Are You Watching Nashville?

Are you watching Nashville?

Image Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

It's only a few episodes in so you still have time to catch up!  It's a great TV drama about an old country singer (think Faith Hill) and a new up and coming country singer (think Carrie Underwood) that are fighting for top billing in the music industry.  There are also a couple secondary story lines of a young girl that just wanted to write poetry getting discovered and the old country singer's Daddy (that's what you call him in the south) bing an evil doer and getting her husband to run for Mayor.

Daddy....is played by Powers Boothe.  You might not know that name because you aren't into old guys like I am but he always plays a bad guy.  I think he's fantastic as Lamar.  You get to learn some of the back story about why he and Rayna are always at odds.  A revelation that she doesn't make for 20 years!

All of the actors and acctresses on the show are doing their own singing and you can buy the songs you hear on iTunes the day after it airs.  I've already bought several of the songs but my favorite one is If I Didn't Know Better by Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen.

Nashville is one of the only shows that my sister also watches so we love discussing the show.  A few weeks ago, we were texting about it and I discovered that my dear iPhone (his name is Vern) doesn't like the word whore.

I Love Cable TV

I'm linking up with Impulsive Addict and Seriously Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday.  There are no rules! Join us.

I am loving having cable.

The fact that I can record all of my shows while watching TV with my husband has been life changing!  Now...instead of spending hours in my desk chair watching TV, I  can now sit in the living room watching TV.  I also don't have to pay for Bravo episodes anymore.

I've had cable for 4 days and I'm already addicted to a show.  It's called Property Brothers.  Have you seen this?  Twin brothers, Jonathan and Drew show people their dream home and then dash their dreams when the home is out of their price range.  Then they show them TWO homes that belong to hoarders/people that just skipped town and encourage them to buy one of them with the promise that Jonathan (the licensed contractor) can fix it up and make it their dream home!

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I like what they come up with and the reveal is always very inspiring but I really love to see what shithole they come up with for these people to look at.  And on the last episode that I watched...there was a bidding war for the shithole!

These two are also very good looking.  I like looking at them.

So yesterday, I sat down with the remote and fell into a giant hole of Kardashian.  I have a question.  Does E play Kardashian shows 24/7?  Should we change the name to Kardashian TV?

I'm not a fan of the Kardashian family.  I think they are celebrities with no reason to be celebrities.  With that said....I really like Chole and Kumar.  Wait, is that his name?   Anyway, I've seen a couple episodes of their show and it was slightly entertaining.

Yesterday, I got sucked in.  I watched 4 episodes of Kourtney and What's Her Face Disgrace New York.  This is not the real title.  I can't remember what it's called.

So.....I'm guessing that The Hump and Kim are already married in the episodes that I've watched because Kim keeps flashing her ring.  Having watched these 4 episodes, I can completely understand why Kim's married didn't last.

The Hump married Kim and then moved into a HOTEL with her sister, her drunk ass husband and a toddler.  What the heck?  Why can't they get their own apartment?  Or hotel room?  Then, The Hump isn't allowed to have any friends over.  Seriously?  He's not a child.  He had a life before Kim.  THEN, The Hump gets a paid gig making an appearance in Toronto.  But then....he gets in trouble for going, when she was on a trip with her sister anyway.  THEN she runs off to Dubai for no reason.

No wonder The Hump was acting out and Kim wants to divorce him.  The Hump should be as happy as a pig in shit that he doesn't have to deal with her crap anymore.  If this is how she treats her husband....she has no business being married to anyone.

Also....the story line of Kourntey becoming a crazy coupon lady and buying tons of toilet paper and mayo when they live in a HOTEL and never cook?  It was ridiculous.

So tell me......what is your favorite cable show that I should be watching?

Bangs

I can't afford BOTOX.....so I cut my bangs. 

This should also be filed under....words you shouldn't search for on pinterest when you have your period.

The good news is that when iKeith walked in the door and saw me for the first time....he noticed and said that I looked younger.  Too bad he couldn't get lucky last night.

