How to Drink to Friends

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, so back before I had my special interruptions the past couple Wednesdays, I started talking about how I was going to post some drinking games for television shows. I had about four shows in mind, and I have received one request so far (not too late to add one if you have an idea!), so this'll go for a little bit.

For the first show in this series of posts, I chose Friends because a) it's on pretty often. especially near dinner time and late at night, b) all ten seasons go on sale pretty regularly at Target and Amazon, so they're not a bad investment, c) the characters are pretty consistent so the "rules" aren't really that specific to certain seasons, and d)

Okay, so this is what I generally play by when drinking to Friends. Any other suggestions?

Take a drink when...

- Chandler makes a joke
- a "break" is mentioned
- we see Ursala
- Rachel goes on a date
- Joey is auditioning or practicing lines
- Ross mentions dinosaurs
- Monica is OCD-ish or cleaning
- Gunther obviously likes Rachel
- they drink coffee
- someone says "Oh my God" (two drinks if it's Janice)
- Joey says "how you doin'"
- Phoebe is playing music
- they talk about Ross's divorces or ex-wives
- Ross says something another Friend thinks is stupid
- Joey eats a sandwich
- Joey "doesn't get" something
- Ross and Rachel argue
- when Chandler does something generally stereotyped as metrosexual/homosexual

naturally, you could drink much more heavily if you used triggers such as "when all six are together" or something, but I'm going for casual here, folks. :)

Favorite Episodes: ALF

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

ALF is kinda iconic in that if you've seen it, you're not going to confuse it with any other show, ever. And if you haven't seen it, you can probably at least pick out the little critter out of a lineup. I wrote about the history and background of the show last July, so you can head over and read that entry if you need a refresher on the characters or the general themes. That post also covers the sad history of the show's ending. At that point, only the first three episodes were on Hulu, but in the meantime, the fourth season has been posted, and I saw the rest of the series. Here, we have my top picks from each of the seasons.

Season 1: "Baby, You Can Drive My Car" (S01E10) Lynn wants a car, but the Tanners can't afford it, partly because of the money it costs to repair the garage after ALF's crash landing. Lynn wants to get a job to save money, but has issues balancing school and work. So, ALF buys a Ferrari for Lynn by selling parts of his spaceship for money. But, it doesn't last long after he takes it for a spin.


Season 2: "Some Enchanted Evening" (S02E06) It's Halloween and ALF wants to go trick-or-treating, but Willie won't let him. So ALF makes a costume party happen, and he's a popular guest, thanks to his (natural) costume. Willie is afraid that ALF will ruin his chances at a promotion.


Season 3: "Suspicious Minds" (S03E15) ALF reads a book about the conspiracy that Elvis is alive, and thinks the new guy in the neighborhood Elvis. He is obsessed with getting to the bottom of it, so he sneaks into the guy's house.


Season 4: "Baby, Come Back" (S04E01) ALF begs to be allowed to babysit Eric, but Kate is reluctant to allow him. But, when she has to leave for work and nobody else is available, she allows ALF to be in charge of him. WHen he goes to dispose of a dirty diaper, Lynn and Brian get home and take Eric with them, but ALF doesn't hear them. Poor ALF then thinks he lost the baby, and he and Willie are freaked until Kate comes home and reveals what happened.

Wipeout & Futurama are back!!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Friday:

Miami Medical (S01E11): really? the boat kept going and aimed right at them? kidney cancer... that sucks. even junkier that the guy peaced out since he was only having an affair with the woman. at least her husband stayed by her side. Some nice camera angles this time, too. I kinda wish we coulda seen DeLeo hear about his brother, tho.

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E07): aww, a holiday-themed episode. haha, funny dig about having time in the morning to make a three-course breakfast. haha, their real dad looks like President Garfield. haha, "I've really grown to love them over the last few weeks..." it hasn't been MONTHS yet? The whole hockey stick fight seemed extra juvenile, even for Ron. Fighting the delivery man was pretty funny. The whole storyline with the boys waiting for their dad to call was kinda boring. And the fact that he doesn't even call in the end is even rougher. But the worst part ever was when Ron didn't even get the credit for giving the kids the game. Boo. At least the dorky kids started to figure it out. I'm kinda looking forward to next week since they had that cliffhanger of Robbie mailing himself to his dad.

Kate Plus Eight (S01xx): off-week.

Monday:

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E03): Really? Ben's dad would want him to marry Adrian?? Glad Grace is talking about med camp again. It weirds me out how much kids tell their parents on this show... Grace's mom's boyfriend and Jack's mom know about Adrian, but Amy doesn't, LoL. Really.... Amy has to leave THE NEXT DAY?? I mean, the counselor's explanation made sense and all, but seriously? haha, I like how Jack thought about taking Amy's room for a split-second there. Having everyone say to the camera (Amy) that she should go was weird... and the fact that random kids showed up to wish her well was STRANGE. Wait, Ben's dad told Adrian's dad??? OMG that's WRONG. I also didn't like the way the dad told her mom. But, the worst part about this episode was that nothing happened aside from more people finding out about Adrian, LoL.

Cake Boss (S03E06 & S03E07): Marie Antoinette is a cool theme. I loved the rendering for it. lmao, "you want to drop dead rolling fondant?" Um, I loved the cravings so much I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to have my own future baby shower cake themed like that, hehe. I thought the neat idea for filling on the pregnant cake was cool, too (but I don't want that, geez!). I like the addition of teaching Anthony to make things, that's a fun addition to the show. I like how Buddy forces Mauro to go to the doctor... but seriously, if you fall down like that, you're in trouble. NewGuy did a great job on Marie Antoinette's head, he's really proved himself. That cake was SO BEAUTIFUL.

I think maybe I wouldn't have put a cake IN the car that he has to take the test in, LoL. I wasn't a big fan of the Oprah cake. I can't believe how often they can't get a cake through a door, LoL. "I'm just a baker from New Jersey" LoL.

