The World Series is changing my shows, LoL

Friday, November 6, 2009

Friday:
Monk: wasn't able to catch it and it hasn't been up on Hulu. maybe next week!

Sunday:
The Simpsons: no new ep this week.

Family Guy: no new ep this week.

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother: um, omg 83 beds?? yikes. "Barnstormer" and "RoRo" um, ew. And I was just shocked that the "bagpiping" neighbors were that old!!! The dishes/orgasm trade-off was so funny. I'm kinda weirded out by Barney's name these days... it's finally starting to be kinda.... big-purple-dinosaur. And it's overly spiteful that Lily would make Marshall's favorite dinner only for herself. :(

Lincoln Heights: why would Cassie talk to Charles about going to New York? I don't see what sense that makes. Having a history paper due is enough to stop Lizzie from trying out for a play? Again we see Lizzie's strange style of dancing. What does rich Aunt Naomi do? I am so happy that Jett Jackson made an appearance... he's so adorable!! Charles has no problem with the younger kids drinking?? Those girls are only like juniors. I wonder what sort of horrible thing those other girls did to make Lizzie have to go to the principal's office?!? I hate Sage, she's SUCH a B!TCH! I also don't like Naomi's attitude. And D@MN these Sutton kids can't catch a break... poor Tay getting the crap beat out of him.

House, M.D.: no new ep this week.

Little People, Big World: wait. it's Spring Break on this show? LoL. I really thought it was a big problem for Matt to go ahead and book a trip, knowing that Amy couldn't make it. I understand Zach not wanting to go, and that Jeremy thought it was an opportunity that shouldn't be wasted. After Molly and Zach decide not to partake in a "family vacation" without their mother, Jacob was really in a rough place. He wanted to go, and it was clear that Amy was pointing out all of the cool things that he'd get to do if he went. But, he was sad that Zach and Molly weren't going. I was kinda offended that Matt was trying to guilt Molly and Zach into going.

Jeremy seemed to have no compassion for Zach and Molly's decision. Not much to say about this episode, really, LoL.

still missing "Downhill Dwarf" and "Game Over"

Jon and Kate Plus Eight: not really a "final episode" and not really the original name of the show, either. Instead, just Kate spoke about stuff. "Kate: Her Story" was the title. They talked about the families who "cashed in on them" like her brother, Kevin, and his wife, Jody. The girl that Jon has been dating was the daughter of the surgeon who did Kate's tummy tuck???? WTF. (although on the radio today, I heard that Jon and she have gone on a break)

Cake Boss: The robot idea was neat, but I didn't like how Buddy complained about it and then asked the others who was the doubter, LoL. Anthony having to take Buddy on the delivery was crappy... that kid is annoying! The tie-dye fondant was pretty neat. I was actually in love with the Rollerskate cake, LoL. I liked watching Buddy on the skates, too.

The Billiards idea was neat. Buddy talking about his pool skills got old fast. You could see the worry on the painters' faces when Buddy's sister told them to paint the walls pink. Same problem as last week when she abused Buddy's assistant. I adored the pool table cake... so neat! And after the painters did the brown thing... it just looked like a warehouse. so boring. so, so boring.

Tuesday:
18 Kids and Counting: stiiiiiill no "and one on the way." The pop-up box said that biblical times usually had 4-8 children, and Noah only had 3. Interesting. Who drives the yellow bug? It was interesting to see Joy pushing a stroller... usually we don't see her helping with the younger ones much. With Jennifer so afraid of bearded JimBob, why keep putting them together?? I liked the pairings of the kids in the interviews... it was good to hear from a bunch of the non-usual kids.

I was able to catch "Old McDuggar Had a Farm" from my list... This was a verrrry "let's praise John David" episode... and I'm not sure why. "is it important to spend one-on-one time with each kid" um, duh. Of course Michelle is going to say yes. What kind of prompt is that??

list of missing: "Duggars in Dixie," "Duggar on a Diet"

Table for 12: no new ep this week.
still missing the two eps "hit the deck" and "ramp it up"

Wednesday:

