Meanwhile, back at Angel Investigations . . .

Bringing you up to speed on episodes 4-7 of Angel season 2 could be done with maximum brevity if I simply typed: Darla.

But since you deserve more, I, cribbing heavily from my intrepid co-watcher Jenn's excellent notes, will flesh that out a bit.

"Untouched" (Angel 2.4): Jenn boils this Whedon-directed episode down to one word. And it's not Darla. It's trust! Lilah and Darla, Wesley and Cordelia, Bethany and Lilah--all the conflicted dyads in this episode center on negotiating bonds of trust in order to define what a good family (and, by definition, a bad family) looks like.

A good family.

Not so much.

Jenn also rightly notes that fathers seem to be where families fail, not only in Angel (his Bad Dad, Wesley's Bad Dad, the girl with the lethal touch in this episode who has a really epic Bad Dad), but also Buffy. Which will make Angel's character arc all the more interesting as we move through this season.

"Dear Boy" (Angel 2.5): We get Drusilla's backstory in this one, in the service of pointing out how monumentally fucked up Angelus is/was. He turned her to torment her for eternity. That's sweet.

He's also got a thing for convents. No judgment.

Jenn also shares my increasing annoyance with Boring Kate. She's on some religiously-tinged vendetta that she feels gives her a free pass re: law-breaking. I honestly can't remember if she dies, but I'm totally ready for her to.

Kate Whoever: Taking the law into her own hands since episode 2.

"Guise Will Be Guise" (Angel 2.6): Thank you Jane Espenson for some Wesley-impersonating-Angel hijinks. Totally gets him laid.

Must be the coat.

Additionally, we get Angel undergoing some typically circumspect psychotherapy. The Whedonverse don't cotton to shrinks.

But he looks so trustworthy!

Jenn geniusly unpacks the problem:

My Favorite Part of the Episode:

• Fake Shaman/Swamee/Shrink Guy: "So, here's the deal: You go out and you find yourself some small, blonde thing. You bed her. You love her. You treat her like crap. You break her heart. You and your inner demon will thank me. I promise you."
• Angel: "Um...."
• I know it was a fairly obvious Buffyverse reference; however, the point blank advice is so Typical Guy Thinking with the Wrong Head. It reminded me of the scene in Say Anything when Lloyd hangs out with the guys behind the convenience store in an attempt to get comfort after Diane Court dumps him. Joe--Cory's Joe that she wrote a shit-ton of songs about--tells Lloyd that the key to forgetting Diane is simply hooking up with some other girl. Indeed, Joe offers to get Lloyd any girl he wants. Except Diane Court, of course. Anyway, my point is: it seems like such a stereotypical guy move to suggest that simply replacing/using one female to block out the influence of another would actually succeed. As we see with both Angel and Lloyd, it doesn't work that way.

This Say Anything reference comes at no extra cost to you, the reader.

"Darla" (Angel 2.7): Yeah, so, more Darla. In this one, we get her backstory, with a special appearance from The Master himself!

Looking good! Long time, no see!

Turns out she was not so much a slut but a whore who was all about serving the Master until Angel came along with his bad boy ways and temporarily (as we know) took her away from all that.

Must be . . . the coat?

This is also a super metatastic crossover episode with "Fool for Love," as we get the dueling accounts of Spike's inclusion in the anti-Scoobies, including echoes of actual camera shots. Very nice little bit of cross-programming, show(s).

A shot so nice, they used it twice.

We also find out that Darla isn't so much into the being human thing (which is an excellent program), and wants Angel to turn her. Angel is bummed, which sends him right back into a brooding cycle

Okay, feeling good about the Buffyverse? We'll be back with individual recaps this weekend. Here's what you have to look forward to: Cobra monsters, Riley Rage, Angel as a Swingers extra, and freaking Kate. 

Meanwhile, back in Sunnydale . . .

