Happy Halloween Surprises

I am very pleased to announce that American Horror Story and Homeland have officially been picked up for Season 2.

These two shows are high on my list of excellent new programming.
I can't get enough of these shows. I'm actually angry when the episodes end!

Good stuff people! If you are missing either of these shows, then....well....shame on you!

Halloween with the a sweet Devil and a Pink Leopard

Happy Halloween to all!
Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon at Belmont Shore, CA watching a dog parade (for real) and spending a beautiful, glorious day with my Auntie Barb, my sis, my brother-in-law, and Kaylen!
We had a blast watching all the puppies pass. Seriously, you wouldn't be able to see more dogs in one place, a pound/shelter doesn't even come close to the amount of dogs I saw.
Here's an example of the cuteness that ensued!

 !!!!!!!!
Isn't that the damn cutest thing you ever did see?!?!
That dog just chilled out in that tiny batmobile and let people take pictures. He licked my hand after I took his picture and I felt like a celebrity had just kissed me.

 To add to the cuteness factor was my sister as a sweet devil and my adorable niece as a pink Leopard. I can hardly handle how cute! And Kaylen was just the most perfect baby all day. Smiling, laughing, impressing strangers on the street. She was sooooo cute that strangers wanted her picture. Strange? Nah. Not in doggy parade heaven!
Also, shout out to my brother-n-law. He gets to celebrate his birthday and have Halloween fun. Happy B-day brother!

Passing the Torch. A Momentous Occasion. A Legacy Lives On.

When I was a kid I loved, loved, loved the movie Flashdance. Don't judge. I didn't really know what it was about. I only knew there was some dancing and ice skating and amazing music. It wasn't until my late teens that I really discovered what that movie was about. It was a big "oooohhhh" moment. Ignorance was bliss. My parents never told me anything was wrong with watching it and therefore, I never believed anything was wrong with it. Bless my parents for that freedom.
As the years progressed and my love of movies grew, Flashdance has always stayed dear to me, especially the opening. Wow. What a beautifully shot opening number. Sometimes, when I'm down, or need a jolt of inspiration, I watch that opening scene. 
As I have stated, I'm currently in California visiting my sister, her hubby, and my niece, Kaylen. Well, Kaylen and I were alone one glorious afternoon when Flashdance came on TV. 
I thought to myself, "I know Kaylen is only 8 months old, but I'm all alone and I love this opening and how awesome would it be to tell Kaylen years and years later that I showed her one of my favorite cinematic openings? I've got to pass the torch of Flashdance love!"
So, with Kaylen on my lap, we watched the first 5 minutes together, mouths agape. 
After that I decided that I needed to have a photo shoot with Kaylen. Kind of an ode to Flashdance. 
One day, she'll laugh and love me for this. 

TV update/roundup :)

 Homeland has been picked up for a 2nd season!  If you are not watching this show, you really are missing out. Damn good TV.

 Dexter is just going the distance this season with the religious theme. Each episode gets better and better. So far, a solid season. I look forward to answers and even more revelations! 

 Revenge is still creeping up as the most entertaining NEW show of the 2011 season. I don't even care if there is a 2nd season, as long as this season continues to deliver the punch that keeps me tuning in. 

   Pretty Little Liars delivered a wonderful Halloween episode. (Yes, people, I watch Pretty Little Liars, and I love it!) If you are a fan, I do hope you caught the complete flashback episode centered around Allison. It was good stuff!

   American Horror Story. What can I say? I can't stop watching. But, I generally have to watch it during the day cause it freaks me out! I never really thought a TV series would scare me, but this one does. In addition to the fright factor, there's such a perverse under tone that is very reminiscent of Nip/Tuck. I'm officially hooked on this show.

  America's Next Top Model: All Stars. I have never ever missed an episode of ANTM and I never will. I love fashion photography and this show always gives a bit of inspiration. This season is filled with All Stars (former contestants), in other words, they brought all the crazy back and put them in a house and said 'Compete!' Genius Tyra Banks. Genius.

What shows are rocking your world this fall? I'd love to hear what you think!!!
I'm always open to new shows, I just need an introduction. 
Why not?

The reason to watch X Factor

The top 17 performed live this week on X Factor. It was....good enough. BUT, here is the one reason you should be tuning in to watch.

