stinging the competition

This recap is for the fifth episode of the seventh season of The Office. I know, I know, I'm a little late in the game, but this season, like the last three seasons, has been lacking. So without further ado, I give you our first bit of coverage on this season's The Office.

Thoughts on Cold Open
-Oscar has a new bike, and OOOOOO, it's the same model that Lance Armstrong uses-snazzy!
-And of course Michael wants to get in on this so he mounts the bike and starts to ped--yeah he can't ride a bike.
-Physical Comedy and Steve Carell are a beautiful match but I was so-so with this open. Not great. I remember every detail of some of The Office's cold opens from the past, and only a week later, this is all I can tell you about the one we have here. Yikes.

So the big to-do in this episode was a VIP sales call. It is the duty of Jim and Dwight to get this client and their confidence suddenly goes awry, upon seeing DANNY CORDRAY. I know, that name means nothing. It's actually the name of guest star Timothy Olyphant's character. Seems he's a razzle-dazzle salesman and Dwight and Jim are so scared, they call in Michael to save the day. The day goes unsaved, and Mr. Cordray runs away with the account. Darn. What makes him even MORE of a villain in this story, is that he dated Pam a few times and apparently never called her.

OK. So this problem needs a solution, don't it? Solution: a con. Not just any con, a sting. And YES, Michael referenced the classic and utterly wonderful film, The Sting. And my heart immediately melted at the sound of a film starring the late and great and at one point THE MOST DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME MAN IN THE WORLD, Paul Newman. My colleague and I are sort of fans of his. So, Michael comes up with a fake company, Solar Tech, and a fake boss, played by Meredith of all people (her lunch break coincided with the timing). But of course, all does not go as planned, when Meredith starts flirting with Danny, and it gets AWKWARD. It gets even more awkward when one after the other, Oscar and Ryan go in to pull her out, but instead are made to be her cleaning men. It's a mess. And to be honest, the storyline itself is a mess. Eventually, Michael comes to the rescue by actually hiring Danny as the company's traveling salesman, forgetting the fact that Todd Packer already has that position, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it?

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of this episode (a usual case with The Office nowadays). In my opinion, Mindy Kaling (the writer responsible) concocted a far more superior sidestory with Andy trying to form a band. Feeling belittled by fellow Cornell classmates, Andy decides to really get his singing career off the ground, and recruits Kevin and Daryl (with payment in Daryl's case). In the end, I loved them. Who knows, they could turn out to become quite the novelty band. I'm happy to know Creed is a fan of Andy's work--I trust his opinion greatly.

So that's pretty much the gist. And what will I leave you with? What do I want you to leave this post thinking of? What is the very image I want ingrained in your mind? That's easy.



You're welcome.

mad men trivia time

As we all know, Mad Men is sadly over for the year. BUT that doesn't mean we're not still learning new Mad Men-related tidbits every day. Today, for example, I randomly learned that Freddy-Peed-His-Pants-Rumsen is played by none other than Joel Murray, brother of Bill Murray! I know! Mind. BLOWN.

Do you see the resemblance?

And I'm sure most Mad Men watchers are aware that the former Mrs. Roger Sterling (Talia Balsam) is the current real-life wife Mrs. John Slattery, but did you know she was once also the one (and only!) Mrs. George Clooney?

The 90s were a blur for many.

And 60s sex symbol The Man from U.N.C.L.E's Illya Kuryakin (aka the object of Sally Draper's, er...affection) and eccentric Dr. "Ducky" Mallard from NCIS are one and the same!

Left: Russian spy. Right: British bowtie enthusiast.

This information may be useful in the event that you find yourself playing Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture Edition.

This post is dedicated to lovers of useless information and IMDB devotees everywhere.

you can go far with a newer and bluer pair of scrubs

Another day, another dollar at Seattle Grace. Actually, it's 1 MILLION DOLLARS to be exact. For some, unexplained reason, the hospital has a 1 million dollar surplus from the year before and for the sake of inspiration (and exciting television) the chief has decided to create a little competition. Each department head is given an opportunity to pitch why their department deserves the million dollars, and the chief will pick a winner at the end of the day. Nothing like a little healthy competition, right? Meanwhile, Meredith and the gang have moved on up from residents, to attendings. This could only mean one thing: NEW SCRUBS! NAVY! Oh, they also get the opportunity to officially perform solo surgeries...I guess that's just as exciting. So the regulars of Seattle Grace are all up in arms about pitches, surgeries, and of course, their personal drama. Let's break this down.

Meredith, Derek, and Avery
-Mer and Ave are both focusing in neurosurgery, so Der is their mentor.
-Cue surgical patient: a woman who gets headaches because of fluid in her skull...yuck.
-Cue BEST GUEST STAR THIS SEASON: um, yeah it took me a while to figure it out (and I had a major freak out the moment I actually did), but the partner of the patient is non other than Randee Heller aka Ida Blankenship from this season's Mad Men! I was sad to see her go, yet happy to see her pop up in "lesbian life partner of 40 years" form, on another show. Though I secretly wish she was still around as the "Queen of Perversions."
-Competition: Oh-so confident Meredith actually loses to a hustling Avery in the game of carving your initials on an egg without breaking the membrane. Avery gets the solo surgery. And as Derek assured the patient everything will go smoothly. Of course it will, because this is Seattle Grace, and all surgeries always go smoothly.
-Yeah, um Avery for some reason screwed up and Derek saved the day.
-Meredith herself was busy with her own surprise solo surgery, a brain bleed fix, thanks to Lexie being her knowledgeable self and catching it in a post-op patient.
-As far as Derek's pitch to the chief, it was all about Alzheimer's and finding the cure. Bold, Derek. Bold. But I'm not gonna lie, his rant about Meredith and how he's scared to death that she has the gene, was touching.

Cristina, Teddy, and April
-Everybody get ready 'cause it's CARDIO TIME!
-Patient: Roy, a sweet old man who has no family by his side (daughter's estranged) and he simply CAN'T BREATHE (lungs are worth zilch).
-Cristina is a total zombie. Seriously, it's getting really frustrating; she really needs to snap out of it! I'd always thought of her as a doctor with terrible bedside manner because of her "get 'er done" attitude, but this just made it worse.
-April, not really sure how to handle the Cristina situation, sets up a panel to discuss putting Roy on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
-From their examination of him, he wouldn't be a good candidate, and April explained the situation to the panel.
-But, for a nice perking up, all you need is a cheery dying man, and he'll boost you right out of your slump!
-Christina--motivated by Roy's vigor to live--finally speaks up as her old self and defends his right to be on the list--AND IT WORKS. The old gal is back!

Alex, Mark, and Arizona
-Plastics and Pediatrics combined equals Plasdiatrics!
-It's breast reduction time...with a BOY. Yes, a teenager would like to have a breast reduction. His father has the same issue, but that's not gonna keep this boy from making it a non-issue for himself. He's going into high school, and I completely understand why he'd want surgery.
-Meanwhile, Arizona manages not to cry--but becomes quite angry--while giving her pitch about the needs of "tiny humans" to the chief.
-Mark tries to charm the chief into giving him the million dollars for a burn unit combined with a reconstructive surgery center...not a bad idea.

Biggest Surgery Cringe Moment: I'm fine with brains bleeding, but seeing Alex slice into the boy's areola and seeing it ooze with blood was a bit much.

Most Strategic Pitch: Owen using the shooting from last season--particularly Dr. What's His Name's death as an example on how trauma surgery is an absolute necessity...AND HE WON THE MILLION.

Most Honest Pitch: Miranda (where have you been this whole time?) had a simple request: fix the broken machines in the hospital, while adding another night nurse to the schedule. Easy. I really thought she had this one in the bag. It seemed like the perfect underdog. If I was the chief, I would have given her the million.

