Kate is on so randomly; Nothing else great

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Sunday:
Sons of Tucson (S01E12): Cute that Brandon got a job at the same store where Ron works. I love that Gary was a tap and jazz dancer... of course. And the candy concoction they created to get Robbie out of the closet was hilarious. Why not just cut her hair and get a wig?? I have come to enjoy the shots of urban Tucson + wild Arizona. It was kinda funny that Ron didn't pick up on what the girl's mom wanted him to do... poisoning the other little girl with the wheat she's allergic to. I would've thought he'd be so on top of that! At the same time, I just couldn't believe that Ron pulled Robbie out of the competition seconds before he was supposed to go on... but the little girl confused me even more by pulling out next! Poor Gary of course jumped in, then did a solo, and lastly got hurt... and Ron jumped in and tried to make Gary's fall look like it was part of the routine.

Kate Plus Eight (S01Exx): not this week. not sure what this random show is doing.

Monday:
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E08): I like the scheme to use John to get Amy on the phone, haha. Um, $1,000 on dinner? no. hahaha, "best friends don't have to speak to one another" lololol. I'm not in to PDA Lauren. And Jack calling Madison "Maddy" isn't going to work for me. Stupid marketing. I'm so sad that George is laying out all of that money and Anne's gonna cancel!! Adrian's doctor is UGLY... why is she hitting on him?? Wait, a mother-son practice?? What is Ben's deal with not wanting a male doctor?? I didn't like Grace's dress in the guesthouse... so 1995. annoying "cool move" junk. Why did Ricky decide to try to help his mother? And he did conjure up some emotion for his talk with Reuben. This episode is kinda boring. The ad placement still bothers me. At least SOMEONE used the room. George should take photos and video for Anne, at least. AWKWARD conversation between Amy and Adrian.

Cake Boss (S03E11): SUPER-weird sunglasses on the 80s rockergirl. Little Ferry looks like a cute town. They just had the baseball stuff with them randomly?? I think it's funny he's making the cake for the event where he's being presented the key to the city. They 80s costume thing wasn't the best. hahaha, Buddy lives at Mariana & Redneck? Funny intersection.

Huge (S01E05): hahaha "kissing of the prolonged nature" is not allowed. Just because George didn't ask for it back doesn't mean Amber gets to keep the hoodie, LoL. It's always intriguing to me when the ugliest girl in the group is the one who has had sex, LoL. Alistair reading a book while pretending to play ping-pong was funny. I think it's hilarious that the Director went to read the magazine about decoding men's signals, LoL. Wait, Alistair KNITS, too?? Cool that they showed the one kid checking his blood sugar but not making a big charade about it. Were Will's streaks always blue? I thought they were purple for some reason. I thought it was so funny that Ian asked Will if there was anyone that she wanted to sit with at the movie. But I'm glad that she forgave him over the journal thing. I'm over Amber... she doesn't know where to sit when there's like 4 guys who want to sit with her. I never would've guessed it was Chloe who was the one caught in the sleeping bad last year. Oh for crying out loud, let's drop the Director's love life!! I like that Poppy is getting a larger role, hope that continues. Amber sleeps funny.

Tuesday:
Teen Mom (S02E02):
Catelynn: Why start telling the truth from 3 years ago now?? That's ancient history! but, she totally did talk to that guy... but Ryan read her messages, which I also have a problem with. Interesting how she just opened up to her mom so easily after all that time not living there... She can talk REALLY fast!! Ryan took her back anyway... dummy. Even after he said he wasn't going to.
Maci: I think her friend is more hesitant than she seems to possibly live with Maci and Bentley.
Farrah: interesting that 19 is the age you can sign a lease there. 19 is kinda random. I can't believe that she didn't know how to write a check.
Amber: It looks like she's lost some weight. It still makes me so sad when they yell in front of their daughter. They are showing a lot of advertisement for the locations they go to. 1 day of being broken up sounds ridiculous. Interesting that we saw Gary's date with another girl... I do think it's interesting that he's dating a different girl with a baby though, LoL. I wonder when this was filmed.. it's snowing there.

If You Really Knew Me (S01E02): Toledo. Middle-class. About 1400 kids, mostly White. Weird that she realizes that she's mean but doesn't mind. Cool, a kid who's into blacksmithing! When the kids say what they expect, how do they have any ideas?? Why do they jump to "hug and cry" ?? The ComfortZone square was a good analogy. Cheerleader got old fast. I wonder how they create the groups... try and put kids together who know very little of one another? That's very different from when I've done these types of activities. The apology thing was crap. Whatever. I hate when youngins go for coffee... seriously.

The tattoo commercial was really well-done. I thought it was pretty powerful.

Wipeout (S03Exx): repeat this week.

Wednesday:
Hot in Cleveland (S01E07): "nice girls keep their cookies in a jar" hehe. "frowny faces with the angry eyes" LOVE it! All of the Melanie crap was annoying. The end bit with Elka catching the ring was great.

Minute to Win It (S02E04): Juliana and Haley, sorority sisters from the University of Arizona. Haley's younger sister got annoying fast, and I didn't like Juliana's parents. I also hated their dumb "poll the audience" crap. And the dumb rhyming system that Guy is using to say more creative things than "stay and play or take the money and run." And they're promoting people to download their "get up" song, so hopefully that means they'll lose it soon and move on to something new to market, haha.
Game 1: Hoop de Loop: Roll hula hoops across the stage to get a bottle to be in the middle when the hoop falls over. Do it 3 times in a minute. It doesn't take too long and she succeeds.
Game 2: High as a Kite: kite attached to a hat, run to keep it in the air for a minute. Kinda seems really boring to me. She runs really funny, too.
Game 3: Well Done: Get golf balls to land in four holes in the lid of a grill. She gets it with 25 seconds to go.
Game 4: Whipper Snapper: Launch 2 ping pong balls into an innertube 15 feet away, using a beach towel that is attached to the floor at one end. They both play, with different set-ups but the same tube. They only got one in on their first go-round. At least they only lose one life, LoL. On their second attempt, they lose again, only getting one in. They get it with 20 seconds to spare on the third try.
Game 5: Spare Me: Drop marbles into a pool noodle so it falls down and knocks over a piece of chalk. Both try and they have to get 5 pieces of chalk knocked down. They manage.
Game 6: Beach Tennis: Use flippers to volley a ping pong ball back and forth and into a cooler within 60 seconds. The cooler is probably like 15 feet away I guess. You have to do it twice. They try several times and aren't bad at it, but they get rushed in places and also have trouble actually getting it into the cooler. The first one was clear, but the second one looks questionable, and the judges decide that Haley cheated by a double-bounce and let it roll off her flipper into the cooler.

