I'm With Tori!

I'm With Tori!

One of my friends posted this on their livejournal.

American singer TORI AMOS has vowed to run for office if former U.S. Vice President candidate SARAH PALIN ever tries to get elected again.

Read more here.

I'm not saying I'd vote for Tori but I think she would have more sense then Sarah in public office. At least she's not a total wingnut.

Why can't there be any middle ground? Why must everyone be way to the right or way to the left?

Actually, why can't any of the parties really give a shit for those people that are poverty level.

Did you know If you make less than $50,000 you are considered poverty level.

Well yee fucking ha! I'm so poverty stricken it's ridiculous.

But back to Tori, if we go on a scale of attractiveness, I think she's much easier on the eyes than Palin. Probably a better mom too.

But one last thing..I hope I never see either of their names on a ballot.

Broadway To Pop Crossovers

Broadway To Pop Crossovers

There are a bunch of Broadway/West End Babies that try to cross from their perfectly trained voices into the weird wacky world of pop music.

As much as I love the voices of vocalists like Elaine Paige, Michael Ball and to some extent, John Barrowman, when they do albums of pop songs I tend to spend more time laughing hysterically then actually enjoying the album.

There's just something about the perfect diction that a singer acquires after years of performing in musical theater that makes the average pop song sound ridiculous.

I'll use John Barrowman as an example, because I love to pick on JB. Hearing him sing Keith Urban's You'll Think Of Me just cracks me up, which is actually a few steps up from Michael Ball's singing of Bowie's Life On Mars.

These performers really need to find songs that suit their vocal abilities. Granted JB and Michael sell records mostly because of who they are, and in JB's case because he's one of the hottest men on the planet, obnoxious or otherwise but why make yourself sound silly? It boggles my mind.

I'm not saying these guys should stick to show tunes, because that would be very limiting too, but I really think that when it comes to selecting songs for an album they should pick something that suits the arrangements and singing style they plan to use. Oh and one more jab and John Barrowman, Uptown Girl? OMGWTFBBQ! Maybe on his next album, to go along with that spoof of Single Ladies, he'll cover it. Now that would be something worth listening to and laughing at.

2009 In Review

2009 In Review

All in all the year in entertainment has been a bit weird, sometimes wacky, but very predictable. Underdogs prevailed but runners up took center stage. Babies were born, and famous people passed to the great beyond. Here's what I found memorable about 2009.

1. Jon & Kate plus too many kids: What a fucked up mess. These are two people that never should have been on TV and the network that created the show should be ashamed at exploiting children and swelling two idiots heads, by making them think they were important.

2. Michael Jackson's death and subsequent rise to godlike stature: Funny, all the accusations against him were forgotten once he died. I'm not saying he did anything because that's something only a few people really know, but how is he exalted just by being dead? His death is truly tragic but the fact that it took the lead in the news for more than a month was just nuts!

3. Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle: Bet you thought they'd both win! Doesn't matter, both are doing well in the album charts. Actually Susan is kicking Adam's ass, and just about every other artist out there, with her debut album. You go Susan!

4. Taylor and Kayne: Seriously this was the funniest bunch of insanity ever to occur at the VMAs. It had to be more ridiculous than Britney's meltdown a few years back. It may have been the weirdest moment in Taylor's young life, but she's more than made up for that by picking up almost every award she's been up for since.

5. American Idol Judges: Paula leaving? Ellen taking over? OMGWTFBBQ! This show is wrong on so many levels but I might as well be the next judge, if Ellen can do it. Oh wait, please no! I like to listen to talented people sing and I've not seen much of that come from that show.

6. Charlie Sheen getting arrested on Christmas for domestic violence. See I think we've all known he's an asshole, now he's reaffirming that.

7. Patrick Swayze dying: Truly one of the saddest deaths this year. Right along with Farrah Fawcett who had the misfortune of dying on the same day as Michael Jackson.

8. Aretha Franklin's kick ass hat! No she's not an asshat, she had one of the inauguration's best accessories. Way to go Aretha! You get my R E S P E C T!

