TOM TV - Favs from the Big Game

We've been a little busy - so apologies all around for the lack of posts this last month, but if this is a place to talk about what audiences really LOVE... then Top Of Mind TV simply can't miss the Big Game! No, not to watch the Giants and Pats battle it out.. for the ADS. :)

(and yes, in case you're wondering - I didn't say "SB" cuz I'd prefer not to get sued)

The big winners this year are all the amazing CG and Motion Graphic artists that are alive and thriving in Advertising today! You'll see some great examples in our favorite Ads from this year, and all the ads can be viewed after the game at http://myspace.com/superbowlads :

• CareerBuilder.com's "Follow Your Heart" where a despondent worker's heart actually bursts out of her chest, marches into the boss' office, and holds up a sign saying "I Quit". Great work! CB also had another ad "Wish", but the animation and story clearly wasn't as strong.
  
• SOBE Life Water pulled out all the stops with "Lizard Thriller" driving to thrillicious.com. Go see this one if you missed it, it's a classic. The environmental-based landing site is especially interesting, with use of WD's famous multi-plane visuals to create the depth and breadth of the environment while still keeping it fairly light. Not thrilled with the art, but thumbs-up for the overall effect!
  
• Fox's promo for "The Sarah Conner Chronicles" where the Terminator robot beats up the Fox Football robot definitely got a cheer at our party. LOVE it. And the follow-up Robot Grudge Matches were almost as fun.
  
• Tide to Go's "Silence the Stain" campaign was not only wierd and intriguing on it's own, but a trip to mytalkingstain.com continues the experience with an interesting UGC campaign where users can upload their own 'Talking Stain' ads. Clever.
  
• Coca-cola Classic definitely pulled out one of the cutest commercials of the night with the Underdog/Stewie battle for the coke. This was hilarious all the way through, but immensely satisfing at the end when Charlie Brown won the day (and the coke, of course)!
  
• Another favorite was from Bridgestone. A car is driving down a curvy road late in the night when it has to swerve to miss a deer caught in it's headlights (Oh NO!). Then, around another corner it has to swerve again to miss Alice Cooper trapped in the middle of the road (GASP!). Around the final corner you see... Richard Simmons? Accelerate!

Overall we thought the ads this year were pretty great - some good trailer premieres as well with Wanted, Prince Caspian, WALL-E, and a few others. However, there were the extremely bad standouts like the GoDaddy.com "Exposure" Ad. GoDaddy is SO three years ago! And the ETrade baby commercials were exceptionally creepy, think I'm gonna have nightmares from those for awhile.

:)

TOM TV Says Goodbye to Two Favs

As many of you, we've been out of touch over the Holidays - but now that we're back, we've got USA Network's "The 4400" and "Dead Zone" Top of Mind.  

After the dramatic escalation of 4400's Season 4 and the Zone's major bounce-back last season, news is that what has aired thus far is all we'll ever get. We're definitely sad to see these sci-fi romps go - but I guess we've seen the last of these favs from the Patriot. *Sigh*

Reality TV and E-Commerce: A Recipe for Success

Last July NI introduced you to one of our favorite sites in “Flypaper: Producer’s Tips for Sticky Sweeps.” The Bluefly sweeps are second to none, and now they have taken it even farther - integrating with every diva’s Wednesday indulgence: Project Runway.

This new promotion goes beyond a great sweepstakes (they are giving away a trip to the finale), and does what every online TV site or promotion must do to cultivate a loyal audience - extend the storyline.

What? A story-based extension that connects a Reality show AND a commerce site?? Not possible, you say? WRONG.

Each week, Bluefly.com and PR take the show to the next level by inviting fans to “Get the Winning Look.” You can get it by shopping for items that epitomize the winning design. Throw in polls, the Bluefly Accessory Wall from the show, the previously mentioned sweeps, and clips from the previous night’s episode on Fly TV (First you watch it, then you Shop It) and fans can immediately dive right in to embrace or improve upon the designer's vision. It's a recipe for success - an extension that delivers an audience who joyfully comes back again and again throughout the season.

