Category Archives: Tee Vee

TV Shows To Marathon

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Oh, Netflix. I love/hate you. But mostly I love you.

I was a little confused when you split the streaming and DVD services (it, like, costs more now!), especially when you called it Qwickster (Quickster?).

But now I don’t even care about the extra dollars you’re stealing from me every month (yes, stealing).

And I don’t care because streaming allows for instant gratification, aka binge, watching.

I dare you, reader, to watch just one episode of House of Cards. Or Orange Is The New Black. Or Fraiser.

In no specific order, here are some shows you should set some time aside for and watch an episode or three:

(NOTE – not all of these shows are available for streaming on Netflix. You’ll have to get creative.)

  • House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright (aka Princess Buttercup)
  • Orphan Black – one actress plays six characters and she’s awesome
  • Hemlock Grove (warning – this show gets a little gross)
  • Orange Is The New Black, for everyone who’s secretly wanted to serve time in prison (no? just me?)
  • 24 – Jack Bauer!
  • Luther, starring sexy Idris Elba
  • The West Wing – compelling, smart, funny, makes you want to believe in government.

That’s your homework for now. But what do you think? What is a must-see for you?

Friends-speak

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This is a real text I sent to my cousin Nate this morning:

“You know how Up-Goer 5 only uses the most common words of English? Well, you should code a thingy to only use words that were lines of dialogue in Friends.”

I followed that text with this:

“I feel that then Sara and I would really be at a peak efficiency in communication.”

I suppose you’ll need some context.

Nate is my cousin, a computer genius extraordinaire who works with Media Temple. Sara, his wife, is my best friend.

Sara and I often (always) quote the still-popular WB tv show “Friends” to each other. We quote it for joke punchlines, to breakup a monotonous meeting, or just to let each other know which episode we’re watching. We’ve even been known to start telling a story about our friends, only to realize we aren’t actually friends with Joey, Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross and Phoebe.

So my thought this morning was that if my brilliant cousin could design a simple program like the Up Goer Five translator (more on that in a second), then it would be even easier for Sara and I to speak only Friends. You know, without having to think too much.

SIDE NOTE: I am at Nate and Sara’s home right now and the three of us are watching – yep, you guessed it – Friends. Which means that this post is taking about two-to-three episodes longer to write than normal.

Now to the Up Goer Five…

There’s this clever little comic called “xkcd,” and a while ago the Up Goer Five was posted online. Take the time to check out Randall’s site (hi, Randall!) and peruse his comics. I don’t always get them, in the intellectual sense, but when I do I’m always lol-ing.

According to the xkcd wiki (check out ALL the info here)

Most of the jargon used in rocket science is not among the most commonly used words in everyday life. This comic is a commentary on the absurdity of boiling down technical explanations for lay people, with Randall challenging himself to “translate” the blueprints using only the one thousand most commonly-used words in the English language.

So how cool would it be to have a text editor that speaks only Friends?

Come on, Internet, please?

In the meantime, I will just have to keep playing with The Up-Goer Five Text Editor.

This end should point toward the ground if you want to go to space. If it starts pointing toward space you are having a bad problem and you will not go to space today.

 

Nina and Emily Watch “The Voice”

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As implied, here is the edited transcript of our comments and observations during last night’s episode of NBC’s “The Voice.”

