Beyond Random

First of all, I have to note that while I compose this, I'm watching one of my favorite movies no one has ever seen. It's called Playing By Heart and stars (check it out) Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Ellen Burstyn, Dennis Quaid, Ryan Phillippe, Gillian Anderson and Jon Stewart. It's a quiet little movie about relationships, but it's beautifully acted and I am always amazed that it wasn't more successful just based on that cast.

How crazy is this picture? My cousin apparently flew from L.A. to Chicago on a plane with Mr. T, and she had the cajones to ask for a picture afterward, which, even though this man's fame peaked 20+ years ago, I still doubt I would have been able to do. Way to be, Suze! And good job spotting him without all that gold. Must make it easier for him to go through security, though, huh?

So, continuing on with the theme of family, this weekend was the beginning of the Passover holiday. We drove to Cleveland to have the seder with my parents, a meal that is fun when you have little kids. My mom went all out. She decorated the table with the seder plate I made in Sunday School in 1981, which is still awesome. She even picked up finger puppets that represented the ten plagues. When I asked where one could get such things, she said "I got them at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I guess this is the Beyond." No kidding!

I did something at my parents' that I haven't done in ages. I actually called the time and temperature. There were some computer issues and we weren't near a TV, so I actually picked up the phone and dialed the number. The best part was that there was a message that said the service might not be able to continue on without advertiser support. It asked callers to please EMAIL the reasons they want to keep the service going. Isn't that awesome? Because, honestly, how many of the people who routinely call the time and temp do you think even know what email is? I'm willing to bet it's a small percentage.

Some other random items:

I suddenly found myself missing Celebrity Poker Showdown the other day. I don't know why exactly, but it was sort of fun to watch some of the stars interact in that setting. And in the couple of years since it's gone off the air, so many great shows have come into their own and it would have been just phenomenal fun to watch table featuring the casts of shows like Lost, The Office and 30 Rock, among others.

I am now openly rooting for Cirie on Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites, based solely on her brilliant engineering of Ozzy's ouster this past week. Picking the exact right time to pounce when she knew he felt so comfortable he wouldn't play the hidden immunity idol? Genius.

On our trip, I discovered a business to business catalog in my husband's car which he had borrowed. Should I be concerned that he might develop feelings for one of the models? Some of them were quite attractive.

SNL...funny bits

Although it was not the best of the season, last weekend's Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ashton Kutcher did have it's moments. The Cold Open was not one, as the thing went on for NINE MINUTES. Good Lord, it's called editing. But I did enjoy Ashton's monologue about the importance of a producer's job, the "Cougar Den" sketch (which I have not been able to find online, dammit!) and the little "Death By Chocolate" bumpers, one of which is below for your amusement.

And no post these days is complete without a link to spunkybean. This week we have the mix tape piece (audio of said tape is now linked to the article) and EJ's brilliant Breakfast Cereal Mascot investigation. The results may shock you, so be prepared. And, of course, there's always recaps of Dancing With the Stars, Big Brother, and American Idol and even an early review of Ironman to round out your day. See you there!

Perfection

No, no not me! But thank you!

I have already watched and rewatched last week's triumphant return episodes of The Office and 30 Rock on TV and Hulu. I couldn't be happier, as a huge fan of both, to see them back and in fine form.

The Office ratcheted up the awkward factor to a disturbing level, but that's where we like it, isn't it? There are so many amazing things happening in this episode--from Jan's Andy Warhol-esque picture of herself on the wall (see the clip below) to her former assistant Hunter's song, to Dwight's "carnal" relationship with his babysitter and Michael's hand-shaped chairs. I could go on and on. What this episode proved is that you don't need Jim and Pam to have a fight or any other standard sitcom angst to keep this show moving. It's in a class almost by itself in the way it can take a situation and turn it on it's head thanks to these insane yet somehow endearing characters and their mundane lives. Just watch the clip of "The Tour":



I say almost by itself because 30 Rock is right there too, except it can be even wackier, in a sense. This week's episode was a callback to an early season reference to a show Jack had in development called MILF Island, which is now airing on bizarro-NBC (Jerry Seinfeld is one of its executive producers, as a matter of fact). It features terms like "erection cove", "you've kept it tight" and "we no longer want to hit that". Aren't we just inches away from this show, anyway? And the whole thing was just a metaphor for Liz trying to frame any other member of her staff for calling Jack a "Class A Moron" in the elevator while unknowingly bitching about him to a Page Six reporter. As usual, it's Alec Baldwin who makes the episode, and I think I almost hyperventilated during this scene:



If you need some more fun this sunny Monday, bop on over to spunkybean, where you will find my idea of the ultimate summer mix tape...

I Am Giddy

In case you have not been paying attention, this Thursday will mark the triumphant return of The Office from its strike-induced hiatus! I was excited before, but when I saw this interview clip and the other preview clips for the episode on Hulu, I squealed with delight. I really don't know if I can get through the next 48 hours or so, honestly.




Also, I have to tell you all how much I've been enjoying watching classic episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show over on Hulu as well. Sure, some of the furniture and costumes are dated (though not as many costumes as one might think!), but most of the humor still resonates as well as it did when the show debuted a whopping 38 years ago. And best of all, it's not like watching a clip on You Tube, where the quality is haphazard. If you don't want to go out and buy a DVD set, I think this is best way to watch free TV on the Internet.

And don't forget to head over to spunkybean to read my Dancing With the Stars and Big Brother recaps as well as other scintillating stuff, like how monkeys control the universe. It's true. If you haven't checked the site in a while, please stop by soon!