elaboratelies

time for my yearly blog entry

2009-05-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

Does this thing still work?

Excited that Party Down got picked up for a new season. It's the funniest thing going right now.

favorite oscars moment

2008-02-25T22:56:00.000-08:00

"Falling Slowly" winning best song. That was neat.

tv talk

2008-01-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to see one single episode of any of the shows in the Law and Order franchise without a guest appearance from an actor from an HBO series? (The Wire, the Sopranos, etc.) Not complaining, as all of the actors are top rate, just wondering.

Project Runway:
Really fun season so far with unique challenges, very cool guest judges (Zac Posen, Alberta Ferretti, SJP!) and talented contestants. My fave to win is Jillian.

I know there's an ongoing writer's strike and everything, but Parking Wars and Gladiators? Really?

very fun

2008-01-14T18:58:00.001-08:00

The Complete Jane Austen began last night on PBS. See the link below, very fun.

link: the men** of jane austen

** If you submit a vote for your favorite Austen man on this site, it states "my man" under their picture. Hilarious!

It's Ricky, bitch

2007-12-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

I had to. So excited about the Gervais show!

2007-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Just saw No Country for Old Men. Fantastic! It was highly unsettling in a good way. Beautifully shot and full of suspense. It reminded me of Blood Simple, which ranks slightly above Fargo in the Coen Bros. department for me. For the next month or so every time I go for a drive alone at night I will imagine Anton Chigurh jumping up from behind the backseat. That stun gun! Oy.

golden globe noms

what's left

2007-12-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Check the status of your favorite show:

what's left on tv

writer's strike contingency plan

2007-11-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

-Re-open that Netflix account

-WKRP in Cincinatti and Good Times marathons anyone?

-Take up whittling (the cool kids call it whittlin')

-King of Queens fan fiction

-Give Mad Men another go (I've heard it's good from two reputable sources)

-Cruise "the net" for info/spoilers on The X-Files sequel

-Two words: drum circle

-Perfect my Law and Order gavel sound effect

-Place myself in new social scenarios in order to meet friends and potential suitors

More to follow, off to the land of milk and Harley.........

purchase of the week: spoons!

2007-10-15T23:22:00.001-07:00

cool spoons
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

The holidays are coming and that means baking, which I love.
I've been eyeing these porcelin measuring spoons for quite some time. Giada uses them on her cooking show. Just ordered a set. Thanks Internet! Let the baking begin.

Song of the day:
"You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" - Spoon

Oldie/Flashback song of the day:
"Apha Beta Parking Lot" - Cake

mini assessment of the new show pushing daisies

2007-10-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

Pushing Daisies - whimsical, creative, a sort of Big Fish meets Picket Fences meets I don't know what. The lead Lee Pace is as cute as can be. My top pick for this tv season's "never stood a chance and by the way why do shows like Seventh Heaven keep getting renewed anyway?" award. Let the countdown to cancellation begin.

Project Runway - Nov 14! Tim Gunn podcasts return!!

emmys recap

2007-09-17T00:04:00.001-07:00

The Emmys were rather awkward this year. Here goes.

Highlights
-30 Rock - best comedy
-The Sopranos - best drama
-Daily Show win
-Conan win
-Ricky Gervais - best actor, comedy (where was he? - lowlight)
-America Ferrerra - best actress, comedy
-comedy writing nominee montages (funniest part of the show, particularly the Real Time one)

Lowlights
-the "in the round" format was not working
-the interactive crap was not working
-the editing and feel of the show was clunky
-bummed that Jenna Fischer and Alec Baldwin got shut out
-alot of the updo hairstyles were sloppy

Fashion (party dresses and whatnot)
-America Ferrerra
-Rachel Griffiths
-Julia Louis-Dreyfus
-Jenna Fischer
-Rashida Jones

still ticked

2007-09-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still ticked about Arrested Development. I've been rewatching the show over the last few weeks and it really was the best.

Some great AD moments:

-George Michael: I'm going to get a corndog cross.
-Michael: ...........With all the crucifixins?

-Bud Cort (both the show-within-a-show and the cameo)

-Mrs. Veal to Michael: I want to please you secularly.

-Franklin Comes Alive!

-Buster to Steve Holt(!): Hey possible nephew.
(or any variation of "Hey so and so")

At least we've still got 30 Rock.

Fall TV Wish List:
-30 Rock stays on the air

So glad Curb is back!

Song of the day:
"Powerman" - The Kinks

is it 9/29 yet? (aka holy toledo!)

2007-08-04T00:24:00.001-07:00

the darjeeling limited trailer

so cool!

