So I did something yesterday that I never do on purpose. I watched Oprah.

Yes, you read that right. Now, I’m no lover of Oprah. I don’t care for her for a number of reasons that I won’t go into now. However, my wife often watches it and usually records the show daily on our DVR, and I turned it on last night before “the lineup” (see below) for only one reason - to see what Barack Obama had to say.

I’ve seen a little of this guy in the last couple of years, since he won a Senate seat in Illinois. I’m not too much into politics, but I’m always interested in someone who seems to be genuine and not just spouting the party line or saying what they believe people want to hear. I’m not certain if Obama is one of those folks or not. After all, he is a politician. But from what little I’ve seen and heard from him so far, he seems less partisan than most. I may be proven wrong. Anyway, I endured Oprah herself in order to see his appearance, and enjoyed once again listening to him speak to various subjects related to his life, family and politics. I want to hear more from this guy.

And I will. I plan to start reading his new book, The Audacity of Hope : Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, in the next few days. There’s even a lot of speculation about him running for President in the future, possibly even the near future. Is this guy for real? Time will tell, I suppose, and I’m anxious to see what becomes of Barack Obama over the next few years.

I mentioned “the lineup” above. That’s a reference to Wednesday night television now, as there are 3 shows on Wednesday that I’m now watching regularly, one during each hour of primetime. Last year, I basically watched 2 television shows with any regularity - Lost and Monk. I began watching Monk a few episodes into it’s first season several years ago, and have not missed an episode yet (well, maybe one.) Lost I began watching from day one, having sat down to fold laundry as the pilot first aired 2 years ago, and haven’t missed one since. These are my two favorite shows.

This season, a host of new shows have hit the air that, at least for now, have drawn my interest, and I’m still hanging with them so far. One is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which actually airs on Mondays. I’m enjoying this so far. It’s good, but not great. I like a number of the people on the show - Steven Weber, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Timothy Busfield, and even Matthew Perry, depsite my disdain for all things Friends. I look forward to seeing how it progresses, and will likely stick with it all year.

The other two shows I’m watching bookend Lost on Wednesday evenings. Even though the shows are consectutive, I’m still thankful for my DVR, because without it I’d have to plant myself for 3 hours straight in front of the television, which I don’t have time for. At 7:00 on CBS is Jericho, which I’m not sure what to make of yet. It’s somewhat intersting now, but can it last? It just seems like every few minutes the mayor’s sons run off to rescue someone or save the day, as if they’re the only ones in town capable of doing so. What are all of these other people doing standing around? I’m not sure I will be committed to this for the full season, although I am curious as to what has actually happened and exactly what this Hawkins guy is up to.

The other show, airing at 9:00 after Lost on ABC, is The Nine, which, like Jericho, I like thus far, but am also not sure if I will remain interested all year long or not. Nine folks who were a part of a 2-day standoff during a bank robbery (eight as hostages, and one as one of the thieves) are now somehow “connected” in their post-robbery lives. What exactly happened during the robbery? Well, that’s the mystery. The pilot jumped from a few minutes into the robbery to the end, and we (and some of the hostages) are left wondering what really went down during those 2 days. I think this one has a better chance of keeping me than Jericho, but we’ll see.

Steven Weber (Studio 60), Tim Daly (The Nine), Tony Shaloub (Monk)… all former Wings cast members. I just realized that. I always liked Wings, and it’s cool to see all of these folks weekly again. But Tony Shaloub is the best, and Adrian Monk is my favorite character on television.

Speaking of favorite characters, I saw some folks elsewhere naming their favorite Lost character. For the record, Sawyer is by far my favorite. He just cracks me up. I’d have to say Sayid, Hurley and Eko are probably the others I like a lot. Sometimes I like Kate and Locke, but other times I don’t. I guess I’m on the fence there. As for least favorite, I never liked Michael much from the very beginning - he always seemed angry and confrontational, and Shannon and Ana always annoyed me as well, but I guess they won’t much anymore, being dead and all (although, there’s always a chance they’ll show up again in a flashback, or, as with Boone’s appearance last night, a dream/vision.) Oh yeah, and I’m really tired of Jack, too. Considering the trailer for next week, I am anxious to see what happens to Sawyer, as well as what this (apparent) new ability of Desmond’s to know the future will mean.