Some New Stuff this Week!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Sunday:
The Simpsons: off until the fall

Family Guy: off until the fall

American Dad: off until the fall.

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother: off until the fall.

Little People, Big World: no new episode AGAIN this week. :(

House, M.D.: off until the fall.

Lie to Me: moving to Mondays after House.

Jon and Kate Plus Eight: tons of people tuned in this week, mostly to find out if the Gosselins will be getting a divorce. Nothing was really mentioned, and every tv blog there is pretty much did an entry on the show this week. The kids turned FIVE. I can't believe it, I remember when they were just two!! The party was neat, a Backyardigans theme. The format of the episode was strange, as it ran an unprecedented 73 minutes, and at least one whole minute was sat in silence, with Jon and Kate unable to answer exactly "what's next" for them. There will be at least five episodes (so I assume we're in for a full season... after all, Kate herself has said that it'd be mean to fans to pull the show), and next week seems kinda a lame look at Kate and the spa. again.

Table for 12: no new episode this week.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: off-season, but returning June 22nd!

Make it or Break it: it's going to premiere right after the new Secret Life, and I think I'm in for the ride! It's about the life of competitive gymnasts, and Candace Cameron (Bure) is going to play a mother or something.

Tuesday:
18 Kids and Counting: the house gets blinds... borrrrring. Then five of the kids go to the dentist at 8am. Why 8am when they're not an early-bird family? I have no idea. X-rays and fillings galore. Nothing on Josh and Anna. boooooo. (I did catch the "double date" episode, which was nowhere near as bad as snarkers made it out to be. I thought it was cute.)

Lincoln Heights: off-season, returning 8pm August 4th!

Wednesday:
South Park: mid-season until October.

Glee: I haven't seen the pilot, but the hype has lured me in. Starts back up September 16th.

Wipeout: I still am not a big fan of how they have to shorten the first segment SO MUCH in order to fit everything else in, but oh well. The opener was pretty funny, my favorite character was "trash talker" who failed miserably at doing so, and actually GAVE UP on the final challenge! I like the changes to round 1 and round 2, they're more entertaining now. Round 3, I'm a little sad that they changed that one. I liked the merry-go-round and the uneven foam things. Round 4 is SO DIFFERENT! I like it tho. Good stuff.

The Goode Family: I only found out about this show a few days before it premiered, and I'm glad I tried it out. I think the pilot tried to tackle too many issues at once, but maybe that'll be the comedy that is this show. They've ordered 13 episodes, now let's see if it makes it. It's from the writers of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead. Not my idea of fantastic writing, but at the same time, it was pretty funny. The show is about a family who thrives on being politically correct, vegan, and "green." They have an adopted South African-American son who is sixteen, and a daughter who seems to be about fifteen. The father works at the community college, and the mother doesn't seem to have a job just yet. Lots happened in the first episode, but I'll suffice it to say Ubantu (the son) gets his driver's license and Bliss (the daughter) learns about ultra-abstinence. Included below is the pitch for the show, mostly lines from the pilot, but the lesbian scenes must be from a future episode.

Surviving Suburbia: This one I watched out of boredom. My husband didn't get home until really late, so I caught this to stay occupied. Bob Saget is the male lead, and the rest of his family is played by regular Joes. They have a 17-year-old neighbor who is pregnant with her second child, and Saget's son (Sam) is obsessed with her. The girl's mother, Monica, is morbidly obese and uses a scooter to get around. A new family moved to the neighborhood, and they have a smokin' hott daughter that all the men stare at... too bad she's interested in Sam, who doesn't notice her. Maybe I'll give it one more try, maybe not.

Friday:
Monk: off-season, returns in the summer... not sure when, but at least not until the third week of June.

"20 Killable Characters?"

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

so today's topic stems from today's news. One of the first things I read this morning was "Top 20 Sitcom Characters You'd Kill in Real Life." And I must say that I severely disagree. We must have very different opinions on personas, the other blog writer and I. I'm going to argue why I wouldn't kill the character, rather than nitpick on why the other writer would.