9. Great albums by Mika, Making April, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall among others. Its great to know that even in a slumping industry, there's still some good music out there.

10. Big Bang Theory moving into the top 10 of the Nielson's after a time slot change. Let's hear it for funny geeks!!!

I'll be back with more of my year end recap later this week.

Movie Review: Meet The Robinsons

Movie Review: Meet The Robinsons

I had heard mixed reviews of this Disney film since it came out which is probably why I hadn't bothered to watch it until today and only because there really wasn't anything else on after we finished up Christmas dinner.

To be perfectly honest, I thought the movie was pretty darn cute. I loved that there weren't too many dark undertones in the film, like so many of the Disney/Pixar movies. Even in the parts with the villain you didn't have a feeling of total doom, which seems to be the case with most of the films Pixar is churning out.

I enjoyed the story of an orphan who helps save the future. His future to be more precise. The other characters had the right mix of quirky and crazy to make the film unique and the story moved quickly enough to keep me interested and not bored.

Sure its not the best Pixar movie out there, but its far from the worst and it was good fun to watch on a Christmas afternoon.

From My Tree To Yours

20091216
Originally uploaded by moodylady

From My Tree To Yours

Whatever you celebrate, I'd like to wish everyone out there a peaceful and pleasant December 25th. Most of all I want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas, filled with all the goodness and fun and if you can stand it family.

Its seldom a day like those Norman Rockwell paintings portray, but I hope each and every one of you enjoy the holiday and take the time to relax and just enjoy a day

Have a wonderful Christmas, Holiday Season!

The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown

Hey amigos and loyal readers! Whether you're at home chillaxing, at work fielding off crazed gift buyers, or rushing through the mall humming "The Final Countdown," I wanted to wish you a happy holiday on behalf of all the Wenches.

Even though I pretend to be a bleeding heart liberal scumbag sometimes, I'm going to wish you guys a Merry Christmas. And for those not so Christmas inclined, happy Solstice/ Festivus/ Kwanzaa/ Boxing Day/ Buster Day (1000 cool points if you get that one) / Curling Up in Your Apartment and Escaping Your Family Day. (I think I missed the deadline on Hanukkah, so happy belated Hanukkah, Jewish friends!)

If you're one of those folks doing last minute shopping, be kind to your local Customer Service lacky. Otherwise, enjoy your families (either bio-families or the ad hoc families you make yourself), eat ridiculous amounts of junk food, and have fun! Ill see you back here next week!

Men Of A Certain Age = Meh

Men Of A Certain Age = Meh

I'm not sure what everyone is raving about when it comes to this show. I was excited about it, I love Ray Romano and Scott Bakula, but when I settled down to watch it last night, since Castle was in repeatsville, I couldn't wait for it to be over.

The thing is, I'm not sure what it is about it that makes me want to go to sleep. I'm not sure if its not enough drama for its time slot or the lack of real comedy to keep it moving, or if it just sucks. I'm also not sure if I am willing to give it a second shot.

I did learn that Ray Romano can't act to save himself, because his character in this show was pretty much the same as the character in Everybody Loves Raymond which is pretty much Ray playing Ray.

That kind of makes the portions of the show about Ray a bit obnoxious, because after years of Everybody Loves Raymond, that character was kinda getting old, much like Kelsey Grammar's Fraiser.

I hate when people that are otherwise really talented end up in lackluster shows. What I really hate is when I see a show like this and I really want to like it, and it just falls flat.

Seriously, I could have fallen asleep during this show if I hadn't forced myself to stay awake for the full hour.

Anyone else watch it, yet?

Jim Morrison Was Way Wrong

Jim Morrison Was Way Wrong

You may be wondering what I'm talking about or in fact, what Jim Morrison was wrong about.

Let me explain. I had a classic rock mix cd in my car the other day and on came People Are Strange. That's what I have a beef with. Not that people aren't strange because they are, very strange in fact.

But this is the bit that made me giggle and go...sorry Jim, you're wrong.

