Culture Corner: Review of Curtains

If you have a chance to see this before it closes on June 29, go. Don't even think twice about it. Go.

This might be one of the best shows that Jason and I have been to see. I'm kind of speechless. I basically watched the entire show with my mouth wide open and a gigantic grin on my face. Classy lady, right here! The show was just phenomenal. David Hyde Pierce was brilliant. And spoke with an excellent Bahston accent the entire time, so I was putty in his hands to begin with. Debra Monk certainly held her own right next time him. In fact the entire cast was outstanding.


Jason says: Why, oh why, are they pulling the curtain down on 'Curtains'? It was PHENOMENAL. So phenomenal that I want to see it again!

Jay - the clock is ticking. I'm with you. We better hurry.

A One-Act Play Titled "Russ the Trainer is Trying to Kill Me"

Scene 1 - Melanie enters the personal trainer area of a gym in New York City.

Melanie: Russ, I ran twice this weekend. Check out my fancy new sneakers and my fancy new workout pants.

Russ: Very nice. Jump over this step until I tell you to stop.

Melanie: Wow. This is hard. My legs are still a little sore from everything I did this weekend.

Russ: Did you stretch?

Melanie: No. Show me how.

Russ: Do a lot of lunges - side, wide, the whole nine yards. Lunge, lunge, lunge.

Melanie: Wow. This is hard on my legs also.

Russ: Let's go do some weird ab contraption. Now, jumping jacks. Now, more abs. Hold it, hold it, hold it. Okay, squat thrust/push-up/jumping thing now.

Melanie: Seriously - enough with the squats. I cannot do anything else with my legs.

Russ: Shoulder presses on an ab ball. Make sure your hips are up. Hips up. Hips up. Hips up. Rest. Okay, get on this unstable board and do some more squats but use a rowing motion to pull these weights.

Melanie: I feel it all over my lower body. It sort of hurts and not in a good way.

Russ: Okay, jumping jacks with a body bar.

Melanie: I am about to pass out. I cannot jump anymore. I was not kidding about my thighs. I am going home now.

End scene.

Weekly Watchings

It's a pretty quiet week, but a couple new episodes are on the horizon. And the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yay!

Wednesday
So You Think You Can Dance (more auditions); Under One Roof (Flava Flav!); Supernanny (A kid might get kicked out of preschool. Awesome.); Men in Trees (savor the last few episodes while you still can); Top Chef (mmm, steaks). Bonus daytime alert - Jenna and Laura Bush on Ellen.

Thursday
So You Think You Can Dance (more auditions); Lost (two-hour season finale). Bonus daytime alerts - Broadway's "In the Heights" on The View; Christian Siriano on Ellen.

Friday
National Spelling Bee (in case you don't feel badly enough about yourself); Psych (Rerun featuring Lou Diamond Phillips. Excellent.) Bonus daytime alert - rerun of Regis and Joy on Rachael Ray.

Sunday
NEW SHOW ALERT!!! Actually two new shows. Million Dollar Password (with your host, Regis Philbin!); In Plain Sight (description from USA Network site below). So exciting.

In Plain Sight is an hour-long drama that revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a tough, sexy US Marshal who works for the Federal Witness Protection Program. While many of the witnesses under her care are high-maintenance career criminals, some are just innocent people who had the misfortune of witnessing a crime or falling victim to one. For all the witnesses, testifying means leaving behind everything and everyone they know, changing identities and relocating to the utterly unfamiliar southwest to build a brand new life.

Along with her partner Marshall Mann (Fred Weller) – yes, his name is Marshall and he is a marshal – Mary helps her witnesses establish new lives for themselves with varying degrees of success. Mary must also deal with her co-dependant mother, Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) and equally co-dependant sister, Brandi (Nichole Hiltz), both of whom can’t know the true nature of Mary’s job, which adds a layer of complexity to an already fraught family dynamic.

Weekend Update

My weekend back home was much needed. My mom and I did some shopping - I got some fancy new running sneakers. With support! What a novel concept.

Our next stop was Voss' for delicious hot dog and fries. So, very tasty. Why does food taste better when it's prepared at a stand that is only open for part of the year? Does something fester on the griddles during the off-season?

