30 Days of TV: Day 06 - Favorite Episode

The favorite episode of your favorite TV show: X-Files, Season 5, Episode 12 - Bad Blood

This episode is a "he said, she said" story. It was inspired by an episode of the "Dick Van Dyke Show", titled "The Night the Roof Fell In", in which Rob and Laura Petrie have a fight and then each tell their neighbor their version of what led up to it.

In this X-Files episode, we follow both Mulder's and Scully's point of view as they describe their version of the same set of events. They have traveled to Texas to investigate the serial exsanguinations of several local cows, and one dead human. Mulder believes that there are vampires in the area... so much so that he stakes one. Ronnie Strickland's family then threatens to sue the FBI for 446 million dollars. Mulder and Scully try to get their stories straight before talking to AD Skinner about the situation.

They set up the episode with this exchange:

Scully: Skinner wants our report in one hour. What are you going to tell him?

Mulder: What do you mean what am I going to tell him? I'm going to tell him exactly what I saw. What are you going to tell him?

Scully: I'll tell him exactly what I saw.

Mulder: Now, how is that different? (Scully gives him an exasperated look) Look, Scully, I'm the one who may wind up going to prison, here. I've got to know if you're going to back me up or what.

Scully: (indignantly) First of all, if the family of Ronnie Strickland does indeed decide to sue the FBI for - I think the figure is $446 million - then you and I both will most certainly be co-defendants, and second of all ... (pause) I don't even have a second of all, Mulder. $446 million. I'm in this as deep as you are and I'm not even the one that overreacted! I didn't do the ... (she makes a stabbing motion) with the thing!

This is the best episode because even though they are basically telling the same story twice, it's seen in completely different ways. You get to see who Scully thinks she is, and how Mulder perceives her, and the same is true for Mulder.

Mulder thinks Scully is unapologetic and skeptical. Scully thinks Mulder is too enthusiastic and impulsive. They both think the other talks too much and doesn't listen to them when they speak.

They have different ideas about what they think are attractive qualities.

And this is quite possibly the most quotable episode in X-Files history.

Reasons to love it:
-The best opening to the episode, ever.
-Luke Wilson guest stars.
-The autopsy scenes are hilarious. (Even if they don't know what a large intestine should look like.)
-Mulder sings the theme song from "Shaft" while under the influence of chloral hydrate.
-Scully's quote (in clip below), "You're not going to tell me it's that Mexican goat sucker thing," is a call back to a season 4 episode about El Chupacabra. The episode is titled "El Mundo Gira".

The following two clips are told from Scully's perspective:

And although this is videotaped from a television and the sound and picture quality are pretty horrible, this is one of my favorite scenes in the episode:

Even the actors loved this episode. Gillian Anderson often says that it's her favorite. Here's a short behind the scenes clip.

The writing was superb. The interaction between Mulder and Scully was at the perfect point in their relationship. The banter was incredible. The story was entertaining and the bits of comedy were perfection. I always thought that the series was at its best when the episodes could make me laugh.

On top of that, this was a stand alone monster-of-the-week type of episode. It works better if you know the characters and their relationship, but you don't need to know about it to enjoy. I wore out my copy of this episode on VHS. I don't often like to rewatch things that I've already seen, but this one is well worth it.

I shall leave you with some of my favorite quotes (promise I'll be brief):

Scully: Begin autopsy on white male, age sixty, who is arguably having a worse time in Texas than I am, although, not by much.

Mulder: DANA?! He never even knew your first name!

Scully: Yesterday morning when I arrived at work you were, uh... characteristically exuberant.
(In his verison of events, Mulder says: "Yesterday morning began like any other morning. You arrived at the office, characteristically less than exuberant.")

Scully: [voiceover] Having completed the autopsy, I checked into the Davey Crockett Motor Court. [Name appears at bottom of screen]
Mulder: It was actually the Sam Houston Motor Lodge. [Type corrects itself]


See what everyone else thinks:
Brenda
Dany (to be published)
Jessie
Beth (to be published)


End Blog.

