When we last left our adventuring twosome they had just completed a day of hip injuries, tension & musical outbursts!
Wednesday, May 25
Ahhhh! Today is wine tasting day! Yippeeeee!
Before we head off to Solvang we have to make a stop in San Luis Obispo to check out the Madonna Inn. I found the Madonna Inn online and we wrestled with the decision of whether or not to stay there. They have amazing rooms with all sorts of zany themes. Our favorite was the caveman room (check out the website www.madonnainn.com/). But at $225 a night, this didn’t fall into our budget and so we had to settle for a coffee visit.
The restaurant was P I N K. Whoa. It was pink and velvety. We did a little exploring and found some fun rooms downstairs as well. I vaguely remember a room that resembled a wine cellar. We were a little sad that we didn’t get to spend the night, but then again, $225 is a bit pricey.
Our next stop in SLO (which is a big college town) is Bubblegum Alley. Apparently people from all over stop in this alley and leave their gum on the walls. For some unbeknownst reason, I thought this would be a good idea to check out. What can I say, I had Willy Wonka visions in my head. I thought it would be all bright and fun. It turned out to be monumentally gross, and we didn’t even cross the street to get a closer look.
Bah! Why did we waste time on bubblegum when there is wine to be drunk?
We got into Solvang around lunchtime and decided to make another Star Wars stop at BK. These BK folks are a lot more accommodating than the first BK crew, but they do not have as much of a selection. I was scared for a hot second but, I ended up with darth maul (thank you mikey) so I am a happy KT. I almost forgot the funniest part of our BK trip! Michael dropped his BK toy under the table and had to climb underneath another person to get it! Hahahah! It was so funny!
Solvang was founded by a group of Danish immigrants in 1911. I have no idea why they came to California and set up camp if they liked Denmark so much, but anyhoo, they made a mini-Denmark and there are cobblestone streets and delicious pastries (Danish danishes) and windmills.
We check into Svendgaard’s Danish Lodge (our second motel of the trip) and head out for some wine! After a brief detour (we got a little lost by no fault of our own…badly labeled map!!) and a stop at an ostrich farm (FYI, ostrich jerky=bad. I should have known this since you are only suppose to order ostrich rare or medium rare) we finally make it to Sanford Winery.
Now I just want to officially note that I made the plan for a Santa Ynez Valley stop pre-Sideways. The region has been getting bombarded by tourists since the movie came out. But I do my research! Our plan was to hit 4 different vineyards in the afternoon and then stop at the Hitching Post for dinner….
We started off at Sanford Vineyard. http://www.sanfordwinery.com/winery/tasting.cfm For those of you that have seen Sideways, this is where Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church first stop at; where Giamatti teaches Church how to sniff wine. The tasting room is kind of a homey-shack. It is an old dairy barn. Anyway it is pretty amusing because it is stocked with Sideways paraphernalia and Chris, the guy who runs the tasting room played himself in the movie. He seemed pretty cool but I think the Sideways topic gets old for him after a while. Anyhoo you pay $5 to taste 4 wines and then if you decide to buy a wine you get $5 off. Hmmm. Tasty wines! A blush pinot noir! Craziness! And I like it! Even crazier! After tasting our wines (+5 for California wineries and hooking up visitors with more than a teensy taste!) we head off to Mosby!
Mosby is known for Cal-Italia wines. If I remember correctly, that means that the grapes are from California but are made into wine using an Italian style. http://www.mosbywines.com/new/mainpage.php
I wasn’t sure how to feel about Mosby, but Michael was a little apprehensive. What a surprise! Mosby turns out to be our favorite stop of the day! All the wine is tasty (I believe we tasted 5 wines) and then the dessert wine kicks me in the butt. Wow. I think I’m getting a little buzzed out here.
I can’t remember the woman’s name who worked at Mosby but she was awesome and she was married to Chris from Sanford! Hahaah. She took an awesome picture of us in front of the vineyard. I bought 2 more bottles of wine and Michael gave in and purchased one as well. Mikey also joined the wine taster’s club to get wine in the mail, but unfortunately there are a whole bunch of states (including MD & NJ) that don’t allow vineyards to ship wine directly to consumers. Bah! Hey ya know what, if you like wine and you think this sucks, go check out http://freethegrapes.org/index.html.
At this point, we’re feeling pretty good. We decide that there is no way in hell we are going to 4 wineries. Our next stop is our last stop. We head over to Sunstone Winery but they are packed and we like it better when we get lots of attention. So we bust out and head over to Kalyra which uses California and Australian grapes for their wine. http://www.kalyrawinery.com/ At this point it is getting HOT and we are tasting 6 more wines. We learn that KT does NOT LIKE Australian Riesling. I do however, like the breadsticks at Kalyra. Whatever Michael, I was drunk and I was hot!!!!
After our tasting (You know I’m drunk, I bought a white wine!!) we decide to head back to the motel so we can nap pre-dinner. After we sleep off our wine and decide to check out a little bit of Solvang. Too bad everything in Solvang closes at 4. What the crap! What kind of tourist trap town is this! Tourist trap towns should be open at least until 7. Anyhoo, it appeared to be a cute town, I wish we would have gotten to see some more of the shops.
By the time we got to the Hitching Post I was famished. Unfortunately, my wine drinking from earlier in the day has precluded me from enjoying my Hitching Post wine. Our meal was mighty tasty, the steak was cooked perfectly and was amazingly delicious. You get a lot of food for the money you pay. After our meal we go back to the motel and Michael watches American Idol crown Carrie Underwood as the champ.
The next morning I have a financial crisis. I have been keeping a running list of all the money I spent, taking daily deductions. Somewhere along the way I started to calculate my deductions in the opposite way that I had been doing it previously. So I am faced with the daunting notion that I have 3 days and about $75. Lovely. Michael decides that he is going to Damn the Man and he goes to the smack machine so that he can drain the remainder of his checking account before the bank catches on.
Hmm. What is the best way to forget your financial woes? A Danish danish of course. Michael kept yelling at me that all danishes are Danish but I disagree. Most danishes are not authentic danishes, so I was very excited to try some super tasty, super fattening danishes. We popped our heads into the Solvang Bakery and ordered a chocolate éclair and an apple danish to split. We also each ordered our own danishes. For me, strawberry and cheese, for Michael, cheese and powdered sugar. Hot Damn! Them danishes were delic!!!! We leave Solvang as we are stuffing our faces with tasty Danish treats. Now we are off to Santa Barbara!
Unfortunately it was an overcast day in Santa Barbara. We a drive by downtown, lots of shops line the streets and ohhhhh! Lots of expensive vehicles. We park next to the famous palm tree lined street and head over to the pier. Nothing especially exciting here so we grab some postcards and head off to SB’s #1 tourist attraction, the Santa Barbara Misssion.
OH. My. God. This is my worse nightmare. Children everywhere. Running around, wild and yelling and screaming and definitely not under control. So we take a picture if front of the Santa Barabara Mission's lovely fountain and we get the hell out of there. Maybe it would have been nice to go inside and check out the Mission, but most likely I would have committed mass murder.
As we make our way to LA something absolutely terrifying hits me. We are about to hit one of the most traffic clogged cities in America and Michael is driving! Dant Dant Dannnnnnnnnt!
It is not that I think Michael is a horrendous driver, but there is something about Maryland drivers, they are too leisurely, too pleasant. There is no sense of urgency in their driving, no aggression, no offense or defense…they are just happy to tra la la their way around town. Really, I’m not kidding. I lived in Maryland for six months and I was deathly afraid that the MD driver mindset would overtake me, thankfully I moved to Philly…hee hee..now that mindset I like…anyhoo…yeah, so Michael driving into LA was like that scene in the Lion King. Happy little Simba in the middle of a stampede. And then, we hit the LA parking lot traffic. It is 2:15! Don’t any of these jerks have jobs!!!!
I have to give Michael a lot of credit, he got us safe and sound to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.
Ahhh the Westin Bonaventure! This hotel (which is massive) was in a number of movies including Forget Paris and True Lies. For me though, it is all about Midnight Madness. How can you beet Pabst Blue Ribbon and “Look Between the Two Giant Melons” and little angry teenage Michael J Fox? You can’t!!! So yeah, I was pretty excited about this joint.
The Bonaventure is in downtown LA so if you are ever going for pleasure you probably won’t stay here as downtown LA is BORING. If we were staying for longer than 1 night I probably would have coughed up the cash for Santa Monica or WeHO but since we were in LA for a total of 15 hours it really didn’t matter to much.
Westin Bonaventure
Water Pressure 3
Temp Control 4
Staff Helpfulness 5
Coffee 3
Noise Level 3
Beds 3.5
Décor 4.5 (We really really liked the décor of the rooms)
Facilities 4
+5 for moving us to another room because the AC unit was making crazy noises.
+2 For empty fridge!!!
After we are settled we decide to check out the huge food court the Bonaventure has. There are many choices and we go with Chinese. Unfortunately it is the end of the day so I’m not sure that the food is so fresh, but I’ve had worse.
I want to relay a little story that shows how in sync (tee hee hee) Michael and I are, even when I’m about to murder him.
After eating yucky chinese I was a little tired; Michael was finishing up his meal. For some reason I began to become irrationally annoyed by his entire existence. I started to stare at him while he was eating. It was like a scene from a movie. Watching him in slow motion shoveling food into his mouth and becoming more disgusted with him as the seconds went on…and then just as I was reaching my breaking point Michael looked up at me and smiled. “I feel like you are looking at me like we are in a movie and you are completely sickened by me and can’t wait for me to stop stuffing my face.”
