Sara's Scribblings

Yes, I'm still alive...

2006-06-28T16:13:00.001-04:00

...but I'm afraid that Scribblings will be on hiatus for the time being. I've been sorting out some personal crap and just haven't felt the desire to blog much, if at all, recently. I hope to be back on my game by the time the new TV season starts in late August. So, keep checking back, like once a week or so, to see if I've gotten off my lazy ass and actually written something of note.

Later, kids.

~Sara

Yes, I'm still alive...

2006-06-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

18 innings and all I get is this lousy bobblehead?

2006-05-31T15:55:00.000-04:00

For my regular readers who aren't sports fans, you're probably going to be bored, annoyed or both by this entry, but well, deal with it. I was the one who watched nearly 6 hours of baseball Saturday night between one team that's not going to make the postseason and another that's relying on 40+ Roger Clemens to get them there. Yes, dear readers, I was one of the diehards who watched all 18 innings of the Astros/Pirates game this past Saturday night. Why? Well, I just couldn't leave after 9 innings with the game still tied, and call me crazy, but I wanted to see the whole game. And because of that, I can now say I bore witness to the longest game in the history of PNC Park. Yeah, I know...that and $3 will get me a latte at Starbucks.

Anyway, the game was actually kinda surreal. I mean, it's not like 18 inning games happen more than once a year, so some weird things are bound to happen. Y'know, like Jeromy Burnitz hitting a home run with two strikes. How often does that happen? I was fully expecting yet another strikeout when the Napoleon Dynamite-loving, .200 hitting fat slob hit a bomb to right center to tie the game right after the Astros had gone ahead. Or like Jose "Will Swing at Anything" Castillo hitting the first pitch he saw into the Pirates bullpen to tie the game in 17th after the Astros had gone ahead again. Or how about Ryan "They call me the Janitor cuz I'm always mopping up" Vogelsong pitching 5 innings in relief and only giving up one run? Things like this just don't happen during a normal game and almost never to a godawful team like the Pirates.

The only normal thing that happened was 2-time, 2-time National League Player of the Week Jason Bay spanking another meaningful home run. Dave Littlefield pretty much blows as a GM, but getting Bay (and Ollie Perez) for Brian "It's PETCO Park's fault, never mind that I might not be on the juice anymore" Giles has to go down as a great trade. Insert your own "blind squirrel/acorn" theory.

I have to give the Yuccos an ounce of credit. Everytime they fell behind, someone came up big and they tied the game right away. Burnitz did it in the 7th and Castillo in the 17th. And it kills me that a team with a decent amount of talent has such an awful record, even after going 4-1 on this current homestand. Of course, it would have been 5-0 if they hadn't blown a 4-run lead in the 9th inning on Sunday, but I digress.

Oh, one more thing...it would have been really nice if that cheapskate Kevin McClatchy had opened up the coffers and offered those of us who made it all 18 innings a free ice cream or a $5 coupon to the clubhouse store or something like that. That would have been a really nice gesture to those of us who spent nearly all of our Saturday night at the ballpark. So, of course, it didn't happen.

So, yeah, I was witness to Pirates history on Saturday, but really, all I got out of it was an Oliver Perez/Mike Gonzalez bobblehead doll that I gave to my cousin, anyway.

All I gotta say is that the All-Star Game had better be worth the coin I forked out for it, otherwise, I'll be starting up those Mark Cuban is buying the Pirates rumors again. And don't think I won't do it. ;)

Later, kids!

~Sara

I'm Back!

2006-05-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

Where did I go? Well, actually, I didn't go anywhere. A combination of being crazy busy along with a nasty sinus infection has conspired to make me blog-less for the past week. I know, I know...bad blogger! So, all of those big promises I made last week were pretty much for naught since I could barely breathe at times, let alone do a blog. But yours truly is sufficiently recovered and ready to resume my semi-regular blogging as only I can.

So, onto today's items and other assorted nonsense...

- The recent cancellation of Everwood (in favor of 7th Heaven) has had a ripple effect on Gilmore Girls. My pal Michael Ausiello is reporting that Everwood executive producer Rina Mimoun is coming aboard GG as a "consultant". Now, I never watched Everwood, but Mimoun has a reputation for strong characterization and satisfying story arcs, two things that are essential for GG. This annoucement gives me hope that next season won't be the train wreck I fear it's going to be. I also have a feeling that she's going to be doing more than consulting by season's end. So, Rina, if you're reading this: please help Dave Rosenthal fix Luke and Lorelai.

- The network upfronts took place last week, and by now it's all over the net, but of course, the best place to check them out is at the Ausiello Report. There weren't too many shows that cried out "Hey, Sara, you should watch", but I think I'll be setting my DVR to record Heroes on NBC Monday nights this fall. The basic premise is that seemingly ordinary people wake up one day with superhuman abilities. Of course, they're all going to be linked somehow as part of an overarching storyline. This seems to be the trend in dramatic TV these days: season-long story arcs that ultimately build toward a shocking cliffhanger at the end of the season. This is not a new kind of TV; it was quite popular during nighttime soap era of the 1980s, but it's really made a comeback thanks to shows like Lost and 24. Not coincidentally, many of the new shows set to debut next year are similar in tone and style to those two shows. Of course, the three sci-fi shows that debuted last year (Surface, Invasion and Threshold) and other shows with big arcs (Reunion) all ended up canceled. So, we'll see if shows like Heroes, Vanished and Six Degrees will make the cut or end up gone after 13 episodes (or less).

- For all of you 'rasslin fans out there, you'll have a new place to satisfy your man crushes this summer, Sci-Fi Channel, of all places. It was announced yesterday that Extreme Championship Wrestling will be debuting on Tuesday June 13 at 10pm on Sci-Fi. Now, granted, I know most 'rasslin fans are a bit out there but having a show on Sci-Fi seems a bit odd to me, even if Sci-Fi is owned by the same company that owns USA Network, which shows WWE Monday Night RAW. ECW used to be this underground promotion run out of a bingo hall in Philly before it went belly up and was bought out by the evil genius that is Vince McMahon. He's calling ECW a new "brand" of wrestling. Okay, Vince...whatever. Anyone remember the XFL? That's what I thought.

- And finally, the next American Idol has been chosen, and his name is Taylor Hicks, or as I like to call him, the love child of George Clooney and Fred Flintstone. Look, I have nothing against Taylor. He's a great entertainer, and he'll be wowing them in Vegas before long. The real winner didn't even make the final three. Chris Daughtry was robbed. That's all I'm gonna say. He could step in as the lead singer of any alterna-rock band right now and totally kick ass. Yes, Elliot did have a great voice, and yes McPheever is a lovely young woman, but neither of them were in Chris' class. My prediction: Chris will be more successful than any of them, Taylor included. And was I the only one shocked to see Prince appear on Wednesday night's finale? Wonder how much they had to pony up to get him? I hope it was more than they paid Dionne Warwick.

Okay kids...that's it for now. Be with us next time for another rip roaring edition of Sara's Scribblings or Blog Blog Black Sheep (points to anyone who gets the Rocky and Bullwinkle reference).

Rack me...I'm out!

~Sara

Veronica Mars - Season Finale Review

2006-05-16T21:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'll admit this is a week late. To be honest, I was kind of avoiding it because I was worried that I might be reviewing the series finale instead of the season finale. But after today's big news that Veronica Mars will be back next season, I can go ahead with my review with a light heart and a big sigh of relief.

So, where to begin? I'm gonna guess by now that I don't need to have any spoiler space. I mean, if you haven't watched the finale by now, then you're not a true VM fan. Let me just say that the second season finale of Veronica Mars was one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. There have been a few critics out there who complained that there was too much packed into only one hour-long episode, but I beg to differ. The frantic pace of the episode kept me on the edge of my seat. The revelations kept coming one after the other, each more shocking than the next.

The biggest moment for me came when Veronica finally figured out who had blown up the bus and why. All along, I think Veronica had assumed that creepy Mayor Woody was behind the crash as a way to silence two of the students who were threatening to go public with what Woody had done to them. So, when Veronica goes to the Woody Burger to try to figure out who the missing voice was on the recording and notices that Cassidy was also on the same little league team as the other players who were abused, everything suddenly falls into place.

The look on Veronica's face as she realizes everything Cassidy has done is heartwrenching. I think she genuinely thought Cassidy was her friend and to discover he is a mass murderer (and rapist as we later find out) horrifies her. And when she remembers that Mac and Cassidy were going to be getting a room after the graduation ceremony, the fear that Veronica had to be feeling must have been overwhelming. It's for this reason that I give her a pass for being dumb enough to go the roof of the hotel after getting a text message from someone she presumes is Mac.

When Veronica finally reaches the roof and discovers that it was Cassidy who sent her the text, everything finally is revealed, from Cassidy planting the bomb on the bus (he used explosives for a film he made) to his recruitment of Veronica to take down his dad to how Veronica contracted chlamydia. Frankly, the most shocking revelation was that Cassidy had indeed raped Veronica at the infamous party two years prior. Cassidy had said he hadn't done anything to Veronica, that it had been Duncan who had had sex with her, but it turned out Veronica had been raped.

Cassidy goes on to taunt Veronica with everything he has done and will do to keep his secret from getting out, even blowing up Woody's plane (which Veronica believes is also carrying her dad). I didn't believe that Keith had been killed, but there was a small part of me who wondered if it had happened. It would have been one of the biggest shockers in TV history.

Anyway, Veronica somehow manages to fire off a text message to Logan, who comes up big in coming to Veronica's rescue. He manages to tackle Cassidy and divest the younger Casablancas of his gun. Logan also is the one who talks Veronica out of shooting Cassidy for everything he's done. However, neither of them are able to stop Cassidy from jumping off the roof of the hotel to his death. His last line is strangely poignant, "My name is Cassidy, not Beaver!". Everyone knows what "beaver" is slang for, and it seems like Cassidy had been screwed with his entire life, by his dad, his brother, Woody and so on. I'm not defending his actions, but when the truth finally came out, I wasn't surprised at all that he had gone over the edge.

I even did feel a twinge of sympathy for him, especially after he couldn't "perform" for Mac. The look on his face really told it all. But this is very common for victims of sexual abuse, and the fact that he raped Veronica only makes this more apparent.

My personal favorite "non-Veronica" part of the finale was the assassination of Aaron Echolls by former Kane director of security Clarence Weidman (C.W.) at the behest of Duncan Kane. I couldn't believe Aaron had been acquitted, but I also had to guess that he wasn't going to be around to make Veronica's life hell. This was a good way to tie up this loose plot end going into next season, and I was very happy to see Aaron get what was coming to him (the smug bastard).

When Veronica awakens the next morning (after being comforted by Logan all night), she's still convinced that Keith is dead, at least until he comes walking into the house with the revelation that Sheriff Lamb ultimately saved his life because Lamb didn't want him getting onto the plane. I breathed a big sigh of relief and cheered out loud for Keith, TV's best dad.

So, as the episode ended, Veronica was waiting at the airport for Keith, who ended up being "detained" by Kendall (and by a suitcase full of something unseen). Presumably, whatever Kendall wants Keith to do will be a big part of the new season. And speaking of next season, check out last week's Ask Ausiello for an exclusive interview with series creator Rob Thomas regarding next season and the shorter story arcs he intends on doing.

From start to finish, this was one of the best season finales you're ever going to see. It answered (almost) every unanswered question while still leaving you wanting more and looking forward to the next season. And now that there is definitely going to be a next season, I can rack my brain all summer trying to figure out what the heck was so important for Keith to stand up Veronica on their trip to NYC. Can't wait to find out.

Oh, and the best part of next season? Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars back-to-back, Tuesday nights on the CW! I know what I'll be doing Tuesday nights this fall.

Okay folks...back tomorrow with a look at some of the new shows coming to your airwaves next fall. Later, kids!

~Sara

Veronica Mars Renewed!

2006-05-16T15:33:00.000-04:00

Just read the big news over at Michael Ausiello's TV Guide.com blog. According to VM creator Rob Thomas, the show received a full, 22 episode order that could be reduced to only 13 depending on the ratings. That is phenomenal news. You have no idea how happy I am for everyone involved on perhaps the most under-watched and under-appreciated show on television.

And yes, I'm way overdue with my reviews of the Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls season finales. Real life kinda bit me in the butt last week, in the form of a lingering illness that I'm just now starting to get over.

Anyway, I need to get back to work. Check back later for the reviews. Later on in the week, I'll offer my thoughts on the networks' upfront presentations which started yesterday. There are some interesting shows set to debut next fall, with a host of 24 and Lost clones. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Guess time will tell.

I'm out!

~Sara

Season Finale Tuesday

2006-05-09T15:37:00.000-04:00

Tonight may just be the best night of TV for the entire year for yours truly. The season finales of my two favorite programs, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars will dominate the airwaves from 8pm - 10pm. Nevermind that Idol show everyone is addicted to or any of the other shows on the Big Three. Everyone's sets should be tuned to the WB and UPN tonight for what promises to be a very interesting and entertaining night of viewing.

Let's start with GG. At the end of last week's episode, Lorelai had tearfully revealed to Emily that the marriage to Luke was all but kaput. The scene in the realtors office where Emily puts her hand on Lorelai's shoulder provided a layer of depth not seen in their relationship in some time. Way too often, Emily is portrayed as being selfish and out of touch. For the first time all season, she is truly not thinking of herself when she tells Lorelai about the house she wants to buy for her, and Lorelai is truly touched by this. However, Lorelai's sorrow is what really drives the events of last week's show. She's going out of her way to avoid Luke, and Luke is clueless to this. To make matters worse, Luke manages to keep his sister's marriage intact while still not realizing what's going on with his engagement.

Tonight, all is finally revealed, as Lorelai asks Luke to elope (and presumably tells him everything she's been keeping bottled up since April showed up). I know it's not going to end well, but the whys and wherefores won't be revealed until tonight. There are rumors that Lorelai will end up in bed with Christopher, but I wouldn't be so sure this means they'll end up having sex. Needless to say, I'm expecting a cliffhanger going into next season.

Meanwhile, the identity of the individual who caused the bus crash that killed several Neptune High student will finally be revealed on VM. My money is still on the creepy pedophile Mayor Woody (I knew he was a slimeball, but damn...), but I also think he has an accomplice and that the accomplice's identity is going to be a shocker (I'm thinking con woman Kendall). Of course, Veronica will probably figure out everything before anyone else does. And I can't wait to see how Veronica deals with Aaron Echolls being a free man. I have a feeling he and Veronica will have a meeting of the minds before tonight's episode is over. I also wonder if something will happen that will cause the real truth to come out about Aaron after he used Kendall to possibly frame Duncan (who will put in an appearance tonight!). And then there's poor Weevil who managed to pass Algebra last week but will probably end up in jail accused of Felix's murder.

Let me just say that it would be a crime if VM is not picked up for third season by the new CW Network. This season has far surpassed last season in terms of quality of acting and writing by leaps and bounds. And with Veronica about to go off to college, there will be new ground for series creator Rob Thomas to sow.

Okay, kiddies, that's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with all the fallout from the GG and VM season finales. Can't wait to find out what happens.

Later!

