The Talking Box

Fun Friday: Tracking Jokes

2013-05-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

This truly is a fun one that you might have seen already, as it seemed to have gone viral... just like everything else related to Arrested Development in the past couple of months. Many people are on the countdown, and the final hours are now ticking until the new batch of fourteen episodes are made available via Netflix Streaming. If you are amongst the fans, you might like to take a look at this site, which tracks the recurring jokes throughout the first three seasons. You can sort by joke or by episode, and I can see this tactic being useful if you need to catch up on a few things or if you play some version of the Arrested Development drinking game and want to see which episodes might make your bladder burst. You can also hover over the yellow circles to get more information. Here, take a look at an example of how it works - I selected "Chicken Dance" as the joke and am hovering over the additional info for S02E10:

There seems to be no definitive word regarding whether the creator will update this with the jokes from the fourth season, but let's all hope so! Now, go have fun!

19 Kids & Counting: Big Changes for Josh and Anna

2013-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who follows Joshua Duggar beyond the TLC series knows that he's not the greatest worker. He has a difficult time buckling down and isn't the best car salesman, so switching to a profession with set hours, expectations, and salary is a much better move for the young man and his growing family. Yes, that means that he'll be far from his eighteen (and still counting?) siblings, but Anna's brothers and sisters are spread far and wide, so it's not the end of the world. That said, maybe a couple of the older kids could go with them for a couple of months to help "set up." Josiah and Jinger would be excellent candidates... what do you think?

19 Kids and Counting "Baby Gender Reveal & the Final Weigh In" (S07E11): The family attends Pastor Howard's church, where Jim the Cameraman sets up the sex reveal of Anna's third baby during the service. [I felt that was kinda inappropriate to hijack a sermon like that.] In 17 more weeks, Anna will birth another son. [I found it odd that she was hoping for a son. (Stereo)Typically, quiverful families hope for many daughters early on to help with the workload of raising a large family.] Whether the new baby will be born in Arkansas or Washington, DC is anyone's guess right now, however... Josh and Anna also announced that they'll be moving so he can accept that job offer.

TLC

It's the end of the 90-day weight loss challenge for JimBob and Josh. Medically, Josh now has a BMI of 27.99, which is overweight but not obese. JimBob has high triglycerides but has otherwise improved. Both men realize that they have a long way to go, and the doctor tells Steve that he believes Josh made a bigger improvement. But, that's only one of three factors that will be used to determine the winner. The second factor will be the outcome of a surprise obstacle course, where the entire family will participate!

The teams were split pretty much by birth order, but the average age on JimBob's team (Jana, Jessa, Joseph, Joy Anna, Jeremiah, Jason, Justin, Johannah, Jordyn, Josie, and Michelle) was four years older than Josh's (John-David, Jill, Jinger, Josiah, Jedidiah, James, Jackson, Jennifer, Mackynzie, Michael, and Anna). [I loved the wide variety of events, including changing dolls' diapers!] JimBob finishes first by just a second or two, with the final event being a rock climbing wall. Now, the winner from the doctor (Josh) and the winner from the obstacle course (JimBob) both earn four-pound advantages, so that actually cancels out one another. JimBob's final weight turns out to be 198, and Josh comes in at 202. Although Josh lost more weight, JimBob had a lower final weight, so he won. [I disagree with this a LOT! That's why Biggest Loser goes by percentage!] As his prize, JimBob receives breakfast-in-bed made by Josh and consisting of turkey bacon, toast, sunny-side-up eggs, and a smoothie, alongside coffee and fruit. [was that ice cream in that smoothie??]

Archer - Tunting Kidding Me...

2013-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Archer "Sea Tunt I" (S04E12):

From the Diary of Archer Sterling...

Of course Mother is dramatically introducing some amazing news about... something... but Bermuda is great by the way. Long story long, her master plan is to recover a hydrogen bomb from a crashed B-2 bomber and sell it back to the US government. Resting at 13,033 fathoms deep (not sure how I'm the only person in the room to know this...), we're racing the Russians and apparently have to 'steam' there faster.

Cheryl's brother Cecil happens in (why the hell is he here anyway?) and he has a submersible lab, an island, and a helicopter. Cecil is gracious enough to fly on his helicopter to his research vehicle to get moving on the bomb recovery. I make very good use of the bar to make long island iced teas, and make fun of Lana about... well, everything. Cecil kept his girlfriend, Tiffy, under control from Cheryl's taunting. Then, Cecil questions the crap out of Mother about Cheryl... while I kept drinking.

The drinks had morphed from fuzzy navels to hairy navels as Cecil kept wandering around asking everyone questions... strange dude. He even questioned Pam through her rampage of the soy seafood buffet. Cheryl has been watching Cecil from some video monitoring room that is recording everything... So... Cheryl goes nuts and tries to take over the cockpit from Tiffy. Pam's swelling from her soy allergy finally gets bad enough to send her rolling around on the floor.

FX Network

Cecil comes clean about the plan to steal Cheryl's inheritance... and about the madman who took over his underwater lab and plans to send missiles to major US cities loaded with VX nerve gas... man this guy's a tool.

Bates Motel: We're Just Getting Started!

2013-05-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of time has passed since the series premiere, but a lot sure has happened! I wasn't expecting yet another death this episode, figuring that the first nine episodes had given viewers their fill of that! But, a cliffhanger can be a good way to get everyone to return next season, so it makes sense. I'm not thrilled that the sheriff found it acceptable to kill Jake to take care of things, as that really makes me wonder how much longer he'll put up with Norma, as she must be the biggest pain! We completely avoid Dylan's work this episode, though with Norma cleaning rooms it's believable that the "workers" are still around at least. I don't know where next season will begin, and I surely don't know how to predict what might occur, but a little less corruption would be nice...

Bates Motel "Midnight" (S01E10): Norma goes to the sheriff about Jake wanting the money, and he says that he'll take care of it. We see him go to a storage unit where there's a bag of money, among other things. [the theme of this show is that everybody is corrupt, after all.]

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But, she isn't sure if she can trust him, so she asks Dylan for a gun. He's hesitant but decides to help her out, plus teach her to shoot. [that "Mom" thing WAS a big deal!] In the process, Dylan admits what his job is, upsetting his mother. [but it shouldn't have really been a surprise.] She then shows up at the therapist's office, but she doesn't have a scheduled appointment. She asks for advice on handling stress, but she won't go into detail about what's stressing her. She talks about being an only child with no surviving parents, but then she suddenly claims illness and leaves. [was this just so we could once again see that she tells multiple stories about her past?]

Keith's sister (the bookkeeper for the "Asian import" business for Keith, Shelby, and Jake [whom she knows as "Joe"]) talks to both the sheriff and Norma separately. It seems that Jake/Joe has this business going in multiple ports, and he's a dangerous guy.

Norman asks Emma to the winter formal the day of the dance, and he freaks out when he learns that Dylan has been helping Bradley when the girl comes to get her father's things. Norman takes out his anger on his mother, then just tells Dylan that he should just date Bradley. [that was an absolutely GORGEOUS dance!]

Norma tells Norman that she grew up in Akron, Ohio and was sexually abused by her brother. [yikes!] She kept it a secret but wanted someone to know "just in case." Well, this is on his mind so he ignores Emma at the dance, and she leaves. A guy then punches Norman for "taking advantage of Bradley" after her father's death. Norman leaves on foot in the rain and is picked up by his teacher, who offers to tend to his wounds at her place. Now, things were already getting awkward between them earlier, when he overheard her private phone conversation with "Eric." Well, after she undresses in plain view, Norman has visions of his mother telling him that he knows what he has to do. We learn that he killed his teacher, though nobody else is aware. [CREEPY.]

Meanwhile, Norma goes to the dock at midnight to meet Jake and sees the sheriff talking to him about working together. [whaaa?] The sheriff shoots Jake after making a deal, then throws the bag in the water. He knows that she saw him, and is upset that he didn't trust her. [no surprise.]

Secret Life: The Wrap-Up Begins...

2013-05-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Omar-Adrian storyline is wrapped. I could live with where we are for George and Kathleen, Jack and Grace, and Clementine. Henry opened up a new can of worms for he and Alice, Ethan did with he and Layla, and Leo did the same when he offered Amy and Ben apartments in New York. I've made peace with the fact that Ashley, Anne, Robbie, Mimzi, Margaret, Shaker, and Nora likely won't get any fanfare as the series closes, and we've probably seen the last of Dylan, Lauren, Madison, and Grant as well. But, I just can't shake the feeling that the drama is not wrapping up loose ends quickly enough... I don't want to be angry at how the series ends in two weeks! Sad, sure. Crying like a baby, perhaps. But I'm never thrilled when I'm just mad about the ending. For example, I still can't talk about last night's series finale of Rules of Engagement, which just had me gritting my teeth at the closing credits!

