Cloverfield

The movie opens with mock U.S. Department of Defense warning messages which state that the video is property of the U.S. government and is not to be duplicated. The next screen reads:

DOCUMENT #USGX-8810-B467
DIGITAL SD CARD
MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS OF CASE DESIGNATE "CLOVERFIELD"

followed by:

CAMERA RETRIEVED AT INCIDENT SITE "US-447"
AREA FORMERLY KNOWN AS "CENTRAL PARK"

These mock warnings set the ominous tone for the onset of the story. The movie is a mix of a Godzilla/monster movie and the Blair Witch. The whole movie is seen from the perspective of a hand held video camera being carried by one of the movie's protagonists. In the first scenes, we are introduced to Rob and Beth, a young couple seemingly in love. In the next scenes, we meet Rob's brother Jason and his girlfriend Lily, who are throwing a farewell party for Rob, who is leaving for Japan. During the party, Jason asks their friend Hud to videotape farewell messages from the party's participants for Rob. During the party, the ground shakes, lights flicker, and loud roars are heard in the distance. After initially assuming it was an earthquake, they quickly realize their mistake. In fact, New York City is under attack from some type of monster. Given the fact that the entire movie is told from the perspective of this group of friends as they try to escape from Manhattan, we never really gain any information as to what the monster is or its origin. The special effects are phenomenal. We see skycrapers crashing down, the collapse of the Brooklyn Bridge and even the head of the Statue of Liberty roll down the street. The early scenes with white billowing clouds of dust rolling down the street towards pedestrians desperately trying to escape were eerily reminiscent of scenes on TV during the 9/11 attacks. An interesting part of the movie is the use throughout the movie of snippets of previously recorded footage which were supposedly on the videotape and which are being recorded over. I enjoyed this movie, and would definitely recommend renting the DVD if you want to see a current day monster movie with great special effects. Check out some of the DVD extras on the special effects used in the movie.

This Past Week on the Boob Tube

In a flashback from last year's drama with Marie Osmond (fainting) and Mark Ballas (dislocated shoulder), we had yet another injury on Monday's Dancing with the Stars when Cristian de la Fuente injured his arm mid-dance, dropping partner Cheryl Burke right on her rear. Luckily, Cristian was OK and will be continuing on the show, despite needing surgery, which he said he'll take care of after the show (I knew this guy was a little nuts. This explains his crazy eyes while he's dancing.). On the Wednesday results show, America brought an end to the showmance, and sent Shannon Elizabeth and Derek packing. After much waiting, House was back, on it's new night of Monday (temporarily). In typical House form, his first words were "What's with the idiot?" which he asked Cameron when he spotted a chubby guy smiling, calmly waiting in the ER as staff rushed around ignoring him. During a subsequent conversation with House, the guy was exceedingly nice, which of course, lead House to conclude that the man is seriously ill, and that his niceness is a symptom of the disease. While the patient's case was mildly interesting, the best part of the episode centered around House's battle with Cutthroat Bitch aka Amber over visitation rights for Wilson. Serving as a King Solomon figure, Cuddy wisely intercedes in the custody dispute and they settle on every other weekend and Wednesday's, but Wilson must be home by eleven. As usual, the best part of the show are the scenes between House and Wilson. American Idol had it's fair share of drama, though not related to singing. In a classic Paula moment, when asked by Ryan to give a quick run down of her thoughts on the contestants first performance, she critiqued Jason on his two songs, when in fact he had only performed once. This inspired all sort of conspiracy theories on the internet (deemed Paulagate), including the assertion that judges might be given scripted comments in advance of the live performance. In spite of my low expectations for Neil Diamond night, the top 5 were in pretty good form at least during one of their two performances. In the end, the contestant going home was Brooke White. I think America made the right decision. In recent weeks, I felt that Brooke had reached her breaking point and that the stress was really getting to her. It was a sad farewell as she thanked everyone and said her goodbyes, but it was definitely time.

There's plenty of reasons to watch TV next week. On House, Monday will be the last regular episode as we head towards the two-part season finale which starts on 5/12, and on Dancing with the Stars Tuesday results show, they'll be welcoming back some fan favorites from previous seasons, including Apolo Ohno (fangirly yeah!!!) (See "Tune In Alert" post below).

Tune In Alert: Dancing with the Stars (May 6th)

In celebration of their 100th episode, "Dancing with the Stars" will have special guests on their Tuesday, 5/6 results show. Viewers will be rewarded for their loyalty through special appearances by fan favorites from seasons past. Apolianne (fan-given knickname), better known as Season Four Champions Apolo Ohno and Julianne Hough, will reunite for a special performance (I'm still hoping for a happily ever after for these two. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic). Also participating are Season Five finalist and Spice Girl Mel B. and her partner Maksim, Sabrina Ryan (Cheeta girl), Joey Fatone (aka Fat One, his self-dubbed moniker), and a host of other past contestants. The ballroom will also get a visit from Mario Lopez in the "Macy's Stars of Dance" segment on "A Chorus Line." Mario is in the Broadway production of the hit show. Sequin covered dresses, fake tans, and horrible music make for a fun night of television.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night

S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night

Gonna keep on dancin' to the rock and roll
On Saturday night, Saturday night
Dancin' to the rhythm in our heart and soul
On Saturday night, Saturday night
I, I, I, I, I just can't wait, I, I, I, I got a date

