Top 10 TV Shows of the 2000s

The requirement for these shows to make the list was that they had to begin on or after January 1, 2000. So, sadly, shows like Farscape, Buffy, and Freaks and Geeks cannot make the list because they all technically started in the ‘90s, even though they all played into the 2000s.
If this was solely a persona list, a couple of shows would be switched, but I tried to be more democratic about it. Still, subjectivity people. I guess also I’m only including American shows, otherwise Skins and Being Human would probably be contending for a spot! And I'm not including any reality TV. For that matter, there are no crime shows in here either, so ha.

10. Tie - The Office (NBC) 3/24/05 - present & Dollhouse (Fox) 7/28/09 - present

I know, I know. But I had to give them a tie here! I couldn't fairly put Dollhouse when its first season really wasn't very good until about halfway through, but you could say the same for the first season of The Office too, yes? Yes. So, firstly, The Office. There's always something relatable, but maybe that's just because I have some personal experience working in offices. What makes it work is that it can be outrageous, but it's also very true to life. It's that delicate balance that the show has been getting (mostly) right since the beginning. And of course there's the epic Jim/Pam romance.
Now, Dollhouse. Anyone who knows me knows I don't have much love for Eliza Dushku's acting "abilities" (I could say the same for Tahmoh Penikett), but she's grown on me this second season, now that she has her own personality. The writing has gotten crazy good lately, and it's really quite sad that it's going down just when it's found its stride. And come on, Enver Gjokaj. Did you see him playing Topher? It was uncanny. He transforms himself into every personality, it's quite amazing. I can't wait to see what's in store the rest of this series.

9. Veronica Mars (UPN, CW) 9/22/04 - 5/22/07

The first season of Veronica Mars was one for the ages. While each episode had its own individual case that Veronica would solve, it would also touch on the overall arc of the season - who killed Lily Kane and who raped Veronica. While the second and third seasons both have their merits, they never really could live up to the brilliance of the first, and some would say the third was a travesty, though I still enjoyed it. I think it's kind of one of those things - you have a mystery for the first season that gets solved, it's hard to keep going from there. I've heard something similar about Prison Break. Anyhow, this was one of the smarter teen shows out there, particularly when you compare it to the more recent 90210. Ah Veronica, I miss you and your whip smart wit.

8. Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) 1/14/05 - 3/20/09

Some people would probably give this show a much higher rating, while some may forget about it altogether (or more likely never saw it). The main reason why BSG doesn't get a higher rating on this list is because I rarely felt like I just had to watch it, but when I did watch it, I really enjoyed it, though let's face it, there were a few boring episodes now and then. A lot of people hated the way it ended, and I admit I really, really hated one line in the very end, but for the most part I think it was pretty satisfying. In any case, the acting and writing were top notch, and let's not forget the production value, which was awesome.

7. Supernatural (WB, CW) 9/13/05 - present

It's no secret to my friends that I'm a little obsessed with Supernatural. I've watched it from the moment it began back in 2005 and have been enthralled ever since. The first season was very episodic - that is to say, most episodes were one offs without much to do with the overall plot. About halfway through the season, though, the writers figured out that the story was less about what the Winchester brothers were fighting than about the boys themselves. Some would claim that the show has gone a little off the rails this season, and I sort of agree particularly with the self-referential bits getting a little out of hand, but it is still one of the most entertaining shows around. Plus there's Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Come on, now. I dare you not to cry one manly tear along with Dean or be taken in by Sam's puppy face.

6. Chuck (NBC) 9/24/07 - present

I actually read the pilot script for Chuck way before it ever aired, and honestly I thought it was only okay. But I decided to give it a try anyway, and I'm glad I did! The show has really only gotten better and better as it has continued, and I really can't wait to see what's in store for season 3 now that Chuck's got the new and improved intersect. What I love about this show is pretty much what I love about Supernatural as well - it does a great job of combining humor with action and drama, though I'd say Chuck is definitely more focused on humor generally speaking. What also makes this show shine is all of the supporting characters, from Casey to Captain Awesome and the always entertaining Jeffster. Fingers crossed that this season does well enough to keep the show going for seasons to come!

5. The Flight of the Conchords (HBO) 6/17/07 - 3/22/09

New Zealand folk duo Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement brought their shtick over to the states, and I am certainly glad they did. I actually am not sure whether I've seen all of the episodes or not, but never fear, I have them all in my possession to watch now. There was just something so quirky and strange about the pair that made them so lovable. And let's not forget the very catchy music that always enhanced each episode. I'm sad that the show won't be coming back, but it's totally understandable since they had to come up with all of the music along with the stories! Oh well, at least they're still around. 

4. Six Feet Under (HBO) 6/3/01 - 8/21/05

While Six Feet Under may have had some bumps around the middle of its run, the beginning and end of the series completely make up for any of those small failings in between. Just thinking about that montage at the end set to Sia's "Breathe Me" makes me tear up, not to mention a certain death that came before that from completely out of left field and left me staring at my TV going "WHAT! NO!" That's how much I loved Nate. Everyone was flawed but lovable in their own ways, and I got completely sucked in every episode. There was humor, there was drama, and it all worked so well. Man, now I want to watch it again.