Tuesday:

Wipeout (S03E01 & S03E02): JesusGirl was kinda amusing. Bad spill when she tried to get off the shaker. The drag queen was original, but the crown and jewels were kinda out-of-place. Why are we using the old motivator on the big balls instead of the new one? Fence Flapper is such a good obstacle, LoL. Really nice ball recovery by the kid. It was cool to see someone make it through the shape shifter. WOW that first kid made it through round 2 REALLY fast. The raining shaving cream and the spouting water were tricky additions. Not a very friendly competition for women, LoL, since only the farmer girl made it past that one. The fans for bruiseball were odd... weer they family members of the contestants or something? I was rather surprised that the jumpy kid and the drag queen made it to the finals. UnionBoy and Cowboy also round out a good group. The sin-a-stairs were really different... JumpyKid is a slow swimmer, LoL. WHOA on the backward dismount of UnionGuy from the bouncy block hurdles. The way Cowboy got through the whole thing that fast was really surprising. I thought it was interesting that DragQueen finished the course even though he lost.

For some reason, another episode aired Thursday. The first girl had a pretty funny strategy: "look overweight but run like a skinny person" haha. The Shakealator is an interesting obstacle. The Samoan guy was pretty entertaining. The opera singing was a little entertaining. The sheer number of wipeouts on the second obstacle was astounding... I don't know what took them so long to figure out the way to make it through that thing! The third obstacle was kinda weird... it's probably my least favorite of the third ones. Dropping the luggage on the contestants' heads was weird. I was kinda sad that the Samoan guy didn't make it to the final round. It was the same Wipeout Zone that we saw Tuesday... I prefer that "washing machine" thing they had during the pre-season, LoL. I liked the "in space" the first few times, but it got old fast. Man, SugarMama got really lucky a couple times on those final obstacles!!

Wednesday:

Hot in Cleveland (S01E02): The Weeds vs. Entourage joke was funny.

"Nobody over 80 picks up the phone after the first ring," LoL. Still trying to remember that Valerie is Melanie, Wendie is Victoria, and Jane is Joy.

Thursday:

Futurama (S06E01 & S06E02): what? "mouth to @$$ resuscitation" ?!?! The "coma chameleon" thing was funny. The "from ages 8 to 9" for robot-building fun was also funny. Leila's reincarnation from a toy was also weird. The cyclophage was also strange. Otherwise, not a big fan.

The Adam & Eve thing was weird. There was a little too much "vagina" for me, and it was otherwise kinda boring.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
Minute to Win It (back Wednesday, July 7th)
16 and Pregnant / Teen Mom (Teen Mom back July 20, not sure on 16 and Pregnant)
19 Kids and Counting (Season 5 starts August 10th at 9pm)
Melissa & Joey (starts Aug 17th at 8pm)
Little People, Big World (season 6 starts September 6th)
House, M.D. (season 7 starts in September)
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts in the fall)
Family Guy (season 9 starts in the fall)
How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts in the fall)
South Park (have not yet heard, but I assume October or so)
Table for 12: (missing "summer," "busy day," "jumping in," "brace yourself," "back to school")

13 Things About The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, first off, this post is a day late since I have gotten two jobs in the past week and it's been more than a little hectic. Second, as I hinted at last week, I had the opportunity to receive a review copy of The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens, and that's what we're looking at today. Don't worry, for those who are excited about the upcoming Drinking Games series, that's to start next Wednesday.

I chose 13 things to list here based on the fact that Ashley is 13 during most of the time she writes in this journal (which I believe will later have a "volume 2" ...).

1. I thought that the formatting in the book was neat. The "chapters" were broken down by the date of the journal entry, and were in script. Within them, they have times, which are "stamped" as if they were the due date on a library book card. The typeface itself is a standard Times New Roman, but every now and then there are little blurbs scripted in the margins, which (to me) indicate that Ashley re-read her thoughts and had additional comments. We later learn she plans to give the journal to John when he's a teenager.

2. The beginning is kinda strange. Ashley knows Adrian, Grace, Ricky, Henry, & Alice by name before she's clearly been introduced to them. I'd buy that she knew who Grace was, but not the rest (especially not Henry & Alice). She does refer to the town being small at one point, but I definitely never got that impression from the show.

3. She's very anti-smoking. She likes ballet, and attended a couple cotillions as a youngster. She also hates keeping secrets... this amuses me, especially considering the title of the show, LoL.

4. Ashley is usually a tough character, but she was jealous that Amy told Madison and Lauren about her pregnancy before she told her own sister. But, she knew first. She's tricky like that. She even phoned Italy and got the scoop on Ben when he was in Bologna.

5. She makes a lot of "wise beyond her years" comments, like mentioning the idea that Amy needs Ashley more than Ashley needs George. Similarly, she passed for 21 when she got that job as a waitress. Oh, and she and the waitress who hired her are friends now...

6. She writes in the journal (for the most part) because it was assigned by her principal, and this is apparent throughout. Not only does Ashley reference Principal Miller, she also explains things much more to an audience than she would need to trigger her own memory about various events. For fans of the show, the dates are probably the most helpful, since they give a timeline to how close certain events were from different episodes.

7. There are a couple continuity/logic concerns. For instance, Ashley seems to know that Adrian bought condoms from the grocery store early on, yet seems to be learning that fact for the first time when NedTed tells her AFTER she bought her own condoms based on the fact that Adrian bought them there. Also, "Hot Cross Buns" is NOT the same as "Three Blind Mice," although they have the first six notes in common.

8. Ashley references her nickname "Little Mimsy," but I can't recall that being mentioned on the show. If it was, oops. If it wasn't, then I think it was a peculiar addition to the book.

9. Ashley and George have an unspoken agreement that she's always the first one he tells things to. Speaking of George, he had a fiance before Grace's mom.

10. The kids in this show all give out their numbers too easily. Jack texts Ashley after they have like one personal conversation. She calls Ben somehow. And Thomas was able to call her immediately, though she doesn't ask for his number for a while. Even the hotel guy in Italy was able to text her more info.

