Catching up with Grey's

OK, let's review where things stand with romantic entanglements at Seattle Grace, shall we?

Addison and McDreamy are kaput for good. Addison is also finished with McSteamy. Except for sex. Can you blame her? And then she did it with Alex, but he doesn't want to admit that he has a thing for her. Also it should be noted that Addie is just incredibly sexy standing around doing nothing.

Meanwhile McDreamy and Meredith are together and facing the big challenges all couples do - like snoring.

Christina and Burke have forgiven each other or whatever and are now engaged. And practically everyone knows except Meredith. And why that even matters, I don't know.

Over in kneejerk land, George freaked over his father's untimely demise, and ran off to wed Callie in Vegas. Also, Callie O'Malley is also the funniest name for a doctor in a very long time. And is there anyone that thinks they'll actually stay together? Doubtful - George seems to be a magnet for relationship angst.

Izzy's fiancee is dead (I think it's weird she even calls him that, but whatev), and she finally cashes the enormous check and opens a free clinic with Dr. Bailey.

And the Chief discovered that his wife (Loretta Divine) is singing the same tune she did in Dreamgirls - they're through. So he becomes the poster dude for Just For Men. And no, it does not look good on him.

Amidst all this chaos, it appears it's only Dr. Bailey that's actually learning anything at this "teaching hospital."

Now that you're all caught up, let's talk about the present issue. Meredith - wanted? WANTED! DEAD OR ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist. But seriously, is she gone? Can a person actually survive that without brain damage? My guess is no, but in the magic world of February sweeps, she will. After all, she's the name of the show. What are they going to do, rename it O'Malley's Anatomy? Wow, that makes me think of something completely different...

The Amazing Race - All-Notables

photo couresty of CBS.com

Yeah, let's face it. When a reality show does an "all-stars" edition, it's not like sports where they pick the best players. No, in TV it's the best personalities. And that's what we saw last night on The Amazing Race. Rob & Amber? Uchenna & Joyce? The Guidos? Sure. I mean, they were all top 3 finishers in their seasons. But as much as I loved David & Mary, they finished a ways back.

Still, if you want to see some old friends, you're rewarded. Hey - it's the Frats! (Older, married and fatter, apparently.) Jon Vito & Jill! (What do you MEAN they aren't dating anymore?)

And of course the most ridiculous team is Eric & Danielle, who didn't race on the same team originally, but "fell in love" after their season. Uh huh. I give it 3 legs in this season. One needle-in-the-haystack Roadblock and they're toast.

As for the show itself, I just really wish it had been 2 hours. When the premiere races by (no pun intended), it's hard to get a handle on the teams when there are so many of them. I wanted a bit more time to ease into things, and see how these teams that know each other previously would react now that they were competing.

That aside, kudos to Romber for winning the leg. They were efficient as usual, but I could really do without all the self-promoting mugging. A little humility goes a long way, kids. Take a tip from Danny & Oswald, who raced really well and still have retained all their season 2 charm. LOVE THEM! I want them to win.

Most surprising? Not loathing Teri & Ian yet. He was...normal? It was very confusing.

Also, Uchenna & Joyce? It's called ADOPTION. Look into it. You have a million bucks, for pity's sake.

And let's all weep over the far-too-early exit of team JVJ. I adored them in their season, and was most looking forward to seeing them again in All-Stars. Damn those massive Ecuadorian parks with entrances that are miles away from each other!

Next week, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Charla will say that people underestimate her.

3 Oscar nominees

Catching up to my viewing history, here are 3 videos I rented this week. Did they live up to the accolades put on them?

Jesus Camp

This is the only one of the feature-length documentaries I saw this year, and it didn't do it for me. The premise is simple - fundamentally evangelist parents raise their children the same way. And there will always be some manical preacher out there to lead them. The film definitely keeps an emotional distance so you're aware the filmmakers think these people are way out there. But we also feel no connection (positive or negative) for the people contained therein. Mostly I just found myself angry that parents would put children through camps like this where the kids are made to feel deep sobbing ANGUISH at the tender age of 9. The one plus was seeing Ted Haggard, who is seen leading a mega-church. He was recently caught in a gay escort sex scandal, so hearing him say, "That's fabulous!" in this documentary is just too funny for words.

Half Nelson

I'm still not sure where the movie title comes from. But that aside, it was enjoyable. It's a new twist on the "white teacher goes into the inner-city school to change kids' minds" genre. In this case, said teacher is also a crack addict. When he's caught in the act by a student (Shareeka Epps, no relation to Omar), he isn't told on and fired. Instead they form an unlikely friendship. Ryan Gosling definitely deserves his Oscar nomination, doing more acting with his eyes than a lot of his contemporaries can achieve speaking. It's not a perfect movie (I felt like the ending was a bit abrupt), but the overall message the teacher tries to impart to his students is well refelcted in the plot.

The Departed

Maybe I'm just not a Scorsese person. But this overly-long epic felt like a snooze-fest to me. What could have been a tight and interesting cop caper/thriller gets dragged out for two and a half hours into something about honor, retribution, blah, blah, SNORE. It's too bad, because there were moments I liked. Like who knew text messaging was so essential to being an FBI informant? As for best picture of the year? I certainly hope not. As for the lone acting nomination, Mark Wahlberg is indeed good, although his part is short. I think the nod from the Academy is more a recognition that he has really matured as an actor and has left his rapping underwear model days far, far behind. Good for you, Marky. Just don't bother writing a speech.

I'm starting to craft my Oscar picks, but still have one more film to see this week (Babel) before I solidify things. So stay tuned!

I want my WB!

A moment of silence for Reba McEntire. Her TV show (Reba) is coming to an end this Sunday.

It's a shame that a show which was often genuinely funny couldn't find a place on the new CW. Then again, it's never been as funny since Barbara Jean lost all that weight and started looking a bit freakish.

Anyway, join me in a last hurrah by tuning in this Sunday at 7 pm ET to give her a final send-off. And then we'll wish Reba well as she focuses back on her music career.

Cinema en espanol

Hello, faithful readers. I know at least a few of you have been patiently waiting for more posts from me. Fortunately I will now be getting back into the swing of posting, as my work has passed its zenith for the year. And with the winter TV season back on track and Oscar time nearly here - I've got some writing to do! First up, some movie reviews. I've been furiously trying to get caught up on some Oscar nominees.

This post will focus on a couple of Spanish-language films - one an Oscar nominee this year, and another I discovered at the video store.


Pan's Labyrinth

This film sets a child living out a fantasy against the horrors of real-life war. Although very creative with some wonderful cinematography, I didn't feel this one lived up to the hype around it. It was certainly enjoyable and I admired that it was so different than your average movie. But it's not one that really stayed with me. It's been a few weeks since I saw it, and I don't feel that sense of nostalgia. Still, it's worth a rental. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize that the housekeeper is Maribel Verdu, who starred in Y Tu Mama Tambien.



20 centímetros

Well, the only way to describe this one is that it was the "feel-good Spanish transgender narcoleptic prostitute musical of 2005!" Seriously! That's about all you need to know. It has fun music (Madonna, Queen), zombies and a dwarf! I won't say much more about it, except that it is very creative, very different and has some naughty sex scenes if you're so inclined. Rent this one, and you won't be disappointed! Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize that the prostitute named Ice Box is played by Rossy de Palma, who had some sleepy-time trouble herself as Marisa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Thanks for stopping by! Coming up this week, I'll catch up with what's been happening on Lost and Grey's Anatomy. I'll also post my Oscar picks (after I watch a few more videos).

And don't forget this Sunday is the premiere for The Amazing Race: All-Stars! We'll see who has gotten better with age (come on, Danny & Oswald), and who just stinks (my money is on Teri & Ian). Also we can weep that Jon Vito & Jill are no longer an item. *sob*