Are you as excited as I am for this week?  MY SHOWS ARE BACK! But All My Children is ending.  I'm thinking of watching the last week just to see how it ends.  Quick someone tell me who are the characters are besides Erica Cane.   My friend Becca went to NYC over the weekend on a #AMCFarewellTrip.  I loved following her tweets and she thought about me when she went to Starbucks!  Can't wait to hear all about it.

Happy Monday!

What I'm Watching This Summer

It's no secret that I love watching TV.  I'm always a little bummed in mid-May when all of my favorite shows go away for a couple months.  Grey's Anatomy...I will miss you!  Thank goodness I still have 7 episodes of Friday Night Lights to keep me company.  There are some shows that I'm not going to waste my time on this summer (Bachelorette...I'm looking at you) and will instead go to movies (ALONE), take evening walks with my family and drink wine read in bed.

Here are the shows that I will be watching:


Love Bites on NBC, starting June 2nd stars Constance Zimmer (Entourage), Greg Grunberg (from Heroes) and Becki Newton (Ugly Betty).  It features modern stories of love, sex and marriage and the first episode guest stars Jennifer Love Hewit

The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo...if you hurry and catch up on the two episodes (2nd one aired last night) that have aired....then you will have the perfect trashy reality TV for your summer.  This season there are two new cast members that are causing trouble.  Melissa Gorga is Teresa's sister in law and they don't get along. Kathy Wakile is Teresa's cousin and they don't get along.  It's like my house only Italian!!

Rocco's Dinner Party on Bravo....begins June 15th.  Each week three competing chefs prepare the perfect dinner party for Rocco DiSpirito and his celebrity guests.  One chef walks away with a cash prize.  If you love throwing dinner parties like I do...you won't want to miss this show!

Expedition Impossible: Morocco on ABC....begins June 21st.  13 teams of 3 will do the extraordinary, solving problems and competing in the biggest adventures of their lives.  It's kind of like Survivor meets The Amazing Race.

Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family...begins June 14th.  This one I watch online because I don't get this channel but I don't mind because I love it!  I know it's for teenagers.  I know 40 years shouldn't be watching it but.....I can't help myself!


Other shows that I probably won't be watching but you might like:

Monday
America's Got Talent (NBC) starts May 31st
Switched At Birth (ABC Family)  starts June 6th
Bachelor Pad (ABC) starts August 8th
Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition (ABC) starts May 30th

Tuesday
Expedition Impossible (SBC) starts June 21st
The Hot Zone (ABC) starts June 21st
Hell's Kitchen (FOX) starts July 19th
 
Thursday
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) starts May 26th
Wipe Out (ABC) starts June 16th
101 Ways to Leave a Game Show (ABC)

Sunday
The Marriage Ref (NBC) starts June 26

Love In The Wild

I was watching TV the other night and I saw a commercial for Love in The Wild (be careful googling that) that will be airing on NBC soon. It's an adventure dating series set in Costa Rica and it begins on June 1st.

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The cast consists of 10 single men and 10 single women, who will pair up and complete quests that include paddling down crocodile-ridden waters and navigating bat infested caves. The couple that wins the quest....gets to stay in a the fantasuite 5 star accommodations. There will then be an elimination ceremony where the couples decide if they made a connection or if they want to switch partners. Two people go home each week. At the end....one couple is left standing and they win each other....but no money.

The show is hosted by Darren McMullen and he's quoted as saying, 'Life in a relationship isn't all limos and champagne dinners.  The show puts people in stressful situations to see if they can work together as a team.'

I've got a news flash for Darren (and the producers of this ridiculous show)....real relationships also don't include Costa Rica, zip lines and 5 star accommodations.


If they really want to put relationships to the ultimate test, I've got a few suggestions.

pick a movie to watch together.

stalk each other on social media. 

grocery shop together and prepare a meal.

attend an ex's wedding. 

go on a fishing trip with a grumpy older couple.

make a budget.

go through the process of finding a pretend house to buy.

take a small child to dinner at a nice restaurant. 

go through the process of buying the pretend house.

attend Kindergarten Registration. 

make their car break down on the freeway.

replace a hot water heater.

go on a camping trip with a grumpy older couple with a drinking problem. 

put together a child's toy.

put a squirrel in their laundry room. 

do homework with a 7 year old. 

stand in line at the mall with a 2 year old to visit Santa. 

survive a medical emergency.

plan a funeral. 
put together furniture (suggested by Meaghan at The Twenties Roar)  
clean up a child's vomit/pee/poo (suggested by Sturgmom, In General)  

If they can complete these tasks....then I think they might make a relationship work, or they would definitely want to switch partners.  The Bachelor has been doing these adventure dates for a while now and I don't like them.  They aren't realistic and I don't like seeming dumb girls running around the jungle in high heels and full make-up.

