S09: GWSS 3306 Pop Culture Women

As I was growing up, my parents only allowed my brother and me two hours of tv a day, instilling upon my young mind that excessive tv watching was for lazy, boring people. This childhood practice lead to my current tendency of watching very little tv. I'd much rather be listening to music than be distracted by background tv noise, while doing homework or hanging out. That being said, I do have a few favorite shows that I make time for: Lost, The Office, Intervention and the Girls Next Door (tsk tsk, I know...). I also love a good crime show.

Even though I'm not a fan of frequent couch potato-ing, I do love movies. My current favorite is Amelie; I reallllly enjoy foreign films (i.e. Y Tu Mama Tambien, Let the Right One In, Pan's Labyrinth, Paris Je T'Aime). Some other random faves of mine include Across the Universe, Beetlejuice, The Emperor's New Groove, Little Miss Sunshine, Love Actually, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Rules of Attraction, The Silence of the Lambs, Sweeny Todd, and Waiting for Guffman.

-Danya

Posted by sands132 at 1:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I do not watch much television, mostly because I can never find anything good on. When I do watch television though, I generally watch Law and Order: SVU, House, a cheesy Lifetime movie, or the History Channel. As a result of my roommate’s television watching habits I also sometimes watch MTV reality television shows and the Food Network; none of which I enjoy. I watch these shows on the weekends or if I have a short amount of time in between activities during the day when I would not be able to get anything else done. I have a few shows in the evening that I try to watch every week as well. I like One Tree Hill, Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, and Big Love. Given my schedule, however, I am usually unable to watch my shows when they are being aired so I stream them on the internet. I don’t like watching a lot of television at one time because it sedates me and I don’t like being still for that long, but a little bit everyday is entertaining.

Posted by schne534 at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My T.V. watching habits are incredibly bad. I live with my sister and she calls the couch my best friend. I cannot explain how good it feels to leave reality for awhile and get completely lost in a good movie. I love certain T.V. shows as well, such as: The Office, Family Guy, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but my first love is movies. I particularly love psychological thrillers. I am a Law, Crime, and Deviance so police movies are my favorite! Some of my favorite thriller movies are: The Negotiator, Primal Fear, Shawshank Redemption, Usual Suspects, and Copy Cat. However, I do enjoy escaping to a fantasy world every now and then. Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies are some of my favorites. When I watch fantasy movies I feel like I am ten years old again. After the movie is over, I wish I could fly on a broom stick of fight off dragons. It defiantly helps make all my other obligations go away, even for a short while.

My schedule right now is rather hectic. Mondays are my lightest day, with yoga from 8 am to 9am and then soccer practice from 9:30am to 11:30am. After my work outs I have class until 5 pm. Then I tend to watch T.V. until around 9:30 or 10pm, instead of doing my homework.
Tuesdays, I have yoga and soccer again at the same times, and then I have classes from 2:30pm to 7pm. After classes I usually go to Hollywood video and rent new movies (Every Tuesdays are when new releases come out) and watch them until around midnight.
Wednesday is my heaviest day. I have the same work out routine in the morning, then I volunteer at the juvenile prison from 1pm to 3pm, then I have class from 4pm to 8:30pm, and finally, I have soccer games from 10pm to 11:30pm. I tend not to watch much T.V. on Wednesdays.
Thursday I have the same workout routine till 11:30am, then class till 8:30pm, and after that I have soccer games till 11:30pm. I usually watch about 2 hours of T.V. between my workouts and classes.
Fridays we scrimmage the men’s club soccer team from 9:30am to 11am. I also have class from 12:30pm to 3:30 pm, but after that my weekend starts and I tend to watch ALOT of television and movies on the weekend.
Now that I look at my schedule, I feel a little pathetic. I know I need to study more, but for some reason I never do until to last minute. I need to work on my priorities after looking at my schedule. Things need to change.

