What do you think is awesome?

Let's face it: this is the last week of August, half of us are scheming to see whether we can waltz out of the office early on Friday "to get a jump on the Labor Day traffic" and we're so over the PUMAs after last night's most excellent HRC speech.

So let us direct our attention to pleasant diversions, in sort of a last-gasp-of-summer way. Sure, the Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer" was my personal road trip anthem this month, but I'm thinking we can wax lyrical about stuff that entertains us. I'll go first.

I will admit I was totally relieved to read "Preacher Series 'Dead at HBO.' " In my personal ranking of "Comics Series That Rule (Absolutely Over And Done Division)," Preacher is first, and I am convinced that any on-screen adaptation would not do Preacher justice.

If you haven't read Preacher, go out and do so. The Steve Dillon art is perhaps not, how you say, great, but it gets the job done and his overall consistency really helps you slide into the narrative because every issue (or TPB) always looks like a Preacher story should. Also, Garth Ennis's writing is some of the funniest, smartest, most soulful and sickest I have ever run across. Sure, the series may be about divine possession, but it's really a love letter to the American dream, and it kills me that it took an Irish guy to write it.

Anyway. Go read the series this weekend -- you'll find the trades at any self-respecting comics store or big chain bookstore. Or re-read it. Just don't lend it to your brother who lives 3000 miles away because you will never, ever see it again. Not that I'm sharing this advice with you thanks to bitter personal experience or anything ...

Also, while I'm raving ... if you're in the mood to blow money this weekend, you could do worse than to pick up Spaced. The good news: it's a British sitcom, so it's funny. The bad news: it's a British sitcom, so there's a whopping 14 episodes total. However, don't let that deter you -- it's Simon Pegg doing the 0.9b version of the guy he played in Shawn of the Dead, and Jessica Hynes as his roommate. And they have assorted adventures. And it's just so good that Phil and I  -- who are not big DVD watchers -- are embroiled in a heated, sustained debate over which one of us will give the complete series DVD to the other for Christmas.

I mean, fine, he leaves me on my own to The Cho Show and Primeval, but Spaced brings us together. When we're not squabbling over who will buy it for whom.

So what's entertaining you?

Comments

[Kate the M]

I recently found out about Spaced and devoured the 2nd season via Netflix. Now I'm anxiously waiting for the first season to come through (it's hopelessly backed up on Netflix).

[Julie]

A friend got me hooked on Veronica Mars this summer. I've watched all three seasons, and now I'm starting over again!

[Tracy]

"Snapped" - the half-hour reality crime show on Oxygen all about nice girls who, uh, snap and become murderesses. If that is a word.

Or, as I privately call it "Bitches Be Crazy."

[Rebecca]

I happened across a Spaced marathon in the spring, and ended up watching the whole thing. Priceless! Now that it's available on DVD on this side of the pond, I'm seriously considering purchasing it.

Right now, at the end of the day, I'm getting by on old episodes of House, and, embarrassingly, old episodes of NCIS because it's on at least one channel almost every hour. I've also got Wonderfalls, Firefly and Undeclared on hand when I need to watch something while I'm doing my Christmas knitting (it's never too early to start!)

[Susan]

The wonderful "Red Green Show", without a doubt. It's a Canadian show about guys being guys and the wonders of home repair where duct tape is the magic ingredient. The last episode I saw had a section about how you could build your very own airstream-like trailer using only duct tape, a couple of leaky dories (rowboats) and the doors off all the old "household appliances you've been saving in the yard for the past seventeen years." It's on DVD, and it also shows up occasionally on PBS (late at night, usually).

[Maggie]

Because my fiancé and I are approximately five years behind the times, we are plowing our way through seasons of "The Wire." We just finished the second season.

Before that, it was "Deadwood." We seem to be on an HBO kick lately.