14 year old Drew. 
Girl has got a little extra something special.
Plus, she's singing What a Feeling...hello! Flashdance anyone?!!?
Here's her performance...

 

Not in Texas, but in SoCal.... :)

Riding with my sister today through and about Long Beach we pulled up behind this truck.

  For a moment I forgot I was in California. I thought for a fleeting moment I was back in Texas. Either way, gotta love Freedom of Speech.  Also, that star looks like the Cowboys star, yes?

Oscar buzzing season approaches....You should watch this Trailer

After my love of Fall TV comes my other love, Oscar season movies. It seems that the Oscar movies always come out in late fall early winter time. 
I go to the theater often, but this time of the year I tend to go more often. I like the idea of having seen all Oscar nominated films. It's happened only two times in my decade long affair. There's always that one movie that gets nominated that was only released in that one art house theater in New York (damn you!). 
This year, again, I'm determined to see all the movies I think will be nominated. At the top of my list is Alexander Payne's The Descendants, starring George Clooney. 
Payne is a lovely writer/director, an inspiration to me really. I'd eventually like to model my career after his (here's hoping I get a career!). 
If you are unfamiliar with him, then check him out here.
I have high hopes for The Descendants. 
I feel some nominations coming its way. 
Check out the trailer....
And stay tuned for more potential Oscar movies buzz :)

Discoveries 101

This week I'm visiting my sister, her hubby, and their precious daughter (my niece) Kaylen in sunny SoCal. (Really not so sunny right now.) I've been here around 24 hours and I've discovered the reason Drive Thrus were invented........are you ready......wait for it.....
Babies. 
If you're a current mother of a baby, then you get what I'm saying, if not, let me explain.
Babies come with a lot of baggage; car seats, diaper bags, inability to walk or talk, curiosity, and depending on the age, weight.
So an easy jaunt to Starbucks for coffee becomes an almost downright production.
There's two option: 
1. Take child and stroller and go into Starbucks for your coffee.  Sounds easy. It's not. It's really NOT.
2. Take child in arms and walk right in. Problem there is paying, holding coffee and holding a child. Kind of a juggling problem. And God forbid you spill coffee!!!
This is where Drive Thrus are the most brilliant invention for parents, or in my case, Aunts/babysitters. 
Strap that kid in the car seat. Push play on the baby DVD player and drive on thru. 
Today I had Starbucks AND In & Out, all with an infant. 
Without Drive Thrus I would have had none of it. So bless you drive thru makers. Bless you. 

Once Upon a Time.......Mindy smiled and smiled

Once Upon a Time premiered on ABC Sunday night to good ratings and a gleeful Mindy. 
I wasn't going to watch this show. There is another fairy tale type show starting soon called Grimm on NBC (Oct.28). I wasn't exactly thrilled about either concept. I really, truly believed that both shows would peter out quickly. 
So, why did I watch Once Upon a Time? Cause the internet told me to. 
(The internet whispers in my ears late at night while I sleep and tells me what to do. I just obey, no need to argue.)
I was utterly and unbelievably pleased with the pilot episode. I'm so looking forward to MORE. 
There are different timelines and unanswered questions all revolving around the fairy tales in which we were all raised upon. It has the intrigue of Lost and the delightful playfulness of....Glee. I don't want to mislead, there is no singing and dancing (not yet anyway), but I remember feeling delightful playfulness when I watched the pilot for Glee. Bravo ABC for this new show. I give the pilot **** :)

If you missed the pilot, you can watch it online at abc.com!
Do it people!! I know you want a little wispy fairy tale back into your lives. Really, what could it hurt?

Gynamstics.....how I love thee

The 2012 Olympics are approaching, which means, GYMNASTICS!!!
Summer Olympics are my favorite b/c of gymnastics. 
When I was a kid I would pretend to be Nadia Komenich. Which is laughable b/c I wasn't coordinated enough to walk, but never the less, I had dreams. Those dreams died with my sudden growth spurts and extended clumsiness. So, from there, I became an observer. 
I watched Mary Lou score a perfect 10. 
I watched Kerri Strug land on one foot which won the USA the Gold. 
(If you are human, then you cried. What a moment.)
I watched Shawn Johnson win the Gold in the all around. 
I'm a fan. I'm damned excited about the upcoming USA team. 
With that excitement in mind, I decided to look around the web and see what gymnastic gems I had missed when I came across this:

What in the what?!?!?!?
I'm freakin' blown away. I could watch this all day. But, more importantly, why in God's green pastures have I never seen this? 
My call to NBC (they are broadcasting the Olympics, right?) is to show more flips, more trampolines, more gymnastics all around. I love this stuff. 
***Waving Declaration***** ONE Day I WILL see the USA Gymnastics team compete live. Please o please make that dream come true. 
Or at least someone give me the funding to make a documentary about gymnasts and their road to the Olympic Games. 
This girl can dream. :)
 

On the eve....