3. Friday Night Lights (NBC, DirecTv) 10/3/06 - present

Here's another show that I didn't think I would be interested in that I've now become kind of obsessed with. I'm so happy I've got DirecTv because it hurt so bad last season to wait while I knew other people were watching the show! Anyway, anyway. The first season was nearly perfect, and if you forget about the second season, the third and now the fourth seem to be continuing in that tradition, despite having to say goodbye to many of the main players as they grow up and move on. While some shows struggle with introducing new characters, FNL seems to have a pretty good track record. It's nice to see a show that deals with realistic situations in a realistic way, though that's probably why it's had such a ratings struggle over its run. Nonetheless, it's lasted much longer than anyone could have predicted, and for that the TV viewing public should be very grateful.

2. Arrested Development (Fox) 11/2/03 - 2/10/06

You know, it would be interesting to see whether Arrested Development would have fared better in today's TV climate than it did back when it was on. I think it has definitely paved the way for shows like 30 Rock and probably even Modern Family. It was certainly ahead of its time in the zany humor department, but that's what made it so great. I'm actually quite amazed it even got to air on Fox, and hey it did last 3 seasons. The Bluth clan was seriously out there, but so very entertaining. I caught a few minutes of an episode just a few hours ago and was reminded how funny it still is today. The humor hasn't aged at all, so if you haven't seen it, seriously, do. I mean, if you trust my TV opinions so far.

1. Lost (ABC) 9/22/04 - present

Oh, what a crazy show. Though certainly hard to follow sometimes, Lost wouldn't be Lost without all of the intrigue and mysteries. And it was very revolutionary when it came on, as there were not a whole lot of serialized shows on TV beforehand. Compare that to now, and you can see the impact it's had. The show is coming to an end this season. It will be very interesting to see how everything gets wrapped up. That's one thing you can say for the show - it's always throwing twists and turns and keeping the audience guessing. Would you have guessed there would be time travel based on the pilot? I think not.


Honorable Mentions: Scrubs (NBC, ABC), Gilmore Girls (WB, CW), Mad Men (AMC)

Shows I loved but no one watched: Dark Angel (Fox), The Invisible Man (SciFi), Everwood (WB), The 4400 (USA), Reaper (CW)

Too soon to tell: Glee (Fox), Modern Family (ABC)

Shows everyone raves about but I never had a desire to watch: The Wire (HBO), Firefly (Fox), Carnivale (HBO), Deadwood (HBO), Dexter (Showtime), Breaking Bad (AMC), True Blood (HBO), Weeds (Showtime), 30 Rock (NBC)

So, do you agree? Have I forgotten anything? Am I just completely wrong? Let me know in the comments!

Psst! Hey you! You should totally go like my Facebook page. I'd love you forever and ever. Click and like: http://www.facebook.com/freshfromthe.com. 

...Set: SYTYCD Season 6 Finale

Well, it's done. Over. Kaput. So long to season six! I was actually quite satisfied with the actual results. I had a feeling our erstwhile krumper would take home the trophy - and to see his reaction alone was worth it. That's right, Russell was crowned America's Favorite Dancer. Way to go, Russell! Especially considering how terribly sad it was that he got hurt! At least it happened at the end and not in the middle of the show (like every other one of his partners! Is Russell accident-prone?). Pretty much everything fell out the way I expected it to, no shake ups of any kind this time around. It was nice to have more of the judges back, too! Confession, though - I did not watch any of the singing performances. I got home at 11:15 and did not care in the slightest.

The results shook out like so:

Winner - Russell

2nd - Jakob

3rd - Kathryn

4th - Ellenore

5th - Ashleigh

6th - Ryan

So, I've decided since it was the finale show, I'm going to post as many of the youtube clips of the fave performances as I can find. I still wish we had gotten some of the same-sex partner dances, but maybe next season. I also find it interesting that 3 of the top routines were the first week in their own style ones. I agree that those were probably some of the best of the season, but it's interesting because it just shows how there weren't really that many memorable ones otherwise! On to the clips...

Russell, Legacy and Kevin's top 20 hip hop (Lil C's fave)

Tons of fun, though it was apparent in the finale show how much Legacy and Russell had improved over Kevin.

 Ellenore and Jakob's contemporary piece by Sonya (Adam Shankman's fave)

Loved it the first time around, loved it again the second time. Sonya and Ellenore are truly a match made in SYTYCD heaven.

Bianca, Peter and Phillip's top 20 tap routine (Nigel's fave)

Bianca and her monkey arms. They still distract me.

Ashleigh and Ryan jive (By special Mary request)

It was actually very exciting to see them perform a number in their own style together. I'm glad we got to see this!

Kathryn and Jakob top 6 contemporary (Nigel's fave)

Lovely, but I'm not as blown away as some people are by this one.

Nathan and Mollee Bollywood (Tyce's fave)

How interesting! I wouldn't have picked this one. I wish I had the one from the finale because I think they performed it better and had better chemistry the second time around.

