Goodfellas & Lifetime are like oil & water THEY DON’T MIX!

I don’t care how many pastel vines you adorn on this image,
it will not be targeted at women.



I watch Lifetime. There we go, a confession for you. I do watch this network that is synonymous with “programming for women” and gripping low budget films like “My Stepson, My Lover; The Shannon McDonald Story” Ever notice that the titles almost always involve a colon or semi-colon. Anyway, I find myself watching this network when one of two things happens.

1. Scrabble with Mom- I’ve been trying to hang with Kris a little more often these days. I try to meet her on her terms and so I let her watch whatever she wants on TV while we play Scrabble. I gave up long ago trying to influence her choices in media. So if there isn’t a wedding show on or Oprah, she defaults to Lifetime. She’s my mom; I love through this lapse in judgment.

2. TiVo records Will & Grace- That show has some funny moments and my TiVo doesn’t care what network it is on. This is one of the rare times I watch commercials with TiVo, but the Lifetime Network is so bad the commercials are like a car wreck. I have to slow down and give it a look.

A few weeks ago I came across a horrible idea. They are showing Goodfellas on Lifetime and promoting it. I really don’t get this at ALL! What’s next, Soprano’s on the Oxygen Network? Seriously, this makes no sense to me at all. I noticed that nearly every clip they used in the promotion showed the character Karen Hill, wife to the notorious gangster/informant and protagonist of the film. While she has an interesting storyline and makes a great supporting character in this film, she is not the driving force. This is kind of like telling a friend who loves animals that they should watch Season 2 of Friends on DVD because Ross owns a monkey.

A friend of mine had mentioned a while back that Lifetime was trying to re-brand itself. If this is how they plan on doing this then they must have had their brainstorming session after sustaining head injuries. Lifetime, stick with the poorly produced empowered woman stories. Don’t waste your money on the fees to air a classic gangster movie, just because I want to be entertained while playing Scrabble. I am not your target market.

The Luck of the Irish runs out.

I purposely made this photo block out your tattoos
for the sake of prettiness. Just my opinion.



For my faithful readers, I’m sorry this is a day late. For those that don’t notice or don’t care, I’m not sorry.

The little Irish girl takes off quicker than I believed was deserved. I think everyone was shocked that night because she had such a good night with show tunes. Sharing the judges praise and then telling her she was gone made for dramatic TV. And let’s talk about Andrew Lloyd Webber Week! I have always been honest about liking things that may not be perceived as masculine. (I think the fact that I blog weekly about Idol is evidence of that.) (I also think the fact that I call it Idol is evidence.) I own the fact that I like Disney, Show tunes, and girls. Granted, affinity for all three things aren’t usually present in one guy but I have no problem being the anomaly.

This week of music reminded me how much I like Show tunes, Broadway is just plain awesome. There is great storytelling and raw emotion in the songs of this genre. If you haven’t seen a Broadway play, then you need to. Go enjoy Wicked before it leaves town. (More on Wicked in a few weeks!) None of the other Idols conquered Webber’s music like Syesha. Thirty seconds into her performance I thought to myself, “okay this girl will leave the Idol Summer Tour in September and head straight to Broadway, and she will be great.” These are two very different styles, Pop and Broadway, and therefore require different singers.

Interestingly enough, David Archuleta who has more of a Josh Groban-ish voice that can do well in Broadway did a curious Pop arrangement. I found this to be very deliberate. It’s clear that he know the thing that people find enchanting with David Cook is his arrangements and edge. Consequently Archuleta decided to do a funky arrangement of a Broadway hit. It wasn’t a hit in my opinion. David should just do his thing and stay the cute boy who constantly needs to clear his throat.

With Brooke dodging the bottom two this week, it is clear that she has a large following and that fan base is very forgiving. My guess is that she will pick up a lot of votes from Carly (the remainder going to David Cook.) By the way, that’s half the issue when making these predictions. I consider who people would be fans of and where else they would put their votes. Carly really didn’t seemed bummed about being voted off which shows me that she knew she wasn’t going to win. Who will win? Here’s my adjusted prediction.

5. Syesha Mercado
4. Jason Castro
3. Brooke White
2. David Archuleta
1. David Cook

Tonight is NEIL DIAMOND. Enough said.

The Office provides lots of laughs and lessons in love.

This is just one example of why I absolutely LOVE this couple.
They make my heart smile.



So, I’ve had this blog for a few months now. I tend to write about things I encounter each day. Rather than talk about old favorites that seem obvious, I talk about whatever crosses my mind. Okay, tonight and old favorite crossed my mind. I laughed so hard at the last two episodes of The Office. I probably woke my neighbors with my guffaw! I got home and watched an episode on Hulu.com (which is great by the way, check it out!) and another on TiVo. How great is the freedom of Hulu and TiVo? While it’s exciting to not having to worry about missing your favorite shows, more importantly its thrilling to have shows that are worth watching.

The Office is worth watching, buying and watching again. If you are not watching episodes twice, then you are missing some great moments that are revealed in your second viewing. This is a testament to the directors and editors. While this show is brilliantly written, having great characters and edited in a way to capture every moment to the point where simple cuts make me laugh. While I could go on about many aspects of the show, I’d like to focus on my favorite part; Jim & Pam.

