100th Post...didn't think I would ever get here!

Well I just saw that this is my 100th post. Wow! I remember when my good friend hit her 100th post last year and she did this really cool post and I wanted to follow in her footsteps but since its a big TV night and I was gonna blog a little about that, some big fancy post will have to wait. Maybe post 104! We will see...

So, tonight, on the Tivo is Chuck, Hereos and Life! How I Met Your Mother is on too but its taping and I will probably get to it tomorrow instead of tonight.

First up was Chuck! How I love this show! Right amount of excitement, humor and entertainment. It was on last season and I forgot how much I loved it since we haven't seen in too long. The first season came out on DVD last week so I might try to pick it up this week when I am out if its not too expensive. The first episode was fantastic and I am so looking forward to more!

Up next is Heroes. Another fantastic show. This season is a little more focused on the Villians which is interesting but last season the show struggled a little in its sophomore season (not unusual for hits) but so far it seems to be redeaming itself in my eyes so far. One of the best things is Hiro and Ando. They are back to interacting in what made them great in season 1. Last season Hiro was not with Ando directly enough so I am happy to see it back to where it should be.

Life was as great as expected as well. I feel this is a fresh take on a crime drama with a bit more "humor" added without being a comedy. Its intriguing and unique and not like the typical CSI show with lots of blood and guts. This show is airing on Friday this week at 10pm as well and I think will next week it will be its regualr timeslot this season.

All in all....my monday night tv was great.I obvisously need to catch up here and I promise a better "100th post" in the near future!

Tv Talk: Lipstick Jungle

I know I am behind on some of my regular reviews and I will try to get caught back up this week but I was compelled to write a little about this week's premiere of Lipstick Jungle.

This was a show I watched last season when I think it came in as a mid-season replacement but it was hard to tell with the writers strike and all. I liked it. It wasn't anything "great" I felt but I thought it was worth giving a look this season. And I can honestly say I am glad that I did. I really enjoyed it, even more than last season. I think the break gave them a great chance to clean it up and make it even more entertaining. I thought the first episdoe of this season was great. It is based on a novel by the same authoer of Sex and the City story. I was never into Sex and the City but I do enjoy this and wouldn't mind checking out the book although I don't want to ruin the series for myself!

The one thing I had to say though was that I felt it was very sad to see Mary Tyler Moore on the show. I hate to speak ill of such a TV icon but she just looked really bad. Besides all the plastic surgery she must have had since she looked plastic (and the whole plastic surgery thing without a medical need I just don't get) but she just didn't look healthy. I understand she is diabetic and from the way she looked and acted on the show I think her vision is a lot worse than she may let on at this stage but it just didn't make sense to me to put her back on tv. She played the part fine but it was painful to watch and she is such an icon I am surprised she would put herself out there like that. Anyway, I know its not the nicest thing to say and I feel bad for that but if anyone else saw the show I would love to hear if you thought the same stuff too or its just me?

Back to the show....it centers around 3 friends and their lives in the city. Unlike Sex and the City they are not all single women looking for a good time and I think that was part of the appeal for me. The actresses really seem to have a good chemistry and their friendship seems genuine.

If you haven't caught it yet, I do believe you can check out the first episode of this season on the NBC website (Whenever it comes back up as I haven't been able to log on for two days!) and it looks like you can catch all the episodes so far (As well as other related videos) of Lipstick Jungle on Hulu.com (As well as lots of other shows both current and classic for free!)

Show airs on NBC on Wednesday nights at 10pm.

My Fall Tivo Lineup (aka all the shows I am addicted to!)

Just for fun I thought I would post some of the shows I have on my Tivo and plan to be following on TV this fall season! One of the best things about having tivo is being able to tape to two shows at once and even watch one that is already taped while the others tape! The summer has been bland and limited with good shows (mostly due to the writer's strike) and the fall season is finally here with lots more to offer up.

There are a few new shows out there this year although it seems most networks focused on keeping shows from last year and building upon them to get the viewers back. There were some casualties of the writers strike from last year (Moonlight, New Amsterdam, Jericho and Journeyman to name a few, yet Jericho was already on its last life from a cancellation then revival.) Other than Moonlight the shows that didn't make it to this year didn't surprise me. I had hopes for Jericho too but CBS just never seemed to have the faith in that show that its viewers did. Actually, CBS was the ones that dissed Moonlight too....hmmm, do we see a pattern here?

I like to give to new shows a chance when I can as an avid TV Junkie. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. The first casualty of this season I have heard of is "Do Not Disturb" which was on Fox and has been cancelled after 3 episodes. I can't say I was surprised. I saw the preview and it looked ok so I set up my Tivo to watch it. I struggled through the first episode but it was very scattered and while it had a few good moments it didn't really have a pull. At least not for me and from the sounds of it not for many people. I had actually taped the other two episodes but didn't bother to watch them since it was cancelled anyway. Why get my hopes up?