South Park: the kids "need a break" so they head out to the wilderness. They are quickly upset by a bunch of motorcyclists driving through. It quickly becomes apparent that the guys realllllly crave attention. I liked that comparison to sixteen-year-old girls, haha. After Cartman and Ike both call the gang "fags," they begin to become really concerned. There's some obvious homophobia going on when they talk about how the mere sound of their engines means they can't be gay. The parade of motorcycles with random noise-making accouterments was amusing. I love how the kids are always calling group meetings of the classroom kids, haha. lmao KFC chicken and gravy. The need to "motorboat" while riding got old fast. Of course as soon as the kids spray paint "fags get out" on the billboard, true homosexuals got upset. The point being made that "fag" has become too household of a word was a little vague, but decently put. Women, poor people, old people, "inconsiderate douche bags" ..... clearly definitions are ambiguous. haha, Emmanuel Lewis. LMAO on Butters' "bi-curious" self again.

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Off season:
Wipeout (got renewed for summer 2010 and it's already filming with a NEW set. yay!)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (January 2010)
The Goode Family (Comedy Central picked it up to re-run the original 13 episodes starting January. they'll take it from there)

Top 7 Worst Female Middle Names

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

As promised, as a follow-up to the worst male middle names, here we go with the ladies... unfortunately, I was unable to come up with more than seven truly bad middle names. I'd love to know others if you are aware of them!

7. Dharma Freedom Finklestein (Dharma & Greg). A strange name overall, that's for sure. The reason it's the least embarrassing is that Dharma actually isn't that bothered by it. Growing up with hippie parents, you have to expect things like this, I guess. (although Family Ties had hippie parents and they didn't give crazy names...)
6. Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart (That 70s Show). Jackie gets pisssssed whenever her middle name is said. And for a spoiled little rich girl, "Beulah" is a doozy.
5. Calliope Iphigenia Torres (Grey's Anatomy). Well, it's clear that her parents loved the Greeks, that's for sure! At least "Calliope" can be shortened to something cute, like "Callie." :)
4. Hayley Dream-Smasher Smith (American Dad!). Well, when you're born on safari because your dad thinks pregnant mom can travel against the doctor's wishes, and you take up your dad's free time, it's easy to see how your middle name becomes "Dream-Smasher."
3. Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. (How I Met Your Mother). Ouchies. Yes, Robin's Canadian, and that's often the butt of the jokes about her, but this one simply comes from her father wishing for a boy. And while fans of the show enjoy poking fun at her stage-name "Robin Sparkles," it makes sense... how would you sell a song about going to the mall when you're a boy?
2. Cate Stinky Hennessy (8 Simple Rules [for Dating my Teenage Daughter]). Again, the fault of a father. While Cate tries hard to pretend that the "S" initial stands for "Stacy," her namesake is a friend that her father accidentally stabbed in Korea. Regardless, "Stinky" is a crappy name to be stuck with.
1. Cleopatra Dirtbike Funnie (Doug). Three names, none of which are fabulous. Now, let's remember that many characters on this show have strange names... Douglas Yancey Funnie, Judith Anastasia Funnie, Theda Opal Funnie, Mosquito Valentine, Tippingdale Dink, Chalky Studebaker, Al and Moo Sleech, and Patti Mayonnaise are just some of the more major characters with tragically funny names. But "Cleopatra" and "Dirtbike" ???? yikes. Oh, and the manner in which she receives this name is also amusing... long story short, Doug is making a Christmas list, claims it's a list of possible baby names, older sister Judy snatches it and reads it aloud, then mocks the "Dirtbike" suggestion by giving overly-theatrical ideas, like "Cleopatra."

Start out with these 5 Thanksgiving Episodes

Monday, November 2, 2009

Continuing with the holiday theme, here are five Thanksgiving-themed episodes to get you started on thinking about the Turkey holiday. No particular order here, and stay tuned next Monday for more suggestions!