30 Days of TV: Day 05 - Why??

A show that you hate: True Blood


It's really a shame too because I like a lot of Showtime shows (edit: oops! This one is on HBO... maybe that's a reason I don't like it? Showtime clearly has better quality television) and this one had potential. I actually really liked the first season, but then it turned into utter rubbish. You might think that I'm saying this because the story doesn't follow the novels. I'm not. In fact, I tried to read the first book after I'd seen a couple of the episodes in the first season, thinking that books are always better then movies/television shows. Turns out I didn't like the books at all. I suppose it only makes sense that the series turned out the way it did...

I watched all of the first season and actually liked the show. Then, the second season just turned ridiculous. I suffered through it for a while and then realized that I didn't have to watch it just because Carolyn had it on the TV. It was life changing. =) Seriously, after I decided that it wasn't worth my time and if I didn't watch it, I couldn't be annoyed with it, I felt a lot better. No more hour long frustration in my life!

So what did I hate about it? The main characters were whiny and annoying. They didn't solve their problems, they just seemed to have them and then get more problems and there was a never ending horrible cycle going on. The characters that I did like usually turned up dead.

There was also not a lot of explanation as to what was going on. And as I understand it, even if you read the books, the storyline was often confusing. I wanted there to be more substance to the mythology of the world they lived in. Instead, every week we got something like, "Oh, by the way, there are werepanthers!" and "PS, I forgot to tell you, fairies!!"

There was so much potential for the show... it just never did what I wanted it to do: Have a real, meaty, substantial storyline with characters that I actually cared about. And even though they were throwing odd things out at you every week and seeing which things stuck, I didn't feel like there was ever a good twist or plot or... anything. This show goes nowhere. There's blood and gore and violent sex and not an interesting thing that I can think of.

The only endearing character is Jason Stackhouse (played by Ryan Kwanten) who is not all that bright. He does a lot of stupid things, but his heart is in the right place. And he's very, very pretty. He was the only one that I looked forward to seeing on screen.

I have little else to say about it... other than I do not recommend anyone viewing it. There seem to be some people who enjoy the show, but I'm not quite sure what they're getting out of it. Unless it's just the pretty, pretty Ryan Kwanten.


A second runner up for a show that I hate would be The Closer. (I would have put this first if I could ever sit through it long enough to have actual reasons to hate it.)


I hate this show so much I can't even make it through the first five minutes of any episode of it, ever. What do I hate about it? Everything. But mostly it's Kyra Sedgwick, her weird fake southern accent, and everything about her arrogant and condescending character Brenda. I've never been able to watch it and I never will. Also, good news (for me), it's going off the air! Yay!


See what everyone else thinks:
Brenda
Dany (to be published)
Jessie
Beth


End Blog.

30 Days of TV: Day 03 - Favorite New Show

Your favorite new show that started in the year 2010: Rizzoli and Isles



I think that I've watched exactly five new shows in 2010:
Raising Hope
No Ordinary Family
Mike & Molly
Outsourced
Rizzoli and Isles

Out of those five, Rizzoli and Isles definitely wins, even though they don't always get their forensic information exactly right. I can't really blame them too much though, hardly any procedural shows do.

I know, you're about to say that I'm about as one note as they come. Yet another strong female led show. And I can't even refute it. It's true, there are two very strong female characters in this show. It's also true that it's one of the reasons that I like it. I agree with you, I am the most boring and predictable tv watcher in all of history.

But, really, this one is kinda in my wheelhouse, so you have to just give it to me. Procedural crime drama. Cops. Medical examiners. Forensic investigations. A show where I can act superior and tell you all the things they're doing wrong. Why wouldn't I watch this?

Surprisingly, there were not that many things to complain about, either because they weren't doing that many things wrong, or because the story line was compelling enough that I didn't feel the need to complain. (More on this when we get to Dexter.)

