In search of the perfect travel mug

I love coffee and tea, and I have never, ever found a travel mug that meets all my specifications:

1. Seals completely.
2. Fits in a cupholder - not too wide, and not too narrow/tall that it flops around.
3. Comes COMPLETELY apart to wash - this means that if the top has a slidey bit, the pieces need to detach so each can be washed thoroughly.
4. A handle is nice but not mandatory.
5. Will not break if I drop it.

Song of the Day: "Against the Wind"

Haven 1.7: "Sketchy"

I haven't mentioned it in a few episodes, so let me take this opportunity to mention how much I love the New Englandy-ness of this show. So much I feel compelled to make up words, apparently. Anyway, continue...

Morning Coffee (9/2/10)

Happy Thursday! I spent this morning rearranging my storage room, so I have no idea what they were saying on GMA for once. I do know that today is supposed to be the last day of this heat wave, thank goodness.

Here's a tantalizing review of the season premiere of The Vampire Diaries.

Mo Ryan's new blog at AOL TV is up: Stay Tuned!

Ron Moore of BSG is making an adult Harry Potter-like show. Feel free to run away in horror now.

Lizzie Skurnick on the Franzen hubbub.

Why Netflix is way awesomer than people think.

Trailer: Fair Game

I suppose after all my Rubicon posts, it won't surprise anyone that I love possibly-boring spy things, but I honestly have no idea why everyone is being so negative about the trailer for Fair Game, the Valerie Plame movie:

From that little bit, at least, it looks like it's staying faithful to her book while including the action that audiences demand from spy movies. I can't wait!

Rubicon 1.6: "Look to the Ant"

It looks like TWoP has stopped covering Rubicon, so apparently I think this means I should write even more ridiculously long recaps. Does anyone want to read that? Probably not. But I find it comforting to know I have sent them out into the ether. Continue after the jump . . .

Song of the Day: "September"

Haven 1.6: "Fur"

Getting shot at is always a big deal, as Audrey explains after the jump . . .

Morning Coffee (9/1/10)

Happy September! I am THRILLED that it is September, because I hate summer (have you noticed?) but I am also extremely bitter because it's going to be 98 today and that is NOT proper September weather. Also, my laptop is going in for surgery today, so please think happy motherboard-replacing thoughts.

Last night, the President gave an Oval Office address about the end of combat operations in Iraq, but OBVIOUSLY the big story is that he redecorated the Oval Office. (I like the new look well enough, for the record.) Murkowski has officially conceded to Miller in Alaska. And people on Cape Cod are being dumb talking about how much they love hurricanes and how they won't evacuate. Good luck with that! And - oh, fine. Entertainment Tonight is doing a behind the scenes thing of the Emmy opener, so I will give in and TiVo it.

Oh! Vanity Fair has a Sarah Palin profile out. It just came out so I haven't read it yet, but Roger Ebert tweeted that it's "devastating," so there you go.

I'm assuming that anyone who wants Grey's Anatomy spoilers heard the big news yesterday, but if you somehow missed it, click here.

I hate to say it, but I agree with every bit of this post about Emily Deschanel's look at the Emmys.

There's going to be some sort of 3D Nutcracker movie. With Elle Fanning and Nathan Lane? And new songs by Tim Rice? Is it not a ballet? Wait, is it a musical? What on earth is going on? I can't decide whether I'm excited or terrified.

Wait, haven't we read this John Le Carre story about assassinations in the Cold War about three times already? Why does it continue to be news?

Oh NO. American Girl is retiring Felicity.

Chad Lowe got married. Brother Rob Lowe was the best man. Aww.

The creators of Gossip Girl are making a show about twentysomethings in DC. I am cautiously optimistic.

New pictures from Glee!

The new Preppy Handbook sounds rather disappointing.

Politeness Enforcement Tactics

Gmail's Priority Inbox sounds nifty. Can't wait to try it out!

Sweden continues to be awesome.

Sepinwall on Inception

I'm not the only one excited for Easy A.

TV Squad agrees with me: Rubicon is not boring.