~Sara

Random Weekend Musings

2006-05-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Monday morning finds me rested and recovered from a busy and crazy weekend that began last Friday night and really didn't end until I crawled into bed late Saturday night. Having Cinco de Mayo fall on a Friday was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was good in that I was able to celebrate it for once. It was bad because I celebrated a bit too much. Oh, don't worry...nothing bad happened. I think I just had one too many Corona, judging by how loopy I felt on the way back from Mad Mex Friday night. And no, I did not drive. It's nice to have a roomie who doesn't mind being the designated driver. You da best, RW!

Anyway, the girls are I did our thing Friday night, drinking, eating, flirting, carrying on, singing karaoke off-key...the usual stuff. I needed to blow off some steam, and Cinco de Mayo just happened to be the excuse I needed to do so. However, as evidenced by the fact that I passed out even before I could change into my jammies, I think I'm gonna hold off on having any more Corona until the Jimmy Buffett concert next month, cuz Corona has a tendency to knock me on my cute behind.

When I managed to get up the next morning (thankfully free of any drawn on mustaches), I spent most of the day either eating or in the prone position. Outside of the margaritas I drank, I pretty much avoided ta-kill-ya, but the combination of, well, way too much alcohol and not near enough to eat conspired to give me a major league hangover. And I would have just stayed on my couch (in the dark) all day, but I had a birthday shindig to go to Saturday night. I hadn't been to the South Side since the night the Steelers won the Super Bowl, and after much cajoling from the birthday girl, I reluctantly decided to go, mostly because I knew the night would end with a visit to one of Pittsburgh's hidden gems when it comes to food: The Cambod-ican Cookery.

Those of you out there who are regular visitors to the South Side will remember a trailer that sat in the alley next to Nick's Fat City. Every Friday and Saturday night, usually around 11 or so, people would like up to dine on some of the best chicken and beef kabobs on the planet. A friend of mine clued me into "the kabob guy" about 5 years ago. As is usually the case with me, I was skeptical. I mean, how good could grilled chicken on a pita served from a guy in a trailer be? All it took was one bite of the chicken to prove me wrong, and it was all because of the amazing "moon sauce". I don't know what goes into the sweet sauce that the kabob guy puts on the chicken, beef and fried wontons, but it's the most amazingly tasty sauce ever. It will ooze all over your hands as you're trying to eat your chicken on a pita, and you'll find yourself licking moon sauce off your hands as you walk back to your car or the next bar.

Everytime I went to the South Side, I made a point of finishing up the night with some moon sauce. Then last year rolled around and the kabob guy had vanished. Some people said he had been forced to move after Nick's Fat City went under. Others said he had to shut down because of heath code violations (thank you, Becky Thompson). I was despondent. I couldn't believe he was gone. Then late last year, I noticed a sign on storefront: Coming soon - Cambod-ican Cookery. And a few months ago, The Cambod-ican Cookery opened its doors, and the moon sauce has been flowing ever since. And after a very entertaining (and nearly alcohol-free) evening, the girls and I ended up at the Cookery, noshing on our kabobs and carrying on as only we can. We're not obnoxious, but we toe the line.

So, as I crawled into bed Saturday evening (this time in my jammies and without the room spinning) with a full belly and a smile on my face, I once again had to think that life just couldn't be any better.

Okay peeps, that's it for me for today. I'll be back tomorrow with all sorts of goodies, including previews of the season finales of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, along with any other tidbits I can scrape up.

Rack me, I'm out!

~Sara

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2006-05-05T16:41:00.000-04:00

In just 20 short minutes, the weekend will finally be here, and not only that, today just happens to be Cinco de Mayo! This means I will be spending the rest of my night at one of the local Mexican restaurants drinking margaritas and Coronas while noshing on plenty of free chips & salsa. Can life be any better? I submit that it cannot. Good thing I'm not driving tonight.

Have a safe and happy weekend, Scribbleheads!

Rack me, I'm out!

~Sara

JLU Review - "Ancient History"

2006-05-04T10:39:00.000-04:00

Hello, my peeps. It's your favorite blogger back with her weekly review of Justice League Unlimited. I had been waiting for this episode to air in the U.S. after reading about it over at Ain't It Cool News. And while I'm still sad and peeved that JLU will be ending after this Saturday, I'm happy that the love triangle between Hawkgirl, Hawkman and Green Lantern has finally been dealt with in surprising fashion.

Title: Ancient History
Story: Dwayne McDuffie
Script: Geoff Johns
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos

If you're even in the least bit familiar with Hawkman and Hawkgirl, you know that present day DC continuity has established them as reincarnated soulmates who are destined to find each other throughout time. I love the tragic romantic nature of their story and some of this is incorporated into the JLU version of their story. The big twist? John Stewart a/k/a Green Lantern is also part of the story.

In past seasons of Justice League, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern became romantically involved, and it was even revealed that they have will have a son who goes on to become a hero in his own right (this was revealed during Batman and GL's trip across time a few seasons ago). Ever since returning from the future, John has been quite distant toward Hawkgirl and has started a relationship with fellow Justice League member, Vixen. And these are the circumstances that surround this story. Oh yeah, Hawkman is there, too, with full knowledge (or close to it) of his past life with Hawkgirl. Of course, Hawkgirl is a bit put off by this, and for good reason, as we find out.

The episode opens with GL chasing after The Gentleman Ghost, who he apprehends with Hawkman's help. GL is suspicious of Hawkman (or maybe jealous) and feels the need to make a few comments about him to Hawkgirl (who was in the midst of a workout with Vixen). It's obvious that there is still some sort of bond between GL and Hawkgirl, but he is fully committed to his relationship with Vixen.

In the midst of all of this, the Shadow Thief shows up, but this version of the Shadow Thief is different that the criminal who uses Thanagarian technology to turn into a living shadow. When it all comes out, his true origin not only makes sense, it also brings the whole story together, but more on that later.

So, as Vixen is about to leave on a photoshoot (right after a very nicely written scene between her and GL), Shadow Thief shows up and kidnaps GL, despite Vixen's attempts at stopping him. Before I continue, I would be remiss if I didn't commend the creators of JLU for making me care about Vixen, who is pretty much a non-entity in the comics, despite her standing as a Justice League member. It also helps that the wonderful Gina Torres provides her voice.

Vixen seeks out Hawkgirl and the two of them trace GL to Midway City. A battle ensues between our heroines and the Shadow Thief, but even with Hawkman's help, Vixen ends up injured and the Hawks end up as captives themselves. And here's where things start to get interesting.

The Shadow Thief forces the Hawks and GL to touch the Absorbacon (a piece of Thanagarian tech that unlocks past lives or some such), and upon doing so, all three learn of their past lives together in Ancient Egypt when Katar and Shayera Hol came to Earth from Thanagar and set up a utopian society with the help of John Stewart's ancestor. You can pretty much figure out the rest from here...John and Shayera have an affair...Katar finds out and wishes them dead...Hath Set kills them...and Katar commits suicide. It's your classic doomed lovers scenario. But the real twist is that the Shadow Thief is actually the embodiment of Hawkman's inner most desires, given life when he touched the Absorbacon years prior. Carter Hall wanted to be a hero and reunite with the woman he believed to be his lost love, and the Shadow Thief has been doing everything in his power to make this come true. This was a great twist that I did not see coming.

Eventually, the Hawks and GL team up to defeat the Shadow Thief (who is "reabsorbed" by Hawkman), and Hawkman finally realizes that he and Shayera are not meant to be together.

The ending is very poignant as GL finally reveals to Hawkgirl that they have a son in the future. However, he "won't be fate's puppet" and decides to remain with Vixen. Hawkgirl then goes to Batman to find out about her son, though we never do find out what (if anything) Bats tells her.

This was just an astoundingly good episode from beginning to end, offering more twists and turns than I was expecting along with a very adult storyline. I was made to care about the characters and what happens to them, and that's what you want from any show, cartoon or otherwise.

Geoff Johns was responsible for the cleaning up of Hawkman's very muddled continuity in the DC Universe, and his fingerprints are all over this episode. This was definitely one of the stronger episodes as of late, and my only complaint was that it was not told sooner. It would have been nice to see more of Hawkman in the series, but that won't be happening now.

My rating: four stars out of four

Saturday will spell the end of Justice League Unlimited with a two part episode that will tie up all of the loose ends from this last season. And if the previews are any indication, it's gonna be doozy.

Okay, peeps, rack me, I'm out!

~Sara

It's a TCB Tuesday

2006-05-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

Well, it's day two of my life without Tony Kornheiser, and I'm coping as well as I can. I can't bring myself to listen to any other sports talk (because, to be honest, most of it royally sucks), so I guess I'll start listening to more music during the early part of the day. Come back soon, Mr. Tony, we all miss you.

Okay, with that out of the way, let's get onto my first entry of the new month. Yes, it's already May. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend (mint juleps for me), and the NFL Draft has come and gone. Before I know it, I'll be getting ready for the Jimmy Buffett concert next month, which is the official kick off of my summer. Seems like it was just a few days ago when I was celebrating the Steelers' fifth Super Bowl title, and now the draft has already come and gone.

My take on the draft is as such...getting Santonio Holmes is a nice way to replace some of what Antwaan Randle-El provided to the team, minus the throwing the football part. Holmes' speed should allow Ben to throw a few more balls Hines Ward's way and open up the offense just a teeny bit more. But outside of Holmes, I got no clue. I hadn't even heard of any of the other draft choices until Saturday and Sunday. But hey, I'm not going to question the Steelers draft. I mean, they just won the Super Bowl, thereby earning them a grace period from yours truly.

The Pirates? Well, at least they won the game I went to on Saturday. Otherwise, they're all but dead to me. Score some frakkin' runs, you idiots.

In Saturday's edition of the Scribblings, I offered my take on the forthcoming Legion of Super Heroes series that will be airing on Kids WB this fall. I wanted to have an open mind and at least see the animation before totally tearing it apart. Well, take a gander for yourself at the Superman Homepage and tell me what you think. Go ahead...I'm patient. I can wait. *practices her juggling* You back? So now that you've seen it, you must agree with me when I say "WTF?".

I thought the animation style on Teen Titans left something to be desired, but I'll take that over this. I mean...what's with Timber Wolf's triangle-shaped head? Is there a reason Brainiac 5 has a pencil-neck? And why is Superboy's waist as thin as Saturn Girl's? Who the hell is the art director for this series, Rob Liefeld? I know that Paul Dini is not involved with this show, so the possible Legion spin-off he set up in Justice League Unlimited isn't going to be followed, but that's no excuse for the piss-poor anatomy lesson that this show is going to be. Yes, I do realize it's a cartoon, but JLU, Batman: TAS, and Superman: TAS all had characters drawn in a more realistic art style. I will save my final judgment until I actually see an episode, but my expectations couldn't be any lower.

Before I sign off for the day, it's time for me to give my peeps something to watch tonight, and if you've been reading this blog long enough, you already know where this is going.

Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars are both down to their final two episodes of the season. Over on GG, Rory will find herself taking care of Logan, who is still recovering from his injuries sustained while falling off a cliff (yeah, I know, real smart, that Logan is), and there will be more fallout from Anna's (overwrought, IMHO) reaction to Lorelai helping Luke with April's party last week. Meanwhile, things are rapidly coming to a close on VM. Tonight is the trial of Aaron Echolls, who may or may not have found a way out of being convicted thanks to the conniving Kendall Casablancas, and if last week's preview is any indication, someone might not make it to graduation alive.

Tuesday is my heaviest DVR night since VM moved to Tuesday and Pepper Dennis debuted. I'm not sure if PD has any chance of being picked up next fall, but it's one of the best new shows to debut on the WB in some time (though, I must admit, that's not saying much). It's funny, cute, romantic and even a bit touching. I never realized how talented Rebecca Romijin was until I saw her in her first real leading role. Do yourself a favor and watch Pepper Dennis tonight, immediately following GG (or DVR it and watch VM instead, it's your choice).

Okay, peeps...that's it for me for today. Be back tomorrow with another edition of your favorite blog from your favorite chick.

~Sara

Tying up loose ends from the week that was

2006-04-29T12:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, first of all, I have to say a few things about the NFL Draft (currently airing on ESPN and the NFL Network). Ahem. WHAT IN THE HELL ARE THE TEXANS THINKING??? Whew. That's better. I had to get that off my chest. I mean, Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. Huh? I don't care if Williams could be the next Julius Peppers. Reggie Bush helps your running game, passing game and special teams. This must be the Texans gift to the Saints after all of the terrible things that happened to the city of New Orleans last year. It's reasons like these that the Texans have gotten steadily worse since they came into existence. And I know some of you are saying "But she's a girl, what does she know?". I know enough to know that the Texas could (and notice I said could) have just made one of the biggest draft blunders of all time. I guess we'll find out this fall.

Anyway, I'll have my full draft recap on Monday. Better to see how this whole thing shakes out before making any sort of opinion on who were the winners and losers.

Just a few news and notes before I ensconce myself to watch the first round of the draft before heading down to PNC Park to see the Pirates who are riding an unprecedented one game winning streak into tonight's game against the Phillies. Baby steps.

There hasn't been any more fallout from Team Palladino's exit from Gilmore Girls, and if there was a sliver of a chance of Amy and Dan coming back, I think it's passed. My opinion on this has already been stated. I think both side royally screwed this up, and of course, it's us fans who will ultimately suffer.

In animation news, the CW unveiled their Saturday morning line up for this fall, and lo and behold, there's a comic book based show on it (and no, I don't mean The Batman). The newest member of Kids WB on the CW (which sounds really lame) is the Legion of Super Heroes, based on the long running DC comic of the same name. In his weekly Animated Shorts column at Newsarama.com, Steve Fritz offered a description of the show that says it will be "the ultimate sci-fi, super hero fantasy for kids of all ages". And while I'm sure LSH has the potential to be a really good show, I just wonder if it will be more like Teen Titans (which wasn't a bad show, but the tone and animation left me flat) instead of Justice League Unlimited. Now, I realize that LSH is a Saturday morning show as opposed to a Saturday night show, but you don't want to make it too much of a kiddie show and alienate the geek fanbase. We'll all find out this fall, Saturday mornings at 11:30 on the CW Network.

Thanks to my gal Val, I had a chance to watch The Christmas Invasion episode of Doctor Who, giving me my first real look at David Tennant as the new Doctor. My early verdict? He's going to fantastic. No offense to Christopher Eccleston (who I thoroughly enjoyed but had a very hard edge in his performance), but I think Tennant may end up being one of the most popular Doctors of all time. He brings such a light touch and youthful enthusiasm to the role, and his chemistry with Billie Piper's Rose was evident right away. And after seeing previews for this coming season (the Cybermen, K-9, Sarah Jane and Anthony Stewart Head!), I'm totally geeked and hoping that I won't have to wait too long to see the new episodes (hint, hint Val).

Well, that's all for me for today. Time to immerse myself in the rest of the draft. Oh, and do you think Matt Leinart is wishing he had not decided to come back for his senior season? If he would have come out for the draft last year, he would have gone #1. Now, he's in danger of slipping all the way into the middle of the first round. What a difference a year makes.

Have a good weekend, kids! See ya Monday...