Cheesiest Piece of Dialogue (That I Ate Right Up): The breast boy (sorry) in post-op saying to Alex, "You're the man." And Alex responding with, "No, you are." Classic.

the same color does not a collection make

$9,000. 6 weeks. 10 looks. 4 remaining designers. 2 episodes. I quite enjoy this, but I won't go on in fear that I'll lose your attention. But yes, here we are in part one of the season finale of Project Runway. We left last week seeing April auf'ed (she had to go, she could do nothing but black and emotional) and Michael, Gretchen, Mondo, and Andy remain in the game. Final 4. But as Heidi reminds us, only 3 will be competing at Fashion Week. So, going back to my vague reference at the beginning of this post, the designers are given $9,000 and 6 weeks to go home and create a collection made up of 10 looks.

Cut to Tim driving all around America. I would love my role on Project Runway if I was Tim Gunn. Think about it. You get to pop in and out of each episode as mentor to the designers. You get to tote around a black velvet bag full of buttons. You get to visit Mood everyday an in doing so, visit their adorable mascot, Swatch. And finally, you get to travel to different parts of the country and visit the designers in their natural habitats. Not bad, Tim. Not bad at all. His first stop is Hawaii, where he's visiting Andy on the island of Oahu! We learn that Andy's collection is inspired by his home and his family (yes, that's quite original, isn't it?) And while his collection of masks and head gear is quite spectacular, he's lacking garments. Oh, no! Andy only has 2 weeks to come up with a complete collection! Whatever will he do? What if he doesn't finish? THEY ALWAYS FINISH. You know, for once, it'd be nice to see a designer come back to the show with only half of a collection--just to see what happens.

Tim leaves Andy in Hawaii, and meets Michael in Palm Springs, California and it is a SCORCHER! He also meets Michael's partner, Richard--and with Richard, we learn of some DRAMA. So, to be brief, Michael's family does not support him. We've seen the same story in many a Project Runway. It seems that an aspiring designers family is either 100% behind them, or not. And Michael's family only started supporting him after he got on the show. To heighten the family drama even more, we learn that Michael's partner outed him to his family. Michael even remembered the exact date it happened. Ouch. I have so many questions about that situation alone, but for the sake of the length of this post, I'll refrain from asking them. Let's get to Michael's collection. His inspiration apparently comes from the feathers and the sky. He loves feathers. I love feathers too. In elementary school and beyond, if I was bored in class, I'd often draw a feather. I was not a very talented sketch artist, but feathers I could do, and they were fun. I think I'll draw one once I'm finished writing this. Um....where was I? YES! MICHAEL'S COLLECTION! OK. So, in Michael C. fashion, the man has created well over 10 designs. Now he just needs to narrow down the "design diarrhea" as Tim put it.

While Michael works on his collection issues (seems there are some beyond his collection), our buddy Tim heads east to Mondo's house in Denver, Colorado. I love Mondo. I love him. I'm not shy about expressing my love for him. If I haven't been clear enough already, I want him to win. I think his inspiration is the best out of the four designers. He designed his collection with the vintage circus of Mexico City in mind. Awesome. And totally Mondo. Circus means color. Mondo means color. We have a match! I'm already dying to see his collection.

From Denver, Colorado, to Portland, Oregon. Now, do any of you remember Leanne? I remember when we first met Gretchen, I thought that she and Leanne were quite similar. Both designers from Portland. Both indie-hippie kind of dressers. Both dark blondes with the blunt bangs. Leanne won her season of Project Runway. Does this mean Gretchen has a chance? Well, technically she does, but perhaps because she--ah, what am I saying? I just wanted an excuse to bring up Leanne. I loved her designs and was so happy to see her win. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Sorry for that little tangent. Back to Gretchen! To add more drama to this episode, we learn that Gretchen came home to a not-so-great situation. The details are a bit fuzzy, but she apparently had a nasty break up which caused her to have to move out of her house. And her bank account is apparently empty. So yes, I guess you could say she could really use a high-five right about now. Her inspiration stems from rural western roots. Personally, I've been a fan of Gretchen's designs. I know she's insane and a bit grumpy and doesn't take criticism well, but I find that the clothes she both wears and makes are kind of awesome. I've said my peace, let's move on.

Back to New York! All of the designers are back and once they settled down in their hotel room, it's back to the work room. And Tim has a SURPRISE (of course he does)! As we learned in the previous week's episode, the final four would be competing for only 3 spots in Fashion Week. Now, we learn that they'd compete by showing a total of 3 looks--one which has yet to be created. Back to Mood! Now, back to the work room! After individual critiques from Tim, and a bit of sprucing up for the models, everyone was ready for their final runway before Fashion Week.

The Runway
-LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE MONDO! Colors! Patterns! All the best! And they're all wonderful as separates! The judges' only worry is how people will react to Mondo's collection: take him seriously, or dismiss him as a joke? I honestly can't agree with them. Mondo's collection is bold and colorful, and it'll make the show fun, which is what it's supposed to be.
-Andy's is fine. I know, I know. I shouldn't be so detailed with one designer and do the whole "fine" thing with another designer, but that's how I'd describe Andy's pieces. They're fine. They'll get him into Fashion Week. The judges would have liked to've seen more than just a bathing suit and a couple of layered mini dresses. But apparently Andy wanted to keep the "wow" until Fashion Week--understandably--but I risk nonetheless.
-Michael's designs are literally the same colors: pink and brown. I was personally not a fan of any of them. And while they were well-made, the judges knocked him for using the same colors as a way of forming a collection. Oh Michael, you are so naive. That is a rookie mistake! Then again, who am I to judge? I can't even sew a button.
-Poor Gretchen. She keeps getting the "crunchy granola" label. I know this girl has a "wow factor" in her, but for some reason, it just didn't show up. And wow, it was super awkward when Gretchen told the judges she wanted to "pique" their interest and Nina immediately retorted, "My interest was NOT piqued." HARSH NINA. HARSH. T
-The judges all agreed that there were issues with the designers' editing.

The Results
-Mondo's in (obvi)! I can't wait wait wait to see his collection.
-Gretchen's in. I know she's a crazy, but I'm REALLY looking forward to what she brings...especially her version of a red-carpet look.
-Andy's in. I'm curious. That's all I'll say.
-Michael's out. He's out. And it gets AWKWARD. He basically loses it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone react like that. And I know, it sucks. But thanks to spoilers, we all know that he shows at Fashion Week. If you're wondering what his collection looked like, you can see it here. BUT DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER. I've struggled, but I've managed to stop myself from looking at the final 3 collections. OVERT YOUR EYES.

OK. So my money's on Mondo. Though I expect greatness from Gretchen and Andy, Mondo's got "winner" written all over himself.

Michael Kors Quote of the Night: "IT DOESN'T LOOK EXPENSIVE! THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM." -On Gretchen's looks. It was all in the delivery, people.

well, at least no one offed themselves

I can't believe it's the last episode of Mad Men season 4. That certainly swooshed right by, didn't it? This finale, Tomorrowland, seemed to get a lot of mixed reviews and I personally thought it was...okay. It doesn't hold a candle to the finales of seasons 1 (Peggy was pregnant!) and 3 (Sterling Cooper Draper Price!), nor to the much-beloved season 4 episode The Suitcase (pretty much my favorite MM episode, bar none). It was just kind of..odd. Everything was predictable and unpredictable at the same time. I know that doesn't make too much sense on paper (er, on LCD screen), but it makes sense in my head. The foreshadowing was so obvious, yet we were still saying WTF when it happened. Case in point:

early in season four, Faye predicts Don Draper will be married within a year. We see him (and Sally) get closer to Megan the receptionist. In this episode, we get the horribly unsubtle engagement ring appearance. Yet Don getting engaged to Megan = a WTF moment if there ever was one. I even saw spoiler pictures of Megan and the Drapers in California and I was still flummoxed. Let's get on with it:

The good:

Pete Campbell is a great character: spineless, simpering, hilarious. But can we discuss the awesomeness of Ken Cosgrove, the Toby Flenderson to Pete's Michael Scott? How lucky is that Alex Mack Ken refuses to jeopardize his marriage for his job, he has no problem letting Peggy control the meeting with the Topaz pantyhose guys, he and Peggy have cute celebratory hugs sans drama! Matthew Weiner, please let's not pull another Harry Crane and slowly turn Ken from a cute, normal guy into a smug lecher.

