Yay! Blog! v2.0
Category: Movies and TV

I went to see March of the Penguins this morning. It was beautiful and touching. Nature is amazing.

The theater didn’t have junior mints, but I got popcorn and a bottle of water. The popcorn and water cost more than the movie ticket.

After the movie, I went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Upon leaving, I overheard two women talking:


Woman1: I ate healthy and didn’t enjoy it.
Woman2: Well I didn’t eat healthy, and I feel miserable.

Isn’t that just the way of it?

My prediction for Real World Austin is that I'm going to hate it, but will watch every episode anyway to see my city. They contrived ways to show off some of the sites on the first show. Three of the housemates took a trip on the riverboat on Town Lake before they went to the house, two visited Mount Bonnell, and two hung around the Capitol.

The sites are great. Yeah. The young punk kids are irritating as hell. The first night, two of the guys bet on who will "hookup" with a roommate first. Ugh. Watching this is going to be painful.

I've been disappointed with this season's "Tru Calling." Last night had an interesting twist with Jack having feelings for a dying girl, but for the most part, I'm not digging the Good Girl (Tru) vs. Bad Guy (Jack) thing.

Now it looks like "Joan of Arcadia" is going down the same path with Ryan Hunter (Wentworth Miller) as Joan's adversary. I'm not sure why he helped Adam unless "he" guided him to because "he" knew it would lead Ryan to Joan.

The writing on "Joan" is much better than on "Tru," so I'm open to what's ahead. I just hope they don't start doing a bunch of Joan vs. Ryan shows.

Note to the b-Man: have you started trying to find anagrams for Ryan Hunter, yet?

Is liking "The Simple Life" something I should keep to myself? I thought I'd hate it, but it's cute!

I'm home with a double case of pink eye today. Yech. I even went to the doctor. I never go to the doctor. That's not the point of this post, though...

Being home sick, I've almost caught up on "Alias." I finished the Season 3 DVDs yesterday, and right now I'm watching the second episode of the current season. Sydney is having a party for Eric Weiss.

Sydney's outside talking to her Dad about their highly dysfunctional family. Muffled music is bleeding out from inside the apartment. It's Driveshaft's "You All Everybody." That reference will be lost on you unless you're a fan of "Lost."

I don't think it will happen, but this is the week Constantine needs to get voted off "American Idol." Travis, too. Everyone else was far better tonight. This is the third season I've watched, and I've never seen this much talent going in to the Top 12. Wow!

Girls tomorrow night. I'm not as excited about the girls, although that hyper teenager, Mikalah, impressed me greatly last week.

Allergies are still kicking my butt. I suppose it's the price of Spring.

I learned a new word this morning: Septuagenarian. That's someone in their 70's. I'm not sure I'll ever use it, but it's fun to find a word I've never heard before.

I found it in this article about the Oscars. It describes Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story, a movie in my backlog of movies to write about in my movie blog.

Reading that article, I started thinking "this is why I don't watch award shows." But then I realized I was attaching too much meaning to my disinterest. Basically (heehee... I said "basically"), I just don't care enough who wins or what *she's* wearing or who walks in on *his* arm. Maybe I'll get interested when I personally know a nominee.

I do think it would be neat if Adam Duritz wins an Oscar for that song he wrote for Shrek 2. I'm still not watching.

Some of the talent on American Idol is incredible this year. I don't remember them having this much talent in prior years. I'm lovin' the rocker dude, Constantine.

I went by the Real World house a couple more times today, but no activity. There are "No Trespassing" and "Private Property" signs around the building. Here's a picture of the entrance:

The cast of MTV's Real World is in Austin now. I haven't seen them yet, but I heard one of them got in a fight and had to go to the hospital for stitches (camera crew in tow). I also heard where their house is. It's a converted downtown warehouse across the street from the convention center and 3 blocks away from Sixth Street. Here's a picture I took on the way home from work tonight:

There's a lighted sign on top that says "Austin." I'll try to get some more pictures another day.

They'll be in town during South by Southwest. I bet they'll be involved with the festival in some way.

I haven't watched the show since they were in Boston. That was season 6. Austin is season 16. I suspect I'll watch season 16.

I am a bona fide contributor to the Internet Movie Database. I submitted the pictures I took on the set of Tommy Lee Jones "Man of the House" (aka "Cheer Up") movie, and they posted them in the External Links section for that movie. See the link for Kim's Place Pictures - photo gallery. Yay!

Kevin requested a review of my new Humax TiVo/DVD Recorder Combo. Rob said to be sure and note the first thing I burned to DVD. So, second things first... The first thing I put on DVD was "Tori Amos: Scarlet Sessions." I burned that per an Irish Kelly request because she doesn't get the station it's on or something. I burned another Tori Amos special, too. The first movie I burned was "The Life of David Gale" which was a super movie that I'll write about soon. I didn't want to waste space on the DVD, so I also burned "Freak Talks About Sex." I haven't seen that one, but I like Steve Zahn, so I think I'll like it.

The Humax box is great. It's very easy to burn DVDs. I think it took about an hour to burn each DVD, but I'm not sure because I just set it to burn and went back an hour or so later to see if it was done. While it's burning a DVD, you can watch TV or watch something else you've recorded.

It only uses DVD-R and -RW (as opposed to DVD+R and +RW). I tested one of the burned DVDs in my other DVD player (a Panasonic), and it worked fine. It didn't work in Irish Kelly's DVD player. She said she has an old crappy one, though. The DVDs also work in my desktop computer and laptop.

Something I learned about the home networking option where you can watch a show on one TiVo that you recorded on the other is that you're not really watching what's on the other TiVo. You have to transfer it. So you have to make sure you have room on the box you're transferring it to. Once transferred, it's on both boxes. One disappointing thing is that you can't burn a show to DVD that you've transferred from another TiVo box. I think you could if you transferred it from another Humax TiVo/DVD Recorder Combo box, but not from a regular TiVo box. That just means I have to plan ahead if I know I want to burn something to DVD and make sure I record it directly on to the Humax TiVo. Overall, it's a wonderful product. And I'm so glad I have a TiVo in my bedroom now. The good news is it helps me go to bed earlier. The bad news is it keeps me awake later! A couple more things (posted 11/21): Gary reminded me of something else. The menus have a longer delay on them than my other TiVo. It's a long enough delay that sometimes I press the button again because I don't think it's going to show up. Only 1 hour of "Best" quality recording will fit on a DVD. You have to plan ahead if you know you're going to burn something--don't pick too high quality or it might not fit on the DVD.

It's 7:00 p.m. Central. I just checked the TiVo Guide and on the major networks, I found:

• You Decide 2004
• Vote 2004
• Decision 2004: Election Night
• Election 2004

I'm glad they qualified their shows with "2004." I might have thought they meant some other year.

• Lost - I thought they were going to blow it with the mysterious giant beast that grabbed the pilot right out of the cockpit, but they've gotten away from that and have been focusing on the people. At the end of tonight's episode, there was a very interesting sequence. There was happy music playing (Ben Harper?) and people were being nice to other people unexpectedly and good things were happening. I was crying a bit because it was touching. Then the music changed unexpectedly, it focused on Terry O'Quinn, and everything felt ominous. I love a show that can take a sharp turn like that.
  
  
• Wife Swap - I only watched this because I was too lazy to pick up the remote. It was much better than I thought it would be. I watched the one where the country lady swapped with the rich lady. I loved it when the country lady dismissed the nannies. It seems like everyone learned something or got something good out of it except the rich husband. What an arrogant ass! I loved when his kids told the country lady she was a good mommy. I haven't seen tonight's show all the way through, but I think both wives are bonkers.
  
  
• Survivor - I think Twila saved herself last week when she softened up at Tribal Council and said maybe she would have the younguns braid her hair and do her nails. I guess someone decided she was cool and switched their vote. I was glad Mia got booted... she was too bitchy.
  
  
• The Bachelor - That show is awful. A bunch of beautiful women competing over a man. Sheesh. Gives me the willies. I don't think I've ever really liked a show that's all about beautiful people. Plus... it would have to be some kind of weird and unforeseen situation where I would compete for a man. But then it's not like I'm having any luck finding anyone anyway.
  
  
• Joan of Arcadia - God hugged Joan this week. That made me cry. I thought it was interesting how Kevin started feeling guilty about the accident after he went to see his friend. I think his friend just needs Kevin to be friendly with him so he can stop feeling so guilty. I bet he would drop the lawsuit.

Yay! God's back on Joan of Arcadia. My favorite version of God is the little girl. I wasn't sure how they were going to bring God back, but the way they did it was perfect. At the end of last season, they explained Joan's interactions with God as a symptom of Lyme disease. But this season, they just continued on with God being God. Seems the Lyme disease was just to show her what "crazy" is like so she'll stop thinking she's crazy and believe. That's so something that God would do.