20. Frasier Crane. Awesome guy to have around in real life. He knows EVERYTHING. Definitely worth a phone-a-friend slot on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

19. Joey Gladstone. While I wouldn't want to moocher living in my home for an extended period of time, he's pretty darn funny. The common sense, notsomuch, but I'm not worried about him diapering my imaginary baby with paper towels and ziplocs, so no worries.

18. Larry David. I've never seen Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I don't even know when it was on (is it still??), so no comment.

17. Cosmo Kramer. clearly the blogwriter has no spontaneous friends in his life. I love the craziness of people like my friend Joe, and their unexpected popping in and continual "great ideas" are something to be admired.

16. Marie Barone. I'm gonna agree here. The woman has no redeeming qualities. Hell, when she wanted more grandchildren, she bought her son wine and silk boxers, and gave his wife romantic CDs! Does pushy get much worse?

15. Archie Bunker. Agreed again. I can't stand his closed-minded bullsh!t. It drives me insane. In fact, I tried to get into this show at one point when it was big on Nick-at-Nite, but it just wasn't happening. Bigotry blows.

14. Carlton Banks. I think he's quirky. I also love perfectionists. I can relate to the idea of "all-nighters" in high school. He doesn't strike me as incredibly annoying, especially when you consider his stupid jokes ended after the first season, and became much more bearable.

13. Roseanne Connor. Sure, she's foul-mouthed. And I don't know that I'd want her as my mother. But I don't think that she's a bad person, and while I'd much rather have Jackie as a friend, I don't know that she'd truly "annoy" me.

12. Cindy Brady. Little sisters can be annoying, but Cindy never had any real storylines of her own (what, the tonsils thing? losing Kitty Cariole? the see-saw record with Bobby? what else was there?), so she really didn't have a major role. In a real-life scenario, there's not much harm in having a baby sister when there are already enough siblings to make you miserable from time to time.

11. Sheldon Cooper. I still have not seen even one minute of The Big Bang Theory, so I can't comment.

10. Phoebe Buffay. What? seriously? I'd love to have her as a daily plant in my life! I love to hear about the lives of those who grew up in crazy-different backgrounds. I love the unconventional hairstyles and clothing choices she had. Please, pour me a mocha and sit me on the couch, there's no way I'd off Phoebe.

9. Michael Scott. He's from the office, and I'm guessing he's Steve Carell's character. But I still don't know a thing about him.

8. Kimmy Gibbler. hmmm. now this is a toughie. She was pretty annoying on the show, and if she was my friend/neighbor in real life, I'm pretty sure it would drive me mad. Especially when you consider the crazy things that her family did, that would annoy anyone in a mile radius!

7. Lucy Ricardo. See here's the thing... yeah, she was a pretty big ditz, but women weren't portrayed as the pinnacle of intelligence at that time anyway. Either way, she was whiny, and I don't deal with that. agree.

6. Fred G. Sanford. he's a really mean old man. a codger, even. but it's not like he leaves his house much, so he doesn't have a lost of opportunities to bother you. No killings.

5. Steve Urkel. Yeah, I could see how he could get on absolutely every last nerve, but death is not an appropriate sentence. Lock your doors, hide your daughters, and call it a day.

4. The Janitor. I don't do Scrubs.

3. Screech Powers. It sure is handy to have a friend who can concoct devices in the blink of an eye with very little to work with. It's also great to have a scapegoat who can pull the wool over the Principal's eyes. the only downside that's coming to mind? he can't keep a secret. but neither can several of my friends. so don't keep them filled in and you're good to go.

2. Fran Fine. this is a tricky one. She had a unique sense of mind. A flirty nature. An eccentric mother. A nasally voice. A tacky wardrobe. A skewed view of life. I think she's very "take it or leave it," since there's nothing that sets her apart on either end of the spectrum... she's just balanced out in the middle, plain as day.

1. Gilligan. In my world, I don't live on a deserted island ninety minutes from the nearest bit of civilization. So the buffoon's charm at foiling escape plans isn't as problematic for me. However, he does sort of embody a kind of immature nuisance that I don't know I'd want to deal with forever...