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "When Bad Things Happen to Bad People" (S05E22): Kathleen finds out that Grace and Jack had sex, and warns Grace that she needs to be honest with Jack about her plans not to marry him. She tries to weasel out of it and have George talk to Jack, but he won't.

Omar doesn't want to have a long-distance fiance, so he calls off the engagement unless Adrian moves to New York. [AMEN! He realized that Adrian is a selfish brat!] She's so upset that she breaks the truth to Jack - Grace wants to go to college alone and she's years from marrying anyone. She adds that Amy doesn't want to marry Ricky, either... she just wants him to watch John while she's at college. Clementine takes this opportunity to make one last play for Ricky, but he assures her that it'll never happen between them, though Adrian believes the opposite.

facebook.com/secretlife

Ricky has more to think about, however, as he now has the chance to move to New York with Amy. See, Leo has a shop and property there, so Ben and Amy could have apartments, and Ricky and John could stay with Amy while Ricky transfers to the office there. [too magical to be true. Why wouldn't Ben have any idea about this before?] And, if Ricky doesn't go, Ben feels his chances to be with Amy are high... he admits to Alice that he hacked Amy's computer and read her diary, mentioning she's not over Ben. [you are KIDDING me!]

In smaller storylines, Ethan is already thinking about having sex with Layla, partly for the "anonymous" factor. [I don't get it... he wants to have sex with her BECAUSE they don't know each other very well? is that a thing now?] He's too embarrassed to buy condoms, which Margaret points out means he's not ready for sex. [AMEN.] And, Henry tells Alice that he's going to the Philippines for a year to work in a hotel, but he's really doing something else. [ooohhh... mystery! Any guesses?]

NEW SHOW: The Goodwin Games

2013-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

This comedy made my "maybe list" last summer, and I've been looking forward to its debut ever since then. The premiere got pushed back, the number of episodes was shortened, and things don't look good for this hilarious family comedy. Only seven episodes will air, and, although the series hasn't officially been cancelled or renewed, don't bet on seeing more of this fabulous sibling trio. That's right! I really loved the pilot, though I might be partial because I'm a board game geek, a trait I share with both of my siblings. As promised, the premise is intriguing, and it left me without the comparison to Wings that I feared. I look forward to finding out what the messages are on more of those VHS tapes, and just how any and every game possible might appear. And, I would question the concept's ability to last more than a season or two if it weren't being done by Bays & Thomas, who have been stretching the story of how Ted Mosby met the mother of his children for eight years. Let me know if you enjoyed this pilot as much as I did... it's hard to think about it without comparing it to the new trailers and pilots out for fall already, but I do think it can stand its own.

The Goodwin Games "Pilot" (S01E01): Mr. Benjamin Goodwin dies at the age of 72, just after completing the creation of his video will, which challenges his three children to come together and win $23M. The siblings (36-year-old doctor Henry, 34-year-old actress Chloe, and 32-year-old Jimmy, who was just released from a minimum security prison) have lost touch with their father and drifted apart, so they're shocked that their old man was worth so much. We quickly learn that Benjamin was a big fan of testing the kids to win various prizes growing up, and to keep the kids competitive, he's added a fourth, unrelated contestant, Elijah.

facebook.com/TheGoodwinGames

Elijah is at a disadvantage when he doesn't even know the names of the other players or their family history, but Chloe feels she's also starting below the water line because she was once BFFs with the will lawyer but dumped her for popularity as kids. [haha.] The game is Trivial Pursuit, but it's been modified so that the questions are about the Goodwin family. [how neat would that be?!? the summer after my first year of college, a friend and I made one another personalized crossword puzzles and they were AWESOME!] This leads to tons of flashbacks, and the siblings argue about whose fault it is that the family fell apart. [awww.] Chloe is close to winning when Henry and Jimmy quit, which means nobody won. The lawyer pops in another VHS, which awards the siblings $50 each while Elijah gets $1M. He heads for the hills but when Chloe picks up on the fact that there is Morse code in the video, she scrambles for the family attic, only to find a message laid out in scrabble tiles saying that Benjamin loved his kids. [awww!] It makes Chloe demand her brothers finish the game with her, for their father's sake. [sweet.]

They play at a bar, where a monk gives them a card that says to take a photo. They head to the photo booth but are greeted with a video from their father, asking them all to move home.

We also know a little bit about two side stories... the first is that Henry hasn't completely gotten over an old girlfriend, and she tells him to come see her in a month if he's still in town. also, Jimmy sneaks around to see his daughter, giving her a stolen pen as a belated birthday gift but later a giant teddy bear. [the guy is trying.]

Dance Academy's Second Season, Part 4 of 4

2013-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the final group of recaps for second season of Dance Academy. I don't want to spoil the end, but you should be aware that one of the main characters dies unexpectedly a few episodes before the finale. It's a shame, as when the third season airs, I would have loved to find out what all of the characters do after graduation, and we'll now have no future for this dancer. But, the way some others are changing their paths, who knows where they'll be in an academic year!

danceacademy.wikia.com

S02E21: It's time for the national round of the Prix, and the students don't do fabulously in the first round. [though everyone claiming bias was annoying.] Sammy's father and brother come to see him perform, and they want to meet his significant other. Sammy asks Abigail to act as his girlfriend for a lunch, but his father later sees him holding Ollie's hand. [wonder how this will play out...] Later, a kid messes with the sound system during Sammy's number, but Christian and Ben lock him in a closet. [there was NOBODY official backstage??] Sammy's father invites Ollie to join Sam on a trip home anytime. [awww!] Christian thinks that Ben is trying to psych him out by flirting with Tara, but Tara enjoys the attention... right up until she thinks Ben's timing might really be to mess with Christian. And, Abigail's mother thinks they should move to New York, so she's shocked when Abigail chooses the fringe show instead of the Prix. [as am I!] Tara, Grace, Sammy, and the cheater make it to the international round.

S02E22: Grace's father is supposed to come to see the international round of the Prix, but he cancels because of business. Christian takes motorcycle lessons but tries to showboat and winds up laying down the bike, hurting his arm. [of course.] There's a rumor going around that fewer third-years are going on tour, so more will be snagging the Peter Pan parts, making auditions fierce. Grace thinks that Zach is pretty much handing her Tinkerbell, so she makes a move on him. He tells her that she's putting more into the situation than is there, so she Grace spins it the other way when she tells Tara that Zach tried to kiss her, asking Tara to tell Miss Raine. [I think I might hate Grace more than Abigail.] Grace is sent back to London.

S02E23: Peter Pan has been cast, with Abigail getting Wendy, Kat getting Tinkerbell, Christian getting Peter Pan, and Ben getting John. Abigail feels she's unsuited for the role, afraid that she's been typecast. She wants to drop the part, but Miss Raine tells her she needs to focus. [no Prix and no spring piece? what would she do with herself, LoL?] She has other things on her mind, though, when she pretends she likes fish when she's asked on a date. She and Sammy skip class so he can teach her about marine stuff.

Meanwhile, Ben is still after Tara, but he starts taking it too far when he wears her bra and makes fun of her. He then throws an ice-skating party for her, though she's starting to think about moving to Russia - the Prix winners will be able to do their final year of training elsewhere.

S02E24: Grace shows up to represent Great Britain in the Prix, planning to do Tara's preferred solo. [hate Grace!] Tara goes to one of the judges and explains that Grace might have taken someone's place on the United Kingdom team by injuring a teammate, but nothing malicious is uncovered. Sammy wants to change his solo to a group piece, but Abigail calls it a gimmick. [it WAS weird.] Shortly before the Prix, however, Sammy is killed in a car accident. [WHAAAT??!?] Christian breaks the news to Tara, who runs to console Kat and Abigail, who kissed her ex-boyfriend the night before. [awww.]

S02E25: The Prix is postponed, Peter Pan is canceled, and classes are optional for the second-years. [it was quite moving to see the kids in mourning dress performing warm-ups.] Abigail auditions with some third-years for a six-week tour, but freaks out because she misses Sammy, her original partner. [I didn't see that coming.] The group of friends talk about Sammy, read his bucket list, and play his favorite songs. We also see flashbacks to Sammy trying to talk his way into the Academy after not making the finals in auditions, and Sammy meeting Kat, then Abigail, then Christian. [I just found these awkward.]

S02E26: Tara has nightmares about the Prix, and asks Miss Raine to remove her from the competition. [I thought this was a major reaction!] Ben is selected as the alternate to compete in Sammy's place, which Abigail supports but Tara rejects. Grace manages to psych out Tara a bit in the contemporary round, but Abigail helps Tara train a different dance for "The Red Shoes," the solo that is Tara's unicorn of sorts. [like that Gone in 60 Seconds reference?] Ben does the piece Sammy would have done, with video of his friends dancing in the background, who then join on-stage. The choreography wasn't approved in advance, so he's disqualified. [how do the kids keep jumping from the audience to backstage to sidestage? all-access passes??]