A few hours later Nellie & Francine were at our door! Hooray! They told us a horrifying story in which they encountered a bear while camping just this morning! They are lucky to have escaped with their lives!!! EEEEE! Then Kim & Andy Green were in our room! EEE! What a wacky Rutgers Reunion! I get a hold of my West Coast Clone, Erin, and we decide to go for some Mexican! In further proof that she is in fact my west coast clone, Erin is sporting an “I love pirates” shirt and when I tell her about the mountain lions she asks if I "went all Parent Trap with two sticks"!!!! I heart Erin!!!! Dinner at El Choro was tasty, I enjoyed my margarita and then we headed over to the Irish Pub for a few beers. It was a very entertaining evening with friends that I don’t get to see as often as I like….(COUGH new Orleans hint hint)…
Stay Tuned for our thrilling conclusion…San Diego!!!!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Fall TV Casting News!!
The Fall TV Season is about a month away and there is all kinds of buzz and news flying around!
First off, the big news; James Marsters is joining the Smallville cast for a multi-episode arc. Hopefully Smallville will be on the WB’s Easy View on Sunday afternoons because my Thursday is already over booked. Anyhoo, Marsters will play Brainiac. That sounds vaguely familiar, but overall I’m just pretty excited about my little spikey getting some work. Also, the WB officially said that the ball is in Joss’ court in regards to the Spike Movie. Get on it Joss! In other Smallville news, Tom Wopat will also make a guest starring appearance. For those of you that don’t know, Tom Wopat was Luke Duke. Hahaha that’s awesome because Super Teen’s dad on the show is John Schneider who was Bo Duke!!! Plus Dean Cain may make a special appearance as well!!! Ingenious Casting Stunts over at Smallville!
Other WB casting scoop--Jason Lewis, who SATC fans will remember as Samantha’s beau Smith Jarred, will join the Charmed cast as a love interest for Alyssa Milano.
Guess what! Soul Patch Tony has signed on for the next season of 24! What will this mean for Tony & Michelle’s escape from CTU work at the end of last season? Will Tony make it through another season alive or will he be brought back just so we can see how happy he has been before he is killed. Ohhh Be Careful Soul Patch!!!
As I told you last week it seems that The Inside is done. Don’t feel too bad for the leading lady, she has signed on to play a rookie agent next year on Alias. And, I heard some gossip today…I won’t count this as spoilerish because it is just my guess. But today the E! Gossip Guru said that someone we all love is going to leave a show this year and it will leave us devastated. When asked for more information, she said “ You will be broadsided”. Which makes me believe that Mr. Vaughn is the one on his way out. Any other thoughts? I tell ya, I’m really scared for next year. Sydney preggers, Vaughn’s secret identity, Nadia comatose and gone for the season. Yikes!!!
At a Veronica Mars event (which you should all be watching TONIGHT at 9PM on UPN!!!) Charisma Carpenter said she’s working out twice a day because she wants to be WonderWoman!!! Maybe this is how Joss can make up for Cordelia’s downward spiral, give Charisma WonderWoman. I’m down with it.
In case you missed all of my subtle hints, Firefly is now airing on SciFi Fridays at 7.
Wonderfalls is airing Thursdays on Logo.
Veronica Mars airs Wednesdays at 9 on UPN but you can also check it out for 3 weeks on Friday nights on CBS.
Mini Movie Reviews Sponsored by Netflix:
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
I tried to go into this movie with a completely open mind, and I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t really like it too much either. I feel like I’ll have more of an opinion if I catch it on cable a few times, but I really have no desire to see it again. There were parts that I enjoyed but the oompa-loompas were annoying and you know there is a problem when you are looking at Johnny Depp but thinking about Gene Wilder. I wanted Burton & Depp to make a movie that would take me away from the original but I just kept thinking, I really want to go home and watch Gene Wilder!!
Wedding Crashers
Highly amusing. I’m not sure this one will stand have the repetition factor of other movies (i.e. Zoolander, Swingers, Napolean Dynamite) but I laughed heartily…mostly at Vince Vaughn. Someone mentioned to me that this movie could be what happens to Vaughn’s character, Trey from Swingers, if he started crashing weddings. I think this is a good assessment.
Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason
I was a bit scared of this one. The first Bridget Jones movie is one of my favorites and I knew that this one could measure up, and of course it didn’t. But it was entertaining for the most part. My biggest issue was that in the first film Bridget was a woman who was a mess, but a realistic mess. This time around she was a bit too cartoonish for my taste. Gotta love Hugh Grant though.
Up next on Netflix:
Dead Zone Season 1
Ed Wood
National Treasure
I’m halfway through Season 1 of 21 Jumpstreet and loving it! I’m keeping a running total of notable guest stars!
First off, the big news; James Marsters is joining the Smallville cast for a multi-episode arc. Hopefully Smallville will be on the WB’s Easy View on Sunday afternoons because my Thursday is already over booked. Anyhoo, Marsters will play Brainiac. That sounds vaguely familiar, but overall I’m just pretty excited about my little spikey getting some work. Also, the WB officially said that the ball is in Joss’ court in regards to the Spike Movie. Get on it Joss! In other Smallville news, Tom Wopat will also make a guest starring appearance. For those of you that don’t know, Tom Wopat was Luke Duke. Hahaha that’s awesome because Super Teen’s dad on the show is John Schneider who was Bo Duke!!! Plus Dean Cain may make a special appearance as well!!! Ingenious Casting Stunts over at Smallville!
Other WB casting scoop--Jason Lewis, who SATC fans will remember as Samantha’s beau Smith Jarred, will join the Charmed cast as a love interest for Alyssa Milano.
Guess what! Soul Patch Tony has signed on for the next season of 24! What will this mean for Tony & Michelle’s escape from CTU work at the end of last season? Will Tony make it through another season alive or will he be brought back just so we can see how happy he has been before he is killed. Ohhh Be Careful Soul Patch!!!
As I told you last week it seems that The Inside is done. Don’t feel too bad for the leading lady, she has signed on to play a rookie agent next year on Alias. And, I heard some gossip today…I won’t count this as spoilerish because it is just my guess. But today the E! Gossip Guru said that someone we all love is going to leave a show this year and it will leave us devastated. When asked for more information, she said “ You will be broadsided”. Which makes me believe that Mr. Vaughn is the one on his way out. Any other thoughts? I tell ya, I’m really scared for next year. Sydney preggers, Vaughn’s secret identity, Nadia comatose and gone for the season. Yikes!!!
At a Veronica Mars event (which you should all be watching TONIGHT at 9PM on UPN!!!) Charisma Carpenter said she’s working out twice a day because she wants to be WonderWoman!!! Maybe this is how Joss can make up for Cordelia’s downward spiral, give Charisma WonderWoman. I’m down with it.
In case you missed all of my subtle hints, Firefly is now airing on SciFi Fridays at 7.
Wonderfalls is airing Thursdays on Logo.
Veronica Mars airs Wednesdays at 9 on UPN but you can also check it out for 3 weeks on Friday nights on CBS.
Mini Movie Reviews Sponsored by Netflix:
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
I tried to go into this movie with a completely open mind, and I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t really like it too much either. I feel like I’ll have more of an opinion if I catch it on cable a few times, but I really have no desire to see it again. There were parts that I enjoyed but the oompa-loompas were annoying and you know there is a problem when you are looking at Johnny Depp but thinking about Gene Wilder. I wanted Burton & Depp to make a movie that would take me away from the original but I just kept thinking, I really want to go home and watch Gene Wilder!!
Wedding Crashers
Highly amusing. I’m not sure this one will stand have the repetition factor of other movies (i.e. Zoolander, Swingers, Napolean Dynamite) but I laughed heartily…mostly at Vince Vaughn. Someone mentioned to me that this movie could be what happens to Vaughn’s character, Trey from Swingers, if he started crashing weddings. I think this is a good assessment.
Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason
I was a bit scared of this one. The first Bridget Jones movie is one of my favorites and I knew that this one could measure up, and of course it didn’t. But it was entertaining for the most part. My biggest issue was that in the first film Bridget was a woman who was a mess, but a realistic mess. This time around she was a bit too cartoonish for my taste. Gotta love Hugh Grant though.
Up next on Netflix:
Dead Zone Season 1
Ed Wood
National Treasure
I’m halfway through Season 1 of 21 Jumpstreet and loving it! I’m keeping a running total of notable guest stars!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Mikey & KT have some tense moments in California!
Monday, May 23
We are very pleased to start our day this fine morning because we are on our way out of San Francisco and headed to the scenic town of Monterey. San Francisco has beaten us down a little bit and we are ready to head to the beach for some much needed relaxation. Actually, our morning was a little stressful because there was a gazillion people at the Budget Car Rental and obnoxious French men in front of us and we really, really wanted to bash the Budget clerk’s head against the counter. Miraculously we escape without indulging in our homicidal urges and when we see our sweet ride (yeah you know it Chevy Malibu…with a moon roof!) we finally relax.
First stop of the day is Santa Cruz! Such a sunny, wonderful day! Perfect for roller coaster riding!
We have come to Santa Cruz to ride the oldest wooden roller coaster in the US! Hooray! I like it here. It reminds me of a clean seaside. But what the crap are all these kids doing here? Don’t they have school in California?? Luckily it is early enough in the season that it is not packed and we bust a move to the Giant Dipper. I am a big wussy so of course I grab Michael’s arm and squeal during the entire ride. Fun Times.
After our coaster ride we check out the boardwalk and end up in an arcade. Holy Moly! They have Off Road! That was one of my favorite games back in the day! Ohhh! Donkey Kong! I choose Tetris (and perform most disappointedly) and Michael tries his hand at Frogger. Unfortunately he doesn’t fare much better, but we don’t have time to wallow in our arcade game failures, we must depart for Monterey!!!
We have a nice ride today, it is only about an hour from Santa Cruz to Monterey and before you know it we are pulling up in front of the Green Gables Inn http://www.greengablesinnpg.com/.
