there’s nothing like watching a vampire series to restore your equilibrium — or what’s left of it after another busy week.

every night, while waiting for sleep to overcome my wayward thoughts i would watch a couple of episodes of The Vampire Diaries (you know, that other popular vampire series on TV?). at first, it was out of curiosity, but after the first episode “i got bitten” (pun intended).

while fans of the Twilight series may have the advantage in terms of number and intensity, i think that in terms of pacing and plot, The Vampire Diaries is actually better (of course, the fact that it’s TV series may account for that). some of its characters have more depth and compelling qualities aside from their obvious physical attributes. Vampire Diaries has its own share of absurdities though, and i sometimes wish the producers had opted to prioritize talent over looks when they chose the cast (here, even the non-vampire characters look good). still, most of the main cast are doing a decent job — especially nina dobrev (Elena/Katherine), paul wesley (as the brooding, conflicted Stefan Salvatore) and ian somerhalder (as the dangerous Damon Salvatore).

The first season of The Vampire Diaries (22 episodes) ended about a couple of weeks ago. CBS had also recently announced that a second season for this series is in the works.

hmm… i don’t know why i’ve been reading and watching a lot of supernatural books and DVDs lately. truth to tell, i’m still a little hung up on Angelology. i think i might reread the whole book again this weekend. well, as soon as i’ve caught up on my sleep, that is.

wow. if you have seen clips of episode 22 of 24 (1:00–2:00 PM), you would know that old jack’s bent on a full-blown destructive mode and the body count is stacking up. wayyyy up. wait, and there is also this highly anticipated kick-ass encounter with slimy ex-pres. charles logan (which, as far as i’m concerned, could have been worth an episode all by itself).

this particular scene — where jack bauer (keifer sutherland) relentlessly and efficiently cuts off (through a phalanx of top-notch security personnel) and corners his prey, and then proceed to do what he does best — has prompted fans to dub him Iron Man, Darth Vader, Batman, Death Personified, etc. and i think it’s right on the money.

i have purposely kept myself from watching any episode (in its entirety) so i could watch the whole season without interruption later (really, my fingers are already twitching from the anticipation). and although it’s disheartening to know that 24 will be folding its wings completely (at least on TV) a couple of days from now, i console myself with the fact that we will be seeing jack bauer in the silver screen in maybe a couple of years. a couple of Emmy trophies later wouldn’t hurt either. what do you think?

the only thing that would make this season perfect for me is an appearance by Secret Service agent aaron pierce. i don’t care if it’s just a fleeting cameo. i just want him to be there.

after having said that, i’d like to name several characters that made me love this series. this is a long list, but on the side of good guys my favorite will always be bill buchanan (james morrison), chloe o’brian (mary lynn rajskub), aaron pierce (glenn morshower) and david palmer (dennis haysbert). among the baddies: charles logan (gregory itzin), victor drazen (dennis hopper), megan matheson (skye mccole bartusiak), sherry palmer (penny johnson jerald) and nina myers (sarah clarke).

here’s a piece of video clip that never fails to tickle my funny bone…

i was transfixed and giggling like a loon first time i saw this. a terrific piece from a wacky bunch of japs who know how to combine quirky (and well-used) gags and produce one funny sequence that’s universally appealing.

first off, i’m not much of an American Idol (AI) fan. except for the odd video clip every once in a while, i hardly ever stay long enough in front of the tv to finish one full-length episode. but this one, you can hardly ignore — it’s been all over the net.

crystal bowersox’s heartfelt and outstanding rendition of “People Get Ready” is already dubbed by some as one of the best AI performances so far. i don’t know if it deserves to be called that but it does stand well on its own. (one other performance that looms large in my mind is david cook’s definitive rendition of mariah carey’s “Always Be My Baby.”)

based on the AI judges’ (as well as the crowd’s) reaction, this one’s definitely a winner.