Everyone is trying to do online extensions, but the only other TV show that has done it this well is Heroes (with the most popular Comic Book of all time) - and NBC has never even come CLOSE to cracking the nut on elegant commerce.

Hats (and Hermes and my Prada slingbacks) Off to Bluefly and Project Runway - you've got my vote!

TOM TV Favs "Chuck" and "Life" Picked Up!

We hate to do it, but two props to Yahoo! scoops in the same day --- as they just broke the news that Top Of Mind TV favorites "Chuck" and "Life" have been picked up. HOORAY!!!
Read the article on Yahoo for the fully skinny.

Who Else Wants and Additional $40k A Year?

Today Yahoo.com posted an amazing "American Dream" story that you'll love, "Rolling in Cash," courtesy of Kevin Sites via Yahoo's People of the Web.

The story is about Linda Katz, a part-time entrepreneur who started her online business, the Prairie Tumbleweed Farm, as a joke. It was 1994 and she wanted to teach herself how to design a website. Since she lived on the prairie in southwest Kansas, where rolling tumbleweeds are sometimes the only dynamic feature of an endless flat horizon, she invented a farm that sold tumbleweeds, listing prices at $15 for a small one, $20 for a medium and $25 for large.

Though she’s coy about her annual income from tumbleweed wrangling, she says it is over $40,000 a year. Not bad for a bunch of dead, dried-up weeds. Read the full article here - and then come up with your own unique, simple and original idea!

Thursday Twofer - Old Favs return to Reality TV

It's been a brutal week, but I had to find a moment for a couple of exciting updates.

First, Project Runway premiered last night with Season 4 and an all-new cast. HOORAY! I'm dying to riff about the show, but even more about a really great sponsor promotion they pulled in with one my favorite new media outlets. I'll give you a hint... it's a site that has had some buzzzzzzzzz on NI before!! In the meantime, if you didn't see it I'm not sure what to tell you - it's not on iTunes and I can't find it on Hulu. So keep your eyes peeled for reruns through the weekend.

Next, did you catch the news that TLC is bringing Paige Davis back to Trading Spaces!! E! broke the news today that perky Paige is coming back to the show that put TLC on the map - and I may just have to start watching again. :)

That's it for now, more to come...

TOM TV looks into the Alpha Eye

Top of Mind TV has spent alot of time over the last few weeks discussing the latest shows - but it seemed time for a few reviews of what the 'Nets are doing online to support the Fall Season.

Let's start with our friends at the Eye. After launching a new Alpha site in September - you probably expected the full site rollout to quickly follow, but I hope you didn't put any cash on the line. While the hottest show subsites like "Amazing Race" sport the new look, CBS standards and Naked favs "Numb3rs" and "The Unit" are still in the old style.

If you haven't seen the alpha yet, going to CBS.com still won't get you there. Alpha.CBS.com is where you wanna go for a peek at the new site in progress. IMHO, it looks very Apple meets ABC player - so to help you tell them apart, we'll call this one the 'Bowtie'.

The look may be new but the programming is rooted in the existing model - along the left side is a combination of primetime for the current night's programming, along with previews of the upcoming night. The rest of the lineup is represented graphically across the rest of the rows in the tie. You can view a clip directly in the bowtie by clicking a 'View this clip' link after you select a show via it's image, or choose to link directly to the show site. It's looks great when you first open the video window, until you want to adjust the experience for more comfortable viewing... then you notice the lack of video controls - you can only stop and start. *Sigh*

If you choose one of the elements within the Bowtie connected to a show subsite that hasn't been migrated before, clicking to view the clip has a totally different experience. It will actually launch the Innertube player within a new window to view the clip from there. Pretty wierd, but I think it's safe to assume that this will NOT be a part of the final experience.

