Tag Archives: NBC

My Life Philosophy (Sitcom Style)

Posted on September 18, 2012 by funnygurl2

Two of the most important people in the personal development of my life were the TV characters of Punky Brewster and Chandler Bing. What have they taught me?

Punky Brewster


Punky

    – Always be colorful.
    – Ponytails improve your outlook on life.
    – Speak up.
    – Have spunk.
    – When you feel trapped, plan your escape.
    – A dog is a girl’s best friend.
    – Growing older doesn’t mean you have to grow up.
    – When life takes away a parent, find your own replacement.
    – Home is where the dog is.
    – Dance like everyone is watching.
    – Be yourself.
    – March to the beat of your own drummer.

Chandler Bing


Chandler

    – If you can’t beat them, make them laugh.
    – Being “the funny one” is a compliment.
    – Embrace your inner geek.
    – Being vulnerable can be more endearing than being strong.
    – Surround yourself with good Friends.
    – When life gives you a transvestite father, cast Kathleen Turner in the role.
    – Dance like you don’t care if anyone is watching.

I’m Chandler. Could I BE anymore charmingly self-depreciating?

For more blogs on Punky Brewster, click below.

Ode to Punky Brewster
You Can Never Get Too Much Punky Brewster

For more blogs on Chandler Bing, please click below:

Three Degrees of Matthew Perry

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You Can Never Get Too Much Punky Brewster

Posted on August 14, 2012 by funnygurl2

Since I had almost no followers a year ago, most of you probably do not realize that I have previously blogged about Punky Brewster. (Clicking on the link will let you see my Punky-inspired tattoo.) I loved her growing up and spent quite a while dressing like her and buying assorted merchandise which I am sure made NBC quite rich and Soleil Moon Frye didn’t see a penny.

I now follow her on Facebook. It is very cool to get to see glimpses of her life now with her husband and two young daughters. I have learned that she really loves to take pictures of herself. Sometimes I try to pretend our lives have things in common. They really do not.

The other day I found this page from my scrapbook about my Punky-worshipping years. Enjoy. Please don’t laugh so hard your gut bursts open.

Yes, my scanner is small and I had to piece together 2 pictures.

For more Punky, please visit:

Ode to Punky Brewster https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2011/09/27/ode-to-punky-brewster/


My Life Philosophy (Sitcom Style) https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2012/09/18/my-life-philosophy-sitcom-style/

I’m not stalking you. is NOW ON FACEBOOK! “Like” that I’m not stalking you and get an update when there is a new post to read. (It is sort of like YOU are stalking ME.)

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Three Degrees of Matthew Perry

Posted on June 28, 2012 by funnygurl2

Dear, Sweet Matthew

(Make that Two Degrees…see below)

I have loved Matthew Perry since he was on Growing Pains in Season Four. (My love of Growing Pains? We will save that for a blog all its own.) Matthew Perry was in a three episode arc as Carol’s college boyfriend. This caused issues as she lied to him and her parents, as she was still herself in high school. Matthew Perry’s role as Sandy (bad character name) came to a heartbreaking end when he was drunk driving and died. (Sniff, sniff.)

Tracey Gold & Matthew Perry on Growing Pains

I cannot wait until they release Season Four of Growing Pains so that I may possess these episodes! When that will be, if ever? Who knows. Matthew Perry (can I just call him Matt? *sigh*) was 20 when he did these episodes. He was cute and funny and goofy and endearing and awkward and, well, Chandler. Although no one watching the episodes knew that yet.

Then I watched Matt in the short-lived sitcom Sydney, where he played Valerie Bertinelli’s younger brother, who was a police officer. I like Valerie Bertinelli and, of course, Matt, and would have continued to watch the show, but it was cancelled.

My favorite shot of Chandler from the Friends series finale Photo: Warner Bros.

My favorite shot of Chandler from the Friends series finale
Photo: Warner Bros.

Then along came the greatest role ever. CHANDLER BING. Chandler Bing is like my perfect man. I fall in love with a sense of humor and goofiness above all else. He was also very good looking when Friends began. Some of my favorite Chandler moments are when he is trying to woo Monica. It is possible that I am not actually in love with Matthew Perry, but the character of Chandler. I guess I hope that since every early role I ever saw of Matthew Perry was Chandler-like, that maybe that is how he is in real life.

FRIENDS
Rachel’s Boss: So, what’s wrong with him?
Rachel: Nothing. He’s just goofy like that. I actually hardly notice it anymore.

I also like Matt in Fools Rush In. But then again, it is just a variation on Chandler. Just like Three to Tango. And The Whole Nine Yards. And The Whole Ten Yards.

