Football is Life: Thoughts on Ted Lasso

Courtesy of The Movie Database

I don't like sports. I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I bring books to read at baseball games. So initially, the premise of Ted Lasso did not interest me. I thought it was going to be another sports show. (Just like I thought Remember the Titans was just going to be a football movie and ended up sobbing through most of it.) A bunch of friends kept telling me I needed to watch it though, so I gave it a try. The first episode was decent, but I said I'd watch a couple more just to see where it goes. And then I was hooked! I absolutely love this series and am here to share reasons why you should check it out. I will also be posting my thoughts with spoilers a bit further down (past the trailer), for everyone who loves it as much as I do.

For those of you who haven't experienced the amazingness that is Ted Lasso, here are some compelling reasons:

1. As referenced above, you don't need to be into sports to enjoy this show. 

2. There are some aspects that fans of chick lit and rom coms will enjoy, such as the situations involving the female lead characters.

3. Roy Kent. That's all I need to say. ;) 

4. Lots of pop culture references throughout. Most will appeal to a Gen X crowd, however. Some of these references are from musicals. This is, by far, one of my favorites. (I can't listen to "Right Hand Man" now without thinking of it.)

5. It is SO funny! Lots of hilarious lines and moments. 

6. There's an emphasis on mental health and it's handled really well. 

7. Like most good shows, there a lot of inside jokes that you'll appreciate once you've watched. 

8. It won some important Emmy awards, such as Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress (Comedy), Outstanding Lead Actor (Comedy), and Outstanding Comedy Series!

If anything from the above list intrigues you, then check out this trailer. 

(Do not go beyond the trailer if you don't want to see spoilers.)

My thoughts on Ted Lasso:

I don't even know where I should begin. Perhaps I could share what really kept me watching. It was at the end of the second episode, where we see Ted baking the mystery biscuits and putting them into the little pink boxes. It was just so sweet and genuine and I knew I had to keep watching after that. There have been many more great moments since that one!

I just love so much about this show, from the characters to the situations to the pop culture references, and beyond. My thoughts will probably end up being random and all over the place, so just bear with me!

Thoughts on the characters:

It's hard to play favorites with the characters because they're all so great, but I definitely have a soft spot for Roy Kent. I'll elaborate on this more soon. I'm also sharing my thoughts on most of the main characters.

Ted: Given that he's the main character of the show, you'd think he'd be likable. And you'd be correct in that assumption! Ted is a lot of fun to watch, with his enthusiasm, funny sayings, inspirational quotes, pop culture references, kindness, etc. There are more layers to Ted than just what you see in the very beginning. The emphasis on mental health I mentioned earlier? That has to do with his panic attacks, resistance to therapy, and everything that came before that all happened. All in all, Ted is a good person to have on your side anytime! Also, he does a great Carlton dance (from Fresh Prince).

Side note: My husband does a really good Ted Lasso impression. :)

Coach Beard: Even before his epic "after hours" experience, I've liked Coach Beard. He tells it like it is and he's so quirky and fun to watch. I love his interactions with Ted and also how he calls Nate out on his behavior. He has such great lines, even though he doesn't talk nearly as much as Ted. 

Side note: Brendan Hunt is a fellow Redbird. He graduated from Illinois State a few years before I did, so our paths technically could have crossed when we were there at the same time. (My roommate did a lot of theater and I'd go to her shows, as well as other theater performances.) However, I didn't start going to Theater of Ted until after Brendan graduated. I'm glad he started this program though, as it brings back some fun memories for me. He also mentioned in the article that Theater Fest is what sealed the deal for him in terms of going to ISU. I went to Theater Fest at ISU in 1994, after I had already been accepted at the school. That visit sealed the deal for me though. (And I didn't even major in theater.)

Keeley: Keeley Jones is one of the chick lit elements of the show that I referenced earlier. She's fun and fierce and says what's on her mind, no matter how bizarre it sounds. She's also a fan of Sex and the City, which earns her even more points. I also wouldn't mind being her since she gets to be with Roy. ;) 

Side note: I only knew Juno Temple as one of the fairies from Maleficent, but I enjoyed seeing what else she is capable of.