If you're adventurous, you might scroll past the natural break in the page to find there's more 2.0-type features below the fold. I picked the Jericho widget, even though it's yet another reminder that Kid Nation is playing in the Wednesday slot... Unfortunately, you can see that this widget is clearly a left-over from when they reran the series earlier this year, as evidenced by the 'Friday' messaging (now that's just sloppy).

It's pulling in a current feed, so the copy is representative of the latest producton blog posts - but unfortunately clicking on any of them won't take you to the actual post. So if you're interested, you'll have to navigate separately to CBS to read it. *Double Sigh*

Exploring the BTF space even further, you'll find more 2.0-type features such as popular tags, most active users, and an image-based carousel ala Apple (and every other site that has copied this style). All good solid features and they look crisp and fresh within the new design, so I must say that even with the buggy Alpha experience, I do like where this is headed. We can only hope that the really innovative features are still to come.

So keep your eye on the Eye to watch how this alpha evolves. Enjoy!

"Must See TV" OR "Must RECORD TV"?

Top of Mind... according to Rebecca Dana from the WSJ, the research experts at the Nets are figuring out that there are LOTS of freaks like me trying to juggle multiple shows in the same time slot on their trusty DVRs.

We all know how much Programming execs LOVE to cage-match their biggest shows on Wednesday and Thursday nights to compete for the big dollars from advertisers... especially the studios trying to get butts in seats for Friday premieres. But it turns out that this brilliant strategy has a teenie itty-bitty drawback - according to Neilsen Media Research these are the same shows that audiences are choosing to record and watch later.

DOH!

Since advertisers have traditionally paid a premium for ratings based on live viewership, the move away from appointment television could have a BIG impact on primetime programming. Increased playback could force a change that moves the hottest shows into less-congested time slots to command a bigger live audience. Many experts have said it's just a matter of time for ad rates to move away from live viewership towards C3 ratings - a new formula that calculates the number of people that viewed the commercial live, plus the number that saw it on DVR in the three days after the show aired (and you thought the "3 C's" was just something you learned in Marketing 101).

I say "Embrace the Change" - didn't you people learn anything from the last year's Jericho debacle?

Okay, that's all I've got on TOM for now. GO RANGERS.

Naked Who?

Another night brings another new show to Top of Mind TV - this time it's a delightful twist on the thirty minute sitcom, Samantha Who?. Welcome back Ms. Applegate! Here's the skinny...

Overall, what did you think of the premiere?
Absolutely wonderful - Christina's timing is fantastic, taking each and every bit to a new level.

What was the sweetest moment?
When "boyfriend" Todd (Barry Watson, "7th Heaven", "What about Brian?") brakes down and tells Samantha a few choice - but quirky - facts about herself, the screen really starts to sizzle. Barry and Christina have amazing chemistry, and somehow are able to weave in this touching moment that makes you pause in the midst of all the ridiculousness - wonderful!

What was your favorite quote?
"Oooooohhhh..... I was Baaaadddddd!!"

What was the most interesting moment?
I found the never-ending lineup of friends and family who lie to Samantha for their own nefarious purposes both intriguing and hilarious... evil mom, slutty friend, boyfriend-who's-already-an-ex... SWEET!

What was the most annoying moment?
Jean Smart - admittedly ALWAYS funny was SO very, very over the top. Tone it down a bit, Jeanie. We get it, and we already love you. And I don't think Ty Pennington is coming to your house.

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Samantha and Todd are fantastic together - I totally want to know what happens next!

Overall Grade: A -

Pushing Daisies with TOM TV

Top of Mind on this beautiful sunny Sunday is last week's premiere of "Pushing Daisies" on ABC. I didn't really want to watch "Daisies", mostly due to an irrational contrarian streak that makes me always want to stay away from whatever the critics say I just can't miss. Hype can really be a pain in the tuckus - and it's just so damn disappointing when something doesn't live up to it.