The other shows that I have started to watch and are new this season seem to be doing well. 90210 was actually picked up for 22 episodes which will keep it on the air through May so it seems the CW is willing to give it a shot. I have enjoyed it already (although I do need to do this week's review) but I really hope it keeps going well and I REALLY hope they find a way to bring Tori Spelling and other original series veterans into the mix. If they do, it has real potential to be a show that appeals to the younger generations while also keeping the older generations interested. Lots of potential for the whole 18-49 female demographic if they play it right.

Anyway...so on to my Tivo line-up for the Fall!
Sunday
Amazing Race 8pm CBS (1 hour)(or whenever 60 Minutes ends if football runs overtime!)
Desperate Housewives 9pm ABC (1 hour)

Monday
Chuck 8pm NBC (1 hour)
How I Met Your Mother 8:30pm CBS (half hour)
Heroes 9pm NBC (1 hour)
Life 10pm NBC (1 hour)

Tuesday
House 8pm FOX (1 hour)
90210 8pm CW (1 hour)
Fringe 9pm FOX (1hour) *NEW this season*

Wednesday
Knight Rider 8pm NBC (1 hour) *New this season*
Gary Unmarried 8:30 pm CBS *NEW this season* {haven't seen it yet, starts this week but stars Jay Moher so I thought I would give it a shot}
Private Practice 9pm ABC (1 hour)
Project Runway 9pm BRAVO (1 hour)
Lipstick Jungle 10pm NBC (1 hour) {this season is looking good!}

Thursday
Survivor Gabon 8pm CBS (1 hour)
Supernatural 9pm CW (1 hour)
Kitchen Nightmares 9pm FOX (1 hour)
CSI 9pm CBS (1 hour) {this is an occasional watch and doesn't start new for a couple weeks} *If you notice there are 3 shows there and so to make it work I tape Kitchen Nightmares on one tivo with Supernatural and the other CSI with Supernatural since that is the priority!) Occasionally I will try to squeeze in Grey's Anatomy but I really didn't watch last season and since I can catch up online when I have the time or on my ipod I usually try to do that-or re-runs!
ER NBC 10pm (1 hour) *Last Season Alert-will end in May!*
Tabitha's Takeover 10pm (and many other times) BRAVO (1 hour)

Friday
Ghost Whisperer 8pm CBS (1 hour)
Numbers 10pm CBS (1 hour)

Some upcoming shows I am looking forward to but are not started yet:
Top Chef NYC BRAVO
Real Housewives of Atlanta BRAVO
Tim Gunn's Guide to Style BRAVO (this is more of a filler show for when nothing else one but since its on cable and runs a bunch of times in a week I can tape it and watch it whenever I can).
My Own Worst Enemy NBC (starts in October, could have potential)

A couple shows I would like to find a way to catch but scheduling prohibits it at this time are Biggest Loser and Dancing with the Stars (which I have never seen but was going to try and watch).

I feel like I am forgetting some shows but I just can't think of them right now. Oh well! I guess this is enough to get the season started!

**You may notice I don't have links for the NBC shows, I will update when I can but their website was not working when I wrote this.**

TV Talk: How I Met Your Mother

Does anyone but me watch this show? Some people must because its still on the air (thankfully!) and I LOVE "How I Met Your Mother". Not since Friends has there been a sitcom that I had on the top of my Tivo list. You can check out full episodes online if you click the link above that will take you to the CBS website.

I just checked out the website to post the link above and I also saw a spot for Barney's Blog who is one of the main characters. I am totally going to check it out (and you can too by clicking the link to it!)

Anyway, the season just started and it is looking good as always. I realized that most of my Tivo selections are either hour long dramas or some how reality associated. Most of the "reality" shows are of competition nature which is what I like about them. Although I can not lie, there are a few that are just mindless fluff of fun! There just haven't been a good half-hour comdedy sitcom that has sucked me in like Friends used to. I hope this one lasts. So to be sure it does...everyone should go watch it!! :)

And I thought it was very cool that one of the characters was using the same cell phone I have! LOL

My niece's Baptism and other odds and ends

I have a lot to catch up on here on my blog. Of course most of it is my TV Talk stuff but I do have some other randomness to share!

Not too much new and exciting going on but I hadn't done a proper update in a couple weeks so I thought I should try and do that.

Let's see...in all honesty not really a whole lot has been going on. Work is good. Although I am pretty annoyed with the state of nj dept of education right at the moment because I was seeking some information and it came out that they have no record of me ever sending in my transcripts for any type of educational certification verification. They CAN confirm I have a $50 credit but don't seem to realize that I would not have just sent them $50 for fun. My transcripts and other papers accompanied that $50 but besides the fact it took them two years to contact me originally, the guy I spoke with tried to make it sound like I hadn't done anything in 4 years and proceeded to tell me they have none of my transcripts. This REALLY ticked me off and so now I have put some feelers out to a few friends and people I know to see if they know anyone I can speak with to handle this the best way. I am not about to send them more $$ and all my transcripts AGAIN if I am not sure they can actually take care of it and do what they are supposed to. Although the satisfying point for me is that I have a copy of the original packet, including recipts for my transcripts and how many I originally ordered as well as the extras that are still sealed (With original dates I am sure) so I am ready at any moment to show them my copy, including the dated cover letter! GRRRR!!