"When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange."

If that were the case, no one would remember Lady Gaga, cos that chicky is so strange its scary. Marilyn Manson, he's pretty strange and we all remember him too. The list could go on and on.

I realize that I took those lyrics literally and out of the context of the song, which like most lyrics from the 1960s, don't make a whole lot of sense anyway.

Damn those were good drugs they took then, weren't they?

But back to Jim being wrong, it really does seem that the stranger a person or thing is the more likely we'll be to remember them. Of course when you're a stranger is a different matter.

Ah hell, just watch Jim.

Let's Talk About Sex

Let's Talk About Sex

In this country I've noticed a few things.

1. We have an obsession with sex.

2. We don't really care to see it.

Aren't we a daffy bunch.

I mean Adam Lambert (who I personally wish would disappear with all his other idol crew) kisses a guy on stage and the world goes berserk. Why I do not know cos if your kids pass by a tv in the afternoon when the soaps are on (or as my dad calls them, The Daytime Whore Shows), they may see that there too.

Janet Jackson's nipple causes alarm and many millions of dollars in fines to exchange hands. Its a nipple for crying out loud. We've all seen them at least once in our lives. Is it such a huge deal?

Then there's Tiger Woods. At least we haven't seen anything there, but lordy, every woman he's slept with and that's looking like most of the known universe, makes the news.

Let's not forget Lettermen's scandal too. Though, since he came out and admitting his failings, his scandal was a 9 days wonder. Tiger hid his indiscretions for as long as he could and now his life is a media circus.

Why? Why should we care? Who are they really hurting but themselves?

We don't really care, is the answer. But it goes more than that. Its that we love to see people screw up and we love to get angry over idiotic things. A nipple, a kiss, whatever. We want to dish about everyone's sex lives but we don't want to see it played out in front of our eyes, unless its a tv drama or film.

Nutty isn't it?

Of course I'm in firm belief that a lot of the stuff, like Lambert's kiss was done as a PR stunt, regardless of the sweet innocent boy act he pulled on all the talk shows in the days following. I'm not even going to diss him for that. Its great marketing. You do something that shocks the right wing religious freakazoids and you get in the papers and on the news and everyone wants to see who you are.

But really. If this is going to be an every awards show occurrence, maybe we need to have better guidelines for what can happen on tv, or at least major network TV. I certainly don't mean going back to families sleeping in twin beds (Who thought that up btw). Of course the one thing I did learn after hearing about the Lambert thing is that the kissie poo was not rehearsed. Leading me to further believe that it was a PR stunt.

Something still bothers me though. We are a nation of perverted prudes, but the UK, who has a reputation of being much more straightlaced gets away with much much more of the BBC!

What's different from the UK and US? I mean look at Torchwood? Torchwood has our lovely gayboys. Nods at John Barrowman who I love to hate and hate to love. Then there was a show I stumbled across called Desperate Romantics. This show had quite a bit of boobs going on. This is regular TV!

I'm so confused.

Myself, I truthfully don't want to see any of it. I don't think that sexuality has to be hidden, but I also don't think its needs to be shoved down everyone's throats. I fear that crazy ass people will try to take us too far backwards in the name of decency. But what one person feels is decent isn't quite the same as anothers. So where do you draw the line? But more importantly how do you let things like sexuality come into the mainstream without being one step below porn.

Then there's the matter of how its acceptable to delve into everyone's sex lives and make it public knowledge but again its only to talk about it. We really don't want to see it.

Janelle thought it was a double or triple standard with Adam Lambert. I say, no one is really free from people's prying eyes or disapproval. Adam only had a couple of spots canceled because of his on stage kiss. Tiger Woods has lost all his endorsements as a result of his infidelities.

Is there any fairness in that?

Now that I've ranted for such a long time, I can't even remember if I said what I wanted to.

ARGH!

Pittsburgh Area Bands: Punchline

Pittsburgh Area Bands: Punchline

Just so you know what you're getting into from the start: I'd go to the ends of the earth for this band. I first heard them back in middle school when "The World" made school dance rotations. Saw them live around 14 or 15. Am now 20 & have seen them live more times than I can count. Literally. My brother & I have seriously gotten into light-hearted arguments about just what the number is. I wrote a review of them live for an online local magazine once. I'm actually wearing a Punchline shirt right now (this is a coincidence, I swear). So yeah.

I'll cut to the chase as quickly as I can: I really don't have a single negative thing to say about this band. Sure, there are songs I don't like as much as others, but that happens with every artist. What matters is the fact that the good songs are more than good. They're stellar. If they weren't I, & others, (including my little brother) wouldn't keep coming back, or blogging like crazies. They're pegged as pop punk, but personally, there's more to their sound than that. I can't nail it down to a genre that's not general and huge like just plain rock, but there's more depth - musically and lyrically - than the typical pop punk connotations bring to the genre discussion table. They're responsible for some of the songs I consider to be among my favorites of all time. Yes, that's a very bold statement. I stand by it.

They're also amazing live. What's the difference between a good live band & a great live band? Great live bands get you and your friends to a point where you say, "Oh man, we haven't seen Punchline in a while. We need to do something about that." This happens frequently, except for this year - I think my brother & I managed something like 4 shows so far plus one coming up. Combine that with merchandise and music & the amount of money I've spent on just Punchline just in 2009 is probably an embarrassing figure.

Their most recent release was the online b-side collection Night Lights, and we all know that I loves me some b-sides. And what makes it interesting is the money factor - free for a few songs, $6 for the whole thing - or more, if you feel so inclined. I gave $7 because that's all I had in my PayPal. Hey, I'm in college & I haven't freelanced and gotten paid for it since October. I'm pretty broke. And the money goes towards recording more material, & what fan wouldn't want to contribute to such a wonderful cause as that?

So, humor me & check them out. Really, you can't go wrong here.

Punchline on MySpace!

Christmas In Canaan

Christmas In Canaan

This film was a Hallmark Channel original movie. I admit to liking sappy stuff. I'm sure it ruins my credibility, but I don't really care.

This made for tv movie was based on the book by Kenny Rogers tells the story of two boys growing up in the south. So yeah, its about interracial relations, but its a story that should give each and every one of us hope. Yes, we have our first Afro-American/Man of Color/Black (pick the most politically correct term) president, but that doesn't mean that bigotry is dead.

When the two boys, DJ and Rodney get into a fight over the capital of NY, DJ's dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) comes up with a plan. The two boys should spend equal time living with the other boy's family. As a result a deep and abiding friendship grows and when Rodney's grandmother dies, DJ's family takes him in as one of their own.

In the 1960's and in Texas, this is something that likely would have had more repercussions than the movie portrays, but this is a holiday film and its about feeling good, even when bad things happen and yes, bad things do happen. Crops are bad and one Christmas is very bleak and as the boys are reaching the end of their school years, DJ's young brother is struck by a car and crippled trying to warn Rodney of a hate crime about to happen.

Sure some of the things that happen seem far fetched. Can that much bad stuff befall one set of people? (probably..I know my life)

But that doesn't matter. This story paints a beautiful picture of racial harmony in a time when there wasn't a whole of it. Billy Ray Cyrus proves he's the talent in the family (as most of us already knew). The rest of the cast shines too. If you want to watch a good, heartwarming and tearjerking movie on TV this holiday, check your listings for this one. Its worth the 2 hours spent in front of the TV.

The Sing-Off

The Sing-Off

I'm not normally one for reality shows, but I had to get sucked into The Sing-Off because Ben Folds is one of the judges. I would preorder the deluxe audiobook of Ben Folds reading the phone book. I was delightfully surprised by the show, though. Kind of like the movie Deathrace, it was a healthy mix of genuinely good parts and so-bad-they're-good parts.

