Most unproductive day ever

Friday before Christmas, kids. The only day that's going to be deader than today is Christmas Eve. I'd probably have posted before this, except we left for about a 2 hour lunch.

So, random things today. There's going to be a movie of The Hobbit, and also a sequel. The sequel thing kind of scares me. Don't mess with my Tolkien! Just film the book as written and then get the hell away.

Also, here's an interview with "Grumpy Dave" Boreanaz. I don't know if it's the interviewer trying to make him sound mean, or if he's being tongue-in-cheek and it just doesn't come across in print, or if he was just uncharacteristically cranky that day. Usually, DB is a big ball of enthusiasm in his interviews (witness the insanity that was Graham Norton).

And finally, the 10 worst powers to have on Heroes. I don't know, given the whole proclivity to accidentally explode, don't you think Radioactive Ted should've been higher than #6? I will admit, though, a psychological disorder is a pretty crappy power (if you can call it a power at all), so Niki/Jessica probably does deserve to be at the top of the list.

Must See TV

I don't usually post on weekends (gotta have something to do at work), but this couldn't wait until Monday: David Boreanaz's appearance on the Graham Norton show. He dances, shows off his Tower of London shoes ("Now I can step on London."), examines "dead" bodies, and explains why he's afraid of chickens ("They're just very unpredictable."). Plus, he does a spot-on Simon Cowell impression. It's hilarious.

OMG!

Glow in the dark kittens! It's so terrible, but I want one!

Waiting for it to snow

It's still raining here, but they're predicting multiple inches. Personally, I'd rather be able to drive to the store so I can buy cookie-baking ingredients and to the Lancaster outlets this weekend for Christmas shopping. So, could we hold off the snow for a week or so? Thanks.

Two links from Pop Candy today: all the in-jokes from Pixar movies, revealed! Also, what's your holiday drink? Mine is a cosmopolitan.

Is it Friday yet?

Ugh, I have a headache today. And the phone's ringing off the hook.

So, in the absence of new television (except HIMYM, which was awesome), I watched a movie last night called "The TV Set." It stars David Duchovny as a TV writer who pitches a pilot, and the movie goes through the whole process from casting to the upfronts, all the compromises he has to make in order to get his show on the air, and the network executives who basically ruin the show with their suggestions. It was a pretty good movie, and definitely gave me more appreciation for the writers and showrunners (and makes me hate studio execs even more, if that's possible).

In other movie news, can you possibly think of a cuter couple than Rory Gilmore and Matt Saracen? But Zach Gilford's looking a little hobo-ish with that beard. Not a good look, dude.

Test your TV catchphrase knowledge with this quiz. I scored 12 out of 18, but I guessed on a lot of the older shows.

Politics and crime

Cynics might say they go together. Not so much in this blog, I just didn't feel like making two separate posts.

First of all, John Baer has been very funny lately. You should read him. Come on, Vince Fumo, the "historically loose cannon on the deck of life"? Hee! Plus, he almost got beat up by a state Supreme Court justice: "when I see him Saturday night, he stops and punches one fist into his open palm while fixing me with a steady stare. So, stay tuned."

And check out the transportation stuff: "Rep. Mario Scavello, has an amendment to ban tolls of any kind within 40 miles of the New Jersey border - in other words, in his district." Awesome. "You may recall that State Farm Insurance back in '01 named two Boulevard intersections as the second- and third- most-dangerous in America - and they were beat out only by an intersection in Pembroke Pines, Fla., where retirees apparently play serious bumper cars." Awesomer.

Second, you all should know by now that I'm not a fan of reality TV. Still, I can't let this one go by without comment. I can't believe no one thought that maybe, just maybe, there might be some legal issues with a show called "Who Wants to Marry an American Citizen?"

Bah humbug

Is anyone else tired of Christmas? Maybe it's just me, but I just don't feel like expending the energy this year. I'm not doing Christmas cards, so if you were expecting mail... sorry. I don't even want to do presents. My family is the worst to buy for. No one wants anything, no one needs anything, and I don't see them often enough to know what they like. And then they ask me what I want, and I don't really need anything either! So perhaps we should just skip the whole thing altogether.

I went Christmas shopping yesterday, and was actually moderately successful (Mom, two aunts and Grandmom checked off the list). But I really don't like shopping when I don't know what to get someone. I end up just wandering up and down the mall, in and out of department stores, with no real idea of what I'm looking for. I hate that kind of shopping. I just want to go in knowing what I want, find it, buy it, and get out.

I'm also picky about presents. I hate giving gift cards, or even generic presents that you could give to anyone. I like finding things that are specific to the person, which of course sets the bar higher in the gift-giving arena. Sometimes I get lazy, though (one aunt and Grandmom are pretty much interchangeable this year). Also, trying to cater to the specific person, I tend to get people the same things every year. And then it's like, well, my dad likes gin, but I got him gin for his birthday and Father's Day and last Christmas, etc. (Same for my uncle, except in place of "gin" substitute "tea.") Do I really want to get the same thing again?

