Netflix Instant Recommendation #2: Defending Your Life

This is the second in a series of movie reviews where I recommend some of my favorite films and TV shows that are available to watch instantly on Netflix.

"How did you die?"

"On stage, like you."

One of my favorite films is Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (with Meryl Streep). I first saw it as a kid on one of those weekends when you got HBO for free... you know what I mean? They would show the same three movies over and over again. I watched this one more than once.

Defending Your Life is about... well, I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that it's about a man who dies. It basically takes place in the afterlife. I'll leave it up to you to discover what happens in this version of the afterlife, along with protagonist Daniel Miller. While it might not be what you think, the movie is a complete joy from beginning to end. I will spoil one good thing about being dead - you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want, and you don't feel bad or get fat!

This film is unlike any other film I've ever seen. When there are several movies about the afterlife, this one is actually funny and charming! Brooks is in high form and there is a cute wink wink cameo by Shirley MacLaine. Here is a picture:

This is just one of those movies you look at on the Netflix instant list and think, "Is this going to be any good?" but unlike most of the films, this one actually IS good! I promise you will not only smile, but it will also make you think. It's a great film to watch with others - have a laugh and a lively debate at the same time!

If you enjoyed this film (or not) feel free to leave comments!

Here is the IMDB page for the film and the Wikipedia page, for more information.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I got yummy vegan cupcakes from Babycakes!

The pink one is red velvet and the other is brownie! I also had a ginger-pumpkin one, but I ate it!

Netflix Instant Recommendation #1: The Fall

This is the first in a new series of movie reviews where I recommend some of my favorite films and TV shows that are available to watch instantly on Netflix.

"It was the natural order of things."

I should probably start with my favorite film, Tarsem's The Fall. I briefly mentioned this film before in my post "Life is Bigger Than You and You are Not Me." You probably have a movie like this, it is one of your favorites, but it seems like no one else has ever heard of it. You recommend it to people, but you are not able to explain it very well and they usually don't take your advice. When they do watch it, however, they LOVE it! Every time I lend it to someone who wants to watch it, they end up lending it to someone they know AND buying their own copy.

The Fall stars Lee Pace (from "Pushing Daisies") as Roy, an injured stuntman in the early days of Hollywood. Although he cannot walk, it's really his heart that is broken. He meets a girl in the hospital named Alexandria and begins to tell her a story. From that point on, the film switches between the scenes in the hospital and those where Alexandria pictures the story told by Roy.

One thing that makes this film so amazing is the visuals and the locations (OK, that was TWO things). Director Tarsem Sighn (perhaps best known for directing REM's music video "Losing My Religion") spent years taking jobs directing commericals around the world in order to finance this film, scout locations, and make connections. Just look at some of these stills:

This is by far one of the best little hidden gems available instantly on Netflix. Watch it at night, in the dark, cuddled up under a blanket with some popcorn - it will not disappoint.

If you enjoyed this film (or not) feel free to leave comments!

Here is the official website for the film and here is the IMDB and the Wikipedia page, for more information.

Paul is Back!

Yes, the big announcement came today that The Beatles are now on iTunes (I love what you see when you go to the Apple website, if only for today) - but the big news for this blog is that Paul McCartney is back on iTunes!

You can read my previous posts about this issue here and here. (Incidentally, the first one was the first post on this blog anyone ever left a comment for).

Welcome back, Paul. Now I can finally enjoy "Take it Away" on my new iPhone!

Jane Eyre 2011

The new Jane Eyre movie comes out in March of 2011, but you can see the trailer now at Yahoo Movies.

It stars the girl from Alice in Wonderland and the guy from Inglorious Bastards who was English but pretending to be German, you know? It looks good. :)

Here is my previous post about JE the book.

SNL: Jane Lynch

I love that SNL.com now offers full episodes of SNL on Sunday. They leave off the musical guest, though, which means I didn't hav to fast-forward through something called Bruno Mars.

There was a lot of Andy Samburg goodness tonight, but I didn't see a sketch about Glee... anyway, here is the football sketch. Just two weeks ago I was talking to my brother about those crazy theme songs that have lyrics that change slightly for each game and seem really long with some lady in a dress standing in a field. Anyway...

