Veronica: Can you do me a weird favor without asking any questions?

Wallace: Isn’t that the bedrock upon which our friendship was founded?

------------------------------------

 
Dear Friends, Readers, and Random Strangers,

I started this blog in 2007 as an outlet for all my random TV and movie knowledge and I have had a great time writing it, but over the past few months I have felt very unfocused and in need of a re-branding. So, with the help of some of my ATX Television Festival family, I am starting fresh! My new blog will focus solely on television and can be found here: mytvfamily.com


Thank you for reading and coming along on this adventure. I hope to see you on the new site!

xoxo
c
-----------------------------------

"Happiness isn't happiness without a violin playing goat."

I have been really lonely this past year and a half. 

Last February, I moved to a city where I knew about three people and it has been a lot harder than I anticipated to make friends. I spend a lot of time alone in my apartment watching TV (which is not a whole lot different than what I was doing before I moved, but now it's because I actually do not have anything else to do). I miss my friends and family in Philly, but I also do not feel like there is anything for me to go back to right now.

To be honest, I have felt pretty lost for a while now. I thought by moving to Texas I would find....something. Something that would make me happy. I guess I have just never really been a happy person. Actually, I think I was happy when I was younger, I just can't remember when or why I lost that feeling of looking forward with anticipation instead of dread. Before I moved, someone actually said to me that they could sense my unhappiness and felt like a light had gone out. 

The problem is, I am not really sure how to turn it back on.

The only bright spot I see is that I have this hobby (for lack of a better word) that I love. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to turn it into something that will also support me financially.

I like movies and television because I can always find something to fit my mood...a world to get lost in. If I just need something to make me laugh, I can visit my friends the Huxtables or get some coffee at Central Perk. If I need a good cry, I will build a house with Kevin Kline or go on a road trip with Whoopi, Mary Louise and Drew. If I just feel like punching someone, I hop on my Harley and ride into Charming. If I just need to completely lose myself, I head into Westeros or Middle Earth. My "comfort food" is spending time in Stars Hollow or Neptune and, most recently, I have been shopping a lot at Buy More. Whatever I am feeling or whatever emotions I need justified, I can either find someone who feels the same or can make me feel better.

Don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful for everything that I have and the opportunities that have been given me, I guess I just always thought my life would be...less ordinary and I felt like I needed to vent a little.

Sometimes though, you just have to face reality...

I will never marry Bradley Cooper. 

The girl does not always get the boy...

or the dream job...

and she doesn't always save the world. 

xoxo
c
----------------------------------------

"You need to go see the wizard. Ask him for some guts."

The seventh blog I ever posted was about my love for actress, Kristen Bell. If you have read any of the subsequent posts you probably know that I have continued to follow her career over the years. I am currently enjoying her character Jeannie Van Der Hooven on Showtime's House of Lies and really liked last summer's Hit and Run, which was written and directed by her fiance Dax Shepard (and also happened to star my other love, Bradley Cooper).

This morning at 10:35 a.m. EST, Entertainment Weekly announced that Kristen and Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas had created a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise $2 million so that they can FINALLY make the Veronica Mars movie that I have been waiting for since the show went off the air in 2007. In less than five hours, they raised half their goal and at the time of this post were at about $1.5 million. Update: They are at $2 million and counting!

I think that Warner Bros. should refund the Kickstarter donations if the goal is reached in less than 24 hours as an apology for doubting the fandom, but that's just me.

Here is the video explaining the project:



And here are all the links you need for anything else you might want:

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/559914737/the-veronica-mars-movie-project

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeronicaMars

Twitter: Kristen - https://twitter.com/IMKristenBell 
              Rob - https://twitter.com/RobThomas

The WB (to catch up on episodes): http://www.thewb.com/shows/veronica-mars

Mars Investigations (in case you can't watch videos at work but still want to catch up on episodes): http://marsinvestigations.net/


I am so beyond excited that I have pretty much not gotten anything done at work today. So, if I get fired, I guess I will just have to go to LA to work on the movie :)

xoxo
c
-------------------

"What's the point of being an outlaw when you got responsibilities?"