I'm going to take a pass on this show NBC.

Now....If you would have combined a dating show with Wipe-Out....I would have been all over it.

Goodbye Big Love

I love television.

I've been a big fan for many years and there are certain shows that I'll always remember.  I'm not sure if it's just because the show has gone on for many seasons or because the story line's are controversial.

I have to start off by saying that I love Bill Paxton. When I was getting divorced in 1994, I saw the movie Indian Summer and I fell in love.  As soon as it came out on video, I watched it a million times and once the internet was invented....I searched for information about him.  I am not a stalker...I am a fan.

Dear Bill Paxton....please get a twitter account. 

Dear Friends....Indian Summer is available to rent on Netflix.

Fast forward to March 2006.  iKeith had just been laid off from his job and I was 8 months pregnant.  I was in the finishing stages of nesting and my favorite actor was about to be on a new show on HBO.  I didn't know what a Mormon was, had never heard of a sister wife and had never been to Utah.  All I knew was that I might get to see Bill neeked.

I loved this show and quickly picked a favorite sisterwife.  I loved the energy and lust for life (and Bill) that Margene had.  I admired Bill and his ability to have three loving relationships and be a good father at the same time.  I never ever liked Nicki. Edit HTML

Imagine my surprise to find myself LIVING in Utah a little over a year later.  I found myself looking for Bill and Margene when we'd go to Salt Lake City.  I figured they had to film parts of the show in Utah but I never found them.  I also found myself watching BIG LOVE in secrecy. Utah Mormons very much dislike the show and admitting that you watch it....brings wrath (aka Brother Horton) upon your family.

I even encountered a sisterwife or two at my local grocery store.  Except that they were the *compound* variety with their big hair and prairie dresses.  Whenever I saw a hummer....I wondered if Albie was driving it.

We don't have HBO anymore and I was so bummed when the last season premiered and I knew it would be a year before I'd be able to see it.  But NO...that would not be the case at all. Once again...one of my internet friends who have never met me, decides to do something nice for me.

Adrienne shared Big Love with me.

I'm sad that the show is over but I think I'm happy with how they ended it.*mouse over the next part to see spoiler*   Each of the wives were able to pursue lives that they were meant to live....and perhaps were held back by being married to three other people.  But they are still a family and Bill's legacy lives on. I held my breath during the part when the sisterwives were in the convertable! I thought they were going to have an accident. I just have one question. What happened to Ana? OH and another question...was Teeny in the bathroom during the entire season?

I have GOT TO stop crying now....because it is just a TV show and Margene is not real and her hair won't stay that way forever.

Did you watch Big Love?  What did you think of it?

What's Next?

This morning I posted about the new ABC show called Skating with the Stars.  It's from the same people that have brought Dancing with the Stars into our living rooms for the last 5 years.  It has a huge following so why not expand that franchise in the same way that The Bachelor has gone on to bring us The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad.

It got me thinking about what other shows we can expect to see in the future.  Here are a few ideas:

• Trashing Hotel Rooms with the Stars!
• High Speed Chases with the Stars!
• Going to Vegas on a Bender with the Stars!
• Jogging with the Stars!
• Weddings with the Stars!
• Divorces with the Stars! 
• Throwing up with the Stars! 

What is television coming to?

Skating with the Stars!

Did you see the big announcement this week?  There's a new celebrity studded reality show that was just announced!  If you're a fan of Dancing with the Semi Stars...then you will love this! Here are the players:

Bethenny Frankel – The “Real Housewives” and current star of Bethenny Getting Married? I love her soooo much and I can't wait to see her on another show!