Ellenore and Legacy top 8 contemporary (Adam Shankman's fave)

Ah, I love this one! Probably this one and the Sonya one are my two favorites from the season!

Russell and Noelle top 16 afro jazz (Debbie Allen's fave)

It's sad that they didn't get to perform this one again. It was kind of strange to just see a taped version, but I guess it proves it was a live show!

Jakob, Nathan, Channing, Ariana top 20 contemporary (Lil C's fave)

I remember loving this one the first time around, and I loved it again this time. I don't think the show really lived up to that top 20 show with the group numbers.

Kathryn and Russell's top 6 hip hop (Mary's fave)

I didn't think this was as great as the judges hyped it up to be, but whatever.

Top 20 Group Performance

This was a fun one too. The show had such promise in the beginning, but I don't think it ever quite lived up to expectations.
Well guys, I am spent. I hope you've all enjoyed the recaps. Are you happy with Russell taking home the crown? Will you be back for a season 7? I think I only will be if it's on in the summer. Of course, I say that now, who knows what would happen when it actually returns.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: SYTYCD Season 6 Top 6

Well! That was a breeze of a show, wasn't it? Routine after routine, with no solos, and no intro packages to any of the dances either. This is truly a final performance show all about the dancing. To be honest, I missed the intro packages. But what I really missed, thanks to this being a top 6 finale instead of a top 4, was the same sex partner dances that we have always had in the past on these nights. I would have loved to see Jakob and Russell do a number, as well as Kathryn and Ellenore. I not so inconspicuously left the other two out... that's because I don't think they would've made top 4. Anyway, on to my regularly scheduled rankings...

Jakob - I think it would be kind of ridiculous if Jakob didn't win this thing. I would say the only thing he has against him is that he doesn't have a personality as lovable as Russell. But his dancing? By far the best. His number with Ellenore was a Tyce Diorio broadway that I labeled "showcase for Jakob's legs." And he does have some amazing legs, but seriously, that's all the choreographers seem to give him lately. His foxtrot with Ashleigh looked effortless, as usual. But my thing about ballroom is that I can't really judge it as other than being good or bad. This gets a good. Jakob's last number of the night was with Kathryn - a contemporary. And seeing them dance together really made me wish we had seem them dance together much earlier and more often. I think this is the first time they did?

Russell - If anyone can knock Jakob off the top spot, it's Russell. Though Russell's original style was Krump, he has shown that he can do just about everything. This show was no exception, with Russell performing a jazz number, a paso doble, and a hip hop. His Sonya jazz piece was with Ashleigh, and honestly I thought it looked like he was trying really hard to be careful on the lifts, which is something I've always felt about him but no one else seems to comment on. His paso doble with Ellenore was dramatic, but honestly Ellenore stood out more than him in the routine. And, interestingly enough, my eye was drawn more to Kathryn during their NapTab hip hop number, which was a very old school traditional piece, which is kind of unusual for the NapTabs. In any case, Russell definitely got the biggest screams in the studio. Could he take it all?

Kathryn - Kathryn has been kind of the shy wallflower of the season. She has always been a very graceful dancer who certainly has the ability to make it to the top, but because she's more subdued, I think it's been harder for people to connect with her. Her first dance of the night was with Ryan - a Jason Gilkison Samba. That last lift was kind of wobbly, but overall the routine was pretty strong, though I think Ryan got the groove better than she did. Her next routine was the contemporary with Jakob, which showed just what she can do. She was really just as strong as him in that routine, which is saying something. She rounded out the night with the hip hop with Russell, and as I mentioned, my eyes were drawn to her more often, which is interesting since Russell is a krumper and should be more magnetic in a hip hop routine.

Ellenore - Where Kathryn has been the wallflower, Ellenore has been relentlessly dubbed "unique" throughout the entire season, this show no exception, as that seemed to be the first words out of Nigel's mouth after her opening Tyce Diorio Broadway with Jakob (which is interesting since it was probably her least unique performance of the night!). She looked great throughout the routine, though it was definitely, as I mentioned, a Jakob legsy jumping showcase. Her second number was a pop jazz routine with Ryan that was all about robotics. It was definitely a more technical routine and, as such, probably will not garner as many votes. Her last number was the paso doble with Russell. First of all, her dress was absolutely gorgeous! I wanted to put it on and whip those skirts around myself. She was very dramatic, which is perfect for the paso doble. But I don't think she has the power to take it all at this point.

Ryan - Week in and week out, the best compliment the judges ever seem to give Ryan is that he is a great partner, and tonight wasn't really any different, particularly during his first routine with Kathryn - the Samba. I noticed that Cat gave out her patented, "I mean, seriously" at the end of the routine, which usually accompanies one she doesn't know anything else to say about, though not necessarily in a good way. His second routine was the Ellenore robotic one, and really it's kind of hard to see Ryan as robotic, despite his very toned physique that would probably be the envy of many a robot. His last routine with lady love Ashleigh, though, was very sweet, and as I think Adam said, tender. If the audience was keeping them around to see them dance together, I think they will be very satisfied with their Travis Wall contemporary piece.

