This... Is... Jeopardy!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

With the premiere of Watson, the IBM computer, as a contestant two weeks ago, I thought that it would be cool to write about Jeopardy! this week. I've posted about this particular game show a few times before, notably writing about its life as a long-running series, and a particular episode where I could've potentially won quite a bit of money. I've always loved Jeopardy!, since I was six or seven years old. I loved the game for NES, and I had the SEGA one as well. For a while I watched both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune regularly, but now I just catch it if I'm home and bored at 7pm, or if that's the channel that's on at the gym. Anyway, back to the purpose at hand...

Brief history: Merv Griffin, known as a master at creating gameshows, created Jeopardy! in 1964. It was his wife who originally shared the idea with him, thinking that it would be more interesting to make contestants come up with the question to which they were given an answer. NBC bought the show without even seeing a pilot! It ran from 1964 to 1975, then was revived in 1978 for another year. However, the syndicated version that we know today began in 1984, and is nearing 27 years old. 

The game: There's a Jeopardy round, then Double Jeopardy (prize values are doubled), then Final Jeopardy. There's almost always a defending champion at the stage right podium. You must phrase your response in the form of a question (although Alex will let you get away with it once at the beginning if you forget). You win the prize value if you answer correctly, and your score is deducted by that amount if you answer wrong or don't say anything before the five-second time limit is up. There are Daily Double spaces on the board where a contestant can wager between $5 and the top prize value for that round. True-blue Jeopardy! players say "True Daily Double" and go all-or-nothing (the way, in my opinion, it should be done... and the way I usually play it in any Jeopardy!-esque game).

There are six categories in each of the first two rounds, usually on blue screens. If you have less than $1 at the end of the second round, you get eliminated and don't get to play Final Jeopardy. In Final Jeopardy, like Daily Doubles, you choose your wager... only it can be anything, including $0. You get to hear the category before wagering, just like in Daily Doubles. Alex reads the question, and you scribble down your answer, and then you find out who got it right or wrong. If there's a tie for first place, those contestants are considered co-champions, each gets to keep his winnings, and each will appear again.

Notable changes to the way the game is played: The values of the squares have changed through the years. I'm not even sure when it happened, but one day I turned it on and everything was double what it was when I was a kid, LoL! They also had red backgrounds in Double Jeopardy for a while, but that didn't last.

Special contestants: There have been many types of special contestants, including college games, high school games, and celebrity games. In celebrity games, they still play Final Jeopardy even if they have less than $1 to work with. Champions are awarded a flight allowance for subsequent appearances (like Tournaments of the Champions) but otherwise no travel or lodging accommodations are given to players. Oh, and let's not forget the newest special contestant, the IBM supercomputer, Watson. Many people associate the name "Ken Jennings" with Jeopardy! right after Alex Trebek because of Jennings' VERY long run on the show. However, he isn't the biggest winner ever, due to the tournaments and stuff, which is interesting. The most-winnings award currently goes to Brad Rutter. 

Favorite Rounds: In this case, I'm going with favorite categories. I'd have to say that I really enjoy the musical categories, the biblical topics, and the geography questions the best. I tend to be pretty bad at the ones where all you know is the number of letters, and I'm not great at the ones where they just give you the starting letter. I'd love to say I like the history questions, but I am better at listening to them than I am at guessing them, LoL.

My take: I'd jump at the chance to be on Jeopardy!. I haven't tried out or anything (I know plenty of people who have, and one person who has been on the show), but maybe someday. I'm kinda fearful because there are a lot of categories that I'd be awful at - like movies, actors, directors (I know next to NOTHING about directors), poetry, European literature, fashion, and ancient art. But, I do know a lot about other categories, LoL!

Do you watch Jeopardy!? What categories do you hope to see, or hope not to see? Would you go on it?

Charlie Sheen is Dominating TV News

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There's another new show coming out in the fall on ABC. This one will star James Van Der Beek, and it's called Don't Trust the B*tch in Apt. 23, a title with which I am not thrilled.

On Sunday, March 6th, at 8pm, Firefly will premiere on the Science Channel. It will air at 10pm on subsequent Sunday nights.

John Lithgow is playing Barney's father on How I Met Your Mother, and his first episode will be March 21st.