~Sara

A Tribute to Mr. Tony

2006-04-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

Today was a sad day for hundreds (thousands?) of sports talk fans across the country. Our beloved fat, bald, orange dope broadcast his last show this morning in preparation to take on the role of analyst for Monday Night Football in the fall. Yes, the man we call TK, Mr. Tony and Satchmo (among other things), Tony Kornheiser, signed off again (for the third time, no less) to allow his body to adapt to having to stay up past 9pm so he'll be able to make it through the Monday night game without falling asleep. And no, I'm not kidding about this. Mr. Tony's early bedtime is legendary to his fans who listen live on DC's Sportstalk 980 or on the internet via ThisWebsiteStinks.com.

As my regular readers know, I'm something of a sports fan, in addition to being a pop culture maven. In Pittsburgh, sportstalk usually consists of 1) The Steelers, 2) The Steelers, 3) The Steelers and 4) every other team in town, but only if necessary. Look, I love football. I was a nervous wreck during the entire Super Bowl, and I'll be riveted to the NFL Draft this weekend (more on this in a future entry). But I can only take so much talk about what the Steelers' chances of repeating are or what the loss of Randle-El will mean to the team and so on and so on. I crave intelligent, non-yinzer sportstalk. And that's where Mr. Tony comes in.

When ESPN Radio debuted in town, I was forced to listen to that godawful Fabulous Sports Babe. Talk about a misnomer. Yeesh. Anyway, after the powers-that-be at the four letter network gave her the boot, they replaced her with this sportswriter out of DC named Tony Kornheiser. I'd never heard of the dude, but I figured I'd give him a shot. Well, it didn't take me very long to become a disciple of the Orange One.

Mr. Tony's show wasn't your run-on-the-mill sports talk show. On any given day, he might barely talk about sports at all, in favor of politics or movies or TV or any other thing that would drive him half crazy. I began to look forward to those moments when Tony would go off on an epic rant about something he had seen on "The Today Program" or something that had happened to him on the way to the studio that morning or any number of things that would infuriate him. It was as if some higher power created a talk radio program just for me. If I wanted to learn things about sports, I'd go to ESPN.com. But if I wanted to hear a non-spin perspective on the world of sports and entertainment, I'd tune over to Mr. Tony.

About two years ago (I think), Mr. Tony left the airwaves over a dispute with ESPN. Eighteen months ago he resurfaced back in DC. I didn't start listening right away (out of the loop, as usual), but only because I didn't know it had happened. But by total chance, I stumbled upon his show (which I found I was able to listen to online), and ever since then, Mr. Tony has been a regular part of my day from 9 to 1. And now, he's gone again, and I don't know how I'm going to make it through the first part of the work day anymore.

I'll miss Andy Polley and the sports updates that Tony always interrupts, Gary "Big Time" Braun and his 4th grade sense of humor, John "Junior" Feinstein and his amazing pomposity, Stephen Hunter and his awful movie reviews, the ever-boring Sam Smith, Tony's Mailbag, Old Guy Radio, Bob Ryan and his terrible phone, Nigel and his great Christopher Walken impression, incessant talk about the Redskins, Tony's general cluelessness about electronic items, rants on how much TK is going to stink on MNF, Tony's fear of flying and the lengths he's going to have to go to to travel to the game sites, the "email machine", and so many more things that I just can't think of right now. Monday morning is going to be so strange without Mr. Tony to listen to. No where else will I be able to hear intelligent, funny, and thought-provoking sports radio. Mr. Tony may be twice my age, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a teeny weeny crush on him. What can I say? He appeals to my snarkishness.

Oh, while I'm at it, let me give a big shout out to the guys and gals of the Andy Polley Happy Fun Time Message Board Extravaganza. For the first time today (during the last show), I posted on the board and was immediately welcomed with open arms. I couldn't stay long (stupid work), but I hope to make the occasional appearance just to say hi, even if there's no show to chat about. Thanks guys, for making me feel right at home.

Good luck with Monday Night Football, Mr. Tony. You may think you're gonna stink, but I think you're going to be amazing. You'll be the only reason I'll even be watching MNF, which has become a really dull show in recent years. Just keep that dope Joe Theismann in line and come back to us littles when you're done. We'll all be here, waiting, counting the days until the end of the season or when you've had enough and decide to quit.

Au revoir, Satch. See ya soon.

~Sara

The Great Gilmore Rant

2006-04-25T19:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, so everyone on the planet knows by now that Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Dan, are out as the showrunners of the show they created. I wanted to take some time to digest this before offering my own opinion. I also needed to read the exclusive interview Michael Ausiello had with Team Palladino. Believe me, it's a doozy, and you must read it. Go ahead, I can wait...

So, after reading the interview and the 5+ pages of reader responses, one thing is very clear to me. GG had quite a tremendous following, and the show is not going to be the same without its creators. Now, as to whether this is a bad thing or a good thing is one of the things I'm actively debating. I mean, how can the show go on without its creators? Well, as I've been told many times in my life, no one is irreplaceable. Just ask Aaron Sorkin and what happened to him with The West Wing.

The main gist I got from the Palladinos is that they wanted the folks at the WB to stop stringing them along on a series of one year contracts. Back in January, they went to the studio and asked for a two year commitment. This way, they would be able to as Dan said, "see more than 300 days into the future". But see, here's my problem with the two year deal they wanted. Yes, I do understand that part of the deal would involve development, but for the most part, they seemed to want the two years to be for GG and not another show. And, while this is all well and good, it's pretty much common knowledge that show stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bleidel are going to want the forthcoming 7th season to be their last. And along those same lines, none of the cast is contracted beyond next year. So, from the studio's perspective, giving the Palladinos a two year contract didn't make much sense if the show is going to end after next season. Now, it would have been a sign of good faith to give them what they wanted, but the studios are usually more interested in dollars and cents than keeping people happy.

Looking at it this way, wouldn't it have made better sense for Amy and Dan to swallow their pride for one more year to see their creation come to the end that they've been planning for since day one? I mean, what's one more year when you've already been doing it for six? And you'd have to think that if they'd done this, then the CW would have been more receptive to any new shows the Palladinos were developing because of how well GG has performed in the ratings and on DVD. The Palladinos could have seen the show to the end and gained much needed brownie points with the suits.

I know that being the heart and soul of a show has been hard on ASP, and I won't claim to fully understand everything it takes for her to see a season through to its completion. However, this only backs up rumors I've heard about Amy being a control freak. She complains about not having a writing staff or a director on staff, but do you honestly think she'd relinquish some of her control to a staff, even if she'd have script/story approval? She says it would have given her more time do work on other aspects of the show, but I think it would have driven her nuts to not be involved in every minute detail of the show, which is part of the problem. Quite frankly, I think an actual writing staff (among other things) is much needed on GG, and I would have said this even if the Palladinos had stayed.

GG is a show in dire need of a fresh voice, as evidenced by some of the head scratching plots of the past two seasons, most notably the totally unnecessary introduction of Luke's heretofore unknown daughter. This plot has only served to drive a wedge between Luke and Lorelai (which I guess was the intention) and has not really added anything to the show. I mean, how many of you out there are happy to see April in a given episode? That's what I thought.

The show just reeks of soap opera plotting these days...Luke's long-lost daughter, Logan's brush with death, Rory losing her virginity to a married man (okay, so that was last season), Christopher suddenly becoming wealthy, and so on. GG is supposed to be a show about the little things in life. When done right (see Lane and Zach's crazy wedding from last week), the show is one of the smartest and funniest on TV. But when done wrong (see Rory's half-hearted attempt to cheat on Logan with Jess and her lukewarm admission of how much she loves Logan), it can be god awful. And if the spoilers are to be believed, Lorelai will end up in bed with Christopher in the season finale. I do realize that Chris has gotten his act together this season, but why in god's name would Lorelai go running back to him? Okay, so they share Rory, and Chris probably will always love Lorelai, but I thought the whole purpose of the last two seasons was to build toward Luke and Lorelai getting married. And now, with Amy and Dan going, who knows what's going to happen next season?

I do not envy new show runner Dan Rosenthal. He's in a no-win situation, and he's going to find it hard to please anyone because, fair or not, he will be continually compared to the Palladinos, no matter how good next season is or is not. And he knows he's in a lame duck status since it's all but a done deal that next season is the last for GG. So, it will be up to him to put the proverbial bow on the lives of Lorelai and Rory and not piss off the loyal fan base that has been built the last six years. I recommend that Rosenthal buys lots of Maalox. He's going to need it.

So, with the sixth season finale only a few weeks away, all of us GG fans are going to have to get used to life without the Palladinos. Did I want them to leave? No, not at all. But did I want them to make some changes to the direction they'd taken the show? Absolutely. There are some who will say that Team Palladino's departure will ruin GG. Others will say that it's the best thing for the show. I say that the real truth will be somewhere in the middle but that we won't know for sure until well into next season. It's much to early to judge one way or the other.

And with that, I'm off to watch tonight's episode as the countdown is on to the end of the season and the last episode of the Palladino regime.

~Sara

Major Gilmore Girls Shake Up

2006-04-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've composed myself. It's official: Gilmore Girls creator Amy-Sherman Palladino and husband Dan are no longer with the show as they were unable to come to a contract agreement with Warner Bros. Per Michael Ausiello, this is 100% certain. This means that GG will be heading into its most likely final season (and on a whole new network) without its creator. This is a major bummer for all GG fans, even those of us (like me) who have been less-than-satisfied with the direction the show took on this season.

No matter who takes over as show runner next season, I just can't imagine the show being the same. ASP gave GG its voice. Even though she wasn't writing all of the episodes, she still oversaw the writing, and I'm not sure someone from the outside is going to be able to keep up with all of the wit and charm that GG has become known for.

I think this pretty much says that next season will be the last for GG. One of the sticking points for Team Palladino was that they wanted a 2 year commitment from Warner Bros, but the WB would only offer one year since Lauren Graham and Alexis Bleidel's contracts are up at the end of next year.

To make matters worse for Amy and Dan, their pilot about a modern day husband and wife detectives (think Nick and Nora Charles for the 21st century) was not picked up after the WB and UPN merged into CW. I have no doubt this would have been a really good show, and I hope Team Palladino can find a home for it. Right now, though, they're unemployed, barring an 11th hour change of heart.

I was all set to do a quickie review of Tuesday night's show (which might as well have been called Kim Girls), but that will have to wait until later on.

Right now, I need more time to envision Gilmore Girls without its creators. Whoever runs the show will have some big shoes to fill. I wouldn't want to be that person.

~Sara

Just Another Tequila Thursday

2006-04-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

Well, actually, it's not, because the only time I drink ta-kill-ya is in the occasional margarita, but I just heard "Tequila Sunrise" by the Eagles on my Pandora.com personalized radio station, and it's stuck in my head right now, hence today's title.

So, where to begin? Well, much to my consternation (stupid work), I did not watch last night's first Alias in four months. However, it is safely saved on my DVR for viewing some time between now and next Wednesday. Though Alias in its current form is no where near the show it was in its prime, I will still miss it when it goes off the air next month. Oh well, that's what DVDs are for.

I'm still about a week behind on Veronica Mars (just started watching last week's episode this morning), but I'm eagerly anticipating the revelation to this year's big mystery. All along, I've thought that Mayor Woody Goodman (a perfectly smarmy Steve Guttenberg) was behind the bus crash, and I'm sticking to that until I learn otherwise. His motive? Lemme get back to you on that one. All I know for sure is that he was the one who suggested his daughter take a limo back to Neptune High after the class trip to Sharks Stadium. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I just have this feeling in my gut that he's the culprit. Look for the rest of my reasons for Mayor Woody's guilt in this space in the coming days.

Oh my gosh...big news. Huge news! Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband are done with Gilmore Girls! The word just came down from Michael Ausiello in The Ausiello Report. I need to take a moment to compose myself. Oh hell, this needs a whole new entry. Check back in a bit.

~Sara

JLU Review

2006-04-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, so this one really wasn't my fault. I had planned on doing a weekly review of Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited, but then CN decided to stop airing it for a month, effectively putting the kibosh on my Tuesday reviews. However, the first of the final 4 episodes of JLU aired this past Saturday, and as promised, here's my review. Oh yeah, there be spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the episode yet.

Title: "Far From Home"
Story: Dwayne McDuffie
Script: Paul Dini
Director: Dan Riba

Supergirl is the focus of this episode, but the story begins in the 31st Century as two members of the Legion of Super-Heroes debate what they must do to save their captured teammates from the Fatal Five. Despite the objections of Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5 (yes, a descendent of the Brainiac) decides to bring three members of the Justice League from the 21st Century to aid them. However, history tells him that only two members return to their own time safely.

As the action shifts to the present, Supergirl is having a training session under the direction of Green Lantern, with Superman and Green Arrow looking on. Somewhere during this, it's revealed that Supergirl has just turned 21. The theme of Supergirl growing up and establishing her own identity is very much the theme of this episode.

GL, Supergirl and Green Arrow are transported to the Legion's time via time bubble, and of course, the requisite time paradox comments are made by GL. After initially not trusting Brainy, Supergirl starts to fall for him, even after he tells her that she most likely won't survive her trip to the 31st Century.

After GL and Bouncing Boy are captured by the Fatal Five, it's up to Supergirl, Brainy and Green Arrow to save not only their teammates but also the United Federation of Planets from the Fatal Five and the mind controlled Legion.

Even with her considerable powers, Supergirl is still no match for the combined forces of the Legion and Green Lantern, but (as always seems to be the case), Green Arrow comes thru and frees everyone from the mind control. All that's left after that is for Kara and the Legion to mop up the Fatal Five.

The big happening comes at the very end when Kara decides to stay in the 31st Century with the Legion, as she has finally found a place where she truly fits in and feels at home. Superman takes the news relatively well, though he does seem to wish he could have said goodbye.

Okay, so with that recap out of the way, I have to say that though I did enjoy this episode, I really didn't love it like I hoped I would. Supergirl fell for Brainiac 5 much too quickly, and it was very unrealistic to me. Yeah, I know it's a cartoon, but a little bit more realism really would have helped.

I was also disappointed there wasn't more of the Legion outside of Brainy and Bouncing Boy. Yes, I know the show is about the Justice League, but this might have been better served by being a two parter, with the first part being focused on the members of the Legion being captured by the Fatal Five while in the present Supergirl is shown struggling more and more with her role in the Justice League. Instead, we're thrown right into the middle of everything, and that made the episode feel very rushed.

It was also very obvious to me that Supergirl was going to end up staying in the 31st Century. You knew the producers weren't going to kill her off, so as soon as Brainy let it slip that one member of the Justice League wouldn't make it back to their own time, I knew Supergirl would end up staying in the future. If the bit about one member not making it back had been removed, it would have made Supergirl staying with the Legion a bit more surprising.

So, what was good? Well, Green Arrow continues to be the best new character in this whole series. I'd love to see a Green Arrow series with Black Canary, Speedy and occasional guest appearances by Hal Jordan, Hawkman and so on. But that's just wishful thinking on my part.

The battle scene between Kara and the Legion/GL was very well done and one of the better animated action scenes you'll see in a non-anime series. It really showed Kara coming into her own as a hero who will fight on despite tremendous odds and the knowledge she might not survive the battle.