Ashleigh - Ashleigh was kind of overshadowed in her routines tonight, particularly her first jazz piece with Russell. She definitely glided across the stage, but she definitely seemed to be the background to Russell. Her second piece was the Foxtrot with Jakob, and while it was nice to see them back together again, it's hard to get that excited for a Foxtrot. But as I said, her contemporary with husband Ryan was definitely a great way for them to cap their time on SYTYCD together. Because they've been dancing with other people so much, it's been easy to forget that they're a couple in real life, but this routine brought that back into full focus, and showed how much trust and tenderness they have for each other. Awww.

Wednesday night features the two hour season six finale, with not just one, not just two - but FOUR musical performances. What? That is ridiculous. While the final performance show was all about the dancing, it appears the finale itself will be all about the filler. What routines do you want to see again? Are you as hard pressed as me to find truly outstanding routines from this season, other than maybe one or two? And I don't know about you, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the upcoming tryouts for season 7 are solely for a summer season and we are not subjected to this fall stuff again. It's really too much and not as fun, in my humble little opinion.

Who do you want to take it all??

Previous Episode -- Next Episode 

Cookie Bars

The infamous cookie bars! Anyone who knows me in the flesh has probably experienced these at some point! They are probably my most-requested treat, in fact. So much so that I got to the point where I hated making them. After a months-long break, though, they are back in full force!

Cookie Bars 

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 heaping cup or handful mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the softened butter, vanilla, sugar and brown sugar. Once good and mixed, add each egg one at a time. Next up is the salt, baking soda and flour, which you can combine in a separate bowl first if you want, or you can just do it all in the mix, which is what I do. After that, I usually hand mix in the chips and marshmallows.

For this you'll need a 13 x 9 inch pan, lightly greased. I recommend glass pyrex, but you can use metal if that's all you've got. Bake in the oven for roughly 20-22 minutes.

You'll notice it is very close to the Nestle recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and that's because it's a simple variation with the butterscotch chips and the secret mini marshmallow ingredient that makes them all delicious and stuff. I don't have photos of this one in progress, because these photos are kind of old and done before I started this blog and got more into the photo-taking side of things.

This is what it should look like when you pull it out of the oven.

You'll notice it has "deflated" here after sitting out for a while, maybe 5 to 10 minutes. Now it's ready to be cut up and devoured!

So gooey and messy and, you guessed it, delicious. Also, as a note, they always turn out best when you use fresh mini marshmallows versus ones that have been around for a while, but they're good either way.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Technically, these aren't baked, but I thought everyone might like to see them anyway. I had some leftover pumpkin from my soft pumpkin cookies recipe and decided I wanted to try something new. After a quick search through the internet, I found a recipe for pumpkin pancakes I thought I would give a try. Now normally I would choose waffles over pancakes any time, but the waffles recipe was more complicated and I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand. So pancakes it was!

Ingredients

2  cups all-purpose flour
3  Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1  Tbsp. baking powder
1/2  tsp. salt
1 3/4  cups milk
3  eggs, lightly beaten
3/4  cup canned pumpkin
1/4  cup cooking oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

In a large bowl combine flour and other dry ingredients. In a second bowl combine eggs and remaining ingredients. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until slightly lumpy.

Heat a lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. Cook until golden; turn when tops are bubbly and edges are slightly dry (1 to 2 minutes per side).

I used soy milk instead of regular milk and also put in the optional cinnamon, which I would highly recommend because I'm thinking they might have been kind of bland without it.

Dry ingredients.

 Wet ingredients.

Mix them together and you get...

On the "griddle"...

See how that one is all bubbly? That's when you want to flip it.

Some eaten, the rest in a heaping pile. Definitely not for one person to eat alone, but they are easily stored and reheated!

As a little side anecdote, not five minutes after I made these, I sat down to watch a rerun of Gilmore Girls on the Soap Network and in the opening scene Luke walked in and said he had just made, you guessed, it, pumpkin pancakes! What! How crazy is that?

Peppermint Brownies

This year, when making my holiday cookies, I wanted to try something completely new. I searched around various baking blogs I frequent, and found one at Baking Bites. She calls hers Peppermint Cookies n' Cream Brownies, but since I used different Oreos, I'm just calling mine Peppermint Brownies. These aren't for those who want things done super quickly, so if you want to make them, be prepared to take some time.

Ingredients

1 cup butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups roughly chopped peppermint oreo-type cookies (approx 18)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease lightly.

In a medium-large saucepan over low heat, melt together butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar, salt and vanilla, then turn off heat. Whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is uniform. Stir in peppermint oreo cookies and pour batter into prepared pan. Crush 3-4 additional cookies finely and sprinkle on top of batter, if desired.

Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not coated with batter.

Cool brownies in pan for about 20 minutes, then lift brownies in the foil out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 36 brownies (or 48 bite-sized brownies).

So I took photos each time I added something to the chocolate mixture on the stove, but they all look basically the same, so I'm just going to post a couple of them.

After adding the eggs.

Stirring in the Oreos. I used the Mint Oreos you can find at the store. You can also find other types at Trader Joe's that work as well. Pretty sure those are seasonal. Not sure about the mint Oreos.

