Scenes From the Train: Who Needs HIPPA?

As many of you know, I have the privilege of taking the train when I head to visit most family and some friends. Any time you rub elbows with the masses, interesting things are bound to happen. I present to you Exhibit B (exhibit A happened MONTHS ago and will be told at a later date) - excerpts from a phone conversation had by the guy sitting across the aisle in the row behind me. He actually had the EXACT SAME CONVERSATION about half a dozen times - I think he was calling everyone he knew. Let me also preface this story by saying that I feel very badly about this guy's situation and I hope everything worked out in his favor. But also - he shouldn't broadcast his business ALL OVER THE DAMN TRAIN!

Okay - begin scene:

Hey (insert name here), it's Steve (or whatever). Yeah, I'm not going to be at work tomorrow. I'm getting my prostate removed on Friday. Yeah, the surgery is at noon on Friday at the Cornell Medical Center. No, they can do things there that they can't do in Albany.

Okay - so imagine hearing basically that exact same conversation about 5 times in a row. And you think he's done, and then it starts all over again.

No, they can do things there that they can't do in Albany. The cancer is only on one side, so they can save the nerve. They can't do that in Albany.

And now - now he really takes it up a couple notches. This time he's clearly talking to a VERY close friend.

In a nutshell (and this is when I started to giggle, because honestly how could I not), they can save the nerve and they can't do that in Albany.

But then, then comes the crowning jewel -

Buddy, you need to go to the doctor to get checked at least once a year. And you need to make sure he PUTS HIS FINGER UP IN THERE cause they can feel things they can't see on the scan.

Now, let me just say that I hope his surgery was a success and that he makes a full recovery. Cancer is not funny. But hearing the guy behind you on the train talk about prostate exams for 30 minutes as candidly as if he were in his own living room is funny.

Weekly Watchings

Same disclaimer as always - there are definitely other things on TV, but here's what I'll be checking out this week.

Monday
Dancing with the Stars - sad to see Ted McGinley gone already. Hoping this week it's Kim or Cloris going home; Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; Chuck (premiere) - really happy this show is back; Big Bang Theory; How I Met Your Mother; Two and a Half Men; Worst Week; One Tree Hill; Prison Break; Heroes; Boston Legal; CSI: Miami; Life (premiere) - this show will be airing new episodes on Monday and Friday for a couple weeks; The Hills

Tuesday
NCIS; 90210; House; Biggest Loser: Families; Dancing with the Stars - results; The Mentalist; Privileged - this show is definitely growing on me; Fringe - I thought I was out but the last 2 minutes of last week's show sucked me back in - we'll see how it goes; Without a Trace; Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
Through some poor planning on my part, I'll be at a show on Wednesday night instead of parked in front of my TV to catch the ABC line-up. It'll be the first thing I cue up on my DVR when I get home.
Pushing Daisies (premiere); America's Next Top Model; Bones; Knight Rider - the premiere episode didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but I'm a still intrigued to see where it goes; New Adventures of Old Christine; Gary Unmarried; Project Runway; Private Practice (premiere); Criminal Minds; Dirty Sexy Money (premiere); Top Design; Lipstick Jungle - thought the premiere was a little disjointed but it was still very good

Thursday
Ugly Betty; Survivor; Supernatural; Vice Presidential Debate

Friday
Ghost Whisperer (premiere);Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader; The Ex List (premiere); Supernanny; Life; NUMB3RS

Sunday
Amazing Race; Desperate Housewives; Cold Case; Brothers & Sisters; The Unit; Mad Men; Army Wives; Dexter; Entourage

Dirty Sexy Marathon

Season 2 of Dirty Sexy Money doesn't premiere until next Wednesday, but this weekend SoapNet is doing us all a favor and airing a marathon. I cannot tell you enough how much I love this show. It's like if Dynasty and Melrose Place had a baby, but even more awesome. If you can imagine. But you don't have to imagine - you can just watch Dirty Sexy Money.

Weekly Watchings - Part Deux

Yeah, I missed yesterday's listings. Sorry about that. Hopefully you managed to soldier on - there were plenty of options for you. The rest of the TV week is jam-packed too. Here are my recommendations.