8:06 PM Nina: hereeee
8:07 PM Emily: woo!
  you watching live yet?
  i’m almost done with a preliminary blog
8:08 PM Nina: yeah i am, i don’t want to be on video though i look gross!
 Emily: nooo
  just chat like this
 Nina: oh okay
  first battle almost on
 Emily: k, i’m turning on tonight’s episode. will finish last night’s after
(Contestants Cody Belew and Domo sing Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” for their battle round.)
8:09 PM i love how dramatic it is with them getting out of the cars
 Nina: i know lol
8:10 PM Emily: i like this gaga song
 Nina: i love her pink shoooes
 Emily: ew, weird shoulder dance moves from the guy!
8:11 PM Nina: this is more of a dance competition right now, she’s flat
 Emily: she certainly looks more the part for this song
 Nina: yuck, i’d ditch both of them
 Emily: ha! his shoulder dancing now makes me laugh
8:13 PM ew! christina’s eyes!
 Nina: wowww
8:14 PM i like that christina’s boobs aren’t out this episode
 Emily: she looks like old (aka young) christina tonight
8:15 PM Nina: yeah like come on ovaaa
  with those colors
 Emily: yesss…
  and she’s lost weight
 Nina: ugh i miss my childhood
  yes she has
8:18 PM is parenthood really that depressing? every single commercial i see
  oh oh cute guy
8:19 PM Emily: ha! i’ve never watched it
(Contestants Aquile and Nathalie Hernandez sing James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something.”)
Nina: billie joe come back
 Emily: yay!
8:21 PM Nina: ohh this may be a good one
8:24 PM they’re both so young!
  aww thats cute
8:27 PM Nina: they didnt battle right? i didnt realize commercial was on
8:28 PM okay here we go
8:29 PM oh whoa i love her voice
 Emily: i think i’m biased though
 Nina: why
8:30 PM Emily: i just melt when a guy can sing, and sing so well
8:31 PM Nina: ohhh
  i’m a sucker for that (irish? scottish?) singer from last night
  LOOL
 Emily: me, too! terry
 Nina: adam
8:32 PM i’m still a zit sometimes, even at 24
 Emily: i love how nice the judges are
  i sense a steal…
 Nina: hmmm
8:33 PM oh my
 Emily: silly carson and his “victory arms”
 Nina: carson is a punk lol
8:34 PM Emily: he’s handsome though
 Nina: he doesn’t age
 Emily: i know!
 Nina: im getting cheetos brb
 Emily: ha! okay.
8:35 PM i’m drinking a hot toddy.
 Nina: go on with your bad self
8:36 PM Emily: my roommate and i have discussed how i can drink one at work
 Nina: uhhh yeah ya can
8:37 PM i looooove catherine ohara
 Emily: she’s hysterical
8:38 PM Nina: i wish i was crazy enough to be her
 Emily: you could be, someday
 Nina: lol thanks
8:39 PM Emily: 😀
 Nina: lol
(Contestants Caitlin Michele and Melanie Martinez sing Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” for their battle round.)
 if that little girl doesnt win shes gonna get a steal
8:40 PM Emily: i feel like they’re stretching out the season. more on a team this year, steals allowed… it’s gonna take forever to get to the live shows
  we HAVE to go, and take Jaimie with us
 Nina: that’s true
  okay!
  if 1iota is still doing it i can prob get us in
  since i used to work for them
8:41 PM Emily: yay!
8:42 PM i’d love to go to the penultimate live show. i wanna see all the final performances. i don’t need to see the results show.
 Nina: yeah same
  i wanna see michael buble in person!!!!!
 Emily: aaahhh! yes!
  would he be there?
8:43 PM Nina: last year the coaches were
  i mean the asst coach
8:44 PM Emily: really? i was there, and I don’t remember seeing them. wait, last year like this past spring? or last year as in first season?
