Tag Archives: entertainment

Grand

A few weeks ago, I talked about the TV show “Phenom”, and said that I would have more Sara Rue for you. And, here it is…

Years ago on NBC, there was a little TV show called Grand. The details of the show are very foggy to me now. But I always make a point to think of the title every now and then so that I don’t forget it. I search Amazon.com for DVD of it. I search WarnerArchive.com for it. I search Nexflix to stream it.

Hmmm.  When was this available on DVD?  Not now... Photo: Wikipedia.com

Hmmm. When was this available on DVD? Not now…
Photo: Wikipedia.com

No luck. And that is no big surprise. It is not a show that anyone would still want to view. Except for me.

It didn’t have any super famous stars. It didn’t create any breakout stars during its barely two season run. Although there were many fine character actors. It was offbeat at a time before people were into that. It would probably be a huge hit now, in a time of 30 Rock and New Girl quirkiness.

Grand was the name of the town in which the show took place. What I remember about the show most is that it was soap opera like. I mean, there was a lot of comedy and it took place in situations, so I guess it was mostly a sitcom. But it was a sitcom wanting to be a soap opera, in the same way that the classic TV comedy “Soap” was. There was a rich family and a poor family. The poor family featured a mother and a daughter, played by Pamela Reed and Sara Rue, who lived in a trailer. Being a daughter who lived with her mother in a trailer at the time, I deeply identified with them. They were my favorite characters. I believe Pamela Reed worked as a maid for the rich family. I also believe that they had the most realistic set of a trailer I had ever seen depicted on TV. It conveyed how cramped it was to live in one, always on top of each other.

There was also a cute policeman played by Andrew Lauer. He was on every show at that time (Going to Extremes, Caroline in the City). Sara Rue’s character was in love with him. (I was too.)

Everyone on the show seemed to be an oddball. Pamela Reed’s character often seemed like the only semi-normal one. Maybe that is why I liked her the best and remember her the most.

I wanted to write about this show:

1. So that I don’t have to hold this information in my head any longer.

2. Maybe this post will help others remember this show.

3. Maybe someone will see my post and actually release this on DVD, so that I can watch it again.

4. Maybe Sara Rue will send me a “What’s up, girl?” on Twitter. (I don’t know her. But she seems like she has a “What’s up, girl?” personality, doesn’t she? I always watched her on Less Than Perfect, with Andy Dick and Sherri Shepherd.

The cast of Less Than Perfect, Sara Rue - center

The cast of Less Than Perfect, Sara Rue – center

5. My blog gets many hits from people searching for the show Homefront daily. I am lucky to remember a high level of facts about it. I feel people are search on the Internet for random scraps of knowledge to find out what that show was that they loved about life in America, just after WWII. They are grasping on to tiny little facts about Homefront, as I am about Grand.

So, in order to be a more useful search engine result, I am going to supplement my limited memories from above with this info from Imdb.com

GRAND (1990)
NBC

ACTOR … CHARACTER
Pamela Reed … Janice Pasetti
Bonnie Hunt … Carol Anne Smithson
John Neville … Desmond
Joel Murray … Norris Weldon
Sara Rue … Edda Pasetti
John Randolph … Harris Weldon
Mark Moses … Richard Peyton
Jackey Vinson … Dylan
Michael McKean … Tom Smithson
Andrew Lauer … Off. Wayne Kasmurski

This is about the total amount of footage from the show that I could scrap up on YouTube for you enjoyment:

Interested in my Top Ten Favorite TV Shows of all time? Please click on the tab at the top of the page!

What I Learned This Week – 2/23/14

This might not seem important to anyone else, but the universe presented it to me several time in the past couple weeks.

This week I learned who sang the song “Hungry Eyes” from Dirty Dancing. I have seen the movie and heard the song a million times, but I never paid attention to who sang it. To be honest, for years I thought it was called “Come to the Isles.”

I also learned that the SAME singer sang other 80’s classics such as “All By Myself” and “Make Me Lose Control.” I always thought “Make Me Lose Control” was called “Turn The Radio Up.”

Hungry Eyes

Make Me Lose Control

Now, I am more educated for any future entertainment trivia contests I might find myself in. So too will you be.

Sidenote:

This song has been stuck in my head since Wednesday night.

Click to play the video - abc.com

Click to play the video – abc.com

To read more about Super Fun Night, click here: https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2014/02/19/watch-super-fun-night-tonight/

The Writers of “The Tomorrow People” Can Read My Mind

The Tomorrow People is the best show ever!

[Note: Spoilers ahead.  Proceed with caution.]

Photo: cwtv.com

Photo: cwtv.com

Well, not really.  But every week it has surprised me by getting better.  As I don’t get The CW network through my cable company, I have to watch it on their website.  Which actually works out better for me, because then I can watch it at my leisure.