Rebecca: It took me a bit longer to warm to Rebecca after hearing about her plans to use Ted in order to take down AFC Richmond as an act of spite toward her ex-husband. Then we get to the fourth episode with the gala and suddenly I get why she wants to do that and I also see this new vulnerable side of her and I'm now #TeamRebecca. When we get to "Make Rebecca Great Again" (not liking the title, but the episode was fabulous) and get to hear her beautiful singing voice, as well as see how kind she is to Ted when he has a panic attack, I envy Keeley for getting to be her best friend. I just wish she got to do something meta and follow Nate around with a bell saying "shame." (And I don't even watch Game of Thrones.)

Side note: I recently watched this conversation between Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca) and Juno Temple and it's delightful! I love their friendship on the show and how they elevate and support each other. 

Other side note: I don't agree with shipping Ted and Rebecca. I felt the same way about Penelope and Schneider on One Day at a Time. They are meant to be just friends, in both cases.

Ted Lasso Keeley Jones GIFfrom Ted Lasso GIFs

Roy Kent: "He's here. He's there. He's every f-ckin' where!" As he should be. The only exception is the Coach Beard episode. When I first saw Roy Kent, I thought he was just going to be this angry guy who was always annoyed with Ted. Then something flipped and I don't know when that happened. Maybe when he was trying to get Jamie to stop bullying Nate? Maybe it was seeing him dressed up for the gala? Whatever it was, I became all about Roy. I especially love him at the beginning of season two, when he tells Rebecca "don't you dare settle for fine." He's just so swoon-worthy and his growl is everything. Brett Goldstein plays this role to perfection and I'm thrilled that he won an Emmy for it. 

Side note: Brett Goldstein likes Grease 2, which earns him even more points with me!

Ted Lasso Roy Kent GIFfrom Ted Lasso GIFs

Jamie Tartt: I originally thought he was going to be the guy on the show that everyone crushes on, but he ruined that for himself in season one with his attitude. Although I did find it amusing that everyone was singing about him to the tune of "Baby Shark." I liked how he changed in season two, but not enough to sway me from Roy. I'm just glad he's becoming more of a team player and owning up to his actions. I love the unexpected scenes between him and Roy, such as when Roy hugs him in a very emotional scene in "Man City" and in the season two finale, when they are celebrating together on the field. 

Nate: Nate was totally likable in season one. Even when he was blunt about how everyone on the team was playing. It did help the team in the Liverpool game though. And I was happy to the point of tears when he got promoted to an assistant coach position. And even in the first half of season two, he was still pretty likable. However, once fame went to his head, things went downhill really fast. I was really mad at him after that. First, he berated Colin. Then he was a jerk to Will. I was furious when he told Trent about Ted's panic attack. And I was even more disgusted when he unleashed all his fury on Ted in the season finale. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I get that he has some issues with his dad, but he should have talked to Dr. Sharon when he had the chance, instead of taking it out on Ted. It also hurt my heart to see the "Believe" sign torn in half because it was obvious that he did that. 

Side note: I had a dream about Nate a few weeks ago. I was giving him advice on how to stand up to his dad and hugging him as a show of support. Why couldn't I have a dream about Roy?!? At least Nate was nice in the dream, but still...

Higgins: I really like how genuine Higgins is throughout the series. He's willing to give up his office for the team's therapist, even if that means being crouched at a small table. I love his relationship with his wife. It reminds me of my relationship with my husband. I also love the names he gives pets, like Cindy Clawford or Macy Grayhound (and Tina Feyhound). He could give Karen from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a run for her money when it comes to naming pets. He's just fun and full of surprises. 

Dr. Sharon: She was another one I had to warm to, but I think it was because she was so cold toward Ted when she first arrived. As she started to thaw toward him, I started to thaw toward her. I really liked her friendship with Ted and how she could still keep things on a professional level when it came down to what he really needed from her. I also love the way she talks. Her voice is soothing to listen to. I just really want to know what she said in her letter to Ted.