Overall, I disagree with this list a LOT. Who would I kill, you ask? Well, I'd start off with Taub from House, MD, because he's useless, spineless, and boring. Cheryl from 7th Heaven, she was dumb and had no ambition. Plus, she stopped Matt from being with nicer, prettier girls. And there's Beverly Hills, 90210, definitely Valerie Malone, hands down. I hated her from like the second episode she was in, and I really tried to like her, since I was a big Tiffani Amber-Thiessen fan in the 90s. What an evil, sinister girl. And to finish off the list, all four girls from Sex and the City: Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. That show's attitude alone just kills me.

Two Brothers

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

It was on the WB. It ran a whopping one season. It was modern-day but referenced 40 years in the future. There were parallel storylines. It was kinda a teen drama as much as it was a political drama. It's biggest fault: the major plot surprise is revealed at the end of the PILOT episode.

I'm talking about Jack & Bobby, a 60-minute show about two teenagers, high school, maturity, and life. Jack was 16 at the start of the show, and Bobby is 13-14. The actions of the boys was pretty interesting, weed shows up in the pilot (and with it, brotherhood), vandalism (and guilt) in the third, religion and faith (and ignorance) in the fourth, cheating (and more guilt) in the sixth. Even suicide shows up before the second half of the season (but don't worry, pregnancy and abortion wait until Episode 19). They grow up with their mother, a stoner college professor, in Missouri. Their father was from South America, and left before Bobby was born (but ended up in a Texas jail for murder). In the futuristic flash-forwards, we learn of an African-American President, a female President, and a second Hollywood actor becoming President.

The hook of the hype was that "one of the boys would grow up to be President," and that seemed cool enough... I thought I could get into a show where I was always judging the boys' actions, guessing which would make a better leader, etc. Except that in the VERY FIRST episode, it is revealed that Jack dies "too soon." Later in the season we find out that he died in a freaking convenience store robbery, BORING. Bobby (who goes by "Robert" in his adult life) becomes a politician because his brother was headed down that path. He makes one of his brother's friends a member of his cabinet, and marries one of his brother's exes.

The first episode I saw (in the original run, mind you) was Episode 14: "Into the Woods." I had been trying to catch it all along, but the airtimes just weren't working out for me. In that episode, Bobby blackmails his mother into letting him go on an overnight hunting trip, and Jack walks in on his mother having sex in the middle of the day (with her TA, but that's an entire sidestory of its own). The hunting trip was quite interesting, actually. This episode, along with all of the others, is available online on the WB website.

It ran against Desperate Housewives, and then The West Wing. It started with a meager audience of 4.6 million. Marketing advertisers weren't fans. It just wasn't meant to be, I guess.

Was anyone else a fan? Anyone glad to see it go?

Finale Week!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Sunday:
The Simpsons: the finale for Season 20 just ran. And while it went hand-in-hand with the King of the Hill finale, neither one was all that good and both focused on American crap. It was kinda funny that Ogdenville was representing Mexico in that nobody wanted to live there or eat products from there, and that the citizens would do the junky jobs that Springfield didn't want to finish. The Minnesota/Norway thing was a little confusing, but whatever. I'm curious as to whether Maggie is going to continue to be a talking character (she played a talkie last week and uttered a version of "yes" repeatedly this time), but otherwise there was nothing memorable and this was a crappy season finale.

Family Guy: This was a "founding of Quahog" episode. From the 18th century. Where Stewie is the King and Brian is the court jester. And Peter sleeps with Meg. And Lois's dad wants to feel her up. It was very weird, but at least there were a few funny jokes (albeit of poorly-drawn How I Met Your Mother characters. Not a bad season finale, but definitely not one of the best.

American Dad: Francine and Steve had very little to do with this episode. Hailey and Roger have a contest to see who is more attractive, which ends up being funy since they end up at two different "pig parties" by the end. Stan hangs out with the guys from work, learns about "credit card roulette," and is terribly upset that the guys just knock out people who get in the way. It's kinda disturbing, and I really don't like how lightly the idea od drinking and driving was displayed.