Tomorrow marks the release of two new albums:
Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto  and Kelly Clarkson's Stronger.

I've been a huge Kelly fan since her first note during auditions for American Idol. I've seen her live, first row, with my sweet, perfect mom. She has an amazing voice. Soulful, powerful, endearing. I've anxiously been awaiting this album. Now, the clever girl that I am, has managed to listen to the full album already. I wish I could muster more excitement, but alas, I can not. The album isn't bad, but it's so pop that it disappoints me. Granted, there are a few songs that stick out like Honestly,  and Dark Side,  two ballad-like songs that have some meat to them. They get under your skin a bit. But, its only a little bit. Still nothing holds a candle to her song Sober,  from her underrated album My December.  I miss that Kelly. Stronger feels overproduced with a need for commercial success.  If you're a Kelly fan, I think you'll be mildly pleased. I give the album ***1/2, mostly cause I never want Kelly to stop making music. 
It would be appropriate to post a new song by Kelly, but I feel the need to post the song Sober. This is an epic song. Listen all the way through cause it just gets better and better :) Also, this performance is new, performed just a few days ago in LA.

 And I guess I'll post a new song too, from the same concert.:)
Here's Dark Side.

Okay, onto Coldplay. I've slowly grown into a small liking of Coldplay. I can't explain why in the past I didn't like, I just didn't. Sometimes we get a block in our head and it takes some time to knock it down. Well, my block must have been knocked down cause I'm actually excited for Mylo Xyloto. I haven't heard the full album yet, but I'm mighty pleased with their first releases, especially Paradise. I love this song and I love the video. Great, happy, perfect video.
I'll give my review of Coldplay's new album soon. Until then, buy it yourself :)

 

Impatient American.....Homeless video now available.

If you haven't read the post before this one, stop reading and scroll down. 


Got it? Well, approximately 37 seconds after I posted that, I found Maria's video. Just hanging out on youtube. Waiting. 
I swear to you all, 3 days ago, it wouldn't play!
Here it is. 
I'm also disappointed in this video. Obviously she needs to hire Bledska Works (that's me and Rob) and we'll make her a better, story driven video. This one's pretty, but come on!!! 
It's my disappointment for the day and it's only 10 am. :(
Thoughts?

Or to watch it bigger and better click the link  HERE!!!

Rant/Complain/Anger of the day/week/decade

Maria Mena has a lovely song called Homeless that is on her new album Viktoria. Well, in other countries, NOT USA, Maria has released a video for this lovely song.
Here's my beef....I search the interweb for that damn video and it always brings me to a video that is about to play but suddenly a text pops up reading "Video not allowed in Country."

WTF? 
Why release a video and not let American's see it? (Yes, I understand how that sounds!)
But, really?! I'm sure a day will come and I'll be able to view the video. But, I'm American, and I want it now!
This did get me thinking about worldwide music and how much music is closed off to me.
Every country has their own itunes, their own youtube, etc...
example: Maria's album was available on the German itunes 3 weeks before it was made available on the US itunes. 
What about all that music that isn't made available? Why are we as humans so closed off? I want more foreign music! America is boring me. Yeah, I said it.
So, dear readers, introduce me. Introduce me to some foreign music. Or at least direct me to a website that is filled with more international music information than I can handle!