Luckily, I have some goofy self-imposed rules that guide my life and keep me from doing stupid things. Like my rule to ALWAYS finish a book once I start it (this one is usually a good thing - like when I forced myself to finish "Ender's Game", which turned out to have one of the greatest endings of all time... but it wasn't so good when my best friend made me read "The Good Brother", but that's another post). In this case, I'm referring to my rule to try and watch every pilot. You just don't know what's going to stand out - and as we all know, the producers aren't usually the ones approving the marketing... it's just a good idea to watch everything and make up your own mind.

So last week I pushed some daisies. Some of you might be wondering why I didn't write about it. Well, the truth is - it was just so good that I couldn't do it justice. This show was so masterful, so delightfully quirky and intelligent - we've been quoting it for days. Any show that uses the word 'masterbate' to refer to 'masticate' and doesn't bother to stop and explain itself is my kind of show (I mean, if you don't get the joke the first time then why should we bother to explain it to you??)

Brilliant. And one of only two new shows this season that doesn't pander to the LCD. I'm gleefully looking forward to episode 2 this week, and encourage you to not put off watching if you missed last week. Although considering that "Daisies" scored the best debut ratings of any network scripted series in the Wednesday 8 p.m. time slot since the premiere of "Lost," you probably already know how wonderful it is! I know it stuck with me through the week, always Top of Mind. :)

Photo Credit: ABC.com

Life in the Carpool Lane... with TOM TV

Top of Mind TV next takes on "Carpoolers" starring Jerry O'Connell . You may hear Jerry's name and think "Jerry McGuire" or "Crossing Jordan" , but to me he's always going to be the goofy timetraveller from "Sliders". :)

But back to our show.. here's what's top of mind...
Overall, what did you think of the premiere?
I was pleasantly surprised by the laughs, although that's mostly because I didn't expect any. But getting the new kid run over just to try and get a good parking space is just plain funny.

What was the most annoying moment?
For some completely unfathomable reason, the writers decided to name Jerry O'Connell's character "Laird". Um. No.

I'm sorry - I'm a fan of O'Connell, but he is DEFINITELY not a "Laird". As far as I'm concerned, the bronze Adonis that is the greatest big wave surer of all time does not need a goofy sitcom character using his name - and I found it totally distracting. Mostly it made me want to stop watching and pop in a copy of "Riding Giants".

What was the sweetest moment?
Every moment that Faith Ford walked on the screen as "Leila" was darling, that cutie can just do no wrong. She really adds depth to the cast, and I hope we see much more of her in future episodes.

What was the creepiest moment?
We don't, however, need to see any more of T.J. Miller as "Marmaduke", Gracen's ridiculous son who seems to just skulk around the house in his tidy-whities. What is the point of this character? Every time he came on screen I had to look away - CREEPY!

Overall Grade: B - (Cute, but without Faith I wouldn't be watching next week)

TOM TV takes it to the Stoneage

So I'd heard ALOT about this show leading up to it, as we all have - and I, unlike others, actually like the idea of a really great commercial concept being turned into a series. In concept. I do actually think some of the greatest creative minds of our time are working in advertising right now - so 'crossover' creative really appeals to me.

However. See below to get my thoughts on the latest sitcom concept ABC has sic'ced on the world...

Overall - what did you think of the season premiere?
Okay, so basically this show is about trio of Neanderthals from the Geico commercials that struggle to live in modern day America. The thing is... the concept totally doesn't work when you're telling a full story. The beauty of the commercials (which I must admit, I love), is that you don't know anything about these guys. Nobody goes around explaining to you that one is writing is dissertation, or that another is heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. You just get a brilliant little story arc in 60 seconds or less. And that's enough.

What was your favorite quote?
Not much to go on from this episode, I'm afraid - the only thing that really stood out was the slang "Sape" for undesireable "Homo sapiens". Clever, but not interesting enough to keep my attention...