So, in conclusion, if anyone has any suggestions for gifts for the following family members, please let me know:

Dad - likes gin, classic cars, Nascar, football (Eagles), and HGTV. Is a Mr. Fix-it around the house, but already owns every power tool known to man.
Uncle - from India, former math teacher, now retired, likes tea, has lung cancer.
Aunt - nun, lives in Maryland, speaks French, used to be a Catholic school teacher, likes to compare aches and pains with my mom and other aunt.
Aunt & Uncle - run a deli/cafe, used to go snowmobiling in the Poconos, hate cats. For the past 18 years, lives seemed to revolve around their sons' sports schedules.
Cousins - both boys, college-age, like sports of all kinds, but no idea which teams. Formerly, Flyers were a staple, but now the one is into crew. Crew?? There aren't any professional crew teams! The older is majoring in chemical engineering at University of Delaware, the younger is in trade school for landscaping.

Santa's a jerk

I don't actually remember the old Rudolph movie (I'll be honest, other than Christmas Vacation and Charlie Brown, I don't really watch many Christmas specials), but apparently, Santa's kind of a jerk. Of course, I also didn't realize Rudolph was gay...

Anyway, with the end of the year fast approaching and no end to the strike in sight, I thought you might want an update on how many episodes of your favorite shows are left. The highlights:

1. 24 - Most likely not airing this season. Boo!
2. Bones - 3 episodes remaining (next episode 1/4/2008).
3. Chuck - 1 episode remains. The final episode will air in 2008.
4. Dirty Sexy Money - 1 episodes remaining.
5. Friday Night Lights - 7 episodes remaining, which will air in 2008. Whee!
   
6. Heroes - Zero episodes remain. Boo!
7. How I Met Your Mother - 1 episode remains and will air on 12/10
8. Jericho - All seven episodes will air. Will premier Tuesday, Feb. 12 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).
9. The Office - No episodes remain. Boo!
10. Psych - Full second half of season will air. Whee!
    
11. Pushing Daisies - 1 episodes remaining and will air on 12/12.
12. Reaper - Confusion! There are either zero or two episodes remaining. Guess we'll find out next year when it either comes back or it doesn't.

Psych!!

Okay, this is the first I've heard of this, and I'm now super-excited! "Psych," everyone's favorite show about fake psychic detectives, is airing a Christmas episode tomorrow (Friday, 10pm on USA)! The second half of the season isn't supposed to air until next year, but apparently things like that don't matter when there's a holiday a-comin'. This appears to be something cable shows do sometimes, since they don't follow the traditional Sept-May season schedule, but they can't pass up the chance to do a Christmas episode. Who cares? I'm just happy to have "Psych" back, even if it's just for one day.

OK, the snow's not so fun anymore

There should be a rule that the Department of Education is closed whenever the area schools are closed. Then we could've gotten a two-hour delay this morning, and I wouldn't be so sleepy. I need to start going to bed earlier. I was doing good for a while there with the 11/11:30 bedtime (sorry, Jon Stewart, but you're in reruns anyway), but now I'm back to like, midnight... 12:30... 1am... and it definitely makes a difference.

So, in other news, are you a perfectionist? If so, this article may tell you something about your mental health. I think I've been at least two of the three types of perfectionists in my life. (I used to be a three, now I think I'm more of a one.) Except I'm very selective about my OCD. For example, I don't care if all my clothes are in a pile on the chair, but if I actually hang them in the closet, God forbid they not all be hanging in the same direction.

Also, here's an interesting article about Presidential ambition. It's actually not as boring as it sounds. There's been a little competition between Obama and Clinton over who's wanted to be President the shortest amount of time. Apparently, wanting to be President since you were in kindergarten is a BAD thing. Really? Does it make a person less desirable if they've been preparing themselves for this office for years? Don't we WANT someone who's prepared, as opposed to a candidate who rolled out of bed one morning and said, "I think I'll run for President today"?

It's snowing! and a job question

First of all, it's snowing! We're supposed to get 1-3 inches today. *sigh* I miss the days when that'd be enough to get school canceled. Apparently, they don't close this place for anything.

So, work news. My boss just left and took a job at the State Board, and Teresa, the deputy director, just got promoted. So, that means the deputy spot is open. I asked Teresa, and she said they'll be hiring someone, but she doesn't know when. My mother thinks I should tell her I want to be considered. Am I the only one who thinks that would be obvious? Why wouldn't I be interested? But I also feel like I'm probably not qualified for the job. I've only been here 8 months, and Teresa had about four years more experience than I do when she started that job. Plus, if they were going to consider me for it, wouldn't that have already come up? I mean, the job directly above me opened up, so wouldn't I be the first logical consideration, if they thought I could do it?

Thoughts? Advice?

On a completely unrelated note, the writers' strike is looking like it may last a long time. Good thing I've got plenty of DVDs on my Blockbuster queue. Also, this is the most bizarre thing to put on a T-shirt ever. Any Buffy fans want one for Christmas?