The Cosby Show: ''Cliff's Wet Adventure". It's a downright hilarious episode. It's later in the series, and as the family is preparing the Thanksgiving meal, they keep sending Cliff out to the store in the pouring rain. He forgets items and keeps having to go back out. Meanwhile, Denise invites Martin's ex-wife to dinner, in a kind gesture that ends up filling her in on why the marriage ended. Here's a clip of just the Cliff scenes:


The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Talking Turkey." This season one holiday episode features Will's mom coming out to visit, and the boys' professor coming for dinner. When Will's mom sees that the children do no work around the house, she gives all of the help time off, and forces the children to come up with a way to cook the holiday meal. Well, obviously this is not ideal, so it gets funny to the point of ridiculousness. (couldn't find a clip of this episode)

Home Improvement: "Thanksgiving." (even Wilson and Willow are going out of town!) while Tim schemes about how to ask if they can spend it elsewhere. When he finally asks, Jill is really happy that she can sleep in and not cook, so the Taylors go to see the Lions game in a box seat for Thanksgiving. While Tim manages to black out all the lights, the rest of the family has a good time hanging out with Rodney Dangerfield and a few other random celebrities.


Roseanne: "Home is Where the Afghan Is." There's a lot of funny jokes in this one... the final season's Thanksgiving. THe house has been redone, caterers are doing the dinner, and Bev comes out of the closet. Merriment continues as the Connor family realizes that money isn't everything and they donate a lot of food to the needy people of Lanford. Here's the opening:

Frasier: "A Lilith Thanksgiving." The Cranes go to visit Lilith and Frederick for Thanksgiving. Not a bad premise, until Lilith and Frasier go to meet the dean of a prestigious school (so Frederick can get the best education). They continue trying to make a good impression while making fools of themselves time and again. Meanwhile, Martin is playing with Frederick and he keeps getting hurt. And, Niles is making the turkey... hahahahaha. The whole thing always gets me rolling. The clip included begins with Frasier and Lilith's THIRD trip to see the Dean, and keeps going until the end of the episode (I truly believe you should watch the entire thing tho, it's so good. Part 1 and Part 2):

oooooh Sharona!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Friday:
Monk: Natalie and Sharona have vastly different voices... how could Monk get them confused?? And why would Monk check for a five-year-old dry cleaning ticket, LoL?? If Benji has a summer job, it must be summer. But it was the middle of the year when Natalie's daughter sang? $950/week versus $930/week... that's a funny differentiation. I really didn't like the super-speed explanation that Monk gave at first. Monk jumping in a cab with "how far will $52 take me?" was very peculiar. The chase scene (and resulting fight scene) was hilarious. Sharona is much more conniving than I recall.

Sunday:
The Simpsons: no new ep this week.

Family Guy: no new ep this week.

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother: no new ep this week.

Lincoln Heights: It was only a matter of time before people came knocking at the Suttons' house, asking for some of the "found" money. After all the problems in the past, security at the high school is non-existent again?? Charles' brother got in with no problem at all. I thought that Charles did a good job of putting his father in his place by pointing out the uncle relationship. I was not a fan of Deacon, so I'm glad that Dorothy broke it off with him. I don't know how I feel about his with Grandpa Sutton, tho... nothing of interest in the second half of the episode. I like Tay's singing voice, but that's not new.

House, M.D.: off-week

Little People, Big World: we saw the older three kids in school. Both of the twins aren't doing that hot, with less than 3.0 GPAs. Mom and twins toured Portland State University and Corbin. The kids were kinda clueless about majors, LoL. Matt wasn't much better tho... he didn't know Pepperdine and Wharton were tough to get into, and that UCLA only took in "600" students a year (that's ridiculous when you even remotely fathom the size of the school). The cooking speech was an interesting assignment. Zach really isn't a good speaker though... he has lots of problems in the small segment they showed. (I wonder when he had his braces off?) Zach KNEW he had a "messed up philosophy of school" but wasn't doing anything about it? Interesting note, Jeremy's hair isn't the same color throughout the episode, so I'm not sure how wide of a span this covered.

I loooove the new furniture, I guess they finally got that going after the forever-long renovation. Who says "good luck" and sends a person off to clean out the basement?!? Both parents going grocery shopping separately was pretty hilarious! I actually don't know what my stance is on the discipline and household management issues that this episode brought up.

still missing "Downhill Dwarf" and "Game Over"

Jon and Kate Plus Eight: the dogs are back at the breeder's. It was really cute watching how the kids cleaned the dog pee. "at that time I knew that I meant it" regarding the vow renewal... that was a YEAR ago... how do these things unravel so fast?? "if I have to, I will" in regards to nursing... it's a "backup career" for Kate. How is Kate only sleeping 4-5 hours when her kids are so much more mature and less needy now?? I think one of the clips (from the show where the dresser knob was broken) blanked out Kate saying "shit" !!! I really want to find it and check now! How Kate's shoe choices have changed is amusing. Now she doesn't feel dressed unless she has heels on?? I'm glad that between the show and her book, the kids now have enough to go to college. I thought the "come hell or high water" was used a bit frequently, and I never would have guessed that Kate wanted to do animated voices, haha.