Sean Young – The colorful actress, best known for playing Rachael in the 1982 movie “Blade Runner,” has recently been seen playing Meggie McClaine on the CBS soap “The Young and the Restless.” I hate Meggie on Y&R but I'm excited to see if Sean Young loses some weight during this show.

Jonny Moseley – He won gold in freestyle skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics, but skis aren’t allowed on the skating rink.  I have no idea who this guy is...but he's very cute!

Vince Neil – The Motley Crue frontman looks to kickstart his skating skills on this show.  Since I'm a child of the 80's....I love him!

Rebecca Budig – She plays Greenlee Smythe on the ABC soap “All My Children,” and was once married to “Bachelor” alum Bob Guiney.  Love Bob...so sad that they broke up.

Brandon Mychal Smith – from the show “Sonny with a Chance,”  on Disney but I have no idea who he is. He says he wants to show that a brother (aka African American) can look nice on the ice.  We'll see.....

Coming to a TV near you....November 22!

Style Inspiration

It really isn't a secret that I'm highly influenced by TV and Magazines. I watch a lot of television and I used to have a pretty serious magazine addiction. I'm cut way back on the print mania but I just can't quit TV.

I tend to find inspiration from people on TV shows and I like to pattern some of my style after their's. A while back my inspiration was Betty Draper from Mad Men. I just adore her hair and her outfits.

I secretly want to be a Stepford Wife but I've been told that I'm too opinionated and have too big of a mouth. Whatever.

Most recently...I've been bowled over with inspiration from another TV personality. She is so much like me it's scary! We both love being organized, wearing cardigans and have a slight germ phobia.

I want to BE Emma Pillsbury!  She is perfect in every way and I want her wardrobe...from her pencil skirts to her cardigan clips...and don't even get me started on her jewelry!  It's all too awesome for words.

If you have a Emma obsession like I do then you will love the blog I just discovered this morning.  What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear.

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I'm Still Lost...But I'm a Survivor!

When I'm in a funk...one sure fire way to make it better is for me to plan something. The series finale of LOST seemed like the perfect event to plan around and since I don't know anyone else in my little town that watches the show I decided to plan around food and drinks.

I started off with a Welcome to the Island cocktail that I named Jack on the Beach. It consisted of Rum, Amaretto, Orange Juice and Coconut Juice. It was delicious!

When I was planning my menu...I wanted to only use items that would have been found on the island and I did a lot of research!  I made coconut chicken and shrimp (fished by Jin), Boar Balls (hunted by Locke), grilled cinnamon pineapple slices, cucumbers and tomatoes (grown by Sun).  I even managed to steal some soda's from Whitmore's sub.

During the 4.5 hour television event....Keith and I indulged in blended Dharmatini's and cookies from the hatch!  The cocktail was another of my special drink creations and consisted of canned mango, coconut juice, vodka, triple sec, grenadine and ice.

Do you know what my favorite part of this whole dinner was?  Seeing my kids faces light up and hearing them say, 'This is Great!' because I had done something special and different.  Priceless!

And this is why I love a theme and planning special meals.  LOST is a special show all by it's self...but this made watching it more fun and we had such a lovely evening.

About the show......stop reading now if you haven't watched it yet. 

We decided to watch the 2 hour special that was on before the finale because I tend to forget details. Like on Grey's this week...I did not remember the shooter from a previous episode. Keith had to tell me who he was. Keith blames this on the fact that I'm always doing something while I'm watching TV...twittering, looking at a magazine or drinking wine. He says I need to focus. Anyway, the two hour pre-game show had all of the actors talking about their characters, plus the creators of the show explaining stuff. We also figured out that LOST has been on for as long as we've been married and it felt like we'd pasted a test. Our marriage has survived LOST!

I dreamt about the show all night. My brain is still trying to figure out what the heck happened because my Virgo, left brained self wants to analyze the heck out of it instead of just letting it be what it was. I really great, well written, exciting show with no real conclusion.

On the one hand, I'm led to believe that everyone is dead and that they were all reunited with the person they LOST while on the island.  Which would mean that everything really happened...the crash, the rescue, the return....everything.

On the other hand, my brain wants to believe that everyone that escaped on the plane made it to safety and that Kate and Sawyer lived happily ever after, Claire was reunited with Aaron and Richard got to live.