When Charlie Sheen comes back and production on Two and a Half Men resumes, they might be doing it without a studio audience, if Sheen is still.... "out there." And then Charlie Sheen talked about taking a vacation before going back to work. And then Sheen called into a radio show and ranted to high heaven, part of which you can see here. So, the rest of the season (4 more episodes at this point), has been canceled. And, the latest, Charlie Sheen is going to get a 20/20 special interview this Tuesday night at 10pm on ABC.

Farrah from Teen Mom is now modeling clothes that she designed. 

Jo from Teen Mom 2 got arrested for marijuana.

Amber from Teen Mom now has naked photos on the internet.

If you have DirecTV, you get free Starz channels through tomorrow. For a complete list of what channels this includes, click here.

Despite recently being in the unfortunate 7:30pm slot, FOX has renewed American Dad for a seventh season.

On Monday, Canada launches an all-chicken channel. Get excited for... The Rotisserie Channel!

TBS's Glory Daze was canceled. I'm glad, since I didn't like that trash.

Some of the characters from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (including Will, Carlton, Ashley, Hilary, and Uncle Phil) will be doing a reunion of sorts.

The "Movie Made for TV" and "TV Miniseries" categories will be merged for the Emmys. They will allow six total nominations, rather than five.

Outrageous Kid Parties Begins

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How do you know when you're watching and reviewing too many different television shows? You can't tag all of them because of the character limit. I was going to have to take out Minute to Win It, Wipeout, The Middle, and Teen Mom 2 to be under 200 characters. So, I've decided to split my Friday commentaries into scripted shows and unscripted shows. I considered splitting by days instead, but ultimately found that this will probably work better. Now, I should clarify that this is a new idea and I may have to play around with it some, but for now, commentaries and reviews will be broken down as follows:

Scripted: The Middle, The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, South Park, Terra Nova, Futurama, Melissa & Joey


Unscripted: Minute to Win It, Wipeout, Teen Mom 2, The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Kate Plus Eight, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant 

This breaks it down fairly evenly, and I think that, with the stigma against "reality shows," it may be a little less annoying for those of you only interested in sitcoms and stuff.

Commentaries this week include: The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Teen Mom 2, Minute to Win It, and Wipeout. If you are interested in any of these, click "keep reading" ... if not, you won't have to scroll forever to get to the next post. :)

The Simpsons does the Oscars

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

How do you know when you're watching and reviewing too many different television shows? You can't tag all of them because of the character limit. I was going to have to take out Minute to Win It, Wipeout, The Middle, and Teen Mom 2 to be under 200 characters. So, I've decided to split my Friday commentaries into reality shows and scripted shows. I considered splitting by days instead, but ultimately found that this will probably work better. Now, I should clarify that this is a new idea and I may have to play around with it some, but for now, commentaries and reviews will be broken down as follows:
Scripted: The Middle, The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, South Park, Terra Nova, Futurama, Melissa & Joey


Reality: Minute to Win It, Wipeout, Teen Mom 2, The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, 19 Kids and Counting, Outrageous Kid Parties, Kate Plus Eight, Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant 


This breaks it down fairly evenly, and I think that, with the stigma against "reality shows," it may be a little less annoying for those of you only interested in sitcoms and stuff.

Commentaries this week include: The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, The Middle, Better with You, and Hot in Cleveland. If you are interested in any of these, click "keep reading" ... if not, you won't have to scroll forever to get to the next post. :)

My Top 10 Disney Animated Feature Films

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Are you excited to see my list? Are you anxious to argue with my favorites? Are you ready to deconstruct what I think makes a good Disney movie? Because each time I see someone else's list, those are the thoughts I have. I get really excited to see how they rank the movies, what makes them choose certain films over others, and why they have certain preferences. I mentioned in my first two posts (#50-31 and #30-11) about how my brother or sister or friends influenced some of my choices, and that will continue in a couple of my choices on this part of the list. And, since movies are a more communal experience than many other forms of media, I think that makes sense. All of that said, let's get going!

10. The Aristocats. The premise is simple: rich old lady wants to leave everything to her cats, so the greedy butler decides to dispose of the cats. And I learned the plot well, since the book was my favorite until I moved on to chapter books and Beverly Cleary swept my world. When the movie went to VHS in 1996, I didn't even know the story was 25 years old... I thought they just finally made the book into a movie, LoL. Through the video I was introduced to the music - and I think I am of the few who prefer "Scales and Arpeggios" to the more popular "Ev'rybody wants to be a Cat," but I think that all of the songs are great.