As Buffy knows better than anyone, sometimes stuff happens and you find yourself so busy slaying vampires that you don't have time to do fun stuff like hanging out at the Bronze. Which is exactly why I haven't been posting on my and my intrepid co-watcher Jenn's weekly Whedonalia watching. Except it was more "grading papers" then "slaying vampires," but whatever. Semantics. The important thing is, grades are posted, work email is being dodged, and I'm back on the Buffyverse blogging train. Since I (obviously) don't care enough about my job to actually stop *watching* the show, there have been several uncommented-upon episodes since you heard from us last. Before the return of the Do's and Don't's, a brief "what you missed the last few weeks on Buffy," thanks in very large part to Jenn's emailed notes.

"No Place Like Home" (Buffy 5.5): Exposition-a-palooza. We finally get the full 411 on Dawn's key-ness. Apparently she's a ball of mystical energy (much like the aliens in The Darkest Hour, except, well, mystical and not quite as ridiculous) that has been shaped into an annoying teenager and ret-conned into the Summers house and home.

The only thing they don't explain is why the monks took the time to give her such awesome hair.

 This is to keep her/it safe from Glory, who debuts as our season 5 Big Bad.

Recognize her from Bring It On? Damn right you do.

Also, this happens:

Welcome to the Magic Box!

"Family" (Buffy 5.6): Enjoy the Whedon penned and directed episodes while you can, folks. They are few and far between as we progress through Buffy. But this one is definitely a season highlight. It encapsulates a major tenet of Joss's philosophy. (Philjossophy? Sorry. Already in the G&Ts). That is, the families we create for ourselves are much more important (and oftentimes much more authentic and supportive) than the ones we are born into. Through tracing Tara's backstory (family of fundamentalist hillbillies that think mysterious lady parts naturally translate into a propensity for demonry) and her desperate attempts to hide what she believes to be an ugly truth about herself, the episode's key moments, as noted by Jenn, are Buffy claiming both Dawn and Tara as "family." Both are, shall we say, unconventional sisters, but their love is all the stronger for it. Thanks for showing up for this one, Joss.

A family photo.

And for having Spike say he doesn't care what happens.

Also, this happens:

We are well on the road to suck whoredom. Freaking Riley.

"Fool for Love" (Buffy 5.7): One of Jenn's favorites, and definitely a highlight for me as well. Ever wonder how Spike bagged two Slayers? Wonder no longer. After a close call with a time-warped vamp straight out of episode 1.1, Buffy wonders why Slayers buy it. Spike, after a few drinks and a few bucks, is happy to explain (also because he loves her, still in the goofy sweet way and not yet in the creepy toxic way). If you are like me and never miss an opportunity to refer to Freud, you might say that Slayers are a little more prone to Thanatos than most. They have a wicked strong death drive that can unconsciously subvert their desire to live (and keep slaying), so they in some ways surrender themselves to the fang more than the vamp getting the better of them (which is kind of uncharacteristically humble of Spike to admit).

Pictured: The embodiment of modesty.

We also learn that Buffy's love for and connection to her friends and family (her drive towards Eros) is what has kept her safe so far. Cf: "Family." And thank you for joining me on this special trip through my dissertation.

Also, this happens:

William the Bloody! I would write fanfic about you!

Tomorrow, I'll let you know what Angel's been up to the past few weeks.

Trailer Park!!!

A bloody good red band trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  CAN'T WAIT

Oh boy.  I just don't know.  It's just so Baz, which I usually love but...

This looks good and Joaquin looks creepy.  I love when he's on his game.

Mister Bond!

Heh.

This looks fantastic! 

And here's some bonus Bill from the set of his next movie, Moonrise Kingdom.  I love this man.

(500) Things We Love About Blogging

Presented to you, in no particular order, are the things we love about this blog and blogging about pop culture.  The above picture of JGL from (500) Days of Summer is just a bonus. 

(323) Tracy can officially think of watching Dancing with the Stars as “work.”