Next contestants: Nathan & Chelsea - a random pairing.
Game 1: Tilt-a-Cup: Catch a bouncing ping pong ball in a cup, put another cup on top, catch another, etc. etc. until you have 6 cups with ping pong balls in them. Be careful, since the stack starts moving like crazy. Chelsea tries, and gets it without much hassle.
Game 2: Glass Road Trucker: Line up 8 bottles upside down, then put a glass upside-down at the end and put a shotglass on top and blow a ping-pong ball across the bottles to land in the shotglass. Chelsea goes for it again, and gets it pretty quickly.
Game 3: Ruler of the World: Roll a marble down a yardstick and into the hole at the end. You can only hold the yardstick with one hand. Nathan plays, and got it with 13 seconds to go.
Game 4: Next time.

The Random Million Dollar Player was really good tonight - she got quite a few close ones, but no winner this time.

Newsflash: the prizes jump from $10,000 to $50,000... I just noticed this and think that's a problem. Why not have an intermediary in there??

Thursday:
Futurama (S06E07): "time? I can't go back there" lmao. haha on the song and the idea that you have to keep going forward til someone comes up with a machine to go backward in time. LOVE the giraffe with three ruffs. The stalagmite thing was cool. Neat watching the guys watching time keep on going as planets blew up and stuff. Cyclical time... go figure. The fact that they messed it up again pissed me off. Oh man... hitting Eleanor Roosevelt instead of Hitler is a problem, LoL. The end where Bender is buying the bodies that they landed on was funny.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
19 Kids and Counting (Season 5 starts August 3rd at 9pm)
Melissa & Joey (starts Aug 17th at 8pm)
Little People, Big World (season 6 starts September 6th)
House, M.D. (season 7 starts September 20th)
How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts September 20th)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts September 26th)
Family Guy (season 9 starts September 26th)
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
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")
16 and Pregnant (unknown)

Drinking to Burn Notice

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This is really the only game in this series that may not work forever. And this is because the show is still running new episodes, so major characters might change, tics might come and go, and who knows what else. Still, the show is predictable enough to warrant a fair list of drinkables below, PLUS it's on Thursday nights, which is a primetime drinking opportunity, really.

I also want to take this opportunity to mention that The Talking Box is expanding. We've got a second writer starting this weekend, who will be mainly covering television reviews of shows I don't really watch, like Burn Notice and Lie To Me, that are still pretty popular. He was the main contributor to this post as well, although I was able to assist since I've seen bits and pieces of about 20 episodes.

And now, without further ado, the rules to the Burn Notice drinking game (short and sweet; just ten rules):

Take a Drink:
- Whenever we hear the word "burned" or the words "burn notice"
- Whenever there is text on the screen (not like the credits)
- Whenever Michael uses a fake name
- Whenever we see a girl in a bikini
- Whenever Fiona uses a gun or blows something up
- Whenever someone eats yogurt
- Whenever anyone says "Michael" (two drinks if it's his mom)
- Whenever a character is drinking
- Whenever we have a split-screen to show multiple views at once
- Whenever Michael wins a bluff

Favorite Episodes: Sweet Valley High

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Since it has made the news in a couple different places lately that Francine Pascal will oversee a new series of Sweet Valley books, I thought I'd cover the television show.

First, I was to say that I wasn't a big fan of Sweet Valley High as a television show or as a series. I did, however, really enjoy Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley Twins, and The Unicorn Club. But the television show was pretty popular when I was in middle school, so I ended up seeing most of the episodes, and then later caught the rest here and there.

The last half of the episodes are pretty much based on NONE of the books, instead taking the cast through storylines that just kinda evolved or are totally random. There are a bunch of multi-parters where someone is in danger because someone else is stupid. There are at least four episodes where they travel (off the top of my head), so we have a couple of different settings. There aren't a whole lot of school-based episodes, really. It's more based on their hangout (Moon Beach Cafe) and the random relationships that come and go amongst the characters. I will say, however, I loved their car. And I'm not even a Jeep person.

My other gripe with the series is that there was no finale. After the third season, the network changed, and a finale just wasn't written because everyone thought they'd be renewed for a fifth season.

Since there are only 4 seasons and somebody has uploaded them into two-parters, so I just embedded them. They're not all the greatest quality, though... forewarning.

Season 1: "Coma" (S01E09) Elizabeth gets into an accident on Todd's motorcycle (which is kinda Jessica's fault, as Jessica stranded Elizabeth without a ride) and goes into a coma. When she comes out, she's nothing like her former self. Instead, she's turned into a wild child. I think I like this one because of the personality change.



Season 2: "The Quick and the Blonde" (S02E11) Bruce is the really rich kid and tennis pro. His family allegedly founded Sweet Valley a long time ago. However, in this episode, Elizabeth uncovers the truth: Bruno Patman didn't really found the town. oopsies.




Season 3: "Surfing the Nets" (S03E07) I think this is such a neat episode. On one hand we have Elizabeth and Peter finding nets on the beach that belong to Shred's father. Peter wants the news story but Shred doesn't want to confront his dad. Everyone else tries to break a habit for 48 hours... if they lose they throw $25 into the pot, that will be shared by the winners at the end. Jessica can't flirt, Lila can't shop (and cracks before she even leaved the cafe), Enid can't tell family stories (and loses concert tickets because of it!), Todd can't talk about sports, and Cheryl can't be sarcastic. Winston kinda runs the bet, but doesn't participate by giving up a habit, LoL. I really like the lengths the others go to to try and make the others slip up.




Season 4: "The Right to Bare Midriffs" (S04E04) Again, a two-plotter. First, we have Winston dating a girl online, but the picture he sends her of himself is confusing, and she thinks he's Todd. This messes up their meeting. Meanwhile, Jessica, Lila, and Renata (the Brazilian girl) overreact when they hear of a school dress code, and decide to protest... at city hall.

Teen Mom is Back; If You Really Knew Me Started

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Dayless: this is a new category because of the way Degrassi: The Next Generation is running. They're playing it new episodes M-R and then an encore of the week on Fridays. I used to be a really big fan of this show, but it's been a while, as I lost some interest when the original core group went off to college, LoL. Anyway, I watched the movie to open the season, where some of the kids go to NYC, and others go crazy. I was surprised that Emma & Spinner got married... totally didn't see that coming. As much as I try to like Holly J., it's just not going to happen. I also just went to read about the season online, and found that all my old faves are recurring or gone completely... none are main characters anymore. So, although I watched the Degrassi Takes Manhattan movie, I have decided that I won't continue with the series this season. Too bad, it used to be sooo good.