I know that I have been really bad about writing the last few weeks and I apologize. Aside from the craziness of the holidays, I am also in the process of planning a move to Austin, Texas at the end of January. I have lived in Philadelphia my whole life and I just felt like I needed a change, so I am packing up my things and starting over somewhere new. Do not worry though, because I will still keep up with the blog after the big move :o)

That being said, I have been trying to catch up on shows that I always meant to watch but just never got around to them. I have recently started watching Flashpoint and Breaking Bad. I also plan to start watching the original Dallas so that I can be up-to-date when the new show starts this summer on TNT.

Flashpoint takes place in Canada follows a Strategic Response Unit (or SWAT team). Each episode is about a different crisis that they must deal with ranging from hostage situations to bomb scares. It stars Enrico Colantoni aka Keith Mars from Veronica Mars, which is why I started watching it in the first place. Amy Jo Johnson plays another main character and you may remember her as Julie Emrick from Felicity or the Pink Power Ranger :o) It originally aired on CBS, but now can be found on Ion Television.

They deal with a different case each week but, it's a little bit different than your typical CSI or Law & Order and I really enjoy it. It delves more into the psychological aspects of the subject so that the SRU can talk them out of the situation they are in. They are an elite group of police officers with high tech gear and sniper training. I am halfway through season three and if you usually like procedural shows than I definitely recommend giving this one a try. Plus, they wear such cool pants!

"You can write my obituary! Charlotte Phelan, dead! Her daughter, still single!"

I want to start by pointing out that this is my 100th post and I have recently surpassed 8,000 views of my blog. Thank you to all of you who are reading and enjoying my random thoughts. If you have not already done so, please share this with any of your friends, family, co-workers or random people on the street that you think might enjoy reading it as well!

And now onto business.....

As I talked about last week, I recently read The Help by Kathryn Stockett in preparation for the movie. I am glad that I read the book because it was very good, but it made me realize that I need to stop reading books before seeing a movie adaptation. Or at least not reading it so close to seeing the movie because then I compare and contrast too much and think about all the things that have been left out from the book instead of just enjoying the movie.

That being said, this was a great film that everyone should see. It was funny and moving and very engaging. I did think it left out a little too much of the racial tension that was very present in the book, but the performances were excellent and really drove the plot.

The characters did talk about how much trouble they would be in if anyone discovered that they were writing the book and there were a few scenes where they show you what kinds of things went on in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's. However, Skeeter's mother, played by Allison Janney, was not as racist in the movie as she was in the book. Also, they did not really talk about the maids who did experience backlash from their book, aside from Aibileen. The movie as a whole was just a lot more lighthearted than the book.

Agreeing to be Interviewed
The Help at MOVIECLIPS.com

Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were all fantastic in their performances. I also enjoyed seeing some Veronica Mars faces in Chris Lowell, Jessica Chastain and Nelsan Ellis. It is really because of this great acting that the movie was so good. With a less talented cast, I do not think it would have made the same impact.

I think it is important for all women to see this film. Not only is it entertaining but it shows us what roles we played in a previous time and reminds us of how far we have come and why we should not take our power for granted.

xoxo
c
------------------------------

"He is really hard to kill"

Since last April, I have added another 10 pages to my quote list word document. I have also started an additional document for Sons of Anarchy quotes and added to my list for The Vampire Diaries. So, I have decided to share with you a few more of my favorites.

The most recent addition was from last night's Castle season finale:
Captain Montgomery: There are no victories. There's only the battle. And the best that you can hope for is that you find some place where you can make your stand. If this is your spot, I will stand with you.

“Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary...

When you consider that any phrase from American cinema is eligible, you realize this is our most subjective topic to date. We expect nothing less than a war of words as we reignite interest in classic American movies.” --Jean Picker Firstenberg; CEO of the American Film Institute
-----------------------------

I keep a list of quotes in a word document on my computer. It is mostly things from movies and TV (obviously) but some of them are from books and some are from real people. It is single-spaced, size 10, times new roman and is currently 47 pages long.

I also have separate lists for Joss Whedon projects and Aaron Sorkin projects, and the TV shows Friends, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, The Black Donnellys, Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries.