As the years have gone on, poor Matt hasn’t aged well. Some of his boyish good looks have slipped away. It frustrates me that he has tried to take on more serious roles, such as West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Mr. Sunshine. I am not drawn to these more serious roles. I know it is terrible, but I would like to see him as Chandler. Forever. You could just put Chandler in a new setting with new co-stars. You could just keep doing that every time the show got cancelled. And I would tune in, every time. As long as the theme song is never “It’s a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

FRIENDS
Joey: I’m Chandler. Could I BE wearing any more clothes?!

The one more serious role I love Matt in is The Ron Clark Story. It is a TV movie about a charismatic young teacher who makes a difference in a very bad school in a bad inner city neighborhood in one of those big cities with lots of crime, probably New York City. Matt is great in it. I forget that he played Chandler. I forget to wish that he was Chandler again. He is charismatic and funny and great. He makes me believe he could be a teacher, and a good one. Too bad that if you watch the extras, the real Ron Clark is way dorkier and younger than Matt who is playing the role.

My previous job was at the corporate office of a now defunct major bookstore chain. Musicians and celebrities used to come in to meet the buyers of their latest record or book to promote it. It was a wonderful perk to a job that I otherwise mostly didn’t enjoy for most of the 12 years I worked there.

One day Robin Thicke came in to work to perform. It must have been to promote his debut album. I thought it was terrible. But since he has become a huge success (including a part on the new show Duets), I will chalk it up to that he just doesn’t perform the kind of music that I personally like.

FRIENDS
Chandler: Don’t go! I’ve scared you! I’ve said too much! I’m hopeless and awkward and desperate for love!

Now, I have mental rules about playing “six degrees”, due to the fact that I have seen so many celebrities. Usually I only count them if I actually spoke to them (such as Bruce Campbell, Jason Mraz, Ricky Skaggs, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc.). But I make an exception for Robin Thicke. I didn’t meet him that day because I thought he was icky. But I could have met him. And I sat in like the second row for his performance. And the whole time I sat there, I just kept thinking “Oh My God. This guy is the son of Alan Thicke who was on Growing Pains and so was Matthew Perry. I am three degrees away from Matthew Perry!”

NOTE: If it was actually Noah Wyle (E.R.) that I saw at Detroit Metro Airport in a Warner Brothers T-shirt getting on a plane to Los Angeles in September of 1996, then that would make me only two degrees away from Matthew Perry, as Noah was once in an episode of Friends! But this would again break my rule of having to have talked to the celebrity, because I didn’t talk to the “maybe Noah”.

ANOTHER NOTE: I am only two degrees away from Kevin Bacon, as he came to my old job and performed with his music group “The Bacon Brothers”. While I stalked the conference room, I didn’t get to go in or see him. But many of the people I worked with, in the same department as me, did:)

So, to wrap up, I just watched a teaser for Matt’s new comedy series this fall called “Go On”. In the 3:19 teaser I watched, it looked like it had potential. But the plot of the whole series is that Matt’s character is in therapy because his wife died. I realize actors like to stretch their boundaries and not be typecast into the same character over and over again. But I have to believe most of his fan base out there is like me. We want to see Chandler again. And we don’t want a sad Chandler. That makes me so sad I want to cry, not watch his show!

UPDATE: Seeing as I have met Bruce Campbell and talked to him (twice), and Bruce Campbell was in Serving Sara with Matthew Perry–cha-ching! I am only TWO DEGREES away from Matthew Perry. Ya, go me!

For more Matthew Perry, please visit:

My Life Philosophy (Sitcom Style) https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2012/09/18/my-life-philosophy-sitcom-style/

I’m not stalking you. is NOW ON FACEBOOK! “Like” that I’m not stalking you and get an update when there is a new post to read. (It is sort of like YOU are stalking ME.)

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My Fake Family

Posted on May 24, 2012 by funnygurl2

Growing up, I was the only child of a single parent. I was creative with a very good imagination. So naturally, I always imagined having a large family. The earliest imaginary family I can remember, I had six sisters (Brady Bunch influence?) and one brother named Hellmann (Yup, like the mayonnaise). All the girls lived in the attic together (Boy, would that be totally NOT fun in real life!). Hellmann would come up and run through the room very fast and we would all spin around and our belongings would fly every which way (Yes, just like in a cartoon) and we would all yell “Hellmann!”