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother: I was eventually able to watch the episode preceding this one, and it was just decent. This one, however, was a fantastic finale, and probably the best one of all shows this season thus far. We finally got the "goat" story, but that ended up being kinda weak. I always seem to like the writing on the show, as it always seems to be damn clever. This week, metaphors were everywhere. The washcloth being Ted's dreams. Marshall's leap being a leap of faith for one and all. I didn't care much for Lily's joke about being pregnant, since I know that'll end up being a storyline soon enough anyway. I also didn't like the bit with Robin and Barney, but that'll eventually clear up. I did like the term "Mosby" and hope to put it into real-life use soon. Lastly, I'm sad about Ted taking a teaching position. Yes, that's how he met "the mother," but geez. "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach" is still true, and is a big put-down for Ted to be forced into academia (for what already appears to be the long-term), which he wasn't hoping for.

Little People, Big World: no new episode this week. In reality, I wonder where the twins will be attending college in the fall.

House, M.D.: off-season

Jon and Kate Plus Eight: off-season, but returns next week! I did see the special 2-minute preview that TLC put up online, and it was kinda traumatizing. Jon and Kate weren't sitting on the same chair they always do, but were interviewed separately this time. The kids turn 5 years old, which is so crazy... I remember when they were two!

Table for 12: the family took a roadtrip to Niagara Falls. A nice 4-day Spring Break trip, about 400-450 miles from their home in New Jersey. Bodily fluids abounded, and the kids had mixed experiences. They hit up a butterfly garden and a water park in addition to the Falls. Nothing too unique about the episode, and it seemed to focus a lot on the family as a whole instead of any specific kids, which was interesting. It was interspersed with Gosselin antics and previews, so I guess that'll start up again soon!

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: off-season, but returning June 22nd!

Lincoln Heights: off-season, and will be moving to Tuesdays at 8pm starting August 4th!

Tuesday:
18 Kids and Counting: nothing new this week.

Wednesday:
South Park: mid-season until October.

Friday:
Monk: off-season, returns in the summer.

Top 10 Shows set in Chicago!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So this is kind of a strange topic, I know. I thought about it when I was watching ER this morning, and thought about how much I love that show, and Perfect Strangers. And from there, I just went with the idea.

10. The Bob Newhart Show. The only one on this list I don't watch, and I had to use the internet to find it to use as filler.

9. Webster. Funny show, it aired both in the city and the suburbs (Webster burns down the apartment at one point, forcing the family to move into a huge house instead).

8. Good Times. Depicted the Projects of Chicago.

7. Married... With Children. Chicago suburb. white trashy house, too.


6. Punky Brewster. definitely Chicago. and a way cool show! also in an apartment building. but Margeaux had a mansion and I think Alan lived in a different complex, so we saw some other real estate options. And of course there was Fenster Hall, the orphanage that Punky goes to on and off before Henry's official adoption.

5. Two of a Kind. bet you forgot about this show. It was one of the Mary-Kate and Ashley shows, running one season on the ABC TGIF lineup. Definitely a house with a backyard.

4. Roseanne. It was in Lanford, Illinois, but this was apparently only an hour from Chicago, so I'm going to count it. It's a house in a decent neighborhood, but definitely designed in the working-class mindset (no dishwasher, for instance, LoL).

3. Family Matters. From Day 1, it's very Chicago. A really large house depicted in a clean-cut neighborhood.

2. Perfect Strangers. Obviously Chicago, since it's a spin-off of Family Matters. Larry and Balki have a small apartment, and I think I equated apartments to being just like theirs (I was young when it premiered, LoL).

1. ER. obviously I was saving this for the #1 slot. They take the L-train often, so that's a dead-ringing indicator. some of the characters have houses, others have apartments. Carter's grandparents' estate can't be too far, he did live there and commute for a while.