The only other big thing going on around here lately was my niece's baptism last weekend. It was nice. She slept through most of it! We went to eat afterwards and made it home in time to watch the Eagles beat Pittsburgh. Speaking of football, I am really enjoying this season so far. I took over running our football pool at work since I was the one who kept it going last year after Larry died. The first week was a little tough just because it was really weird to be the one sending out updates and doing all the organizing. I did do it last year at the end but I didn't do the updates and all the little things like that. This year's games have been full of surprises so that has kept it interesting and we have a few more people playing this year so its been going well.

Back to the Baptism....here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:
Tara using my point and shoot to take pictures. She enjoys getting to take her own pics with my camera and she usually does pretty good too!



Here is little devil Luke. He was a little sick with a cold and didn't want to leave mom's side so he was up with my sister, the baby and her god parents.






I thought this was really cute. The priest was really good with the children.



The Family...sort of!


Twins! I thought it was really funny that my dad and ben both were wearing the same color button up shirt and pants!


Luke being cute...


My sister, Luke, Tara, Sami and her godparents


Sami, her great grandmother (SHe is checking her out) and my sister


Now she is checking out great grandpa!


Luke likes to be in pictures so he got in on some of the action...


The cutie with me


uncle Ben and the cutie


And there is that smile...


Cute ball of tulle and grandpa




Uncle Ben and tara


Someone was apparently hungry...


Now she knows I got the camera on her...smile!


Aunt Colleen and Tara


This past week was busy but nothing out of the ordinary. I hung out after work with a couple friends on Wed to work on storybooks and we had a good time. Thursday was the first episode of Survivor-Yeah!!!! And last night was the debate so its been a busy week LOL. Tomorrow we are going to see ben's dad and step mother and grandmother. It should be a fun afternoon. In the morning we are going to go look for a new stove to order and hopefully be home in time for the Amazing Race and Eagles Football (What would I do without Tivo??)

I guess that about catches me up. I am trying to catch up on all my TV from the week right now as I type this. I also just watched Slacker Uprising the free movie Michael Moore made about voting and the 2004 election. Its a documentary on getting people out to vote. Anyone can stream or download it free on www.slackeruprising.com and its on itunes for free too. I thought it was interesting. I am thrilled Fall TV is back...lots to watch though so I must go now!!!

ta ta for now!

My Public Service Announcement-Register to Vote!

I am writing this post just as a reminder to everyone to be sure they are registered to vote and to be sure to go vote on Nov 4. It doesn't matter to me who you vote for, but what is important is that all citizens exercise their right to vote. IF too many people say "my vote doesn't count" and don't go vote, it won't count because it was never cast.

In NJ, I believe the law states that you must be resident of your county for at least 30 days, and you must register no less than 21 days prior to the election unless you are a first time voter then it has to be 30 days. The days are getting closer and closer.

In NJ, all you need to do is print out a form you can find on the internet from the state page for elections: http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/

You can print the form and find out where to mail it here: http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/voter-registration-application.html

Also, if anyone is interested, filmaker Michael Moore made a documentary on the attempt to reach out to college kids and "slackers" everywhere to get them to vote in the 2004 election. He is offering this movie to people for free. I am watching it now so I can't really comment much on it but you can read more and sign up to get a link to download it for free to your computer (and can find it on itunes) if you go to www.slackeruprising.com

So that is my PSA for the day. Register to vote and then go vote on Election Day November 4 2008. (and watch those debates on tv too!)

TV Talk: Supernatural (My scary movie of the week!)

I really like Supernatural. If you have never seen it, it is in its 3rd season I think and runs on Thursdays at 9pm on CW. Its a show about a bunch of Demon "hunters" and it features Jared Paldenecki(Dean from Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Eric from Days of our Lives) and neither are all that bad to look at although the character of Dean is my personal choice:)

Its like a mini scary movie of the week. I can never watch it right before I go to bed but I think it has gotten better each season and the chemistry between the main actors who are brothers is just very entertaining.

It is a lot of supernatural stuff and if you are not into that, you probably won't like it much. But if you don't mind a little scary, supernatural fun, its worth a look. Each season has had an overall story arc that carries through but nothing too major that new viewers need to watch this season. Each episode also has its own sel-contained story.

Anyway, its another one of my weekly shows and I thought I would put it out there for some others who might be interested. It can get a little gory at times (we are talking about supernatural demons here) but its a good watch!

Survivor Gabon!!! ***spoilers*** (live blog...or rather my random thoughts in no particular order)

So this season is the shows first season filmed and aired in HD. Wahoo! The picture is amazing and with the area they are in it is great to see in HD. It is a little bit of a different "look" and it will take some getting used to but its not a bad thing-its actually nice just different.

Ok so the show gets going right away. I have to say though, how stupid do you have to be wear a dress to ANYTHING prior to the show when they get you out to CA or where ever. I mean really?? Do you not think they are going to drop you off somewhere in your "day" clothes? I would wear my bathing suit (a two piece) and capri pants, tank top AND a long sleeve shirt-got my bases covered. I would wear the same type of outfit everyday so I was not caught off guard!

Ok...now that I got that out of my system lets see how these characters.