The very first quote I ever saved was from Ferris Buellar's Day Off, said by Ferris to the snooty maitre d':
"It’s understanding that makes it possible for people like us to tolerate a person like yourself."

The most recent addition to my list was from last week's Private Practice, from Sam to Addison:
“You want to have your cake and eat it too, but you know what, you can’t because I’m the cake and from here on out, I’m taking the cake away. No more cake for you. I’m good cake too, double-chocolate, cream-filled with the little raspberries on top, so. No more cake for you, so just shut-up.”

And here are just some of my random favorites:

MOVIES:

Hook
Tinker Bell: You know that place between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you, Peter Pan. That’s where I’ll be waiting.

Empire Records
Gina: Attention Rex Manning fans, to your left you will notice a shoplifter being chased by night manager Lucas. This young man will be caught, deep-fried in a vat of hot oil and served to our first hundred customers. Just another tasty treat from the gang at Empire Records.

Liberty Heights
Ben: If I knew things would no longer be, I would have tried to remember them better.

Notting Hill
Anna: Happiness isn’t happiness without a violin-playing goat.

Ratatouille
Linguini: Ratatouille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie." Rat-patootie, which does not sound delicious.

Life As A House
George Voiceover: I’d always thought of myself as a house, that was always what I lived in. It didn’t need to be big, it didn’t even need to be beautiful, it just needed to be mine. It became what I was meant to be, I built myself a life, I built myself a house.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Sam: It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The one’s that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But, in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But, I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now, folk in those stories had lots of chances of turnin’ back, only they didn’t. They kept goin’, because they were holdin’ on to somethin’.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fightin’ for.

The Boondock Saints
Priest: We must always fear the wicked. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men.

The Hours
Laura Brown: What does it mean to regret when you have no choice?

Velvet Goldmine
Brian Slade: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he'll tell you the truth.

Boys on the Side
Elaine: That’s what you get in life, you know? You get whoever you end up with. Whoever is willing to stick by you, and fight for you, when everyone else is gone. And it ain’t always who you expect. But you just have to make do.

Pirates of the Caribbean : At World’s End
Captain Barbossa: You have to be lost to find the places that can’t be found.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Penny: Sometimes people are layered like that. There’s something totally different underneath than what’s on the surface
Dr. Horrible: And sometimes there’s a third deeper level and that one is the same as the top surface level
Penny: Huh?
Dr. Horrible: Like with pie

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy: All I want to do is graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die. Now it may not sound too great to a sconehead like you, but I think it's swell. And you come along and tell me I'm a member of the hairy mole club so you can throw things at me?

Serenity
Wash: This landing is going to get pretty interesting
Mal: Define interesting
Wash: [dead-pan] Oh God, oh God, we’re all going to die?
Mal: (on loud-speaker) This is the Captain, we have a little problem with our entry sequence so we may experience some slight…turbulence and then…explode



TV:
Good Morning, Miami
Jake: There’s something about your eyes and your smile. It’s not just that they’re beautiful and it’s not just that they light up a room. They’re like a gateway into a world that I want to be a part of.

My So-Called Life
Angela: This life has been a test. If it had been an actual life, you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do.

Battlestar Gallactica
Number Six: Life has a melody, Gaius. A rhythm of notes which become your existence once played in harmony with God's plan.

NCIS
Ziva: It’s like shooting fish in a pond
John: Haha, I think you mean a barrel
Ziva: Why would fish be in a barrel?
John: Uhm, I-uh, that’s a good point, I never really thought about it before

Accidentally on Purpose
Davis: Dude, you were born to be a chef, okay?! When the stork brought you, you grabbed that bird and cooked it into something delicious!

Ugly Betty
Betty: I’ve had to say ‘good-bye’ more times than I would have liked, but everyone can say that. And no matter how many times we do it, even when it’s for the greater good, it still stings. And though we’ll never forget what we’ve given up, we owe it to ourselves to keep moving forward. What we can’t do is live our lives always afraid of the next ‘good-bye,’ because chances are they’re not going to stop. The trick is to recognize when a ‘good-bye’ can be a good thing, when it’s a chance to start again.