LIVE! from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

missed a week, I know. I was on vacation with limited internet.

I know a lot of people who were big fans of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I had classmates who watched it, my husband loved it, and my department chair was also really into it. Yet, it lasted all of 22 episodes before getting the can. And this was only 2006-2007, not long ago at all.

The star was Matthew Perry, of Friends fame. It depicted a show (with the same name as the series) that was very Saturday Night Live in design. Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, The American President, A Few Good Men) was the executive producer. All sounds good, right? Well, it had great ratings to start off (it even won a "best new show" award for its pilot!), but the audience (mostly upscale and college-educated, actually) fell as the season wore on. What hurt it more, though, was the unemployed comedy writers using blogs to blaspheme the show. "It could never happen," "people in television aren't that smart," "you're glorifying shows like that." Entertainment Weekly voted it the WORST TV SHOW of 2006. Yet, it was nominated for 5 Emmy Awards. It was put on hiatus, then just aired the remaining episodes of the first season. And that was it. Personally, I think the format of the show might have been the problem... perhaps it was suited for a 30-minute timeslot, not a 60. But I guess I could also see how that would be difficult...

Studio 60 was most certainly character-driven, as each actor was portraying several different identities (to correspond with the roles with the show, the personalities themselves, and the characters off-set). There were three main "comic actors" on the show-within-the-show. There was the recovering drug addict. There was a devout Christian. There was the "re-hired after we fired someone else" guy. There were hit-and-miss relationships. But what they do is have incredibly quick-witted jokes, and some great actors with a following. They pretty much epitomize the idea of "be funny, but don't make him laugh."

And it's true. The sketches were funny, often based on politics or Hollywood. There was a lot of conservative issues early on, as the show was to have debuted in the aftermath of 9/11, when anything remotely anti-American was frowned upon greatly. Between that mess and the "Crazy Christian" skit that they love to run, the show really rebelled against the lines of investors and advertisers, performing instead for the consumers (the audience in this case).

Here's a promo from the show. Pretty much every episode is available between YouTube and Hulu, so get out and watch some!

A light week in Television

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Sunday: (I watched the Sunday night FOX lineup on Hulu this week)
The Simpsons: Three stories... Queen Elizabeth, Snow White, Macbeth, Maggie Rourke the architect. Blah blah blah about women and power and brains and beauty. whatever. Macbeth was really out there, but the final monologue was performed rather brilliantly. Lisa does dub Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead "the Bible of right-wing losers."And Maggie "speaks" a bit in the final skit, which is always amusing. And the last scene is utter irony of artistic expression in children. I thought the parodies in the Snow White section were funny (which continued in the closing credits as well).

Family Guy: so for some reason, the majority of the episode was spent doing a parody of Stand By Me, that movie where a bunch of kids find a dead body. Then they did some Misery from Stephen King. And they finished off with some Shawshank Redemption. Crazy. Creepy. Bad. They better not pull this mess again.

American Dad: Francine is dumb at parties, and Stan is afraid that she's holding him back from awesome cocktail parties. Stan tries to teach her a few things by pointing out newspaper headlines. Sidestory: Terry's (one of the gay neighbors) parents (a former football star) is coming for a visit, so he has to pretend he's not gay... and this means dropping the baby off with Francine. Except Francine convinces him to tell his father the truth... but he chickens out and says he and Francine had the baby out of wedlock, while Stan and Greg are "homos from across the street." Join stories: Stan and Greg are out eating when Stan's boss drops by to join them (Greg is a tv personality and easily recognized). Stan gets lost in the gay jokes (much as Francine earlier), and when the boss invites the two of them to a cocktail party, the trio sing "Maria" from West Side Story. The party goes horribly, as Stan confuses Nelson Mandela with Morgan Freeman, and then insults Elie Wiesel.
In a completely separate sidestory, Steve gets Roger to buy him beer to take to a party. He stumbles home drunk, with a truly heinous monsterwoman.
Sidenotes: A)strange 3-second showing of a quartet, becuase the same thing was seen in The Simpsons tonight, but with different backgrounds, players, and song. B) out-of-place Rudy reference closes the episode.

