Survivor, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol and so on.  The only time I would ever watch said talent shows is to see the horrible and yet comedic auditions. However, a very interesting exception to this practice of not watching audition shows is for America’s Got Talent.  I am interested in watching this because of one man: Howard Stern.  The famous, or rather infamous, “King of All Media” will be joining the show as one of the judges.  Now this has me interested; I have been a fan of Howard Stern since his broadcast radio days and would love to see his honest take on the auditions.

Other exceptions to the rule are Mythbusters and Impractical Jokers but these can barely be called reality TV shows.

While I have no doubts people consider The Voice and the like as good TV shows, for the most part I would not touch any of them with a ten foot pole.

At first I was hesitant about Downton Abbey because I am not a huge fan of stuffy, British, costume drama, period pieces. Then it was suggest to me by one of my bro-eist friends so I gave it a chance. Now I finally understand why all the women, and increasing numbers of men, I know are talking about The Abbey. Downtown Abbey is raunchy, saucy, and has a fast paced plot full of British action (what passes for action in England). Who will inherit what? Who will marry whom? And most importantly, what will become of the Abbey? Tune into PBS to find out.

Downton Abbey has everything that is great about Master Piece theater (excellent acting, high production value, and good writing) without any of the bad stuff (it is boring as hell, how many Bronte novels will you subject me to?).  So pull up a chair next to mom and grandma, turn on PBS and get lost in the sprawling estate that is Downton Abbey.

Instead, I’ve switched over to original series created by USA and TNT. Are the shows the most amazing things you’ve ever watched? No, but I personally think they’re better written and far more interesting. The shows that I’m currently gushing over (despite them being on hiatus until the summer) are Rizzoli & Isles, Covert Affairs, and The Closer. Yes, there is a pattern to them . . . crime and females. What can I say? I’m a sucker for women kicking ass.  The first and the last are both detective shows, while the second is about a spy working for the CIA. I guess what I like most about these shows is that they are able to seamlessly blend drama and comedy. The humor reminds me slightly of House, but much more lighthearted. Burn Notice is a male version of Covert Affairs and Royal Pains is nice when there isn’t much going on in the summer. It’s a little more cheeky than the others.

If you’re bored of all the TV shows currently on, check your cable channels sometime. They might surprise you.

Onward and upward for Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. This young man has starred in seven films in a series which is a remarkable feat in itself, but not only that has starred in two Broadway shows! It’s kind of incredible actually.

But he’s moving on. He’s no longer the boy wizard, he’s no longer the singing, dancing young man in the bow tie, now he’s a grown up. And he’s in a horror flick.

I am not a huge fan of horror movies. I don’t like blood and I really don’t get the appeal of being scared. I don’t like it so I’m certainly not going to pay someone to do it. This movie is really no exception. It kind of looks like an episode of Ghost Hunters but set in the Victorian era. (At least I’m assuming it’s the Victorian Era by Radcliffe’s ENORMOUS mutton chops!)

I’m just going to assume that there are no magic wands or other members of the Hogwarts team joining him in this adventure. He’s completely on his own…with a scary ghost. Woman in Black hits theatres on Friday. Unfortunately for me, I’ve been asked to do a screener before that for a review site. I’ll just have to remember that this is the little kid with the scar on his head…not sure Daniel Radcliffe would appreciate that though.

Don’t. Like. Horror. Movies!

What I didn’t know was that secretly they were insane human beings glued to their computers waiting for hulu to update. I missed umpteen episodes of Big Bang Theory, New Girl, and yes, I really missed watching my late night news and documentaries. But guess what else I learned? I survived. I lived without tv shows.

The sun came up the next day. The earth still spun around and there were no zombies knocking at my door (no matter how much I missed Walking Dead.)

I can and have survived without cable. That isn’t to say that I was totally happy about it. People kept ruining the end of episodes by posting them on Facebook or twitter immediately after they happened and I lost my patience more than once with these “serial spoilers.”

If you’re looking to live without cable for a month and you don’t want your shows to be spoiled for you, I suggest taking a hiatus from the internet too. Though, at that point, you really should just move to Newfoundland and be a hermit. It’ll be better for your sanity.