How I Met Your Mother
Barney: (After blowing his nose) I’m fine. My nose is just over-flowing with awesome and I had to get some of it out.

The West Wing
President Bartlett: I was watching a television program before, with a kind of roving moderator who spoke to a seated panel of young women who were having some sort of problem with their boyfriends - apparently, because the boyfriends had all slept with the girlfriends' mothers. And they brought the boyfriends out, and they fought, right there on television. Toby, tell me: these people don't vote, do they?

Sports Night
Isaac: If you’re stupid, surround yourself with smart people. If you’re smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Wes: Living where there’s free speech means sometimes you get offended

The Black Donnellys
Tommy: We’re gonna need some scotch, and a lot of it, but we’re not gonna be able to pay for it, you see
Store Owner: Get outta here
Tommy: I think you’re gonna wanna give it to us
Owner: Oh yeah, and why’s that?
Tommy: Because your daughter has a crush on Kevin, he’s gonna date her if you don’t

Friends
Rachel: C’mon, Daddy, listen to me. It’s like, it’s like all my life everyone has always told me, “You’re a shoe. You’re a shoe, you’re a shoe, you’re a shoe” and then today I just stopped and I said, “What if I don’t want to be a shoe? What if I want to be a-a purse, you know, or, or, or a hat”….No, I don’t want you to buy me a hat! I’m saying that I am a hat - It’s a metaphor, Daddy!

Gilmore Girls
Sookie: Jackson’s sleeping with the zucchini tonight
Lorelai: What’s that? Farm jargon?
Sookie: No, he’s sleeping with the zucchini
Lorelai: But what does that mean? “Sleeping with the zucchini”?
Sookie: It means he’s sleeping with the zucchini
Lorelai: Uh, Sookie, fill me in here. Where’s Jackson?
Sookie: Well, he checked the weather forecast today and there’s a potential cold front coming in from Canada and he knows how important the zucchini is for opening day menu, so..
Lorelai: Are you saying that “sleeping with zucchini” means…
Sookie: He’s sleeping with the zucchini
Michele: She said it four times, you are very slow tonight
Lorelai: Oh, my god!
Sookie: Well, you said to do whatever it takes to make sure we have fresh zucchini
Lorelai: Within the realm of reason!
Sookie: Oh, now you add that!

Grey’s Anatomy
Meredith: We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Giles: So we have a threat against the students on their big night. A hellhound trained to attack people in formal wear
Cordelia: Oh, are we all catching up now?
Giles: This Tucker is planning to attack the prom tonight
Oz: Once again the hell mouth puts the 'special' in 'special occasion'
Xander: Why do I even buy tickets for these things, I ask you!
Willow: I wonder if I can take my dress back
Buffy: Don't you dare!
Willow: But Tucker's gonna...
Buffy: No! You guys are gonna have a prom, the kind of prom that everyone should have. I'm gonna give you all a nice, fun, normal evening if I have to kill every single person on the face of the earth to do it!
Xander: Yay?

Angel
Angel: What’s going on?
Wesley: We’re being attacked
Angel: I thought you had double-protection sanctorium spells!
Lorne: I do and they work. It’s a thing with the door and the stairs and the world and a thing. Never mind!
Gunn: Apparently, you can be outside and chuck stuff in
Lorne: I just said that

Firefly
Mal: Zoe, why do I have a wife?
Jayne: You got a wife? All I got is that dumbass stick, sounds like its raining. How come you got a wife?

Dollhouse
Topher: I am obsolete. This must be what old people feel like…and Blockbuster

The Vampire Diaries
Tyler: Look, there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. Oh, what are they doing? Oh, they’re walking…walking…walking…yup, right into the sunset.

Veronica Mars
Veronica Voiceover: I think we all learned a valuable lesson about faith. You give it to the people you love. But the people who really deserve it are the ones who come through even when you don't love them enough.