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E11): Ron has used the calendar before, so either we're running these out-of-written-order, or the writers don't care about simple continuity. I love that he went through and analyzed music to decide what the top 40 words and phrases are instead of just finding this on the internet, LoL. Robbie driving was funny/scary.

Kate Plus Eight (S01Exx): not this week.

Monday:

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E07): Ashley is so boring, I hated her early convo with Ricky over their attraction to one another. The chair thing was weird, especially suggested by Grace. Ricky's mom is annoying. again. Ben's dad has a JET?!? I mean, the guy is rich and important, but why would he need a jet?? Ricky's mom staying over and borrowing Ricky's car was awkward. I love how Lauren gets mad at Madison, calls for Jesse, and he comes running. hahahahaha. The crowd "oohing" at Adrian's announcement was dumb. Too bad for Tom, but at least Grace's mom knows about Jack living there. Ricky's final reaction to his mom going to jail again was surprising. Ashley and Anne's conversation was exceedingly boring. Great acting by Amy and Ben in the final scene. I was surprised that the cab just kinda sat there after it dropped off Amy, LoL. Lastly, regarding the scenes-from-the-next, Ricky goes to NY?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!???!

Cake Boss (S03E10): WOW! They have a cupcake-pan-filling machine!! Nobody seemed excited to skip out on the cannolis in favor of cupcakes (1,000 each of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet). um, wait. There are PROFESSIONAL paintball players??!?? At least it's dying down, there USED to be 3-4 professional leagues, LoL. I was really curious as to what he was going to design, and the rendering only half-convinced me it would be cool, LoL. wait wait wait... INDOOR paintball?? This just keeps getting more and more amusing. I love that they called the bakers "doughboys" haha. I love that the new guy is still wearing a vest and tie to work. in a bakery. hahaha. Frost TEN cupcakes in ONE minute?? I take more than a minute PER cupcake, LoL (a big reason I don't really do cupcakes like I do real cakes, LoL). Dang, and he pulls it out in 53 seconds??!? I thought that the artichoke joke was funny. I liked that we went over how not even Buddy is perfect. The prank scene made me laugh. Between the camouflage and the waterguns there was a ton of painting that went into this cake. The cupcake thing looked successful, but how can they just CANCEL cannolis?

Huge (S01E04): Poppy might be arts & crafts? I don't know why we're continuing this property line argument. At first I couldn't believe that Becca read Will's journal... then I decided to admit I would've, too. That "Love Handles" show that they were watching looked ridiculous. Seeing the director at the meeting was semi-interesting. I was surprised that Poppy didn't follow through with Sierra to make sure that she was able to find a group for the talent show. Amber's hair looked pretty bad at the talent show. Why would the surveyor stick around for the talent show?? Nevermind, Poppy did something WITH Sierra, LoL. I cracked up laughing when Becca went out for "Baby Got Back" because of that lie she told Shea, haha. I wonder what her original plan was, since she was backstage, after all... I liked Alistair's jokes after his magic didn't pan out, haha. I really liked Ian's song... I'd probably buy the mp3 if it were real, LoL. Why was Chloe so easy to make-up with Amber after she stood her up?? Oh. She made out with a boy and wanted to gossip about it. hahaha. Will is being pretty mean to Ian. Can we get a new girl for that empty bunk?? I want another crazy storyline for the new kid, haha.

Tuesday:

Teen Mom (S02E01): I LOVE that Farrah called the cops on her mom, ahaha. That gigantic house and they have a house ACROSS THE STREET, too??

Why would Tyler say that he doesn't think they're ready to be engaged AFTER he proposed??!? I don't see why Catelynn had to move in like 24 hours... why not give her a couple days at least??

Maci and Ryan... the child support storyline is intriguing.

I like Amber's new hair. Why would she go to the doctor for a pregnancy test instead of buying one? It can't possibly be cheaper, LoL.

The upcoming scenes look like there's going to be a lot of interesting drama coming up this season! We still don't have an answer as to whether the second season of 16 and Pregnant will follow those teen moms in another version of Teen Mom or what.

If You Really Knew Me (S01E01): this is a new show that I didn't hear about until the last minute, but the premise was to break boundaries of high school cliques, so that piques my interest. I would have liked to have some demographics for the school... number of students, geographical location, etc. Okay, eventually we got some info: Freedom High School in Oakley, xx. 2400 students. Respect is the goal. I wonder how they broke down the kids because they can't all be in the same room at once, LoL. Actually, I just looked it up... they do 100 kids in a six-hour session for $3200 (before travel costs & etc.), so I sincerely doubt they actually had all 2400 kids participate. So now I wonder how the school chooses who will participate in this, and id having such a small amount of kids (only like 4% at this school) doing it will help make a difference in the long run. The "I don't actually like football" comment was interesting. That "Power Shuffle" game is old-hat to me. I learned it as "Cross the Line" and it's incredibly powerful, to the point where I actually kept something to myself, and I usually have no problem sharing anything if you just ask me. Intriguing that they didn't show those who identify as or know someone who identifies as LBGTQ (et al). There are definitely some hesitaters in this game, since there were some people who didn't even start to cross on ones like "has anyone ever been scared or lonely" until they realized that EVERYONE ELSE is, too. Roman and his dad were a little awkward, to me anyway. But maybe that's because I can't comprehend that idea of being friends with your parents. I never could've understood that, at any stage in my life, but that's beside the point. I was REALLY hard-pressed to believe that these kids actually went and hung out with new people. Although, I guess, similarly, it made me think about how much easier it made it to talk to people in college. The end was a little too The Breakfast Club for me.

up next: a school that is really suffering from cyber-bullying. My big question is wondering who their target audience is... running the show at 11pm??

Wipeout (S03E08 & S03E09): the diving boards proved to be an interesting obstacle. It was funny that so many people ended up in the middle on the second round. This is a really boring show today... no fantastically interesting contestants, no remarkable wipeouts... I don't really understand why RepoMan failed the sini-stairs his final try. CrazyCuban is really bad at the gauntlet, which is a shame when he lost 5+ minutes there.

Thursday's episode had some spinning hoops and the trampoline sweeper, so that was a little nice since they're not the norm. I also always love the trapeze bar. Again, wasn't too impressed with the middle two games, although there were some impressive wipeouts in the Wipeout Zone tonight. The first girl to do the final course was slow, but the next guy totally kept missing his exit from the spincycle, and gave up only about 5 minutes in. "thousands of gallons of foam??" sounds kinda high... The last girl landed HORRIBLY from the catapult.

