Fun Friday: "Let It Go," 80s-TV Style

Sometimes I wonder who has time on their hands to find clips and edit them into such things, but then I remember the kinds of things I did when I was 14-15. Granted, the internet was much younger then, but I spent hours upon hours building fan pages for Gummi Bears, Labyrinth, and other popular culture topics I can't even remember anymore. Of course, this was all on one of those AOL Hometown pages that bit the dust back in 2008, but, alongside SimTower, it was what I did for fun, backed up on 3.5" disks.

Digression aside, Jim Cliff has posted a video on YouTube with 60+ clips of 80s television shows spliced together to make out the lyrics to Frozen's "Let it Go." (a song which will, apparently, never actually go away.) It's done pretty well, and I laughed at multiple points, so thought you might get a kick out of it, too.
I'm not going to list all of the series I noticed, but keep an eye out for some greatness like Three's Company, Saved by the Bell, Cheers, ALF, Perfect Strangers, the original Beauty and the Beast, Knight Rider, Who's the Boss, The Cosby Show, The Wonder Years, DuckTales, M*A*S*H, Roseanne, and Dallas. Do you have favorite parts in this mash-up?

RETURNING: The Exes: Phil and Eden's Relationship

I understand why characters within ensembles wind up becoming "involved" with one another, as it's been happening since my earliest television viewing - Who's the Boss and Saved by the Bell being examples. But, I still don't have to like it. Why not bring in new characters for this purpose, like Mike for Phoebe on Friends? Or Amy and Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory? Back to The Exes, Phil and Eden's relationship didn't last too terribly long, but because of each person's close relationship with Holly, their paths will inevitably have to cross, forcing awkward moments and sexual tension. I'm hoping for some hilarity out of this, but I also think that there will be complications that aren't so great. Still, let's look at the various issues that frustrated the couple while they were together...

The Exes "True Lies" (S03E11): Haskell simply congratulates Phil for being intimate with Eden, but Stuart wants to talk about it. [of course he does.] Holly is upset with Eden until she apologizes, but the girls start chatting it up, and Eden admits to faking orgasms to keep Phil feeling good about himself. Holly soon blabs this to Stuart and Haskell, the latter of whom has been faking food orgasms over the former's meals. [that was weird.] Stuart, in a huff, tells Phil, who immediately confronts Eden, who, in turn, lies, saying that she had to make up something to get things right with Holly. This placates Phil, but Holly de-friends Eden over it, thinking Eden is lying to her. Meanwhile, Haskell tries to apologize to Stuart, then breaks out a lie detector to get to the bottom of everything. But, Eden won't take it. [can't blame her. I wouldn't volunteer for one of those, either!] She admits to "faking it," meaning that she lies to Phil, not Holly. Eden dumps Phil because dating him is like dating the whole group, but they make up shortly thereafter. [seeing her tiny place was kinda interesting.]  

The Exes "How the Grinch Spent Xmas" (S03E12): It's Christmas Eve and Phil is worried about what to get Eden to send the "right" message, so he plans to find out what she got him, then match it. [like Sheldon with Penny! and haha at Stuart's Listerine under the mistletoe!] Phil puts Haskell in charge of figuring it out, and he learns it's a hot, sexy video, sop Phil decides to follow suit with a striptease.

Holly is traveling from London and meets a great guy on the plane and invites him to join the party. However, he can't get through Customs and Border Protection because his passport has been flagged, so she wants to spend Christmas in the airport, upsetting the gang. [uh, yeah!] This causes a chain reaction, as Eden and Phil wanted to spend the holiday in a cabin in Vermont, and Haskell wanted to go home to his mother. The trio decides to placate Stuart a bit before taking off, but rushing through his planned activities means they quickly learn that Holly gave awesome gifts this year. [awwww!] They decide to pack up the seven-course meal and head to the airport to support Holly in her search for love. [that's really sweet!] Meanwhile, at the airport, the guy finds out that he'll be allowed in the country of Costa Rica, so he asks Holly to accompany him. The gang shows up at the airport and can't find her, but continue giving gifts - Eden gave Phil workout clothes, not a sex tape, and that offends him. [haha!] Phil winds up sending everyone the sexy video he made, not just Eden. [haha, his Nana!]