Dani Rojas: I love his enthusiasm for the sport and just love watching him in general. In fact, I love everything he says. Even though I felt bad for him when his shoes hurt, he did such a great job in those scenes. 

Sam: Like he said, he's only going to get more wonderful and I fully believe it. I am interested in seeing where his story will go in season three. It looks like he's going to own a restaurant. I just hope he doesn't give Nate the window table...

Favorite secondary characters (characters who have smaller roles but still stand out):

Phoebe: Roy's niece steals every scene she is in. I love how she keeps a tally of how much he owes her for swearing. It was also sweet what she said about him when Keeley told her to close her eyes and say what she thinks of him. 

Sassy: Rebecca's best friend needs more time on screen. She's so much fun. I love what she said to Rupert at Rebecca's dad's funeral. 

Trent Crimm: Another character it took me a while to warm to, but then when he and Ted had their day together and he wrote that nice article, I started to like him more.

Mae: The pub owner is hilarious and I love everything she says and does.

Baz, Paul, and Jeremy: These Richmond fans enhance the show and I especially enjoyed how they had the night out with Coach Beard. 

Colin: I hope he gets more face time next season. I enjoy watching him.

Top Five Favorite Episodes:

For the Children: The first time we get to see everyone in a different setting and how they interact. We also learn why Rebecca wants to ruin things for Rupert.

Make Rebecca Great Again: Another episode that's in a new setting, and when we first meet Sassy. We also learn about one of Keeley's past jobs.

Rainbow: Rom-communism. That's all I need to say about this episode.

Side note: I wasn't familiar with the song "She's a Rainbow" and then I heard it in Cruella a week or so later and was all excited to recognize it.

Headspace: I like the way this episode played out, especially the scenes with Roy and Keeley. We also start seeing Nate's dark side. 

No Weddings and a Funeral: Really well done, including the way Ted and Rebecca share their horrible experiences at the same time. There was a good balance of sadness and humor throughout.

I also loved the Christmas episode, of course!

Favorite moments (funny and/or heartwarming):

* Led Tasso. I just found this so amusing...that Ted became a different person when he changed the letters in his name. 

* Roy and Keeley's reactions to Phoebe's bad breath. Actually, most of the scenes involving Phoebe were cute and funny, but this one took the cake.

* The first time Ted tries sparkling water and spits it everywhere.

* Mae explaining to Ted what a wanker is. 

* Most scenes involving Coach Beard. I love when he sings karaoke though. 

* How inappropriately enthusiastic Rebecca, Keeley, and Sassy were being at the funeral, like when they were screaming and laughing together. 

*Akufo's reaction to Sam turning his offer down.

* Isaac giving Sam one of his legendary haircuts while the whole team watches.

* Everyone Rick Rolling at the funeral. 

* Roy: "You had me at coach."

* Anytime Roy does something romantic for Keeley.

* Roy hugging Jamie after that awful scene with Jamie's dad.

* Ted eating the spicy food to make his friend happy.

* The first Diamond Dogs meeting, where they establish that will be their name.

* When Ted beats Rupert at the darts game.

* When Roy is on Soccer Saturday and he lets his opinion be known, including all his usual swearing.

* When Rebecca helps Ted through his panic attack. 

Pop culture references:

This show is rife with pop culture references, as mentioned earlier. Too many to even keep track of and usually said through Ted's dialogue. Here's a bunch off the top of my head:

* "Ronald Reagan, the actor?!?" (Referring to a line from Back to the Future.)

* "Here's the unskinny bop." 

* "S'wonderful." 

* The Wizard of Oz pinball machine.

* Dr. Sharon singing "Tonight" from West Side Story on Ted's voicemail.

* All the romcom movies referenced in "Rainbow." 

* The Magnolia reference and then hearing "Wise Up" later in the episode.

* Sex and the City (including scenes from one of the episodes)

* Stepbrothers

* The Love, Actually scene in the Christmas episode

* The movie After Hours, which I had never heard of until after seeing the Coach Beard episode.