Wednesday:

Hot in Cleveland (S01E06): Melanie's parents sound crazy overprotective! The mirrored surface joke was nice for the narcissist father. The viral joke was nice, too. LOVED the bedazzled comment. The "free hamburger night" weirded me out. How large is this house that both guests can stay in their own rooms

Minute to Win It (S02E03): continuation of Kim & Aaron.

Game 9: Extreme Nutstacker: stack the hex nuts from a chopstick so they're 10 nuts high and stay for 3+ seconds. The new trick is that instead of doing it on a table, you're doing it on a board that you're holding. She goes first, fails with 10 seconds to go on her 9th nut. He tries second, and talks to himself like a jerk. He gets them all there but they only stay for 2 seconds before toppling. He tries their third time, and he gets it. They're really excited, and they should be, since nobody has ever won game 9 before.

They decide not to go for Game 10, and just walk. They're also pretty much the first people to walk, too. Of course, the gap between 500k and 250k is much higher than some of the only fallbacks, LoL. I did, however, think asking the parents and the parents' subsequent responses was/were boring/dumb.

And now we're doing a random match-up. The girl is like 40 and in a ton of debt, and I kinda hated her stupid background story. The guy is a college graduate who looks like a fun-loving guy. I'm really not a fan of the current "you did it" song they're playing. I am also really starting to hate how they bring in family members. AGAIN with the phone call, it had Kyle ALL worked up and upset... how's he supposed to perform to the best of his ability after that??!?
Game 1: Octopus: Get 3 out of 12 pulls of a streamer from under an inverted bottle. He gets it.
Game 2: Whipper Snapper: Launch a ping pong ball 15 feet into a bucket using a towel that is taped to the floor on one end. She goes for it, and at 30 seconds he starts looking really worried.
Game 3: By a Thread: 10 eyelets, graduated in size, are in needles. Thread all of them with a single piece of thread, largest eye to smallest. She pretty much demands it, and kicks the challenge's butt, doing it in about 40 seconds.
Game 4: Spoon Frog: Use a teaspoon to flip a teaspoon into a cup. Get it three times, unlimited tries. He fails, not able to get the third in time. She seems concerned to let him try again, but he does. This time, he gets the first two really quickly and nails the third with like 33 seconds left.
Game 5: Sticker Picker Upper: Roll an egg around a platter to collect three stickers... don't let the egg roll off. And you can only hold the platter with one hand. He goes for it. He gets it with some time left.
Game 6: Raisin the Bar: Flick the raisin boxes out from under the soda bottles. You have to get 4 out of 10. She runs out of tries to get her final one, after getting the very first! He rushes in to go for it, and saves the day.
Game 7: Propeller Head: Launch propellers to get them to land in a box 15 feet away. You have a ton of them to work with. He goes for it (... again. I'm tired of him taking over at this point). He gets it in the first 7-8 seconds. Of course.
And, he even dominates in the end, when he exclaims that they walk at $125,000. She seemed a little hesitant, but didn't seem to want to argue the point on television. Whatever.

Newsflash: all competitors attend a Minute to Win It training camp. Also, I'm starting to wonder why we're doing all these couples' episodes... I think they want a lot of contestants, but don't want to give away a lot of money... so they pair them up and they have to share the prize, LoL. Also, I had been wondering, we found out that you can go a maximum of three times in a row before the other player HAS TO go. Lastly, it seems that next week we're getting a bunch of new, summer-themed games. Wonder how that'll go...

Thursday:

Futurama (S06E06): haha, I haven't seen a war reenactment in a while. and "good war" had me cracking up. also liked the "only gone in an hour, but you need to file, so let's go over alphabetical order" and Hermes starts singing the "ABC Song."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
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 September 20th)

How I Met Your Mother (season 6 starts September 20th)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts September 26th)
Family Guy (season 9 starts September 26th)

Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
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")

16 and Pregnant (unknown)

Drinking to How I Met Your Mother

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So this one really took some trial and error. Three of us worked on it, and our original ideas ended up being hit-or-miss, given the fact that there are a lot of only-appears-for-a-season ideas, and even more that are character-specific, and we wanted a somewhat well-rounded list (so for those who hate Lily, there weren't too many for her, etc.). Here's what we came up with in the end, after testing them out for a bit. I should warn you, you may want to only play some of these rules if you don't feel like really drinking. We decided that, since MacLaren's is a major setting, the gang would drink a lot if they were playing, LoL.

- whenever Barney says “legen-dairy” or some variant
- whenever we hear “suit up” or something similar
- whenever Barney gets laid
- whenever Barney mentions his blog
- whenever Barney calls himself Ted's best friend
- whenever Barney dresses up or concocts a scheme to get laid
- whenever Barney says “awesome” - whenever Ted messes with his hair
- whenever Ted talks about marriage or “the one” or says "mother"
- whenever there's a voiceover (aka Bob Saget is talking)
- whenever Robin does a newscast
- whenever there’s a mention of Canada or something Canadian
- whenever Robin says “literally”
- whenever Lily talks about little kids / her class
- whenever Lily says “son of a bitch”
- whenever Lily tells a secret - whenever Lily is meddling (two drinks if it’s for evil)
- whenever Lily or Marshall use a pet name for the other person
- whenever Marshall is exceptionally nice to a stranger
- whenever we see Ranjeet
- whenever there’s a high-five or fist bump
- whenever they flashback within an episode
- whenever there’s a rule, law, or principle
- whenever we hear about a long-standing tradition
- whenever someone is singing (two drinks if it's NOT Marshall)
- whenever there’s a telepathic conversation (two drinks if there's a misunderstanding)
- whenever a challenge is extended or accepted
- whenever we hear a pick-up line (two drinks if it starts "have you met...")
- whenever we see the pineapple or the goat
- whenever we get a real clue about the mother (like the yellow umbrella)
- and, of course, you can utilize the drinking-game-within-the-show of whenever Robin says "but, um"

happy drinking!

Favorite Episodes: Rainbow Brite

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, this is sneaky, I know. Rainbow Brite only ever had 13 episodes. But it was my very, very favorite cartoon when I was a kid. I had quite a few recorded on VHS tapes, and whenever my mom would let me pick a video to rent, I would always go for "The Mighty Monstromurk Menace," but it was almost always either checked-out, or had the wrong tape in the box.

It started out as a two-part primetime thing, then 2 more two-parters were made. Then, 8 episodes came. There was also a theatrical release film, which my parents recorded for me when it ran on television at some point. It wasn't my favorite, but it had some great scenes. I'm not ashamed to admit I also own BOTH live-action VHS tapes of Rainbow Brite (the zoo and the birthday party)... and I bought them on eBay when I was in college.