That night, Angela and I hit my favorite eating establishment - Babe's - and got our "usual" order of fried cheese. I almost ate myself sick. I needed fried cheese so badly.

Sunday, my mom and I took our new sneaks for a spin. Then it was ice cream with the grandparents and then over to Lorraine's for her annual Memorial Day party. It was the first time I was able to make it in like 100 years so I was definitely long overdue! As usual, her kids were too cute - both wanting to make sure they had plenty of eyes on them at all times! And really, you couldn't avoid watching them - they are so full of personality. Oh - and the party had competing taco dips - so really, the best party ever.

Yesterday was just a quiet day at home. A walk in the morning, then some time sitting on the deck, then dinner and then off to the train. The rain held off until I boarded and then I was on my way!

All in all, pretty much a perfect weekend.

It's Raining Men! (Or Reason #523 Why I Love New York)

Sweet, sweet Fleet Week is upon us. That means that a ton of Navy soliders and Marines have descended upon the city. In uniform.

God Bless America.

Also - I do believe this is my 100th post (not counting posts for TV listings). Yay for me!

Shut Up, CVS!

I stopped at CVS to get some snacks for Curtains. In the interest of full disclosure, I was buying a 99 cent bag of pretzels and a regular size package of M&Ms. Reasonable, right? I have definitely purchased a much more gluttonous selection of snacks in my life. And I used my CVS ExtraCare card, which means coupons print out periodically.

And do you want to know what coupon printed out for me? Effin' Dexatrim. Yeah, you heard me. Screw you, CVS. My new eating disorder and I will be shopping at Duane Reade from now on so suck on that.

And to add insult to injury, I was snacking on the pretzels while I was walking and some guy in a car heckled me.

What did I do to the universe?

Lists I've Made Recently

I'm easily amused, it's true. Lately, I've found my own to-do/shopping lists to be especially amusing. Take a look.

Thursday Night

1. Tiffany's
2. Make deposits
3. Pay bills

For Gail's spa birthday

1. Money
2. Wine

Before my brother came to visit

1. Beer
2. Deodorant
3. Toilet Paper

Does my life revolve around booze and money? It would seem so.

Thursday's TV Tips (Bonus Weekend Listings Included!)

So, May is almost over which means sweeps are over which means TV is essentially over. The good news is that some new shows will be starting in June, but basically after tonight, you have about a week off from TV.

Oh, and I love ABC because they appear to have adapted that Japanese game show where people just get hurt. You know the one. It's on Spike TV at like 1:00 AM on Friday nights. I know you've seen it.

Anyway, back to current TV listings.

Thursday
Ugly Betty (Naomi Campbell plays softball and Lindsay Lohan kicks off a recurring (?) role as someone who went to high school with Betty); So You Think You Can Dance (auditions)

Friday
American Gladiators (rerun)

Monday
American Gladiators (SWAT office vs. tree climber. No, I didn't make that up.)

And the winner is...

First of all, why can't American Idol end on time? Thankfully I got home just before 10 PM and turned on the end of the show or I would have missed the announcement of the winner. Which is, to be fair, a key part of the FINALE. Two hours and they can't manage to make sure the last 10 minutes work out? WTF?

Anyway, it was worth taping the show so that I could fast-forward to the group performances. And I was not disappointed. Right off the bat, I am treated to this - a Motown group sing. And it's not even my birthday. Behold - but beware this clip might cause a seizure:



Please be sure to watch David Archuleta "dance." Particularly when he's walking with two other guys. Cause he kind of moves like the monster in Young Frankenstein. I have hope he can over come this becuase he's young. Sadly, the clip cuts off right before the camera panned the crowd and, more importantly, to one Ms. Janice Dickinson.

And then the next best part was when they made all the female contestants come out dressed like jezebels and harlots in red dresses and sing the songs of Donna Summer AND THEN were joined by Donna Summer! She's no Chaka Khan, but she is a decent substitute.

Also excellent? The jazzy remake of what I call "My Baby Wrote Me a Letter" by Carly and Michael Johns.

Not excellent? Paula's bosoms. She should put those away. This is a family show.

Excellent? The male contestants singing a Bryan Adams medley. David Hernandez - rawr!

Excellent? ZZ Top. I saw one of those guys in a bar in Nashville once. That was awesome. It's also a bar that essentially only serves hot dogs. So pretty much, my favorite bar ever.

