Five by Five

I realize that I am one of the few people left on the planet (maybe) to hop on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel train and I am alright with that. I am just happy that I decided to hop on at all. I started watching Buffy in October, 2009. No reason really, other than I was bored and a lot of my friends loved it (and I had a deep adoration for David Boreanaz from watching Bones). Luckily at that time, Hulu still had the first 3 seasons (of Buffy) in their entirety on the site, that you could watch (they started removing them soon after I watched season 2). The first season, I mostly listened to while I worked and that was okay because come on now, the first season is pretty silly. I fell in love with it the second season and it grew from there. I pretty much became obsessed and decided to watch Angel in unison, so I could follow the show chronologically as it aired when it was actually on. THAT was a chore and made it take twice as long to get through, but I'm happy I watched it that way. I even had an episode guide that instructed me when to watch each episode. I crossed off the episodes on the list after I would watch one (ask Jeff. He would laugh at me every time I pulled out my little list/pencil to mark where I was in my journey). I have such huge respect for Joss Whedon & company for creating these amazing characters and stories. While cheesey at times and infuriating at others, these shows kept me intrigued and wanting more. Now that I am finally finished with them, I feel kind of lost. Nothing to do? I can always watch Buffy and Angel! Now I don't have that and it feels weird. Big thanks to Nichole for letting me borrow all of her Buffy DVD's and big thanks to Carrie for buying me the Angel box set (it was a goldbox deal of the day on Amazon!) for my 29th Birthday and an even bigger thanks to all the people who listened to me go on and on about these shows long after they had been finished. It was fun and I loved it.

For those of you who are left out there and have yet to experience these two awesome shows, I urge you to stop reading now. I'm going to list my top 5 favorite episodes (as well as some honorable mentions) from each series and there will be spoilers galore. Starting with Buffy (in no particular order)...

S P O I L E R   A L E R T !

1. Once More, With Feeling (Season 6)- This was the musical episode. Really, that's all you need to know. It was amazing. AMAZING. It was so well done and fun and revealed so much about every character and relationship. I could watch it over and over again. Such a great, great episode.

2. Passion (Season 2)- Jenny Calendar tries to do a spell that will restore Angelus's soul but in the end, he ends up stopping her. For good, so to speak. The scene where he kills her is so dramatic and eerie. It really drives the point home that Angel is no longer there and also, that Joss Whedon ain't playing around anymore. I love Angelus almost as much as I love Angel. He's fun and crazy and witty and it was so much fun to see that other side.

3. Enemies (Season 3)- Faith (blech) and The Mayor construct a plan to turn Angel evil again that involves her trying to seduce him. I was so nerved up throughout this episode. It was one of the only times I ALMOST spoiled myself on purpose, so I could know the outcome. I didn't though. I watched without knowing what was going to happen and loved the twist and turn the episode takes. I love the look on Faith's face when she realizes they tricked her. Who's "five by five" now, eh!?!? Ha.

4. Hush (Season 4)- Everyone in Sunnydale loses the ability to speak, thanks to demons known as "The Gentlemen". Aside from the score, the entire episode is silent. So fantastically well acted and incredibly well done. No one else would ever be able to pull something like this off and do it so wonderfully. I watched this episode late at night and had to get up early for work the next day. I was so incredibly creeped out by it, that I forced myself to stay up and watch another episode to make the heebie jeebies go away.

5. Storytellyer (Season 7)- Andrew films the gang and the "potentials" for a documentary about Buffy. This is how you know that Joss Whedon and his merry band of writers are so talented at what they do. They took a whiny, seemingly annoying character such as Andrew and turned him into one of my FAVORITES.  All in the course of a season. I love this episode because Andrew narrates it and he's funny and entertaining and heartbreaking all at once. I. Love. Him.

Honorable Mentions: The Prom (Season 3) Oh, how I love the end. The Body (Season 5) It was sad and heartbreaking and had zero music in the background. It was a very raw episode.

Least Liked Episodes: The Puppet Show ( Season 1) Remember my fear of dolls, stuffed animals, toys etc. coming alive at night!?!?!? Beer Bad (Season 4) Dumb.