But that also means that it's possible that Jack survived his knife wounds and lived on the island with Hurly and Ben.  Either way...I'm happy that Sun and Jin ended up together.

I'M SO LOST! 

Thank you Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for entertaining us for the last 6 years!  It was a wild ride and we're so glad we survived it.

Excellent reading about LOST from the L.A. Times.


Here are the alternate endings....

I'm Not Myself

I laid in bed last night...unable to sleep.  The last 10 days have been really hard on me....I'm not used to feeling bad and not being able to do what I need to do.  Releasing control to Keith while I was laid up was really hard.  I still don't feel great and I can't open my mouth very wide so eating is still difficult.  I bought a donut at the grocery store this morning and had a heck of a time eating it because I couldn't open my mouth wide enough.  I felt like that girl with the brace in 16 candles trying to get a drink at the water fountain.

I've lost interest in so many things that I used to love to do.  I don't want to plant anything, I'm tired of cooking and I even went so far as to delete my food blog.  I just want to sit and watch HGTV all day.  It goes back further....I couldn't get in the Christmas Spirit and I created my Focus on the Family lists as a way to force myself to plan things for the kids.  I really have no desire to do much of anything.

I looked back in my blog archives to see if I could pinpoint when I started to feel this way and I think I know what the problem is.

I wrote a post last September when we first found out that Obama was thinking of canceling Constellation and I talked about feeling paralyzed and like I couldn't breathe.  I think the uncertainty of my family's future and the future of this country is taking it's toll on me.  I'm worried for my family and our country.  Alli Worthington opened my eyes to some things that have happened the last few weeks.  If I didn't follow her on twitter...I'd have never known there had been a flood in Nashville.  Did you know? 

I feel like I'm on a runaway train that is speeding down the track and I'm fearful of what is around the bend. 

And I don't know what to do about it and I hate feeling this way.

The good news is that I'm still able to work up some excitement over TV....and I'm counting the hours to the LOST finale tonight.  I've made up a special menu of food that I'll post about tomorrow.

Also...The Bachelorette starts tomorrow and I'll be watching and recapping the show.  Look for that on Tuesday.

I'm GLEEFUL in the WEEDS

I've been tied to my iPad for the last few days because I'm hooked on another show.  It all started when I watched a movie on Netflix for iPad called Flannel Pajamas.  It was kind of a weird Indie film about a couple that meet, fall in love and then break up.  The lead male actor was played by Justin Kirk and I was enraptured by him.  I IMDB'd him and found out he had just been in the latest episode of Modern Family, so I rewatched it.  Then I found out he is in a show called The University of Andy and that it is a spin off of Weeds and he was on it for 4 seasons.

So guess what I've been doing for the last 4 days.

Okay...I haven't been in the bathtub for four days but I've been watching the first season of Weeds and I think I'm addicted. Have you seen this show?



I saw this latest flash mob yesterday and it reminded me that I needed to revise and get busy on my bucket list. I want to be a part of one of these really badly...and I am trying to recruit my friends on twitter. I'll let you know how it goes.



Speaking of GLEE...did you see it this week? What's it fabulous? I'm working on a little project and I need your help! Strike a pose...like Madonna, take a picture and email it to me at Connie@youngandrelentless.com. Hurry!

I Found my Special Purpose

Here we are on day 3 of Girly Gazette's super fun challenges!  Here is the one for today!

Challenge #3: What is your gift? 

Think about this…what brings you joy in life? What have you always been drawn to doing? Do you have a natural knack for a certain activity or talent? Post about your gifts or what you think they are. Now…

What are you doing with those gifts?

If you are not using your gifts, why not? If you are, share with us how you use them and how they enrich your life. Open up and tell us what you would be passionate about doing, writing about or teaching others. We want to know about you and what makes you special!