That however might be about to change. These days Fuse TV has taken to airing a Canadian music video show hosted by the charming and charismatic Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham, lead singer of artsy hardcore band Fucked Up. The show highlights all of the videos being made by some of the coolest bands of the day. It is everything we want from an indie oriented video program and it is hosted by a guy with the knowledge of Matt Pinfield and the entertaining engagement of a Kennedy all in a hulking beast of a frame.

The show airs in the late night ghetto, Saturdays at 3am, but guess what with DVR that is not even so bad anymore. To entice you into this one of the few good TV shows for videos, below is an excellent video from Pitchfork darlings Real Estate.

Thanks to changes in the primary process and 24/7 cable news coverage (since so many channels offer 24 hour election coverage it comes out to more like 96/7) the American political landscape has become a wildly entertaining spectacle. Weekly debates, more early primaries, and changes in how delegates are allocated mean we can enjoy this slugfest well past Super Tuesday (hopefully).

What do I see in for the future of the hit series? Rick Santorum continuing to bully gay Americans. Newt Gingrich’s other wife (from his open marriage) awakening from her coma. Ron Paul politely espousing insane political views (a return to the gold standard, anyone?) and Mitt Romney ascending to the Republican throne like Aragorn in Return of the King.

TV reviews for the primaries have been positive. Let’s hope more good TV shows come out of the Republican Party soon (College Republicans gone wild (fiscally)?).

The theme of last night’s Glee episode centered around marriage…the perfect topic that teenagers should be talking about… The episode was hard to swallow for all those single, like myself, who have been surrounded by dozens of engagement announcements over the past year. Or maybe that was just me. Despite being completely ecstatic at the thought of Will and Emma finally getting engaged, I couldn’t help but groan when Will wrote “marry me” on the whiteboard for this week’s musical assignment.

Despite the sappy songs I was forced to listen to, I couldn’t help but swoon over the final number. My girly instincts won out for a change. (Go Will!) But the exchange before that between Sue and Becky practically had me in tears. When Ryan Murphy wants a dramatic scene, he knows how to lay it on thick. It simply reinforced why I love Sue Sylvester so damn much. She may have a forked tongue, but when it comes to the mentally challenged, she’s as fierce as a kitten.

It’s the few heartfelt episodes like last night’s that keep me watching. Because let’s face it people, this season of Glee hasn’t been living up to our expectations. And we all know next season will be a bust with the graduation of some of the best characters. On a final note, Finn proposing to Rachel?! I didn’t see that one coming and I wish it never happened. I don’t think we should be promoting teenage marriage Mr. Murphy. Bad form.

She’s got this in common with about 25 million Americans and about 75 million more are termed pre-diabetic. Might this have something to do with the fact that Paula has fried everything under the sun? While she told the Today show that she agrees that kind of food is a cause for bad health she has always “preached moderation.”

I share with you all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people, in moderation, you can have that little piece of pie. Honey, I’m your cook, not your doctor. You are going to have to be responsible for yourself.

Paula has also been part of a shake up in the food world with TV star and world traveler Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain who knows good TV shows when he sees them does NOT think that Deen qualifies. “Her food is *bleeping* bad for you!” You tell her, Tony.

Deen replied with a drawling “Get a life.” Reports that she also threw a pound of butter at him are not confirmed.

Then TBS decided to start playing reruns about 2-3 nights a week for 3 hour blocks. I saw 1 episode and was hooked. It’s absolutely hilarious. My poor roommate now has to suffer the sound of my laughter for a good 2 hours a night. What makes the show genius, besides being about 4 geniuses, is the blend of science and geek humor with the simple stupidity of even the smartest of men. You don’t have to be a comic book geek or an astrophysicist to find this show hilarious, although it does help. If my mom can find the humor in its ridiculousness, so can you. But be forewarned that you shouldn’t eat while watching this show. It’s one of the few shows that actually makes me laugh from start to finish.Thank you The Big Bang Theory for my many near-death experiences.

Bazinga!