I may be torn on Megan (more on that later) but the scene with her in the diner having lunch with the Drapers was hilarious due to Don, Sally, and Bobby's reaction to her non-reaction to the milkshake spillage. I love how they were looking at her like she'd sprouted antennae from her head.

Peggy and Joan's bitchfest was so great. I loved how Peggy called Joan on her bullshit.

The middling:

Joan's pregnancy. Did we all call it when we saw her slightly swollen abdomen in her first scene? I'm glad Joan's having a baby and it sure will make for an interesting season next year, but I'm not crazy about the whole passing-off-someone-else's-baby-as-yours thing. And, uh, her husband is a doctor. Also, he can COUNT. Is she really going to be able to pull that off or will it not matter when he kicks it in Vietnam? And I'm pretty sure Roger will notice eventually.

I was never very fond of Dr. Faye Miller but she definitely got the fuzzy end of the lollipop this season. Is this the last we're going to see of her, or will she go all Fatal Attraction on Don next year (let's hope)?

The downright ugly:

Betty. When Betty fired Carla I wrote HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE (yes, seven times) on my scratch paper. Congratulations on making Betty as hateful as she's ever been. We get all these sympathy-inducing snippets of Betty's issues, but they are almost always completely overshadowed by her CRAZY BITCHINESS. There'll be a lot of digging to get Betty out of the "Worst Mother in the World (Who Doesn't Have A Problem With Wire Hangers)" ditch, writers. Though Glen continues to creep everyone out, Betty's fixation on him is downright weird. We're almost starting to feel a little sorry for January Jones.

Don Draper does not do doe-eyed well. Mon Dieu, he was like a pod person! What exactly comes over Don whenever he hits the Best--I mean West--Coast? As far as I know, there's nothing floating around in the air (well, unless it's Venice Beach or the back of some dorm room) so why does Don go all dreamy when he's in California? Too much sun? (By the way, I love how in the Mad Men universe, California is so perfectly sunny with cloudless blue skies, like a Hollywood postcard or a Doris Day movie locale.)

What, what, WHAT are you doing? Did you really propose to your 20-something secretary that you slept with all of three times simply because she is good with your children and (let's just admit it) has really cute dresses? You're in love with her, you say? WHEN did that happen? Oh Don, you are such a moron.

Okay, Megan. There appear to be differing opinions on her. My dear colleague is taking the glass half-full approach in her assertion that Megan is just a beautiful, smart, French-speaking pseudo-nanny who is going to get burned when Don inevitably screws up. Or maybe he won't this time (lol, yeah right). I'm taking the glass half-empty approach in that Megan may be more calculating than we've been shown (coming in to "check" on the kids in her Whiskey-A-G0-Go dress? And does she really want to be a copywriter or was that BS?). Either way, we can agree that 1. we really don't know too much about Megan (whether it's due to bad characterization or deliberate ambiguity remains to be seen) and 2. things probably won't end well for Don.

By the way, how crappy was it that Don basically told Peggy that Megan was just like her, only Megan is pretty! Peggy should have slapped him silly.

Minor notes:

-Is it weird that I love Sally's little jumpers? If I were ten I think I'd love having a plaid jumper with suspenders.

-Lane Pryce is a good guy. He had good intentions with Joan's promotion-but-no-pay-raise thing (which of course, just means more work for the same amount of money). He seemed more chipper, so maybe we can take him off Suicide Watch until next summer.

-It was beyond cute when Don flopped on the bed with Sally and Bobby.

-I'm no Betty fan, to state the obvious, but I did like her scene with Don. I can't help it, I'm such a sucker for their dysfunction.

Characters who were/are probably too good for this show:

Ken Cosgrove

Carla

Mrs. Blankenship

This season's depressing coda, in quote-form:

"Things aren't perfect."

"So you'll move again."

This is why I sometimes I think it's a lost cause to hope that this show will eventually end well for Don. He tries to change but always defaults to the easy way out. He just makes the same mistakes over and over and over again.

And on that uplifting note, we're dunzo! That is, until next summer, when we find out how many inches Sally grows, how Don will mess up yet again, and whether Megan makes the opening credits.

(P.S. It's the last episode of the season and so I went a little crazy with the tags and Blogger has the nerve to tell me "the combined length of all the labels must be at most 200 characters." Way to stifle my creativity, Blogger.)

oh now this is ridiculous

Glee was not new this week. And I'm not crying any rivers. So in place of a recap, I'm recommending that you quickly read one of Entertainment Weekly's bloggers, Ken Tucker's recent take on the show. If any of you are having the same issues I'm having with Glee, you'll appreciate his words. If you're a super "gleek" and have ABSOLUTELY NO QUALMS WITH THE MOST AWESOMEST SHOW IN THE WORLD, then you probably won't like it.

But I have issues with it. My beloved colleague has issues with it. In the past, I've compared Glee to a boyfriend who you feel no one understands the way you do. Well, I'm beginning to lose my patience with this boyfriend. Yes, I will still watch. No, I will not stop rolling my eyes. The show continues to go way over the top. And I understand that this is a musical television show, so "over the top" is a given, but there has to be a limit. Glee is about an Ohio high school's glee club made up of quirky characters who all have great singing voices and are gifted with comic timing. I realize that with a musical tv show, I give in to the suspension of disbelief and allow these characters to have duets in the library, as well as random dream sequences. But with all of the constant bickering about the club's meager budget, I'm really starting to get frustrated with the spectacular numbers they're putting on for...Mr. Schue(?). Ryan Murphy, could you please explain those musical numbers? Because from the looks of it, they seem to just be all-out performances for a near-empty auditorium. Remember the pilot? When the original members sang "Don't Stop Believing" for themselves, in costumes that you could actually believe they brought from home? Yeah...those musical numbers have really changed. Let's take Kurt's most recent solo duet (yep) performance of "Le Jazz Hot" from Victor/Victoria. Really? That all-out performance was just for an assignment? For a club that is constantly given the unpopular reputation, it's definitely able to scrounge together every ounce of production material needed for a showstopping performance.

I know, I know. I shouldn't get caught up in the logistics of it, but when they hit you over the head with it in every single episode, it gets to be unbearably unwatchable. If you go back and look at the musical performances in Season 1 and look at the ones in Season 2,there is clearly a difference. And you know why? Not because the Glee Club's budget is bigger this year (though I'm willing to bet the show's budget has gotten WAY bigger), it's because the show, Glee, has become a disgustingly huge phenomenon that seems to be taking over the world. The show has moved beyond the storyline. And I'm constantly bothered by the overlapping of the two. Again, I know--SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF--but to that, I say, "WHATEVER." It seems that the show isn't even about its characters anymore--but about the starlets and young actors taking part in the show. It's about attracting viewers.

Oh hey, and speaking of attracting viewers, what about that sweet little photoshoot that has just about everyone talking? I'm not going to get into it. Enough has been said about it, and yes, I agree with the majority of people who've written about it. And I'm not a Sally McPrudey or anything, but c'mon, the photos scream desperation, cheese, and over-the-top (in Glee fashion) in your face sexuality, all at the same time. And in my mind, that spells out RIDICULOUS.

I just don't feel like talking about this anymore. Bleh.

new isn't always better

I'm going to be really obvious right now and say that on my list of "Reasons I Love New York," architecture is pretty high up there. Now I'm not an architecture nerd, so I'm not about to get all "oh the gothic scaffolding combined with the pre-war blahbbity blah blah" on you. But yeah, I often find myself walking around this city in awe of the buildings that surround me.