REAL PEOPLE:
"During your life, everything you do and everyone you meet rubs off in some way. Some bit of everything you experience stays with everyone you’ve ever known, and nothing is lost. That’s what’s eternal, these little specks of experience in a great, enormous river that has no end." --Harriet Doerr

“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.” --Conan O’Brien

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” --Robert Byrne

“We should never separate the lives we live from the words we speak. To me, the most important goal is to live a life consistent with the values I hold dear and to act on what I believe in.” --Senator Paul Wellstone


I usually save things that make me laugh or make me think or mirror things I am feeling at the time. It is one of the many reasons that I love my DVR because as soon as I hear a line that I want to save I can rewind it as many times as I need to get the words right.

I am not really sure why I keep the lists, I guess it just gives me something to do :o)

xoxo
c

------------------------------

"Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's because they sat there that they were able to do it."

The good news is, I found a job. The bad news is, it is only part-time and is not in the field I want to be in, so it is not permanent. It also means I have less time for movie and TV watching :o) If only Bradley Cooper would realize that I am the girl for him, then we could get married and I would not have to work and I could just watch movies all day. Until then, my job search continues...


I saw When In Rome Friday afternoon and I thought it was super cute. Going in, knowing that it was a Disney movie, I was not expecting anything spectucular and it was a little cheesy, but overall I liked it. Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel were really funny and I liked their chemistry. I also thought Dax Shepherd's character was funny, however, the other characters played by Jon Heder, Will Arnett and Danny DeVito were a little cheesy/creepy. It was worth seeing, but definitely not the best romantic comedy that I have seen.

The latest news on the Veronica Mars movie is that creator Rob Thomas has pitched his idea to Warner Brothers but they do not feel that a movie would do well at this time. Kristen Bell has been saying in interviews and on twitter (@IMKristenBell) that if When In Rome does well it will hopefully show the studio that she can carry a movie. I also feel like since Veronica Mars has been cancelled, it has gained a lot of fans and that the already existing fan base would make it a huge hit. I am a little biased as I would LOVE a VM movie, but still, sometimes I think the studios are out of touch with their audience.

I FINALLY saw Up In The Air, which was excellent. It is a movie about a guy who spends 250 days of the year travelling around the country firing people. There is obviously more to it than that, but as someone who was recently let go from her job, that aspect of the movie was a little surreal. My favorite part is actually when George Clooney is telling Anna Kendrick the fastest way to get through airport security. He says, "Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em."

This is not that scene, but it is another good one:


The whole movie was very well done and George Clooney was amazing, as usual. I also have to say that, Anna Kendrick's acting skills are definitely not getting put to good use in the Twilight movies. She should be playing a much bigger role than just one of Bella's high school friends. She should have been Bella. If it were not for Mo'nique's amazing performance in Precious, I would say Anna should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

I also finally got Angels & Demons from Netflix. I saw The DaVinci Code in theaters, but was unimpressed so I was not in a big hurry to see Angels & Demons. Although, I had read the book, so I did want to see it eventually. As a person of faith, I always found Angels & Demons to be a more interesting read than The DaVinci Code. Apparently that is also true of the movies because I did not think that The DaVinci Code movie was very good at all. I thought that Angels & Demons was very well done and much easier to follow than its prequel. Interestingly, the book Angels & Demons was written after The DaVinci Code, but chronologically took place before. In the movie though, they implied at the beginning that Angels & Demons took place after the occurrences in The DaVinci Code. Anyways, if you too did not see the second movie because you did not like the first, then I suggest you give it a try because it was much, much better.

I also had no interest in seeing Bright Star in the theater, but it was getting such good reviews that I thought I should watch it. However, I thought it was just alright. The story of writer John Keats and his three-year romance with Fanny Brawne was interesting and the acting was good, but there was something about the movie that threw me off. For instance, there was never any indication of time. By that I mean, some times it went day-to-day and sometimes many days or months would pass and you never knew when that happened. It just felt kind of abrupt and choppy at times.

Last on my list for this posting is Wonder Boys. Although, it was not quite what I was expecting, I thought that it was pretty good. I was expecting it to be more about a professor who is having trouble writing his second novel and forms and odd relationship with one of his students. And while, that was, I suppose, the main plot of the movie, it had more to do with the crazy circumstances that happen over a few days. Michael Douglas is the pot smoking professor who is having an affair with the dean's wife, and Topher Grace plays the quirky student. It also stars Robert Downey, Jr. who was hilarious as a gay, book editor who shows up with a transvesite that he picked up on the plane. Like I said, it was not really what I was expecting, so it took me a while to get into the movie, but I eventually found it to be quite entertaining.