Plot lines were decent, the chemistry between the female leads is unmistakable (and very lesbian subtexty, even though the characters are straight), and who doesn't adore Rizzoli's entire, very Italian, family?

Isles has a pet tortoise. She's the medical examiner, is eccentric, and very Temperance Brennan-esque (from Bones). Rizzoli is a tough cop in an all boys club. Her partner, Frost, is a little green and seems to vomit every time there is a dead body nearby.

I won't tell you it's a fantastic show that will stand the test of time, but of all the new shows I've watched this year, I've enjoyed it the most. It ran for a short ten episodes and is now over, but has been picked up for a season two. In all likelihood, I'll continue to watch.

Second runner up in this category is definitely Raising Hope. Although, I could totally do without all the baby parts and that makes the title kind of pointless...

Here's what my friends think:
Brenda
Dany
Jessie
Beth

End Blog.

30 Days of TV: Day 02 - Why Aren't You Watching?

A show that you wish more people were watching: 30 Rock

You know, living with someone who can look up Nielsen ratings so that I don't have to try to figure it out is super cool.

That's how I know that 30 Rock placed 53 during the May 2010 sweeps list of the top 100 broadcast shows. Really, people? Why aren't you watching this show with me?

Simply the most important thing that you need to know about this show is that Tina Fey is behind it. She's the series creator and star of the show. It's basically loosely based on her experiences as head writer of Saturday Night Live, and takes place behind the scenes of a fictional sketch comedy called TGS with Tracy Jordan (originally The Girlie Show). They work in the GE building at the NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, hence the name of the show.

Tina plays Liz Lemon, a sarcastic and self-deprecating woman who is attractive and doesn't know it. She thinks of herself as a geek who will never outgrow the torment of her youth.

Jenna (Jane Krakowski) and Tracy (Tracy Morgan) are pretty ridiculous in their roles. Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) usually ends up helping them set fires that Liz Lemon has to eventually figure out a way to put out. She's a mess, doesn't hold herself together that well, and is always looking to her boss, Jack (Alec Baldwin) for advice. But, she remains the heart and brains of the whole operation.

Liz and Jack have an absolutely fabulous relationship. She looks up to him as a father-type figure, someone who can get things done, and who everyone respects. Jack thinks of Liz as his pet project, trying to shape her into a useful human being, and hoping that one day, she will be worthy of being called his protégé. Jack somehow pulls of totally arrogant, yet extremely likable.

Just with these five characters, so much shenanigans occur. Every week it seems like a miracle that their live show airs. Liz is barely holding them together, yet they are so much like a dysfunctional family.

I think the best part about the relationship between Jack and Liz is that they have absolutely no sexual tension. Jack is way out of Liz's league. He is constantly giving her advice, especially about men, and none of it is ever really good.

The show is smart, quick, and kinda zany. It doesn't just make you laugh, it also makes you think. It frets over what it means to be funny. And, another gem it has going for it - this show has amazing continuity. You'll really notice it if you marathon the episodes back to back. Really, I love the continuity on this show - and it's only rivaled by How I Met Your Mother. Also, they have some pretty great guest stars. (Like Princess Leia.)

30 Rock has won 3 Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and in one of her acceptance speeches, Tina Fey thanked "the dozens and dozens of viewers" watching 30 Rock. In November of 2010, she was the youngest-ever winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

What makes this show great is it's a comedy with a woman in the central role. (Wow, I said that about Freaks and Geeks, but you know what? It's true. There have been far too many leading man roles, and quite frankly, I'd rather watch a show about a woman because I can identify with them more.) Under Tina Fey's writing at SNL, she brought out the talents of Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer. Think of the show today. Can you name one outstanding female actress (besides Kristin Wiig)?

But, just singing 30 Rock's praises probably won't be enough to convince you, so watch this compilation of clips that someone put together... If you don't fall in love with Liz Lemon, then this is not your type of humor and you really shouldn't be watching anyway.