I didn't understand the part when she read the quote from Howard's End. I had to look up the full quote because she only read the first two words aloud and showed emotion as she read the rest.

Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die. -- E. M. Forster, "Howard's End"

Wanna explain that to me? I'm sure someone will find this through Google or something and roll their eyes at how stoopid I am. I could probably figure it out in context if I read the novel, but I'm just looking for the Cliff Notes version, 'kay? I can't even find enough time to read the books I have on my shelf.

Jason Ritter looks sooo much like his Dad. Especially when he was playing basketball.

I'm glad God and Joan and Grace and Adam are back. It's been a long summer without them! Next week's looks like a tear jerker.

There's an interesting list that creator Barbara Hall gave to the writers about God at IMDB. Check out The Ten Commandments of Joan of Arcadia. I'm pretty sure the 10th Commandment and the quote from E.M. Forster relate to each other.

I'm really just posting this as a test to see if my Sauce Reader program will post to my blog. It's an article from Reuters UK about how Dr Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker have defeated Dr Strangelove, Dana Scully of "X Files" fame and Star Trek's Mr Spock to be voted Britain's favorite screen scientists.

Muppet scientists have the right chemistry

Woah... success!

Sunday weigh-in: PZ -14 LW -0 (lost 14 pounds total, lost 0 pounds since last week)

My new favorite show is Aquateen Hunger Force. Oh man... that show is nuts. For those who haven't seen it.. the main characters are a shake, a carton of french fries with a goatee, and a meat wad. They like to hang out in their neighbor Carl's above ground pool. Intrigued? Go watch it! It's on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Joan of Arcadia was good this week, but it was one of those shows where the women go whacko. Joan's mom jumped all over Joan's dad for not being supportive in the way she wanted him to be, but I thought it was embarrassing for women. She wanted him to praise her art. He said it was nice, and that just wasn't enough. I can see her being disappointed, but to get upset and make him feel bad? Then Joan got all bent out of shape because Adam didn't notice that she started wearing makeup. C'mon girls... ya just gotta let guys be guys.

Tru Calling is over for this season. Wow! It's getting very interesting. What started off as a show with Tru saving a life (or some variation) every week has developed a great story arc that really makes you think. If someone is supposed to die and you save their lives, have you messed things up in the future? I mean... who is the real hero... Tru, who saves the lives, or Jack, who makes sure the people die?

American Idol is getting down to the wire. It truly is the battle of the divas now except that Jennifer Hudson should be there. I predict they will fall in this order... Jasmine, Diana, LaToya leaving Fantasia #1. Then again... when Jasmine is voted off, who will gain her votes the next week? If Diana gains them, then maybe LaToya or Fantasia will fall. We'll see. I just hope they have a better show next week. I'm not a big fan of big band. Go Fantasia!!

Queer Eye is still just as good as ever, but my interest seems to be waning a bit. It takes me several days to get through a whole show.

Family Plots is a new fav. It's a reality show where the cameras are in a family run mortuary. The middle sister is the embalmer. The other two sisters work in the office. The Dad picks up the bodies. The sister's fiance owns and runs the place. It's pretty intense and interesting.

No time for TV today... I've got lyrics to write, a song to debut (maybe), grocery shopping to do, and stuffed bell peppers to cook. I better get started...

I am so disappointed in American Idol this week. I got to submit a vote for the first time this season. Usually, I don't watch it until the next day when voting is over. And the contestant I voted for got kicked off.

It was an unbelievable results show, and showed that American Idol is so unpredictable. How the hell were LaToya, Fantasia and Jennifer the bottom three?? When they revealed them as the bottom three, I really wanted LaToya to be kicked off. When Ryan sent her to safety, I was completely shocked. Oddly enough, though, I was hoping Fantasia would stay safe even though I voted for Jennifer. I just never expected Fantasia to be down so low!!

On another note... I thought Barry Manilow was soooo awesome this week. He helped the contestants pick songs that would work with their style and really brought out the best in most of them.

Sheesh... I'm almost afraid to watch next week. 'course... I will.

I've asked my TiVo to record A&E's new reality TV show Family Plots. It takes place in a funeral home. That's just sick. But I can't help myself...