 

The block of brownies!

So, confession time. My oven was accidentally too hot so these didn't turn out quite as well as I would have liked. Basically the edges and bottoms were too hard. This is why I hate my stupid old oven. Give me a fancy one with an accurate thermometer that tells me when the oven is done heating up!! Seriously, the oven is an issue. The gauge thing is never correct, and I never know when it's done heating so the thermometer we have is basically a guesstimate as well. Blerg.

...Set: Glee 1x13 "Sectionals"

Sigh. I love Glee. I never fail to leave feeling satisfied. And the fall finale episode "Sectionals" did not disappoint. As ever, I'm going to start with my favorite quotes of the night...
"Does this have to happen tonight? 'Cause I have my fight club." - Puck

''She's the one they made me talk to when they found out I was keeping that bird in my locker.'' - Brittany

"Love you like a sista." - Sue, to Will

"Perhaps I could improvise some of my def poetry jamz?" - Artie

"My word is official. Let it be written." - Principal Figgins

"You know you just woke a sleeping giant. Prepare to be crushed." - Sue

Now I'm going to just hit on the major things that happened. First: Quinn's jig is up. I don't know about you, but I found it absolutely hilarious that Mercedes went and told everyone else in the glee club, aside from Finn and Rachel, that Puck is really the father of the baby. Rachel, however, had her own suspicions, and worked some well-played deception to get the truth out. Finn, as expected, flipped out. Puck tried to be there for Quinn, but still got rebuffed when she told him she was going to do it alone. All of this led to Finn quitting the glee club.

Second: Sectionals. Will can't go with the kids to sectionals, so Emma takes over. Mercedes challenges Rachel to the ballad by singing "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, and Rachel concedes. But, when they arrive at sectionals, they quickly see that the other two schools are singing all of their songs, thanks, of course, to one Sue Sylvester. Will gets up in her face about it, but she tells him he has no proof. Will goes to Finn to try to convince him to help his team out, and ultimately he does, arriving just in time. The group performs two numbers... "Don't Rain on my Parade" (which, let's be honest, is less a group number and more a Rachel moment of glory) and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". (Sorry I'm only posting youtubes of the songs this time, no hulu videos. My computer's internet is being ridiculous!)

The kids wait outside the judging room to try to overhear what's going on, and the chair of the ladies' school (aka Eve) comes up to tell them she's going to confess to shenanigans. But, she doesn't get her chance because the judges have already made their decision. We don't actually find out this decision until the end of the episode, but here it is now: They won! On their own merit before the judges knew there was any cheating. And, since Will wasn't able to see them live (though he did tearfully listen over the phone), they performed a song just for him: "My Life Would Suck Without You."

Which leads us to big thing number three: Will and Emma. Emma was supposed to get married to Ken after sectionals were over, but when Will shows up (after telling Terri that he didn't love her anymore), he finds her sitting there alone. Turns out, Ken dumped her because he knew he was just someone she was settling for. Will finally seemed to get a clue after she told him she was resigning because she couldn't handle seeing Ken and Will on a daily basis. He grabs her arm, "I just left my wife." Yes, you just left your wife, as Emma points out, and walks away. But, while Will is listening to his gleeks ballad him some Kelly Clarkson, he realizes his life would suck without Emma. And boy was I waiting for this moment with a goofy smile on my face. Will runs to her office! She's not there! He turns down the hall - in slow motion - there she is, staring out the window. He goes to her. Tosses her box of stuff aside and they finalllllllyyyy kiss! Woo!

And, as a last point: Sue gets canned. Figgins finds out from the other schools that Sue had supplied them with McKinley's set list, and despite her many protestations of lack of proof, he kicks her off cheerios and suspends her from the school. But she vows to get revenge against Schue. (Schue vs. Sue. Was this on purpose?)

In conclusion: APRIL?!?!?! How will we ever survive?

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: SYTYCD Season 6 Top 8 Results

Well, I have a confession to make. I accidentally saw the results before I actually got a chance to watch the show, and I believe I said "WHAT?" when I saw the guys result. Legacy out before Ryan? Are you kidding me, America? Not to mention the fact that Ellenore was in the bottom over Ashleigh, who didn't even dance. Apparently there are some people rooting for the married couple who like to vote in the millions. This upsets me to almost the same degree as last season when two things happened - Janette was voted off way before she should've been, and Evan made it to the top four. Blugh ugh on both counts. Because you know the finale last season would've been better with Ade than it was Evan. I'm just saying. And I contend that this season's finale would've been better with Legacy.

Anyway, the girl who was ousted was Mollee. In her goodbye package she said she wanted to be known less for her dancing and more for her personality, and that sums up exactly why I never liked her. However, I still think it should've been her and Ashleigh in the bottom. I knew when they were standing next to each other on the stage that something had gone horribly wrong. There are really that many sympathy votes out there? Apparently. But think about it, do you really like Ashleigh over Ellenore? Are people just keeping her and Ryan around long enough to see them actually dance together?

