Must See Fall TV

We're TV Whores- plain and simple. We whore ourselves out so much to good (and bad!) TV shows that our DVRs are busting at the seams. It's so bad that our poor husbands can barely get any space! But hey, what can we say? Our lives are busy and stressful and to say TV is important to us is an understatement. We've got everything from Bachelor Pad to The Good Wife (hey, it's not all fluff!) and now, like any good TV whores, we're ready to mix it up and are on the prowl for more.

With Fall TV upon us (where did the summer go?), we're hot for the new (and the old faithfuls) that are sure to turn us on...

RINGER The only thing better than Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to TV (after 8 years) is Sarah Michelle Gellar returning as not one, but two people. On Ringer, she’ll play estranged twin sisters- one running from the FBI and one that disappeared. We loved Buffy. We loved her in Cruel Intentions. And we even loved her in The Grudge- even though the movie scared the effing sh*t out of us. And we loved her all over again in the pilot for this CW thriller about sisters, Bridget and Siobhan. When Siobhan goes missing, Bridget assumes her identity. Juicy! We didn’t realize just how much we’d missed her. September 13th, The CW.

THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT Shut the front door! Rachel Zoe is back... and she's preggers. The only thing better than a neurotic Rachel Zoe is a neurotic and pregnant Rachel Zoe. (Btw, she's 6 months pregnant, but you can't even tell. WTF?) We have to admit that even though we'll miss Brad and his bow ties (WTH went down there anyway?) we're excited about the new cutie that replaced him. Tuesdays, Bravo.

UP ALL NIGHT We were super bummed when Christina Applegate’s series, Samantha Who was cancelled. (Also bummed to no longer see hottie, Barry Watson once a week). So we’re thrilled she’s back in this comedy (also starring Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph) about new parents, Reagan and Chris (played by Christina and Will) who are raising a new baby later in life. The show is tackling this later in life first time parenthood that's becoming increasingly more common. Something to which Lisa can definitely relate! Plus, when we read that Christina Applegate said she'd do the show as long as her character never had to come to work with spit up on her shirt, we were in. September 14th, NBC.

PAN AM Mad Men got us all excited about the sixties. (Guess there’s something about philandering men that look like Don Draper drinking hard liquor that gets us all warm and fuzzy inside!) And now Pan Am (starring Christina Ricci!) looks like it will prove to be another exciting drama set in this time period- albeit at 30,000 feet and full of espionage. Yes, the stewardesses (that's what they were called then) partake. We love that this show is based its creator's and executive producer's actual experiences (she and the Pan Am team helped rescue Cubans during the crisis!?). Because she was a stewardess for the airline for seven years, it should prove to make the script all the more real and exciting.  September 25th, ABC.

PARENTHOOD  The Bravermans are back! But more importantly, Peter Krause is back. (Yummy!) Last year we fell for this show with its all-star cast and surprisingly relatable storylines (well most of the time anyway).  And this season, the family's timeline has fast forwarded five months where, among many other things, we find Adam (Krause) still out of work and his wife, Christina, seven months prego and working again to support them (tense!). Saw the premier last night and all we can say is we want more! September 13th, ABC.

THE GOOD WIFE We were dying at the end of last season when Alicia and Will FINALLY got their groove on after a season of sexual tension.  Easily one of the best shows on TV, The Good Wife just keeps getting better.  We can't wait to see what will happen when Peter takes office and we can't help but wish that Cary would just come back to Locke and Gardner already-we can't get enough of him! September 25th, CBS.

HAPPY ENDINGS  Happy Endings debuted in April and gained a lot of buzz. In fact, it's taking Cougar Town's spot (Don't fret-it's coming back in January!) We found it in summer reruns and haven't laughed this hard since Charlie Sheen was running around talking about winning and warlocks.  It reminds us of a cross between How I Met Your Mother and Friends.  Seriously consider checking it out-it's freakin' hilarious AND the characters like to make up their own words. (You'll have to watch to see what we mean...) September 28, ABC.

What Fall TV are you excited about?

xoxo,

L&L

When you know you know By Lisa

One store. One hour. One majuh love affair.

In a nutshell, I found my perfect wedding dress in less time than it takes Heidi Klum to say Auf Wiedersehen.

WTF?

As I handed over my credit card, (and tried not to think about the price tag- O.M.G!), I wondered, was it supposed to be this easy? Wasn't I meant to try on dress after dress after dress, always wondering if a better one could be around the corner?

I called Liz to tell her I'd found the dress of my dreams at my first appointment on my first day of shopping and asked her if she thought that was that okay. She didn't skip a beat. "Lisa, you worked your f***ing ass off to find the perfect man. You shouldn't have to work that f***ing hard for your dress too."

And she was abso-f***ing-lutely right.

The search for your dress is exactly like the search for your husband. When you know, you know. So why keep looking when you've already found him? Or why stop looking when you know in your heart you haven't?