2007-08-02T22:30:00.001-07:00

jane austen overload

ridiculous and awesome

2007-07-08T23:34:00.001-07:00

Currently I'm watching the first season of the BBC's Robin Hood. It is ridiculous and awesome. The cast is fantastic, Robin and his men look like scruffy members of some band I'm into and the Robin/Marian relationship is pretty darn good. The series has certain Xena/Walker Texas Ranger/Dr. Quinn elements going on. Still, it is solidly entertaining.

BBC Robin Hood

VH1's World Series of Pop Culture begins tomorrow! I look forward to the trivia, host Pat Kiernan's sarcasm and seeing others of my kind.

Oh yeah, Flight of the Conchords is really funny!

happy birthday joe!

2007-06-24T01:33:00.001-07:00

quote of the day

2007-06-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

"I've got sand in my trousers, which is not ideal." -- Bear Grylls

Man vs. Wild is awesome. Host Bear Grylls is tough. My mom and I like the way he says "glacier." Good day.

Happy Graduation Jessica and Joe!

2007-06-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Congrats!

on the online

2007-06-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Anthony Bourdain should become a permanent judge on Top Chef. He's great!

Can't wait for the new show Ice Road Truckers.

I actually really liked the Sopranos ending.

Ocean's 13 - Pretty decent. Casey Affleck was a hoot.

Song of the day: "Ramble On"

just saying

2007-06-05T23:29:00.000-07:00

Paul Rudd in funny bowtie + Jon Stewart in funny glasses = Too cool

seattle was fun

2007-06-01T22:59:00.003-07:00

seattle 083
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

brooke/katie

2007-06-01T22:59:00.001-07:00

brooke/katie
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

2007-06-01T22:58:00.001-07:00

seattle 121
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

2007-06-01T22:57:00.005-07:00

seattle 118
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

the new sam

2007-06-01T22:57:00.003-07:00

seattle 071
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

2007-06-01T22:57:00.001-07:00

seattle 024
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies

comic sans is for bitches

2007-06-01T22:38:00.001-07:00

I had a conversation the other day about font preferences. I'm a fan of Book Antiqua and Georgia for everyday (Papyrus when I'm in a fancy mood) and my friend expressed a fondness for the classic Times New Roman. We both agreed Comic Sans sucks. So cool that I happened upon this article a few days later:

comic sans is for bitches

What's your pick?

(I'm dorky.)

may post

2007-05-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jessica!

2007-04-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

not bad

2007-04-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

Blades of Glory made for a fun night at the movies and it got me thinking about Anchorman:

funny anchorman scene

Andy Barker P.I. is not bad. I dig the Simon character as played by Tony Hale. The guy is hilarious. It will most likely get canned but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. Here's a little Simon sampler:

andy barker p.i.'s simon

stuff that seems cool this week

2007-03-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Slides at Tate Modern:
the slides at tate modern

Advertisement that sends me running to the tv, much like the Mac/PC ones:
gap ad with patrick wilson

More movies than you can shake a stick at (my new "to see" list):
-Waitress
-The Nanny Diaries
-Penelope
-Grindhouse

son of a gun

2007-03-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

Zodiac - See it!

Crush of the week: Geof from Ace of Cakes.

Song of the day: "You're So Vain."

please excuse the fangirl moment that will follow

2007-02-28T23:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, can I just say that the rapport between Jon Stewart and Jake Gyllenhaal on tonite's ep of TDS was so cute! It rivaled the talkshow chemistry of Lauren Graham and Conan O'Brien.

79th Academy Awards Recap

2007-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

Show Highlights:
-Alan Arkin's win (Yossarian!)
-The Departed - best picture
-Favorite: Martin Scorcese wins best director!

Fashion Highlights:
-Rachel Weisz
-Reese Witherspoon
-Gwyneth Paltrow
-Cate Blanchett
-Helen Mirren
-Emily Blunt
-George Clooney
-Favorite: Beyonce's dress during the Dreamgirls musical number

my expression of the day is not directed toward anyone in particular

2007-02-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible."

"O Valencia!" video - it's ok.

Expression of the day: Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
I always forget about this one.

goodnight nurse

2007-02-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

30 Rock: Loved Liz Lemon's Designing Women-inspired rampage.
"You do not cross a Sugarbaker woman!"

Conan: Comedian John Mulaney's thoughts on Law and Order were spot on.

Everyone watch Andy Barker P.I. when it starts!

12:36 am

2007-02-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

Latest Crush: Goil from Top Design. It's full-fledged.

Song of the day:
"Australia" - The Shins

Watching Weird Science at the moment -- fun!

2007-02-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

tv diary

2007-02-09T01:40:00.000-08:00

The Office -- So I guess I'm not over the Pim angst.

30 Rock -- At one point I laughed so hard I spilled pop on my blouse. (I'm classy.) Liz Lemon's new love interest is Jason Sudeikis! That's pretty wonderful.