What was the most interesting moment?
Seriously, I don't recall a single interesting moment in the whole thing. I even found the fact that they were playing 'squash' totally annoying - I mean, the whole point seems to be that these guys are just like everyone else. So what the hell are they doing playing squash? Really? THIS is what all the hipsters are doing these days?

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Let's see, I found Joel slightly less annoying than Nick. This is about all I can say.

So to sum up - I would like to apologize to all of the EXTREMELY talented TV writers and producers out there that I ever thought the concept guys in advertising should be given a chance.

I was wrong.

Can we cancel this now?

Overall Grade: C- (Not as bad as Moonlight, but still very, very bad)

TOM TV finds LIFE

And finally - Top of Mind TV catches up with "Life" on DVR. I didn't watch this during the week 'cuz I was giving some love to ABC, but check out tonight's q&a to find out whether or not I made the right decision....

Credits & Logline:
From Rand Ravich ("The Astronaut's Wife"), Far Shariat ("Confessions of a Dangerous Mind"), and David Semel, who directed the pilot of NBC's "Heroes," "Life" is a new drama about a detective who is given a second chance. Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") stars as complex, offbeat Detective Charlie Crews, who returns to the force after years in prison, thanks to close friend and attorney Constance Griffiths (Brooke Langton), after serving time in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Overall - what did you think of the season premiere?
Nothing short of spectacular. It was so many different things - funny, dramatic, over-the-top, quiet and introspective. I've never been this bowled over in one short episode.

What was your favorite quote?
The writing in this show is absolutely brilliant - there were so many quotes that stood out to me - so, so, wonderful. Here are a few standouts...

• Philosophical: "The man who killed your son is out there. Right Now. Inside this same moment that we are in. Now that means something."


• Childlike: "That man didn't kill him and you know it. He had all his fingers and he seemed really sad."


• Humorous: "Why does the Universe make fun of us all?" "Maybe it's insecure."


• Insightful: "You don't have to understand HERE to be HERE."

What was the happiest moment?
When you knew that the dog would be ok in the opening scene.

What was the most interesting moment?
The way that Charlie 'connected' with the kid when no one else could by making him laugh and then tell everything he knows.

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Charlie Crews was hands-down my favorite character - so undeniably unique, quirky and insightful. Just a delight. I didn't really have a least favorite - I mean Brooke Langton was as beautiful as always as Constance and Sarah Shahi was powerful and charismatic as Dani. And the brief appearances of Ted take over the screen as only Adam Arkin can.

Overall Grade: A

Final Note - I am now convinced that Rand Ravich is a SUPER-GENIUS. Hands-down my favorite of the season thus far - and I highly doubt anything can knock it out of the top spot.

TOM TV uses math every day!

Next up for Top of Mind TV is the Season Permiere of "Numb3rs" - another Naked fav...

Overall - what did you think of the season premiere?
Loved it - although unfortunately I called the "triple" in the first 10 minutes.

What was your favorite quote of the episode?
"I know math is full of absolutes. Unfortunately, the rest of life isn't." Ain't it the truth.

What was the happiest moment?
The moment "The Biscuit" entered stage right. HOORAY for Emmy-winner Peter MacNichol - I was so bummed when he took a hiatus last season to be on "24".

What was the most interesting moment?
The moment Val Kilmer walked on the scene. :) Val has such an amazing presence, he fills the screen and his voice sticks in your head for hours afterwards. Absolutely brilliant.

What was the most unbelievable moment?
"It sounds like a new chapter in the mathmatical analysis of friendship" - the whole "Trust Metric" theory was a little more out there than usual.

What was the most notable difference from last season?
Actually, I kept getting distracted by what must be the work of new designers. Charlie (David Krumholtz) was scruffy, had grown out his hair in messy curls, and actually wore just a T-Shirt in one scene - all totally out of character. And Megan (Diane Farr) wearing a hot pink, strapless hipster top over jeans? What? Both were very, very wierd in light of what we know of these characters. By the way - they both still looked great, and I don't really mind the changes, they are just a little abrupt. It'd be better if they did more of an evolution of the characters.

