Silence Isn't Always Golden

Wow, I really suck at this updating thing. I have a new TV and recently discovered I can watch even more TV with On Demand, yet I can't get myself to write anything about everything I'm watching. I just need to figure out a process that works for me. While I figure out what that is, here are a few small nuggets about what I've been viewing lately:

The Cape is my new Heroes.

Royal Pains makes me happy.

Fairly Legal & Harry's Law are pleasant surprises.

Glee lights up my life.

The Big Bang Theory never disappoints.

Smallville started with a bang but hit a few mid-season bumps.

Modern Family is totally funny.

Gossip Girl always brings the delicious drama.

Hellcats made a comeback.

One Tree Hill has reached its end.

Supernatural bites.

Fringe is keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Chuck is a bunch of wacky goodness.

The Office has its good and eh days.

Off the Map, Grey's Anatomy & Private Practice are basically the same show and so addicting.

The Vampire Diaries is a great PG-13 alternative to True Blood.

Nikita is oddly intriguing.

90210 ain't all that bad.

Being Human has a great concept, but I'm still not sold.

Cougar Town still roars.

Life Unexpected is gone and I'm soooo sad.

30 Rock...rocks.

Outsourced is offensively funny.

I'm sure I'm missing a few, but I need to focus on the process now.

Movie Break: Takers

After watching Transformers 2 last night I was still in the mood for a guy flick, so when I arrived at the movie theater and found myself torn between The Switch and Takers I had to go with the one that had more hot guys. Sorry, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, but I still may see your movie before the weekend ends.

I like heist movies. I like watching a plan come together, from the prep to the execution. It's probably one of the few times I root for the bad guys in the movie. Well, the supposed bad guys. They're never really all that bad, which was the case with Takers. The story was pretty predictable and it followed the formula, so I wasn't really disappointed. I knew what I was getting into when I purchased the ticket.

What I wanted from this movie was a distraction. I wanted to see hot guys walking around looking hot and doing hot things like holding big guns while wearing nice suits. Did I get what I wanted? Hell yeah! It doesn't get much better than Paul Walker wearing a perfectly tailored suit in one scene then walking naked into a pool in the next one. Even though it cost me an arm and a leg, I was glad to have that ICEE nearby to cool me down.

Of course, Mr. Walker wasn't the only hottie on the screen. There was Idris Elba with his hot accent, Jay Hernandez with his hot boyish good looks, Matt Dillon with his hot bad-ass attitude and even Hayden Christensen looked surprisingly hot in his big fight scene.

This wasn't the best heist movie I've ever seen, but it was still entertaining. If you're looking for mindless good fun and a lot of eye candy (well, for the girls), then this is the end-of-summer flick for you. Otherwise, you can probably wait until it comes out on DVD.

Movie Break: The Other Guys

Note: No major spoilers.

I was a little unsure about seeing this movie in the theater, but after seeing Mark Wahlberg on Lopez Tonight I decided it might be worth it. I was right. It was just the right amount of stupid funny to make it entertaining. Sometimes these types of movies take it way over the top to the point where it’s not really funny, just obnoxious. It was refreshing to see Mark Wahlberg in a comedic role, and I have to say, he was pretty good. He delivered some great lines. Allen Gamble was a great character for Will Ferrell. He was smart, but he had these little quirks that were so damn funny. Overall, I think the two made a great team and had really good chemistry. If you’re in the mood for a fun comedy, go see it—and stick around for the credits. You’ll learn some pretty interesting facts. I think that was the first time in a long time I sat through the whole thing.

One of my favorite things about the movie was the music. There were a handful of references to some TLC songs that had me cracking up and I loved that they used songs I hadn’t heard in years like “We Trying to Stay Alive” by Wycleaf Jean, “My Hero” by Foo Fighters and “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins. The whole soundtrack was this odd mix of music, which only made the film that much funnier.