9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Frollo was a scary guy - and Quasimodo wasn't much to look at - but I loved the theme of the movie, and there are some great moments. The Festival of Fools is so colorful, and having one of those trace & color books yielded some awesome artwork by yours truly, hehe. I liked Esmeralda a lot, and the songs are fabulous, right from the beginning. I even played "God Help the Outcasts" as a solo piece for a String Technique class I took in 10th grade. 

8. Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll is a mastermind, and although many criticize Disney's version of his work as an Americanization of the novel, I find it to be truly entertaining. The colors, the music, the movements... it just really comes alive. So many cool characters and neat names (like rockinghorseflies) and the saddest part of this one, to me, is that it turns out to be all just a dream.

7. Oliver & Company. I think one of the most endearing aspects about this film is that it was set in present-day (mid 1980s) Manhattan. Tito the chihuahua was really entertaining, and Oliver the cat really grabs your heart. Plus, I thought Jenny was adorable. The movie just keeps going, and there's never really a dull moment, what with all of the dogs (both Fagin's, Sykes', and Georgette), the bad guys, and the chases. And, although it takes great liberties from Charles Dickens' piece, I think it's fabulous. And, this is yet another Disney film where every single song enchanted me... I just can't get enough of "Good Company," "Why Should I Worry," and "Once Upon a Time in New York City."

6. The Lion King. What kept this out of my Top 5? Scar was just SO mean. "Be Prepared" scared me (and I was 11 when I first saw this), and the darkness of the Elephant Graveyard/Outlands made me turn my head. I don't like those sequences even now, although I will watch as Scar kills Mufasa, a scene which made me cry as a child. Now that we have the negatives pointed out, just about everything else in this movie was great - the colors, the lions, the voice of JTT, and the songs.

5. Sword in the Stone. This is where the pickings reallllly get tricky. In rating these final five, one of the big factors was "re-watchability," regarding how likely I would be to watch it if it came on television at any given point. Things I love about Sword in the Stone include the Madam Mim sequences and the scenes where Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels and fish. And, "Higitus Figitus" and "That's What Makes the World Go Round" are favorites.

4. Robin Hood. "Who's driving this flying umbrella?" is easily my favorite line in this film. The only reason I can't put this one higher is because the songs just don't compare with those in my top 3. Don't get me wrong, "Love" and "Not in Nottingham" are good, but they're not as fantastic as those featured in my top 3. I think the comedy and the characters are what makes this film. Nutsy & Trigger, Lady Cluck, and Skippy are all great secondary characters with hilarious moments. This movie really keeps me on the edge of my seat, regardless of how many times I see it. Oh, and Prince John and Sir Hiss might make some of the WORST villains EVER, haha.

3. Aladdin. Judging by my top 3 selections, you might be able to tell that I was in elementary school during the Disney Renaissance, LoL. There were so many great things about this movie... Jafar was an amusing bad guy, the Genie was a great sidekick, and everyone I knew wanted a pet Tiger after meeting Rajah. "Arabian Nights," "One Step Ahead," "Prince Ali," and "A Whole New World" are all very descriptive and melodic. And that's before we even get to the Aladdin-Jasmine storyline, which I loved.

2. The Little Mermaid. Unlike most Disney movies, I remember the first time I saw this one, as my mom brought it home for me to watch on the VCR after I couldn't go to a classmate's birthday party. And, I knew what it was from the sky and the sound of the seagulls, since I had intently eavesdropped on some third graders on my bus, who had been talking about the movie non-stop every afternoon. I loved the setting. I loved the story (though I thought that her voice was an unfair trade). I loved all of Ariel's sisters' names. I loved Scuttle's funny explanations of human items. I loved watching Sebastian escape from the kitchen. And the only song I couldn't sing all day would be "Fathoms Below," although it is still good.

1. Beauty & the Beast. My brother didn't care for this one, but I still watched it a lot anyway. At a sleepover in the third grade, just about every girl in the room recited just about every line alongside the movie. Belle, being an intelligent bookworm, appealed to me. And, although I found the introduction of the Beast to be scary (and the wolf scene for that matter), the magical world of his castle just captivated my entire mind. I loved the characters and how well they personified various household objects - I had a specific liking for Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts in particular. The story was good, and I liked how the townspeople were involved but didn't detract from the overall plot. Gaston was easy to dislike, but didn't anger me enough to matter much. And, the music carries the story even further, allowing for a truly enchanting viewing experience.