Post Script

One more Heroes-related thing: Here's an interview with Tim Kring about the finale and what's coming up in Volume 3. While we're on the subject, something I forgot to mention in my rant - why the hell did Peter give himself a nosebleed trying to telekinetically (is that a word?) open the safe, when he could have just phased through the wall or teleported? Then, he could have destroyed the virus without Adam getting his hands on it, thus eliminating the need to put his trust in someone he was starting to question. OR, if Adam almost releasing the virus was absolutely essential to the dramatic tension, he could've phased or teleported Adam WITH HIM. And hey - we could even still have the big confrontation, because Hiro can teleport, too - and he could take Parkman and Nathan with him.

*sigh* It annoys me when the Heroes don't use their powers.

Speaking of which, I read on one of the comment threads (I think it was on TV Squad) the theory that Mohinder's "power" is actually extreme stupidity, and Peter absorbed it after spending time with Mohinder last season. I'd totally believe that.

Last Heroes rant until who-knows-when

Heroes is making me uncomfortable. I'm starting to feel weird about always cheering on the bad guys and rooting for people to die. Thanks, Show.

For instance, I was rooting for Peter and Adam all night last night, even though I *knew* Adam was going to release the virus. I can't help it. I love them both, and let's be honest, of Team Hiro/Parkman/Nathan, the only one I can tolerate is Nathan (and he will lose my love if he doesn't cut his damn hair! Seriously, is there some sort of "conservation of hair" principle in the Petrelli family?). And when Sylar is the only person in the room that I *don't* want to die, that's not good. News flash to Mohinder, Molly, and Maya - it's really sad when your character is so annoying you make a serial killer look good.

Also, how cool was Elle last night?? I loved how she got so excited when she realized she'd done something good. It seemed like she was more pleased that she'd redeemed herself in her father's eyes than the fact that she actually saved three people's lives, but hey, it's progress, right? At least she's zapping the bad guys now.

Mohinder has now permanently secured his position at the top of my "too stupid to live" list. Admittedly, the look on his face when Sylar started being nice to him was hilarious. But why he didn't DO something about it, I'll never know. Yes, okay, Maya is there and doesn't think Sylar's a bad guy. But she's a teeny little girl - what exactly is she going to do if Mohinder tries to kill Sylar? Hit him over the head with the frying pan? (Sidebar: OMG, I was so pissed when they killed Maya and then brought her back to life. You have no idea how thrilled I was to see her dead, and then they TOOK IT BACK, the bastards.)

Okay, yeah, so then, Sylar's all, "Gimme the blood," and Mohinder's like, "You can't just inject it! The wrong dosage could kill you!" Okay, Mo? Think about that one for a second. Shut UP! Just do what the bad man tells you and kill him!! God. And THEN, when he realizes that Sylar has escaped with Claire's blood, his first thought is, "*gasp* Niki!" Instead of, oh, I don't know, "Holy shit! A psychotic, evil mass murderer just found a way to get his powers back and become unstoppable again!" Too. Stupid. To. Live.

So... back to the dynamic duo. I admit, I'm glad that Peter destroyed the virus (WTF did he do? That was pretty awesome. Can he disintegrate all kinds of shit or just test tube viruses?) but I'm also glad that Adam's not dead. Probably a mistake on Hiro's part, burying him alive instead of killing him (maybe he didn't realize he could?), but you just know that someday, somebody's gonna dig up Adam, and after months/years/decades of being locked in a box, he'll be even more batshit crazy than he was before. Fabulous!

I have found a new reason to dislike Hiro, not that I needed one. Two seasons in a row now, his plot line has been all over the place and mostly irrelevant to the overarching story, and then he pops up in the finale, waving his goddamn sword around, all, "I wanna be a hero!!" It pisses me off. Like, either be a part of this or don't be, but don't just show up at the end and expect to save the day when the rest of these people have been risking their lives and working their asses off for 13 episodes now.

Nathan. *sigh* I did think it was cool that both Claire and Nathan had the idea to hold a press conference (like father, like daughter), although I think it would've been better for all involved if Claire had been the one who got shot. I wouldn't write him off just yet, though. There are still two people in the world who can save him, and they're both related to him. If Peter's smart (I know, that's asking a lot), he'll figure out that his blood can heal, too, just like Adam's, since he's absorbed the regeneration power. If not, then there's always the chance that Claire will see the assassination on the news, and SHE knows for sure that her blood not only heals, but can bring people back from the dead. I wonder if there's a time limit to how long a person can be dead before they get regenerated. Would it not work if they wait too long? Could Claire, like, bring back people who've been dead for years?

And, for the final death of the episode - Niki. Wow, pointless much? That entire plotline was dumb and overwrought. I don't understand why Monica couldn't use her kung-fu fighting skills to get OUT of that situation in the first place. But more importantly, all that over a few comic books? Really? I'm sure there must have been something more going on, but since they didn't tell us what it was, I'm left thinking it was remarkably contrived. I guess it's noble and all, that Niki, who was gonna die anyway, went in to save Monica, but it really didn't belong in the final episode of this arc.

So, that's it for Heroes until next year, and with the writers' strike, who knows when we'll get new episodes. At least we got a decent finale to hold us over.