In Monday's episode of How I Met Your Mother, our singleton hero, Ted, was faced with quite a dilemma--being a big fan of architecture himself. As we all know, Barney officially gave Ted a major break in offering him the opportunity to design the newest building for Goliath National Bank's (GNC) headquarters. Understandably, Ted was super excited about the idea. That is until he found out the building would be located where the current landmark, the Arcadian, stands. What was once a classic hotel, is now a place surrounded by not so classic people. And while Ted stands there, admiring the building, he runs into a lovely lady, Zoe, played by guest star Jennifer Morrison. First question: Is she the mother? No. Second question: WHO is she??? She actually turns out to be a crazy and maniacal activist out to save The Acaradian. And Ted, being the "change yourself for a girl" guy he is, decides to join her. And while he lies to Zoe about his involvement on the project, she soon finds out, thanks to a bitter Barney arranging for a billboard showing Ted to be the architect heading the project. But don't worry, everyone, all ends well. Barney gave Ted a bit of artistic freedom, letting Ted incorporate the old facade of The Arcadian into the new GNC building. And yes, Jennifer Morrison's character was still protesting Ted right to the end, but hey, at least the classic hotel isn't completely lost, right?

In the other storyline of the evening, Marshall was having trouble dealing with the fact that Robin told Lily that Marshall's law school buddy (who she is currently dating) has a small...uh...piece of equipment used for sexual activity. Yep. And he just can't deal with that kind of knowledge. What's worse, is that he finds out that Lily talks to Robin about their sex life. Cue a Marshall freak out. In the end, everything is fine, and Marshall just deals with it, but yeah, I guess I can understand why he'd feel self-conscious.

Memorable moments:
Zoe's wardrobe. They always tend to dress Ted's love interests so well. I very much enjoyed her hats.
Barney. Yeah, just Barney. The guy doesn't change. Neil Patrick Harris never fails to impress.
Marshall having a lot of trouble being subtle on his and Lily's double-date with Robin and Max. If it's one thing Jason Segal is a pro at, it's freaking out and having a hard time covering it up.
Marshall having Lily read off a legal pad a description of just how amazing their last sexual encounter was, to an all-knowing Robin on the phone.

A moment I would have like to have seen: Barney, realizing that his theory, "new is always better" does not work when it comes to drinking the bar's newest scotch, "Jim's Grape Scotch."

ok, so

I just watched last week's episode of Glee and I have one thing to say:

LEA MICHELE'S SINGING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE REAAAALLLLY STARTING TO ANNOY ME

That's all.

in brief: 30 rock LIVE! (west coast)

The good: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jon Hamm, Jack's poncho.

The bad: Pretty much everything else (sorry).

Just me?

oh good, we're back to an actual storyline

I have a theory. I believe that every episode of Glee in which Mike O'Malley guest stars, turns out to be a pretty great episode. At the very least, watchable. Every scene with his character, Burt Hummel, and his son, Kurt Hummel (played by Chris Colfer) is pure magic. That said, imagine my devastation when in the third episode of the season, Burt has a close encounter with death. I know, I know, it's unlikely that O'Malley's character would be killed off. I think it's obvious the effect his character (sympathetic, supportive dad) has on the show and its viewers. But I was worried for a second. In the end, Burt recovered from his brush with death, but more on that later. Let's start at the beginning.

We open with Finn. Ugh. With me, sometimes Finn is on, and sometimes he's not. I used to like his voice, but the more and more he sings, the worse his voice sounds. Or it at least becomes more apparent that he is not one of the stronger singers on the show...yet he gets quite a bit of songs for himself. This episode--might as well tell you now--was basically all about religion and people's beliefs. And the hoopla starts when Finn finds that he sees the face of Jesus Christ in his grilled cheese. Having taken it to be a sign, as anyone who sees a religious figure in their food would, he prays. He prays to win the high school's first football game of the season. Prayer answered. He prays to get to second base with prudey Rachel. Prayer answered--but I think there will be other issues in that relationship further down the line. Rachel doesn't plan on having sex with him until they're 25--that's a long time. He prays to be quarterback again. After the current one is injured, prayer answered. Due to all of his prayers being answered, he automatically turns to Jesus as his savior and blah blah blah. He of course brings this news to Glee Club. And so begins the religious song craze. But Puck is first up, and in defense of his own religion, he decides to sing a song by a Jewish artist: Billy Joel. May we PLEASE have more Billy Joel songs on the show? I absolutely loved Matthew Morrison's duet with Neil Patrick Harris of "Piano Man." It was lovely, and I was quite perturbed to find that it was unavailable for download. Puck's rendition of "Only the Good Die Young" was also great. And yes, I will be downloading it.

Meanwhile, outside of the walls of high school, Kurt and his dad are having a bit of a tiff at the family auto shop. Kurt seems to be going through a bit of a rebellious phase. They both leave the fight a bit upset. And as we all know, you really shouldn't leave a fight upset, for you never know what might happen before you see eachother again. And, what happened is Burt had a heart attack. And I have to admit, I almost cried when Emma and Mr. Schue pulled Kurt out of class to let him know of the incident. It was scary. What's worse is that we discover that Kurt's dad is in a coma. And everyone wanted to be supportive of Kurt, but mostly through prayer, and Kurt would have none of that. And thank you, Ryan Murphy for creating a character who speaks his mind like Kurt, and isn't afraid of voicing his opinion. Yes, I'm probably saying this because I happen to agree with Kurt's opinion, but whatever. So he doesn't believe in God. That's how a lot of people feel. We all know religion is a topic that no one really wants to get into (well, some people just LOVE it), but Glee got into it. And I appreciate it. Everyone in the club had varying opinions on God and religion. And while people like Mercedes and Quinn wanted to pray for Kurt, he asked that they not, for he doesn't believe in God, and there is nothing wrong with that.

But as we saw as this episode progressed, everyone had their own way of dealing with Kurt's dad being in the hospital. Mercedes, after some coaxing, took Kurt with her to church where she led her choir in a rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I commend the girl for her amazing voice, but I'd much rather listen to Simon and Garfunkel's version. Finn at one point sang (tried to) REM's "Losing My Religion." Yikes. And Rachel, being the Barbra Streisand fan she is, sang "Papa Can You Here Me?" from Yentl. And I damn near lost it with this performance (in the bad way) and everything involved with it. I realize this show is all about "theatricality" but this was ridiculous. My eyes were just rolling away as I saw Lea Michele belting it out on a grassy hill with Finn and then suddenly standing right in front of Kurt's dad, doing the same thing at his bed side. Sure, it's a great song, but it was straddling the line of camp and real drama too much that I just had to laugh at the whole thing. It was a bit too much, but because of the subject matter, I didn't know whether to take it seriously or to laugh, so like I said, I rolled my eyes with my mouth agape. In my opinion, it was completely unnecessary; merely an excuse to sing the song--the whole damn song.

Kurt's song was by far my favorite. His performance was one of the best moments of the episode. He simply stood up in front of everyone, and sang his version of The Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." I damn near lost it (in the good way). I cried, yes, I cried. Tears were streaming down my face. The way his performance was intercut with flashbacks of a young Kurt (a STARTLINGLY AMAZING LOOK-A-LIKE) in memorable moments with his dad: a tea party, learning to ride his bike, and then the day of his mother's funeral; as they walked out together, hand in hand. The entire thing was lovely. Well done, Chris Colfer (and little Kurt) and Mike O'Malley.

In the end--as I had mentioned earlier--with Kurt at his bedside, Kurt's dad recovered. He held Kurt's hand. And he could have recovered for any reason. Prayers could have been answered. A miracle might have happened. Or the human body showed just how much it can endure. But I think everyone came to an understanding that, with matters of religion, to each his own.

I think this was a great episode. The kind of episode that reminds me of what I watch the show. Sure, it had its moments of weakness (Rachel is kind of starting to annoy me; could it be the bangs?) but overall, I was quite pleased.

Just a few other things of note:

Sue Sylvester: I loved her in this episode. I loved Jane Lynch (as I always do) in this episode. I loved Sue’s moment with her sister at the end of this episode. It was very touching.
Brittany: Oh, you. You got me again. Favorite line: “Whenever I pray, I fall asleep.”
Rachel: She’s got an amazing voice. But at this point, I think that’s all I can tolerate from her. She’s gotten to be quite annoying. At first, her mannerisms were strangely endearing, but now I kind of sick of them. And yes, I’ll admit part of it is because I’m not taking too kindly to Lea Michele lately. I have to agree with the the recent criticism of Rachel’s physical changes. It’s not helping the show, and it’s definitely not helping to erase the “diva” rumors about Lea Michele. No, indeed.

it's never too late to "do"

Three episodes into How I Met Your Mother and I have no complaints yet. Sure, I didn't shed a tear at this one, like I did with the other two, but I still have no complaints. No matter what kind of episode it is-- a hint to the mysterious mother, or simply a filler--I always leave it with a smile on my face. Let's get on with it, shall we?