Equal parts awesome and frightening? The Guitar Hero commercial featuring David Cook as Tom Cruise in Risky Business? Is there some sort of David Archuleta companion commercial that I fast-forwarded through? I mean, they can't make a commercial with David Archuleta in his underwear because he's a minor, right? Right?

It's increasingly becoming clear that I'm digging the finale which is odd because I've been fairly apathetic about the entire season thus far. But now, I'm won over by the Jonas Brothers song S.O.S. (which is unavoidable because they are everywhere - they were bound to wear me down) and now they are throwing David Archuleta into singing Apolgize with One Republic. And it hardly even sounds like he's singing about Jesus, so clearly he's improving.

Oh wait, now we're back on track. Jordin Sparks has shown horrible judgement by wearing a gold lame (accent on the e) dress. First of all, it's gold. And lame (accent on the e). Secondly, it's not even flattering gold lame (accent on the e).

And now, I'm won back over by video of Gladys Knight with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. as The Pips. Damn you, Fox. You really know how to get me. Midnight Train to Georgia will do it any time. RDJ might even have a future as a Pip if he's interested. He's kind of suave.

Ooh - Carrie Underwood. She's also made an unfortunate fashion choice, but I love this song - Last Name. Also, her legs are so fantastic, it's a crime. Between her and the Pussycat Dolls, I'm starting to think I should wear nothing but heels all the time.

Oh no!!!! The Guitar Hero commercial with Archuleta! It's also Risky Business. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Well at least he's wearing boxers so I don't have to gouge out my eyes.

And just like that, I'm right back in with a George Michael medley. Ooh - they put the boys in suits and gave David Hernandez a lyric with "naked" in it. Risque, Fox, risque. And I think they've amped up the eyeliner on David Cook. Excellent move. Oh man, this whole segment is genius. Even before they brought out George Michael, but that is definitely a welcome addition. Especially because I think he's wearing Katie Holmes' sunglasses.



And even the announcement of the winner won't top that. So, I'll just say - Congratulations, David. And that I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of filler in this finale.

The New Hotness: Taylor Swift

So Taylor Swift has been around for a while, and I always kind of liked her, but I wasn't sure if she was a bit of a one-hit wonder. Considering below is a clip of the fourth song that I've heard by her and loved, I think the verdict is in. She is not a one-hit wonder and she might just be the new hotness. Behold:

Wednesday's Watchings

American Idol (hopefully we'll get one final incredibly awkward group sing - other than that, I don't much care what happens but it's two hours of finale so settle in and get comfortable); Under One Roof (Flava Flav's sitcom that I have been remiss in watching - until tonight); Criminal Minds (random killings, yay!); CSI: NY (I KNOW they got the taxi cab killer last week, so this week it's just a regular old hostage situation); Law & Order (prostitutes, yay!); Boston Legal (Denny Crane. That is all); Top Chef (a greasy spoon breakfast rush, yay!)

Culture Corner: Review of John Lithgow: Stories by Heart

John Lithgow invokes memories of three generations of family history while tracing his own life as an actor and storyteller.

Jason left me on my own for last night's Culture Corner because, apparently, he hates John Lithgow. I do not, however. So I went to the show and was really impressed. Not just with my seat (though, seriously - check out the awesomeness of that view), but with John Lithgow's performance. He was almost as good as Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale (perhaps a future post as a Culture Corner Rewind), but Chazz was working with more colorful characters so that gave him an edge. However, John Lithgow did move me to tears before he even really got into the meat of the show. It was all very touching and watching him act out the story was just riveting. I'm fascinated by that level of talent.

The downside of sitting this close? John Lithgow kind of "sprays it" instead of "says it." I didn't get hit (thankfully), but it was kind of yucky to watch.

Tuesday's Tunings

American Idol (David vs. David); Dancing with the Stars (please, please, PLEASE, let there be some DanceCenter with Kenny Mayne and his eyeshadow); Reaper (Sam is trapped by demons, but I feel okay about it since the show was renewed); Hell's Kitchen (four dishes using 20 ingredients); Shark (sadly, the series finale - Julie might be kidnapped so here's hoping that gets wrapped up within the hour)

Monday's Shows

Finales galore!

