Julie's Journal

I spent my morning coffee time watching the new show Working Class premiere episode: The Buddy System starring Melissa Peterman.

Working Class is about Carli Mitchell (Melissa Peterman), who is a single working mom who comes from a hard background and is trying to give her three kids a better life by moving them to an upscale suburb, in which she really can’t afford.

Her brother, Nick (Steve Kazee) lives with her to help her out, but he’s more like one of her kids. She works in a high-end deli with her mouthy co-worker Hank (Ed Asner), and has a crush on her boss, Rob (Patrick Fabian).

Carli faces the same challenges that most single working mothers face. Parenting, dating, keeping food on the table and the bills paid, all while trying to stay strong, being true to herself, and having an identity of more than just a mom. I think most single working mothers will be able to identify parts of themselves in Carli, and the show should do really well. It had several laugh out loud moments, and the references to Miami Vice had me cracking up!

Working Class premieres January 28 at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT, so set your DVR’s.

Disclosure: I reviewed the premier episode and received compensation for my time from One 2 One Network

I think I can pinpoint exactly when it happened. I vividly remember moving to Las Vegas from Southern California in 2001 and not having cable. It made no difference to me, I could care a less about TV. My mom would hound me to start watching Sex In The City. My dad would tell me, “You HAVE to watch The Sopranos!” as if my own life depended on it. I just had no desire to sit in front of the television except for the occasional airing Saturday Night Live or The Tonight Show.

After my divorce, I got my own apartment and decided to get cable for “the boys.” The guy at Cox talked me into getting a DVR. Although I didn’t think I would ever use it, I knew the boys might enjoy it, so I said, “Okay!” Well let me tell you…that little box of magic turned me into a TV junkie. I now have two DVR’s so I can get the full benefit of recording 4 different shows at the same time.

My MUST SEE shows: (in no particular order)

1. Ghost Hunters
2. Ghost Hunters Academy
3. Dogs 101
4. The Haunted
5. Whale Wars
6. UFO Hunters
7. Modern Marvels
8. Deadliest Catch
9. Cash Cab
10. Storm Chasers
11. The Big Bang Theory
12. Two And A Half Men
13. Lost
14. Desperate Housewives
15. V
16. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
17. The Office
18. Californication
19. Dexter
20. Weeds

INSANE huh? And I stopped at 20! I was too ashamed to keep going. I’m an addict. Are you? What shows do you watch? Do you have a DVR? Do you have two DVR’s? Come on people, I don’t want to feel alone in my addiction. Talk to me please!

Have you guys been watching truTV’s Rehab show? It premiered on September 1st at 10p/9c, and new episodes are on Tuesday nights at 10p/9c. It’s a train wreck of people that you can’t help but watch. It’s pretty much real-life television as opposed to reality television, if there is that big of a difference between the two.

You’ve got Matt the General Manager who calls one of his employees a whore because the menus were not facing the right way. Yeah, you read that right. Can you imagine your boss calling you that? I don’t know how he gets away with that. We’ve got labor laws here in Nevada like the rest of the U.S., right? Like I said, train wreck…choo choo.

Here’s a sneak peak into what the show is like. It’s not for everyone obviously…and yes that includes your children, duh!

Go behind the scenes of Rehab, the hottest party in the world’s sexiest city. Get an inside look at how security and staff indulge big-spending customers but still keep the chaos under control. This season, the scene at the pool is even hotter with celebrity performances, more partiers and new Rehab staffers trying to learn the ropes. Plus, competition from neighboring hotel pool parties and the pressure to keep sales up during this troubled economy has everyone trying to keep Rehab the biggest and best party on the Vegas Strip.

So if this is something that you think you’d like to see in real life make sure to enter the sweepstakes to win a chance to party like a rock star at Rehab at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino pool! Good luck and make sure to let me know if you win. I’ll come down to meet you! Just don’t bring an adult male midget in diapers, and a goat. Been there, done that. See pic below.

Speaking of the Hard Rock Hotel pool, I’ve been to quite a few wild parties there myself. When my husband worked for Zappos.com they held their Vendor Appreciation Parties there for a couple years in a row. To get an idea of just how wild they are, here is a picture of us with the friends we invited to the party. There is no caption that could explain this picture so just take it for what it is.

I’m a huge Tim Burton fan and I’ve been anxiously awaiting news and pictures of his new movie Alice In Wonderland coming out in 2010. Well I got my first glance this morning, and it looks amazing.

Here’s some awesome pictures of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

Source: The Huffington Post

So how’s your cable company working out for you? I read so many bad things about cable companies online everyday and it really makes me wonder if they are ever going to change their ways. I pay an enormous cable bill every month and it seems to just get higher and higher as the months go by without my service getting any more features, or getting any better. I just have to pay it, I have no other option.

In some areas of the country you do have a choice and it seems that Charter is stepping up to the plate by doing fun giveaways and getting into social media through their twitter account @chartercom.

They are currently running a contest that is open to new and upgrading customers alike. If a current or new customer orders Cable, High Speed or Telephone online at Charter.com throughout April – they are automatically entered upon installation to win a grand prize package that includes a 52” LCD flat screen HDTV, a Home Theater System, and one year of free Charter Digital Cable® service with HD programming. Last year Charter gave away laptops and Xbox 360 game systems and one customer drove away a 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid!

I love companies like Charter that are stepping up, reaching out, and embracing new media to connect with their customers. It’s the best direction a company can take right now and I hope to see many more follow.