That is one explanation I have come up with. They've not once danced with each other this season, apart from group numbers, and next week they would be guaranteed to. My other explanation is that people thought Legacy's phone bit was stupid (which it was). Because seriously? Ryan should've been gone ages ago. How in the world is he still here? He performed the exact same solo in the results show as he did in the performance show, for the umpteenth time in a row, and he still remains, whereas all of the other dancers mixed it up and, aside from Mollee, actually did better solos than before. And come on, no amount of judge pandering can convince me that he's ever had a truly shining moment, whereas Legacy has had many.

Also - why do we care about Samantha Ronson? Come on, now.

Next week is the finale. A top six finale rather than a top four, which I suspect is because the following week is a holiday week. Cat also mentioned that Season 7 casting starts in January. Does that mean a return to summers? Please say yes, and no more fall. And bring Mia back? Please?

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: SYTYCD Season 6 Top 8

I don’t know about America, but I’ve been, overall, rather disappointed by this season. Tonight’s show only showcased why I think it hasn’t gelled as well as previous seasons. One: too many injuries. This week, Ashleigh was down for the count. Earlier in the season, Noelle was on the sidelines. And at some point Mollee had some ankle issue too. I don’t recall this ever happening so much before. Two: the changes they’ve made to the show in general. The fact that it’s in the fall, and therefore the finale show will be a top 6 instead of a top 4, I find very disappointing. The new stage and the new backgrounds. The choreographers aren’t producing as many memorable routines. They aren’t switching a third judge (nothing against Adam Shankman, but I think it added vitality to the judging to switch things up). I could probably keep going, but I’ll spare you. On to the dancing, with a brief stop to ask what the what about Cat’s choice in a gold lamé short suit. Honey. No.

Like last week, I’m going to give a rundown of the dancers in, what I think, is strongest to weakest order…

Jakob – If he doesn’t win this thing, it’s kind of stupid. While I wouldn’t say he necessarily had a standout week, what Adam said is true – he is one of the best dancers the show has ever had. This week he was paired with Mollee, regretfully. (I’m sorry if you like Mollee, nothing will make me like her.) Their first number was a Jason Gilkison Viennese waltz that was very beautiful, though honestly I got distracted by her being a smidge too tall. Anyone else notice? Their second number was a Joey Dowling Broadway routine that I really didn’t have anything to say about. I think I just am not a big Broadway fan on this show because it always feels fake. Jakob’s solo was slow and graceful and showcased his abilities well but didn’t have the wow factor for me.

Tie – Legacy and Russell - I never would’ve thought these two would be tied in my mind at the beginning of the season. Russell seemed like a shoe-in for the top four. But the poor guy keeps inadvertently injuring his partners, and I think he suffers a bit for it. His first routine tonight was a Shane Sparks hip hop number he was supposed to dance with Ashleigh, but ended up dancing with Sparks’ assistant (who really left something to be desired in her dancing, but I digress). Russell pretty much tore it up, but Shane Sparks’ routines are so old school I think they alienate the audience sometimes. Russell’s second number was a Bollywood routine that was, you know, fine. But not as good as some of the Bollywood routines we’ve seen in the past, despite the judges’ raving. Now let’s talk about his solo. Ole Russy thought it would be a good idea to dress up in a Santa outfit and do some kind of dance that way. Sorry Russell, but Twitch was the king of those kinds of solos, and yours just didn’t quite live up to some of Twitch’s. I have to say, though, either nice recovery on the accidental shoe loss, or good job making it look accidental.

Now on to Legacy. Legacy gets a tie with Russell because he really seems to be improving each week, and he’s always so dedicated to his routines, really transforming himself into whatever the choreographers ask him to. He’s someone who has grown on me a lot over the season, and I think he could have an edge over Russell. And that edge may be in the form of Travis Wall’s amazing contemporary piece. It was passionate, intense, and Legacy and Ellenore were exactly the right dancers for it. As Nigel said, it was dangerous, in a great way. They knocked it out of the park. Their second number, however, was a NapTab hip hop piece that got a little bit lost somewhere. The judges weren’t feeling it much, and neither was I, but I’ll discuss that more in Ellenore’s section. Because right now I’ve got to talk about Legacy’s solo. Legacy. I shake my head at you! His phone bit was, as I wrote in my notes “laaaaaaaaaame.” Not clever. Lame. And his actual breaking wasn’t even very good compared to last week! For shame, Legs. For shame.

Ellenore – I’m giving Ellenore a slight edge over Kathryn simply because she has more personality. As I just said, she and Legacy really gelled with Travis’ contemporary piece, dedicating to each crazy move that he had them do. It worked really well, and though Nigel claimed he thought it might get Travis an Emmy nomination, I would like to say that it still wasn’t as good as Sonya’s we saw last week with Ellenore and Jakob! Anyway. On to the NapTab number. You’d think since this number was supposed to be about aliens, it would be absolutely perfect for Ellenore. And while she certainly got to display her affinity for speaking in alien tongue (and even got the judges to go a little crazy and do it too), the number was really, really missing something. I think maybe the music didn’t quite fit, and I have to agree with the judges saying they didn’t push them hard enough with the choreography. E’s solo didn’t really do her any favors this week, which is too bad. It was kind of haphazard compared to some of her previous ones and got a “meh” in my notebook.