I also had the lunchbox, a play tea tray, and a bunch of books (some complete with audiocassette), in addition to a Twink doll and a Baby Brite doll. Um, I also own the curtains. I thought they were gorgeous in my rooms from my last two years of college and my two years in graduate school. Like I said, it was my very favorite.

So, I thought I'd mention my favorite thing about each of the episodes today. I'm going with the chronological order to the story, not the order in which the episodes first appeared. I'm also not going to use links, since that would mean that I am essentially showing you where the entire series appears online, and I kinda think that's bad form. It's pretty easy to search for using the titles of the episodes, so I'll leave it at that.

1 & 2. "Beginning of Rainbowland" I've watched this one the most, since we had the *true* VHS of it, not a bootleg recording. This meant it was easy to watch, since there was no need to figure out what tape it was on, then fast-forward or rewind to get to the right part of the tape to view it. When I was in high school, I watched it with my brother and our respective best friends, and we were shocked at how many things in it can be taken sexually, LoL. But, my favorite thing about this episode is Rainbow heading out to find the seven color kids... I particularly love the giant bird scene with Canary Yellow.

3. "Peril in the Pits" This one is kind of a giveaway. I like it when Rainbow takes Brian to Rainbowland, starting from how he's sad to how she makes him a rainbow to how he gets colored, to the trip there and his arrival. Although I like it much better when he gets there on his own by using his key later on.

4 & 5. "The Mighty Monstromurk Menace" I like the bottle. I like it when Monstromurk is inside, I like watching the bottle bounce around, I like his escape, I like how Rainbow gets trapped, and I like how Monstromurk ends up back in it in the end.

6. "Invasion of Rainbowland" This is the very last episode I ever saw for the first time, and it came YEARS later after I saw the rest. It's definitely not a favorite, but I like that Violet is able to make his spaceship run on Star Sprinkles... you know, because they're prevalent everywhere... haha.

7. "Mom" It just amused me in general that Murky thought that he could convince his mom that he ran the Color Castle. I mean, really? He thought he could make that persona ring true in her eyes?

8. "Rainbow Night" This episode is probably the closest love-hate thing I have in this series. I love Moonglow and the concept behind her, but at the same time, I'm not the biggest fan of the kidnapping or the plot of this episode. My favorite part of this episode is near the beginning, when Rainbow and Puppy Brite are admiring Moonglow's work.

9. "Star Sprinkled" This episode is probably in the exact middle as far as favorites and least favorites go. But, it contains my favorite scene EVER from this show. From about 1:40-3:10 in this clip, we see the process of the color crystals being mined and how they end up as star sprinkles. I must have watched this sequence fifty times as a kid. That might be an underestimate, actually.


10. "Chasing Rainbows" I think that the idea of being able to confuse people so easily as to who is the robot and who isn't is intriguing. I believe I *may* have tried this approach and tried to make people think I was a robot. But my robot was more akin to VICKI from Small Wonder, LoL.

11. "Murky's Comet" I like the parade, plain and simple. The Color Kids are the band and the Sprites decorate and the cool people ride the horses.

12. "A Horse of a Different Color" I love the fact that we get to see all of the horsies in one place, even On-X from the Star Stealer movie! And Murky's fake horse used to make me giggle so hard! I always thought that romance in the horsies could have resulted in a really cute and super-neat pony.

13. "The Queen of the Sprites" This time, my favorite scene is one near the very end. When Rainbow is trying to capture the Princess, her rainbows go all around, surrounding her in belts of color. It just looked SO NEAT when I was a kid... and it kinda still does. ;)

Gosselins are Back; Some Fall Dates

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

yeah, I know. I didn't get a post up on Wednesday. In my defense, it's because I was writing and testing and the drinking that took place along with that made me too tired by the time I needed to edit and such. But, we now have a game for How I Met Your Mother, and it'll go up next Wednesday. :)

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E10): Interesting type of dog racing, LoL. Ron took Robbie to a strip joint?? The conversation between the middle brother and the girl got way-awkward when the older brother tried to help (and yes, I have forgotten their names for the most part. again). As soon as the stool pulled up, I knew that the girl was going to end up spinning the older brother! I wonder how much of a process it was to cover Ron in beads, LoL. I kinda like how $1,000 is Ron's going price, regardless of the other half of the bargain.

Kate Plus Eight (S01E03): The family got some chickens. 36 acres, eh? My DVR really did a poor job recording this episode... the audio skips in and out about every third minute for a few seconds. I don't know that I understand why Kate wanted to have a manual for how to run her own place, LoL. Strange fashion with Mady & Cara, LoL.

Monday:

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E06): Adrian's mom calling Adrian's dad over and over was funny and dumb. I like how Ricky's mom was trying not to pry but when Adrian said it wasn't Ricky's, she sat down, LoL. I kinda want Adrian to miscarry... I think that would be a good issue to have on this show. It made me laugh that Anne thought Ashley might have been pregnant. I don't know why Ashley told Anne about Adrian. Ben's awkwardness is amusing. I love that Madison KNOWS she can't keep her mouth shut. I think Betty is cheating on Leo. Reuben freaks me out with how happy he is that Adrian is going to have the baby. I can't believe Madison is talking to Grace about rules for Jack to live with Tom. Way to send George home, Adrian! New girl this week for Ricky.

Cake Boss (S03E09): "the chicken store" ?? Nice little side story about the first location and the "old neighborhood." I love a good sub sandwich, so watching them build that 6-footer from scratch was awesome. Timeline: it's Easter. Last week was Mauro's doctor appointment. Zeppoles looked neat, and fun little history on why and how. Cold cut pie looked really neat... not sure how in love with it I'd be, but it sure sounds interesting. Only two weeks a year... wow. I'd like to see what other specials they only put out for short periods of time. I don't know how I feel about showing television where the secret recipe book is kept, but it was kinda cool that we saw some of the pages. That sandwich cake looked SO REAL. I like watching Anthony's lessons.

Huge (S01E03): The larping thing made for some great jokes. Okay, apparently the fat camp borders a tennis camp. What do the cabin counselors do all day? We never see them outside of those spaces. Strange scene where the one kid was trying to get his counselor to talk to Alistair about his BO and then decided that he wants to do it anyway. I know that Will was just trying to help Becca, but I think she took the ideas and made them a bit broad. hahaha, the tennis kids thought Amber belonged at their camp! Why does the Director need another issue (love)? She already has enough going on. Interesting yet not moving campfire activity. At least the "scenes from the next" look good!