The Exes "Nothing in Common" (S03E13): A woman named Donna hits on Phil at the bar, and it turns out that she wants a three-some with Phil and Eden. [how random!] Eden says that she'll consider it, but only after having a drink, getting to know the woman, etc. The night starts off on the right foot, but the woman soon starts bawling, and Phil makes things awkward. [I can't handle people who are that attached to pets. I just roll my eyes and walk away.] 

facebook.com/TheExesTV

Stuart's sister, Nicki, shows up, upset that her husband of 17 years has cheated on her, though she doesn't know the details. Haskell is interested in the woman, stuttering in her presence. Stuart heads to Staten Island to talk to his brother-in-law, Tommy, but discovers that the cop is cheating on Nicki with a man, which is why he won't try counseling. [ooooh...] When Stuart tells Nicki, she's overly surprised, but does decide to return home to talk to her husband.

The Exes "Bachelor Party" (S03E14): Phil has been named among the top ten most eligible bachelors in NYC, but Eden doesn't consider him "eligible," causing a rift. [why is he that "wanted" ? he JUST started his own business, so it can't be that successful yet!] The gang is excited to attend, and Holly gets her eyebrows done... only to have them completely removed! [omg!] Eden puts some on her, but they're not steady, causing Holly's flirting at the party to go just as awry. [too much for me, though.] Eden decides to go to the party after all, to be supportive (but really to spy on Phil). But, she has to act like she's not with Phil, so she decides to hang out with her friends for the night. Later, when the two talk about their relationship, they realize that Phil is committed, but Eden is not, so they decide to just be friends. [an anti-climactic ending to their relationship!]

Stuart thinks he sees Sabrina at the bar, but it turns out to be her twin sister, Julie. Haskell wonders if it's really Sabrina, playing a fast one on Stuart, so the dentist decides to check for a tattoo to make sure. However, he is caught using a dental mirror to look up her skirt during the tango, so that ends. [what are the odds she'd know how to tango? he does find out that she really was a twin, though!]

Also, Haskell tries "height helpers" at the party, but he falls over and quickly loses his chances with the woman he was wooing.

Top 10 Single TV Moms

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Since Mother's Day was this past Sunday, I thought that it would be nice to take a look at some great television moms. And, not just any moms, specifically single moms on TV. There are quite a few out there, and in order to excel, they have to work much harder than mothers with more of a support system. I had a fun time thinking of single mothers, and then choosing which ones to feature today. Since I undoubtedly missed some candidates, feel free to suggest other fabulous single moms!

10. Millicent Torkelson, The Torkelsons / Almost Home. Raising five children (three in the second series) is a great deal of work for any parent. Millicent works hard to give her family what they need, and takes on the odd job here and there to make ends meet. She tries to be creative about their issues (like altering thrift store dresses, using recycled bottles to serve bottled water at a party, etc.), and is rather proud to be able to make it on her own (she was shocked that the community donated a box of canned goods to her family). While they do have a boarder to help with expenses, and they later move across the country (Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma to Seattle, Washington!) and move in with another family to keep things going. While the kids weren't in love with their situation, they appreciated everything that their mother did for them, time and time again.

9. Lisa Cuddy, House. Now a mother to Rachel, Cuddy tried for a while to have her own child through IVF, with donor sperm. Then, she tried to adopt with unsuccessful results for a while. Finally, she got Rachel, and she has been an overly caring mother to her. When Social Services came to inspect, Cuddy was so afraid that she'd lose custody because of an old diaper that hadn't been disposed of. Cuddy genuinely cares about her daughter's health and well-being, and despite having such a high-profile job, still makes a lot of time to spend with Rachel, though she does have a part-time caretaker for the toddler.