Any takers? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller

Days away and here's what I got.....materialisticlly speaking

While visiting Fort Wayne, Indiana I must always go to Hyde Bookstore. It's a kick ass used book store with more books than sq. footage. It smells like a heaven in which I will reside. They have a lovely Poetry section in which I spend most of my time searching for gems. I've been sucessfull in the past, and was again.
I found these:

Two Dorothy Parker books of poetry. I already own all her poetry, but I still have to buy every book I find. These books  were published in 1938 and 1941. There are small delicate GEMS. And all for the cheap $10 price tag (per book). Seems like you can put a price on age. :)









When I returned home from Ft. Wayne I had tons of mail waiting, including the CD of Maria Mena's new album Viktoria. Good Lord, I've talked enough about Maria and my love of her and her music, so You MUST understand my excitment to actually put my hands on the Germany made CD. I was/still am HAPPY!

 

Then I found some boots I wanted ON SALE!!!! Oh happy days!

 I'm very excited for these boots and the cold weather storming through. Hello fall. Hello new wardrobe. Hello Love.

2 Broke Girls.....is it broke or just a mending in progress?

I've been watching 2 Broke Girls since the pilot, and you know what, I'm still up in the air about my feelings, sort of. 
Kat Dennings is funny. I always love smart sarcastic bitches with too much intelligence. Her character wins....kinda. Something's lacking, but I can't put a finger on it. However, my eyes are always staring at her....how to say it nicely.....her lumps. (Come on, if you're watching the show then you're also watching those!) 
I will say it is lovely to have a big titty girl on Network TV. Bravo to that! Bring on the curvy women. 
Bottom line, this is my prediction, my hope for the show.....It's gonna find it's groove. It'll stop acting like a nervous first date and settle into the comfort of a 10 year long love affair. 
First seasons can be bumpy, but sometimes sitting through the uncomfortable will eventually lend it's self to the most comfortable chair ever. (Am I mixing metaphors, maybe :) But get my point....
I think 2 Broke Girls will transform into My 2 BFFs. 
Fingers crossed.

The axe!

Here are some other new TV shows that have been cancelled...

1. Charlie's Angels. 
2. H8R  (the person who greenlit this project should be dropped kicked out of the TV industry)
3. How to be a Gentleman  (I'm a bit sad. I always wanna keep Drama on TV, but hell, I didn't even watch the show!)

There are some rumblings that Pan Am will be the newest show to receive the axe. Guess we'll wait and see.
Till then, here's reason #254 you should be watching 
Parks & Recreation:
          PUPPY PARTIES!!!!

In more happy Pick-Uped news....

It pleases me so to announce that Revenge and Suburgatory have both been picked up by ABC for a full season!!!


Remember my lovely reviews of them here and here?
Yeah, it was good, happy, glowy stuff. 


And there's that. I will be updating any info I find/read about the destiny of any TV shows.
Like this. I don't watch Happy Endings. I've heard I'd probably like it, but I just don't have an empty spot in my schedule. Well, ABC has ordered 6 additional scripts to the line up. I reckon that's good. :)

CW renews :)

The CW has ordered full season pick ups for Ringer, The Secret Circle, and Hart of Dixie. 


I'm honestly a bit surprised by Hart of Dixie. I've been watching, but I haven't been watching. I find myself cleaning or chatting to my cat or my husband every time Hart is on. I can't take it serious. Holy hell, there's a character named Lemon. I'm dead serious. Lemon. And this "Lemon" character speaks in the cliched slow southern drawl that I guess passes as an Alabama accent. But, I just giggle and say aloud, 'Lemon.' With a full season granted, I reckon I will continue cleaning or chatting while I watch till eventually cleaning becomes more interesting (that's not far off!)


As for Ringer; I'm very happy this gets a full season, cause I need answers. I'm tuning in every week so some nugget of info can be revealed. And for Sarah Michelle Gellar to act bitchy (I love her bitchy! Cruel Intentions bitchy!)
Plus, I'm always rooting for SMG to be on TV. Just makes me happy.










Now for Secret Circle. I'm not surprised at all that this got a full season. First, it follows or leads into The Vampire Diaries. Vampire Diaries is my new Buffy. I LOVE it. Damon is my new Spike. Stephan is my new Angel. It's all yummy goodness.  Not the point though. Secret Circle is all about witches and teenagers. I suspected this show to do well. I keep watching, but no claws have dug into my heart. I'm waiting. But, I find myself distracted. Whatever, I'm sure I'm not their demographic, but I hope this show gets a bit meatier and a little less whinier. 


And there you have it. :)  Oh, and I hate the poster for Secret Circle. Why? I dunno. Just do. 