* A Wrinkle in Time

* The Carlton

* Smurfs

* John Stamos 

* Cheers (and Night Court, for that matter)

* H.R. Pufnstuf

* Reba McEntire

* "I Wanna Sex You Up." (I haven't heard that song in ages.)

* Toy Story

Overall, I just really, really, really love this show. I didn't even know I'd become as obsessed as I currently am. I'm glad to talk about it with anyone at any time! 

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A Musical Sensation: My thoughts on Schmigadoon

Courtesy of The Movie Database

As soon as I first heard about Schmigadoon, I knew it was going to be the perfect show for me. I love Broadway musicals and comedy. The combination is a dream come true! I had high hopes for this show to live up to the expectations I set for it....and it did! 

There is so much that I love about Schmigadoon, so I will just make a list: 

* One of the main characters is named Melissa. That almost never happens in a show, movie, book, etc. I also love how one of the supporting characters says it. You'll know what I mean as soon as you hear it said a certain way....

* It has so many different tropes from old-time musicals, including characters, plots, song styles, etc.

* It has an ongoing inside joke in the form of Pete, who is always getting injured. I also love the little boy announcing everything. 

* It has a star studded cast featuring: Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Fred Armisen, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Ann Harada, Martin Short, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski, etc. 

* The songs! They are so much fun and many of them are hilarious. I especially love the parody of "Do Re Mi". I also enjoyed "You Can't Tame Me," "I Always, Always, Never Get My Man", "He's a Queer One, That Man o' Mine," etc. 

* It reminds me a bit of Pleasantville with some aspects of Waiting for Guffman mixed in. 

* There are some really sweet moments and one in particular got me teary-eyed. 

* The main characters, supporting characters, and ensemble work really well together. 

* The set is completely adorable and adds to the whimsical feel of the show. 

* I feel the need to say it again...it's hilarious! The comedy is spot on. 

* There's room for a second season, so I hope that will happen! It would be interesting if they had a different musical era for season two, like Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Sondheim style...

If I haven't yet sold you on this show, check out the trailer:

 

And if you don't have Apple +, get a free trial and binge watch these six episodes. It's only three hours of your time and totally worth it!

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The Guilty Reader Book Tag

I saw this tag on Book Coffee Happy and it looked like a lot of fun. I'm also realizing that I'm not as nice of a reader as I thought... 

Please feel free to participate over at your blog, if you'd like. I'd love to see your answers!

HAVE YOU EVER REGIFTED A BOOK YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?

Only when I already have a copy of the book. 

HAVE YOU EVER SAID YOU’VE READ A BOOK WHEN YOU HAVEN’T?

No. What's the point? If I saw the movie instead of reading the book, I'll admit it. I'm not George Costanza.

HAVE YOU EVER BORROWED A BOOK AND NOT RETURNED IT?

Guilty as charged. Usually it's because the person never asked for it back, even if I have the intention of doing so at some point. And yes, it has been done to me many times and I'm so bad at keeping track of my books that it doesn't bother me. 

HAVE YOU EVER READ A SERIES OUT OF ORDER?

I probably have. Sometimes books are loosely placed in a series, like they are standalones but have mentions of characters from previous novels. I read this one Bette Lee Crosby book earlier this year and realized that it came after another book that I hadn't read. That also happened with a Debbie Macomber book a while back. 

HAVE YOU EVER SPOILED A BOOK FOR SOMEONE?

I try hard not to do it, but one time someone asked a question on Twitter and I answered honestly since it was about an older book that was somewhat more obscure. However, my friend saw my tweet and then went and read the question and called me out on spoiling it. I did reply that if they didn't want to know what the tweet was about, they didn't have to go and read the question. I've had some books spoiled for me when I wasn't being careful about avoiding the spoilers too. 

HAVE YOU EVER DOG EARED A BOOK?

I maybe did as a kid. Like when I was marking pages of steamy scenes in V.C. Andrews books. I dog ear magazines but I always use a bookmark for books. 

