Photos
Video
My Name is Earl
You know the kind of girl who changes her column to a three times a week blog and then gets jury duty and actually gets seated on a jury. That’s me. My name is Amy, TV Gal.
Yes, the fates have conspired against me and I’m actually on jury duty this week. So I’m not able to write as much today as I planned to. I think I had convinced myself that there is no way I would actually be seated on a jury during premiere week. Alas the fact that this is premiere week is not exactly an excuse you can give to the judge. Nor can you say you are biased from watching too many episodes of “Boston Legal.”
So I’m off soon to jury duty. But I wanted to let you know about the hour-long return of “My Name is Earl” (Thursday at 8 p.m. on NBC). Like “House,” this show totally spun its premise around in last May’s finale and placed Earl in jail (remember he said he committed a crime, so Joy wouldn’t go to jail and could stay home with her family).
It’s a good idea to shake up the series but after watching the third season premiere (which is very funny), I think there is definitely a finite amount of time Earl should stay incarcerated.
“Ugly Betty” also returns Thursday at 8 p.m. on ABC and I loved the first two episodes of the second season. I could do without some of the secondary subplots (the Alexis subplot too much soap opera even for this show) but the episode proves exactly why America Ferrera won the Emmy.
Okay I’m off to perform my civic duty. I’ll return on Friday with “where have I seen them before,” quotes of the week and to discuss the return of “Brothers & Sisters” and “Desperate Housewives.” Keep writing to me at amytvgal@zap2it.com and keep posting your thoughts to my blog. I can't thank you enough for all your support about the new blog format.
Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal
Jury Duty during premiere week -- ouch
redlock | Sep 26, 2007 6:02:24 AM | #Can't wait for Ugly Betty. I love that show. Too bad about jury duty. But glad you are doing your civic duty.
Marsha | Sep 26, 2007 6:22:31 AM | #Just wanted to let you know I love the blog format. It's three times as much fun to read your entertaining words three times a week!
Glenn Harris | Sep 26, 2007 8:04:03 AM | #Jury duty during premier week. If that premise had shown up on Grey's Anatomy (a show full of unlikely premises), I would have complained about the plotting of the show. How like the TV Gal to have an unlikey "TV Like thing" happen to her. :-)
Mark Hunter | Sep 26, 2007 8:56:34 AM | #i can definitely feel your jury duty pain... why was there nothing about the amazing premiere of Boston Legal?
str8boypatryk | Sep 26, 2007 9:58:35 AM | #Enjoy jury duty. It should give you a new appreciation (good or bad) of the actual courtroom behaviors you see on Law & Order, etc. Notice how much shorter the speeches are on TV.
Jonathan | Sep 26, 2007 10:44:36 AM | #Soooo sorry about the Jury Duty. Hope it's over quickly. We need you to navigate Prime Time for the World!
Kathy | Sep 26, 2007 11:07:20 AM | #I finally was able to watch the Ugly Betty season finale and cannot wait for the new season to start! I wanted to hold off watching the last episode until tonight, but something inside of me decided to not postpone it any longer. I laughed, I cried and can't wait for the new season.
Amy, I like the Alexis character. OK, so I grew up watching "All My Children" so I'm a little used to the soap drama, but it's good that there's a character on TV some can relate to who are going through the transgender process or having problems with family members.
ILovePapaSmurf | Sep 26, 2007 11:21:07 AM | #Hey TVgal, Jury Duty on premiere week? I feel for you. Hope it wraps up quick. What's up with CSI this season? I'm a huge fan, especially with last season's amazing finale. Any thoughts on the new season?
pam | Sep 26, 2007 12:08:52 PM | #I feel for you. Two years ago I was fleeing hurricane Rita. Totally missed the second season premier of Lost because of it.
David | Sep 26, 2007 1:03:40 PM | #Just tell them you believe in corporal punishment - no matter if it's civil court! :D
Nola | Sep 26, 2007 1:14:45 PM | #Amy! MOST of us couldn't get away with using premiere week as an excuse, but watching TV is half of your job! For you to be called in now is like calling a CPA in during the second week of April...if I were you, I'd have mentioned that.