• American Idol: I know Camille had to go, but I sure wish either of the Johns had been voted off first. I know one of these weeks Camille would have gotten a song that fit her style, and she would have really shined.
• I've been juggling at work lately. Literally. I'm a three ball juggler. I took my juggle balls home, and I'm going to start juggling in the evenings. It's not *great* exercise, but it's movement and that's always a good thing.
• American Idol: I think about the way the voting works a lot. I wonder how different things would be if we voted someone off instead of voting for our favorite. I never get to vote anyway, because I usually have too much going on Tuesday evenings to see the show in real time. But if I could have voted someone off, I would have voted John Peter Lewis (JPL) off. He's cute and all, but I can't imagine watching him do more than one song in one sitting.
• American Idol: If I'd had time to vote for my favorite, it probably would have been Fantasia. I didn't like her at first, but now I think she's the coolest of the bunch.
• Joan of Arcadia: Do you think the whole Adam/Jane(joan) romance will start stinking up the series now that Adam left Iris for Jane(joan)? I hope not... I live vicariously through those two.
• American Idol: Do you think there's really any chance Simon and Paula would get married? Do you think Randy ever feels like a third wheel?
• I found out that if I skip GrapeNuts in the morning, I'm more likely to cheat on my diet during the day. Go Go GrapeNuts!!
• American Idol: Redheaded John should have sung "Daniel." He sounded really good during that awful montage thing they did on that terribly LONG results show last night. John needs to go, but I love when he sings the sweet tender songs like that.
• I usually don't like daylight savings time, but I've been enjoying it on the days that the weather is good. I got home from work the other day, and it was still so bright that I got to see the rainbows on my walls and ceiling. And as much as I hate getting up before the sun, I got to see a whole bunch of stars this morning when Lily took me for a walk.
• American Idol: Another thing I think about when I think about the voting... I wonder how people's votes swing when their favorite gets voted off. Who will the Camille voters vote for next week? Some might not vote anymore, but others will choose a new favorite. That's one of the things that makes this show so dynamic and interesting.

Sunday weigh-in: PZ -12 LW -2 (lost 12 pounds total, 2 pound since last week)

Yay!

Sometimes on "Joan of Arcadia", God appears as a hippie guy walking a bunch of dogs. That's Amber Tamblyn's (Joan's) real-life father Russ Tamblyn.

William Hung has his own website. Yay!!

"I have no professional training of singing or dancing." --William Hung

Here's my entry in the movie meme that's going around. Someone said the list came from the first 100 of the IMDb's top 250, but it's slightly different. I don't know who started the meme, but we're to show the movies we've seen.

I've seen the ones in bold. Under 50%...

1. Godfather, The (1972)
2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)
3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, The (2003)
5. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, The (2002)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. Schindler’s List (1993)
8. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
9. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)
10. Citizen Kane (1941)

Read More About 100 Movies »

My favorite line from tonight's Joan of Arcadia... "You can't unring a bell, baby."

On Wednesday, I'm doing what I did last year... taking the afternoon off of work to go see Return of the King. I'm really looking forward to it. Then I'll look forward to when the special three DVD set comes out with all three LotR movies. Woo-Hoo!

It's been a hard week at work with no end in sight really. And I've got some weird personal things that I really shouldn't talk about here that are making me feel very unsettled. Nothing tragic... just my own insecurities raging at me. I was crying when I went to bed last night, but the saving grace was a cold wet wash rag. Sometimes when I can't sleep for whatever reason, I put a cold wet wash rag on my head and somehow it settles me down. I slept pretty good until 4:30 when LilyDawg woke me up to go out. Then I couldn't get back into a good sleep.

Anyway... I hope work isn't as crazy next week, and I can really get away on Wednesday afternoon to see the movie. Then I hope I can get completely lost in Middle Earth. I really love that place.

Traffic to my website has skyrocketed due to Kim Novak's interview on Larry King Live tonight. I had to do a double take at my stats. Usually, I get about 200-250 visits a day. I saw the number "211" in my stats, but the double take happened when I realized that was just for the last hour! I've had 1,350 visits so far today. I know they're not looking for me, but it's kinda cool anyway.

If it weren't for Peppermint Tina tipping me off to Kim Novak's interview tonight, I'd be baffled by the traffic. And I would have missed the interview!! Wait... I DID miss most of the interview. But TiVo will record the replay later. What I saw of the interview was great! She talked about how she had a pet snake named Sincerely:

He'd wrap himself up in my hair with his little head point out. But when it came time to leave I put him back into the desert, and he went a little ways and turned around and came back and climbed up my horse's leg and crawled back. I mean, it was absolutely awesome. We had a real connection.

She also said her first horse was her greatest love (besides her husband). A woman after my own heart.

The transcript is already up at CNN.com. I'm not going to read it, though. I want to see her speak the words on television.