Love Bob. He tied his buff into a bow-tie. That is awesome. Already like him!!!

Gillian...oh she is gonna be interesting. Elephant dung is all I am gonna say about that!

The wedding photographer, Randy, is gonna be an a**. No question there, oye!
Ace, over confindent but could be interesting to watch. And the dummy gets hurt the first night! Already saw a medic! And seriously he is such a pessimist I hope he leaves soon. And he is not a wedding photographer I would want (at least based his personality and how he doesnt believe in marriage-unless his pics are THAT good. But anyway...)

Charlie the lawyer is going to be fun to watch and his boy toy Marcus will keep him happy but for Marcus its "not the way he rolls" LOL

I do like the gamer guy Ken but the girl he has a crush on is so going to wrap him around her finger as best she can. She is also a bit of a whiner so she might not last. Her name is Michelle.

I wasn't sure how I would take Michelle at first but the more I see she is growing on me. She might be a little bit of a whiner but she has some good points about the challenge and I do like the friendship between her and Ken.

Ace and his yoga in his orange underwear was a bit entertaining! He is SO full of himself!

The scenic views and flashes of the animals look amazing, especially in HD. I also enjoy the wide angle shots, especially when you can see Jeff running alongside the challenges and actually see how close he is to the action. Its interesting.

First challenge...I am glad the yellow team won. I like them better. There are a couple on each that are ok so far but I really like Bob. And I am pulling for the video gamer to be there awhile at least!

Tribal council....My Thoughts
Gillian=granny bit**
Michelle=honest
GC=stupid
Suzie-=kind of annoying too, just thinks she is better than she is but hasn't really done anything.
Randy=clueless pessimist

Voting on a "leader"? Give me a brake!!! WTF is that and the new leader is GC (and he looks petrified!) At least he has individual immunity this week so he is safe.

ok more and more I see Gillian, I can't stand her. Go home!!!

Voting...how will it go?? And the one going home ... Michelle. Damn. That sucks and was so not right (although at least she can get some clothes on now because I am pretty sure she was walking around in her underwear. And who couldn't spell "michelle" to vote?? Oye!

So tribal counscil is over...they got flint. Pretty much need it to be sure they start a fire because in the wilderness where they are, they need the fire to keep the wild animals away so it was probably a safety thing more than anything!

Hour 2: It all starts over:) The next day!

And they cooked all that rice why? do they realize its supposed to last????
OMG Charlie and his crush on Marcus is so funny!He is so smitten! Of course Marcus sounds hot for Corinne...that could get interesting! LOL

Ok did that cut on Randy's head hit his brains out? He has the dumb blank look every time they pan to him! He looks so confused!

Hippos!!! very cool!

Randy the racoon....lol-what was he thinking with that charcoal?

I LOVE Bob!
I like Ken too.

Hate Gillain...not impressed by Ace and his orange underwear. Really don't care for Randy either.Suzie kind of blah and has an supoity attitude if you ask me. Olympic chick is ok.

Kota wins challenge-sends Dan to exile!

Back at camp...Randy in his undies with his long shirt is not vutting it.
Exile island was interesting...I like the whole comfort or clue bit with the apple in eden:)

I like when the olympic medalist said she was going to jsut say "gillian" would love to see her do it.

Gillian is so obnoxious! Send her home!!!

Tribal counsil #2...Gillian is gone! (doing the happy dance)

All in all it looks like it is shaping up to an interesting season and I am looking forward to it. I think the addition of having it filmed and broascast in HD is a great thing and really enhances the show. The new twist with the exile island keeps it fresh and interesting. I loved that they hooked us in with two episodes right off the bat. And I am looking forward to next week's show already!

Til next week...

60th Annual Emmy Award Show

At first I was going to try and write a live blog of the Emmy's but after watching for a few minutes I realized how boring that would be. So, instead I am going to write my thoughts on the show and what has happened to what was once an event of the week.

This morning I saw a news headline that said that last night's Emmy's were the lowest rated ever. Is this honestly a surprise? The shows that were nominated no one watches so why would anyone watch the awards show?

The problem is the whole Award system. Now I don't know much about it but I do know that there must be something a little off if most of the shows that are nominated no one watches (or ever heard of).

Let's get over the fact that most of the shows, no one ever heard of and move on to the fact that its because they are all on cable. I think the first thing the people in charge need to do is separate the shows that are on network TV and Cable TV. The biggest reason is because there are different standards for shows on network vs cable and it really isn't fair to compare the shows in the same category. Especially considering there are a good number of people in this world (yet as surprising as it might be) but there are still people who don't have cable. So when they watch an awards show on their network TV channel and then turn it off because they don't know any of the shows since they are mostly from cable, is anyone really surprised?

Some might say its a decline in the type of available TV shows on network TV for why they don't get the nomination nods viewers might feel they deserve but I don't think that is really the case. I think that while it is not the viewers that vote or nominate it is the viewers who watch the shows. And I am sure advertisers should fit in there somewhere too but I don't feel like delving into that at this point.

I guess I just think the system is a little broken and continued declining ratings for these awards shows is evidence of that. I thought it would be really interesting this year to see the reality competion hosts host the event but it didn't go so well. And there wasn't even many interesting extras. I did like the kick backs to old school shows but they really could have done a lot more with that than they did.