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Pretty much loved all of them, but this is NOT new. It's a fantastic cast and although this isn't the kind of show that's going to change the world, it certainly does make my world a little better for about an hour a week.

Overall Grade: A-

Moonlight on the Mind. That is, Top of Mind TV.

Okay, I admit that I was totally looking forward to Moonlight based on the Joel Silver pedigree. I mean come on - this is the creative genius that brought us "The Matrix", "V for Vendetta" and "Lethal Weapon." What's not to love??? So for this evening's Top of Mind TV, let's take a look and see how it measured up to expectations:

Credits & Logline: Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) is an immortal private investigator from Los Angeles who defies the traditional blood-sucking norms of his vampire tendencies by using his wit and powerful supernatural abilities to help the living. In a life-altering twist of fate, Mick was "bitten" 60 years ago by his new bride, the seductive Coraline (Shannon Sossamon). Forever 30 years of age, Mick's as handsome and charismatic as the day he was "turned," and fills his infinite days protecting the living.

Overall, what did you think of the premiere?

A whole hour of vampires and damsels in distress... and all I can do is yawn. YAAAWWWNNN.

What was the most annoying moment?

Pretty much every time the "telling" started. Can anyone explain to me why the writers felt the audience was so stupid they had to have everything explained to them? Geeezzzz - I call this "LCD" writing, or writing to the "Lowest Common Denominator". To put it in context, I think "Moonlight" is the John Grisham novel of primetime drama.

What was your favorite quote from this episode?

"We're all Vampires. Every one of us." Yeah, this drivel was about as good as it got. How about "You don't have to be a Vampire to get a taste for blood" (?) *sigh*

What was the sweetest moment?

To be honest, there were no moments in this show that touched me - so either I have no emotional core, or this whole thing was totally off the mark. You be the judge.

What was the creepiest moment?

At the top of the hour I thought this would be a pretty important question - I mean, it IS a Vampire story, right? Not one. Seriously - not a single creepy second in the whole thing. Not a twitch. This should be the part where I clairify that I AM actually a huge fan of Vampire stories - "Blade", "Vampires", "Angel", "Buffy" - I love 'em and the creepy, crawlies that go with them. Just not this one.

Was there any redeemable moments?

His eyes - the Vampire eyes were great!!

Unfortunately, that was it. :(

Overall Grade: D+

I am reminded that "Dungeons & Dragons" also holds a Silver credit.

Big Shots are Top of Mind

In the Ivy household, this nighttime soap has been known and anticipated as the "cute boy" show. I mean really - Michael "You'll always be Vaughn to me" Vartan and Dylan McDermott in the same show? Add to that Christopher Titus (Titus, Yes Dear) and Joshua Malina (Spots Night, West Wing)... and that's GOTTA be something to look forward to!! From the Top of Mind series, check out the q&a below to see if it was worth the wait:

Credits & Logline: The lines between boardroom and bedroom blur in Big Shots, the story of four friends who are at the top of their game... until the women in their lives enter the room. From Director Charles McDougal and Executive Producer Jon Harmon Feldman.

Overall, what did you think of the premiere?
Very mixed - I should have absolutely loved this... but I found it to be so all over the place, and way too over-the-top. It was tough to be completely into this... but there were many, many redeemable moments. Mostly the storyline with James and the cheating wife.

What was the most annoying moment?
So remember a long, long time ago (yesterday) when I thought the transvestite storyline on Dirty Sexy Money was hilarious? Yeah. That was then, this is now. A cliched plotline about getting caught with a trany is completely different than the future Senator who just can't seem to say goodbye to one.