Tuesday:

Not this week

Wednesday:

Hot in Cleveland (S01E05): Betty White is my hero. Melanie weirded me out with her theming names for her party foods. I really liked Victoria's dress at the end (the pink and white). Elka's comment about posting the video on youtube was excellent.

Minute to Win It (S02E02): a dating couple tonight. they're wearing purple. Kim & Aaron. he has yellow belts in six different areas... ridiculous.

Game 1: Candelier: use paper plates and empty soda cans to build an inverted pyramid 5 levels high, don't mess up. The soda cans are now labeled with Minute to Win It logos. She got it, and worked pretty fast!

Game 2: Backflip: put some pencils on the back of your hand, flick them up, then catch all of them. Move on and add the previous batch to the new batch, so by the 5th time it's a large number of pencils. He gets it, and fast!

Game 3: Bite Me: raise 5 paper bags (big) from various heights with your mouth and move them to platforms. Only your feet can touch the ground. She finishes in less than 30 seconds.

Game 4: Scary Cherry: Blow at a suspended cherry to get it to swing into your mouth. Do it three times in a minute, no mistakes. HE gets all three with like 38 seconds to spare, crazy fast.

Game 5: Sticker Picker Upper: roll an egg around a rounded platform to pick up three stickers (near the edge), don't let the egg roll off. And you only get one hand under the platform! Nerves of steel!! He got it with just over 30 seconds to spare. But I totally thought he had failed for a second there.

Game 6: Penny Hose: pennies are in the toes of pantyhose, and you get a hand in each leg to independently get to the bottom and get the pennies out to put on a pedestal. She does it in about half the time given.

Game 7: Pink Elephant: swing springy trunk (aka slinky) up so it coils nicely on your forehead (you're wearing it). You have a whole minute and this guy got it on the first try.

Game 8: Punch Your Lights Out: that one where you throw balls underhand at a vertical tic-tac-toe wall and try to turn off all 9 lights. Aaron surprised me by taking on the challenge (I thought Kim would), and did it in just 25 seconds!

They ran out of time, so we'll see them again next week!

The Million-Dollar-Try was boring this time; she seemed to have no strategy.

Thursday:

Futurama (S06E05): “Mile Deep Club" was funny. In the form of an opera, really? Are you kidding me? The DiCaprio/DaVinci thing got old fast.

Wipeout (S03E07): First girl wasn't so good, and the fact that the big balls are already muddy is a sign that we may be showing the contestants out of order again. The fact that her pants were falling down was pretty funny. It took us a long time today to see people trying the Troubles U's. I wonder why sometimes there are two ons (green) and two offs (red), and sometimes three ons and one off... (on the second obstacle with the sweepers). Today's Wipeout Zone: Catapult, SpinCycle, Triple Threat, Rib Run, Gauntlet. The punt-fake by The Dude was funny. Weird water-landing by Jailbreaker. Inchworm messing up on SpinCycle twice sucks.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
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 September 20th )
Mr. Sunshine (new show, starts in the Fall on ABC)
The Simpsons (season 22 starts September 26th)
Family Guy (season 9 starts September 26th)
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")

Favorite Episodes: TaleSpin

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

TaleSpin is a really unique show for a number of reasons. It started as a movie that later became a four-parter in syndication. It's kinda based on some of the characters in The Jungle Book, but years and years after that movie came out, and the characters are really loosely based. Shere Kahn is still the "bad guy" and all... but now he's a business tycoon. Baloo is still the main character (although you could certainly argue that Mowgli was the protagonist in The Jungle Book), but he isn't as much of an oaf, since he does fly planes and has a great sense of direction, among other things. Louie is still there and still a party animal. But we're FAR from being in the jungle. In fact, we're in a seaside town called Cape Suzette. And we've added a bunch of other characters, mostly incredibly lovable.

It's apparently also remarkably similar to a short-lived 1982 ABC show called Tales of the Gold Monkey, but I've never heard of it otherwise so I can't really speak to it. It was not animated.

Naming favorite episodes for this series is a little tricky. Because it ran pretty much in a single year, it's classified as just one season, even though it has 65 episodes. So, it makes sense to choose based on the breakdowns on the DVD sets. Except, the final eleven episodes have not yet been put on DVD, and one of them has been banned from being aired, and nobody knows if it'll ever be seen again. Still, that's the system I went with.

Volume I: "The Balooest Of The Blue Bloods" (S01E27) Baloo hears that he has been willed a mansion, since apparently he has some Barons in his family from long ago. He, Rebecca, and WildCat go to check it out, and WildCat gets lost while heading to the bathroom. Strange things start happening, and eventually it turns out that the servants want Baloo dead.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Volume II: "War of the Weirds" (S01E36) Baloo doesn't want to go to work, so he makes up a lie to tell Rebecca. She has been making him work really hard lately, in his defense. The lie keeps getting bigger and bigger, and eventually involves some aliens. Except, they aren't the only two people in on the conversation... a crazy old guy hears this on the radio and decides to go on a shooting rampage, believing that aliens really are attacking.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

What-will/may-be Volume III: "The Sound and the Furry" (S01E58) There's a big flying contest going on (there sure are a lot in this show, aren't there?!?), and Baloo is entering. WildCat goes to look at some planes, and befriends three little creatures. The problem is, they are wearing radio-controlled collars, and when the signal goes off, they are take things apart. This wreaks havoc on the planes everywhere nearby!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

And, for those who may be wondering, the "banned" episode is the finale (though not in any sort of chronological or closure-type way). In it, there's a bomb in a package that Baloo is supposed to deliver to the High Marshall of Thembria, an area often-visited by those on the show. Nothing big, but you know how bombs and terrorism these days. And, I guess, some USSR-ish stuff. It's also on youtube, just search for "flying dupes" if you're interested.

Minute to Win It is Back; Miami Medical is Done

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Friday:

Miami Medical (S01E13): Who can draw that nice of a picture on a moving bus?? The issue of the cyst on the back and whether they can perform that surgery was an interesting argument. I could have done without the extra drama between DeLeo and his brother. I was shocked at the prospect that the woman would completely give up custody of her son so he could have the medical treatment done with no charge. The shaman stuff was just weird. The "slip" during the surgery was interesting, and very ER in character. I kinda wish we'd get a chance to see how that affects things in the long term. And I thought it was honorable that the doctor wore that hat in the surgery. And, just like that, this show is over. sad.

Sunday:

Sons of Tucson (S01E09): Really? Ron goes around stealing dogs and then returning them for rewards? Awesome. Um, the middle kid is the one who makes the decision about whether Ron can live in the house, without talking to the other kids?? Haha, the dog is a wolf!! Didn't see that coming! But I was impressed that the middle kid believed it was a purebred without seeing papers. Seemed out of character. Haha, he tried to act like the pet store was in an abandoned building. I couldn't believe that the boys gave away the wolf like that, with the intention that it would maim that annoying girl, LoL. Ron really is starting to rub off on them.