Angel:

1. I Will Remember You (Season 1)- Buffy comes to L.A. to yell at Angel for being in Sunnydale the night before and not telling her he was in town. They argue while fighting a demon. After slaying the demon, Angel ends up getting it's blood mixed with his, which in turn, makes him human again. Angel and Buffy spend the "perfect" day together, totally content and happy until he realizes that he can do a lot more good as a vampire than as a human. So, in order to save the world, he has his humanity revoked and Buffy ends up forgetting everything about their "perfect" day. It was a bittersweet episode. Sigh.

2. When Good Vampires Go Bad (Season 2)- Angel is tormented by "visions" of Darla which causes him to remember the first time he met Drusilla, back in 1860 London. I love any of the episodes having to do with his flashbacks. When they include both Darla and Dru ( AND Spike!), I am a happy girl.

3. There Is No Place Like Plrtz Glrb (Season 2)- Stuck in Pylea (Lorne's hometown!), Cordelia is believed to be a Princess, Wesley and Gunn are fighting rebels, Lorne has his head chopped off and Angel works to save Fred from the hell dimension. With all the broodiness and grumpiness of the season, the finale was sort of lighthearted. And it introduced Fred, whom I heart, so yay.

4. You're Welcome! (Season 5)- I didn't realize this when I was watching it, but this was the 100th episode. I loved it. Cordelia mysteriously awakens from her "mystical coma", to set Angel back on his heroic path and to help him fight Lindsey. I love Lindsey! The whole episode had me smiling... until the very end, of course.

5. Smile Time (Season 5)- Who picks a goofy throwaway episode to be put in their top 5 list of best episodes? This girl does. A popular children's show is stealing the life force of kids. When Angel goes to investigate the studio, he ends up being turned into a puppet. Not a creepy puppet but like, a muppet. It's FANTASTIC. I loved this episode so much, I almost immediately re-watched it. Almost, but didn't. I'll re-watch it with the commentary soon. I want an Angel puppet. They are (at best) $150. Someone buy it for me, okay? Thanks.


Honorable mentions: Reunion (Season 2) After spending the episode looking for Dru and Darla, Angel locks them in a wine cellar with a ton of people from Wolfram & Hart and just walks away, knowing they will kill everyone in the room. A Hole In The World (Season 5) Just thinking about this episode makes me want to cry. Fred is infected with a mysterious, parasitic demon and they are unable to save her. I was in denial the entire time I was watching it. It ended and I was furious. THAT is why it's not in the top 5. I'm still too heartbroken over it. Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof were amazing. So so amazing. In the long run, it may end up being my favorite episode. Who knows?

Least Liked Episodes: Uhm, ALL of season 4. All of it. Why We Fight (Season 5) you follow up the episode where Cordelia dies with this nonsense crap about a submarine Captain? No.

I could go on and on about these shows. I could tell you my least favorite characters: Faith, Dawn, Connor (ugh, F'ing Connor), Eve. Or, how I have a weird crush on Giles and that I overreacted several times when I thought he was going to die, but I will stop now.

Next up: Jeff and I are going to start Firefly this week.

Let's talk TV.

Greetings, gentle readers!

A lot has been happening in the world of TV the last two weeks. All the networks have been showing off their potential pilots for the the Fall season. Last year at this time there was a whole lot of nothing to look forward to as far as new shows go. I can't think of one new show that held my interest this season. As it turns out, it didn't matter because I am pretty certain almost all of them were canceled. It was a really crappy tv season, friends. Not just for the new shows, but for my old favorites as well.  

Grey's Anatomy started off crazy good and went steadfastly downhill. So much so, that I am not really looking forward to watching the season finale. But I will. Out of some irrational sense of obligation I feel toward the show, even though I think Shonda Rhimes is an idiot. Glee had a rough sophomore season. Let's be honest here, their second season was chalk full of inconsistencies, stupid storylines and plots that made NO SENSE (cough-Emma/Carl getting married-cough). I was real close to calling it quits (maybe), but somewhere about 3 or 4 episodes back, it found it's groove again. Right about the time Gwyneth Paltrow exited (how's that for coincidence?). Ryan Murphy has a tendency to go a little balls-out crazycakes with his shows to the point where the characters almost become cartoons (Nip/Tuck anyone?) but he managed to reel things back in and bring the plot back which has made SUCH a difference. Not to mention they brought back the one and only Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff) for the last 3 episodes and Jesse St. James makes everything better, people. He really does.