SNL: Amy and Katy

A regular feature on this blog has been my Sunday morning post of what I thought was the funniest sketch from the previous night's SNL. Well, SNL came back for a new season last night, but over the summer I moved to a new place and, in an attempt to save money, decided not to get cable. Of course, I still get NBC for free, but I don't have a DVR anymore, so I can't tape SNL and watch it the next day (I didn't stay up late, either). However, I did check out a few of the clips this morning via the SNL site.

Here is a link to the blog Popwatch and their recap.

Hulu puts up "full" episodes on Sunday afternoons (they omit some things and, occasionally, the musical performances) so I'll check that out later today and report back to you!

Here is the tiny hat sketch:

Sad Don Draper

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - I got a new puppy and that takes a lot of work! :) If you're feeling sad about the lack of updates, you know who might commiserate? Sad Don Draper!

FYI: Good Sheets/Articles

FYI:

Apparently these are really good sheets. I haven't tried them, but they sound interesting.

I liked this list of the 50 best magazine articles ever. They have links so you can read them!

Lost Cat E-mail

This is so funny I laughed out loud:

Lost Cat E-mail Thread.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I'm moving in a couple of weeks and my internet service might be delayed for a while.

Who Cares?

I saw a headline last week that had a picture of a man and a woman and said, "Scott Brown angry over joke." and I said, "Who cares?! Shut up, Scott Brown!" I don't know who Scott Brown is.

A headline I saw today read: "Bride Fears Clinton Wedding Will Ruin Hers." Chelsea Clinton's upcoming wedding may wreak havok on a schoolteacher's own ceremony - same day and area!

Shut up! Stop being such a brat, stupid schoolteacher!

That is all.

Undercover Karaoke with Jewel

I thought this video from Funny or Die where Jewel dresses in a disguise and then goes to karaoke and sings her own song was really cute!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4a87d48fdd/undercover-karaoke-with-jewel

Free Slurpee Day

It's 7/11 - Happy Free Slurpee Day!

Slurpees are made out of totally bad stuff for you like high fructose corn syrup, but I did the research and most Slurpees are vegan. Avoid the Diet Pepsi and Pena Colada flavors if they have them - they contain dairy. You might want to watch out for new flavors as well.

Once when I was young my family decided to take a trip to every 7/11 in town on free Slurpee day. Even though the free cups are small, I got sick of them after two and a half - but there were TEN 7 Elevens in town!

Goat Cam

The Fabulous Beekman Boys is a show I just found out about that is on the Green Channel (which I also just found out existed). Anyway, the show is about these guys on a farm, but really it's about GOATS! Even better... they have a GOAT CAM!

Here it is!

Don't waste your entire day now!

Paul McCartney on iTunes Update

To read my previous post about the mystery of Paul McCartney missing from iTunes, go here.

So, I recently spotted this article that states that Paul's back catalog is going to be re-released. It doesn't really explain why almost all of his solo albums are STILL not available (they used to be up but were taken down with no notice) but at least it's something.

Shirtless on Lost

Missing LOST already? Well, here's a video that compiles every shirtless moment!

It's only a minute and nineteen seconds long, but it does include Ben and Locke and Sun's bald boyfriend and that creepy guy whose name I can't remember, and a weird porn-music soundtrack. But it also has Sawyer. Lots and lots of Sawyer.

Enjoy!

LOST Finale

I'm live-blogging the LOST finale tonight at 9:00 Pacific. I'm not going to watch that pre-show, though, which, to me, will be too spoiler-filled. SEE YOU TONIGHT!

- - - - - Before it Starts - - - - -

It's five minutes before the finale starts, and I'm turned to the pre-show and it really is spoiling things. Evangeline Lilly is saying what she thinks "the point" of things is, which is that we already know the things we are supposed to know. If she's right, then I'm not supposed to know anything.

I'll post again during the first commercial. So excited!

- - - - - The First Commercial Break - - - - -

Wow! So many answers in only eight minutes! No, really, so far nothing has happened. We didn't need Hurley to say something about Yoda in order to get that the "bad feeling" line is from Star Wars, by the way.