Paul Dini once again turned in a very excellent script, featuring some wonderful one liners (the best: SG to Brainiac - "Maybe I was just trying to cop a feel") and lots of introspective dialogue from Superman and even Green Arrow. I sincerely hope that Dini will get a chance to do another DC Superhero series after JLU's goes off the air.

My grade: 2.5 stars out of 4

The next episode (whenever it airs) promises to be a doozy, as it looks like it will (finally!) feature Hawkman. I can't wait.

~Sara

Monday, Monday

2006-04-17T20:21:00.000-04:00

This might have been the most boring Monday in the history of all Mondays. Is there some sort of unwritten rule that the Monday after Easter is the deadest retail day of the year? I spent most of my shift today trying my best not to nod off at the counter out of sheer boredom. At least during the week, if we have no customers, there's usually some things to do. Not today. So, I spent most of the day clock watching. I bore much too easily sometimes. Next time, I'll be sure to do an entry to at least pass some of the time.

Anyway, I won't go into depth about the "baseball" I saw Friday and Saturday. Friday was awful, and the game lasted over three hours (thereby seriously curtailing my karaoke time). Saturday, on the other hand, lasted a crisp two hours and 20 minutes and ended in a Pirates victory, thanks to the pitching of dreamy Zach Duke. Mental note: Find out if he's single.

And yes, you did read the previous paragraph correctly. In addition to all of the other weird and geeky things I enjoy, I love karaoke. The small part of me that is a ham just loves getting up in front of a bar full of people and singing (if you can call it that). I was in a Journey mood on Friday and belted out Separate Ways, Worlds Apart, my fave Journey tune, along with my old stand-by, Copacabana. I'm sure that my respect level has dropped thanks to my little revelation, but I gotta be me.

Well, I guess I should return to the real reason I do this blog and impart some news and views to my faithful readers.

So, regarding the possible crisis regarding Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband leaving Gilmore Girls, it's looking like no news is good news. Of course, that almost wasn't the case last week when it looked like it was all-but-official that they were going to leave the show they'd made famous these past six seasons. Then word came that a contract extension for two more seasons was in the works. But that turned out to be what Team Palladino wants from the good folks at Warner Bros. So, with the season wrapped, and less than five episodes to go this season, there's still no news on whether or not the Palladinos will return to GG for a seventh season. Oh yeah, get your butts over to last Friday's Ausiello Report for the full skinny regarding this mess.

I'm of two minds on this whole thing. On the one hand, I've been less than pleased with the direction of this season (and parts of last season), making me wonder if the Palladinos have indeed either lost their touch or have lost touch with what made GG so great and unique. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine GG without them. There's no doubt GG will be back for a seventh season on the all-new, all-different CW Network, but it might be a different show if Team Palladino isn't at the helm.

All of you West Wing fans out there know what it's like when the person who creates a show either leaves or is removed, as was the case with Aaron Sorkin. No matter how good or how talented the people who follow are, the show just isn't going to be the same. I fear the same thing will happen to Gilmore Girls. Yet, as some of the uneven plots this year have shown (especially the unnecessary introduction of Luke's daughter), maybe a little shake up at the top wouldn't be the worst thing.

I'm not going to speculate on what is going to happen, because, honestly, I think it's 50/50 if the Palladinos stay or go. Like everyone else, I'm just going to have to wait and see. In the mean time, there's the little matter of the rest of the season to play out. What will happen with Luke and Lorelai? Will Logan and Rory work out their differences? Will Richard and Emily actually move to Stars Hollow? Answers to these questions and more will be revealed starting tomorrow night. Be back here Wednesday, for my review and all the latest news.

In the mean time, check back tomorrow for my review of the first new Justice League Unlimited episode in a month.

Until then, later kids!

~Sara

Weekend Quickie

2006-04-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

Well, in just a few short minutes, I will be off to PNC Park to watch the Pirates play (read: lose to) the Cubs. And to make matters worse, I'm going to tomorrow night's game, too. I must be glutton for punishment. The All-Star Game package better be worth the torture I'm going to be enduring this season at the 20-odd games I attend and the many, many others I watch on TV. If you're a religious person, say a little prayer for the Pirates on this Good Friday. If you're not, then make a wish for them to at least not be losing after the top of the first inning.

Have a good weekend, folks! Be back on Sunday with my Easter Sunday blog.

~Sara

This is the Gilmore Girls, I'm watching, right?

2006-04-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I had planned on doing a review of last night's rather tepid Gilmore Girls episode, but I've decided to pick apart last night's episode to get at the heart of what has gone wrong with my favorite show. This is due in large part to some what I would considered to be startling GG spoilers gleaned from this week's Ask Ausiello.

Now let me first say that I have faith that show creators Amy-Sherman Palladino and husband Daniel have a plan in mind to help shake GG out of what has been a season-long doldrums. However, there are rumors flying that Team Palladino won't be back for a seventh season. This would be devastating if it were to happen, but nothing is set in stone as of yet. I can't imagine GG without the Palladinos at the helm, yet it wouldn't surprise me at all if they and Warner Bros don't come to some sort of agreement. Just call it a gut feeling on my part.

The biggest revelation to come out of this week's AA is that by season's end, Lorelai and Christopher are going to end up in bed with one another. I gleaned this by reading between the lines and figuring out the letters that Ausiello so conveniently replaced with asterisks. Now, being in bed with someone doesn't necessarily mean you had sex with them, but this can't bode well for Luke and Lorelai's relationship, which as of late has had all of the spark of a dead battery.

GG fans had been praying for Luke and Lorelai to finally get together, and when it finally happened, we all jumped for joy. And then suddenly Luke went from being a warm-hearted curmudgeon to an all-out stick-in-the-mud who doesn't seem to have the same feelings for Lorelai that he once did. And don't get me started on Luke's instant daughter, April. If ASP's intention was to make things difficult for Luke and Lorelai, she could have done so without introducing a character who had added absolutely nothing to the series. Yes, it's cute to see Luke try to be a father in his own special frustrated way, but wouldn't this have been a better plot for 2 or 3 seasons ago when he and Lorelai weren't together yet? This whole plot just feels so forced to me, and I wish it could be retconned away.

But as I see it, the biggest problem with this season was the rift between Rory and Lorelai that stemmed from Rory deciding to take time off from Yale at the end of last season. The whole premise of GG revolves around the special relationship between Rory and Lorelai, and when that was missing for the first part of the season, so was what makes the show so special. Sure, things have been a bit better since the rift was mended, but Rory is still hopelessly in love with rich bad boy Logan which is just ruining the show.

Last night, after another tiff with Mr. Wonderful, Rory drives all the way to Philadelphia to see old boyfriend Jess. Well, one thing leads to another, and Rory and Jess share a very forced kiss. Rory then admits to Jess that she was trying to cheat on Logan as he had done to her, but she can't. She can't because she loves him. Oh my gosh...I swear to you I had to keep from gagging when I heard this. I've hated Logan from day one, and why ASP keeps trying to force him on Rory (and us) is beyond me. They have no chemistry. He is so wrong for her on so many levels, and I can't understand why he's still on the show. Rory deserves a nice, sweet guy who won't treat her like garbage. I thought Marty fit that bill, but after he admitted his feelings to Rory, he hasn't been seen. Talk about a plot line left dangling.

And worst of all is how out of character Lorelai has been acting this year. Or should I say, not acting. I've never seen Lorelai so passive. When Rory went to live with Richard and Emily, Lorelai did nothing. When Luke revealed the existence of his daughter to Lorelai, Lorelai did nothing. In past years, Lorelai wouldn't have stood idly by while her only daughter left college to live in a pool house. The Lorelai I know would have gone out of her way to find out everything she could about her fiance's long-lost daughter. I don't recognize this Lorelai, and it frustrates me.

So here I am, left to wonder what's become of my favorite show. Perhaps it's in the process of "jumping the shark". The introduction of Luke's daughter might have been when that happened. I'm willing to wait things out until the end of the season, but I'm seriously worried about the direction of the show going forward, with or without the Palladinos.

~Sara

Props (of sorts) to Michael Keaton

2006-04-11T15:56:00.000-04:00

Okay, in yesterday's edition of Scribblings, I took the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates to task for (among other things) the uninspired choice of Michael Keaton to throw out the first pitch when the choice clearly should have been Bill Cowher. Well, it seems that Keaton had his own axe to grind with Pirates ownership, which he did in an interview before he threw out the ceremonial first pitch yesterday. That, my loyal readers, takes some cojones. Now, while I do feel it's necessary to fault Keaton for the rather dubious timing of his statements, I can help but admire him for having said cojones. I mean, he compared the Pirates to what has been one of the sorriest of all sports franchises, the Los Angeles Clippers. If that's not the ultimate insult, I don't know what is.

Now, some are probably wondering what Keaton's reasons for saying this were. Was he just a longtime Pirates fan who has been disgusted by 13 straight losing seasons (and counting) or does he have an ulterior motive? Pittsburgh native and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has made no secret of his desire to buy the Pirates, and I wonder if Keaton could end up being one of his investors should Cuban try to buy the Pirates from Kevin McClatchy. Before Cuban took over the Mavs, they might have been the worst franchise in the NBA. Now, they're in the playoffs every year and are battling the Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference. Why? Cuban spends money. Cuban may be a bit eccentric and overly opinionated, but the Mavs results speak for themselves.

Yes, the NBA does have a salary cap as opposed to Major League Baseball, but if Cuban were to buy the Pirates, there's no doubt in my mind their payroll would jump from the $47 million it is now to at least in the $70 million range, which is what you have to spend to be competitive in MLB.

Mind you, this is all nothing but idle speculation on my part, but I think thing are going to have to come to a head eventually regarding the Pirates ownership situation. McClatchy may finally be close to reaching the "I've had enough!" point and will start to entertain offers for the club. Good riddance, I say.

I believe the Pirates can win again, but it's going to take a concerted effort from management, ownership and the players to reverse the losing attitude that continues to have a stranglehold on what was once one of baseball's most successful franchises. Let me be one of the first to suggest that Mark Cuban may be the impetus for this.

Anyway, enough with baseball talk and onto more important things...

Tonight, my two favorite shows will be airing back-to-back (albeit on two different networks), in what I hope is a portent of things to come for next season. It's Sara's favorite night of TV viewing with Gilmore Girls (on the WB) and Veronica Mars (on UPN) both airing new episodes tonight, with VM in its new, much less competitive timeslot of 9pm.

Anyone who is a fan of VM knows that its ratings have not been stellar as of late and that it's anything but a shoo-in to be on the Fall Schedule for the all-new, all-different CW Network. VM would be the perfect show to be paired with GG on Tuesday nights, and I'm hoping that the powers-that-be at CW will realize this and not be so quick to cancel VM and replace it with a crappy show that's likely to be canceled in 6 weeks.

Only five episodes remain in the second season of VM and the good folks over at Ain't It Cool News have some spoilers for the rest of the season.

Okay, boys and girls, that's all for today. Be back tomorrow with my weekly GG review and any other news and views I can scare up.

~Sara

The Home Opener Blues

2006-04-10T18:41:00.000-04:00

I've come to a conclusion after the first week of the baseball season. Every Pittsburgher who is a Pirates fan is having to do penance because the Steelers won the Super Bowl. I mean, why else would anyone have to go through the utterly dreadful afternoon that passed for the Pirates 2006 home opener? I barely made it through five innings before I decided to beat rush hour traffic and go the heck home.

I'll admit it. They did it to me again. I was so convinced that the additions of Sean Casey, Joe Randa and Jeromy Burnitz along with the Pirates vaunted young pitching staff and All-Star Jason Bay would be enough to push the Pirates into the rarefied air of mediocrity. So, I forked out some cash for partial season tickets (mostly to be guaranteed tix for the All-Star Game) in hopes that the Pirates would somehow manage to finish at .500 this season. Well, 8 games into the season, and I'll be shocked if they even win 70. No matter how you try to spin it, 1 - 7 is not a good start.

This has got to be one of the worst teams I've ever seen in all of my years as a baseball chick. I had barely gotten comfortable in my 1st base line box seat when some dude named Jason Repko crushed a Zach Duke pitch down the left field line to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. It wasn't even 1:45 and the game was already over. By the time the Pirates came up for their second at-bat in the bottom of the second, they were already losing 5-0. Zach Duke couldn't get anyone out. Duke joins the ranks of yet another whiz bang, 3 month wonder who flops the next season. And to make matters worse, the Pirates had tons of chances to get back into the game but couldn't get any hits with runners on base. "All-Star" Jason Bay came up with the bases loaded in the third inning with only one out and proceeded to ground into a double play on the first pitch. My roomie Rachel had to restrain me from running out onto the field and clocking him. On three other occasions, Bay came up with runners on and made outs. Same old gutless Buccos.

I know it's only the first week, and I know it's a very, very long season, but my patience is gone. Until the pitchers start getting someone out and the hitters start getting big hits, I will be continually complaining about how awful the Pirates are. And when I am forced to go to the games, I will be booing my guts out when the Pirates suck like only they can.

And you know what was even worse? It was one of the most beautiful days I can ever remember for a home opener. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the temperature was comfortable, PNC Park was sold out, and I had optimism in my heart. That obviously didn't last long. And then there were the two drunken idiots sitting next to me who got in a fight over exactly how bad the Pirates are. I had to scream at them to get them to stop. Needless to say, by the time we did leave, my wonderful mood had completely vanished.

Oh, and as much as I am proud that Michael Keaton is a fellow Pittsburgher who has made good in Hollywood, couldn't the Pirates have found someone else to throw out the first pitch, like, oh, I don't know, the head coach of the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers? That just goes to show how jealous the Pirates are of the Steelers. I mean, Jerome Bettis threw out the first pitch for the Detroit Tigers today. The Bus is from Detroit, so I get that, but Bill Cowher should have thrown out the first pitch today. Period.

So, here I sit, cranky, tired and wishing I'd just gone to work today instead of allowing the Pirates to ruin what is usually one of my most favorite days every year.

There's something to be said for low expectations, and when it comes to the Pirates, having any kind of good expectations is a recipe for disaster.

~Sara

Friday Frivolity - Part Deux

2006-04-07T20:52:00.000-04:00

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This is actually a second blog entry in one day. I know, I know. What's gotten into me? What can I say? It's Friday night, and I don't have anything better to do. Well actually, I'll be heading out for my own brand of Friday frivolity upon completion of said blog entry. Nothing quite like a Friday night out with the girls in Western PA.

Anyway, I promised a review of this past Tuesday's first new Gilmore Girls in a month. And it was well worth the wait, let me tell you.

Title: I'm OK, You're OK
Writer: Keith Eisner
Director: Lee Shallat-Chemel

When we last left young Rory, she had told that cad Logan to take a hike upon discovering he had slept with all of the bridesmaids in his sister's wedding party. He thought they were broken up; she thought they were on a hiatus. Of course, in Logan's world, being broken up is cause to screw anyone who will put out, but I digress. Anyway, Rory had retreated to Paris' slum apartment and proceeded to make up with really the only person outside of her mother who does understand her, even if Paris has a very odd way of showing it. Well, Mr. Wonderful managed to track down Rory, and Paris, of course, launched into the full Paris, even threatening to "pull a Bonaduce" on Logan. That was but the first of many great lines that night. But to make a long story short, Logan seemingly won Rory's forgiveness and the two of them left together. Things were back to normal between the two of them, right? Don't think so because Rory just happens to show up in Stars Hollow a day later, making no mention of her formerly estranged beau. Very suspicious, indeed.

