I Like Lists; Volume 2: Cancelled before I Was Done Edition

I read this Website, Television Without Pity, and a while ago, it made a list of shows that it thought were cancelled too early.  I am sure that countless websites or magazines have made this type of lists, so I figured, with another recent cancellation of a show that I like, that it's time that I make one.  Here it goes...

(warning, I accidentally get really into listing the cast members.  it gets pretty drawn out.  additionally, this is really way too long.  feel free just to skim.)

10.  Pushing Daisies- An obvious choice, but for a good reason.  It was clever, interesting, and had a killer cast.  I loved the coloring and visual effects.  And I still wish that I knew what happened with Ned's dad.  I'm still waiting for the one final episode that is set to air soon.

9.  Related-  I'm really not surprised that this one was cancelled.  It was fairly unknown, with a largely unknown cast and no overtly sexual, mysterious, or funny themes.  But it was cute.  A comedy about four sisters living in New York.  My sisters and I loved it.  But it was bound to meet its end, as it came to The WB, just as it was becoming The CW.

8.  Grosse Pointe- Most people don't remember this show.  Which is really sad, because this comedy about the making of a teen television drama, very similar to 90210 was hilarious.  It starred Big Red from Bring it On, Ross's girlfriend, Mona, from Friends, and this adorable guy, Kyle Howard, who you will recognize from whatever. He was actually on Related also.  Fortunately, my sister bought me the dvds, so I can watch it whenever.  Unfortunately, it ends without the chance to see the start of the romance.

7. Reunion-  Not the greatest show ever, but maybe on of the most attractive casts ever.  I'll explain that after I get a chance to explain the real tragedy behind the cancellation.  It was a mystery.  I have no idea how the mystery ends.  I NEED TO KNOW.  But yeah, it has the cute brother from Brothers and Sisters, the older brother, JJ, from American Dreams, sexy Sean Faris, from Sleepover and Life as We Know It, Meredith's sister, Lexi, from Grey's Anatomy, and Hailey Nichol from The O.C.  I was upset when the show started because it meant the ends of two shows (both on this list) and one character I liked, but I got attached.

6. Off Centre-  I can almost guarantee that no one other than my sisters, myself, and the cast remembers this show.  It was created by the makers of American Pie and starred Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and John Cho, best known for playing Harold in Harold and Kumar.  It was hilarious.  But I guess no one watched it, so buh bye.

5. Undeclared-  Judd Apatow.  Brilliant.  College comedy.  Only 17 amazing episodes.  It was after Freaks and Geeks, but in typical Judd fashion, it retained a lot of the same cast.  Seth Rogen and Jason Segel came from Freaks and Geeks, some other of the stars came to guest star.  Jason Segel played an insane boyfriend who worked at a copy store.  His girlfriend was played by period blood girl from Superbad (also known as Carla Gallo).  She is in a lot of Judd's work.  So is the lead character, Steven Karp, played by Jay Baruchel.  Love him.  It also had Dawson's Creek's Monica Keena.  She is amazing.  And the beautiful, like beyond beautiful Charlie Hunnam.  And Rufus Wainwright's dad, Loudon Wainwright III.  Singer of "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road."  I almost cried when the dvd series stopped for this tv show.  Best comedic guest stars I have ever seen on a tv show.

4. Life on Mars-  This is the one that propelled me to write this absurdly long list.  I just read on EW.com that it's being cancelled.  Fortunately, it's getting a proper send off, with a real finale and everything.  I loved this show.  Because I love American history and cities.  And this took place in New York City in the 70s.  But the main character, who is apparently British, came from 2008, so he retained all of the same awareness we have.  I like the crime solvings, and the slow to come mystery of why he is in 1973.  I don't want it to end!

3. Life as We Know It-  Before it came out, people thought it would be the male equivilent of My So-Called Life.  Angsty boys moaning over their families and relationships.  The boys were hot, like really really hot, the dialogue was snappy, and it was partially written by the writers of Freaks and Geeks.  Weirdly enough, Kelly Osbourne was on it.  Some people mocked her for being fat, but her boyfriend and pretty, popular best friends didn't mind the weight.  God, Sean Faris, Chris Lowell, and the non-hot one, Jon Foster.  His brother is Ben Foster, from the hilario movie, Get Over It.  This show really shouldn't have ended.  But it totally predicted the eventual popularity of Snow Patrol.

2. Freaks and Geeks-  An obvious choice.  The obvious choice.  In an era where the only comedies worth seeing are the ones written by Judd Apatow and his gang, there is really no need to even explain.  

