24: The Clock Will Finally Stop Ticking.

Fox announced over the weekend that this quasi-abysmal, quasi-awesome eighth season of 24 will be its last.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, the series has been uneven throughout its run. One good season followed by a bad. Probably my favorite seasons were 1) the first one, b) the one where Edgar died (still mourning that), and c) the one with President Logan.

Actually, I just Googled it, and Edgar died during the season with President Logan. So really, 24 has only had 2 awesome seasons and 6 okay/meh ones. That's kind of depressing.

On the other hand, I love 24. I've never missed an episode (this is not the same thing as "I've never fallen asleep while watching an episode"). I have two Jack Bauer action figures (anniversary gifts from the fiancé). I still get excited on Mondays from mid-January to mid-May, because even if there is nothing else to watch, there's always 24.

What I also like about 24 is that by now, I always know when someone will get shot, which is helpful when you're someone who can't stand the sound or sight of that sort of thing. (I always cover my ears and close my eyes.) I also know that no matter what kind of danger Jack is in, whether he's being tortured or defusing a bomb or getting shot at by the bad guys, he'll never be really hurt. I mean this season alone, he was shot in the gut and that very same hour, he scisscor-kick-snapped the neck of the Russian bad guy while handcuffed to a pipe in the ceiling...after being tortured by said Russian bad guy.

The end of 24. It feels more like the end of an era. I remember when it first premiered, just after 9/11, and how we lived in a different time back then, when the Muslims were the bad guys. Wait, the Muslims are still the bad guys. Thanks for never changing, 24!

While Watching The View...

I was watching The View, and the ladies were talking about this 16-year-old kid named McKay Hatch.

Fiancé (turns around): Who's that?

Me: Oh, it's this kid who started a no-cussing club at his school.

Fiancé: F--- that.

American Idol: It's Gotta Be The Pouf.

Last night, Andrew Garcia performed "Heard It Through the Grapevine" on American Idol. Right in the middle of the performance, my fiancé said thus:

"I think he's channeling...uh...what's his name..."

(I'm thinking, Marvin Gaye? Jason Mraz?)

"Kim Jong-Il."

Holy Plot Twist, 24!

I was totally floored last night, and not just because our wedding caterer canceled on us with just eight weeks to go (this has since been cleared up, PHEW).

No, I was also shocked by the revelation at the very end of last night's episode: Dana Walsh is working with the terrorists!

Up to this point, I had thought Dana the most useless character ever created for television. Distracting us from the terror plot du jour. Patronizing Chloe. Taking screen time away from Jack. Destroying poor Cole's life. Annoying us with her hair constantly over one shoulder. But finally, finally, Dana Walsh has reason to exist on this show!

I can't wait to see how this all goes down.

I just hope that at some point, Chloe has to Tase Dana to get information out of her. I'd have Jack do it, but it would just be nice to see Chloe whip out ole Shockey again. Remember when she Tased a dude at the bar? Twice? That was awesome.

Where was I? Oh, yes.

Welcome back, 24!

The Amazing Race: Champagne Tower Of Terror.

I swear, this season's Amazing Race has got to be an alcoholic's nightmare. First the beer boot challenge, and now this leg, which included building a champagne fountain, popping a bottle of bubbly, and searching for grapes in a large field.

Totally bummed about Jeff & Jordan, who were booted off The Amazing Race last night. I was hoping for another non-elimination, but I agree with the fiancé, who said, "If it's another non-elimination, I call foul."

Besides the cowboys, I am now rooting for Steve & Allie, the father/daughter team. (By the way, does anyone else think Allie is Shenae Grimes' sister from another mister?) Oh, and there was a shout-out to duct tape, one of the best inventions EVAR. Steve is hilarious, Allie is kind, and they are a joy to watch. Just look at their picture. How friggin adorable are they???

What's Basketball Got To Do With It (This Blog)?

Right now, NCAA March Madness is everywhere. Everywhere, that is, except my living room.

Seems like everyone and their mother is doing a bracket. I went to look it up on cbssports.com, not because I was interested in creating one, but because I wanted to see if my alma mater (Syracuse) was in the playoffs. I am a lousy alum, by the way.

This is how clueless I am about NCAA brackets. To find my school, I first checked in the northeast quadrant of the bracket. Because Syracuse is in the northeast part of the country. Logical, right? Wrong. I couldn't find it. So I checked the other quadrants, just in case. I finally found 'Cuse in the southwest quadrant. Huh???

Where am I going with all this? Well, thanks to March Madness, CBS preempted Survivor last night. This was the first Thursday since the premiere that a) I was actually home to watch it and b) it did not conflict with an American Idol results show. I was really excited to see Survivor live. Especially because a couple of weeks back, I found out Cirie got kicked off before I got to see the episode. Gah.

In the end, I had a very enjoyable evening with my cat, a bowl of penne tossed with olive oil and garlic salt and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and the ladies of The View (the fiancé was at a lab meeting). But still, I missed Survivor. And there's not going to be a new episode until next Wednesday.

I guess in the meantime, I'll actually watch some basketball. Syracuse plays Vermont at 9PM tonight. Go Orange!!!

By the way, that's a picture of our mascot, Otto the Orange. Yes, an orange.

American Idol: A Honky-Tonk Vote.

So last night, I voted for the very first time on an American Idol contestant this season. I know, I know, with my slavish devotion to the ousted John Park and redirected loyalty to Aaron Kelly, you would think that by now, I'd have voted at least once.

Nope. Try as I might, I could never bring myself to pick up the phone and call.

But something changed last night. Not only did I enjoy Paige Miles' version of "Honky Tonk Woman", but I realized something: Girlfriend is not long for this show.

The judges are "eh" about her. The blogosphere doesn't even talk about her. And yet, she might be the only female contestant left who sings songs people would actually buy. She's pop with a little soul and a little country. She reminds me a lot of Kelly Clarkson, actually. And not just because she sang her song a few weeks ago.

Sadly, I don't think Paige is long for this competition. Each week, she's on people's lists of elimination predictions. She's forgettable and I can't surmise anything about her personality.

But still. I really liked her song last night. And so as soon as the show ended, I picked up the phone to vote for her. I called about five times. And EVERY SINGLE TIME, I got through. I got so depressed that other people weren't voting for her, I stopped calling.

I hope I'm wrong about Paige going home soon. But if she leaves us tonight, at least we'll get to hear her sing "Honky Tonk Woman" again.