On that note, I leave you with the most important thing I learned from this movie:

Pimps Don't Cry ft. Cee-Lo Green & Eva Mendes from Eva Mendes

Friday Night Lights: Another Season Down

Note: Spoilers ahead.

I wasn’t sure about this new season with the East Dillon Lions. I was worried I wouldn’t like the new characters, the new setting and the Coach’s new role. I’d grown so attached to the Panthers and their drama that this change left me feeling a little apprehensive about this season. I was afraid this wouldn’t be the same show I’d fallen in love with over the years.

Once the first episode aired, all my fears went away and I knew this show was in good hands. While others would have completely ruined a transition like this, FNL handled it with great care and thought. I look back at this season and not only see how the old characters have grown and moved on, but I also see a new bunch I’ve become invested in and want to see more of next year:

The Riggins Brothers: They’re a dysfunctional pair, but when it comes down to it they’re just two brothers who love each other. You really want to see Tim make a better life for himself, but as much as he wants that too, he struggles with how he’s going to get there and what he’s going to do. Billy pretty much has the same problem. So when they team up to run a business together and it’s not quite as successful as they wanted it to be, they find themselves doing questionable things. Of course, they do it with the best intentions. Sadly, their whole plan crumbles in the last episode. The scene where Tim tells Billy he’s going to take the fall was one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the show.

Saracen & Julie: As much as I love this couple, I knew the big break up was inevitable. High school romances rarely last, because dreams and the need to find one’s self always get in the way. Saracen’s sudden departure and not saying goodbye to Julie was messed up, but I understood why he did it. In the end, I think Julie knew it had to be done that way, too. I was happy to see Saracen return at the end to tie up loose ends with Julie and make amends with Landry. I’m going to miss that kid.

Vince: He went from being a teen hoodlum to the starting quarterback over the course of the season. We watched him battle his demons and struggle with a crackhead mama. He slipped up and redeemed himself with a little help from Coach and Jess. Although this may all seem a little cliché, it totally got me and had me tearing up like an emotional idiot. The scene with his mom in the hospital was gut-wrenching and one of the best of the season.

Luke Cafferty: I’m very interested in seeing where they take his character next season. He kind of reminds me of Saracen with his awkwardness, but there are subtle differences. He seems to feel a little more entitled than Saracen and he comes from a family that’s very much together and very much Christian. I also want to see how his relationships with Vince and Tank evolve. I’m not sure if anything else is going to happen with Becky, but I think it would be interesting to see how they relate to each other after the abortion and everything else that’s happened.

The Boys: It was nice to see Timmy, Billy and Landry come together for Saracen when his dad died. One of the things I always loved about this show was the bond that these boys shared. To see it carry on beyond school and the football field was touching.

Eric & Tami Taylor: This couple is always golden. They’re basically the glue that keeps this show together. From Eric’s coaching ups and downs to Tami being bullied by the boosters and the school board, this couple never falters. They may find themselves on shaky ground from time to time, but their strength always gets them through anything. Their scenes always amaze and mesmerize me. I’m so happy they were nominated for Emmys and finally received recognition for their great work.

When Coach Taylor became the head coach for East Dillon we knew there would be no winning streaks or championship. There was a good chance there wouldn’t even be a win. What we did know was that this season would have struggles and good stories to tell. This season finale was the perfect cap to a great transitional season.

Movie Break: Inception

Note: Don't worry, there are no spoilers.

I just got home from watching Inception and my mind is in some weird Inception coma. It’s been a while since I’ve walked out of a movie theater and thought, “Wow, WTF?” but in a good way. I’m running the entire movie through my head and trying to pick out specific things I might have missed and wondering what it all means. The whole thing was just one huge mind roller coaster and I kind of feel like something was planted in my brain. I’m finding myself thinking about reality and dreams and what’s real and not real. Like I said, this movie was a total mind f@?! and my aching brain is proof of this crazy ride.