A while back, as HIMYM's loyal viewers know, Barney gave Ted the opportunity to design the new sky rise for Gotham National Bank (GNP). That is a BIG DEAL for any architect. But the plan fell through, and with it, Ted's opportunity. So he went with the whole, "those who can't do, teach" philosophy and became a professor. Cut to now, and Barney is offering him that same opportunity. And Ted refuses, professing (as a professor would) that he is quite happy in the job he has now. We know that Barney is never one to take "no" for an answer, so as Marshall observes, Barney begins to woo Ted as he would any a girl he meets at the bar. Over the course of the next few days, Barney gives Ted a gift, ignores him, pays him a backhanded compliment, brags about himself in a complaining manner, gives Ted bizarre yet committed eye contact, and establishes intimacy through physical contact. And he even concocted an elaborate plan involving Barney (and Marshall, desperately making every effort to be a good wingman) informing Ted that the position's been filled. I believed it. Ted believed it. But in the end, the position was free, and even thought Ted had proclaimed how much he loved to teach, he took the job.

And what was happening with the ladies of How I Met Your Mother? Well, as much as Robin wanted to be, she had yet to be completely over Don. May I just take this moment to say how much I love Cobie Smulders? It seems that the Canadian actress does nothing else. She has this regular gig and you know what? If I was her, I would be more than okay with that. She's been a regular on this show from the beginning, and she absolutely shines in the role of Robin Scherbatsky. And her amazing performance is not just limited to her lovely alter ego, Robin Sparkles. The flashbacks of Robin calling Don's cell phone and leaving life-threatening messages while inebriated were pretty amazing. Lily tried to help her by having her delete Don's number from her phone, but even that didn't work because Robin had memorized it--as any girl in a long-term relationship would do with her boyfriend's number, yes? But in the end, as we saw in a flash forward, narrated by Bob Saget's older Ted, Robin did one day forget Don's number, and that chapter in her life, could finally come to a close.

So will Ted actually get to design the GNB building? Will Lily and Marshall get pregnant? Will we get another Robin Sparkles flashback? Will Robin and Barney ever rekindle that bizarre yet strangely adorable flame? Let's hope at least one of these things happen sometime soon. Onto next week!

Bonus: The cutaways of Marshall struggling to be an awesome wingman for Barney, perfection.

nothing like a lightning bolt to force you back to reality

The second episode of Season 7 of Grey's Anatomy seemed more like part two of the season premiere, than a new episode. We pretty much picked up where we left off. But I will say this. The season premiere showed us everyone in recovery mode, or what they think counts as recovery. The second episode is where the reality of the entire thing actually began to set in.

Meredith still has yet to be cleared for surgery and we see her in a whole mess of tears and blubbering in her counseling session--obviously faking it. Cristina is not even one day into marriage, ring and all, and you can tell she's well on her way to a town called panic. Alex is still walking around with that bullet inside him, but once Miranda finds out, she makes it her mission to get it out. Everyone, specifically Mark, is keeping a close eye on Lexie--much to her chagrin. And Derek is just pissed at Meredith for leaving him in jail, causing him to miss Cristina's wedding.

Meanwhile, everyone's beepers are, well, beeping and we just DON'T KNOW WHY! Well, we know why: there's going to be some big accident with multiple trauma victims and blah blah blah. We just don't know what the accident is. Soon, we discover that an entire flag football team was seriously burned due to a bolt of lighting--yup--striking one player and then bouncing off that player to burn the other players. That's right. What will those writers think of next? Turns out, there is one girl on the team, Carrie, who everyone else on the team appears to be in love with. They're all so eager to express their feelings because, well, they were all struck by lightning, and how often does that happen, am I right?! But Carrie wants to express her feelings too, to one player: Warren. We eventually learn that Warren is the player who was struck by lightning, causing the other players to get hit. But thanks to Lexie, we discover that Carrie was actually pushed by Warren (because they were practicing) and hit the ground before the lightning. This meant that she had sustained a severe head injury well before the team was affected by the lightening. So, basically, Lexie saved Carrie's life. She may have had a minor freak out due to the shooting that occurred last season, but she's recovered, and people need to understand that. And while Mark at one point, took a cue from the football players, and went to express his love to Lexie, she would have none of it, and asked for him to leave her alone. I guess, now, Mark will have to wait a while for that moment to happen again.

Of course, the lightening accident wasn't the only bit of trauma (drama) occurring this episode. Let's get back to Cristina and Owen and what is sure to be a drama-free marriage. Cristina was not technically cleared for surgery but Teddy and Owen want her to get back on that horse, so they get the chief to clear her. Turns out the heart patient they'll be working on used to be a patient of Dr. Burke's, and yeah, they knew ALL about Cristina and Burke--except that Burke had bolted on their wedding day and Meredith had to literally cut Cristina's gown off of her. The moment in the patient's room was awkward, to say the least. And from that moment on, Cristina looked as if she was floating through the entire day. She was there, but she wasn't herself. In fact, she didn't become herself until a lightening bolt of her own--in the form of Avery accidentally hitting some trays during the surgery, causing a raucous--struck her back into reality. Cue Cristina hitting the floor--and the memories of the shooting are all coming back to her. She basically freaks, and there is no way she can recover in time to get back on the surgery horse. She is lying on the floor and can't move. And tears are shooting out of her eyes sideways (oh Sandra Oh, you never cease to amaze me). But of course, Meredith comes to the rescue. Oh, and the heart patient was fine.

As this episode started to come to a close, it seemed that everyone had truly brought themselves back to reality. Meredith confessed to Derek about her miscarriage (she also finally told her counselor, who then cleared her for surgery). Miranda persuaded (kind of forced) Alex to let her remove the bullet--thereby removing the final physical reminder of the shooting. And Cristina gave her ring back to Owen and decided to stay at Meredith's place. But moments later, we see that Owen has come to get her, and they go home.

I'm glad Cristina went home with Owen--their marriage may be off to a rocky start, but it's a start. And who knows? Maybe they'll get a divorce, or maybe they'll realize that the marriage part of their relationship is only a piece of paper, just as the marriage part of Meredith's relationship is a measly post-it. They're the same people, just married. It took me a while to warm to Owen (and the actor playing him) but now,I think I like him. And as long as I like him, he's not going anywhere, right? Right.

Perhaps in the next episode, Cristina and Owen will be back to their own pre-marriage iffy relationship.

a positive outfit on life

I simply loved last week’s episode of Project Runway. It was definitely one of the most memorable ones of the season; perhaps even the series. Memorable is indeed a great way to describe this episode because the challenge actually centered around memories. It also brought back a memory from last season, by repeating the HP TouchSmart design challenge.

In my last post, I mentioned my thoughts on the constant product placement that occurs on this show, but at this point, I guess I just need to get over it. They’re sponsors and they make the show possible and blah blah blah. This week, it was all about HP. The designers, some still saddened by Ivy’s elimination--I recovered from that quit quickly--entered the workroom to find childhood photos on individual HP TouchSmarts on their tables. It was quite a shock to all. Turns out, the photos were provided as a means of inspiration. As I mentioned earlier, PR is repeating a challenge from last season. The designers are to create their own pattern which will then be printed onto fabric and incorporated into their final design. Their patterns must be inspired by something personal, taken from their own lives.