American Gladiator (cops!); Dancing with the Stars (how I love the freestyle!); Big Bang Theory; Bones; Gossip Girl; How I Met Your Mother; Two and a Half Men; One Tree Hill; The Bachelorette (I will NOT be watching this, but feel free); House (part two of last week's trippy episode); Rules of Engagement; CSI: Miami

A Walk in the Park

Alisa was kind enough to meet me at Central Park today for my first outdoor run since my ill-fated "Intro to Running" class at Cornell that started with a 3 mile run across campus on the first day. Needless to say, I finished that class on a treadmill indoors. Though I couldn't run the entire 1.5 miles today, I did run most of it and I'm hoping to do better next time. And yes, there will be a next time.

The most interesting part of the day, was the parade that we stumbled across on Fifth Avenue. Because, why wouldn't there be a parade? And of course, it would be a military parade that we walked into. What else would it be? Here's a couple videos of a marching band. You can thank my cell phone for the awesome quality of the videos you are about to witness.

My Camera Timer and Me

I got my haircut yesterday and spent a good portion of the evening trying to capture how awesome I looked. Here are the best shots, in my amateur opinion.

May is Military Appreciation Month

May is actually Military Appreciation Month and brings us both Armed Forces Day (this Saturday) and Memorial Day. Here's a little information on both (thanks to Wikipedia).

Armed Forces Day - May 17
In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. The day was created in 1949, and was a result of the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard> Days, but observance of these days, especially within each particular service, continues to this day.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and air shows. Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May, and Armed Forces Week begins on the second Saturday of May and ends on the third Sunday of May. Because of their unique training schedules, National Guard and Reserve units may celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in May. The purpose of Armed Forces day is to honor Americans serving in the five services - the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

Memorial Day - May 26
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. It is also traditionally viewed as the beginning of summer by many, for many schools are dismissed around Memorial Day.

If you're looking for ways to say thanks to our troops, here's a few ideas.

Let's Say Thanks (sponsored in part by Xerox)
USO Operation Phone Home
United Through Reading
Operation USO Care Package

Weekend Timewasters

Friday
Ghost Whisperer (season finale - Melinda works on her Daddy issues); American Gladiators (rerun of Monday's episode - perfect Friday night TV - curious to see if pregnant Laila Ali is still co-hosting); Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (the movie that made me laugh embarrassingly loud at the theater); Moonlight (big vampire cover-up and, sadly, the series finale); NUMB3RS (season finale)

Saturday
Saturday Night Live (season finale with Steve Carell and Usher)

Sunday
Academy of Country Music Awards; Desperate Housewives (two-hour season finale - a new baby, a death and secrets revealed!)

NBC is Definitely Not the Boss of Me

I think NBC only has about 11 hours of programming for me this fall. And I'm not even completely confident about those 11 hours, frankly. Though, I do owe them some loyalty because of the deal with DirectTV that means more Friday Night Lights in the winter. I love that show so I might have to suffer through some clunkers.

Monday - Chuck (Yay!); Heroes (Yay!); My Own Worst Enemy (Christian Slater is a spy/assassin and possibly a loving father)
Tuesday - The Biggest Loser: Families (Crying! Yay!); Kath & Kim (Molly Shannon and Selma Blair - interesting); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore airing on Saturday nights)
Wednesday - Knight Rider (I'm not going to get attached - the TV movie to introduce the series was kind of a snoozefest - but there will be an encore airing on Saturday night so maybe they've invested so much they have to keep it on air); Deal or No Deal; Lipstick Jungle (It's not Cashmere Mafia (RIP), but even so - Yay!)
Thursday -My Name Is Earl; 30 Rock (Yay!); The Office (hour long episodes until three weeks before Election Day, then you can look forward to SNL Thursday Night Live; ER (I thought this show was ending this year?)
Friday - Crusoe (based on the age-old story of Robinson Crusoe; Deal or No Deal; Life (might need to give this a go this time around, but I'd like to catch season one first)

Happy Birthday, Trav!

A very Happy Birthday to the lovely Gail! We kicked off her birthday celebration at the fabulous Just Calm Down, where we were lucky enough to have the entire place to ourselves! Excellent services and excellent company. Gail - I hope you have a great day today! Check us out!

