Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Best of '07 (UPDATED)

Here go some of my favorite things of ’07, in no particular order:

Flight of the Conchords: This is by far my second favorite comedy of the year. (we all know what takes top honors and I won’t bore you with it again). If you guys haven’t seen it then you really really should. It is a comedy that airs on HBO that is about A New Zealand pop group duo (Jemaine and Bret) who come to NY to get their big break. We get to come along and see them try to survive in NY and we get to see their dimwit manager try to get gigs for them. What I like about this show is the hilarious little comments and remarks that the characters say. I must admit, my favorite thing about the show is that Jemaine and Bret break into song in the funniest moments. I love the hysterical lyrics that they put to their songs. Another thing that stands out is Mel, their one and only stalkerish fan. She is so creepy as is her husband for driving her around to stalk the band. I knew I wasn't alone in liking this show (I quote it all the time with some friends who watch it too) but I was giddy to find out that two of my favorite comedy writers, Mindy Kaling and Gene Stupniski, were loving on it too. Matt got me the season 1 dvd for Christmas and I am so excited for him to see what I am always talking about. I dare you guys to watch it and not have the hilariously catchy tunes stuck in your head. (UPDATE: Matt has now watched four of the episodes with me and he has his Jemaine impersonation down packed! I love it!)

Juno: This movie was my favorite movie of the year. Matt and I got to go watch a free screening of this a little bit ago and we both absolutely loved this movie. The movie is about a sixteen year old (Ellen Page) who gets pregnant and decides to give her child to a couple who can’t get pregnant (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) and the trials she faces in having to grow up. The cast in this movie is great. I always love Jason Bateman in everything he does and this was no exception. Michael Cera is also in this movie and plays the adorable Paulie Bleeker, the guy who gets Juno pregnant. The added bonus in this movie is not only that it has heart but it also is extremely funny with lots of quotable lines. It’s a small independent movie but it is out in most major theatres around the valley…You know what? Talking about it is making me want to go watch it again. I wonder if Matt is up for it. I bet he is. He is so boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni.



Friday Night Lights: I think I talked about this on here before but, man, I want to slap myself for not finding this show sooner. I kept hearing about all the critical acclaim it was receiving last season and bloggers I respect were all over this show and I kept putting it aside and thinking “ugh, I don’t want to watch another teenage drama..and this one is about football, ugh”. But it’s so not that, you guys. It is about more than that. Kyle Chandler is awesome as Coach Taylor and Connie Britton is the perfect counterpart to play his wife Tami. The show is not just about them but they always seem to hit it out of the ballpark whenever they are on screen. The writing on this show is impeccable and the acting is so real that it’s hard to believe that these people are actually …well, acting. Matt Saracen (the backup quarterback that was thrust into the scene by becoming first string qb) is nice to watch on tv. This character is the sweetest, nicest, most honest high school character I have seen on tv. He is so insecure of himself and just ah, Zach Gilford plays him so well. And let me not forget to talk about Tim Riggins…Riggins, that lost soul. He’s just wow. (It’s ok, I’m not a perv. He plays a high schooler but he’s played by Taylor Kitsch who’s like 26 so it’s totally ok). I can’t wait for the strike to be over so I can see what else this show has in store. As Jenna Fischer once said, let’s end this strike for Riggins!

note: The season 1 dvds are like dirt cheap at Target. I got it there for like $19.99 awhile ago (that is cheap for a one hour drama tv show) and I saw that it was still that price when I was Christmas shopping. Shoot, I should have given it away as Christmas presents. Ah, well. You all have jobs. Go buy it. You won’t regret it.

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark: I’m just really loving this nail polish right now. It’s a really dark purple, almost black and I just love the way it looks. I like to be girly but its cool to be able to show your dark side if only on your nails! (gah, I’m lame-dash-o) But really, I just think it looks cool and it complements the clothes I wear. If I’m wearing something girly and pink then this totally brings me back from being in fru-fru land.





Michael Cera: Not only was he in one of my all time favorite shows, Arrested Development, but he was also in two of my favorite movies of the year, Juno and Superbad. This Canuck plays all his comedy roles straight faced and with such innocence that just always seems to crack me up. Whether it be him singing/harmonizing to get himself out of a room of smoked out potheads or him being adorably in love with his high school bff, there was never a moment that Michael Cera was on screen and I didn’t have a smile on my face. (I wanted to include my favorite Michael Cera clip from Arrested Development, but alas, I didn't find it on youtube...will update when found) . UPDATE: And found! This show is so great! A special thanks to MB for putting that up for me. You, my friend, are a gentleman and a scholar


Paley Fest: I am so glad Andrea and I discovered Paley Fest last year. Paley Fest is a two week television and film festival that is thrown by MTR (Museum of Television and Radio).