 Nina: oops i meant the first season
 Emily: ah
8:46 PM ew, creepy layaway lady
8:47 PM Nina: tax breaks
8:49 PM can i just interrupt and say how much i love my lannister cover photo
  okay resume
 Emily: haha
  yes, it’s fab
 Nina: she’s the gothic adele
 Emily: i was just thinking that!
8:50 PM Nina: hahaha
 Emily: they’re both good, but Two-Tone is just a bit too young for this show, I think
 Nina: yeah she’s giving too much airy
8:51 PM Emily: i hate that they set up these often-amazing duets, and then have to choose
 Nina: omg you need to tell me as soon as you watch visions of love [from Monday night’s episode]
8:52 PM adam is hot, but i would date blake in a heatbeat bc i love his attitude
 Emily: me, too
  i’d date either of them
  prolly marry blake
  and i want to redo christina’s mascara
  it’s scaring me
 Nina: lol
8:53 PM hmm blake’s a gemini…never dated a gemini
  my zodiac side is curious
 Emily: i’m a capricorn
 Nina: ugh, i’ve dated you before
 Emily: i don’t know much at all about that stuff
  ha!
 Nina: it’s not my religion, like some people, but i have a sincere interest/passion in it
8:55 PM Emily: i’m sorry, but volvos will never look sexy
8:58 PM Nina: ohhh snap
 Emily: well, you were right about a steal
 Nina: lol
8:59 PM Emily: good choice, GA
9:00 PM Nina: hmmm interesting
  i like this second chance thing
 Emily: me, too
  ooh, but they only get two steals
  nice
 Nina: wait its done!? lame
 Emily: lame!
  i thought it was two hours
 Nina: hahahaha me too
 Emily: well, now i can finish last night’s ep
(With the hour-long episode over, I returned to watching Monday night’s two-hour episode).
9:01 PM Nina: omg you need to let me know at the end
 Emily: i will
(Contestants Amanda Brown and Trevin Hunte sing Mariah Carey’s “Visions of Love” for their battle round and totally kill it.)
9:22 PM Emily: okay, they’re rehearsing [Visions of Love] right now
 Nina: ahhh
9:23 PM im excited for you
 Emily: steals for sure, i’m guessing
  i hope the dude wins the show though
9:24 PM Nina: 🙂
9:26 PM Emily: aaahhh! it’s too good! i’m definitely buying the song on itunes
9:27 PM i love that Adam stood up in his chair
  Oh em gee.
 Nina: ughhh its so lovely, i listened to it again
9:28 PM Emily: yeah, i like adam scruffier
  and i love that blake hits on everybody
 Nina: lol me too
9:30 PM Emily: i love that all the other judges are just so ready to steal whomever cee-lo doesn’t take
 Nina: i know lol
9:31 PM i couldn’t have picked, they were phenomenal
 Emily: amanda’s more polished
  but the other guy’s got such amazing pipes
9:32 PM Nina: that’s true, they both gave me chills
  i want them to sing together all the time
 Emily: i know!
  i just told my roommate that they’re ready to do shows in vegas or do a tour, the two of them together
 Nina: absolutely.
9:33 PM Emily: oh be honest, amanda, you chose adam because he’s hot
9:34 PM Nina: omg that was her biggest mistake
  im like, wtf you doing girl
 Emily: who do you think she should’ve chosen?
9:35 PM Nina: christina!!!!
  duh
 Emily: aww, cee-lo’s sulking
 Nina: what can adam show her? she’s already great
 Emily: yeah, i would’ve picked christina
 Nina: christina would give her control
  now im on a mariah kick
9:36 PM Emily: always be my baby is the first music video i’d ever seen
 Emily: one sweet day is my fav
  shes so young
9:37 PM Emily: all right, friend, i gotta shower and then hit the hay
  this was so much fun though
 Nina: okie doke 🙂
  nice talking with you
  enjoy work tomorrow
 Emily: bye!