11. She hung out with Ben's driver and they got coffee... he even wrote her a late note for school... that really creeps me out.

12. Ashley heard that Thomas found another bus stop that he likes better... who would she hear this from? Thomas is homeschooled so he wouldn't be a topic of gossip at school.

13. February 6th is John's birthday.

Overall, it was an interesting read. Definitely for fans of the show, and most likely for the younger readers (I imagine I'm about ten years older than the targeted group, LoL). It's also yellow and hardcover, so it looks pretty on the shelf. ;)

Favorite Episodes: Little House on the Prairie

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

When I was in the third grade, I read a lot of good books. See, we had this thing called S.Q.U.I.R.T. time after lunch, and we were allowed to read anything we wanted for fifteen minutes or so. It stood for Sustained Quiet Uninterrupted Independent Reading Time, or something very similar to that. I got attached to The Boxcar Children series with Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny, and ended up reading at least fifty of their books over the next few years. We also read Little House in the Big Woods, and several years later my mother picked up a boxed set for me at a thrift store, so I could read all of them. I rather enjoyed reading about life in the 1860s-1880s. All of the moves that the family made intrigued me. So, sometime around age fourteen, I found out they made a television show out of it. It's very different in a lot of ways (Mary never married, for instance), but still a good show. It has taken me years and years of daytime television repeats in order to catch all of the episodes, but I'm about 98% sure that I've seen them all, and so I am listing my favorites now.

Season 1: "Town Party, Country Party" (S01E07) Laura hurts her ankle, and meets a new friend who has one short leg. Charles builds a boot for Olga so that her legs are even and she can play with the other children, but Olga's father gets upset. Luckily, her grandmother approves and all is well in the end.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 2: "Four Eyes" (S02E02) In what is a seemingly memorable episode, Mary goes to Mankato to get glasses. At first she's thrilled at the perfect vision she now has, but soon the teasing at school causes her to pretend they are lost so she doesn't have to wear them. When Miss Beadle's beau stops by, Mary decides that glasses aren't the worst thing ever, and she goes back to wearing them.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 3: "Bunny" (S03E02) Long ago, Laura traded her horse for a stove to give to Caroline for Christmas. Nelly now has it, and when the horse throws her off, she fakes paralysis (rather well, actually). Laura is overcome with guilt for some reason, and decides to do whatever Nelly wants. Then, Laura realizes that Nelly is faking it, and throws her in a pond to prove it.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 4: "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away" (S04E21 & S04E22) This is perhaps one of the most-watched episodes in the entire series. In the span of 2 hours (it's a double episode), Mary's sight begins to deteriorate, she goes blind, she goes to blind school, learns everything there is to know, and decides that she wants to become a blind teacher. (This is really unrealistic, as in the books it takes the family a while to save up the money, and Mary is gone for a long time. In real life, Mary's blind education takes 8 or 9 YEARS.)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

Season 5: "As Long As We're Together" (S05E01 & S05E02) This is the opener for the season, and the two-parter takes place just after my favorite from Season 4. The family moves to Winoka, and Mary begins working with Adam at the blind school. Charles and Caroline run the hotel, and before long the Garveys and the Olesons also show up. Nellie and Willie are in private school, while everyone else is taught by Alice in a barn. We meet Albert, an orphan who later gets adopted by the Ingalls family, and Mary turns 16.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

Season 6: "Crossed Connections" (S06E12, but the episodes are hard to number in this season because one of the movies isn't always counted) The telephone is invented, hehe. Harriet Olson is in charge of the town's lines, and eavesdrops on whatever she wants. Of course, she assumes the worst from various conversations and everything becomes one problem after another.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 7: "The In-Laws" (S07E09) Charles and Almanzo both believe that they have the quickest route to Sleep Eye. So, they race, but each has unexpected obstacles along the way. Laura and Caroline root for their respective husbands as they look forward to dinner.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 8: "The Reincarnation of Nellie" (S08E01 & S08E02) Nellie, Percival, and their children (Benjamin and Jennifer) move to New York, as do Mary and Adam. Mrs. Oleson misses Nellie so much that she adopts a troublemaking girl who looks extremely similar to Nellie. Nancy connives Willie into locking another girl in the ice shed so that Nancy can have the lead in the school play. Laura (who is teaching now) is wise to Nancy's tricks, and tricks her into being in the dunk tank instead.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

Season 9: "Little Lou" (S09E05) A circus midget arrives in town, with his wife and his mother. His wife soon dies in childbirth, and Lou gets a job at the bank to support his child. Mrs. Oleson protests, and he is fired. He cannot get another job, and soon begins stealing to provide. Then, when Nancy falls down a well, it's Lou who is able to save her, so he doesn't get tried for stealing.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Hot in Cleveland has premiered!!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Friday:

Miami Medical (S01E10): my DVR screwed up somehow and didn't get this one for some reason (even tho I checked the schedule the night before and it showed up there...). After several days of searching on and off for it online, I finally found it streaming for free without having to fill out surveys or download anything here. Now, onto my thoughts... I'm kinda tired of "where's blank?" followed by "we need to concentrate on you right now," LoL. "3 days short of forever" is silly. The amputated finger shocked me, BIG TIME. I was surprised how well Serena did in the hyperbaric chamber after her initial claustrophobic freak-out. Quick thinking on her part, too, to get the bag with the rip fixed temporarily. The diagnostic session outside was very House, MD, but it worked. That EMT who messed up with the finger count and then found the finger was cute, he totally looked freaked and then relieved. I love how we keep hearing new stuff about DeLeo's past. It makes me sad that the show was canceled because I want to learn more, LoL. It was sweet how the emergency made them not want to put off getting married any longer. Serena turning down the guy in person to try out seeing her text-boy in real life was interesting, too, and I can't wait to see how that turned out.

