series before the tv show premieres. These books are teen soap opera gold. With One Tree Hill not back until January, the world of television needs some quality teen drama. I've got my champagne flute ready...

Despite the fact that several episodes in to Puffy's latest ego fest of a reality show that really has very little to do with him, there are once again twenty hopeful young men, I can't stop watching. Not surprisingly, the greatest hits of Boyz II Men (and the occasional Stevie Wonder tune) provide a touching backdrop to the rarely portrayed world of male bonding. This week's episode featured two goose bump -inducing twenty-young-men-strong renditions of "End of the Road". I doubt I will ever tire of a group of talented, grateful, young men on the verge of either tears or rage coming together, from varying backgrounds, ages and regions, to sing the hell out of a song. It's a surprisingly moving program, and I keep falling for the success of more of the aspiring singers. I'm still on Team Dan (and Team Donnie - seriously, this guy is meant for boy band fame), but Team Carlos is creeping up on me, and surprisingly, Team Michael. If you haven't se...

Earlier today, as I was trying to explain my unending fascination with Big Brother to nomadreaderboy , my best guess is the ever-changing strategy. The show continually provides the unexpected. There are no judges to do the right thing and eliminate the appropriate people; the viewers don't get the power of calling into vote (after season one). Each week is a constant power struggle. Players can form all the alliances they want to, but depending on who wins Head of Household and the Power of Veto each week affects the game. The producers can try to meddle all they want to, and the result is usually good. I enjoy when evicted houseguests come back; I especially enjoy it when the viewers vote one evictee back in. I realize the drain Big Brother viewing can have on an individual, even in the summer. The show itself is on three times a week. For a rather meager fee, one can watch four camera feeds 24 hours a day online. This season Showtime will show the live feed three hours each...

As the N begins airing the latest installment of season six of Degrassi: The Next Generation , I racked my brain to decide if any other teen drama has seamlessly made the transition from high school to college. Season six features part of the cast in college and part of them still in high school. Largely, I believe, due to the format of the program not following the same characters in each episode, the show is able to change settings. There are a few students who are at the local college, of course, so they're free to drop by the high school still, but there are still many once tried-and-true main characters who are more recurring guest stars. It takes powerful writing and an amazing ensemble cast to make these transitions possible. The writers are astute; even when characters aren't seen for weeks at a time, their names are mentioned. They maintain off-camera contact through email and the phone. It's no secret that I think Degrassi: The Next Generation , in fact all s...

(2 stars - liked it) Indridason's first Icelandic mystery, Jar City , is a gem. I eagerly awaited the follow-up, Silence of the Grave , but it took me over a month to actually finish the not-quite-300-page novel. It's a good book, but it's not a great book. The characters remain darkly real and conflicted with life and the case, but the mystery at the center of the book is not terribly riveting. I do look forward to the third book being translated from Icelandic to English.