The designers hopped to it and got to creating their patterns. I have to say, that while I have no sewing skills at all, I’d probably go nuts with this challenge, and get too distracted on the computer, making continuous patterns. I could occupy myself for hours doing that! But let’s forget about me and how I’m easily distracted. For the most part, the designers had a very clear idea in their head and knew exactly where that idea came from. Valerie for example took her dad and the fact that he is a home builder, and did her take on a blue print. April went to a darker place and used her parents’ divorce to come up with an edgy-looking pattern. Michael had this whole “evil eye” concept go into his. Gretchen took her rustic Oregonian childhood and represented it with simple but cute objects that looked like sections of pinwheels. Chris decided to go with his current home of San Francisco and went with an oceany, foggy, sort of design (fine, it was really boring). Andy--to be honest, Andy’s design was completely forgettable; some sort of “memory bubble.” He was pretty much lost the whole time and it didn’t really end well, but more on that later. Mondo, oh Mondo. Mondo was the only one who didn’t open up about his pattern to the other designers. But he let us viewers know. He designed a vibrant pattern containing a plus sign. The plus sign signified the fact that Mondo has been HIV positive for about 10 years now, and hasn’t told anyone, not even his family.

Hey! Speaking of family--I know, great transition--the designers were in for a surprise. Everyone got an unexpected visit from their mothers! Well, everyone except Chris. His visitor was his partner, J.J. which was also cool. But you have to wonder, where was his mother? Was she not available? Mystery! So everyone took a break from the workroom and went out with their visitors. I’m glad they were able to go out on their own and have truly personal time with their families. Mondo and his mother were adorable. Turns out Mother Mondo is aware that her son is gay--though when he had come out to her, she advised that he not tell his dad--but she of course is unaware that he has been HIV positive for 10 years. I was rooting for Mondo to tell her when they were sitting together, having their private moment. I think he was even rooting for himself, but the moment came and went, and he kept the secret with him.

Cut to runway day. Guest judge is designer Rachel Roy and she is GORGEOUS. And I love her t-shirt. She’s wearing a simple v-neck tee with a little shine to it and she looks so beautiful it’s disgusting. Moving on. Chris is “eh.” Andy is “what?” Michael is “meh.” Valerie is “wait a second.” Gretchen is “ooh, fun.” April is “you say it girl.” Mondo is “OH MY GOD THOSE PANTS PUT THE ‘HIGH’ IN HIGH-WASTED AND THE GIRL JUST LOOKS AMAZING.” For the first time in the season, the judges have all of the designers stay on the runway. And in the top we have Mondo (obvi), Gretchen (sure), and April (ok). I would have totally worn Gretchen’s, even with that little semi-circle on the back of the pants. The model looks awesome. And therefore, I would look awesome. That’s how those things work, right? I don’t think I would ever wear Aprils--half long-sleeved isn’t really my thing. But I definitely understood the story she grabbed the outfit from and overall I think it stayed true to the talent as well as her aesthetic. I’d like to say I’d wear Mondo’s, but to be honest, I’d be a bit self-conscious about those pants. With that said, the entire ensemble was amazing. What I love about Mondo is that he takes patterns and designs that seem like they would clash, but once he’s done combining them the way he does, they look like they were meant to be together the whole time. All of the judges loved his design, but Mondo was the only one who didn’t open up about his design inspiration. Nina was the first to express her disappointment in not being told the story of his design. But then a few minutes later, Mondo opened up and let everyone in on his secret. It was a surprise to everyone in the room. And of course the judges (and everyone else) were very proud him. But what made the moment even better is that Mondo pulled from what would be a sad and devastating part of his life, and he put out an outfit that was everything but those two things. It was pretty great. And Mondo was the clear winner--there was absolutely nothing negative to say about his design.

But there were some negative things to say about those on the bottom. Valerie, Michael, Chris, and Andy all delivered designs that were way off target at worst, and safe and boring at best. Andy’s was certainly the most shocking. Here is a designer who for the run of the season, has really been a visionary, or who as at least had his own unique point of view. And for this very personal challenge, he makes a flimsy shirt out of his fabric, and combines it with simple short shorts and a vest. Bleh. And Heidi even thought of it as unwearable. It really was a disappointment, especially coming from him. Chris’ design was also very blah, but lately, I feel like that’s to be expected of him. His designs are never very exciting, but they’re usually safe and wearable. But in our eighth season of Project Runway we know that “safe and wearable” can only get you so far. Michael’s was also safe, and boring, but Heidi would have worn it. And the issue with Valerie’s is that it was kind of a repeat of her napkin dress earlier in the season. And she’s still so into that cheap-looking blue fabric--enough already! And it certainly was enough for her to get the boot.

So our dear friend Valerie didn’t make it to Fashion Week--thought I’m pretty sure that since she was in the final 7, she showed at Fashion Week, which most aspiring designers don’t get to do. So while she wasn’t up for the win, perhaps she wowed a few important fashion insiders. Six designers left. Right now, I’m Team Mondo, and will be until he takes the win.

Michael Kors Quote of the Night: “It looks like she has, kind of sleeping eyes on her boobs.” -on Andy’s sad design.

a bumpy return to the office

If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you may have noticed that The Office has yet to be covered. That might have you thinking that here at We Watch More TV Than You, we are not fans of The Office. Quite the contrary...to a certain extent. Personally, when the American version of The Office premiered way back in 2005, I sat in my dorm room and watched the pilot from beginning to end and while the entire episode was basically taken from the original series’ pilot, I was immediately drawn in. By the end of the second episode, “Diversity Day,” now a personal favorite, I was smitten. All through Season 1, my best friend from college and I thought of The Office as our secret. The little show no one really knew too much about, or even gave a chance. We looked forward to it every week. And by the time Season 2 premiered, we sat in eager anticipation of the opening episode. The Office eventually went on to win their first, and only Emmy for Best Comedy, for their second season, and it was more than deserved. Even now, I look back at every episode of Season 2, and find not one flaw. It is very common among new shows to really come into their own when given a stab at a second season, and The Office was no exception. Even today, I stand by the idea that Season 2 is the best, now and always. I’ve been watching the show ever since.

So yes, I was definitely a fan of The Office; a big one. I walked around quoting the latest episodes. I relished every moment on screen Creed Bratton was given. I found myself amused at almost anything Steve Carell would say or do. I cheered and teared when Jim finally confessed his love for Pam, and repeated the act when they finally became an item. I snuck in “that’s what she said” jokes whenever I found the opportunity. I sat much too close to the television screen during The Emmys, The Golden Globes, and The SAG’s, cheering the show on. I’ll even admit that I skipped social events with friends, simply because it was Thursday night, and The Office was my priority. But at one point in Season 4, the episodes started to become forgettable. Strangely enough, this was the same year of the famous Writers’ Strike when most of our favorite shows were on hiatus, but perhaps when The Office returned, it just wasn’t the same show I had fallen in love with. Sure, there have been some really great moments and additions to the show: Amy Ryan as Holly, the greatness that is Michael Scott Paper Company, Pam and Jim’s wedding. But at one point, I just stopped caring about the characters. Steve Carell will never fail to get a positive reaction out of me, but if I’m going to be honest with you, I have to say that it is no longer my favorite show. Despite all of this, I have to remind myself that I was a fan from the beginning and I intend to stay loyal to it. And concerning the current season, I feel like the first two episodes have just been blah. I’ve grown sick of Pam and Jim--they’re a bit cocky to the point of slightly annoying, no? I don’t even know why Ryan shows up (that whole “not explaining your random hipster style” gag has gotten quite old). And all these last two episodes seem to have done is remind me that we are two steps closer to Steve Carell’s exit; an event that just might end my dedication to the show. But as I said, I’m loyal, so I vow to recap the rest of the season. As far as next season goes, let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.

lucky strikeout

In this week's episode of Mad Men, I learn just how many exclamation points I can use when I've had a wee bit more wine than I'd originally planned to whilst watching and taking notes (for your reading pleasure, I've added them in bold where appropriate). Also, that when Roger and Don act like, well, Roger and Don, I can roll my eyes so hard I can practically see through the back of my head. And finally, that the best part of this week's ep was a guest appearance by a former Nickelodeon child star.