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E06): Stair Luge. Awesome in concept, bad in execution. "That thing on my knee was serious... it's called a boo-boo!" hahaha. He does make a bad father... not letting you into the bathroom, leaving the kids alone for the weekend, etc. I loved the littlest kid's acting when he pulls a hot dog out of one pocket and a cheese stick out of another and keeps a straight face, lmao. And the oldest kid getting taken for both his phone and his wallet is even funnier. And the middle kid gets drunk... go figure. Brandon, Gary, and Robbie... I need to remember their names. I thought it was funny that Ron pulled the fire alarm so nobody else was sleeping, either... haha!

Kate Plus Eight (S01xx): this show took a week off, but I did dig up a tiny bit of info... The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry granted the work permits to the kids on April 26th, so they couldn't have filmed before that I guess.

Monday:

Little People, Big World (S05E39 & S05E40): [these seem to be jointly referred to as the season finale] ...weeds took over? Is there no grooming in the off-season or something? I loved Amy's dotted top. I think having it as a dress would be darling. It's one week before pumpkin season at the beginning, so that means it's the last week of September (season started for them October 2nd, according to Matt's twitter). The whole thing about it being a farm vs. being commercial was interesting. I think Amy's comment about just giving up and selling the farm was a bit out of context. [I was just thinking, what are those forts/treehouses that they built earlier this season being used for, now? Maybe he should've had them be more mobile so they could be donated somewhere.] I was surprised at how many people were at the pumpkin meeting... that's a TON! Geez, $4k for structural changes is rough! Especially since you have to bring in some of the pumpkins! It was kinda weird that he "brought his engineer" to the meeting... but we don't get a good shot of "him" nor do they put his name up, even tho we get plenty of other explanations of who's who in this episode. The baby barbary lion was super cool! Did it stick around for the entire pumpkin season, I wonder? I'm glad that they were able to open because it would have sucked to do all that extra work and then be foced to sit out. Too bad the bridge wasn't allowed to open tho. I bet because of that scene last year, LoL.

I think this episode must have taken place before the pumpkin one, since, according to Portland Community College's academic calendar (they apparently go to the Rock Creek campus), classes started September 21st, and we know that pumpkin season didn't even start until October. Weird that Jeremy doesn't even answer his dad's phone call from the home office... and what was that little cart that Zach was driving around? Zach is taking 3 classes? Jeremy is taking 2?? What is this mess? And if Jeremy was already going in for academic advising to get his writing class on a day other than Saturday, why not also get some advice on what else to take, since he told his parents "everything else is full" ??? This whole attitude that Amy and Matt have where the kids have to figure this out for themselves isn't working. AND, Jeremy's surprise at the fact that there were going to be THIRTY kids in the class was ridiculous. Um, I understand they went to a private school, but let's be REAL. I was in shock that Jeremy goes in for advising, goes home to do it on the computer, doesn't get anywhere, drives back to school, decides he doesn't want to wait, and goes home, with the idea that he'll just "come back later or a different day." omg, he isn't gonna make it, LoL. Matt was saying some weird things about death, I though. The blurb for the show suggested that Jeremy and Zach run the show for like a week, but in reality it's only for the better half of one day, LoL. At least Jeremy knew to introduce himself to workers that he wasn't familiar with so that he could address their concerns directly. What was painted on Amy's face, I couldn't tell? And more on death by Matt. And then we have this huge cliffhanger at the end where Matt collapses and nobody is very panicky... weird. It was renewed, by the way, more to come on September 6th.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E02): I love how they try to work in Henry & Alice every so often, haha. Today they provide the information on how home pregnancy tests work, LoL. hahaha, Ben didn't hang up the phone until after Henry & Alice started talking. What was Amy trying to wear? The idea that everyone in the family lies was funny, too. When Ashley walks into Adrian's house to get a ride to school, she sounds more like herself (meaning the actress), with the slight British accent. Interesting scene with the accent. Grace falling for Ben never really made sense for me, so I'm glad that's on the back-burner for now. Haha, Jack went to Ricky next... with the premise of "it's only for a year," um, that's a LONG time, LoL. I don't know how I feel about the guidance counselor applying to the program without Amy knowing. haha on Grace's mom wearing jeans that Grace gave away. Jack had some great advice to tell Grace about Adrian's situation and what they should do. Interesting that Anne saw Ashley next door all day and didn't say anything. Those are some flowers Ben brought!!

Cake Boss (S03E04 & S03E05): I thought it was funny that the guy was making his sword visible in an effort to get an immediate appointment with Buddy, LoL. It was cool to see Buddy speaking Italian. And it's handy that he does, since his mom isn't there anymore. I do find it curious that he picked it up enough for conversation and his sisters didn't. So the secret to tiramisu is marscapone, egg yolks, sugar, whipped. Then add espresso and sugar and coffee liqueur, and sweet Marsala wine, then soak the sponge cake in it. Stadium seating in cereal treats was cool. For anyone wondering, the Medieval Times is in Lyndhurst, NJ... I looked it up. Apparently there are 9... I only knew about like 3, haha. I'm excited about this show going to Italy! I hope they carry some of it into the episodes! The figures on the medieval cake were AMAZING!! It was cool that the families all came to see the show. It was neat that Buddy got to joust in the show! Buddy wasn't wearing armor, so I'm thinking it was staged, haha. I still think the carrot cake was an interesting choice, LoL.

Um, the episodes seem to have lost continuity. It's winter break in this episode, but we saw Valentine's Day just recently. Not a big deal. Otherwise, not a lot to be said about this episode. I liked how the hearse cake worked as a surprise, but overall not a lot to say about this episode.