Of course the overall theme I took away from the show was how pressed for time they were and how that affected different "bits" either being cut or played out as if they were cut and either way it wasn't funny. I think that part of their neeed to worry about going over time goes back to the fact that you can't really justify the extra time needed when no one is watching. If the Superbowl goes long, no one cares because EVERYONE is watching it. Even people who don't care about football but where at one time people (like myself) who love TV and will watch anything TV related would tune in, these days some people I talked to didn't even realize the award show was on last night.

That isn't really good for the award shows.

Itunes, accessibility and moving in the right direction

I am a techy type of person. You hear of men and their toys, well its me and my toys! LOL Luckily for me, at this point in my career being techy is part of my job and helps keep it interesting. For those of you who don't know (or don't remember) I teach computers/technology to people who are blind or visually impaired. Specifically I teach the Internet class which also allows me the freedom to teach things like itunes and instan messenging and other fun trendy websites of the time.

One of the biggest challenges over the past few years has been itunes and ipods. They just were not accessible for the blind and not much easier for the visually impaired. Itunes is not too bad for low vision users on the computer but for those who use a program called Jaws (www.freedomscientific.com)it was pretty much useless unless you were willing to spend another $75 to be able to use itunes (a free program!) and I am not even sure how well that would work because we never got the demo to work at all at work.

Well, all of this was about to change last week after the new Itunes 8.0 was released. I was doing the update on my computer and I happen to notice in the release notes for the new version of itunes that it was now accessible with "Window Eyes" which is a screen reader program for blind users. As soon as I saw this I went and did some google searching to find out more and I learned that Apple and GW Micro (The makes of Window-Eyes) had been working together to make itunes more accessible for blind users. The program I teach students is Jaws, but in my mind if they made it accessible with Window-Eyes, it has to be at least more accessible than it was before with Jaws. And last night I learned how right I was....and more!

Yesterday after work, I took my friend Jay (Who happens to be blind) to the Apple store at the mall and look into getting an ipod. We were not sure how well this was going to work out for him but I had been able to help other blind users use their ipods with less skills than he has so I was optimistic he would have no problems. When we got there we started looking and playing with the different options available and had settled on one of the 120GB classic ipods. While we were looking at the cases for it we got help from a wonderful employee, Tim. After deciding on a case we went with Tim to one of the computers to check out and that was when things took a turn in the right direction.

Tim didn't seem to realize at first that Jay was blind and when he did he started googling for some info in hopes of trying to help Jay. Jay actually asked him if there was some way to make the ipod read out the menus and song titles and Tim had remembered reading something so he was on a mission. After looking around the apple website a little he found what he had been looking for.

The new 4th generation Ipod Nano is blind accessible! It will actually read the menus on the ipod!

This was fantastic news! I told him I heard the new itunes was more accessible but did not know that about the Nano. Jay and I were both a little skeptical at how well this would work and so we asked Tim if there was any way we could see it in action on an ipod before making a purchase because it would be the deal breaker for either buying a nano or a classic. Tim was great. He went and got permission to open an ipod and then got a tech in the back with a computer to come out and hook up to some speakers so that we could see if it really did work and how hard it is to make it work. Tim and the tech guy Victor were fantastic and they spent an hour with us trying it all out and answering all our questions to make sure it really did work the way we thought it would. And it did.

So after our testing, we walked out of the mall and Jay had a new ipod Nano.

We went back to his apt and I helped him to set it up and get his itunes account all set up before we started messing with if itunes would be accessible too. I was so thrilled when we first turned Jaws on because for the first time I had ever seen it was actually reading things the way it should and it WAS accessible. It requires a lot of tabbing and there are a few things we still need to sort out how will work best with Jaws but we were able to get his music into itunes and onto his ipod! We didn't quite get the itunes store to work with Jaws yet but we didn't spend much time on it yet either because it was late and I needed to get home. For now, we have his ipod set to sync so that he can go through his music list in itunes and delete music he doesn't need and it will automatically be the same on his ipod. We didn't get into playlists yet and how to manually move the music over yet but it will give us something to play with in the meantime. Hopefully we can get itunes back on our computers at work soon too and really start showing this to people.

So, I just had to share this exciting news. It should be noted that the feature of having the ipod read the menus and titles is something that ANYONE can enable on their ipod, not just blind users. And its really easy. If anyone has a question, feel free to ask and I will do my best to help!

90210 Week 3-We know the Daddy!!! *Spoilers*

With the hope that this show is on for the long haul, sooner or later I will have to stop titling it with the week number...or maybe not, that could be interesting...

Anyway, so I watched last nights episode and again I was happy. I did like the little bit more of juicy "old school" references and such. The comment about Donna's baby was sweet and I hope someday we are able to see Donna (and David!) but even if its just Donna and there is reference to David!

I liked how this episode finally seemed to setle in on a few characters and made you feel closer to them by sharing a few more tidbits but not over doing it. I was kind of getting tired of all Naomi's "Friends" last week but I liked this week how we saw when she went to Ethan's house and interacted with his brother. It showed that she really does have a personality and has a "real" side as well.

