Loving Kid Nation -- still

I will spare you my complaints about snow, bitter cold and the fact that two weeks ago I was in Rome instead of stuck in a cubicle in downtown Boston. You're welcome. Instead I'll get back to tv...

With the Writer's Strike forcing most of my usual tv viewing into hiatus, I'm still left with Kid Nation. As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the most underrated reality tv shows of recent memory (after, perhaps, The Amazing Race).

I am guessing we are just over halfway through the kids' stay in Bonanza City and now I'm starting to wonder. The town council is forced to read this diary left by the previous inhabitants (who were unsuccessful at getting Bonanza City to work) and the council has to follow the directions left in the diary. I'm a little unclear on this because why would anyone in their right mind follow the guidance from people who have FAILED? Anyhow...

The kids are bored, so they were told to put on a talent show. It got boring picking on kids we didn't like on each team, so the teams were told to swap players. Now hold on just a minute, but some of these kids are in the 13-16 year old age range. I'm wondering why there's been no sexual experimentation here. I mean, according to today's media, they are long overdue. But we're not seeing it. I think that would go a long way to curing boredom and relieving hostilities. I'm just sayin'.

The kids still look pretty unkempt. Emilie looks like she hasn't showered or brushed her hair in, oh, 25 days. It's probably true. There is still some rampant mouth fungus running amok on the kids. One girl, who's been frying potatoes for favors (literally), has burn marks on her face from splattered grease, which she chalks up to "the job." Oy. I'm surprised scurvy and malnutrition have yet to set in since they appear to eat only starches and sweets along with root beer shooters while on camera. Not a balanced diet in the least. And I was horrified to see a recent challenge involved gum-chewing, which is not the most brilliant idea the producers had, what with all the orthodontically supported amongst the kids.

So I have no idea what's to come in the next four weeks. From the trailers, I'm seeing Nazi epithets being hurled, and we've already experienced some violence, idle threats and foul language. I'm hoping for more. This is riveting tv at its finest. You know it's good when your Dear Sister calls during commercial break and says "I hate that bitch, Jordan," and you have to remind her that Jordan's only nine years old!

The Problem with House

I will fully admit, I am pathetically addicted to House, MD. I love Hugh Laurie in an a sick and twisted but wholly cynical sort of way -- he says what I think and gets away with it. I love how he treats patients, Wilson and the Cottages, as if his genius excuses the maltreatment. Late to the House party this past spring, I spent the summer voraciously getting up to speed on Seasons 1 and 2 and just downloaded and watched the episodes I missed from Season 3 on the iPod. As I said, I am hopelessly, pathetically addicted.

But I have my problems with House too. If you know me at all, you know I have issues with just about everything and House is not immune.

First, House is meant to be a diagnostic medicine genius. Patients come to him when there's no hope and/or when everyone else has given up on them. Somehow, House (almost always) comes through. He solves the case usually just in the nick of time, but not before he misdiagnoses the patient at least a half dozen times, usually almost killing them with inappropriate surgeries, drug treatments or his inane brand of humor. I know they have to fill an hour and having him solve the mystery in the first 20 minutes or so really kills the vibe, but I think after three seasons of this, I'd think twice before turning to House when all my other options are gone. You know, just in case this time he doesn't get it right.

Second, the opening minute usually sets the stage for whatever the medical dilemma is. We get to see who's sick and why. But a lot of the time, we're misdirected and someone else in this short segment is sick, injured or wounded and we realize about half-way through the show that we never found out why. What happened to the young father of the (eventually revealed to be ill) baby who fell down the stairs vomitting (yet is fine in the ER where they bring said baby), or whether the thug in the truck stop diner survived the head bashing the eventual patient gave him. It's almost a diversionary tactic, this "whooops, not him, him" stuff. Yet I sit there like a fool and always try to outsmart the directors...and I feel so smart when I get it right.

Lastly, I think it's time we got some for Cuddy. She's been playing the game with House long enough now, so whether it's Wilson or some new dude they add to the cast for her, I think she deserves a little reward of the physical sort. As long as it's not House himself (because he's mine). Because that relationship has the Niles-Daphne vibe to it, and we all know that Frasier went to hell once Niles and Daphne finally hooked up (plus he's mine). But it'd be good for House to have to watch it, as well as provide plenty o' fodder for him to one-line (and anyway, he's mine). Enough said.

But all my whimpering aside, as summer comes to a close and the countdown for the only really good tv drama begins (September 25th at 9:00 p.m. if you're keeping track), I only have eyes for one medical guy and he's not McDreamy, McSteamy or the George formerly known as a doctor. Nope, he's House.