Monday:
House, M.D.: what a crappy, crappy season finale. I have always been a hater of the "and it was all a dream" crap. It made me really angry at Roseanne, a show which I hated to like, but still ended up seeing nearly every episode, LoL. The patient was lame. The side characters didn't get much of a story, except Chase/Cameron, which I am SO over. And although it's Thursday morning right now, I'm still too angry about the rest of the episode to really make a constructive comment.

How I Met Your Mother: CBS's online version won't play correctly this week. Tried like 7 times. Hopefully they'll fix this soon.

Little People, Big World: missed it due to anniversary dinner.

Jon and Kate Plus Eight: off-season

Table for 12: no new episode.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: off-season

Lincoln Heights: off-season

Tuesday:
18 Kids and Counting: Josh and Anna celebrate their pregnancy with his cousin Amy and her boyfriend. Now, I dislike Amy, mostly because it seems like she only shows up to get on television, and makes sure to point out every time she's on camera that she doesn't hold to the same values as her uncle and his large family. I actually missed the episode (was at a hotel that didn't get TLC. :().

Wednesday:
South Park: off-season

Friday:
Monk: off-season

My Favorite TV Catchphrases

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So FOX News posted this just the other day, listing their top ten catchphrases along with classic TV catchphrases. While some make sense to be at the top of the list ("Heeeeere's Johnny!"), other ones I don't really agree with ("vah-jay-jay"). So, I did some remembering of my own, and here are some that definitely have stuck with me over time.

10. "How rude!" (Stephanie, Full House)
9. "And knowing is half the battle" (G.I. Joe)
8. "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis? (Arnold, Diff'rent Strokes)
7. "This message will self-destruct" (Inspector Gadget)
6. "Heeeeeeeey" (Fonzi, Happy Days)
5. "How YOU doin'?" (Joey, Friends)
4. "Lawyered!" (Marshall, How I Met Your Mother)
3. "You know what this thing needs? More power!" (Tim, Home Improvement)
2. "Did I do that?" (Steve, Family Matters)
1. "Is that your final answer?" (Regis, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)

Past Week

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The Simpsons: in a crappy parody of Beverly Hills, the Simpsons move to Waverly Hills to attend the better schools. Marge and Homer have to act like they really live in a tiny apartment with a Murphy bed, while the kids suffer their own problems, including pretending to know Alaska Nebraska (obvious play off of Hannah Montana). Luckily, all works out and they go home in the end.
Family Guy: missed it because I was having dinner with a friend who will be returning to Bangladesh for a few months.
American Dad: see previous excuse.

House, M.D.: coulda been better, could been worse. I am among the Huddy/Chuddy fans, and I thought Hugh Laurie did a damn good job of acting as if he was going through narcotic withdrawal. Unfortunately, I am dumbfounded as to how the detox was just one night, but I haven't taken biology in a good seven years. Wilson took the news about House's Amber hallucinations better than I thought he would. I can't understand how creepy Cameron is sometimes... she doesn't deserve Chase. And a grand total of NOTHING was new with Foreman and Thirteen. I found a fantastic montage online, and while it obscures the order of events a tiny bit, it's hott.
How I Met Your Mother: talk about some great writing! Barney was after his 200th conquest, jokes about Robin being pregnant abounded, and Ted talks about being in the right place at the right time. Plus, Marshall is addicted to using charts. So many little details and jokes that make this show amazing. Not sure how I feel about the return of Stella, tho.
Little People, Big World: the twins consider tattoos. Mom says no. Matt thinks back to going overseas. Pumpkin season has some crises. What else is new...
Jon and Kate Plus Eight: off-season
Table for 12: I caught the snow day episode, which was cute. The kids went sledding. I wish they had shown what Rebecca did all afternoon while the other kids were outside. I don't have any favorites yet, and I'm wondering if I will actually come up with any... anyone else have a favorite character/personality on this show yet?
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: off-season
Lincoln Heights: off-season

18 Kids and Counting: Josh and Anna's honeymoon and the settling into their new home. I love them. I kinda wish they'd have their own spin-off, kinda like a look into ultra-conservative, quiverfull young families. But I can't tell how Anna feels about being in the spotlight, so I'm not sure how that'll work. But since she's already carrying baby #1, I guess we'll find out in the coming year. The honeymoon was cute, although I was a little unclear on why they stayed in a four-bedroom house. I also don't know why every single kiss they probably have is caught on camera, LoL. I think it would be nice to buy a car from Josh, he won't screw you over... if I ever know someone living in Arkansas, I'd definitely recommend the Duggar dealerships. Additionally, Anna cooks for the entire family... which would overwhelm me extremely. That's like 21 people (Anna grew up in a family of 8 kids), and doing stuffed shells cost close to $70... I team-cooked for 16 once or twice, and that's good enough for me, LoL.

South Park: off-season. I did watch Season 7, Episode 11 though, since it's about Cafe Bonita in Denver, and I'm planning to eat there next week (watch over here for that review).

Monk: off-season

In not-really-related news, I saw both the Wolverine and StarTrek movies this week. Wolverine was very fascinating to me, mostly because I love character development, and that was most of the film. I also got schooled after the movie, because I was full of questions that others had to answer for me (such as "what happens to Victor, do we see him again?" A: he turns into Sabertooth). I have never seen any movie or television episode of StarTrek previously, and all I really knew about the characters was LeVar Burton was on it, Professor Xavier was on it, and the Captain's name was Kirk. I didn't even know that "beam me up, Scotty" was a command toward a person, I thought it was a phrase of some kind. On the way to the theater, I asked about characters' names, and was promptly informed that while Kirk would be in the movie, LeVar and Professor X are "Next Generation" characters. This completely confused me, since time seems to have no meaning in StarTrek world anyway. Kirk is a real badass, and he's a genius, so that's pretty awesome. The only other thing of note is that I kept having to relate things in the movie to popular culture... like swine flu, Harry Potter, and X-Men.

Top Ten Television Houses

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Today's list will feature my favorite television show homes.

10. Family Ties: The Keaton Home. It was actually unique in comparison to many of the other two-story homes of the 80s sitcoms. You could come in through the front door and have a couple steps (like a miniature balcony) and go upstairs from the living room. Or, you could come in through a hallway into the kitchen (and I loved their kitchen), then into the living room.
Video for this one, shows a lot of the house:

9. The Torkelsons: The Torkelson Home. It was SO BIG when you consider how little the family made. I loved the antiquey look, and Dorothy Jane had such a beautiful room and a great oriel window. The furniture was old and some was even repossessed in the first season of the show. Of course, the entire house was only in the first season... the second season took place in Seattle, not Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma. And it was also changed to Almost Home... but that's a different story.

8. The Cosby Show: The Huxtable Brownstone. Talk about a huge living room. And tons of rooms upstairs. And a basement from the kitchen and another from the back hallway towards the front of the house, where Heathcliff did his office appointments. And a nice yard with a privacy fence out back. There were a lot of neat props throughout the house, and I always loved the multiple fireplaces. Plus, the artwork that Claire had was nice, and even changed a bit over the years. Additionally, the idea of I found a great floorplan of the place, but it was only available in Italian and Spanish, so here you go. It's done really well... a lot of detail went into the furniture placement and such.




7. Friends: Monica's Apartment. While the apartment itself isn't all that great (I hated their bathroom setup, and both bedrooms were rather tiny), they did seem to have a great location within the City (I think they were in the West Village?), and always having people surrounding you is nice. I found this great artsy drawing that's purchasable in poster format.

6. Full House: The Tanner Home. While the backyard is unrealistically large for the home, it's nice. I love the stairs that have a balcony at the top (which served the purpose of DJ's egg-twinkie experiment AND the great TV-fall of trying to watch two programs at once), and the attic apartment is rather amazing. Plus, have you ever seen an alcove that well utilized before?? Let's not forget the garage, which became a bedroom, which became a studio. All that AND four bedrooms. There were several makeovers of various rooms throughout the series, most notably the remodeling that Vicki's mother did for Stephanie and Michelle.