I never noticed before that Jack's father was named Christian Shepherd. I mean, I noticed it, but still. That was kind of cool. I can't wait to get to the concert, but are Sayid and Hurley going to be there? Oh, wait, it's back on - and there they are!

- - - - - CM Break #2 - - - - -

I saw Maggie Garce on the credits!

Charlie!

Rose and Barnard (and Vincent) saved Desmond!! Rose's hair is so cute.

So, wow. The question of who saved Desmond from the well is finally answered! I've been wondering about that since season one... no wait. it's only been since last week's episode. Still, an answer is an answer - I'll take it.

I want to know where Miles is. Plus, some people are saying that Richard is dead. Is Richard dead? If he is, I missed that.

In that pre-show somebody said we will be left at the end with the six characters from the first episode. Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley... but who are the other two? Sayid? Charlie? Desmond??

- - - - - CM #3 - - - - -

How did Desmond know about the light?

MILES!!! Richard!! Yay!

Ah, we're finally at the concert!

JULIET!!!!!!!!! I missed you, Juliet! You are awesome!

Ah, OMG! Totally sad Jin/Sun flashback scene! They even remember dying - so does that mean... hey, THEY SPEAK ENGLISH!!

Does this mean Sun and Jin are not really dead? And Charlie and Sayid, etc.? Is everybody just going to be not dead?

- - - - - CM #4 - - - - -

Sawyer is running.

"Then it ends."

Richard has a gray hair!!! He wants to live!

Ah! Super gross dead guy in the water!

LAPIDUS!!! Does this mean Sayid isn't dead-dead? Wait, are Miles and Ricahrd and Lapidus just going to leave every... ah, showdown! Kate is totally shooting people!

"So it's you... I expected to be a little more surprised."

I planned to only write during the commercial breaks, but as you can tell, I can't help but share a few exclamation points during the show. I'm putting my during-the-show comments in italics, just so you know.

- - - - - CM #5 - - - - -

I knew it! Juliet is Jack's son's mom.

Sawyer and Juliet in an elevator.

Desmond is a weapon, huh.

What? Just the three of them? Why? What are Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley (and Ben) going to do? Just stand there?

"This doesn't matter, you know."

"There are no do-overs... all of this matters."

OK. Desmond sounds crazy and Jack sounds rational, but I'm kind of believing Desmond.

Ha! did you see that Target commercial for a smoke detector! :) And there's another one - for a computer keyboard. Go Target! It makes this really feel like a big television event, like the superbowl.

- - - - - CM #6 - - - - -

"There are rules, dude."

SHANNON! Shannon and Sayid!!!!!!! Ah!! I'm tearing up! So, Boone (that's Shannon's brother's name, right?) remembers and is in on it with Hurley and Desmond.

OMG! Who is Claire shooting?? Don't shoot Richard, Claire! Claire - where are you going? I bet she's going to pop out of the jungle at the last minute to save everyone by sacrificing herself or something.

Why doesn't Flocke just push Jack into the cave? Is Smokey trying to answer the question about why Desmond had to push the button? No, I guess not.

Hey, remember when they showed the island underwater at, like, the end of season five? What was up with that?

So, are Sayid and Shannon soul mates and not Sayid and Nadia? I'm glad to see some of the women of Lost coming back and not being so all dead and everything. Still, bringing people back from the dead is cool, but it's not really answering any questions, is it?

- - - - - CM #7 - - - - -

What's with the black and white striped square-dance dress some lady is wearing?

Hey - it's... what's her name, the red-head. Ah, she just met Faraday (I mean, Whidmore)! Charlotte, that's it.

Claire and Kate know eachother from the stolen cab.

Dr. Chang.

Here's hoping Driveshaft doesn't play their one song that they have. Ah, Charlie sees Claire! Here comes Aaron!!!

Wet Desmond.

Skeleton(s).

Is Desmond going to become the new smoke monster? He picked the really big stone carrot. Oh, the light is out. That's not good. Ooo... bad special effects.