Oh, I am also eagerly anticipating the Bones season finale this evening. I'll let you know if it disappoints me or not. I am trying not to get my hopes up too much for it because Hart Hanson has a way of reeaaalllyyy dropping the ball when it comes to important episodes on that show. I am optimistic though, especially because the season has been somewhat of a letdown all year.

The only shows that haven't let me down this year are Vampire Diaries and Modern Family. Both shows remained consistently fresh and so so entertaining all year. The Vampire Diaries season finale was subtle and awesome. I can't wait for next season. Modern Family is just fun, funny and heartwarming. I. Love. It.

Anyway, with all that being said, there are a billion new shows being premiered in the fall and here are the ones I am looking forward to the most (in no particular order):

The New Girl (FOX, Tuesdays @ 9:00)- Starring the ALWAYS adorable and charming Zooey Deschanel, as a (geeky) girl who moves in with three guys after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her. Any description I give it won't do it justice, so just watch the preview below. I am super duper excited for this show. SUPER DUPER.





Ringer (CW, Tuesdays @ 9:00)- This show marks Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to tv. Hooray! She plays identical twins, Bridget and Siobhan. After Bridget (a recovering alcoholic) witnesses a murder, she runs away to New York to make amends with her sister who is married and living a fairytale lifestyle. Siobhan disappears and Bridget basically takes over her identity.


 The Secret Circle (CW Thursdays, @ 9:00)- An ordinary girl (played by Britt Robertson) moves to a small town with her mother, only to discover she's a full blooded witch. This show is based on the book series by L.J. Smith and I looooved the books. They left out a lot of characters and the descriptions don't match those of the book but I am determined to keep an open mind about this. Kevin Williamson (of Dawson's Creek and Vampire Diaries fame) is in charge of this, so I have very high hopes.


Once Upon a Time (ABC, Sundays @ 8:00)- This one stars Jennifer Morrison (eh) and Ginnifer Goodwin and is brought to us by Lost executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. This one is kind of hard to explain. It has to do with a bail bonds enforcer, a son that was given up for adoption, alternate worlds and fairytales. Check it out.


Apt. 23 (ABC, midseason)- This is a shallow pick. I'm basically picking it because of James Van Der Beek. He plays himself.


Alcatraz (FOX, Mondays @ 9:00)- This midseason drama is brought to you by J.J. Abrams (duh, of course this one is on my list) and starring Jorge Garcia. This show is about the prison Alcatraz. Shocking, right? Oh, and there is some sort of time traveling involved. NO! Not in a J.J. Abrams show!? Anyway, it follows a detective (played by Sarah Jones) who teams up with an expert (Jorge Garcia), after a murder suspect turns out to be an Alcatraz prisoner who disappeared from the island about 50yrs ago.


Person Of Interest (CBS, Thursdays @ 9:00)- Also brought to you by J.J. Abrams and starring Ben Linus... I mean, Michael Emerson, this one is about a billionaire (Emerson) who hires a presumed dead CIA Agent (Jim Caviezel) to catch violent criminals in New York. Really though, all you need to know is that this stars BEN from Lost, people. The end.


There you go. Those are the shows I am most excited for. Hopefully they won't disappoint.

Also, I should mention (going back to current TV shows), I loved the Castle season finale. They did a really great job with it. I won't go in to detail because I don't want to spoil anyone but I really enjoyed it.

Another thing, I have been really lax in my viewings of The Office. I have yet to watch Steve Carell's last episode and we didn't record the last 2 episodes. I think my Office watching has come to an end. I am undecided on whether or not I want to watch the season finale. Can anyone convince me that I should??

Books and Coming Soons

I have taken a break from the Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum series because I didn't want to get completely burnt out on Stephanie's antics and shenanigan's. I stopped after reading #10 and will pick the series back up again soon. Thanks to my wonderful sister, Natalie, I ended up switching over to Emily Giffin's books, starting with Something Borrowed. I love, love, love her writing style. There is something about it that is so simple yet it completely draws you into the story. I have never been more inspired to write than I am when I read her books. No other author has ever made me feel that way. I almost get jealous when I read her stories because I wish I was that good. She currently has five books out right now. They aren't a continuous series like the Twilight or the Sookie books (even though Something Borrowed and it's follow up, Something Blue are very much related), but each book relates back to another book in the series in a really clever way. I LOVE that. They also made a movie out of Something Borrowed, starring John Krasinski (yay!), Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin and Colin Egglesfield (holy handsome!). I promise, it's not your typical dramedy/rom-com. It's such an interesting story and it doesn't end up how you think it will. The movie comes out May 6th. I can't wait!