5. 7th Heaven: The Camden Home. While the exterior doesn't match the interior (no balconies in any of the bedrooms, yet the facade indicated that there should be two), the place is LARGE. I especially enjoy the dining room AND the large kitchen table, the "garage apartment" that we never see the downstairs to, the multitude of rooms yet rarely is there only one person in each, and the gigantic attic situation which they really should have always had. And let's not forget Ruthie's Hello Kitty decor.

4. Home Improvement: The Taylors. First, two points for not being a standard set-up. You enter the front door and have the choice to go upstairs or through a faux-hallway which leads by the dining area to either the living room or kitchen (which are completely unseparated which is unusual). You can go out into the side yard through three different glass doors. And with all of Tim's household improvements (intercom system, central vac, etc.), tons of extras!

3. Beverly Hills, 90210: The Walsh House. There were a ton of sets for this show, dear God. Res Hall rooms, apartments, parents' houses, parents' offices, schools, stores, beaches, workplaces, it's really and truly ridiculous. Please point out another show that utilizes as many different spaces! But the Walsh House remained in use even after Brenda, Jim, Cindy, Brandon (and even Valerie) are gone. I loved the arched door. The kitchen was cozy. The twins had large rooms. Heck, they hosted multiple weddings there, so obviously it was spacious!

2. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Banks Mansion. First of all, who has a poolhouse that large? While there are some structural discrepancies through the years, the place was still rockin'. Nobody had to "bunk in" with a sibling when company came, plus Geoffrey had his own room, too... so that's AT LEAST six bedrooms, easy. And while we never see the garage (to my knowledge), unless they frequently bought new cars, they had at least six of those floating around someplace! And then there's closet space... at one point Hillary lists her purse/coat/hat/shoe wardrobe, and it seems large enough to warrant a few closets alone!

1. Boy Meets World: The Matthews Place. Another house that doesn't even remotely match its facade (this might be one of the worst ones out there, actually). Still, I loved their staircase (I've always been a fan of the twisty ones). And I always thought it was nice that they had some sort of "office area" behind the living room, that allowed for two entrances into the kitchen. Let's not neglect their cool treehouse (which was accessible from Cory & Eric's bedroom), AND the fact that the neighbor was Mr. Feeny. This is a darned funny episode. The first clip shows the living room and Cory's room, while the second shows the backyard and the kitchen.

I'm Living for the Weekend

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I've always been a fan of Saturday Morning Cartoons. Even up through high school and into college, which explains how The Weekenders is one of my all-time favorites, even though it didn't debut until 2000. It ran on ABC, and ruined Pokemon's run on the WB. It's not on at all anymore, although reruns were on ToonDisney and a few other channels for a few years.

This show worked HARD on being completely original and setting itself apart. The show centers on four kids and what they do on the weekends. Two guys and two girls, and their families are seen from time to time. Tino, voiced by Jason Marsden, is the main character, and often breaks the fourth wall while telling the audience about what's going on. But, two things that set the show apart: the kids' clothing and hairstyles actually change, which is rare for cartoons; the pizza place that they frequent is never the same background... the theme of the place is constantly changing. Some of my favorite themes were Cirque du Pizza, Mount Pizza-Uvious, Sherlock Pizza, Mission Impizzable, Pizzamergency, and Lord of the Pies.

Rarely was school a topic in the show, and I think that was a big draw for kids looking for an escape from other shows (which Recess did in a similar manner, but focusing mostly on playground situations). The crew could be found hanging at the arcade, the mall, movies, listening to music, playing sports, and other things tweens might do. There are no "very special" topics, but there was a holiday episode showcasing Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah.

It got the boot because it was a Disney show. Disney and their fear of a show losing viewers just stops shows in their tracks.

This is a very early episode in the series, but it shows families, hobbies, and the general tone of the show.




Later Days!