This was my first experience with a Bed & Breakfast. I have wanted to try one for quite some time and now I’m afraid I’ve ruined myself…I can’t imagine it getting much better. The staff was very friendly, the room was quite large and the view…wowie zowie! We are directly across the street from the ocean and our window points directly at the water. It was wonderful!
Monterey is known for an AMAZING aquarium. So as soon as we drop off our things we start our walk to the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/. Ahhh. What a lovely walk this is! We stop for a few moments to gaze at the sea lions that are just hanging out on the beachfront. Wow. That’s awesome! Wildlife in the… wild!
The aquarium was pretty rad. They have a ginormous tank with all kinds of marine life…it was especially cool to sit and watch the anchovy schools moving in unison (just like in Finding Nemo). Michael’s favorite part of the aquarium was the jellyfish. Which is pretty funny considering they are not Michael’s favorite when HE is in the ocean. Anyhoo, we stand in front of the darkened tanks and watch the pink glowing jellyfish move about. Hmmmm relaxation. It is at this point that we decide that when sporto finally becomes famous (and I am his personal cruise director) we will have a jellyfish tank set up in his room and he will have allotted “tranquil time” that must not be disturbed!
After the aquarium we walk around the Monterey Cannery and buy some wine to go along with our Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Wait, what is that! Belly rumbling! Hungry! We consider a few options at the Cannery but we are getting short on money (we got a little over excited in Seattle and spend a tad bit too much)…Then Michael remembers that the B&B offers appetizers and wine from 4-6. EEEE! It is 5:15! We motor back to the Green Gables Inn and thank the heavens there is food left! It is not a huge spread but there is some crackers & bread along with some veggie sticks and a macaroni & cheese type dish. It is not amazing cuisine but it does the trick!
Technically we are staying in Pacific Grove. There is a path that goes around the perimeter of Monterey and Pacific Grove and finally into Carmel. After we finished eating we decide to explore Pacific Grove down this path. Maybe we’ll even catch the sunset!
It was a really fantastic walk, exactly what we needed. It was a laid back day, just walking along the ocean, climbing rocks (although Michael did risk injury by traversing the rocks with flip flops!) and watching the waves crash. Perfect. Looking back, it was definitely one of the best days of the trip. Probably in my Top 3. At one point, while we were walking along the path we saw 2 surfers. But as we got closer we realized that there was one surfer and a seal! How awesome is that!
Back at the Green Gables we decide to grab some hot drinks (courtesy of the Inn) and sit on a bench and watch the waves crash around us. It was sick! The tide was coming in and waves were clobbering all the rocks that we saw this afternoon. There was spray everywhere!
We ended the evening with a delicious Cow Girl Creamery Cheese Plate (professionally presented by Michael Wood) and some not bad wine. I fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves outside my window. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Tues, May 24
We are very, very sad to leave the Green Gables Inn. We have some complimentary breakfast and head out to Big Sur/San Simeon and Cambria!
After the hell drive on Rt. 1 to San Francisco we are, understandably, a little tense about the ride to Big Sur. For all we know it is 94 miles of perilous curves and terrifying drops! But our fears are eased almost immediately as we see the crystal blue water and (hooray) guardrails!!!
Again, I almost feel like my attempts at describing what we saw are futile. When I tell you this water was blue…I mean, you just have never seen anything like this. I suppose people who have been to the Caribbean or Hawaii have similar experiences but the only water I know is the Atlantic. I mean, yes, I did see the Pacific when I went to LA, but this was astounding. So blue. It was just gorgeous. CRAZY!!
We make our first Big Sur stop at Pfeiffer-Big Sur State park to see a waterfall. Allegedly it is a 2 mile walk to check this thing out. Fooled you! The path is closed (a tree is blocking the way) and we must detour on a longer (and more treacherous) hike! For the love of God! People do this for pleasure! As I huff & puff my way up the mountain I see a most disturbing sign! What! Mountain Lions! Oh, it says mountain lions are not likely, but they show up from time to time! And they are unpredictable and go for children first! EEEEE! As if the bears weren’t bad enough! And what is this park thinking, hiding the sign deep into the path so now I’m already committed to seeing this frikkin waterfall. For a moment, I considered going all Parent Trap and grabbing two wooden sticks and banging them together to ward off the mountain lions. EEEE! I hate nature!
Oh my god. I’m going to die. In this frikkin forest just because I wanted to see a frikkin waterfall. I’m going to die all sweaty and dirty and then a mountain lion is going to find me and chow down on my flesh!!!! I HATE NATUR…oh wait. There is the waterfall! Hallelauhia! Wow. I risked my life for that? I mean, don’t get me wrong. It is pretty. But if I had known that was what I was getting all sweaty for (and risking my precious life) I may have waited in the car.
Unfortunately I am only safe in the Malibu for a few moments before we see the entrance to Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park. Ugh. I can not take any more nature walks! Wait! Our trusty guidebook says that is a 5 minute walk to the waterfall. SWEET! We head out and Hooray! It is only a 5 min walk and there are no hills and no mountain lion warnings! McWay Falls is awesome! It is a waterfall that goes right into a crystal blue lagoon. I have to say I much prefer ocean-cliff-lagoon waterfalls as opposed to forest-rock-stream waterfalls.
After our waterfall excursion we head over to Nepenthe for lunch. Nepenthe is stuck in the side of a mountain and offers an amazing view of Big Sur. We had a very tasty, but a bit overpriced, meal. I had a super duper tasty portabella sandwich with fontina cheese and red pepper aioli. MMMM. So good!
After our meal Michael and I have our second dangerously close to an argument moment. I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible as I relay the story.
We feel a bit more comfortable driving because there are guardrails, but make no mistake, there are still cliffs and rocks and treacherous curves that can throw you off the mountain! So I got a little irritated when Michael (as he is driving) continually stole glances out the window, hoping to see a whale. I assured him that if I saw a whale I would notify him immediately, but I continued to catch him looking out the window!!! Luckily, we escaped the situation without a throwdown over whales. Although looking back, I’m sure it would have been highly amusing if (on day 13) we pulled the car over and had a knock down, drag out brawl over whale watching.
Although we dodged an argument, we were still on tension level red. So as the time started to tick by and I realized that we would most likely miss our tour time for Hearst Castle, I started to get a little jumpy. Thankfully, Michael didn’t throw me out of the car.
Have I mentioned Michael’s mysterious hip injury? (KT side note, Michael, have you gotten this examined yet? You have not mentioned it!) I’m pretty sure when we got off the plane from Seattle Michael’s hip started to hurt. If he was in one sitting position for too long, his hip would start to ache. Then we would have to slowly “walk it off”. For 99% of the trip this was not a big deal. But we pulled into San Simeon and Hearst Castle an hour late. I knew there was a later tour at 3:20, but wasn’t sure if there was room or if they would let us switch tours.
So when I busted out of the car and started toward the building I was not happy to see Michael hanging on the side of the car. Yes. It was a low moment. Poor sporto all injured and not able to move because of the mysterious hip injury. And I was yelling to hurry up.
We made it to the ticket window and everything was ok. Of course after the “incident” I was sure to be extra nice to sporto and we enjoyed our tour of Hearst Castle. I have to take this moment to give a little shout to the power of music. I definitely believe that if not for Britney and the Buffy Musical, Michael and I might have had some serious issues along this trip!!
Hearst Castle http://www.hearstcastle.com/tours/index.asp is where William Randolph Hearst lived. It is humongous. You have to take a tour bus up this crazy hill to get to the house. CRAZY!! The estate is so huge that there are 5 different tours!!! We went on Tour 2, which focused on The Guest Library, Gothic Suite and 4 guest rooms. We also saw the outside pool, which was amazing, and the indoor pool, which had gold in the floor! Wowie.
After our Hearst Castle tour we headed into Cambria. For some reason, Cambria is pronounced Came-bria. Weird West Coasters! Anyhoo, Cambria is a big adventure for us because we are staying at the Bridge Street Inn, which is a kind of B&B/hostel. http://www.bridgestreetinncambria.com/
The inn is run by Ann, who is a really nice hippie. Can’t escape the hippies on the West Coast. But Ann is a cool hippie and the house is very sweet. Most people don’t describe houses as sweet, but this place was very welcoming and home with a pinch of quirk. We drop our stuff and head off to the Main St Grill to try some Santa Maria Style BBQ (grilling over local red oak)! Oh wait, I totally forgot! Michael and I wanted to see Star Wars because we were supposed to see it in LA and someone *coughnelliecough* saw it and didn’t like and was against seeing it again!!! So after we dropped our stuff I asked Ann where the closest movie theater was. I figured we could walk to dinner and then the movie. The closest movie theater was 25 miles away! Holy Lord! How do you live in such a place!!!!
So yeah, the Main Street Grill. I think this was one of my favorite meals. It was no fuss, and so tasty and I find myself thinking about that sandwich every now and again. The Main St Grill is a huge restaurant that looks like a cafeteria, but really it serves the tastiest BBQ Tri Tip Sandwiches. HMMM So delicious. The meat is still a little red and with dripping bbq sauce. HMMM!
After dinner we decided to investigate Cambria, the town with no movie theater! We went to the Moonstone Beach Grill for a glass of wine and some dessert. http://www.moonstonebeach.com/mb-main.htm The Moonstone Grill is right next to the water and it was nice to sit and relax with a drink. Until… a bunch of seagulls harassed us! We tried to catch the sunset again, but our waiter was no where to be found and by the time we paid our bill….it was too late. Very sad.
The beach in Cambria was not too impressive but it was a very eventful walk. Why?