There are two other very specific scenes I love from the show, but sadly they are nowhere to be found on youtube, and aren't able to be embedded from hulu. Also, the scene I found there wasn't complete, and I'm not going to try any harder because you should just watch all the episodes anyway. But, specifically, watch season 1, episode 3 "Blind Date". Jack sets Liz up on a date with Thomas... Gretchen Thomas, assuming wrongly that Liz was gay. This scene is near the end of the episode after Liz ponders over the situation:

Liz Lemon: What do you say, we make a pact? If, say, in twenty-five years, neither of us has found somebody, we'll move in together and become roommates. And even though I am... not into the sex stuff, if it helps you, I would let you... do stuff to me.

Gretchen Thomas: I can't be around anymore. Bye Liz.

Liz Lemon: That's funny. That's what the guys always say.

The other episode is season 2, episode 10 "Episode 210". Liz falls in love with a piece of real estate and tries to buy it, because of a piece of advice from Jack. When she's waiting to hear from the co-op board, she panics, drinks several bottles of wine, and proceeds to drunk dial them. It was hilarious and if you've ever gone through the stress of buying a house, you will love this scene as much as I did.

And I haven't even mentioned that they sing every once in a while...

I just adore her and this show. It is one of the funniest on right now, and it's definitely the funniest one you're not watching.

Here's what others think:
Brenda
Dany
Jessie
Beth


End Blog.

30 Days of TV: Day 01 - Canceled Before Its Time

Day 01: A Show That Should Not Have Been Canceled

Freaks and Geeks aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. Eighteen episodes were completed, but the series was canceled after only twelve aired. GET THE COMPLETE SERIES ON DVD. You won't be sorry.


This was a brilliant comedy-drama show that was executive produced by Judd Apatow. I'm not sure that I would even need to go on from there, but it most certainly gets even better!

The cast is one of those amazing ensembles, you can't even believe that all of this talent was in the same place at the same (very short) amount of time... and before they all really hit it big. Clearly this show MADE THEM. Or... you know.... Judd Apatow did.

Also, and this is noteworthy: Freaks and Geeks was home to the original William McKinley High School - well before Glee.

Let's take a closer look at the cast.

Linda Cardellini
She's probably better known as Nurse Samantha Taggart from ER, or Ennis's girlfriend in Brokeback Mountain, or maaaaaaybe even as Chutney in Legally Blonde. Pretty. Amazing actress. She does the 'bad girl rebel' thing really well as a teen growing up in the 80's. She's an A student and a mathlete, until she enters high school and starts hanging out with all the slackers. The good girl gone bad, who struggles with her identity.

Seth Rogen
If you don't know who this is, you've been living under a rock. But if you need a refresher, he's been in Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Kung Fu Panda, Pineapple Express, Monster's v. Aliens, and the upcoming movie The Green Hornet. This is the show he was in before he was a big movie star. Plus, they're all so young! Anyway, he's one of the Freaks, along with Linda. This mostly means that they're outcasts at school, they smoke a lot of pot, and get into trouble without really trying.

Jason Segel
What can I say about the man who is bringing back the muppets? What's that you say? He looks familiar, but you aren't quite sure who he is? Of course you do. He plays Marshall Eriksen on How I Met Your Mother. He's Lily's (Alyson Hannigan) husband. He was also in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. How could you forget his full frontal nudity? Anyway, his character is a drummer, his name is Nick, he has a huge crush on Lindsay, and I totally adore him.

James Franco
He's gone on to star in the Spiderman movies as Harry Osborn. If you're not a superhero fan, maybe you've seen him in Annapolis, or Knocked Up, or Pineapple Express, or Nights in Rodanthe, Milk, Eat Pray Love, or a little daytime TV show called General Hospital. His name was Franco on that... how original. He's the real bad boy in this, and mostly the instigator.

John Francis Daley
This adorable little guy grew up to play Sweets on Bones. He was also on Boston Public and Kitchen Confidential, but if you know him it's probably from Bones. Also, watch Bones if you don't already. Most definitely a geek, as were his two friends.

