Hold onto your hats, kids — here’s a PopGurls Update!
+ 90210 — Deja Vu All Over Again? This is not a recap. This is not really a review. These are simply our reactions. Shame and sanity were left at the door.
CLASS DRAMA, IN-LAW DRAMA, and ALCOHOLISM. All these important issues must be in caps — otherwise the very special-iality of these issues wouldn’t be as apparent.
+ A Quickie With Renee Loux
The host of Fine Living Network’s It’s Easy Being Green talks about easy ways to go organic, relax and how it’s really a small world after all.
+ A Quickie With Author Sara Zarr
She talks about her writing process, step-parents in literature and, of course, potatoes.
There is this moment early on in Ocean’s Eleven, where the crew is being put together. Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), a dealer in Atlantic City, “has developed a bad case of bronchitis and is putting in for a transfer to warmer climates.” Warmer climates, of course, being Las Vegas where a heist is about to be pulled.
There is no dialogue, only a voice-over by Danny Ocean, yet Bernie Mac makes it one of the most memorable scenes from the movie. He makes puppy-dog eyes, even the beginnings of a pout, and it’s just magic.
Bernie Mac created magic in so many more ways, but that’s the one that created a lasting memory of him in my pop-culture overloaded brain. I always found it a fantastic comedic scene, never pushing it too far as it easily could have been. Now, it’s a bittersweet reminder of what we have lost.
Sadly, Estelle Getty has passed. Even more sad, she had been battling Lewy Body Dementia for years. I remember in one of the <i>Golden Girls</i> reunion shows, the fellow ladies had said how Estelle barely recognized them anymore. I hope that she has found peace.
Here’s one of my favorite clips — Sophia and Dorothy as Sonny and Cher, and a very freaked out Rose:
Golden Girls may have gone off air in 1992 (my god, 16 years ago?), but the ladies have never been far from our hearts. And our collective minds — a few select quotes from Overheard in New York:
Or really, video flashback. We were listening to LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali” and someone started talking about the Colin Quinn parody. Whoa, crazy flashback Batman. All she could remember was the Richie Sambora line, but thankfully, YouTube cures your curiosity before it can kill the cat.
Nails filed, clothes wild –
She said her name was Laura
She gave me a pear,
Started spraying her hair,
and showed me a photo of Richie Sambora
In case you didn’t know (or happened to see Bravo’s massive Project Runway marathons all weekend) — Season 5, and the final season on Bravo starts Wednesday at 9pm/8c. Today, just about every thing you’d want to know about the show (aside from who wins) has been leaked — on the Bravo website.
Sure, they usually let you know makes the cut to compete on the Project Runway before the season premiere — but I think someone screwed up and decided to make live a page that should have remained dark for the next 14 or so weeks.
Want to know what all the challenges are, broken out by episode and guest judge? Check it out here.
I have a weakness. Okay, I have many weaknesses, but the one I’m most concerned with now is about school supplies. In general, I have to limit my trips to Staples and such because I tend to walk out with $40 worth of pens, markers, notebooks and other such things that I do not need. I flip through the supply catalog at work at end up ordering finger gripper-protectors to use when going through many papers. Mine looks like a red fish and I only use it when going through the supply catalog.
The months I most worry about are school supply months — when you can’t escape the aisles and aisles of cute notebooks, book covers, locker mirrors and magnets. Normally, I prepare myself for these to hit early August, and adjust my blinders accordingly. Because, I don’t go to school. I work in a fairly paperless office. I write directly into my laptop. I have no need for all the notebooks I’ve already acquired and yet I want more. I want them all. I want to have an entire office of cute notebooks and lunch bags and pens ready at my disposal, whether I need them or not. (I can probably put all my Buffy dolls and figures up in there too, and then you know, I should probably follow those up with Doctor Who toys… but I digress.)
This weekend, however, I was blindsided by my beloved Target which has already rolled out the deliciously adorable school preparations. I was so not prepared! I felt weak in the knees amid the Hello Kitty and Domo Kun notebooks…
the cute fruit-themed backpacks and lunchbags…
look — pink skull and crossbones! RAWR!