Also this week, Oscar nominations were announced. There were not really any surprises, except that Up was nominated for Best Picture. Which was not really a surpise so much as, I just disagree with the choice. I have already expressed my feelings on that movie. Here is the full list for your viewing pleasure: http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees

I hope that everyone is staying warm and that if you live in the east coast you have a few good movies at home to watch when we all get snowed in this weekend :o)

xoxo
c

ps. Haiti still needs our help, so if you have not done so already, please consider donating. Here are some of my choices:

Hope For Haiti Now
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
UNICEF
StillerStrong

Love and joy come to you...

In the spirit of the holiday season, I have decided to talk about some of my favorite holiday movies and TV episodes. When I started to write this I did not realize how much I had to say, so I ended up having to split this into two separate blogs.

So let's start with my favorite Christmas TV episodes. These are in no particular order :o)

First up is "An Echolls Family Christmas" from the first season of Veronica Mars:

The reason this is on my list is because it is a Christmas episode, but it also happens to be one of my favorite episodes of the series. Logan hosts a poker party at his house but when Weevil wins the $5,000 pot it mysteriously disappears. Weevil starts taking things from the other players (ie. laptops, watches, Faberge eggs) until finally Veronica is asked to help track down the money. Meanwhile, Logan's parents are throwing their annual Christmas party and Keith is asked to figure out who is stalking Logan's movie-star father. Fabulously witty dialogue, a good mystery and Harry Hamlin & Lisa Rinna as Logan's parents make for a good time all-around. If I listed all of my favorite lines from this episode I would pretty much have to write the entire script, so you might as well just go watch it yourself :o) Here is a clip to get you started:



My next choice is "Noel" from season two of The West Wing:

The Christmas after Josh is shot, Leo makes him see a psychiatrist about the events of the last three weeks: Toby hired musicians for the foyer, an Air Force pilot disobeyed orders, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the White House, and Josh managed to badly cut his hand. All of these things bring up issues of post traumatic stress that Josh has not dealt with since the shooting. Again, this episode is not so much about Christmas as it is about Josh, but the writing on this show is so good that I had to put it on my list.

At the end of the episode Leo says something to Josh and it is one of my favorite line from the entire series:

"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you, can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me, can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guys says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here!" The friend says, "Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"

My third episode is "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" from the second season of Grey's Anatomy:

Christmas brings a range of reactions at Seattle Grace, from excess cheer to acting like a Scrooge. Burke and Yang have a heart transplant for a boy who does not believe he deserves it, which brings up their different philosophical perspectives. The interns help Karev study for his medical boards which he failed the first time. Izzie gets mad at first that everyone is helping him (seeing as Alex cheated on her with one of the nurses), but Meredith likens him to "Dirty Uncle Sal" and eventually Izzie comes around in the spirit of the holiday. When Alex asks her why she is helping him she says one of my favorites lines of the series:



Also in this episode, Derek is depressed and admits to Addison that Meredith was not just a fling and that he was in love with her and is still. He tells her that he has been depressed because "Christmas makes you want to be with people you love."

And finally we have "So-Called Angels" from My So-Called Life:

This episode always makes me cry and as a teenager I really did not like it because it depressed me so much and I did not fully understand what it was about. Watching it later in life, I realize how much it truly affected me and was a part of who I was and who I have become. The episode starts with no one really appreciating the true meaning of Christmas. At one point, Angela questions her parents about why they do not go to church to which her younger sister replies: "Do we have to keep talking about religion? It's Christmas!" Rickie is getting beat up at home, has no where to go and ends up at an abandoned warehouse with other homeless teenagers. Angela is concerned about him and tracks him down with them help of a mysterious homeless girl. Rayanne and Sharon volunteer for the teen help-line and Brian's parents leave him home alone while they go on a cruise over the holidays.