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD SOMEONE YOU DON’T OWN A BOOK WHEN YOU DO?

Maybe... **Guilty grin.** Then again, I sometimes forget what books I actually have. Sometimes I've said I own a book when I don't anymore. I also have a lot of books on Kindle, which is harder to loan out anyway. 

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD SOMEONE YOU HAVEN’T READ A BOOK WHEN YOU HAVE?

Again, what's the point in this? Unless it's a really embarrassing book or something...

HAVE YOU EVER SKIPPED A CHAPTER OR A SECTION OF A BOOK?

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult starts out really slow with all this Egyptology background and if I had to keep reading that, I would have quit the book. Someone told me to skip over that part and I did and then the book was much better.

HAVE YOU EVER BAD MOUTHED A BOOK YOU ACTUALLY LIKED?

No, since there are enough haters out there to do it for me. :( I sometimes will go easier on a book that I didn't like, but I won't recommend the book either. 

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Sugar and pumpkin spice: My overtly candid thoughts on Ginny and Georgia

Courtesy of IMDb

I finally got around to watching Ginny and Georgia, after keeping it on the back burner for a while. I mainly was drawn to it because of the actors from Degrassi who were on the show, as well as hearing that Jennifer Robertson (Jocelyn from Schitt's Creek) had a role. All I knew was that it was about a mother and daughter that were close in age, just like on The Gilmore Girls. After that, I didn't know what to expect. All I know now is that I have a LOT of thoughts running through my head and I need to get them out. If you haven't seen the show, I am sharing a trailer, but afterward, please look no further as there will be a lot of SPOILERS. For those of you who have seen it, pull up a comfy chair and grab a cup of coffee (preferably from the Blue Farm Cafe) because we have a lot to discuss!

Here's the trailer I promised:

SPOILER TIME!

I'm just going to share any and all thoughts I have in no particular order. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

* I kept mixing up Ginny and Georgia's names. Usually I expect the mother's name to go first in the title, so that threw me off. Georgia also calls Ginny "peach" and peaches make me think of the state of Georgia, so that's not helpful either. 

*The Degrassi people referenced above were Sara Waisglass (Max, who played Frankie on Degrassi), Chelsea Clark (Norah, who played Esme on Degrassi...I liked her soooo much better on G&G though), and Raymond Ablack (Joe, who played Sav on Degrassi...while he's still attractive, I like him better without the facial hair). Raymond's sister is also on the show, as Padma. The actress who plays Riley was also on Degrassi for a short time.

*When it comes down to Ginny's love interests, I am 100% #TeamMarcus. Hunter (on the left in the picture below) is sweet and all, but I felt like he was too much of a pushover. I actually liked when he got mad at Ginny and stood up to her after the essay contest winner was announced. Even so, he was just too smiley all the time and there was no real chemistry between the two of them. Whereas Marcus (on the right) and Ginny just sizzled together. Maybe it was the clandestine aspect? All I know is that I liked them together. Fun trivia: The actor who played Marcus (Felix Mallard) also played Zoey's cute Australian neighbor on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Maybe I should get back to watching that to see more of him... 

Image courtesy of Wiredup Report

*As for Georgia's love interests, I do like her with Paul the most, but part of me ships her with Joe, especially now that he knows he was the guy she met when they were teenagers. 

*Speaking of teen Georgia, I loved Nikki Roumel in this part. She reminded me of Natalie Portman at the beginning of Where the Heart Is, at least until she showed a darker side of herself. 

Courtesy of Ultimate Jackets

*As for adult Georgia, she was definitely my favorite on the show. Brianne Howey was so great in that role. At first, I thought she was going to be this irresponsible young mother and Ginny would be the one taking responsibility for everything, but that was not the case. She harbored a lot of dark secrets and she was a mama bear to the core. 

