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Amazing!

Happy Mardi Gras!

The party is going on down in New Orleans, though not as big as before. Part of me is happy it's happening, and part of me just cries at the thought. Either way, I kinda wish I could be there right now...

Clare Quilty

I loved Sunday night's episode of "#1 Single." When Lisa's friend Michael Panes grabbed her and kissed her in front of God and everybody, I squealed with delight. Being that I've always had a bit of a crush on Peter Sellers, it would naturally come to pass that I'd find Sellers-lookalike Michael Panes a cutie patootie, and I really hope he turns out to be a nice guy and not a cad (as the previews for next week's episode hint).

None of the TV blogs I read regularly have been talking about "#1 Single," and I was dying to read how other people reacted to the Kiss. So I bit the bullet and decided to check out "Television Without Pity" to see if they had a forum for it.

Big mistake. I was instantly reminded why I hate their forums so much. What a bunch of whiney haters. TWoP is not the place to go to if you like a show. But if you hate a show, have fun agreeing with the complainers. ('Cause if you don't, you'll likely get banned from the place.)

It Always Happens in Threes

A found farewell to Dennis Weaver, Don Knotts, and Darren McGavin, fine TV actors all of 'em.

It's Gonna Be Yooge

I've got a "Watches" post up on SFist now!

I promise it doesn't involve any cats.

Jump! Do It! GAAWWW!

I've got a season pass set for Vh-1's "Web Junk 20" because after spending an entire day at work looking at Internet sites, there's nothing I enjoy more than coming home and watching a TV show about stupid video clips found on Internet sites. The show is really just an updated version of "America's Funniest Home Videos" (which I'll admit to loving back in the early 90s) with Patrice O'Neal in the Bob Saget role.

This week they featured a clip of a guy yelling at his cats. Now, when I watched the clip on the show, I almost chocked I was laughing so hard. The guy's fake rage paired with the cats' reactions (some stared at him nonchalantly, others ran in fear) was just hilarious. On the show, they rarely show entire clips; it's a "top 20" show, and it's only 30 minutes long (really only about 20, minus commercials), and there just isn't time. So I decided to check out the show's iFilm site and watch the Yelling at Cats clip in its entirety.

For the first few seconds I was laughing as hard as I did while watching it on TV. But then it went on, and the yelling got more...disturbing. He screams that he's gonna rape one of the cats, and repeatedly calls them bitches. Also, some of the cats seem genuinely terrified of the guy, and I began to feel really guilty for thinking it was remotely funny in the first place.

I don't really have a point here, aside from finding affirmation that brevity is, indeed, the soul of wit.

Let's Go See Fatboy Slim!

My friend Tim just sent me this link to a Fatboy Slim video, and it's got to be one of the most awesome things ever.

If you hate kittens, you probably shouldn't watch it. Instead you can just sit there and ponder what happened to your soul.

Hey! When Do the Olympics Start?

Oh, yeah. They're pretty much over. I don't know if I should be proud of this or not, but I did not watch one single minute of Olympics coverage this year. Usually, I can't resist the pull of the ice skating competitions, but this time around, I just couldn't be bothered. Just give me back my regularly-scheduled programming already, OK?

Because All Other Roller Coasters Are Fictional

"Survivor: The Ride" is coming to Great America, and it's being marketed as the world's "first reality roller coaster." I don't know about that, but it sure sounds awful. One of my biggest peeves is any kind of "amusement" that requires audience participation and competition (unless said participation and competition comes in the form of anonymously answering trivia questions by pressing some kind of button).

But then again, I can literally SEE Great America from here, so I don't know if I'll be able to SURVIVE (har!) the temptation!

Fairy Police Stories

Tonight's episode of "Lost" is a re-run (of the two-hour pilot) so why don't you tune in to PBS instead, as they are starting their short series "Monty Python's Personal Best" tonight at 10:30pm. Those with digital cable will find plenty of other times to watch it as well.

None of the featured sketches will be anything new to fans of the show, but hearing what the boys have to say about them might be interesting, and amusing.

Fragrant Fashion

Fans of "Project Runway" probably already know about the one-off special, "Project Jay," which airs tonight at 11pm, but in case you don't here's your notice. Tonight. 11pm. Bravo. And then repeated every day until the new season starts.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Jay McCarroll's last season, but that had less to do with his designs than with his just giving off the impression that he probably doesn't smell very good. He looks like he'd be kind of stinky, and I wouldn't want to wear clothes crafted by a Smelly McStinkerson...This coming from a woman who regularly buys vintage clothing on eBay that comes shipped in boxes reeking of cigarette smoke.