I love this episode because it is about helping others who are less fortunate than you. It is about being thankful for your family and friends and all the things in life with which God has blessed us. The episode ends with the family all ending up in a church together, not "finding God" but more, realizing the importance of being together and inviting others into their home who have no where else to go. It is about the true spirit of Christmas, which I think gets lost among the all the shopping and commercialism of the season.

It helps remind us that the holidays are not about presents, but about being with the people in our lives who are most important to us.

This is my absolute favorite time of year and I hope this helps you see why.

Do you disagree with my selections? Or have any of your own to add? Let me know in the comments section below.

I will try to get up the list of my favorite Christmas movies sometime in the next week. Until then I hope you enjoy this magical holiday season!

xoxo
c

Veronica Mars is smarter than me.

So, I've already told you how I found my favorite actor, Ryan Gosling. Now it's time to talk about my favorite actress, Kristen Bell.

I had seen her in the one episode of American Dreams that she did in 2003, but had no idea who she was at the time.

Then, about three and half years ago, I was visiting some high school friends in New York City. They had started watching this new show called Veronica Mars on UPN and said it was awesome. It was the middle of the second season and they had the first season on DVD. I watched the first episode, really liked it and by the end of the weekend, had watched the first four episodes and could not wait to watch the rest of the season.

I came home from NYC and literally drove all over town looking for the DVDs. None of my local rental places had it and neither did the two Border's or the Barnes and Noble near my apartment. Defeated, I went home and ordered it online. When I got it in the mail, I watched the entire season within a matter of days...and then proceeded to watch the whole thing at least two more times.

UPN was in the middle of airing the second season and at first I was not going to watch it because I had no idea what was going on. Then I found the website marsinvestigations.net and it gave awesome episode summaries. It also had character descriptions (even for the obscure people who were only in one episode), a time line of events, quotes from every episode, cultural references, mystery speculation and much much more. This is probably the best fan site I've ever seen, and I was soon brought up to speed on what was happening in season two.

Unfortunately, even though it was a brilliant show with an amazing cast (I heart Sheriff Lamb), it was canceled after the third season due to lack of viewers. There is a very slight possibility that they will make a movie, but it's not looking too good at the moment. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though that Warner Bros will do the right thing (wink wink, nudge nudge).

The creator of Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas, has a new show called Party Down, which she has guest starred on, and is about a group of aspiring actors who move to L.A. and end up working as waiters. Sadly, I don't get Showtime and have not yet seen it. Although, I have heard very good things about it, and plan to watch it when it comes out on DVD. I mean, how can you go wrong when the main cast includes Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Jane Lynch, Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan?! Most people (at least my friends) are probably going, "Who are those people?" But if you check them out on imdb.com you should recognize at least a few of them...because they're awesome.

But I digress....

After becoming hooked on Veronica Mars, I watched her in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical which is an awesomely hilarious adaptation of a 1920's anti-marijuana propaganda film. It also starred Neve Campbell and her brother, Christian, as well as, Steven Weber, Alan Cummings and Ana Gasteyer. This actually came out during the first season of Veronica Mars but I don't think it was ever in theaters...or at least only in limited release.

She was hilarious in Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was written by and starred Jason Segel as well as Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. And, of course, every fan boy needs to see Fanboys :o) She's also the voice of Gossip Girl, which I love, and was on Heroes for a short while. I was already watching Heroes when she joined the cast, however, I was starting to lose interest and actually stopped watching before she left the show.

I've also seen Fifty Pills and Pulse and then the few things I have not seen are in my Netflix queue...of course :o)

The next couple movies she has coming out are:

Astro Boy - an animated film about a young robot (voiced by Freddie Highmore) created by a scientist in the image of the son he has lost.

Serious Moonlight - written by Adrienne Shelley (who wrote Waitress) and directed by Cheryl Hines. It's about an attorney who duct tapes her cheating husband to the toilet just before their home is invaded by burglars. It also stars Justin Long and Meg Ryan and should be out at the end of the year.

Couples Retreat - written by Vince Vaugn and Jon Favreau. A comedy about four couples who go on vacation together and, while one couple is there to work on their marriage, the other three don't realize that the resort's therapy sessions are not optional. It stars Vaugn and Favreau along with Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman and Kristin Davis.