Posted by hood0034 at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last tv show I watched with any regularity was last year's Top Chef. I no longer have cable, or I would probably still be watching it. First, I love to cook. Second, my old (and best ever) roommate actually attended to Culinary Institute of America before she transferred to the U of M (coincidentally to major in GWSS) so we would watch it together. I liked it because, as a reality tv show, there was competition, creativity, and it was fast-paced, but it didn't feel like I had just wasted an hour of my life. It also exposed me to new cooking techniques and vocabulary and I like seeing what happens in a kitchen.

Like Mary said in her post, tv can be a useful tool in exposing us to new ideas and new lifestyles. I don't have the patience to be a tv junkie--I can't sit around that long and stare at a screen--so a tv show has to be really engaging for me to even want to watch it. At the risk of sounding like a huge nerd, I really love to learn so I am entertained at the same time I am learning. If that means learning new spices or admiring a chef's exquisite knife skills (skills I am currently incapable of imitating), then so be it.

Now I gravitate more toward short, witty tv shows like The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. These I watch online for the practical reason that I don't have cable and because I am constantly on my computer needing to procrastinate. I like the shows because they are current events related and I pay pretty close attention to the news. In addition, I really like smart, witty humor. It's kind of my style of humor so I like to see others use it as well. I think it also is a valuable tool for public discourse because it does allow us to talk about touchy issues seriously by creating a sort of barrier through which we can ask deep questions. My tv watching habits, while currently close to non-existent, seem to indicate that I watched a lot of PBS as a child true). I like learning so I tend to be bored watching mindless television and need some sort of intellectual stimulation in order to be entertained. (Yes, I can spell nerd).

Posted by baldw101 at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I believe that TV can be a useful tool in learning about how other people live (although it is often taken to the extreme). When we are able to better understand what motivates others to do what they do, we are better equipped to be truly open minded. As much as we may try to have a diverse group of acquaintances, we gain a perspective into the private lives of others we may not see otherwise (in "reality" or scripted programs). For example, from a show like Wifeswap, we can learn how other families are run and gain more insight into the lives of our peers in addition to a new angle to examine how our actions may affect our peers. What causes me to think that a certain parent is running their family incorrectly? How would I do things differently? If I were to meet this family, would I still be able to treat them with the respect they unconditionally deserve, even if I disagree with their lifestyles?

I don't know what I would talk to my father about if we didn't both watch TV. Through the years, we have watched many shows, movies, sporting events and played plenty of video games together. This is how we learn about each other; form our likes and dislikes to our often varying opinions.I guess it's just how we relate. My father started watching All My Children when it started when he was a kid in 1970 and I guess I've really watched it all of my life. We've watched every season of Big Brother together (except for the one during the writers strike that wasn't in the summer because I was away for school). We even watched all of the 2008 NBA Playoffs/Championships together (yay KG and the Celtics!).

Many seem to believe that TV is a waste of time, but I've definitely learned a lot from the programs I've watched. I loved watching game shows during elementary school and shows like Jeopardy! definitely helped me with my history quizzes. I think that The Real World changed my life. I remember in season 6 (I think) in Boston. It was the first time I learned what a lesbian was, the first time that I realized that women could actually share their lives with one another in such a way. I had a whole new perspective on life, love, and happiness. I also used to love music videos (I really miss Pop-Up Video) but I don't get to watch those as much anymore. TV helped me develop my diverse taste in music; artists I wouldn't have been aware of otherwise.

As for my favorite programs... There are too many! We should have had a limit like we did on the songs! I'll give myself a time limit. Frasier, Judging Amy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bewitched, Desperate Housewives, Family Guy, Xena: Warrior Princess, the Golden Girls, All My Children, The Wonder Years, Maude, The View, I Love Lucy, Who's the Boss, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Weeds, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Night Court, The L Word, Grey's Anatomy (although we've been on a trial separation since November, I don't know if we will ever reconcile), Friends, Living Single, Good Times, Mad About You, Everybody Hates Chris, Imaginary Bitches, Everwood, Mama's Family, Daria, The Facts of Life, SNL, the Wonderpets, The Nanny, I Dream of Jeannie, Punky Brewster, Sliders, Quantum Leap...countless game shows, old nickelodeon, crappy mtv and vh1, and even more mindless sitcoms.