8. Christine Campbell, The New Adventures of Old Christine. Though she was technically married to her best friend, Barb, in the fourth season, (to keep her in the country) Christine was a singe parent throughout the show. She tried hard, making sure her child went to a good school, that the school was diverse, and that she wrote down everything that might help her son through life. She even volunteered for multiple programs at the school, though she sometimes had to push her ex-husband or her brother to fulfill those obligations if she got slammed at work. 

7. Angela Bower, Who's the Boss? The situation here is a bit different. Though Angela does have her mother living with her, and she hires a live-in male housekeeper, she is still a single mother to Jonathan. Parenting isn't the biggest topic in this series, but Jonathan has his share of issues that Angela must deal with... stolen hubcaps, being bullied, trying to get a girlfriend, etc. Luckily, when Angela knows that she isn't the best person to deal with her son's troubles, she has Tony there to help her out and lend a manly ear to whatever is going on.

6. Jackie Harris, Roseanne. Jackie was a doting mother to little Andy. She was paranoid about what he'd eat and how he'd play, which was a big change from the way her sister raised her own kids. Jackie wanted Andy to have a good life, and that even meant breastfeeding at the altar. But, the marriage (to Andy's father) didn't last long, and Jackie went back to being a single mother, who continued to pay much closer attention to her child than anyone else paid to theirs on that show (with perhaps the exception of David & Darlene's little Harris, since she was so premature).

5.  Amy Juergens, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Of all the women on my list, this one is the hardest to argue for, since she has a great support system when you look at it. Peers at school found a daycare for her son, a job for Amy, and throw her a shower. Her family provides her with a car, helps her with household chores, and even gives her the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a summer music camp - by watching her son while she's away for several weeks. Nonetheless, Amy started the ninth grade pregnant, and conceived during her very first intercourse, so she definitely faces a difficult life ahead of her, as her child will practically be reading when she starts college!

4. Murphy Brown, Murphy Brown. It would be wrong not to include Murphy Brown, as she made such strides for single mothers both on and off the screen. While it was heavily criticized for a woman to willingly take on becoming a single parent (perhaps you remember Dan Quayle's issues with Murphy Brown?), Murphy did it in stride. She chaperoned field trips, hunted down the hot Christmas toy, stressed over how to talk to her son about death, and even dealt with having cancer while being a single mother.

3. Ms. Tonitini, The Weekenders. Tito's mom doesn't have a first name from what I can remember. Her ex-husband lives on the other side of the country, and only appears once throughout the run of the series. She has some very great characteristics for single motherhood... she's really into cooking healthy meals (tofu and seaweed often appear in their household), she has a very open relationship with Tino (it's clear that she knows a lot about his past problems, as she finishes sentences for him when he tells stories), and she gives very sensible advice without sounding overbearing and matronly. While she's not a major character, she appears frequently, and is always saying or doing something interesting.

2. Reba Hart, Reba. She is perhaps one of the most memorable single moms out there. It's not a bed of roses for her, as she deals with her oldest daughter's teenage pregnancy immediately after getting left by her husband for a younger woman, but she tries. Nobody knows how bad things are (she takes out a second mortgage on the house that nobody knows about for a while), and she eventually takes a job working for her ex-husband before starting a business with her son-in-law. While parenting Jake isn't a problem often, Reba often has to deal with helping Cheyenne to make good decisions and steering Kyra in the right direction. And, she does this all while her ex-husband's new wife continually pops in on her and her family.

1. Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls. Clearly, Lorelai is a wonderful single mother. She left home as a teen mom, and made her entire life out of nothing. Her wealthy parents offered her support, but she chose to ignore them completely for many years. Instead, Lorelai worked as a maid while she a Rory lived in a small guest house. She eventually bought a jeep and a house, and eventually went to night school, got a degree, and opened an inn. Rory is delightfully well-adjusted, an ambitious academic, and very cautious in all of her endeavors. The relationship that Lorelai and Rory share is enviable in many ways - from hanging out on weekends watching movies to sharing bits of personal experiences to just being a phone call away at all times. Lorelai Gilmore, winner!

For those who missed this post when it was first published, my apologies. It was one of the many lost in Blogger's maintenance problems. I was waiting it out for Blogger to correct the problem, but it's been a week and I'm just going to move on.