Desmond's "No!" was scary.

Go Jack!

Ouch! Not the face!!

So, I don't... Ooo... the voiceover for the Mercedes commerical is Jon Hamm. Mad Men will be my new favorite show now that LOST is almost over. Wait... is LOST my favorite show?

I never realized how much this show is about romance and couples getting together at long last, etc.

- - - - - CM #8 - - - - -

This concert looks lame.

"Then, we're leaving."

Why isn't Desmond going to take Daniel with him?

Was it Kate and Charlie who helped deliver Aaron on the island, too? How does Kate know when it's time to push?

Kate remembers now. Her moment was delivering Aaron, not meeting Jack or Sawyer. She's not supposed to end up with either of them.

The peanut butter!

Do they need Aaron to go back or something?

WHAT? What did Kate say after Desmond asked her, "Do you understand?"??

Wet Jack.

"Locke has a boat."

Cool music and Jack totally confronts Flocke all 300-style!!!! In the rain and in slow-mo and everything.

Wow. That really was cool. And we're already more than half-way through. I think. This is over at 11:00, right? Oh, nevermind.

- - - - - CM #9 - - - - -

Is that the, like, magic knife or whatever? The one that Ben used to kill... OMG! Flocke just stabbed Jack!

Oh, it's Kate. Not time for Claire yet, I guess. Why did she say "I saved you a bullet?" So, what, is Smokey dead?

Oh! That's why Jack's neck was bleeding!

OMG! IS HE SMOKEY? (Did dying on the island make Smokey cross over to the sideways world? Did John Locke die in surgery?) Is that why he said "it worked?"? No, he's John.

What, so the thing Jack remembers is what?

"You don't have a son, Jack... I hope somebody does for you what you just did for me."

What is it that makes people in the sideways world remember the island?

We're into the last hour now!

- - - - - CM #10 - - - - -

"It sure don't feel like it's over."

The look on Jin and Sun's faces when they "meet" detective Ford!! "We'll see you there." I love them!

Can they really fix the plane just because Lapidus is a pilot? And because Miles worked at an apartment building?

Um... wet Hurley.

Kate and Jack. Is that supposed to be closure? Is Kate supposed to end up with Jack? And Sawyer can be with Jack's ex-wife Juliet?

- - - - - CM #11 - - - - -

Ugh, a duct tape joke. Really?

I thought Sawyer and Kate were going to jump together all holding hands or something, but Kate went on her own. Is that a sign?

Apollo bar. Is that something?

JULIET!!!

Does that unplugging the candy machine thing really work?

WE CAN GO DUTCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm crying, but I feel tricked. Did they have to kill Juliet just to give us this (awesome) moment? Well, and so she could star on V.

So it IS Jack and Kate and then Sawyer and Juliet. Um, to quote Flocke, "I expected to be a little more surprised"?

Ooo... a commercial for True Blood. When is season 2 going to be out on Netflix?

- - - - - CM #11 - - - - -

Ah! The cute look Jack gave when Kate said, "You lookin' for someone?"

Dang! Those are high heels.

Why is Jack not as quick to believe as everyone else?

"I'm already dead."

The look on Ben's face when Jack says, "It's supposed to be you, Hugo." Ha! "Do you have anything to drink?" But it's just water. If this really does work and Hurley IS really the chosen one, all the Jack-haters of the world will be happy, I guess.

(Where DID Flocke get that boat anyway?)

So, is Jack going to die? To, like, save the island?

I thought he was going to say, "I don't have a son."

So, are the "six" Lapidus, Richard, Miles, Sawyer, Kate, and Claire?

Jack put the carrot back... and it didn't work?

Numbers on the plane's dash.

Happy music as the plane takes off... What the heck?

Oh, wait, Jack did it. And... they're pulling Desmond back up.

Is JACK going to be the new smoke monster?

What? A commerical for SPF 100 sunblock?? Wow. That is overkill.

22 minutes left!

Wait, on Jimmy Kimmel they are going to show THREE ALTERNATE ENDINGS? What's up with that? Are they endings they shot to throw people off? I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see.