(61) Alisa’s rants. Particularly against James Cameron, but really, any of them.

(50) Tracy gets to revisit and revel in the horrible fashion choices made on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

(3) This:

Rob James-Collier

(139) Sticking up for Ryan Gosling and slapping down Jonathan Franzen.

(18) Blogging gave Tracy a justifiable excuse to read Fifty Shades of Grey. Why she read the next two in the trilogy is between her and her god.

(27) Snarkiness isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged. 

(192) The opportunity to read smart and funny things Tracy’s friends write about pop culture.

(193) Speaking of...Tracy has her fantastic guest bloggers so Alisa is taking applications!

The Mighty Whedon

(299) There’s a chance, no matter how minuscule, that Joss Whedon might find this and allow Tracy to be a minion to him and his brothers.

(54) The word “Whedonalia”

(9) Tracy got to share what shethought about Melancholia, in excruciating detail, without getting anyone liquored up first.

(301) Knowing that, if Tracy doesn’t catch Being Human, Alisa’s got her back.

(414) Two words: The Bachelor.

(415) Tracy watching The Bachelor so Alisa doesn’t have to

(101) Getting great requests/recommendations that lead Tracy to fabulous shows about three Brits talking cars.

(76) Having a robust library of films to choose from which are guaranteed to be “Better than Conan.”

(56) Being late to parties that are as awesome as Friday Night Lights and Charmed.

(57) Even more late to the party treasures.  It’s gonna be a Doctor Who summer for Alisa!


(8) The fact that the BBC Sherlock exists. 

(212) Comments!

(213) Crossposts! 

(333) Even when movies are bad, they’re good material.

(47) There will always be adaptations of books made that Tracy can obsess about.

(420) Awards season.

(198) The opportunity to argue why a nighttime soap like Revenge is actually really good television.  Soapy, soapy good television. 

(34) Hating on Riley.

(35) Loving on vampires.

(83) Alisa gets to share her love for cheesy, holiday TV movies

(99) Zombies are mainstream!

(163) Guilty pleasure shows.

(164) Feeling less guilty about guilty pleasure shows

(92) The Oscar menu

(26) Downton Abbey!!!

(482) When movies like The Artist live up to their hype.

(66) Making sure people don’t miss gems like An Idiot Abroad

(397) The good movies, but especially the bad

(73) Attempts at liveblogging red carpets.  It almost never works right but is fun to do.

 

(284) Really finding something good to say about a movie, even about Conan the Barbarian

(25) Hating on Cameron.  HE’S WORKING ON AVATAR 2, 3, & 4!!!  Three sequels!  THREE!!!

(295) Three words: Dancing, Coconut. Boobs.

RIGGINS!!!

(33) When Tracy discovered the beauty that is Tim Riggins.

(444) That we were, at the exact same time (in two different time zones even) feeling a deep need to vent about Nicholas Sparks.

(96) Tracy’s dad’s comments about The Muppets.  Adorable.

(430) Tracy’s Today in Pop Culture History posts (they're missed but understandably a lot to keep up with on a daily basis).

(88) Stumbling across pictures like this whilst Googling Tom Hiddleston:

You're killing me, Loki!

(300) #300

(13) Recasting The Hunger Games.  Alisa still stands by most of that post.  

(2) Getting to carry on a long-distance geekfest with Alisa!

(1) Tracy. The smartest, funniest friend a girl could blog with.  No one else gets The Covenant like we do.

Stick around for post #666.  Or Damien will get you!

- Tracy and Alisa

Summer Lovin'

We’re sooooo close to our 500^th (!) post that I couldn’t wait any longer.  This is #499, which is really just here to take up some space so I can get to the one I actually care about.  So now I have to decide what to discuss.  Don’t worry, it won’t be another rant about James Cameron.  I won’t have more to say on that until the Avatar sequels come out.  Instead I’m going to talk a bit about what media addicts like myself do in the summer. 