See you Thursday,
Mary

Posted by durde003 at 5:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I am writing this, my TV is on and will remain on until I fall asleep. I definitely watch way too much TV. When I was little my brother and I used to zone out into cartoons and cheerios every morning before school. This TV habit has not changed, except it's not cartoons anymore it's Maury and Tyra. As much as I hate to admit it, my TV is probably on 90% of the time when I'm at home. I'm not necessarily always watching however. I usually have it on just for noise or sometimes just the visual. I often watch multiple shows at one time in order to avoid watching commercials, which is funny considering I'm an advertising major.

I think my list of favorite TV shows is endless. I can watch almost anything. I am a huge fan of everything bravo (project runway, top chef, real housewives, ect.) and VH1. I enjoy reality TV, probably a little bit too much. I'm the person my friends turn to when they miss an episode of something. Just recently I started watching House. I think Hugh Laurie's character is hilarious. I was really excited when he won a Golden Globe. To continue my list I also like Law and Order: SVU, CSI, Cold Case, and almost any other crime/detective shows. My TV is also frequently turned to E! for some Girls Next Door, True Hollywood Story and Chelsea Lately.

Posted by rolfz004 at 4:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi, Sarah here talking about my TV habits. I would like to warn you that I watch a TON of TV, I don't think I could even go a day without it. Sad, but I just love watching TV shows and getting lost in their worlds. Also sometimes you just need to watch shows like FRIENDS, Will and Grace, Scrubs, etc. because they cheer you up and make you laugh. This is how my week goes:
Monday: House @ 7pm, One Tree Hill @ 8pm.
Tuesday: 90210 (the new series)
Wednesday: no schedualed shows, so just whatever is on.
Thursday: Burn Notice :)
Friday: nothing in particular, but Fridays I probably watch the least amount of TV.
Saturdays: nothing in particular, I work Friday thru Sunday at the Cracker Barrel.
Sunday: Same as Friday and Saturday.
Plus I just recently started Netflix so now I watch at least an episode, or on a crazy day like13 episodes, of Heroes online. P.s. Probably the coolest show ever! well besides Burn Notice.
Also, I rent from Netflix the House DVD's.
During a regular week, before I discovered Heroes, I watch Law and Order(CI and SVU are my favorites), CSI:(MIami and Las Vegas--not New York, that one I'm not a fan of), Gilmore Girls.
Plus I wait untill seasons of Grey's Anatomy comes out on Box set and then watch the whole season marathon style.
Also I've seen every episode of some shows that are now cancelled: Dawson's Creek, The OC, FRIENDS, and Will and Grace.

Plus I have a few favorite movies that I've seen so much I know the words by heart: Superbad, House Bunny, Mean Girls, Baby Mama, and What Happens in Vegas. Basically, I love to rewatch funny movies and memorize lines from them to laugh about later with my BFF Lindsey.

P.S. Can't wait till Saturday when Confessions of a Shopaholic comes out!

Posted by mainz006 at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I must admit that I am a tv series junkie. Granted, I don't really have anytime to watch tv anymore, but when I did, I really liked Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Alias, and House. I have one rule that I ALWAYS, always follow: Never watch a series unless it is already on dvd. I can't handle the suspense. it drives me crazy! Lost is particularly bad (or good depending on how you look at it) at leaving you sit on the couch five minutes after the episode ended just hoping that for some reason there will be more. Of course, they never do. Thus, I always wait until the whole series comes out on dvd, and when that happens, I watch way too much tv. My other reason for doing this is to avoid the time conflicts of my life and a tv series. I have friends and family who won't leave their houses on certain nights of the week because "their show" is on. Understandable, tv is addictive, but is it really that important? We know the outcome of the story already, don't we? On Alias, someone always died, but you were never really concerned. You knew that within the next 5 episodes they would randomly appear again whole and healthy. I guess that is why I like tv series so much. They are kind of predicable, unlike my own life.