Wednesday:

Hot in Cleveland (S01E01): This is apparently recorded live. That's awesome, since it's rather rare these days for sitcoms. Funny age joke in the beginning. I like how Jane Leeves cuts off Wendie Malick all the time. And I love how Wendie is so egocentric, reminds me of Just Shoot Me, LoL. "and everyone's eating and no one's ashamed" haha. I kinda loved how the culture shock got them... manners, being looked at and not past, seeing women who look like women, not questioning the sexuality of men when looking at them... 20 marriages is like 5 in LA, and for an actress is like 1... LOVE IT. Jane licking her arm for the french fry grease had me rolling. symphonies, museums, and opera... they don't like those. well, I can deal with that. I think it's funny that Valerie was the one who had the idea to go on the trip, and she was the first one who wanted to bail to stay in Cleveland. I thought Jane's clothing choice with the blue shirt, white sweater, khaki jacket, and red heels was weird. I don't think it's July 4th, LoL. Valerie is 40 and her kids are in college? I think she must be at least 45, but even that seems drastic. haha, nice joke about being Megan Fox's grandmother in Transformers 3, since Megan's not in that, LoL. Has Jane never been married? hahaha, Toledo is the Paris of Ohio.

Oh, and Valerie is Melanie, Wendie is Victoria, and Jane is Joy. I need to learn this.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
Wipeout (back June 22nd)
Futurama (June 24th, 10pm)
Minute to Win It (back Wednesday, July 7th)
16 and Pregnant / Teen Mom (Teen Mom back July 20, not sure on 16 and Pregnant)
19 Kids and Counting (Season 5 starts August 10th at 9pm)
Melissa & Joey (starts Aug 17th at 8pm)
House, M.D. (season 7 starts in September)
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts in the fall)
Family Guy (season 9 starts in the fall)
How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts in the fall)
South Park (have not yet heard, but I assume October or so)
Table for 12: (missing "summer," "busy day," "jumping in," "brace yourself," "back to school")

8 Things I Learned from India Eisley

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yes, I know that last Wednesday I mentioned that I was going to start a couple weeks of drinking game ideas for television shows. I started drafting a few posts for this, but the last week has really been a whirlwind in a lot of ways. In the way related to this blog, I had two unique opportunities come up, and the first one is going to be addressed today.

On Monday, I took part in a telephone Q&A with India Eisley, who plays Ashley Juergens on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It was a fun experience, and I hope it was the first of many. I made up a whole list of potential questions (which was good, since some other participants asked questions I was going to), and ended up asking two (I had four "first-choice" questions, but my other two seemed to be hitting one area that was getting beaten like a dead horse, so I chose to keep those two silent). However, I learned a lot more than that, and thought I'd share. (The "8" doesn't come from anything specific.)

1. She has a slight British accent. I was taken by surprise. Of course, now I can hear it a little on the show (I thought it was apparent in one scene in Monday's episode, which I'll mention on Friday in the review).

2. The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens came out today. It's a book written by the Ashley character. India Eisley had no input on it, and had only read a few excerpts (I presume the ones that ABC Family put on their website, but I don't know for sure). She said she'll probably read the book at some point. She personally has never kept a journal or diary.

3. Minor Spoilers: Ashley and Anne are going to get closer. Ashley's character will not be as calm this season. She's becoming more vulnerable.

4. India says that she is nothing like Ashley (and also noted that she couldn't compare herself to any of the show's characters). She prefers the emotional side of Ashley, not the sarcastic side. I gotta say, this means she does some great acting!

5. India does not hang out with the cast off-set. She wasn't even sure if anyone in the cast had relationships with one another off-set.

5. India is not planning to go to college, unless a certain course interests her. She wants to keep working (acting), since she's happy doing that. I think that's great, and I look forward to seeing her in more things.

6. She says she watches the finished episodes once in a while. I find this interesting specifically because there's a February 2009 interview on the internet that mentions she watches every episode with her mother TWICE. I guess once you know the character inside and out, you don't over-analyze.

7. She would pair her character with Ricky without thinking it taboo (but never Ben).

8. She's close to her mom. She goes to her to talk about things, and considers her to be her best friend.

Special thanks to ABC Family and India Eisley for the opportunity to be part of the Q&A!!

Favorite Episodes: Doug

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Doug is unique in that it started out on Nickelodeon and later became a Disney cartoon. This is really interesting for those of you who are around my age, since when I was a child the rivalry between Nickelodeon and Disney was just like Coke & Pepsi or McDonald's & Burger King. While this competition still exists to a certain extent, I don't believe that it is anywhere near as fierce now. In fact, five years ago I spent a lot of time with 9-11 year olds, and sometimes they wouldn't even remember which network broadcast a certain show. In my day, if you got something like that wrong, you had to be prepared to get into an argument with the next kid, 'cuz everyone had a stance on which channel played the better shows, and what those shows were.

Anyway, back to the point. Doug was a sixth grader on Nick and a seventh grader on Disney. He eventually gets a little sister (he already has an older one), and the middle school experience is very different for Doug and his peers. The rest of the town has changed a bit, too, but on to the list! From the Nick eps, my favorite season is 3, and from the Disney, season 1. They're technically two different shows, and that's reflected in the series numbering below. For the Nick episodes (which are almost always 2 separate storylines), I chose the pairs I liked best (aka I had to really like both stories for it to make the cut). Video clips are really rare for this show, apparently. I embedded the only ones I could find, since there's not many.

Season 1: Doug Gets His Ears Lowered / Doug on the Wild Side (S01E08) The first story is about Doug needing to find a barber who works like his old barber did. He eventually finds what he's looking for and is overjoyed. The second story has Doug's motorcycle-riding grandmother coming to visit, and she's a daredevil. Doug learns a bit about taking risks and enjoying life, while trying out a little motorcycle riding and some sushi in the process.

Season 2: Doug's Dinner Date / Doug Meets Fentruck (So2E04) The whole gang is invited to Patti's house for dinner, and Doug misunderstands when he think they're going to be having liver and onions. Since he hates that dish, he tries hard to prepare himself ahead of time, all for nothing. It's kinda humorous. Then, we get the first episode with the exchange student from Yakestonia, Fentruck. Fentruck gets along with everyone pretty well, until Doug thinks he has a crush on Patti. But, all's well that ends well.

Season 3: Doug's Huge Zit / Doug Flies a Kite (S03E05) The first half isn't that unique, but it's good to see a run-of-the-mill storyline about teenage issues like pimples. The second half is really touching, as Doug and his dad enter a kite competition, and while his dad has a conservative and traditional design, Doug wants something cutting edge.