The premise is much like any of the musical competition shows, and the gimmick is that every group is a capella. Hosted by the ever-awkward Nich Lachey and judged by Folds, Boyz-II-Men's Shawn Stockman, and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. And good lord, is Nicole a mess. Idol missed the boat when they replaced Paula with Ellen. She uses the adjective "dope" a lot, pronounced ukulele as "ookoleele," and has a zen-like stream-of-conscious Michael Scott way with finishing sentences very far from where she started.

As for the contestents themselves, it's a mixed bag. Sure, you've got your "kooky white college boys" that come to mind when you think of college a capella (the Beelzebubs, a crowd favorite and actually one of my frontrunners) and your Glee-tastic happy kids (the SoCals), but they're not representative of all the groups, which is pretty cool. My favorite so far is a female soccer mom barbershop quartet called Maxx Factor, who rocked it out barbershop style to ABBA's "Dancing Queen."

So far the crowd's faves have been Faces, a rock-apella band of bouncers and Cold Stone Creamery lackeys that got sent home early, and Noteworthy, an all-girl Mormon group from BYU with a fauxhawked lead singer. Then there's the band Solo, who tried to stack the deck in their favor by continually saying that they "had nothing to go home to." Wow. Way to make everyone look like dicks when you got voted off, guys.

The show lasts this week, I'm guessing to pull in those mythological Christmas ratings. For now I've got a guilty pleasure show and Ben Folds has an extra paycheck and some new fans. (Ben Folds was #1 on the Google Hot 100 search terms list last night, and I found out via Facebook that my high school Spanish teacher is now a fan for life. )

What more can a gal ask for?

Confession: I'm Obsessed with Brokeback Mountain Spoofs

Confession: I'm Obsessed with Brokeback Mountain Spoofs

Yep. Now, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, don't get me wrong. It's just that for some reason, I will almost always find any Brokeback spoof funny. Especially when Brokeback is combined with any other movie I enjoy. Honestly, I think it all started when one of my brilliant friends found the gem that is "Harry Potter & the Brokeback Goblet."



Oh the beauties of creative & clever editing. And that theme.

Other favorites, straight from my YouTube account:

Brokeback of the Ring!



Star Wars: The Empire Brokeback!



Brokeback Island!



I waste too much time watching these.

Willy Wonka VS Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Willy Wonka VS Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Two very different movies based on the same book with pretty much same characters and yet each film leaves you feeling very different. I grew up with the original, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I watched it many times growing up, but every time I watched it, I admit I was scared to death.

As much as love the Oompah Loompah's they scared the beejeebus out of me.



In fact, the only thing about Gene Wilder's original that I liked was Pure Imagination. Maybe its me. Maybe I just can't help but love anything Tim Burton and Johnny Depp do. OK, maybe it has to do with a certain Mr. Elfman doing a film score and singing some of the Oompah Loompah songs.

Whatever the case may be, I have to say, I love Charlie and The Chocolate Factory more than Willy Wonka.

What are my reasons?

1. Tim's movie isn't freaking depressing or scary. And it still retains that wonderful Tim Burton strangeness.

2. Pretty colors!

3. Johnny Depp doing his best to be Michael Jackson-esque. Fess up world, you know that's who he modeled his Mr. Wonka after.

4. The Squirrels!

I leave you with more Oompah Loompah singing

Jonas Baffles Me

Jonas Baffles Me

I don't mean the band themselves, though I often wonder what the little girls find so attractive about those 3 not exactly hot guys, especially Joe with the brows that need to meet up with a good set of tweezers or possibly some wax!

Its the Disney show that's just ridiculous. In the show they play high school students and only one member of the band is of school age and that's Nick. Kevin and Joe are both in their twenties.

Stupid!

I guess that's why the show just isn't doing as well as the shows with the other Disney pop stars. Sadly the show could have worked out like a modern day Monkees, but it just doesn't. There's nothing fun or even very funny about it at least when you compare it to Hannah Montana or even The Suite Life On Deck.

The only reason I can imagine that Disney hasn't pulled the plug on it is that every little girl under the age of 12 loves them. I wonder how the show will exist now that Nick is going solo?