First I’m going to reveal something very personal and shameful.  I like the Twilight movies.  I KNOW!  I know.  I’m not proud of it but there’s no denying that I own all the movies on DVD.  Last night I found myself with nothing to watch on TV.  I was busy playing with hairstyles and practicing my smoky eye technique for an upcoming wedding.  I’m a girl, I do these things.  Shut up.  So while I was doing that I needed something to be on my television for background noise purposes.  As most shows have ended there was nothing I really wanted to see.  What I should have done was watch the four episodes of The Vampire Diaries that are sitting on my DVR.  What I could have done was watch last week’s 2hr. Glee.  Instead I decided to hate myself a little and pop in Twilight 4.1.  This was the first time I had seen it since it was in the theater and I was really excited at the thought of fast-forwarding through the awful wolves talking to each other scene. 

So as I was hate-watching Twilight 4.1 it got me thinking about the upcoming summer shows.  Thank goodness for cable channels like USA that air their series twice a year.  I can’t wait for Suits, White Collar, Burn Notice and Covert Affairs to start.  Plus TNT has Falling Skies, which wasn’t perfect but was pretty darn good.  A&E has another favorite of mine, The Glades.  Both of those, along with USA’s shows, come back in June.

Oh and I need to also admit that I’m a big fan of dancing.  Whether I’m doing it or someone on my TV is, I love it.  I got tired of Dancing with the Stars and am truly grateful to Tracy for watching it for me.  So You Think You Can Dance is coming back for another season and I’m thrilled.  I’m less thrilled about the fact that there won’t be a second night a week for the results show and I’m curious as to how that will be handled.  Also on the dance front are Bunheads on ABCFamily and Breaking Pointe on the CW.  The former is a scripted show staring one of my Broadway faves, Sutton Foster.  It was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of Gilmore Girls, so I’m sure to love it.  The latter, Breaking Pointe, is an unscripted show about a ballet company in Salt Lake City, Utah.  If you’re a fan of SYTYCD and even DwtS you’ll know that a lot of talented dancers come out of Utah.  I’ll let you form your own theories on why that is.  Suffice it to say, I’m looking forward to this one too.  Ballet, done well, is really the most beautiful form of dance and I know it’s probably also the toughest. 

So what else is going to be on?  I don’t have HBO anymore so I don’t get excited about True Blood.  Speaking of HBO I really want to see Aaron Sorkin’s new show, The Newsroom.  Hopefully that will make it to Netflix at some point.  Damages isn’t on FX anymore so I can’t get excited about that one either.  If I don’t stop myself now I’m gonna start rambling.  Huffington Post has a great schedule of all the summer shows and when they premiere so I recommend checking that out. 

The other thing I’ll be doing this summer is catching up on Netflix.  I haven’t been on there in months.  I plan to finally watch Doctor Who this summer and will be posting about it season by season (starting with the ninth Doctor).   

Also, I may even read a book or two.  It could happen.  I have been meaning to read Game of Thrones so maybe this summer is the time to do it.  And I hear summer is a great time for blockbuster movies so I'm sure Tracy and I will be busy seeing some of those too.

Battleship

Battleship

Director: Peter Berg

Stars: Tim Riggins!, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skaaaarrrrssssgaaarrrdd, and Andy Roddick's wife

I find myself not having the energy to write about yet another movie.  I’m pretty sure we all knew that Battleship was going to be bad.  It was obvious from the trailer.  It was obvious when it was announced that someone (who had totally lost their marbles) decided to make a movie out of a board game like Battleship.  Well it wasn’t great.  It wasn’t awful either but there were some big issues. 

The story.  Oh, the story.  So there are these naval exercises that include the US, Japan and some other countries that quickly become irrelevant.  Oh and apparently it's worth noting that NASA sent out a signal to some planet that was discovered to have similar properties to earth.  The aliens from said planet decide to invade because they want to take part in the naval exercises.  Then it’s up to the good folks on Oahu to save the world. 

