RSS Feed

Tag Archives: The O.C.

“You’re over me? When were you … under me?”

Posted on May 6, 2014 by funnygurl2

Oh, I don’t think I will EVER be over the TV series Friends.

Never has this been more apparent today than when I ran across this article that pointed out that the series finale was exactly 10 years ago today…and I burst out crying.

10 Years Later: Friends’ 10 Most Quotable Lines

http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/friends-best-quotes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thr%2Fvulture+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Vulture+Inbound%29

I was never a big fan of Ross or Rachel. Their characters tended to annoy me and their relationship took away valuable time from Monica’s cleaning & Chandler’s wisecracking. But this was my most favorite scenes between them.

I have talked before on my blog about how the Seavers from Growing Pains were like my family. I wanted to live in their house and be one of them. Well, maybe be adopted by them, since otherwise I would have had lustful thoughts about my brothers.

But in the same way that I felt the Seavers were my family, that is how Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross felt like my friends. I invited them into my living room every Thursday night for 10 years. They were in my house every night for an hour when they went into syndication. I shared in their trials and tribulations. They WERE my friends in my head and heart, if not by the standard definition.

Don’t get me started on my crush on Chandler (Matthew Perry).

I was sooo devastated when Friends concluded. I cried for like an hour after the finale ended. Within the same week, a DVD of the Series Finale hit stores, and I bought it. I watched it over and over. As series finales go, it was a perfect ending.

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

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

I actually filled the void left by Friends with Fox’s The O.C. While I didn’t necessarily wish to live amongst them, I was obsessed with their lives in a similar way. Therefore, when The O.C. ended in 2007, I not only cried for The O.C., but I cried for Friends (again, still) as well.

I have only added one new TV show to my all-time favorite list in the years since then, the short-lived FX show Terriers, starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James.

It somehow makes it even harder when you realize that Friends started 20 years ago in 1994,  the same year I graduated high school.  My WHOLE ADULT LIFE I have known these characters.

I can’t believe it is really 10 years later, and I still haven’t found a way to say goodbye.  Maybe if I could meet Matthew Perry someday, that would help…

For more of my thought on any or all of these shows, please visit my page: My Top Ten TV Shows of All-Time

And, to end this post, further proof that I may not be over The O.C. either.  A preview clip of the upcoming show Gotham, featuring Ben McKenzie.

1 Comment

Posted in Entertainment Worship & Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

My Top Ten TV Shows of All-Time

Posted on May 12, 2013 by funnygurl2

[Unranked. Subject to change at any time.]

Criteria: I have to be able to watch it over and over again.

1. Punky Brewster
2. Friends
3. The O.C.
4. My So-Called Life
5. Terriers
6. WKRP in Cincinnati
7. Wonderfalls*
8. Homefront
9. Laverne & Shirley
10. Growing Pains

* A great, but short-lived show. During my free cable trial, I am currently enjoying reruns of Full House immensely. So much so, that I might have to squeeze them into my top ten, possibly replacing Wonderfalls.

The newest addition to this list is the FX show Terriers. I can almost guarantee you have never heard of it. Because I hadn’t either until a few months ago.

Neal Cassady on ABC's Once Upon A Time

Neal Cassady on ABC’s Once Upon A Time

When Once Upon A Time introduced a character named Neal Cassady (played by Michael Raymond-James), I was curious why the actor looked so familiar. A quick check of IMDb.com told me that I knew him from True Blood. This reminded me that I REALLY liked his character on that show. That is, until it was revealed he was the killer in the Season 1 finale. (In fact, I quit watching the show after Season 1–coincidence? Maybe not. I was still eager to know how Sookie was special–I mean, look at all the other supernatural elements she was attracting. But Entertainment Weekly eventually supplied me with the answer: Sookie is a fairy).

MIchael Raymond-James as Britt on FX's Terriers

MIchael Raymond-James as Britt on FX’s Terriers

Michael Raymond-James doesn’t have your typical actor’s polished looks. With unruly hair and five o’clock shadow, he usually looks like he has just rolled out from under a rock. And it totally suits him! It is part of his charm, along with his gravely voice that sounds like he has been gargling nails. He is like a Shar Pei puppy you want to adopt (and take home). There is just something about him that I want to eat up! And I found out he is from Michigan–my home state! I like Raymond-James so much that I used his physical description as a basis for a character in a story I wrote (or two). He could have a part playing Satan, and I would still love him. Actually, that would be an AWESOME part for him!

So then I looked to see what other shows I could watch the wonderful Michael Raymond-James in. That is when I went looking for Terriers on my streaming Netflix and found it (It must have been providential, because Netflix NEVER has what I am looking for!).

Raymond-James on Terriers (See how sunny it is?!)

Raymond-James on Terriers (See how sunny it is?!)