Well, that's that. It was a fun diversion to spend a few weeks discussing movies (many of which are near and dear to my heart), but we're back to television full-time next week, and Wednesdays will resume being lists of sorts. The poll on the right ends in just a few days, so vote if you haven't yet! It will help shape the future of this blog!

Favorites Roundup

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

It occurred to me that I never did a Favorite Episodes Roundup in the same way that I did for Long-Running Shows and for Short-Lived Shows. So, below you will find links to each television series that I have seen every episode of and picked my top choice from each season.

Friends
Full House
Boy Meets World
Saved by the Bell
Doogie Howser, MD
Home Improvement
Lincoln Heights
Fraggle Rock
Frasier
Seinfeld
King of Queens
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Grounded for Life
Yes, Dear
The Cosby Show
Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Beverly Hills, 90210
DuckTales
7th Heaven
Jon and Kate Plus Eight
Doug
Little House on the Prairie
ALF
Gilmore Girls
TaleSpin
Rainbow Brite
Sweet Valley High
Mad About You
Step by Step
Family Matters
Brotherly Love
Salute Your Shorts
Ready or Not
The Torkelsons / Almost Home
Flash Forward
The Brady Bunch
Roseanne
Lizzie McGuire
Growing Pains
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Joey
Little People, Big World
Third Rock from the Sun 

Later Additions:
Cheers
Wings
Dinosaurs
Firefly
The New Adventures of Old Christine
A Different World

Cool. Now we have those in one place. Have you done any similar lists? Thought about your favorite episodes by season for any shows that you've loved?

Some Great Wipeouts; New Roommates on House!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Commentaries this week include: The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, House, How I Met Your Mother, 19 Kids and Counting, Teen Mom 2, Mr. Sunshine, Minute to Win It, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, and Wipeout. If you are interested in any of these, click "keep reading" ... if not, you won't have to scroll forever to get to the next post. :)

Continuing the Disney Countdown...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last week I started counting down the 50 Disney animated feature films, going from #50-31. Today, I continue with the next chunk, which really span a wide variety of my opinions. This section contains some of the oldest films, a few of the newest films, and even a couple from the "Disney Renaissance." I'm sure that there will be some disagreement with my selections today, but hopefully there will be an equal amount of support... we'll see! Consider commenting at the bottom with your thoughts.

30. Pinocchio. This is another film where there are certain scenes I love (like "When You Wish Upon a Star"), and scenes that bother me (the entire time Pinocchio is a donkey, for instance). I also really hated the villain... Stromboli scared me. So, it sits here, more than halfway down the list... which is the lowest placement I've seen for this film.

29. Meet the Robinsons. Man, do I have a soft spot in my heart for orphans who are geniuses. Little Lewis is an inventor who winds up in the future and meets his family without realizing it. I was completely thrown off when I saw this, but intrigued that Disney crafted the story in this way. And, everything winds up great in the end, as even the "villain" gets a family.

28. Fox and the Hound. I originally thought that this would score about 10 places higher on my list, so now we're getting into the tricky decisions. I think this is a really cute movie, but not as endearing as each one I placed above it. That said, some of my favorite parts are when Tod meets Vixey, the "Best of Friends" song and sequence, and when Copper tries to save Tod by leading Slade the wrong way during the chase.

27. Bolt. I love the idea that the dog thinks he has super powers. And the fact that he has a hamster for a fan is hilarious. Really, the entire hour-and-a-half is hilarious. Add in the fact that I first saw it in 3D and I think the amusement factor doubles.

26. Fun and Fancy Free. I really enjoyed the "bonus feature" on the DVD that explained the history of this project (which was started before WWI, but put aside for quite a while), and I think that using Bongo as a spin-off of sorts from Dumbo would have been more interesting than what they ended up with. However, I've always loved Mickey and the Beanstock. Historically, this was the last time that Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse, and I think that adds something extra-special as well. If you haven't seen this one, you really should. 

25. The Jungle Book. I saw this one over and over as a kid, as it was one of my brother's favorite movies. The only scene that I really don't care for (and, I admit, I fast-forward through even now) is the group of vultures. Baloo is such a lovable character, and "I Wan'na be Like You" is so catchy! My favorite part is the elephants. :)

24. 101 Dalmatians. Well, as much as The Jungle Book was a favorite of my brother's, this one was totally my sister's. Our childhood last name is written on the box and the tape because she'd bring it to daycare at every opportunity. This is one where I love all of the songs, though there are admittedly only three. There are some clever moments, like the dogs rolling in soot to pretend to be labradors. Oh, and how about the awesomeness of the "Twilight Bark" !!!