Tyra Picked the Fatty!

Congratulations to Whitney, America's Next Top (and First Plus-Size) Model! She managed to overcome a potential weave-of-death and also being a, gasp, size 10 to win the title. Oh, and her bitchy attitude. She had to overcome that too.

Click here to view her full portfolio, but here's a little peak (photo from CWTV.com):

Thursday's TV Tips

Ugly Betty (Gene Simmons!); The Office (Hour long finale - it's Toby's farewell. But will be gone for good? I hope not.); Supernatural (Will they save Dean from his deal with the crossroads demon); Without a Trace (Sam prepares for the birth of her baby); Lost

Culture Corner: Review of Gypsy

So, my Mom and I didn't just eat a delicious meal at Crave on 42nd for Mother's Day. We also went to see Gypsy. Patti LuPone (best known maybe from Life Goes On) was Mama Rose, Laura Benanti (who I know from Eli Stone) as Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee and Boyd Gaines (who you might know from a few places including Porky's or as Barbara's husband on One Day at a Time) was Herbie. Patti LuPone was good, but I'll be interested to see where Laura Benanti heads after this because she was phenomenal and only really got to shine for the second part of the second act. I'd love to see her in a meatier role. Also, she is stunning.

Of course, there was also the obligatory tribute to the troops scene in the middle of the play because, honestly, since my Dad left my Mom and I cannot do ANYTHING without stumbling across a patriotic tribute of some sort. It's hysterical.

There was also a really neat special effect with a strobe light.

Also, let me take a minute to say that I knew I had the best Mom in the world for a variety of reasons, but among them are the fact that she never made me be a stripper. She is awesome. I can't wait until she comes back in June.

Picture from Playbill.com

Wednesday's Watchings

America's Next Top Model (is this the year Tyra picks a fatty?); Price is Right Spectacular; Criminal Minds (one of my favorite plot devices of all time - coma!); American Idol (Do you think David Cook was hoping to be DAUGHTRY'D this season? Kicked off fourth or whatever to release his own super successful album? And now he's really shitting himself because he might actually win this thing and he doesn't want to turn into Taylor Hicks?); Supernanny (A reverend and his wife can't control their SIX kids. Maybe it’s because there are SIX of them? Yikes); Boston Legal (Denny for President?); CSI: NY (Cabbie Killer still on the loose); Law & Order (a dead mechanic, blackmail and money laundering); Top Chef (making an unhealthy dish healthier)

Stamp Prices Going Up!

Effective yesterday, Uncle Sam increased the postage rates. Which means I had to buy a bunch of 1 cent stamps so that I could keep using my Yoda stamps, but it is totally worth it because it's Yoda. When I'm out of Yoda, I think I'm going for these:

Each of the four Flags 24/7 stamps features a painting of the American flag flying at a different time of day: sunrise, noon, sunset and night. In 1942, Congress passed a resolution establishing a code of flag etiquette. The code states in part that the American flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset every day, weather permitting. (from Usps.com)

If you bought the Forever stamp, those are still good. Also, that makes you smarter than me.

ABC Announces Fall Schedule, Shows Me Who's Boss

ABC announced their fall schedule this week and I learned that I will be watching no fewer than 13 hours of programming on their channel.

Monday - Owns me with Dancing with the Stars; Samantha Who? (renewed - Yay!); and Boston Legal (renewed - Yay!)
Tuesday - Owns me with Dancing With the Stars results and Eli Stone (renewed - Yay!). New game show called Opportunity Knocks that I will probably skip.
Wednesday - Quite possibly my new favorite night of television. Owns me with Pushing Daisies (renewed - Yay!); Private Practice (renewed - Yay!); and Dirty Sexy Money (renewed - Yay!). So, so, so, SO happy about this night.
Thursday - Ugly Betty. New show called Life on Mars (redo of a British show) about a time traveling cop (the yummy Jason O'Mara) that I will definitely be checking out. Grey's Anatomy will also be back.
Friday - Supernanny
Sunday - Owns me with Desperate Housewives (renewed - Yay!) and Brothers and Sisters (renewed - Yay!)