Wednesday
Dancing with the Stars (Jonas Brothers perform?); New Adventures of Old Christine; Gary Unmarried; America's Next Top Model (will re-run on Sunday); Knight Rider (I'm scared it's going to be unwatchable, but think I need to watch); Bones (extra gore-filled this year); Criminal Minds (a member of the team dies, I think); Project Runway (LL Cool J!); Do Not Disturb (after last week, I'm officially in - it's mindless, but fun): CSI: NY; Lipstick Jungle; Top Design (not sure if Rick Schroder's wife is still on, but if she is - she's kind of a bitch)

Thursday
Ugly Betty (filmed in New York this season - partially in my neighborhood!); Survivor (2 hours); Grey's Anatomy (2 hours); Supernatural; Kitchen Nightmares; The Office (1 hour, yay!); CSI (last season's finale); Tabatha's Salon Takeover

Friday
The Mentalist (re-run of last night's episode); Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; Presidential Debate

Saturday
Saturday Night Live (Anna Faris and Duffy!)

Sunday
Amazing Race (yay!); Desperate Housewives (5 years later); Cold Case; The Unit (new night); Brothers & Sisters (search for a new sibling); Entourage; Dexter (premiere - Jimmy Smits joins the cast this season)

Well, That's One Way to Look at It

Thanks to John for sending this to me about a billion years ago, even though I never got around to watching it. Until now. And then immediately had to share.

Weekly Watchings - Part I

It's is officially ON this week and by "it" I mean the fall TV season. Sure, a few shows have been trickling in here and there, but this week most networks bring out their big guns starting tonight. New TV on every major network tonight - most notably 2 hours of Dancing with the Stars and 3 hours of Heroes. I'd detail every show, but seriously - new episode of something on every major network during all primtime hours tonight. In addition to what I mentioned already, CBS has their comedies and CSI: Miami; Fox has stressful action dramas that I love; and the CW has their teen dramas. My DVR cannot handle it all. ABC wasn't kidding when they named this "National Stay at Home" week.

More detailed listing about what's stressing me out for the rest of the week later tonight.

Congrats to the Murphy's!

Congrats to the Murphy's on a job well done at their half marathon this weekend! They look fab!

There May Be 409...

but I'm definitely the most awesome!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 409 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Just Got Better

Stephen Colbert to host musical Christmas special

November 23, one hour special. God loves us, each and every one.

The Man Has Rhythm!

My dad always wanted to be a drummer. Here's his big break:

Weekly Watchings

Yes, there are other shows on TV, but here's what I'll be watching this week.

Monday
Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; One Tree Hill (a death? - yet again); Prison Break (it is GOOD this season); The Closer; The Hills; Raising the Bar (still not sure on this one); Weeds

Tuesday
Wipeout; 90210; Fringe (premiere - Pacey's back!); Biggest Loser: Families (couples versus parent/child teams); Privileged; The Cleaner; Million Dollar Listing; Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (Makeovers!!!!!!); Bones; Do Not Disturb (eh); Project Runway; Top Design; Sons of Anarchy

Thursday
Hole in the Wall; Kitchen Nightmares; Flashpoint; Burn Notice

Friday
Nothing noteworthy.

Saturday
Saturday Night Live

Sunday
Emmy Awards; True Blood; Mad Men; Army Wives; Entourage

Dancing Machines!

So, Mrs. Los Fitz and I were having a lovely conversation about how little girls (maybe me, maybe her) make up dance routines. Which made me recall, how Chrissy from down the street and I would work on routine after routine - usually to some oldies cassettes that I had. But one routine sticks out in particular. Not from oldies, but from something even better - the song City of Crime from the movie Dragnet featuring Tom Hanks and Dan Akroyd. Once upon a time, I knew this song by heart.

Behold - my inspiration (apologies for the quality):

In Remembrance - September 11, 2001

I'll never forget...

Photo from www.september-11th.us

I love this city, more than ever.

Culture Corner: Review of Xanadu

Fun! Fun! Fun! No other way to describe it. I know, I know. All of you (well, except Jason, Alisa and Kristen - who went with me) are probably like - are you kidding me? You paid money to see Xanadu. And yes, we did. Discounted tickets, but still. Cash money was paid. And boy, was it worth it. From the glow sticks that were passed out at the beginning to the final number where we waved them around, this show was super enjoyable. The cast is all pretty great - Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson especially - and the music is fantastic. Definitely takes me back to being a kid and listening our Olivia Newton-John records. Or to my Greatest Hits cd.