Though Tara had more heart, Grace wins the Prix and decides to return to the Academy, Abigail goes to Spain with Ethan for the summer, Kat passes her finals and is accepted into second-year (and decides to go to the farm with Tara for the summer), and Christian (now 18!) rides his motorcycle off alongside his father.

Big Bang: "And Space Beats Water"

2013-05-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Howard to want to undermine Leonard's awesome adventure to work on a project for Stephen Hawking! He'll never let anyone forget he went to space (I guess he forgot the lesson her learned on Halloween?). Howard aside, there was a big difference in character growth for Raj... he is now able to talk to women without being under the influence of alcohol. It will surely make it easier to write the character, plus that gag got old sometime ago. What's sad, however, is that he made real strides with Lucy in his life, while Leonard and Sheldon are very much in the same place they were a year ago. When the fifth season ended, Sheldon took Amy's hand for the first time, but nothing has progressed... in a YEAR, he still isn't ready for anything more physical. Leonard, on the other hand, proposed to Penny last year and they dated pretty solidly since then, but when Bernadette mentions the idea of marriage, he shies away like it's a hot potato. All in all, not the greatest episode, and certainly not worthy of a season finale. The big question now is whether Leonard will miss any episodes because of this trip, or if he'll be back with the gang right away come fall... thoughts?

The Big Bang Theory "The Bon Voyage Reaction" (S06E24): Leonard has the opportunity to work on a ship in the North Sea for four months, and Sheldon does everything in his power to convince Leonard not to go. [but he doesn't really give any indication of why he has that stance.] Penny tells Sheldon to lie and say he's happy for Leonard, so he does.

The group wants to meet Lucy, but she's wary of strangers so she just meets one of Raj's friends first. He thinks that Leonard would be the best one for her to meet, but Penny thinks a girl would be better, so he asks Bernadette. [she' be my choice, too. good manners, less awkward, not very intimidating.] Amy winds up being the pick, however, because she was the last one to join the group. [decent reasoning.] The meeting has a lot of on-the-spot moments, forcing Lucy into the bathroom. AGAIN. But, it's all just too much for her, and she ditches Leonard's going away party by dumping Raj via text message. [I am so glad that texting wasn't around until after I was engaged, LoL.]

On the way home from dropping off Leonard at the airport, Penny checks on Raj, who is able to talk to her while sober. Turns out, he can now hang out with Bernadette and Amy as well without drinking, though he is uber-chatty. [what is Raj wearing?? stripes and paisley??]

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What do you think this means for Raj next season?

Fun Friday: Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock

2013-05-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

With the season finale of The Big Bang Theory last night, I wanted to talk about rock-paper-scissors, a game that I learned in first grade. Before that point, I only determined "it" through the means of eenie-meenie, one-potato-two-potato, or odds-and-evens. I was in love with the whole idea that you could TIE in rock-scissors-paper, and got giddy when we would just play rock-scissors-paper over and over instead of an actual game! Years later, it's rarely used, though in college we frequently played it to determine who should play first in miniature golf.

Anyway, because I was not alone in loving the game, I'm probably not alone in finding an upgrade to be AWESOME. If you're not familiar with the expanded version as Sheldon plays it on The Big Bang Theory, the rules are (straight from Sheldon!): "Scissors cuts paper. Paper covers rock. Rock crushes lizard. Lizard poisons Spock. Spock smashes scissors. Scissors decapitates lizard. Lizard eats paper. Paper disproves Spock. Spock vaporizes rock. And as it always has, rock crushes scissors." You can see a handy visual below, originally found at nathanthenerd.tumblr.com.

This game comes up several times in The Big Bang Theory, notably in "The Lizard-Spock Expansion" (S02E08) and “The Rothman Disintegration" (S05E17), the latter of which even credits the creator of the game, Sam Kass. I have yet to really test this version in real life, partly because I need to study it a little harder, and partly because I'm not sure how many other people will really convert to this advanced method. Can anybody out there attest to the powers of the new game?

Family Tools: Invisibility and Mistakes

2013-05-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Already canceled (and many believe that it was destined to be because of its very late debut), I still think that this show had some great comedic potential. The second episode was a bit absurd, but funny, especially when taken with a grain of salt. The third only had some select moments and seemed to rely heavily on one-liners, but the characters are still being developed. Speaking of which, I found it weird that Tony didn't try to check up on Jack at all in "Now You See Me, Now You Don't," but he was back to his old ways and beyond in "Beachwood Approved," so no harm there. Still, the best line from either installment was definitely "I am a fraud and I need your assistance. How would you like a new roof?" Can you think of any better ones?

Family Tools "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" (S01E02): Jack and Darren are working at an office where the "toolbelt effect" is clear. See, in "white-collar country," guys with tool belts don't exist. Therefore, Jack and Darren mess around to see if anyone notices them. Everything changes, however, when Jack takes off his tool belt to tend to a coffee spill, as multiple people welcome him to the advertising office as a new employee. [they played it up a bit, but this was annoying.] When an old high school classmate, Wendy, chats with him, he claims to have 70 vans and be a hot-shot CEO, a charade that he keeps going for a few days.

Darren mutters an idea for a slogan that Wendy uses as her own, leading to Jack coming clean about who he is and why handymen are people, too. Well, Wendy flees and the two guys envision wrecking a pitch meeting with their power drills. [it was wholly unbelievable but still a little funny. and I was a little bummed to find out it was fake, haha!] In reality, they just tell on a bunch of office employees and take an espresso machine. [tattling? really?]

ABC/Nicole Wilder

At home, Mason likes a goth girl, Louise, and Terry spies on them. Louise loves cockroaches so Mason makes her a collage. [omg.] Mason goes to Tony, Stitch, and Darren for relationship advice. When Darren finally goes to hold her hand, Louise jumps on him. [ha.]

Family Tools "Beachwood Approved" (S01E03): Terry harasses Tony about his health, making him run steps, go for walks, ride his bike, and check his blood pressure. [I like the little doses of reality this show has... family caregivers are totally judged by the improvement of their patients.] When the news at the doctor's office isn't great, Terry decides to use her urine sample instead of Tony's so that as least the glucose level would be good. [gross but funny.]

Mr. Jiffy-Fix gets a job in an expensive community, so Tony is paranoid that Jack will screw it up. [of course.] The owner is even leaving town for two days, which you'd think would mean the guys could take their time and get everything right. Well, Darren throws parties and Tony goes around secretly fixing Jack's mistakes. [Darren and Stitch dealing with their grandfather is annoying, not funny.] In the end, it goes well, and Jack picks up an electrical job in the community. [wow!] But, things go poorly, Darren begs Jack to call Tony for help, and Jack has no choice but to call his dad when there's an unexpected plumbing emergency as well. In the end, we learn that Tony had a job in Beachwood thirty years ago and messed it up, so his son is entitled to make his own mistakes. [not a bad ending...]

The Middle: School Problems, Lies, and Advice

2013-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Do kids just not get their hair done for Prom anymore?? I've noticed this on television and it really strikes me as odd! and sad, for that matter. Another thing about these two episodes that shocked me is how much Sue stands out. I think that she's an oddball as much as Brick is, but her plots can be blown out of proportion pretty quickly. I know that it's for the sake of comedy in many ways, but I often wonder what suffers because of those stories. For instance, Mike and Axl's fishing adventure was really about two minutes long if you piece the flashes together... and I know Mike isn't one for a lot of talking, but I think that he could/would have given more advice to his college-bound son. Oh, and this family has a boat??!?

The Middle "Hallelujah Hoedown" (S04E22): Sue thinks that she can stop herself from freaking out while taking her driving tests by practicing Lamaze breathing. [this seriously made me laugh!] But, she fails three more times anyway. [I can't think of anyone who failed more than twice... can you?] Carly makes her feel bad when she gets her license on the first try, but when her other friends also begin driving, Sue feels terrible and turns to Reverend TimTom for advice. [he's always around when she needs him, huh?] She tries to take his advice but blows up at a hoedown when all anyone talks about is driving problems. [completely believable.] Her friends band together to give her more confidence, but she can't take the test again for another month anyway. [half sad and half funny.]

ABC/Michael Ansell

Axl and his friends start a service asking girls to proms for people. [what teacher encourages interruptions like that??] He asks Cassidy to go, though he initially thought that she wasn't interested. [weird.] At Prom, she tells him that she'll be leaving sooner than expected for Vassar, as she was accepted into a summer program. To make matters worse, when she says that they won't be together next year anyway, he breaks up with her on the spot. [so sad!] Axl is crowned Prom King, and has nobody with whom to dance... though WeirdAshley comes to his rescue. [which we all knew was coming!]