Monday:

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (S03E05): I was surprised at how Anne just expected Amy to figure it all out on her own... I mean, I understand that they went over that before she left, but c'mon. I think it's HILARIOUS that the school is starting the new rumors. Especially from jealous band kids. What kinda dresses were Lauren and Madison wearing? Way to take charge, Henry, LoL! I liked hearing Alice's thoughts on how she and Henry would handle a pregnancy. That guest house of the Bowmans is REALLY nice! Nice story of how Amy picked the french horn... I LOVE "Peter and the Wolf" !!! wait... Ben was inviting the dads to Adrian's ABORTION??!? Ashley wants to kiss Ricky?? At least she looks torn about it afterward. I don't know that Adrian's mom blaming Adrian's dad is helping matters, LoL. The surprise of pot brownies was hilarious. But they weren't acting high enough for me to figure it out my own... Jack gave that away. I didn't really care for that photo montage of Amy in NY... didn't like the idea, the music, or the fact that half of the images were of her being lost, LoL. NOBODY realized this program was for teen moms?? Amy skipped orientation?? what?? haha, Jack slept in the tub. Fancy breakfast at Ben's house, LoL.

Cake Boss (S03Exx): no new episode this week, although they tried to pass-off old episodes as "new" by adding in pop-up information throughout the show.

Huge (S01E02): I liked the overlays of campers' thoughts at the beginning. Tearing out the pages of a book as you go is funny, LoL. New girl is uber-close to her family, LoL. hahaha, "on a scale from 1 to Ellen" how gay do I seem? Why would George let Amber use his phone?? I really enjoyed the dramatic writing and deleting of the emails by the director, as well as her struggling with that mini-muffin. I think the letter-writing overlays could have been used more throughout the episode. The brother-sister drama is really nice to see, I hope to see more of that. Will's letter was kinda moving. I don't know how I feel about Caitlin's complete write-off... I think that's a bad thing. Wait... one anxiety attack and Dani leaves?? She couldn't have worked through this??

Tuesday:

Wipeout (S03E05 & S03E06): couples' edition, but married folks and not blind dates (okay, strike that, found out some are only dating). Some of the couples are pretty amusing, like the bully who is a newlywed but obviously regrets that. The idea that someone flew up from the blob and didn't land was dumb. I'm starting to get annoyed by the fact that nobody ever gets past the suckerpunch without felling off, LoL. I think the thing I like least about the couples' edition is that it goes from 12 to 6 to 4 to 2... not as exciting. Bad Abbott & Costello joke. Mrs. WishyWashy was really bad at the Wipeout Zone. haha, both women took longer than 20 minutes... that's crazy! It kinda amused me in general that there were a lot of problems with the gutbusters... it doesn't seem this hard when they're covered in foam, LoL.

Somebody actually made it all the way across the suckerpunch! Amazing! The trampoline obstacle was funny. Lots of funny wipeouts on the double cross today. I like the sleepytime spinner as a round, I think we should see it more often. Those footie pajamas, however, probably suck to run in after they're wet. Nothing super-exciting really happening in the Wipeout Zone today. I am also getting a little tired of the closing line, "good night and big balls." But, what I'd really like to know why we're doing two episodes a week... any thoughts?

Table for 12 (Special Episode): cute premise. I couldn't believe all of that chalk sat out in the yard ALL WINTER! That was so cute that the little sister would still eat the burned grilled cheese so willingly. The tooth-checking kinda grossed me out. It was also kinda crazy that other people bring over their kids for Betty to pull teeth... yikes! Picking out the puppy was cute, and I'm a little sad that, in the end, they had to just choose one puppy because of the costs. But I understand. The changing of the name was interesting, and it wouldn't have occurred to me that the neighbors may panic when hearing someone shout "Bullet," LoL. Casey is a good name though. And the little doggie was SO cute! I would have liked to see Rebecca interacting with him a little more, but maybe that'll come. Similarly, I hope this show is going to get back on a more regular schedule now.

Wednesday:

Hot in Cleveland (S01E04): LOVE Elka's tracksuit in the beginning, with the cute glitter seams. Melanie without makeup isn't very pretty. Funny Roseanne dig. Overall, I didn't care for this episode all that much... too much Victoria and crap. The confusion over sexuality was pretty funny. Love the idea of Elka turning Liberace straight. The previews for next week look better, and I'm glad. I'm also curious as to how this playing-the-same-episode-twice-in-a-row thing is working for TVLand. I guess they're doing alright tho, since they've already ordered a second season!

*remember: Valerie = Melanie, Wendie = Victoria, Jane = Joy*

Minute to Win It (S02E01): Twins episode... I had a hard time believing that they were only 25... they totally looked 30 or so. Jessie in pink, Becky in blue. They got over-excited whenever they saw the game blueprint. It was cute when they showed the dad on the video, but overkill when they brought him out in person.

Game 1: Roll With It: Unroll 2 rolls, one with each arm, in a minute. Jessie had a slower start than I anticipated, but finished with 26 seconds to spare.

Game 2: Noodling Around: Pick up 6 penne noodles with a piece of linguine... in your mouth. Don't drop any on the floor or let the linguine break. Becky started strong, but never got the last two because "it was shaking so badly." On the second try she made it with 15 seconds to spare.

Game 3: Tweeze Me: Racquet standing upright with a tennis ball balanced on top. You have to use tweezers to pick up a tic-tac from a cup and hold it through a colored hole in the middle of the string, dropping it in a cup on the other side. Don't let the tennis ball fall off the top. You have to do it once, and you have five set-up racquets and like a hundred tic-tacs. Jessie goes for it. She knocks down the first few, then gets one in but the tennis ball and racquet tip over at the same time. At 2 seconds left, she knocks over the last set-up. On her second try, she does it early on but the set-up tips over. But, she does get it with some time left.

Game 4: High Strung: Holding string between your hands, lift an egg off a bottle and over to another bottle. Twice. Becky has to go by default since Jessie is too shaky at this point. I dunno, Becky looked pretty shaky to me. She gets the first one without a problem. The second one is also easy for her, and she finishes with 10-11 seconds to spare.

Game 5: On the Hook: hold a chopstick in your mouth, that has a string and paperclip attached. Use the paperclip to "hook" four keys without dropping anything. Becky plays again. She does it right and does it quickly.

