Ravenweb Blog

Hooray! We finally get Scrubs back. Sadly, tonight's episode also marks the countdown to the end of the show, as this is the seventh and final season. I guess we can enjoy it while it lasts. On the topic, I stumbled across a link to a Scrubs production blog . Lots of production videos here.

It's been a unique fall viewing season for me this year in that there's a lot of time now where I'm restricted in my movements because of the baby. However, this has unexpectedly given me much more time to watch TV and try out new shows. Below is a list of the new shows I've watched and my initial reactions. Mondays Chuck is an entertaining but flawed spy / nerdboy mashup about a computer tech who ends up with a database of government secrets downloaded into his brain. I like the casting and setup and am interested in watching at least through mid-season, but I have a problem with the show's uneven tone. At times, it tips toward campiness and humor (which is fine given the implausible storyline), but then at others it steers back toward dramatic realism, with faraway looks, contemplation, and musical scores. It's a tough line to walk, and I wonder if Chuck can pull it off for an extended run. Tuesdays I initially thought CW's Reaper was the most promising ...

In The Assault on Reason , Al Gore examines the recent trend in U.S. politics -- especially in the current Bush administration -- of ignoring facts and analysis when making policy decisions. Impassioned and fiercely critical of Bush and the state of public discourse in America, this is the Al Gore I wish we saw more of in 2000.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a funny collection of essays in which Sedaris writes about a variety of true life experiences. He devotes space to his Greek-American family (especially his father), employers, tourists, nudists, speech therapists, and himself. The best essays in the book are the pieces that focus on France and the author's attempts to learn to speak French. Having also recently read Barrel Fever , I would say Me Talk Pretty One Day is definitely the better of the two books and that Sedaris is clearly at his best writing non-fiction, where his cranky humor really shines. From what I've heard, these essays are even funnier when heard aloud, with the delivery raising them up a notch.