Terriers was sooo good I ended up watching all 13 episodes in a week. It is a hard show to describe, but let me try. It reminds me of the old show The Rockford Files in tone and premise. Terriers is about two guys who act as unlicensed private investigators and solve cases, usually for average Joes. There is also an over-arching plot in the first (and only) season involving a millionaire and his nefarious plans for the whole community of Ocean Beach. It all sounds dark and seedy and it would be, except it takes place in sunny California. Michael Raymond-James plays Britt, sidekick to the charming Donal Logue, who you probably know from humorous roles on shows like Grounded for Life. Donal Logue is humorous at times on Terriers, but he also does dramatic very well as the disgraced police officer/recovering alcoholic Hank.

I am not big on police/procedural type shows, but this one sucked me in. It has heart. It makes you care about all the characters. They are so real they jump out of the television screen and stick with you long after you have turned the TV off. You care about Hank’s issues with his ex-wife and sister who suffers from depression. You worry that at first Britt the rehabilitated criminal may not be good enough for his girlfriend, who is studying to be a vet. But by season’s end, the situation has flipped, and you see that in fact she is really not worthy of him. And there is a scene by Donal Logue that happens at a bank (he confesses an affair with the wife of the loan officer he is trying to get a loan from) that is so shocking, I do not believe I have fully recovered.

The way we view TV these days has pros and cons. I am so sad that this show was cancelled by FX in 2011 after only one season. If I had known its brilliance then, I could have campaigned to try to save it. I am positive I am not the only one who will discover how brilliant this show is without ever knowing it existed during its normal run.

The pros are that I have not had cable in my house for over eight years. If not for streaming Netflix, I would never have been able to find and enjoy Terriers at all. I wouldn’t have been able to add it to my Top Ten list. The theme “Gunfight Epiphany” wouldn’t have become one of my favorite songs.

Now that WOULD have been a shame.

Raymond-James as Neal on Once Upon A Time

Raymond-James as Neal on Once Upon A Time

1 Comment

Posted in Entertainment Worship & Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

What I Learned This Week – 9/30/12

Posted on September 30, 2012 by funnygurl2

This week I learned that people REALLY HATE BOXELDER BUGS!

Yesterday (Saturday 9/29/12, a beautiful Saturday I might add) 203 people visited my blog.

I KNOW!

They could have instead been outside enjoying the beautiful weather. But, I think that might have been the key to them stumbling upon my blog.

You see, of those 203 views yesterday, 186 of them were of one post: Boxelder Bugs Must Die! (click here to see the original post)

A Boxelder Bug-ugly little sucker!


From what I can tell, many of these people came on over from Pinterest. Now, I don’t myself Pinterest, but I do suspect that someone must have Pinned my post about Boxelder Bugs gratuitously mating all over my porch and how much I enjoy murdering them with Dawn Dish Soap (yup, the same stuff that saves baby seals during oil spills).

So, I just wanted to say, THANK YOU!, to everyone who stopped by yesterday (my day of highest views ever!) and I hope a few of you stick around. Now, of course, I would rather people stop by to ogle Matthew Perry or mourn The O.C. But I am not choosy around here. I will take what I can get.

And knowing that I am helping the world in the tiniest way of riding the planet of Boxelder Bugs just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:)

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.)

Comments Off on What I Learned This Week – 9/30/12

Posted in What I Learned This Week and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Things That I Wish Were Better Than They Actually Are

Posted on May 15, 2012 by funnygurl2

Are you ever disappointed in something? You were so excited to see or get something, and then it was just a big letdown? Here are a few of my personal examples.

My number one example of this is the movie The Lake House, starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I love me some Sandra Bullock (especially in Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, and of course, While You Were Sleeping). I love me some Keanu Reeves (Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Point Break). I love me some Sandra and Keanu together (Speed). I love me some romantic movie (Hope Floats, Sweet Home Alabama). But The Lake House? I always finish it with a big “Eh”. It just is never the movie that I wish it could be. I keep watching it, hoping it will turn out better next time. But it doesn’t. It even has a dog, which usually makes any movie better.

Maybe the Time Travel confuses me too much. Or maybe the leads lack the right chemistry? Or a bad director? Or the cover art on the DVD case is too teal? There is a chance that it is because I could never seriously believe Sandra Bullock as a doctor. I have some trouble believing her as a bitch in The Proposal. But she raps and gets to kiss Ryan Reynolds, so I let it slip.

I also feel this way every Monday when I watch the CW show Hart of Dixie. In my house, it is known as the bad doctor show.

I will say: Honey, I want to watch something at 9PM. But it is the bad doctor show.

Honey will say: Aw, that show with the female doctor. That is the only show you watch I really can’t stand.