Don't believe me? Check out this clip from their appearance on The View, featuring Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson. Superb!



My bottom line? If you're looking for a night of fun and not too much thinking, then this is the show for you.

Jason says: "Xana-maybe. Worth seeing if you have nothing to do one evening. But I suggest waiting until Whoopi is out of it. To me, she dragged the show down a bit, like it was getting in the way of her evening. I didn't feel that she was as into it as she could've and should've been. I went to see her mainly in it and was sadly disappointed."

I Can Only Deduce That Jessica Simpson Hates Our Troops

Why else would she subject them to this? This is from Sunday night's America United: In Support of Our Troops. Check out her awesome "moves" - she's seriously like one bad album away from stripping or a Playboy pictorial.



Even worse than that, it's possible thats the most insulting part of the entire special was that poor Kathy Griffin had to introduce Girlicious. That's right kids - the supergroup put together on The CW. All I can say is that I can't wait to hear Kathy's take on her role in her next comedy special or season of the D-List. Cause that was wrong.

PS - I spoke too soon - ZZ Top had to perform with her. Inappropriate. So beneath them.



But not at all beneath her. She sure is shaking what her mama gave her. I hope she was properly ashamed when she watched the playback. But I imagine she wasn't. Gross. And sadly, there's something about the display that reminds me of Britney at last year's VMAs. Is J. Simp on her way to a head shaving meltdown? Or will her true love Tony Romo keep her grounded?

Cute Kid Alert: Happy Birthday, Aidan

Wishing Aidan a very happy first birthday!

And then there were none...

Long overdue write-up about the wine tasting that I went to in late July with Alisa, her sister Kara and Jason. Presented in part by Italian Wine Merchants, we tasted eight wines throughout the course of the evening. I was expecting the wine to be paired with food. It wasn't. There was some food available at the beginning (bruschetta mostly) and then a bit of a spread at the end (like one big giant antipasto buffet), but nothing while we were tasting the wines. Oh - and we were by far the youngest people in the room. We spent most of the evening trying to get Alisa's sister to hit on the wine intern (she wasn't going for it) and trying to decide if the cute guy sitting in front of us was hitting on me or if I wasn't quite his type (cause I'm a girl). And though he ended up at the bar downstairs with his friend and some blonde chick, I'm still not clear.

At any rate, I wasn't too blown away by any of the wines, but thankfully - good company more than made up for it.

Weekly Watchings

Yes, there are other shows on TV, but here's what I'll be watching this week.

Monday
Gossip Girl; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (premiere); One Tree Hill (wedding plans - yet again); Prison Break (it is GOOD this season); The Closer; CMA Music Festival; The Hills; Raising the Bar (still not sure on this one); Weeds

Tuesday
Wipeout (2 hours! someone loves me); 90210; Fringe (premiere - Pacey's back!); Privileged (premiere - heard it described as Gilmore Girls meets Gossip Girl, we'll see); The Cleaner; Million Dollar Listing; Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (Benny Ninja!!!!!!); Bones; Do Not Disturb (premiere?); Project Runway; Top Design; Sons of Anarchy

Thursday
Hole in the Wall; Kitchen Nightmares; 102 Minutes that Changed the World; Flashpoint; Burn Notice

Friday
2008 ALMA Awards (shout-out to all my Latino/a readers); Gym Teacher: The Movie (featuring Chris Meloni - it's on Nickelodeon so I'm guessing no dead bodies or child molestation - must have been a nice change of pace for him; Monk; Psych

Saturday
Saturday Night Live (Michael Phelps - that's going to be so awkward, I fear)

Sunday
Fringe (re-run); True Blood; Mad Men; Army Wives; Entourage. It's also worth noting that ABC Family is running a marathon of the Bring It On movies/sequels.

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

38 glorious years. Happy anniversary to the best parents ever!

Reminder - Weekend TV Listings Posted

You can find them here.

Fall TV Analysis: Weekend

Combining the weekend analysis into one post. Nothing new happens on Saturday nights (except Mad TV and Saturday Night Live which both premiere on 9/13), so I'm not bothering to cover. As always, my picks are marked with an asterisk.

