You Get What You Need

I want to thank readers of the previous blog entry “Long Walk to Financial Freedom: Cutting the Cable Cord” for your support and comments. Since that entry, I bought a digital antenna for my television for $21 at Target. I get nine channels, including KCRA 3 (Sacramento NBC affiliate,), KOVR 13 (Sacramento CBS affiliate), KUVS (Sacramento Univision affiliate; hey, I need to improve my Spanish comprehension!), and KMAX (Sacramento CW affiliate).

No ABC shows? Maybe KXTV News 10 in Sacramento doesn’t offer a digital channel. If that’s the case, BOO!

Furthermore, I’m putting my DVD player to good use. I started checking out DVDs from my library, including “Lost: The Final Season,” “TheBig C: First Season,” and “Person of Interest: First Season.” I was surprised to find so many current titles at my local library. This could work!

I can’t use Roku because it requires an Internet connection, which I gave up with my television cable connection. I will wait about six months before I restore my Internet connection. In the meantime, I use the computer at, where else, the local library.

I still miss watching television that doesn’t break up because of bad reception from my antenna. But I’ve heard that a budget reflects one’s priorities. My biggest priority is getting myself out of debt.

I may not get what I want in terms of programming. But I have what I need. Oh, and my library has Seasons 1 through 3 of "Game of Thrones!"

Writing Diva

Emmy Gets It Right

The 2010 Prime Time Emmy nominations gave me, well, “Glee”-ful. (Sorry for the very bad pun, readers.)

In recent years I would grouse about how some of my favorite shows were left in the dust, like “Friday Night Lights.” Not this year. “Glee,” one of my favorite comedies, danced away with 19 nominations, the most of any series this year. “Lost,” my favorite drama of all time, earned 12 nominations for its final season, including nods for Matthew Fox (Finally!) as lead actor and Terry O’Quinn and 2009 winner Michael Emerson for supporting actor. “Modern Family,” another comedy fave, got 14 nominations, including three supporting actor and two supporting actress nods. Even “Friday Night Lights” scored acting nods for its leads Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Yahoo!

But the most delicious news was the now-defunct “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” earning four nominations, including one for best variety series, while “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” earned nothing, nichts, nada! And NBC, which made the boneheaded decision to reinstate Jay Leno, is airing the Emmys on August 29. I would watch the Emmys for the schadenfreude alone.

So, here are the rest of my hits and some misses for this year:

“The Good Wife,” a CBS series about a wife who returns to practicing law after her attorney general husband is involved in a sex scandal, earned nominations for its lead Julianna Margulies and supporting actresses Christine Baranski and Archie Panjabi. Two guest actors, Tony winner Alan Cumming and Dylan Baker, earned nods as well. It’s an intelligent, well-written and acted show. Hit.

“Glee” received nods for best comedy series, lead actor (Matthew Morrison), lead actress (Lea Michele), supporting actress (Jane Lynch, who totally earned it), and guest actor (Neil Patrick Harris.) But I was pleasantly surprised about nominations for Chris Colfer (Kurt) for supporting actor and Mike O’Malley (Kurt’s father Burt) for guest actor. Their scenes together are funny and touching. Hit.

“Mad Men” got 17 nominations, including those for leads Jon Hamm and January Jones, supporting actor John Slattery, and supporting actresses Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks. Robert Morse received a guest actor nomination for his portrayal of the senior partner of Sterling Cooper Advertising. Hit.

Where were Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson from “Grey’s Anatomy”? Their performances, especially in the finale, were stellar. Miss.

Vampire drama “True Blood” earned its first nomination for best drama. Maybe the Emmy voters are opening themselves up to new experiences. Hit.

No Morena Baccarin, the leader of the aliens from “V”? Miss.

Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch” won nominations, including one for best nonfiction series, in the aftermath of fishing boat Capt. Phil Harris’s death from a stroke. Hit.

No love for “Law and Order” after 19 seasons? Miss.

Overall, I’m happy with this year’s picks. Guess I’ll be in front of the set next month.

Writing Diva

I'll Never Be "Lost" Again

I'm a Lostie.

There! I've written it. I'm a huge fan of the ABC television show "Lost." And I'm spending this "Lost Weekend" watching the pilot episode that started my addiction on Saturday and being weaned off it with the Sunday finale.

After 121 episodes, I will have to undergo "Lost" withdrawal. I have watched the series since its stellar debut on September 22, 2004. With the riveting, harrowing plane crash and its aftermath on a mysterious island, I was hooked. To my recollection, I have missed only seven episodes in six seasons.

What drew me to the series was the island. When character Charlie Pace asked, "Where are we?", I imagine other Losties asked the same question Charlie and I did. Then more questions came: What was the monster that killed the airplane's pilot? Why were children being taken? Who are The Others? Where did the ship the Black Rock come from? What is the Dharma Initiative? Who are Jacob and the Man in Black? And, what's up with that polar bear on a tropical island?

There were endless discussions of faith vs. reason, fate vs. free will, quantum physics, time travel, good vs. evil, mistakes and redemption. Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse would throw in all sorts of cultural and philosophical touchstones in books and character names, such as John Locke, Jack Shephard, Rousseau, Charlotte Staples (C.S.) Lewis, Desmond David Hume, and Richard Alpert (the birth name of spiritual teacher Ram Dass), The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Watership Down, A Brief History of Time, Catch-22, The Chosen, Flowers for Algernon (one of my favorites), and The Bible, among many others.

But what kept me watching "Lost" these six seasons were the characters. There were the contentious interactions between Dr. Jack Shephard, a man of science, and John Locke, a man who had faith in the island. James "Sawyer" Ford, a con-man protecting his tender loving heart. Jin and Sun Kwon, the married Korean couple that went through separations before finally finding one another, only to die together. Kate Austen, a fugitive murderer whose heart was caught between Jack and Sawyer. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, the lottery winner and comic relief who, in my opinion, is the heart of the show. Sayid Jarrah, the Iraqi soldier seeking love and redemption. Benjamin Linus, the "leader" of The Others who has used people and is being used by the Man in Black. (Or is he?) Finally, Desmond Hume, the time traveler who is the key to the island and has his "constant" in his love, Penelope Widmore.

"Lost" is an action drama that challenged me to think. I would have weekly day-after-Lost discussions with a coworker about the episode and what we liked and didn't like about it. The music by Emmy- and Academy Award-winner Michael Giacchino suited every scene and was memorable. And the scenery, which was shot on the north side of Oahu, Hawaii, was breathtaking.

So, when I sit down Sunday night to watch the 2-1/2-hour finale, I will have a box of tissues and a glass of chardonnay to toast what I will call my favorite television show of all time. Namaste, "Lost."

Writing Diva