When In Rome - She plays a talented real estate agent who is unlucky in love. She travels to Rome to visit her sister and steals some coins from a supposed "fountain of love" and is consequently pursued by a band of wannabe lovers, including Josh Duhamel (not too shabby if you ask me).


When Veronica Mars ended her career totally took off. Which made me a little sad only because I feel like if people had been paying better attention, they would have discovered her earlier and VM would still be on. But I am glad that people are noticing her now because she's an amazing actress and, though I don't know her personally, I really do believe she deserves all the attention and success.

Now if only Kristen Bell and Ryan Gosling would do a movie together...

xoxo
c

ps. i started using the "xoxo" to sign all of my emails thanks to Gossip Girl

The Way We Were...

...the first movie I ever got from Netflix.

If you have not already figured it out, I watch a significant amount of television and movies. The amount tends to go up even more in the summer because my other activities go down (ie. church commitments-which are numerous). I catch up on shows I didn't have time to watch and are now on DVD or movies I missed in the theater. However, my obsession really did not start until college. I watched a lot of TV in high school and went to the movies, but never really paid much attention to specific actors or directors. This started to happen about Sophomore year of college.

Sophomore year is a phenomenon I was not prepared for and was not aware happened to most people until a couple years later. You make this great group of friends Freshman year, most of whom live on your hall or are in your classes. You see them constantly and do not have to make too much effort to find someone to hang out with. Then Sophomore year comes and everyone moves all over campus, and even on a small campus like Elon, the other side of campus seems like a world away. It is at this point when you figure out who your real friends are and who are friends of convenience - unfortunately for me, there were more of the latter. It also didn't help that three of my close friends transferred schools that year. Needless to say, I needed to find something else to occupy my time. I mean, I clearly wasn't going to study more :o)

I went to visit my brother in Jackson, Wyoming during winter break that year and one of his friends had Netflix. I thought it was brilliant, I could choose movies from my dorm room and they would be in my mailbox within two days. I am not trying to be an ad for Netflix (although, I do highly recommend it) but for me at that time it was just what I needed. It was a way for me to get my mind off of things and I was going through several movies a week. It also gave me something to look forward to doing and I was getting mail on a regular basis, which is key for any college student.

The obsession has continued mostly because I like to lose myself in these make believe worlds. It sometimes make me feel better to imagine that I could have been a pirate in another life, or a passenger on a Firefly, or a teen detective, or a vampire slayer who falls in love with the vampire with a soul, or found my one true love as a teenager and lost him because my parents didn't think he was good enough for me but find each other later in life to spend eternity together :o)

It is now goal of mine to see every single movie on my Netflix queue before I die. I still have over 200 on the list...I'm trying to get down to 150 before I add anymore...it's not going so well, but I'll keep you updated.

I swear I'm not as big of a loser as I sound...a dork, maybe...but not a loser :o)

xoxo
c

Heroes in a half shell...

While perusing my daily websites, I discovered this article on Variety.com:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006263.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1

The Turtles are back!

Well, sort of....

They have the potential to be back and that makes me a little over-excited. (I already mentioned I'm a really big dork, right?!)

In case you need more proof: Senior year of college my roommate and I rented every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and rewatched them, because we are just that cool. And we were avoiding studying for finals. They may be a little cheesy and totally unrealistic, but they are part of my childhood and I LOVE them :o) I remember going to Burger King and ordering the kids meal just to get a VHS tape of TMNT cartoons...which is probably still at my parents house somewhere. If you grew up in the 80s, you knew who the Ninja Turtles were. If you didn't, you probably lived in a hole somewhere.

Even two of my favorite shows made reference to them at some point:

Gilmore Girls - "Here Comes The Son"- S3 E21

Jimmy: I can't take you in. I can't raise you

Jess: Raise me? I'm 18, I'm raised! I can vote, I can be drafted, it's a little late to throw me a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party!

Veronica Mars - "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" - S2 E7
Gia: You brought your sleeping bag, that's so cute!

Veronica: Well, I like to have the option. Don't judge me for my Ninja Turtles!


Kind of abstract, but it's the little things in life :o)

xoxo
c