Kathryn – I swear that all the judges ever say to Kathryn is how beautiful she is. Yes, she’s beautiful. We get it already! Anyway. Kathryn was teamed up with Ryan this week. Their first number was a Doriana Sanchez disco, which had some cool moves, but I was again reminded of Janette and Brandon’s disco from last season and how none of them since have come close. Their second number was a cha cha from Jason Gilkison that got rave reviews and a standing ovation from the crowd. I think maybe I missed the kool aid because I certainly wasn’t falling out of my chair gaga for it. I expected it to be faster and was distracted again by the music choice. And I feel both of these routines showcased Ryan a lot more than Kathryn. Kathryn’s solo, however, really showed her abilities. I thought it was a vast improvement over last week. She had a good sense of pacing and not just throwing in a bunch of moves to throw them in.

Ryan – Ryan had a great week this week, but I still think he is the weakest of the guys left. He really got to stand out in his partner routines this week, though, which is something he hasn’t really had as much of a chance at in the past. His disco with Kathryn showcased his cheesiness in a good way, and the cha cha really showed how good he is at ballroom. Oh and I forgot to mention, it got him and Kathryn on Mary’s coveted hot tamale train, which has seen very few dancers this season, which Mary even mentioned herself (hmmmm, could that be because the choreography has sizzzucked?). Ryan’s biggest improvement, however, was his solo. I’m just going to put down what I wrote in my notebook: “What’s this? An actual solo with dancing from Ryan? His best solo of the season.” But I also have to make mention of the fact that he put in a plea for wifey Ashleigh and nearly broke down in tears while Cat was trying to put up his phone number. I’m not sure if that will help or hurt either of their chances at this point.

Mollee – Mollee basically called herself stupid in the intro package to the Broadway number. Okay so she actually said, “I’m not stupid.” But I think we all know that is her trying to rationalize. Agh she drives me nuts. Anyway! She performed fine enough in both of her routines with Jakob, but I really don’t think she deserves the accolades the judges like to shove down our throats week in and week out. She always does just okay, never really breaking out and doing anything amazing. Her solo this week was more creative with the music and less flailing around the stage, but there is just something too vacant about her eyes.

Ashleigh – Poor Ashleigh got injured, I believe, during rehearsals, and was therefore unable to perform with partner Russell in the show. She looked like she was about ready to burst into tears because not being able to dance at this point in the show is truly awful. I’d really like her to somehow pull out over Mollee, but I just don’t know if it’s going to happen based on rehearsal footage alone (though I’m glad they included that in the sum up footage!).

So, will the husband and wife team go home this week? Or will there be some shake ups in the top 6? Can you believe that next week is already the finale? I can’t, since it should be at least one more week.

Oh, and as a little note, I’m going to be out of town Wednesday night at a swanky charity screening event in Denver, so my recaps/reviews for the results show and Glee are going to be a bit delayed!

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Peanut Butter Balls

And now it's time for the second of the four holiday cookies I promised you. These are probably the easiest of the bunch, as they are not even baked. These have been a holiday tradition in my family for as long as I can remember, and are almost always gobbled up first among the cookies. That may also be because they're nice and bite-sized! We have used various recipes over the years, some including graham crackers, but these seem to be the best.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients

• For the balls:
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 cups powered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• For the topping:
• 2 cups (1 package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups (1 package, may be slightly less than 2 cups) butterscotch chips
• Optional: 1 Tablespoon parafin wax

Cooking Directions

1. Mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until well blended. You may have to get in there with your hands! After it's well blended, take small pieces and roll them into balls. Set out on parchment paper (or wax paper).
2. After those are done, mix together the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwavable bowl. Heat in 1 minute increments, stirring in between each minute. As they get more melted, just do 30 second increments so you don't overdo it. The parafin wax makes the chocolate runnier if you want to dip the balls completely (which I never have any luck with!). However, I usually just take a spoon and drip some chocolate on the top of each one. You also can test out how much of all of those chips you actually need, because I always tend to have leftover chocolate. You'll need to let these sit for a while, maybe an hour or two, to let the chocolate harden. But don't worry, it won't be too hard. They will be soft and delicious!

Peanut butter balls surrounded by some of the unglazed pumpkin cookies. Note these are not the amount of  balls you would get doing the above recipe. You'd have about twice as many, depending on what size you make them. I halved it this time around.

After dousing the balls in chocolate. What to do with any leftover chocolate? I used it to cover the tops of some of the pumpkin cookies I ran out of glaze for, and was told it was delicious. You can also use the extra chocolate to make chocolate-covered pretzels or peanut clusters.

Mmmmmmmmm......

These are super easy, though not for those who don't like to get their hands a little sticky!

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

As noted in my previous post, I made up a bunch of cookies yesterday for the holiday season. These are not the first I made out of the bunch, but a friend of mine said she wanted the recipe so I'm writing this one up first!