Oh boy...maybe I should have read all of the challenges for the week before I decided to do this.  I guess the only way to do this is just jump in and do it.  So...here we go a rough list of my special purpose:

Organizing

Making people laugh

Making men fall in love with me

Throwing stuff away

Planning

Researching stuff

Taking Action

Hand Quilting

Parking

Flying Airplanes

Now...what am I doing with my gifts?  Well, I've been married three times so that falling in love thing has really worked out for me.  I love to organize and my family loves to make messes so that keeps me really busy.  I like to make people laugh so this blog is really doing it's job.  I love to plan trips and the future which drives my husband crazy because A.) we don't have any money and B.) he can only think a couple of weeks ahead at a time.  I rocked at flying airplanes when I was a teenager but I totally sucked at landing the airplanes.  So...this skill is good to no one.  I am the queen of researching crap....how can I use that skill for good and not evil.  Anyone have an idea?

I do think that many of my skills are being used well in the raising of my kids.  I really don't know what I want to be when I grow up.  Good thing I have a couple years to figure it out.

What is your special skill?  What are you doing with it?   

P.S.  Did you see the new show on NBC called Parenthood last night?   

Burning Questions

I like to keep a list of interesting ways that people have landed on The Young and The Relentless.  And if possible I like to answer the burning questions that cause people to google these things.  It's a bit of a public service that I like to provide to the world.

Jen Lancaster on Oprah
 I get at least 2 folks a day coming here to ask this question.  As you know, I love Jen Lancaster and I would love to see her on Oprah but I don't think she's going to be on for a while....but maybe when her new book comes out in May!  Here's an idea...let's all write to Oprah and ask her to have Jen on....it would be super easy for Jen to run over there since she lives in Chicago.  Click HERE and fill out the form.

Lance Robertson Orange Jumpsuit

I didn't understand this one until I figured out that they were talking about DJ LANCE.  I'm not sure why he wears this...a more important question is...what's with the hat???

Relentless Crying 1 Year Old
  All crying is relentless as far as I'm concerned.  My favorite trick is distraction....especially if it's a cookie.  Most kids will stop crying for a cookie.
 
Did Byrson off Young and Restless play on family matters?
  Yes. And he was also friends with Michael Jackson.

Husband Tracker
  I've used the iPhone app called Loopt to track my husband but he was always at the same place (work) and I got bored and stopped tracking him.  But from previous past life experience...if your man goes to bars, make friends with the bartenders and tip them generously...they will tell you everything you need to know.
 
Loving an Engineer
  Where do I begin?  They don't get your jokes, they'd rather play World of Warcraft then make whoopee and the simplest things are difficult for them.  Buy lot's of pocket protectors and get yourself a WOW account.  Plus, if you can't sleep at night...ask them how work is going.
 
Reasons Why I Can't Sleep
  Hubby snoring, hubby wheezing, kids crying, too dark in the kids room, kid is scared, hubby makes too much noise peeing, I drank too much water before bed,  text from some BIL at 1am, dog barking, brain working overtime, Mormon's lighting fireworks.
 
Yo Gabba Gabba Doll makes my kid cry
  That's too bad.  That scary Mark makes my kid cry and what exactly is DJ Lance hiding behind that giant Boom Box?
 
Focus on the Family I like Jello
  You must be from Utah and I think you need to take a breath there and focus on one thing at a time...like the family. I like Red Jello.
 
My second grade girls are being mean to the other girls
Ohhh....mean girls.  I don't like mean girls.  In my experience, mean girls are like this because they are insecure.  Plus, if they are popular...they love that other people will blindly follow them.  Can you find a common ground for all of the girls? I can't tolerate mean girls and I stay as far away from them as I can.  I've even been known to unfollow them on twitter.  If that doesn't work...give them cookies.

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 In other news, I reached another milestone on my diet....I'm no longer OBESE!!  YAY!  Also, Bobbi (my sisterwife) started the diet last weekend and then quit this morning because she only lost 2 pounds all week. I'm bummed because it was nice to have someone doing this with me.

Are you planning to participate in Simple Mom's Bookclub? I'm so excited to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families and I'm ordering my book today along with another book I just found out about....but I'll tell you about it after I get it.

What's for dinner this week....my menu is up at my food blog and I'm doing great with my budget challenge!  Join us if your budget needs help.

Did you see the preview for The Bachelor on TV last night?  Tenley told Jake that she's PREGNANT!!  That will be the most dramatic season ever!  There's a pregnant gal on the show!