Let me tell you a little something about Michael. He is constantly singing little ditties about what he is doing. For example, if we were walking in Seattle Michael might sing something like, ‘We’re going to the market. Going to the market, bop, bop, gonna buy me a belt buckle…’. Anyway you get the idea. So I’ve been dealing with musical interludes for the last 12 days.
Michael and I were walking along the ugly Cambria beach when he broke out into the Cambria Song. Cam-BRI-AAAAAA! Cam-BRI-AAAA! Before I knew what was happening I joined in! And there we were, in the middle of California, trying to harmonize the Cambria song.
It gets better.
I was pretty disappointed with my performance so I said, “Ya know, I’m really a lower register. We should try that again.”
Now, I’m sure this is not 1/10000 as funny to you as it was to us. Michael literally was falling over he was laughing so hard. He had penetrated my brain and now I was singing little ditties too! And so serious about it that I wanted to try again so that it would sound good. Now I was concerned. What would happen to me when I was back in North Brunswick with Jay off to Shoprite? Would I break into song? ShoooppppppRiiiiitttte! Shopppppriitttteeee! It would not be good. (KT Update: Thankfully, my spontaneous singing outbursts seem to be a West Coast affliction).
After our musical moment, we head back to the Bridge Street Inn and call it a night. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country!
Stay tuned for Solvang, a little town with a Denmark complex, tasty treats and lots of wine! Santa Barbara & Michael takes on the traffic capital of the world so we can meet up with some ol Rutgers friends!
We are very pleased to start our day this fine morning because we are on our way out of San Francisco and headed to the scenic town of Monterey. San Francisco has beaten us down a little bit and we are ready to head to the beach for some much needed relaxation. Actually, our morning was a little stressful because there was a gazillion people at the Budget Car Rental and obnoxious French men in front of us and we really, really wanted to bash the Budget clerk’s head against the counter. Miraculously we escape without indulging in our homicidal urges and when we see our sweet ride (yeah you know it Chevy Malibu…with a moon roof!) we finally relax.
First stop of the day is Santa Cruz! Such a sunny, wonderful day! Perfect for roller coaster riding!
We have come to Santa Cruz to ride the oldest wooden roller coaster in the US! Hooray! I like it here. It reminds me of a clean seaside. But what the crap are all these kids doing here? Don’t they have school in California?? Luckily it is early enough in the season that it is not packed and we bust a move to the Giant Dipper. I am a big wussy so of course I grab Michael’s arm and squeal during the entire ride. Fun Times.
After our coaster ride we check out the boardwalk and end up in an arcade. Holy Moly! They have Off Road! That was one of my favorite games back in the day! Ohhh! Donkey Kong! I choose Tetris (and perform most disappointedly) and Michael tries his hand at Frogger. Unfortunately he doesn’t fare much better, but we don’t have time to wallow in our arcade game failures, we must depart for Monterey!!!
We have a nice ride today, it is only about an hour from Santa Cruz to Monterey and before you know it we are pulling up in front of the Green Gables Inn http://www.greengablesinnpg.com/.
This was my first experience with a Bed & Breakfast. I have wanted to try one for quite some time and now I’m afraid I’ve ruined myself…I can’t imagine it getting much better. The staff was very friendly, the room was quite large and the view…wowie zowie! We are directly across the street from the ocean and our window points directly at the water. It was wonderful!
Monterey is known for an AMAZING aquarium. So as soon as we drop off our things we start our walk to the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/. Ahhh. What a lovely walk this is! We stop for a few moments to gaze at the sea lions that are just hanging out on the beachfront. Wow. That’s awesome! Wildlife in the… wild!
The aquarium was pretty rad. They have a ginormous tank with all kinds of marine life…it was especially cool to sit and watch the anchovy schools moving in unison (just like in Finding Nemo). Michael’s favorite part of the aquarium was the jellyfish. Which is pretty funny considering they are not Michael’s favorite when HE is in the ocean. Anyhoo, we stand in front of the darkened tanks and watch the pink glowing jellyfish move about. Hmmmm relaxation. It is at this point that we decide that when sporto finally becomes famous (and I am his personal cruise director) we will have a jellyfish tank set up in his room and he will have allotted “tranquil time” that must not be disturbed!
After the aquarium we walk around the Monterey Cannery and buy some wine to go along with our Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Wait, what is that! Belly rumbling! Hungry! We consider a few options at the Cannery but we are getting short on money (we got a little over excited in Seattle and spend a tad bit too much)…Then Michael remembers that the B&B offers appetizers and wine from 4-6. EEEE! It is 5:15! We motor back to the Green Gables Inn and thank the heavens there is food left! It is not a huge spread but there is some crackers & bread along with some veggie sticks and a macaroni & cheese type dish. It is not amazing cuisine but it does the trick!
Technically we are staying in Pacific Grove. There is a path that goes around the perimeter of Monterey and Pacific Grove and finally into Carmel. After we finished eating we decide to explore Pacific Grove down this path. Maybe we’ll even catch the sunset!
It was a really fantastic walk, exactly what we needed. It was a laid back day, just walking along the ocean, climbing rocks (although Michael did risk injury by traversing the rocks with flip flops!) and watching the waves crash. Perfect. Looking back, it was definitely one of the best days of the trip. Probably in my Top 3. At one point, while we were walking along the path we saw 2 surfers. But as we got closer we realized that there was one surfer and a seal! How awesome is that!
Back at the Green Gables we decide to grab some hot drinks (courtesy of the Inn) and sit on a bench and watch the waves crash around us. It was sick! The tide was coming in and waves were clobbering all the rocks that we saw this afternoon. There was spray everywhere!
We ended the evening with a delicious Cow Girl Creamery Cheese Plate (professionally presented by Michael Wood) and some not bad wine. I fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves outside my window. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Tues, May 24
We are very, very sad to leave the Green Gables Inn. We have some complimentary breakfast and head out to Big Sur/San Simeon and Cambria!
After the hell drive on Rt. 1 to San Francisco we are, understandably, a little tense about the ride to Big Sur. For all we know it is 94 miles of perilous curves and terrifying drops! But our fears are eased almost immediately as we see the crystal blue water and (hooray) guardrails!!!
Again, I almost feel like my attempts at describing what we saw are futile. When I tell you this water was blue…I mean, you just have never seen anything like this. I suppose people who have been to the Caribbean or Hawaii have similar experiences but the only water I know is the Atlantic. I mean, yes, I did see the Pacific when I went to LA, but this was astounding. So blue. It was just gorgeous. CRAZY!!
We make our first Big Sur stop at Pfeiffer-Big Sur State park to see a waterfall. Allegedly it is a 2 mile walk to check this thing out. Fooled you! The path is closed (a tree is blocking the way) and we must detour on a longer (and more treacherous) hike! For the love of God! People do this for pleasure! As I huff & puff my way up the mountain I see a most disturbing sign! What! Mountain Lions! Oh, it says mountain lions are not likely, but they show up from time to time! And they are unpredictable and go for children first! EEEEE! As if the bears weren’t bad enough! And what is this park thinking, hiding the sign deep into the path so now I’m already committed to seeing this frikkin waterfall. For a moment, I considered going all Parent Trap and grabbing two wooden sticks and banging them together to ward off the mountain lions. EEEE! I hate nature!
Oh my god. I’m going to die. In this frikkin forest just because I wanted to see a frikkin waterfall. I’m going to die all sweaty and dirty and then a mountain lion is going to find me and chow down on my flesh!!!! I HATE NATUR…oh wait. There is the waterfall! Hallelauhia! Wow. I risked my life for that? I mean, don’t get me wrong. It is pretty. But if I had known that was what I was getting all sweaty for (and risking my precious life) I may have waited in the car.
Unfortunately I am only safe in the Malibu for a few moments before we see the entrance to Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park. Ugh. I can not take any more nature walks! Wait! Our trusty guidebook says that is a 5 minute walk to the waterfall. SWEET! We head out and Hooray! It is only a 5 min walk and there are no hills and no mountain lion warnings! McWay Falls is awesome! It is a waterfall that goes right into a crystal blue lagoon. I have to say I much prefer ocean-cliff-lagoon waterfalls as opposed to forest-rock-stream waterfalls.
After our waterfall excursion we head over to Nepenthe for lunch. Nepenthe is stuck in the side of a mountain and offers an amazing view of Big Sur. We had a very tasty, but a bit overpriced, meal. I had a super duper tasty portabella sandwich with fontina cheese and red pepper aioli. MMMM. So good!
After our meal Michael and I have our second dangerously close to an argument moment. I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible as I relay the story.
We feel a bit more comfortable driving because there are guardrails, but make no mistake, there are still cliffs and rocks and treacherous curves that can throw you off the mountain! So I got a little irritated when Michael (as he is driving) continually stole glances out the window, hoping to see a whale. I assured him that if I saw a whale I would notify him immediately, but I continued to catch him looking out the window!!! Luckily, we escaped the situation without a throwdown over whales. Although looking back, I’m sure it would have been highly amusing if (on day 13) we pulled the car over and had a knock down, drag out brawl over whale watching.
Although we dodged an argument, we were still on tension level red. So as the time started to tick by and I realized that we would most likely miss our tour time for Hearst Castle, I started to get a little jumpy. Thankfully, Michael didn’t throw me out of the car.
Have I mentioned Michael’s mysterious hip injury? (KT side note, Michael, have you gotten this examined yet? You have not mentioned it!) I’m pretty sure when we got off the plane from Seattle Michael’s hip started to hurt. If he was in one sitting position for too long, his hip would start to ache. Then we would have to slowly “walk it off”. For 99% of the trip this was not a big deal. But we pulled into San Simeon and Hearst Castle an hour late. I knew there was a later tour at 3:20, but wasn’t sure if there was room or if they would let us switch tours.