Tonights episode started to integrate Brenda into the scene a little better and she did start to fit her character's mold a bit better. I don't know how much more we will see her but I do hope its a few more episodes. All in all this episode seemed more of a set up for future stories/issues and one of refernces to the original series. Even Nat makes reference to Brandon when he hires Dixon. I didn't feel like the new characters had a self contained story although I do know the story was Dixon. It just didn't feel as real as the week before when we learned more about Erin Silver.

I will say this week's episode was the big break through with Brenda and Kelly (and a little bit of their original character fiestiness). The best part of all was when we learned what we all really knew but needed confirmation on and that is that the father of Kelly's baby is ....DYLAN! I will say I was a little thrown earlier in the episode when Kelly talks about the dad being a "do-gooder" because as much as Dylan did do good things, Brandon was the real do-gooder. I do think Dylan is the right choice and I really do hope they can find a way to bring him into the mix:)

The new Peach Pit still bothers me even though I know they had to update it to make it fresh, I think its the outside that bugs me most, its just such a transition. I am hoping they can give us a reason why it changed(and maybe some references to Joannie and his son too!)They "updated" the Peach Pit once on the original series when I think they realized how much more they could do including it more as a set and it was so iconic I think its only fair to give us old time viewers a little something. Especially since the After Dark now has a new name too, The Pit. I could see if maybe they make reference to either neededing to update and renovate b/c something happened, expansion was needed or they had a fire and had to start from scratch but the original was Nat's father's place so there is a LOT of history there and to just disregard it is a little disrespectful I think. I do think the amount we see Nat and Peach Pit so far is good-when things started on the original series, the Peach Pit and Nat were slowly integrated and that makes more sense.

So, I am looking forward to next week and I am hoping we are treated to some more Dylan-speak!

Til next week....

September 11, 2008

I wanted to make a post today in remembrance of September 11, 2001 and all the men, women and children who have lost their lives that day and in days since from the war but I wasn't really sure what to say or post. Then on my way home from work I was listening to the radio and they were talking about how many public schools were not teaching kids about 9-11 "for fear of offending people". This offended me.

This morning started off when I got in my car and hear "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Very good song. I honestly think they should play it more often not just on 9-11 and D-Day and other related days. Another song that was played and always gets me but it really is a beautiful song is "Little Did She Know" by Kristy Jackson.But after the song I started listening to my regular morning DJs talking about how the NY Post and the NY Times did not feature 9-11 related stories on their covers today and how it seems people are getting to that "get over it" stage. I was shocked. The NY Times didn't have a story on their cover? Of all papers. I understand the moving on mentality but I think its easier said then done and I think that one of the big things that people from the NYC area don't have to help them with that is a memorial. Its in the works and I think that when it is completed it will be beautiful. I know I will go see it. But they aren't expecting it to be done until 2011, by the 10th anniversary. I think that once the city has that memorial it will give people the closure they need and I think it will be more accepted to not do big productions year after year although I imagine there will always be some sort of memorial and I think there is nothing wrong with that.

I have to say I was surprised to hear about the newspaper covers and so I even went online to look at their covers. I saw that the NYC Edition of the NY Times had a very small heading at the bottom of the front page that send something about photos from ground zero. However, the National edition did NOT have that same reference. The NY Post just had a little box at that top of the front page saying "Always remember" or something like that. I can say that if you went online to the NY Times website, there were articles and links to those articles right from the front page. I guess its cost effective enough to put online but not in print. I stopped at a store on my way to work today to pick up a newspaper. I didn't read it but I did want to see if the local NJ paper had coverage and for historical purposes I like to get papers from important days. I bought two. The NJ Star Ledger and the Daily News. Both had respectable covers and I was happy they had the respect for such a day. It struck me odd that those NY papers didn't put items on their front page especially since they normally will make references to when Pearl Harbor was attacked December 7th each year with side stories of veterans and related. So why not show the same respect on 9-11?

I am not sure if the local TV channels aired coverage of the tributes at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Flight 93 in PA. I know that the local channels and CNN.com aired streaming live video of the events and I watched some of those during free moments at work. I had offered up to my students (All adults anyway) that if they wanted to spend their class time today looking up and reading 9-11 related news items they could and a few of them did. It was interesting to let them tell me about where they were and what they remembered too. I think with the technology we have today makes it easy to have those things available online even if they are not on live TV. It also makes it possible for people from all over the country, and the world, to watch as well.

Anyway, back to what got me started here which was hearing that some public schools did not want to teach about 9-11 because of "fear of offending". One of the callers into the radio show was a 13 year old girl who I thought was very insightful and correct in saying how we are supposed to teach kids history so that they can learn from it and not repeat it. In this day and age with people so afraid of "offending" this person or that person, if the holocaust had just happened they would try to find a way to not make it as "offensive" to others. I asked a few friends and family who I know have school aged children and I asked if their kids had been taught about it today. One said that it was taught but they observed a moment of silence and the other said nothing was mentioned at all.