- - - - - CM #12 - - - - -

Wait, so are they all going to meet at the church where Jack's dad's body is?

What did Ben do to John? Oh yeah, he killed him. I forgot.

Yeah, Ben needs to stay because he's got a thing going on with the Frenchwoman.

"Goodbye Ben." Is that really goodbye to Ben??? Oh, wait, no. There he is again.

So Ben and Hurley stay and run the island? "You WERE real good number two." So, it's already over or whatever?

Why does Jack still not remember? Why is his father's funeral so important? How does Kate know everything about how going to the funeral means you can leave and everything?

Jack isn't dead. Is ANYBODY dead?

Why a church? Are we supposed to read some kind a religious significance into all of this?

So... is it Jack's father that makes him remember? Are they all at the funeral to get JACK to remember?

Ah! don't open the... oh, there's nothing in it.

So... Christian Shepherd? We're all dead?? Or... just Jack is dead.

So, when you die is it all just a big mindf where everyone makes you go to concerts and churches and crap? But everything is "real"? Wait, what? Are they all dead? Um, oh, there "is no now." OK. Yeah. This all totally makes sense. We're in a place that we made so we could find each other. So... being on the island was real.

"Moving on."

Libby.

Sad Jack walking through the jungle.

Penny.

Sad Jack in the bamboo with a shoe.

Shannon gives Sayid an "I want a baby, too" look.

Kate changed into a tank top.

Sad Jack on the ground. Bleeding.

They all sit down in the pews. Rose and Bernard.

Vincent lies down! SAD!!!

TACKY VIRGIN STATUES!

Light.

plane.

Jack's eye closes.

- - - - - After The End - - - - -

So... nobody gets the diamonds?

Snopes.com

Have you ever heard that if you eat Pop Rocks and drink soda you will die? Well, it's not true.

No, I know, you know a guy whose cousin's college roommate's little brother did it and his stomach exploded. But no, that never happened. How do I know? I read about it on snopes.com.

Snopes is a website that deals with Urban Legends. Just about anything you've ever heard is on there. The website kind of freaks me out, though, mostly because I now know way too much about how many people have ever died at Disneyland and how (surprise: It's usually on Grad Night).

Anyway, here are five legends that surprised me. Are they true or false? You'll have to read them to find out... if you dare!

1. Music: The Beatles recorded an unreleased song called "Pink Litmus Paper Shirt"
2. Movies: One of the munchkins died on the set of The Wizard of Oz.
3. Old Wive's Tales: Chewing gum takes seven years to digest.
4. Horror: A fake mummy in a Haunted Fun House turns out to be real!
5. And from the Lost Legends section: Mr. Ed was a zebra!

SNL: Great Day

The season finale of SNL was last night. Alec Baldwin hosted for the 15th time, tying with Steve Martin. Tom Petty was the musical guest (awesome). Here's the Digital Short (I loved it) which features both of them!

SNL: Betty White

Sorry this is late...

Betty White finally hosted SNL, and it was a great episode. It's been a week and I can't actually remember what I thought was the funniest sketch of the night, so here's this one, which was pretty typical.

iPod Set to Shuffle

I like Feministe. It is a blog. They just did one of those posts where you set your MP3 player to shuffle and post a list of the first ten songs that come up. Their songs were all Neko Case and Tom Waits and everything, because they are cool (I just learned who Tom Waits was two weeks ago). Here is my random Top 10:

1. Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenocerous - Flight of the Conchords

2. Home - Depeche Mode

3. Norwegian Wood - The Beatles

4. This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney

5. About a Girl (Live) - Nirvana

6. I Started a Joke - The Bee Gees (this is the only song by the Bee Gees that I have, I swear. I just think it is funny).

7. April Come She Will - (Simon and Garfunkel - one of only two S&G songs I have).

8. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Bob Dylan (I also have the version by The Hollies, which is better)

9. Girlfriend - Phoenix

10. West Coast - Coconut Records

OK... I'm not a total nerd.

Feminite also does really funny recaps of LOST. And they talk about abortion and stuff.

