top picks

Todays post is brought to you by the letters T and V. And by the number17.
No real reason for the seventeen... I just threw that in there.
But the T and the V...
let's talk tube.

Kids first (stay tuned kidless adults, I have something for you later). I know I've mentioned Peep in my ramblings before. Peep and the Big Wide World is a great cartoon on TLC in their Ready Set Learn morning programming for kids. I love this show and I cannot praise it enough, but sadly not many have ever heard of it. It's one of those rare ones that is engaging and fun for the kids, but also quite entertaining for us mommies (or daddies). So refreshing, as it is so far removed from any of the annoying kid shows out there. No obnoxious singing adults or big purple dinosaurs or blue dogs or talking backpacks. And no creepy 3D computer animation or nonsense songs to get stuck in your head. It's good a old fashioned simple cartoon with simple drawings and fun adventures, and narrated by Joan Cusack... how can you not love that?!. (today had a special guest star of a new duck on the block voiced by Megan Mullally.
The main characters consist of Peep, a new chick learning about the big wide world with his sidekicks Quack (an amusing egocentrical duck) and Chirp (the voice of reason in a little baby robin). The sense of humor in this show is so great, while it's actually all about science... these feathered friends are actually learning all sorts of stuff lke cause and effect, gravity, seasons, measurements and all sorts of fun stuff. Maybe that's why I like it... I never really got any of that sciencey stuff. I guess I needed it played out in a primary stick drawing cartoon of fowl.
Oh yeah... and my kids love it too! This is the one show they actually ask for every morning.
If you have kiddos in your house (I'd say this is a wide range of ages... both of my kids started enjoying it just before they were two, and Savannah still completely loves it at 4 1/2) you should check it out. It's definitely a favorite around here.

And for us adults...
Has anyone else ever watched the ABC show Pushing Daisies??
I am completely smitten with this program. Ryan asked me about it a couple of months ago saying he thought I might like it. I asked him what it was about and he proceeded to tell me something about a guy who can make dead people come back to life and blah blah blah blah blah. Or at least that's what I heard because after the dead people back to life part I pretty much tuned out. I am not into any kind of science fiction, it took me a lot to ever watch LOST and I have a hard time with movies like Star Wars or Transformers. I don't like sci-fi and I don't like things to do with dead people and I assumed I wouldn't like this show either.
But.
Then I had the tv on last Wednesday when Ryan was on his way out the door for soccer, and I think I left it on ABC after a Christmas special Savannah had stayed up for, so as I sat (probably blogging) I had the tv on in the background and slowly got sucked into this show. It is so not what I expected. Sure the premise really is based on the pie maker's (which is how the narrator refers to the main character Ned, who owns a pie shop) ability to revive the dead with one touch, (which he can do that only briefly without the "death" passing on to someone else in the vicinity; a second touch puts them back as before) which leads him and a detective friends to go around solving unsolved murders or "accidents". So each show is about solving some random murder mystery. But if you're thinking this is anything like Cold Case or CSI, think again. The characters are all quirky and fun and the sets are all funky and bright but dreary all at the same time, you can't seem to pinpoint a time frame because while you see many a 1950's vintage prop here and there, there are also victorian and modern things thrown all over the place as well. It's all completely done tongue in cheek and is more of a fun story telling hour than a traditional murder mystery. And here's the other catch of the story... Ned's girlfriend is his childhood best friend long lost love who he stumbles across while trying to solve one of these murders. Only she's the one who's been murdered. He revives her and after seeing her decides he cannot lose her again, so she is back in the here and now forever with him... only he can never touch her again. If he does she will be back to dead forever.
I know, weird huh. But it's all done in such a fun way; it's such a unique storyline and the characters are funny and easy to watch... (Molly Shannon was on last week and it's rumored she might become a regular) and they do great cliff hangers at the end of each week!!
Like I said, last week was the first week I watched it. And I've watched four more episodes this week online. I'm hooked.
I'd love to know if anyone else watches this one and what they think of it.
Or better yet, start watching it and we can chat about it!! ABC has them available to watch or it airs Wednesdays at 8/7 central. (sorry I have to do that central thing now because THAT'S ME!! I have missed many a show spacing that time change thing!!) It's not on tonight though because Santa Clause is Coming to Town. Bummer! I'll probably be watching one online though!

It's fun to have another show I'm excited to see. The only two shows I watch are the Office and How I Met Your Mother (another great greatly underrated show, by the way!!). And it's nice it's on Wednesdays because that's Ryan's soccer night!

What are the shows you look forward to each week?