Meet Nina

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I have a friend (and former co-worker) named Nina. Read her fabulous blog here.

Recently on Facebook, she called me her “media soulmate.”

Readers, it’s true.

I’m catching up on some tv from Monday night, so I’m fast-forwarding commercials on last night’s “The Voice.” Are you watching the show? You should be. The contestants, even in audition rounds, are actually good, the judges have current, legit careers, and everyone’s so nice and encouraging, even if someone’s not quite right for the show.

I texted Nina a little observation I had about the coaches and their superstar guest mentors.

“I’m just now watching last night’s ‘The Voice.’ Billie Joe has really small teeth.”

“Omg I’m still watching yesterday’s and I was just thinking how great he looks.”

“Well I agree, but his teeth are so small! And why does Rob Thomas still have his 90s haircut?”

“Hahahahaha I thought that too. We need to watch these together.”

“Come over!!”

“Too late. In bed with pjs. Next week.”

That, that right there, pretty much sums up our relationship.

A live blog of tonight’s episode may be coming, folks.

Stay tuned.

Ruins

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“I’m sorry for being so… ruining.” A beat. “I don’t know what else to call it.”

“Ruinous, Dani, ruinous. You’re ruinous! It’s been two years!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know until recently.”

“What, like twenty minutes ago, when I told you?”

I love my roommate, even if she’s a bit crazy and interrupts me when I’m watching Community.

American Horror Story

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Happy Halloween, y’all!

Are you watching “American Horror Story” on F/X? You should be. It’s hecka scary.

Judge and jury are still out on the longevity of the series, but on a weekly basis, it consistently serves up a juicy dish of heebie jeebies.

Yep, heebie jeebies.

It has settled into the pattern of opening each episode with a flashback to a particularly gruesome murder (are murders ever NOT gruesome?) that occurred in the house where the main characters live.

Imagine every irrational fear, things that make you jump, open closets, et cetera, and then imagine encountering them ALL. THE. TIME.

“American Horror Story” stars Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”), Dylan McDermott (“The Practice”), Jessica Lange (Big Fish, Tootsie), and Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”). The show follows the Harmon family, Ben (McDermott), Vivien (Britton) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga), who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien gives birth to a stillborn baby and Ben has an affair with one of his students. The family moves to a restored mansion, unaware that the home is haunted. Ben and Vivien try to rekindle their relationship while Violet suffers from depression.

They buy this beautiful but creepy house. Their emo daughter loves it, and it works well for McDermott to operate his psychiatry practice out of. (Ew. I just ended a sentence with a preposition.)

Enter Creepy Neighbor Constance (Lange), who keeps popping up at random, throw in her grown daughter Addie who talks to ghosts, a half-burned man who stalks Ben, a maid who is either young or old depending on who sees her, a murderous ghost in the basement, a few psycho patients, a scorned (and pregnant) ex-lover, and you pretty much have all you need for the best new show of the season.

My only concern is longevity. If it runs the way of the amazeballs AMC show “The Walking Dead,” then we’ll be okay. But if F/X expects “American Horror Story” to pump out twenty-two episodes this season or any future seasons, I fear the show will lag the way seasons 3 and 4 did of “Lost.”

Speaking of “Lost,” one of my favorite writers at Entertainment Weekly is writing recaps and feature articles about the show. His name is Jeff “Doc” Jensen and he did the same for “Lost.” You can read his musings here.

That’s it, I’m done. Just watch the show tonight at 8:00pm on F/X. Make sure you leave a light on, and have an episode of “Friends” on standby to detox your mind so you can sleep without nightmares.

Storage Wars

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Last night when I got home from work, I opened the door to my apartment and my roommate jumped and sat up straight on the couch. I’d caught her redhanded.

I cautiously said hello, to which she just replied by widening her eyes, and stealing a furtive glance at the tv.

I followed her gaze.

Frozen on the screen was a shot from a tv show I recognized instantly: Storage Wars.

“You’re watching ‘Storage Wars’ without me???”

“It’s on Netflix,” she sheepishly replied.

We. Love. Storage Wars.

The premise of the show is (basically) this: when a storage unit defaults (mostly due to non payment), the storage facility then auctions off the rights to the unit. This allows them to clear the unit, as well as hopefully recover some of their lost payments. The bidders are (sometimes self-proclaimed) resale experts:  Barry the collector, Darrell the gambler, Dave the pro, and Jarrod & Brandi the newbies. They’ll bid on a unit virtually unseen (they can stand in the doorway and peruse for five minutes, but they can’t enter and no boxes can be opened or stuff moved around), and then the rest of the episode follows the four teams as they go through their unit, searching for hidden treasures.

It sounds simple, but it’s very addicting. And since the show films all over southern California, they’re visiting cities and towns that I know. And I can’t shake the feeling that I know or have met Darrell. He’s from San Diego (my gorgeous hometown), and he has that East County style.

Anyway, if you’re not watching yet, watch at least one episode and see if you don’t get hooked.