Shake the Disease

I've always like the Depeche Mode song "Shake the Disease." Here is a cool cover version by Rogue Wave (thanks to Pop Candy and The Music Slut).

MGMT on SNL

I love MGMT! I'm so glad they were on SNL this week, because there wasn't really anything else interesting on SNL this week (though I was glad to see someone else who likes to put their Thin Mints in the freezer). Next week Betty White is hosting. Go internet.

Here's MGMT performing "Brian Eno":

SNL: Stop Getting Figurative and Start Getting Literal

Last night's SNL with host Ryan Phillipe was OK. If you missed it, here is a sketch about the Hip Hop Kids trapped in a bear cave.

News Videos

I have a complaint.

I get most of my news from the internet. Lately I have seen A LOT of videos on news websites. That's not so unusual, but what's different is that they will post a headline - usually involving some kind of mystery, and then they WON'T include a way you can read about the news, you HAVE to watch the video, or you don't get to know what the mystery is about.

I just saw a headline that read "Should You 'Friend' a Parent on Facebook? A father & son found out the hard way that their relationship wasn't meant to exist on the social media site. Find out why." and I thought, "Wow! What happened to them? The dad found out his son was a drug dealer or what?" So I clicked on the headline, only to have a video window pop up. Usually, I just close the video and go on with my life, but this sounded like a really juicy story - it was on the front page of MSN and everything. What terrible Facebook event caused a rift in the bond between father and son? The dad posted a picture of his now 26 year old son when he was one, sitting on the toilet.

I would put a link here so you can see how unnewsworthy this entire story is (it originally aired on the Today Show) but I don't want to give them the satisfaction.

Take that, news video people.

SNL: Brownie Husband

Last night's SNL was hosted by Tina Fey and Justin Beiber's haircut. Tina was great (not so great? The return of the always unfunny Aunt Linda's movie reviews). The sketch that made me laugh out loud in horror - Brownie Husband. When she bites his face off and caramel comes out - ack!

Buddha Pictures

See my previous post on Pocket Buddhas here.

So, I got one of these Pocket Buddhas from Urban Outfitters for Christmas. I liked it so much, that I got another one - and it was the Lucky Golden Buddha - which means I won a set of all six Buddhas. They came in the mail today, and I couldn't resist taking some pictures. The ones of the gold Buddha in the moss look so professional!

This gold Buddha is "Happiness"

This purple guy is "Wisdom"

And this green fella is "Faith"

Science Can Answer Moral Questions

This is a little more deep than what I usually post, but I thought it was interesting. It's about 23 minutes long.

Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions | Video on TED.com

By the way, I first learned about the TED conference from Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.

Project Runway

I love fashion (not that you would know it by looking at my wardrobe, but...) and I used to think of Project Runway as my favorite show on TV (but that was back in the days of season 2... oh, Daniel V! Remember that time when he said it was "a mother f'ing walkoff")?

Anyway, last night Anthony was robbed! I don't think Anthony is the best designer or anything, but Mila's dress was quite possibly the ugliest thing I've seen in the history of P.R. - and this is a show where people make clothes out of lettuce leaves and garbage bags (sometimes those garbage bag dresses win). Maybe there have been one or two other ugly dresses, but at least the models could WALK in those. This was just a disaster.

It took me a while, but here is the only picture of the dress I could find (Thanks TVgasm):

The challenge this week was to design your own fabric. The first thing I thought was, "Do not put color on a white background and then pick white fabric to pair with it" and that is exactly what Mila did! Then she made it into this gross 70's maxi dress that was so tight the model couldn't walk. THEN she put this horrible black vest/jacket thing on her. Yuck!

Despite this disaster, Mila was safe and it was Anthony (the only entertaining designer left on the show) who was booted off. Mila better not be going to Bryant Park - I can just imagine the black and white Adidas track suit disaster mess her runway show would be.

At least the episode was interesting. This was the first time in a long time that I didn't miss Santino!

Netflix Streaming on Your Wii

I have a Nintendo Wii. I have Netflix. Soon I will be able to stream Netflix movies instantly via my Wii. That will be pretty cool.

Here's an article about it.

