My husband and I recently watched The OA on Netflix. It was marketed as perfect for fans of Stranger Things. There definitely were some elements that reminded me of ST, such as the nosebleeds and a scene involving a waffle. It ended on a bizarre and confusing note, so I'm glad there will be a second season. And it can't get here soon enough!
Here's a trailer, in case you want to see what it's all about:
And here are some reasons to watch this fascinating series (at least in my opinion). I don't think there are any spoilers here, as I am keeping it vague:
1. One of the creators is named Zal Batmanglij. Is that not the most bad-ass name ever?!?
2. Brit Marling (Prairie) is girlcrush-worthy. She's beautiful and ethereal. I just love watching her.
3. One word: Homer. Emory Cohen brings this character to life in such incredible ways. He's my second favorite after Prairie.
4. It features Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) and Phyllis Smith (Sadness from Inside Out; also on The Office)
5. There is a transgender character. I wish they shared more of his story. Hoping that will happen in season two. He has a great singing voice.
6. The story is just so compelling. I found myself getting totally drawn in.
7. "Product placement" of Costco. (I don't know what to call it if it's a store instead of a product.)
8. The violin piece that is absolutely haunting.
9. There is some really cool cinematography in various parts of the show.
I hope you get a chance to watch The OA (or are as into it as I am) because I would love to discuss it more!
(Side note: Lately, I want to sing "We Know the Way" from Moana so I can say "O-A, O-A...")
I know I am totally late to the game, but I finally started watching Gilmore Girls from the very beginning....and now I'm hooked. I think I didn't watch it originally because it conflicted with Friends when it first premiered in 2000. And then I was also exactly eight years between Lorelai and Rory's ages at the time, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to relate. Funny thing is that I'm now eight years older than Lorelai started out on the series, but it's different now. I'm just so glad I decided to give the show a chance. The banter is witty and makes me laugh out loud.
I love the small town feel of Stars Hollow with all their traditions and town hall meetings. Everyone seems to know each other's business. Everyone in the town is such a character in their own right. I especially love Miss Patty, the former stage star who teaches dance class and constantly gives her opinion. And how often do you visit a town where there's a troubadour?!?
I even like Lorelai's parents, Emily and Richard. I didn't like Emily in the beginning, but now I'm seeing her good side, even when she makes me so angry sometimes. Then there's Paris, whom my friend said is her favorite. I'm starting to see why and I get so frustrated when Rory ends up on her bad side. They have such good friendship potential. Paris' friends are too shallow for her! I adore Lane too (her mom is a piece of work though). And Sookie! Melissa McCarthy plays that role to perfection. Michel has even grown on me. It seems like the angry harp player (played by Alex Borstein, who does the voice of Lois on Family Guy) has disappeared though.
And, of course, there's Luke. I'm totally shipping him and Lorelai! The show was written that way, right? Kind of like how Ross and Rachel started out on Friends? Or how Mindy and Danny started out on The Mindy Project? Some characters are just meant to be shipped!
Since I don't have the time or patience to analyze and discuss every episode, I'm just going to share my favorites from the season. I did get some spoilers from Lauren Graham's new book, but it didn't ruin the surprise feel of certain moments. And I'll probably forget the others down the road and be totally shocked.
What I didn't know is that Rory's name is also Lorelai. Fun fact!
If you haven't watched this series (a newbie like me), look no further as you will either see spoilers or won't understand what I'm talking about. In the meantime, here's a trailer for season one (apologies for the quality):
Favorite episodes:
1. Pilot: It really establishes the plot and characters, which made me know why I couldn't stop at just one episode!
4. The Deer Hunters: I love the whole scene with Lorelai telling off the principal of Chilton.
7. Kiss and Tell: I love how everyone is making a big deal over Luke not having an autumn motif in his diner. And Rory's reaction to her first kiss from Dean is cute. I also love that Lorelai invites Dean to movie night at their house and gives him the "don't hurt my daughter" talk.
12. Double Date: Rune was so weird and rude, but I love how this kicked things off for Sookie and Jackson. I even love when Jackson told Rune to go bowling by himself. And there was definite chemistry between Lorelai and Luke when they were hanging out at the diner after the fancy restaurant idea went bust.