So when I busted out of the car and started toward the building I was not happy to see Michael hanging on the side of the car. Yes. It was a low moment. Poor sporto all injured and not able to move because of the mysterious hip injury. And I was yelling to hurry up.
We made it to the ticket window and everything was ok. Of course after the “incident” I was sure to be extra nice to sporto and we enjoyed our tour of Hearst Castle. I have to take this moment to give a little shout to the power of music. I definitely believe that if not for Britney and the Buffy Musical, Michael and I might have had some serious issues along this trip!!
Hearst Castle http://www.hearstcastle.com/tours/index.asp is where William Randolph Hearst lived. It is humongous. You have to take a tour bus up this crazy hill to get to the house. CRAZY!! The estate is so huge that there are 5 different tours!!! We went on Tour 2, which focused on The Guest Library, Gothic Suite and 4 guest rooms. We also saw the outside pool, which was amazing, and the indoor pool, which had gold in the floor! Wowie.
After our Hearst Castle tour we headed into Cambria. For some reason, Cambria is pronounced Came-bria. Weird West Coasters! Anyhoo, Cambria is a big adventure for us because we are staying at the Bridge Street Inn, which is a kind of B&B/hostel. http://www.bridgestreetinncambria.com/
The inn is run by Ann, who is a really nice hippie. Can’t escape the hippies on the West Coast. But Ann is a cool hippie and the house is very sweet. Most people don’t describe houses as sweet, but this place was very welcoming and home with a pinch of quirk. We drop our stuff and head off to the Main St Grill to try some Santa Maria Style BBQ (grilling over local red oak)! Oh wait, I totally forgot! Michael and I wanted to see Star Wars because we were supposed to see it in LA and someone *coughnelliecough* saw it and didn’t like and was against seeing it again!!! So after we dropped our stuff I asked Ann where the closest movie theater was. I figured we could walk to dinner and then the movie. The closest movie theater was 25 miles away! Holy Lord! How do you live in such a place!!!!
So yeah, the Main Street Grill. I think this was one of my favorite meals. It was no fuss, and so tasty and I find myself thinking about that sandwich every now and again. The Main St Grill is a huge restaurant that looks like a cafeteria, but really it serves the tastiest BBQ Tri Tip Sandwiches. HMMM So delicious. The meat is still a little red and with dripping bbq sauce. HMMM!
After dinner we decided to investigate Cambria, the town with no movie theater! We went to the Moonstone Beach Grill for a glass of wine and some dessert. http://www.moonstonebeach.com/mb-main.htm The Moonstone Grill is right next to the water and it was nice to sit and relax with a drink. Until… a bunch of seagulls harassed us! We tried to catch the sunset again, but our waiter was no where to be found and by the time we paid our bill….it was too late. Very sad.
The beach in Cambria was not too impressive but it was a very eventful walk. Why?
Let me tell you a little something about Michael. He is constantly singing little ditties about what he is doing. For example, if we were walking in Seattle Michael might sing something like, ‘We’re going to the market. Going to the market, bop, bop, gonna buy me a belt buckle…’. Anyway you get the idea. So I’ve been dealing with musical interludes for the last 12 days.
Michael and I were walking along the ugly Cambria beach when he broke out into the Cambria Song. Cam-BRI-AAAAAA! Cam-BRI-AAAA! Before I knew what was happening I joined in! And there we were, in the middle of California, trying to harmonize the Cambria song.
It gets better.
I was pretty disappointed with my performance so I said, “Ya know, I’m really a lower register. We should try that again.”
Now, I’m sure this is not 1/10000 as funny to you as it was to us. Michael literally was falling over he was laughing so hard. He had penetrated my brain and now I was singing little ditties too! And so serious about it that I wanted to try again so that it would sound good. Now I was concerned. What would happen to me when I was back in North Brunswick with Jay off to Shoprite? Would I break into song? ShoooppppppRiiiiitttte! Shopppppriitttteeee! It would not be good. (KT Update: Thankfully, my spontaneous singing outbursts seem to be a West Coast affliction).
After our musical moment, we head back to the Bridge Street Inn and call it a night. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country!
Stay tuned for Solvang, a little town with a Denmark complex, tasty treats and lots of wine! Santa Barbara & Michael takes on the traffic capital of the world so we can meet up with some ol Rutgers friends!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
TV SCOOPAGE!
Aloha everyone! I come to you with mounds of tv scoop! But, before I begin, I just want to say that I finished Potter last night. Wow. I still can’t speak of it, and even if I could I wouldn’t because I’m sure you aren’t finished the book yet, but when you do, shoot me an email and we will form a support group.
This week starts the TCA Press Tour, which means nothing to you, but for a big couch potato dork like me it is very exciting! The networks show off their shiny new tv stars and give us a little glimpse into what we can expect for next year. Look for extra scoopage next week!
I’ve been trying my hardest to get you guys to watch Veronica Mars. But still, you don’t listen. UPN has made 2 cast additions that I think may draw some of you in. First, for the scoobies out there, I’m sure you will be excited to hear that Charisma Carpenter is joining the cast. Even better, when asked what her role would be, she said, “I’m the bitch in a bikini”. Cordelia Chase, party of one? I think that Charisma plays an AWESOME bitch and I can’t wait to hate her guts next year!
In case you aren't keeping track that means that next season 5 buffyverse actors will be on the television (not including Amy Acker who was recast on CBS' The Unit..Booo). Xander will be on Kitchen Confidential, Willow will be on How I met your Mother, Lindsey will be on Close to Home, Cordie will be on VM and Angel will be on Bones. Also, hot gossip is that James Marsters is involved in something tv related that is super hush, hush. EEEE!
Hmm. Not a buffy fan? Not interested in charisma bitching it out? Not even if she is in a bikini? Well, how about this….Steve Guttenberg. STEVE GUTTENBERG! Come on! You know how I love when old mega stars from the 80s make a comeback on tv! I use to LOVE Guttenberg! Hello, Police Academy? Cocoon? Short Circuit? Three Men and a Baby? Don’t Tell Her its Me? Ok, maybe that last one wasn’t so great. But I’m mighty excited and I know that Guttenberg has already drawn Brother into the show! Hooray! So make sure you watch Veronica Mars Wednesdays at 9 on UPN. The show is running repeats right now and they are about to start the arc that finally solves the Lilly Kane murder. YOU MUST WATCH.
Serenity opens September 30. Everyone who has had the pleasure of my dvds loves the show. If you have not had the joy of my dvds you can tape, tivo or watch Firefly beginning this Friday at 7 on the Sci-Fi channel. I strongly recommend you watch the show. Although it is not required to know what is going on in the movie, I think the background info will make the movie more emotionally impactful. You know how the whedon works. Anyhoo, if you do watch it, just know that the first episode is a little difficult to get through but it is worth it. The rest of the season kicks ass.
I’ve really been enjoying Entourage this season. I love Ari, I love Ralph Macchio and Bob Saget and the commercial and I think Adrian Grenier is dreamy; so I’m super happy that HBO has already picked up the show for a 3rd season! Hooray!
HBO has also announced that the 4th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will debut Sept. 25.
In other dvd news, Fox’s best show of last season, House, will be released on dvd Aug. 30. If you aren’t watching the reruns right now you should check out the dvds because this show is awesome. I didn’t watch it last year because it was in the over populated Tuesday 9 slot, but this year it is moving to Monday to precede 24. Sweet! A full Monday night of tv! Tonight’s episode is the one I’ve been waiting to see! Noel from Felicity (hmm) and Andy from the Creek are this week’s guest stars. That’s one thing I like about this show. Besides the super grumpy, arrogant, cheeky doctor, I like the all the familiar faces that show up each week. Not big stars, just tv stars that only couch potatoes know! Tuesdays 9 Fox.
In other Fox news, The Inside will continue airing at least until Aug. 3. So for everyone I told to skip your tivoed episodes, I guess you can watch them if you want, just don’t get too attached because I don’t think the show is going to continue much longer.
A teeny tiny Alias spoiler, skip if you want, Mrs. Affleck’s pregnancy is going to be written into the show next year. Have I mentioned yet that I’m a tad nervous about the final season of alias?
Wow. Isn’t it amazing how fast they are getting tv shows on dvd these days? If you missed Lost this year (MICHAEL) you can check it out Sept. 7 when it come out on dvd.
And our final bit of tv news. Spike tv has procured the rights to The Shield and will begin airing the show in March of 06.
Before we say goodbye for the day, I wanted to share some news that I’m not quite sure how I feel about. Rumor has it that a Smurfs movie is in the works and that it will be 3D/CGI. Hmm. Don’t know how I feel about that. I like the smurfs just the way they are. Anyhoo, the movie is planned to be released in 2008 to coincide with the 50th anniversary. Did you know that the smurfs started in 1958 as a Belgian comic strip! Crazy! It didn’t hit NBC until 1981.
That’s all for now kiddies! Next week we’ll have some TCA scoop as well as reviews of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & the Wedding Crashers.
This week starts the TCA Press Tour, which means nothing to you, but for a big couch potato dork like me it is very exciting! The networks show off their shiny new tv stars and give us a little glimpse into what we can expect for next year. Look for extra scoopage next week!
I’ve been trying my hardest to get you guys to watch Veronica Mars. But still, you don’t listen. UPN has made 2 cast additions that I think may draw some of you in. First, for the scoobies out there, I’m sure you will be excited to hear that Charisma Carpenter is joining the cast. Even better, when asked what her role would be, she said, “I’m the bitch in a bikini”. Cordelia Chase, party of one? I think that Charisma plays an AWESOME bitch and I can’t wait to hate her guts next year!
In case you aren't keeping track that means that next season 5 buffyverse actors will be on the television (not including Amy Acker who was recast on CBS' The Unit..Booo). Xander will be on Kitchen Confidential, Willow will be on How I met your Mother, Lindsey will be on Close to Home, Cordie will be on VM and Angel will be on Bones. Also, hot gossip is that James Marsters is involved in something tv related that is super hush, hush. EEEE!