Things That Annoy Me About Computers

Things That Annoy Me About Computers

This is inclusive of software and gadgets that attach themselves to this nasty box that controls my life.

1. Keyboards: How is it that when I clean the keyboard I always find at least one full cat's worth of fur between the keys? Also, I do not eat near my computer, what the fuck is up with the nasty stuff that lurks there? How does it get there? Do I want to know?

2. Printers: I consider these things that most evil devices that ever attached themselves to a USB port in my storm. Why? Ink costs nearly as much as the damn printer and it always runs out

3. Software: Why is it that every time they upgrade, the software becomes harder to use and more obnoxious. I have been trying to deal with an obnoxious printer and an even more obnoxious set of CD Labeling software and now I want nothing more than to kill a few things.

4. The Mouse: That just up and decides to stop working.

Can you tell I'm having a bad day?

Queer as Folk, Or, Why I Should've Watched This When It Was Recommended to Me in High School

Queer as Folk, Or, Why I Should've Watched This When It Was Recommended to Me in High School

Okay, so, I'm crazy late on this. It ended a few years ago & started even more years ago. A friend of mine in high school (during Trigonometry, no less) told me to watch this show because I'd love it, & I never got around to it. I'll blame this on my lack of Showtime & the fact that Netflix was but a baby. And watching it on the internet back in the days before I had my own computer would've probably offended my dad. Which would've been worth it, but whatever.

I really wish I would've fallen in love with Queer as Folk then. I feel like I missed out on something spectacular when it was in its prime, including potentially pre-Trig & lunchtime discussions of the show with my friend Becca. My roommate & I have since gotten completely obsessed. We average about an episode a night when we have a Netflix disk, & when we don't, we search the internet.

There's nothing bad to say about Queer as Folk. Showtime seems like they completely nail it as far as excellent programming goes - my cousin got me hooked on Weeds before I started Queer as Folk, & I'm going to work on Californication next. While Weeds got completely insane sometimes, Queer as Folk is, so far, pretty realistic. It's well-written - the season one finale is probably one of the best TV season finales I've seen - & the characters are excellent. We love every single one even when they do things that aren't so lovable. I think part of this is because even though we're two straight girls, we still see a little of ourselves & our own lives, plus our own friends & relationships. And apparently, 20-something girls was actually a solid demographic when it was on the air. The actors are excellent, too, & while everyone on the planet has seen Hal Sparks on VH1 millions of times, seeing him really act is fantastic. I see him in a whole different light now.

And on the subject of Hal Sparks, if you loved him on VH1, you'll probably love him in this, too. And he's totally adorable.

If I had to sum up my feelings about this show in a word, it would be "obsession." And I really didn't think I'd love it as intensely as I do.

Yes, Virginia, you do want a present

Yes, Virginia, you do want a present

In the words of the Peanuts, Christmas time is here, and so is a Christmas-particular problem. Ever have to shop for someone who says, "I don't want anything?" I've got a few people like that in my family, and it drives me bonkers.

There's two subgroups of the No Present People. I can sympathize with the group that's concerned about the consume-o-rama culture and don't want to add more plastic hunks to landfills. But please, at least say, "I don't want a present, but it'd be cool if you donated the money to this charity." Give me something specific to aim for. And for goodness sake, if you say that, please mean it. Don't suggest donating the present money to a charity and then look all sad on Christmas when you don't get an iPod.

Then there's the false modest people who always say, "I don't need anything." Of course, you can't do that. If you actually didn't buy anything, you'd look like a huge asshole to everyone who had, so you're left to scour the mall or internet for something for someone that supposedly likes nothing.

"I don't want anything" is a bs phrase. Everyone wants something. Be more specific. Say "I don't want anymore gadgets, so get me something I'll actually use even if it's not glamorous." Say, "I really don't want you to spend money, so make me something or help me do this." Say, "For the love of God, don't buy me another tie."

But please stop saying, "I don't want anything," because I don't want to take a Christmas Eve trip to Wal-Mart to figure out what you actually do want.