OMG!!! ALEX MACK w/ a Carey Mulligan haircut!!
You guys, Ken Cosgrove's ebullient fiancée was played by Larisa Oleynik, aka Alex Mack! Aside: to date, she is the one and only person I ever sent a fan letter to when I was kid. It was a two-pager that wondered mostly how she managed to turn into a puddle of silvery goo every episode. In return I received an orange Nickelodeon form letter that, no, I am not still bitter about. She also played Dawn in 1995's The Baby-Sitter's Club movie, which ten-year-old me loved because Dawn was my favorite (hellooo, she was from California and she had two--TWO--earrings in each ear!) AND she was being played by Alex Mack! For the 95% of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Larisa Oleynik also played the younger sister in 10 Things I Hate About You.

OMG Roger, ffs!!
Anyway, Alex Mack is telling the story of Trudy going into labor when Ken hears from a colleague at a rival agency about Lucky Strike's parting from SCDP. Ruh-roh. Of course, this is devastating news for the fledgling agency, and everyone is mobilized. Roger is completely and utterly pathetic, especially when he flat-out pretends to be on the phone with Lee Garner, Jr. Finger on the receiver? What is this, I Love Lucy? (No offense, Lucy! I love you!) Oh Roger, your classy silver hair and well-tailored suit belies your internal cowardice. I'm so glad Joan was legitimately pissed off and spurned his attempts at seduction in her (cute) PJs. I really like John Slattery (let's forget he ever wanted to pee on Carrie) and he certainly plays the aging playboy quite well, but ROGER IS ANNOYING THE BLAZES OUT OF ME. Grow up! Yet at the end, with totally oblivious Jane and the Sterling's Gold with the horrible cover art, he got to me. Hate to say it, but I think we need to add Roger S. onto Suicide Watch.

Oh noooo, Trudy's pelvis! D:
How great that Trudy manages to be in labor for about three days and pop out a baby Campbell, yet we don't see one frame of Alison Brie? Guess she was too busy Chloroforming janitors in Greendale (obligatory Community pimping). I was very concerned for Trudy and her pelvis, but luckily all went well. I did think it was interesting that Trudy was apparently very much awake during her labor, whereas just two (?) years ago when Gene Draper was being born, Betty was put in her crazy drug-induced haze.

Stan's green jacket--FUG
Sorry, I know some people aren't fond of the word fug, but it's what I scribbled down, okay? Is it bad that the assier Stan gets, the fonder I become of him? I know have terrible taste in TV jerks, this is well-documented (House, Jimmy McNulty from The Wire, DON DRAPER...). Yes, Stan is clearly a huge Neanderthal turd, but I think I like the fact that Peggy doesn't let him get to her and gets to reject him over and over. So no, I do not love Stan but I do love seeing him get served seven ways to Sunday. Also, wardrobe needs to get him some better (looser!) clothing. Yikes.

Oh God, this guy again. Wearing very short shorts!
Stan's got some competitition in the form of Tiny Yellow Swim Trunks (formerly Turtlenecked Beatnik, I refuse to call him by his actual name, Abe, because I don't care for him). Despite being terrible at compliments ("I love your shoulders, you look like you're in the Olympics"), Peggy seems to be quite satisfied with TYST. Knowing Mad Men, this will last all of two episodes.

Manwhore!!!!!!!
I had to hand it to Faye when she stuck it to Don about him asking her to jeopardize her career. For once, I found her tolerable. But then she had to go and muck it all up! Sigh, Dr. Faye, I thought you were different. And yet again, Don is cheating on the blonde with the brunette. It's always one step foward, two steps back with him. I'm starting to wonder just how many times Don can go back and forth from Don 1.0 to Don 2.0. It's season four and we're seen some pretty good episodes, so I will endure this once again. But I predict that if we continue to see Don progress and regress over the next season or two, I'm going to get pretty tired of it all. All the goodwill he won from me in "The Suitcase" is crumbling away. Honestly, I think Don wins the prize for Character Most Likely to Give Viewers Emotional Whiplash.

And WHAT is going on with Megan? I can't figure her out. Does she actually want to be a copywriter like Peggy or is she really looking for a husband? Either way, sleeping with Don in his office is not the appropriate in either circumstance! Also, her pink flowered blouse/skirt combo was atrocious (/cheap shot).

So what happens next week? Will Ted Chaaaaaaoogoghghodshgogh eventually woo Pete Campbell away from SCDP? How long will TYST stick around and what wardrobe will he be sporting next that I can make fun of? Most importantly, if Lucky Strike is out, does this mean Sal is coming back???

pda is not ok

According to some sources, this week's episode of Modern Family, which dealt partially with Mitchell's aversion to PDA, was some sort of response to viewers who thought the writers/producers/network were avoiding having the gay couple kiss on camera. I personally never thought too much about it, since I don't think any of the three couples are really that physical with each other anyway. If anything, prior to this episode I would have said Jay and Gloria are the least couple-y, although maybe that could be me wondering how they ever got together in the first place (they seem more like good friends to me, although they were sweet in this episode).

Anyway, I liked how they handled the PDA issue, by focusing on Jay's lack of affection towards his kids, even if the big family confrontation was a bit cheesetastic. Instead of having some big scene with Mitch and Cam kissing, they made it between Mitch and Jay, and then had Mitch and Cam's kiss in the background, like it was no big deal (which it really shouldn't be). And I thought Jay at the end giving Manny a hand kiss was very sweet.

Phil is one of my favorite characters. I remember early on last season I thought he was super annoying, but he has really grown on me. As many people have noticed and commented, he's Michael Scott-esque, but more endearing (IMO). Yes, he can act kind of dumb, but dumb about things that real people would actually be dumb about, not in incredibly outlandish situations that normal people would never put themselves in (sorry, didn't mean to turn this into an Office bashing session, but I've been horribly underwhelmed by the Office for, oh, the last three seasons or so). I loved the squeaky noise of excitement he made when Jay asked him for computer help and I am always amused by his constant need to be validated by his wife's father.

Usually I find the Dunphy kids pretty irritating (although I think they're supposed to be to some extent), but the girls had a nice rapport this week. I hated Alex's Notting Hill reference though (by the way, that movie is waaaaay overrated, not underrated!), it seemed really out of place and I can't imagine any 13-year-old actually using that speech, like, ever. I did enjoy Haley's dig at Alex's "lesbian sandals," then the cut to the velcro sandals (with socks, natch!).

Gloria's subplot was probably the weakest for me, mostly because it just seemed to be pretty inconsequential. Although it did give us a bizarre scene of Ed O'Neill slapping chickens while screeching, which made me giggle. He usually plays the straight man so it was kind of fun to see him be the butt of the joke.

My favorite line:

"One, gays don't high-five. Two, gays don't high-five."

intoxicate me now

OK, Glee. This week, you had this skeptical fan in high anticipation of the much-hyped Britney Spears episode. And while you started off strong, I'm just gonna flat out say it: I was disappointed. With the success of the Lady Gaga episode and the SO AWESOME Madonna episode, both last season, I was hoping this episode would work out the same way. Sadly, you could say that this episode failed to bring out the inner Gleek in me, which I know has been dormant for some time. It wasn't awakened last week, and this week--while it might have stirred a bit, for the most part, it slept like a baby.

But like I said, you started off strong. In walks Mr. Schue to Glee Club rehearsal, asking everyone who Christopher Cross was. And right off the bat, we get a whopper from Brittany when she quietly yet confidently answers, "Discovered America." Turns out Christopher Cross is actually a big star in the "easy listening" category. But the class will have none of that. Following Kurt's lead, they want Britney. I can use one name, right? We all know I'm talking about Britney Spears, right? This episode has been publicized for over a year, right? So everyone's a fan of Britney, except for, well, Brittany. Our Brittany. My favorite Glee clubber of the show, Brittany. Turns out, she DOES have a last name, and it's Pierce. That, combined with her middle initial, makes Brittany S. Pierce. Now, sound it out, and what do you get? That's right. Hence, Brittany's dislike of Britney's music. And hence the title of this episode, "Britney/Brittany." We were all told that Brittany (Heather Morris) would be given more stuff to do, and this episode was all about her...and a little more.