Frankie is worried that she'll be getting the shaft for Mother's Day yet again, so she tells Brick exactly what she wants so that he can make it happen. She says he's the only one she's going to tell, but then says the same thing to Sue and Axl. [I love this family!] The problem is, nobody can really remember what Frankie asked for... and when Brick stumbles onto it, Mike isn't sure about getting Frankie something "medical." [the foot spa was season 1, so I don't have a link for you as a refresher, my bad!] Mike decides that it's not his job to pick something out, and Brick decides to get yellow pants for his mother. [hahaha.]

The Middle "The Ditch" (S04E23): Axl realizes that Sue has never missed a day of school, so he encourages her to skip school for a day. She decides to do it, sneaking out of the house and intercepting the call from the attendance office. BUT, because she's never missed before, she wasn't aware that she'd need a signed note when she returned, so she spends the next couple of hours practicing her mother's handwriting. [if you start doing it when you're like 12, you've got it down by 16. just sayin'.] Then, she calls Brad and finds out that there was a surprise assembly of college a capella groups, complete with ice cream! [we had one "surprise assembly" my whole high school career, but it was AWESOME. Ben Glenn came!] In trying to make herself feel better, Sue tries to enjoy some junk food in bed, but spills all over her parents' comforter. [HILARIOUS that she thinks her parents could see what time she used the internet. Mike and Frankie aren't that tech-savvy, LoL!] The whole experience gives her hives and causes her to miss two MORE days of school! [that kinda sucks.]

Frankie has to pay the electricity bill in person because it's late, but the line is long. When one person mistakes her for a doctor because of her lab coat, she goes along with the ruse and gets special treatment from several others, including the girl at the window, who waives the late fees. [not impressed.] When Frankie gets to the office, one of the people who let her skip turns out to be a patient, so Frankie has to act like she's the dentist and the dentist is her assistant. When her boss questions what's going on, Frankie says the guy was stalking her, and the boss bans him from the office. [hahahahaha.]

Brick doesn't want to go to middle school because he'll be lonely and the water fountains are different, so he refuses to take the placement test for his "track." He's sent to the school psychologist, who makes him feel better as soon as he mentions that he'll be at the middle school two days a week. [cuts like this make me sad. my HS had two full-time guidance counselors and one who had other responsibilities as well, and I would've been very upset if I couldn't get in to see at least one whenever I needed something.]

Mike and Axl go fishing, but after they get distracted by some volleyball players, the trailer becomes unattached and stuck in some sand. It takes them a while to get moving again, but Axl saves the day and Mike "never looks at another woman again." [hahaha, yeah, right.]

Secret Life: Marriage and Moving On

2013-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

The show of a thousand storylines! We've likely wrapped up Tom, Madison, and Lauren, but I think all of the 20+ other characters still have something going on, which will really start to become pressing in the remaining three episodes. A few major things that stand out, however... Chloe possibly going back to her stripper days. I don't know what she's not getting that she feels she needs this life again... PLUS, I want Ben to talk to Henry and Alice more, not Chloe! Next, Kathleen. I'm not sure why they bothered to write-in her mother for two episodes, except possibly to show the family trend of marrying young. Speaking of which, what was with Grace and Amy telling Kathy to "play the field" when neither has really done that?? The bottom line? I'm starting to become nervous that we're going to get a slipshod ending...

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "First and Last" (S05E20): Kathleen's non-drinking, non-card-playing mother, Victoria, visits, interrupting what was going to be an elopement. She's very critical of her daughter, and even more so of George. [makes sense.] Kathleen hasn't spoken to her mother since Marshall died, but Victoria needs someone to care for her, as her husband left her after she demanded to visit Kathleen before she dies. Bad heart or not, Victoria was shunned from the community for disobeying her husband, who has already married someone else. [seriously??] Victoria knew that Marshall had a girlfriend in Africa, as she heard about it through the missionary grapevine. [ha!]

Victoria isn't the only newcomer to the scene - George's mother shows up after taking a long trip to see all 50 states, which began before the series premiered. With both mothers present, Kathleen and George get married as Grace and Amy cry on one another's shoulders. [LOVED Kathleen's dress!]

facebook.com/secretlife

Grace was crying because she's trying to get out of marrying Jack (who is finally cast-free!), though she did accept his proposal. Amy's reason for crying isn't as obvious, though we do learn that she wants to get married the day after she graduates from high school so that she can jet off to New York a week later for summer school. [Ricky is unaware, though Ben has figured it out.] Both George and Adrian are skeptical that the wedding will occur.

Weddings aside, Omar and Adrian have a condom break, and he's paranoid that she's pregnant. She claims that she's on the pill and doesn't need the morning-after pill, but Omar is worried because she got pregnant by Ben when she was on the pill. [you guys know I have so much to say here but I'll refrain...] She suggests that they get married a year from June, after her sophomore year, and then they'll move to New York.

On the educational side of things, a speller named Brian asks Kathy for bee tips, but Ethan doesn't want her to spend time with him. [such a control freak, that boy!] Ethan tries to prove he's a good enough speller to help Brian instead, but it doesn't work. On the flip side, a girl named Layla cheats off Ethan's algebra test, and it takes some convincing to prove that it wasn't Ethan who was copying Layla's paper. [this is another scene I thought that we could have done without. what did it really add??] For the older kids, college acceptances are going around, and although Madison and Lauren got in to Hudson, they're planning to attend Berkeley. [thank goodness that SOMEONE on this show knows what Early Admission means!] Grant is going to Harvard, and Grace is so jealous that she makes a scene. [ha! that's what you get for not putting academics first, Grace!]

The Secret Life of the American Teenager "All My Sisters with Me" (S05E21): Kathleen's mother has passed away, so she wants to be alone, as does Grace. Grace is still trying to get out of her engagement, so she thinks about going to a different college than Jack, then has sex with in an attempt to prove that they're incompatible.

Anne offers the house to Amy and Ricky (and John and Nora), but Amy wants to go to school in New York without her husband and son. Anne then gives Amy a second option: if she doesn't want to get married, the house will be sold and Amy can use the money to fund her single mother life in New York. [either way, that's a crazy deal! I bet Ashley would be mega-jealous!] Ben is also still looking out for Amy, though Leo puts the kibosh on his son having both an apartment and an on-campus room. [good!] Ben can't stop thinking about his first love, however, so Chloe tries to seduce Ben into forgetting about Amy. [hold the phone! this was ridiculous!!] When he turns her down, she calls her old pimp. [huh??!?]

Omar wants to get a condo in New York, but Adrian doesn't want to move into a place a year after Omar has lived there already, and doesn't care if they waste rent money for a year. [she is SUCH a selfish BRAT!!]

George wants Anne to buy him out of the furniture store, but she's more upset that she wasn't invited to his wedding or Kathleen's mother's funeral. [...why would she be??] She talks to Anne about bring "part of their family," and she's welcome. This is especially helpful because Willadeen is with Nora now. [eep!] Meanwhile, Tom grows attached to George's mother, Eva, and the two decide to head to Alaska on her motorcycle. [and Kathleen was thrilled...?]

19 Kids & Counting: Moving, Graduation, a New Baby...

2013-05-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

What's with Anna calling her husband "Joshua" instead of "Josh"?? That's new, and I don't like it. Another thing I'm not terribly fond of is the way that this series milks issues for multiple episodes. I understand that they are trying to drive ratings by using cliffhangers to force people to tune in over and over, but at a certain point it becomes as problematic as the issues MTV faces with Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2: because of the news, tabloids, and social media, the public already has access to the interesting stuff. Whether Josh and family move or not and the sex of the new baby are facts that viewers could look up with ease if they so desired. So, between those elongated stories and the re-hashing of how homeschool works in the Duggar household, this show is just getting staler and staler... agreed?

TLC

19 Kids and Counting "Decisions & Deliveries" (S07E09): Josh has been offered an office job in the Washington, DC area, so he and Anna discuss the possible move, then ask the advice of his parents. [why was all of the commentary negative? certainly JimBob could say SOMETHING positive about this potential change!]

Jana and Jill attend a birth that is complicated by the mother being unable to utilize the tub because of slowed contractions. [I hadn't realized tubs could do that.] When the child is born, there's a defect in the umbilical cord, so the paramedics are called. [I was a bit weirded out!] The omphalocele required surgery to correct the newborn's intestinal area, but the baby healed quickly. [and it gave me a reason to go look up something new to be paranoid about with my own future children, LoL.]

The family heads to Texas for Joseph's ALERT graduation, where they see some demonstrations. Joseph excelled in scripture memory and the endurance hike. [did everyone get commended for three things?]

19 Kids and Counting "Duggars Get Physical" (S07E10): Josh, Anna, and their children head off to Florida to see Priscilla's baby, who is just a couple weeks old. [that bird thing was funny to me because we had the same thing happen in our house last week!] Priscilla and Anna talk about their labors and dealing with newborns while Josh and David have four-wheeler races. [a minute is a huge margin by which David won, I thought. The mud wrestling was just plain weird, though.] Then, Josh and Anna talk to her family about moving to Washington, DC. The next day, Anna watches Baby Paul while Priscilla goes to minister with the other Kellers. [three children under four just sounds rough!]