Tuesday's Tunings

According to Jim; American Idol (Final three! Tonight, song of their choice, judge choice and producer choice - when do we get to hear the horrid single they will be forced to release?); Shark (Back in LA after last week's field trip to Las Vegas); Dancing with the Stars (Professionals dance to a medley of Michael Jackson songs - what took them so long?); Hell's Kitchen (Blindfold taste-test challenge - who has the most refined palate? I bet none of these donkeys!); Reaper (there's a leak in Hell); Law & Order SVU (Detective Lake gets shot); Women's Murder Club; Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love

Snoop Doog Rocks Llanview!

Dear readers, I owe you an apology. I neglected to tell you that Snoop Dogg would be on One Life to Live last week. He even had a couple lines (including with Bo Buchanan - HA!) but I didn't have the patience to go through all the YouTube clips. I had to save my soul from crying a little. Here's a couple clips that I did find.

Revised theme credits - by Snoop (pure genius)



His performance - I feel so bad for the actresses on the show who had to dance on stage with him. But at the same time, they are so bad and it is fantastic.

Russ the Trainer Might Not Hate Me So Much (Operation Steamy Hot in Vegas Update)

I think I've pinpointed the main reason I feel like Russ the trainer might hate me. It's really because I think he forgots that after we work out, I still have to walk down 2 flights of stairs to leave the gym, to the subway, down the subway stairs (thank you MTA for the escalator at 51st and Lex), onto the train, off the train, up the subway stairs (damn you MTA for not having escalators at my stop), to my apartment and then up the three flights of stairs to the Penthouse. All while carrying my gym bag and whatever else I think I might have to have on my person for the day. Are you kidding me, Russ?

We did more arms/upper body stuff tonight and I can almost barely type as a result!

I think he took it slightly easier on me today - maybe because it was my last paid session. But I guess it worked - I signed up for five more. That should bring me right up to the Steamy Hot in Vegas launch party (aka Craftsteak at the MGM - table for one, appetizers for three)!

Crave on 42nd, I Think We're Meant to Be Great Friends

My Mom and I had the most delightful meal at Crave on 42nd for Mother's Day. A little off the beaten path, but well worth the walk. We made the most of our visit by ordering 4 appetizers, 2 entrees, 3 desserts, 1 bottle of wine AND an extra black truffle mac and cheese to go (as seen on Top Chef). Behold, a couple pictures:

Yes, that's my Mom with the 4 appetizers. See how happy she is? That's because that macaroni and cheese is perhaps the most delicious thing we have ever ingested. Seriously, come to New York just so you can experience it. She had the chicken, I opted for the lobster ravioli. I neglected to take pictures of the dessert, but we highly recommend the panna cotta (also seen on Top Chef). I cannot recommend this restaurant enough! Congratulations, Chef Martin. I hope you keep bringing us delicious food for many years to come. I promise, we'll keep coming to eat it.

Monday's Shows

TV listings are back (for now). Also, May sweeps are here, which is one of my favorite times of the year, and the networks will soon start announcing the Fall schedules, which is one of my most stressful times of the year. I've already heard that New Amsterdam and Men in Trees won't be back, which is a downer. But I also heard that Jennie Garth will be back as Kelly Taylor on the CW's Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off. So, the news so far is mixed. At any rate, here's what you might want to check out tonight. Sweeps mean plenty of options.

Dancing with the Stars (final four!); American Gladiators (see last season's winners in action as new gladiators - will also be replayed on Friday so I'll probably catch then because my dance card is pretty full tonight); Bones (with American Idol's Ace Young); Big Bang Theory (surprise party for Leonard); How I Met Your Mother (It's Britney, Bitch!); House (part one of a two-part finale); Gossip Girl (Lisa Loeb appears as herself!); One Tree Hill; Samantha Who? (finale, I think); Rules of Engagement; Medium; CSI: Miami (Tom Sizemore!); The Hills (finale?)

Culture Corner: Review of The Country Girl

This might be the most phenomenal show I have seen yet and not just in my recent Culture Corner travels, but perhaps EVER. Very simply staged, but so much talent. Absolutely riveting. Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher were absolutely riveting. And I'm not just blinded by my love for the Gallagher, THOUGH HE DID TOTALLY ROCK IT! Yeah, Peter! That's what I'm talking about. No one brings the sleaze quite like the Gallagher. Thank goodness. Morgan Freeman captured the air of desperation, despair and defeat that his character needed to portray. And Frances McDormand was brilliant as a woman so unhappy in her life, but who has completely come to terms with the idea that this is it for her. I checked my watch a few times but only because I was afraid it was about to end, not because I was bored or impatient. I kind of wished I was watching it on my DVR, so that I could rewatch looks passed between the characters or replay some of the excellent dialogue. I almost want to go see it again.