LV | Sep 26, 2007 1:22:57 PM | #Jury duty - yikes. I'm a lawyer, so I feel for you. Now you'll find out first hand that actual trials are no where near as exciting as they portray them on t.v. My advice - caffeine, and lots of it.
Sue | Sep 26, 2007 1:36:34 PM | #Sorry to hear about Jury duty during premiere week. That seems unconstitutional. Very excited for the new Betty tomorrow night. Did everyone catch the "Hey Betty, You Are Beautiful" commercials featuring Mika? If not, search them out and watch. Very good stuff.
SJ Martin | Sep 26, 2007 2:09:16 PM | #Amy, fate must be playing around with all of us. I had jury duty this week too. I had to spend half the day at the courthouse, but luckily, I didn't get seated on a jury. The really funny thing about it though, is the questions the prosecutor asked us before they picked the final jury. He wanted to know if we watched procedural dramas like CSI and Law & Order, etc. I, of course, watch most of them (Bones being the fav). Then he made sure we were really, really clear on the difference between reality and tv. The main example he used to convey this important message too us? David Caruso. (He actually said Caruso's name, methinks the prosecutor is a CSI Miami fan) Apparently, if anybody is unsure of how fake TV is, all they have to do is watch LT. Horation Caine. I found that hysterical. Maybe the laughing is why I didn't get picked? Oh well, it all turned out for the best, Tivo here I come.
leydianna | Sep 26, 2007 2:30:47 PM | #OMG Leydianna, that is too funny! If you watch a lot of procedural dramas were you disqualified from the jury? Can't you totally picture Amy asking questions about DNA and trace and wondering if the witness was properly Mirandized before giving a statement? I also see her talking about Sipowitcz during the jury deliberations. Too funny!
Marianne | Sep 26, 2007 3:18:49 PM | #I sat on a jury several years ago; one of the lawyers in that trial was so much like Douglas Wambaugh from Picket Fences it was scary. I learned then that life can sometimes indeed be stranger than fiction.
David B. Mears | Sep 26, 2007 4:22:50 PM | #Had to Tivo Heroes for work reasons this week. Just watched it. While I loved the show, the Irish accents were an absolute mess. A program with this high of a profile can't afford a little linguistic coaching? Puh-leeeze.
rb | Sep 26, 2007 7:48:22 PM | #1. You should have said you were a huge fan of "Law & Order." Judges love that.
2. The way you describe "Earl" for some reason reminds me of how FOX (mis-)handled "Prison Break."
3. If you can, see if the courts will let you bring an iPod or other video player. Then transfer TiVo/DVR/iTunes premieres onto said player.
Good luck.
pakopako | Sep 27, 2007 6:22:47 AM | #Terrible-ness about jury duty. But this will give you a whole new appreciation for legal dramas and you can now share with the rest of us just how far off base they are compared to reality.
I can't wait for the return of Ugly Betty. That shows is so full of twists... I can't wait to see how all the cliffhangers resolve.
I know your civic duty is jury duty...but so is giving us your opinion on all things TV!! Love the blog format, btw :-)
Indi | Sep 27, 2007 9:42:30 AM | #This is almost as bad as when your tivo plotted against you. At least you'll be able to watch your shows while you're using the knowledge you've gained from those law tv shows.
Brian | Sep 27, 2007 10:04:48 AM | #Jury duty during premiere week? Try giving birth to twins! Technically, I gave birth two weeks ago, but nevertheless, there's very little time to watch tv. *sigh*
Daphne | Sep 27, 2007 2:27:02 PM | #You gave birth to twins in the jury room during premiere week? (OK, that was a stupid joke, but it is Ask a Stupid Question Day)
pakopako | Sep 28, 2007 11:10:51 AM | #
Zap2it Twitter Talk