So that’s the story but how about the plot?  Please don’t make me discuss the plot.  There were holes in it big enough to steer a battleship through (sorry, had to do it).  There’s one in particular that I’d actually watch the movie one more time to see if I’m right about it.  If you saw the movie let me know because I need help with this one huge problem. 

HOWEVER, there was a lot of pretty great nods to the military both active and retired and that was fine with me.  It was nice to have such a big movie pay huge respect to the men and women fighting not only for our country but apparently the world.  Plus the big battle that put the USS Missouri to use was a cute part of the story and I’ll forgive it. 

Poor Taylor Kitsch.  They really keep trying to make him into a movie star and it’s just not clicking.  I think he needs to try his hand at some smaller indies before jumping into another leading role in a doomed, big-screen, bigger budget, movie.  I think there’s potential in him but I’m afraid it’s more of the FNL-sized potential and not huge, action movie potential.  He needs to have a talk with whoever (whomever?) is giving him career advice.  He wasn’t bad in this.  He wasn’t bad in John Carter either.  He just doesn’t have whatever that spark is that leading actors have. 

Skaaaarrrrsssgaaaarrrrdd!  I think he's doing Blue Steel, which is appropriate since he was in Zoolander

The rest of the cast was fine.  Rhianna, though on-screen for much of the movie, didn’t have a ton of actual lines.  Liam Neeson was criminally underused and actually forgotten about for a good chunk of the second half of the movie.  Then we come to my dear Alexander Skaaaarrrsssgaaaarrrd.  Mmmm.  He was cute and sweet in this but I could have done with a lot more screen time with him. I should probably also mention Brooklyn "The Body" Decker.  Sweet girl who could have been worse.    

What was good you ask?  Besides showing the love to the armed forces, it was a fun movie.  That is, if you can get past the plot problems.  There was lots of humor, cool effects, and slightly interesting aliens.  It wasn’t much worse than something like Armageddon.  So if you enjoy mindless, destruction movies then this one is for you. 

Liveblogging Dancing with the "Stars": Four on the Floor

As we return to the ballroom in a Roshon- and Wax-less world, we're down to four ass-shakers. And apparently finding last week's celebration of sexual deviancy too hard to top, we're apparently theme-free tonight.

William "I'm very handsome" Levy and Cheryl, part 1: Tangoing up a storm to "Sweet Dreams." Not a fan of Cheryl's palazzo pants, nor of William's scarecrow-esque body posture. He's not moving a bit. The judges call him more than a pretty face, and then proceed to praise nothing but his looks, and criticize his dancing. Seems about right. Carrie Ann: 9; Len: 9; Bruno: 10 (seriously?)

Katherine and Ballas, part 1: After pulling his pants off in practice, we'll see if Katherine can leave Ballas clothed for the entirety of their quick step. Well, it's not so much quick, but at least technically competent. The judges are into it and they got a standing ovation, but they hand those out like Christmas candy.  CA: 10; L: 9; B: 10. I think we officially have score inflation here on Dancing with the Stars.

Donald and Peta, part 1: Oooh--a dramatic waltz. It's quite pretty. I think the waltz is easier for the male "stars" since the girls are the ones who have to worry about hold and their shoulders and whatnot. Of course, Donald does have to worry about his feet, which aren't great. They're sort of stutter-stepping. Which Carrie Ann mentions. Len mentions his head. Will Bruno like any part of his body? He likes his "line." Guess that counts. Scores after the break. CA: 9; L: 9; B: 10. Apparently Bruno is all 10s all the time, this counts as sort of a dip for them.