What was your favorite quote from this episode?
"I'm sure all your dream candidates have perfect resumes, perfect lives, and have succeeded at everything they've ever tried to do." Ain't it the truth.

What was the sweetest moment?
"I never liked you, you know? Even when I said I did..." doesn't sound like the intro to a completely adorable moment, but when James finds out he's been made CEO and gets support from an unexpected direction - it's really pretty darn wonderful.

What was the creepiest moment?
The promo on ABC7 for the show... "They're calling it Desperate Housewives for Men". UGH. Not that I have anything against the wives, mind you. I just don't think we need any affirmative action in the primetime soap space.

What was the most refreshing moment?
Duncan Collingsworth (Dylan) might be a total cad - but he's a total wuss when it comes to his daughter. And the best part? I believed it. Good writing or good acting, time will tell.

Overall Grade: B

TOM TV's takin it to The Reaper

Silent Bob brings us a new freaky tale to follow (that's Executive Producer Kevin Smith to normal people who were never seduced by Clerks). Here's my take in the latest q&a from Top of Mind TV:

Logline: A slacker becomes a reluctant bounty hunter for the devil after his soul is accidentally sold to Satan by his parents, and he tracks down evil escapees to return them to hell.

What was the most annoying moment?
Nothing specific, although the whole episode started slow and took awhile to get rolling... and that was pretty damn annoying. Sam (Bret Harrison) was a total wuss - UGH!

What was your favorite quote from this episode?
"Just tell the Devil to Eat It" was a great one - but frankly, the marketing was fantastic "with buzz from... you KNOW."

What was the sweetest moment?
When Sam opens the present from Andi (Missy Peregrym), it is a completely adorable moment - with a fantastic punch line followup by Satan (Ray Wise).

What was the creepiest moment?
If by 'creepiest' you mean 'funniest' - I'd have to apologize before I say the Zamboni Scene. Eeeewwww.

At the end of the episode, who were your favorite/least favorite characters?
Forgive me for saying so, but I definitely loved Satan (HA!)... but of course, that's only because he's played by Ray Wise. You may know Ray from, uh - everything. Current and recent favs like "24", "West Wing", "Burn Notice", "CSI" and classics like "Twin Peaks", "LA Law" and "RoboCop". The ultimate working actor. :) Least favorite? The 'buddy' Bert played by Tyler Labine. Snoooozzzzeeee.

Overall Grade: B+

It's Dirty. It's Sexy. But they didn't give TOM TV any money for watching.

Alright - so it's time that we give ABC some love on Top of Mind TV, so next up - Dirty Sexy Money!

Credits and Logline: Directed by Peter Horton and David Petrarca.
Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail thrust on an idealistic lawyer when he inherits the job of tending to the legal (and sometimes illegal) needs of the absurdly wealthy Darlings of New York City.

What was the most unbelievable moment?
When Trip offers Nick the job plus an extra 5MM a year, and to close the deal makes a little speech along the lines of "Because, I miss your Dad. I miss having him by my side telling me which was is up. And, I trust ya." Really? This is the line that convinces Nick everything will be okay?

What was the most annoying moment?
Every time I had to look at Peter Krause's hair. Who thought this was a good idea?

What was the most ridiculous moment?
The Dan Rathers cameo. I'm supposed to buy Dan grilling Patrick about joining the Senate? Wow - Billy Baldwin on the Senate. I'm feeling queasy.

What was the most enjoyable moment?
Right after - when Billy's character sneaks out to calm down a slightly hysterical transvestite/girlfriend. WTF? Yeah - I loved it.

What was your favorite quote?
Acutally, I thought there were pretty great lines in this episode, including - "No, you do it - he's your girlfriend." and "I know she's not a hooker, but is she more of a man than you are?"