Emma, the school counselor, who once had a HUGE crush on Mr. Schue, and who always supported Mr. Schue, and who almost made it all happen with Mr Schue, is not with Mr. Schue. She's with her dentist, played with enthusiasm, by guest star John Stamos (will that man ever age?). And it turns out that he is actually responsible for a good chunk of the musical performances in this episode, for they take place while, one by one, the Glee Club members are put under anesthesia at the dentist's office. And that's where all of this Britney madness starts. Brittany first had a solo fantasy, embodying different Britneys from her multiple videos (Toxic, Oops, I Did it Again, etc.). It was....interesting. The girl, having been a back-up dancer for Beyonce, can certainly dance. And we saw that here, as well as in her next fantasy with Santana, which was also...interesting. I just wasn't thrilled by it. It didn't excited me. I wasn't beaming. My eyes weren't glazing over due to their inability to close. I just sat there, watching these Britney fantasies (along with Rachel's and Artie's) and let the scenes play out. It just felt like I was waiting for them to move on. I don't get it. Am I not hip? Am I not "with it?" Or am I not as big of a Britney fan as I thought? The latter of the two is probably more accurate. I'm a fan of Britney (there, I said it), but only of her major and earlier hits (does that even make me a fan?). So I suppose that when Brittany got her big moment in the spotlight singing, "Me Against the Music" and "I'm a Slave 4 U", I just sat there thinking, "Eh."

But the disappointment didn't end there. Even with her bigger hits, "Baby One More Time" and "Stronger", respectively, I still just sort of sat there and watched. Rachel was given the former, and it was basically a take on the fact that she was worried about Finn stepping out on her if he rejoins the football team and gets cool again. Cue a complete music video recreation. And it was just cheesy. And while I suppose Artie taking on "Stronger" was both meaningful and innovative for the show, I again found myself bored and slightly bothered by the cheese factor.

But let's forget about the cheese and get back to the show. So the Glee Club has basically come down with a mad case of Britney Fever--much to the chagrin of Mr. Schue. But after an intense confrontation with Kurt accusing him of how uptight he is, and a more casual and loving counseling session with the unavailable Emma (absolutely ruined by that character I find incessantly annoying, Terri), he decided to loosen up. So much so, that he performed with the students, a slower version of "Toxic." This performance took place at the school's pep rally. Cue utter student madness as the student population goes nuts and becomes apparently sex-crazed, thanks to the intoxicating (I know, I did it) performance. And Sue Sylvester (yeah, Sue, where have you been this whole time?) proclaims it to be a Britney Spears Sex Riot.

But I think we should all just calm do--CALM DOWN! Everything will be fine. The kids feel empowered by their Britney fantasies, so that's probably a good thing. Artie and Finn are BOTH on the football team, so that's something to be happy about. Brittany is feeling much better about her Britney issues, and is actually much more confident than she was before. And Rachel had acquired enough sentimentality to sing--yes, sing, we sing here--her feelings to Finn. After finding out that she is indeed the only girl for him (thanks to Quinn playing the role of seductive yet celibate cheerleader to entice him), and she chooses not a Britney song, but Paramore's "The Only Exception." And I'll admit it. It was kind of nice. I speak for both my colleague and I when I say it's really difficult to watch Lea Michelle with those new, unwelcome bangs and that oh so slightly thinning face (what was so wrong with how she looked last season?). But the girl can sing. And her rendition of this song was lovely, and while I didn't cry, I got a bit sentimental myself.

Aside from Brittany's usual scene-stealing lines, Jane Lynch's (horribly short-lived) appearance, and Principle Figgins' homecoming rally attention-grabber ("Quiet please children. Quiet now."), I feel like that final song was the only redeeming factor of this Britney-themed episode. And, yup, it's not even a Britney song. So there you go. I guess that tells you that for this viewer, the Britney episode was not a success. I just counted, and the names Britney and Brittany occur in this post a total of 32 times (now, 34). Yet for the past week, and in all of the time I spent writing this post, all that sticks in my head is the final song. And since I have to deal with it, why don't we all deal with it? I leave you with Paramore:



Here's hoping next week's episode awakens the inner Gleek.

and i shed actual tears

As in many an episode of How I Met Your Mother, this week's opened at MacLaren's with the whole gang sitting in their usual booth. Barney is in the middle of regaling everyone of his recent sexcapade, but suddenly, he can't go on. He has more important news: his mother is selling her house--the one he and his brother grew up in. So of course, being the Barney he is, he talks everyone into helping him clean the house out in Staten Island. Here, we get into a fun bit with Robin and Ted, were Robin--according to Ted--oversells him to a co-worker she's trying to set him up with. Apparently, the rule is that you're supposed to undersell people so they ultimately wow the other person. In life, I follow this rule. I'm a big underseller. Whenever I took a test in school, I told myself I did terribly, so that way, if I got a good great, it'd be a pleasent surprise--and a relief. I take underselling with me in everything I do. But enough about me and my self-esteem!

The main storyline brings back two guest stars, Wayne Brady and the great Frances Conroy, as Barney's brother and mother, respectively. Everything's going swimmingly with the task at hand. But then once a lie about why Barney was taken off the basketball team comes out, it seems that Barney's entire childhood starts to unravel. We basically learn that Barney's mother lied to her kids--of course with their best interests in mind--but she still lied to them. She made Barney believe the following:

• The coach asked him to quit the basketball team because he was too good for the other players (he was actually cut).


• The post master general wrote him a letter apologizing for the invite mix up that occurred which caused all the kids he invited to his birthday to not come (oh those kids got those invites).


• Every girl in class gave Barney a valentine on Valentine's Day (his mother actually wrote all of those valentines).

But the one lie we all knew of was the one about how Bob Barker is Barney's dad. We'd heard this before. And, OK, I'll admit that I secretly wanted this to be true--it'd make sense and it'd be a great cameo, right? But sadly, it too is a lie. And of course, Barney won't face it. Any of it. He just goes right along believing everything he's been told. But then a letter addressed to a Mr. Sam Gibbs is found, with nothing but a photograph of Barney and James. On the back, is written, "Your son." Now, we know that Barney and James are not blood-related. James is black, Barney is white. They come from two different fathers. So as the entire bunch (save for the mother) drive over to the listed address, they know that only one son will find his father, they just don't know which one it will be.

At the father-to-be's house, Barney finally admits that he knows he's been lied to, and he knows that Bob Barker is not his father. After he confesses that since he was such a lonely kid, he needed to believe that lie, James finally knocks on the door of the possible father. And it's Ben Vereen. BEN VEREEN! I love Ben Vereen. Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite musicals. I've listend to "Heaven on Their Minds" way too many times on my Ipod. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. But I'll also say that I liked his absent-father character on this show, much more than his absent-father character he played for his guest stint 0n an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Though, that episode made me cry, which I enjoyed. And I confess that it made me cry just now, rewatching it. But no, Ben Vereen in this episode; much different. It was a wonderful moment--for Sam and James--but Sam was not Barney's father...OR WAS HE?! No, he was not, but Barney didn't let that stop him. No, in obvious desperation (and yes, thanks to Neil Patrick Harris, it was funny) he acted as if Sam was his father. Barney trying to get in on James' and Sam's duet of Stand by Me was hilarious--and I couldn't help but wonder if Robin's reactions were Robin, or Cobie Smulders herself trying not to crack. Either way, I'm sure the scene is bound to end up in the blooper reel.

In the end. James found his father. Robin turned out to be overselling her co-worker (when she said she looked like a movie star, she meant Robert DeNiro). And Barney was still looking for his father. But when the lovely Frances Conroy walked into his old bedroom, carrying the answer to the question, Barney had flashbacks to all those moments where his mother lied to him to make him feel better. She wanted to be both the mother and the father to her boys. And then the tears began to form and well up in my eyes. And when Barney ripped up the the piece of paper containing the name of his father and accepted that his single mother was both, tears fell out of my eyeballs. It was a lovely moment. And not to get all "afterschool special" on you, but I really did think it sent out a great message to those people who've grown up with single parents.

Great episode. How I Met Your Mother is 2 for 2 in my book. Can't wait to see what next week will bring us.