Endings

Endings

This seems to be the year for endings. Last night Monk took his farewell run across our tv screens, and in a few short weeks, David Tennant will be taking his bows as the 10th doctor.

I don't know about you, but this is more than I can handle. Not to mention Uncle Rusty killing off yet another beloved character in Torchwood. I knew from the in your face ratings that the mini-series got that there will be a series 4, but I have to say I'm a bit apprehensive, because of all the characters to be left with Captain Jack, Gwen is the character I hate the most. If he was feeling so vindictive, why not just kill the whole team and then start fresh? Oh wait, that would probably bring us all joy!

But I wasn't really going to rant about how I fucking hated Children Of Earth, I was hear to rant how I hate that 2 of my most loved characters are going to be exiting stage right.

Monk did so gracefully last night. I was really pleased with the closure they gave him and the opening they left for revisiting the show either in special form or in (dare I hope) movie form.

That's not so easy with The 10th Doctor. Once he regenerates, he regenerates, and since there was a huge gap between the series, doing specials like The Three Doctors, isn't quite so easy now. Though I have to say, it would be all kinds of awesome if for a Christmas special they'd get Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleson, David Tennant and Matt Smith to deal with some nasty alien hell bent on destroying the earth.

I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with Intern Who? They varied the age of the doctor more in the original series, now they seem to be getting younger and younger.

Why do I have to deal with losing two of my favorite tv characters this year? Sure, The Doctor will go on, but Ten was and always will be my doctor. The thought of losing him is painful. I've loved Monk for the last 8 years. He's been taken away from me too!

What next?

No!

I don't want to know!

A Band You've Got To Love

A Band You've Got To Love

Earlier this year I stumbled upon a band called Making April. Their debut album was called The Egg Hunt and it was one of those albums that you listen to and then gush to everyone and their grandmother about. (Kinda like Mika's The Boy Who Knew Too Much)

Well the band is kind of in between things right now and they are recording a bunch of covers which you can buy on iTunes. So far they've covered Lady Gaga's Paparazzi, Beyonce's Sweet Dreams, Imogene Heap's Hide and Seek and Kings Of Leon's Use Somebody. Whether they've done justice to the originals remains to be seen. You have to actually like the artists they've covered, and I'm iffy on all but one of the artist's they've chosen to cover, but I do love Making April, so they've made most these songs, especially the Gaga one more listenable for me.

If you want to listen to the covers go here. You really should give them a listen...they are a damn good band.

Things I Like

Things I Like

If Molly can do it, so can I! Believe it or not, I do like a lot of things. Yes, I'm a general curmudgeon most of the time, argumentative and sometimes very snarky, but I am loyal to the stuff that I like/love. Here are some of the things that float my boat.

Good TV: When I say good TV, I mean stuff like Castle, The Middle, Monk, Doctor Who, and Big Bang Theory, not that shite reality stuff that the networks try to pass off as programing. Oh and can I get a woo hoo for Chuck coming back in January!! Finally, NBC has done something RIGHT!

Christmas Music: It wasn't until The Moody Blues released a Christmas album that I truly became addicted to the stuff. I scramble around to find all the new music each year and I make mixes for my friends and send them CDs with full artwork instead of cards.

Books: I've loved to read since I was about 5 years old. I'll read anything....except any more of the crap Twilight series. Book 1 was more than enough. My stomach couldn't handle anymore of that. If I want to read about vampires, I'll hunt down some better books than that poorly written piece of poo. Harlequin has a new young adult line that has some impressive titles and authors most of which are of the paranormal variety. Take a look here.

Tiramisu: If you want to win my heart, go through my stomach, its big enough. Just bring me a nice plate of this yummy dessert and I'm yours. Yup, I'm a cheap date! I can be bought with tiramisu and a nice raspberry lambic beer!

Christmas Trees: I love decorating trees. I love ornaments. If I could have a tree in every room of the house I would. The only thing I can't stand about them is putting on the lights! That is freaking evil.