The Tomorrow People is about a group of 20-somethings who have special powers.  Their powers seem to sort of depend on what they need for that episode.  The show is centered about Stephen Jameson, played by Robbie Amell, who is supposed to still be in High School, even though he looks 25 (Amell actually is 25).  Stephen is torn between joining the cool, subway station dwelling Tomorrow People and working for the organization his evil Uncle leads that wants to take away the Tomorrow People’s powers.  And, being the star of the show, Stephen’s powers seem to be above and beyond everyone else’s for a mysterious reason we have yet to discover.

Ya, the premise is a little wonky.  And no one seems to notice every week that Stephen is playing for both sides.  But I truly like the characters (the male ones, anyway), and I am invested in their lives.  Stephen has a token black girl best friend, the human who isn’t supposed to know that a world with secret powers exists.  She is also hopelessly in love with him, and he is totally clueless.  There is also Cara, the head chick in the underground Tomorrow People organization.  I don’t like her.  She seems like she has secrets.  And is snotty.  And not pretty enough for every man on the show to be in love with her.

Why is it a really good show?  Because the guys on it look like this:

Luke Mitchell as John Young Photo: cwtv.com

Luke Mitchell as John Young
Photo: cwtv.com

And it is especially good because it doesn’t make me wait around for things to happen, in that soap opera way TV shows used to do.  TV writers have apparently figured out that we want immediate gratification.

I thought it would be forever before token black friend-who-is-a-girl (I really don’t remember her name at all) discovered Stephen’s powers.  Nope.  Episode 3.

Stephen and Cara have a spark between them.  But she is with John, the hot blond.  I thought it would be ages before her and Stephen got together.  Nope, episode 6!  And not a kiss that leads to nothing either.  They kissed, then totally had sex!  (Although it happened between episodes.  Convenient.)

I thought it would take a while for Stephen to figure out that his black friend (Astrid, I looked it up), had the total hots for him.  Nope.  Episode 7.

I was watching Episode 7, “Limbo”, and seeing this love triangle that the writers had set up between Stephen, Cara, and John.  Remember, I don’t like Cara.  My first thought was, “Man, they should have Stephen and John kiss.  That would be hot.”  Instead, they got into a big fight.  I thought, “Well, that is almost as good.”  By the end of the episode?  You guessed it!

THEY HAD KISSED!

Well, not quite.  Technically John was giving Stephen CPR after he had nearly drowned.  But this technicality was not lost on the writers, who had John say to Cara later in the episode: Well, technically, now we have both made out with Stephen.

John giving Stephen CPR Photo: cwtv.com

John giving Stephen CPR
Photo: cwtv.com

Mark Pellegrino plays the evil uncle.  I still haven’t gotten over him playing Aiden’s maker on Being Human.  Apparently he played Jacob on “Lost” as well (long after i quit watching it).  He just plays creepy so well.  He is so mean that you just wish all the Tomorrow People had the chance to kick the crap out of him.  Guess what?  That is Episode 8!  There the writers go reading my mind again.

There is even a creepy missing father/head of the underground mystery the writers are revealing to us one piece at a time.  Kind of like a Scooby-Doo mystery, without the adorable talking Great Dane.

It is also really good because I think Robbie Amell looks a lot like Hal Sparks.  And I love me some Hal Sparks.

Robbie Amell and Hal Sparks

Robbie Amell and Hal Sparks

New Mix CD: What The Hell?!

Having a long commute to work again, it takes no time at all for me to compile a list of songs that I try to search the radio dial for, and them am disappointed when I can’t find them.

Then I give up and make a mix CD of them all. I don’t have a car radio with an mp3 input hole or iPod that has a screen/playlists. So, I must burn CDs, like some sort of primitive late 90’s animal.

I think I am going through a mid-life crisis. And Avril Lavigne has a new album coming out. This CD reflects all that.

Warning for sensitive eyes: I buy and quote the explicit versions of all the songs.  And all the best parts are the ones with the swear words.

I have included the iTunes genres so you can see how schizophrenic my musical tastes are. And so that you may laugh at Apple’s classifications.

And that is why they call it a MIX TAPE Photo: gokwala.com

And that is why they call it a MIX TAPE
Photo: gokwala.com

1. Counting Stars-One Republic POP
This is one of those songs that I never noticed until I found myself singing along to it on the radio one day. It rocks, but there is a sound effect in the background that sounds just like my Pointer whining. That bothers me a little.
“Lately I been, I been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I been, I been prayin’ hard
Said no more counting dollars
We’ll be counting stars
Yeah, we’ll be counting stars”*

2. Over My Head (Cable Car)-The Fray ROCK
I have loved this song since it came out. My favorite part:
“Everyone knows I’m in
Over my head
Over my head
With eight seconds left in overtime
She’s on your mind
She’s on your mind”

3. Over My Head-Richard Marx POP
The local radio station that will play ANYTHING plays this all the time, even though it is from 2012. I bought it because I liked it, I thought it would be funny to put next to The Fray song of the same name, and I feel a little sorry for Richard Marx. Although he probably has more money than I ever will have, so he is probably doing just fine. My crazy friend and my green-haired friend and her brother all went to see Richard Marx once at an outdoor venue in the summer. On the big screen that was broadcasting his performance, I watched a bug fly in his mouth mid-song. He never missed a beat or hit a wrong note. He didn’t spit until the song was over. It really impressed me. He is a class act.