Samm Levine
This is that guy that shows up in a guest spot in a ton of different shows and he looks really familiar and you know that you know him, but you can't place where he's from. Yeah, he's that guy.

Martin Starr
Another of Judd Apatow's favorites, he's had parts in Knocked Up and Superbad, and also Adventureland. And he's grown up. And his voice is super deep now. He might be the biggest geek of all (but grown up really well).

Busy Philipps
You know her from Cougar Town. But she was also in Dawson's Creek and ER. Or maybe, just maybe, you know her from The Sarah Conner Chronicles. She was also one of the Freaks, and although I think she was in every episode, she didn't make the opening credits.

Speaking of the opening title credits, they have Joan Jett and the Blackhearts singing "Bad Reputation" while the characters are getting their yearbook pictures taken. I have never fast forwarded through the credits. Not once. Ever.

It's basically a coming of age series that's grittier and funnier than The Wonder Years, more real-to-life than Buffy (simply because there are no monsters), and better than Glee (that fun singing show with absolutely no plot or continuity). It takes place in the 80's and you can TELL. This also makes it awesome... and horrible. Plus, the show centers around Linda Cardellini's character, Lindsay. It's not that often that the central character is so well defined, interesting, and female... and mostly surrounded by an entirely male supporting cast.

The Freaks:

The Geeks:

It's the epitome of high school and all the horrible events that we all suffered to grow up. It's sometimes painful to watch, but only because you remember those FEELINGS because every feeling was felt in capital letters. It's also very funny at times.

(I've just decided that a high school reunion show is totally in order. They need to make this happen...)

So, although I could list a TON of shows that were canceled before their time, I think that this one tops the list. I do however, want to make some honorable mentions:
Veronica Mars
Pushing Daisies
Firefly
Wonderfalls

If you haven't watched any of these series, they are all highly recommended. They also won't take you eons to get through because they didn't get to stick around very long!

See what everyone else had to say about it:
Brenda
Dany
Jessie
Beth


End Blog.

Battlestar Galactica

Surprise! Brenda put me in the middle of another television marathon this weekend. She supplied me with some (not all) of the Battlestar Galactica series on Friday night, so you pretty much know what I've been doing since then. A few different people have told me that I would like this series, so I was really happy to finally get my hands on it.

The whole thing's pretty confusing. It was a miniseries, it was a television show, it was a movie... it has a season 2.5. I'm not really sure what it's all about because I like not to get into things and spoil myself on story lines. And I'm also really good at ignoring little tidbits I'm not interested in at the time.

That being said, I have one disc left to go in season 2. I'm not sure how many episodes that is, I just know that the next disc says "season 2.5, disc 1".

And I now know what six cylons look like! Six!

I have a feeling that the rest of the week and work and normal things are going to slow me way down on completing what I have, but I do know that what I was given was not enough. Brenda likes to do evil things like that to me - not supply a whole series and leave me in the lurch. *cough* Six Feet Under *cough*

I should try to see if Blockbuster has the rest of series.

So Say We All!


End Blog.

I Hate the Ped Egg

I've never been a fan of feet. I think it's due to the fact that a had a couple of ingrown toenails as a kid, which I figured best to take care of myself. I didn't feel that anyone else could touch my feet (they are ticklish) while holding a sharp cutting tool. I did, however, implicitly trust myself, lack of medical degree and all. There was blood, there was pus, but in the end, I did fix the problematic toes, and no one else had to see them.

This is the worst of my problems though, and I'm happy to say that I don't have them anymore. I'm still scarred enough that I don't really like feet, but most of the time I don't have to see them (mine or others).

And that is why the commercial for the PedEgg is the grossest thing, ever.

Has anyone ever really torn up their pantyhose because their feet were that disgusting? I can't watch this commercial. It makes me want to vomit.

Dead body? I'm fine with that. Decomposition? Cool. Shotgun to the face? Peachy. Crusty panties? See 'em everyday! Let me reiterate... This commercial makes me want to vomit. The before and after pictures are horribly dreadful. I can't even tell you how they make my stomach turn. Also, I couldn't find the exact commercial they play on my tv stations, because the before and after photos are even worse than this embedded video shows. They have close ups on people's nasty heels. And how gross is that part when they dump out the filings? Here's a heap of dead skin! *dumps in garbage* Eww.

I've seen these things in stores. You can get them other places than just through that TV offer. Therefore, they should stop airing this commercial. I never asked that feet be invited into my home like this!

The only part of the whole thing I like is when they get the orange peel. If you told me this was just a cooking utensil, I'd be a lot happier.

Thank goodness my feet are pretty (if that's possible). I wouldn't want to have to care for them. The less attention my feet require, the better off the world.

Socks and shoes should always be required. The shirt I don't care about so much.

End Blog.

The Sasquatch Cometh

I knew there was good reason to drive fast and get the hell out of Oklahoma every time I've found myself there. I just stumbled upon this show on the Travel Channel called Bigfootville. It's about different places in Oklahoma where people frequently see hairy, nine foot tall creatures. Now, I'm not afraid of Bigfoot, I'm afraid of the yahoos that think they see it.


For some reason I thought Bigfoot allegedly lived the Pacific Northwest, not Oklahoma. Oklahoma is supposed to be the home of The Chicken Man. But at any rate, here's what I've pulled together: it has a broad shoulder span, no neck, giant cone shaped head, is 400-500 pounds, has reddish to brown to black hair, swinging arms, and a long stride. And apparently it doesn't defecate because the ranger claims he's never seen any droppings that could have come from Bigfoot.

Does anyone else find it odd that there's someone whose job title is actually "Bigfoot Researcher" (more commonly known as Bigfooters)?

The show is hilarious because they have several people in the woods in the pitch dark looking at movement in trees 100 yards away, wondering what it is because they can't see anything except darkness. And then they think that something is throwing rocks at them. Because I'm sure that's what Bigfoot would do if it happened upon you in the middle of the night in its own back yard.

Then one guy totally freaks out because... I have no idea why... movement in the woods, wind? It scared him so much that he wanted to leave. And as they were going, another rock was thrown at them!

Don't you think if they did exist we would have found some evidence of them? I mean, they are supposed to be pretty big. Some droppings, bones, something in the fossil record, maybe?

Next time I drive through Oklahoma, I'm bringing my gorilla suit and stilts with me. It'll be too easy...


End Blog.

NASA is My Hero

You should watch When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions on the Discovery Channel. It's awesome. I've gotten goosebumps. I've teared up. I still really wish that I was an astronaut and could go to the moon.

And watching this series, it amazes me that we even got off the face of the planet in the first place, let alone made it to the moon. And on that note, when's the last time that the country has been so inspired to do anything that a president says he wants us to do? It's still so unbelievable that we accomplished all that we have in the space program.

And I completely agree with Hillary Clinton - in one of her speeches she spoke about the energy crisis and going green and alternative forms of energy - and she said it should be our new moon mission. And she's right. We should be challenged to lose our dependence on oil within the next decade. Kennedy wanted to put a man on the moon. And we did it. How ridiculously crazy is that? It might not be as glamorous as leaving the Earth and visiting the moon, but if we could get minds together like those that created NASA, I have no doubt that we could actually get it done.

We went to the moon. The moon. How hard could it be to not use petroleum?

Really, you should watch it. It's so inspiring. Where is the government funding and the scientific backing we used to have? I think we must have been much smarter in the sixties. Where is our sense of community? America, pull yourselves together. Go fix the world without going to war.

Our new moon is green.


End Blog.

Television and Movie Entertainment Stuff

TNL. Thursday Night Live? I just read a news article that says SNL will have four 30 minute episodes running on Thursday nights (after The Office) for the four weeks prior to the 2008 Presidential Elections.

Oh pleeeeeeeease let Hillary Clinton get the Democratic nomination. Then we get to see Amy Poehler as Hillary even more! What do you mean that is not the way the country should vote for a President??

In related news:
Only 17 days until the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama comes to a theater near you.



In other-other completely non-related news (except that it's a movie):
I watched Chariots of Fire this weekend. I thought it was a movie about running. I was unprepared for all the religious stuff in it. And that the Chariots of Fire theme song was hardly in it at all. I was kinda disappointed overall.

I'm pretty sure I had that movie confused with another one. But, I don't know what the other movie is that I have it confused with. In my mind Chariots of Fire was supposed to be about running - more specifically marathon running, not sprinting - and something was supposed to happen at the end... something big... and everyone who has ever watched it is supposed to have cried. Now, whatever movie I have just described... I want to see it - because it wasn't Chariots of Fire.

Except I don't want anyone to spoil the ending as to why everyone cries (which is a large reason why I have not done a lot of searching into this). So, if you know what movie this could be (the sport might not be running, this has obviously passed through some sort of Nikki filter that has distorted all of the facts), you should let me know so I can put it on my Blockbuster queue. And in case you think it's Brian's Song, it's not. I've seen that. I'm sure it's something else that I'm thinking of. (But I'm nearly positive that it's an older movie, likely made in the seventies.)

So, think on that, would ya? Sports-type movie (that may or may not involve running), made possibly in the 70s, that is a tear-jerker. I'm not sure why I want to watch such a movie, other than the fact that it's famous... and I always cry at sports movies anyway.

Could it be something to do with Steve Prefontaine? Did he have a movie made about him? Help! It's driving me crazy.


End Blog.
(Wow, I was feeling very parenthetical, wasn't I?)

Six Feet Over

That's it. I've done it. I've watched every single episode of Six Feet Under in less than three weeks.

I don't know what to do with myself now.

Also, that show talks a lot about "living each day" and how "you could die tomorrow"... and while sitting on my couch, eating cookie dough, I felt awfully guilty for doing absolutely nothing. So, for those of you that don't have strong wills like me - don't try this at home. It would probably crush your spirit.

I won't post any spoilers about the show, but I will say that the last 15 minutes of the series is so good, I watched it four times in a row, and then watched it again with commentary. I can't think of a more appropriate way to end the series. It remained faithful to the last frame.

I do have to tell you that if you decide to embark on this endeavor, there is one side effect. I had a crazy dream involving Brenda Chenowith and Remy. It was too odd and complex to really describe... and when I woke up, I felt like I could have been one of the characters on the show, for a brief moment at least.

And so it ends. As we all will. As does this blog.


End Blog.

You Have Lettuce in Your Hair

I grab fast food for lunch all the time. (Which probably has a lot to do with the additional 15 pounds I've put on since moving to Kansas City.) It's just too hard to cook something at home and then put it in little containers to heat it up at work. (And I'm lazy.) I'd rather spend 5 or 6 bucks a day for the convenience of fast food. However, we don't have a wide variety of fast food selections near my workplace. Yesterday I settled on going to Taco Bell because it's cheap, I hardly ever eat there, and I was looking for something different.

Usually my standby is a turkey sub from Mr. Goodcents (with provolone, lettuce, onions, black olives, banana peppers, and mayo). But yesterday, I thought... why not? And I had the number 5 combo from Taco Bell. (Don't worry, I felt pretty horrible last night. I probably won't be eating there again until I forget that I didn't feel well.)

Anyway, the point is, when I was done eating and about to throw my trash away, I noticed that I had lettuce in my hair. Cue the laughter that only I understood. This will explain it all:

I'm sure that a reason why I love this show so much is that a small portion (or maybe more) of me is just like Liz Lemon. Did you notice she was eating a turkey sub?

Once again, I praise this show, its writing and continuity, and Miss Tina Fey's portrayal of the woman who acts exactly how I feel sometimes. This comes from episode 01x06: Jack Meets Dennis.