23. Lady & the Tramp. I wanted to see this one for years before I finally watched it at a friend's house in middle school. There are some really cute moments, and I'm not just talking about the darling "sucking the same piece of linguine" scene. I really liked "The Siamese Cat Song," and find "Bella Notte" to make me all warm & fuzzy inside each time I hear it. However, I can't say it's the best plot that Disney has to offer. A little too "slice of life" as opposed to a genuine problem-and-solution, and that's how it falls here.

22. Make Mine Music. Two of the ten segments of this compilation are among my very favorite in all of the Disney canon. "Peter and the Wolf" is incredibly moving to me - not only because Prokofiev's score is enlightening, but also because the animation just follows the music so fantastically! "Casey at the Bat," a poem which I worked into a drama curriculum I designed for elementary schoolers, is also delightfully animated in Make Mine Music. Now, I enjoy it most followed immediately by "Casey Bats Again," but it's still cute on its own. "The Martins and the Coys" would be my #3 pick, but the other 7 I'll take a pass on.

21. Peter Pan. I think J. M. Barrie's story is beautifully written. I have seen more than ten adaptations of Peter Pan, and find that this ranks up there (though not as masterful as the Mary Martin version, which I adore). The songs are so wonderful (my brother and I tried on more than one occasion to take all of the advice in "You Can Fly!" and soar off the couch!), and I specifically enjoy the coloring throughout the film. All of that said, it does get annoying to watch time after time...

20. Cinderella. As a young girl, this film was my favorite for a year or two, but ultimately the balance of scenes I love canceled out the scenes I don't care for. My very favorite part is the mice making Cinderella's dress, closely followed by the "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" sequence. However, I can only barely stand a handful of the stepsisters' appearances (the only one I actually like is when they're trying on the glass slipper), and I don't like the King much, either. 

19. Fantasia. I used to fast-forward whenever they'd show the orchestra (I deemed that part "beyond boring" until I was eleven or twelve), and I'd stop it just after the final feature "Night on Bald Mountain" began (it scared me). But when I actually watched the shapes and colors and forms along with the melodies, the entire experience came alive for me, and it still does.

18. Chicken Little. Of the Disney films that were released in the past ten years, I rank this one the highest. Which is surprising, when you consider that Rotten Tomatoes ranks it dead last out of all 50. And, I'll admit, I didn't expect to be taken with it. But, I found it to be wonderful. For Disney's first non-Pixar, full-CGI film, it's beautiful. The story may not be original, but I thought that it was touching... moments like Chicken Little asking his dad if he could try out for the baseball team are memorable. The songs are cute ("One Little Slip" really got me in a Disney mood, LoL), and the overall message is encouraging. It's near the top of my "to buy" list.

17. The Emperor's New Groove. I actually first saw this on an Early Dismissal day in high school, LoL. And I just couldn't stop laughing. I've probably seen it five times since then, and it's always so funny to me. As far as villains go, Yzma is pretty wicked. But Kronk is equally lovable. The plot isn't fabulous (though being a llama is kinda cool!), but there are some unique aspects.

16. The Great Mouse Detective. I really like how this is a take-off of Sherlock Holmes but still fairly original. And, I don't know about you, but I love the idea that mice and rats are keeping cats and dogs as pets. I like the names, I love that art, and I think the colors are pretty. I can watch this one repeatedly and still find new things to admire.

15. The Rescuers Down Under. Cody isn't the most exciting, but I think the rest of the film just keeps moving. Joanna is hilarious, perhaps one of most humorous Disney pets ever. Bernard and Bianca's side-story is cute, especially as Jake factors in as a flirt. The biggest downfall for this film? No cool songs.

14. Mulan. I just couldn't get enough of this movie when it first came out! The story is cute... a girl disguises herself as a man to serve in the army in her aging father's place. At first she sucks, but eventually rises to heroism. The songs are awesome ("I'll Make a Man Out of You," "A Girl Worth Fighting For," and "Honor to Us All" are all illustrative of the Disney creativity during their Renaissance), and Eddie Murphy as Mushu is a nice comedic addition.