1. American Dreams-  Typical American family living in Philly in the 1960s.  It uses culture from the era and real American news to propel it.  It was seriously smart, and seriously entertaining, with weekly musical guest stars appearing as singers from the 60s on American Bandstand.  Brittany Snow (pre Hairspray, John Tucker, and the Lily VDW GG spin-off) starred, alongside a ton of other insanely talented actors.  The show lasted 3 seasons, which is better than the one-season runs of the rest of the list, but the show had so much more it could do.  And what's worse, the music rights from the show make it nearly impossible to put to dvd.  I bought first season after waiting two years for the pricing to drop from $100 to $45.  But I'm still waiting for those next two...

p.s. My So-Called Life was a little too angsty for me.  I'm not that upset it was cancelled.

p.p.s. sorry this was so long.

MTVBKA

Hear MTV Awards, thoughts go to Best Kiss, right?  Well, in Tropic Thunder, there is a line in a fake trailer saying "starring Academy Award Winner Kurt Lazarus and MTV Best Kiss Award Winner Toby Maguire."  Is the upside-down spidy kiss the best of all time? It might be, but two other MTV best kisses stand out in my mind to combat it.  Could it be the salavatastic girl on girl action that we see in Cruel Intentions or can it be the sweet, sexy, pre-coitus lovin between real-life loves, Rachy and Ryry, in The Notebook. Truthfully, I bet there are better on-screen kisses out there than any of them.  The Rachy/Ry one works because of the fab acceptance, the SMG/Selma one is obvs, because of the lezlove.  

In my mind, the only true winner is the one of the little superhero, who costars with Australian moviestar, Kurt Lazarus.  Kirsten Dunst and Tobey MaG sort of changed the whole meaning of movie kisses.  They spawned countless imitations (including a supremely sexy one between Seth and Summer, second season of TheOC), and showed how fab an anonymous makeout sesh can be.  I actually have no recollection of any other MTV kisses ever.  Because maybe they are totally unmemorable.

Ah, but TV kisses, that's another story.  Veronica and Logan, first season, after they battle my second grade crush, JTT, ah now that is passion.  And the following few episodes just keep getting better.  Ryan and Marissa on the ferris wheel.  Ryan and Marissa over and over again.  Just youtube best kisses, and you will see for sure, that TV, for some reason, expresses much better kissy passion than movies.  Maybe because movies can show sex, so they don't put as much pressure on the power of some lip action, as non-HBO/Showtime channels do.  Ross and Rachel outside the coffeeshop anyone?  How about Rory and Jess at Suki's wedding?  Okay, some movies can do it (we have all seen Titanic, I get it), but unless you are Zac and Vanessa, or in a cartoon, TV has the category topped.

The epiphany

In When Harry Met Sally, Sally explains that she broke up with her ex-boyfriend because he did not believe that there were no Sundays in her days of the week underwear.  She says that they don't make Sundays "because of God."  Sundays are a holy day in which you should do no work and whatever.  I guess that translates to underwear.  And to blogs.  This Sunday was the first time I have skipped a day since starting the thing.  And I picked the holy Sabbath to do it.  Uh, but as a Jew, my Sabbath is on Saturday and this rational makes zero sense.  But I needed some sort of excuse.

It has come to my attention recently that I have been labeling my different entries as if they were episodes of a TV show.  You know, with a twist on a movie title or song.  The original "pilot" was intentional, but after that, I guess my incessant tv watching just inspired me.  I don't really mind the whole TV format, but only if they don't become too predictable.  No one style.  This post is in the style of The O.C., always beginning with "The".  Next up, maybe a Friends, with a "the one where..."  But if I ever pull a Degrassi and start labelling each post after an 80s pop song (with the exception of the first season masterpiece, "Jagged Little Pill", hellooo 90s), please stop me.  I need the variation.  

Speaking of variation, I want to jump to a new topic.  I wish that I could write a novel. Like a really silly, fun one.  Cecily von Ziegesar isn't even good and she got a hit TV spinoff of her bestselling series.  I just finished Something Borrowed, written by Emily Giffin and encouraged by Liz Skale (from the carousel).  It was so cute and girlie that I think that I could totally do it.  Better right about being young when I still am.  Well, sort of young.  No more teenager.  Hello wrinkles and gray hair.  But yeah, I would be a fab chicklit author.  I have certainly read enough of it.  The best is Sophie Kinsella, in case you were wondering.  Hello new career.  I welcome you.