Hmm. Not a buffy fan? Not interested in charisma bitching it out? Not even if she is in a bikini? Well, how about this….Steve Guttenberg. STEVE GUTTENBERG! Come on! You know how I love when old mega stars from the 80s make a comeback on tv! I use to LOVE Guttenberg! Hello, Police Academy? Cocoon? Short Circuit? Three Men and a Baby? Don’t Tell Her its Me? Ok, maybe that last one wasn’t so great. But I’m mighty excited and I know that Guttenberg has already drawn Brother into the show! Hooray! So make sure you watch Veronica Mars Wednesdays at 9 on UPN. The show is running repeats right now and they are about to start the arc that finally solves the Lilly Kane murder. YOU MUST WATCH.
Serenity opens September 30. Everyone who has had the pleasure of my dvds loves the show. If you have not had the joy of my dvds you can tape, tivo or watch Firefly beginning this Friday at 7 on the Sci-Fi channel. I strongly recommend you watch the show. Although it is not required to know what is going on in the movie, I think the background info will make the movie more emotionally impactful. You know how the whedon works. Anyhoo, if you do watch it, just know that the first episode is a little difficult to get through but it is worth it. The rest of the season kicks ass.
I’ve really been enjoying Entourage this season. I love Ari, I love Ralph Macchio and Bob Saget and the commercial and I think Adrian Grenier is dreamy; so I’m super happy that HBO has already picked up the show for a 3rd season! Hooray!
HBO has also announced that the 4th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will debut Sept. 25.
In other dvd news, Fox’s best show of last season, House, will be released on dvd Aug. 30. If you aren’t watching the reruns right now you should check out the dvds because this show is awesome. I didn’t watch it last year because it was in the over populated Tuesday 9 slot, but this year it is moving to Monday to precede 24. Sweet! A full Monday night of tv! Tonight’s episode is the one I’ve been waiting to see! Noel from Felicity (hmm) and Andy from the Creek are this week’s guest stars. That’s one thing I like about this show. Besides the super grumpy, arrogant, cheeky doctor, I like the all the familiar faces that show up each week. Not big stars, just tv stars that only couch potatoes know! Tuesdays 9 Fox.
In other Fox news, The Inside will continue airing at least until Aug. 3. So for everyone I told to skip your tivoed episodes, I guess you can watch them if you want, just don’t get too attached because I don’t think the show is going to continue much longer.
A teeny tiny Alias spoiler, skip if you want, Mrs. Affleck’s pregnancy is going to be written into the show next year. Have I mentioned yet that I’m a tad nervous about the final season of alias?
Wow. Isn’t it amazing how fast they are getting tv shows on dvd these days? If you missed Lost this year (MICHAEL) you can check it out Sept. 7 when it come out on dvd.
And our final bit of tv news. Spike tv has procured the rights to The Shield and will begin airing the show in March of 06.
Before we say goodbye for the day, I wanted to share some news that I’m not quite sure how I feel about. Rumor has it that a Smurfs movie is in the works and that it will be 3D/CGI. Hmm. Don’t know how I feel about that. I like the smurfs just the way they are. Anyhoo, the movie is planned to be released in 2008 to coincide with the 50th anniversary. Did you know that the smurfs started in 1958 as a Belgian comic strip! Crazy! It didn’t hit NBC until 1981.
That’s all for now kiddies! Next week we’ll have some TCA scoop as well as reviews of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & the Wedding Crashers.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Emmy nominations. Anything to be excited about?
A lot of critics were really excited for this year’s nominations. “OOH!” They whispered. “So many old favorites are gone this year that they HAVE to recognize someone new”.
Well, the emmy’s have let me down year after year so I wasn’t holding my breath. This year there are a few new faces that make me happy, but for the most part it is people and performances on the big networks that I find undeserving. Like how does Will & Grace continue to get nominated? I mean, they have the most awful guest stars and 3 out of 4 guest star nominations are for Will & Grace. Hello, did they watch Alias? Scrubs? Arrested Development? Lost? House? Infinitely better choices!!! BAH!! See below for the list of nominees and of course, my comments. And later in the week I’ll do a recap of the performances that knocked me off my feet this past tv season.
Outstanding Animated Program (1/2 hour)
Family Guy
Samurai Jack
The Simpsons
South Park
SpongeBob SquarePants
I’m biased in this category. I am and out and out South Park supporter. But people love Family Guy and how can you not love Sponge Bob? I call this one a toss up.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray Romano as Ray Barone
Monk
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
Scrubs
Zach Braff as John “J.D.” Dorian
Will & Grace
Eric McCormack as Will Truman
I’m so over Ray Romano & Tony Shalhoub. I like Eric McCormack but he doesn’t deserve this spot. You do not know of the heartache that I feel over the final two in this group. Bateman vs. Braff. Two funniest shows on tv. I have been a huge Scrubs supporter for a while, but Arrested Development needs all the help it can get and it continually makes me fall off the couch laughing. I won’t pick between them, I’ll cheer either way!!!
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal
James Spader as Alan Shore
Deadwood
Ian McShane as Al Swearengen
House
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
Huff
Hank Azaria as Dr. Craig “Huff” Huffstodt
24
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
I gotta go Kiefer. I have recently learned to respect Dr. Gregory House, but man, I thought 24 was finished after last season. But they came back and kicked some ass this year. Kiefer deserves some love for that. No Dennis Leary? :(
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives
Marcia Cross as Bree Van De Camp
Desperate Housewives
Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer
Desperate Housewives
Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo
Everybody Loves Raymond .
Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone
Malcolm In The Middle
Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
Praise Jesus that next year there will be no Patricia Heaton. Jane Kaczmarek is awesome, but the Malcolm ship has long sailed. DH is the hot ticket this days so I’m sure one of these ladies will pick it up. My first instinct is to go Marcia Cross, but I’m afraid she is a monster beeyatch in real life. Plus if Terri or Marcia win I feel like it will cause a DH war. So I’m rooting for Felicity Huffman. She’s chill, she’s been around for a while, she’s deserving and she’s married to William H. Macy!
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Alias
Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Medium
Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois
The Shield
Glenn Close as Capt. Monica Rawling
Six Feet Under
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher
I’m rooting for Mrs. Affleck. Next year is most likely the last for Alias. She deserves an emmy. Give it to her now! OH but can I tell you what I’m MOST excited about? Alison Janney did not get nominated! Praise Jesus!
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jeffrey Tambor as George Bluth Sr.
Entourage
Jeremy Piven as Ari Jacobs
Everybody Loves Raymond
Peter Boyle as Frank Barone
Everybody Loves Raymond
Brad Garrett as Robert Barone
Will & Grace
Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland
Ok so this is where I have the biggest issue. I know that people swear by Everybody Loves Raymond, but I am not one of them. Again I’m super happy that next year they will not be around to monopolize precious nominations. I’m in shock that John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox was passed up again. Plus, I wholeheartedly believe that GOB (Will Arnett, Arrested Development) is the best character on tv. He frikkin kills me every week. I love him. Do not deny GOB!!! I’m not even going to address Sean Hayes…I’m sure you can guess how I feel about all that. Anyhoo, hug it out and let’s cheer on Jeremy Piven.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal
William Shatner as Denny Crane
Huff
Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper
Lost
Naveen Andrews as Sayid
Lost
Terry O’Quinn as John Locke
The West Wing .
Alan Alda as Senator Arnold Vinick
I think Josh Holloway (Sawyer) is more fun to watch than Naveen Andrews, but it doesn’t matter because if Terry O’Quinn doesn’t walk away with the emmy I’m going to throw my tv out the window. What’s with all these Huff nominees? Did anyone even watch that show?
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth
Everybody Loves Raymond.
Doris Roberts as Marie Barone
Two And A Half Men
Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper
Two And A Half Men
Conchata Ferrell as Berta
Will & Grace .
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker
Ugh. Megan Mullally. Ugh, Ugh Doris Roberts.
Jessica Walter….Hooray!
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh as Cristina
Huff
Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt
Judging Amy
Tyne Daly as Maxine Gray
The Shield
CCH Pounder as Det. Claudette Wyms
The West Wing.
Stockard Channing as Abigail Bartlet
Hmm. Well I didn’t watch a one of these shows. So I pretty much care more about what snack I’ll be getting out of the fridge during this award. It would have been rad if Yoon-jin Kim (Sun, Lost) was nominated. Then maybe this would be an interesting category.
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Everybody Loves Raymond
Fred Willard as Hank
Will & Grace
Victor Garber as Peter Bovington
Will & Grace
Jeff Goldblum as Frank/Scott
Will & Grace
Bobby Cannavale as Vince
Will & Grace .
Alec Baldwin as Malcolm
Do you really need me to go through all the more deserving guest stars we had this year?
Henry Winkler jumped a shark on Arrested Development. That is deserving of an emmy for me. (If you don’t get it, hone up on your Happy Days trivia). Or what about Tom Cavanaugh as J.D.’s brother on Scrubs? Oh, you hurt emmy’s you hurt me! You just go for the easy answer!!!
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
ER
Red Buttons as Mr. Rubadoux
ER .
Ray Liotta as Charlie Metcalf
The L Word
Ossie Davis as Melvin Porter
NCIS
Charles Durning as Ernie Yost
Without A Trace
Martin Landau as Frank Malone
Ok, well here I would have gone more towards David Anders (Sark-a-licous, Alias…. “For the bubbly, of course”). I never really liked Harry Hamlin but he was AWESOME as Logan’s dad on Veronica Mars.