13. Concert Interruptus: I loved seeing a new side of Paris in this episode.
17: The Breakup, Part 2: I think the best part was when Rory finally "wallowed." My heart just went out to her. I loved most aspects of this episode from Lane meeting a new guy at the party and not wanting to admit she was having fun, to seeing Summer break up with Tristan, to Sookie being a control freak when Jackson was trying to cook for her, etc.
20. P.S. I Love You: There were a lot of funny and really good moments. I wouldn't mind having someone cook a fancy breakfast for me in the morning, so I envied Rory a bit when she ended up at her grandparents' place.
21. Love, Daisies, and Troubadours: I love the pissing match between Max and Luke (you know I wanted Luke to win that one), and Dean and Rory's kiss at the end is so perfect. There were just some really great moments overall and I can't wait to see where this goes!
The way things are going in our country right now, some comic relief is definitely needed. My go-to humorist is the clever, talented, and wickedly funny...Randy Rainbow! He's like Broadway's answer to Weird Al. Perhaps snarkier. When he puts out a new video, my day is complete. And yes, he makes fun of the Cheeto all the time and doesn't apologize for it. The Cheeto is too worried about Alec Baldwin or his imagined popularity and grandeur to attack Randy, which is just fine by me. I even let my kids listen to some of the videos that aren't offensive and they think he is funny too.
I'm sharing some of his videos that I like best. I recently discovered that he does more than just ridicule the Cheeto. He has some stuff out there from a few years ago that just has me in tears (the good kind).
Here's a video he did prior to the Tony's. Probably one of the better "Alexander Hamilton" parodies out there!
This is one of my favorites. Done after the Hamilton "incident" in November.
If you've never seen Into the Woods or don't know all the songs that well, you won't appreciate this as much as I did.
This was my introduction to Randy. He had me at "Super..."
I just found it recently. While I love that he used a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie, it also is bittersweet.
I also just found this recently...a RENT parody!!! So perfectly funny.
He also does great interviews that rival the ones Weird Al has done in the past. His interviews remind me of a friend I grew up with who would make tapes where he was interviewing our Rabbi and fitting in all the Hebrew words to match his questions (or vice versa). Most of them are political, but I'll keep it neutral for now. He did a funny interview with Barbra Streisand last year.
This is just a taste of his awesomeness. If you like these, visit him at his YouTube channel, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
I finally finished season two of Fuller House this past week. (My husband wouldn't let me binge watch, so there was only one time we watched three episodes in one sitting.) If you haven't seen season two yet, here's a trailer, but look no further than that for now...
Instead of detailing out every episode like I did last year, I'll just share some of my favorite moments here instead, as well as thoughts of what didn't work so well.
Favorite moments:
*When Max got the haunted house people to scare Taylor (I couldn't stand that little brat and loved his reaction to Max having his "brains" eaten.)
*When Jackson got back at Popko for the Ramona video by making a video of him farting and calling him "Poop-ko."
*NKOTB coming to the Fuller house for DJ's birthday. DJ coming on to Joey while she was still on pain meds. (Note to my kids: Don't even think about baking a key into a cake!)
*Steve giving DJ a Pillow Person for her birthday.
*Danny, Joey, and Jesse having their big fight and then Danny or Jesse (can't remember which one) throwing Mr. Woodchuck into the next yard.
*Kimmy owning up to her embarrassing situations at the reunion. Also, Viper and Nelson fighting over DJ and then Steve showing up to be with her.
*Jesse "inviting" Michelle over for Thanksgiving.
*Max having his first girlfriend and then making fun of Jackson for not getting how easy it is.
*Tommy being super cute...especially in the video with Cosmo.
*DJ and Stephanie crashing a wedding. DJ pretending to be Irish to flirt with a guy there. (I knew the guy was gay before he even said so.)
*DJ facing off with Gia.
*Matt and DJ's kiss
*When Max pulls out a carrot from his garden and remarks about the sticker on it
What didn't work so well:
*Kimmy being all annoying on Wake Up USA.
*Kimmy being all annoying at the NKOTB concert.