Top Design -- One of the rooms this week looked liked it was straight out of The Life Aquatic. Not intentional methinks. Still rooting for Goil and Matt from Chicago.

I forgot to mention Tim Gunn on Ugly Betty last week. Very nice.

Album for the day:
Tigermilk

mike rowe on the daily show

2007-02-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

How cool was that?!!!

snazzily

2007-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Initial Thoughts on Top Design:

Just watched the premiere ep of Top Design. I can tell I'm going to love it. Host Todd Oldham is as wonderful as I anticipated - kind, helpful and snazzily dressed. (No disrespect to Mr. Tim Gunn, who I hold in equal esteem.) The judges are brutal. Oh my gosh, the scathing looks. Margaret Russell from Elle Decor makes Nina Garcia seem like Paula Abdul. While losing contestants on Project Runway and Top Chef are ushered out with "you're out, please leave the runway" and "please pack your knives," all the booted on Top Design get is a "goodbye." Harsh. I think the tagline should be "please show yourself to the door" or something like that. I know it is early in the game, but I'm calling Goil to win. I like the guy from Chicago too, if only for the cute accent.

top design link

Top Chef finale = wah wah wahhhhh.

Hipster Haiku by Siobhan Adcock is a hoot. I'd like to come up with some of my own.

hipster haiku link

last week

2007-01-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

I spent last week in LA attending training for work. It was pretty cool and I met some neat folks. LA is sort of fun, I must admit. Driving around and taking in the sights is super fun. I thought of Entourage more than once.

The highlights of the week were visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Getty. MOCA currently has an exhibition called "Skin + Bones" and I enjoyed that very much. The Getty is stunning! Right now the Getty is featuring a photography exhibit called "Where We Live." It knocked my socks off, especially the work of Mitch Epstein and William Eggleston.

Also - If you like Arrested Development, you might like this:

the handy dandy bluthcyclopedia

song: "buckle" - tapes 'n tapes

i could go for a twin peaks marathon....

2007-01-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

Album of the moment:
The Loon -- Tapes 'n Tapes (Love it!)

Out of town for work starting tomorrow, so no updates for a bit.

Song for the day:
"The Iliad" -- Tapes 'n Tapes

Midwest Showdown - - Yay!

2007-01-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

Midwest Showdown!

2007-01-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping for a Colts vs Bears Superbowl.

I'm as bewildered by this as you are.

Line of day: The "the hair?"

2007-01-19T01:56:00.000-08:00

30 Rock Thoughts:

So funny!

Jenna: The 'The Hair?'

Jack: When I was your age I was putting myself through college paddling swan boats for tourists.
Kenneth Ellen: Is that a euphemism for some kind of sex worker?

Liz: This is new for me. I don't really hang out with superfluously handsome gentleman in kick-ass elevator lofts.
(That actor was superfluously handsome - sheesh!)

Liz: What's your game friend?

Referring to those guys as "The Head" and "The Hair" was the best. It reminded me of the kind of odd nicknames I've randomly assigned people over the years, my favorite one probably being "The Asshole from Cuesta." TAFC turned out to be a nice guy named Jeff, yet I will always refer to him as TAFC. Liz Lemon saying she was a "Head plus" was so perfect.

Also:
I want a "Screw Penicillin" shirt. (Gervais podcast reference)

golden globes recaplet

2007-01-17T00:16:00.000-08:00

The Gowns
-Cate Blanchett (Sophia Loren-inspired, methinks)
-Sandra Oh
-JLo
-America Ferrera
-Tina Fey (nice cocktail number - Nancy Drew meets Audrey meets...Tina Fey)

Tux Tally
-Chiwetel Ejiofor
-Jeremy Piven
-Patrick Dempsey

Pretty Neat Wins
-Alec Baldwin
-America Ferrera
-Hugh Laurie
-Scorcese (Loved how his speech was peppered with all those film references)

can't spell parallel

2007-01-16T00:13:00.000-08:00

Movies to See:
(and by that I mean movies for you to see):

Children of Men and Little Children.

Saw these this weekend and they are both incredible. Top knotch acting, writing and direction all around. The kind of movies that bring about physical reactions in the audience (myself included) and stay with you after you leave the theater.

Random thoughts: I cannot imagine the complexity involved in trying to shoot sequences like the ones in the final forty or so minutes of Children of Men. Michael Caine is so great.

Little Children had a lot of parallels, in my mind, to American Beauty. The voiceover narration annoyed me at first, but it wound up working in a very eerie way.

* Holy moly, from the preview Zodiac looks great. (By the way, the Stock Footage Awards sketch on this week's Jake Gyllenhaal-hosted SNL was a riot.)