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Not really sure. I found much of the cast interesting (who doesn't love Donald Sutherland?), but didn't really connect with any of them yet. And I'm not sure I really get where they are going with this other than a bunch of pretty people running around being spoiled. But I love the pretty people as much as the next gal, so it could be fun anyway. Oh yeah - and the "someone killed my Dad and I'll make them pay!" storyline. Big mystery there - I'll give you three guesses as to who killed him (and the first two don't count).

But I'll watch episode two to find out where they're going with this.

Overall Grade: B

TOM TV's Got the Bionic Blahs

Okay, I really couldn't decide if I was looking forward to this one or not - and frankly, I've probably had a little too much TV this week... but read on for the Top of Mind thoughts on this classic remix...

Overall - what did you think of the season premiere?
There's only one word for it - "Blah"

What was the most interesting moment?
Great car crash - really nice CG work pulling these shots together. And the first look at Jaimie's (Michelle Ryan) healing legs was kinda cool. But unfortunately, the VFX were downhill from here. They were WAAY too in love with the target overlays.

What was the most annoying moment?
Will Anthros (Chris Bowers) mind-numbing speech along the lines of “The world’s farther along than anyone would like to admit.” Blah, bla, bla, blah, blah - I could actually HEAR the Peanuts characters in my head. WhatEVER.

What totally captured or lost your interest?
What I reckon was supposed to be a intriguing moment at the end... random dude on a snow filled mountaintop... "I haven't seen the moon in a thousand and twenty four days." Ummm... why do I care? No reason? Okay, NEXT.

(NOTE - The husband just reminded me that he was actually the guy from the prison. Huh. Still don't care.)

What was the most unbelievable moment?
Jaime and Chris had absolutely NO chemistry - no way do these two characters really care about each other. Really? This was the best casting (Eric Dawson and Coreen Mayrs) could do? And the second most unbelievable moment - well, actually every damn time Jaimie tried to fight. No grace whatsoever - and trust me, I have a deep and abiding love of great fight scenes. If I wasn't old and fat and a total wuss, I'd be a stunt woman.

Maybe Michelle could get some lessons from Jennifer Garner?

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Unfortunately, other than the fact that Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan, Robocop) is part of the cast - I'm afraid they just didn't succeed in making me care about any of the characters. Jaimie looks entirely too much like the girl from Kyle XY, and no one else stood out in a positive way.

Overall Grade: C--

(when one minus just ISN'T enough)

TOM says - The Unit is nothing without Jonas!

There's just something about The Unit. In the first season we ended up watching it because we didn't have any conflicts in the timeslot and loved the themesong ("How to Find the Mother's Laugh"). But after about 3 or 4 episodes, we found we were hooked. Last season's finale was amazing, and this was a MUCH anticipated premiere - check out the Top of Mind below...

Overall - what did you think of the season premiere?
Loved it - the rhythm, the raw, gritty way that David Mamet weaves together the storylines. And I love the way it still feels like the team is on a mission. Love.

What was the most interesting moment?
The cliffhanger at the end - I admit, there's no WAY I'll miss next week.

What was the most annoying moment?
Really? Molly and Tiff are going to go to the evil Colonel's wife for help?? No way I buy that Molly is that stupid. It simply isn't possible.

What was the most unbelievable moment?
What??! They changed the themesong!!? Absolutely and without a doubt this was the most disappointing moment of the night - now it's some totally forgettable crap about 'secrets'. That song defined the show and stuck with me for hours afterwards. It defined the entire tone of the show. Unbelievable.

At the end of this episode, who were your favorite and least favorite characters?
Duh -who doesn't love Jonas? Dennis Haysbert is amazing - and don't you believe for a SECOND that Bob would have found Jonas in Panama unless he wanted to be found! Least favorite was a close race for most of the episode between Kim and the Colonel's evil wife (who I hate so much I won't even refer to her character by name). Kim redeemed herself somewhat at the end - so evil wifey it is!!

Any lingering questions?
Is Bob playing a game or what? I think he's too loyal to the Unit, but then again he's such a damn boyscout who can tell! ?

Overall Grade: A-