Vampire Diaries Stars Thank Fans

As I mentioned in Morning Coffee, season one of The Vampire Diaries comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray today. The three stars of the show, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley, have released a video thanking fans for their support:

This sort of thing shouldn't be rare, but I feel like it kind of is. Stars of various sorts often thank fans in interviews and speeches, but I can't think of many examples of this sort of dedicated thank you that isn't part of a larger interview. Good for them!

The Gates 1.7: "Digging the Dirt"

"If something seems too good to be true, that's probably because it is." Someone actually uttered that line in this episode, apparently without any sort of irony or self-awareness. And the real secret of the Gates is "love"? Really, Robert H. Wolfe? I'm disappointed in you. More after the jump . . .

Song of the Day: "Dream a Little Dream of Me"

Haven 1.5: "Ball and Chain"

Be careful who you make out with, after the jump.

The Event Is Coming

Are you confused about the new NBC show The Event? Well, yeah, so is everyone else. But look! Over at TheTelevixen, I've checked out some of the clues you can find on the various official show sites. Take a look!

Morning Coffee (8/31/10)

Happy Vampire Diaries release day! Season one comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray today, so you just have time to pick it up and catch up for the next season, which starts September 9! Do it! In other news, the President is giving an Oval Office address tonight, the Dancing with the Stars cast list is out, and so is Meghan McCain's book. Also, I have learned from Emmy-related interviews that Glee's Mike O'Malley is from New Hampshire. And Cory Monteith is ridiculously adorable, but we knew that already. Welcome to Tuesday!

I promised you a lot of Emmy links. Here you go:
Emmy writeups:
HitFix's Alan Sepinwall
HitFix's Winners and Losers
NPR's Monkey See
Time's Tuned In
Zap2it

Liveblogs:
The Fug Girls Live Blog the Red Carpet
HitFix's The Fien Print
NPR's Monkey See
Television Without Pity

Fashion roundups:
E! Fashion Police
Fug Girls Hits and Misses at Vulture
Go Fug Yourself
HitFix's Best and Worst Moments
Jezebel's Good, Bad, and Ugly
MTV Hollywood Crush
Television Without Pity

Why are there so few women in the tech world?

The Glee cast doesn't get royalties from their albums? Crazy.

Dave Weigel on the Beck rally

Slate is doing a book club of the Hunger Games series.

The odd similarities between Wolverine and Edward Cullen

Haven 1.4: "Consumed"

Rotting cows and more, after the jump!

The Gates 1.6: "Jurisdiction"

Oh, yeah, this show. Anyone still watching? I'm going to try to catch up on reviews this week . . .

Song of the Day: "I Second That Emotion"

Emmy Awards Opening Number!

The whole ceremony was pretty good, but honestly, the high point was the opening. This was just . . . amazing. There are no words. Watch it.

Morning Coffee (8/30/10)

Good morning! Happy Monday! I'm pretending to be cheerful, can you tell? I had a busy weekend and was up late watching the Emmys last night. And it's going to be in the nineties all week and I could barely convince myself to get out of bed because I didn't even want to think about wearing any of my summer clothes, as I am READY FOR FALL NOW. So basically I have nothing for you this morning. Oh! Except for this: A Castle story at TheTelevixen. I promise I will have lots of links to interesting/funny Emmy commentary tomorrow to make up for it.

Emmy Live Blog!

We'll try to get started by 6:30 Eastern. Feel free to add your own comments!

Emmy Coverage Info and Links

First - I will be blogging tonight in the form of a CoverItLive chat, so you can come and chat along in real time! And it's also just easier for me than republishing the post over and over. The post with the chat will appear above this one. I'll probably put it up there now, with a start time of 6:30 Eastern. I may start a little early if I get home earlier, but we'll see. I'll be doing some Advanced TiVo Hijinks to see as much of the red carpet shows as possible, and then watching the ceremony live.