The new Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris comes out May 3rd. Hooray! There is also going to be The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, which comes out August 30th. It is going to have trivia (you know I love my trivia!), a tour of Bon Temps and surrounding areas, recipes; including Caroline Bellfleur's chocolate cake (which I think is super fun) and summaries and things of that nature. Should be interesting and I am looking forward to it.

Speaking of companion guides, the Twilight Guide was released on April 12th. It has a long interview with Stephenie Meyer, conducted by one of her author friends, Shannon Hale. It's semi-interesting but most of it contains things that we have heard her say before. There are in depth descriptions of every single character and an explanation of Stephenie's playlist's for each of the books in the series. All in all, I'm happy to have it on my shelf along with my other Twilight books but honestly, I would rather just have Midnight Sun.

Jeff and I have been watching Game Of Thrones on HBO (Sundays at 9pm) the last couple of weeks. I am not going to be able to give you a very good/accurate description of this show because I know almost nothing about it. I know that it's based on the book series by George R. R. Martin and I know that the show is fantastically well done. The acting is really good and the story itself is very intriguing so far. There is lots of mean/vindictive people, uhm.. lots of nudity and some really cute (Dire) wolves. Check it out, if for no other reason than to figure out what the heck I'm talking about. Also, I am told that the book series is really great. I am hoping to read those someday soon.

Speaking of HBO, just a reminder that our favorite Vampires and fangbangers return June 26th at 9pm. How excited am I for season 4 of True Blood? Extremely. How worried am I that they are going to mess up my favorite storyline in the series? Extremely. What does that add up to?? Lots of curiosity thrown in with some anxiousness. But really, I can't wait to spend my Sunday nights with my favorite Viking/Sheriff from Area Five.

One last thing, the final episode of America's Next Great Restaurant is this Sunday at 8pm. I really have enjoyed this show. The investors (Bobby Flay, Lorena Garcia, Curtis Stone and Steve Ells) are such good judges and give good, helpful constructive criticism. I hope it comes back next year. Also, I am pulling for Soul Daddy, he is the fella from Detroit (Jamawn Woods). I don't necessarily like his food the best but I like him and his whole work ethic the best. He just seems like he's a good guy.

A Top 5 List

Have you ever found yourself grumbling in disgust over a certain character while watching your favorite television show (or any TV show, for that matter)? Grumbling so much so that whenever he/she comes on screen, you immediately do an eye-roll, sigh and shout "I haaaaate insert random name here!"? This has happened to me a few times but no more so than this past weekend while watching a certain series that I love.

My hatred for this character inspired me to compile a list of my Top 5 Most Disliked Characters of All Time. I will give them to you in order from least hated to most hated. I would also like to throw out the typical *spoiler warning* for the following shows: Alias, Lost, Angel, True Blood, Fringe and Vampire Diaries.

5.) Kate Austin (played by Evangeline Lilly)-  Lost
From the beginning of season one, I knew that Kate was going to drive me insane. She went from whiny and scared to trying to be heroic and helpful. Only problem was, every single time (EVERY TIME) she attempted to be "helpful", she mucked things up. Whether their characters were being chased by Others or they were going on a venture into the jungle, Kate always found a way to get them caught and/or put in an even more dangerous situation. By season 5, I was begging for the writers to give her the "time travel sickness". It never happened. She was always making Jack sad and leading Sawyer on. She was just flat out annoying. By the time the series finale came around, I had high hopes that she might head off into the enchanted light at the end of that tunnel and never return... But the unthinkable happened. Kate did something cool and lessened my intense dislike for her just a bit. In a scene that will go down as one of my favorites in Lost history, she shot Fake Locke and saved Jack. "I saved you a bullet!"

4.) Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv)- Fringe
I was crazy excited about Fringe when it first came out. A J.J. Abrams concept, paired with Joshua Jackson? You couldn't go wrong... unless you added an incredibly bland, monotone, all around plain lead character to head the show. Olivia was just unlikable to me. I couldn't relate to her, I couldn't bring myself to care about her character whatsoever. Even so, I hung on that first season and watched the whole thing. The stories were interesting enough and every other character on the show stood out. She was a background character as far as I was concerned. Nothing about her was compelling to me. Her voice was off, her hair drove me crazy and all she ever did was tell people to "STOP!" and point her gun at them. I watched the second season premiere and found myself actually excited that they may kill her off. A show where they kill off the main character??? How interesting would that be?! Alas, they did no such thing. Apparently there are 2 Olivia's now. No. Thank. You. It pains me to say that I stopped watching. It only pains me because I love Joshua Jackson and it makes me sad that I can't watch him every week because of her.

3.) Lauren Reed (played by Melissa George)- Alias
Any Alias fan you talk to will tell you that one of their favorite things about the show was the Sydney/Vaughn relationship. He was her handler, friend and eventually he became her boyfriend. People were ecstatic when they got together. Ok, *I* was ecstatic. It was 2 seasons in the making and it was fun and refreshing... Until the last seconds of the season 2 finale, when you saw that Michael Vaughn was wearing a wedding ring. Not only was he wearing a wedding ring but Sydney had been missing for two years. In that 2 years, Vaughn got married. To Lauren. WHAT. She ended up working with them (you know, to create tension and whatnot) and drove fans crazy because Syd and Vaughn couldn't be together. I would cringe whenever I had to watch them hug or kiss on screen. They were NOT supposed to be together! However irrational my ranting may seem, Lauren ruined that season for me... until we found out she was evil. It almost made having to endure the first half of the season with her making googly eyes at Vaughn ok. Almost. I don't think i'll ever be able to get over her addition to the cast. It's one of the few times I felt betrayed by the creators.

2.) Tara Thornton (played by Rutina Wesley)- True Blood
There is such a difference between the Tara in Charlaine Harris's books and the Tara on True Blood that I can't even count them as the same character. The Tara in the books is quiet, reserved and responsible. She comes from a crappy family but she bettered herself because of it. The Tara on the show is cringeworthy. She is loud, obnoxious and whiny as all get out. She is always shouting at someone and always going on and on about how awful her life is. She is constantly getting herself into insane situations and then blaming Sookie for how they turn out. Not to mention the fact that she constantly judges the decisions Sookie makes, instead of taking a look at her own trainwreck of a life. When last season ended, they showed her driving off into the distance. I say "good". I say "have a nice life, Tara"!

1.) Connor (played by Vincent Kartheiser)- Angel 
Where do I begin? First off, I would like to thank Nichole and Jeff for enduring my ranting and raving about Season 4 of Angel. "It will get better" Nichole kept telling me. "Hang in there" she said. All the while I was inundating her with texts that mainly said "I HAAAAAAAAATE CONNOR". Never ever have I disliked a character so much. If ever there was something to mess up, Connor would mess it up. He was supposed to be  a whiny, dark, teenager and let me tell you, this kid perfected the art of whining. There are no redeeming qualities about his character. I can't even tell you that he made any of the storylines better because he didn't. He made them worse. Every time he would come on screen, I would literally get angry. Why oh why did they create this character? Now, I am a late-comer to Angel, so I don't know what the fan reaction was to Connor when he first aired. All I know is that I found him to be a miserable addition and he did nothing to make the show better creatively. I finished season 4 a few nights ago and actually shrieked for joy when it ended because I was so happy that I wouldn't have to deal with his stupid face and his stupid hair and his stupid whining anymore. I have yet to start season 5, so who knows? Maybe I am in for more Connor goodness, but for crying out loud, I hope not.

Some honorable mentions: Bonnie on Vampire Diaries (I used to hate her a whole lot but she has actually redeemed herself a bit this season. She's much more likable being paired with Jeremy than she is alone), Mohinder Suresh from Heroes (he was supposed to be this super smart guy but in reality, he was just stupid), Faith from Buffy The Vampire Slayer (she irritated me because she was always in competition with Buffy and I hated her stupid saying. "I'm 5x5, B" but she ended up being semi-ok) and Hannah on Bones (I hated her simply for the fact that Booth shouldn't have been with her. Also, she was a terrible actress).

Everything and Nothing You Ever Needed To Know About Me.

Wanna know a few miscellaneous things about me? Sure you do...

1.) I willingly watch iCarly with Charley. Not only do I do it willingly, but I enjoy it.