Season 4: Doug's Birthday Present / Doug's Fan Club (S04E06) In the first story, Doug's dad thinks he needs to get Doug awesome birthday presents because Beebe gets really impressive presents from her father. So he decides to open up his own photography studio, but then he never had any time for the family. In the second story, Doug is doing magic tricks (this happens on and off in the series), and a third-grader really gets impressed. The kid starts following him around, and eventually annoys Doug. Doug yells at him, the kid gets upset, and Doug feels guilty. The first half is one clip, the second half is in two clips.





Season 1: Doug's Last Birthday (S01E01) I like this episode because it's so much exposition in updating the characters and the town. The title comes from the fact that Doug isn't coping with the change very well, and wants to stop getting older, hence no more birthdays. The honker Burger has been replaced with a fancy French restaurant, Roger's rich, Connie's thin, the Beets are breaking up, Patti is partly homeschooled, and his mom is pregnant. Really, that is a lot to take in before starting seventh grade!

Season 2: Doug's Dougapooluza (S02E06) Connie wants to win a radio contest so she can be a rock star. She's even thinking about quitting school, since one of the Beets did. She gets Doug involved, and begins to have second thoughts about the importance of school. Meanwhile, Skeeter and the twins try to create a machine that'll make monster noises to communicate with the lake monster.

Season 3: Doug's Dream House (S03E07) Doug is really excited that Patti will be staying with the Funnie family for a week when her dad goes out of town. But, then he becomes paranoid that Judy is going to let it slide that Doug is obsessed with Patti. It's amusing to say the least.

Welcome, Summer Season!!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Friday:

Miami Medical (S01E09): I'm still sad that this was canceled. Apparently they also decided to re-classify the show as having only one season, since this is listed online as part of the first one instead of the first of the second season. Again, love the cinematography and flashback tactics. I didn't get the fruit-in-the-locker thing at the end until the dad repeated the peaches part.

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E05): Leave it to Ron to hit on another parent at the school and forget the homework, LoL. Otherwise, no much to say, except I thought it was funny that Ron confused measles with chicken pox.

Kate Plus Eight (S01E01 & S01E02): I gotta say, I'm not a fan of acting like this show is "back" and that the "Jon &" part of the title never existed. I'm surprised the kids were so upset that they stopped filming. I don't like Kate's new hair. The kids are way easier to understand when they talk now. I'm unclear on where Mady and Cara were at the beginning of the episode... I mean I understand it's the little kids' birthday, but there's no explanation at all until we see an interview. I thought it was funny that so many people said "hi" to Kate in the airport. Good call on flying Southwest, since you don't have to worry about choosing seats until the day-of. It was too bad that Alexis wasn't feeling that well, but at least they were able to work it in so that she could enjoy some of the birthday celebration festivities. I learned that lovebugs are attracted to white...this is REALLY good to know!! Kinda a neat idea to have a birthday party in a place only accessible by boat, LoL. It's a good point that the little kids did have three parties this year, so Mady and Cara weren't crazy to be upset. An orange juice squeezing contest? Really?? Interesting that Cara and Mady got their own pinata to hit... why not have the twins split and each work on a different one with the little kids? The cake was absolutely beautiful! (we know this episode was in April)

The second episode was really looking at Kate as a celebrity. I was kinda shocked to find out that she really did have hair extensions done in January. oh dear God, it took 16 hours to get her extensions put in?? I don't really like the solid white background that she does some of these interviews in now. Was Kate helping the kids with work they missed while they were on vacation or something? Or is this enrichment work?

(We know at least part of this episode was in May, and part was in April, and part was in March)

I also finally got to see the Jon and Kate Plus Eight finale, "It's a Crazy Life, But it's Our Life." Kate kinda repeated herself a few times throughout. Jon comes off as a real jerk when he talks about finally having freedom and being happy to be living in the city and able to get away and such. It wasn't fair that Mady said something, Jon overreacted, and both she and Cara weren't allowed to go raise money with the lemonade stand. I don't think it was fair for Cara at all. Plus, what happened to teaching the kids about charity? I thought the Reading jersey came out of nowhere. The kids were kinda overly-kissy. The "through the years" segments were cute. We also found out that the Gosselin house is about a mile from Spring Creek Farm, and their address is public knowledge, LoL. It was funny how they all liked the kittens better than the cows. I was expecting someone to prefer the cows.

Monday:

Little People, Big World (S05E37 & S05E38): Seeing Zach and Amy take off was funny. Zach didn't know how to make a bed? Seriously? Good thing he didn't go away to college, LoL.

Molly was so happy to see her car, it made me happy for her. I think it's funny that Molly wasn't in love with the theme of the party, and the photo shoots in the street clothes was weird. That would've made more sense in something other than jeans and a plaid shirt, LoL. I thought it was very "Matt Roloff" that the car wouldn't start in the end, LoL.
[season final June 14th]

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E01): Adrian isn't pregnant and the opening scene looked like crappy acting by Ben. Cute blood drive posters around the school. I thought it was interesting that the woman at the butcher shop said that she "was Adrian," LoL.Why do Ben and Ricky have such high hair? It's 2010, folks. Um, what's the deal? Jack's parents are willing to let him live with a friend for a YEAR just so he can finish his senior year at his old school?

Cake Boss (S03E02 & S03E03): The Coney Island Polar Bear club goes for the swims WEEKLY?? I always thought those types of things were once a year. I really liked the rendering of the polar bear cake. Cool ice cream machine! I LOVED the clown cake. It was gorgeous. I can only hope to someday have a cake that gorgeous for my future children. I love that Buddy's mom caught them and he tried lying to her face. Marco looked SO happy about seeing the cake. good for them!