Jason's Take: "There's not much more to say about 'A Country Girl' other than GO SEE IT!!! It was GREAT!!! And like me, you will love the curtain action - that was one of my most favorite parts!!!"

Scenes from the Subway: Adventures in Etiquette, Lesson 1 (Bonus Train Tips!)

Yes, Lesson 1 because I am sure there will be future lessons to be shared. The world is full of nimrods and I suspect they are given free subway passes.

Lesson 1: Personal Space
Attention, public transportation riders. It's called personal space. I like mine. You should look into getting your own, because it's personal space and not meant to be shared! I do not need you all up in my business before I've had breakfast, thank you very much.

Train Tips - to those riders in the business class section of the Amtrak train I took home after Angela's wedding, this goes out to you.

• To the guy who sat in front of me - I'm glad you are super comfortable. But you can cool it with the super-expressive sighs and obnoxious yawns because it is creepy.
• To the guy sitting in front of him - I'm glad you like your music. It's very catchy. But you should invest in headphones, because I brought my own music and would like to be able to hear that instead.
• To the girl who does have headphones - feel free to can it with the singing. We don't need a concert happening up in here.

Thank you.

Dying for More Melanie?

I've been busy working on Facebook a bit over the past couple days. If you're interested in checking out some pictures, head on over.

Deployment Party and Ceremony - my Dad is handsome in his uniform!

Italy - this one is still a work in progress as I don't have copies of the pics on my computer. Note to self - burn photo cds BEFORE breaking up with any future boyfriends.

Miscellaneous old pictures - a hodgepodge of my greatest hits.

Vintage Gallagher!

In preparation for this evening...a little taste of Vintage Gallagher. Hang in for the first 2/2.5 minutes or so - it's totally worth it. The real payoff comes around 3:50 and 4:30. If Caesare had been real when I was a teenage girl, I would have loved him.

Operation TORCH is in Effect!

I'm not positive it's Operation TORCH that I saw this morning. All I know is that I came up from the subway tracks at my usual stop for work and there were about a half dozen cops outfitted in "almost" riot gear with automatic weapons. And a dog. When I first see a group like that, my first thought is "awesome, I am super safe." But then, in like a second, my thoughts turn to "crap. what am I about to walk into? what do they know that I don't?" It's a fine line.

Anyway, it's either Operation TORCH or that Dunkin' Donuts has some new product that I must try. I should probably canvas the Dunkin' Donuts, just to be safe...

Culture Corner: The Country Girl

Aaah, The Gallagher. He calls to me. So I'm making Jason see The Country Girl with me. If only this were a musical, life would be perfect. Review coming later! We'll see if Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand have the acting chops to hang with The Gallagher...
And yes. I am responsible for the excellent photography you see here.

Russ The Trainer Hates Me

I had my second session with Russ this evening. It was definitely a workout. He might not actually hate me, but I'm not sure he is as amused with me as he should be. At any rate, tonight was interesting. I actually ran at a "6" on the treadmill. For about 2 minutes. Still though - that is crazy for me. He expects me to be able to do some things that require coordination, so I had to explain that I am seriously lacking in that area. All in all, it was good. I've got one more session as part of my package and then I have to decide if I want to do more. Let's see how I feel in the morning.

Listening Lounge Farewell: Prince

Ladies and Gentlemen - this is how you put on a mothereffin' halftime show. In heels. In the rain. With a do-rag so that your blowout doesn't get messed up. I give you the one, the only - Prince.



He'll be around in the sidebar for a couple more days. He deserves an extra long Listening Lounge Farewell.

Excellence in Advertising Rewind: Sprint/Nextel Push It

An oldie, but a goodie, this never fails to crack me up. I think it's the guy in charge of the boombox that really gets me.