It blows my mind that there are schools where it might not have been mentioned. I can understand maybe not teaching it in young kids classes but at least mentioning it or recognizing it still. And for other kids who are in elementary school or older, some of them lived it and the younger ones need to learn it. History is something we are supposed to teach so that we can learn from it. I think it is more offensive to not teach kids about it then to teach them fear offending some people. It IS history. It DID happen. And not teaching it is like not teaching kids about WWII or any of the wars for that matter.

I would like to say that I did also see some of the unveiling of the Pentagon 9-11 memorial and I thought it was very fitting and beautifully done. It is very symbolic in a very respectful way to all the victims from the Pentagon crash. If you would like to see more about it, Check this link on Cnn.com Pentagon 9-11 Memorial Cnn.com actually has a good number or related stories as well.

I am watching the Rutgers Football game tonight and I was pleased to see that they made mention of today's significance and took a moment to honor it.

What happened on 9-11-01 was a horrific tragedy that no one ever really expected could happen on US soil. But it did. And we can not forget, nor should we. All of the victims and their families and friends are in my thoughts today and all days.

*As a side note, I have some photos I took in Dec 2001 at ground zero. I felt it was important to document because it was a part of history. I do not have these photos made public because I don't want them exploited but if anyone who reads this would like to see them, let me know and I will send you a link*

90210 Week 2-and I am still watching! *Spoilers*

So after last week's great ratings opening on the CW, its already the second episode of the new 90210. So far I still like it. This week there was a bit more Kelly and I definately didn't mind.

My thoughts on this week's episode and such:
First off I have to say I really like the character of Silver aka Erin Silver, Kelly's half sister. Not only is the character interesting, the actress does a great job with it and it is the perfect tie-in from old to new.

All of the characters seem to have good chemistry with each other and interact well. The only one that doesn't do it for me and really just seems to be trying to hard to BE a character is Naomi. Just don't care about her. I see that she is the tormented pretty girl of the generation and the whole "daddy" thing is a nice way to show her vulnerabilty but I am just not buying it yet.I am not one to write off a character too early and she shows potential I just think the actress looks like she is trying to hard but maybe that is what they wanted.

I liked all the stuff at the bowling alley. It seemed like true interactions and even if the family is trying to bring kansas to California it doesn't seem overdone. I am also interested in learning more about the "Story" that led to the family adopting Dixon and I like the repore between Annie and Dixon as brother and sister. And I do just love Dixon and his film buddy-their friendship is cool.Even Annie and Silver seem more real as new friends than Annie with any of the other girls. The past "friendship" of annie and Nathan definately complicates things but keeps it interesting as well. Lots of potential there.

Kelly's character dropped a few "hints" tonight regarding the father of her son but nothing concrete that really says Dylan or Brandon more one over the other. She comes out and says that Sammy's father is someone she had a lot of history with in high school and didn't see each other for a while and then hooked up one night 4 years ago. She also says that at first he was in Sammy's life but they had issues and it didn't work out and now he is trying to get back involved. To me, instinctively it sounds more "Dylan" than "Brandon" but arguements could be made either way at this point. Of course they could always try to through an "unknown" onto us but I don't think that would go over as well as if they could somehow get Luke Perry or Jason Priestly to reprise their roles. **Fingers Crossed**

I know they are really trying to make it a new show and I think once the new cast a little more established (and I think they are working towards it well), a few more sprinkles of 90210 originals would be a great way to keep us original show viewers who want a glimpse of our past. I would really love to see more of the characters and I think they could really do it if they do it right, lots of potential. With the quick shot of "Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez" last week, they have already put a piece out there that could bring in Andrea. I would LOVE to see Steve and Janet and their daughter who realistically could be only a few years older than Kelly's son come back but I know that Lindsay Price who was "Janet" is currently on Lipstick Jungle and I know I would heartbroken if they came back and were not together. It would be AWESOME if they came back and were still living in "Casa Walsh" but I imagine they would have moved by now since the set is probably long gone (probably why the Peach Pit got the makeover it did too!) Bringing back David and Donna even in tidbits would be nice. I believe Brian Austin Green is on Terminator Chronicles or something but I don't see that going very far although I think he is quoted somewhere as saying he wasn't interested although I still say that if the price$$ is right they can get any of them to return, even if just occassional guest spots. They could easily pull Donna in and now show us David too much but reference him. He IS Silver's brother too ya know! I just think if they could find a way to show how that core's friendships had still stood the test of time, it would not only be a good message, it would suck us older viewers right in with no urgency to change the channel.

In other comments about the show, I can appreciate the good pop culture references both in dialogue and in how teens today interact, aka messages via text instead of a call and ipod earbuds hanging out of many ears. I even like how Annie and Dixon's parents try to keep their mid-western values but look "hip".

Oh and tonights scene where Kelly goes to see her mother to help with Erin and bring her to live with her. Fantastic. And realistic that history could repeat itself like it has and how Kelly is there to help now when there wasn't someone for her. It stayed true to original characters while really opening up some storylines about what has happened in these missing years to strain the relationship of Kelly and her mother. Her mother's comment about the baby's father sort of seemed reminiscent of her attitude toward Dylan back in the day ;)

One more note about Naomi and that storyline, especially since her mother is essentially tied to Annie and Dixon's dad but we don't know where that is going to go just yet. I did like the way her mother answered and reacted when she confronted her about seeing her father kissing another woman. It seemed not only plausible but it played out well, even with dad coming over to get some toast and kiss his wife good-bye towards the end. Nice touch.