I'm happy that 30 Rock is coming back in April because the last episode that aired (02x10: Coffee and TV) was probably my favorite so far. Liz sets out to purchase a condo, which I totally understand from my house hunting days. And on top of that, there's a musical feature with "Midnight Train to Georgia". So, you should check it out at nbc.com, or by clicking here.

Liz: "Look at those floors. I would walk all around inside of that."

I also like to sing show tunes really loudly.


End Blog.

Blockbuster Magic

One of my friends let me borrow her first and second season DVDs of Six Feet Under, knowing how addicted to marathons I get. I watched them all, and I love the show, which she knew would happen. Turns out season 2 ended in such a way that I NEED to see season 3. Now.

A plan is hatched. I know, you're thinking that I'd illegally download them from the internet. Well, you'd be wrong. And it's not just because finding the third season all by its lonesome is a difficult task and like, no one is seeding it. It's because it would take a few days. I'm not about to wait that long.

So, I picked up my three Blockbuster DVDs from the mail and decided I'd finally turn them all in (seeing as how I'd watched them all already). I was going to suck it up and only rent 3 of the 5 discs of season 3. I'd get over it. UNTIL...

As I was in the car, I remembered that I get two coupons for free rentals every month. That makes five things I can rent for free! The whole third season! Thank you Blockbuster! I love you!

So I did. I've never walked out of there with 5 DVDs before without paying one little penny. It was pretty cool. And now I'm going to plant myself firmly on the couch and watch as many as possible today. Now I kinda wish I hadn't slept so long so there was a chance of getting all the way through the season in a day. But, it's a good thing that I likely won't - because I will be in the same predicament for season 4, and I will no longer have the free rentals. I'd put them on my Blockbuster mailing queue, but they can't be trusted to send them in the proper order.

Hooray! I'm off to watch a season 3 marathon of Six Feet Under of my own creation! Happy Easter to me. I love that I'm watching a show about a funeral home on Easter.


End Blog.

Oh, PS, if you spoil me on what happens in this show, you'll be making your own trip to see the Fisher sons, and Rico will be in charge of your restoration.

Kristen Wiig = Favorite SNL Cast Member

Saturday Night Live has seen better days. Sure, I agree with that statement. But I think that the current women of SNL are really brilliant. I miss Tina Fey as an anchor on Weekend Update and her writing in general, but since I have 30 Rock now, I'm not complaining about her loss from the show. (I'm very happy she's moved on to bigger and better things.) Amy Poehler does a great job on SNL. But, I have to say, I am most impressed with cast member Kristen Wiig. More specifically her reoccurring character, Penelope.

She cracks me up to no end.

Please write more Penelope. I adore her and can't get enough.

The bit at the end where she says, "Oh, hi Tony the Tiger, how are you? ...Oh, just good? That's weird. I thought you'd be something else." BRILLIANT!!! Brilliant, I say!!

Really... more, please. It's Grrrrrrrrreat!


End Blog.

I Can Hear the Bells

Darn it! I thought Veronica Mars... I mean, Kristen Bell... was gonna be on Heroes last night. It's not until next week. And I started watching the show this season because I knew she'd be on it. Now the question is... do I really need to watch the episode I missed last night if she's not in it?

I found a picture of her character. She looks...
...just like Veronica Mars! All she needs is a camera with a telephoto lens or a shoulder bag. Where ever the heck that photo was taken even looks Veronica Mars-y.

By the way, I've also seen the guy who plays Wallace (Percy Daggs III) on a Hot Pockets commercial and her Criminology teacher, Professor Landry (Patrick Fabian), was on Pushing Daisies last week. (Which, by the way, is a super good show and you should watch it. Apparently the guy that does the voice over work is the same dude who does the Harry Potter books on tape, although I don't know if that's truth or not.)

I can't wait until next week to see her back in action. I really miss Veronica Mars. The CW was stupid when they canceled it.


End Blog.