We see JimBob help with breakfast because Jana, Jess, and Jinger are away on a mission project and Jill is tired from delivering babies. Things run slowly, but they still manage to get to church on time.

Josh and JimBob return to the doctor to do new stress tests, where JimBob increases his time from 12:33 to 14:02, and Josh went from 10:46 to 14:12. [Scenes from the next episode reveal that Josh went from 216 to 203, and JimBob went from 211 to 199.]

Bates Motel: New Worries

2013-05-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

At this point, I don't know why I'm still watching this drama. I have to look away from the screen at least once per episode, and I don't relate with any of the characters. I don't have a favorite storyline or an arc that I'm looking forward to continuing. I think I'm just tuned in because it has not yet given me a strong enough reason to stop doing so! What this means beyond the next episode (the season finale) is beyond me, but I think that the show is just so unusual that many viewers watch for that factor alone! Now, to address the plots... I don't like how the missing girl has just been dropped, or how Norman flip-flops his thoughts about Bradley constantly. I also don't care for all of the secrecy with Dylan's work or why Norma thinks that "starting over" is always the answer to everything. I mean, the final episode of the season can't respond to all of this and more, and if the second season will also only have ten episodes, when will these issues actually be addressed?

Bates Motel "A Boy and his Dog" (S01E08): Dylan has to go to Fortuna to pick up trimmers (people who turn the weed plants into smokable product) and learns that his coworkers resent his quick promotions. He also finds out that you can't "quit," and you don't want to get fired, so he might be set/stuck for life. [that's rather disturbing...] One of the trimmers plays the guitar and is annoying, and when he starts to instigate a riot, Dylan pulls a gun on him to force him out of the van. [yikes!] Later, when they get to town, Dylan sets them up with 7 rooms at the motel for a couple of weeks.

Emma's dad shows Norman about taxidermy on the dog he found. Norma is concerned that it will increase her son's "freakness," but she soon has to drop this to address larger concerns.

Joseph Lederer

After Emma corrects some girls in the restroom about the relationship between Bradley and Norman, Bradley confronts Norman, telling him that she wanted it kept secret. He's so upset by this that he leaves school, earning him three days of suspension. There are also concerns about his emotional instability, so he's sent to a therapist, though Norma insists on attending the session with him. [I don't know which is worse... that she got away with only sending him once or that he really struggled to express himself!] Norma is further angered by the therapist's suggestion that both she and her son could benefit from independent sessions. [ha! though this could really add a different depth to the series!]

Norma's off to fight another battle however... the one against the bypass. She asks the sheriff for a favor, but he tells her to leave him alone. Her next problem is Jake Abernathy, the tenant from room 9. He creeps her out when he watches her clean, and when she later follows him around a bit, she decides to return his money and ask him to leave, permanently. [that sucks. we all know they need the business!] Jake retaliates by digging up Shelby's body (which I couldn't even recognize!) and putting it on Norma's bed. [GROSS!!]

Bates Motel "Underwater" (S01E09): Norma thinks that Jake sent her flowers with a card that reads "see you soon," but without evidence, the sheriff doesn't take it seriously. She's so freaked out, in fact, that she shares a bed with Norman. [awkward.] There's a lot of other things on her mind, though, as her realtor refuses to re-list the property, claiming she paid twice what it's worth and there's no market for it. [a little absurd, yes?] When she comes out of the realtor's office, Jake is in her car and puts a gun to her head, demanding the $150,000 that Shelby owed him. [this scene really made me question what's going on... is Jake involved in the prostitution or the weed? I was previously betting the former, but is there that kind of money in the sex slave trade??] Another problem Norma is dealing with is stopping the motel tenants from smoking pot. She is successful at first, and Emma enforces the rule, too, but the teen is soon tempted by a pot cupcake and gets high on the job. [are you kidding me?? I thought I liked Emma!]

Norman, on the other hand, has a completely different set of issues taking place. First, he dreams of drowning Bradley. Then, at school, he considers asking Bradley to the Winter Formal. Plus, after a teacher praises his short story and helps him get it published, he puts his foot down about a potential move to Oahu, wanting to stay in one place. [how often did they move before his father died??]

Dylan is not without concerns, either. After Bradley asks him to get her into Gill's place so she can get some of her father's stuff, he winds up inheriting the office. [I thought that was a little too easy...] Bradley still wants to see the actual space, though, so Dylan takes her, though they're spotted. She looks for a pocketwatch but finds love letters from another woman. [i don't see the purpose in this arc... the man's dead, so who cares if he had an affair?]

Teen Mom 2: Lows for Jenelle, Kailyn, and Chelsea; Leah's Happy

2013-05-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Dr. Drew talked about the girls suffering from various issues, but when you look at the list, some of the girls are dealing with much more than others. Take a look:

Issue \ Teen Mom	Jenelle	Kailyn	Leah	Chelsea
Poverty	definitely	overcoming	overcoming	no
Addiction	definitely (drugs)	no	no	sometimes (Adam)
Family Breakdown	ongoing	overcoming	in the past	no
Absentee Father	yes	no	no	sometimes
Revolving Boyfriend	definitely	in the past	in the past	Adam in and out

Here, you can see that Jenelle is still dealing with most of these concerns while the other girls (especially Kailyn and Leah) are getting past them and maturing. That said, I still literally said "shut up" to Kailyn during her segment. Of course, when Dr. Drew asks questions like, "any feelings about that?" some of his interviewees are bound to flip on him, so not all of the blame is hers. And, though MTV has not yet given official word that this series is no more, I'm willing to bet that we're done with the regular installments from these girls. And, that's probably a good thing. As cute as Aubree and Jace are together, these ladies having to continually block tweets to have typical social media experiences has gone on long enough. I bet the money is good and all, but I'm sure they would prefer some privacy after 3-4 years in the spotlight.

facebook.com/TeenMom2

Teen Mom 2 "Check Up with Dr. Drew Part 1" (Special):
Jenelle: She wishes that she had never gone back to Kieffer, as her most recent relationship with him has been the lowest point of her life. Kieffer wanted her to try harder drugs, so she let him inject her... but her body couldn't handle it and she was often sick, even winding up in the hospital multiple times over the course of a month. [holy cow! glad we didn't see all of this! certainly explains some of her behavior, though!] We learn that Gary got kicked out of the Marines for his behavior, which Barbara suspected for some time. [seriously? she seemed so approving of him!] Barbara still allows Jenelle to have Jace Thursday-Sunday, 9am-8pm, but Jenelle thinks it's rude that she has to work around Barbara's schedule. [hahahahaha!]

Kailyn: Jo hasn't paid child support in two months. [and this isn't addressed WHY??] Dr. Drew brings up custody issues, and Kailyn talks about how she'll be taking Isaac if she moves. Everyone knows that Kailyn is being illogical about it, but she's more worried about actually having to meet Vee. Her main concern? Vee smoked weed through a gas mask, so Kailyn doesn't want Vee to be around Isaac. [legitimate! I was also surprised to learn that Kailyn smoked weed before she found out she was pregnant, though perhaps I shouldn't have been.] Vee introduces herself as a full-time daycare worker who is going to school to become a teacher, and Dr. Drew tries to get Kailyn to see Vee as more than a single image online, but Kailyn just storms off instead. [hahaha. wonder if she "boxed it out" off stage!]

Teen Mom 2 "Check Up with Dr. Drew Part 2" (Special):
Leah: She and Jeremy are expecting once again, and Leah plans to be a SAHM until the children are in school, when she will continue her college education. [in reality, she's already given birth to little Addalynn.] Corey talks about the shock of increased child support, and also how he thinks that Jeremy is good for his ex and children. [I thought Leah was forcing the topic about how she's doing much better now than she was before.]

Chelsea: Dr. Drew asks her about her unsafe sex, and Chelsea gives the typical line "I just assumed I wasn't pregnant." [ha!] She and Adam have still been hooking up, as Adam and Taylor are fighting. [SERIOUSLY?? get her back in therapy!]

HIMYM: So Much in Motion

2013-05-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

Apparently, although Marshall only knows eight words in Italian, he knows many more in Spanish. [regardless, "El Ganso con la Riñonera" = "fanny pack dork" is priceless. literally, "the goose with the waist."] And, although everyone knows who Wayne Gretzky is, nobody can name a second hockey player. I found both of these facts pretty funny, which is notable when you consider how much I disliked the season finale. Although not EVERYTHING is certain at this point, two things in particular angered me: first, that the audience "met" The Mother but Ted did not, and, second, that the entire ninth season may wind up being done 24-style to accommodate the final event being "meeting" The Mother. I'm rather conflicted about that being the case... I think that if there was a writing team who could pull that off, it would be Carter and Bays, but I don't know if it's right for the series. Similarly, had that been the series finale, I would have been VERY upset. As others all over the internet have already theorized, two season finales could have existed OR this one slightly re-shot or re-edited, but the very idea that we'd see the face of The Mother without learning HOW Ted met her just drives me crazy! How do you see the next (and final) season playing out?