Like Dani says, it’s on Netflix.

Shark Week!

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Things I learned from Shark Week:

1. Don’t live in Australia. Or South Africa. “Why does anyone ever go in the water??”

2. Don’t put your hand in a shark’s mouth. It will bite you.

3. Don’t kiss a shark on the mouth. It will bite you. “Idiot. Why would you kiss a shark?”

4. When the seals are getting out of the water, you probably should, too.

5. Even sharks want their fifteen minutes of fame, like the one that “evacuated its bowels” in front of the camera.

6. Don’t get between a whale and its dinner. It does not care that you are fragile.

7. Maybe it’s just the way the Discovery Channel programs their shows, but it seems like it’s mostly just men who are dumb enough to get in the water with the deadliest ocean predators. Seriously, why does anyone ever get in the water???

 

Until next summer, Shark Week. I’ll miss you.

And now I’m craving fresh tuna.

And Spain Wins!!

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My boys won! I’m so proud of them! And it’s a good thing I don’t have high blood pressure or anything, because those 15-minute quarters of extra time were crazy intense! I don’t think I sat down the entire time. 🙂

And good job, Team Netherlands. Way to make the boys in navy work for it.

So until 2014, viva España!

The Surreal Life

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Today was a bit surreal. But it was also totally awesome.

Two fun things happened today. Read on, dear reader!

Thing one: My tour this morning was a sing-along tour. Yep, we sang. Well, not all of us sang. But me and some of the older women sang “Sisters” from “White Christmas.” Later on our tour, more people chimed in when we sang “Seventy-six Trombones” as we drove around Midwest (aka River City, Iowa from “The Music Man”).

I’ve always thought life should be a musical, so I’m always singing on tour (much to the amusement of my guests). It was so fun today to actually have people singing with me.

Thing two: The Chancellor of Germay came to Warner Bros. today.  She’s quite a remarkable woman, this Angela Merkel. In addition to being the first female Chancellor of Germany, she’s also the second woman to chair the G8 (after Margaret Thatcher from England).

Chancellor Merkel was in Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit. President Barak Obama invited over 40 heads of state and governments to consultations on guarding against unsecured nuclear material. So why exactly is she visiting Los Angeles?

According to the Los Angeles Times, Germany is the fourth-largest source of direct foreign investment in the Los Angeles area, with German-owned and affiliated companies employing nearly 3,000 people. That amounts to about $149 million in wages paid to employees, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office.

Her visit to Warner Bros. is just one stop on her 5-day visit to the States. According to Wikipedia, health care reform and problems concerning future energy development have thus far been major issues of her tenure.

I personally have great health benefits, but that’s more a result of my union (yes, I’m union) than anything Warner Bros. is doing. But the environmental stuff? Ah, now there’s where we’re the leaders in the industry.

The Warner Bros. Studios Environmental Initiative is one of the leaders in the entertainment industry. We recycle and reuse EVERYTHING, we’ve installed a solar power system of more than 500 kilowatts (this helps us save about 900 kilowatt hours of energy and $1 million annually), and just last year we completed construction on the first environmentally-efficient soundstage in the industry. And, heck yeah, they gave me a reusable water bottle.

So I can see why Chancellor Merkel would want to visit Warner Bros. We’re the best, anyway. 🙂

Just a few more things about this remarkable woman:

Forbes magazine listed her as the most powerful woman in the world from 2006-2009. Chancellor Merkel has also been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 10 April 2000, and Chairwoman of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.

From 2005 to 2009 she led a grand coalition with the Christian Social Union (CSU), its Bavarian sister party, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), formed after the 2005 federal election on November 22, 2005. In the elections of 27 September 2009, her party, the CDU, obtained the largest share of the votes, and formed a coalition government with the CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Her government was sworn in on October 28, 2009.

Chancellor Merkel is also a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.

In 2008, Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize “for her work to reform the European Union”.

And she’s only 55.

Enjoy some pictures from today’s meet-and-greet with the always-dashing Simon Baker, one of the stars of Warner Bros.’s hottest drama The Mentalist.