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives
Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McClusky
Desperate Housewives
Lupe Ontiveros as Juanita Solis
Everybody Loves Raymond
Georgia Engel as Pat
Malcolm In The Middle
Cloris Leachman as Ida
Will & Grace.
Blythe Danner as Marilyn Truman
Heather Grahm on Scrubs was amazing. She was perfectly cast. In fact, I think her pilot next year is a lot like this character. Was she nominated?
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Huff
Swoosie Kurtz as Madeline Sullivan
Joan Of Arcadia
Cloris Leachman as Aunt Olive
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Amanda Plummer as Miranda Cole
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Trial By Jury
Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Duvall
Nip/Tuck
Jill Clayburgh as Bobbie Broderick
Anne Heche, outstanding on Everwood. It made me forget that she is more nutty than a snickers bar. Gina Torres (Anna Espinosa), Sonia Braga (Elena), Isabella Rossellini (Katya) and of course Lena Olina (Irina) on Alias were all marvelous and kick ass.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Desperate Housewives
Everybody Loves Raymond
Scrubs
Will & Grace
EEEE! Don’t make me choose between Scrubs and AD! I cannnnooootttttt!
Outstanding Drama Series
Deadwood
Lost
Six Feet Under
24
The West Wing
The West Wing? Blech! Lost was the best pilot episode I’ve ever seen, and a great concept. But Jack Bauer was resurrected just when we were all ready to find a new show Mondays at 9. Plus hello! Soul Patch Tony!
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Idol
The Apprentice
Project Runway
Survivor
I watched the Amazing Race this year for the first time but that was mainly because of Romber. It is a cool show though. Survivor was fun this time around, but not good enough to knock off the new kid on the block. You’re out. Project Runway is in.
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • Sad Sack • FOX • Imagine
Arrested Development • Sword Of Destiny • FOX •
Arrested Development • The Righteous Brothers • FOX •
Desperate Housewives • Pilot • ABC • Touchstone
Everybody Loves Raymond • Finale • CBS • HBO
Do you really need me to say?
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
House • Three Stories • FOX • Heel and Toe Films and
Lost • Pilot • ABC • Touchstone Television
Lost • Walkabout • ABC • Touchstone Television
Rescue Me • Pilot • FX • Apostle, The Cloudland Co. and
The Wire • Middle Ground • HBO • Blown Deadline
Walkabout was one of the best episodes of any show this season. It is how every future Lost episode is measured. It must win.
So yeah, there you go. Next time I send out an update it will be choc full of who I think should be recognized last television season.
Well, the emmy’s have let me down year after year so I wasn’t holding my breath. This year there are a few new faces that make me happy, but for the most part it is people and performances on the big networks that I find undeserving. Like how does Will & Grace continue to get nominated? I mean, they have the most awful guest stars and 3 out of 4 guest star nominations are for Will & Grace. Hello, did they watch Alias? Scrubs? Arrested Development? Lost? House? Infinitely better choices!!! BAH!! See below for the list of nominees and of course, my comments. And later in the week I’ll do a recap of the performances that knocked me off my feet this past tv season.
Outstanding Animated Program (1/2 hour)
Family Guy
Samurai Jack
The Simpsons
South Park
SpongeBob SquarePants
I’m biased in this category. I am and out and out South Park supporter. But people love Family Guy and how can you not love Sponge Bob? I call this one a toss up.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray Romano as Ray Barone
Monk
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
Scrubs
Zach Braff as John “J.D.” Dorian
Will & Grace
Eric McCormack as Will Truman
I’m so over Ray Romano & Tony Shalhoub. I like Eric McCormack but he doesn’t deserve this spot. You do not know of the heartache that I feel over the final two in this group. Bateman vs. Braff. Two funniest shows on tv. I have been a huge Scrubs supporter for a while, but Arrested Development needs all the help it can get and it continually makes me fall off the couch laughing. I won’t pick between them, I’ll cheer either way!!!
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal
James Spader as Alan Shore
Deadwood
Ian McShane as Al Swearengen
House
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
Huff
Hank Azaria as Dr. Craig “Huff” Huffstodt
24
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
I gotta go Kiefer. I have recently learned to respect Dr. Gregory House, but man, I thought 24 was finished after last season. But they came back and kicked some ass this year. Kiefer deserves some love for that. No Dennis Leary? :(
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives
Marcia Cross as Bree Van De Camp
Desperate Housewives
Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer
Desperate Housewives
Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo
Everybody Loves Raymond .
Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone
Malcolm In The Middle
Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
Praise Jesus that next year there will be no Patricia Heaton. Jane Kaczmarek is awesome, but the Malcolm ship has long sailed. DH is the hot ticket this days so I’m sure one of these ladies will pick it up. My first instinct is to go Marcia Cross, but I’m afraid she is a monster beeyatch in real life. Plus if Terri or Marcia win I feel like it will cause a DH war. So I’m rooting for Felicity Huffman. She’s chill, she’s been around for a while, she’s deserving and she’s married to William H. Macy!
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Alias
Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Medium
Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois
The Shield
Glenn Close as Capt. Monica Rawling
Six Feet Under
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher
I’m rooting for Mrs. Affleck. Next year is most likely the last for Alias. She deserves an emmy. Give it to her now! OH but can I tell you what I’m MOST excited about? Alison Janney did not get nominated! Praise Jesus!
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jeffrey Tambor as George Bluth Sr.
Entourage
Jeremy Piven as Ari Jacobs
Everybody Loves Raymond
Peter Boyle as Frank Barone
Everybody Loves Raymond
Brad Garrett as Robert Barone
Will & Grace
Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland
Ok so this is where I have the biggest issue. I know that people swear by Everybody Loves Raymond, but I am not one of them. Again I’m super happy that next year they will not be around to monopolize precious nominations. I’m in shock that John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox was passed up again. Plus, I wholeheartedly believe that GOB (Will Arnett, Arrested Development) is the best character on tv. He frikkin kills me every week. I love him. Do not deny GOB!!! I’m not even going to address Sean Hayes…I’m sure you can guess how I feel about all that. Anyhoo, hug it out and let’s cheer on Jeremy Piven.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal
William Shatner as Denny Crane
Huff
Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper
Lost
Naveen Andrews as Sayid
Lost
Terry O’Quinn as John Locke
The West Wing .
Alan Alda as Senator Arnold Vinick
I think Josh Holloway (Sawyer) is more fun to watch than Naveen Andrews, but it doesn’t matter because if Terry O’Quinn doesn’t walk away with the emmy I’m going to throw my tv out the window. What’s with all these Huff nominees? Did anyone even watch that show?
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth
Everybody Loves Raymond.
Doris Roberts as Marie Barone
Two And A Half Men
Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper
Two And A Half Men
Conchata Ferrell as Berta
Will & Grace .
Megan Mullally as Karen Walker
Ugh. Megan Mullally. Ugh, Ugh Doris Roberts.
Jessica Walter….Hooray!
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh as Cristina
Huff
Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt
Judging Amy
Tyne Daly as Maxine Gray
The Shield
CCH Pounder as Det. Claudette Wyms
The West Wing.
Stockard Channing as Abigail Bartlet
Hmm. Well I didn’t watch a one of these shows. So I pretty much care more about what snack I’ll be getting out of the fridge during this award. It would have been rad if Yoon-jin Kim (Sun, Lost) was nominated. Then maybe this would be an interesting category.
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Everybody Loves Raymond
Fred Willard as Hank
Will & Grace
Victor Garber as Peter Bovington
Will & Grace
Jeff Goldblum as Frank/Scott
Will & Grace
Bobby Cannavale as Vince
Will & Grace .
Alec Baldwin as Malcolm
Do you really need me to go through all the more deserving guest stars we had this year?
Henry Winkler jumped a shark on Arrested Development. That is deserving of an emmy for me. (If you don’t get it, hone up on your Happy Days trivia). Or what about Tom Cavanaugh as J.D.’s brother on Scrubs? Oh, you hurt emmy’s you hurt me! You just go for the easy answer!!!
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
ER
Red Buttons as Mr. Rubadoux
ER .
Ray Liotta as Charlie Metcalf
The L Word
Ossie Davis as Melvin Porter
NCIS
Charles Durning as Ernie Yost
Without A Trace
Martin Landau as Frank Malone
Ok, well here I would have gone more towards David Anders (Sark-a-licous, Alias…. “For the bubbly, of course”). I never really liked Harry Hamlin but he was AWESOME as Logan’s dad on Veronica Mars.
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Desperate Housewives
Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McClusky
Desperate Housewives
Lupe Ontiveros as Juanita Solis
Everybody Loves Raymond
Georgia Engel as Pat
Malcolm In The Middle
Cloris Leachman as Ida
Will & Grace.
Blythe Danner as Marilyn Truman
Heather Grahm on Scrubs was amazing. She was perfectly cast. In fact, I think her pilot next year is a lot like this character. Was she nominated?
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Huff
Swoosie Kurtz as Madeline Sullivan
Joan Of Arcadia
Cloris Leachman as Aunt Olive
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Amanda Plummer as Miranda Cole
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Trial By Jury
Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Duvall
Nip/Tuck
Jill Clayburgh as Bobbie Broderick
Anne Heche, outstanding on Everwood. It made me forget that she is more nutty than a snickers bar. Gina Torres (Anna Espinosa), Sonia Braga (Elena), Isabella Rossellini (Katya) and of course Lena Olina (Irina) on Alias were all marvelous and kick ass.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Desperate Housewives
Everybody Loves Raymond
Scrubs
Will & Grace
EEEE! Don’t make me choose between Scrubs and AD! I cannnnooootttttt!
Outstanding Drama Series
Deadwood
Lost
Six Feet Under
24
The West Wing
The West Wing? Blech! Lost was the best pilot episode I’ve ever seen, and a great concept. But Jack Bauer was resurrected just when we were all ready to find a new show Mondays at 9. Plus hello! Soul Patch Tony!
