TV

I have become hopelessly addicted to an American show called Lost. I can watch it only by downloading it every Thursday and each episode passes all too quickly, raising more questions than it has answered. I think part of what is so appealing about it is the whole being-lost-on-an-island fantasy, with other people who all happen to be young and good-looking. Kate, for example, is surrounded by Jack, a handsome, clean-cut and good doctor (that Party of Five guy), and Sawyer, a handsome bad-boy, bedraggled and blonde. Which one does she like best? Or can she have both?
There's more than the show to this, though. Every episode a character has a flashback so you can see what they were like in the "real world" and what some of their secrets are. Very addictive.

Other than that I have to confess to: Desperate Housewives (which looks crap but has moments of comic genius), Scrubs, the Daily Show and The Apprentice.

Then there is German TV, which I don't get to see too much of, but it's pretty crap. Dubbed American reject programmes from the '80s, wooden dramas, terrible talk-shows that make Jerry Springer look thoughtful and authentic. They do have good wildlife documentaries though.

Their show Big Boss, which is Germany's answer to America's The Apprentice ("You're fired!"), even has the same music and formula. The characters are more human though, and much more air-time is dedicated to figuring out exactly why a team lost a task, rather than amping up the bitching sequences.