I Love: Parenthood on NBC!

Like I said on Friday, this weekend was spent mostly in my bed, although for different reasons than I originally thought... a kidney stone. Yikes. So between drinking lots of distilled water and an insane amount of sleep, I watched the first four episodes of NBC's new series, Parenthood.

I fell in love with the show from the start. Lauren Graham has been a favorite of mine ever since her Gilmore Girls days, and I really like Monica Potter (who looked so familiar to me, and figured out it's because she was in Patch Adams). The story lines are very engaging: a single guy whose girlfriend wants him to commit to having a family with her, a family dealing with an Aspergers diagnosis, and a single mom moving back in with her parents. It turns out that Parenthood originally appeared as a movie starring Steve Martin back in 1989, so I'd be interested to see how this show compares to the movie.

Parenthood aires on Tuesday nights at 10/9 c., but I just like checking it out on hulu.com, so that I can watch it curled up in my bed. If you're interested, watch the TV trailer here.

Cheers, readers, and let's hope I can finish my gallon of water today so I can pass this little bugger!

L. Stacks

Tuesday Night Television

I don't know about any of you, but I'm pumped for the airing of Lost's season six premier tonight. Since this is the last season of the show, I can't wait to have all of my nagging Lost questions answered--like, who is the Man in Black? can the Lost characters change the past? and who will Kate end up with?

That said, I got this awesome link from my friend. To any other Lost fans out there, it's worth the two seconds it takes to check it out! (Also, don't you just love Lostpedia when you get a bit confused during the show?)

Readers, are you all sad that Lost will be done after this season? Or are you just ready to fully understand all of the mysteries that have been lurking around since season one?

L. Stacks

Knowing When Enough is Enough

Yes, I'll admit, I'm an avid CSI and Law and Order watcher. Both have a sort of "pop-y" connotation; I'm sure artists don't generally sit around and chat about the shows' writers and producers, and yet, CNN has an interesting article about how CSI's William Peterson (Grissom) is leaving the show because he has felt that he has become too comfortable as an artist.

Peterson says, "It's 'CSI'--they pay me a lot of money, and I dont have to work very hard anymore. I've got it all figured out. And I just realized, God, as an artist, I'm going to atrophy."

Personally, I find this refreshing. How many successful artists out there (especially in the acting industry) actually have the courage to say, "Alright, I've let this run its course, and now I need to be done so that I don't screw it up." Think of all the movies that have been successful, and then had sequels and threequels totally leave a bad taste in the mouths of viewers that end up ultimately destroying the original's success. Back to the Future 3, anyone? Shrek 3? Home Alone 3?

But let's face it. Even us writers are guilty of this. J.K. Rowling has written a very successful seven-part series with Harry Potter, and yet that's not good enough so she has to print The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which I have heard is quite disappointing. (Although Amazon.com is selling the collector's edition for almost $200.)

I hope I have the knowledge and courage to know when to stop while I'm ahead, one day. And while Peterson is just a small example, I give him props... according to CNN's article, he is now in Chicago pursuing theatre. Best of luck to him, and I hope it doesn't just spur someone to write CSI: the Musical.

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On a different note, let me just say that I really dislike Amtrak. The train I'm currently waiting for is a supposed 2 hours late. Grr.

L. Stacks