Cake Boss: I'm glad this came back. I adore this show. Of all the shows that I really keep up with, this one has very little drama involved. Why in the world would Mary eat lilies if there's a possibility that they're poisonous?!? I love Mama, she's a trip. I loved how she ripped Buddy a new one for making a mess trying to get Anthony back. The missing engagement ring was really funny too, lmao. I thought that the Venus Fly Trap was kinda boring... or cheesy... something.

Holy hell. Buddy just flips over like a 3' x 2' x 2" slab of pound cake. geez, that looks so much harder than tossing a pizza, lol! Note to self: "royal icing" dries. buttercream does not. The tiny error in putting "CANDY" on the Candy cake was cute and unnoticeable to most people. My jaw DROPPED when Anthony got into the accident. Buddy got there before the cops? Did they not even call the cops?? The candy cake was crazy sugary. I couldn't believe the damage when Buddy hit a pothole or whatever! 70 pounds of cake to feed 150 people?? My wedding cake fed 200 and I really doubt it was that heavy. But then again, mine wasn't dense pound cake, LoL.

Tuesday:
18 Kids and Counting: an episode of Q&A, just like on Jon and Kate last night. The older four girls are actually all gone at the same time?!? amazing. Southern Baptist is their actual denomination. I'm curious as to how that differs from generic Baptist... LoL. There were a lot of questions that have been covered throughout the series, so I'm kinda confused as to why people asked again if they genuinely cared... since real fans knew a lot of the early answers. I was glad that they addressed "dancing," but their response was pretty plain... they don't like the shaking of bodies because it might make people have desires, LoL. I also found it strange that they showed a lot of the things that would normally be edited out, LoL - like Michelle getting up and taking care of kids and then coming back, etc. I didn't appreciate how a couple questions were ignored, like "could the girls wear pants if they wanted?"

I didn't really care for JimBob picking up his cell in an interview and notifying the other party that they'd be late... fake, and it surprised no one, LoL. LoL at JimBob thinking it was crazy that 1200-1500 people would "get up that early" to run. It was nice that the girls walked and the boys (for the most part) ran, all getting to participate in his/her own way. was really cute for three of the little boys to be interviewed, and I loved that one of them asked offscreen Jana if he was present for a certain event.

list of missing: "Duggars in Dixie," "Duggar on a Diet," and "Old McDuggar Had a Farm"

Table for 12: okay, still missing the two eps "hit the deck" and "ramp it up" but found out it's off the air until November 10I thought that it th, so I have some time to catch up. kinda.

Wednesday:

South Park: omg. seriously. what a cute birthday ruined so quickly. I did laugh that the Japanese killed the Miami Dolphins football players in addition to the marine animals all over, LoL. Too much "Poker Face" tho. And the band angle got old fast.

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Off season:
Wipeout (got renewed for summer 2010 and it's already filming with a NEW set. yay!)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (January 2010)
The Goode Family (Comedy Central picked it up to re-run the original 13 episodes starting January. they'll take it from there)

Top 10 Worst Male Middle Names

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I'm one of those people who were given a middle name that sucked. When I got married I gave it the boot, throwing my maiden name into that slot instead (which, actually, is much worse in a sense, but anyway). There are a lot of television characters with unfortunate middle names. This week we'll go over some males, next week the females!