* I just saw a news segment on the popularity of the new sleepover program at Museum of Natural History in New York. (Museum attendence itself is up.) It looks super fun, they should have one for adults too, I'd go! I can't help but think of Margot and Richie Tenenbaum stowing away there.

* One of tonite's Jeopardy contestants was proposed to in the Egyptian wing of the Met. That's so cool.

Golden Globes recaplet will be pretty soon.

yay!

2007-01-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

Just heard a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm is in production. Yay!!!

thursday post

2007-01-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

30 Rock --

Funny exchange:
Tracy: I'm gonna make you a mix tape. Do you like Phil Collins?
Jack Donaghy: I've got two ears and a heart, don't I?

Tracy Jordan Meat Machine -- Cornballer redux.

Maureen!

sunday funnies

2007-01-07T23:33:00.001-08:00

more 30 Rock

office, last week

season 2 fave

another post

2007-01-03T23:51:00.001-08:00

Top Design - Project Runway with interior design and Todd Oldham. Ok!

top design site

Movies to See:
-Children of Men
-Notes on a Scandal

Night at the Museum was pretty cute.

2006-12-31T02:27:00.003-08:00

winter tree
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

2006-12-31T02:27:00.001-08:00

sledding hill
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

2006-12-31T02:25:00.001-08:00

milo
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-24T15:06:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

Song for the day: "Silver Bells" -- Supremes edition

Red Velvet Cupcakes and Light-Lookin'

2006-12-20T00:29:00.001-08:00

I'm all about the Ella and baking up a storm right now......the holidays are here. I was a nervous wreck over the red velvet cupcakes, but they turned out pretty okay.

Re: Light-Lookin'
There's always something new each year. This seems to be the year of the polar bear. I like the polar bears that move in the creepy way that animatronic lawn ornaments tend to do. The Rudolph movie characters on that one lawn were nice too. My favorite is still the house that gets really creative with it and places blue lights on the ground to look like a stream, complete with reindeer taking sips. I saw something about Christmas light tours in NYC - I'd love to do that one day!

30 Rock: "The Break-Up"
Lemon (Fey) attempting to meet guys -- a hilarious trainwreck-nightmare. Thrilled that Alec Baldwin was nominated for a Golden Globe for the Jack Donaghy role! Every time I think of the name and character of Kenneth Ellen, I start laughing.

The Office: "Benihana Christmas"
Pretty funny. The dialogue-free moments where the camera just casually sweeps the party were probably the best.

Colbert Report
The whole "Decemberists vs. Colbert in a guitar duel to the death" affair was fun while it lasted. I loved the footage from Colbert's 80s music period and the counter-challege statement put forth by the band. Oh the dear.

I want to see A Night at the Museum even though Joe says it looks like Jumanji. I can't resist natural history museums.

Song for the day: How about "A Pair of Brown Eyes."

funny funny

2006-12-06T01:08:00.001-08:00

Watch this:

hee!

clip for friday

2006-12-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

Great impromptu performance from cast members of How I Met Your Mother. (a great show by the way) Check it out:

hilarious HIMYM clip!

road trip to cabazon anyone?

2006-11-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

I could really go for a Hadley's date shake.

thank you kindly

2006-11-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Casino Royale -- bloody good!

Colin Meloy not included in the "cute men with glasses" section of People's Clooney issue -- Well why not? Or how about Stephen Merchant? What gives?

The Office is progressing quite nicely. Very much looking forward to "The Convict" written by Merchant/Gervais!

joe's casino royale review

joe's fast food nation review

stranger than fiction review

2006-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

joe's stranger than fiction review

weekendish

2006-11-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

Stranger Than Fiction:
I liked it a lot. Very funny, sweet, affecting - all that. Ferrell sets the right tone. Maggie Gyllenhaal is pretty great as usual. There is a scene involving "flowers" that is quite charming. Good music. And hey, any movie with Tony "Buster Bluth" Hale is a movie I am probably going to like.

SNL was neat! Alec Baldwin was top-drawer, no surprise there. The show was jam packed with quality guest stars. There was a carpool skit involving the mention of Bobby McFerrin that was easily the funniest thing I've seen in ages. I was dying. I'll post it when it is YouTube ready.

Office:
The merger is going to be madness. I hope the Gervais episode happens soon. Very soon.

do the hustle!

2006-11-10T23:59:00.000-08:00

I made the startling discovery that the little impromptu election results dance I performed in my kitchen is not unlike the Superbowl Shuffle. But that's more than ok by me!!

The Prestige: Obsession! Magic! Bale! Very good indeed.

Check out these cards from oplusd. They're just great:

oplusd cards site

onion link: rice cakes, ok!

Jesse has 1500 something!

vote for jesse!