How I Met Your Mother "Something Old" (S08E23): Marshall and Lily pack for Italy, but struggle to toss stuff. [moving is very cathartic for me, and we always throw out tons of stuff when we pack, but if a move isn't on the horizon, it's very easy to just save everything...] Ted tries to help by getting rid of anything they haven't used in the past year, but he's also biased. [ha!] So, the couple sends Ted for fanny packs so they can "triangle" some of the things they want to ditch. Ted figures it out, though, and admits that he's afraid that he'll be ditched in a year. [awww. but, as sad as it is, it happens.]

Back in 1994, Robin's dad took her to NYC, and she buried a locket in Central Park, under the premise that she'd be back to marry a city boy. [WEIRD.] She asks her dad to help her find it, but he'd rather play laser tag with Barney. [figures.] Ted blows off a job interview to help her, and although they find the box she buried, it's empty. She deems that to be a bad omen.

Neil Jacobs/CBS

How I Met Your Mother "Something New" (S08E24): When Barney and Robin are annoyed by another couple repeatedly, they try to break them up by sending Robyn's engagement ring over to them in a glass of champagne/ This causes the couple to fight because he's not ready for marriage, but it backfires and, after talking to their therapist, they decide to get engaged and thank Barney and Robin. [I liked the "we did that!" to both outcomes, though!]

Marshall's mother calls, unaware that the move is in motion. To please her, Marshall and Marvin head to Minnesota for a week, though that may not be enough to keep her from following them to Rome. [yikes!] Plus, things are further complicated when Marshall is offered a place as a judge in New York. [I'm terribly curious as to what's going to happen with THAT!]

Meanwhile, Lily hangs out with Ted and learns that he's decided to sell his Westchester home and move to Chicago the day after the wedding. [Ted is more obsessed with Robin than Ben is with Amy on The Secret Life of the American Teenager! so annoying!] In talking to Ted, Lily admits that, in 2008, Robin was jealous that Ted was marrying Stella and not her, so she drunkenly went to Central Park and dug up the locket, which then went into a pencil box that's still on Ted's desk. This gives Ted the perfect gift for his friend, and as the episode closes, we learn that it's 56 hours before the wedding, and "the girl with the yellow umbrella" (played by Cristin Miloti) buys her ticket to Farhampton.

2 Broke Girls: The Literal Window

2013-05-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Apparently, napkins were the old twitter." Thanks, Earl. I was never much for writing on napkins, though when I was in undergrad I amassed dozens of post-it notes on the walls near my desk! But, lines like this are part of the reason I love this show... yet know it'll never be a classic. Though some of the jokes are timeless, many are so stuck in the era that nobody will know what's going on if they tried to watch in 2023. On the other hand, I bet 2004 shows were wary to mention the new Facebook, and it's still around, so maybe it doesn't matter... Regardless of whether that works, I think the cupcake window definitely will. There's a creme brulee window a couple blocks from my friend's place in San Francisco, and it's AMAZING. I've never seen a line for it, but the space is small enough that it can't be much to rent. And, in this case, if it's a room that the diner already pays for, at least the girls should be able to swing the rent, haha!

2 Broke Girls "And the Window of Opportunity" (S02E24): Caroline wants to go to a seminar on branding, so they have to have a yard sale in order to earn the money. [who has afternoon garage sales? Is that a NYC thing? 1-5pm??] A couple people come by but are only interested in Mac's old Happy Meal toys, with which she will not part. [the "horse in a hat" line made me giggle, but not as much as the prices Caroline was hoping to get!]

Han makes the employees clean the diner so that they can get a positive rating from the health department. [ha!] Han even gets Caroline a manicure to look nice and pays Max to leave. [that Han-prostitute joke made me burst in laughter!] The diner gets a "B" because of the conditions in a hidden room, which Han didn't realize was part of the property. Caroline offers to clean it for $600, but it's so disgusting that she almost doesn't finish. Everything causes Max and Caroline to argue about how badly their first attempt at a business went, and, before long, they're having a pressure-washing fight in the room, where Max is electrocuted. All's well that ends well, however, when they find a large window in the room and decide to create a walk-up cupcake window from the room. [the window is kinda low, no?]

facebook.com/2BrokeGirls

Sophie thinks that Oleg is getting too clingy, but Caroline tells Oleg not to change for Sophie. [that balls line was too much.] Sophie freaks out and goes to the girls' apartment and breaks things. She then goes to smash Oleg's car, too. [this came out of nowhere!]

Cupcakery Savings Total: $1540.00.

Dance Academy's Second Season, Part 3 of 4

2013-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

We're back with our third installment of Dance Academy's second season. (part 1 here and part 2 here.) Here, Abigail begins to explore other interests, Kat begins to find her place at the Academy again, and Christian begins a relationship with his father.

danceacademy.wikia.com

S02E14: Tara heads home and ignores the calls of her friends, though she learns that she made it past the preliminaries, behind Abigail. She goes to Sydney for a back check-up and runs into Ben, who volunteers to put on plays with kids at the hospital. It turns out, Ben is a leukemia survivor. [he really is a whiz kid... didn't start dancing until later and is ahead of his national peers?] Back at the Academy, Kat is not getting along with her classmates in the first-year curricula, even after acting more dedicated to her studies. Abigail eventually orders the first-years to treat Kat better. [I'm sick of Abigail.]

S02E15: Ethan struggles to find employment and manages to get a job choreographing a fringe musical. He decides he can do more, however, and goes to Barcelona to try for something bigger. [I've seen a lot of dance movies and Spain is never a place anybody goes... someone want to clue me in?] At school, Tara decides to appeal her expulsion, stating that Saskia broke Tara's vertebrae, which led her to see an outside doctor. Tara is allowed to return, and Saskia eventually decides to go home to Perth. [at least Tara is healed!]

S02E16: Sammy wants to compete in the Prix but because he missed the prelims, he must travel to compete in the region where he was born. Christian goes along and sees his father, who builds surfboards. The man recognizes his son, however, so Christian questions why he left the family. He gives no response, so Christian tells his father about his mother dying, and his father gives him a board. [really? going to try buying his love at this late date?] Back at school, the kids work on solos based on defining life moments, and Tara convinces Ben to do his about his health history, but that causes everyone to start treating him differently. [should've seen that coming, guys.]

S02E17: The first-years and the second-years are at war, though Kat remains impartial for a while. [why is there no question about what side Ben is on?] Sammy, however, is interested in a third-year, and kisses him. Meanwhile, Grace tries to get Tara to be less serious and have more fun, but after Miss Raine catches the probation student drunk, she realizes that she has to get her act together. [why doesn't she get into more trouble?]

S02E18: Christian's dad shows up at school, gives him a motorcycle, and they spend a day together. [whoa.] But, then he heads home unexpectedly. [aww.] Sammy has a rougher time, though, when Ollie goes public with their relationship. Sammy can't handle it and breaks it off.

S02E19: Abigail is recruited to star in the musical, but not before working as a tutor instead. [I really am intrigued by Abigail's interest in non-ballet hobbies.] Tara wants a new crush, so Grace starts trying to figure out who would be a good candidate for the position, though Ben begs for the opportunity. [weird.]

S02E20: Abigail gets in trouble for missing school to attend fringe rehearsals, and when her mother comes to town, her cover is blown. Her family has fallen apart, and Paige now lives with their father. [yep, big change!] Abigail decides to quit the show, even if it was making her happy. [boo!] She also spreads the word about what the teachers thought of the students' chances at the Prix. In non-Abigail news, Ben is worried that his cancer has returned, but it turns out to just be a cold. [phew.]

Big Bang: How Close will Sheldon and Amy Become?

2013-05-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Los Angeles area, why would you fly to Vegas for a concert? Garth Brooks or not, I can't think of a reason that you'd increase the cost of attendance that much! See it locally! Anyway, off my soapbox. I thought that this episode was something... different. The chemistry between the characters on this series has been great for a long time, but writing for these quirky personae has got to be tough! And, yet, the bedroom scene between Sheldon and Amy (and their D&D characters) was wonderful. In his own way, Sheldon was genuine and brave, while Amy allowed her emotions to come to the forefront. Both actors are superb and really made me believe that this strange scenario could happen. Of course, now it just begs more than hand-holding from the couple, but I think I have faith that they could get there. I mean, if Sheldon is not 100% opposed to physical intimacy anymore, why not?

The Big Bang Theory "The Love Spell Potential" (S06E23): The girls head to Vegas while the boys play Dungeons and Dragons, with Howard as the Dungeon Master. Sheldon is initially upset that Leonard isn't calling the shots, but the bigger problem is that Raj ditches them when Lucy becomes available. [I give him a pass, though. how many times have we seen Raj as the odd one out with the boys?] Howard soon wins Sheldon's heart with sound effects and impersonations, though. [haha, Simon Helberg did the same Nicolas Cage on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip!] Unfortunately, Amy breaks a TSA agent's nose during a pat-down and winds up on the no-fly list, so the girls return and join the game. [I'm surprised that Sheldon didn't oppose that!]

Monty Brinton/CBS

Penny livens things up by rolling the dice as if she were in Vegas, and the game soon becomes sexual when a love spell is cast between Sheldon and Amy's characters. Embarrassed that such things don't happen in reality, Amy leaves the room, unsure that she and Sheldon will ever have an intimate relationship. Her long-term boyfriend says that he hasn't ruled it out, but, to him, what they have is already extremely intimate. [and that, right there, was an award-winning moment, in my opinion.] They do play out the intimate scene between their characters. [how mature of Sheldon!]

Meanwhile, Raj and Lucy are out to eat but she's too shy to send back her "funky" crab cakes. When he tries to help her overcome her fear, she goes to the bathroom and climbs out the window. [ha! what kind of default move is this??] However, she's stuck when the fence is topped with barbed wire, so she calls Raj for help, and they kiss. [I don't know... I just can't get into Lucy...]

Fun Friday: Frasier Parodies for "Ode to Joy"

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've probably mentioned multiple times that I watch a lot of Frasier. I've seen most episodes 3-4 times at this point, which is rather ridiculous when you consider that the show ran for eleven years, yielding 264 episodes. From time to time, I've noticed some continuity errors, strange acts that don't really fit a character, and running gags that sadly got dropped at some point in the run. Today I wanted to point out a funny coincidence that I found.

Originating in 2000, "They're Playing Our Song" (S07E13) features a parody of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." David Lloyd wrote the episode, which has all of the radio station's hosts coming up with jingles to introduce their shows. Despite the simplicity this assignment requires, Frasier blows it out of proportion, composing a multiple-verse ditty requiring a full orchestra and a choir. But, before he resorts to such a complicated tune, Niles pokes fun at a song his brother "wrote" for a musical in prep school, with lyrics that began, "we are valiant men of honor, wrenching, brawling..."

A little over three years later, "Lilith Needs a Favor" (S10E13) features another parody to the same classical tune. Lori Kirkland wrote the episode, which you might recall as the one where Lilith comes to Seattle to ask Frasier for the sperm to give Frederick a biological sibling. At dinner during her stay, Lilith attempts to evoke positive memories to win over her ex-husband, reminiscing about a song Frederick composed when he was four, which began "my dad is the greatest dad because he cooks me cream of wheat."

This small part of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9 in D Minor" is one of the most-played songs in the world, so it's no surprise that a series as highbrow as Frasier utilized it during its run, but I still find it interesting that the sitcom parodied it twice in about three years, don't you? Are there other instances of this song on this show that aren't coming to my mind?

Both episodes are available for streaming via Netflix: first one and second one, and Amazon Prime Instant Video: first one and second one.

19 Kids and Counting: Eating, Sleeping, and Getting Well

2013-05-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

There was more to this week's installments than last week's, but the various segments in these two episodes have a severely skewed timeline. "Dinner for Forty" suggests that it's been almost two months since Joseph left for ALERT Academy (decidedly in January), but "A Surgery & A Secret" has JimBob and Josh just starting to lose weight, with numbers that suggest it was at the very beginning of hiring a trainer. When you factor in Anna's pregnancy progress, the timeline could be a little more fluid, but I'll leave that alone.

Perhaps the bigger problem is that we're back to family overview episodes rather than individual characters, which was working nicely. Aside from seeing Joseph eat an MRE and prepare for a 24-hour mission at ALERT, then hearing about Justin and Jordyn's health problems, these two episodes focused on the Duggars (both JimBob's and Josh's) as a whole, which I believe is interesting mostly to newer viewers. Which format do you prefer?

19 Kids and Counting "Dinner for Forty" (S07E07): Anna gives the kids baked tilapia for lunch, and they surprise her by eating it. [why? tilapia is like, the mildest fish out there.] Later, Michael moves into Mackynzie's room... but he's not happy about it. There's so much commotion that Anna and Josh read a book to them, and they both lay down... but then they escape the bedroom again, and again, and again, for hours. [typical stuff that all parents have seen before, but funny to watch when it's someone else!]

The family makes dinner for JimBob's trainer's family and a pastor's family. [they're serving frozen chicken strips??] The pastor's family (six children, named alphabetically) is delighted to be there, and the Duggars talk about attending a service at the pastor's church.

TLC

19 Kids and Counting "A Surgery & A Secret" (S07E08): JimBob and Josh try to drink raw eggs for breakfast before their intense workouts, but they can't go through with it. At this point, Josh had lost 9 pounds and JimBob 7, but the exercise only gets tougher as their trainer continues to push them.

Josh and Anna have Jana and Jill at their ultrasound because they will be part of the birth team. [though we're all starting to realize that this is Jill's thing and Jana is only stuck doing it because Jill needs accompaniment.] Jim, the sound guy, is aware of the sex of the baby and will do a reveal at a later point. [I think that's a funny idea.]

Jordyn snores and talks with a dry mouth so she needs her tonsils removed, though JimBob and Michelle only tell her the very basics. Michelle takes her to pick out some ice cream and popsicles. [Josie putting pepper on her lunch was funny.] She's not the only Duggar under the weather, either... Justin got hit in the eye with a rope and broke a blood vessel, causing him to wear an eye patch for a few days. [ouch!]

2 Broke Girls: Caroline Defends her Father

2013-05-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

When I was a junior in high school, the girl who sat in front of me in Spanish class was HUGE into not-wearing-brown-and-black-together. I had never heard about this fashion faux pas before she'd harp on it, but it definitely became synonymous with her. In fact, last summer when I was chatting with my classmates during reunion season, two people mentioned that "rule" as what they really remembered about her. Well, now I know that she isn't the ONLY one who cares about such things... Caroline and her father belong to that list, too! But, that wasn't the most interesting thing I learned this episode... don't tell me I was the only one to not know that Sophie has a spa??

Oh, and the opener had nothing to do with the rest of the episode, which really is beginning to wear on me... the Monopoly money bad tip was amusing, but Caroline's poor aim in showing off her softball skills was less than interesting. Why would I believe that Han would sign up the Williamsburg Diner for a restaurant league before trying to recruit players?? Do 10 people even work for that diner??

2 Broke Girls "And the Tip Slip" (S02E23): Max and Caroline go to visit Caroline's father in prison because there's a woman, writing a "tell-all" book about him. He asks Caroline to stop her, but secretly tells Max that the woman is spreading a rumor that he has a small penis. [hilarious that he had Max tell Caroline!] Caroline want to dispel the thought on Piers Morgan. When the media gets wind of it, Caroline is so tense that Sophie sends them for massages, where they see the author in person. Sophie arranges for Caroline to spy on her, but Max blows their cover. [the chimes just made me laugh so hard!] Sophie has to threaten her to keep her quiet about Caroline "inappropriately touching" her. [ha!]

Darren Michaels/Warner Bros.

On Piers Morgan Live, Max suggests that Caroline share a photo of her father water-skiing, where his "tip" is quite obviously out of his swimsuit. [how disturbing!] Caroline doesn't want to share it, but Max crawls under the table to pass Piers the image. [I don't believe for an instant that those on set would allow that to happen!] He looks at it and declares the writer a fraud.

Cupcakery Savings Total: $940.00 [did they lose money on the massages? I'm confused.]

Dance Academy's Second Season, Part 2 of 4

2013-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the second season of Australian teen series Dance Academy (part 1 here), this batch of episodes really has a lot of non-romantic drama, which is a nice change. Kat decides to re-dedicate herself to dancing, Abigail begins to trust originality, and Tara starts breaking rules when she could lose out on opportunities if she doesn't. Sammy goes back to the bottom of the barrel in his classes, but, as a squirrely guy, gets right back on the horse again. Read on...

danceacademy.wikia.com

S02E08: Sammy is allowed to lock up at the diner, but he forgets to do it and the cash register is robbed. [that super-sucks.]

Christian tries to ditch an exam, leaving Abigail hanging. Sammy dances with Abigail but has been hyped up on caffeine and winds up dropping her in a moment of weakness. Ben and Tara also struggle with their new partnership. Meanwhile, Kat takes Christian along on a gig where they entertain children at a party. [I would have liked to see more of Kat's random gigs.]