Derek and Whoever, part 1: As my fellow readers of supermarket tabloids know, Derek and his cackling partner were recently photographed in a Las Vegas pool where he was wearing sunglasses that matched her bathing suit. Yes. It's nauseating. Derek is having trouble with the choreography, and Whoever advises him to "shift his mind." He looks as confused by that advice as I am. Then she starts crying. He's used to that. Argentine Tango with a tricksy going down the stairs move. She looks a little frozen through the hips and torso--sort of like Derek is dancing with the doll from Lars and the Real Girl. And they maybe kissed at the end? It was hotter than when he made out with her chin earlier in the season. Let's see if anything is revealed during the post-dance interview. She describes them as "bonded." Like they are a pet sitter. CA: 10; L: 10; B: 10. I typed Bruno's before he even revealed it.

Oh Jesus. We will be hearing about the experiences that shaped the stars' lives tonight. Spare me.

Handsome Levy and Cheryl, part 2: His trauma: poverty in Cuba. Not his trauma: not being the best looking of his siblings, by far. They will be dancing the samba, with what looks like a Lion King theme. Hey, Levy is moving his hips! Nice. He's pretty much killing this. Now don't you wish you had saved your 10, Bruno? Bruno informs us that we have entered the pleasure zone. He's going to hold up every paddle he has. Cheryl seems to be gesturing towards her chest as if to indicate there was some flashing going on. Nobody noticed, because of the Levy hip situation. CA: 10; L: 10; B: oh, you know.

Katherine and Ballas, part 2: Her trauma: So far, being from a pretty Welsh town. Levy is winning. Next: almost instant success. That's gotta be tough. Looks like it's going to be a break-up. Yeah--that's totally it. She broke up with her boyfriend named, incidentally, "Geffen." Cry me a river, blondie. We've got a semi-offensive snake charmer salsa situation happening here. This routine so far looks like a rip-off of Derek's Bollywood thing from last week. They are out of sync. It's going to take a lot for Bruno to give them his obligatory 10 tonight. Oh, and she effed up big at the end. And is now having some sort of physical and emotional breakdown. Geffen is never going to want to get back together with her now. CA: 9; L: 9; B: 9.

Donald and Peta, part 2: His trauma: poverty in Texas. Aw, and he super loves his wife. I hope he wins. I bet if he does anything approximating dancing in this number, Len will give him a 10. This is why you save your 10s, BRUNO. And he's got mad charisma during their samba. I don't want to get all gushy, but he can act with his face when he dances--the dancing equivalent of moving without the ball. It's like the girl from Center Stage. Which I need to re-watch, by the way. CA: 10; L: 9 (seriously???); B: 10.

Derek and Whoever, part 2: Her trauma: Having working-class parents. Bo-ring. Wait, someone they're interviewing is identified as her "boyfriend." Hold the phone: I thought she was banging Derek?  Maybe their jive will clarify things. In spite of myself, I like this. Derek is a really good dancer. Which is sort of a witless comment, but true. This is the first dance he's done all season that I was really 100% into, in a "Rikki Lake and Derek do the tango to the Psycho theme" sort of way. CA: 10; L: 9; B: 10.

Well, I think broken-backed Katherine might be in trouble tomorrow.

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

Stars: Johnny Depp and Eva Green

I don’t know why but I’m finding it difficult to get motivated to write about Dark Shadows.  I enjoyed it but the film had some issues.  It was exactly what I thought it would be, which is campy and silly.  It didn’t make me love Tim Burton any less.  Same goes for Johnny Depp.  The music was great, if you like 70s classics.  Though I’m not convinced all the songs used were released before 1972 (however I’m not nitpicky enough to look that up).  The look was very Burton-esque, which I always dig.  The idea of sticking someone from the 18^th century in the early 1970s is a fun one with lots of potential.  I just can’t put my finger on why I’m so meh about it.  My friends and I walked out of the theater saying we enjoyed it so there’s that. 