Pan Am has been dropped by Me......but Gossip Girl still rocks

I can't explain why somethings happen. They just do. It's life. And in my life there is too much TV. I had made the decision to drop Free Agents, but no, the network went and cancelled it. I can't dropped something that no longer exists!
So the task began; finding at least one show I can stop watching before I get in too deep. It fell on Pan Am's lap. Mostly because I couldn't seem to make myself watch episode 2. And when you begin "forcing" yourself to watch a TV show, then you should know that the TV show isn't worth it. 
Another casualty?  Desperate Housewives. 18,000 yrs on TV and I just stopped. F***k it. The show stopped being of interest...

However, Gossip Girl is rocking my boots off this season. :) 
I love my little Upper East Siders. But, I do miss Jenny. 
xoxo
you know you love me
M

The time is Here! Get Your Wallets Ready!

I have spoke of Maria Mena and Rachael Yamagata on this blog. Click the links for a refresher!
Well, the day is here. Both albums are available on itunes! 

Maria Mena's album is called Viktoria.
Rachael Yamagata's album is called Chesapeake.

Stop being cheap and go buy the albums. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I bet in one week time you'll email me with Thanks. 

Homeland = Homerun

I had my reservations about this show. Honestly, I didn't want to watch it all.
Premise according to IMDB: Centers on Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, who returns home eight years after going missing in Iraq, and Carrie Anderson, a driven (and possibly unstable) CIA officer who suspects he might be plotting an attack on America.

This premise doesn't do much for me. War, terrorism, CIA, these are NOT key words that get me excited. Life is heavy enough, I generally prefer my TV with some fluff. However, Claire Danes stars. My So Called Life was a life changer for me. (I've dyed my hair red so many times trying to match that of Angela Chase's). I was, however, intrigued by her return to TV. Plus, reviews were really good. Not that I care. Again, I watch One Tree Hill, what do I care about reviews?!
My strange sense of obligation to a new, and possibly award winning Showtime series forced me to sit my ass down on the couch, suck it up, and just watch. 
The pilot ran at 53 minutes. When it was over, I just sat there, alone on my couch....and then I blinked. Cause, I don't think I blinked for a good 30 minutes of the 53. I didn't want to miss a thing.
I didn't blog right away, in fact, I waited till I could watch the 2nd episode. I needed to see if it still had the vibrato. It did.


So now my Sunday nights consist of a morally ambiguous serial killer (Dexter) and a possible American terrorist. Both on Showtime. Sounds too heavy, but damn it all, cause its pure, on the edge of my seat entertainment. 
With the loss of Entourage, Showtime is the new HBO. 

Dirty Diana

Dirty Diana is my all time favorite Michael Jackson song. It's a go to happy song for me. Angry Mindy? Play Dirty Diana and anger fades. Sad Mindy? Play Dirty Diana and sadness eliminated. I think you get my point. 
Now, Dirty Diana isn't a happy song, its about infidelity and fame and really has a more overall sad theme to it. Doesn't matter.
Cause every time I hear it or sing it loud in my car I'm taken back to my youth. In my sister's blue sunfire (?) car and us jamming out. My sis and I didn't always get along back then, but music always bridged our gap. I'm thankful she introduced me to an array of music, including Dirty Diana.

There was just a Michael Jackson tribute concert and to my delight, Christina Aquilera covered Dirty Diana. Oh happy days. 
MJ is gone, but Dirty Diana lives on :)

Mindy's Summer TV Awards

Fall TV is in full swing, putting an end to Summer's line up. Here's a quick recap of my favorite Summer 2011 TV programming. (There are a few gems :))

Award for Most Pleasantly Surprised: Awkward. (MTV)
         This show came out of no where and it pleased me so. This witty, clever, high school comedy won my heart and generated a lot of giggles. Imagine: 
Clueless + Can't Hardly Wait + Juno + My So Called Life = Awkward.

Award for OMG Reality TV Moment: Dance Moms (Lifetime)
If ya like dance AND reality TV, then this reality show is for you. And it was NEVER short on drama. Here's one of my favorite OMG moments:
I so hope I get a season 2. And 3. And 8. 