2006-11-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

Something fun we just found out about! My cousin Jesse has been nominated for People magazine's "Your Sexy Man" contest. The chosen will win a trip! Cast your vote for Jess - he's too cool. Go to the link below and type his name "Jesse Morzenti" to cast a new vote. To simply view his profile and picture check out the second link.

People's Search Page

See Jesse's Profile Here

sure beats collating

2006-11-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

Funny Onion link below:

Onion Link: And Its Not Even Office Thursday

3o Rock: "Lucky Bastards cereal." I like it.

hocus schmocus!

2006-10-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!! I knew it was Halloween when I saw a guy riding a bicycle dressed in a pea-pod costume this morning. Hilarious!

SF Mini Trip Recaplet:

Saw The Decemberists in SF. They were AMAZING! Handsome frontman Colin Meloy was funny and quite the onstage charmer. The guy has a vocabulary that doesn't quit. At one point his glasses flew off. They played many of my favorites and most of the new ones. "The Legionnaire's Lament" was one high point. Super fun!

Saw Joseph Cornell's work "Pink Palace" at SF Moma. I've never seen it before in person. Pretty nifty. Just as delicate as I had anticipated. I've never noticed the teeny little cannons before.

Citizen Cupcake - I suggest stopping in for the best cupcake EVER.

Jesse and Dave visit recaplet:

Mostly shopping and restaurants and traipsing about. Lots of fun. Way too short!

Misc:

Saw The Departed this weekend. Nothing like a Scorcese gangster picture. Loved it! DiCaprio gives a stong performance. Nice to see Ray Winstone and David O'Hara (from The Matchmaker, the sweet Janeane Garofalo-goes-to-Ireland movie). Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg (playing the prick cop) have some choice moments. Goodfellas is still my favorite Scorcese film and certainly on my top five all-around list. And Bill the Butcher, as played by Daniel Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York, beats out Nicholson's Costello any day of the week for best crazy bastard.

30 Rock Clip: Alec Baldwin Just Cracks Me Up

Joe's Review: The Queen

Song for the day:
"Witchcraft" - The Chairman of the Board, for Halloween

Prestige Review

2006-10-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

Joe's Review: The Prestige

A comparison is drawn between the Johannson's character's loyalties and her corseted bosom. For more, read the review folks!

Joe's Reviews/Project Runway

2006-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Project Runway:
Jeffrey won! His collection was rad. Uli's was lovely!! Michael will go far. I'll miss Tim Gunn. Till next season then.

Links to a slew of Joe's movie reviews below:

The Departed

Factotum

Beerfest

an assortment

2006-10-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Call of Duty

Team building is painful in real life, but makes for great tv.

another cute office clip

Misc Pics Below:
-Some neat ones from my folks back home.
-The rest from a trip to San Diego and the San Diego Zoo over the summer.

missing the midwest

2006-10-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

missing the midwest
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

fall

2006-10-17T23:58:00.000-07:00

fall
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

michigan!

2006-10-17T23:57:00.001-07:00

michigan!
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

Contemplative Gorilla

2006-10-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Contemplative Gorilla
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

panda napping in tree

2006-10-17T23:55:00.002-07:00

panda napping in tree
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

oh dear

2006-10-17T23:55:00.001-07:00

oh dear
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

gorillas

2006-10-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

gorillas
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

and more gorillas

2006-10-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

and more gorillas
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

San Diego!

2006-10-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

San Diego!
Originally uploaded by elaboratelies.

what the?

2006-10-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

The Office
"Grief Counseling" was alright.
Entertainment Weekly has a cute article/neat pics of Jenna Fischer this week. According to that article, the charming little grenade bit in "The Coup" between Jones and Krasinki was improvised. Sheesh, they got the chemistry.

Project Runway
Worried about Michael and Jeffrey. Still resisting the spoilers. Laura's collection looks great. Jeffrey's Japanese-inspired trapeze artist-looking ensembles look the best so far. I hope he doesn't get the boot. And Michael's. I don't know about that. Hopefully it's just a case of fakeout editing.

Misc:
-The Palm has comfy new seats!!

Songs for the day:
"They Don't Know." - Tracey Ullmann
Sure seems like the perfect song to listen to while flipping through the lovely new Amy Sedaris book.

"The Bagman's Gambit" - The Decemberists
Gearing up.

re:

2006-10-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

The Office: "The Coup"
Just fantastic!
-Loved the way Dwight's takeover attempt was combined with outlet shopping suggestions
"Pull over at Exit 40. There's a Liz Claiborne outlet store....Go inside and shop until I can meet you."
-Loved the Stamford branch's creepy "Call of Duty" drills (more great Krasinski looks as a result)
-Rashida Jones is so cute and funny as the new coworker taking a liking to Jim. Pim who?

