A New Kind of New Years Resolution

This year I’m going to ace all my classes. I’ll lose twenty pounds. I plan on reading a book a month. I will not gossip as much. These are all admirable resolutions. They are the attempted and failed pledges of New Years past; the oaths I have heard my friends declare and the ones I have broken myself.

Some years I just skip the resolution train altogether because I know a hopeless cause when I see one. But this year I’ve decided to try something different. A new kind of resolution. My television resolutions of 2010.

Now I am plenty aware that the last thing I need in my life is much more television, but hey, we can’t help what we fall in love with right? So, to kick off the new decade, I have decided to set some goals for myself themed around that idiot box that we have come to know and love oh so very much. I figured that putting my resolutions in writing would make it more official and encourage me to follow through a bit more than usual. Follow the jump for the Idiot Box’s Resolutions of 2010.

Last semester I really fell short of supplying this blog with much more than my Campus Times articles. I got caught up with classes and extracurricular activities and spent my free time napping or watching my favorite shows over and over again. This year I want to try to put more time into my writing. Considering that several of my favorite shows are returning to the airwaves this winter (particularly Chuck and Lost) I will have considerably more motivation and incentive to write weekly. Resolution #1: This year I will write more weekly television reviews for the blog.

I have been trying to educate myself with the great television shows of recent years in order to catch up on what I missed out on as a youngster. Despite better intentions, I often get caught up in watching marathons of shows I’ve already seen or guilty pleasures. In 2010 I want to return to “classics” of the decade. “Battlestar Galactica.” “The Sopranos.” “The Wire.” Must watch television that will add to my enjoyment of this entertaining medium. So, Resolution #2: This year I will watch one or more classic-epic television series’.

I’m not sure whether many of you know or not (for those few readers I like to believe that I have), but I recently decided what I want to be when I grow up. Within the past year through school and most self-awareness I have resolved that my dream job would be to become a television screenwriter. This past summer I took a television-writing course online through Gotham Writer’s Workshop and I have not enjoyed writing more than that in a long time. I had never written a script before and I found the process of creating a story and brining the characters to life both challenging and unbelievably fun. Unfortunately upon returning to school, life distracted me and my television writing took a backseat. But this year, I want to give it an equal priority. Therefore I decree, Resolution #3 (yay rhymes): This year I will write and COMPLETE at least one television spec script.

So bring it on 2010. I am ready for whatever you have to throw at me. I think this is gonna be a good one. I can feel it in my bones. One week til the season premiere of “Chuck,” less than a month til “Lost,” two weeks til “24,” and oh so much more. Get psyched. The start of the decade is already off with a bang.

So now it’s your turn, what are your resolutions for 2010 (television or otherwise)?

*The image, by the way, is of the fireworks in London where I am currently vacationing for a class during winter break. The display is on the Thames River at the London Eye.

The Decade According to an Idiot Box Addict

One decade ago I was a mere ten year old who found joy in the simple heart and humor of after school television. “Full House” and “Boy Meets World” were staples in my pre-adolescent stage. Seventh heaven was still considered not only acceptable but a must watch for school discussion. Life was different, very different.

Then, around 2004, life changed. Grudgingly and most reluctantly, I let my Dad talk me into watching a teen drama about a girl who solved mysteries. I did not realize then that I had just become a slave to the idiot box. More after the jump.

“Veronica Mars” had me instantly hooked. The search for Lily Kane’s murderer kept me on the edge of my seat through the final episode of the first season. Logan Echolls, the misunderstood and winner of most in need of therapy “obligatory psychotic jackass,” completely won my heart. Veronica herself, the edgy, street-smart, too good for everyone else yet still somewhat vulnerable, outcast of Neptune High School was instantly a winner in my book. Rob Thomas’ witty and masterful dialogue created a world written in such a delicious way that I wanted to devour it immediately (and have done numerous times on DVD since). “Veronica Mars” and the mysteries and scandals surrounding Neptune provided my first true television obsession, and definitely not my last.

Over the past month or so the many lists of the best shows of the decade infiltrated my twitter feed and took over the blogosphere, providing many hours of much appreciated procrastination throughout finals. But when it came to writing my own lists, I didn’t really believe I was quite qualified. Over the past several years I have educated myself as best possible (with the help of my Dad’s unmatched DVD collection) on the television of the decade that I missed throughout the early teenage years. I have tried to catch up on the shows that I was too young to understand or care about when they originally aired.