So, I have a love affair with pumpkin. I already posted about my pumpkin pie cake, for example. These particular cookies I found last year, I don't even remember from where anymore, and straight away fell in love. They are very, very soft, which I adore in a cookie, and the glaze on top makes them have that little extra something. Also, they're easy. Very easy.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 30 Cookies
Prep time: 00:10 

Cook time: 00:18

Total time: 00:28

Super soft cookies with a delicious pumpkin flavor, sure to please everyone around the holidays!

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmegspan>
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts (optional)
For the Glaze:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, milk, butter and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Once the cookies are completely cool, drizzle it over them.

It's not always necessary to pre-mix up flour mixtures as all directions will tell you to do, but I did this time.

The sugar and the butter all mixed up. It doesn't need to be completely smooth, just so long as there aren't chunks of butter. 

After all of the ingredients have been added. It's quite sticky, so don't go adding more flour thinking it's not right.

How did I get such lovely little balls when the dough is so sticky, you ask? I have an awesome cookie scoop from Pampered Chef! Seriously, it makes life much easier.

Fresh from the oven!

And, finally...

Yum! I recommend using parchment paper when you glaze, as you can see I did here. It makes clean up way easy and the cookies do not stick to it.

And there you have it! This time around I didn't add chocolate chips or nuts, but I have used chocolate chips in the past, and while you may be thinking to yourself, "pumpkin and chocolate?!" trust me, they work together very well. Also, you may have some glaze left over. This time around I only made half the glaze and didn't have enough for all of the cookies, but last time I made all of it and had too much! Maybe 3/4 the amount is in order? Next time.

...Oven: Happy Holidays!

Yes, it's that time of year! Today I went on a baking spree, baking up four different delectable delights for some Christmas gifts...

Wish you were getting one?

In the next few days I'll be posting how all of this:

Turned into all of these:

So, stay tuned for these upcoming baking posts:

Peanut Butter Balls

Cookie Bars

Peppermint Brownies

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

...Set: Glee 1x12 "Mattress"

I'm going to start off this Glee post with my five favorite quotes of the night (heavily featuring Sue, of course):
"While they were in there, I told them to yank out those tear ducts. Wasn't usin' 'em." - Sue

"You know, you three are boring me now. I'm gonna go do something else." - Sue

"Strangely, it did make me feel more American." - Artie, about getting a patriotic wedgie

"Do you think I have a potato head?" - Finn

"Today it just looks like you put lard in it." - Sue, about Will's hair

This week was all about the yearbook photos, or a lack thereof, for the gleeks, which ended up leading to a couple major revelations. The biggest one being that Will finally finds out that Terri has been faking the pregnancy. While this show does well with the frothy, I have to say that scene where he confronts her was very powerful. Good on Matthew Morrison, because he looked downright scary and broken at the same time.

The other revelation of sorts was Quinn fully embracing the glee club, delightfully threatening Sue if she decided to go through with her ban of the glee club because of the very cute and fun commercial they made. I have to say I wanted to be jumping around those mattresses with them.


Van Halen's Jump!

We also got two different songs with "Smile" as the title, with very different connotations to each of them... one being the Lily Allen version, the other the Charlie Chaplin one, which of course pulled at the ole heart strings.


Charlie Chaplin's Smile

In the end, the glee club got their picture in the yearbook, but it was defaced just like normal. And Will was disqualified from leading the club to sectionals because of the whole mattresses as compensation for the commercial thing. But next week is sectionals. And it looks like Finn finally finds out just who Quinn's baby daddy really is. After that, it is going to be a desolate four months until the show finally returns in April. Man, I don't want to think about it.

Next Episode

…Set: SYTYCD Season 6 Top 10 Results

And so begins the relentless filler of these hour-long results shows that don’t need to be an hour long. The last ten minutes are all you really need to care about, where we find out who’s going home. And this week it’s: Noelle and Nathan. Their bottom two compatriots Kathryn and Ryan are safe for at least one more week. Interesting to note that America seemed to vote for couples over individuals!

What is perhaps most frustrating about this particular ouster is the fact that the two that went home are also the two who actually had something new to offer in their solos tonight. While Kathryn and Ryan simply re-did their solos from the previous night, Noelle and Nathan actually stepped things up and did new (and better) ones. Nathan has continually performed well in his solos, and honestly has way more potential than Mr. Guns. Yes, he’s immature and kind of dumb, but he’s a better dancer.

But, the happy married couple gets to stay together for one more week. If Ryan doesn’t go next week, all hell shall break loose. The guys are much stronger in general than the girls, which isn’t saying a whole lot since I think if these dancers, apart from Jakob and perhaps Russell and Ellenore, were up against people from previous seasons, they would already be long gone. Or maybe it’s the choreography that’s off this season? Whatever it is, there is definitely something lacking.

You’ll notice I skipped over the two guest performances. That’s because they are continually unnecessary. Except this week I actually liked the first one, which was The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers performing to a Vitamin String Quartet cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow”. But for the second performance, Snoop Dogg continually repeating “So you think you can dance” and “who am I?”? Yeah, I’ll pass. And I did, thanks to my lovely DVR. Oh the joys of DVR.

Farewell to Noelle and Rufio, er, Nathan. On to the top 8!

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