Now while all of this is going on, the subplot between the now engaged couple of Lane and Zack moved on at full speed. Lane is on cloud nine and had even moved back in with Zack and Brian. Of course, one last obstacle remains before Zack and Lane can be wed: he had to tell Lane's mother. One of the most engaging things about GG is that the characters actually grow and change as the season pass. Take Ms. Kim for example. When the show first debuted, she was nothing more than the overprotective mama who drove Lane completely nuts. However, as time has gone on, Mrs. Kim has softened, and last season she even went so far as to book Lane's band on a series of concert gigs in and around Stars Hollow. So when Zack comes to ask Mrs. Kim for Lane's hand in marriage, it's no surprise when she's less interested in Zack's job in the real world and more interested in his music. If Zack wants to marry Lane, then he has to come up with a hit song in 24 hours, which he does with Mrs. Kim's help. It seems that Mrs. Kim knows far more about popular music than she's ever let on, as evidenced by the reference to The Dave Clark Five she makes.

As much as I love the relationship between Lorelai and Rory, it's the subplots with the other denizens of Stars Hollow that really make the show for me. As far as I'm concerned, there hasn't been enough Sookie and Michel this season, and even busy-body Taylor hasn't been seen much. Of course, there's always looney Kirk and his ever-changing job. This week, he's in real estate, using the lobby of The Dragonfly as a de facto office and referring to himself in the third person because "That's Kirk's thing".

So back to Rory and Lorelai. Rory shows up at Luke's as Lorelai is busy trying to talk Luke into buying new luggage for a trip to Philadelphia as a chaperone for daughter April's field trip. You can tell Lorelai is still uneasy about the whole "Luke suddenly has a daughter" thing which is furthered by her outright refusal to find out anything about April or her mother. So, of course, Rory just has to take a trip to Anna Nardini's one-of-a-kind shop the next town over. Lorelai is quite unhappy about Rory's little excursion, and I think that eventually she and Anna are going to have to meet. I just hope it's civil.

And as a quick aside, just let me say that Sherilyn Fenn looks fabulous in the role of Anna's mother. Someone give her a series, for goodness sake!

Oh, in the midst of all of this, it wouldn't be a true GG episode unless Rory and Lorelai had an ongoing discussion about some movie or another. This time it happened to be Final Destination 3. Predictably, Lorelai didn't understand the whole "Death as the villain" theme, and it made perfect sense to Rory. This does my heart good because this is exactly what was missing from GG earlier this season when Lorelai and Rory were apart. Memo to Amy Sherman-Palladino: NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.

The real revelation in this episode was that Richard and Emily are looking at homes in Stars Hollow, something that Kirk let slip, even though he couldn't tell Lorelai anything about it. Gotta love Kirk. This all came after a very amusing family dinner at Lorelai's house which featured Richard and Emily dining on comfort food that Sookie had brought over for Lorelai and Rory. I about died laughing as Richard commented on Pasta a la Sookie (mac n cheese for us plebians) saying it was quite unlike anything he'd ever eaten before.

I could go on and on about how wonderful this episode was, but I think you get the gist by now. And as GG draws closer to it's 6th season finale, it looks like the Rory/Logan relationship is at a crossroads. Seems she didn't tell Mr. Wonderful she was going home for a while and also didn't answer any of his calls. But everything's okay with them. Sure it is...

And Lorelai's steadfast denial to get involved with Luke and April will be soon coming to an end as Lorelai will apparently be helping out with April's makeover party in a future episode. Can't wait to see how she gets involved in that.

Okay, I'm done blabbing. Just make sure you watch next week's episode as it looks like Rory and Logan are about to reach a turning point in their relationship. Hopefully it will involve her dumping him once and for all.

Have a good weekend, kids!

~Sara

Friday Frivolity - Part 1

2006-04-07T16:16:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I know...I'm a baaaaad blogger. I blame it on my upbringing. Okay, maybe not, but I do blame it on there not being enough hours in the day to do everything I want. Yours truly is in great demand, and between my blog, doing reviews, story writing, friends, and, y'know, work, the blog had to give this week. But I intend on partly making up for that today with a double shot of Scribblings and (possibly) a rare Saturday edition of everyone's favorite blog (that no one talks about).

As a way to whet your appetite, I will be saving my review of this past Tuesday's Gilmore Girls for Part 2 of today's blog, but let me say, it was one of the best episodes of the entire season. There was barely any Logan (always a good thing), and lots of doings in and around Stars Hollow. Best of all is the impromptu dinner that Lorelai and Rory share with Richard and Emily at Lorelai's house. However, if you want to know more, you'll just have to check back in a few hours.

Speaking of my beloved GG, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly has some tidbits regarding this season's finale, which will air on May 9. For all of you 24 fans, Mary Lynn Rasjkub (everyone's favorite sexy computer geek, Chloe) will be making a guest appearance as a troubadour in Stars Hollow for "Troubapalooza". More importantly, the two biggest relationships on the show (Luke-Lorelai & Logan-Rory) will come to some sort of boiling point. I am on record as saying that Luke and Lorelai need to be together, no matter what Amy Sherman-Paladino thinks, and that giving Logan the heave-ho would make many, many people happy. Now that Milo Ventimiglia's new show is about to go belly-up, perhaps ASP could talk him into coming back (at least for a few guest shots) to ride off into the sunset with Rory (provided that next season is the last year of GG).

Oh, for those of you who want to hear more from MLR regarding her forthcoming appearance on GG, Michael Ausiello has an exclusive interview with her in this week's Ausiello Report. Oh, I finally got around to seeing Michael's "cameo" on Veronica Mars last month, and let me say that it's wonder people aren't knocking his door down to give him more work. And before he gets his panties in a bunch, I'm just messing with MA. He's the guy when it comes to TV scoops and tidbits, and I'd go nuts without his columns online and in TV Guide. And yes, I am kissing major butt hoping that some day, he'll give me a shout out like I do to him every week.

Okay, time for this girl to get back to work. Be back later with my GG review plus more news and tidbits from around the entertainment world.

~Sara

Quicky Comic Reviews

2006-04-03T19:56:00.000-04:00

After a long weekend of resting up from my vacation (yes, I still needed to rest even after being away for a week), I'm back with the first new Scribblings of the week and my first new set of comic reviews.

First up this week is Hawkgirl #50 by Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin, in which the duo take a solo Hawkgirl "One Year Later" from the as-yet-unrevealed events of Infinite Crisis. I had very high expectations for this book considering the authors, but after only one issue, I'm already questioning DC's decision to make the book a solo title for Hawkgirl with Hawkman gone missing after Infinite Crisis.

DC went to great lengths to try to clean up Hawkman's muddled continuity, and I can't understand why they felt the need to have him go away, even if for a short while. I'm sure he'll be back before long, and while I hope that the mystery Simonson sets up in the first issue will be tied into to Carter Hall's return, I think being away from a monthly book for so long has eroded Simonson's once-impressive skills. And don't even get me started on Chaykin's rather uninspired artwork. [1.5 stars out of 4]

If you want to read my full review, head on over to Fantasybookspot.com.

Next up is the first issue of J. Michael Straczynski's new Squadron Supreme series. After the events of Supreme Power and the Hyperion and Nighthawk mini-series, JMS has finally gotten around to the establishment of the Squadron, though in typical JMS fashion, the build-up is somewhat long and lots of questions are left unanswered. The biggest change is that Squadron Supreme no longer is burdened with being a MAX title (even though it still carries a Parental Advisory label) which will allow it to reach a broader audience. If that's the case, then I hope JMS speeds up the pace of his storytelling.

The biggest problem I had with Supreme Power is that nothing really ever happened until the end of the story arc. Way too many comics these days seem to be written with the trade in mind, and JMS is especially guilty of that. It's okay to tell a few two part stories that still advance the overall plot but can be read on their own. With a more mainstream audience, I think JMS will have to pick up the pace of his stories, lest he alienate some of his readership. Artistically, Gary Frank's pencils and Jon Sibal's inks are still the best part of this series. Overall though, I'm skeptical about how this series will sustain itself now that the Squadron has actually been formed, under the auspices of the U.S. Government. [2 stars out of 4]

And finally, we come to the best book I picked up this past week, All-Star Superman #3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. For everything that All-Star Batman and Robin hasn't been (y'know, good), All-Star Superman has lived up to and maybe even exceeded my expectations.

Grant Morrison can be hit or miss for me. I loved his work on JLA but not so much on New X-Men. Yet, knowing what reverence he has for DC's biggest hero, I had no doubt he would craft a tale that would be both exciting and thought-provoking. In the third episode, Morrison borrows a premise that you might have seen in a Superman comic back in the 1950's: what would happen if Lois Lane had Superman's powers? However, instead of it being a fantasy story, Morrison makes Lois gaining Superman's powers part of the overall story.

For Lois' birthday, Superman gives her his super-powers (in liquid form, no less) for a period of 24 hours. What follows is Lois' day as Superwoman, from encountering a monster from the Earth's core to being held in a state between life and death by the Ultra Sphinx to a kiss from Superman on the moon. If you're expecting Lois to engage in battle, then you'll probably be disappointed. However, if you want to see how Lois reacts to actually living Superman's life for a day and being able to go all of the places he can, then you're in luck.

Frank Quitely is providing some of his best work on this series, and his familiarity with Morrison is so evident throughout. His art never gets in the way and succeeds in complimenting the story, like a good artist should (are you listening Rob Liefeld?). I'm still not Quitely's biggest fan, but his artwork has improved greatly since his run on New X-Men. I'm very much looking forward to episode 4. [3.5 stars out of 4]

Okay, boys and girls, that's it for tonight. Time for me to get ready to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. I'm torn because Ben Howland (coach of UCLA) used to coach at the University of Pittsburgh (the hometown school), yet I just think Florida's athleticism might be too much for the Bruins. I just hope it's a better game than either of the Final Four games which were dreadful.

Later, kids!

~Sara

News and Notes on Thirsty Thursday

2006-03-30T20:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so saying it's "Thirsty Thursday" is kind of silly for a blogger since I'm not really giving away any beer to my loyal (yet strangely silent) readership. Yet, I still feel the need to have a silly title leading off today's edition of the Scribblings, cuz that's how I roll. Oh lord, did I really just type that? Anyway, onto today's tidbits...

- Big news for sci-fi geeks across the pond (and here in the States) as the second season of the BBC's new Doctor Who will debut over Easter weekend on April 15th. You can read the full story over at Dark Horizons (always gotta give a shout out to Garth). David Tennant is the latest actor to step into the TARDIS, and he provides a smattering of what to expect this next season, including a return of another classic Doctor Who villain, the Cybermen (who always creeped me out more than the Daleks ever did). It also seems that Rose's boyfriend, Mickey, will be joining the Doctor and Rose on their travels this season, and much-loved former companion Sarah-Jane Smith will also be making an appearance.

While I am geeked about seeing Sarah-Jane again after all of these years, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by making Mickey a regular. He always came off like a whiny bitch to me more often than not, and even though Tennant says that Mickey "saves the day", I'll be hard pressed to accept him as anything more than a third wheel.

What I am most curious of is seeing how Tennant will play the Doctor. Christopher Eccleston's version of the Doctor was probably the best since Tom Baker, and I will be admittedly biased until I see the spin that Tennant brings to the role. Pictures of him already suggest a decidedly different portrayal and possibly a departure from the edge that Eccleston brought to the role, and I believe that's a good thing. I just hope Tennant sticks around for more than one season and gives his Doctor a chance to grow.

Currently the first season of the new Who is airing Friday nights on the Sci-Fi Channel, and if you aren't checking it out, you don't know what you're missing. Doctor Who hasn't been this good since Tom Baker hung up his scarf 25 years ago.

If you want to find out more, then click on over to an interview Tennant and Billie Piper did for BBC Online.

So what does this mean for the Whovians among us who don't live in the UK? Well, unless you are among those of us who have access to certain file sharing programs, you'll have to wait until Sci-Fi starts airing the eps sometime in 2007, I'd guess. However, I'm hoping that a certain friend of mine will come through with the new episodes as they become available. I wonder what I'll owe her this time.

- I'd been waiting for years, hoping that someone at Warner Bros would hear my prayers. Well, those prayers have been answered! Pinky and the Brain is coming to DVD on July 25th! What, you were expecting something earth-shattering? You all should know by now that the silliest little things bring me joy, and when I read this tidbit on TVShowsonDVD.com, it made my morning.

For those of you unaware of PatB, allow me to enlighten you. Pinky originally started as a recurring segment on Animaniacs (which is also finally coming to DVD) before spinning off into its own show. The premise is simple, yet so hilarious: a pair of laboratory mice try to take over the world, usually with disastrous results. Pinky is simple-minded and most likely insane (but in a good way). The Brain is, well, a brain, but his plans always seem to go awry no matter how well he plans them out. Like a lot of cartoon shows from the late 90's, Pinky is littered with pop culture references and inside jokes that you have to be old enough to either get or appreciate. Yet, at it's heart, it's still a funny cartoon that kids can enjoy.

Perhaps the best known segment of Pinky are the "ponderings". In every episode, the Brain, in a flash of inspiration would ask his dimwitted friend, "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" and Pinky would always respond with a complete non sequitur, such as, "Well, I think so Brain, but I can't memorize a whole opera in Yiddish". If you want a complete list of The Ponderings, check out Richard Watanabe's Complete Pondering List. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to read it again and again.

So there ya go, boys and girls. This is what passes for big news in my little corner of the world. I mean, who else would devote a blog to a British sci-fi series that won't be airing in the U.S. for at least a year and a DVD release for a cartoon show that's been off the air for nearly 5 years? You don't get this kind of entertainment anywhere else, I'd wager.

Okay, I'm outta here till tomorrow, when I'll return with my first comic reviews in nearly a month. Later, Scribbleheads!

~Sara

Twisted Ankles and Hooters

2006-03-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm a klutz. Always have been and probably always will be. I accept this. However, my propensity to trip over my own two feet and my admittedly weak ankles don't stop me from wearing shoes that really don't provide much in the way of support. And while I would never classify myself as a girly-girl, I do have a weakness for shoes, sandals in particular. And it was wearing said sandals that in part led to a very embarrassing incident this past Monday afternoon.

Monday was to be the getaway day for my roomie Rachel and me. We were taking the redeye out of Las Vegas home, so after we checked out of the hotel, we hopped into our ridiculously overpriced rental car and drove around town. After checking out the way overrated Palms and the tres cool Rio, Rachel wanted to head back into town and do some sightseeing and shopping to help waste time before our flight. I had no problems with this, and killing time is one of those areas in which I thrive. However, just as we were making our way back onto the Strip, Rachel had what she believed was a brilliant idea. She wanted to check out the all-new, all-tacky Hooters Hotel and Casino. Yes, boys and girls, Hooters is now in the hotel business. And since I wasn't the one driving, I reluctantly gave in. And no, I'm not one of those girls who gets all offended by the blatant sexualization of Hooters. No one forces these girls to work there, and a job is a job. You'd never catch me dead in an outfit like that, but that's just me.