Friday's Analysis

CW
Everybody Hates Chris (10/3)
The Game (10/3)
Top Model repeats

Fox
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (9/5)
Don't Forget the Lyrics! (9/12)

ABC
Wife Swap (10/3)
Supernanny* (10/3 - I love to sit in judgement!)
20/20

CBS
Ghost Whisperer* (10/3 - you know I love me some J. Lo. Hew.)
The Ex List* (new - 10/3 - looks cute so I'll give it a shot)
Numbers* (10/3)

NBC
Crusoe (10/17 - new - um, I'm not sure but you know I watch anything once)
Deal or No Deal
Life* (9/29)

Sunday's Analysis

CW
Valentine (9/21- new - Greek gods bringing soulmates together - could be cute if it's anything like Xanadu...)
Easy Money (9/21 - new - drama about loan sharks)

FOX
The Simpsons (9/28)
King of the Hill (9/28)
Family Guy (9/28)
American Dad (9/28)

ABC
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (9/28)
Desperate Housewives* (9/28)
Brothers & Sisters* (9/28 - cannot recommend this show enough)

CBS
Amazing Race* (9/28)
Cold Case* (9/28)
The Unit* (9/28)

NBC
Sunday Night Football (9/4)

Cable
Entourage* (HBO - 9/7)
True Blood* (HBO - 9/7 - new - about vampires living as regular people - I think the creator of Six Feet Under is working on this show so I'll give it a shot)
Dexter* (Showtime - 9/23)
Californication (Showtime - 9/23)

You Better Work!

In honor of tonight's America's Next Top Model premiere episode, and the first admitted transgender contestant (there were some suspect "ladies" in past seasons), I give to you the one and only, RuPaul.



Sashay, Chante people!

Cute Kid Alert: Christian's First Day of School

Look out world! Happy first day of school, Christian!

Fall TV Analysis: Thursday

Thursday night has some good solid entries - something for everyone. My picks are marked with an asterisk.

CW
Smallville (9/18)
Supernatural* (9/18)

Fox
Hole in the Wall (new - Japanese game show import - 9/11)
Kitchen Nightmares (9/11)

ABC
Ugly Betty* (9/25)
Grey's Anatomy (9/25)
Life on Mars* (new - British drama import with a great cast - I'll give it a shot - 10/9)

CBS
Survivor: Gabon (9/18)
CSI (10/9)
Eleventh Hour* (new - unusual scientific happenings! I'll give it a shot - 10/9)

NBC
My Name Is Earl (9/25 - one hour premiere)
Kath & Kim (new - Molly Shannon and Selma Blair - 10/9)
The Office* (9/25 - one hour premiere)
SNL Weekend Update Thursday (new - I think primarily election coverage - 10/9) (30 Rock returns on 10/30)
ER (9/25)

Weekly Watchings

I should note that the Republican National Convention is on all week, in case election coverage is your thing.

Tuesday
Big Brother (I got bored this season, but you might not be); Wipeout (big balls! love it!); 90210 (Rob Estes, Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty (eventually) and an entirely new group of kids - definitely going to check out this two-hour premiere); Million Dollar Listing (thanks to Jason for the heads-up on this one - the guys on this show are supreme douchebags, but it's fairly addictive just the same); The Shield (final season); Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Janice does not disappoint!)

Wednesday
America's Next Top Model (an actual tranny is on the show this year - looking forward to Tyra handling that with her usual dignity and grace); Bones (field trip to London!); Project Runway; Sons of Anarchy (new show); Top Design (season two premiere); Run's House (really love this show and this family)

Thursday
Big Brother; Kitchen Nightmares (in case you're not getting enough bleeped out dialogue, Gordon Ramsay is back!); NFL Football Kick-off (Giants and Redskins - and possibly Usher in the pre-game show? I don't know); Tabatha's Salon Takeover (Bravo's reality obsession continues - there's a good chance for some more bleeped out dialogue); and repeat of 90210's premiere

Friday
Stand Up to Cancer (on all three major networks); Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?; Monk; Psych; Swingtown (not sure how many more chances you're going to get to savor Grant Show's mustache so you better get while the getting's good!)

Saturday
Nothing noteworthy.

Sunday
Big Brother; True Blood (new HBO show); Entourage (premiere); America United: In Support of Our Troops (concert special); Army Wives; Mad Men; 2008 Video Music Awards; and repeats of Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and America's Next Top Model premieres