Valentine's Day time! The Knot has Buddy do a cake to make 14 couples happy. That's ridiculous. Buddy kinda looked like he wanted to say no, but of course, he says yes. Where did this old guy Sal come from? The rendering looks so neat! I love that Buddy is now friends with the guy that Anthony hit, haha. I found it hilarious how the guys wanted in on the gossip of who Anthony wanted to take on a Valentine's Day date, and the looks on their faces when they found out who she was were priceless. Um, I doubt they went to Hoboken on their honeymoon. They probably went to NYC, and spent a day in Jersey, LoL. It's the week of Valentine's, and they thought they could just waltz in to a big-name bakery without ordering it first? hahaha. I think it's funny they didn't get cream cheese in their cake after all that, LoL. But, at least they got it and it was beautiful. The chocolate box concept was really neat and creative. I thought Danny's reaction when he found out about Anthony taking out his daughter was hilarious.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season:
Wipeout (back 6/22)
The Goode Family (this has been pulled from Comedy Central, so I'm gonna take it off next week, it's not coming back. boo.)
Futurama (June 24th, 10pm)
16 and Pregnant / Teen Mom (Teen Mom back this summer, not sure on 16 and Pregnant)
South Park (have not yet heard, but I assume October or so)
House, M.D. (season 7 starts in September)
Hot in Cleveland (new show, starts June 16th on TVLand)
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts in the fall)
Table for 12: (missing "summer," "busy day," "jumping in," "brace yourself," "back to school") Family Guy (season 9 starts in the fall)
How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts in the fall)
19 Kids and Counting (Season 5 starts August 10th at 9pm)
Minute to Win It (back Wednesday, July 7th)

I'll Drink to That!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, so it's been a really, really long time since I've specifically asked for input from readers. I always welcome it, don't get me wrong. But comments have been scarce lately, so I'm thinking maybe there's just not been a lot of interest in some recent topics.

Ever get really bored on a Saturday night (or any other time of the week for that matter)? You have friends over and there's not much to do, so you put on some show that re-runs all the time (or that you have on DVD) and come up with a drinking game for it? This has happened to my group and we solved the boredom with drinking games for Friends and Seinfeld. My husband and I have also come up with similar games for Frasier and Mad About You. I'm really convinced that this works for most shows, you just have to really think about what the triggers will be.

So, I'm asking you guys... would you be interested in me publishing any of our drinking games to these shows? Or do you have a show that you wish you could come up with one for? I'm willing to brainstorm some on a different show. Let me know what you think, and either I'll do them on some upcoming Wednesdays or I'll come up with new things to make lists for.

Favorite Episodes: Jon and Kate Plus Eight

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, so if you read my Friday posts, you know that I haven't seen the very final episode of Jon & Kate Plus Eight ("It's a Crazy Life, But it's Our Life"). But, I've been trying to catch it for MONTHS now, to no avail. And they never put it on DVD. So, I'm just going to go ahead and assume that it wouldn't have been my favorite episode in the final season (technically cheating, I know). But, since the new show (I'm tempted to call it a spin-off, although it seems there's a lot of controversy over whether it's a new show at all since there was one cast change and the title of the show changed), Kate Plus Eight just premiered (read about my thoughts on the first two episodes this coming Friday), I wanted to go ahead and do my favorites for this show.

It's really hard to break down TLC shows into seasons, so I'm just going off of how they broke it down online. Honestly, I don't know how they got 5 seasons out of just 3.5 years, but whatever.

Season 1: Shopping For Ten (S01E06) Both grocery and Christmas shopping trips are covered in this episode. We get to see the first of many coupon-oriented shopping trips for Kate (and this seems to be a favorite feature for TLC, as they love to show various series taking trips to the market, LoL), and the now-infamous Toys R Us meltdown for Kate.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Season 2: Hit the Road (S02E11) The Gosselins drive to Florida to see the beach and DisneyWorld. They have a grand time, and it's fun to see how excited the kids all are.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Season 3: Gosselin Family Christmas (S03E09) The kids learn Christmas carols, the family bakes, and we watch all the kids get excited about Christmas presents. :)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Season 4: Korean Dinner (S04E05) All the kids get to eat Jon's cuisine for once. He spends the entire day whipping up a traditional (and delicious-looking!) meal.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Season 5: Turning 5 & the Future! (S05E01) In a "beginning of the end" episode for the show, this one is heavy on showing how the paparazzi have affected the family. The sextuplets' fifth birthday is the main event, and it's really awesome. Those kids have such neat birthdays!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

At least Cake Boss is Back!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Friday:

Miami Medical (SxxExx): technically speaking, this is off-season, but since it's only for a week, I'm not moving it down to the bottom, LoL.

Sunday:
Minute to Win It (S01Exx): off-week

Monday:

Little People, Big World (S05Exx): off-week
[season final June 14th]

Cake Boss (S03E01): Season 3 opener has the regular opening, nothing special there. Buddy's mom is retiring. Nobody looked thrilled to hear the news, but there was a lot of shock around the room. I laughed at the "now we can sell erotic cakes" moment, haha. That's a big order... a cake for 2,000 people. But the idea was cool, like all the NJ stuff. I never knew that NJ was the "blueberry capital of the world" and I'm from there, haha. "NJ Fist-Pumper" haha. trees. tomatoes. corn. goldfinch. turnpike signs. casinos for Atlantic City. Prudential Center. Carlo's Bakery. Lighthouse for the Jersey Shore. Geez.... three kids before you're thirty? I'm SO not there, LoL. Who would want a life-size replica cake?? That just sounds creepy to me. Buddy immediately labeling Ralph as a "freak" was disheartening. Speed and creativity count, and after he builds a dinosaur he's in? That's pretty cool. Buddy seemed a little cocky when he was sculpting the cake of his wife. It's kinda sad that the cream puff cake isn't the same anymore since the factory in Italy where they imported the liquor in the cake from has gone out of business. Kinda gross that they're drinking out of the bottles, LoL. I giggled when I realized that they kept it secret what liquor (combination?) they're using now instead. Is this whole "employee of the month" thing new?? I love how all of the sisters are trying to suck up to get "employee of the month" instead of working harder like the guys. I don't know that I would have given the "head carving" task to the new boy, LoL. Too easy to screw up, I'd think. Did they really get a party that big thrown together in a week?? I loved the look on Buddy's face when he gets the call that Lisa is driving by, since he panics about what he's going to do with the 5-foot cake!! I thought the chest of the cake was a little large, but I was really impressed with the hair! The governor's cake is ridiculously large, too. This does mark the episode as being from the middle of last January. There's way more employees in the room when he goes over "employee of the month" than I remember. I grinned but still thought it was hilarious that Buddy chose himself as the first "employee of the month" hahaha.