Anyway, Hooters is adjacent to the Tropicana Hotel, and since the Trop's parking lot was all-but-empty, Rachel parked there. We made our way through the parking lot and down the way to Hooters. However, instead of just going back out onto the sidewalk and taking that path to the hotel, yours truly, the queen of the shortcuts decided that it would be quicker to walk through a slim opening in the bushes that lined the property. Big mistake. No sooner had I walked through the shrubbery when my foot came down awkwardly in a pile of gravel, causing said weak ankle (supported by nothing since I was wearing my favorite sandals) to buckle. I ended up falling butt first into the rocks in a small degree of pain from a twisted ankle. Of course Rachel was off in la-la land just in front of me, so she didn't notice I had biffed it until I yelped.

So there I was, sitting on the ground just outside of the Hooters Hotel and Casino, holding my ankle, trying not to cry and praying that no one saw me go down. As my luck would have it, someone did see me, someone very hunky with a wonderful tan and a warm smile. He all-but rushed over to where I was and immediately offered whatever help he could. By this time, a combination of pain and embarrassment had taken hold of my tongue, and I could barely string two coherent words together. I sounded like Buffy in that episode when she reverts to a primitive state. I swear to god that I think I said, "Ankle hurt" to my handsome stranger, and despite my lack of a vocabulary, I was able to communicate to him that I had a tender ankle and would welcome his help in getting into the casino. And with Rachel's "help", Josh (as he told me his name was, though it took awhile for it to sink in) led me into the casino.

Before I could tell him not to, he had gotten an icepack from one of the waitress, sat me down, elevated my ankle and told me to not move. Rachel watched on with amusement as several Josh fretted over me. When I finally regained my senses and realized my ankle was only twisted, I very politely (for me, anyway) asked Josh to give me some space. I think I must have turned 12 shades of pink, but I just felt like such a dummy. I mean, we were going to be walking around most of the day, and I decided to wear strappy sandals. Not a good idea.

When the pain died down and determined I could move my ankle, I told Rachel that I wanted to go back to the car so I could change into sneakers. Rachel made protestations that we should stay until I was sure my ankle was okay (mostly, I think because of hunky Josh), but I had to get out of there. I did not want to spend what remained of my vacation sitting in Hooters. So, I got off my chair and limped out the door, leaving the casino and Josh behind. Rachel reluctantly followed but not before giving her cell phone number to Josh so he could call her and find out if I was okay.

Two days later, my ankle is still a bit tender, so I've done my best to stay off my feet as much as possible, which is hard when you work in a bookstore.

I guess the moral of the story is to wear more sensible shoes if you're going to be walking around Las Vegas while wasting time before your 11pm flight home. Otherwise you might end up hobbling into the Hooters Hotel and Casino on the arm of a cute guy. On second thought, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Oh, one more thing, Josh did call Rachel later on to check up on me. That's the good news. The bad news? Josh is engaged as I found out from the emails we've been bouncing back and forth the past few days. It just figures that the only cute, nice guy I met on the entire trip is engaged. Oh well, what can ya do?

That's it for now, boys and girls. Be back tomorrow with my daily dose of entertainment news delivered as only I can. C'ya!

~Sara

Back from Sin City

2006-03-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

I have returned safe and sound (for the most part) from my week of fun and gambling in the fabulous Las Vegas. I know you guys missed me, and I would have regaled everyone with an exhaustive recap of my daily shenanigans, but frankly, I was more interested in playing the nickel poker machines. Unfortunately, I didn't win enough money to quit my job and start writing full time, but such is life. However, I did manage to have a few nice hits on the poker machines, a couple of nice runs at the tables and a very successful time betting on sports for the first time in my life. And that leads me to those NCAA tourney picks I made before departing last week.

As I watched the games unfold Thursday and Friday, a smug smile came to my face as I correctly predicted 6 out of the 8 Sweet 16 games. This also led me to having a fine time actually betting on the games at the Stratosphere's sports book. In fact, I had 3 wins and a push on Friday night which translated into some nice extra cash for use at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Saturday night (more on that later). However, my Elite 8 picks pretty much stunk up the joint as I only had 1 out of 4 right (though I did manage a split actually betting on the games). Now what does this all mean? Not a damned thing. I just got lucky. Believe me, I'm not about to abandon you guys for a career in sports betting. Though I do have to give myself a small pat on the back as I nearly had the winner NASCAR race until that bastard Kurt Busch passed my boy Matt Kenseth at the end of the race. And yes, in addition to being a hoops junkie, I'm a NASCAR fan, too. What can I say? A lot of the drivers are really good looking.

Anyway, enough with the sports and onto more important things like exhaustively recapping each and every detail of my trip. Well, maybe not, but here are some highlights:

- Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is the place to be on a Saturday night in Las Vegas if you're looking for a good place to dance and have a good time but don't want to pay a huge cover or have to dress up. Yeah, you can go party with the pretty people at The Palms, but I'll bet you wouldn't have had a good time like I did getting my groove on with a bevy of pretty cute guys.

- Even though the Stratosphere is way at the other end of the Strip, I totally recommend it. Awesome casino, friendly people, sweet buffet (I'm gonna be paying for all that I ate), and just a short walk away from the Las Vegas Monorail which quickly and safely gets you into the heart of the Strip in only about 20 minutes.

- Unlike the last time I visited Vegas, I actually came home with some money! This was thanks in part to hitting 4 Aces on the nickel poker machine Sunday afternoon and a few nice table runs (Pai Gow Poker rules!). Of course, I did get my butt kicked playing Blackjack, to the point that I was actually predicting the hands the dealer would have. I mean, I would be sitting pretty with 18, 19 or 20, and of course, the dealer would just have to beat me, pretty much every time.

- The Palms isn't all it's cracked up to be. My roomie Rachel and I rented a car yesterday and took an afternoon drive to what is supposed to be the place to be seen for the 30 and under crowd in Las Vegas. Maybe it's because we were there in the middle of the day, but man, was it a snore fest. There was barely anyone in the casino. By contrast, the Stratosphere's casino was hopping pretty much 24/7. For what The Palms costs, I was expecting a modern day Babylon. Big disappointment.

- If The Palms was a huge letdown, then The Wynn was a big surprise. Since it's Vegas' newest hotel/casino, I really didn't know what to expect, but after just a short walkthrough, I fell in love with the place. It's gorgeous and probably well worth the small fortune it would cost to stay there. Much too pricey for cheapskate me, but if you go to Vegas you have to at least spend some time there.

- At the other end of the spectrum is the little joint next to Circus Circus and across the street from The Riviera known as Slots A Fun. Slots is home to the best .75 margarita you'll ever want to have and to probably the cheapest table games in town. I played a little roulette there and a .50 bet on lucky 18 (along with a few corner bets) scored a nice payday. It's not exactly the neatest or roomiest place in LV, but I had good, cheap fun.

- The shopping. I had to tell myself constantly to not buy every cute pair of shoes I saw or to buy every trinket I just had to have. From the Fashion Shops across from The Wynn to all of the shops at The Venetian and the rest of the hotels, Las Vegas is a haven for those of us out there who really need to have overpriced clothes and shoes.

- The food. I love buffets. I can't help myself sometimes and continually thank my lucky stars that I still have a healthy metabolism. Yet, after all I ate last week at the Stratosphere's sumptuous Courtyard Buffet, I have a long week at the gym ahead of me.

Well, seeing as though I'm still on Vegas time, I think I'm going to go take my afternoon nap and then see about maybe dragging my butt to the gym. I already miss the pool and the sun and the sights and sounds. I guess there's always next year.

More stories tomorrow, including the sad tale of how I sprained my ankle walking to the Hooters Hotel and Casino.

Later, boys and girls!

~Sara

Fearless Final Four Picks

2006-03-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

We're down to the Sweet 16 as the 3rd round of the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball tournament resumes on Thursday. Yours truly will be watching the festivities from the fabulous Las Vegas, NV, betting a small amount on each of the remaining games. So, here we go with my predictions:

Thursday - Duke vs. LSU - hard to bet against the Blue Devils, though LSU will be a good test for Coach K's boys. Take Duke

Texas vs. West Virginia - Texas' athleticism prevails against WVU's plethora of 3-point shooters.

Memphis vs. Bradley - The Braves have had a great run. It comes to an end here as Memphis rolls to an easy win.

Gonzaga vs. UCLA - This could be the best game of the whole tournament, and I think this will go down to the end, with UCLA holding on to win.

Friday - UConn vs. Washington - Now that we've reached the Sweet 16, UConn will start playing like the best team in the nation. UConn all the way.

George Mason vs. Wichita State - The battle of the Cinderellas. GM beat the Shockers a month ago, and after seeing who GM dismantled Michigan State and North Carolina, I'm going with Mason.

Villanova vs. Boston College - In the battle of a current and former Big East schools, the size and experience of BC will be too much for Nova.

Florida vs. Georgetown - The Hoyas were impressive against Ohio State, but Florida has been solid throughout the first two rounds. I'm going with Florida.

Onto the Elite 8...Duke over Texas, UCLA over Memphis, UConn over George Mason and BC over Florida.

Final Four: Duke over UCLA, UConn over BC. And in the championship, it's UConn handily defeating Duke and cutting down the nets.

So there you have it, my Fearless Final Four Picks. I'll probably end up losing my shirt in Vegas, but I'll go down swinging.

Take care, boys and girls. See you in a week!

~Sara

Bad Blogger

2006-03-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, so, yeah, it's been well over a week since the last new Scribblings appeared, and I know you've all been wondering, "Where the heck has she been?". Well, circumstances beyond my control left me unable to blog for the better part of the past week and a half, and unfortunately, after tomorrow, there won't be another blog till the following Tuesday. Unless of course I can find computer access while I'm on vacation in the fabulous Las Vegas, NV. Yes, that's right, boys and girls, yours truly is getting out of the friendly confines of western Pennsylvania for a whole week to go gamble and party in Sin City. You can all proceed to be jealous right now.

So, did anything happen while I was away? Oh yeah, there was a little something called the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Of course, my brackets went into the garbage after the first weekend, just like always. I mean, George Mason and Bradley in the Sweet 16? The only person who picked GM was Phil The Show Killer's Mom on The Tony Kornheiser Show. And of course, I had Pitt in the Sweet 16, and they laid a colossal egg yesterday. At least I won't have to worry about betting on them next weekend. I'll try to have my Final Four pics in before I head out to LV. Chances are they'll be totally wrong, but a girl can try, can't she?

While I'm still thinking about it, I must urge each and every one of you to either make time to watch or set your TiVos to record the new Doctor Who on Sci-Fi. Thanks to the efforts of my gal Val, I've seen all 13 episodes of the BBC's 2005 relaunching of the classic sci-fi series, and if you're a fan of the original series (like I am thanks to PBS), I don't think you'll be disappointed by the new version. Granted, it is much different than the original. For one thing, there aren't 4 and 5 parts for each story, so the pacing of each story is much faster. The special effects are also light years beyond the Z-grade effects that the old series was so known for. Granted, compared to what you'll see in your average Hollywood blockbuster, the effects still aren't mind-blowing, but I don't watch Doctor Who for the effects.

As the most recent incarnation of the Doctor, Christopher Eccleston brings a sharp wit and boyish enthusiasm to the role. His Doctor is brilliant, impatient, yet very caring when he lets his guard down. And don't expect to see him clad in a long trenchcoat or scarf; this Doctor wears a leather jacket. Best of all, he has the sonic screwdriver, my all-time favorite Who gadget. I find myself wishing I had a sonic screwdriver on a daily basis. Okay, maybe not daily, but every now and then.

And joining the Doctor on his journeys is young Rose Tyler (ably portrayed with loads of spunk by Billie Piper), a modern-day Londoner who (like most of the Doctor's companions) becomes drawn to the Doctor and his promise of fantastic adventures across time and space. Rose is much more of a partner than companion to the Doctor, helping him out and keeping him grounded in humanity.

I won't dole out any spoilers, but suffice to say that the most well-known of all the Doctor's nemeses (the Daleks) will be appearing. However, these Daleks aren't like anything you've ever seen before.

Anyway, that's all for me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with my last pre-vacation blog. Later, boys and girls.

~Sara

Disinformation? It's more like no information.

2006-03-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

I have a bone to pick with Cartoon Network's VP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Terry Kalagian. She did an interview over at Newsarama conducted by Steve Fritz in his weekly "Animated Shorts" column. This isn't really about my disappointment that Justice League Unlimited won't be coming back for another season (okay, that's a small part of it). It's mostly about the incredible amount of non-information she was spouting out during the interview.

She begins by practically gushing about all of the anime that CN is bringing back from Japan, which is all well and fine, but if you ever catch me watching an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh, you have my permission to smack me upside the head. Then Fritz asks her a relatively straight-forward question: Are there any plans for any new anime properties coming? Kalagian then proceeds to answer "I really can't say". Huh? Why can't you say? Is it so secret that you can't tell a guy who is interviewing you pretty much for the sole purpose of promoting how awesome CN (and you) are? Instead she gives the standard, well, we're looking at this and that and we're in touch with him and her, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Fritz then goes on to ask her about the oft-rumored Hellboy cartoon (which I think has a chance to be outstanding). Kalagian answers, "I'm not allowed to talk about it, not yet." Okay, folks, reality check here. This is Cartoon Network, not the Pentagon. And to make things worse, after Fritz mentions graphics he's seen on the net, she says she's aware of them but can only say how excited she is about it. And she does the same thing when Fritz asks her about Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes and Doom Patrol. She says, "You know I can't say anything about it, Steve. You know it."

Now, bear in mind that this interview happened after CN's upfront presentation for the coming year, so there's really no reason I can see for her not to be a little less coy about these shows, all of which I'm going to guess we'll see on CN sooner or later.

And then we come to the "best" part of the interview when Fritz brings up all of the controversy surrounding the recently released Ultimate Avengers, controversy that Kalagian professes to have no knowledge of. Hello? Ultimate Avengers has endured tremendous criticism. A friend of mine at work whose opinion I greatly trust when it comes to all things comics and animation told me in no uncertain terms that it completely sucked. I'll have to see for myself, but I've really not heard or read anyone go out of their way to praise it.

Now, I understand that Kalagian has to be cordial about the controversy since CN will be airing the new direct-to-video movies that Marvel and Lion's Gate are co-producing, but she could have at least acknowledged the controversy and then defended it. Instead, we got, "Personally, I think Ultimate Avengers is great" and "I also think they did an incredible job with the last 20 minutes, when they are all fighting the Hulk". That's all you have to say? What about answering the critics who say that the DC produced cartoons are light years beyond the first Marvel-produced movie? Is Kalagian so in tune with the company line that she can't recognize the tremendous difference quality-wise between a show like JLU and Ultimate Avengers?

I expected more than a corporate speak interview from someone who is a higher up at CN, but I guess it's all about demographics and production costs today instead of producing and acquiring shows that are entertaining and well produced.

So, here's hoping that even after JLU is done airing, DC will see fit to produce a direct to video movie, much like it did for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman. At least we had a couple seasons of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's vision of the animated DC Universe.