And here is the link at Netflix you go to to ask for a disc (you need a disc for it to work). When the discs become available, you will be sent one in a timely fashion. Then get ready to enjoy... um... "Departures" or "Mallrats" or something (There aren't really that many great instant movies).

Speaking of streaming Netflix movies, tonight I'm going to watch "Talk Radio". I've been wanting to read that play for a while, but I can't bring myself to buy a copy because I don't think plays should cost as much as other books when they only take a couple of hours to read. Anyway...

Justifed

I mentioned the new FX show Justifed in a previous post here after I saw a promo. Now I have watched the first episode. It was so good!!

If someone said I would like a new show about southerners who blow up buildings and are psycho religious nuts and the guy in a cowboy hat who tries to catch them, I wouldn't believe it. But I would be wrong! Of course, a good dose of Timothy Olyphant does not hurt!

This doesn't hurt. At all.

If you didn't see the first episode, you can catch it here.

SNL: Boombox

Listen, you've gotta know your limits with a boombox. A boombox is not a toy.

Don't forget - Andy Samburg is going to be on Parks and Recreation this week.

Update 3/22/10: He was. He played a guy who talks really loud. Really.

Meat Free Monday Menu Ideas

As you know, I'm a big supporter of Meat Free Monday - the campaign that asks you to go meat free, if not all the time, then at least once a week. I've mentioned it on my blog before.

What I haven't done is give you actual ideas of what you can eat on your meat free day (which doesn't HAVE to be Monday, by the way). You might be surprised at how many meals you currently eat are already meat-free.

Dinner: Pasta makes a great dinner. Most pastas (as long as you skip the meat balls, meat in the sauce, or chicken in top, etc.) are meat free.

Lunch: You can have a sandwich - peanut butter and jelly, egg salad, cheese, or try something special like a hot veggie meatball sandwich! Many veggie soups also make a quick and easy lunch.

Breakfast: A meat free breakfast is simple, tasty, and good for you, too. Have oatmeal, toast, pancakes, etc. One of my favorite breakfasts is a fried egg (I use organic free range eggs) and a veggie sausage patty sandwich made with an English muffin. The added benefit of that breakfast - you're sticking it to McDonalds.

Here are some healthy menu ideas I got from this website.

Breakfast (choose 1)
• 1 cup oatmeal with 1⁄2 cup blueberries; 1⁄2 cup fortified soymilk
• 1 slice whole-grain toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 egg and 1 egg white scrambled with 1⁄4 cup mixed mushrooms and onions and 1 oz shredded cheese; 2 slices whole-wheat toast; 2 mandarin oranges

Morning snack (choose 1)
• 4 cinnamon graham cracker squares; 1 cup fortified chocolate soymilk
• 1⁄4 cup lowfat yogurt topped with 1⁄4 cup fruit and 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

Lunch (choose 1)
• Sandwich of 1⁄4 cup hummus and sliced tomato on 2 slices whole-grain bread; 1 cup crudités dipped in 1⁄4 cup salsa; 1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice
• “Steak” sandwich: 4 oz WestSoy Vegetarian Stir Fry Strips with 2 tbsp barbecue sauce on a whole-wheat roll; 1⁄2 cup store-bought coleslaw

Afternoon snack (choose 1)
• 1⁄4 cup almonds; 1 banana (or other whole fresh fruit)
• 1⁄4 cup nuts-and-fruit trail mix
• Apple slices with 2 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner (choose 1)
• 1 cup pasta with 1⁄2 cup marinara sauce; 2 cups kale, steamed, then sautéed in 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup baked beans topped with 1⁄4 cup stewed tomatoes and 1 tbsp cheese; half a medium oven-baked sweet potato, cut into wedges, brushed with 2 teaspoons olive oil; and 1 cup collard greens braised in vegetable broth with tarragon vinegar

Dessert (choose 1)
• 1⁄2 cup lemon Italian ice with 1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1⁄2 cup lowfat ice cream with 1⁄2 cup fruit
• 1 slice pound cake topped with 1⁄2 cup strawberries

Happy eating!

SNL: What Up With That?