Sleep: Pass me the Advil PM and let me get my 8 hours! I love to get all snuggled up in my fuzzy robe and just sleep and sleep. Its pretty much a shame that

Hooray, Sexual Double Standards!

Hooray, Sexual Double Standards!

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really care about American Idol. But I'll also be the first to admit that Adam Lambert got my attention way back when. He can sing & he knows how to perform. Now, I'd be willing to bet my life that he lost the competition because of the gay rumors, but naturally, my focus here is going to (unfortunately) be the same as what the rest of the world is talking about: the AMAs.

I care just as much about the AMAs as I do American Idol, so I didn't hear about anything until after the fact & didn't actually watch the full performance until literally just now, but this is all dumb.

1) The song is called "For Your Entertainment." You have to expect some kind of spectacle. Seriously.

2) A dude on a leash is not very offensive. I once saw a production of Jesus Christ Superstar where "King Herod's Song" was sung by a woman backed with dominatrix dancers where a guy crawled down a flight of stairs on all fours on a leash. I wasn't personally bothered, but if you want to call that offensive, I get it (and for clarification purposes, it was the only scene done that way & the production itself was one of the best I've ever seen). But a music award show at night? And the arguments that "children were watching" doesn't fly with me. What kid cares about the AMAs?

3) The blowjob simulation. I'll grant that even fake BJs on a major network are a pretty big deal, but it wasn't really that bad. Besides, ever watch daytime TV? It gets pretty racy. But I guess straight couples all out screwing is okay.

4) What about that cane that gets to at least third base! The stage also made it that far with Madonna's VMA "Like a Virgin" performance, before my time.

5) The guy-on-guy kiss. This is what drives me the most insane. Britney Spears tongued Madonna on the VMAs, then Madonna tongued Christina Aguilera. Yeah, that was a pretty big deal, but it feels like not one of them got the amount of backlash darling Adam got. So what you're telling me is it's okay for a girl-on-girl kiss, but not guy-on-guy?

Seems like sexually, girls can get away with almost everything. Madonna's been shocking people her entire career. Miley Cyrus did a glorified pole dance, & she's not even legal.

The backlash he's getting is ridiculous. The FCC has its panties all in a bunch (to which I say, fuck the FCC) & a few of his appearances on ABC have been canceled. Seriously? He's not Janet Jackson. He didn't flash his parts...and even if he did, I probably still wouldn't really care.

I get that not everyone is comfortable with homosexuality right now. I disagree with a lot of the reasoning behind that, but that's a debate not entirely relevant to this. But really, it's 2009. It's not new. As a country, we're engaged in a debate over gay marriage. Can we seriously not handle this performance?

I give Adam Lambert tons of credit for being willing to go there & push the boundaries. I love him even more now.

An Open Letter To All Hospitals

An Open Letter To All Hospitals

To Whom It May Concern,

I am the daughter of two people who it is politically correct to call elderly. Both of which have conditions that require me to spend at least one day or more in a waiting room in some facility.

I would like to ask a question to all of you who take part in the designing of the waiting areas, be they in outpatient/same day surgery, the ER, or any other waiting room.

Why in world do you choose to buy the most uncomfortable chairs, couches, recliners that you possibly can for these areas. Let me tell you, the people waiting for their loved ones to have their procedures/surgeries are in as much pain as the patients, why can't you at least shell out some cash to give them just an iota of comfort?

The couch I sat on in the Same Day Surgery waiting area of Mon Valley Hospital was no better than sitting on a bench with a cushion and not even a comfy cushion. I had to sit there for 3.5 hours! My back is now killing me.

Oh and do you have to keep the temperatures at freezing? Everyone in the waiting area still had their winter coats on, for crying out loud!

Totally unacceptable. I can understand not wanting it to be too hot, so as to let bacteria and viruses grow, but this was insane!

Please, hospitals, doctor's offices etc, have a thought for the comfort of the patient's family sometime. Just because they aren't sick, doesn't mean they should have to suffer.

Pass me some motrin please, my back is still killing me.

Yours in discomfort,

The Mistress Of The Dark