It's Escapism, Baby!

As the English Proverb says, "All good things must come to an end." So was the case tonight with True Blood season 2 (hbo.com/trueblood).

Lost and True Blood are pretty much the only two shows on television that keep me glued to my seat. The tension is high, the storytelling is fantastic, the drama is knee deep (get out your waders) and usually there's some sex and camp mixed in to make at least one hour of the day sweet without the guilt.

Over the past 13 weeks, twelve episodes of True Blood have taken us from Bon Temps, Louisiana, to Dallas, Texas, and back again. We had the week of Labor Day off. That was torture. Waiting for two weeks to find out the fate of Sookie Stackhouse and her friends and family was a nail-biting test in patience.

Of course those two weeks are nothing compared to waiting until next summer to have the series back. It's like the season finale of Lost that aired in May and waiting until January to find out every one's fate.

I have been a television junky for years now. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you the same. I'm not ashamed of it. I like television. Or I should say I like good television. Give me a good comedy or drama with great actors that can tell the stories written by creative writers and I beg you to find a problem in enjoying it. I'm one of the few people who can't stand Reality TV. I wish it would die a quick death. The only Reality program I can handle is Project Runway. Sometimes I even have to fast forward some of it because I feel I'm being manipulated. I don't need to hear someone say something in the workroom and see another person shoot them a look. For all I know that look was about something else etirely and in the editing - fake drama was created. What I find amazing about Project Runway is: the contestant is given a challenge, has 15-30 to sketch something, 30 minutes to buy fabric and 24-48 hours to create it and walk it down the runway. How amazing is that. Pure creation. From sketch to model in 48 hours or less. I'm sure the stress level is high, but those contestants are certainly a talented group of people.

Lots of people can't believe with my singer background that I don't watch American Idol. I think Simon is an asshole. It's as simple as that. I also see that America will vote, but not necessarily spend money on the album of the person they voted for. What's the point? Don't get me wrong, I love Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. "Thank you for the music. For giving it to me," to quote ABBA.

Give me creative writers and good stories. Manipulate me with a breakdown in the pantry, Sally Field. Manipulate me with a cliffhanger that I have to watch 3 times, Lost. Manipulate me with sidesplitting laughter, Tina Fey. Manipulate me with designer duds, Gossip Girl. Manipulate me with pure, gothic romance, True Blood. Keep me hooked and keep me coming back for more.

I couldn't care less about the "real" people on Reality TV. Give me the Bill, Sookie, Eric triangle any day of the week. So they're not real people. Who cares! It's escapism, baby. I wanna know if Eric will win Sookie's heart away from Bill. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long to find out.