There were packages of markers and pens, and the most adorable pencil cases. I did give in and pick up one black/red/silver vinyl one that looks like a mini-clutch. And then there’s the camo lockable one which I might just nab as a makeup case.
Luckily I had my camera with me, so the urge to lighten my wallet was a little lessened, and I can spend time all glossy-eyed over the cuteness before making impulse purchases. But I know I’ll be back, I know I’ll be slave to the school supplies god very soon.
It seems that money is a sticking point here, but if the producers want ratings gold they need to give Doherty what she wants. She will be worth every dollar in her pocket as fans who tuned in 18 (my god!) years ago will tune-in in droves.
I’m so embarrassingly excited about this possibility!
In high school, I came across my mother’s copy of George Carlin’s FM & AM album and pretty much had it memorized in about a week. I loved him, his brilliance and his humor, so much. When I found out that he had died, I immediately flashed back to my old living room, lying on the floor for hours listening to his routines over and over.
There’s far better eulogizers than me out there, and a lot of people have been quoting Carlin’s infamous “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” today in honor of his passing, but my favorite routine will always be my first introduction to him. It was his HBO special, What Am I Doing in New Jersey?… I wore that VHS tape out and most of that routine is still burned into my brain. To this day, I keep his advice on how to keep people alert close to my heart.
For those who have been under a rock for the past few weeks — A family relocates from the Midwest to Beverly Hills, bringing their two kids along to chart the rocky waters of high school in the notorious zip code. Yes, it’s 2008, don’t check your calendar.
The CW posted a new clip from the show, primarily consisting of interviews with the cast. This worries me a little bit as I play “count the cliches” (taking it to the next level, Silver is a “free spirit”! ). But I’m open to embracing the utterly amazing trainwreck to come…
Just try and tell me you didn’t get a bit nostalgic with that opening song! Anyway, Lori Laughlin plays the new mom and Silk Stalkings’ Rob Estes was just cast as the dad. Which, honestly, is a brilliant, brilliant move. I can’t think of a better dad, and certainly a much hotter one than Jim Walsh.
There’s a bunch of new kids, but let’s face it — most of us just care about which of the old crew will be back. The count as of now:
Dreamy Dylan McKay (even with those ridiculous overalls) (Luke Perry): no word yet, which is fine if he’s off playing house-husband to Brenda
And speaking of my beloved Brenda “Bitch and a half” Walsh: no word yet. But man, that would get people back in droves.
While discussing the spin-off at work, one idea came up that is the best thing this show could do — give it the Heather Locklear treatment. Have Brenda come back mid-way through the season and save the show from the inevitable bad ratings. You thought Amanda Woodward was a bitch? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
I’ve been listening to Dan Savage’s podcast since he started it — been reading his column for even longer — and I thought it odd that he’d taken the last couple of weeks off from the “out loud version” without any notice. I’d been a little miffed, more because I’ve come to look forward to Tuesdays when I can get the download and either disappear into my headphones while walking around the city or fighting the loud and obnoxious commuters on my bus home.
Then, in today’s column, I found out the reason for Dan’s absence — his mother died on Monday. His mother, with who he had co-written a column series, has always been a huge presence in his writing and is always, always spoken about with such reverence. When I read that his mom had passed, I felt like someone I knew had died, and I ached for him and his family and I’m sure most of his readers are doing right now.
After you finish it, and you’re able to take a small break from crying — and you will cry. Whether it leaves you thinking about losing your mom or dad or someone else that means so much to you, you will cry. But yes, once you blot your tears for a bit, pop over to the This American Life site.One of my favorite pieces Dan has done on was part of the Leave the Mask On episode. He discusses how, despite the fact that he “makes his living writing a nationally syndicated sex advice column — admits that there’s one group of people he does not want to discuss sex with ever. Sadly, it’s a group of people who have his home phone number: his family.”
The tears might come again, but this time — the laughter will probably break through.
This is not a recap. This is not really a review. These are simply our reactions. Shame and sanity were left at the door. 
Tweet this!