At the good ole rock and roll show, I gotta go
Saturday night, Saturday night
Gonna rock it up, roll it up, do it all, have a ball
Saturday night, Saturday night

It's just a Saturday night
It's just a Saturday night
It's just a Saturday night

S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night
S - A - T - U - R - D - A - Y night

Whew...Now that I've got that out of my system, we can move on. As I'm sure you know, maybe not, that's from the Bay City Rollers circa 1976. Seeing as how neither of us actually have a date, we're not gonna rock it up, roll it up, do it all, and have a ball, why don't we talk about an appropo subject for a Saturday night, Saturday Night Live (SNL). An old favorite of mine, which in recent year's, in my opinion (you're entitled to have a different one of course) has gone down hill a little. The most recent casts aren't as great as those members from "classic" SNL, like Bill Murray and Jim Belushi, or even more recent years, like Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, or Will Ferrell. I will caveat my statement by saying that it's still one of the funnier things to watch on Saturday night. I will also own up to the fact that as I get older, I find myself more and more comparing everything to how it was when I was younger. I guess nostalgia can be that way, you forget the bad and only remember the good. I'm sure they had their stinky episodes too. Every season does have at least one or two standouts, and these previous years are no exception, I think its Amy Poehler. Given her recent film success with Tina Fey (a huge loss for the show), I wouldn't be surprised to see her move on. That's the problem as a fan. The show really serves as a stepping stone to bigger and better careers, most notably Bill Murray, most recently Will Ferrell, and therefore the great ones ultimately always leave the show. SNL is no longer a must see for me, now I tune in when there's a guest host I think has the potential for some really funny sketch comedy. Thinking back on my favorites, I'd say they were Arianna and Craig (Cheri Oteri and Will Ferrell), the always hopeful and slightly desperate Spartan cheerleaders; Todd and Lisa (Bill Murray and Gilda Radner), the sweet and lovable nerds; and lastly, Roseanne Rosanadana (Gilda Radner, yet again), the intrepid reporter on Weekend Update. I hope you'll enjoy these clips of the brilliant Gilda Radner. The first is of Todd & Lisa from SNL, and the second is from her live show (Gilda Live).


Nerds of Seduction


Roseanne Rosanadana (for cuzr)

Get Ready To Be Swept Away

May sweeps has officially begun! Brace yourself because the networks will pull out all the stops to get you to tune in and watch their shows. Get ready to be dazzled by special guest stars, like Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother" (yes, she's returning for another episode) or Steve Buscemi on "ER". You'll be intrigued by cliffhangers and possible deaths or departures (Are rumors true that a staff member is leaving The Office for a spinoff? Is Toby really moving to Costa Rica like he said after his embarrassing incident with Pam?). Even Oprah's getting into the swing of things with a much-hyped interview with sofa-jumping Tom Cruise. Cliffhangers haven't disappointed in the past, like 'Who shot Mr. Burns?' on "The Simpsons", or 'Who Shot J.R.?' on "Dallas", so I'm sure there'll be plenty to keep us on the edge of our seats all summer and tuning in come Fall. In addition, to the season finales for TV series, we also have season finales for perennial reality TV favorites, "American Idol", "Dancing With the Stars" and "Survivor". So if you're curious, you'll have to tune in and watch. Here's a run down of dates for some upcoming season finales:

American Idol, FOX, Tues. 5/20 (last performance); Wed. 5/21 results (2 hours)
Bones, FOX, Mon. 5/19
CSI, CBS, Thurs. 5/15
Dancing with the Stars, ABC, Mon. 5/19 (last dances); Tues. 5/20 results (2 hours)
Desperate Housewives, ABC, Sun. 5/18 (2 hours)
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, Thurs. 5/22
House, FOX, Mon. 5/12 (Pt. 1), Mon. 5/19 (Pt. 2)
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, Mon. 5/19
Lost, ABC, Thurs. 5/29 (2 hours)
Survivor: Micronesia, CBS, Sun. 5/11
The Office, NBC, Thurs. 5/15 (1 hour)
The Simpsons, FOX, Sun. 5/18

The Good Ol' Days

I was surfing the web last night, when I stumbled upon a site that had a copy of "Dynamite" magazine. I couldn't believe it. What a flash from the past. As many, OK maybe some, of you will remember "Dynamite" was a kid's magazine in the 70's that had such sizzling covers as Shaun Cassidy and Farrah Fawcett. While "Dynamite" was cool, the end all, be all for me was "Tiger Beat" magazine. I could always count on "Tiger Beat" to appease my need for info and photos on my latest crush, whether it was Leif Garrett, Scott Baio or a hot Matt Dillon. After finding the magazines, my trip down memory lane quickly became a treasure hunt of sorts as I expanded my search to some of my favorite shows as well.


It was quite a kick to see again some of the familiar faces I so loved as a kid. I was as much a TV addict back then as I am now (not sure what my parents were thinking), so I hope I serve as a warning to all the parents out there - unless you want your kid blogging about TV at 40. I had an extensive list of favorites which I tuned into religiously, including Laverne & Shirley, Facts of Life, Chips, The Love Boat (yes, I was a geek even back then), and Happy Days to name a few. One of my very favorites was "Wonder Woman". I was dutifully impressed by her truth telling lasso and, lest we forget, her invisible plane. Here's a video clip to stir up some fond memories.

While remembering the good ol' days is always fun, here's to hoping the best days are still to come.