10. Theodore Jasper Dettweiler (Recess). "Jasper" isn't all that bad, but it's bad enough for a fourth grade to go by TJ instead.
9. Bartholomew Jojo Simpson (The Simpsons). "Jojo" isn't that bad, either, but let's keep in mind that it's Bart, and he's not exactly high on the list of kids-so-perfect-nobody-will-tease-them. Plus, it sounds goofy.
8. Leonard Leakey Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory). Yes, he's named after an archaeologist friend of the family, but it's geeky and laughable.
7. Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Family Matters). Now, having each of your names rhyme might qualify you to be higher on the list, but the strangeness of the character in general balances that out some.
6. Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten (The Simpsons). Um, who names their child after the founder of fascism?
5. Douglas Yancey Funnie (Doug). Here, we have a name that you could play off as being some beloved ancestor's name. But only if it was used sparingly. On Doug, we see the name used frequently, and the guidance counselor ALWAYS makes sure to use the Yancey.
4. Maxwell Beverly Sheffield (The Nanny). For a man so important in New York, you'd think they'd give him an honorable middle name. But the other reason he ranks so highly is the humorous scene in which the name is revealed, and Fran's reaction to hearing it.
3. Geoffrey Barbara Butler (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). Boys with girly middle names top the list because it's odd and hard to play off. I went to school with a girl named Michael (first name), and it was very strange. I haven't seen her in ten years, but I wonder if she eventually began going by something else... Oh, and let's not forget the irony of having your surname be your profession.
2. Drew Allison Carey (The Drew Carey Show). Allison is a REALLY girly name, and not even in an old-fashioned way. Plus, it's his REAL name as well. AND, all three of his names have female spellings but the same pronunciations.
1. Chandler Muriel Bing (Friends). Not only is "Muriel" a really unimpressive middle name, but "Chandler" "Bing" never really had a chance in the first place. I mean, Chandler is not that enticing of a name, and even Phoebe's dimly-portrayed brother chooses it as a girl's name for one of his triplets. And once a name gets used by a dog, that's it.

Catch These 5 Halloween Episodes

Monday, October 26, 2009

The first five holiday-themed episodes are debuting today. Since Halloween is this week, that's the theme. They're not numbered since I just wrote about them in the order I remembered their greatness. I included a few clips, more (of most of these) can be found on YouTube! Please, share your own favorites with me, as I'd love to add some new favorites to my list!!

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: "Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect." Hilary throws a lavish Halloween party, and the family must find costumes. While shopping at the mall, Vivian sings, Phillip shops for unneeded junk, Ashley and Hilary are accused of shoplifting, and Carlton and Will race to find a date. Between the costumes, the party, and the surprise turn-of-events (both Cinderella and the Burglar), it's a laughter-heavy, hour-long episode.


Home Improvement had Halloween-specific episodes in seven of its eight seasons. A few of them are hilarious, but my favorite is the final one, "Bewitched." Halloween pranks are famous on the series (and in Roseanne for that matter), and in this one, Tim is finally gotten good. Wilson is allegedly dating a witch, and after he goes missing (and then his body is found), Tim is the main suspect. (couldn't find a video clip)

Friends: "The One with the Halloween Party." There are some great one-liners (e.g. Joey making fun of Halloween for being just about dressing up as something you're not, then Chandler points out that Joey's an actor; Phoebe joking about Rachel's pregnancy after she gives everything to a girl who says she loves her; Chandler being "maxed out" on embarrassment; "I'll prove it like a theorum!"). But the costumes are hilarious and so cleverly in-character... Joey as Chandler, Ross as Spudnik, Catwoman vs. Supergirl, and Chandler as a big pink bunny... Oh, and how about Rachel giving out the candy/money/anything to the trick-or-treaters?!? haha.


Frasier: "Halloween." Nearly halfway through the long run of the show, Frasier had one of the most farcical Halloween episodes ever. Confusion abounds as the various characters overhear and miscommunicate with one another. Roz confiding in Frasier that she's waiting for a call from her obgyn eventually amounts to Frasier announcing to a roomful of guests that he is not the father. Niles is especially entertaining in this episode, but I definitely should point out that some of the humor is best appreciated by people who are familiar with some great literature.
(embedding disabled, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyMGAqdse5M)


Third Rock from the Sun had an episode, "Scaredy Dick," where the Solomons discover the intricacies of the holiday. While some of the characters are out learning about egging houses and checking candy for poison, Dick has a storyline going about being afraid of a doctor's physical... and ends up making some great jokes (pirate-themed at times!). The costumes are only partially amusing (in comparison to the extent other shows dress up) but the whole shebang is just such a knee-slapper!


Note, the famous Boy Meets World episode "And Then There Was Shawn" (the Scream episode), was not a Halloween feature... it originally aired in February! And that's the only reason it didn't make the tip-top of any list I could ever create!