I also caught the Ultimate Cake-off episode where the Cake Boss guys are the subject. Joey, Mauro, and Remy are the teams, and they have a decorator from the show as well as two other assistants from the other show, I guess. Buddy is going to be one of the four judges, and they have nine hours. Joey wants to do the cream puff cake with a building growing out of it with the bakery's history stuff. Remy wants to do two buildings, attached by a bridge, and the bridge has a five-tier wedding cake on it. Mauro wants to use 100 pounds of fondant, and he's going to have a family tree on top of some blocks. Not as creative in design, but let's see how they all get pulled off. I didn't realize Remy had such an accent (he's Mexican, apparently). Mauro is at a disadvantage because Anthony is his assistant. Joey's into all-cake, no props. I've never really seen this show before, so I don't know what that stopping point was for at one point. But I was disappointed that Mauro's tower fell over. It's not like Joey would give Anthony bad directions, so why was Mauro so ticked that he was trying to help? Remy had the "best tasting" cake so he gets Buddy's help for half an hour? That's an interesting. The judging wasn't that exciting, since they kinda said the same things a couple of times. I kinda wanted Joey to win, I liked his the best. But Remy won, and that was good, it was cute.

Other things I learned: Joey is the "head mixer," technically. Remy is the #1 decorator at the shop. Mauro is Buddy's right-hand man.

Tuesday:

Wipeout (special episode): okay, so it's a gimmicky "blind date" episode to kick off the season, pre-season. We have three weeks until the next episode, but right here we have 12 strange pairs of people, which must have been matched very strangely. That first girl looked way older than a HS senior. The suckerpunch now also has small streams of blue liquid shooting out?? They now have swimvests that have the Wipeout logo on them. Actually, apparently the streams can also be pink and yellow, LoL. One pair made it through the big balls! Which actually looks easier now, since the balls aren't all the same height. I don't really think the girl model is pretty enough to be a model. Some interesting updates to the first course as well, like the way "the enforcer" pushes you out onto the big balls, LoL. The second course looks a lot more complicated than the ones they've had previously. Katelyn was so close at one point! Paul, too! I thought it was funny that the first four people across weren't on the same teams at all. I wasn't expecting Katelyn and Jayson to be the first couple to make it! I'm curious as to whether they will have to edit out more of this obstacle in future episodes this season, or if they're going to re-allocate the time of the show so we can see more of this particular round. I thought it was a little strange that there were three couples that went on to the next round, and two were going on to the one after... it seemed like kinda a dumb step in between to me. Oh, it's just for cash. I get it, now. The obstacles in this one seemed ridiculous, but at least they get to return to the base they left off at instead of going all the way back to the beginning. The balls are really aimed at hitting the contestants, LoL. The guys are really struggling with the obstacles between first and second. I thought it was amusing that both of the "power" people won this round, it kinda made me think they'd take home the big money later. Oh, wait. Here we are again, trying to rule out just one couple with this round. Each person goes one at a time, and has to do the entire course. I was impressed that the first score was 2:13, since I thought it would've taken much longer than that. I liked the "business partner, I mean date" joke. Total of 5:01 for them. The whole paint thing seems to be really overdone this season. 3:39 for Mr. Beard. I thought the Little Mermaid jokes were funny. Arielle fell a LOT, LoL. 10:00 for that team. Interesting about how they have to go OVER the swinging bars this episode, instead of allowing an under-them thing. 5:50 for the last girl. The last guy was close, but c'mon now. I thought it was amusing that the "power couple" dominated this event as well. The outside lip idea that Katelyn tried on her second attempt in the drum was cool. I noticed Jayson doesn't have much to say in encouraging his partner. 9:31 for Katelyn. Jayson didn't do so well on the catapult, LoL. 19:52 for the power team... not too bad, but I kinda bet Scott can't do it in ten minutes, so they're probably fine. I wonder how they decided which partner would go first in each group. Scott didn't do badly on the catapult, and also rocked out on the drum. I was pretty impressed with his ability to stay on the sweeper tables. Scott's a little heavier than the power team, so it makes sense that he didn't make the rib run. I'm wondering if it's even possible to make the spiky gauntlet on the first try... Scott gets 11:25... better than I was expecting. Arielle does okay on the catapult, and not bad on the drum. I thought it was amusing the four times seems to be the most common about of attempts it takes to do the final obstacle, LoL. But, as one could have guessed from even the very first obstacles, the "power team" of Jayson and Katelyn win it.

Lastly, we're now under the impression there will be 18 new episodes, since they mentioned 432 contestants, and at 24 per episode, that's 18!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season:
Jon and Kate Plus Eight: (missing the finale, "It's a Crazy Life, But it's Our Life")
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (June 7, 8pm)
The Goode Family (Mondays at 10pm on Comedy Central)
Futurama (June 24th, 10pm)
16 and Pregnant / Teen Mom (Teen Mom back this summer, not sure on 16 and Pregnant) Sons of Tucson (will air the other 9 episodes this summer)
South Park (have not yet heard, but I assume October or so)
House, M.D. (season 7 starts in September)
Hot in Cleveland (new show, starts June 16th on TVLand)
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
Kate Plus Eight (new show, starts in a couple weeks on TLC)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts in the fall)
Table for 12: (missing "summer," "busy day," "jumping in," "brace yourself," "back to school")
Family Guy (season 9 starts in the fall)
How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts in the fall)
19 Kids and Counting (Season 5 starts in August)