2.) Whenever I re-read a book or re-watch a movie that I have already seen and there are sad parts to it, I always think to myself "maybe this time will be different!". For example: every single time I read New Moon, I think to myself "hey! maybe, just maybe, stupid Bella won't get a horrific papercut and maybe, just maybe Edward won't leave!" I do the same thing with LaBamba. Don't get on the plane, Ritchie!

3.) I wear nail polish to prevent myself from picking my lip. If I pick my lip, the nail polish will chip and then all my hard work will have been wasted. (Makes perfect sense in my mind)

4.) I have to listen to a new CD 3 times before I can decide if I like it or not.

5.) I was 19yrs old when I went through my first drive-thru. It was the Taco Bell on Ford Rd. and Kristy was with me. She talked me into it and I was a nervous wreck. I was successful in my mission and even kept the receipt in my glove compartment for a long time.

6.) I am always on the lookout for money on the ground. Not spare change, but actual dollars. That's not to say that I go crawling around parking lots, looking for cash but my eyes are always peeled.

7.) When Jeff, C and I go to the bookstore we have a routine in which we navigate the store. Coffee, magazines, Sci-Fi, Charley's books, music, bargain books. Same routine, every time.

8.) Once a month I have a recurring dream that my utility room floor caves in.

9.) I'm a tissue hoarder. I have at least 3 tissues on my person or in my purse/desk at all times. I haaaate running out of tissue.

10.) I watch Dancing With The Stars not because I enjoy the show (sometimes it's fun) but because I love texting with Carrie during it.

11.) I miss Mervyn's.

12.) I love the smell of basements. LOVE it. If they could bottle that smell and make a candle out of it, this girl would buy it.

13.) I knock on wood for luck. All. The. Time.

14.) It takes me 2 days to recover from staying up past Midnight (as I recently discovered this past weekend). Thank goodness I don't drink. I would be a mess.

15.) I hate cooking and will jump at the chance to not have to do it.

16.) With the exception of 1 or 2 shows right now, I don't like anything on TV this season. (Perhaps this is why I am tearing through the Stephanie Plum series?)

17.) When I am sad or having a crappy day, I look at the picture of Charley with his Han Solo in carbonite. It radiates happiness.

18.) I recently felt like I was in a time warp. I saw all my old friends who (many of them) I hadn't seen in almost 13yrs. It was nice, refreshing and fun all at once and it reminded me why we used to have so much fun all those years ago.

19.) I used to write in a journal every single night throughout high school and for a short while afterward. I have a box FULL of journals in my attic. Tell me, what am I ever going to do with these things? I vote: burn 'em all!

20.) I like compiling lists. Emails, groceries, tasks and blogs. Could you tell?

"Letting Off Steam"

You all know about the original incident between Chris Brown and Rihanna that happened 2 years ago. Basically, he beat the crap out of her. So much so that she was pretty much unrecognizable. There was a huge outrage from the media and fans, especially since this all went down the night of the Grammy's that year. SCANDALOUS. He's been whining and crying ever since then that "he's not a bad guy" and "it was a mistake", blah blah blah. Newsflash, Chris Brown: people don't take lightly to dudes beating up on girls, famous or not. No one cares about your new music. From that day forward, the only thing that anyone will ever remember about you is that you beat your very famous girlfriend. You made your own bed, deal with it.

Fast forward to this week, where he made an appearance on Good Morning America. I guess he's promoting a new album. To be honest, I don't really care what he's promoting but he was on there and Robin Roberts was interviewing him. OF COURSE she asked him about his attack on Rihanna and the restraining order that followed afterward. He deflected the question and brought the focus back on his album. He then performed a song and proceeded to go backstage and throw a giant hissy fit (which included him throwing a chair into a window, causing the glass to shatter and yelling at producers). He was furious that they brought up his past and felt blindsided because they hadn't discussed that line of questioning.

Apparently Chris Brown doesn't know how the entertainment business works.
Apparently Chris Brown thinks we should all move past his decision to beat his girlfriend.
Apparently Chris Brown is an idiot.

Good Morning America responded to Chris Brown's temper tantrum by asking him to come back on the show. He ended up "apologizing" in case he made any of the staff feel uncomfortable and just wants everyone to know he was "letting off steam" because he was so angry.

His exact words:
"I felt like they told us that just so they could get us on the show to exploit me. That's what I thought. So I took it very, very hard," he said. "And I kept my composure throughout the whole interview, although you could see I was upset. I kept my composure and did my performance, and when I got backstage, I just let off, like, steam. I just had to release the anger that I had inside me because I felt like I worked so hard for this music and I felt like people keep trying to take it away from me. So, yes, I got very emotional, and I want to apologize for that."
 