4. The a Team-Ed Sheeran SINGER/SONGWRITER

This is has terribly depressing subject matter, but it is catchy and gets stuck in my head.
“It’s too cold outside
For angels to fly”

5. Speak Life-tobyMac CHRISTIAN
I don’t know why I like tobyMac, I just do. This song is very upbeat and dancey, just like “Steal My Show”, the only other song by him that I know.
“So speak Life, speak Life.
To the deadest darkest night.
Speak life, speak Life.
When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why.”

6. We Can’t Stop-Miley Cyrus POP
I have liked Miley since her Hannah Montana days. I think her recent stunts that have attracted publicity are doing just what they were designed to do: ATTRACT PUBLICITY! I think she is a really good singer, although this song doesn’t fully showcase that. Who knew something so cool would come from the guy who cursed us with “Achy Breaky Heart”.
“It’s our party we can do what we want to
It’s our house we can love who we want to
It’s our song we can sing if we want to
It’s my mouth I can say what I want to”

7. Wrecking Ball-Eli Lieb POP
I like Miley’s version, but this guy really rocks it.
“Don’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you”

8. Girls Just Want to Have Fun-Cyndi Lauper POP
I heard this song on the way to work this week and it actually made me cry. I am going to blame it on the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder. But some of the lyrics really are deep.
“Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls they want to have fun”

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars

9. Up In The Air-30 Seconds to Mars ALTERNATIVE
I have liked 30 Seconds to Mars since they came out with their first song “Capricorn”. I love that Jared Leto is proving that former actors can have successful bands. I love it when he wears eyeliner. I can’t believe I missed going to see them in my concert-going 20’s.
“I’ll wrap my hands around your neck so tight with love, love.
A thousand times I tempted fate.
A thousand times I played this game.
A thousand times that I have said today, today, today.”

10. City of Angels-30 Seconds to Mars ALTERNATIVE
Every time this song comes on the radio, I change it, because the beginning is just so slow. But I love the emotion in the song. The lyrics say “strangers”, but Jared actually sings it like “strangels”. I want to be a strangel for Halloween. Sort of like a strange angel? I could just wear my normal clothes and mismatched socks, and slap on a pair of wings. I have black wings. That would make me more stranger.
“Lost in the city of angels
Down in the comfort of strangers
I found myself in the fire burnt hills
In the land of a billion lights”

11. What the Hell-Avril Lavigne POP
The namesake for this whole CD. I totally love Avril, and I have all her albums. Well, I did, except somehow I missed when “Goodbye Lullabye” came out. I am guessing that was because I was busy with my son’s doctor appointments and trying to find a job. I wasn’t listening to much radio. But my collection is now up-to-date. I would BE Avril if I could.
“All my life I’ve been good but now
I’m thinking ‘What the hell?'”

12. Smile-Avril Lavigne POP
It has a cute music video.

13. Rock N Roll-Avril Lavigne POP
It has a cute music video with Bear-Sharks. And the song rocks!
“I don’t care if I’m a misfit
I like it better than the hipster bullshit
I am the motherfucking princess
You still love me”

14. Undead-Hollywood Undead ROCK
I love Rap/Rock and I was very sad when it went out of style. Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park–I loved them all. I am happy that Hollywood Undead seems to be bringing it back.
“You better get up out the way,
Tomorrow we’ll rise so let’s fight today,
You know, I don’t give a fuck what you think or say,
‘Cause we’ll rock this whole place anyway.”

15. Dead Bite-Hollywood Undead ROCK
Rap/Rock, and REALLY creepy.
“What would you do if I told you I hate you?
What would you do if your life’s on the line?
What would you say if I told you I hate you?
I’ve got something that’ll blow your mind, mind”

16. 4 Real-Avril Lavigne POP
I needed more songs on the CD.

17. Darlin-Avril Lavigne POP
Ditto

18. Goodbye-Avril Lavigne POP
A very powerful song, but kinda slow for my taste.

*All lyrics belong to their respective writers. I am sorry to say I am not that talented.

Driving Home

Posted on

Driving Home
Darkness
Speed
Wind
Radio turned up Loud
My ears dost protest
But my body wants to dance
Belted into a seat in the car
No chance.
Singing at the top of my lungs
The Music drowns out my off-key notes.
Miles & Music
Music & Miles
The Orange Moon watches me
Country road rides like a roller coaster
A shiver down my spine
from the Music, not the wind.
I want my Music to escape out the open windows
And infect others.
I feel young again
I forget that I am not.
Bugs could fly in the open window
try not the think about that.
Close to home
Must turn volume down
Don’t wake the baby.
At a normal volume now
Can barely hear it
Over the ringing in my ears
And the music still playing in my head.
–JLS
7/22-23/13