Second - need more Emmy liveblogs and coverage? Here are a few sites I'll be reading:
E! Online
Entertainment Weekly
Give Me My Remote
The Go Fug Yourself girls at Vulture
Jezebel
Live Feed at The Hollywood Reporter
The New York Post's Popwrap
TV Guide
Zap2it

First Look at Bones Season 6!

Over at TheTelevixen, I have the first preview for the new season of Bones along with a few other fun Bones videos. Head on over, Bones fans!

Morning Coffee (8/28/10)

Happy Saturday! I'm off to Connecticut for a quick visit with my family. Have a great weekend! See you Sunday night for the Emmy Awards live blog!

I haven't tried Google Voice merged with Gmail yet, but I'm intrigued.

I don't watch Degrassi, but I keep wanting to, so you should read what my friend Erin said about the finale the other night.

The Most Embarrassing Emmy Moments

Presented without comment, because I'm not really sure what to say: John Cusack is playing Edgar Allan Poe.

Yglesias is somewhat perplexed by Maine's Fort Knox. The fact that it doesn't seem odd to me probably just means I'm a New Englander.

What I Want This Season: The Mentalist

This is one in a series of posts about what I'd like to happen this upcoming season on various returning shows. You can assume that there will be spoilers through last season, but I won't include any spoilers I might or might not have read about the upcoming season. These posts are just about what I WANT.

This is another procedural in which I tend to like the standalone episodes better than the arc ones. Huh.

Jane and Red John: I sort of want the Red John thing to just get wrapped up already so Jane can get on with his life. Because . . .

Jane and Lisbon: At the end of the first season, Jane made a huge step by killing the bad guy because Lisbon's safety was more important to him than his ongoing quest for Red John. But after that leap, their relationship didn't progress much in the second season. So I'm hoping it picks up again in the third.

Rigsby and Van Pelt: I loved them together, so I hope they continue to at least circle around each other, even if they don't actually get back together for a while.

Cho: He's great and can stay just as he is, as far as I'm concerned.

The new boss: What's her name, Hightower? Her move of making Lisbon responsible for Jane's actions was brilliant, because Jane will (usually) try to protect Lisbon even when he doesn't care about himself. And I couldn't really blame her for breaking up Rigsby and Van Pelt, as she was just following rules. So I hope she continues to throw these interesting knots into the team dynamic.

Programming Note: Emmy Awards Live Blog!

Since a few people have asked - I will indeed be live blogging the Emmy awards on Sunday! Whether I blog some of the red carpet depends on what time I get home from a quick trip, but I'll definitely be around for the actual ceremony.

Question: If I made it more like a chat so you all could comment as we go, would anyone be interested? Or should I just do it as a normal post updated over and over?

Rubicon 1.5: "Connect the Dots"

There are dots! Being connected! Ooooh. Read on . . .

Song of the Day: "Uprising"

By request from Rachel, as she pointed out that it's the perfect song for Mockingjay . . .

Royal Pains 2.12: "Open Up Your Yenta Mouth and Say Ah"

That's a really long episode title. Anyway! Season finale time! Royal Pains will actually be coming back in January, which seems odd, because it's such a summery show. Will it still be set in the summer, or will we get to see the Hamptons in the off-season? But first, season finale thoughts, after the jump . . .

Billy Joel Songs I Want on Glee

Glee got the rights to use Billy Joel songs, and TWoP has a list of songs they should use. Here are my ideas; some are the same as TWoP's and some are different. Disclaimer: I realize that I am totally biased toward Will, Finn, and Rachel. I would happily just listen to/watch them forever. But I tried to work a few other characters into this as well.

Edited to add: Alyssa points me to "Vienna," which I'm not sure I'd ever heard. But she's right - it's marvelous, and would be a good Will-to-Rachel song.

"The Stranger" - This feels like a Kurt song to me, for some reason.

"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" - Tailor-made for some sort of "Will and Terri run into each other" scene, no?

"Just the Way You Are" - Hmm. Will to Emma, maybe? This could be practically anyone, really. Oh! No! Wait! Finn should try to be more . . . whatever . . . to be like Jesse, and Rachel should sing this.

"My Life" - I agree with TWoP that this would be good for Quinn this season.