*Kimmy playing the Rat King in The Nutcracker and refusing to die.
*Fernando getting DJ a huge picture of himself. Who gives something like that to their fiance's best friend?!?
*DJ taking over Max's school project. I was annoyed that he lost as a result of her meddling and being overly competitive with Taylor's pompous jerk father.
*Joey's kids being rude to everyone and Kimmy not standing up to him later.
*Ramona dancing with Fernando in a not-so appropriate manner.
*Danny's mid-life crisis.
*The first video Stephanie made for her "Boy Next Door" song.
Bittersweet:
*Seeing Alan Thicke one last time before he passed away.
*When Jesse named the baby after his sister/Danny's wife.
*Steve telling DJ he's going to propose to CJ.
*Finding out that DJ wanted to choose Steve instead of Matt.
*Stephanie reminding us that she can never get pregnant.
*Ramona getting her first kiss and then being rejected for someone else later that day.
What did you like from season two? What could you have done without?
One of my favorite blogs, Airing My Laundry, does a post every week that was inspired by a section of Glamour magazine. She invites her followers to do their own posts like this. I enjoy doing this a every so often, so I thought it's time for another list. Since I don't do this weekly, my list will be long.
It's okay...
*To have not done an "it's okay" post in a while. (Last time was in July!)
*To have not made any new years resolutions.
*To have brought in 2017 by watching two family friendly movies with my husband, kids, and best friend.
*To have liked the new version of Pete's Dragon a lot. Especially since the old version is going to be on the list of Disney movies I don't like (coming soon).
*To start watching The Gilmore Girls soon because I told my best friend that I would since she watched This is Us at my behest (and now loves it).
*That I've wanted to be lazy over the weekend.
*To not care that Mariah Carey messed up during the NYE broadcast. At this point, all negative attention should be focused on someone who is about to run our country.
*To hope that 2017 will be easier on everyone.
*To not want to read certain books just because they are bestsellers or have high ratings.
*To have read almost 80 books in 2016. My goal was 100, but I'm still impressed with myself. I set a lower goal this year, just to feel more productive.
*To have ugly cried during Sing. Like, a lot.
*To have not sent holiday cards out this past year. I did virtual ones, but that was about it.
*To still do these posts on a Tuesday, even though Airing My Laundry does them whenever.
*To not have been impressed with the movie version of Bridget Jones's Baby, even though I adored the book.
*To finally be finished with season two of Fuller House and excited for season three. I hope to write more about season two soon.
*To be glad that my kids are going back to school and are in a routine again.
I've decided to take inventory of some past lists I've made, and also wanted to include some new lists. I did this last year, as well. However, this year my favorite blog posts will be in a separate post.
1. Lin-Manuel Miranda: Who DOESN'T think he's adorable?!?
2. Jeremy Jordan: He was amazing in The Last Five Years and still makes my heart skip a beat. I hope to see him in the filmed Broadway version of Newsies.
3. Santino Fontana: Such a melt-worthy smile coupled with a great singing voice.
4. Jay Hernandez: The hottie from Bad Moms. That's all I need to say.
5. Jamie Cullum: I think it's his Harry Connick Jr. appeal (speaking of....I also think HCJ is sexy). He has such an amazing voice that it just sends tingles down my spine. He could seduce me just by singing! Celebrity bucket list:
1. Lin-Manuel Miranda (see my post below about doing lunch with "legends.")
2. Mindy Kaling
3. The cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
4. Jamie Cullum (I'd be happy just to hear him perform live, at this rate.)
5. Sophie Kinsella (I'm hoping she'll come back to the US one of these days and stop in my neck of the woods. She didn't include my area on her tour last time and I was so jealous of people who got to meet her.)
Top Five Favorite Movies that I saw in 2016 (some might be from previous years).
You can see how many movies I watch with my kids these days...
1. Finding Dory
2. Zootopia
3. Sing
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
5. The Intern
Top Ten Favorite Books I read in 2016. (Some may be from previous years or publishing in 2017.)
I've shared my chick lit favorites on Chick Lit Central (as Melissa A). I'm too lazy to put in my review links, so just trust me on this!