Award for Biggest Crying Moment: The Big C (Showtime)
 The finale had me sobbing. I don't like spoilers, so if you haven't watched or are not caught up on this show, no worries, I won't ruin anything. 
But the video below sums up my finale cry (thank God I was alone): 

Award for Best Finale to Set Up a Movie: Entourage (HBO)
Ari Gold = One of the best TV Male Characters ever. Who knew that there would be such growth and depth and sometimes warmth nestled inside such an ass. The movie better happen cause I sure will miss me some Ari. 

Award for Best Sex on TV: True Blood (HBO)
Damn good season. So much hot man on this show. Wow. Thanks Alan Ball. 

Honorable Mention Summer Smash Hits:
The Glee Project: So much singing! And some drag? Sold.

Platinum Hit (Bravo): Again, so much singing! I loved, loved, loved this show. It's a competition about song writing. Hello! Genius. I really hope this gets a 2nd season too. And props to Jewel who was a very lovely host. 

Big Brother (CBS): I'm a crack addict for this show. And this season was GREAT!

And that rounds out my summer lovin'. 
What shows got you through your summer? Post a comment, email me, I'd love to hear :)


 

Ryan Murphy and His American Horror Story

I didn't watch a single promo, trailer, teaser for American Horror Story. I watched the pilot scrictly based on the poster (see below) and it's from the f***ed up mind of Ryan Murphy. And I'm talking the Nip/Tuck Ryan Murphy, not the Glee Ryan Murphy. Yes, I know technically its the same person, but come on, there has to be some bipolar issues in that brain of his.

So, my thoughts on American Horror Story? Uh, well....I am.....cautious. I stuck out all seven seasons of Nip/Tuck, but will never be able to tell you why. It got so awful, but I couldn't NOT watch it. I sense AHS heading in that direction and only the pilot episode has premiered.

Did I like the editing?  I don't know. It was different, but may be too stylized and eventually become annoying.
Did I enjoy the story?  Eh. I don't know.
Did I like not knowing who is alive and who is dead? yeah. Kind of.
Did I like seeing Dylan McDermott's naked body? Yes.
Will I keep watching? Yes. Yes I will. I don't know if I'll like it or myself, but it's like some little Ryan Murphy devil serpent crept up in my mind and literally forces me to watch all his work. 
He's crack. 
And crack is whack, but that don't seem to stop the cravings. 

Glee : The comeback!

Last night's episode of Glee was like having a prayer answered. It's like Ryan Murphy read my last blog post  and then fixed all the problems. (expect Quinn, but everything else is so on course that I will officially forgive the Quinn debacle).
1. Every song made sense to each scene and each character. The songs forwarded the story line. This is most important.
2. They sang in the hallways :) And in the gym. Thanks Brittany for your Run the World (Girls) performance!
3. Mike Chang gave a great rendition of Cool from West Side Story.
4. Santana came back and will be Anita in the West Side Story production :) I better get to hear her sing at least one Anita song!
5. Everything Mercedes rocked. The Dreamgirls fantasy sequence was pure musical theater heaven. I WANT more of that.
6. Fix You. Mr. Shue pulled off Coldplay for the finale. I teared up.


Thank you Ryan Murphy for bringing glee back to Glee. Please keep it rolling....

My Fail.

Ask me about any TV show (Dexter takes on religion!!), any movie, most music and I will have some opinion.
So, where's my fail? I read the headline recently that Amanda Knox was released from prison. In fact, I keep seeing this story in many media outlets. But, I have no freaking clue who Amanda Knox is or why she was in prison or why she was released.
I get the impression that her case was some media sensationalized trial, but I am ignorant on the details. And I don't seem to care enough to even look it up. Is that my laziness? Or is it an indication of the junk that is reported upon?

That's it. That's my fail for the day.
Also, did you know that there is a magazine for running/runners?
Yeah. A whole magazine dedicated to running. I think it is called Runners.

A Glimpse : Why Not Some iphone Photos

Just some fun meanderings :)

                  

Damn, I'm good.

As predicted and hoped,( remember this post), The Playboy Club has been CANCELED!  :)
I shouldn't be so joyed, but I'm glad. Waste of TV space.

Explosions of pure Joy (and tears of laughter)

My husband watches a few TV shows with me. They mostly consist of the Thursday night line up of awesome (Office, Philly, Parks, Community..)
I always wait to watch these shows till Rob has some time available. So, last night, after an incredible day of sunshine and laughter (and a couple of cocktails) Rob and I settled in late last night and watched It's Always Sunny, followed by Parks & Rec.  And the following 42 minutes provided tears of laughter and happiness. 