13. Sleeping Beauty. There are tons of "little things" that I love about this film. I like the name "Aurora." I love when the the fairies take turns changing her dress from pink to blue and back again. I love the baking of the cake. I even like the dragon. I'm partial to Tchaikovsky, so of course I love the scoring. I don't like Maleficent as a villain in the ways I enjoy Ursula or Prince John, and I think that's one of the main things that keeps it from being in my Top Ten.

12. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. There's something about Winnie the Pooh as a character that just draws me in. My siblings and I were pretty addicted to the Pooh stories, and we owned many of the videos, which each saw a great deal of play. This collection is pretty classic, and "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" is among my very favorites - it probably IS my mom's favorite. The song selection is great, and there's plenty of Tigger scenes!

11. Pocahontas. I'm actually not in love with the story. In fact, I did my Extended Essay (it's an IB thing... so if you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry, LoL) on the historical inaccuracies of this film and Disney's depiction of Davy Crockett. But, it has many redeeming qualities in my eyes, and that's how it worked its way up to #11. I like Pocahontas's spirit. I love the songs - everything from "Steady as the Beating Drum" to "Just Around the Riverbend" to "Mine, Mine, Mine." And, of course, "Colors of the Wind," among others. Plus, although Meeko and Flit are some great sidekicks, Grandmother Willow as a character added something extra.

Okay, folks. We're coming up on the Top 10 next week. You can clearly figure out which ten I chose, but the order may surprise you. Anyone want to venture a guess as to what I put in #1? Also, if you're getting really excited about creating your own lineup, I invite you to read an article that two of my friends wrote, detailing some of the aspects that make a Disney movie magical.

Shop Til You Drop

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Today I'm featuring a game show that I couldn't stand. However, it did have a nice, fourteen-year run, and I know a few people who loved this one, so I thought it should still be included. As many people did, I'd watch it every once in a while if I was trying to catch Supermarket Sweep, LoL.

Brief history: The show originated on Lifetime, moved to the Family Channel, then over to PAX (now ION). It was often featured alongside Supermarket Sweep, and surprisingly had the longest run of any pairs to that show. The show currently isn't airing on any network, although in 2000 the Game Show Network did choose it to be among their "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," featured as #45.

The game: Two teams of two, most of the time is was boy-girl teams. There's a round of silly challenges, where one team is given their preference of attempting the known challenge #1 or the unknown challenge #2. The other team plays the remaining challenge, and the next round, the second team picks. You got points for getting the challenge done, and also won a prize from one of the "shops." Then, there was the Shopper's Challenge Round, where the two teams alternate answering popular culture or shopping questions. The team with the most combined points at this point won the game and went on to the Bonus Round - Shop 'til They Drop. Here, one person opened boxes, and the other ran around exchanging them. The goal was to rack up 6 items worth $2,500 - do that and you win a trip. If you don't make that much, you just win the prizes in the boxes. The team got 90 seconds to open the boxes, decide whether to keep or exchange them, move it to the keep pile or exchange for another, and repeat for each item.

Notable changes to the way the game is played: During the first season, you only had to find $1,000 of stuff. There were also "gag gifts" at some of the stores, which always had low values (under $50). When the price was upped to $2,500, the gag gifts were eliminated. In 2003, instead of a 14-store mall, it was a 14-department warehouse store. In 2003, the stunts from the first two rounds were eliminated, being replaced with more question-and-answer segments. And, in the Bonus Round, the members of the team took turns being the "runner." Oooh, and some of the episodes at the end of the Lifetime run were taped at Universal Orlando.

Special contestants: There was a Christmas special that featured celebrities playing for charities. Every once in a great while you'd see a same-sex team, but that was exceedingly rare.

Favorite Rounds: I'm going to be cliche and go with the Bonus Round. The crazy games like "put shaving-cream-filled-balloons-in-my-partner's-pants" or "does ____ have hair" got old and were kinda boring to me. Although I wasn't in love with the running-back-and-forth and trading of items, it was really funny how many of the "shoppers" would make their decisions over what to go with, LoL. Here are a few links to watch an episode if you'd like... you can see how it is for yourself... head's up, this is from the very first season... Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  

My take: The prizes weren't all that interesting... I mean, a vacuum and some dishes? A trip, sure... but the game really didn't entertain me all that much, and I think I'd pass on this one in favor of competing on something else.

Did you ever watch Shop Til You Drop? Who would you partner with if the show was still on the air and you were competing?

Short Bits of Television News

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

That Glee-ish new show coming in the fall, Smash, has just about nabbed Debra Messing to star.