I could win some sort of contest for spending years trying on more than my fair share of ill-fitting, uncomfortable, "one-off"  men. They weren't a fit, but I kept them in my wardrobe anyway. Eventually, I would realize most of them were like skinny jeans-- a really bad decision.

Until I found Matt-- who is like my favorite, most comfortable jeans. He is the perfect fit. (I know, I know... gag me with some harp strings!)

And now I have the perfect dress to marry him in...

Marilyn was dress number two and yes, she's so amazing she has a name.

When Jane, the, um, actual DESIGNER, brought Marilyn into the dressing room, I had a gut feeling that she was the one.  Then I stepped in, pulled the dress up around me and looked in the mirror.

It. Was. Love.

Marilyn is a show stopper. Marilyn is the really good kind of drama. Marilyn will make your mother cry and your groom thank his lucky stars he found you. Marilyn knows how to command a room. And, well, she's just pretty damn unforgettable.  Marilyn is so awesome she makes you forget how much money you paid for her.

But then I met Cate.

Cate is another gorgeous dress. She's amazing. She's beautiful and the really good kind of subtle. She knows how to work a room and charm you. She'll also make your mother cry (but face it-even a potato sack could probably do that) and your groom might just cry too!

And for a few minutes, I was torn. There was something about Cate that I really, really loved. I felt romantic and light and the good kind of bride-y.

But in the end, I chose Marilyn for the same reason I chose my fiancee. When you know, you know.

Oh, and because, as Rachel Zoe would say, Marilyn is BANANAS!

Tell us YOUR wedding dress story!  How did you find "The One"?

xoxo, Lisa

When you say "I do" what are you agreeing to? By Lisa

During our Labor Day weekend at a friend's lake house, Matt and I decided to go for a ride on a waverunner. But when we both tried to sit in the driver's seat, I looked at him and said with a deliberate air of authority, "I need to drive. I want to be in control of how fast we go."

And then Matt said, "Well, you're going to have to give up some control, Lisa. That's what marriage is."

I looked down at the sparkly engagement ring that he'd slid on my finger only days before (BTW--I was wearing it in the lake--was I supposed to take it off?) and I wondered, when I said yes, just how much control did I really agree to give up?

Up until my "shmove" to the Chicago 'burbs six weeks ago, I lived alone for SEVEN years. The only chance of a roommate was when I ordered (but later cancelled) a Toyger cat in a moment of desperation. To think I actually thought FIB (fur in bed) could actually replace the lack of MIB (man in bed)! And during all that time living with me, myself and I, I was in control of everything.

Matt proposed last Tuesday night and it was the happiest one minute and thirty eight seconds of my life! (According to the time stamp on Liz's Flip video cam.) But when I said yes, was I agreeing to let him do things like drive the waverunner?

I ended up agreeing it was okay to relinquish control and let him take the lead on the lake that day.

But as I sit here tonight, looking ahead at my exciting life, I need to level with myself ...and my future hubby---that there are a few things that this LA girl just can't give up control over:

1.  THE REMOTE

I'm sorry honey, but reality TV will dominate. I don't expect you to understand why Rachel Zoe and Tim Gunn are so important to me. I just Thank God my favorite shows aren't on at the same time as college football or this relationship might never work.

2. THE MENU

Move over beef-stroganoff-in-a-can and sloppy joe mix (had no idea that still existed!) there are some foods that don't contain 1,000 milligrams of sodium per serving in town. And some mornings, even though I still see a flicker of sadness in Matt's eyes as he longs for a strawberry pop tart that's no longer there, I hope he'll understand that I had to get rid of them for his sake as well as my own. Enjoy your oatmeal with fresh fruit honey. I promise you and your favorite 35 inch waist pants will thank me later! :)

3. THE BED

Um, sorry baby, but the mattress you've slept on since you were in the frat house just isn't going to cut it. Even if I didn't have a herniated disc in my neck, I'd rather go back to sleeping on my futon from college than your lumpy bed. *Cue sound of credit card swiping machine* at mattress store. A big thank you to Ted Tempurpedic for saving our relationship.

4. THE TOWELS

Ahh Matt's towels. For two years, I dried my face with his brillo pad-like, twelve thread count towels that I'm quite confident doubled as car wash rags on the weekends I was in L.A. My Egyptian cotton towels and wash cloths have now arrived via FEDEX priority overnight and even Matt has to admit that after a hot shower, 100% cotton sure feels better on his ass than burlap.

5. THE BATHROOM

Poor Matt. Even when I forewarn him that there's a curling iron, flat iron and a blowdryer plugged in in the bathroom, he somehow manages to burn himself or melt his bottle of contact solution because he can't see. And I've been wildly unsuccessful at making him understand that when he throws open the shower curtain at the end of a long, hot shower, the steam wreaks absolute havoc on my hair. I love Matt very much but a few cold showers and lost layers of skin on his finger tips are far better than me having a bad hair day. Deep down, I know he understands and loves all of my idiosyncrasies.

Because to me, that's what marriage is.

xoxo, Lisa (A.K.A. Mrs. Stannenfeldt)