Courtesy of Refinery29

*Here is my main issue with the show...how Ginny and her brother Austin treated Georgia. I get that Georgia is young and that she was a teen mom, but Ginny has no idea what she has to put up with in order to keep her children safe and provide a better life for them than the one she had growing up. Ginny got mad at her for every little thing. I get that it's complicated to be a teenager sometimes, but it's even more complicated to be a teen mom and Georgia did the best she could under a lot of really tough circumstances. Even after she confided to Ginny why she had to keep some parts of her life a secret, Ginny still turned on her! I also hated how ungrateful Ginny was for the fabulous spa day birthday party Georgia threw for her. Her friends were even on board. She also impulsively sent Austin's dad all the letters he wrote when there was obviously a good reason why Georgia kept them hidden. She could have asked Georgia what was going on first, but that would be too easy. I could go on and on ranting about this, but the gist of it is that Ginny treated Georgia like crap. And then she had the audacity to run away from home and take Austin with her. On a motorcycle. I felt so bad for Georgia not knowing what was going on. 

*My other issue with Ginny was how she acted with her friends, like everything revolved around her. While Maxine could be the same way, Ginny couldn't deal with not having all the attention. When Abby was telling MANG about her parents getting a divorce, Ginny started going on about how she had problems too. I don't blame Abby for slapping her. Also, when Sophie broke up with Max, Ginny was more focused on being with Marcus. I don't blame MANG for bailing on Ginny and I also hate how she threw Abby under the bus for accidentally finding out about her and Marcus. 

*I may hate on Ginny a lot, but I did sympathize with her sometimes and I admired her for standing up to the racist teacher. I also loved her poem for the essay contest. And she has great curls.

Courtesy of Vulture

*The character I really hate is Cynthia. She has no redeeming qualities and even sticking in a scene showing that her husband is sick doesn't endear me to her. She could at least try to be a decent person, but she's incapable of that. She also raised her son to be a bully. I don't even get how she was able to break into Paul's office to spy on Georgia's financial records for the campaign. It made me think of Carolyn from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, where she tells on Sue-Ellen for potentially stealing the petty cash, but then Sue-Ellen had all these backup receipts. In this case, however, I think Nick figured something out and covered for Georgia. I love how Cynthia ended up looking foolish for making accusations about Georgia stealing money. 

*I'm guessing they didn't have the rights to be able to just perform Chicago at the school, since Sing Sing was very similar. I'm clearly not the only one who picked up on this. Too funny!

*There are still a lot of things that need answering. The first is how Georgia accessed her deceased husband's body if he had already been buried. Unless there was a long period of time between his death and when she moved to Wellsbury. Also, how did her sister get connected to Gabriel if her deceased husband's ex-wife is the one launching the investigation. Another mystery is why Georgia had Paul babysit for Austin one time, but then left him home alone at other times. It will be interesting to see what other secrets come out in the second season.

Overall, there was a lot to like about this show, even when some things made me so angry. I look forward to season two!

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Lights Up on Washington Heights: Review of In the Heights

Courtesy of IMDb

When I first started this blog, I posted about how much I love In the Heights. Since seeing it on Broadway in 2009, I've seen it twice more on stage. The first time was at a community college theater, where I took my older son to see it for the first time. I fell in love with it all over again, and he got really into it too. The second time was at a local professional theater, where Robin de Jesus (who I originally saw as Sonny on Broadway) was playing Usnavi. Another wonderful performance! So when I found out it was going to become a movie, I was ecstatic. It was originally slated for last summer, but due to the pandemic, it was postponed. However, I finally got to see it this past weekend....and it was amazing! Anything mentioned below will only be a bit of a spoiler if you've seen it on stage. (And I'm not including some aspects as to not completely spoil the way the movie plays out.)

There are a bunch of differences between the stage production and the movie, but I thought the movie did a great job of fitting the songs into the story in a different way. The songs were not in the same order as they were in the stage production. I first noticed this with "Benny's Dispatch" coming in before "Breathe." "Paciencia y Fe" was moved to after "Blackout" and before "Alabanza." "It Won't Be Long Now" came in after "No Me Diga." "Piragua" came before "When You're Home", etc. A few songs were taken out altogether, including "Inutil," "Sunrise," "Hundreds of Stories", "Enough," and "Everything I Know." Certain plot points were also changed as a way of excusing the songs from being in the movie. 