I’ve never seen a show capture an organic and real couple. Even loveable characters were always split up for the sake of drama. I remember listening to a commentary track on Friends where one of the creators is talking about how they constantly had to keep Ross & Rachel broken up because it made for better TV. Always wondering whether Ross & Rachel would remain “on a break” was a part of why I loved this great show. The exact opposite is currently the case for The Office. I love tuning in and seeing people that I relate to, relate to each other. They haven’t sacrificed their own personalities and genuinely enjoy each other without seeming sappy or boring.

My hope is that the producers of this great show keep them together. I was saying the other day that it would be great to see them eventually get married. I’d want to see them experience life together. Not every show has to be the fairy tale quest, it can be about the “ever after”. I think that I will require the next girl I am dating to watch 4 seasons of The Office and ask if she likes the dynamic between Jim & Pam. If she says yes, then I will kiss her and smile. If she says no, I will curse her and cry. I know the stakes are high, but I stand behind my rubric.

So are Jim & Pam the best couple on Television? Share your opinions and if you have one, share you’re alternative couple.

Big words doesn’t make you smart and it sure doesn’t make your movie good.

I would bet that the image of Ellen Page was added
later because of her success with Juno.



Dennis Quad, Ellen Page, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, this movie was sure to have good performances. With the script being from the writer of Sideways it was sure to be witty and well crafted. Don’t be so sure . This movie never delivered on it’s potential.

When I am sitting in a theater continually checking the clock on my cell phone, this is an indication of one of two things. Either it is poorly paced with one section of the film going on far too long, or I want to be somewhere else and long for this pain to end. In the case of Smart People, it was both. I spent my time in the theater feeling like all the characters were out of focus. This wasn’t because of a bad projectionist in the theater, it was because of a bad director on the set. No one was well developed, I didn’t want to see anyone grow or succeed.

Dennis Quad plays a character that should have layers but unfortunately is very one dimensional. Thomas Haden Church’s role as the uncle is simple comic relief and lacks heart, he never goes anywhere. Sarah Jessica Parker seemed to be playing a similar character to her role in Family Stone, except I didn’t care what happened to her. Ellen Page was funny in moments and had the most evident character arc, but it still falls short.

This film is filled with a bunch of big words and literary references. Many people will leave the theater thinking this movie went over their heads. I understood 90% of the big words and literary illusions, and trust me, it still wasn’t funny. I believe the blame lies with the script and the director. The ending felt extremely rushed. It was like someone hit fast forward for the last 15 minutes and then hit spot. I am sure that this was because of cuts made after screenings that revealed people felt like it dragged. Well, simply cutting things at the end doesn’t help the first two hours. Start making trims earlier.

In conclusion, don’t see this movie in the theater. By the time I’ve posted this it has left most theaters, but still avoid it. Avoid renting this movie, don’t plague your Netflix queue with this garbage. This movie would be worth watching if you are on a plane and longing to get some sleep. If you see it on your movie menu, hit play and recline your seat; you will be dreaming of a better movie in minutes.

It was time.

This was when we first met you Kristy,
It’s been down hill ever since then.



As much as I like hotness, I love justice. This weekend justice was served and Kristy Lee Cook said goodbye to Idol. Even though she gave a performance that was great for Country Music, it wasn’t good enough for Idol. She will likely go the route of Kelly Pickler and sell a few million Country records. Part of why I don’t like Country music is their unending acceptance of crap. Sure there are talented artists in there, but then these are the same people that make Larry the Cable Guy a millionaire, so they can’t be expected to have discerning taste.

This lack of discernment is not limited to Country Music. Last weeks show made me wonder, why has Mariah Carey had more number ones than Elvis? She is not a transcending artist like the Beatles or U2, she is still churning out the same lame songs as when I was in Junior High. She looked so fake and silly during her mentoring sessions. She looked like she was going to fall over in her 8 inch heels, completely ridiculous. Why this woman is still selling millions of records is beyond me, I mean come on…GLITTER! If it weren’t for 9/11, this would have been the most tragic event of 2001.

Kristy Lee Cook being voted of was clearly America’s penance for the early departure of Michael Johns. I think that many people stopped voting for the nice girl and started voting to the guy that they think deserves it. And when I say guy I mean it to refer specifically to a male. Look at who is left, I think it’s obvious we’re going to have a man win this year. Of course, I could be wrong and it may be a boy.


6. Syesha Mercado
5. Carly Smithson
4. Jason Castro
3. Brooke White
2. David Archuleta
1. David Cook

Care to comment? What is your prediction?

UPDATE- 4/23/08 2:50 am
I got home from school and crashed, so tired. I woke up at 2 and couldn't sleep, so I played Idol. This week's theme of show tunes got my attention. At the start of the show I said to myself, "oh my, this changes everything!" After watching the show I was right. SO, it's a toss up. Last night, Brooke White gave an awkward performance and gave a look of defeat and agony. Syesha absolutely rocked, giving an audition for Broadway. (In my opinion, she got the part!) If America votes based on the entire season, it's See Ya Syesha. If America votes based on last night, Bye Bye Brooke. Next week we'll have my thoughts on the show overall.