1. The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
2. The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
3. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
4. The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio
5. Orphan Number Eight by Kim Van Alkemade
6. The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman
7. The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti
8. Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
9. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
10. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
My favorite new TV shows (not all of them started in 2016, but I may have not started watching until this past year): 1. This is Us 2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 3. Fuller House 4. Speechless 5. The Goldbergs
6. Stranger Things
7. Search Party
8. Timeless (although I need to catch up on it)
Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about three years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other. We will be posting bi-weekly as life keeps getting in the way.
Darwin Shrugged: Write about a time you changed your mind First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
Time for the airing of grievances...or at least one grievance for now!
Remember a few weeks ago, when I shared my thoughts after the election? Well, I was really trying hard to be diplomatic. To hope that the Cheeto would change and act like a President should. I was trying to be the voice of hope and encouragement.
Well, not anymore. I refuse to think of him as a President. I won't even use the word "President" next to his name, nor will I use the words "Vice President" next to his running mate's name. I kept thinking that I would give him a chance to earn my respect. It's been only a little over a month and he has completely destroyed any chance of receiving respect from me or the millions upon millions who did NOT vote for him. The fact that his opponent COULD have won, if popular votes held more weight than electoral votes, makes me nauseous. What is the point of electoral votes anyway? And what is the point of an electoral college who can't even DO THEIR JOB?!? We now have a giant Cheet (or is it "cheat")-o who won't listen to intelligence briefings, allowed Russia to hack the votes, freaks out about portrayals of him on SNL but is not worried about what is happening in Syria, tells people to threaten anyone who doesn't agree with him, plans to still run his business while in office, plans to NOT live in the White House, hires people who only serve of interest to him (at the detriment of the country), etc. The list goes on and on and on.
So yes, I am truly appalled, disgusted, dismayed, anxious, upset, frustrated, depressed, etc. over this decision and the inability to stop it. All I can think now is that I WANT there to be anarchy. I want people to be civilly disobedient. I want everyone to make him so damn effing miserable that he quits before he even gets inaugurated (and takes his homophobic running mate with him). I want him to feel even worse than teens who are cyber-bullied on a daily basis. Is that too much to ask?
And no...this rage is NOT because the candidate I wanted lost. Not even close to it. If Obama had lost to a Republican, I would not have been happy, but I would have dealt with it. I dealt with Dubya for eight years, after all. That is because he had the capacity to be a President. He didn't incite hatred. He didn't tweet stupid sh*t when he was being challenged. He didn't appoint people that served his own interests. No. This time around, things are WAY different. He's a complete joke all over the world and I also worry that this could start a war, now that we have such a weak link that will cooperate with other countries at the expense of ours.
I don't know how long we'll be able to tolerate this as a country, but I hope everyone will be loud in speaking out against all the acts of hatred, all the undoing of our progress, all the violations of the Constitution, etc. Please help me make some noise here. "When you've got a million voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow?" ("The World Will Know," Newsies)
The Dixie Chicks said it best...and this was during the Dubya administration:
All I know is that I would rather eat avocados than take any of that orange medicine. And that is saying a lot since I think avocados are disgusting. However, everything about the Cheeto is vile and repulsive. Beyond disgusting.
Since we need to use humor to cope with all of this (thank you Alec Baldwin, who now has a job on SNL for the next four years), I've made a list of people (and characters) who would be better Presidents than the Cheeto. (I'll limit it to 10...for now.)
1. David S. Pumpkins
2. SpongeBob SquarePants (I find him incredibly annoying, but still a better alternative. At least he's happy all the time.)
3. The "autopilot" from Airplane!
This is definitely not the end of my ranting. I will continue to post all the evil he is inflicting on our country whenever possible, in hopes to spread the word. I know there are people who are even angrier than I am. I felt sick having to tell my kids the results from the Electoral College's decision. Even my youngest child hates him so much that she calls him "stupid" and makes masks that depict how evil he is. She even imitates his facial expressions. If he's making THAT great of an impression on children, the feeling for adults is 10 times worse! (I envy my children's innocence right now. All they know is that he's a bad person. They don't know how worried we truly are.)