On Sundays I usually post the most funny sketch from last night's SNL, but I've been busy. Anyway, Zach Galafinakis (or however you spell it) was funny, though he didn't seem to be in that many sketches. I like him dancing at the Sorbonne on The Situation Room.

While the monologue was great, I've chosen "What Up With That" as this week's best sketch. WUPT had to get a little old before it could get funny again. You gotta love Lindsey Buckingham and the ambidextrous flute player! Enjoy!

No Paul McCartney on iTunes?

Is it just me, or can you not download any songs from the majority of Paul McCartney's albums on iTunes today?

I'm getting ready for an Oscar party (making sandwiches, etc.) and I have "Take it Away" from Tug of War stuck in my head, so I wanted to download and listen to it, but I can only find a couple of Macca albums on iTunes and there is no Tug of War or "Take it Away" to be had.

Why are you bad, iTunes?

Update 3/29/10: Here is a link to the Apple discussion board. Still no explanation yet.

Update 9/26/10: It was announced this week that a newly revamped version of Band on the Run will be re-released soon. Maybe they are doing this with all of the albums? What about Red Rose Speedway???

The Jimmy Fallon Experiment: Day Two (LOST Bum Night)

Now that Coco is gone, I have been trying Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This is my second episode. You can read the run-down of the first episode I watched here.

Don't get excited, Hall & Oates had to cancel.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010:

• This was Jimmy's one year anniversary episode. With him as always was The Roots. (Is it me or are The Roots mostly just drummers)? He started by saying, "Welcome to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, NBC's longest running comedy show. I remember when we started, Jay Leno was still hosting the Tonight Show." Stupid NBC. Jimmy sang a song that he wrote called "Freshman 15." It was all with Blacklights and stuff. It was OK.
• After the first break, Jimmy showed the second installment of LATE (his parody of LOST). I never saw the first one. The premise is that his elevator just crashed on a deserted floor of the building. I liked the guy who was trying to find his son and then found him. There WAS a pretty good MC Escher reference. And why did it take him so long to take a mint? It was funny, but kind of long.
• The first guest was that Robert Pattinson from those Twilight movies. He did some movie with Claire from LOST. (It was like LOST night). The thing about Pattinson being a guest is that Jimmy does these video parodies of him called "Robert is Bothered." They showed one with Pattinson and Jimmy together where Jimmy basically tried to get him to say he was bothered. And then he did. Then he shot lazers out of his eyes. Jimmy asked Pattinson if he watches LOST (I told you it was LOST night) and he said that he watched the first half of the first episode, but it was too confusing for him. I don't know much about this guy. He seems like an OK guy, but he sort of looks like a bum. The clip they showed from his new movie looked kind of terrible.
• The second guest was Judah Friedlander the guy who wears hats on 30 Rock. He also looks like a bum. Besides being LOST night, it was also kind of bum night. He basically brought out a bunch of stuff like a dancing doll from China that didn't work and a coconut sculpture that some guy he went to high school with made.
• The musical guest was supposed to be Hall & Oates, but they had to cancel. In their place was chef Mario Batali. He was a guest during the show's first week. He is also a record guest - he has been on the show more than anyone else. He also likes PBR. He's like some kind of hipster chef. He made some crack about Peta and was apparently going to kill some lobsters on the show, so I stopped watching.

Overall, it was an OK show. If this was a Conan anniversary show, I imagine there would have been more excitement and crazy guests/skits. This seemed just like a regular show. Maybe it was the lack of Hall & Oates.

Blogging and Reblogging

I don't read many blogs on a regular basis (aside from Pop Candy, of course). The ones I do follow are mostly vegetarian blogs. I guess I've heard of re-blogging before, but today was the first time I actually looked at a blog (I didn't read much, but it does look to be excessively hate-able) and the blog that re-blogs that blog.

Here is Julia Allison's Nonsociety - where some bratty chick named Julia goes on ski trips and wonders if her ski pants make her look fat and calls people things like "Prom King" and thinks her married friends being totally in love is news.

And here is Reblogging Nonsociety - where they basically rip on Julia and how odious she is.

Do with this information what you will.