So where are we? Well, summer's begun, and it's not quite the TV wasteland I was expecting. A lot of shows have finished until the autumn or next year, but a few shows have bubbled up in their place, and a few more are on the horizon...
Krod Mandoon was decent enough to keep me watching for now (if only for India de Beaufort), the early evidence of That Mitchell & Webb Look seems like a return to series 1's quality, black-comedy Psychoville touches down tonight (must-see for League Of Gentlemen fans), Chuck's finally back every Tuesday on Virgin1, Dollhouse is on Sci-Fi if you haven't seen it already, True Blood's taking a second bite on HBO every Sunday, Torchwood's five-episode stint is on the way, and there are more US shows I'm interested in seeing, too: HBO's Hung (with Thomas Jane as a gym teacher who becomes a male escort), the return of Mad Men to AMC on 16 August (but I'll probably wait for BBC Four again), and Virtuality's two-hour pilot on 26 June for Fox.
Phew! It sounds like it may even be busier than usual around here!
Blog-wise, there's been a surge of film reviews now that I have time to write them (including some Terminator retrospectives), more regular polls to vote on, and another tenuous reason to post photos of sexy celebs for the interactive "Catfight" every Saturday. Don't worry, the ladies will get their fix with a Armitage vs. Armstrong poll to herald the end of Robin Hood, and sort out of a few squabbles perhaps...
I've also tweaked a few things you probably haven't noticed (the background colour, some fonts), compiled my movie reviews into their own Index page that will be updated as-and-when, and put a key to my new star-ratings system in the sidebar to be helpful.
I'm also going to take a tentative step into generating revenue from DMD with ads in the sidebar, being careful not to clog up the page or slow download time. The only issue has been payment options, as the company that approached me months ago use PayPal (and I was unceremonious banned from PayPal years ago for unjustified reasons -- but that's another story...) They've offered me direct bank payments, but I'm wary of giving out my sort code and account number, even though I know they're a legit company whose ads I've seen on other sites. How covered are you if they steal your cash, or lose/sell your personal data? I've heard it said that people can only put money IN your account if they have basic account details, but that's not what happened to Jeremy Clarkson awhile back! Opinions, anyone?
Strangely, I've so far avoided my nearest multiplex for a few current movie reviews. I really want to see Star Trek, have a "must see for myself" desire to see Terminator Salvation, and quite fancy Drag Me To Hell... but I just can't find the time, or enthusiasm for some reason. Age? Frugality? The fact a part of me would prefer seeing these films in 1080P HD?
Finally, I haven't forgotten about my intention to reflect on Twin Peaks' first season over the summer. Is anyone going to follow along with their own DVDs for nostalgia? Anyone going to discover this classic series in tandem with my retrospectives? If so, let me know. I'm hoping those reviews will begin later next week, so you haven't got long to grab a box-set. There must be some good deals in HMV for this series...