The new ideas on TLC include Don't Tell the Bride, where the groom does all of the wedding planning; Daughters vs. Mothers, where daughters and mothers give each other makeovers; Money on the Menu, which is a game show where the contestants are surprised when a food deliveryperson comes to the door with a mobile game show; Happily Ever Laughter, which looks like an America's Funniest Home Videos for bridal showers, wedding rehearsals, bachelor(ette) parties, etc.; My Secret Body, which deals with people harboring secrets about themselves; World's Worst Mom, where helicopter parents are told to stop, LoL. And, NY Ink, which I assume will be insanely similar to Miami Ink.

Robin is getting a Canadian boyfriend on How I Met Your Mother.

Fun Fact: Matt LeBlanc (Joey) dyed his own hair during Friends because he didn't like how long it took for hair & makeup to do it.

As a reminder, the episodes of Jeopardy! that will pit Ken Jennings against Watson the computer start Monday!

It had been a long time since I saw something with Steve Harvey, but apparently he's hosting Family Feud now. And when a contestant suggests "a joint" as a response to "name something that gets passed around," he goes crazy. It's really funny, go watch.

And, I saw in the Entertainment Weekly magazine that House is having an episode on March 7th that will feature five parodies with the cast, like House and Cuddy doing a Wild West scene, hehe.

Mr. Sunshine & The Unpoppables Premiere

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Reminder: I am no longer reviewing individual episodes of Kitchen Boss. However, if you are looking for the recipes, all of them can be found here.

Commentaries this week include:The Unpoppables, Cake Boss, House, How I Met Your Mother, 19 Kids and Counting, Teen Mom 2, Mr. Sunshine, Minute to Win It, The Middle, Better with You, Hot in Cleveland, and Wipeout. I'm also instituting the "jump" feature on Fridays, since these posts tend to be long, and if you're just scrolling around, you might not be interested in scrolling forever, LoL.

Oscars, Schmoscars

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Okay, it would be about now (or even a week ago) that I'd start doing posts on the Academy Awards, since they're airing in just a few weeks. However, I never have any fun trying to make predictions when I'm just not really a "movie" person when it comes to the types of films that win these awards. I did predictions and reviews of the winners in 2009 and 2010, but I'm going to pass this year.

However, I am going to do a three-part featurette on movies... the 50 Disney Animated Motion Pictures, to be precise. In the past week or so I've seen several different lists where people have sorted them into their own order of favorites, and I thought I'd do the same. I wanted to start immediately, but it turned out that there were two features that I hadn't seen, so I needed to wait until I could cross off Chicken Little and Tangled from my list (man, that Netflix is just SO handy, LoL!). Now that I have, I'm going to begin my own countdown, starting with 50 and working my way to what I consider the pinnacle of Disney's animated masterpieces. 20 films today, 20 next Wednesday, and my top 10 to finish up the following Wednesday. I was encouraged to do this because of the ways others changed my ways of thinking about some of these films, and also because I wanted to make my own arguments about why certain selections are better than others, LoL. Now, without further ado, let's get started!

50. The Three Caballeros. The premise of this one (since it's a little less known than some Disney features) is that it's Donald's birthday and he gets some presents. I find it to be incredibly boring, with the Pablo Penguin segment being the best (though still dull).

49. Saludos Amigos. Latin America was "in" for Disney, and this is a compilation of several different segments featuring other countries. I kinda like the little plane delivering mail, but the rest of the segments practically put me to sleep... like "gaucho Goofy" and the Lake Titicaca part.

48. The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad. The first time I went to Disney World, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was my favorite. I was five years old, and I couldn't imagine anything more fun. It was twenty years later that I finally saw the inspiration for the ride, and wasn't that thrilled. In fact, I thought it dragged on too long. And the Ichabod feature didn't impress me, either.

47. Home on the Range. This is another one that I caught on Netflix long after it came out. I thought there were some funny moments, but ultimately the storyline was about five minutes long... too much fluff... I think it would work better as a short.

46. The Black Cauldron. I expected too much out of this movie, I think. It was Disney's first PG animated film. The plot was somewhat unique. The names in it were difficult to remember, and even more difficult to spell. And, I didn't care for the way it wrapped everything up.

45. Tarzan. I saw this with a friend and his family, so there was a little bit of distraction involved. However, for as popular as this became, I got sick of it... since I didn't think it was that exciting. The songs are cute... but get old pretty fast.

44. Brother Bear. I actually liked this one more than I thought I would. There are some really funny parts, and the end was a bit unexpected, at least for me. I didn't care for the main character as much as the supporting ones, but that's fairly common for me, LoL.

43. Treasure Planet. The idea of this movie really excited me.The previews intrigued me, and I couldn't wait to see it. I actually don't remember where I was or what circumstances formed my home-viewing of this one, but it only held my attention on and off.

42. Princess & the Frog. Eh. With all the hype that surrounded the film waaaay before it came out, I was excited. And then TWO songs got Oscar nominations. And then I finally saw it. And, although there were some cute dresses and whatnot, it just didn't have any *magic* to me.

41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The first time I saw this movie, I was pretty interested. Of course, I was still naive enough to completely believe in the possibility of Atlantis existing. So, I ended up watching it again, and a good deal of the excitement was gone... which left the movie kinda lackluster... and I think that one of the elements of a great Disney movie is the fact that it can be watched over and over again.

40. Melody Time. Didn't care too much for Samba. Toot was better as a book. And Pecos Bill was as much of a laugh as it was a joke.

39. Tangled. I read so many fabulous thing about this movie, from people I knew and from critics. I was thinking that maybe it would join the fabulous films of the 90s... but no. It started on a great note... amusing introduction, great song about what Rapunzel does all day to occupy herself... but then it starts going downhill. It picks up some magic again in the middle, particularly when Gothel realizes that Rapunzel is missing. But then it starts trailing off again, only to make me happy in the credits.

38. The Rescuers. I think that this movie has a special place in the hearts of some people. However, for me, there were just a few cute lines here and there, plus some interesting bits about the Rescue Aid Society, which I thought was pretty cool.  

37. Dinosaur. Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that, to me, the coolest thing about this one is that it was the first or second movie that my now-husband ever took me to see. The storyline isn't that unique (Land Before Time did a strikingly similar plot several years earlier), but the CGI is beautiful, and perhaps even the most memorable part of the movie.  

36. Bambi. I was never a fan of this one, even as a kid. I like the introductions of Flower and Thumper, and have always liked the name "Faline," but otherwise, not a big fan. The buck scared me, and while I giggled when Bambi fell down on the ice, I didn't believe that Bambi was a boy for the LONGEST time (the name just sounded feminine to me!). 

35. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. Yeah, I know I face a lot of criticism for putting such an important work so low, but I think a lot of the reasoning has to do with the way I was introduced to the film. I still don't know if my mom owns a copy, so I didn't see it until middle school or high school at a friend's house. HOWEVER, my brother and I had a VCR board game that had clips of Pinocchio, Cinderella, and Snow White... and I got sick of the Snow White segments. When I finally saw the entire thing, I realized that the clips I knew were the best in the movie.

34. Hercules. This has a fabulous soundtrack. And I love mythology. I think there are some very clever jokes in it, and I like the name "Megera." That said, the movie doesn't have a lot of staying-power for me... and the second time I saw it, I was already pretty bored.

33. Lilo & Stitch. I actually liked the television series better than the movie. I also don't have the compassion for "family" that the theme of this story promotes, so I think that's a major reason that I'm not a big fan. And, I think it was one of the least-believable Disney stories I had seen at the time... and I'm not really into that. (Additionally, I didn't like the "ride" at Magic Kingdom.)

32. Fantasia 2000. I really wanted to LOVE this piece. But, certain sections just didn't do it for me. I adored the Gershwin, and thought that the Saint-Saen was beautifully captured (flamingos with a yo-yo). Donald Duck as Noah was somewhat amusing, and I thought it was a very bold choice for "Pomp and Circumstance." But, the remaining songs weren't that intriguing to me, bringing down my overall opinion.

31. Dumbo. There are scenes in this movie that I can't stand (like "Pink Elephants on Parade") and scenes I adore (watching the elephants perform, watching everything get set-up). I'm not as captivated by "Baby Mine" as many others are, and the clowns with the fire scared me.


Well, that wraps up this segment. Stay tuned for next Wednesday, when I'll go over my #30-11. If you've ordered the Disney films yourself, let me know... I'd be glad to link to your selection! My friend, Katie, did it on some really cute color-coded notecards.

And, don't forget to vote for your favorite type of post (out of the four major types we feature) just to the right of this entry! It will be up for another ten days.