There were various other imaginary families after that. But once Punky Brewster debuted on NBC, it was important that I somehow work her into all my imaginary adventures. (In case it isn’t clear, I viewed myself to be Punky:) So, here is the Brewster family I created. There were so many kids with so many names, I had to make a cheat sheet family photo. Then, because I lived to draw, I made many, many family photos. I think part of it may have been to see if I could draw the same people over and over to look the same each time, like Charles Schulz did with his characters. All these pictures have just been sitting in my file cabinet for like 28 years (Yes, I save everything). In the real world, my mom is a hermit and not big on keeping in touch with family. That means, at a point in time, I knew more about these imaginary people than I have ever known about some relatively close member of my own real family.

Family Photo with names and ages.

House Floor Plan. Wow, 4 bathrooms! Must be David & Sheri got married if they started sharing a bedroom!


So, here are some pictures of my fake family. I drew them when I was young. Yes, some of the names are badly misspelled. The fashions are very 80’s. You probably can’t tell from the scan, but from the info on their T-shirts, the family seems to live in Greenville. Greenville: where families have a mom and a dad, older brothers have a nice, pretty girlfriend, younger brothers are always covered in mud, people have look-alike cousins, newborn babies eat cookies, ponytails are sideways, both grandma and grandpa are alive, and houses have four bathrooms. The burning question that remains in my mind, looking back on these pictures so many years later—why the fuck didn’t this family have a dog?!!

Oldest brother David’s girlfriend Sheri. Notice how she signed AND kissed the picture;)


Newborn picture of youngest sister “Mealisa”. I even did this picture on an index card, so that it would look smaller, like a real picture. Notice she is holding a rattle AND a cookie.


Petrisa “Punky” (me), look-alike Cousin Ann (equals twice the fun), and friend Prisilla


Older sister Julie going to a dance. Awesome 80’s fashion. Truly outrageous.


With Grandparents


Dad macking on the oldest son’s girlfriend. More awesome fashion.


Family at the hospital for birth of Mealisa.


One more. This picture is incomplete, but I felt it necessary to show that imaginary Mom could get dressed up and look damn good:)


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Ode to Punky Brewster

Posted on September 27, 2011 by funnygurl2

When I was a kid, I loved the NBC Television show Punky Brewster. I was in 4th grade and the same age as Punky. There was just something about her spunkiness and colorfulness that I wanted to emulate. Even though in reality I was more like shy Cherie. I used to dress like Punky. I would roll up one leg of my jeans and tie a red (or sometimes purple) bandana around my other leg, tight enough to cut off the circulation. (For the record, Soleil Moon Frye cheated. The costume designer had a loop sewn onto her pants so that her bandana wouldn’t fall down.) I was big on ponytails anyway, so it never bothered me to wear them all the time.

I even gave up my imaginary Sheepdog Sandy for an imaginary Golden Retriever named Brandon as if she was last week’s rotten meat (So sorry Sandy, girl.) For those who don’t know, her dog Brandon was named after the head of NBC at the time, Brandon Tartikoff, who created the show based on a girl he had known growing up with the same name. They had to track her down to get permission to use her name and everything.

She wore a skate key around her neck. At the time I had no frickin’ idea what a skate key was, so I wore a pink whistle around my neck. Later I would make friends with a girl who had a skate key and would loan it to me at school and let me wear it. But that brings back memories of the day she offered to let me wear it and I declined, because I had seen my mom’s car totaled from the school bus window on my way to school. (Don’t worry, she was fine. She lives on to this day to drive me batty.)

I even went Trick or Treating that year as Punky Brewster. For some reason I bought the 80’s plastic costume & mask combo, although I would have been much more convincing in the imitation-Punky wardrobe I wore every day. I bought everything Punky. I had a Punky Brewster messenger-style backpack that not many school books fit in to. I had Punky Brewster craft sets (bead jewelry and clay pins/medals). I had a Punky Brewster T-shirt. I think my favorite were my Punky Brewster sneakers. Although I will never understand why THE SHOES MATCHED! They were multi-colored, but they matched. When in reality, Punky would have had two different colored shoes. Leave it to merchandising money grubbers to get it wrong! My mom threatened for years to throw out my old grubby Punky shoes. I am proud to say I still have them to this day. Except of course they don’t fit anymore. And the plastic on them has gotten sticky over the years (Gross-a-roo!).

A few years ago I got a tattoo inspired by Punky’s sunshine ponytail holders. It is to symbolize my love of Punky and all things TV. Those who know me know that I still mis-match my socks to this day. And while Punky may have started me on the mis-matched road, I believe that it truly reflects my unique personality.

For more Punky, please visit:

You Can Never Get Too Much Punky Brewster https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2012/08/14/you-can-never-get-too-much-punky-brewster/

My Life Philosophy (Sitcom Style) https://imnotstalkingyou.com/2012/09/18/my-life-philosophy-sitcom-style/

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