Furious

OK...Maybe I'm not exactly furious, but I am really peeved. I bought some headphones, a lot like these, at Walgreen's about a month ago, and after three weeks, they stopped working. One channel went out completely, so that whenever I'd watch a DVD, I'd only hear the soundtrack and not the dialogue (which is a weird way for headphones to malfunction, but whatever). So I exchanged them for a new pair last week, and now those have broken too!

Now, I understand to some extent I get what I pay for because these headphones are only ten bucks, but COME ON! I'm not doing anything to these headphone to warrant this breakage, so it's obviously something wrong on their end.

And what annoys me the most is I liked the feel of these headphones a lot more than any others I've had. I have freakishly small ear holes, so ear buds just won't fit in there, and I don't want to get the kind that make me look like I've walked out of a '80s movie. I prefer the kind that are basically ear buds on a headband, and I wear them backwards, so that the headband is actually under my chin. (Easier to take on and off in a hurry, and doesn't mess the hair. Also, it makes me feel like a doctor listening to a stethoscope.) These were the first that actually felt comfortable...

So, if anyone has any other warnings, or suggestions, for my next purchase, please. Enlighten me!

The Adventures of a Mouthless Cat

News of this Hello Kitty series--done in claymation no less--has filled me with all kinds of joy...

Funny Weird, Not Funny Ha Ha

I've never heard of actor Michael J. Burg before, but found it kind of funny that he's appeared as Truman Capote in two different movies ("The Audrey Hepburn Story" and "The Hoax"), and is also IN "Capote," of course not as Truman Capote, but as Tennessee Williams.

Weird.

Commute Blogging!

It's Friday, and I haven't posted a damn thing. So before the bus pulls away and I lose my Internet connection, here's this item about Paul Rudd joining the cast of "Reno 911." I kind of thought he had on OK movie career going for himself there. Is an occasionally-amusing-show on basic cable really a step up?

Three day weekend, woo!

ALMOST Betrayed By TiVo - Again!

Though, perhaps it was my own stupidity this time around.

Last night, TiVo almost didn't record "Lost" again, because the "American Idol" episode before it had suddenly decided to run three minutes longer. Now, if I set "AI" with a higher priority than "Lost" then it's my own damn fault, but I really don't think I did, in which case why "Lost" didn't take precedence is a mystery.

What's that? Do I have anything interesting to say about last night's episode, or is this just another post full of inane rambling?

Ummm...I liked it?

Sawyer is an asshole, and I really felt sorry for Hurley. I'm still not buying that Sayid's feelings for Shannon are as deep as he's making them seem. That "Henry Gale" HAS to be an other, (and as pointed out elsewhere, the whole "Henry Gale," air balloon, "Wizard of Oz" thing is kind of cool). And I really got tense and excited there for the few seconds when the counter turned to hieroglyphics, and I haven't had that feeling watching this show in quite a while. I want more. Unfortunately, we'll all have to wait until March 1st for another new episode.

Praises Be

Remember the awkward awarding of some of the Oscars last year? How some were handed out in the seats, and some nominees were forced to stand on stage like they were reenacting the line-up scene from "The Usual Suspects"? ("Hand me the Oscar, you f*cking c*cksucker!")

Well, that won't be happening this year. But according to the article, there will be some weird musical chairs action going on in the audience.

WonderCon Powers, Activate!

My WonderCon report is now up on SFist.

Hopefully, my costume will be ready by next year's.

And There's a Picture of a Train

I Heart #1 Single!

And I don't care who knows!

Read more on SFist now!

Flash

Man, do weekends go by fast. I went to WonderCon Saturday (and will hopefully post something about that on SFist by Tuesday), and that was loads of fun. Sunday was supposed to be my get-stuff-done day, like laundry, and food shopping, and writing, and DVD and TiVo watching, and I couldn't manage to do much more than sleep.

I woke up around 10am, had some breakfast, did some house cleaning, visited for a bit with an aunt who came by to borrow some headphones, and after she left, I sat down to watch some TiVo. And promptly fell asleep for two hours. Then I woke up, did the dishes, paid some bills, and sat down to watch "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and fell asleep 30 minutes into it. When I woke up again it was 7pm.

So I didn't do laundry or shop for food, or get as much writing done as I would have liked, and now it's 11:30, and I need to go to bed for real.

All I can say is, thank heavens next weekend is a three-day holiday!

Spotted on MUNI!

I had a really weird celebrity spotting this morning. While riding the 47 down Van Ness at around 7:45am, Michael A. Goorjian got on the bus and sat next to me. Of course, I didn't remember his name, but I certainly remembered his face from the movie "SLC Punk" and the TV show "Party of Five." I have no idea why he was in town (or even if he lives here) but I would think one of the benefits of once starring in a TV show and maintaining a career as a working actor is you don't have to ride MUNI anymore.

Maybe he's a character actor preparing for a role as a disgruntled commuter.

Hey, What's on TV Tonight?

Besides the boring Olympics, of course.

I'll tell you what. FOUR episodes of "Arrested Development," THAT'S what.

And you can read some more on SFist now!

Watch and Ride

In answer to my own question, it looks like the latest "Lost" episode becomes available on iTunes the next morning. I'm downloadin' it now, and will watch it on the way to work tomorrow (or at least half of it, as TiVo did get the last half of the episode last night). BitTorrent just seems like more trouble than it's worth--at least to me--but I'm a computer moron who doesn't really get how it works. I downloaded something almost a year ago, and I can't remember how I did it. So, to me it's worth $1.99 to just click one button and be done with it. (Also, it's not really $1.99 as I still have credit on my gift card. Thanks again, Chuck!) (Oh, and also, it's more legal.)

I've been taking a shuttle to and from my new job, and so far it's going OK. It is a lot of time spent traveling every day, but the fact that it's a cushy tourist-style bus, and makes no stops, and is free, and doesn't require any driving from me, makes it worth it. I'm still trying to figure out how to reschedule my life around my work schedule, but I have liked that I can watch a lot of stuff on the shuttle, in the form of DVDs or download. The time spent on it is about one hour each way, and let's face it, those two hours are just hours I'd spend watching TV anyway, so I'm really not losing much of anything with that. Of course, there are some things I PREFER to see on a screen bigger than a laptop, but for the most part, I've really been digging just watchin' and ridin'.

Betrayed By TiVo Comcast!

CRAP! I just sat down to start watching tonight's episode of "Lost" only to find that while the cable box SAID it was on channel 7 it was, in fact, on channel 2. This has happened before, and I think it's technically an issue with my cable box. For some reason the channel doesn't actually change sometimes, no matter what it says, so you have to manually change the channel again for it to actually work.

DAMN it! How soon before new episodes are put up on iTunes? Do I have to wait another whole fracking day??

Worst Movie Tie-In Ever

The writer of the "Curious George" TV show was found dead in the trash.

S'Wonderful

I can't believe I haven't yet mentioned the fact that I am going to WonderCon this weekend. I am so excited, and I just can't hide it. It's not like there's going to be a ton of celebs there (at least not that they've announced yet) but the sheer spectacle of it all, and the vast geekitude of it, is just so awesome, it's enough to keep me entertained for hours.

Of course, there ARE celebs I'm anxious to see, like JJ Abrams, and Wes Craven, so how can I lose. And like my friend Michele said, it's awesome being in a huge crowd of guys wielding swords, and guns, and other weaponry, and knowing there's no way a fight is going to break out.

I'm a GOOD Moms, Y'all

There are some many things wrong with the whole Britney driving the baby (or is the baby driving Britney?) scandal, aside from the obvious. What's also crazy is that Brit thought pulling the baby from his car seat and placing him in her lap in order to speed away from the paparazzi was GETTING HIM OUT OF A DANGEROUS SITUATION. And the capper is, she did this knowing full well that there were photographers around!

Her attempts to justify it are just sad. The obvious truth is, she's just...stupid. I don't think she even thought for a second that driving a baby around like that was wrong.

And obviously, the guy sitting next to her ain't no rocket scientist neither.

Finally, a Summer Movie Worth Seeing!

The "Strangers With Candy" finally got a distributor!

Oh, Frack.

It seems everybody and their mothers have been telling me I should be watching "Battlestar Galactica." I get anonymous emails telling me to watch it. Strangers on the street have stopped me and told me to watch it. So, fine. I decided to watch it.

I had never bothered with it because I'm just not that big a fan of sci-fi space stories. I was scarred for life having to sit through episode after episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" because my boyfriend at the time was hot for Counselor Troi. I never watched the original "Battlestar" as a kid because it depressed me. I was a huge "Star Wars" fan, and watching "Battlestar Galactica" was just a constant reminder that it WASN'T "Star Wars," and that "Star Wars" wasn't going to be on TV for many, many years. (Home video wasn't an option back then. I'm old.)

But I figured I'd better take a look at this new incarnation before I get so far behind that I'd never have the time to catch-up. I got the three-hour miniseries from Netflix and watched it in one sitting.

And I liked it.

Frack!

I didn't fall head-over-heels for it like I have for other shows, like "Lost" for instance. But I instantly liked it a lot more than "Firefly." I like the end-of-the-world(s) scenario, and the bleakness of that. I like the female President thing. I like how they have to resort to really old (from the 1970s!) technology. Ultimately, I want to see how things turn out. I want to know if Earth really is a myth. I want to know if Boomer finds out who she really is. I want to know why the Cylons hate the humans so much. (There can't be a war just based on hatred, can there? Most wars happen because one side wants what the other side has. Do the Cylons want more planets or something?) And finally, I want to know why none of their paper has corners. I'm hooked. My only misgiving is that most of the raves I've read concentrate on how the show is really a drama that happens to be set in space, but so far I'm not that impressed by any of the acting on the show (aside from Mary McDonnel). I hope the rest of the actors can handle heavy personal drama.

So, once I finished the miniseries, I wanted to see the beginning of season 1. Unfortunately, the first disc has a long wait on Netflix, and my local video store didn't have it. iTunes to the rescue! Thanks to a generous gift certificate from Chuck, I was able to download the first four episodes of season 1, guilt-free. I watched the first episode on my iBook, and while it's not ideal (I think the DVDs are letterboxed, but the iTune download isn't. And I also have to watch it pretty small, or else the resolution turns to crap) it's fine for a few episodes--the rest of the discs on Netflix don't have a wait. And most importantly, if I end up having to commute to my new job on the train or a bus, I can spend that time watching the other episodes on my computer. Sweet!

Speaking of which, today's my first day, so posting will be at a minimum. As in, this is most likely it for the rest of the day!

I Watched the Superbowl Commercials

So you wouldn't have to.

Read about it onSFist now!

Everyone Has Their Types

The news that Jay Mohr and Nikki Cox are engaged amuses me. She was once engaged to Bob Goldthwait, and he was previously married to a model.

So, sure, there's nothing unusual about a guy being attracted to the model-type. But there is something funny about a model-type having an obvious yen for plain-looking comedians.

Creepy Is the New Cute

My review of "Blood Tea and Red String" is up on SFist now.

If you like stop-motion and cute/creepy things, I implore you to see this movie. It's playing tomorrow at the Roxie at noon.

You can watch a preview here.

The One Variable They Forgot...Was Love

Another one of those wacky re-edited movie trailers is making the rounds: "Brokeback to the Future." And I have to admit, it did make me laugh.

It's from the folks at Chocolate Cake City but their site is really slow right now. You'll probably have a better viewing experience if you watch it via YouTube:

I Wonder What They Think of That Old Jesus-as-a-Jello-Mold Joke

The American Family Association is all bent out of shape about the Britney Speaks "Will and Grace" episode because it "mocks the crucifixion of Christ."

Sigh.

My favorite quote from the release: "NBC does not treat Jews, Muslims or other religions with such disrespect. Yet the network demonstrates a deep of [sic] hostility toward followers of Christ."

I guess they never watched "Seinfeld."

Update: NBC is now saying the episode was never going to have any kind of "Christian characterization."

She-ya! RIGHT!

That's Stealing, Y'all

And that is SO not cool.

Britney Spears is going to appear on and episode of "Will and Grace" playing a conservative Christian with a cooking show called "Cruci-fixins."

Umm. That joke was hilarious the first time I heard it--on "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT."

Hacks.

Maybe It'll Be Better If Watched on a Teeny Tiny Screen

For those who are lamenting the loss of "The Book of Daniel" you'll be happy to know you can view the remaining episodes on the NBC site in the coming weeks.

But I'm still annoyed that people are focusing on the religious right's dislike of the show, and how that led to its cancellation. That may in fact be the case, but the bottom line is, the show was really, really bad, and didn't deserve to remain on the air just to prove a point.