Let's start with Philly. I love this show. It's inappropriate. It's vulgar. It's true. It's smart. Seven seasons in and the crew is still delivering gems; like Thursday nights ep titled : Frank Reynolds' Little Beauties. Yes, Frank gets involved with a beauty pageant. :)
Need I say more? No. Yes. They Sing, Again! Watch this:

On to Parks and Rec. I have a big ole crush on Ron Swanson. So, I'm always happy when the story line revolves around him. And Thursday's episode did. We have finally meet Tammy 1 (his first wife) played brilliantly by Patrica Clarkson (i love her i love her i love her).  And we have a brief appearance by Tammy 2, his 2nd ex-wife played by Megan Mullally, who happens to married to him in REAL life :) AND we also meet Ron's mother, Tamara aka Tammy. 
It was all happiness for me....plus, Leslie gets drunk again. :)
Here's a clip: wait for it...cause April Ludgate brings it home :)

It's always good times when your favorite shows just keep getting better. Thank you funny people.

Super Water Sympathy (happy happy joy joy)

Saturday afternoon/evening I braved the crowds of the Red Revel in Shreveport to see the band Super Water Sympathy.
I was lucky enough to be early and stake my place right at the stage. Perfect placement. 
My husband introduced me to this band. He had randomly seen them perform at Chicky's Boom Boom. He fell so in love that he bought a t-shirt and their CD. He has seen them perform 3 times now. However, the last 2 times, he's been behind a camera for work.  

That's him above at the Revel, shooting the band.

Now on to how much I ADORE this band. Their music is catchy, and cheeky, and the lead singer (Ansley) has a strong presence and an incredible voice. They mostly played songs from their album, Vesper Belle. They added some new original music (always a welcome) and did a couple of covers (TLC's Waterfalls!). Ansley has such a unique voice, you forget the song wasn't originally hers to start with. My highlight of the night was the performance of Fiji Bop from their album. The true fans went into hysterics when the band started this song, I too, got a little teenager happy with my screams. 
I WANT A VIDEO TO THIS SONG!
However, you can see a video to the song You Us Hey here :

Super Water Sympathy is a band you want to see succeed, or at least just hang out with in your garage and drink beer.
I'm very very very pleased I went to see them perform. I hate crowds. A lot. But SWS made it worth the mini panic attack. 
So that's my line, I braved a panic attack to see this band, I think you can at least check out their music on their Facebook page :
Super Water Sympathy
And then buy their CD. It's on itunes! Support local music. 
Support Awesome.

Oh! And here is a pic of me and Ansley. Yes, I was the fan before hand yelling, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have a picture?" 
She was very lovely and kind :)

Freakshow: A revisit to the Circus

Today, as I was driving around, running errands with my Ipod on shuffle, Ani Difranco's song Freakshow came on. Immediately it brought me back to my recent Circus experience.
Ani stands in her own realm of awesome. I've loyally followed her since my teens. She seems to have a song for every experience in my life. And I'm sure I'll post more about her in the future. 


The last time I saw Ani in concert she opened her show with this song. It was a very powerful, crowd grabbing/pleasing intro to an incredible show.  I could only find one live performance on youtube for your viewing pleasure. She's performing the song a little differently, but it's still fun.

Here are the lyrics:

life in the circus ain't easy
but the folks on the outside don't know
the tent goes up and the tent comes down
and all that they see is the show
and the ladies on the horses look so pretty
and the lions are lookin real mad
and some of the clowns are happy
and some of the clowns are sad

but underneath
there's another expression
that the makeup isn't making
life under the big top

it's about freedom
it's about faking
there's an art to the laughter
there's a science
and there's a lot of love and compliance

welcome to the freakshow
here we go...

we live to hear the slak-jawed gasping
we live under a halo of held breath
and when the children raise up a giant shield
of laughter, it's like they're fending off death
and we can make something bigger
than any one of us alone
and then the clowns will take off their makeup
and the people will go home

but life on the outside ain't easy
no sequins, no elephants
no parading around
oh the circus comes 
and the circus goes
and they're stuck in this fucking town

you need a lot of love and compliance

welcome to the freakshow
here we go