David Rakoff on The Daily Show - Nice.

ny: to do #847

2006-10-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

Just read about this ongoing Cringe Reading Series craze in Venus magazine. (a neat magazine I must say) Apparently people read their real journals and other misc writings from the junior high years. Yikes!! Another thing to add to the list for the New York trip I hope to take in the not too distant future.

TimeOut Blurb on Cringe Night

incoming!

2006-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Cool new releases:

Amy Sedaris has a cookbook coming out soon! It's called I Like You and it has both recipes and entertaining tips. Her cheeseballs and craft ideas are always so cute on Conan (the "Fuck-it bucket," remember that one? Hee!) I can't wait to see more quirky goodness.

And a new album from The Hold Steady! I had no idea.

TV!

2006-09-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

TV!

Gilmore Girls
Highlight: Discussion of the implications of a toy rocket gift, which leads to a number of Elton John references and the winning "I'm his rock in the ET, eastern time zone" remark.

The Office
"The Convention" was fantastic. I love the part where Michael Scoon invites the Bus to his shindig, followed by the Blackberry mascot. Krasinki channels Freeman in the moment Jim hears Pam has a date! WTF? Funny with bittersweet moments.

Project Runway
None of my favorites were axed! Now on to Tim Gunn's perspective.

office-related

2006-09-22T02:12:00.000-07:00

The Office season opener - kind of an oddball episode. There were some pretty funny moments. (The "Queer as ____" part was so Arrested Development.) And plenty of the extra-awkward variety too. The new people are going to take some getting used to. Looking forward to the new season.

Conan and Krasinki talking Dunkin' Donuts coffee on Late Night - lordy!

Currently enjoying:

-Veronica Mars Season 2 - this show is wonderful. Nancy Drew sleuthing + Heathers dark wit + Gilmore Girls one-liners x Stacie being a complete and total dork = Veronica Mars.

-John Hodgman's snazzy tie collection

-Tim Gunn's podcasts - I love that his favorite word seems to be intractable. He is hilarious (especially when annoyed about something) and a great storyteller/rehasher. He can rehash like nobody's business. As much as I love Project Runway, I think I love these podcasts more. Speaking of the show, my pick for the winner is still Michael.

emmys and whatnot (road house 3D edition)

2006-08-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Pretty decent Emmys this year with some very funny moments:

Super cool:

-The Office wins best comedy!!!

-Julia Louis-Dreyfus wins best comedic actress- she's cute

-Greg Garcia's speech

-The following banter:
"I'm Emmy winner Tiny Fey."
"And I'm home owner Tracey Morgan."

-Colbert and Stewart's patter and love pats
Looksee: Stewart and Colbert Present

-The-Bob Newhart-only-being-given-so-much-air-so-keep-the-thank-you-speeches-quick-schtick

-Conan's opening montage where he enters into various shows- especially the Office bit. It would have been cool to see Conan try to keep up the pace on The Gilmore Girls.
Looksee: Conan on the Office

Lovely Emmy Garb/Garments:
Ladies:
-Portia de Rossi
-Julia Louis-Dreyfus
-Debra Messing

Gents:
-Jon Stewart
-Peter Krause
-Tim Gunn!

Whatnot:

-Found myself having to ask for clarification on "Road House too" or "Road House 2?" Turns out it was Road House 2, a sequel does in fact exist.

Little Miss Sunshine was a hoot!

Project Runway just gets more angsty and wonderful every week. Michael is my favorite. He is the most talented, humble and likeable on the show. His clothes are structured, fashion forward and unique- not just baggy sundresses others seem to skim by on each week. I think the ideal top three would be Michael, Jeffrey (neck tattoo) and Kayne if he tones it down and gets it together. Otherwise Laura or Uli have that spot. I'm into it. That Michael Kors line last week about "Comme des Garcons goes to Amish country" was rad.

Can't wait for the BBC's Robin Hood miniseries with Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne- lordy!

san diego, favre and misc tv/movies (IKEA you not)

2006-08-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Talladega Nights was so funny!! From the baby Jesus to the over the top ad spoofs to the Whitesnake-inspired scene I loved it.

Project Runway was a bit of a rollercoaster. The design challenge last night was to create an outfit from materials gathered at a recycling plant in New Jersey!! So tired of these reality competition shows keeping freakshows around (ratings, spectacle, cheese, I know, I know) and sacrificing people with legitimate talent. Sad to see Alison go. She is a cute person of immense talent who got cut due to an albeit wonky dress, which was such a fluke. She forever won me over when she said she half expected to hear the Sopranos theme music on their way to the recycling plant. Glad Michael is raking in the wins. I agree with my Mom, the guy with the neck tattoo probably really deserved the win with his intricate paper dress. The bodice work alone took that challenge.

Took a quick trip to San Diego a few weeks back. Quite fun. Highlights included:

The Zoo!
The theme seemed to be baby animals. So cute. Even the little baby boars were cute.
Tiny meerkats, peacocks, gorillas and a baby panda. I was a little nervous about the baby panda, who was napping way up in a tree, falling. My favorites were the orangutans and the gorillas. I agree with Brooke and Katie that the koalas looked like little old men. So great. The San Diego Zoo is lovely. If I lived in SD I'd get a season pass and go often.

Andy Warhol's Dream America
On a whim I dropped by the museum. So glad I did. Andy Warhol's Dream America-a huge collection of his screenprints on display. What an experience. I liked the double exposure of Jackie O. and Kafka ones quite a bit. Link below:
Andy Warhol's Dream America

La Jolla
What a pretty beach and walk. San Diego is pretty cool.

IKEA
Finally visited an IKEA. They are cool. I left feeling overwhelmed and as though I need to get my life in order. The mazarin tort is yummy.

My pictures turned out really bad. $9 disposable camera, who would have guessed? When Brooke sends some pics, I'll do some postin'.

Link to Funny Favre Article in the Onion

askew

2006-08-04T00:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Office webisode was the best yet! It is what these webisode dealies should have been all along. Last week's with Stanley was good too. I believe Jessica will concur.

World Series of Pop Culture
My team didn't win, shucks. I'll miss you Boeghy Bunch and Pat Kiernan too.

Project Runway
Here's hoping Alison or Michael win.

Proposed Cagematch o' the day:
Dog the Bounty Hunter vs. that guy from the Big Spender show (He and his shirts scare me)

Song of the day:
"The Kindness of Strangers" - The American Analog Set

more of the same

2006-07-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

Saw Scoop. I enjoyed it. I liked the line about converting to narcissism. The part where the Johansson character explains how she can't wear contacts because she can't touch her eye was so funny to me. Neurotic.

Found out about this in ReadyMade. Check out the posters at the small stakes website. They're amazing. I think I like the Mates of State heart one best, but it is so impossible to choose. See the following link: the small stakes

Obscure observation corner:
Is it just me or is "Eli Wallach" a clue on nearly every crossword?
Wordplay - worth a look!

Ed Helms joins The Office!
Want Office info, then go to any of the four great Office links to the right.

Song of the Day:
"New York Was Great" - The Raveonettes

and then one day you find yourself shouting dabney coleman and vision quest at the tv set

2006-07-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

Had fun the other night catching up with my best pal growing up, Helen. And I got to see her sister Sonia and their husbands Kyle and Jason. And her son Zander too. Cutie! Quite fun. It's been too long. We played poker. Texas hold-em? I know nothing about poker. At all. Not remotely. Yikes! I just wished I had had a little camera in the table to show my cards to. Next time I'm going to be ready for them.

A game that's a little more my style (ahem) is vh1's World Series of Pop Culture. I like the names of many of the teams (I Heart Jake Ryan, We're What Willis Was Talkin' About, Peanut Butter and Ginelli, among others.) Host Pat Kiernan is likeable and funny in an understated way. Most of the questions seem to be pretty easy. They have some intermediates. And then, every once in a while, they pose a few questions that are at the difficulty level of someone who only leaves the basement to replenish their Mountain Dew supply and/or attend a guild meeting. Someone on tonight's episode was not able to identify which 80s movie this quote is from: "It's social. Demented and sad, but social." I was stunned.

shrug

2006-07-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

weezer is kaput

plotzing

2006-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Office webisodes started today!

Neat!
In other Office news, I saw over at Northern Attack that the actors who played Tim, Dawn and Gareth on the UK Office (Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis and Mackenzie Crook) will be appearing on the next season of the US Office. Plotzing over here.

Cool!
Check out Robert's webjournal:
bourbonblues

Funny!
todd barry quotes

Bizarro
Last night while grocery shopping I saw Pirates of the Caribbean cereal, yes I did. Here are the particulars: "Naturally sweetened chocolate pearl-shaped cereal with pirate-shaped marshmallows." I'm not certain I'd spend a dime-shaped dime on that.

Loony Bin!

2006-07-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

Check out the link for Mercer, WI's Loon Day. Super fun! I love how the site proclaims "Mercer, Wisconsin - We Have It All!"

Mercer Loon Days

for pete's sake: the works, small screen happenings and more

2006-07-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

I watched fireworks from the parking lot of Tanagi's Sushi in Pismo. The glaring McDonald's sign in the direct path of the display made me feel like a true American. I had three ratings for the works this year: "son-of-a-bitch," "ooo pretty" and "geez." There were some of those tiger's manes types I like, could have had a few more blue ones. Missed Brooke and Cocaine Katie, weird without them. All in all a pretty nice show.