I won’t spoil it for you but the main story is how the Collins family is cursed, each in their own way.  It’s almost like they forgot about cursing Chloe Grace Moretz until the end of the movie and then just threw it in to emphasize the point.  It was strange.  But there were plenty of fun jabs at 70s culture and they really worked the camp angle, which I enjoyed.  I've never seen the television show but I know it was filled with campy goodness.  I'd like to think this did the show some justice without being too on-the-nose.

The cast was fine, especially Eva Green who, well, how do you encapsulate what she is?  Uh...she cannot be ignored.  If that woman is in a room or, even in the general vicinity of a room you know it.  It was nice to see Michelle Pfeiffer though I don’t enjoy seeing her in supporting roles.  I feel like her character, the matriarch of the existing Collins family, should have had more to do.  Helena Bonham Carter, the resident psychiatrist, was good as usual but she, along with most of the rest of the cast, didn’t have much to do.  Mostly it was just Depp being weird with his weird fingers and Eva Green stomping around threatening Depp.

They really did emphasize his hands throughout the movie.

I feel like I could add a new measurement to this blog.  It was better than Conan the Barbarian but it was no Avengers.  Hmmm, I need to see The Avengers again.

 

The Five-Year Engagement

The Five-Year Engagement

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Stars: Jason Segel and Emily Blunt

Recently my mother, in a very serious tone, said to me, “How are you feeling about Jason Segel dating Michelle Williams?  Are you ok with her?  I mean, since it’s not you is she an acceptable alternative?”  My mother knows me way too well.  Don’t worry, I don’t live in some dream land where I believe that male celebs want to date me and female celebs want to be my friend.  This is, of course, excluding the six minutes that Bill Murray and I were in an actual relationship.  I’m sure most of you are tired of hearing that story so I won’t repeat it.  I assured my mother that I was absolutely fine with his choice of Michelle Williams.  She’s an actress I like and only want the best for (unlike my nemesis Gwyneth-who I wish would wake up to a flat tire every morning). 

So this brings me to Mr. Segel’s latest offering, The Five-Year Engagement.  My dearest Jason not only stars in it with Emily Blunt (who stole another of my imaginary boyfriends but I know she and I would be best friends so I’ve moved on) but he co-wrote it too.  Considering how much I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets, my expectations for liking this movie were kind of high.  Poor Jason.  I still love you (from a very safe distance of over 2500 miles away) but I didn’t love the movie. 

My biggest complaint was that it went on a bit long.  Had there been some careful editing this would have been a winner.  Ok, I’ll admit something…I’m a fan of the montage.  There, I said it.  Segel’s character goes through a bit of a downward spiral.  This could have been alluded to in a tidy little montage but instead it drags on a bit. 

There was plenty of good about it.  Segel and Blunt had lots of authentic chemistry and were fun to watch.  ChrisPratt, lovably goofy as usual, was great.  Especially fantastic was one of our newest national treasures, AlisonBrie.  Girl is talented.  She pulled off a British accent and was great as Blunt’s sister.  My friends and I (shout out to my Girls’ Night Out ladies!) laughed from beginning to end with only a few appropriate lulls.  So I didn’t love it as much as I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall but I enjoyed myself. 

Also, I wish Jason and Michelle all the happiness in the world.  I’m pulling for you kids.  Truly.

MEGA GLEE!!!

I now give to you five episodes' of Glee.

 “Big Brother” aka Matt Bomer is the best looking man on television.

 - Rachel & Finn didn’t get married

- Quinn’s alive but in a wheelchair

- Blaine’s brother, Cooper Anderson (played by hottie Matt Bomer) is visiting and he’s famous for being in a credit score commercial.  He and Blaine aren’t particularly close.

- Sue finds out her baby is probably going to have Downs Syndrome.  Personally I think she’d be a great mom to a Downs baby.

You're lucky I only posted two pictures of this beautiful, beautiful man.

Songs include: “I’m Still Standing”; “Rio/Hungry Like the Wolf”; “Fighter”’; Up Up Up”; and “Somebody I Used to Know.” 