"You May Be Right" - This song has Puck written all over it.

"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" - Oh, come on. This is practically a reactionary music class in a song. OBVIOUSLY Will will sing this to the club.

"Tell Her About It" - I'd like a nice ensemble number of Will and the boys all advising each other on their various girl problems. On second thought, this would probably be the best Billy Joel option for Mercedes's voice. She can lecture the boys about how they're being dumb.

"Uptown Girl" - Finn to Rachel, obvs.

"A Matter of Trust" - This actually fits Finn and Rachel pretty well. Duet please!

"This Is the Time" - I think Will would do a nice job of this. (I LOVE this song.)

"We Didn't Start the Fire" - How about an Artie-led ensemble number?

"And So It Goes" - This seems suited to Tina, actually.

Morning Coffee (8/27/10)

I know TGIF is a cliche, but . . . seriously. Although my weekend is going to be busier than my week, so I'm not sure exactly what I'm so excited about. Still. Friday. Yay.

io9 has an interesting review of Mockingjay.

The list of Emmy presenters is looking pretty exciting.

I am not the only one having nightmares about Thursdays at eight.

New planets!

Here are TWoP's Ten Worst New Shows of Fall. Let's not discuss how many are on my to-watch list anyway. (Okay, seven. But I only actually want to like two of them - Hellcats and Outlaw. I'll be perfectly happy to watch the pilots of the others, post about how awful they are, and never think about them again.)

"Isobel" - What are they thinking?

The CW is showing the "Isobel" episode of The Vampire Diaries tonight, so I dug this up from an e-mail I wrote to a friend. She'd asked me to interpret the three main characters' facial expressions after Isobel's announcement that Damon is in love with Elena. So here's what I decided they were thinking. (This is meant to be funny, and just one interpretation, obviously!)

Damon: Damn it! She got me! I thought I was being so clever with the whole I-have-no-feelings ruse. I should have realized that the fact that she's the girl in question's mother AND my ex would have made the
whole intuition thing twice as strong. Maybe Stefan and Elena were too distracted and didn't notice what she said . . . maybe . . . nope. Damn it. Now I'm all flustered. Am I BLUSHING? I hate when people know I have FEELINGS. I'll have to make fun of Stefan so he can't tell it got to me. I have a reputation to keep up here, folks!

Stefan: No he's not. He's a monster. He's not in love. He couldn't be. Nope. Wait. Darn it. He totally is. How did I let that happen? What's wrong with me? Will she fall for him? Of course she will. Everyone falls for him. I practically fall for him. Why can't the nice guy ever get the girl? What should I do? Should I fight him? No! Wait! I'll mope about it, because that will annoy Damon way more than fighting would!

Elena: Wait, WHAT? He WHAT? No way! That's ridiculous! Isn't it? ISN'T IT? Maybe it isn't. OMG. But I love Stefan! But Damon's so pretty, and he does the Eye Thing! And he's really nice for a psychopathic serial killer! But wait! I love Stefan! And PEOPLE, my BROTHER was KIDNAPPED and I just met my EVIL VAMPIRE MOTHER and I CANNOT DEAL with anything else right now. So let's just pretend none of us heard that and carry on. Right? Okay? Let's do that . . . OMGWTFBBQ I CANNOT STOP LOOKING AT HIM.

What I Want This Season: How I Met Your Mother

This is one in a series of posts about what I'd like to happen this upcoming season on various returning shows. You can assume that there will be spoilers through last season, but I won't include any spoilers I might or might not have read about the upcoming season. These posts are just about what I WANT.

Speaking of shows that were a mess last season! Let's hope this one gets back on track.

Ted (and the mother): I'm in the "just meet the mother already and get on with it" camp. I don't think the show would have to end or anything once the mother appears. Just get it over with.

Robin and Barney: I would like for them to get back together, please, show.

Ted and Lily: I don't necessarily think Lily has to get pregnant immediately, but I hope they don't forget about that plotline and it stays a main thing. I think this is one show that would actually not be ruined by a baby, eventually.