Movies are a more common thing at this point in my life. They don't require hours and hours of watching to get the whole story. It is a shorter time commitment. Plus, everywhere in the twin cities seems to have a RED BOX! I have never heard of these things until I moved here in January. The person who came up with this concept deserves an award or something. It is the college kid's life saver. In all seriousness, movies are a nice break from reality and the stress of school. Transfering from a community college, I am a little overwhelmed by all the information thrown at me all day long. Sometimes in the evenings, I just need to not think about everything I have to do. A good movie does the trick to ending my frustrations.

As for the kind of movies I watch, I really am not picky. I'm fairly happy watching anything. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite movie, it would be Open Season. Yes, it is a animated children's movie. Watch it if you haven't! The reason I enjoy it so much is just for the simple humor. It isn't sick humor. It is simple and clean humor. It is annoying to me how so many movies and tv shows use humor, but a lot of it is sick, sexits, racist humor. I won't say that I don't find it mildly amusing at times, but I'd so much rather laugh about something that doesn't cross moral boundries. So when I pick out a movie, I'm not picky, but I look for something that isn't too serious and tense. I'm too tense already. Why add to it?

Posted by gross451 at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My television habits seem to follow my schedule. I used to rarely watch cable, except the weekly Thursday night Office episode. Now that I am in this class, cable has been limited to the occasional football game. I don't like feeling like I wasted an hour of my life, although I admit, I have been hypnotized by stupid shows before. I don't watch something unless I am really excited for it. With that in mind, my latest television watching has been revolved around season DVDs. Last year at this time, I was watching Weeds: Season 1 and 2 and Dead Like Me: Season 1 and 2. These shows were light, funny and dramatic enough to keep me interested. Only recently have I found my current obsession: The Wire. It is smart and excited, with great character development (which happens to be one of my pet peeves). The problem with season DVDs is the fact that nothing is limiting your consumption. Depending on my schedule and workload, I watch any where from 2 episodes to an entire season in a week.

I watch movies pretty regularly. I enjoy the act of going to the theaters, but when I don't feel like spending ten dollars and sneaking in snack food, I rent a movie at the one-dollar Red Boxes or Netflix. Comparatively, I prefer television series to movies because the generic 50 minute of a TV show is less of a commitment than a full length feature film. Also, plot and characters can be developed more. You can become connected to the characters more easily, hence become more invested in the story.

Posted by demul011 at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am one of those people who can not stand silence. I always have the TV on or music playing. I really don't watch much TV during the week, I have class 3 nights a week and my son has Taekwondo on the one night I don't have school. Thank goodness for DVR's! Monday-Thursday nights I do watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I have a tough time watching the regular news- I find it to be a bit too depressing so I get my news from the internet, Stewart and Colbert. By Friday, the DVR is filled with Heroes, Chuck, Scrubs and The Office. I just recently got into 30 Rock so I have been trying to watch the old episodes online and if I'm with my parents we end up watching American Idol- I loved the show the first season and will admit that I'm a big Kelly Clarkson fan still but the show has lost a lot of it's appeal to me. The only show that I watch regularly that does not get DVR'd is The Real Housewives of Orange County- it's definitely my guilty pleasure, those women are just crazy! I have always been a big cop show junkie, but have cut them out of regular viewing due to my lack of TV time. I do try to catch episodes of Law and Order when I have a chance and if in flipping I find Homicide: Life on the Streets I tend to drop everything to watch. I still think that was one of the greatest cop shows ever! I also watch SNL often.

As for movies, I tend to watch a lot of kid movies thanks to my son. I secretly curse Disney for the High School Musical franchise, I know the words to most of the songs and have had to learn some of the dances because of the dance along instructions on the DVDs. When I get to pick the movie, it really depends on my mood. I love all kinds of movies, except for horror- in my defense I am a total chicken and I know it. I love old musicals and still cry every time I watch West Side Story after Chino shoots Tony and Maria gives her speech. I don't get to the theater often, I generally don't want to pay $10 to see the movies my son wants to see, so we tend to rent or buy a lot of movies