(Disregard the part where it asks for your email. Just hit the play button)











The festival consists of panels of your favorite tv shows. It is a very personal experience as the panels are held at the Director’s Guild of America and only a couple hundred tickets are sold. Each night is a celebration of a different tv show. Andrea and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to The Office panel at Paley last year. I must say this was one of the highlights of my already great year. Not only did we get to sit in on the panel, but we got to chit-chat with all of the cast members (minus John) and it was just amazing. The tickets for this particular panel sold out in like 5 minutes in the presale! We were lucky to get tickets because we bought a membership to MTR, which allowed us to get presale tickets for members. I just received the email for this coming year’s Paley Fest and although they didn’t release the info on all of the night’s panels, I did find out that there was going to be a Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Gossip Girls and the much anticipated Judd Apatow panel. They will release the info on the other panels later in January, but I am already 99.9% sure I will be going to the Apatow, Chuck and Pushing Daisies panels (depending on the date and on if we get tickets…cross your fingers for us).

The rest of the best: I know this is a blog about our likes and interests so I’ll keep this one short but my best-est most favorite-est thing of ’07 was getting married to Matt! I had so much fun at my wedding and wish we could do that all over every year. It’s awesome knowing that you have your best friend to share the rest of your life with. Like I mentioned earlier, he is the cheese to my macaroni, the Jim to my Pam, the Seth to my Summer…and the list goes on! Ok, I'll stop so this doesn't get lame or offensive.



Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Christmas Shopping Guide: My Favorite Things

Everyone seems to have a favorite things list up to help people during Christmas shopping. Since I am a follower, here goes my list. Enjoy!



Chucks. These are my favorite “everyday” tennis shoes. They are so comfy, super trendy and you can get them in practically any color to match your outfit. Oh, and when you see those random pictures of celebs out and about, what shoes do they happen to be wearing? You got it!...Well most celebs…except Brittney and Paris and such but who wants to dress like them and look like skank hos? Not me! That’s fo sho!




UGGS. Since we are on the subject of comfy shoes let me tell you about UGGS. I love them! I know, I know. They are ugly…hence the name UGGS but believe me when I tell you that these magic shoes are the best thing you will ever wear on your feet. When you wear them, it feels like you are walking on marshmallows (minus the gooiness that walking on marshmallows would obviously result in). About the only thing that I love about the winter is the fact that I get to wear my UGGS. My feet feel so warm and cozy. I even wear them around the house. I own the black ones and the brown ones. They can be pricey but Last Chance usually carries them and I’ve been able to get both of my pairs for around $40 (Yes, they carry the $150-$200 UGGS for only $40!).


Freaks and Geeks. Lately, I’ve been on an Apatowian Kick so with the writer’s strike going on, Matt and I have been Netflixing old tv shows that we never got around to watching and one of those shows is F&G. (Have I mentioned how much I love Netflix? Oh, I have? Well, I LOVE IT!) This show is great and I can’t believe we didn’t watch it back when it came out. An extra bonus of watching this series is seeing all the people that Judd has in all his movies back when they were first starting out. F&G has a lot of what I like in my comedies: No laugh-track and lots of cringe-worthy moments. Also, you will fall in love with the wonder that is Bill Haverchuck. Just watch it and you will know what I mean. Oh, and if you get this then you can hear Matt’s Sam Wier impersonation. He has it down packed. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t ask Matt to do a Sam Wier. Now if only he could learn how to do a Haverchuck impression…


Chanel Chance. I am a girly-girl at heart and I like to smell flowery and sweet. Chanel Chance is this magnificent scent that will have you going “Ahhhhh” all day. It’s just that good. It’s an everyday scent that you can wear to work or just because.




Video iPod. Matt gave me mine for Christmas two years ago and I can honestly say that it is one of the best presents I have gotten. I use it all the time. It goes with me everywhere. This gift is great if you are looking for a gift for a TV fan like me. I have some music on there but I mostly use it to store movies and TV shows. I have ALL SEASONS of The Office on there, and some episodes of Scrubs, Grey’s and Lost. Some of my favorite movies are on there too, including 40 Year Old Virgin and Love and Basketball. I mean I use this thing all the time at work. I’ll pop the earbuds in and I’ll listen to my favorite episodes of La Oficina and I’ll just laugh while doing work. If you don’t have one of these wonders then you should definitely get one…especially since they are out with the cool new touch design.


Guitar Hero III: I got this for Matt’s birthday and he LOVES it. I’m not a huge gamer so whenever Matt used to ask me to play video games with him, I would just roll my eyes and say “Not now, but ask me again ten years ago” but not with Guitar Hero. It is so much fun and you can live out your rock and roll dreams with this. It even works if you have to entertain nieces or something…lots of fun to be had by all!




Now, since I have given you guys all tips for good gifts this Christmas, here goes something that I want for Christmas (and I’m pretty sure Andrea wants this too). So if anyone feels inclined to give this to me, I will be indebted to you FOREVER. I’ve been a good girl this year, so please consider it! (My Christmas wish begins at the 0:50 mark and goes on to the end of the video. I know, I know, I'm gay...and apparently I'm a 14 year old fangirl, too)