German Chancellor Merkel meets Australian actor Simon Baker, left, on the back lot of Warner Bros. Studios during her tour of the studio in Los Angeles on Wednesday April 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)

Simon Baker showing Chancellor Merkel some of the Midwest set. (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)

Chancellor Merkel and Simon Baker (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool)

Oscars – 2010

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Sandra Bullock, Ben Stiller, Jeff Bridges

Yep, I watched the show last night. Christa and I watched it later though, starting it around 9:30pm.  Which actually was awesome, because we were able to fast forward through all the commercials, some slow speeches, and all Twilight kids.

I loved NPH’s opening song – he’s so awesome and epic (yay, Barney Stinson!) and it was a great way to kick off the night. Alec and Steve were great hosts – funny, but not overly so, and I liked the simplistic stage dressing. It was a classy night that seemed to move along pretty quickly (or maybe that was just me fast-forwarding through the commercials and slow parts).

I realized, however, that I’d only seen a handful of the movies nominated last night – Star Trek, District 9, and Up… and that’s it!  I saw some of the movies nominated for sound and art awards (like Harry Potter, Transformers, and Sherlock Holmes), but that’s it.

I think it’s a bit strange that I work in the industry, at the best studio in the world (in my humble opinion) and yet I see very few movies. I don’t like to think that I’ve become a movie snob, but I kinda think I have.  It certainly doesn’t help that they do free screenings for us at work about once a month or so (Dr. Zhivago coming up this week!). I don’t know what it is, but I have to really want to see a movie to actually put in the time and money and go see it at the theaters.

The last movie that I saw in theaters was Shutter Island – it was fantastic. Before Shutter Island, the most recent movie I’d seen on the big screen was Sherlock Holmes and I only went to see it because it was my family’s annual Christmas Day movie outing.

Anyway, back to the Oscars.  I thought it was a fun show, a good idea to have two such charismatic hosts.  And I LOVE that they had co-workers of the acting nominees give a little speech. This happened last year at the ceremony and I feel like it truly honored the nominees (as well as having them onstage at the beginning of the show) for their achievements. And Oprah calling you the new American Cinderella? That’s a great consolation prize.

Entertainment Weekly, my go-to source for all things entertainment, has a fun little article that highlights what happened in the press room.  Read the full article here, but my favorite moment comes from Jeff “The Dude” Bridges.

Jeff Bridges, who is more similar to Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski than we may have initially realized, was his usual go-with-the-flow self backstage. However, the Best Actor winner did manage to put together a rather lovely metaphor when asked about his personal key to success. “The first thing that pops into my mind is my wife,” Bridges said. “She holds that kite string. She lets me go way out there, and then it’s so sweet being reeled back in. I love coming home.”

Wow. Where’s the man who’ll hold my kite string?  Jeff Bridges, by the way, has been married to his wife for 32 years. It’s possible, Hollywood. If “The Dude” can choose wisely and make it last, so can you. I’m just sayin’…

So another Oscar season is down and done. I wonder what movies from 2010 will be nominated at next year’s ceremony. I nominate the always-captivating and amazing Leonardo DiCaprio for Shutter Island.

I know we’re only three months in, but have you seen any Oscar-worthy films or performances this year?

Geek Out

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I try to keep this blog professional (-ish), fun, and entertaining.  I try not to spread the geek on too thick, but it happens sometimes.

Like tonight.

I met Wil Wheaton today.

He was on the lot again to tape an episode of the funniest comedy on TV (The Big Bang Theory) and I ran into him (and Bill) outside the commissary while on a dinner break.  Bill and I are old acquaintances, so we fell into easy conversation, with Wil interjecting every once in a while (I agree, Wil, Tim Burton’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure is a classic).

It wasn’t a long conversation, I didn’t even properly introduce myself to him (hi, Wil, I’m Emily!), but in those few short minutes, I learned a lot about him.