*Emmy Nominations, things they got right:
=Julia Louis-Dreyfus
=Office noms
=Peter Krause
=Frances Conroy
=Will Arnett

Who Emmy Overlooked, Inexplicably:
=Lauren Graham!!! (very uncool)
=John Krasinski (Wait, what?)
=Jenna Fischer
=Hugh Laurie
=Jason Bateman
=Jason Lee

Song of the day:
"All Hands on the Bad One" - Sleater-Kinney

nosedive

2006-06-28T00:37:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing.

Queer Eye was cute. They made over a gay fella, which was fun. He looked and acted like the kid from Real Genius. It reminded me of the old days of the show. (If you haven't seen Real Genius, which is an 80s classic, you should literally walk out of your house/apt/dwelling in whatever state of dress you are in right now and rent it. It's late and I am starting to make weird suggestions.)

To see:
=SWC (Finally!)
=Scoop (Scarlett J. looks like Mia F. in this one to me.)
=Wordplay

File this under news not unlike a sucker punch/sad/sheesh:
Sleater-Kinney is kaput. This calls for a double sheesh. So long.

Song of the day:
Pick your favorite S-K song. I'll go with "The End of You" from The Hot Rock.

faceplant

2006-06-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

Queer Eye is back and so is Kathy Griffin's show. Project Runway's third season begins in a few weeks. I'm in hag heaven. The highlight tonite was Carson referring to some artwork as very "Salvador Dali-Parton." Yep, that's why I love it. Thanks Bravo! Today was marginally hideous (work overload/everyone moving/etc) so this was a nice little perk.

watch this: tim gunn is the best

watch this: season 3 just around the corner

Read a little about Hammerpress in ReadyMade. The posters are very nice indeed. Take a peek at the link below:

hammerpress

tip for tuesday

2006-06-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Never argue or force the issue with someone who looks like Michael Rooker. Just don't do it.

Song for the day: "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade"

grab bag

2006-06-03T00:47:00.000-07:00

watch this: funny clip and so true

ongoing movies to see list....
=A Scanner Darkly
=Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
=Lady In the Water (perhaps)
=The Fountain
=The Namesake **** winner for most anticipated in this round ****
=Accepted (under just the right mix of matinee, for kicks and weird mood)

Wanting to rent The Rock sometime soon. Good action movie fun. I appreciate the Cage character's brand of sarcasm in that one.

"lloyd presents cocoon"

2006-06-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

I saw X-3 this evening. It was entertaining, I must say, despite my bitching in previous posts. The laugh out loud moment was the line that went something like this: "She must have cocooned herself in a trans-kinetic energy field." And "Oh my stars and garters" was pretty funny too. I was worried we would not see any new characters. Not so. I think they take some liberties with characters, which I'm not too keen on. I need to find a Marvel dictionary and get to the bottom of this pronto. Dork moment #1. Dork moment #2: during a pivotal moment in the movie, I thought to myself, they did the same thing on Buffy five years ago. Yikes. They certainly leave ample room for another movie.

The Criterion edition of Metropolitan is out on DVD. For awhile now, but still. In a related note, might Brandon Davis be the Rick Von Sloneker of our day?

Song of the day: Weezer's "In the Garage" (the x-men references)

swoon alert: elevated

2006-06-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

Just finished the BBC's North & South. So very good. It is based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel. This love story is very moving and more than tinged with sadness. And it addresses social issues of the time as well. The leads are excellent. Daniela Denby-Ashe reminds me of Kate Winslet and Rachel Weisz, which is the ultimate compliment. Bonny lass! Richard Armitage is flawless as Thornton, a complicated and Darcy-esque character. Super handsome! The supporting cast is great too, especially Sinead Cusack. I was specifically reminded of a few paintings while watching the film, one being William Turner's "Rain Steam and Speed." Another one that came to mind was Caillebotte's "Paris, A Rainy Day." The rain reflected in the cobblestones and the girl's pink cheek in the painting are the same kind of small yet wonderful details the filmmakers pay attention to. The look of the film is very stark with sharp contrasts between light and dark. I appreciate this austere quality and the punch of color thrown in now and then, such as with Margaret's seafoam ballgown. I enjoy hearing the Northern English accent too.

North & South is up there with Pride and Prejudice. And I don't just go around saying things like that. And it has one of the most romantic scenes ever. A few actually. On the swoon scale this is truly a ten. It has instantly become one of those items I am unreasonably fond of. Can't wait to read the novel.

***Jessica- Remember. Mariko MUST know about this!

BBC's Pride and Prejudice site