Posted by oryan003 at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My t.v. watching habits have changed a lot since I started college. I'm from a really small town so we honestly didn't have much to do. On the weekends, we would just hang out and watch t.v. or movies. High school was a breeze, so homework wasn't too difficult- basically I had a lot of free time, and I spent a lot of time in front of the t.v. When I started college, everything changed, including my t.v. watching habits. I no longer have time to sit around and watch t.v. It's just not an option. There are a few shows I watch regularly. These include: The Real World, A Shot of Love (I know this is a horrible horrible show but I was completely addicted), and Chelsea Lately. Whenever I have some spare time during the day, I'll turn on comedy central. I love stand-up comedy; I only watch it occasionally though. I also watch A LOT of news programs. I'm majoring in journalism so it's almost necessary for most of my classes, but I've always watched a lot of news. When I was still living at home I watched probably 3 or 4 news programs a day; I like the news, what can I say. Anyways, thats about all for my t.v. watching.
--Chelsey

Posted by lars3364 at 4:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm really bad because I'm a total TV addict. Sometimes I don't even watch what I have on, it's just noise in the background while I'm reading or facebooking or falling asleep for the night. I'm a complete Law and Order nut. Any of them, the Original, SVU, or Criminal Intent. And please don't hate me for saying this, but I watch all of the reality shows on Bravo, Top Chef, Project Runway, all of the "real housewives of...". I'm not sure why I like some of them but they're like driving by an accident, you just can't help but watch. And of course you can't forget the Simpsons and Family Guy I absolutely love Family Guy.

I've always been a media junkie though in just about any form. I'm constantly on my laptop checking CNN or local news and even watching shows online that I forgot to set my DVR for. I really wanted to work for a news organization at one point but decided I was better suited for advertising/marketing/PRI so I decided to major in it.

So there you go....I'm a TV addict. Admitting it is half the battle.

Lisa

Posted by hess0135 at 4:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My TV habits have changed over the last few years. Before college I watched a lot of TV, usually bad TV. Now most TV annoys me, in particular pretty much all MTV shows. There are not many shows I follow and no shows that I watch religiously. The last show I watched weekly was Arrested Development and I still watch the seasons on DVD all the time. Now that Arrested Development is off the air I try to catch The Office and 30 Rock when I can. I think all three of those shows are well written and smart. Arrested Development is especially smart. The script is so full of hidden humor. I’ve been watching the DVDs forever and I still find new things in the episodes.

Besides the few sitcoms I watch, I watch quite a few shows on TLC and the Food Network. I like the show Jon and Kate Plus 8 and the specials on rare diseases. I’m pretty sure I could watch specials on dwarves for the rest of my life. On the Food Network I really like the show Unwrapped where they go through how classic American foods are made like hot dogs or Jell-o. Even though I have the shows I like my TV watching is hard to peg. I could not watch TV for a week and not realize it or I could watch 4 hours in one day.

When it comes to movies I’m really into Tim Burton stuff. Edward Scissorhands is one of my all time favorite movies. I also like Tim Burton because he uses Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and the music of Danny Elfman in a lot of his movies. Burton has a really recognizable style that I enjoy and his movies often have a dark humor that I like. Back to Johnny Depp I think the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is great.

-Tessa

Posted by boenx008 at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't watch much tv. Mostly I just don't find it that entertaining. I do have favorite tv shows that I rent the episodes for, though. Some of these would include Spongebob Squarepants, The Boondocks, South Park, X Files, and Star Trek. Whenever I'm in a motel I always take advantage of cabel to watch the Colbert Report, the Daily Show, and I Love Lucy, among others. I also watch a lot of movies. There are certain directors I like such as David Lynch, Stanly Kubrich, and Spike Lee, and I also like horror movies and foreign films. It's difficult to say exactly why I like what I like. I only know I like a lot of cartoons and comedies, but I also like to view so-called "serious" films and to jump in my seat at horror films. I also like selected sci-fi and fantasy films.

Posted by moria065 at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When it comes to TV, it is very much a love/hate relationship. There are shows that I absolutely love (Arrested Development, The Office, Anthony Bourdain, Stewart/Colbert) and then there are shows that I love that I hate I love (Sober House, Real Housewives, ANTM) and then there's the fact that I hate that it sucks up all my time without me realizing it.

Although I am not one to organize my schedule around "my stories" thanks to the small thing called the interwebs I have found that I can watch most shows on my schedule, which is what I try to do. With the shows becoming more of the break between the commercials I have become a huge fan of television series on DVDs.

What I hate most is how I can plan to sit down and watch only a half an hour which turns into the rest of an evening gone and a stack of readings left to read and papers left to write. So I usually spend my time trying to avoid turning it on when I can. I like to use TV more as a tool to relax and rewind. This probably explains why I tend to stick to travel, food, and sitcoms.

Posted by lars2805 at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey hey.

I have pretty strange television habits. Mainly, I hate 90% of television but the 10% I do like I develop extremely unhealthy obsessions with. I can watch an entire 5-series show in a week on DVD, especially if it's summer!

I haven't watched much on an ACTUAL television since I was really young. We got rid of cable when I was 8 and since the only channel I watched was Nickelodeon I pretty much gave up television altogether. Sometimes I'd have the TV on for background noise, but that was pretty much all it consisted of.

When I came to college there was basically no reception in my dorm and my TV barely worked, so my roommate and I watched a lot of movies [usually really awful chick flicks she had]. I got into Grey's Anatomy freshman year, mainly because one of my friends had cable and it was just a nice time for everyone to get together. I liked the first couple seasons of Grey's but then it got a little extreme so I don't watch it much anymore.

My sophomore year we got free cable, and though my roommates were always watching TV, I couldn't stand most of what they were watching... reality shows drive me up the wall, honestly! Can't handle them. Especially the bachelor/bachelorette shows, or any show where they stick 10 people in a house with one guy and assume that one of them is the guy's true love. The past two years I've lived alone, and my TV had been totally broken up until like last October when I got a new one for this stupid HDTV switch. It also sucks because even with an antenna the size of my desk I can't seem to pick up many channels. So yeah, I don't watch much TV.

Shows on DVD are my saviors. My mother made me watch Gilmore Girls with her once [cute, I know] and sadly I got hooked - I now own the entire series and it's my guiltiest of the guilty pleasures.

Other guilty pleasures include Monk [mainly because I think Tony Shalhoub is just so damn cute, plus I like solving the cases] and Gossip Girl [I'm really behind]. I watch both of these online pretty frequently.

My sister got me hooked on Six Feet Under last summer. I know, 7 years after it started, but yeah. This is one of those "obsession" shows for me. I have no idea why, but everyone in my family is extremely emotionally invested in this show. I swear, it changed my life. I could go on for five years about how much I love this show, but I'll try to, you know, not do that. I spent my entire summer in front of my computer, downloading torrents that could potentially kill my computer just so I could download each episode [my sister moved back to our hometown and thus I didn't have access to her DVDs anymore]. During a particularly stressful/anxiety-ridden series of episodes, I literally couldn't sleep because I was so nervous about what would happen, and I dreamt about the characters... I blew off plans with my friends so I could stay home and watch the show... yeah. [As an aside, I just bought the ENTIRE series - all five seasons - for only $59.99 on Amazon! It seems to have been a very temporary deal because it was back up to almost $200 the next day.]

Other favorites include...

- The Office! I never miss an episode. I think it's been gradually getting worse - I miss season 2! - but I'm still devoted.
- It'S Always Sunny in Philadelphia [why is this flying under the radar? It's so good!]
- Arrested Development [I could kill Fox for canceling this show, it was seriously like the only good show they had]
- Family Guy [okay, Fox has one redeeming show...]
- Seinfeld [this was our "family bonding" show - after my parents got divorced my mom would still come over to my dad's to watch Seinfeld, haha]

I will also watch pretty much any cooking or "domestic" show [Martha Stewart is awesome] because I love organization, cooking, etc.

I guess that's all... ciao!

Kyla

Posted by stein546 at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Due to the fact that I have an extremely busy schedule and my time is limited, I chose not to purchase the “cable plan� this year and have, so far, survived without it (but barely).