What they did with the songs that were included was nothing short of incredible. I loved how "96,000" was set at their local pool and all the choreography in the water. "Carnaval Del Barrio" was a lot of fun too, with Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi from the Original Broadway Cast of Rent) leading it as Daniela. I loved Lin-Manuel as the piragua guy singing his one song and somewhat duking it out with Mr. Softee, played by Christopher Jackson (Benny from the OBC of In the Heights and George Washington from the OBC of Hamilton). 

Anthony Ramos was perfect as Usnavi. He almost made me forget that Lin-Manuel originally starred in that role on Broadway. He had a very strong supporting cast and it just felt like everyone enjoyed each other's company the entire time. Most of the cast was new to me, but Olga Merediz played Abuela Claudia once again. I also was familiar with Jimmy Smits and thought he was great as Kevin (Nina's father). The kid who played Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) was great too. He reminded me of Betty's nephew from Ugly Betty, at least in looks. I found out that he's only 16 in real life, but was probably closer to 14 or 15 when this was filmed. Both Corey Hawkins (Benny) and Melissa Barrera (Vanessa) were great and their voices had a Rent quality to them. I enjoyed watching Leslie Grace as Nina, as well. As I mentioned before, Daphne Rubin-Vega played Daniela and she fit the role better than I was expecting. I liked Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco (Daya from Orange is the New Black) as Carla and Cuca, respectively. I had no idea until later that Marc Anthony played Sonny's father! While I did miss Nina's mom, I get why they wrote her out of the story. 

The scenery made such a huge difference between seeing it on stage and seeing it on film. They really brought Washington Heights to life. I've never been in that part of NYC, but I enjoyed taking it all in. (I used to think the bodega was outside because of how it looked on stage.) I love how busy everything looked all the time, with people just going about their usual business while singing at the same time and everyone hanging out on their front steps. I really got a sense of community from watching everything play out on film. 

There was also an element of magical realism, which I wasn't expecting. I love how the wig heads were moving around during "No Me Diga" and how they were drawing things with their hands in "96,000." However, dancing and walking sideways on a building in "When the Sun Goes Down" just made me nervous. It had a La La Land quality to it though.

Since I knew all the songs, it was nice to be able to focus on everything else going on, but I still feel like I missed a lot because so much was happening. Like certain cameos from actors who were in the Broadway cast at some point. I did catch the Hamilton Easter egg though. That was hard to miss!

In the Heights is written in such a way that it could take place in a variety of time periods. It's fluid and doesn't have to be stuck in the early 2000s. This time around, there was more focus on Dreamers and being undocumented. This added an extra essence and some more depth to the story. 

Overall, I laughed, cried, tried very, very, VERY hard not to sing along, got caught up in the beauty and chaos, and just loved it so much. I already want to watch it again! If you haven't seen it yet (or if you have and missed doing so), watch to the very end for an extra special treat. ;) 

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The Goldbergs-Season 8 with SPOILERS

Courtesy of The Goldbergs Wiki

I'm keeping up my tradition of mentioning my top 10 favorite episodes of the most recent season. I am looking forward to season NINE! I worry that they're going to run out of references soon. Like I said last year, I hope they'll feature Can't Buy Me Love, Adventures in Babysitting, and maybe some other lesser-known classics like Moving Violations in the next season. Grease 2 is fair game, as well! (I know I'm repeating last year's post, but they still haven't covered these movies.) UHF would be another fun one to do.

Synopses courtesy of IMDb. 

1. Episode 1: Airplane!
Beverly surprises the family with an end-of-summer vacation to Miami; Geoff accidentally spills to Erica the real reason for the trip.

Airplane! is one of my favorite comedy films and I love how they paid homage to it. 


2. Episode 7: Hanukkah on the Seas
Pops surprises the family with an ill-advised winter cruise to Canada; Erica stirs up holiday trouble at home.

It's about Hanukkah. Need I say more? 