Well, that's it for today. Be back tomorrow with more fun and frivolity. Later, kids.

~Sara

Midweek Musings

2006-03-08T18:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to another glorious Wednesday, the official mid-point of the work week and the oddly named "over the hump day". Of course, the best part about Wednesday is a brand new Ask Ausiello column over at TVGuide.com. For those of you not familiar with the column, I'd check it out immediately, if not sooner. If you want the best inside dirt on your favorite TV shows, then AA is for you. Best of all, Michael is a huge Gilmore Girls fan just like me, so this is where I find my best GG dish. This week is no exception, but the dish is hardly reassuring.

Last week, Lane and Zach got engaged, and this will be the oft-rumored spring wedding that will be taking place (not Luke and Lorelai as many of us had hoped). However, the big news surrounding the wedding is that Lorelai's date to the wedding will be Christopher, not Luke. What does this mean for my favorite TV couple? I don't know, but I'm not liking the direction this all is heading. I made very clear my dislike of how grumpy Luke has been ever since finding out about his daughter, and it's been pretty clear that a rift is growing between him and Lorelai. But why? Is this supposed to make their eventual(?) reuniting that much more special and powerful? They already broke up once before this season, and now they seem to be on that track again. I guess happily ever after doesn't make for good TV.

More will be revealed this Friday when Ausiello debuts an exclusive interview with GG creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Look for it in Michael's other weekly column, The Ausiello Report. If this guy didn't have such good scoops, I might be a little bit jealous that he has two columns a week on TVGuide.com and has had guest shots on Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls. I hope he asked ASP "What's up wit dat?" in regards to the possible Luke and Lorelai break-up. That's what I would have asked, anyway...

Totally unrelated to anything regarding Gilmore Girls is the debut of the trailer for X-Men: The Last Stand, the 3rd (and possibly final) film in 20th Century Fox's highly successful X-Men series. I'm going to assume that pretty much everyone out there has seen it by now, but if you haven't, go do it now. I can wait. Okay, now that you're back, I can talk freely about it.

A lot has been made about Bryan Singer leaving what had been his pet project and moving onto Superman Returns and even more was made about Brett Ratner stepping into the director's chair. The uber-geeks of the world got their collective panties in a bunch over Ratner coming on board to helm the concluding part of the trilogy. They pointed to Ratner-directed films like Rush Hour and Red Dragon as not being up to the snuff of their beloved franchise. Yeah, whatever...

Look, I can't profess to having seen any film that Brett Ratner has directed. Frankly, if I have to listen to Chris Tucker for more than a minute, I want to jab a spork into my ear. However, Ratner knows what it takes to make a blockbuster. His two Rush Hour films made over $360 million dollars domestically (thank you, BoxOfficeMojo.com). While some of his other films (see Family Man and After Sunset) haven't exactly been award-winners, I'm confident that he recognizes how revered and scrutinized the X-Men franchise is and will do it every justice.

Now, the trailer itself offers some interesting tidbits that were not seen in the teaser from last year. Among these tidbits are a funeral scene (once again backing up rumors that at least one major character will die), Jean Grey siding with Magneto, and a scene right out of Chris Claremont and John Byrne's Dark Phoenix Saga when Jean asks Wolverine to kill her. Does this mean we'll be seeing Jean as the Phoenix? We shall see. We also get the first hint of the plot as it's revealed by Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammar in a piece of very inspired casting) that the government has supposedly found a cure for mutants. So, of course, Magneto and his band of "evil" mutants (the Juggernaut among them) are none too happy about this. Mayhem, of course, ensues.

X-Men: The Last Stand will be released on May 26, which is still two and a half months away. In-between now and then, I'm sure someone will either see an advance screening or get their hands on a copy of the script and blather what they found all over the internet (or Ain't It Cool News at the very least). Just don't expect me to either read it or make mention of it. I'm greatly anticipating X-Men: The Last Stand, and I would actually like to be surprised when I see it. I know, I know...god forbid. I mean, just how can a movie be enjoyed if you don't already know everything about it from the opening credits to the name of the second-assistant director in charge of buying the morning coffee?

Anyway, that's it for me for tonight. Be back tomorrow with more of the same wit and wisdom you've come to expect from the Scribblings. Until then, later boys and girls.

~Sara

JLU Review

2006-03-07T18:36:00.000-05:00

If it's Tuesday, then it must be time for my weekly Justice League Unlimited review. As the last new episodes of the series wind down, I feel it necessary to chastise Cartoon Network for pulling the plug on one of the best superhero cartoons in history. Yes, I know it's expensive to produce, and yes, I know that it really doesn't reach CN's juvenile demographic. But really, wouldn't you rather be producing more episodes of JLU than garbage like Ed, Edd and Eddy? There are so many more stories to be told, especially now that nearly all of the heroes and villains of the DC Comics universe are at the creators' disposal. A major part of the reason that I've enjoyed JLU is to see second and third tier heroes like Green Arrow, Doctor Fate, The Question, Stargirl and Red Tornado, to just name a few, have their moment in the sun. Anyway, onto the review.

This week's episode (number 8 in season 5 for those of you scoring at home) is entitled "The Great Brain Robbery" and revolves around the Flash and Lex Luthor accidentally swapping brains and the havoc that ensues because of it.

Some of the episodes this season have been hit or miss (the recent Deadman episode comes to mind), but this episode features many of the things that make JLU so good: action, humor and tension, all well-balanced.

So what's good? The wonderful voice acting of Clancy Brown (as Luthor/Flash) and Michael Rosenbaum (as Flash/Luthor) comes to mind. Hearing Luthor use the Flash's trademark quips, referring to himself in the third person, and saying "Dude" was worth more than a few laughs as was the explanation "Luthor" gives Dr. Polaris why he didn't wash his hands before leaving the mens room ("Because I'm evil!"). And that also begs the question: who knew that the Hall of Doom even had a mens room?

For his part, Rosenbaum manages to not turn Luthor-as-the-Flash into a caricature of the Lex Luthor he plays on Smallville. Perhaps the most amusing bit is when "Flash" looks at himself in the mirror of the Watchtower's mens room, and upon seeing Wally's reflection remarks, "I have no idea who he is".

Also well-played are the interactions between the faux Luthor and the rest of the Secret Society, notably Luthor's paramour, Tala (voiced by Juliet Landau). Tala is quite pleased by how attentive and enthusiastic "Lex" is, and when the real Luthor returns at the end, her disappointment is evident.

As far as the action goes, Luthor gives the small group of heroes on the Watchtower a tough time as he quickly adapts to the Flash's powers, using them in ways Wally can't or won't. In the end, it's the brains of Mr. Terrific that ultimately outsmart Luthor, allowing Doctor Fate to fix the mind swap, but not before Luthor runs roughshod over Green Lantern and Red Tornado.

What's not so good? Well, the whole set up of the episode really forces one to suspend disbelief. It was kinda hard for me to swallow that at the exact same time Luthor is probing Grodd's brain for info about Brainiac, Doctor Fate is trying to locate Grodd through the connection Grodd and Wally once shared. The subsequent feedback causes the brain swap. Just too much of a coincidence for me.

I also didn't buy Doctor Polaris as a rival to Luthor. Of all the villains to choose, writers Dwayne McDuffie and Matt Wayne chose Doctor Polaris (at best, a 3rd string Green Lantern villain), and his pursuit of the leadership of the Society felt forced to me. Sinestro (who is heavily featured) would have been a much better choice. Also, Luthor's quick mastery of the Flash's abilities (which extend far beyond being able to run fast), seemed a bit too convenient to me.

Overall, though "The Great Brain Robbery" was a highly entertaining and amusing episode, easily the best JLU since it returned from its way too long hiatus last month. I give it 3.5 stars (out of 4).

Next week's episode should prove to be interesting as the ladies of the JLU take center stage in "Grudge Match."

I'll be back tomorrow with more Scribbling goodness. Later, kids.

~Sara

The Oscars: Yay or Eh?

2006-03-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

So, the 78th annual Academy Awards have come and gone, and for a person who didn't see any of the movies nominated (yet still felt the need to make her own predictions), I managed to get 3 out of my 6 picks right. If I would have just gone with my first instinct and picked Rachel Weisz for Best Supporting Actress, I would have gotten 4, but that's classic second guessing.

The only winner that really surprised me was George Clooney winning Best Supporting Actor. I hadn't heard much buzz at all about him being a serious contender, but now that I think a little more about it, I'm not all that surprised. It all goes back to how the Academy thinks. Clooney was a triple nominee (for Supporting Actor, Director and Original Screenplay). His competition in the other two categories was very stiff, so it only makes sense he ended up winning for Best Supporting Actor, if only to recognize what was a tremendous year for the one time ER doc. A lot will be made of Clooney's acceptance speech, but no matter your politics, I think we can all agree that his speech came off as genuine and from the heart. Unlike a lot of liberal Hollywood, I think Clooney truly believes in the causes he and his brethren espouse. For an Oscar winner and quite possibly the best looking man in America, Clooney came off more like a regular person than a big star.

Crash winning Best Picture over Brokeback Mountain also wasn't that much of a surprise. It was the "safe" choice. I guess that Hollywood just isn't ready to anoint a film about two gay cowboys as the best movie in a given year. I've heard far too many people say that even though they really didn't like the movie all that much, they thought it "was a great film". This makes not a bit of sense to me. How can you dislike a movie yet think it's great at the same time? Ultimately, this might have been another reason Brokeback Mountain did not win.

Now, as for the show itself, there were some good things and some not so good things, but for the most part, I thought it was a fairly standard show. As a first-time host, Jon Stewart tried his able best to be funny and relevant, but I thought he was guilty of trying a bit too hard. Some of his jokes were laugh out loud funny. Everyone I know laughed at the Bjork/Dick Cheney joke. However, for the most part, he was guilty of laughing at himself way too much or just being too loud when trying to make his joke seem funnier than it was. I also got the sense that he felt a bit overwhelmed being in front of the most powerful people in Hollywood, especially when he admitted up front that his most notable film role was "the fourth male lead in Death to Smoochy". I suspect this will be the first and only time Jon Stewart hosts the Academy Awards.

Outside of Stewart, I thought the show moved along at a fairly quick pace. Anytime you can get the Oscars done in only 3.5 hours has to be considered a minor miracle. The bit at the beginning with all of the past hosts (even Letterman!) turning down the hosting gig was very funny, and the faux political ads for the Best Actress award were innovative and certainly not what I've come to expect from the Oscars. I suspect Stewart and The Daily Show crew had a hand in them.

Some people loved the Ben Stiller in the green suit bit, and others absolutely loathed it. I thought it was funny for the first few moments but quickly got unfunny (much like nearly every Ben Stiller movie that isn't There's Something About Mary). On the other hand, Will Ferrell and Steve Carrell were damned funny during their presentation for Best Make-Up. Sometimes subtle humor is much better than over the top shenanigans. The most unintentional funny moment came when Jennifer Garner (still a bit *ahem* top heavy after giving birth a few months ago) nearly fell while walking out to present her award.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't talk a little about the fashions. Nicole Kidman was absolutely stunning in her ivory-colored dress:

And Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon could not have been any more lovely in her very traditional gown:

And Jessica Alba turned heads in her gold dress:

However, I was surprised that the normally gorgeous Charlize Theron opted for a dress with a gigantic bow on her left shoulder and a not-very-flattering hair style.

I wish that Nicole Kidman's fellow Aussie Naomi Watts had taken some advice from her bud because the star of King Kong settled on a dress that was much too busy for my tastes.

So there you have it. The Academy Awards are done for another year, and before long, the buzz for next year's Oscars will begin. And who knows? Maybe this year, I'll actually see some of the films that were nominated. At least I have the wonderful Netflix to help me finally get around to seeing Brokeback Mountain or Capote.

I'm also hopeful that the trend of nominating critically-acclaimed films that no one has seen will also come to an end. Here's hoping for a box office smash that critics and moviegoers equally enjoy.

That's it for me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with a much-less glamorous edition of Scribblings. Later, kids!

~Sara

It's Oscar Time

2006-03-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

I seem to remember a time when the Academy Awards was about a celebration of the year in movies. You knew the films and stars nominated for the Oscars because you had either seen the movie or at least knew someone who had seen it. But over the past 5 years or so, this has changed drastically. Gone are the days when films like Forrest Gump that were both critically acclaimed and box office hits received Academy Award nominations. As the Oscars have become more political, the films and stars that are nominated more often than not are critically-acclaimed media darlings that only a handful of people have either heard of or seen.

One of the nominees for Best Supporting Actress this year is Amy Adams in a movie called Junebug. Can I have a show of hands out there of anyone who has any sort of knowledge of this movie. *looks around* That's what I thought.

Please don't think that I'm demeaning Amy Adams' performance because I'm not. I'm merely using her as an example as to what the Oscars have become in recent years. It's no longer about acknowledging all films and all performers. It's about the Academy Awards being their own little private club with their own little political agenda. And this isn't a defamation of the liberal media, because both sides of the political spectrum are involved in this. The Oscars are about politics, not great movies and great performances.

I remember a time when I would see at least 4 of the 5 Best Picture nominees every year, mostly because they were movies that were well done and popular. This year? I haven't seen any of them. I'm not saying that the films nominated aren't good movies. On the contrary, I'm sure they are very good films. What I am saying is that, by and large, no one has seen them, and box office numbers provided by BoxOfficeMojo.com back me up.

Of the 5 nominees for Best Picture, the only movie that's even done remotely good business is Brokeback Mountain ($76 million). Capote made a paltry $24 million at the box office, and Good Night and Good Luck made only $30 million. Saw II made $31 million its first weekend. Not that I'm comparing the quality of the three films, but you get my point. And it doesn't stop with the Best Picture noms.

Felicity Huffman is nominated for Best Actress for Transamerica. Now, I love Felicity Huffman. She's a tremendous actress, and there's a good chance she's going to have an Oscar to go along with her Emmy after Sunday night. However, no one has seen the movie. To date, it's made only $5.2 million. There have been Z-grade horror movies that have done better business. However, this is just the kind of performance that the uber-political Academy Awards love to recognize. Huffman portrays a man who is a transvestite who decides he wants to become a she. This is the very sort of movie that makes members of the far right cringe. So, of course, the far left leaning Hollywood has to recognize it. Brokeback Mountain is the ultimate example of this. I mean, a movie about gay cowboys? Of course it was going to get multiple nominations. Nevermind the fact that a lot of the people I know who saw it said it was a good movie, but certainly not a great one.

So, as both political extremes continue to wage war on one another, people in the middle (i.e. the majority of the American public) suffer. I guarantee you that ratings will be down for the Academy Awards this year, if only because people will tune in and say, "I've never heard of any of these movies" and flip over to something else or pop in a DVD of a movie they saw and liked (like Wedding Crashers). It is possible for a movie to be good and to make a lot of money at the box office, but don't tell that to AMPAS, at least not anymore. Sure, all 3 Lord of the Rings movies were nominated and they were huge at the box office, but they are the exception rather than the norm.