I resort to watching most of my guilty-pleasure television shows online. I love trashy television; picture this: “The Hills,� “True Life,� “Parental Control,� etc. Anything on MTV that has no relevance as to what reality is actually like, is what I enjoy watching. I have secretly wanted to try-out for the “Real World,� however; my life is far less drama-filled than what the producers are probably looking for. I love “Will and Grace� and “Saturday Night Live.� I definitely enjoy watching shows that are comical.

I feel as though we tend to gravitate towards television programs that we can relate to. I may not necessarily relate to the "rich" girls on "The Hills," but the show is entertaining regardless. I love shows that make me laugh, but I also like shows on the "Travel Channel" or "Discovery Channel" that make me think. Needless to say, I enjoy a variety of shows and it all depends on my mood during that time (and how much I actually enjoy channel surfing).

When I go home for breaks, I enjoy watching marathons of “What Not to Wear� and “48 Hours Mystery.� I absolutely LOVE watching the “Gameshow Network,� as well as feeling about 80-years-old.

While at school, I enjoy watching DVDs when and if I have free-time. My selection and taste in DVDs varies by my mood: I am a fan of “Edward Scissorhands,� “Curly Sue,� “Christmas Vacation,� and the entire set of “Sex in the City.� And yes, I own a VHS player (shocking, right?) and Disney movies will never get old in my book. Maybe it is because I never want to grow up…

Not to mention, I can quote almost the entire movie of “Anchorman.�

Needless to say, there are days where I miss television watching, but with today’s technology, relying in the Internet as a second source is just what I need to suffice all of my television watching needs.

Posted by kline130 at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At a bar the other night, some friends were discussing the House’s hopes to push the analog to digital signal switchover back to June, worried that some citizens would not have taken actions to buy a digital receiver for their televisions. Someone added, “They’ve been running those ads on TV for, like, 2 years now! Whoever finds themselves after the switch with a TV that doesn’t work must have been living under a rock.� To my friend’s amazement, I had no idea that the digital switchover was even happening.
Like many college students (right?), I don’t own a TV. Anyway, I’m too busy running around during the week to worry about catching something when it airs. But much as I wish I were one of those too-cool-for-TV people, my innocence stops short at not owning one.
The computer reigns supreme in my media-watching habits. I’ve been known to devour an entire season of LOST in a single weekend (over break, but still. Shameful.) As with most things, I can check a season of LOST out from the library. I also use Netflix to rent TV seasons and movies.
I also like to watch TV shows streaming online. I await each new Gossip Girl with bated breath, refreshing the full episode page on cwtv.com almost obsessively to see when the latest episode is posted. For the contraband viewing of HBO’s new vampire show True Blood, I stalk through the back alleys of Asian video sites like a nervous teen in China Town, looking for something illegal. Gossip Girl and True Blood are guilty pleasures, along with The Real World and America’s Next Top Model. I can recognize that these shows do not have much complexity or artistic integrity, but that empty brain-candy is just too sweet to kick.
A couple of shows that I can enjoy while holding onto a sliver of dignity include Six Feet Under and Project Runway. I’m also a fan of The Daily Show and Colbert Report, which I can watch at friend’s houses (those with cable).
On the whole, I probably watch two and a half hours of TV (via my computer) per week on average. I’d say half of that time is spent watching alone, and half spent watching with a friend.
I also go to the movies roughly every other week, and most often it’s to one of the Landmark theaters (much as I steep myself in crappy television, I’m only going to spend my money on a movie that looks complex/artistic/interesting).

Posted by Annie at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the past year I have started to watch a lot more TV. First, I got cable and internet access (i didnt have it for a year) that I am actually paying for so I feel as though I should use it. Second, since i'm paying for it and therefore have no money, it is "cheap" entertainment. Third, my boyfriend and I are sick of going out with the worry of being pulled over for a DWI every night!