So, why do I keep watching it, do you ask? Well, at first I thought it was because I was waiting for Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) to come to her senses and quit pining over George and pick the wonderful (if hillbilly) Wade (Wilson Bethel). But then I realized Wade is way too good for Zoe. Zoe is rude to him like all the time. Then I thought I was watching it because Jamie Pressley is so good on there. Then I remember I am watching Jaime King doing a damn good Jamie Pressley impression. (Am I the only one who remembers when she went by James King and dated Kid Rock?) Then I thought maybe I was waiting for Zoe to leave town and the show could go on without her featuring the rest of the quirky cast going about their daily Bluebell business. But, then I realized the truth. Being that the show was created by Josh Swartz and Stephanie Savage (of The O.C. fame) and stars Bilson, I am just waiting for her to snap in one episode and turn back into Summer Roberts, the character she played on The O.C.

Yes, I have trouble letting go.

That leaves me to my third major repeated disappointment. Hello Kitty licensed products. Just the sight of Hello Kitty’s face brings a smile to my face. It lifts me up on a low day. So, I feel like if I surround myself with Sanrio products featuring her image, that I will be a happier person living a happier life. Except that Sanrio licenses her image to horrible manufacturers! After I had a Hello Kitty sandwich maker that was useless due to the absence of a floating hinge, I made a new life rule never to buy anything else with Hello Kitty’s image. If I can help it. Most recently I slipped and bought a Hello Kitty soap dispenser. As it didn’t have a barcode on it, I believe Meijer incorrectly gave me a deal on it. I figured “How wrong can you go designing a liquid soap dispenser?” It turns out it is rounded on the bottom. Oy. On the bright side, they say we shouldn’t use anti-bacterial soap because it will create super bugs. I told my asbestos friend that I was pretty sure the pink, glittery, bubble-gum scented soap that comes out of Hello Kitty isn’t anti-bacterial. Her comment? “It probably isn’t even soap!”

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.)

3 Comments

Posted in A day in the life, Entertainment Worship & Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

GCB

Posted on May 4, 2012 by funnygurl2

When I worked for the second biggest book store chain in the country (now defunct), I used to allocate regional books. There was one book that was very popular in Texas. So popular, that for a while I couldn’t get more stock, not even from distributors. I always remembered the name of that book—Good Christian Bitches.

The Book


That was the hardcover version. When they released Good Christian Bitches in paperback, it went to the national buyer and I didn’t get to buy it anymore. I was interested when I heard that ABC was going to turn it into a TV show. After all, I was responsible for a tiny part of it’s success. I was most interested to know what they would call it. I think GCB was a bad choice, and probably hurts it’s viewership. People who haven’t heard of the book and old people like my mom have no idea what GCB stand for, not that my mom would watch it anyway.

The GCB is a lot like Suburgatory. But that might not be a good comparison, since Suburgatory is also a new show that not everyone might know. Both shows take everyday things you take for granted and turn them upside down. But Suburgatory is quirkier. Maybe a better description of GCB is that it has the humor, wealth, and weekly society events of The O.C. But it is smarter. The series shows how people who know a lot about the church and scripture can twist it for their own uses. You don’t need to know a lot about religion to enjoy the show. I sure don’t.

Amanda and the Pastor


The show centers around Amanda’s return to Dallas after her husband’s scandalous death. Amanda and her two teenagers move in with her mother Gigi, played by the wonderful Annie Potts channeling Dixie Carter. Amanda was a mega-popular bitch in high school. She claims she no longer is. But it sneaks out every now and again. Every week Amanda butts heads and works together with the girls she terrorized in high school: Carlene, Cricket, Sharon, and Heather. But I don’t understand how anyone could ever terrorize Kristin Chenoweth. She is such a spitfire. I think she is much better utilized in the part of Carlene than she was on Glee. There are other sudsy soap opera elements, such as Cricket’s husband being gay and Amanda dating Carlene’s brother. But the Pastor seems to be purposefully single. I think he and Amanda could get together sometime in the future.

Cricket, Carlene(Kristen Chenoweth), Sharon


I would love to read the book and compare it to the TV show, except there are no bookstores in town. And I am a person who enjoys television much more than reading a book. Does that make me visual? Or more couch potato?

Gigi (Annie Potts) with her grandchildren


I read in my Entertainment Weekly that GCB is on the bubble and could get cancelled. That is a shame, because it is a smart, funny show. I laughed out loud when Carlene (dressed in angel wings, playing the Holy Spirit in the church musical) swung wildly on a flight harness and broke the church’s stained glass window. There are very few shows that will make me laugh out loud. There are also very few shows that I would consider buying on DVD. This is one of them. Especially if I can’t watch it on TV anymore.

I believe ABC did a disservice to this show by overplaying only one promo for the series featuring a teenage girl’s cheerleader uniform popping open to expose her breasts. The show is more than that. I don’t feel like they have showcased Annie Potts or Kristin Chenoweth enough in commercials that would drive viewership.

I urge you to catch up on past episodes at ABC.com and start watching it at 10PM Sunday Nights on ABC. I will warn you, there are a lot of blond women on the show. But with a variety of figures and personalities, you will be able to tell them apart in no time.

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.)

1 Comment

Posted in Entertainment Worship & Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
→
%d bloggers like this: