How I like to spend my evenings

Today marks the start of National Turn Off TV Week. Did you know that? Damn my news obsession.

Last Friday morning, for the first time ever, I dug a children's DVD out of the cabinet and turned it on for Jack. It was something like Sesame Street's Favorite Kids' Songs and it was super old, this is I know because GORDON was in it and Gordon is from MY Sesame Street era.

Jack was mildly interested. He didn't plop himself down to watch, but he kept one eye on the TV while he moseyed around the living room, hunting for the remote (a fruitless endeavor!) and ripping up Mommy's entertainment magazines. He seemed to ignore all the talking parts and pay more attention during the singing parts. Again, I wondered where this boy came from because I? Will watch a test pattern.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Jack was introduced to TV. In my house? Are you kidding? One way I got through the bleakness of January and February was tuning into incessant presidential primary coverage. Some people watch daytime soaps, I watch MSNBC. I'm also one of those people who needs a little background noise and the TV is always good for that. (I had a visitor a few weeks ago complaining about her chatty officemate and people on the bus and everyone having to listen to the little TV ads they played throughout her flight to Hawaii and I was all, "Yeah, I don't even hear that stuff." Tuning people out = one of my spiritual gifts.)

Anyway, now that it's lighter out and we're getting out of the house more and I am not so much in the Throes of Nausea, there is less TV. But television being one of the Great Childhood Evils, I feel a little guilty about it. Not too much, mostly because Jack just doesn't seem all that interested. Perhaps he inherited my gift? He'll cock his head towards the screen when a particularly sing songy commercial comes on, but other than that he doesn't seem to pay attention. So that makes me feel better. My favorite vice does not appear to be harming my child. SO FAR. (Dum, de dum dum!)

Now that we've got that out of the way, we can start discussing my favorite topic.

At this point I'm not sure I care who wins American Idol. I really don't. Brooke, my favorite, looks like the show is eating away at her will to live. She seems to get worse (not necessarily her performances, but her demeanor) every week and I just want someone to say, "Brooke, honey, go find a piano bar and leave these Hollywood crazies to themselves!" David Cook annoys me. I thought his Mariah Carey adaptation was terrible. Sure, he gets extra bonus points for imagination and actually having some skill when it comes to this musician stuff, but 'Always Be My Baby'? Couldn't he have picked something less... bouncy? Little David annoys me, but you should have seen Phillip and me when he broke out the Robbie Williams a few weeks ago. Karaoke at Chez Cheung! And then we looked it up in our iTunes library (because of COURSE we have that song) and did it all over again. I bet you didn't know Phillip Cheung can knock out an awesome falsetto. And now I can expect the divorce papers.

Is the mother on How I Met Your Mother Sarah Chalke? Anyone? Theories? Her St. Patrick's Day comment, the umbrella, the mysterious blonde...

My favorite cook on Top Chef is Mohawk Jen. And people! Ming Tsai was a guest judge! YUM!

Lost has been seriously awesome, except for the Michael episode. Oh, and also the one where Jin is dead because NO WAY IS THAT HAPPENING IN MY UNIVERSE. After hating this show for so long it's nice to be excited about new episodes coming up.

Last night Phillip asked me if I would be watching The Office if Jim and Pam weren't part of the show. And the answer is no. They've kind of run out of office-centric plots for Michael and now I don't like watching him at all. Even though the show is still funny, without the redeeming normalcy of Jim and Pam, the cringeworthy dinner party isn't as fun to watch. And you guys, I nearly died when Jim showed us that engagement ring. SQUEE! And then! When he got down on one knee on the sidewalk! I was totally Pam, you guys, TOTALLY FOOLED. And then I made Phillip tell me how he'll propose the next time we get married.

Scrubs is not as funny anymore now that JD is OLD. You hear me, Zach Braff? GROW UP ALREADY.

What else are we watching these days? Oh, Jon & Kate Plus 8, which is WILD people, just WILD. My mom came back from visiting my brother and sister-in-law all "HaveyouseenthisshowitisCRAZY!" and so I had to TiVo it and YOU GUYS I am HOOKED. Do I complain about my one single only perfect child? FOR SHAME.

And after I wrote about my finger (which is DISGUSTING, by the way, DIS. GUSTING.) people kept yammering on about America's Next Top Model and Life Imitating Art and I have to say that that is one show I don't watch (horrors!) and someone will have to explain. I'm all ears.

I know I'm forgetting lots but you already think I am a TV Junkie and that my kid is going to turn into a bank robber, so I'll end this here. What are you watching and loving/hating? Anything I need to record? Because you know the CHEUNGS are not turning off their television.