He’s very sweet: he was on a well-deserved break after 5 days of rehearsals and was about to perform live in front of an audience full of die-hard fans, but he took the time to just chill and chat with Bill and I.  No rush to get back to stage, no impatience, he seemed very content just to hang out for a bit.

He’s a super fan: he was following Bill around like a puppy.  Wil has proudly proclaimed his love for The Big Bang Theory on his blog, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do so for as long as the show is on TV and probably even after that.  Wil is a BBT geek. He was also, I’m pretty sure but my memory could be fuzzy, wearing some shirt that had something to do with sci-fi, computers, or science. I could be totally wrong, but I do remember that his knapsack thingy had an old-school seatbelt buckle.  He looked like a college student who was on the lot to shadow one of his favorite producers of his favorite show.

He’s cute: Yes, the man is, according to IMDb, 37 years old, but without the beard, he’d look like he was only 12. It’s strange for me to think that Wesley Crusher, the heartthrob of my youth, is all grown up, is a husband and a father, is playing evil incarnations of himself, but it’s all true.  He’s still handsome!

He’s a great writer: I already knew this just from reading his blog, but hearing him speak only confirms that he’s smart, reads a lot, and is a great writer.  I’d love to just grab a cup of coffee with Wil and pick his brain about writing.  Mostly, I’d ask him how he tricks himself into just starting (that’s my big problem).

In conclusion, Wil Wheaton is everything I’d hoped he would be.

Wil, if you’re reading this, I’m in the Eagle Rock area every weekend – let’s grab coffee sometime!

Whirlwind Week

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Well.

Where to begin.

Last week was a crazy week.  Some major changes started happening at work (I don’t want to go into it here, but if you want to know, email me!), so it was nice to have two days off from work.

Wednesday:

Lunch at the Disney lot with my friend Heather was really fun. I actually spent about an hour and a half there. We accidentally walked through filming of a scene of Brothers & Sisters (look for me!) and accidentally walked into a screening of Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland.  We also ate at the commissary – always fun to eat good food with good friends.  And then, my favorite part, she took me the Lost writers’ office!!  It was magical. 🙂

After lunch, my aunt Lauri and uncle Dave from San Jose met me at Warner Brothers and we spent the afternoon poking around at Gilmore Girls and Chuck sets. They’re big fans of both shows, so it was fun.

The highlight of the day though was getting great seats to a taping of The Big Bang Theory that night.  A friend of mine (he’s awesome and shall remain nameless) got us seats to the show and we spent four hours busting our guts. It was seriously one of the funniest episodes of television I’ve seen in a long time.  I love this show!

Thursday was work again – bleh – but then I had Friday off!  Spent the day doing a lot of chores and errands, which wasn’t as fun. But at least it meant that my weekend was truly my weekend.

I had a great weekend with friends and family and Marvin (my new/used MacBook Pro).

This week has already flown by – turns out days spent working and nights spent with good friends makes for a quick week.

Tomorrow is Friday and I have plans to hang out with a friend until the wee hours of the morning, Saturday morning will find me running around the Rose Bowl, Saturday night I’ll be with my kids, and Sunday I’ll be running at Lake Balboa in the morning and church in the evening!

Whew!

What are y’all up to this weekend?

Lost

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Lost.

A lot of things have been said and written about Lost lately.

I watched the hour-long recap and two-hour season premiere.  It felt so good to return to that crazy little island.  I thought it was a very good episode (I guess technically it was two episodes, part 1 and part 2), and a good, solid start to the final season.

That’s really all I can say about it.  Others (actual professional TV critics) have written great recaps and reviews, some have even created fan videos.

I’ve read a lot and watched a lot of them, and I present to you my favorites:

To get you caught up with Lost so far: “Lost” Recapped by Extended Italian Family.  This YouTube video was posted just a few weeks ago on January 20th and has been viewed 117,855 times.