Culture Corner: Review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (or rather, Remembering Jason Segel)

No better way to start this Culture Corner review than with Christine's (or should I say Kilikina's) review:

Any man willing to show his man goods on the big screen multiple times deserves an Oscar in my book. Jason Segel, we salute you.

My own take? The movie was funny, almost uncomfortably so at times. But I'm not sure I loved it as much as I wanted to love it. There is a fairly amusing subplot with a newly married couple. The hidden gem of the movie is probably Paul Rudd. All scruffy and beachy looking. Rawr!

Cute Kid Alert: Pics from Murphy's House

Here are a couple snapshots from my weekend with the Murphy family. It's kind of hard to get pictures of Sally, due to the fact that she's constantly moving. I actually have one picture of just the couch because she moved completely out of frame. There isn't an elbow or foot or anything still in the picture. But what I did manage to capture is pretty precious. And you can't even fully appreciate how steamy hot Kate is now from these pictures. I'm hoping that she continues on this track, because she buys nicer clothes than I do and I could use some decent hand-me-downs. I'm not above taking her remnants, that's for sure.





Additionally, I acquired some fantastic
Lucky jeans on this trip. This isn't my
hiney pictured here. It's possible my
hiney looks better.

Cinco de Katie! (and a Schedule Update)

First of all, a very big Feliz Cumpleanos to the lovely Mrs. Murphy on Cinco de Katie! As per the usual, I had a rocking time at their house and am mostly really happy that I managed not to gain a single pound. And not that I didn't try between Friendly's and John's awesome cooking.

And second of all, I don't have high hopes for my blogging abilities this week. A quick review of my schedule:
Monday - Mrs. Fitz and I have Culture Corner plans
Tuesday - I go to Chicago for the day (so jet-setty of me)
Wednesday - I see the trainer again (um, yay?)
Thursday - Jason and I have Culture Corner plans
Friday - my mom arrives for Mother's Day extravaganza - eating and Culture Corner!

I'll do my best to keep y'all up to date because I expect to have good things to report on, but I might not get to updating until later this week. I think that the TV listings will take the biggest hit, so in my absence please visit the TV Guide site. It's never let me down.

Worship Me, Bitches!

Here's a little clip in case you missed Christian Siriano on Ugly Betty last night. Please make note of Amanda (the fabulous Becki Newton) working it with the models. Fierce!

Listening Lounge Farewell: Booty Jams

There were too many excellent choices, so you get a one-two punch in this week's Listening Lounge Farewell. Possible parental advisory, so get the kiddies out of the room!

Whoomp! There It Is! by Tag Team


Tootsie Roll by 69 Boys

Weekend Timewasters

Heading to the Murphy's to kick off Cinco de Katie, but wanted to make sure y'all were as taken care of as I'm sure to be. Hoping to come back with some excellent Sally material!

Friday
Day time - Tom Cruise on Oprah. Watch at your own risk. For prime-time, try Ghost Whisperer (excellent I Know What You Did Last Summer shout-out last week!); Sistine Chapel Special on 20/20; Moonlight; NUMB3RS

Sunday
Cold Case; Psych; Desperate Housewives; Brothers & Sisters (more paternity stuff?); Day Break

Excellence in Advertising: Coors Light (or Reason #223 Why I Love Queens)

Subway ad from my station:


This might even trump the "Vamos Yankees" t-shirt I saw once. Very effective advertising as I am fully planning to "refresca mi mundo" this summer. And you should probably all prepare to hear me say "Boca Mas AnchAHHH" the next time I order a beer. Although, I should probably confirm what it means first, just to be safe. It wasn't exactly covered in my high school Spanish class. Damn public school education! The only other notable Spanish I learned recently is from Hogan Knows Best. Que Vas Hacer, Hermano! Which, I believe translates to "what's happening, brother!"

Thursday's TV Tips

Ugly Betty (Betty, watch your back! And Hilda's nemesis is back in Queens); The Office (Pam spends the night at Jim's and deal's with an unexpected inconvenience; Supernatural (Dean gets a call from his Dad. Who's dead. So, that's interesting); 30 Rock (Jack gets demoted?); Without a Trace (disappearing lottery winner); Lost (it's new, but I don't know what it's about); Step It Up and Dance (The description says that contestants show off their acting skills, but I think it should probably say "skills.").