The Thursday Report – Happy New Year

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Welcome to 2006, folks. Seems pretty much like 2005, doesn’t it? Let’s face it, if it weren’t for the whole New Year’s celebrations, we probably wouldn’t even care about the whole thing. But care we do, and that’s why we ended up in midtown Toronto buying tickets from a “promoter” to a “sold out” event. The ironic thing? I saw my cousin there, who could’ve hooked me up with VIP tickets had I asked earlier. Ah, the joys of doing things at the last minute. It was a helluva party though, lots of fun, and, well, a lot better than I’d expected for doing things last minute.

So with Boxing Week just about done, I picked up some bargain bin DVDs that I’ll probably review in this column at a later time – an ‘Incredible Hulk’ telemovie 2-pack and ‘Reality Unleashed’. The former has John-Rhys Davis as Kingpin and a Daredevil that would appear to make Ben Affleck look damn good, and the latter may involve Trishelle Cannatella and alcohol, and I understand that that’s a good thing, as far as entertainment goes.

What I Watched:
Wednesday (my birthday):
Went to see Toronto Raptors vs Atlanta Hawks. Memorable because a) the Raptors actually won a home game; b) Jalen Rose was largely ineffective save for about 10 game-changing seconds, and c) Rafael “Hoffa” Araujo had a memorable 20 second span of ineptness under the offensive boards where he couldn’t score, and was soundly booed.

Thursday:
‘Joey’ (NBC, CH) – I haven’t been able to watch ‘Joey’ because of the conflict with ‘Survivor’ (and because I always forget to tape it) but it’s still good for laughs. I don’t find it bad as some others around the net do, and I always find that it’s one of those “comfort zone” sitcoms, since we’ve seen Joey Tribbiani for 12 years now, and we love the big oaf. Anyways, this was the 1 hour Christmas show, and the first half hour was pretty strong, but the second half kind of dragged with the Joey-Alex storyline taking a turn slightly similar to the Joey-Rachel storyline on ‘Friends’.

‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (CBS, CTV)
‘CSI: New York’ (CTV) – Repeat of Anna Belknap’s debut as Lindsay Monroe. I’d put her on my Top Five list of “women on TV who are hotter than you think”, but that may just be because she reminds me of a cross between Rachael Ray and Sabrina Lloyd. Here, check it out:
(L to R) Rachael Ray, Anna Belknap and Sabrina Lloyd:

Friday:
’30 Minute Meals’ (Food Network Canada) – Rachael Ray makes some big-ass turkey burgers. then makes an ice cream sandwich using donuts. Mmmmm, donuts.

‘Chef at Home (Food Network Canada) – This is a show should probably get imported into the States, Chef Michael Smith makes food at home, and improvises on a whim, but it’s nothing so complicated that viewers couldn’t try it. Plus he’s got that Maritime charm about him that makes him seem really down to Earth.

Saturday:

’30 Minute Meals’ (Food Network Canada) – My wife just noticed that Rachael Ray has a big butt – not “Baby Got Back” large, but a rather noticable one nonetheless. This has seemed to make her more likeable in her eyes. And like a wise husband, I simply said nothing.

‘Justice League Unlimited’ (YTV) – A rerun of “Panic in the Sky’ from last season. Lots of fun, and it’s always fun to see the Galatea/Supergirl episodes, especially when you compare it to the direction they’ve gone with Power Girl/Supergirl in the “Infinite Crisis” mini. Don’t know what “Infinite Crisis” is? Well, visit The Nexus to find out!

‘Hockey Night in Canada’ (CBC) – What’s the best way to kick off New Year’s Eve? That’s right, by watching the Leafs kick some ass.

Sunday:
‘World Poker Tour’ (City) – My wife has actually taken to rating the “token babe” on the poker shows. Shawna Hiatt rates as the best. The girl on ‘Ultimate Poker Challenge’, however, looks, and I quote, “used”.

‘Just for Laughs’ (CBC) – A “best of 2006” compilation which, unlike many clip shows, is funny.

‘Cold Case’ (CBS)
‘Distraction’ (Comedy) – They tasered the guy and he didn’t even wince. Scary.

Monday:
‘Crash My Kitchen’ (Food Network Canada)
‘Judge Judy’ (Syndicated) – My wife loves this show. No, I don’t know either. But I’m writing this as she watches it, so it’s good for something, I guess

‘Arrested Development’ (Fox, Global)
‘UFC Unleashed’ (Spike)
‘TNA Impact’ (Spike)

Tuesday:

‘Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels’ (Food Network Canada) – It’s finally in the Great White North
‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ (NBC, CTV) – Apparently the “Others” look a lot like Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. Or maybe we just get to see Malcolm David Kelley act a bit more than we’ve seen him do on one and a half seasons of ‘Lost’…

Wednesday:

‘Good Eats’ (Food Network Canada)
‘Iron Chef America’ (Food Network Canada)
‘CSI: New York’ (CBS, CTV)

Bits and Pieces
– The Toronto Raptors have won three in a row (previous to the game vs Orlando), and NFL coaches are getting fired left and right. This can’t be a coincidence, can it?

– Tonight, in a game that probably only Canadians care about, it’s Canada vs. Russia in the finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Dora says that Amber was the best female winner on ‘Survivor’, which personally I disagree with, but hey, everybody’s got opinions.

– The IP Figures staff gives us an in depth look at my current favourite toys, Transformers Alternators.

– And finally, here’s something interesting. The current favourite to win ‘Dancing With The Stars 2’? According to this article, it’s Stacy Kiebler. So expect a run-in from Melissa “Spice” Bellin and Chae “Chae” An during the first episode.

That’s all I’ve got for this week.

Kevin has been an Insider since 2003, writing on a variety of topics ranging from The Amazing Race to Mixed Martial Arts. His current hobbies include Fantasy Football, Sporcle, travelling, making liberal use of his DVR and wondering what the heck he's gonna do when his two daughters are old enough to date. You can follow Kevin on Twitter (@starvenger).