If the whole jumping through time thingy is confusing you more than algebra confused me (math is really not my thing – in college, I had to take problem solving… twice), then check out this site from the New York Times.  It’s an interactive timeline, starting in 1845, the year that Jacob and TMIB have their loaded conversation on the beach and the year the Black Rock left Portsmouth, England. The NY Times have really outdone themselves with this timeline, though, as there are also videos, photos, audio clips, and links to the episodes at ABC.com.  Good job, NY Times!  (Too bad no one reads newspapers on, well, paper anymore.)

And, lastly but most importantly, head over to EW.com where they have a whole “Special Coverage” area on their site for their vast Lost database.  Anything you find there is going to be terrific, and they’re very good about warning you about spoilers.  You’d have to be really blonde to read a spoiler (ok, yes, it happened to me once).  If you don’t have hours to wile away exploring the “Totally Lost” branch of the EW.com website, just read Doc Jensen’s stuff.  The man is a brilliant writer, very smart but accessible, funny, clearly a devout and loyal fan, and a guy who I’m convinced knows how it all ends.

So that ought to be enough to get you caught up and on solid ground for the rest of the sixth and final season of Lost.  If you’re still confused, I have a Lost notebook that might help you out, as well as all the previous seasons on DVD.  Or you could just buy me a cup of coffee and pick my brain.

Namaste.

January, where hast thou gone?

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Seriously, time flies!

January has been a crazy month.  I’ve done things I’ve never done before, like play broomball – it’s so much fun!  I’m still running – training for a half marathon and beating personal records.  I’ve also become a big fan of the dash – though I don’t think I use it correctly all the time. Katie, I should’ve paid more attention in college! 😛

Work has been tough this month.  Spiritually and emotionally, it’s not a healthy place for me anymore.  I’ve been really struggling, because I genuinely love my co-workers and manager, and the job itself is still fun.  But there are bigger, stronger things that are overshadowing the joy I have at work, and it makes me sad and sick.  I’m doing okay, still trying to excel at my job, nurture relationships, and love my colleagues.  But I’m also actively pursuing my true passion and calling – TV!  I’m hoping that pilot season gives me an opportunity to work on a TV show at Warner Bros.  Ideally? I’d LOVE to work on The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, Shameless, Chuck, or Cold Case, in that order.  I just hate the wait-and-see part.

Luckily, February is here and things are already getting better.  Why?  Because Lost starts again in two days.

Finally!

This is the sixth and final season of Lost, and it’d better be a good one!  I have faith in the show though – I went to a panel with the writers/creators a while ago and just hearing them talk shop for a few hours told me that they are all over this final season and have great things in store for the show.

If you haven’t been watching Lost, then, well, that’s ok.  There’s still plenty of other great TV you can be watching.  To list just a few: The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, Caprica, Community, Burn Notice, White Collar, Psych, 30 Rock, and of course, there’s always ER.

But Tuesday night at 9:00pm?  I’ll be watching Lost.

Checking In

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Well, Twenty-Ten, how’d we do this week?

It was a great week for me, personally.  If you’re my friend on Facebook, you know that I’ve brought the sexy back this week.  When it rains, it pours!  It’s been fun.

And my co-worker/friend/running guru Sheryl has been kicking my butt and helping me really get in gear for the half marathon I’m going to run.  My favorite thing this week was running on the treadmill (boring) while watching Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (yes, I yelled answers at the tv).

What?  I didn’t tell you?  Yeah, I’m gonna run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Los Angeles in October.  Whew!  That’s 13.1 miles, y’all!

Now I’m off to do some chores, hit the gym, and then time with my junior high kids tonight!

OH!  Chuck premieres its third season on SUNDAY on NBC.  Watch it, y’all!  It’s no more Mr. Nice Spy. 🙂

From Wil Wheaton

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I grabbed this directly from Wil Wheaton’s blog. Enjoy!

“The Twelve Days of Pirate Christmas”

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me …

12 ships to plunder,

11 cannons firing,

10 crewmen leaping,

9 sharks a’ swimming,

8 rum-filled bottles,

7 lusty wenches,

6 jolly rogers,

5 gold doubloons,

4 eyepatches,

3 earrings,

2 wooden legs,

and a parrot for my shoulder – Arrr!