S02E09: The students take their final examinations, and Sammy has failed all of his classes. [ouch!] To celebrate the end of the semester, however, the girls head to a hip-hop concert, getting in through Kat's agent. The guys are unable to get tickets, so they decide to get tattoos. [SO not the same level!] Only Sammy is super-serious about going through with it (as an act of rebellion), but Christian tells the artist Sammy's age at the last minute. [I'm surprised they wouldn't check IDs for something like that!] Grace gets the guys into the concert, though she uses Kat's phone to text Christian. By the end of the night, Kat and Christian lock lips, but the next day, he wants to break up. [awww.]

S02E10: Sammy's grandfather suddenly passes away, forcing Sammy to go home for the first time in seven months. [that's quite a while for someone who lives across town!] He wants to become an "independent student" so that he can get a government allowance to cover his tuition, but his father sees that as he wants to be out of the family. [yeah, I could see my mother making the same argument.] Sammy decides that he can't ask to leave his family, but his father secretly decides to pay another semester's tuition anyway.

Grace breaks a bunch of toe shoes, but not Abigail's, so it looks like she did it. Miss Raine wants Abigail back in therapy, and Tara moves in with Grace to avoid Abigail. [that Grace is just rotten!] Saskia assigns Tara a solo instead of allowing her to choose her own piece. It's Kat who gets the good news, however, going from dancing promotional chicken to auditioning for Moulin Rouge. [again, are you not required to be 18 to do anything in Australia? LoL.]

S02E11: Sammy gets a tutor to catch up, but the guy is not really interested in helping Sammy. Meanwhile, Tara secretly tapes Saskia telling her that she'll never make it as a professional dancer. Tara only wants Miss Raine to see it, but Grace wants to put it online. [can we get rid of this girl yet??!?] And, although Kat's dancing is good enough for Moulin Rouge, she's too unprofessional and is dropped before the move to Paris. [I would have liked to hear what her disapproving mother had to say about this!]

S02E12: Kat wants to audition to return to the Academy, and once Miss Raine agrees, Ethan gets Abigail to train his sister. Kat also admits that she's been crushing on Christian since they started at the Academy. [I don't remember if I noticed that or not, but I'm guessing not. going off of Christian's first and second appearances...]

Saskia puts Tara's hip into a painful position, which Ben witnesses. When the pain doesn't stop, Tara decides to see a doctor outside of the Academy in order to get pain relief without being forced to sit out of classes. It turns out, an MRI shows that she has broken a vertebrae and isn't allowed to dance for six weeks. [that's a long time, and a broken vertebrae is a big deal. wonder how this will play out...]

S02E13: Abigail finds out that Tara is seeing an outside doctor, to whom the injured dancer returns for an anesthetic. Tara ignores warnings to stop dancing and injures herself further, causing her expulsion for breaking the rules. Fortunately, she's the only one who has a bad dance experience this episode - Kat has her audition and Sammy has the re-do for his exams.

Saskia asks Abigail to perform "The Red Shoes" at the last minute so that at least one student she coaches makes it past the preliminary round, but Abigail sticks with the original piece Ethan choreographed, and even kisses him before performing. [whaaa???!?]

Big Bang: Professor Proton & Cinnamon are the Stars

2013-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Not one of the best episodes of the season, but there were great moments in both storylines. I would have loved more from Bob Newhart, but not every actor over 80 can be as prolific as Betty White! In the B-story, I could have cared less about losing Raj's dog, but I just want to say that I CALLED IT. Howard and Bernadette began talking about parenthood (in regards to sitting for Cinnamon), and I don't believe we're too far from it becoming a reality for them. Of course, that makes you wonder if this series will go more than one more season, but let's not jump the gun. Rumor has it that Leonard will potentially move for next season, and that's already a bit much. Back on the babytrain, though... who else saw it coming?

The Big Bang Theory "The Proton Resurgence" (S06E22): Leonard and Sheldon are excited about finding a TV scientist from their childhood whom Sheldon hires him for a private party. [I would totally do that, too, but I'd invite a few more people to make it more legit.] This just proves, however, that nobody takes Arthur seriously as a PhD-holding scientist. [awww. I'm sad that Leonard didn't catch onto that.] He does a few tricks but then comes to the conclusion that he doesn't want to be "Professor Proton" anymore. He soon has heart trouble and is taken away by the paramedics, and Sheldon sings him "Soft Kitty." [classic!] Arthur asks him to fill-in for an event the next day, and Sheldon is honored.

Michael Yarish/Warner Bros.

Raj has to work all weekend so he asks Howard to watch his dog, Cinnamon. Howard is initially resistant, but agrees, despite Raj's demands of feeding the canine veal chops and frittatas. [...seriously??] Bernadette and Howard discuss how they might be successful parents just before realizing that they lost the dog at the park. [haha!] Someone finds her and Raj picks her up, only notifying Howard and Bernadette about it hours later. [I think I might have enjoyed a funnier ending.]

Top Ten Animated Openings for Live Action Shows

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was a fun list to create because it took a lot of thinking... I struggled to come up with anything in the past decade that fit this category, though it seemed to be pretty prevalent in the 80s and 90s. I included youtube clips so that you could see the intros, in the event you haven't seen a few of the more obscure ones, like Even Stevens. In brainstorming and researching, I was surprised at how many of these I was already aware of... perhaps more shows should consider doing these types of openings - they're pretty memorable, apparently!

10. Batman (1966). Here we have a live-action drama based on a comic book, and they kept the original incarnation's feel in the opening titles, even incorporating the written sound effects like "WHAP!" and "POW!" The cape lives up to expectations, the relationship between Batman and Robin is clear, and the batmobile makes an appearance as Catwoman is mentioned but not seen. What more could you ask for?

9. The Partridge Family. How could I not include such a classic? The opening starts with a rumbling egg that hatches a partridge, which grows a family as you hear the song about the family. In between we have monochromatic portraits of the actors in a simple but fashionably photographed way. I like to watch the Mama partridge walk.

8. Desperate Housewives. Admittedly, this is one that I didn't know about before I started brainstorming for this post. Having never seen the show, I didn't know what to expect and was rather taken by the opening. I particularly liked the portraits of women through time, with stops in The Garden of Eden, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, the Rennaissance, and the twentieth century to today. Still not enough to make me tune in, but cute nonetheless.

7. Cheers. An iconic theme song with an old-time feel. Sure, we see a couple of modern cars in the opening two seconds, but then we're swept away to the world of horse-drawn carriages, the men at a bar all wearing suits, and the intermingling of black-and-white, sepia, and color. The still pictures cut into one another, zooming in and out on those before us who have had good times with those who know their names. The images changed throughout the series' eleven-year run, but the classic look did not.

6. The Mickey Mouse Club. Digging way back, this black-and-white opener even has the sponsored product depicted in animation! It's a longer intro but features the classic characters performing adorable marching band antics. This one holds a special place in my heart because it was a bedtime song what I was young,

5. Bewitched. This one stands out in my memory because it was likely the first animated opening I ever saw for a series that wasn't actually a cartoon. I always found it funny that Sam would dress like a "traditional witch" and fly around on a broomstick in the opening when she didn't do that on the series. I particularly like the sparkly stars

4. Even Stevens. This one is technically stop-motion animation (or "claymation," if you will), but I think that's what makes it special. That, and the fact that it depicts how competitive Ren and Louis are from the time they get up until they're relaxing at home that night. The other family members only get tiny moments but they still encapsulate those personalities - Donnie is athletic, Steve is bewildered by his children's antics, and Eileen is constantly working.

3. I Dream of Jeannie. Some local station always had Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie back-to-back in syndication when I was a kid, and so I often caught the opening of Jeannie but didn't stick around to watch. I think the fact that her head came out of the bottle separately from her body freaked me out. The first season didn't have the very first part, with Major Nelson in the space capsule, but otherwise the sequence remained the same to my knowledge. This is the colorized version, rather than the original, because I found the quality better than any originals on YouTube.

2. The Nanny. Growing up, the only thing about this show's opener that I didn't like was the "joie de vivre" line - I hated that there was French in an English theme song! However, I was stunned at how much Niles, Mr. Sheffield, and Fran looked like their animated counterparts, so that made up for it. I think the funniest part of the sequence is that "she was there" and hence was hired in one of those "right-place-right-times" situations.

1. Home Improvement. The best of so many worlds... blueprints, collages, drawings, video games, sticks & stones spelling things, flashy graphics, and fade-ins all appear throughout the five different intros this series used over the course of its eight seasons. I always loved the gaming moments as a kid, but I think the quickly flashing collage for the look of the house most intrigues me now! The video for this one has the first 1:15 for the first season, then 2 & 3 until 2:30, then 4-6 until 3:23, then 7 until 4:15, then season 8 until the end. Also, be aware that the quality on this one isn't the greatest.

Comment below and let us know which animated titles are your favorites, especially if we left some out!