Comments

[Jen]

I love 30 Rock. I also love Adventure Camp, which I am ashamed to admit because I am SO too old for their target audience. But it is a kid's reality show filmed at Sea World. They do such awesome stuff that I am jealous. And it is nice to watch because all the kids are so nice. I also love Ace of Cakes on the Food Network and Mythbusters will always be a long time favorite.

[Lisa]

Ditto on The Office. I was SO pleased with the engagement ring reveal. Can't wait for that proposal!

Also, AI...David Cook is our fave. Sorry... I just think he's the most interesting. But he'll strike a recording deal regardless, so we are rooting for Carly and Brooke. Jason annoys me, although, THOSE EYES!

[Christina]

The Top Model thing... one of the girls last week cut her finger when she was cutting some cheese or something and it was so bad they had to get her to the hospital and it was all bandaged and throbbing in pain for the rest of her week. And it hurt my finger just to watch her, poor thing!

I'm actually getting tired of Idol, I mean I like most of the people left (Archeletta and Sayesha bug me tho) but it's feeling very ho-hum... there hasn't been a really great episode in a few weeks.

My current obsession is NCIS... discovered it while on vacation and have been tivo'ing it and watching an episode almost every night. I normally don't like those cop dramas (hate violence and gross things) but I like the personalities and LOVE Mark Harmon and it's fun to watch something that is new (to me) every night.

And yeah, there will be no turning off the TV in this house either. :-)

[Kanuck]

I loved all the PB&J moments that you mentioned and was squeeing like a 12-year-old girl at The!Ring! I can't wait to see how they'll torture us with fake proposals the rest of the season (but it had better end with a real one, darnit!)

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who watches Jon & Kate Plus 8 - somehow the zoo that is their lives makes mine seem manageable in comparison (and they aren't afraid to bring the snark, which is always appreciated).

[Charlotte]

I don't think Sarah Chalke is the mother. Why? Because there was an episode awhile back with a stripper where Ted said something like "hey, Amber." " No it's Tracy" ---and that's how I met your mother. Just kidding. So wouldn't her name would have to be Tracy since the kids would know their mum's proper name? Also, I would think that they would meet because of the yellow umbrella and not Ted's tramp stamp. Yes I am twelve levels of dork.

30 Rock is frickin' awesome. Family Guy allows me to get my Seth MacFarlane fix. Top Chef has gotten so formulaic, I miss the spark. Dale is the Hung, Spike the less talented Marcel, Andrew the CJ, Stephanie the Tiffani, etc. Criminal Minds is a crime show with actual brains and follow-worty subplots. Best procedural on television.

[Emily]

Love Jon and Kate! And 30 Rock. And, embarrassingly, something I never miss is (I am seriously going to admit this) Mystery Diagnosis on the Health Channel. THERE! I SAID IT! I AM A LOSER!

[ashley]

Oh, a TV entry! Always fantastic!

First, I must say, I'm quite impressed that models were eating cheese. Makes me feel much better about the pizza I'm enjoying right now.

I've already got a bet going on Jim and Pam and when they'll be engaged. Someone's gonna get some Thai food, that's all I'm sayin.

[Kate P]

Better than cheese--the models were slicing potatoes to make potato pancakes. Which are fried. Yowza. My little sister got me hooked on ANTM and it's a trainwreck I can't stop watching.

I have got to get up to speed on The Office b/c I keep hearing it's good. And How I Met Your Mother seems to be coming back from a "meh" beginning of season. Although I'm totally confused b/c Future Ted seemed to be giving TMI to his children tonight.

Top Chef--Mohawk Jen's got talent, no question. I wonder who else can keep it together for the length of the competition. And agreed on Ming Tsai. He's my favorite hottie judge and Daniel Boloud's my favorite "nice" judge. Eric Ripert is cool, too.

Speaking of Sesame Street--you wanna see toddlers go nuts, pull out your Sesame Street VINYL. They'll stare at the turntable and then start dancing to the music. My niece and nephew love it.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

PB&J - I was squeeing right along with you, Maggie. No word of a lie, my heart rate sped up when he got down on one knee...to tie his shoe. May Sweeps had better pay off!

And I agree with Scrubs being lackluster and with the craziness of J&K+8. But my secret shame? PCD Girlicious. So. incredibly. bad. But there was a strike. And winter was really long in Ottawa. And now - I need to know what happens!

I have heard good things about Eli Stone (Victor Garber! Greg Berlanti! Yummy Johnny Miller!) so might check it out in repeats.