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Idol
The Apprentice
Project Runway
Survivor
I watched the Amazing Race this year for the first time but that was mainly because of Romber. It is a cool show though. Survivor was fun this time around, but not good enough to knock off the new kid on the block. You’re out. Project Runway is in.
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • Sad Sack • FOX • Imagine
Arrested Development • Sword Of Destiny • FOX •
Arrested Development • The Righteous Brothers • FOX •
Desperate Housewives • Pilot • ABC • Touchstone
Everybody Loves Raymond • Finale • CBS • HBO
Do you really need me to say?
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
House • Three Stories • FOX • Heel and Toe Films and
Lost • Pilot • ABC • Touchstone Television
Lost • Walkabout • ABC • Touchstone Television
Rescue Me • Pilot • FX • Apostle, The Cloudland Co. and
The Wire • Middle Ground • HBO • Blown Deadline
Walkabout was one of the best episodes of any show this season. It is how every future Lost episode is measured. It must win.
So yeah, there you go. Next time I send out an update it will be choc full of who I think should be recognized last television season.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Tom Cruise! Blechhhh!
What’s up kiddies. I’ve been busy, busy, busy with the new position and all. But here is a quick update for you!
First off, I’ve seen a few movies that we should discuss.
Batman Begins. Above and beyond my love for Christian Bale, this was a truly good movie. The only issue I had was Bale’s “Batman Voice”. Other than that, I liked it…I liked it a lot. I liked how dark it was, I liked (and kinda hated) how creepy the Scarecrow was, I liked seeing Commissioner Gordon as a lowly Sergeant. Yes, yes, it was all very good.
War of the Worlds. I always thought I was a huge Spielberg fan, but maybe I just really liked E.T. Remember a few months back I reviewed Close Encounters and I hated it? Soooo slow. Well I felt like this was the same way. I mean, in one aspect the slowness (in the beginning) was cool because everything was so tense. And you see it from this average guy’s perspective…so you have no idea what these things are, why they are here, all you know is that they are bad. But I felt like there was never really a climax to the movie. It is just Tom Cruise (who annoys the crap out of me) and his super annoying children. If 45 minutes into the movie they were lasered by the aliens I wouldn’t have had one iota of feeling. Actually, scratch that, I probably would have cheered. I know that there has been a lot of talk about the ending but apparently that is how the book ends also, so you really can’t blame spielberg. But, ehhh I don’t know. I know I’m going to get a smack down for this, but in terms of characters, I liked Independence Day better. I was sad when the First Lady died. This movie did not connect to me at all. There were some cool shots, but really, not worth $9.
Bad Santa. After a little bit of netflix slacking, I’m back on board. I really liked Billy Bob Thornton in this movie. I think it was perfect casting and the movie had a lot of laughs…also, it didn’t wuss out at the end. You have to respect a movie like that.
TV SCOOPAGE
Are you watching Veronica Mars you bastards? Wednesdays at 9 on UPN! Watch and find out why I love it sooooo much.
Another favorite of mine, Wonderfalls, will begin airing on Logo in late July (I believe the 25). If you get Logo (surprisingly Cablevision provides it!!) you should definitely check it out. It is sad to get so involved knowing that the show only lasted one teeny, tiny season, (well it lasted that long on dvd) and it is quite angering that Fox let this show go, but yes…it is worth it. Just as it is worth it to know who Bill Haverchuck is.
Comedy Central has picked up the syndication rights to Scrubs! Hooray! You can check out Scrubs on Comedy Central in 2006!
Such Sadness! Amy Acker (Fred) has been re-cast in the CBS midseason drama, The Unit. I still have to watch it though because Scott Foley is one of the main characters. But it will be bittersweet for me!
Before we get to some Fall TV Scoop, I have some thoughts on the Summer Season so far.
The 4400 started off a little slowly but it is definitely getting interesting.
I almost choked on my pudding last night while watching HBO.
First during Vince’s commercial and then during Claire’s ‘You Ride Up My Thighs” Performance. Love it!
Rescue Me is enjoyable. I’m interested to see where these storylines are headed…hopefully they won’t be too over the top and I won’t get annoyed.
I checked out Hogan Knows Best on VH-1 on Sunday. I thought it was frikkin hysterical. I heard people grumbling about it being an obvious set up. Oh, so you think the rest of reality tv is REAL? I don’t care if Hogan and his family have scripts. They make me laugh. End of story.
Emmy nominations come out Thursday morning. Prepare for a big KT rant. Everyone is blabbering on about “This is the year for some new shows to be recognized!”. Even with The Sopranos and Sex and the City and Friends and Fraiser out of the running I am highly confident that the Emmy People will find a way to infuriate me!
Fox has released its Fall Season Premiere Dates. Happily, they are started before the World Series! Check it out (shows in Bold I intend to watch)
Monday, August 29
8:00-10:00 PM PRISON BREAK
Thursday, September 8
8:00-9:00 PM THE O.C.
9:00-10:00 PM REUNION
Sunday, September 11
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Tuesday, September 13
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE
Wednesday, September 14
9:00-10:00 PM HEAD CASES
Sunday, September 18
7:30-8:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
Monday, September 19
8:00-8:30 PM ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
8:30-9:00 PM KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
Friday, September 23
8:00-8:30 PM THE BERNIE MAC SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
9:00-10:00 PM KILLER INSTINCT [Previously announced as THE GATE]
That’s all folks! I’m still working on the West Coast Adventure Update and keep an eye out for my emmy rant on Thursday.
First off, I’ve seen a few movies that we should discuss.
Batman Begins. Above and beyond my love for Christian Bale, this was a truly good movie. The only issue I had was Bale’s “Batman Voice”. Other than that, I liked it…I liked it a lot. I liked how dark it was, I liked (and kinda hated) how creepy the Scarecrow was, I liked seeing Commissioner Gordon as a lowly Sergeant. Yes, yes, it was all very good.
War of the Worlds. I always thought I was a huge Spielberg fan, but maybe I just really liked E.T. Remember a few months back I reviewed Close Encounters and I hated it? Soooo slow. Well I felt like this was the same way. I mean, in one aspect the slowness (in the beginning) was cool because everything was so tense. And you see it from this average guy’s perspective…so you have no idea what these things are, why they are here, all you know is that they are bad. But I felt like there was never really a climax to the movie. It is just Tom Cruise (who annoys the crap out of me) and his super annoying children. If 45 minutes into the movie they were lasered by the aliens I wouldn’t have had one iota of feeling. Actually, scratch that, I probably would have cheered. I know that there has been a lot of talk about the ending but apparently that is how the book ends also, so you really can’t blame spielberg. But, ehhh I don’t know. I know I’m going to get a smack down for this, but in terms of characters, I liked Independence Day better. I was sad when the First Lady died. This movie did not connect to me at all. There were some cool shots, but really, not worth $9.
Bad Santa. After a little bit of netflix slacking, I’m back on board. I really liked Billy Bob Thornton in this movie. I think it was perfect casting and the movie had a lot of laughs…also, it didn’t wuss out at the end. You have to respect a movie like that.
TV SCOOPAGE
Are you watching Veronica Mars you bastards? Wednesdays at 9 on UPN! Watch and find out why I love it sooooo much.
Another favorite of mine, Wonderfalls, will begin airing on Logo in late July (I believe the 25). If you get Logo (surprisingly Cablevision provides it!!) you should definitely check it out. It is sad to get so involved knowing that the show only lasted one teeny, tiny season, (well it lasted that long on dvd) and it is quite angering that Fox let this show go, but yes…it is worth it. Just as it is worth it to know who Bill Haverchuck is.
Comedy Central has picked up the syndication rights to Scrubs! Hooray! You can check out Scrubs on Comedy Central in 2006!
Such Sadness! Amy Acker (Fred) has been re-cast in the CBS midseason drama, The Unit. I still have to watch it though because Scott Foley is one of the main characters. But it will be bittersweet for me!
Before we get to some Fall TV Scoop, I have some thoughts on the Summer Season so far.
The 4400 started off a little slowly but it is definitely getting interesting.
I almost choked on my pudding last night while watching HBO.
First during Vince’s commercial and then during Claire’s ‘You Ride Up My Thighs” Performance. Love it!
Rescue Me is enjoyable. I’m interested to see where these storylines are headed…hopefully they won’t be too over the top and I won’t get annoyed.
I checked out Hogan Knows Best on VH-1 on Sunday. I thought it was frikkin hysterical. I heard people grumbling about it being an obvious set up. Oh, so you think the rest of reality tv is REAL? I don’t care if Hogan and his family have scripts. They make me laugh. End of story.
Emmy nominations come out Thursday morning. Prepare for a big KT rant. Everyone is blabbering on about “This is the year for some new shows to be recognized!”. Even with The Sopranos and Sex and the City and Friends and Fraiser out of the running I am highly confident that the Emmy People will find a way to infuriate me!
Fox has released its Fall Season Premiere Dates. Happily, they are started before the World Series! Check it out (shows in Bold I intend to watch)
Monday, August 29
8:00-10:00 PM PRISON BREAK
Thursday, September 8
8:00-9:00 PM THE O.C.
9:00-10:00 PM REUNION
Sunday, September 11
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Tuesday, September 13
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE
Wednesday, September 14
9:00-10:00 PM HEAD CASES
Sunday, September 18
7:30-8:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
Monday, September 19
8:00-8:30 PM ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
8:30-9:00 PM KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
Friday, September 23
8:00-8:30 PM THE BERNIE MAC SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
9:00-10:00 PM KILLER INSTINCT [Previously announced as THE GATE]
That’s all folks! I’m still working on the West Coast Adventure Update and keep an eye out for my emmy rant on Thursday.
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