What I’m…

…Saying Goodbye To In a Polite Fashion
Will & Grace and That 70’s Show- Here are two examples of long running shows that have carried on well past their prime. Once an avid viewer of both, I’ve now only stopped to watch here and there because I know they’re coming to an end. Will & Grace overdosed on guest stars for the sake of guest stars, while That 70’s Show unwisely continued even after two of its stars left in the same season. That being said I sat down last night and watched both series’ finales.

I thought That 70’s Show went out with a whimper. Sure they had old cast members Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher come back but for the most part the show felt as tired as its premise. The scene with Mother Foreman addressing the entire cast was nice but overall it was an unremarkable finale.

Will & Grace surprised the hell out of me with one of the better series finales I’ve ever seen. From Grace’s opening dream sequence to the final scene at the bar this episode hit all the right notes. By flashing forward in time the writers gave fans something shows rarely do, and that’s a realistic view into the future with real closure. Even the stunt casting of Kevin Bacon was forgivable because it had context and was a dream sequence. Of course Jack and Karen stole the show as always, from their self referential line about being “supporting characters on the Will and Grace Show”, to their duet of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable. The show even threw a bone to those fans in gay denial that always wished for a romantic relationship for Will & Grace. It was truly a great finale and one that caught me completely off guard.

…Buying.
Scrubs Season 3 on DVD- This is the season that sold me on Scrubs. I had caught a few episodes early in its run but was by no means a religious viewer. Season 3 changed that as the show further embraced the blurry line between fantasy and reality. The season also features great guest stars including an amazing 2 episode stint by Michael J Fox as a doctor with OCD and Tara Reid bringing a little bit of taradise to JD’s life.

…Listening To
Top 5 on My iPod
1. Crazy- Gnarls Barkley (The duo of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo are giving us the first anthem of the summer. The smooth R&B mixed with the blistering beats would make Andre’ 3000 jealous.)
2. Gone Daddy Gone- Gnarls Barkley (I used to think that the Violent Femmes were one of those bands whose songs should never be covered, consider me corrected.)
3. Follow Through- Gavin DeGraw (Not usually my style but a great cinematic song featured in the penultimate episode of season 3 of Scrubs that just stuck in my head.)
4. Now is the Time- Damone (Damn you iTunes for your clever marketing. After downloading a song for free I went back and checked out the rest of their catalogue and found this track that quite simply rocks.)
5. Eye Opener- The Cardinal Sin (The opening track to their new album, “Hurry Up and Wait”, crackles with pop punk catchability ((new word)) and is a great introduction to an album that’s in heavy rotation for me.)