And before I forget...the chemistry between Dixon and Silver is by far the most natural and I would love to see that go somewhere!

That is all for tonight...I am still looking forward to next week!!

Philadelphia Eagles Kick off Party 9-4-08 (edited)

So Thursday night was the official "kick off" to the begining of the NFL season! I was lucky enough to snag some free tickets that the Philadelphia Eagles were giving away online a few weeks back to go to their Kick Off Party. It sounded like a lot of fun, the band Everclear would be playing, it was free and a great excuse to wear some Eagles Green!

So, I ended up getting 6 tickets and invited my dad, his best friend Danny (who is basically an uncle to me), Ben's cousin Josh and my sister in law Tara. It worked out that Josh got his own tickets too so we tried to get another one of Ben's cousins to come but it didn't work out.

The evening started after I left work on Thursday. And thank goodness I left when I did and we were able to get on the road early because at about exit 8A I realized I had forgotten the tickets!!! So we had to turn around, go home and get the tickets and then head to south jersey again. Out the door went dinner at one of my fave places in the "free time" we would have had before meeting up with everyone. It ended up working out ok that we were still not late or anything so that was the highlight. There was a lot of back and forth about where and when to meet but we ended up picking my dad up first and then meeting the others at the Manor's parking lot. We had dropped off my sister in law's ticket because she had to wait for the babyistter and we weren't sure if she would meet us there or not but it worked out that she was able to just meet us there with the others.

It was about 6:15pm when we actually met everyone at the Manor. The event didnt' officially start until 7pm and so since I was starving and we opted to wait for Ben's cousin Josh and his friends too so we only had to take 2 cars to Philly. I was able to get some cheese fries to hold me over while most of the others had a few drinks to kick off the night. After Josh and his friends arrived we still waited awhile before leaving so they could have a drink or two. At this point I was getting a little antsy because it was already 7pm but I figured if we left soon we really wouldn't miss much.

By the time we got there it was already 7:30pm and as we pulled into the parking lot I could hear people talking from inside so I knew it had already started. Everyone wanted to tailgate a bit more but I wanted to get inside. Ultimately we didn't get inside until about 7:45 or so and by that time the players and Andy Reid and other related were finished. I was pretty disappointed with that because ultimately the stuff I cared most about I missed and the stuff some of the others were more interested in such as the free concert by Everclear wasn't missed and I didn't really care about that. So next year if I go, I am going early. Danny said he will go earlier with me, the rest can take their time:) LOL

Anyway, so once we got in we did go to the pro-shop and looked around for a while. I ended up picking up a book that was about the 75yr history of the Philadelphia Eagles. The author was there and so he signed it too which was cool. I even picked one up as a christmas gift for someone too!

After some shopping we all just sort of hung around, listened to the band when they started and enjoyed each other company. It was still a lot of fun and I am glad that we went and were all able to get together. At the closing of the night the band was available for photos and autographs so most of the people we were with waited in line for that. By the time we left it was after 10pm and since we still had to drive home that night so we didn't stay with the others for the afterparty.

Here are some photos from the night:

Philadelphia Eagles Stadium

My Dad and Danny

Everclear


Ben and his cousin Josh

Me and sister in law

Me and Danny

Ben and my Dad

Josh and I

The cousins...


We got home and it wasn't too late but it had definately been a long day. Good thing I took friday off from work!!

More 90210...I can't help myself!

Ok, after sleeping on it and reading some of the boards on www.cwtv.com I am just more excited about the potential of this show than I was before. I know, I know, most of you probably don't care but I still get happy when I hear that original Beverly Hills 90210.

What prompted me to post is I came across an audio clip of Ryan Seacrest talking to Jennie Garth yesterday morning. It was interesting and while Jennie Garth made a good point about if they brought back ALL the original characters it would just be the same old show again (and what is wrong with that I am not sure...but I understand her point!)but she also said she has a good feeling that we might see Jason Priestly as some point although I have to say I would prefer Luke Perry myself. If you are interested in the clip, go here: http://www.ryanseacrest.com/media
and scroll down. You should see Jennie Garth under audio.

Getting back to what Jennie Garth mentioned about the show just being a remake of the old show if all the old characters were there, I think that if it was only about the old characters then it would be like that but with the basic tie ins that are already scattered, I think bringing back more of the "old" will only enhance the new, as long as they do it with purpose. I think scattered would be good and I know as much as I did enjoy the new characters, the best scenes for me were with the old familiar cast and the ones with Erin Silver. I think its just that "tie-in" that hooked me on her:)

My one disappointment with the show is the re-design of the "Peach Pit". I think it would have been very honorable to keep the original and use that to the show's advantage but I can understand their desire to update it. I do hope they can find a way to fill us "old timers" in on the how and why it was updated along the way though.

Anyway, I just came in to add some after thought. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

ta ta for now!