“Saturday Night Glee-ver” aka My DVR Hates Me

(The first 10 minutes happen and I never see them.  I do know it’s disco night so I’m not totally broken up over it.)

- Apparently this episode is all about having big dreams.  Didn’t they have another episode about dreams?  Finn and Rachel fight because theirs don’t match up or something.  Santana wants to be super famous so Brittany posts a sex tape of them online.  Wow. 

- Finn has an emotional breakdown and Schue’s incredibly helpful advice is to watch Saturday Night Fever.  Oooohkay. 

- Quinn is nowhere to be found so I assume she’s died from complications from her accident.

- Then a bunch of them end up in ‘the suit’ and I really could have been satisfied to have never seen this episode.

Songs include: “You Should Be Dancing”; “That’s the Way (I Like It)”; “How Deep is Your Love”; “Boogie Shoes”; “Disco Inferno”; “If I Can’t Have You”; “More Than A Woman”; and “Stayin’ Alive”

“Dance with Somebody”  aka Whitney night

- They’re supposed to sing Whitney songs to help deal with the loss of Ms. Huston.

- Kurt makes a new, flirty friend and Blaine gets all sorts of jealous.

- Quinn’s alive!  Jesus w/ Dreads is nice to her and helps with her p.t. SPARKS!

- Schue wants to marry Miss Pillsbury next month not next fall. This throws Miss Pillsbury into a tailspin. Turns out he's really upset about the kids graduating and leaving him behind in that hell-hole.  WHAT ABOUT HIS DREAMS OF MAKING IT ON BROADWAY?!?! Or maybe I'm reading into it too much.

Songs include: “How Will I Know”; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”; “Saving All My Love”; “So Emotional”; “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”; “I Have Nothing”; and “My Love is Your Love”

“Choke” aka Nobody puts Bieste in a corner

- Rachel and Kurt try out for NYADA and Whoopi is their judge.  Kurt’s audition is great.  Rachel chokes.

- Coach Bieste has a black eye and Santana makes an insensitive joke about it.  The girls are tasked with singing a song about domestic violence. They fail their first attempt but succeed on attempt #2.

- Bieste says she got hit by a punching bag but that bag happened to be her hubby.  Boo!

- Finn is upset about Puck possibly not graduating so he gets all the guys to help Puck study.  He still fails.  So Puck’s got another year at McKinley.

I've been there.

Songs include: “The Music of the Night”; “School’s Out”; “Cell Block Tango”; “Not the Boy Next Door”; “Don’t Rain on My Parade”; “The Rain in Spain”; “Shake it Out”; and “Cry”

“Prom-asaurus” aka Brittany is very possibly insane and/or mentally disabled

- Rachel is dealing with the heartbreak of her NYADA audition.  She decides there needs to be an anti-prom for the “disenfranchised” at the school.

- Brittany doesn’t want her crap presidency to be her legacy so she decides to get involved with the prom.  This equates to her changing the theme from Castles in the Clouds to DINOSAURS!  Also she bans hair gel from the prom, which bums Blaine out because no one has ever seen him sans product.

- Quinn is really pushing for her and Finn to get prom queen and king (respectively-though you never know at this school).  She wants to save the fact that she can kind of walk for prom night to surprise everyone.  Sorry Artie, looks like you’ll be the only on in a chair from now on.  (I’m guessing that with the typical story consistencies on this show Quinn won’t even be using a cane next week.)

- Prom is nice and happy and everyone smiles a lot. OH!  Rachel wins prom queen because Quinn, the real winner, was feeling generous.

NOTE: Does anyone in the glee club actually associate with Mike and Tina?  They don’t seem to connect much with the rest of the group when not in the middle of a song.  Speaking of…

Songs include: “Big Girls Don’t Cry”; “Dinosaur”; “Love You Like a Love Song”; “What Makes You Beautiful”; and “Take My Breath Away.”  The latter is sung by Quinn and is perfect for her voice.