3. Episode 9: Cocoon
Beverly enlists Erica's help to sue her cookbook publisher after finding her book in the bargain bin at a bookstore; Adam and Pops bond while taking a trip on the wild side.

Pops was such a great character. RIP George Segal. Check out the tribute they did for him.

4. Episode 13: Mr. Ships Ahoy
Beverly is thrilled to have co-workers for the first time and sets out to make them all love her; Geoff competes in a beauty pageant to prove to Erica that he can be seen as desirable by other women.

5. Episode 14: Love Triangle
As Adam's girlfriend, Brea, heads to visit her cousin at the University of Virginia, Beverly projects her own insecurity onto Adam, convincing him to make a grand gesture to prevent Brea from choosing UVA for college.

I love how Barry and Joanne join forces in this episode. It's so funny to watch them together.

6. Episode 18: The Dating Game
Erica goes on a date with a guy from the coffee shop, while Geoff ends up on an episode of "The Dating Game"; Beverly is thrilled to learn that Murray has spontaneously purchased a shore house.

Geoff was really funny on The Dating Game! I also love how Beverly was trying to pretend the beach house was better than it actually was. 

7. Episode 19: Daddy Daughter Day 2

Following Erica and Geoff's breakup, Murray decides to take Erica out on a daddy-daughter date to cheer her up. Meanwhile, Adam is excited to participate in the school senior prank until his conscience catches up with him and he enlists Beverly's help to get him out of it.

While working on this post, I realized that I somehow missed this episode. That was remedied and I'm glad I finally saw it. So cute and funny!

8. Episode 20: Poker Night
In order to take her mind off of her heartbreak, Erica takes a trip to to see her best friend; after getting caught taking part in an underground poker game, Adam gets sentenced to Pop-Pop duty, which turns out better than expected.

I loved seeing Lainey again!

9. Episode 21: Alligator Schwartz
Erica fears that Geoff has moved on from their breakup and started dating someone else. Meanwhile, Adam decides to find Dave Kim a date to prom, once he remembers his pact with Dave that they won't go to prom if they both don't have dates.

The Paula Hogan mix-up was great! 

10. Episode 22: The Proposal
Geoff shares with the JTP that he is planning on asking Erica to marry him and gives them the engagement ring for safekeeping. Like any good romantic comedy, several miscommunications and misunderstandings between Geoff and Erica's friends and family result in a potential derailing of the proposal, forcing Adam to step in to keep the couple's special moment alive.

Such a sweet and fun episode. I also loved the huge misunderstanding.

A cozy little cabin

 A long time ago, I posted about a camping trip I took with my family. (It was part of a longer post about holidays and other stuff.) Well, over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take a different kind of camping trip. This time, we went glamping! 

We stayed at a place I found on Vrbo, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Weirdly enough, I had been looking at another place at the same time that we were also interested in (due to the location), but I accidentally reserved this place instead of the other one. It ended up being a happy accident because we all loved it. It was so cozy and rustic, but had lots of amenities, such as a kitchen, TV, bathrooms, etc. There was a fire pit outside, as well. Alexis Rose would have said the cabin was so cute and done her trademark facial expression and hand gestures.

My husband took this picture and dolled it up a bit

After we settled in, we took a walk to a nearby lake. We were the only people at the lake, so it was nice and peaceful. My husband and younger son busied themselves with skipping stones across the lake. The rest of us enjoyed taking pictures and enjoying the scenery.

When we got back to the cabin, we had a cookout over the fire pit, with hot dogs and s'mores. It was a lot of fun. It started raining a bit after we had finished our meal and then we spent the rest of the evening playing Loaded Questions. It was a long game, but we love it and usually come up with a lot of inside jokes each time we play. We stayed up pretty late, but we were able to sleep in a little bit the next morning before we had to pack up. 

On the way back home, we stopped in downtown Frederick. It's a nice town with lots of art displays and a river running down the middle. We even saw some ducks. :) It was a gorgeous day out. Only half the people walking around, including us, were wearing masks, but no one bothered anyone else either way.

We had a really nice overnight stay and we already want to do it again!