Whew, ok, Chris Brown. All is well then. I completely understand your need for beating and destroying things because you are so angry. I'mma go out and buy your album now!

Maybe Chris Brown should attend some anger management classes, so that no one else has to witness him "blowing off steam"? Perhaps he should concentrate on fixing himself, instead of writing/performing new music that we don't want to hear from him.

Are You Ready For A Throwdown?

With my lack of new books to read, I have jumped back into re-reading one of my favorite series, Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson.  Nichole turned me onto this series after I was frantically searching for something to read when I finished the Twilight series 3 times in a row. Needless to say, it was the perfect series to move on to and I fell in love with it. I got Natalie to fall in love with them too. We actually bought each other the series for Christmas, haha. Anyway, it's about an ordinary girl from a small town in Texas, named Katie Chandler who is adjusting to life in the Big Apple. Basically she discovers that magic is real and is recruited by a company that deals with distributing spells. It's a sweet story, complete with a handsome black haired, blue eyed Wizard named Owen Palmer who is the object of Katie's crush. There are 4 books in the series and while parts of the story are pretty silly, they are a fun, quick read and I adore them.

I also just read the first book in the Stephanie Plum books, by Janet Evanovich, One For The Money. I know there are a billion books in this series (not really, I think 17?) so they will keep me busy for awhile... or a couple weeks, according to my sister. She says I read way too fast. I think she may be right.

My obsession with Bobby Flay seems to be growing. I watch Throw-down with Bobby Flay on the Food Network every chance I get (I have yet to see an episode where he wins, even though I know he has won some because I have read his book... thanks, Carrie!). I'll continue to watch until I see him win one. Not only does he have Food Network shows, I am delighted that NBC has given him his own show called, America's Next Great Restaurant on Sunday nights at 8pm. It's pretty much a bunch of people competing to come up with the next brilliant "casual-fast food" (think Qdoba or Chipotle) chain restaurant. The winner gets an investment from not only Bobby Flay but 3 other food people and 3 restaurants that will open up in 3 major cities. There is a fella competing from Detroit who is trying to open up a chain of chicken and waffles restaurants and he made it into the top 10. Really though, all you need to know is that Bobby Flay hosts/judges it and he wears a suit... and he's handsome. He also has a special that will be on this weekend (on Food Network, of course) that is about him going to Ireland. Yes, please.

I have been researching Disney World like crazy the past couple of weeks because we are going to take Charley in the fall (shhhhhh, he doesn't know about it yet.). Yes, I have been there before but I have never been there with my own kid and I am ridiculously excited to experience the "happiest place on earth" through the eyes of my very creative, very imaginative almost 4yr old. And of course, why not make a stop at The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter while we're at it??? (!!!!!!) With the help of my awesome friends and family, we have a pretty good game plan to go on. Jeff, C and I will be driving and my mom and sister are going to fly down a day ahead of us. This will be Natalie's first ever vacation that doesn't involve driving up north to the thumb, so I am just as excited for her as I am for Charley. Hooray!

One last thing, if you currently have nothing to watch Wednesday nights at 10pm, I suggest you check out Justified on FX, starring Timothy Olyphant (who I have had a crush on since seeing him star opposite Jennifer Garner in the movie Catch and Release). It's about a federal lawman, set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky and all the crimes/people he deals with. My handsome husband, Jeffrey tried to get me to watch this show all last season but it never really pulled me in (it's kind of disturbing sometimes... says the girl obsessed with True Blood). When I heard during the off season, that they had cast Jeremy Davies and Brad William Henke (that's Daniel Faraday and Bram to my fellow Lost folks), as well as Michael Mosley (from Scrubs: Med School and more recently an episode of Castle) I figured I would give season 2 a shot. I'm glad I did. Not only is Timothy Olyphant excellent and captivating with his cowboy hat and soft spoken demeanor, the two actors formerly known as Faraday and Bram are fantastic. It's so fun to see them playing completely different characters from what they played before. So, if you're bored this Wednesday around 10pm, check it out. Or if you're one of those people who doesn't like to jump into the middle of a series without seeing it from the beginning, I'm pretty sure you can get the first season on DVD or Netflix.