With all of that being said, who do I think is going to win? Well, I have my thoughts, and they are based on personal opinion and the opinions of Stephen Hunter and Joe Barber, two Washington, DC, based film critics who have much different takes on what is and isn't a good film. Hunter and Barber gave their respective picks on The Tony Kornheiser Show Thursday and Friday of this week, so I have to give credit to them for educating me on films I really haven't seen. So here goes...

Best Picture - I have to go with Brokeback Mountain. Hunter and Barber both don't think it's going to win because of the controversial subject matter, but that's exactly why I think it's going to win, just so Hollywood can boast how forward-thinking it is.

Best Actor - This one is about as much of a shoo-in as you can get. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has captured nearly all of the pre-Oscar awards for his portrayal of Truman Capote, and his is the sort of performance that is always recognized by the Academy Awards.

Best Supporting Actor - In years past, the Supporting Actor category was used to recognize actors who have had long careers but have gone without an Oscar (see Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Palance and so on). Two actors fall into that category this year: Paul Giamatti and Matt Dillon. A lot of people thought Giamatti was snubbed last year when he didn't get nominated for Sideways, and Dillon's career stretches all the way back to the early 1980's. I'm going with Giamatti for his performance in Cinderella Man. This is the Academy's version of a make good.

Best Actress - Hunter and Barber seem to think the race is between Reese Witherspoon for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line and the aforementioned Felicity Huffman for Transamerica. I'm going to go against the grain here and pick Witherspoon, if only because I think Walk the Line has to win an award of some sort since it wasn't nominated for Best Picture. I'm also going with a performance in a movie that at least more than 35 people have seen.

Best Supporting Actress - This is another two woman race, with the contenders being Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener and Michelle Williams for Brokeback Mountain. Three of the stars from Brokeback Mountain received nominations, and I think that Williams will be the only one of the three to win. I have no real reason for this prediction; I'm just putting myself in the shoes of the people who vote. This is the sort of thing they will do.

Best Director - This is even more of shoo-in than Phillip Seymour Hoffman winning for Capote. Ang Lee will win for Brokeback Mountain. His winning may end up impeding Brokeback Mountain from winning Best Picture, but I'm predicting a director/picture sweep for the movie that's already become a pop culture phenomenon.

The 78th Annual Academy Awards air tomorrow night on ABC at 8pm ET/5pm PT. I doubt I'll be actively watching, but I'll at least try to keep up with it if only to see if my predictions were right or not.

It's a shame that the Oscars have become so political as of late because there are a lot of good movies and good performances that actually made some money at the box office that go unnoticed because of political agendas. Anyway, that's it for me. Be back on Monday with my Academy Awards recap and reactions. Later, kids!

~Sara

Quicky Comic Reviews

2006-03-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

Only 3 titles this week, mainly because the comic shop was already out of JSA by the time I made it there yesterday. What's up with that?

The big title out this week is Infinite Crisis #5. And as a warning, there are spoilers ho, so stop reading if you haven't picked up IC #5. No, really, I mean it.

Anyway, after the events of last issue (which basically consisted of Superboy Prime beating the bejeezus out of the JSA, the Doom Patrol and Teen Titans), Geoff Johns and his merry band of artists finally give the fans what they've been waiting for since the revelation that the Superman of Earth-2 was still alive: the inevitable battle between the current Superman and his long-since forgotten counterpart. The battle, though brief, is very one-sided in Kal-L's favor. Kal blames Clark for the death of the Earth 2 Lois Lane and takes out his anger and frustration on Clark, who is totally clueless as to what is going on.

In the midst of all of this, Wonder Woman also meets up with her Golden Age predecessor who encourages Diana to stop trying to be so perfect and to try to be more human. I think this little exchange will lay the groundwork for Allan Heinberg's forthcoming Wonder Woman relaunch. I have a suspicion that Diana will be taken on a "secret" identity for the first time in this incarnation, though how a 6 foot tall Amazon can have a dual identity is a mystery to me, but I digress.

Diana manages to put a stop to the fight between the two Supermen at which point Kal-L realizes that Alex Luthor has been playing him for the fool the entire time, but before he can get to him, Alex takes his plan one step further, bringing back the entire multiverse in one fell swoop, in his quest to find the "perfect earth". Apparently, Superman is the key to this, though it's not really explained why.

At the end of the issue, the Flash (presumably Wally) emerges from the speed force to warn Dr. Light (the female version, not the mindwiped villain) that Superboy Prime is back and none too happy. The fact that SB Prime is wearing armor very similar to the Anti-Monitor is not lost on me. I'm sure this will play a role down the line. At least I hope it will.

So, we're five issues in to DC's mega-event, and what have we learned? A lot, yet not so much. There are unanswered questions abound, from how in the hell Alex Luthor went from being saver of worlds to being the villain of this whole mess to what caused Superboy Prime to go way off the deep end (I've heard of raging hormones, but jeez). And as much as I have been enjoying IC, I'm still not convinced that DC needed to do a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. As is this case with so many other mega-events DC has done since the original Crisis, IC reads to me like yet another attempt to fix DC's ever-mangled continuity and to introduce a bunch of new books for us readers to spend our money on.

Johns has done his able best to keep a handle on the dozens of characters in each issue as well as weaving mutliple plotlines, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappoined by the artwork. Phil Jimenez was supposed to be the main artist for the series, but most of the recent issues has seen a variety of artists, namely Jerry Ordway, Ivan Reis and George Perez, helping out with the art chores. This has definitely detracted from my enjoyment of the last few issues in the series, as the art is coming off as rushed.

Rumors have been running rampant that the lateness for this issue, as well as the concluding two issues, are because of changes in the story and its conclusion. Of course, I'm sure DC will tell you this is nothing of the sort, but I remember years ago during another mega-event, Armageddon, when the identity of the Monarch was changed from Captain Atom to Hawk for some reason or another. I'm hoping that DC doesn't have a cop-out ending planned for IC, but that remains to be seen. (3 stars out of 4)

Also this week: Ms. Marvel #1. Yes, I'm a sucker for books with female heroes in the lead, and I do think Ms. Marvel is a character who is deserving of her own book, though I think a mini-series might have been a better idea. The first issue spins directly out of Ms. Marvel's recent appearance in New Avengers and her large role in House of M (which I totally didn't read). Basically, the whole first issue is a primer for Carol Danvers' desire to actually be an A-list hero like she was in House of M, instead of the barely B-lister she usually is, even with her ties to the Avengers. I hope that writer Brian Reed (a Bendis disciple) can keep up with his goal to make Ms. Marvel more than just the one-note hero she's been in the past. He appears to have a good grasp on Ms. Marvel and all of the hang ups she's had in her history. We'll see if he can keep my interest through the first story arc, which features alien X-Men baddies, the Brood. The artwork by newcomer Roberto De La Torre is solid, and not too much on the pin-up cheesecake style that the Image boys infected comics with back in the 90's. Overall, though, I give a slight thumbs-up to the debut issue. (2.5 stars)

Last, but certainly not least, this week is Nextwave #2, Warren Ellis' latest foray into the Marvel Universe. In true Ellis style, he takes a team of C-list, second rate heroes and makes you care about them with a combination of humor and over the top violence. Any series that features a giant green dragon wearing purple underpants being defeated by an android that gives him indigestion from within has to be worth reading. The dragon in question is old school Marvel monster Fin Fang Foom who is classified as an "Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction", just the sort of threat that the Nextwave team is best at dealing with. Led by the artist formerly known as Captain Marvel and Photon (you know, the chick who led the Avengers for about 5 minutes), the Nextwave team of Tabby Smith (former X-chick), Ellie Bloodstone, Aaron Stack (Machine Man and X-51, among other monikers) and the Captain are on a mission to take out the UWMDs being unleashed upon the USA, and believe me, Fin Fang Foom is pretty unusual. Two issues in, and I'm already hooked. Very highly recommended. (4 stars)

Okay, that's it for me for tonight. Be back tomorrow with my look at this weekend's Academy Awards.

~Sara

More Alias Dish

2006-03-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Dark Horizons.com, here's some more of what to expect as Alias completes its 5-year run this spring.

"TV.Com reports that ABC promises that when "Alias" returns to the airwaves after its hiatus, the series will wrap up storylines with the birth of lead character Sydney's baby and the reappearance of Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) before its finale this season. The show returns to the schedule with a two-hour blowout Wednesday, April 19th at 8pm, followed by the show's 100th episode the following week when it will return in its old post-"Lost" timeslot. ABC says that Vaughn will be back before the end of the season, but didn't give any more details. They did indicate though that it'll wrap up the outcome of the Rambaldi Prophecy from the first season, the fate of Sydney's sister Nadia, and the return of such characters as Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), Julian Sark (David Anders), Anna Espinosa (Gina Torres) and Irina Derevko (Lena Olin)."

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Finally, we'll have the rassa frassa Rambaldi Prophecy silliness wrapped up. It was interesting when the show first started, but it became so convoluted after awhile that I stopped caring about it. I'd even thought that it had been brought to a conclusion, but I guess not.

Anyway, here's hoping for a glorious and happy ending for a show that at one time was my at the top of my "Must Never Miss" list. It's the show that launched Jennifer Garner into stardom and made being a spy cool again. For its first season and a half, Alias was easily the best show on television, and while it's not the show it once was, I'll still be eagerly watching the remaining 8 episodes.

That's all for now, boys and girls. Be back later tonight with my comic picks of the week.

~Sara

Gilmore Goodness

2006-03-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

Last night's Gilmore Girls will be the last new GG until April 11, so you had to figure something significant would be happening. The something of significance turned out to be several things, most of which centered around the on-again, off-again relationships of Rory and best friend Lane.

I'll go on record as saying that I'm not the biggest Logan fan in the world. In fact, I've pretty much disliked him from the first moment he began courting Rory last season. He seemed much too smarmy and conceited for down-to-earth Rory. Yet, Rory fell for him and set in motion the events that led to her falling out with Lorelai and leaving Yale. Now, while I understand show creator Amy Sherman-Paladino's need to split up Rory and Lorelai for the first part of the season, I think it could have been handled in a way that wouldn't have seem so forced and so out of character for both Gilmore girls. As a result, it's basically taken more than half the season for the show to find its footing again.

Last night's episode, entitled "Bridesmaids Revisited," again puts the Logan/Rory relationship on thin ice. It was inevitable that Logan would do something to lose Rory's trust again. After all, just last episode, she said he could be "the one," meaning something bad had to happen. However, even I was a bit surprised at the depths Logan had stooped to during his break-up with Rory. It seems that during the few months he and Rory had been apart, Logan had a fling with each of the girls acting as bridesmaids for his sister Honor's wedding. Of course, Rory finds this out from each girl Logan slept with as they randomly blurt it out as they dress for the wedding. Rory is understandably put off by all of this, and when Logan comes to find her, she lays into him. Logan says he was depressed, they didn't mean anything to him, blah, blah, blah. Please.

Being depressed is no excuse to want to sleep with every chick who will put out for you. And what kills me the most is that Rory is initially somewhat surprised by this. She should have seen it coming. This is the kind of life Logan leads. I'm not making any excuses for him, but he doesn't know any better or any different. He's not going to change. He says he loves Rory, and I'm sure he does, but what love means to him and what love means to Rory are not the same. Will this be the end of them? Probably not. Matt Czuchry, who plays Logan, has signed on for next season. Whether this means he and Rory will end up together remains to be seen. I, for one, hope it doesn't. I'd dearly love to see Rory and Jess (who will be making a reappearance later this season) ride off into the sunset together or for Rory to strike out on her own and not feel the need to have a man in her life.

The other big development was Lane's boyfriend Zack finally coming to his senses, not only getting the band back together but also asking Lane to marry him, in one of the sweetest and most real proposals I've ever seen. How Lane's mother reacts to her daughter's engagement will undoubtedly provide some priceless moments.

And speaking of priceless moments, I nearly fell off my couch when I heard (and saw) Sebastian Bach singing "Hollaback Girl" at a bat mitzvah. I've thoroughly enjoyed Bach's guest shots as Gil, the band's slightly loopy guitar player, and he always seems to bring just enough humor to a character that is obviously a caricature of himself.

So that was the good of the episode. The bad? Well...not enough Lorelai for me. She spent more time dealing with Christopher and Christopher's hellspawn, Gigi, than she did with fiance Luke, who barely appeared in the episode. I was also a bit perplexed by the lack of mention of what Lorelai did (if anything) after Emily made Lorelai and Luke's wedding date publicly known. I'm hoping that it will be addressed in another episode, but it just seemed odd that it was completely ignored. And while I like that Christopher is playing a more visible role in Rory's life and that his character has progressed past the one note stage, I'm not liking what I'm sensing to be a "closening" between him and Lorelai.

I've been waiting since the first season for Luke and Lorelai to get together, and now that they are, I'm none too happy that Luke has become even more of a curmudgeon and has put off the wedding. Under no circumstances do I want Lorelai and Christopher to end up back together. ASP has given no indication that this will happen, but I'm rapidly tiring of all the obstacles being thrown at Luke and Lorelai. First it was Lorelai's estrangement from Rory and then Luke found out he had a daughter and now Christopher is having parental problems that I'm sure Lorelai will find the need to help him with. There will be a lot of disappointed GG fans if Luke and Lorelai don't end up together; I will be chief among them.

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Random stuff, gleaned from this week's Ask Ausiello and Ain't It Cool News:

Alias has finally been scheduled by ABC! It will return on April 19th with a two-hour episode, featuring the birth of Syd's baby and the fate of Vaughn. However, the amount of remaining episodes has been cut to 8 from 13.

Veronica Mars will be back with all-new episodes on March 15.

Tonight's Lost will be the last new episode until March 22. The next three episodes after tonight will focus on Jin/Sun, Locke, and Hurley, respectively.

Also, check out this week's Entertainment Weekly (the one with Reese Witherspoon on the cover) for an article on Lost from a writer who thinks he has all of the answers to the various mysteries surrounding this year's Emmy winner for Best Drama.

Okay, gang, that's all for me for today. Be back tomorrow with this week's comic reviews. Until then, keep watching and keep reading!

~Sara

Version 2.0

2006-02-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sara's Scribblings, Version 2.0! While my past attempts at keeping a regular blog have been spotty at best, this attempt will be different. Why, you may ask? Well, for one simple reason: I'm done going on and on about my life (such as it is). I mean, really, there are a bevy of blogs out there like that, and I want mine to stand out a little among the masses. So, with that in mind, I've decided to blog about what I know best: pop culture.

I'm a pop culture maven who tries to keep her finger on the pulse of what's new and cool in the entertainment world. In the coming weeks and months, I'll be tackling such diverse topics as this weekend's Academy Awards, whether or not DC Comics' Infinite Crisis is worth reading, is Lost not only the best show on TV, but maybe the best show in a long time, and so much more.

I'll tackle movies, TV, comics, books, music, and even sports. I'm a literal fountain of useless information, and I certainly have my share of what I hope are informed opinions. Don't expect me to slurp a show, movie or a book that everyone praises or to berate something that everyone has condemned as trash. I'm not a shill by any stretch of the imagination.

Be back here tomorrow for my review of the last Gilmore Girls episode before April. Tonight, Rory finds out just what off-again, on-again boyfriend Logan was doing during their little hiatus.

So, please join me on my mystical, magical pop culture journey. I promise to make it worth your while.

~Sara