I caught up on the Joss Whedon’s masterpieces of “Buffy” and “Firefly.” I marathon watched the addictive work of J.J. Abrams in “Alias.” “Wonderfalls,” gave me a little bit of the Bryan Fuller world I was missing upon the cancellation of “Pushing Daisies.” After school television changed from the hours spent with Cory, Sean, and Mr. Feeny to twenty-four hours spent alongside Jack Bauer and Chloe. Damon Lindelhof and Carleton Cuse took obsession to a whole new level upon my discovery of the mythology-entangled stories of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, would never be the same again. “Mad Men” taught me what true dramatic television had the potential to become with smart dialogue and characters we love despite their many faults. Action, comedy, and romance were all wrapped into one with Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak’s creation of “Chuck;” it was as if they knew my life had been incomplete without Chuck, Sarah, Casey, and the Buy More, even though I had been unaware.

The list is clearly quite long, and I plan for it to continue its growth. I know I still have several Picasso sized wholes in that education, “Battlestar Gallactica,” “The West Wing,” and “The Wire” to name a few. Hell if I care. I’m ready to take on anything you send through my brand new blu-ray DVD player.

The talent and brilliance that erupted in television throughout the years between 2000 and 2010, presented a new stage of this incredible medium. In a New York Magazine Article, Emily Nussbaum speaks about how this was a decade in which television transformed into an art form and I could not agree more. The shows that are broadcasted on that idiot box in living rooms across the country are no longer solely mindless entertainment. Don’t get me wrong; I am aware that there is an unsettling amount of reality television that gets worse by the day (“Conveyor Belt of Love?” “Jersey Shore?”). But if you look for the good stuff, it can be brilliant. I can’t help but believe that the thought provoking and entertaining masterpieces of this decade can and will be matched and exceeded over the next decade. With the dominance of Internet encroaching upon television networks, there is no doubt that the business of television will change.

However, politics aside, I am looking forward to another decade of brilliant work on one of the most influential mediums of art. Here’s to a new decade and a new era of television. May the Tivo gods smile down on us and grant us many more years of side-aching-laughter comedy, finger-nail-biting action, swoon-inducing romance, and jaw-dropping drama. Happy New Year!

CT, The Idiot Box Awards

With finals taking over my life I seem to have fallen quite behind on updating the blog. However, here is my final column of the year, the one, the only, Idiot Box Awards. I award what I have deemed Fall's best shows. Assuming I finish all my work in a timely fashion I have quite the To Do List of writing for the blog including but not limited to: Nice/Naughty Lists for 2009, the Decade's Best, TV New Years Resolutions, and oh so much more. But, for now, enjoy the last Campus Times column of the year by clicking through the links.

Click here to read the column online.

Or click here to read the PDF version. (Scroll to page 15)

CT, Mad Men: Wake Up Call for Don Draper

In this week's column I review the absolutely stunning season 3 finale of "Mad Men." It took all my effort to keep it under 1000 words for the paper, and I achieved that with 999 words. Score. I caught up a bit late on the "Mad Men" bandwagon but it has become a favorite with the unbelievably smart scripts and the beautiful sets and costumes. I wish I had Betty's wardrobe, seriously. For some serious spoilers on the final episode of the season, follow the links.

Click here to read the column online.

Or click here to read the PDF version. Scroll to page 12.

CT, V: The Visitors Definitely Do Not Come in Peace

In this week's column, I review ABC's revival of the 1980's show "V" starring Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, Juliet *tear*). My sci-fi quota by this point has been far surpassed and seems to keep growing. Thank you Dad. Follow the links to read my thoughts on "V."

Click here to read the article online.

Or click here to read the PDF version. Scroll to page 9.

CT, Catch "White Collar" If You Can

In this week's column I welcome USA's newest characters to the network and to my DVR rotation. Matthew Bomber and Tim DeKay star in "White Collar," a crime procedural with a "Catch Me If You Can"-esque twist. Follow the links to read my thoughts.

Click here to read the article online.

Or click here to read the PDF version. Scroll to page 9.

CT, Greek: More than just a Guilty Pleasure

In this week's column I review the best guilty pleasure show out there, ABC Family's "Greek." I got caught in the obsession several years ago and since then, in the shows 4th (or is it 3rd, they break up the seasons very oddly) season "Greek" has really hit a stride. It knows how to hit it's mark and when to do it. Follow the links for more "Greek" loves.

Click here to read the column online.

Click here to read the PDF version. Scroll to page 14.