When i'm by myself I watch more reality TV shows like "Girls Next Door", all the ridiculous VH1 shows, and CW shows like "Priviledged", "One Tree Hill", and sometimes "90210". Another show I like but don't get to see a lot is "Don't Forget the Lyrics"

With my boyfriend I usually watch "Everybody Loves Raymond", "King of Queens", "Two and a Half Men", "Cold Case", "Chelsea Lately", "Talk Soup" and of course "SVU"

We also watch a lot of movies. Writing this blog is an eye opener in that I watch A LOT of TV. Oh, and another reason why is because ITS COLD OUTSIDE and I do not want to leave the house (or my warm blanket)

Ohh, and the info-mercial for the GT-Express 2000 (or whatever it is) is really really captivating at 3am

Posted by kuetie31 at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would describe my TV watching habits as very ADD'ish.... I would find 2-4 different shows airing at the same time that I may find interesting and pretty much just shuffle through them. I would just pretty much just try to get the essence of each of the show's episode. I find it very hard to just stay on one show at a time I get very antsy and start doing other stuff and I just end up ignoring what I was watching. There are however some exceptions, Scrubs, Mythbusters, Star trek next generation, Battlestar Galactica, and Curious George.

If however I find myself in the situation where there is not a show on that interests me I would just start watching commercials. I would choose 5-6 channels that I believe could contain very interesting commercials and shuffle through those. My top channels for commercials would be lifetime, We tv, MTV, VH1, and the Food Network. I find that commercials on freecreditreport.com, extenze, beer, medications(especially about impotance and yeast infections) and weed to be the most interesting.

In the unlikely case that I could not find anything else to watch on TV I would go into the kitchen grab a bag of sugar or sugary substance, a spoon and a beverage of some sort (usually soda) and sit back down in front of the TV and turn on FOX news. I find that when I'm shoveling an insane amount of sugar into my mouth hole FOX news gets pretty bearable to watch.

I'm trying to cut down on my TV watching though... so I try to find more productive things to do like cooking and baking stuff, studying, and turning up the music as loud as I can and dance like no one's watching.

Peace out!

-Dunstan "Chuck Johnson" Pinlac

Posted by pinla001 at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I do have some favorite television shows, but we do not have cable in my apartment (or an antenna) and I cannot often find the time to watch t.v. on a regular basis. For the past year, one of my roommates and I have been watching the past four seasons of Grey's Anatomy to catch up to this season, so far we're on the third episode of season five! I like Grey's because of all of the drama and the ability to live vicariously through the characters and find connections to their lives. That is generally how I pick my favorite dramas (I also loved watching Everwood in high school and I cannot believe that they only put out the first season on DVD!). Usually my roommate and I watch Grey's whenever we have an extra 40 minutes of time here or there, or we need a break from homework. My favorite news to watch is The Daily Show and the Colbert Report on hulu.com whenever I get the chance. I watched every episode during all of the election business. I also have a newly found obsession for CSI (Las Vegas is my favorite). I like CSI because it is basically a mystery story, which I love trying to figure out before the end of the show. When I get the chance to watch shows on cable, I love the Discovery Channel and the History Channel. One of my majors is history and I find so many interesting shows on that channel! I also like watching Mythbusters when I get the chance. I am a curious person and I love learning new and crazy things. I typically only watch CSI, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel when I go to work out in our work out room (free cable!) or when I spend some downtime at my parents' house in southwest Minneapolis.

My television watching habits are sporadic- basically whenever I can make time for a little t.v. If I have downtime and there are marathons on, I am easily sucked into those, especially Project Runway and CSI marathons. I watched so much more t.v. when I was younger, like the Simpsons' (still love it), Judging Amy, Crossing Jordan, Ally McBeal, Home Improvement (Nick at Nite every once in a while), Full House, the show with Steve Urkle, and all of those kind of shows. If I watch them now, it's often for the nostalgia. After class last night, I have a new found love for Maude. I had never seen it before and I thought it was hillarious! So I'll be looking into seeing more of that. It reminded me of a show that I watched occassionally when I was younger with a similar woman as the main character. It was something like Mama's House maybe? She was an older white woman who was always in charge and funny...anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? It is going to drive me crazy not being able to remember, I'll see if I can find it.

Posted by katy at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)