Game 6: Whipper Snapper: Towel attached to floor. Whip 3 ping pong balls into a bucket 15 feet away. They asked the audience for advice, and Jessie went. This says to me that they thought maybe Becky should have done it, but didn't want to do 3 levels in a row. I was kinda nervous there, but she gets the third one with less than 10 seconds to spare!
Game 7: Propeller Head: Launch a propeller so that it lands in a basket 15 feet away. Becky plays. She comes close twice, but never gets it. They do, however, get to walk away with $50,000.

Thursday:

Futurama (S06E04): I've always liked the phrase "dictated but not read," haha. I liked the little storm clouds making the drinks, LoL. Clownitis is ridiculous. The "Exhibit A" thing made me laugh. Nice Transformers moment. Really?? Ghosts and Horses can marry but humans and robots cannot? The whole Kip part(s) of the show were boring, and the end with the motorcycle and all that was crap.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Off season/Coming Up:
Kate Plus Eight (Season 1 continues July 11th)
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")

Drinking to Mad About You

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, we're in week 2 of looking at some suggestions for drinking games for television shows. This is the most recent one that my husband and I have written, since we're working our way through the series (we have about 2 episodes left in season 6, then all of season 7). That being said, I can't promise they work for season 7, but our original list was much longer... sadly the major themes and characters change so much a lot of them became invalid.

Take 1 Drink:
- Whenever Paul or Jamie is on the phone
- Whenever we see British neighbor Maggie
- Whenever they go to the local hangout Riff’s Restaurant (or we see Ursula elsewhere)
- Whenever Paul is paranoid or neurotic
- Whenever Paul says “that’s what I’m saying” or some variant thereof (2 drinks if someone else says it)
- When they can’t get out of the house on time
- Whenever Jamie talks about work
- When we know Paul or Jamie is lying to the other
- Whenever we recognize a guest star as another television show star (Lisa Kudrow doesn't count here)
- Whenever they go A, B, or 1, 2 or some combination of those

Take 2 Drinks:
- Whenever Jamie rummages through the kitchen cabinets.
- Whenever the dog does something awesome (subjective, I know)
- Whenever Mark talks about being a doctor
- Whenever the parents meddle in their lives
- Whenever Murray chases the mouse
- Whenever Sylvia disagrees with Jamie or gives her a hard time
- Whenever we see Mr. Wicker, the Super
- Whenever they get stuck doing someone else’s job
- Whenever they mention the slanted floor


Thoughts? Additions?

Favorite Episodes: Gilmore Girls

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, readers, I have to admit that I'm coming to the end of my list of shows that I've seen every episode of. I have about five possibilities left (I think), so it's time to start thinking about a new Monday series. I did long-running shows and shows canceled before their time, then I dove into holiday favorites and favorite episodes. I'm taking open suggestions for new series of posts (I want to be able to do at least 10 posts in a series), and I've got a couple of ideas as well, so I'll probably put up a poll on the site in the next week or so (don't worry, RSS folks, I'll announce it) and we can vote.

Now, onward to Gilmore Girls. I initially avoided this show like the plague, as I was under the impression it was similar to Little Women in that there were four sisters or something. And at that point I didn't want to pick up a family-oriented show, LoL. At some point in my early years of college I discovered what the show really was about, and by my fourth year I was picking up a few of the DVD sets to catch up, as well as watching what I could live. I was on my honeymoon when the series finale came on, and was a little sad about that, but it wasn't the greatest finale ever or anything so no big deal. Still, the show had tons of excellent episodes (some if for no other reason than the sheer amount of pop culture references that Lorelai and Rory made!), so let's look at some.

Season 1: "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton" (S01E02) In this classic, Lorelai doesn't have anything clean to wear so she dresses like a scrub to take Rory to her first day at Chilton, the big prep school. Unfortunately, Emily is there and makes Lorelai feel even worse about her appearance. Elsewhere, the kids make fun of Rory, and she quickly finds an enemy in Paris. [only clips seem to exist online]

Season 2: "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore" (S02E06) Christopher plays a major role when he needs to escort Rory when she publicly comes out to society. We see some pretty dresses and learn a little bit about the "coming out" process (between this and Donna's stint in the debutant circuit on Beverly Hills, 90210, I think I learned all I ever need to know, LoL). We also see an angry Richard as he gets phased out by his company. [only clips seem to exist online]

Season 3: "Happy Birthday, Baby!" (S03E18) Rory is doing a ton of stuff to celebrate Lorelai's birthday, but the best part is the biggest pizza ever. Lorelai is luckily preoccupied with the fact that Richard gives her $75,000... money he earned on an investment that he made when she was born. Lorelai uses the money to pay back Emily, but Emily freaks out at the idea that she'll once again become estranged without the Friday-night-dinner requirement. [only clips seem to exist online]

Season 4: "The Lorelais' First Day at Yale" (S04E02) Rory starts college. Lorelai gets her a nice mattress, but this means they have to ditch the old one. Rory's roommates are Paris, a jock, and a 16-year-old with no social skills. Rory starts Orientation while Lorelai goes out to get Rory "better stuff," based on the cool stuff other kids have. Later on, Rory freaks out and Lorelai turns around and comes back, and they order in from all the nearby places. Lorelai invites all the neighbors to come and try out the goods, and Rory makes friends. The clips online are pretty poor, but here's one from Orientation:


Season 5: "You Jump, I Jump, Jack" (S05E07) Rory's working on a scoop for the paper, where she tries to uncover a secret society and its traditions at Yale. Logan shows her the rituals, and she is able to participate in some of the neat stuff. Meanwhile, Emily hates Luke, and Richard thinks that Luke should franchise his diner. Again, no great clips, but here's one with a ritual:


Season 6: "A Vineyard Valentine" (S06E15) Luke and Lorelai drive over to spend Valentine's Day weekend with Rory and Logan at the Huntzbergers' place in Martha's Vineyard. They don't have the right clothes for the occasion, and so Luke especially has to wear some random stuff. Rory and Logan cook up a feast, but overall there is a lot of awkwardness. Logan gives Luke a gift to give to Lorelai, so as not to show him up with his gift to Rory. Mr. Huntzberger manages to ruin the end of the mini-vacation when he demands Logan take off immediately for a business trip. [no good clips online]

Season 7: "I am Kayak, Hear Me Roar" (S07E15) Rory plans a Gilmore-style birthday for Logan, so he can see that some people celebrate in a much different way than the Huntzberger family. Logan doesn't really get it, tho. Plus, he's having big troubles with his company over some patents. Meanwhile, Lorelai has been stalling to tell Emily about what happened between her and Christopher, but when she does, she's surprised at how supportive Emily is. [no good clips online]