When I first heard about the movie, I was intrigued but unsure if I’d actually watch it in the movie theater. Then all of a sudden there was all this talk and hype about it, which made me a bit curious. Normally I try not to buy in to the hype and most of the time when I see a movie that’s the talk of the town I’m usually disappointed--not in this case. I admit some of the action sequences were a little long and drawn out and I found myself sitting there wondering when they were going to end so we could get some answers, but I think that would be my only criticism of the film. It was gripping, emotional, entertaining and thought provoking, which means success in my book. Bravo!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

My Top 5 TV Shows

With talk about the new fall TV lineups all over the place, I started thinking about my own TV lineup. If someone asked me what my top five favorite shows were, what would I say? This is a tough question for me--have you seen all the shows I watch? I gave it some thought and finally came up with my Top 5 list. Before I reveal my shows, I must preface this list by saying that I only chose from the pool of shows currently on basic cable TV. This obviously does not include premium channels like HBO and Showtime since I don’t subscribe to them and only watch those shows on DVD. I'll save those for another post. So, without further ado…

VFMC Girl’s Top 5 TV Shows:

1. Mad Men: My previous post pretty much sums up why this ranks number one on my list. This show is consistently good and it blew me away from the very beginning. Enough said.

2. Friday Night Lights: I love this show for the same reasons I love Mad Men. The other guys just do it a little bit better. The characters and their stories are compelling and the actors bring the words to life in a way that really touches you. The show is about so much more than just football, and if people could just get past the game, then I think they could really love it as much as the critics and FNL fans do.

3. Glee: This is a crazy, over-the-top show that touches upon some important issues in a way that’s entertaining and makes you think. The talent displayed on the show is amazing—I have no words for it. This cast has to be one of the hardest working on TV. I feel like I’m watching a musical every week, and I think that’s pretty impressive.

4. The Big Bang Theory: This show has the coolest bunch of geeks on TV. I tune in every week knowing I’m going to laugh my ass off and I actually do. Sheldon is one of the most well-written and well-acted characters on a sitcom and I love watching him interact with the other characters. I’m so excited to see how his character evolves next season.

5. Smallville: I admit, two big reasons I love this show are 1) Tom Welling is hot and 2) I’ve always loved the Lois and Clark/Superman relationship—it’s epic. But those aren’t the reasons why it ranks number five on my list. If you would have asked me five years ago where this ranked on my list, I would have probably said it was somewhere close to the bottom. The focus of the show veered away from Clark and his destiny and focused more on characters we really didn’t care about—cough…Lana…cough. Now that it’s gone through a complete reboot and headed in a whole new direction, it’s even better than ever, which is why it has moved its way up the ranks. It’s tenth and final season is going to be incredible.

Mad About Mad Men

I’m a little behind the crowd on this one, but I’m finally all caught up on my Mad Men episodes. Oh. My. God. I get it now. I understand why this show was nominated for all those Emmys. It’s the best drama on TV, hands down. From the acting to the writing to the set production to the costumes—all of it is fantastic.

I love Don Draper, flaws and all. He is one of the best characters on TV and I wish he existed in real life. Actually, all the characters are amazing. They’re so well written and complex. I find myself feeling all these different things for them, but that’s what I think is so great. One day I’ll hate them and the other I’m feeling bad for them, but there’s never a day when I’m thinking, “Eh, I don’t care about him/her.” I’m invested in each character.

There’s rarely a less-that-amazing episode, but when there is, that’s even better than the best ep of many of the shows out there today. There’s nothing flashy about or over the top about Mad Men. There are no big explosions, complicated dance routines or big guest stars. It simply tells compelling stories about a group of characters’ lives during a complex time period. That’s the hook. You never feel like you’re watching a TV show. Instead, you find yourself being submersed into this world, a voyeur on the sidelines watching it all unfold.

I spent the past three weeks watching disc after disc of Mad Men, trying to get myself to the point where I can tune in tonight and watch episode two of season four with everyone else. I can’t wait.

I went to the Mad Men site and decided to Mad Men Myself. Here I am strutting around in the Sterling Cooper office in a pretty purple dress: